Gasherbrum – Der Leuchtende Berg (1984)

West Germany 45m, Colour
Director: Werner Herzog; Cast: Reinhold Messner, Hans Kammerlander, Werner Herzog

Made for German television, The Dark Glow of the Mountains is an interesting, but flawed documentary about legendary mountaineers Reinhold Messner and Hans Kammerlander and their attempt to climb both Gasherbrum I and II without the use of oxygen tanks or returning to their base camp. Considering the danger and difficulty of capturing scenes of the actual climb, it is not surprising that Herzog largely employs pre-ascent interviews to explore the climber’s motivations. As a result, it feels that the film’s power and potential is never fully realized (Klaus Ming October 2018).