Customer Reviews

Nova: Everest Mystery of Mallory & Irvine [VHS]

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Who was the first to summit Everest...Mallory or Hillary? This is a very informative video with interviews with people that were actually there as part of Mallory's team. The man who climbed everest "because it is there" is more famous for the mystery of the outcome of his climb, than the attempt on the summit itself. Whether he made the top or not, Mallory will go down as the pioneer of summit attempts on Everest. This is a historic video that sheds light on the mystery of the lost climbers.

This is a Nova special presentation film, narrated by noted climber and filmmaker David Breashears. It explores the mystery of Mallory and Irvine who disappeared into the mists of Everest during a 1924 summit attempt and were never again seen alive.

This well done documentary interposes modern day film footage of Everest with great archival footage of old style expeditions from 1922 and 1924, the kind which had few climbers and hundreds of porters and was planned as if it were a military campaign. Vintage photographs of Mallory and Irvine, as well as letters from Mallory, fill in the gaps, as the narrative weaves its tale about them and explores various theories about their disappearance.

Commentaries by mountaineering legends Edmund Hillary and Chris Bonnington add to the quality of the film, as do interviews with the last two surviving members of that 1924 expedition which saw Mallory and Irvine climb into the mists of Everest and into mountaineering history.

This is a well done, absorbing film that will enthrall those with a mania for Everest. Others may not understand what the fuss is about.