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The Conquest of Everest is an old-school expedition documentary. The film was made in 1953 in conjunction with the Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club, the two groups responsible for the expedition that launched Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay to the roof of the world. The film is dated, but at the time of its release it was on the cutting edge and was nominated for an Academy Award. While the music and the high-minded tone of the narration recall a different age of British exploration, the footage of the mountain and the long trek to base camp are still impressively captured. At 80 minutes, this is a long history lesson on the 1953 Everest expedition, but for those with patience there are stunning moments. The spirit of Hillary the young New Zealand beekeeper and Norgay the Sherpa with years of experience in the Himalayas shines through, especially near the end when the mountain is finally conquered. While
The Conquest of Everest is a relic, it is important to remember that the high-altitude filming, done by expedition member George Lowe, was shot in a time when there was no polypropyline, no Gore-Tex, and no light plastic boots. This film is a monument to his and Thomas Stobart's cinematography, as epic in their time as the Everest Imax film is in ours.
--Aaron Abrams
