Le précipice glacé

An odd combination of mountain-climbing adventure, romance and melodrama. The story seems to change complexion several times. Things start in the territory of tortured young love thwarted, move to men against the elements, then to office politics, then mean businessmen, back to the mountains etc.

The acting jumps wildly from wooden to hysterical and back. There is not the slightest hint of chemistry between the lovers. What the male gender sees in such a straight-laced woman is far from clear. The reasons for the mens' drive to climb mountains are never explored.

If you can get past these annoyances, then the movie is pretty good. The scenery is stunning, the avalanches suitably terrifying. And the one major actor who is not either wooden or hysterical, Uozo's straight-talking and long-suffering boss, plays a terrific part, and gives the stand-out performance here. The scenes where the other climbers band together to find the body are convincing, and work very well.

I have a great deal of respect for the author of the original story, Yasushi Inoue. My impression is that his story was fumbled by slip-ups in the script and direction. However, it is still an involving story, and worth watching.