The Dark Glow of the Mountains

The Dark Glow of the Mountains (German: Gasherbrum – Der leuchtende Berg) is a TV documentary made in 1985 by German filmmaker Werner Herzog. It is about an expedition made by mountain climber Reinhold Messner and his partner Hans Kammerlander to climb Gasherbrum II and Gasherbrum I all in one trip without returning to base camp. The film is not so much concerned with showing the climb itself or giving guidelines on mountaineering, but seeks to reveal the inner motivation of the climbers.

The Dark Glow of the Mountains
Messner at the summit of Gasherbrum II
Genre	Documentary
Written by	Werner Herzog
Directed by	Werner Herzog
Starring	Reinhold Messner Hans Kammerlander Werner Herzog
Narrated by	Werner Herzog
Music by	Popol Vuh
Country of origin	West Germany
Original language	German
Production
Producers	Werner Herzog Manfred Nägele
Cinematography	Rainer Klausmann
Editor	Maximiliane Mainka
Running time	45 minutes
Production companies	Süddeutscher Rundfunk (SDR) Werner Herzog Filmproduktion
Original release
Release	April 3, 1985 (1985-04-03)

Background

The film has been compared to other films by Herzog such as Fitzcarraldo and Cave of Forgotten Dreams,^[1] for its interest in mountains and the supernatural.

Production

The climb itself was filmed with an 8 mm camera so as to keep as close to the two protagonists as possible.^[2]

Reception

The film bearing Herzog's trademark of a very frontal approach of its subject^[1] has retrospectively received very positive reviews^[3] acquiring the status of a cult classic.^[1][4]