As many of Alfred Hitchcock's movies do this movie teaches a lesson. An English man goes to the Alps to climb a glacier. When he gets there he is asked to tell an English woman that her husband has died on the glacier. He tells her and she is distraught she decides that so that she will never have to live without her husband that she will take every moment with him and remember it for a week or a year this way even if she lives to be eighty she will never run out of memories. This is very unfortunate for the English gentlemen, as he has fallen in love with her. He tries to retrieve her husband's body but he drops it and it falls into the glacier. One day the English man is going to see her and proposes to her. She declines and tells him that what they are to do that day will explain. They go to a scientist, whom tells them exactly when and where her husband's body will be coming out of the glacier, in 40 years. She resolves to wait, and the English man resolves to wait for her. 40 years come and go and they have found the woman's dead husband. The Englishman bends over and pulls a locket off of the young mans neck. He gives it to the woman telling her that her husband was still wearing her locket. She opens it and it has a picture of another woman in it. She throws it to the ground. The morale of the story is there is no point to living in the past, get on with your life, or you may find that you have wasted 40 years on a man that was cheating on you, and refused for those same 40 years to marry the man that truly loved you.
8 Reviews
She Meant What She Said
Hitchcoc8 June 2013
Hitchcock's TV show often made me sad. He often had good people victimized by their own goodness and faith. When one becomes so in love and so full hope that he doesn't listen to the advice that we can only change ourselves, not other human beings, he pretty much ends his very life. Throw in the self centered, driven woman who appears on the surface to be a possible mate, and you have the formula for great sadness. There are two elements at work: time and a glacier. By the time they intersect, all that is left is a broken man and a woman who made her intentions known over and over. She never has a clue, however, of the impact on this man. Or did she?
Glaciers crush
kennethfrankel27 September 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Three men go up a mountain, 1 dies. The rescue team finds the body near a cliff edge, but it falls out of their grasp and slides a great distance down. It lands in the middle of a glacier. A scientist tells the grieving widow that based on the type of ice, and gravity readings (?), and so on, he can calculate the flow of the glacier. The body will appear in exactly so many years, on a certain date, probably in the morning. This is about 40 years in the future. Problem 1: The body, when found, looks just as it did 40 years earlier. The body would probably appear darker, and shriveled. It might have been crushed and mangled in reality. The Iceman that was found recently that was 4000 to 5000 years old was probably protected behind a rock. Problem 2: How can the exact spot the body ended up in the glacier be determined? It was only seen sliding and falling from a great distance. One section of the glacier seems to look the same as another. Problem 3: The terminus of the glacier is not 10 feet wide. How could the crew with pick axes find the spot to dig directly over the body? Problem 4: The main issue - you can calculate an average speed of descent, but it varies from season to season, and the snow fall varies. The body may tend to get 100 feet or more below the surface. This is why I believe it would be crushed. So yes, you can get a rough idea when an object will reappear at the bottom, say 30 to 50 years, or even in a 5 or 10 year window, but not a exactly on a certain date and place.
The character George Liston, the other young hiker, is never seen or interviewed. After seeing the episode, I wondered if the woman in the locket was seen wandering around the resort, or was involved with one of the other characters. It at first seemed that the image could have been the Owens character. How could the wife know that the husband did not have a locket? I don't believe she actually looked at the picture. The Mark character (Poison, Bridge over the River Kwai) was the one who looked. That is not too clear. For all I knew, it might have been an earlier picture of the wife.
The scientific lecture in London was interesting. I agree with the general idea but not the specific timing. There was a documentary on TV about a missing plane, "Stardust". It crashed into the Andes in 1947 and vanished. The UFO crowd had a field day with this. It most likely was the first plane to discover the jet stream, but they did not know that. So many years later, in the 1980's or 90's, pieces of the engines appeared lower down. Soldiers went up and found more and more pieces, and some of the passengers -- more to come. This was an hour long documentary. At 45 minutes into the show, a government or university expert was interviewed, who explained that - GASP - glaciers move! You mean to tell me that people who live near the Andes, like in Chile or Argentina, do not know that glaciers move? Is not the definition of a glacier "a moving river of ice" ? So in this case, it hit and melted the ice and vanished into the mountain glacier. It was 50 miles off course due to the strange jet of wind. But at least the people in the Alps seemed to have the idea that objects will be transported down and dumped at the bottom.
