Those of you who number yourselves among the few occasional readers of this occasional blog may remember a post from December 2012, in which I talked about being visited by two former students, Mike Douglas and Kevin Fogolin, and what they had accomplished since they graduated from Robron Secondary in Campbell River in 1987. (If you don't remember, I think it's an interesting story; you could click on the link!)
Anyway, the film they were collaborating on came out a year ago. It's called Snowman, and it premiered last December at the Whistler Film Festival, where it was pronounced winner of the “best mountain culture film” award.
It recently became available, so they sent me a copy, and you get a brief review:
First and dominant impression: the scenery. Much of it is from the mountains above Toba Inlet – the place where Kevin very nearly cashed in his chips in a helicopter accident, and it is spectacular. Watching Kevin in action killing potential avalanches is breathtaking. And I loved the shots of places I know, Campbell River particularly. There's no question that the outstanding photography makes the film, and will be what most people will remember about it most vividly.
But I'm not really a film person, and I'm not at all a downhill skier so my enthusiasm for high mountain winter scenery, and tracks in endless powder, and avalanches (even those set off deliberately to prevent people dying), and guys doing impossible things with skis and cliffs, is pretty limited.
I was actually more gripped by the human parts of the story: the autobiographical parts where Mike becomes a ground-breaking, trend-setting professional skier while Kevin establishes a career and family in Campbell River. Then how Kevin parlays his love of skiing to become an avalanche expert, which is how he ends up surviving a helicopter crash and the avalanche it triggers.
That's pretty gripping stuff.
The film makers used a good deal of the original Super 8 film footage that Mike and Kevin produced for my class. It was pretty neat to see that again! They even managed to make my comments appear coherent and relaxed, which is not the way I remember the interview.
That's what good editing does, I suppose.
Which is why, although I found them very interesting, I don't altogether trust the interviews, particularly those featuring Kevin's parents and then his wife, Joanne: they all appear very calm, and even analytical, when there must have been times when they had serious doubts and worries.
Emotionally, I was with Kevin's spotter on the helicopter, who, having survived, then caught the first available float plane out of Toba Inlet and returned to Toronto!
Smart guy.
Anyway, the film they were collaborating on came out a year ago. It's called Snowman, and it premiered last December at the Whistler Film Festival, where it was pronounced winner of the “best mountain culture film” award.
It recently became available, so they sent me a copy, and you get a brief review:
First and dominant impression: the scenery. Much of it is from the mountains above Toba Inlet – the place where Kevin very nearly cashed in his chips in a helicopter accident, and it is spectacular. Watching Kevin in action killing potential avalanches is breathtaking. And I loved the shots of places I know, Campbell River particularly. There's no question that the outstanding photography makes the film, and will be what most people will remember about it most vividly.
But I'm not really a film person, and I'm not at all a downhill skier so my enthusiasm for high mountain winter scenery, and tracks in endless powder, and avalanches (even those set off deliberately to prevent people dying), and guys doing impossible things with skis and cliffs, is pretty limited.
I was actually more gripped by the human parts of the story: the autobiographical parts where Mike becomes a ground-breaking, trend-setting professional skier while Kevin establishes a career and family in Campbell River. Then how Kevin parlays his love of skiing to become an avalanche expert, which is how he ends up surviving a helicopter crash and the avalanche it triggers.
That's pretty gripping stuff.
The film makers used a good deal of the original Super 8 film footage that Mike and Kevin produced for my class. It was pretty neat to see that again! They even managed to make my comments appear coherent and relaxed, which is not the way I remember the interview.
That's what good editing does, I suppose.
Which is why, although I found them very interesting, I don't altogether trust the interviews, particularly those featuring Kevin's parents and then his wife, Joanne: they all appear very calm, and even analytical, when there must have been times when they had serious doubts and worries.
Emotionally, I was with Kevin's spotter on the helicopter, who, having survived, then caught the first available float plane out of Toba Inlet and returned to Toronto!
Smart guy.
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