View Full Version : Movie "127 Hours" - Nov 5, 2010
couscous
09-10-2010, 13:48
Story - adapted from "Between a Rock and a Hard Place (http://www.amazon.com/Between-Rock-Hard-Place-Ralston/dp/B000IFS0LI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1284140039&sr=8-1)" by Aron Ralston
IMDB Link - 127 Hours (2010) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1542344/) Summary: "127 Hours is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's (James Franco) remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah. Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he is finally rescued." ~~ Sounds like it's quite graphic as a couple people needed medical attention after watching the public screening at the Telluride Festival.
Graywolf
09-10-2010, 19:11
Story - adapted from "Between a Rock and a Hard Place (http://www.amazon.com/Between-Rock-Hard-Place-Ralston/dp/B000IFS0LI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1284140039&sr=8-1)" by Aron Ralston
IMDB Link - 127 Hours (2010) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1542344/) Summary: "127 Hours is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's (James Franco) remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah. Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he is finally rescued." ~~ Sounds like it's quite graphic as a couple people needed medical attention after watching the public screening at the Telluride Festival.
I saw his documentary a few years ago, and "60 Minutes" had an interveiw with him once.. It is a true story of survival.
BlazeWalker
09-10-2010, 19:17
Sounds good. I read the book several years ago. Quite a story!
Heard him speak in Philadelphia to a business group, amazing story, my son who was ill really enjoyed it.
I just saw a trailer for this movie. I've got mixed feelings about it. I'm all about survival stories, but I don't like seeing people like this being portrayed as heros. From what I've read, he broke some of the cardinal rules of survival-- didn't have extra food and water, didn't have any form of communication, and most importantly he didn't tell anyone where he was going.
I will, however, view the movie with an open mind. If nothing else its bound to have some awesome scenery.
None of us are perfect. Sometimes "compost happens." He is not a hero for getting into the situation, but for overcoming.
fiddlehead
10-26-2010, 06:06
I just saw a trailer for this movie. I've got mixed feelings about it. I'm all about survival stories, but I don't like seeing people like this being portrayed as heros. From what I've read, he broke some of the cardinal rules of survival-- didn't have extra food and water, didn't have any form of communication, and most importantly he didn't tell anyone where he was going.
I will, however, view the movie with an open mind. If nothing else its bound to have some awesome scenery.
Mmmm, extra food? extra water? telling someone (who?) where you are going?
I didn't know these were requirements ?
I guess in this day of cell phones, we have new duties.
Maybe I have to start considering myself "old school"
I'm more apt to camel up, and get mad at myself when i have a day or 2 food left over when i hit town.
From what I've read, he broke some of the cardinal rules of survival--
Yet he in fact did survive.
What about the cardinal rule of solitude and owning your own fate?
Jester2000
10-26-2010, 11:33
I saw his documentary a few years ago, and "60 Minutes" had an interveiw with him once.. It is a true story of survival.
None of us are perfect. Sometimes "compost happens." He is not a hero for getting into the situation, but for overcoming.
As mentioned, it is a true story of someone getting away with doing stupid things for years until it finally caught up with him and he was forced to cut his own arm off.
Animals will chew their own limbs off to survive traps. I don't consider anyone who does what they have to for the sake of survival a hero, and I think it says quite a bit about the sensationalistic world we live in that acting like a moron gets you a book contract and a movie deal.
Fiddlehead -- Long before everyone had a cell phone, I used to give the phone # of the local ranger station and Sheriff's department of where I'd be hiking to someone at home, along with an expected return date. It wasn't a requirement or a duty. But as I was wandering around in the desert in Arizona, I thought it prudent.
I know that was one aspect of not ending up in the kind of situation Ralston faced, in addition to being adequately supplied. The fact that you are the kind of person who ends up with extra food at the end of a trip says to me that you plan your trips better than Ralston ever did for any of his trips, not just the one where he got caught.
I don't know but there have been plenty of times where no one knew exactly where I was on the trail. Most of those places have no cell service and were off official trail. I guess I'm lucky I survived without having to cut off my arm.
StorminMormon
10-26-2010, 11:51
Looking forward to seeing it myself. I've hiked in those canyons and in many places throughout Moab and Escalante. I've told people before that the "easy" part was actually cutting off his arm. After that...actually getting to help was the real miracle. He had to rappel down a rock face (with one hand obviously) after being dehydrated, exhausted, and very low on blood.
