If you’re a collector of climbing films, there are some that pop up on your radar constantly. These are films that despite being two decades old, there are still plenty of copies to be had, and you have to wonder why. Were they just that popular?
Enter Beyond Gravity, a film backed by The North Face. I’m going to do this review a little differently than most, in an interview style, as I can’t think of a better way to really capture this ubiquitous VHS-era flick.
What kinds of climbing are show in this film?
All of them. Credit where it’s due, TNF wanted to cover its bases and built this film out of vignettes into mixed, sport, aid, bouldering, big wall, alpine, and free solo climbing. Every genre gets a turn.
Who is in this film?
Everybody. It’s hard to tell who was an official TNF athlete 20 years ago, but many of the names are recognizable as on the current roster, and I’d imagine the 20 named athletes were on the list at the time. Even if super-stars like Lynn Hill and Peter Croft headline the credits, all the athletes were given their due with ample screetime.
What locations does it cover?
The film starts in Canada, and largely stays in various parts between the Rockies, the Chief, the boulders of Squamish, Horne Lake, with very brief excursions out to Tasmania and Greenland.
What makes this film unique?
This is a rare film about the sport of climbing as a whole, an ambitious undertaking for an hour’s time. I can’t quite recall the last time I saw mixed climbing featured in the same story arc as bouldering, outside of a pair of independent Reel Rock segments bundled together. Also worth noting is that the climbing itself takes a back seat for 80% of the film, with the majority of the time showing shots of the athletes with voiceover discussing their experiences, their feelings, their thoughts about the sport in general, as opposed to the climbs themselves. You get an interesting peek into people’s minds, from the Peter Croft view on free soloing, to Katie Brown discussing the moving meditation quality of climbing (its not quite zen as she points out, since that Buddhist and Brown is Christian).
What’s the soundtrack like?
The music itself is era appropriate with generic ambiance music and the occasional late 90s alt-rock. The most unfortunate part of this film is the exposition written and narrated by Greg Child. Greg Child is a good guy, but the writing is trite – the sort of “this is so extreme” that you get when local news media hypes up some new trend. Phrases that stick out include, “the cult of bouldering”, “whack and dangle thuggishness”, and “[aid climbing] is gutbusting work”. For someone who is an insider, the writing is that of an outsider, and while it wasn’t uncommon back then, it reads as severely dated now.
Anything else worth highlighting?
A word of warning for sensitive viewers, those watching with small children, or gumbie – this film includes footage of questionable activities. Namely, a depiction of blowtorches drying holds in Squamish. It was a different time, but such activities are now very, very, frowned upon. This was also shown in First Ascent, but Beyond Gravity went as far as to mention it in a positive light.
What about the part with Peter Croft free-soloing?
Peter Croft is great.
Verdict: Skip It. It was a film for a generic audience in 2000, and in the last 20 years its become more dated. The wealth of them on the second hand market is akin to the dedicated rack of Jerry Maguire VHS at your local Goodwill store.
The Who
Peter Croft
Lynn Hill
Katie Brown
Alastair King
Sean Isaac
Abby Watkins
Rich Prohaska
Jia Condon
Nancy Feagin
Matt Maddaloni
Jim Gudjonson
Scott Tasaka
Barry Blanchard
Joe Josephson
Steve House
Andrew Boyd
Conny Amelunxen
Adam Diamond
Drew Beiderweiden
Scott Brown
