Review: Schengen Files

The Schengen Files was not what I expected.  Well, maybe it was in one sense.  I expected to see Paul Robinson crushing hard boulder problems in Europe, but I also expected B-grade camera work and editing.  I was slightly surprised when I rolled the tape. 

LeTajine (V13)

Before I was struck by Paul doing the hardest moves in the world, the first thing that stood out to me was the color, quality and composition of the shots.  The video was shot almost entirely by Paul and his girlfriend Alex.  I expected lots of tripod shots and generally ghetto camera work.  The kind you would expect from most of us that are climbers first and amateur videographers second. 

It turns out that Paul and Alex have a good eye for a shot.  In fact, the composition of some of the shots was so good, I felt like I was in a photography class studying the elements of good photography: rule of thirds, lines, pattern, etc.  Overall, the video contained some of the nicest shots I've seen in a bouldering video. 

The quality of the image was also top-notch.  Beautiful color and crystal HD imagery brought out the life and energy of the forest and boulders.  The editing was super tight as well.  I caught only one minor flaw in the sound design.  When the audio switched from soundtrack to narration I had to bump the volume up to hear what Paul was saying. 

Angama (V15)

The content is exactly what I expected.  Paul Robinson is the only climber in the film and he is absolutely crushing the hardest problems in the world.  Paul's flaw is that he makes V15 look so easy it's hard to decipher the difficulty sometimes.  One problem that stood out to me was Angama (V15 2nd ascent).  When the movie was over, I backtracked to watch this problem again.  In my mind it is the perfect boulder problem.  A long rising traverse across the face of the Fata Morgana boulder in Font.  The editing was perfect with close-ups of the tiny holds, a slow panning shot as Paul sticks an amazing iron-cross lunge, and a final desperate sequence to gain the top.       

The Story of Two Worlds (V15)

The film wraps up with the much anticipated footage of The Story of Two Worlds, a problem that has begun to emerge as the standard for the V15 grade and one that Paul considers among the most difficult he has done.  The footage is sick and gives an idea of just how difficult a world-class testpiece can be.  After the send, Paul hops off the boulder, says "Psyched!", and as quickly as it began, the movie is over.  Of course, at 21 minutes, everyone's chief complaint will be that they wished it were longer.  But come on, how many V15's can you expect one man to send?

Watch the trailer here or just take my word for it and download the Schengen Files at HDclimbingvideos.com.