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90% Critic Match
In the Shadow of Karakorum
9.0 / 10• 1955• 1h 27m•NR• German
Documentary
Storyline
In 1954, a German-Austrian expedition led by Mathias Rebitsch set off for the difficult-to-access Karakoram Mountains, geographically north of the Himalayas. They come across the Hunza, a people who live in the valley of the same name and believe they are descended from the soldiers of Alexander the Great. The documentary conveys impressions of the poor life of the Hunza people, the harvest, a court hearing, festivals and the children's everyday school life. Finally, the expedition sets off again and sets up its main camp on the moraine ridge of a glacier, where they measure the glacier and the earth's magnetic field. Finally, some men from the research community set off for a sub-peak of Batura.
Cast & Crew
Ernst Fritz Fürbringer
Self - Narrator [West Germany & Austria] (voice)
Lead
Otto Mellies
Self - Narrator [East Germany] (voice)
MR
Mathias Rebitsch
Self - Expedition Leader
WP
Wolfgang Pillewizer
Self - Scientific Director
PB
Paul Bernett
Self - Expedition Doctor
AH
Anderl Heckmair
Self - Expedition Member
KH
Karl Heckler
Self - Expedition Member (†)
GK
Gerhard Klamert
Self - Expedition Member
What People Are Saying
5.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Eugen Schuhmacher's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
5.0
“Every frame feels alive. In the Shadow of Karakorum is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
