Sir Edmund Hillary was arguably the most famous New Zealander of the 20th century, thanks to his historic conquest of Mount Everest. This New Zealand TV miniseries follows Hillary’s initial fascination with the Himalayas while he helped with his father’s beekeeping business (and an interlude in the air force during World War II, which allowed him to see more of the world). Hillary and his climbing partner George Lowe plan an audacious route up Everest, but are nearly thwarted by a Swiss expedition that gets to the mountain first. When the Swiss fail, Hillary is joined by Nepalese mountaineer Tenzig Norgay to achieve the most elusive goal in the world. Hillary quickly earned fame and fortune, and also found the courage to propose to his longtime sweetheart Louise. But adjusting to life after Everest is difficult, and Hillary faced an even greater challenge in coping with the 1975 deaths of his wife and daughter in a plane crash. Directed by Danny Mulheron, Hillary is a handsomely-crafted production that features a magnificent recreation of the Everest ascent and a subtle lead performance by Andrew Munro. But the series does begin to drag a bit after the summiting of Everest as it chronicles the more mundane aspects of Hillary’s life. Compiling all six episodes from 2016, this is a strong optional purchase. (P. Hall)
Hillary
PBS, 2 discs, 265 min., not rated, DVD: $34.99 Volume 33, Issue 6
Hillary
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