Return to Mont Aiguille – The story of a film
The film Retour au Mont Aiguille (Back to Mont Aiguille), directed by Ludovic Veltz, is the result of a research project aimed at rediscovering the conditions of the first ascent of Mont Aiguille in 1492, through an experimental and applied history shared with local stakeholders. The documentary won the Grand Prix for scientific adventure films at the 10th Rencontres Montagnes & Sciences 2023.
Film synopsis
In 1492, Captain Antoine de Ville de Domjulien climbed the “inaccessible mountain” on the orders of King Charles VIII. Why did a king want to take on a mountain? How could such an undertaking be accomplished?
The Mont Aiguille – Carmo – Corps armé en montagne project aims to understand the relationship between ancient societies and verticality, in particular through the political uses and military knowledge of mountains during the Renaissance.
The experimental archaeology approach enables us to reconstruct vanished equipment, in this case 15th-century assault ladders, in order to rediscover their contextualized uses by restoring their actual conditions of use: “climbing” proper, at least as it was practiced in the 15th century.
Ludovic Veltz’s 40-minute documentary follows the progress of the scientific project from start to finish, and in particular the historian’s work, from the archival source to experimentation both in the laboratory for biomechanical tests and in the wild on Mont Aiguille. It recounts the researcher’s trial and error, and the slow work of informing and working with local players: craftsmen, enthusiasts, schoolchildren, elected representatives…
The use of drones and photogrammetry enabled us to create a 3D model of Mont Aiguille, visually recreating the ascent as it might have been in 1492, while providing an immersive experience for the viewer.
Film data sheet
Film screenings
Upcoming dates:
June 14, Chamonix (74).
8pm, Vox Chamonix cinema, part of the Chamonix Film Festival.
→ with Ludovic Veltz (director), François Martin Saint Léon (producer) and Stéphane Gal (scientist).
If you would like to organize a screening of the film in your area, please contact us: contact@labexittem.fr
Already past
As part of the Rencontres Montagnes & Sciences tour:
March 22, 2024, Le Châble (Switzerland)
7:45pm, Espace Saint-Marc
February 15, 2024, Tignes (73)
Tignespace
January 26, 2024, Modane (73)
Salle des fêtes
January 23, 2024, Lyon (69)
ENS, Amphi Mérieux
January 16, 2024, Clermont-Ferrand (63)
House of Culture
December 15, 2023, L’Argentière-la-Bessée (05)
Foyer culturel
December 7, 2023, Valence (26)
Cinéma Le Navire
November 28, 2023, Le Bourg d’Oisans (38)
Foyer municipal
November 21, 2023, Chambéry (73)
Le Manège
November 10, 2023, Grenoble (38)
Palais des Sports – Screening for young audiences
November 11, 2023, Grenoble (38)
Palais des Sports
Free tour :
March 27, 2024, Saint-Martin-d’Hères (38)
Archives départementales de l’Isère, Nocturnes de l’histoire From archives to 3D
March 23, UGA/MJK (38)
projection to new UGA retirees
February 17, 2024, Clelles (38)
5.30pm and 8.30pm, Clelles cinema
January 26, Saint-Égrève (38)
Cinema
Photos from the shoot
Latest news
Show all20 December 2023 | Project life
First ascent of Mont Aiguille: a film at the summit
The documentary Retour au Mont Aiguille, the result of a research project conducted within Labex ITTEM, recently won an award at the Festival Montagnes et…
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Coordination
Stéphane Gal
Larhra (UGA)