This film produced by Sascha-Film in 1917 is the story of an adventurous journey in a difficult to access environment.  It falls within the category of designated expedition film or exploration film that so fascinates the public.  In fact, from the beginning of the 20th century, the authentic exploits of travellers setting off towards far-off lands have been relayed back by the movie camera:  they are, for example, those by Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922) during his expedition to Antarctica and whose images were presented in London in 1909, and those of the duke of Abruzzes recorded in his report on his 1910 Himalayan trip.

In this documentary, shots of the hikers alternate with shots of the mountains.  This choice instils rhythm into the story filmed and thus balances this relationship between man and nature:  face to face with its magnificence, humanity humbles itself before it.

Earl Alexander Joseph Graf Kolowrat-Krakowsky (1886-1927), better known by the name of &ldquoSascha&rdquo, created one of the first two most significant production studios in Vienna in 1910. The Sascha-Filmfabrik, named after its founder, produced approximately one hundred and forty films between 1911 and 1927. An adventurer and passionate about technology, this bohemian earl was one of the pioneers of Austrian cinema, contributing to all cinematographic genres of the age.  In 1927 he produced his last film, Café elektric, in which Gustav Ucicky (1898&ndash1961) directed future film star Marlène Dietrich (1901-1992).

The tinted nitrate copy of this remarkable film was found in the fabulous Reinthaler collection, Austrian cinema&rsquos biggest collection of the years 1910-1920, kept at the Filmarchiv Österreich.

The original music for this film was composed by Rémi Boubal in 2010 in the context of the call for proposals launched in partnership with the Sacem (Société des auteurs compositeurs et éditeurs de musique &ndash Society of authors, composers and music editors).