"The Alpinist"

‘The Alpinist’: the career of Marc Andre Leclerc

‘The Alpinist’, directed by Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen, is a biography of Canadian free-style mountain and rock climber Marc Andre Leclerc (1992-2018).

My giving the dates and a Wikipedia link amounts to a spoiler, as he and a companion perished after a climb in Alaska’s coastal mountains in March 2018 after being buried by an avalanche, bringing the film to a tragic but almost inevitable end.

He grew up as a hyperactive kid and probably ADHD but wanted to be outdoors all the time, being home schooled largely (in British Columbia, near Squamish). He quickly became skilled in rock and mountain cliff climbing without ropes (the climber carries a parachute that can be opened with a fall, but how much time to does it have to open?)

The film has lots of sensational footage.  I presume the filmmakers had to be climbing (with ropes) nearby, or else were in a small plane or using drones.  (The directors are accomplished climbers themselves.)

At one point in the middle of the film he says he savors every day, every meal because he know it could be his last.

He is shown on several notorious peaks, as in Patagonia.

You can compare to “Free Solo” about Alex Honnold, Oct. 5, 2018.

Name: ‘The Alpinist’

Director, writer: Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen

Released: 2021/9

Format: 1.85:1

When and how viewed: Netflix sub. 2022/4/24

Length: 92

Rating: PG-13

Companies: Roadside Attractions

Stars: ****_

(Posted: Sunday, April 24, 2022 at 3:30 PM EDT by John W. Boushka)

Posted onApril 24, 2022

CategoriesB-Movies, documentary, outdoor adventure, sports

Tags Roadside Attractions

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