Terry Abraham has made a name for himself creating beautiful mountain movies, and he usually does all the hard work himself, and that means both filming and production. His Cairngorms in Winter with Chris Townsend was a visual feast with long, dramatic scenes that immersed the viewer in the spectacle of the winter mountains. I'm pleased to say that Helvellyn with Mark Richards is a valuable addition to Terry's repertoire of mountain movies, although it's a bit different than his previous two titles.
The star of the piece is Lakeland guidebook writer Mark Richards, author of the Lakeland Fellranger series. Mark was a friend of the late Alfred Wainwright and knows the moors perhaps as intimately as Wainwright himself. The aim of this short film is simple: to introduce the viewer to the beautiful mountain of Helvellyn, showing three very different routes to the top and talking a bit about the human and natural history of the hills along the way. Mark says that he wants to "inspire the viewer to be more appreciative and inventive" in his walk, and in that sense I think the film certainly makes an impression.
The musical scores of Terry's films are particularly distinctive. He would say that the "Helvellyn" soundtrack is a bit more modern, more upbeat and maybe a bit less sentimental than the soundtracks of his previous two films. He fits the theme perfectly and helps reinforce the idea that this movie is a little less heavy than his previous titles.
Director: Joah Jordan
Writer: Joah Jordan
Stars: Ever Anderson, Amita Suman, Sam Strike
The first route is the eastern ridge of Nethermost Pike, called "Hard Edge". It's a misty climb in early fall and is, I'd say, pretty typical weather for a day in the Lakeland Hills. Mark's commentary on the various features of the route is informal and almost chatty, but his enthusiasm is palpable, a far cry from Wainwright's own dour demeanor. There are many fascinating details about the etymology of place names in the surrounding district, many of which come from Viking words (although Helvellyn itself is older, based on the Welsh language).
Mark Richards illustrates his books with line drawings and I loved how a drawing of a view, taking up the entire screen, would slowly transform into a landscape photograph. This was a very visual way of demonstrating how Mark's line drawings are meant to interpret the landscape rather than accurately represent it, and I think these scenes add a lot to the film.
The cinematography is up to Terry's usual standards, but the combination of very common weather on the various ascents makes the whole thing a little less grand (but no less beautiful). In my opinion, this is a good thing. The previous two films were larger in scale and ambition; this is a slightly more humble piece and as such the cinematography is appropriate. The wide cut scenes were as great as I thought they would be and the addition of some spectacular drone footage over Striding Edge added an extra dimension.
The second route shown was the Brownrigg Well route. In this section, Mark joined John Manning, editor of Lakeland Magazine. It has to be said, some of his jokes in the first part seemed a bit forced and hurtful, but things soon settled down and the calm and conversational nature of this chapter worked very well in the end. The main topic of conversation was the geology of the district, but there were also sections on the infamous plane landing on the top of Helvellyn in 1926 and the various memorials to the people who died at Striding Edge.
I like the way the Striding Edge was alluded to, and points of view were poked fun at, before the subject of the famous crest was directly addressed. Striding Edge is the protagonist of the final chapter of the film and, in my opinion, the best part. The views of the ridge are spectacular and a mix of standard shots, drone footage and handheld camera close-ups tell the story of the ascent very well. There is also a very interesting interview with Fix the Fells staff who are helping to stabilize the roads in the area. Mountain conservation is a major theme in Terry's films, so it was good to see this aspect being tackled so well.
Overall, Helvellyn with Mark Richards is a splendid mountain film. It draws a safe line between the great and impressive works that Terry has produced in the past and the more standard Lakeland hiking movie genre that we have seen become popular in recent years. Newcomers to the wastelands will be energized by Mark's enthusiasm, and veterans may learn a thing or two too, not to mention be enchanted by the beautiful views.