Conquest Of Everest, The

1157. THE CONQUEST OF EVEREST (1953-England). COLOR. A riveting, remarkable, beautifully photographed documentary record of Edmund Hillary and company’s triumphant Mount Everest expedition. On the eleventh attempt, after thirty years of defeats, man had finally achieved the impossible, had set foot on the summit of Mount Everest and, in so doing, conquered the world’s highest peak. The film chronicles the history of the mountain, which lies between Tibet and Nepal (the Tibetans call it “the goddess mother of the world”). We learn how it was discovered and named, and recall the previous attempts to reach its summit, the first of which occurred in 1922. We observe the complex planning before the climb and, finally, we accompany the men on the actual expedition. Hillary and his companionsÑwhose professions range from research scientist and psysiologist to schoolmaster and travel agent-arrive in Kathmandu, meet their Sherpa guides, trek 175 miles to the base of Everest, and commence their climb. They trudge onward and upward, and we are with them for every mile, every yard, every inch of their journey. Each step becomes more of an effort, and the snow, ice and cold seem eternal. At the finale, we are at the top of EverestÑthe top of the world. This film is as tense and dramatic as the most complexly plotted fiction. Both the New York Times and Time magazine named it one of the ten best films of its year; the National Board of Review listed it among its top five foreign titles; and it received a Best Documentary Academy Award nomination, as well as a British Academy Award. 78 minutes. Documentary