High Ice (film)
| High Ice | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Gordon Hessler |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Robert O. Ragland |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers |
|
| Cinematography | Robert E. Collins |
| Editor | George Hively |
| Running time | 97 minutes[2] |
| Budget | $2 million[3] |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | January 7, 1980[1] |
High Ice, also known as Challenge of the High Ice,[4] is a 1980 American adventure television film directed by Eugene S. Jones and starring David Janssen, Tony Musante, Madge Sinclair, and Gretchen Corbett. Its plot follows a park ranger and army lieutenant attempting to save three rock climbers stranded on a mountain ledge. The film was released in the United States as an NBC Movie of the Week in early 1980, but was given a theatrical release internationally. The extended theatrical cut of the film shown in foreign countries includes nude sequences that were excised from the television version.
Premise
[edit]A park ranger (David Janssen) clashes with an army lieutenant colonel (Tony Musante) regarding the rescue efforts of three rock climbers stranded on a mountain ledge in Washington.
Cast
[edit]- David Janssen as Glencoe MacDonald
- Tony Musante as Lt. Col. Harris Thatcher
- Madge Sinclair as Dr. Pittman
- Gretchen Corbett as Liz
- James G. Richardson as Scott
- Allison Argo as Kathy
- Dorian Harewood as Lt. Zack Hawkins
- Warren Stevens as Sgt. Lomax
- Katherine Cannon as Sandy
- James Canning as Lt. Foster
- James Kaufman as Lt. Foley
Production
[edit]Filming took place in Darrington, Washington in the summer of 1979.[3] The production budget was approximately $2 million.[3]
Release
[edit]Upon its airing on NBC in January 1980, High Ice was met by approximately 25 million viewers in the United States.[3] The film was subsequently given a theatrical release internationally, with nudity which had been cut from the television version reinstated.[3] The film aired on television again in the late 1980s on MTV.[5]
Critical response
[edit]James Brown of the Los Angeles Times deemed the film a "visually breathtaking, but dramatically stuttering diversion... Director Eugene Jones further hampers his own cause with some choppy transitions, confusing flashbacks and muddled dramatic focus."[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Harrison, Bernie (January 7, 1980). "Monday's Highlights". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "High Ice (1980)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Fiege, Gale (August 24, 2009). "'High Ice': It may be cheesy, but 1980 TV movie belongs to Darrington". The Herald. Everett, Washington. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020.
- ^ a b Brown, James (January 7, 1980). "'High Ice' Has Its Ups, Downs". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. 64 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Scheuer, Steven H. (1987). Movies on TV '88-'89. Bantam Books. p. 349. ISBN 978-0-553-26851-5.