Movie

Excelsior

1931 · 82 min

A solemn, patient record of men against immense cold, awe and danger in every frame, with the weight of a lost life hanging over the climb.

Directed by: Günther Oskar Dyhrenfurth
Genres: Documentary
Starring: Günther Oskar Dyhrenfurth, Hettie Dyrenfurth, Hermann Hoerlin

Tagline: The Throne of the Gods
Overview: Record of the international expedition to climb Kangchenjunga in 1930. The German-Austrian-British expedition, led by Günter Oskar Dyhrenfurth, had come from the Nepalese side and tried to reach the North Ridge via its NW face after failing in the north face, where the sherpa Chettan was killed in an avalanche. The attempt failed but the team made the first ascents of Rathong (6678m) and Jongsong Peak (7483m), and also climbed the Southwest peak of Nepal Peak.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: Excelsior

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.

Directed by: Günther Oskar Dyhrenfurth
Genres: Documentary
Starring: Günther Oskar Dyhrenfurth, Hettie Dyrenfurth, Hermann Hoerlin

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: earneststrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: survival
exploration
nature
death
ambition
Places: wilderness
Era: period
Audience: adult
Form: documentary
true story
Content intensity: Gore none
Language none
Violence mild
Sex none

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	4
Horror	1
Humour	1
Realism	9
Romance	0
Tension	6
Darkness	4
Complexity	3
Emotional weight	6

Titles like Excelsior

Movie

Everest

1998

Awe-inspiring and tense, you feel the thin air and sheer scale as climbers push through danger toward the summit.

Earnest, tense · about survival and exploration · documentary

Via: earnest
tense
survival
exploration
documentary
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 44 min

Details

EverestHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Nanga Parbat

1936

A solemn, harrowing chronicle of a doomed mountain expedition, heavy with dread and the weight of historical tragedy.

Earnest, tense · about survival and nature · true story

Via: earnest
tense
survival
nature
true story
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 91 min

Details

Nanga ParbatHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Nanda Devi

1975

A patient, wind-bitten climb through snow and disappointment, letting you feel the altitude, the waiting and the quiet sting of a summit refused.

Earnest, tense · about survival and exploration · documentary

Via: earnest
tense
survival
exploration
documentary
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 61 min

Details

Nanda DeviHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Meru

2015

A gripping, vertiginous plunge into human endurance, where every handhold and storm feels visceral and the emotional stakes cut as deep as the rock.

Earnest, tense · about survival and ambition · true story

Via: earnest
tense
survival
ambition
true story
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 89 min

Details

MeruHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Tenzing

2026

A sweeping, respectful climb through history and memory, with awe and quiet tension.

Earnest · about survival and nature · true story

Via: earnest
survival
nature
true story
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 126 min

Details

TenzingHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Endurance

2000

A sober, gripping account of men enduring impossible cold, told through haunting original footage and steady narration.

Earnest, tense · about survival and exploration · documentary

Via: earnest
tense
survival
exploration
documentary
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 97 min

Details

The EnduranceHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Velvet Queen

2021

A slow, meditative immersion in vast silent landscapes, rewarding patience with fleeting glimpses of wild beauty and quiet reflection.

Earnest · about survival and exploration · documentary

Via: earnest
survival
exploration
documentary
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 92 min

Details

The Velvet QueenHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Dawn Wall

2017

A gripping, physically intimate climb that turns sheer rock into a story of grit, partnership and quiet obsession.

Earnest, tense · about survival and ambition · documentary

Via: earnest
tense
survival
ambition
documentary
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 101 min

Details

The Dawn WallHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Further

2012

Awe-struck, quiet mountain adventure that makes you feel the cold air and the slow thrill of the climb.

Earnest · about survival and exploration · documentary

Via: earnest
survival
exploration
documentary
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 79 min

Details

FurtherHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible

2021

A breathtaking and tense documentary that follows a determined climber pushing human limits, mixing awe-inspiring scenery with emotional struggles.

Earnest, tense · about survival and death · true story

Via: earnest
tense
survival
death
true story
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 101 min

Details

14 Peaks: Nothing Is ImpossibleHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

The Himalayas

1994

A sober, awe-struck climb through danger and culture, mixing vertiginous tension with quiet reverence for the mountain and its people.

Earnest, tense · about survival and exploration · documentary

Via: earnest
tense
survival
exploration
documentary
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Seasons: 1

Details

The HimalayasHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Everest

2015

A tense, harrowing climb that immerses you in the peril and emotional toll of a doomed expedition.

Earnest, tense · about survival and nature · true story

Via: earnest
tense
survival
nature
true story
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 121 min

Details

EverestHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres: documentary
Directed by: Günther Oskar Dyhrenfurth
Written by: Günther Oskar Dyhrenfurth
Starring: Günther Oskar Dyhrenfurth, Hettie Dyrenfurth, Hermann Hoerlin, Helmuth Richer, Ulrich Wieland, John Hannah, George Wood Johnson, Frank Smythe
Music: Wolfgang Zeller
Cinematography: Charles-Georges Duvanel
Runtime: 82 min
Country: Germany
Languages: German

TMDB IMDb

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.

Excelsior

How it feels

More like this

Titles like Excelsior

Where to watch in the UK

Details