the wildest dream.

Touching the Void has long-since had my vote for greatest mountaineering film. Ever. Much of it was filmed on location, and the cinematography was excellent and well done. The interview segments of Joe (and to only a slightly lesser extent Simon) were splendid. The emotions during the film are incredible, and I still end up getting slightly teary near the end Joe crying out in the dark alone. And it can easily appeal to climbers and armchair adventurers alike - an incredible story of survival and inspiration.

But this upcoming motion picture The Wildest Dream for National Geographic seems like it might be a very serious contender. The trailer is brilliant (linked here since Blogger only embeds 400 pixel-wide images/videos). Narrated by Liam Neeson (who also, coincidentally, narrated the Everest IMAX movie shot by renowned climber/cinematographer David Brashears) and voiceovers from some cool people (Ralph Fiennes to name one) this looks dramatic in every way imaginable.

Based on the 1999 climb undertaken by a team of mountaineers led by Tacoma-based climber Andy Simonsen searching for George Mallory's remains, the film looks like it chronicles that expedition as well as something I did not realize happened - a climb of Everest's north face simulating the gear available in 1923. I have always been amazed at how climbers succeeded even half a century earlier, but before that - with hob-nailed boots, wool pants and jackets, flimsy cotton tents and hemp ropes. Everything weighed ten times what we take for granted today. Incredible. Matthew and I have discussed this on our climbs - imagining chopping steps up steep snow and ice faces rather than relying on steel crampons and refined ice tools.

In any regards, I'll wait to give my take on it of course until I actually see it - but count me first in line.

(The only bit I do not approve of is the use of the word 'conquest' in the title - we climbers do not conquer, do not conquest a mountain particularly one of Everest's might and caliber - we are fortunate to be able to sneak up and back down in its graces as put by one well-respected high-altitude mountaineer ... )