| First on the Rope | |
| Director: | Louis Daquin |
| Based On: | First on the Rope by Roger Frison-Roche |
| Producer: | Jacqueline Jacoupy |
| Starring: | Irène Corday André Le Gall Lucien Blondeau |
| Cinematography: | Philippe Agostini |
| Editing: | Suzanne de Troeye |
| Music: | Henri Sauguet |
| Studio: | Pathé Consortium Cinéma |
| Distributor: | Pathé Consortium Cinéma |
| Runtime: | 106 minutes |
| Country: | France |
| Language: | French |
First on the Rope (French: Premier de cordée) is a 1944 French drama film directed by Louis Daquin and starring Irène Corday, André Le Gall and Lucien Blondeau.[1] [2] It is an adaptation of the 1941 novel of the same title by Roger Frison-Roche. It was a faithful adaptation of the novel, which began shooting in June 1943 during the German Occupation of France. Despite being directed by Daquin, a French Communist, it was considered to demonstrate a Pétainist ideology possibly even containing elements of Nazism.[3]
The film's sets were designed by the art director Lucien Aguettand. Location shooting took place around Mont Blanc in the French Alps.
The son of a veteran mountain climber succeeds his father as "the first on the rope", leading expeditions into the mountains. However, after nearly losing his life during a climb he develops vertigo and abandons his position to take over as a hotel manager. Two years later when his father is persuaded by a Norwegian tourist to take him on a trip into the mountains, his son is forced to come to their rescue when they run into a trouble during a storm.