Film about legendary Yosemite climbers comes to Modesto

Rock climbing’s golden era, the legendary “outlaw” climbers who were at its forefront – including Modesto’s own Royal Robbins – and the majesty of Yosemite National Park will be celebrated Thursday at a special screening of the new documentary “Valley Uprising.”

Narrated by actor Peter Sarsgaard, the film comes to Modesto’s State Theatre after a push by Royal Robbins’ son Damon. The film is part of the Reel Rock Film Tour, which is taking “Valley Uprising” to theaters across the country and internationally.

Also on display on the State’s big screen during the event will be photographs by climber Glen Denny, who famously captured in stills many of the 1960s ascents documented in the film. Denny, who lives in the Bay Area, plans to be at the screening Thursday.

Damon Robbins said he hopes to also have his father’s contemporary and fellow climber Tom Frost at the event, along with an after-film appearance by his father and mother, Liz Robbins.

The event carries particular poignancy for those who have followed the legendary Royal Robbins: Damon Robbins said in an email interview that a reception planned after the screening likely will mark the final such public appearance by his ailing 79-year-old father, who for years has been a prominent businessman and supporter in the Modesto community.

“He has PSP (progressive supranuclear palsy). It’s a rare palsy that has some of the tendencies of Parkinson’s,” Damon Robbins said of his father. “He is doing quite well for having what he has. I don’t expect that he will be out at another public event after this, as it is not easy for him and he is best and most comfortable at home.”

Damon Robbins, who named his Camp 4 Wine Cafe in Modesto after the historic base camp that served as home to the likes of his father, Werner Braun, Lynn Hill, Dale Bard and others, said in an email interview that he was “completely blown away” when he saw the film in September at its San Francisco premiere.

The movie from Sender Films tells the story of the bohemian adventurists who began pushing the limits of rock climbing to the extreme beginning in the late 1950s through the 1960s – long before modern gear made climbs up Yosemite’s greatest peaks a daily occurrence. Billed as “Yosemite’s rock climbing revolution,” it tells the story of the climbers who sought adventure and “carved out a counterculture of Dumpster-diving and wild parties that clashed with the conservative values of the National Park Service,” according to the film’s website.

Royal and Liz Robbins are prominent in the film, featured in about one-third of the two-hour documentary, Damon Robbins said.

Damon Robbins said he learned of the movie after Sender Films spent a day or two interviewing his parents about eight years ago. His sister Tamara continued to help filmmakers with photos and facts.

The documentary had an emotional impact on Damon; after his own viewing, he knew his parents needed to see it and was able to get permission from the filmmakers to stream it to them at their home.

Damon Robbins said that over the years, he has come to better understand the impact his father made on the rock climbing world and how that made a mark on his own life.

“I think as a child, I didn’t think to myself, ‘My dad is becoming a climbing legend and business leader,’ I just did kid stuff,” he said. “But now, now when I look at them and look at my past and my life, I realize that the quality of people they are, and the level to which they both fearlessly followed their hearts in life, in business and in love ... they really are both phenomenally incredible people. And honestly, I see now more than ever that the figure my dad is, the strong and courageous and kind man that he is, was entirely made possible by his wife, who I am lucky enough to have as a mom.”

The film, he said, should provide audiences with a greater understanding of not only the climbers and their amazing feats, but much more: “A new-found knowledge of the history of climbing in Yosemite. A real appreciation for our own local hero. There is so much covered in the film, and I see it to be about a lot more than climbing, it really is about how wonderful life can be when you follow your dreams, and do what you love.”

The efforts and bravery that went into climbing in Yosemite during that golden era and into today also will strike audiences.

“It really chronicles the beginning of rock climbing in the United States from the mid-’50s to now,” he added. “From the work that it took to plan and execute the first ascents of Half Dome and El Capitan to climbing them now without ropes and jumping off with a parachute.”

This story was originally published October 19, 2014 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Film about legendary Yosemite climbers comes to Modesto."