Everest (1998)

An international team of climbers ascends Mt. Everest in the spring of 1996. The film depicts their lengthy preparations for the climb, their trek to the summit, and their successful return... See full summary »

Directors:

David Breashears, Stephen Judson

Writers:

Tim Cahill, Stephen Judson

Stars:

Liam Neeson, Lhakpa Dorji, Dorje Sherpa

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited 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

Storyline

An international team of climbers ascends Mt. Everest in the spring of 1996. The film depicts their lengthy preparations for the climb, their trek to the summit, and their successful return to Base Camp. It also shows many of the challenges the group faced, including avalanches, lack of oxygen, treacherous ice walls, and a deadly blizzard.

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Plot Keywords:

mountain climbing | mount everest | mountaineering | himalayas | climbing | 

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Taglines:

Towering above everything you have seen before.

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Genres:

Documentary | Short

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Everest

Filming Locations:

Colorado, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$364,244, 8 March 1998

Gross USA:

$87,178,599

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$127,990,128

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arcturus Motion Pictures, Everest Film, MacGillivray Freeman Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

44 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.44 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Grossed $87,178,599 during its theatrical run in the U.S., a record for a film shown in IMAX format.

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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...

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Connections

Referenced in Everest (2015)

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Soundtracks

Here Comes the Sun
Written by George Harrison

User Reviews

Mountain spectacular, people . . . well . . .

Like most IMAX films, Everest has impressive vistas. However, although visually stunning, many of the team members are not what you'd call sympathetic. The team leader actually talks his wife into doing this for their honeymoon (and believe me, they have *no* privacy), then leaves her down at base camp. Not only that, he then attempts the summit without the oxygen all the rest of the climbers use because he "likes the challenge." Challenge or not, it seemed very selfish to the group I went with for him not to use it, to deliberately put himself in greater danger than he had to be with his wife down below, particularly in light of the fact that another climber (with a wife 7 months pregnant at the time) had just died a few days before.

If you can ignore him, however, the rest of it is well worth watching, particularly the story of the son of E. Hillary's guide when the summit was reached for the first time. Liam Neeson's narration is tasteful and unobtrusive, and I can't say enough about the terrific camera work: if heights make you nervous, there are several sequences that you'll definitely have nightmares about. ;)