I agree with the sentiments expressed by the other 3 reviewers.
The character George Liston, the other young hiker, is never seen or interviewed. After seeing the episode, I wondered if the woman in the locket was seen wandering around the resort, or was involved with one of the other characters. It at first seemed that the image could have been the Owens character. How could the wife know that the husband did not have a locket? I don't believe she actually looked at the picture. The Mark character (Poison, Bridge over the River Kwai) was the one who looked. That is not too clear. For all I knew, it might have been an earlier picture of the wife.
The scientific lecture in London was interesting. I agree with the general idea but not the specific timing. There was a documentary on TV about a missing plane, "Stardust". It crashed into the Andes in 1947 and vanished. The UFO crowd had a field day with this. It most likely was the first plane to discover the jet stream, but they did not know that. So many years later, in the 1980's or 90's, pieces of the engines appeared lower down. Soldiers went up and found more and more pieces, and some of the passengers -- more to come. This was an hour long documentary. At 45 minutes into the show, a government or university expert was interviewed, who explained that - GASP - glaciers move! You mean to tell me that people who live near the Andes, like in Chile or Argentina, do not know that glaciers move? Is not the definition of a glacier "a moving river of ice" ? So in this case, it hit and melted the ice and vanished into the mountain glacier. It was 50 miles off course due to the strange jet of wind. But at least the people in the Alps seemed to have the idea that objects will be transported down and dumped at the bottom.
I agree with the sentiments expressed by the other 3 reviewers.
Not Your Typical Ice Cube
dougdoepke25 June 2007
Odd little drama, directed by Hitchcock himself. The story develops slowly and without much suspense, but we can't be sure where it's leading. Patricia Owns' husband is killed in a mountain-climbing accident. Stranger James Donald is delegated to break the news, except that he's immediately attracted to her. Unfortunately, her husband's body is unrecoverable, having slipped into a glacier's trench. After a decent interval, Donald makes his feelings known, but she refuses his marriage proposal, preferring to live in the past. She's also determined to wait the 40 years it will take for the ice flow to eject the body. Foolishly, the love-struck Donald decides to wait with her. The ending is both ironic and tragic.
For a modestly-budgeted series like Hitchcock's, outdoor mountain scenes require some charitable viewing since the stage sets are pretty obvious. The script too borders the mediocre-- especially the first few minutes where it's hard to keep up with the confusion of characters. Considering that up-and-coming writer Stirling Silliphant adapted the story, that's surprising. Unfortunately, the 30 minutes lacks many of the series strengths, but may appeal to the romantics among us.
For a modestly-budgeted series like Hitchcock's, outdoor mountain scenes require some charitable viewing since the stage sets are pretty obvious. The script too borders the mediocre-- especially the first few minutes where it's hard to keep up with the confusion of characters. Considering that up-and-coming writer Stirling Silliphant adapted the story, that's surprising. Unfortunately, the 30 minutes lacks many of the series strengths, but may appeal to the romantics among us.
I'm sorry, but this one really wasn't very good.
planktonrules5 April 2021
The writing of "The Crystal Trench" was a bit disappointing....mostly because the visit with the geologist (Patrick Macnee...in his second appearance in a row on this show) was utterly ridiculous.
The story begins in Switzerland, near a famous peak called the Schwarzhorn. It seems that a young and impetuous Brit insisted on climbing it and a guide took him and friend on this ill-advised ascent...and the man died. Oddly, instead of them telling the widow, the asked another Brit staying at the hotel if he could tell her. She was naturally heartbroken and he soon became smitten with her.
