A classic drama filmed in the Alpine region and set in the mid-19th Century, The Challenge follows the true story of Englishman Edward Whymper and his Swiss guide Jean-Antoine Carrel, whose rivalry reached its peak during their attempt to conquer the Matterhorn. When three members of Whymper's team fall to their deaths, Whymper himself is suspected of cutting their rope. Nail-biting suspense in the mountain climbing sequences.
William K. Everson notes: "A co-production between Germany and Alexander Korda's London films, this one (written by Emeric Pressburger immediately prior to his teaming up with Michael Powell) is a lesser film than its German parallel, due mainly to too much comic punctuation. But it is still a well-made version of Edward Whymper's conquest of the Matterhorn--a conquest which conveniently had tangential complications which lent themselves to scripting manipulation."