The Alps
Premiered 16 March 2007, released on DVD in the USA
only in 2008.
Running Time 45 mins approx.
Filmed at various locations in Switzerland.
Executive producer Alexander Biner
Directed by Greg MacGillivray
Music score by Steve Wood with additional music by Queen and
Brian May.
Narrated by Michael Gambon.
This film tells the true story of author and climber John Harlin, who climbs the North face of the Eiger which claimed the life of his father forty years earlier. It features reworked versions of several Queen tracks plus a brand new guitar solo by Brian May.
The Surround Sound mix for this film features the commentary through the centre channel, the music through the Front channel and echoed music through the Rear channel.
The film features the following tracks:
The DVD also features a 'Making Of' featurette (40 mins) which includes parts of Brian's guitar solo (nothing different to that in the film), plus some footage of Brian in the recording studio (video only). Bonus features on the DVD also include short features about Switzerland and trailers of other films.
In addition to the tracks above the film features orchestral music, some of which features elements of 'Who Wants To Live Forever' and 'Bijou'. However these excerpts are generally fairly short, and don't feature Brian, so they are not mentioned below.
Last Horizon
(Live)
This is an edit of the track
as performed by Queen on the 'Return Of The Champions' album/DVD.
It features the section from approximately 0:10 to 2:35, ending
with an explosion.
Click here for details of the live
version on 'Return Of The Champions' or here for details of the original version on 'Back To The
Light'
Length 2:28.
Who Wants To Live
Forever
Click here for details of the
original version on 'A Kind Of Magic'
New Version
This version is a completely new version, featuring
slow electric guitar, acoustic guitar, orchestral music, and
piano, based around the melody of the track. Length 2:30,
although there is a break of about 30 seconds in the middle which
is unrelated.
Album Version Reworked Edit
This version is derived from the original album
version but has additional elements. It features the approximate
sections 0:21 to 0:57, retaining only one line of vocals, then
some of the instrumental outro from 4:15 to 4:35. It then
features a new section which is essentially an instrumental
version of the section from 1:25 to 2:05, but with a new solo by
Brian.
Length 1:49.
Album Version Reworked Edit Lyrics:
What is this thing that builds our dreams
yet slips away from us
Guitar Solo
The film features a number of
new guitar solos from Brian, which appear over the top of
orchestral music. These new pieces were recorded by Justin
Shirley Smith and Kris Fredriksson. A brief guide to these pieces
is given below.
In general, these pieces are very good (but unfortunately too
short), and very typical of his usual solos.
Four of the solos are based around the same theme:
Piece 1 : two solos of length 13 and 23 seconds during 59 second
piece
Piece 2 : a 14 second solo during a 34 second piece
Piece 4 : two solos of length 17 and 21 seconds during a 50
second piece
Piece 5 : an 18 second solo during a 58 second piece
Piece 3 is a much slower and more gentle solo, over a 50 second
piece.
Don't Stop Me Now
This is an edit of the normal
album version. It contains the sections 0:25 to 0:42, then jumps
to 0:52 to 1:06, then contains 2:57 onwards. The song then jumps
to the karaoke version for the piano outro.
Click here for the details of the original version on 'Jazz'
Length 0:52.
Lyrics:
Don't stop me now
Don't stop me
'Cos I'm having a good time
Having a good time
I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky
Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity
I'm burning through the sky yeah
200 degrees that's why they call me Mr. Fahrenheit
I'm travelling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you
Don't stop me now
'Cos I'm having a good time
Don't stop me now
Yes, I'm having a good time
I don't wanna stop at all
Bijou
Click here for details of the
version on 'Innuendo'.
Short Edit
This is a straight edit of the album version, upto 0:25. Length
0:25.
Long edit
This is a straight edit of the album version from 2:09 onwards.
Length 1:25.
Ride The Wild
Wind
This is a compiled edit of the
album version, which has been slightly remixed. It contains the
approximate sections from 0:07 to 0:23 (without the 'hey'
vocals), then 0:27 to 0:35 and finally 2:32 to 2:49.
Click here for the details of the original version on 'Innuendo'
Length 0:42.
Lyrics:
Ride the wild wind
Push the envelope, don't sit on the fence
Ride the wild wind
Live your life on the razors edge
It ain't dangerous enough for me
Live life on the razors edge - (hey, hey, hey)
Gonna ride the wild wind (ooooh)
It ain't dangerous enough for me
It's A Beautiful
Day
This is a shortened version of the track, omitting
some of the intro, the middle section of the song and much of the
outro. This version fades up at approx 0:35 then continues until
1:25, then merges into the section from 2:00 to 2:09. It then
finishes with a new orchestral crash which is not part of the
original.
Click here for details of the
original version on 'Made In Heaven'
Length 1:00.
Lyrics:
It's a beautiful day
The sun is shining
I feel good
And no-one's gonna stop me now, oh yeah
It's a beautiful day
I feel good, I feel right
And no-one, no-one's gonna stop me now, mama