The Other Side of the Mountain

The Other Side of the Mountain is a 1975 American drama romance film based on a 1966 true story of ski racing champion Jill Kinmont, A Long Way Up by E. G. Valens. The UK title of the film was A Window to the Sky.[3]

For the 1931 children's book of the same name, see May Justus.
The Other Side of the Mountain
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLarry Peerce
Produced byEdward S. Feldman
Screenplay byDavid Seltzer
Based onA Long Way Up
by E.G. Valens
StarringMarilyn Hassett
Beau Bridges
Belinda J. Montgomery
Nan Martin
Dabney Coleman
Bill Vint
William Bryant
Music byCharles Fox
CinematographyDavid M. Walsh
Edited byEve Newman
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • July 25, 1975 (1975-07-25) (San Jose)[1]
  • November 14, 1975 (1975-11-14) (New York City)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$34,673,100[2]

In early 1955, Kinmont was the national champion in slalom, and was a top U.S. prospect for a medal in the 1956 Winter Olympics, a year away. She was paralyzed in a near-fatal downhill accident at the Snow Cup in Alta, Utah, weeks before her 19th birthday, leaving her quadriplegic. Jill Kinmont Boothe died in Carson City, Nevada, on Feb. 9, 2012.[4]

The film was directed by Larry Peerce, and stars Marilyn Hassett and Beau Bridges. It features the Oscar-nominated theme song "Richard's Window" (composed by Charles Fox, lyrics by Norman Gimbel), sung by Olivia Newton-John.

A sequel, The Other Side of the Mountain Part 2, was made in 1978.

Cast

Release

The Other Side of the Mountain was the most successful box office release for Universal Pictures in years, and was said to have helped the company survive a difficult period.

Reception

The film earned North American theatrical rentals of $8.2 million.[5]

Vincent Canby of The New York Times said: "The life came first, but the movie seems to have less interest in Miss Kinmont than in the devices of romantic fiction that reduce particularity of feeling to a sure-fire formula designed to elicit sentimental purposes. If you go to see 'The Other Side of the Mountain,' load up your handkerchiefs and leave your wits at home."[6] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote, "If a real person weren't involved, I'd feel more at ease saying this film is excessive in its grab for sympathy and admiration ... Bridges' natural charm brightens not only Kinmont's spirit but also the spirit of a movie that dangerously leans toward the maudlin."[7] Variety wrote, "Film is a standout in every department, perfect casting, fine acting, sensitive photography and general overall production all combining to give unusual strength to subject matter."[8] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "a surefire formula tearjerker" whose most serious flaw "the film's emphasis on the ordeal of Miss Kinmont's rehabilitation, which after all is a familiar enough but oh so heart-tugging process, at the expense of detailing her very struggle to do something useful with her life once she has learned to accept she will never again walk."[9] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post wrote that the film "stands a good chance of becoming the next legitimate sleeper. In certain respects it's a superficial, banal piece of filmmaking, but the story it tries to tell has stirring and inspirational qualities, which cannot be found in any other American films at the moment."[10] Tom Milne of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote, "Though the facts may be facts, everything else is crocodile tears and spurious uplift, from the coy prologue in which the heroine tells her story to a winsome pack of children asking why she never got married, to the bitter-sweet ending (complete with drooling pop song) which would have given even a Victorian chambermaid qualms with its breathless heaping of darkest hours before the dawn."[3]

Awards

See also

References
  1. "The Other Side of the Mountain - Details". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  2. "The Other Side of the Mountain, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  3. Milne, Tom (August 1975). "A Window to the Sky". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 42 (499): 186.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2012-02-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "All-time Film Rental Champs", Variety, 7 January 1976 p. 44
  6. Canby, Vincent (November 15, 1975). "Screen: 'Other Side of the Mountain'. The New York Times. 20.
  7. Siskel, Gene (May 30, 1975). "'Mountain': More than a tear-jerker". Chicago Tribune. Section 3, p. 7.
  8. "Film Reviews: The Other Side Of The Mountain". Variety. March 19, 1975. 29.
  9. Thomas, Kevin (May 16, 1975). "Jill Kinmont's Ordeal Slushy Going". Los Angeles Times. Part IV, p. 24.
  10. Arnold, Gary (May 23, 1975). "A Moving 'Mountain'". The Washington Post. C1.
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