Graham

'Climb' puts the Gospel into action

DALE NEAL, GANNETT NEWS SERVICE

Originally published Saturday, March 23, 2002

Faith not only can move mountains. Sometimes faith makes movies about mountain climbing.

World Wide Pictures shot its latest release, "The Climb," for $2.4 million in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah in 18 days, two less than scheduled.

Snowstorms came right on time, then the sunshine would appear for a crucial scene, then the snow would return when needed.

One incredulous crew member, who was a veteran of a hundred Hollywood shoots, said to Barry Werner, the executive in charge of production, "Never in my life have I seen a picture come together like this one. There must be something to this God thing you're talking about."

"The Climb," which opened in theaters Feb. 22, is more than the usual high adventure.

It is the latest release from World Wide Pictures, the 50-year-old movie ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Marrying a heavenly message with Hollywood production values, Graham's movies seek to present natural Christian characters in entertaining stories ranging from westerns, to action adventures and romance to comedy and other genres.

Hollywood calls

With his movie-star good looks, Graham, 83, was approached early in his career to star in a Hollywood film, but the evangelist stuck to his calling.

Still, he saw the potential for movies to carry his message.

After filmmakers had recorded his early crusades, Graham asked his associates, "Why don't we do a fictional story that would be a dramatic picture, totally Christian and evangelical and evangelistic, appealing to young people?"

In 1951, "Mr. Texas," the story of a rodeo rider who came to faith at Graham's Fort Worth crusade, premiered in the Hollywood Bowl.

Since then, World Wide Pictures has released some 125 films, including the famed "The Hiding Place," the true story about the Boom family who survived the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II.

Last year, World Wide Pictures released its first comedy, "Road to Redemption," starring Pat Hingle. The movie aired on national television.

"The Climb" carries on the tradition of Christian entertainment.

The high-altitude adventure follows two top mountain climbers who team up to rescue a millionaire's son lost in the Chilean Andes.

"Entertainment you can trust" is how Werner brands World Wide Pictures releases. "There's a lot of people who would like to go to the movie theaters," he says, "but they don't want to be exposed to the mass murders, the sex and profanity of many movies out there."

'The Climb'

A movie from the movie ministry of Billy Graham is expected to air on national television the week of June 3.

To learn more

For more information on "The Climb," such as promotional trailers, photos and actor bios, visit its Web site at www.theclimbmovie.com or World Wide Pictures at www.wwp.org.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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