The Epic of Everest
| The Epic of Everest | |
|---|---|
 UK re-release poster | |
| Directed by | J. B. L. Noel |
| Starring | Andrew Irvine, George Mallory |
| Music by | Eugène Goossens, fils and Frederick Laurence (compilers) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 87 minutes |
The Epic of Everest is a 1924 documentary about the Mallory and Irvine Mount Everest expedition. After a digital restoration in 2013, the film was re-released in UK cinemas.[1] The publicity surrounding the film provoked a diplomatic incident following its 1924 release, known as the "Affair of the Dancing Lamas", that delayed future expeditions and may have destabilized the Tibetan government.[2][3]
"Captain John Noel was the official photographer on the 1924 British Expedition to Mount Everest, famed for the tragic loss of mountaineers, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. Noel was an adventurous explorer who had tried but failed to get to Everest through Tibet in 1913. It was this centenary that the BFI was celebrating with the restoration of his film, which Noel financed himself and released as The Epic of Everest in 1924. He toured extensively around the world, lecturing with the film footage and beautiful colour slides.[4][5]
The remains of Mallory and Irvine were eventually found in 1999 and 2024, respectively.[6][7][8][9]
Music
[edit]The live musical accompaniment for London screenings was compiled by the conductor Eugène Goossens with help from composer and music librarian Frederick Laurence. It included excerpts from Mussorgsky's A Night on the Bare Mountain, Eugene Aynsley Goossens' Old Chinese Folk Song, and various Tibetan folk tunes.[10] The Morning Post commented that "No film in London today has had more care taken in securing good and appropriate music".[11]
Restoration
[edit]In 2020, the restored print was selected by the BFI London Film Festival for inclusion in We Are One: A Global Film Festival, an online film festival organized during the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] A newly commissioned score for the restoration was composed, orchestrated and conducted by Simon Fisher Turner.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "The Epic of Everest, British Film Institute".
- ^ Unsworth, Walt (1981). "Chapter 6, "The Affair of the Dancing Lamas"". Everest. London: Allen Lane. pp. 142–157. ISBN 0713911085.
- ^ Davis, Wade (2012). Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest. Random House. pp. 563–564. ISBN 978-0099563839.
- ^ "Restoring The Epic of Everest". British Film Institute. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
- ^ Davis, Wade (2012). Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest. Random House. pp. 563–564. ISBN 978-0099563839.
- ^ Anker, Conrad (3 May 1999). "Daily Dispatches A Patch of White". MountainZone. U.S.: Locality LLC. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
- ^ Sigsworth, Timothy (11 October 2024). "Discovery of climber's boot could solve mystery of who conquered Everest first". www.msn.com. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
- ^ "Exclusive: Remains of Andrew 'Sandy' Irvine believed to have been found on Everest". National Geographic. 11 October 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
- ^ Wong, Tessa (11 October 2024). "Family tells of 'relief' after 1924 climber's foot found on Everest". BBC News. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
- ^ Carole Rosen. The Goossens: A Musical Century (1993), pp. 83-84
- ^ Morning Post, 28 January, 1925
- ^ Jeremy Kay, "We Are One global film festival announces line-up". Screen Daily, 27 May 2020.
External links
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- 1924 films
- 1924 documentary films
- Black-and-white documentary films
- Films about Mount Everest
- Documentary films about climbing
- British black-and-white films
- British silent feature films
- British sports documentary films
- 1920s British films
- Silent adventure films
- Silent British film stubs
- British documentary film stubs