Later, the woman took this man with her to see a noted geologist or something along those likes (Macnee) and he tells her that the body lost on the glacier would be accessible on an exact day and time of day forty years in the future based on his calculations...and, amazingly, this turned out to be true and then the twist occurs. The twist is good, the notion a person could make such an accurate prediction is ridiculous.
Okay, so you have a woman and her male friend waste forty years of their lives AND they return to the peak forty years later just as the body would become retrievable....doesn't this all sound rather absurd? And, absurd is what I'd call this episode. A clear miss that easily could have been better. Heck, had Macnee played a psychic or Nostradamus, it would have made more sense than this script.
The story begins in Switzerland, near a famous peak called the Schwarzhorn. It seems that a young and impetuous Brit insisted on climbing it and a guide took him and friend on this ill-advised ascent...and the man died. Oddly, instead of them telling the widow, the asked another Brit staying at the hotel if he could tell her. She was naturally heartbroken and he soon became smitten with her.
Later, the woman took this man with her to see a noted geologist or something along those likes (Macnee) and he tells her that the body lost on the glacier would be accessible on an exact day and time of day forty years in the future based on his calculations...and, amazingly, this turned out to be true and then the twist occurs. The twist is good, the notion a person could make such an accurate prediction is ridiculous.
Okay, so you have a woman and her male friend waste forty years of their lives AND they return to the peak forty years later just as the body would become retrievable....doesn't this all sound rather absurd? And, absurd is what I'd call this episode. A clear miss that easily could have been better. Heck, had Macnee played a psychic or Nostradamus, it would have made more sense than this script.
I just couldn't feel sorry for these people
petewood-599513 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The ending is a twist, I guess. I found it underwhelming, because the two main characters were just so pathetic. The husband is frozen literally, but the widow and the suitor are frozen too emotionally for forty years. At some point they should have just moved on with their lives.
One of the worst episodes of the series.
One of the worst episodes of the series.
"The years had taken no toll on him."
classicsoncall9 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I got the same kick out of this episode as I do with all those old horror flicks of the Forties and Fifties that involve a mad scientist offering some pseudo scientific reason for whatever phenomenon comes under investigation. In this case, it was that science professor (Patrick Macnee) expounding on how a dead man's body trapped in a glacier crevasse would eventually be revealed forty years later following all the conditions that he described in meticulous detail. It's the same kind of analysis that Newsweek Magazine did in the early Seventies explaining how global warming would make Oregon and Washington State the country's principal growers of citrus fruit, and Canada the world's most bountiful producer of grain. How did that work out?
But that wasn't the kicker. When the body of the dead mountain climber is eventually uncovered, precisely on the day and hour that was predicted forty years earlier. It turns out he was two timing his wife of six months all those years ago. Talk about putting one's life on hold for nothing! For this episode, Hitchcock deserved having the mountain climber cut his rope at the conclusion of the story.
But that wasn't the kicker. When the body of the dead mountain climber is eventually uncovered, precisely on the day and hour that was predicted forty years earlier. It turns out he was two timing his wife of six months all those years ago. Talk about putting one's life on hold for nothing! For this episode, Hitchcock deserved having the mountain climber cut his rope at the conclusion of the story.
Mystery with a moral
TheLittleSongbird21 April 2024
'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' "The Crystal Trench" (1959)
Opening thoughts: "The Crystal Trench" is the second Season 5 episode to be directed by the justly coined Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock (a favourite since mid-teens), after the very well done and underrated Season 5 opener "Arthur". Did like the idea for the episode on paper, though mixing mystery and morality can risk being disjointed and/or muddled tonally, and seeing the always worth watching Patrick MacNee pre-'The Avengers' was interesting to see.
