As I was perusing the newspaper on Friday looking for fun and interesting things to do, I noticed that there was a new IMAX movie in town, called ‘The Alps’. Be still my beating heart. You already know how I feel about cinema, but what you may not know is that I just adore IMAX. I think it started when the IMAX movie ‘Everest’ came out. I had read the book ‘Into Thin Air’ a couple of months before, and I was very touched and moved by the story. I became a little obsessed with Mount Everest and learning about Nepal and Tibet, and with prayer flags (thank you Matt for hand carrying some back from Nepal for me), and with mountain climbing in general. Odd, considering I have a very real fear of heights. But anyhoo, at the time Utah did not have an IMAX theater and I was just so tingly with excitement to see this movie that I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was SUPER excited when I went on a trip to Washington D.C. that year and saw that ‘Everest’ was playing at the Smithsonian: National Air and Space museum. My friends and I planned to see the movie on the only free night I had during that trip. The day came, and we drove into the city, walked up to purchase our tickets, and were told that the museum was closed for a wedding reception. WTH! Who do you have to be to get the entire National Air and Space museum to shut down for your wedding reception? I mean geez. I was bitterly disappointed. Anyway, to make a long story short, they finally opened an IMAX in Utah, they re-released ‘Everest’ in the theaters, I went to see it, LOVED it, and went to see it again at the very next showing. It was just as compelling and heart wrenching as I had imagined it would be.
So…when I saw that there was an IMAX movie called ‘The Alps’, of course I had to go. After all The Alps form a part of the land of my people. Ok, ok I know I say that a lot – “My People”. What does this really mean? Let me take a moment to explain. If I have ever communed in a place that brought me joy, then by default the people of that area become “my people”. So if you are Dutch, or Singaporean, or from New York City, or are from Washington D.C., or from Nashville, or if you are Irish, or English, or Californian, or German speaking, or wee little Scots, then you are my people. If you have ever been to Disneyland, worked the Olympics, or attended the Sundance Film Festival, then you are “my people”. But of all the people that are “my people” the Swiss have a special place in my heart. They can be hard headed, and proud, and when you first meet them they may seem cold - but you will never find a truer and more loyal friend than a Swiss person. And although I cannot say that I have seen every place there is to see in the world, I CAN say that I seriously doubt if there is anywhere more breathtakingly beautiful than Switzerland. There were times when I lived there when I would see a sight so lovely that it seemed like it couldn’t be real. One cannot look at such a landscape and not feel a divine presence.
So back to the IMAX, this movie is about a man who has come to climb the north face of the Eiger, the same mountain that had claimed the life of his father when he was nine, 40 years ago. The story is compelling, not just because of the personal aspect but also largely in part due to the mountain itself. The Eiger is one of a group three famous mountain peaks in Switzerland; its neighbors are the Monch and the Jungfrau. In German their names translate into the Monk, the Virgin, and the Ogre. At approx. 13,000 feet, the “Ogre” is not the tallest of mountains, but due to its strange weather, crumbly composition, and mile high rock face, it can be a dangerous mountain to climb. I lived for a short time in the shadows of these three great Alps, and to see their silhouette in the horizon is awe inspiring. What I loved most about this movie and the reason for the post I guess is that there are many lovely shots of Switzerland. It brought tears to my eyes and I felt homesick watching it. If you ever get the chance to go to Europe I highly recommend an outing in Switzerland, I don’t think you will be disappointed. But if you don’t get the chance and you just want to see some really beautiful scenery, I recommend a trip to your local IMAX.
And as the say in the language of my people – Tschussli, I hope you all have a place and a people that you consider to be yours.
So…when I saw that there was an IMAX movie called ‘The Alps’, of course I had to go. After all The Alps form a part of the land of my people. Ok, ok I know I say that a lot – “My People”. What does this really mean? Let me take a moment to explain. If I have ever communed in a place that brought me joy, then by default the people of that area become “my people”. So if you are Dutch, or Singaporean, or from New York City, or are from Washington D.C., or from Nashville, or if you are Irish, or English, or Californian, or German speaking, or wee little Scots, then you are my people. If you have ever been to Disneyland, worked the Olympics, or attended the Sundance Film Festival, then you are “my people”. But of all the people that are “my people” the Swiss have a special place in my heart. They can be hard headed, and proud, and when you first meet them they may seem cold - but you will never find a truer and more loyal friend than a Swiss person. And although I cannot say that I have seen every place there is to see in the world, I CAN say that I seriously doubt if there is anywhere more breathtakingly beautiful than Switzerland. There were times when I lived there when I would see a sight so lovely that it seemed like it couldn’t be real. One cannot look at such a landscape and not feel a divine presence.
So back to the IMAX, this movie is about a man who has come to climb the north face of the Eiger, the same mountain that had claimed the life of his father when he was nine, 40 years ago. The story is compelling, not just because of the personal aspect but also largely in part due to the mountain itself. The Eiger is one of a group three famous mountain peaks in Switzerland; its neighbors are the Monch and the Jungfrau. In German their names translate into the Monk, the Virgin, and the Ogre. At approx. 13,000 feet, the “Ogre” is not the tallest of mountains, but due to its strange weather, crumbly composition, and mile high rock face, it can be a dangerous mountain to climb. I lived for a short time in the shadows of these three great Alps, and to see their silhouette in the horizon is awe inspiring. What I loved most about this movie and the reason for the post I guess is that there are many lovely shots of Switzerland. It brought tears to my eyes and I felt homesick watching it. If you ever get the chance to go to Europe I highly recommend an outing in Switzerland, I don’t think you will be disappointed. But if you don’t get the chance and you just want to see some really beautiful scenery, I recommend a trip to your local IMAX.
And as the say in the language of my people – Tschussli, I hope you all have a place and a people that you consider to be yours.
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