Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

In this IMAX feature, The Alps: Climb of Your Life, US mountain climber John Harlin, III returns to the Swiss Alps, his boyhood home, with his wife and young daughter, to take on a challenge he should have every reason in the world to fear. In 1967, Harlin's father, John Harlin II died trying to climb The Eiger's treacherous Nordwand ("north face"), a nearly fully vertical slope of sheer rock and ice. Wanting to complete the task that his father had promised him as a young boy they would one day do together, Harlin returned to the "Mordwand", or "murder wall", with grit and determination.

Filmed in the beautiful high resolution, 15/70 large format, the exhibition feature is filled with spectacular imagery of the Alps, including the Eiger, the famous Matterhorn, and the surrounding Swiss towns. The film crew captures excellent footage of Harlin and his crew's climb via close-up shots and sweeping aerial views.

The Alps is an inspiring story of personal perseverance. Harlin confronts the painful memories of his father's passing and his own fears, overcomes the obstacles and succeeds in fulfilling his life-long dream. The grandiosity of the IMAX format seems the perfect way to document Harlin's experience on these imposing mountains.

The Picture

The Alps arrives on Blu-ray disc in a 1080p/24 AVC/MPEG-4 high definition transfer that looks clean, sharp and detailed. From pure white snows of the mountain slopes and the clear azure skies to the verdant rolling Swiss hillsides in the foothills of the great peaks, everything looks lifelike and three-dimensional. The large-format IMAX film shows a few speckles here and there, but mostly this is a brilliantly rendered transfer of a well-filmed production and a clean source. Contrast levels, even in the brightest scenes against the highly reflective snow are never overpowering. Every jagged edge of rock can be made out. Flesh tones are natural and no artifacts can be detected. There are one or two moments where the picture softens ever so slightly, but it is not nearly enough to take away from this brilliant demonstration-quality disc.

The Sound

Although the film's soundtrack seems made up of mostly foley effects, it still makes good use of the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio codec. The 5.1 mix is surprisingly lively, full of the sounds of rushing water, whirling mountain and other sounds that fill all six channels. When necessary, low frequencies are quite extensive, such as during one scene that shows researchers setting off explosives to study avalanches in The Alps. The narration necessarily requires the other sounds to be subdued, so for much of the time the mix is relatively quiet, with the full, engaging narration from Michael Gambon and occasionally John Harlin and his wife clear in the center channel. Also worthy of note are the well-recorded and balanced score from Steve Wood and the songs of Queen variably adding to the atmosphere and drama, but never overwhelming the mix.

The Extras

As is usual with these IMAX releases from Image Entertainment, The Alps comes with a plethora of supplemental materials related to the film and its subject matter. Some of it is promotional in its scope while some offers up some more interesting trivia on the history of The Alps.

The extras available on this release are:

• Making of (4:3/standard definition) -- This 39-minute long mini-documentary documents the the production and filming of The Alps.
• Film Trivia Quiz --After watching the film, test your knowledge by answering multiple-choice questions pertaining to The Alps.
• Learn More! -- More interesting trivia about the history of The Alps.
• About Switzerland (2.40:1/high definition) -- This is a surprising yet welcome high definition photomontage of Switzerland in summer and winter set to the music of Michael Hoppé.
• MacGillivray Freeman Films (1.78:1/high definition) -- This is a brief promotional documentary on the history and background of the film production company.
• About Greg MacGillivray -- A bio on the company's co-founder.
• Trailers:
  • Coral Reef Adventure
  • Journey into Amazing Caves
  • The Magic of Flight
  • The Living Sea
  • Mystery of the Nile
  • Greece: Secrets of the Past
  • Hurricane on the Bayou
  • The Alps
  • Dolphins
  • Super Speedway
• Dynamic Connection -- BD-Live:
  • Meet the Characters
  • Journey through the Alps
  • Photo Galleries
  • Upcoming: Return to Everest
  • The Eiger
  • Websites and Live Mode
  • Character Updates
  • The Alps -- Blu-ray Community
  • Climbing Live News
  • Preview Upcoming Feature Trailers
  • Sponsors
  • HDTV Basic Tuning Guide
  • Contact MacGillivray Films

Final Thoughts

The Alps is yet another breathtaking IMAX release from MacGillivray Freeman and Image Entertainment that is sure to wow anyone who watches it. This high definition showpiece on Blu-ray is highly recommended.

Where to Buy

• The Alps: Climb of Your Life (IMAX) on Blu-ray Disc (Amazon.com)

Product Details

• Actor: John Harlin III
• Audio/Languages: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French & Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating:  Not Rated
• Studio: Image Entertainment
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: October 14, 2008
• Run Time: 45 minutes
• List Price: $24.98
• Extras:
  • "Making of" Documentary
  • Bonus Swiss Mountain Videos
  • Film Trivia Quiz & Learn More
  • BD-Live