In the Shadow of Karakorum

Overview

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

Ernst Fritz Fürbringer

Self - Narrator [West Germany & Austria] (voice)

Otto Mellies

Self - Narrator [East Germany] (voice)

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Mathias Rebitsch

Self - Expedition Leader

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Wolfgang Pillewizer

Self - Scientific Director

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Paul Bernett

Self - Expedition Doctor

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Anderl Heckmair

Self - Expedition Member

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Karl Heckler

Self - Expedition Member (†)

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Gerhard Klamert

Self - Expedition Member

N/A

Dolf Meyer

Self - Expedition Member

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Karl Heinz Pfaffen

Self - Expedition Member

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Hans-Jochen Schneider

Self - Expedition Member

N/A

Karl Wienert

Self - Expedition Member