Les Alpes à vol d'oiseau

There's quite a few documentaries about mountains - this stands out in that it consists nearly exclusively of aerial images (the only exception are a few seconds of time-lapse video which were shot from fixed cams). While that's a unique feature, it's also a bit of a constraint because there's some scenes where a simple ground camera would have served better. Also, for the few scientific explanations on mountain formation and glaciers, or for the WW1 history part, some illustrative videos or historical documents would have been a valuable addition.

Otherwise, it's a really beautiful documentary, not shying away from the "dark" commercial face of the alps (mass-tourism, hydro-power) but very conscious of the aesthetic power not only of raw nature, but of technology, too. It's definitely worth to be experienced on a big screen!

The "scientific" value of this doc is very low-key, and the comments sparse. It works on a purely visual level, which is completely OK with me - for deeper information, watch the DVD series or read a book.

It's probably one of the most uninspiring and annoying movies about mountains i've ever watched. It completely doesn't focus on the aesthetic and religious part of mountain exploration. It sticks to technology, economy and even indirectly praises the destruction of the environment. After watching this movie, i feel like the entirety of the mountain range should be protected as a national park, so people stop doing harmful and damaging things to one of the most beautiful regions in entire Europe.