Luigi Amedeo di Savoia, Duke of the Abruzzi (1873-1933) was an Italian prince, renowned for his polar and maritime explorations. It was he who made, in 1897, the first ascent of Mount Saint Elias, in Alaska, 5489 metres tall. He next attacked the North Pole and Rwenzori massifs in Kenya. In 1909, his goal was the ascent of K2, the second highest summit in the world, after Everest.

 

K2, also known as Savage Mountain, is located on the border between China and the Pakistani part of Cashmere. It was identified in 1856, and rises to a height of 8611 metres. In 1902, an English expedition tried to conquer it, in vain. The expedition of the Duke of the Abruzzi, who hired some 400 people, didn't reach the top either. But the expedition gave its name to a crest of the mountain, over which the ascent is the easiest, and they reached a record in altitude. K2 is renowned today for its difficulty, which surpasses even that of Everest. In 1954, an Italian expedition finally conquered the summit of the mountain.

 

Vittorio Sella (1859-1943), an Italian photographer and mountain climber, accompanied the Duke during his expeditions. The images which he took of the ascent of K2 are of inestimable historic value today. The film served, upon the return of the Duke, to illustrate his conferences. It was then theatrically released on 2 February 1910. The print was restored in 1995 by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema of Turin, the Neederland Filmmuseum and the Festival Internazionale del Cinema di Montagna at L&rsquoImmagine Ritrovata Laboratory of Bologna.

 

We wish to thank the Sella de Biella Foundation for their having put their materials at our disposal.

 

The original music for this film was composed by Vincent Lendower in 2011 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).