The Epic of Everest

In 1924, a band of British adventurers attempted to climb Mount Everest, the tallest peak on Earth. Two members of the party—George Mallory and Andrew Irvine—died in a final effort to reach the summit (or, some say, returning from it). Amazingly, the expedition was documented by Captain John Noel, who brought along a battery of cameras, and kept up until the bulkiness of the equipment allowed him to proceed no further—after which Noel utilized the most advanced telephoto lenses of the time to trace the team's progress from a distance. A haunting final sequence shows the tiny figures of Mallory and Irvine disappearing against the clouds, followed by shots of the remainder of the party returning to base camp. Preceding the actual climb is ethnographically groundbreaking footage of Tibetan locals, along with sites such as the imposing Rongbuk monastery. Noel had a true filmmaker's eye, fashioning long shots from interesting perspectives and using tinting in some sequences—which is fastidiously recreated in this superb restoration by the British Film Institute—while also offering close-ups of individual climbers and engaging digressions, such as one capturing the birth of a donkey along the way. The original intertitles are also included, notable both for their condescending attitude toward the Tibetan villagers in the early sequences and for the grandiose mysticism adopted after the expedition's failure (which had been prophesied by a lama). An evocative record of a harrowing—some would say foolhardy—endeavor, extras here include an introduction featuring the director's daughter Sandra Noel, a featurette on the score by composer Simon Fisher Turner, and a segment on the film's restoration. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)