Terreur dans la montagne

Original title: A Cold Night's Death

TV Movie
1973
1h 14m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Scientists Robert Jones and Frank Enari suspect that there is someone or something other than their research primates inhabiting their isolated polar station.Scientists Robert Jones and Frank Enari suspect that there is someone or something other than their research primates inhabiting their isolated polar station.Scientists Robert Jones and Frank Enari suspect that there is someone or something other than their research primates inhabiting their isolated polar station.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

1.2K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination total

Photos22

+ 16

User reviews43

6.61.1K

Featured reviews

8fabio61

Very good TV movie

This is a good film to watch on a long winter evening. Two primate behavior scientists arrive at a mountain top research station to find their predecessor frozen to death under strange circumstances. As they settle in, one of them dwells on the mystery of the frozen colleague, while the other goes right to work on the monkeys. Then they begin to slowly unravel somewhat like Jack Torrence in 'The Shining'. The whole film is held together nicely by Wallach and Culp, and the sense of austere isolation is pulled off beautifully.

8Oblomov-2

Great little atmospheric chiller

There were some interesting Made-for-Television feature length films in the early 1970s and A COLD NIGHT'S DEATH is among the best of the lot. The remote Arctic setting, the feeling of isolation and gradually mounting nervous tension between the two main characters are all superbly handled. The quiet loner Robert Culp and the nervously edgy Eli Wallach are perfect foils for each other and their byplay heightens the creepy 'something lurking nearby' feeling prevalent for most of the film. Maybe, just maybe, some viewers will guess what's really going on midway into the film but even so it is a brilliantly chilling movie worthy of any collection.

9snowleopard

This Should Be Out On DVD!

During the 1970's the three major networks (mostly ABC) made a slew of Made for TV movies. Many of them were junk, some were imitations of Hollywood hits at the time, and more than a few were excellent films. This is one of them.

I'm fortunate to own this movie and watched it just last night. I won't recant the plot, for you can find that here. but I will say this - this movie holds up very well as the years have gone by. The look and feel of it really captures the isolation and situation. The script isn't filled with old 70's clichéd dialog, and is very well paced. It's very well shot, and very well acted by two solid actors. Gil Melle's synthesizer score, while dated, fits the film quite well. Some of the effects are old, but there aren't very many, and don't detract from the story. If you are fortunate to get a look at this old movie you won't be disappointed.

Although I see the point of another reviewer who stated this movie's obscurity is part of it's charm, ABC (and the other networks) need to dig into their archives and re-master and release some of the good old TV movies to DVD. This one, A Short Walk to Daylight, Dying Room Only, many others.

Wizard-8

Compelling made-for-TV movie

Although it plays like a somewhat lengthened "Twilight Zone" episode (even at 72 minutes) and the ending is pretty predictable, this is a solid piece of work. The mountain setting is perfect, giving the movie great atmosphere with the cold and isolation. The acting is solid (Culp's agonized trudge through the cold is the highlight), and there are some nice little touches here and there, such as the slowly growing seedly look of the two men.

It's too bad that the many good made-for-TV movies of the '70s like these are almost impossible to see nowadays. ABC and Paramount (who made many of them) could make a guaranteed profit by releasing them on DVD. Why not put two on a disc - that would really increase sales!

7The_Void

Paranoid and claustrophobic

There were a lot of good made for TV movies released in the seventies, and A Cold night's Death is certainly one of them! The film is set in polar conditions and features a very small cast of just three people. This gives the film a very claustrophobic atmosphere which benefits the paranoid atmosphere greatly. The film begins with a transmission from a madman and shortly thereafter, we follow two more men who go to the polar ice station. It soon becomes apparent that something is not quite right... The production values on show here are surprisingly good considering that the movie is made for television and director Jerrold Freedman more than makes the best of what he had to work with. The acting is very good and features great performances from Robert Cult and Eli Wallach in the lead roles. The film is short at just seventy minutes, but the runtime is used very well and the director certainly gets his point across. The ending is strange and doesn't come as a complete surprise, though it's good to watch and finishes the film off nicely. Overall, this TV movie does leave an impression and I can certainly recommend it.

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Quotes
Ryan Horner: [Narrate the beginning of the story] January 17, Base Research Center, Ryan Horner, Project Director. Today is our 5th-day without radio contact with Dr. Vogel. Previous attempts to reach Summit Laboratory of failed because of continuing snowstorms. I fear for Vogel's well-being. Before we lost transmission, his radio contacts were becoming increasingly sporadic and irrational. To the point, that he reported having conversations with such figures as Napoleon and Alexander the Great. I'm deeply concerned that he may not be feeding the monkeys and chimps, nor recording the results of our altitude experiments on them. If this is the case, before years of research for the space program will have been wasted. Our promise delivery date is less than 3 months away and we must salvage the project. Doctors Robert Jones and Frank Enari arrived from the University this morning to relieve Vogel and continue the experiments. I am much relieved that this particular team was made available to finish the project. As it was their research in stress situations man might encounter in space exploration that is the basis of our program. The storm has calmed enough for Val Adams to fly them in along with a new chimp for experiment control. I must confess my deep concern as to what they will find.