High Man Wins

By R.S.

THE MAN WHO SKIED DOWN EVEREST

Directed by MITSUIJI KANAU

Narration written by JUDITH CRAWLEY

In order to enjoy this film one must accept the idea that it is essentially no sillier to climb the world's highest mountain in order to ski down a few thousand feet than it is to climb to the summit in order to plant your country's flag there. Neither is a useful or sensible activity, but both have a certain absurd grandeur about them.

Once one adopts that view, it becomes possible to settle back and enjoy this filmed record of Yichiro Miura's 1970 expedition. He spent $3 million and involved upwards of 800 people in the attempt to position himself for a run of not more than a few minutes' duration up there on the roof of the world. The narration is adapted from a diary Miura kept during the several months of hiking and climbing required just to get to the top of his run. There are some attempts at prose poetry that are supposed to soar into the existential stratosphere but succeed only in landing on the ear. But when Miura is not trying too hard, he demonstrates an intelligent self-awareness.

Moreover, the material showing how to stage a climb up Mount Everest has the fascination of any well-organized body of how-to information. This segment of the film forms an interesting contrast to the spectacularly beautiful footage of Miura's practice runs at the lower altitudes and the wildly scary stuff at the end, when he is literally in danger of sailing right off the top of the world (only a parachute allows him to retain a measure of control).

One should go to this film for the same reason Miura went to Everest--because it is a clean and clear experience of the sort that neither the movies nor life offers in abundance these days.

R.S.

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