Biggest Trailer DataBase | THE MOUNTAIN (1956) Theatrical Trailer - Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner, Claire Trevor @biggesttrailerdatabase9294 | Uploaded 3 years ago | Updated 2 hours ago
Wagner's inherent "prettiness" (for want of a better word) worked against him in the fifties, probably in much the same way it did against Paul Newman, who, like Wagner, made some of his first forays into film at 20th Century Fox and was initially at least shoved into stultifying costume epics like The Silver Chalice. Newman somehow managed to fight his way into more challenging dramatic roles, while Wagner teetered around the edges of potboilers like Titanic or starred in, well, stultifying costume epics like Prince Valiant. The Mountain, along with A Kiss Before Dying, shows a more shaded, surprisingly venal side the actor was quite capable of portraying, and these two films might be thought of as Wagner's best chances to really shine in his matinee idol phase. Both films have their flaws (there's no way one of the iconic twists of the Levin piece can really be adequately translated to film from its literary origins), but both reveal Wagner to possess some unexpected depth that a lot of his fifties material, and certainly his much lighter weight fare from later in his career, never even hints at.
In The Mountain Wagner portrays Christopher Teller, the greedy younger brother of an experienced mountain climber named Zachary Teller (Spencer Tracy). When news comes of a devastating plane crash atop one of the Swiss Alps, Chris wants to immediately set off to reach the remains of the wreck in order to reap whatever riches might be strewn across the snow laden peaks. Zachary of course realizes just how treacherous this plan is and is reluctantly lured into coming, if only to keep Chris safe. The entire film plays out as a dialectic between Chris' brash avarice and Zachary's more reverential, respectful (and cautious) temperaments. Will Chris' headlong rush toward the apex of the mountain lead to disaster? Will Zachary relent and not only get Chris to the top but let him rake through the pockets of the dead to reap whatever unseemly rewards await him? That's really the gist of The Mountain, which ups the dramatic interest with its unusual setting.
This is an incredibly scenic film that beautifully uses location photography under the direction of Edward Dmytryk. Studio bound scenes and process photography are also rather artfully blended into the enterprise, and if the mountain climbing sequences don't quite rise to the heights (pun intended) of, say, Cliffhanger, they're exciting and visceral, especially when one considers the fact that they're really window dressing in a way, decorating the sibling relationship between Christopher and Zachary. Tracy and Wagner don't make especially believable siblings (the film might have seemed a bit more realistic if Tracy had portrayed Chris' father, and that in fact may have made the final emotional scene for Tracy's character more meaningful in a way).
There are some interesting and enjoyable supporting performances that help color the edges of The Mountain, even though the bulk of the film is carried by the tug of war between Tracy and Wagner. William Demarest is on hand in a kind of unusual role for the actor, as the town's priest, bringing an unexpected softness to his portrayal that is distinctly at odds with the kind of crusty depictions for which he's better known. And Claire Trevor is also appealing in a brief role as a townswoman who obviously has designs on Tracy, even though he doesn't seem to realize it. E.G. Marshall also offers his typically stolid style in another supporting role.
The Mountain is an unusual film, and it's an atypical film for both Tracy and Wagner. If the drama isn't especially convincing, it's undeniably entertaining, and the sumptuous settings caught in some luscious location photography make the film visually compelling even when the events being shown aren't exactly believable. The film is notable for being built around a horrible tragedy, but it doesn't really focus on the tragedy itself and instead concentrates on how the disaster brings out inherent character traits in Christopher and Zachary. In that regard it's the polar opposite of everything Irwin Allen would do with the disaster genre a couple of decades later.
Wagner's inherent "prettiness" (for want of a better word) worked against him in the fifties, probably in much the same way it did against Paul Newman, who, like Wagner, made some of his first forays into film at 20th Century Fox and was initially at least shoved into stultifying costume epics like The Silver Chalice. Newman somehow managed to fight his way into more challenging dramatic roles, while Wagner teetered around the edges of potboilers like Titanic or starred in, well, stultifying costume epics like Prince Valiant. The Mountain, along with A Kiss Before Dying, shows a more shaded, surprisingly venal side the actor was quite capable of portraying, and these two films might be thought of as Wagner's best chances to really shine in his matinee idol phase. Both films have their flaws (there's no way one of the iconic twists of the Levin piece can really be adequately translated to film from its literary origins), but both reveal Wagner to possess some unexpected depth that a lot of his fifties material, and certainly his much lighter weight fare from later in his career, never even hints at.
In The Mountain Wagner portrays Christopher Teller, the greedy younger brother of an experienced mountain climber named Zachary Teller (Spencer Tracy). When news comes of a devastating plane crash atop one of the Swiss Alps, Chris wants to immediately set off to reach the remains of the wreck in order to reap whatever riches might be strewn across the snow laden peaks. Zachary of course realizes just how treacherous this plan is and is reluctantly lured into coming, if only to keep Chris safe. The entire film plays out as a dialectic between Chris' brash avarice and Zachary's more reverential, respectful (and cautious) temperaments. Will Chris' headlong rush toward the apex of the mountain lead to disaster? Will Zachary relent and not only get Chris to the top but let him rake through the pockets of the dead to reap whatever unseemly rewards await him? That's really the gist of The Mountain, which ups the dramatic interest with its unusual setting.
This is an incredibly scenic film that beautifully uses location photography under the direction of Edward Dmytryk. Studio bound scenes and process photography are also rather artfully blended into the enterprise, and if the mountain climbing sequences don't quite rise to the heights (pun intended) of, say, Cliffhanger, they're exciting and visceral, especially when one considers the fact that they're really window dressing in a way, decorating the sibling relationship between Christopher and Zachary. Tracy and Wagner don't make especially believable siblings (the film might have seemed a bit more realistic if Tracy had portrayed Chris' father, and that in fact may have made the final emotional scene for Tracy's character more meaningful in a way).
There are some interesting and enjoyable supporting performances that help color the edges of The Mountain, even though the bulk of the film is carried by the tug of war between Tracy and Wagner. William Demarest is on hand in a kind of unusual role for the actor, as the town's priest, bringing an unexpected softness to his portrayal that is distinctly at odds with the kind of crusty depictions for which he's better known. And Claire Trevor is also appealing in a brief role as a townswoman who obviously has designs on Tracy, even though he doesn't seem to realize it. E.G. Marshall also offers his typically stolid style in another supporting role.
The Mountain is an unusual film, and it's an atypical film for both Tracy and Wagner. If the drama isn't especially convincing, it's undeniably entertaining, and the sumptuous settings caught in some luscious location photography make the film visually compelling even when the events being shown aren't exactly believable. The film is notable for being built around a horrible tragedy, but it doesn't really focus on the tragedy itself and instead concentrates on how the disaster brings out inherent character traits in Christopher and Zachary. In that regard it's the polar opposite of everything Irwin Allen would do with the disaster genre a couple of decades later.
