FEATURE FILM / 1906

Ascent and Descent of the Dolomite Towers

Frank Ormiston-Smith, the pioneer mountaineering photograher and filmmaker, filmed in 1906 the ascent to several towers in the Cinque Torri area in the Dolomites, acomppanied by Bortolo Barbaria, Baldessare Verzi and Damiano Dibona, three well-known Ampezzo mountain guides. Among others, the team ascended Torri Inglese, and placed the camera on top of some of the towers by pulling it with a rope. The film, produced by the Urban Trading Company, was presented at the Alhambra Theater in London in November 1906. Ormiston-Smith is considered the father of mountain cinema. In 1902 he filmed the first major mountain film shown widely in cinemas: "The Ascent of Mont Blanc". The success of his films encouraged the production of alpine films in which mountaineering feats were shown, and inspired other pioneer filmmakers.