The story opens in the mid-19th century in a picturesque Swiss village under the towering Citadel. Young Rudi Matt (James MacArthur) wants desperately to be a famous climbing guide like his late father and finally gets the chance to accompany an English climber (Michael Rennie) on a trek up the never-before-scaled mountain.
If you like mountain climbing, you'll love this movie which was beautifully filmed on location in Zermatt and the Matterhorn. The story is pure Disney with an idealist hero, his spunky girl friend (Janet Munroe), and lot of lovable villagers looking after them. MacArthur is sweet and boyish and contrasts well with Rennie's sophisticated gentleman. The first half of the movie was more interesting for me than the final ascent (featuring Herbert Lom as a semi-villain), which was somewhat anti-climatic, but it's a feel-good movie all the same.
An interesting note: Walt Disney loved the location so much that he built the Matterhorn bobsled ride at Disneyland after filming this movie.
If you like mountain climbing, you'll love this movie which was beautifully filmed on location in Zermatt and the Matterhorn. The story is pure Disney with an idealist hero, his spunky girl friend (Janet Munroe), and lot of lovable villagers looking after them. MacArthur is sweet and boyish and contrasts well with Rennie's sophisticated gentleman. The first half of the movie was more interesting for me than the final ascent (featuring Herbert Lom as a semi-villain), which was somewhat anti-climatic, but it's a feel-good movie all the same.
An interesting note: Walt Disney loved the location so much that he built the Matterhorn bobsled ride at Disneyland after filming this movie.