Talk to any Old Hat about the dawn of “climbing films” in the US and they’ll talk about Masters of Stone. It was one of the first mass produced, mass marketed climbing films, and it spawned 5 sequels that I’ll have to review in due time.
Straight out of the gate, you’re smacked in the face with early 90s everything. The music, random footage of space rocket launches, and possibly the most ridiculous “CLIMBING IS EXTREME BRO” monologues ever captured, regaling the listener with tales of over-worked, under-fed climbers “battling both gravity and their own self limitations.”
Into the actual climbing, Ron Kauk sends a few quick routes and a boulder while discussing the ‘delicate dance’, and then we visit Don Welsh for a lap up Sissy Traverse and a talk about rest days. After a brief (pointless?) interlude, we’re treated to a quick moderate solo, and then the hardest route shown yet, Slayer (5.14), both by Dan Osman himself with metal music to match.
A noticeable tonal shift later, we visit Nevada: “Fingers of Steel” Tony Yaniro and Boone Speed sending into the 5.14 range, overlaid with reggae and softer jam-rock. Worthwhile notes include mention of building replica boulders on home woodies, and that Boone Speed had long hair. The smooth jams continue as we join Hidetaka Suzuki in Yosemite on none other than The Phoenix. Still in Yosemite, Mark Wellman, paralyzed from the waist down, makes a very brief (literally a matter of seconds) cameo jugging a route. He gets his due in later films, so much so that this snippet feels out of place, or even wasteful. In one final Yosemite shot, the iconic Peter Croft makes a lazy 5.13- lap on Excellent Adventure.
Speaking of tonal shifts, we then transition to the Warrior Pit, where DWS has intersected with Professional Wrestling – I can think of no better way to describe this tangent. On the bright side, we quickly transition back to what I will argue is the biggest name in this film, John Bachar, casually free-soloing 5.12 over a fitting soundtrack of saxophone.
Watching Scott Frye on A Steep Climb Named Desire, I realize there’s a notable bit of footage overlap between the early Masters of Stone entries and Painted Spider (also some poster artwork and lycra pants). What follows is a random montage of whippers, a fast paced montage of climbers (including the producers) working routes all over the crags previously shown, and a quick trip to Wild Iris with mono-master Todd Skinner (OK, that AND knife throwing). Kurt Smith struts his stuff and his epic mullet on the roofs of Rifle, and Don Welsh in Smith Rock closes out the proper climbing of the film.
On the editing side, the shots are mostly well composed, with good tracking and unobtrusive zooms and pans. At least that’s what’s happening when the climbing is on screen – in the more frenetic themed segments, cuts are jagged, and you’re as likely to cut to stock footage of space-launches as you are to cut to a different climbing shot. It might be a sign of the times, but if the opening monologue didn’t make you cringe, the closing voiceover analogizing climbers and gunfighters will. Staying through the credits is worthwhile, because the bloopers shown add a levity that I think is missing from the rest of the film.
One last item. As I watched the series, the opening disclaimer evolved, and its worth recording them here because they can be funny in thier own way:
“Warning: Rock climbing may be hazardous to your health. Do not even think abnout climbing unless you are prepared to hold your life in your hands”
Verdict:
Borrow It. Credit to this film for serving as the genesis for what is overall good series, and mass market climbing films in general, but many will find it dated.
The Who:
Ron Kauk, John Bachar, Dan Osman, Peter Croft, Todd Skinner, Jim Karn, Kurt Smith, Tony Yaniro, Boone Speed, Hidetaka Suzuki, Scott Frye, Don Welsh, Mark Wellman, Mike Corbett, Dave Hatchett, Dave Griffith, Eric Perlman, Tom Gilje, Amy Wisler, Paul Piana
The What\Where:
Tuolumne Meadows. CA
*Laser Blade
*Clash of the Titans
*Electric Africa
Yosemite, CA
*The Phoenix
*Excellent Adventure
Red Rocks, NV
*Sissy Traverse
Warrior Pit, NV
Echo Lake, CA
*Metalblade
Cave Rock
*Phantom Lord
*Slayer
Lake Tahoe, NV
*Energy Booster (Solo)
*Climb Against Nature
*All Guns Blazing
City of Rocks, ID
*Remora
American Fork, ID
*Burning
*Blow of Death
Owens River Gorge, CA
*Enterprise (Solo)
*Rip Off (Solo)
Donner Summit, CA
*A Steep Climb Named Desire
*Panic in Detroit
Wild Iris
*Throwin the Houlihan
*When I was a young girl I had me a cowboy
*Adi-God Dan-Os
Rifle, CO
*Vision Thing
*Daydream Nation
Smith Rock, OR
*Scarface
*Flavor Flav (Solo)
*Bunion Ball (Boulder)