The movie will be an excuse for my wife and I to watch a story that I like, while she watches some "hunk" that she likes. It's a win-win. HA!
I've been waiting for this movie. Danny Boyle is a great director and I love the area where this movie was shot.
Yet he in fact did survive.
What about the cardinal rule of solitude and owning your own fate?
Exactly.
fiddlehead
11-01-2010, 07:34
As mentioned, it is a true story of someone getting away with doing stupid things for years until it finally caught up with him and he was forced to cut his own arm off.
Animals will chew their own limbs off to survive traps. I don't consider anyone who does what they have to for the sake of survival a hero, and I think it says quite a bit about the sensationalistic world we live in that acting like a moron gets you a book contract and a movie deal.
Fiddlehead -- Long before everyone had a cell phone, I used to give the phone # of the local ranger station and Sheriff's department of where I'd be hiking to someone at home, along with an expected return date. It wasn't a requirement or a duty. But as I was wandering around in the desert in Arizona, I thought it prudent.
I know that was one aspect of not ending up in the kind of situation Ralston faced, in addition to being adequately supplied. The fact that you are the kind of person who ends up with extra food at the end of a trip says to me that you plan your trips better than Ralston ever did for any of his trips, not just the one where he got caught.
Mmm, I just can't imagine in my 16 years of extensive backpacking and traveling around the world that i would call someone (who?) every time i was going off-road.
I don't know who would put up with that for 16 years and would they call the sheriff each time i decided to stay an extra day or couldn't get to a phone to call (check) in?
Nah! Just can't see it. (or do it)
Windcatcher
11-01-2010, 20:08
Aron hiked his own hike and by most accounts paid a price that is far above the going rate. Yes, he overcame a lot, which is a story of perseverance in & of itself. The movie should be good entertainment, but I also hope that it portrays a good lesson for many that making the kind of choices that Aron made isn't the smartest approach to enjoying the outdoors. If most people support the "cardinal rules" and it saves a few lives, which they do regularly, then they're wise rules to live by for most. There will always be a few that balk at the "cardinal rules" as with just about anything, but as the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water...
Have not read the book but I saw the trailer. The movie trailer appears to portray the main character as "unbreakable" and a bit full of himself, while, from what I have been told, that the real life character is down to earth, methodical, an engineering student.
The movie may be entertaining, ( at least the trailer was very entertaining ) but it may be another Hollywood "real life" fantasy
I guess, I will have to wait and see.
daltontr
11-01-2010, 21:03
Aron hiked his own hike and by most accounts paid a price that is far above the going rate. Yes, he overcame a lot, which is a story of perseverance in & of itself. The movie should be good entertainment, but I also hope that it portrays a good lesson for many that making the kind of choices that Aron made isn't the smartest approach to enjoying the outdoors. If most people support the "cardinal rules" and it saves a few lives, which they do regularly, then they're wise rules to live by for most. There will always be a few that balk at the "cardinal rules" as with just about anything, but as the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water...
Well said.
I wasn't planning on seeing this movie, but I just found out that Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn are in it, so I think I'll check it out when it comes out on DVD. :)
When does this movie come out?? I didn't like the book but I love Utah and Danny Boyle. I wanna see it!
When does this movie come out?? I didn't like the book but I love Utah and Danny Boyle. I wanna see it!
It was released on november 5th, I believe, but only in select theaters. Nowhere within 50 miles of me has it :(
couscous
11-11-2010, 14:14
http://content.foxsearchlight.com/inside/node/4606 -- locations by date
For anyone near Denver, CO .. Aron Ralston is scheduled to appear in person at the Mayan Theatre this Friday night (Nov 12) for a Q&A session after the 6pm showing.
Aron hiked his own hike and by most accounts paid a price that is far above the going rate....
If most people support the "cardinal rules" and it saves a few lives, which they do regularly, then they're wise rules to live by for most. There will always be a few that balk at the "cardinal rules" as with just about anything, but as the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water...
What "cardinal rule" would have made a difference? At best, instead of 5 days it may have been two or three before they found him. I doubt anything would have saved his arm.
