The Conquest of Everest

I was born in 1946 so was 7 year of age in 1953.I was in my second year at Pinner Road Infants school which helped to educate part of the post war baby boom in Northwood Hills and Pinner Middlesex.What a treat to be told we were all going to the building next to the school to see "The Conquest of Everest".This was shown at the REX cinema.Today it is a supermarket and the school demolished to make way for a block of flats.

If you asked me what do I remember about this film 64 years later, bearing in mind I have not seen it since on UK TV networks, I have to confess I do not remember a thing about it.Perhaps scenes of conquering the summit were shown on news, travelogues, documentaries and the like but being a person that does not like snow & ice it escaped me.Nevertheless I voted this film 7/10 mainly based on other reviewers posts and the historic accomplishment of dragging all that film equipment up Everest.

This is indeed a remarkable story very well told with drama and emotion as well as great respect for the risks taken by all involved. In light of the 1996 disaster on the summit, with the mountain cluttered by unqualified rich people who seem only to be interested in self-glorification, this is a feat that all humanity can take pride in. The script and the music add a great deal to the story and the photography is terrific. It makes me wonder about the nearly lifeless documentary filmed by David Breshears in late May of 1996. Instead of concentrating on the mountain and the terrific feat of getting the equipment up to the increasingly high and potentially fatal altitudes, instead of concentrating on the terrible tragedy ( 8 people losing their lives needlessly) unfolding right in front of them, with Breshears and the whole team acting in a truly unselfish fashion, instead of this, they concentrated on the weak story of a female climber who in no way rated the spotlight. The Conquest of Everest not only shows the terrible sacrifices made to reach the summit, but it teaches the viewers that the mountain must only be attempted by those qualified by years of effort. Anything less is a travesty. This film is a must-see.

So we all remember the names of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay but for me, the plaudits here have to go to the expedition cinematographer George Lowe who manages to colourfully capture in considerable detail the treacherous and perilous journey they all undertook in 1953 to become the first people to top Mount Everest. The narrative takes us from the planning stages in London that built upon the previous (failed) attempts at this summit. Then they must work the logistics - how to get tonnes of essential supplies to base camps as high up as any European mountains are at their peaks. The lack of oxygen, relentless winds and the crippling cold are again well photographed as I found myself looking for a cardigan to settle down to the latter stages as the hostility of this avalanche-prone symbol of the power of nature kicked in and it started to tire of it's gadfly visitors taking shelter in the flimsiest of tents whilst eating freeze-dried food that would make a modern day "Pot Noodle" look like à la carte dining! Meredith Edwards' narration and Arthur Benjamin's rousing score also contribute well to add to the sense of true adventure and although we start this film celebrating the Coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth II with some spoiler newspaper deadlines, the production still manages to inject some jeopardy into the trek. Over seventy years later, this film still shows off a sense of the dedication and commitment of men climbing it because, well, "because it is there".

This documentary I and my sister saw it in Amsterdam, Holland 1953. It happened in a small theater named "Ceintuurtheater". Months ago every day publications about this unique adventure. I remember the preparations before the climb. The reaching of the top was not shot. We only saw a photo and a flag. No persons.

I am not interested in mountaineering but I thought that the photography was exceptional.As has been mentioned this would have been filmed in the Technicolor monopack process.The three film process was being phased out in order that they could compete with the likes of Eastmancolour.Ironically now days climbing the mountain has become a thriving tourist business.