Experience One Man's Expedition of a Lifetime in the Mountain Adventure “The Alps” Opening in IMAX® on August 1

MacGillivray Freeman Films' extraordinary giant screen mountain adventure The Alps about Europe's greatest mountain range and one man's quest to climb the infamous ———-North Face of the Eiger opens on August 1 at SM Mall of Asia’s San Miguel Coca-Cola IMAX Theatre.

The Alps is directed by Stephen Judson, produced by two-time Academy Award® nominee Greg MacGillivray and Mark Krenzien, and narrated by actor Michael Gambon. Written by Stephen Venables and Stephen Judson, the film features music from rock legends Queen. The film is presented by sponsors Holcim and Switzerland Tourism.

“Against a backdrop of overwhelming natural beauty, The Alps is a true-life story of extraordinary courage,” says director Stephen Judson. “It's the intensely personal journey of a man, John Harlin, who has every reason not to climb the deadly Eiger North Face – yet climb it he must.”

“The grandeur of the Alps makes for an incredible match-up with the visual spectacle of IMAX theatre photography,” adds producer Greg MacGillivray. “It is such an enticing location, filled with history and human accomplishments. More than that, though, our film is a human story about facing one's fears and about family and family legacies. People will come away inspired by John Harlin's emotional quest to reconnect with his father who died on the fabled Eiger.”

In the tradition of MacGillivray Freeman's blockbuster hit, Everest, The Alps follows a stirring human story that unfolds in the midst of some of nature's most awe-inspiring scenery. At the heart of the film is John Harlin III's climb of the storied North Face of the Eiger, one of the world's most celebrated peaks but also one notorious among climbers for its deadly avalanches and showers of falling rock. Harlin and the Eiger have had a tenuous relationship for decades. Forty years ago, Harlin's father – famed alpinist John Harlin II, a rising media star considered one of America's best mountaineers – set out to pioneer a bold new route straight up the Eiger's 6,000-foot face. At 4,000 feet, approaching the summit, Harlin's rope broke, sending him plummeting to a tragic death that would shatter the lives of his family. Just nine years old at the time, John Harlin III has been haunted by the Eiger ever since.

In The Alps, Harlin faces his inner demons and honors his father's memory on a climb that is about so much more than simply physical achievement. For Harlin, the expedition is also about following in his father's footsteps to explore why his father came to love the Alps and its culture, people and endless ways of inspiring the human imagination. Accompanying him are his German climbing partners: contemporary climbing stars Robert and Daniela Jasper.

“The Eiger held a part of my soul captive for forty years, and with this trip I was able to set myself free,” says John Harlin III of his achievement. “I always felt I had to do this climb, and yet the thing that I really came back with is that it's my family that is the most important thing to me. Having climbed the Eiger North Face, I can now revel in spending time with my family more than ever.”

The making of The Alps was a vastly ambitious undertaking that involved a team made up of climbing luminaries, hardy mountain guides and award-winning nature cinematographers. Featuring some of the most spectacular giant screen imagery ever seen – captured by intrepid helicopter and mountaineering crews – the film celebrates both the unsurpassed beauty of the Alps and the indomitable spirit of the people who live, climb and explore there. Adding to the immediacy and visual excitement of the film is the aerial camera work of Ron Goodman, inventor and operator of the aerial photography system known as the Spacecam, which proved invaluable in obtaining unprecedented shots of climbers in action on the Eiger North Face.

Though the production was filled with uncertainties, ranging from how the weather might shift to whether Harlin and the Jaspers would ultimately make it to the summit, the story could not have been captured any other way. Sums up Judson: “The risk factor was high, but the results speak for themselves. It will be amazing for audiences to have the chance to get so close to climbers on the Eiger North Face. Like the best experiences, it was intense but so rewarding.”

The Alps is produced and distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films and presented by Holcim and Switzerland Tourism in association with Four Eyes 4iS. For more information, please call 556-IMAX(4629) or 556-0242 or e-mail imax@smcinema.com.