A young hotel dishwasher dreams of conquering the mountain that claimed the life of his father.
This is a strong (and at times exciting) entry into the Disney catalogue of live-action movies that combines excellent production values with a very good central character arc.
'Third Man On The Mountain' has a simple character-driven plot about the realisation of young person's ambition through a perilous adventure and his struggle for acceptance.
As you should expect with Disney, the central characters are well defined, with Rudi having a clear goal from the opening scene. Underpinning this are some great themes about being true to yourself and following your dreams in the face of adversity. At the same time it makes a point of showing that ambitions can be sacrificed in the right circumstance and highlights the greater importance of human life. Rudi's arc and the decisions he makes towards the climax of the movie are the high point.
It showcases some truly great action-adventure scenes. My heart was in my mouth watching the climbers attempt certain feats and for me this is the other great aspect of the movie. Considering it was shot in 1959 these sequences easily stand the test of time. My 5 year old daughter, who is accustomed to the spectacle of modern filmmaking, was genuinely thrilled by scenes of climbers tackling vertical or overhanging rock faces, crevasses, pinnacles, caving and their frequent brushes with death. All this is set to a beautiful alpine backdrop.
Unfortunately it suffers from uneven pacing, as the village scenes at times kill the momentum created by the suspense and excitement of the mountaineering. I think if the exchanges of dialogue between the villagers were shorter (or better) it would work, as these characters are not as interesting as Rudi's adventure.
That being said the look and feel of Kurtal is very well done. Production values are high with great sets, props, costuming and a reasonably authentic sense of period.
Performances for me are a mixed bag. James McArthur looks and acts the part of the caged young alpine adventurer. It feels almost like he's playing a version of Fritz from 'Swiss Family Robinson' in the days before they left for New Guinea. Michael Rennie has a natural charm and certain awe about him as a famous mountaineer. Janet Munro, James Donald and Herbert Lom are all good but, along with the remaining cast play relatively contrived caricatures that exist for the sake of Rudi's emotional journey.
