Saturday, October 12, 2013

The Wildest Dream [HD]



GETTING HIGH
In June of 1924, British explorer George Mallory wrote to his wife Ruth: "There is no dream that mustn't be dared." He was weeks into a trek with a huge support team of animals and Sherpas as part of his quest to ascend to the highest spot on earth: mighty Mount Everest, 29,002 feet above sea level.

The North and South Poles had been conquered of recent, but this "third pole" remained defiantly aloof and yet beckoning and apparently invincible, its peak surrounded by a "death zone." Mallory and his climbing partner Andrew Irvine were last seen only 800 feet below the summit when they disappeared in the clouds.

Cut to 1999, Mt. Everest 75 years later. Renowned American climber Conrad Anker makes a discovery that becomes a global news event: he finds the body of George Mallory.

This astonishing and dangerous to make documentary, directed by Anthony Geffen, weaves Anker's story with Mallory's. Breathtaking images high on Everest and at the summit show...

Documentary of a Dreamer
George Mallory's love of mountain climbing led, inevitably to Everest. His amazing story and his desire to conquer in the name of his country had been all but lost until this dramatic documentary appeared. While it could have delved deeper into Mallory's earlier expeditions, and his relationship with other would-be Everest climbers, the footage of these expeditions and the last, are vividly telling.

Looking at Mallory's frozen corpse, still reposing on those frozen slopes, brought me closer to him than did any of my earlier research into his life. And watching the modern day climb, to the top of the world, gave stark evidence of the difficulties that Mallory, and others of his day, faced.

Did he reach the top? The question may never be answered. For me, the absence of the photograph is compelling proof that he did.

The Wildest Dream
Would love to have seen this at the IMAX. Scenery is spectacular. "Paths of Glory" by Jeffery Archer, a written account of George Mallory's life, is one of my favorite books and I would recommend that anyone who watches this video also read the book. The video held my attention and I could not move from my chair for quite a while after it ended.
I like to believe that he reached the summit.

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