On the whole, "The Crystal Trench" is a watchable episode, if more for a curio or completest sake if wanting to see all the series' episodes. There are definitely worse episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', such as "The Hidden Thing", "Sylvia", "Don't Interrupt" and "Safety for the Witness" when talking about previous outings. There are also much better, such as "Breakdown", "The Creeper", "Lamb to the Slaughter", "Poison" and "The Crooked Road". Of Hitchcock's episodes, "The Crystal Trench" to me is in the lower middle of the road end and that applies for the series in general too. A long way from a disaster, but falls well short of being great let alone a series classic.
Good things: Beginning with the good, the acting is fine with the two leads giving everything they've got and while his character is too on the absurd side MacNee is fun. The photography has some nice atmosphere, likewise with the lighting.
Furthermore, the main theme is as wonderfully macabre as ever, one of the best uses of pre-existing classical music in television. The bookending is amusingly ironic, while there is some intrigue and an interesting twist.
Just wish however that most of what came before it was as compelling. The story is pretty thin, with a few too many relatively uneventful stretches, which does affect the pacing which is dull. The story is also too ridiculous and not much makes sense, with agreed the meeting with the geologist being particularly total nonsense.
Bad things: There is not much of a mystery, and what there is completely lacks suspense and contains few surprises other than the ending. The moralising felt undercooked and didn't feel needed. The script is very bland and lacks tautness, while the beginning confused from trying to keep up with the character introductions. While there is atmosphere and mood in the photography and lighting the sets are phony and indicative of low budget and rushed production.
Hitchcock's direction is disappointingly pedestrian. Didn't find myself caring for any of the characters and that shouldn't have been the case for this type of story. The episode never really develops them and motivations came over as too vague and silly. The chemistry between the two leads could have done with more spark.
Closing thoughts: Concluding, watchable but uninspired and middle of the road.
5/10.
Opening thoughts: "The Crystal Trench" is the second Season 5 episode to be directed by the justly coined Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock (a favourite since mid-teens), after the very well done and underrated Season 5 opener "Arthur". Did like the idea for the episode on paper, though mixing mystery and morality can risk being disjointed and/or muddled tonally, and seeing the always worth watching Patrick MacNee pre-'The Avengers' was interesting to see.
On the whole, "The Crystal Trench" is a watchable episode, if more for a curio or completest sake if wanting to see all the series' episodes. There are definitely worse episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', such as "The Hidden Thing", "Sylvia", "Don't Interrupt" and "Safety for the Witness" when talking about previous outings. There are also much better, such as "Breakdown", "The Creeper", "Lamb to the Slaughter", "Poison" and "The Crooked Road". Of Hitchcock's episodes, "The Crystal Trench" to me is in the lower middle of the road end and that applies for the series in general too. A long way from a disaster, but falls well short of being great let alone a series classic.
Good things: Beginning with the good, the acting is fine with the two leads giving everything they've got and while his character is too on the absurd side MacNee is fun. The photography has some nice atmosphere, likewise with the lighting.
Furthermore, the main theme is as wonderfully macabre as ever, one of the best uses of pre-existing classical music in television. The bookending is amusingly ironic, while there is some intrigue and an interesting twist.
Just wish however that most of what came before it was as compelling. The story is pretty thin, with a few too many relatively uneventful stretches, which does affect the pacing which is dull. The story is also too ridiculous and not much makes sense, with agreed the meeting with the geologist being particularly total nonsense.
Bad things: There is not much of a mystery, and what there is completely lacks suspense and contains few surprises other than the ending. The moralising felt undercooked and didn't feel needed. The script is very bland and lacks tautness, while the beginning confused from trying to keep up with the character introductions. While there is atmosphere and mood in the photography and lighting the sets are phony and indicative of low budget and rushed production.
Hitchcock's direction is disappointingly pedestrian. Didn't find myself caring for any of the characters and that shouldn't have been the case for this type of story. The episode never really develops them and motivations came over as too vague and silly. The chemistry between the two leads could have done with more spark.
Closing thoughts: Concluding, watchable but uninspired and middle of the road.
5/10.
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