Great Expeditions: Aconcagua--The Stone Sentinel

Three men from disparate backgrounds join together to tackle the mountain variously nicknamed the Monarch of the Andes and The Stone Sentinel. At 23,036 ft., Aconcagua is no anthill, and the sweeping camera shots of its flanks look imposing indeed. Still, John Leigh, a British solicitor; Fred Schmidt, an American fireman; and Sergio Fitch Watkins, a South American mountaineer, were ready to give it a try, and this episode of Great Expeditions is a fairly straightforward account of their effort. The team is seen setting up base camp, as well as additional camps farther up the mountain, as they ready themselves for the final assault. After one of the team members, Adrian Johnson, becomes ill, Watkins assists him back down the mountain, so that ultimately only Leigh and Schmidt achieve the summit. Aconcagua--The Stone Sentinel is diverting, at best. It's not a bad film, there's simply nothing much remarkable about it--from narration to camerawork it's about average for this kind of film. An optional purchase. (Available from: Chip Taylor Communications, 15 Spollett Drive, Derry, NH 03038; (800) 876-2447.)