The casting decisions in "The Mountain" was insane--even by Hollywood standards of the 1950s. After all, Spencer Tracy and Robert Wagner are cast as brothers--and their age difference is 30 years! And, frankly, at this point in his life, Tracy looked significantly older than 56--probably due, in part, to his heavy drinking. On top of that, the film is based in the Alps--yet no one sounds French, German or Italian--just American. For me, all this really took me out of the experience and overwhelmed everything else in the film--both the good and the bad."The Mountain" begins with a plane crashing into a mountain in Europe. A group of mountain climbers have volunteered to climb to the summit to look for survivors, but the job looks almost impossible. After all, it's getting late in the year and the mountain has claimed lives over the years. One climber who isn't about to climb is a guy played by Tracy. He is a VERY experienced climber but has given up the sport because he KNOWS he'll die if he keeps climbing--as he nearly lost his life the last time he climbed this mountain. Soon, the rescue party returns--their leader is dead and they don't believe it's possible to make it. So far, so good. However, inexplicably, Wagner insists he'll go up the mountain alone (even though he's NOT an experienced climber) because he wants to rob the dead. Even more inexplicable is that Tracy agrees to go along--even though he's horrified by his brother's callousness. His intention is just to keep the younger sibling from getting himself killed. What happens next? See the film.I thought as I watched the film that although Spencer Tracy looked way too old for the part that he did a nice job. As for Wagner, however, he didn't have much chance in this film. First, he was acting against one of the ages best actors. Second, his character was about as one-dimensional as Snidely Whiplash or Simon Legree!! He was ridiculously written--and his character sure went to a lot of trouble just to steel. He could have easily committed crimes at sea level, instead! When the film began, I was very impressed. The camera-work was great--with incredibly vivid colors and a scope that was just lovely. And, many times during the film, I marveled at the way the director and his crew were able to make it appear as if Wagner and Tracy really were climbing in the mountains. Too bad, then, that the writing and casting was so dumb that all the great looks of the film were in vain. Overall, a time-passer that should have been much better.FYI--Something you might want to look for if you like spotting goofs is Tracy's hands. In a VERY shocking and exciting scene, his hands are horribly torn apart by a rope. His brother falls and Tracy's only recourse is to grab the rope and hold on for dear life--as you see blood pouring off his torn hands. It's a VERY effective scene. Yet, shortly after, his hands are perfect--not a trace of a wound that should have taken weeks to heal. And, looking at the accident, you'd assume he'd always be seriously scarred by this!! However, at the very end, his hands are all bandaged! Talk about lousy continuity.

Although some criticisms of this movie seem fair on the surface such as the vast age difference between the two brothers portrayed by Spencer Tracy and Robert Wagner, most of the criticisms even as fair as they may be fall by the wayside when you start watching the film. This is basically a tale of two brothers, one good and one evil. The story just sucks you in to it and the characters and it doesn't let go even if the characters are much too simply drawn.The whole thing starts when a plane crashes on top of an Alpine peak.SPOILER ALERT! The first rescue attempt fails and ends in disaster. But then Wagner coerces his older brother Tracy into taking him up the mountain in order to rob the passengers of their money and jewelry. Tracy at first refuses these demands from Wagner until Wagner turns completely nasty to get his way.The climbing sequences are especially well done and certainly among the best mountain climbing sequences ever filmed.I certainly appreciated the high moral tone the film took in showing the stark difference between good and evil. Few films ever do that especially the modern ones which is one reason why I much prefer older films and classic films made during the golden age of Hollywood.

This may be the Gilligan's Island of mountain movies - of course there aren't many movies like this out there anyway. There are no frills in this movie. The story is what it is and that is all it is. Plane crashes on mountain and feuding brothers with different sets of values climb to the crash for very different reasons. There are no sudden plot twists or surprises. It is an easy movie to watch without having to think too hard. A fine family film very much in the old Disney adventure vein. You can over analyze that Tracy and Wagner don't look anything like brothers or that some of the backdrops (especially from the dramatic narrow cliff-wall scene) don't quite make sense. There's quite a few yet minor logic failures. (I'll never understand why the original rescue crew had to walk all the way across that field carrying their wounded when a perfectly viable jeep was right there and could have helped.) Bottom line though: It's a good movie to enjoy - period.

In a small village at the base of the Alpine mountains, a greedy young man--tired of living poorly with his elderly brother on a sheep farm--talks his sibling into climbing one of the highest peaks to raid a doomed Indian aircraft of its gold. Engrossing story from Henri Troyat's novel is genuinely beautiful to behold in color-saturated VistaVision. Critics at the time complained about the interspersing of on-location footage with studio shots, as well as the age difference between brothers Spencer Tracy and Robert Wagner. Poor Tracy (already well into his golden years) seems pressed to the breaking point in this physical role, while scowling mercenary Wagner is one-note obstinate throughout. Still, Tracy's work is so fluid, so compassionate and believable, one gets caught up in this saga despite the picture's weaker attributes. Expository early scenes and other minor characters are practically irrelevant, and cinematographer Franz F. Planer captures it all with astute grace. **1/2 from ****