REVIEW: “THE WILDEST DREAM: CONQUEST OF EVEREST”

REVIEW:   “THE WILDEST DREAM:  CONQUEST OF EVEREST”

One of the most famous quotes in the world of Exploration is the following:
"Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?", & the response of:  “Because it's THERE."

…  The response was given by an Englishman named GEORGE HERBERT LEIGH MALLORY, whose name is fairly unknown to the general public today.  That may change due to the upcoming October 22^nd release of a movie named “THE WILDEST DREAM:  CONQUEST OF EVEREST”.  This is a review of a 94-minute advance-screening version I saw at the Navy Pier IMAX theater in Chicago…

…  Mallory was born on June 18, 1886. This film is a dramatic recreation of his life, using actual PHOTOS & MOVIE footage of him & certain other people involved in his life.  While a teenager, he got interested in rock-climbing & mountain-climbing, & became an oarsman who competed during his studies at Cambridge University…

…  Eventually, he became a teacher.  In 1914, at the age of 28, he married a woman named RUTH to whom he was deeply devoted.  But, just 6 days after the marriage, Britain entered World War I against Germany.  Mallory joined the war in 1915 as a 2^nd Lieutenant, & then returned to being a teacher & started a family of three children…

…  In 1921, he joined a British group which went to explore the approaches to MT. EVEREST.  They discovered a potentially feasible approach to climbing that mountain, & returned to the area the next year in an unsuccessful attempt at scaling the peak (tho he got to a then-record height of 26,985 feet on it).  A third expedition to the summit also failed, resulting in the death of a number of his Sherpa guides and helpers…

…  On June 4, 1924, he joined with ANDREW IRVINE in using oxygen tanks (which he’d avoided previously) to try again to climb to the top.  He had a MOVIE camera filming their efforts from below, & the cameraman at one point filmed him just 800 or so feet from the summit before clouds obscured the view.  That June 8-9 filming was the LAST anyone saw or heard from the two men, who were presumed killed when they never returned to camps in the area…

…  It wasn’t until May 29, 1953 that anyone actually reached the summit of Everest, when EDMUND HILLARY of New Zealand accomplished the feat with Sherpa TENZING NORGAY. [They searched for some sign of Mallory’s expedition, but couldn’t find anything)…

…  In 1999, American CONRAD ANKER was part of an international team that tried searching for some evidence of Mallory’s ill-fated climb on Everest.  In searching an area others felt was unlikely to be involved in the accident from 75 years before, Conrad chanced to find the frozen BODY of George Mallory + some personal possessions on him…

…  This new National Geographic movie “THE WILDEST DREAM” recounts how Conrad in 2007 attempted to DUPLICATE Mallory’s 1924 attempt on the North East Ridge pathway of the mountain.  He & British citizen LEO HOLDING go out of their way to recreate modern versions of Mallory’s CLOTHING (including hobnail boots) & EQUIPMENT (including oxygen tanks)…     

…  The film does a fine job interweaving old PHOTOS & LETTERS & MOVIE footage involving Mallory, his wife Ruth, Irvine & others to explain the huge DIFFICULTIES of the climb--  the problems of depleted oxygen at high altitudes, the huge weather troubles (cold & high winds), etc….  You really “FEEL” what they’re going thru in their efforts…

…  Will Conrad & Leo be able to reach the summit before exhaustion or MONSOON winds reach them and interrupt their attempt?...  Will they find any “clues” as to whether Mallory actually SUCCEEDED in reaching the top of Everest?...

…  CONRAD (besides appearing in person) also portrays MALLORY in some recreated scenes.  RALPH FIENNES voices some of MALLORY’S words (from his letters & the like).  NATASHA RICHARDSON voices his wife RUTH, & HUGH DANCY voices his partner ANDREW IRVINE...

...  LIAM NEESON is the overall NARRATOR of the fascinating & affecting film, which I rate at 8.50 of 10 stars…