Werner Schraemli I was an eye witness of the shooting in Zermatt. It was impressing, though (fortunately) not comparable to movie sets nowadays. But the narrow location of the village would anyway not have allowed the giant machinery of today. I like the movie very much, though the story does not exactly correspond to the real first access to the top and the names of mountain, village and persons are fictional.My report with photos are on the website of Michael Barrier (Disney expert in US). As Url's are not allowed, I can lead you to the site: Just type "Barrier Disney Third" in your browser.The first climbing took place in July 1865 - the 150th anniversary is the major event in Zermatt just these days !

utgard14 Underrated Disney gem about a young man named Rudi (James MacArthur) in 1800s Switzerland who yearns to follow in his mountain guide father's footsteps, despite the objections of his mother and uncle. Together with a renowned British mountain climber (Michael Rennie) whose life he saved, Rudi sets out to climb the formidable mountain known as the Citadel, which is the same mountain his father died on years before.Wonderful old-fashioned family adventure tale with a fantastic cast and some stunning photography. James MacArthur and Michael 'Klaatu' Rennie are both great. Beautiful and charming Janet Munro plays the girl in love with MacArthur. The two would reunite the following year in Swiss Family Robinson. Solid support includes James Donald, Herbert Lom, and Laurence Naismith. MacArthur's mother, Helen Hayes, has an unbilled cameo as a tourist. The story is heartwarming and positive, well-acted and directed. It's a gorgeous-looking film, shot mostly on location in Switzerland. Also some of the most exquisite matte paintings I've seen in a film. Can't stress enough how lovely it is to look at. All our CGI and green-screen hoopla can't match it. This is really a good movie and most people have probably never heard of it. Seek it out ASAP!

jazerbini I saw this movie around 1962 and never forgot it. At that time I lived in a small country town and the cinema was practically our only entertainment. One weekend, Saturday, I went to see "Third Man on the Mountain" and I was completely entranced with the movie. The story touched me deeply impressed me and landscapes. It was as if, somehow, I always had that picture in mind, then, suddenly, I saw on the screen. It was an amazing experience. Back then, in my small town, the film screened on Saturday was repeated on Sunday afternoon and there I was again. In the following years I tried a lot but could not find it. Time passed. Only now fifty years later could see him again and the feeling was the same. It's a film that I bring in my heart forever.

telegonus I saw this film on the old Disney show back decades ago, and liked it very much, then sort of forgot about it. These days the Disney channel shows it periodically, and whenever it's on and I'm watching television, I can't help but stayed tuned to this one. For anyone who's ever climbed a mountain this movie is a treat. The story is beyond simple: a young man in 19th century Switzerland whose father was killed trying to climb the Citadel (which is what the Matterhorn is called here) wants to become a mountaineer himself, and of course climb to the top of the Citadel, which no man has done. His mother strictly forbids it, and his uncle downright nasty to him whenever the subject comes up. Persistent fellow that he is, the boy hooks up with an English mountain climber, then coaxes his uncle to take him along on a climb, makes an ass of himself, then has a go at it again. The boy doesn't really have the maturity for the task, but persists, and in time he grows up, almost in spite of himself.There's a larger than life quality to this movie, which was filmed on location. Director Ken Annakin, who never achieved his potential, shows himself a first-rate movie man here. The Swiss village and the looming mountains beyond convey an odd mood, as the place feels alternately dangerous, as if on the edge of the world, and beautiful, because of what one sees out the window every day. There's an intimacy between the clannish villagers, with their peculiar garb and gingerbread homes, that's caught to absolute perfection by Annakin and his crew. Everything seems real in this film; stylized as it sometimes is, it has an unmistakable ring of (admittedly Disneyfied) truth.As to the climbing scenes, they are wonderfully photographed, with the camera seemingly in the right place at all times. One gets just close enough to experience at least some of the danger and excitement of mountain-climbing, with the camera pulling back periodically to show a larger view, invariably breathtaking. The actors are all competent. James MacArthur's non-charisma actually helps movie the picture along, as one is often more aware of who he's with than his character. He fades into the background somewhat, as young men often do, with the older, more experienced adults dominating. James Donald is brilliant as his uncle, creating a fully rounded portrait of a man who looks after his nephew, who for reasons never wholly explained, likes to belittle him. Michael Rennie is sturdy as the Englishman and Janet Munro makes a perky love interest. Herbert Lom almost steals the show as Saxo, the outsider from beyond, who also wants to climb the Citadel, and has a disagreeable disposition. He dresses differently from the others, and even wears a different sort of hat. Lom comes across as foreign, as we can see why people don't take to him in this little close-knit society. There are few surprises in this film, but it tells its familiar and largely predictable story with great flair and feeling for the people it's about, showing once more that one can make an outstanding, maybe even great film, out of seemingly routine, even threadbare material, if one hunkers down really hard and gives it one's best shot, as clearly everyone connected with this movie did.