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 The film Mile…Mile & A Half: Documentary Adventuring Nature

12/8/20

Breathtaking film capturing astonishing views, of trails through the forest and mountains on the life-changing journey. The award-winning documentary film "Mile ... Mile and a Half" premiered June 1, 2013, at the Dances with Films Festival in Hollywood on National Trails Day. At the Films Festival, the film won the Audience Award for a Documentary Film. Additionally, the film "Mile… Mile & A Half" is an award-winning feature-length documentary. The film crew, director, and producers recorded an estimated thirty-two hours of footage of their experience that created the documentary. The film directed by Jason Fitzpatrick and Ric Serena was an adventure story based on the historical California John Muir Trails about a journey and personal stories on a hike on the John Muir Trails. 

The John Muir Trail begins in Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitey California, hiking is about the total distance of two hundred and eleven miles. In the documentary film, there are five friends, a team of artists, who leave their daily lives to experience the epic moments of nature's beauty on the John Muir Trail. They all developed and produced cinematography, photography, and location sounds in documentary film. The hikers express their experience hiking two hundred and eleven miles with all the beauty, the challenge, and the excitement of the journey to give you the real sense of what it feels like to hike the John Muir trails. 

At the beginning of the film, the quote

    "Wander a whole summer if you can,

time will not be taken from the sum of life. Instead of shortening it will lengthen it and make you truly immortal" ~ John Muir. In the film, this quote was present to grab the viewer's attention on what the meaning is to adventure for a long period.

 The first day, July 10, the five hikers begin their adventure for 25 days at the Yosemite where they adventure into a mountain. In this moment of the film they hikers gearing up with camping equipment, food, supplies in their bags and tie up their special hikers’ shoes and boots.  The start on the John Muir trail the hikers captures the moments on the trail through their lens. One significant moment in the film they are hiking the trail through the Yosemite with a magnificent mountain with the bright sunshine rising over getting this aesthetically pleasing view. Throughout the film there are many delightful moments hiking up mountains, through the cold snow, passing through rushing rivers, and hiking down through wilderness full of trees. “The film follows the team on their southbound hike from Yosemite Valley, up and over 10 passes, over 80,000 feet of elevation change, resupply points, meeting friends on the rail, and ultimately reaching the highest points in the contiguous United States”. The inspiring display of cinematography alone allows the viewers feel more connection as if they experience the memorable moments of the John Muir trail. The film expresses the beauty, the challenge, and the joy of the adventurous journey of the John Muir trails.

Jim O’Neal says, “the film is a testament to how these hikers and artistic want to appreciate as much of their world as they can. Theirs is a spirit that will not sit back and let life pass it by.” After watching the adventure of the John Muir trails, inspired me to gear up and plan to explore nature by hiking different nature parks around to enjoy and appreciate the beautiful moments of nature as well. Jason, one of the fellow hikers mentions a reasonable point “You don't need to go to the Himalayas. You don't need to climb Mt. Everest or go to the deepest jungles of Africa to find adventure. You can find it in your own backyard." This quote stood out to me due to the relativity of believing that one can find adventure anywhere they seek it.  People who enjoy exploring and admire nature's beauty would definitely be interested in this adventure documentary. Everyone can explore nature without going to the Himalayas. or going somewhere extravagant. All you need is a destination and someone to tag along to explore the beauty of nature with you. Whom would you invite to come along on your exploration?

       Works Cited

Baker, Tobie. “'Mile ... Mile and a Half'.” The Journal, The Journal, 20 June 2013, the-journal.com/articles/14273.

 

Hester, Jeff. “Movie Review: 'Mile...Mile and a Half' Hits a Home Run on the JMT.” SoCal Hiker, 18 May 2013, socalhiker.net/movie-review-mile-mile-and-a-half-hits-a-home-run-on-the-jmt/.

 

Mile… Mile & a Half.  Directed by Jason Fitzpatrick, Ric Serena, performance by

Jason Fitzpatrick, Kia M. Kiso, Jen Serena, Ric Serena, Durand Trench, GRAVITAS VENTURES, 2013 .Amazon, Prime Video, https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B072FSPH28/ref=atv_hm_hom_1_c_iEgOEZ_2_1

 

“Mile... Mile & a Half.” Mile... Mile & a Half (2013) ...Review and/or Viewer Comments - Christian Spotlight on the Movies - ChristianAnswers.Net, christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2013/milemileahalf2013.html.

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