The White Rose Of Yorkshire: The Beckoning Silence by Joe Simpson

Many of you will have heard of Sheffield author Joe Simpson. His book Touching The Void, about his and Simon Yates' first ascent of Siula Grande in the Andes, and what transpired during the descent, an experience Joe calls "an incredible mountaineering cock-up", has sold more than one and half million copies and been translated into 20 languages.

The classy but unofficial promotional poster for Touching The Void. Photograph of Joe on the 1st ascent of the West Face, Siula Grande, 1985 by Simon Yates.

The docu-drama of Touching The Void, produced by Darlow-Smithson productions, has become the most recognised theatrical documentary film of all time, winning more than 25 international awards.

Earlier this year, Joe went to the Eiger to film another Darlow-Smithson docu-drama, this time of his book The Beckoning Silence, which tells of the tragic attempt on the north face of the Eiger in 1936 by a team of German climbers. Their story was first told in Heinrich Harrer's seminal work in the history of mountaineering literature, The White Spider, and it was reading about Toni Kurz's horrific death whilst suspended on the end of a rope that first inspired Joe to climb.

Fritz Kasparek and author/mountaineer Heinrich Harrer during the first successful ascent of the north face of the Eiger in 1938

The irony of this, considering Joe's fate on Siula Grande, is something that has clearly left a deep impression on Joe, as he describes in both his book, and the film The Beckoning Silence, which was premiered last night on Channel 4.

Like Touching The Void it's a really beautiful docco with some stunning camerawork, spot on editing, understated and highly competent directing, tight narrative structure and with some great acting from the climbers reconstructing the summit attempt. And Joe is at his absolute best talking to camera with heartfelt emotion about Toni Kurz's struggle for survival.

The Beckoning Silence will be screened at The Kendal Mountain Film Festival on the morning of Saturday 17th November, after which Joe, along with director Louise Osmond, producer John Smithson, cameraman Keith Partridge and logistic manager Brian Hall, will be present for an audience Q & A.

During location shooting at the Eiger back in April, Joe wrote a diary which you can read on his official site. It's well worth a read, typically curmudgeonly, self-deprecating and sensitive all at the same time.

Above: Joe at the Kendal Film Festival, by Susanna Howe

Joe Simpson is someone who has my deepest respect. When I first read The Beckoning Silence it had a deep impact on me; I have never had a love affair with climbing, merely a tentative dalliance, but Joe's description of climbers and climbing strikes deep chords of emotion in anyone with a heart. He is a terrific writer and wonderful person, unspoilt by success. Joe's full catalogue of work in print is here.

Above: Joe shooting "A Final Chance to Save - Gorillas" written and directed by Amelia Hann.

And if you get a chance to see the Tiger Aspect Productions docco he shot on location in the Congo last year as part of the Final Chance to Save series, about the desperate plight of the gorillas in the region, then take that chance, because it's a heartwarming documentary brilliantly presented by Joe with the same degree of self-deprecating panache and humour as the legendary Sheffield writer and broacaster, Michael Pali n.