What "cardinal rule" would have made a difference? At best, instead of 5 days it may have been two or three before they found him. I doubt anything would have saved his arm.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackhammer
As mentioned, it is a true story of someone getting away with doing stupid things for years until it finally caught up with him and he was forced to cut his own arm off.
Animals will chew their own limbs off to survive traps. I don't consider anyone who does what they have to for the sake of survival a hero, and I think it says quite a bit about the sensationalistic world we live in that acting like a moron gets you a book contract and a movie deal.
I don't think he got a book and movie because he was acting like a moron. it's because it was a great story. He freely admits that in many cases he took unnecessary risks, and he clearly paid a price for it. he made some careless mistakes and learned a valuable lesson. This is a cautionary tale. And his career as a hand model is over, so he needs to make money somehow.
I've been to Blue John Canyon (where he cut off his arm). Like most of the canyon country of Utah...it is a freakin' remote place.
Also, like most of the canyon country of Utah, it is spectacular country, too...
http://pmags2.jzapin.com/gallery2/d/8627-2/abx.jpg?g2_GALLERYSID=9a64e418b4bd9db8a2f93fc53894 4177
GracefulRoll
11-12-2010, 11:18
Long before everyone had a cell phone, I used to give the phone # of the local ranger station and Sheriff's department of where I'd be hiking to someone at home, along with an expected return date. It wasn't a requirement or a duty. But as I was wandering around in the desert in Arizona, I thought it prudent.
I know that was one aspect of not ending up in the kind of situation Ralston faced, in addition to being adequately supplied. The fact that you are the kind of person who ends up with extra food at the end of a trip says to me that you plan your trips better than Ralston ever did for any of his trips, not just the one where he got caught.
Agreed. I have a cell phone, granted it won't work in a lot of places, but I STILL tell people a couple of people exactly where I am/expect to be, and extra water and food/water left over is always in my plan in case it's an emergency ration.
I have people look at me like I'm nuts for carrying extra weight to keep more than 1 day's water/food on me even for a day hike, even when it's 90+ degrees. I assume nothing.
I was on a day hike and there was a troop of teenagers. A few had day packs and the rest carried nothing but their teenage bravado. It was a good 90+ degree day on the McAfee trail from 311. The spring near the Catawba shelter was trickling. There was this one kid who couldn't have been more than 14 or 15 and he literally put his face to the spring and started drinking. I shook my head and over my shoulder I gave this cautionary advice:
"Drinking water that can make you sick is like eating 'special' brownies when you're hungry. It's a vicious cycle."
He just laughed, told me that was the quote of his week, and somehow found enough signal on his phone to post that to Facebook. *face palm*
Whatever.
What "cardinal rule" would have made a difference? At best, instead of 5 days it may have been two or three before they found him. I doubt anything would have saved his arm.
The general rule of thumb is to tell someone where you are going... also tell them THAT you are going. He didn't actually tell anyone he was going anywhere and wasn't due back to work for 3 days. He lived alone as well. Nobody was going to miss him for days. Because he didn't tell anyone where he was going, or even that he was going anywhere, he was in deep trouble when something went wrong. I've heard him speak and he freely admits this as a huge folly on his part.
The good rule of thumb is to find multiple people to tell where you are going to be and when you will be back. That way somebody can miss you when you don't get back on time. If this happened he would have been back safe and sound within a day. Search and rescue teams are very good at organizing and finding lost people when they have an idea where to look.
It's true that he wasn't prepared gear-wise to stay out for long, but he was not planning on staying out overnight. When I'm just going out for a day hike, I generally don't prepare to stay out overnight either. If somebody had been informed about his general location and return time, then this would not have been much of an issue.
Personally, I'm more of a fly by the seat of my pants backpacker and like to wing it as I go. On the AT, though, this is generally alright due to the great numbers of people passing by in a given week. We also all tend to look after and keep tabs on one another. "Hey has anyone got word from or met Incognito? We hiked together for a while but I haven't seen him in the logs recently." That sort of thing is missed in such a remote area like those canyonlands. Most of us can vouch for this and it keeps us safer on trails like the AT. This being said, when I do my thru-hikes, my family has an idea of my pace so if I don't check in on occasion they would know about where I should be.
Bottom line. Rallston got into this situation innitially by an uncontrolable accident but the true depth of the problem came from his own basic mistake. A mistake that he freely admits.