In the Shadow of Karakorum

Eugen Schuhmacher
1955-08-03


9
87 min

In 1954, a German-Austrian expedition led by Mathias Rebitsch set off for the difficult-to-access Karakoram Mountains, geographically north of the Himalayas. They come across the Hunza, a people who live in the valley of the same name and believe they are descended from the soldiers of Alexander the Great. The documentary conveys impressions of the poor life of the Hunza people, the harvest, a court hearing, festivals and the children's everyday school life. Finally, the expedition sets off again and sets up its main camp on the moraine ridge of a glacier, where they measure the glacier and the earth's magnetic field. Finally, some men from the research community set off for a sub-peak of Batura.

Cast

Name Character Team
Ernst Fritz Fürbringer Self - Narrator [West Germany & Austria] (voice) Unowned
Otto Mellies Self - Narrator [East Germany] (voice) Unowned
Mathias Rebitsch Self - Expedition Leader Unowned
Wolfgang Pillewizer Self - Scientific Director Unowned
Paul Bernett Self - Expedition Doctor Unowned
Anderl Heckmair Self - Expedition Member Unowned
Karl Heckler Self - Expedition Member (†) Unowned
Gerhard Klamert Self - Expedition Member Unowned
Dolf Meyer Self - Expedition Member Unowned
Karl Heinz Pfaffen Self - Expedition Member Unowned
Hans-Jochen Schneider Self - Expedition Member Unowned
Karl Wienert Self - Expedition Member Unowned
Hans Zeitter Self - Expedition Member Unowned
Eugen Schuhmacher Self - Cameraman Unowned
Martin Schliessler Self - Cameraman Unowned