SnoReptilePlenty
Memorable, crazy movie
Sexyloutak
Absolutely the worst movie.
Michelle Ridley
The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity
Michael_Elliott
Farther Than the Eye Can See (2003) *** (out of 4)Climbing Mt. Everest is considered the most challenging thing anyone could attempt. Yearly we hear about people who tried but paid with their lives. Erik Weihenmayer dream was to get to the summit of Everest but what makes his story different is the fact that he is blind.There's no question that the achievement of Weihenmayer is something truly incredible and there were other firsts done on the expedition that is covered in the documentary. If you've seen enough documentaries on Everest you know that the idea of trying to get a blind person up the mountain might seem like suicide and that very subject is discussed here.We get some great conversations on why Weihenmayer wanted to achieve this goal and why so many were willing to help him. It truly is a pretty remarkable story and the documentary also gives us some terrific HD quality video of the summit, which was great to see (apparently this was another first). As far as the film goes, I'd be lying if I said it didn't contain some flaws. I really would have liked to learn more on how he was able to get his body in condition to do something like this. We pretty much meet him, he talks about wanting to do it and then he's on the mountain. The film also doesn't have much of a dramatic punch like it should have considering the subject.With that said, at just fifty minutes the film certainly flies by and the subject itself makes it worth watching.
bob the moo
Erik Weihenmayer was diagnosed with a rare and untreatable disease at age three that saw him gradual lose his eyesight until the point of total blindness at age thirteen. Introduced to climbing early on by his father, Erik decides to join a group of other Americans and achieve what no other blind person has ever achieved by ascending to the summit of the world's highest mountain.As others have already said, there is an inspirational tale in here about overcoming disability but I'm afraid I must disagree about how well the film brings it out. We have many "perfect" votes for this film and the reviews on this site have hardly a critical word for it and I suspect the reason for this is that they are reviewing the achievement of Weihenmayer more than they are the film itself. The issue I had with it was that the film didn't seem able to bring the theme out at all other than filming the journey to the top itself, there wasn't much more than platitudes about overcoming etc and I didn't think that the design and structure of Brown's film did this side of it justice.However it is hard to make too big a deal out of this when you watch the film because it is still impressive on many levels. Of course the most obvious thing about the film is the achievement itself, which is amazing for a person with eyesight, far less someone unable to see. The footage is impressive across the whole journey and is amazingly clear and steady at every stage – with some specific shots looking great. For me though Brown should have let the spectacle speak for itself rather than using the climbers as much as he did; yes it is emotional for the people doing it but it is difficult for them to put it into words that the viewer sitting at home can appreciate – instead they too often come over a bit clichéd.Overall though, for its minor faults it is still an impressive film that has great footage of a unique journey that is not really about "overcoming" disability so much as just not letting it stand in the way. Having said that though – what on earth was achieved by using the dread David Gray so many times during the film?
johnsaalwachter
This film is truly an inspiring story and it includes amazing cinematography! This is not your average Everest film... it includes amazing shots, but it also tells a truly inspiring story. The blind climber's ambition and dedication is unbelievable. The cinematography is also incredible; I can't imagine lugging a camera to those elevations. I was never bored, I was always on the edge of my seat. Every aspect of the climb is perfectly documented. The Khumbu Icefall and other climbing shots are beautiful! The summit shots and celebrations will bring a tear to your eye. I'm so excited to have stumbled across this and other Michael Brown films!
Pablo Ramirez
After watching this film for the first time, I have just two things to say - How did they get those amazing shots? and who in their right mind would want to go out and get those shots? I'll admit going into this film I thought it was going to be just another mountaineering/'vertical limit-type' film, but I was wrong and enjoyed every second of it. Not only does this film take you along side Erik Weihenmayer's amazing attempt on the tallest mountain in the world, it also gives you the best sense of 'being there' out of any other film made about Mount Everest. Farther Than the Eye Can See is the perfect fusion of a climbing film and great storytelling. If you haven't seen this film - go out and watch it!!! You will be inspired.
