If you think about the rich history of Mount Everest, many names come to mind. Of those names, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine are two that are steeped in history and legend. The two men set out in 1924 to become the first to summit the world’s highest mountain; they never returned. Now, eight decades later, accomplished filmmaker Anthony Geffen (Jerusalem: City of Heaven, The Promised Land) has set out to bring their story to life with “The Wildest Dream” showing this July at The Clark Planetarium.
Geffen teamed up with renowned mountaineer Conrad Anker to bring Mallory and Irvine’s story to the big screen. Shot in HD, the film attempts to recreate the ill fated ascent, as Anker and his climbing partner, Leo Houlding, retrace the route used in 1924.
Anker and Houlding even go as far as using 1920s clothing and gear for portions of their climb. The film is not simply about climbing Everest; it will also attempt to capture the persona of Mallory, and the deep relationship between he and his wife, Ruth.
Geffen weaves the tale through modern day footage, restored film and pictures, and letters shared between George and Ruth. The movie will also attempt to answer the question of whether or not the two men ever reached the summit. The crux of the film comes in the form of a daring deed: Anker and Houlding remove the fixed ladder from the 90 foot wall of the Second Step and free climb it, just as Mallory and Irvine had to do on their journey.
There is good reason for Anker’s involvement in the film: in 1999, he discovered the frozen remains of Mallory high on Everest. The finding sent shockwaves through the climbing community and stirred up a good amount of controversy. Anker found himself obsessed with answering the questions that still surround the Mallory expedition; the movie serves as his way of bringing that obsession to a close.
Whether or not any questions will be answered by the film remains up to the viewer; but one thing is certain: it promises to be a visual knockout. If you are a mountaineer, or just an armchair climber, the quality of the HD video and subsequent recreation of Mallory and Irvine’s fateful journey should be more than enough reason to check it out. And even better- it’s being shown in IMAX. As in past films, Geffen has turned to Liam Neeson for the narration duties. The movie opens on June 25th at Clark Planetarium, and adult tickets are $8.
For more information, or to buy tickets, visit the Clark Planetarium online.