180 Degrees South: Conquerors of the Useless
180 Degrees South: Conquerors of the Useless | |
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Cinematography | Daniel Moder |
Edited by | Tim Wheeler |
Music by | Ugly Casanova Mason Jennings James Mercer |
Production company | Woodshed Films Inc. |
Distributed by | Magnolia Pictures Red Envelope Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 85 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
180 Degrees South: Conquerors of the Useless, or simply 180° South, is a 2010 documentary directed by Chris Malloy that covers the journey of Jeff Johnson as he travels from
The subtitle of the film comes from Lionel Terray's mountaineering autobiography, Les Conquérants de l'inutile or Conquistadors of the Useless (1961). Terray was the first to summit Fitz Roy, in 1952, and his book was influential with Chouinard and Tompkins.
Synopsis
The film emulates the 1968 trip made by Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to
Cast
- Yvon Chouinard
- Doug Tompkins
- Kris Tompkins
- Jeff Johnson
- Keith Malloy
- Makohe
- Timmy O'Neill
Release
The film debuted February 10, 2010 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, followed in April 2010 by limited theatrical release, as well as festival screenings at the Newport Beach International Film Festival. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in June 2010, followed by additional festival screenings in September 2010 at the Asbury Park Independent Film Festival, in November 2010 at the Banff Film Festival and Save the Waves Film Festival. The film had theatrical release in Japan in January 2011.
Reception
Seattle Post Globe wrote "180° South is a thinking person’s adventure film, one that stimulates the mind rather that the adrenal gland," in that it "is not one of those extreme sports movies set to heavy metal music in which daredevils boast of pitting themselves against nature." The reviewer notes that while the film instead has a message of conservationism, the director "does not pitch this conservation message in a fit of hysterical propaganda, as have the directors of so many ecological horror documentaries on topics ranging from global warming to the corn syrup in our peanut butter." He writes "The regard for the planet shown in 180° South comes from the quiet, philosophical nature of the people profiled in the film, who realize there is more adventure in the preservation of nature than in its conquering."[3]
Spectrum wrote that the beginning of the film was deceptive in that its initial "Conversations of high adventure spliced between footage of rock climbing, surfing and mountaineering may easily trick the viewer into thinking this is a film about extreme sports," but that the "main clue that hints at a different purpose is the chill sound track." They expanded that it was not until after Johnson's unscheduled delay on Easter Island that viewers "first learn what 180° South is most obviously about," when "the theme of ecological conservation is played out in conversations about national parks, hydro-electric dams, indigenous wildlife, sustainable farming, consumerism, commercial fishing, reforestation and even development models." They note that the final two-thirds of the film shares the "intrinsic tension between conservation on the one hand and the mass-produced technological innovations that make the trip and film possible on the other".[5]
The Washington Post writes "Chris Malloy's film strikes so deeply into the heart of Patagonia's wilderness we come to feel at home there".[6]
References
- ^ Interview with Yvon Chouinard in bonus materials, "Making of 180° South".
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ignored (help) - Boxoffice Magazine. Archived from the originalon 2012-03-21. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
- ^ White, Bill (May 19, 2010). "Film Review: "180° South" An Adventure for the Thinking Person with an Ecological Heart". Seattle Post Globe. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
- Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Archived from the originalon October 16, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
- ^ Jeff Boyd (27 July 2010). "180° South: Travel, Extreme Sports, Adventure...The Environment". Spectrum. Archived from the original on 8 April 2011. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
- ^ "review: 180 South". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 15, 2011. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
External links
- Official website
- 180° South at IMDb
- 180 South at Rotten Tomatoes
- 180° South at Metacritic
- 180° South at AllMovie