Organised by British Film Institute (BFI)
We Are One: A Global Film Festival - The Epic of Everest
Watch 'The Epic of Everest' here
The third attempt to climb Everest culminated in the deaths of two of the finest climbers of their generation, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, and sparked an ongoing debate over whether or not they did indeed reach the summit. Shooting with a hand-cranked camera in brutally harsh conditions, Captain John Noel accompanied the adventurers into the Himalayas to capture the 1924 Everest expedition on film. With a breathtaking beauty, he evokes the sheer scale of the natural perils the explorers faced as they pushed onward; with periodic visits to monasteries, his images also preserve a rare visual record of life in Tibet at the time. The 2013 restoration by the BFI National Archive has transformed the quality of the film's surviving elements and reintroduced the original coloured tints and tones—which suits the trek’s considerable historical significance.
A restoration by the BFI National Archive. Restoration supported by The Eric Anker-Petersen Charity. With thanks to Kino Lorber for allowing us to present the film.