The Wildest Dream

The National Geographic Society put its imprimatur on this theatrically released documentary, narrated by Liam Neeson and directed by Anthony Geffen, about the mountaineering adventurer who gave the immortal response to a reporter's question, why climb Mount Everest: “Because it's there.” Yet few know George Mallory's tragic story in full. A generation before Sir Edmund Hillary's successful ascent, Mallory mapped out a workable scheme to conquer the highest peak in the Himalayas. He and climbing partner Sandy Irvine were last seen by their expedition cameraman 800 feet from the summit, before a storm obscured them. Then ... nothing. No trace was discovered until 1999, when climber Conrad Anker found Mallory's long-mummified body, with a badly fractured leg. Circumstantial evidence suggests that Mallory had indeed reached the top, but to make a stronger case, Anker and his crew here re-enact the climb, using gear approximating that available in the 1920s, but taking along a modern camera. Meanwhile, we hear letters from Mallory (voiced by Ralph Fiennes) and his beloved wife, Ruth (the late Natasha Richardson), and learn a bit about Anker's own backstory, including his marriage to the widow of a climbing partner who died right in front of him in a high-altitude catastrophe. The grand sweeping imagery and living-on-the-edge attitude are reminiscent of IMAX documentaries. DVD extras include interviews with Geffen, Anker, and Leo Houlding (who voices Irvine); and a photo gallery. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)