The Place of the Dead
| The Place Of The Dead | |
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| Directed by | Suri Krishnamma |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Jeff Pope |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Julian Nott |
| Distributed by | LWT |
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Release date
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Running time
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100 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.6 million |
The Place Of The Dead is a 1997 television film directed by Suri Krishnamma and written by Jeff Pope. It is a 'true story' account of a British Army expedition in Malaysia that made headlines in 1994 when it went badly wrong. The expedition was to climb up Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in Malaysia, and descend down the steep cliff faces on the other side into Low's Gully and then trek through the valley. The group of ten split up, with the fitter members of the team continuing on in order to keep to their rations and on the assumption that the less fit members had given up on the descent. The less able members meanwhile, carried on assuming that the fitter members were waiting for them.
The film largely tells the story of the expedition itself, but occasionally flashes to the present where the members of expedition are giving evidence in a military court. The enquiry is to determine which members were at fault for the failure of the expedition, meaning that the story is told in flashback as the men remember it. Initially, the soldiers are shown training while a voiceover by expedition leader Lt. Col. Robert Niell (Simon Dutton) tells us that there will be five British Army soldiers, two Territorial Army soldiers and three Hong Kong Chinese soldiers on the expedition.
When the expedition starts, it becomes clear that the level of fitness among its members varies greatly. Lance Corporal Richard Mayfield (Dougray Scott), who is also the technical advisor on the expedition, expresses serious concern about the group's ability as a whole. Later that night, Niell feels that it is an appropriate time to "discuss things". Sergeant Bob Mann (Ralph Brown) suggests that the fitter members of the team continue on with the expedition as planned while the weaker members climb back down the mountain, drive to a village at the other end of the valley and work their way back up the river as a support group. Niell rejects the plan, leading to a confrontation between him and Mayfield.
The next day, Corporal Hugh Brittan (Greg Wise), Mayfield, Lance Corporal Steve Page (David Nellist) and Lance Corporal Peter Shearer (Phil McKee) make a head start. Brittan, now the most senior of the four soldiers, says that Niell wanted to use the morning as a resting period for the others. By nightfall, only Mann has caught up with the advance party. He explains that the rear party, now consisting of the supposed leaders of the expedition and three inexperienced Chinese soldiers, have already set up camp further down the mountain. Once again, Mayfield expresses serious concern, saying that "it's taken them fifteen hours to do a journey that took us three and they're still not here." He also highlighted how the rations had been carefully planned and wouldn't last if there were any more delays.
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