Directed by:
Anthony GeffenComposer:
Joel DouekCast:
Hugh Dancy, Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson, Alan Rickman, Conrad Anker, Leo Houlding, George Mallory (a.f.)Plots(1)
Documentary exploring the enduring mysteries surrounding the death of British mountaineer George Mallory and fellow climber Andrew Sandy Irvine on Mount Everest in 1924. American mountaineer Conrad Anker, who discovered the body of George Mallory in 1999, retraces his journey in the company of British climber Leo Houlding in an attempt to answer some of the questions surrounding Mallory's demise. Told through the letters Mallory wrote to his wife Ruth, the film combines archive photographs, newly-restored film footage and dramatised sequences with the present-day story of Anker's expedition to chronicle Mallory's quest to conquer Everest and his continual longing for home. (2 Entertain Video)
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This slow-paced biographical documentary is more for dedicated fans than for audiences looking for adventure and adrenaline. The narrative doesn’t escalate much, as the film’s key shocking scene comes right at the beginning (shots of the discovery of Mallory’s body on Everest 75 years after his death). But what really got me was the life story of Mallory, a loving husband and father of three children, and his determination and courage in the 1920s to attempt the first climb up Everest in such clothing (!!!), without knowing the conditions in the death zone and without any weather forecast. Even if they’d had perfect weather and reached the summit, they would not have returned from it. It was a suicide mission, but it defined one of the two ascent routes up the mountain. The fact that the route now bears his name is therefore more than deserved.
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