Everest (1998)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Directors:

David Breashears
Stephen Judson

Writers (WGA):

Tim Cahill (written by) &
Stephen Judson (written by)

Release Date:

6 March 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Short

Tagline:

Towering above everything you have seen before.

Plot:

An international team of climbers ascends Mt. Everest in the spring of 1996. The film depicts their lengthy preparations for the climb...

Plot Keywords:

Narration | IMAX | Mount Everest | Climbing | Mountain

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Liam Neeson	...	Himself / Narrator (voice)
Lhakpa Dorji	...	Summit Team, sherpa
Dorje Sherpa	...	Summit Team, sherpa
Ed Viesturs	...	Summit Team Leader, USA
Muktu Lhakpa Sherpa	...	Summit Team, sherpa
Thilen Sherpa	...	Summit Team, sherpa
Jangbu Sherpa	...	Summit Team, sherpa
Araceli Segarra	...	Summit Team, Spain
Wong Chu Sherpa	...	Summit Team, sherpa
Robert Schauer	...	Summit Team, Austria
Jamling Tenzing Norgay	...	Summit Team, Nepal
David Breashears	...	Summit Team, USA
Chyangba Tamang	...	Base Camp Head Cook
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tracy Pfau	...	Mountain Climber

Runtime:

44 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.44 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track

Certification:

Australia:G | France:U | New Zealand:G | Portugal:M/6 (video premiere) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Colorado, USA

Company:

Arcturus Motion Pictures

Trivia:

During filming, a huge blizzard hit Mt. Everest. Nearly two dozen people were trapped on the mountain; five died. This incident was depicted in Into Thin Air: Death on Everest (1997) (TV). Expedition members interrupted filming to aid the stricken climbers.

Quotes:

Narrator: Just above the high camp, a climber named Beck Weathers had been out in the snow for over 22 hours. He had been left for dead by other climbers. Then, nearly blind, his hands literally frozen solid, Beck stood up, left his pack... and desperately tried to walk.
Beck Weathers: All I knew was, that as long as my legs would run, and I could stand up... I was gonna move toward that camp. And if I fell down, I was gonna get up. And if I fell down again, I was gonna keep moving, until I hit that camp... or I walked off the face of that mountain.

Soundtrack:

Here Comes the Sun

Rewarding, but...

For an IMAX film, too much time was spent in this documentary on things that are pointless to show with IMAX - such as interviews with climbers and religious rituals inside temples. The climbing footage itself is certainly spectacular, but there is too little of it. This could just as easily have been a standard film as an IMAX.

Judged as a documentary irregardless of the IMAX issue it is a rewarding film to watch. I would maybe have preferred less emphasis on the personalities involved, and more emphasis by comparison on the climb itself. The pre-climb preparations, such as footage of mountain biking in Utah, also take up too much time during the film. Still worth seeing.