The 45-minute documentary is narrated by Irish actor Liam Neeson and was filmed entirely in IMAX. It includes a description of the training required in order to climb the 29,029 feet to the summit of Mount Everest and the challenges faced during the ascent, such as avalanches, blizzards, and oxygen deprivation. The film centers on a team led by Ed Viesturs and Everest director David Breashears; among their number are Spanish climber Araceli Segarra, and Jamling Tenzing Norgay, son of the pioneering Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay. Everest was in production at the mountain during the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, in which another group of climbers became trapped by a blizzard near the summit. The film includes footage of these events, as the IMAX team assist Beck Weathers and other survivors. Producer and co-director Greg MacGillivray later said that while editing the documentary for release, he and Breashears decided to focus more on the tragedy, due to the popularity of Jon Krakauer's book about the 1996 disaster, Into Thin Air. MacGillivray said "Ten million people have read that book, so we had to address the issue. And I think it strengthened the film."
Reception
Everest premiered at Boston's Museum of Science on March 4, 1998 before going on general release in IMAX cinemas across the United States two days later. According to an article published late that month in the Los Angeles Times, it attracted mainly favorable reviews. The film subsequently opened in Australia on March 19 and Switzerland on March 20, with other European premieres, including at the London Trocadero, following during April and May. Everest grossed $128 million worldwide during its theatrical run – a figure that remains the highest gross for an IMAX documentary. With domestic takings of $87,178,599, it is the second highest-grossing film to never reach the top ten in the weekly North Americanbox office charts, and also the second highest-grossing film never to have made the weekly top five.
The DVD was released by Miramax on December 12, 1999. It includes a "Making of" featurette, an extended interview with Beck Weathers, deleted scenes, climber video journals, and a 3D map of Mount Everest. The soundtrack features songs by George Harrison, which composers Steve Wood and Daniel May reinterpreted in the Tibetan folk style as part of their film score. The Everest soundtrack album was released by Ark 21 Records, on March 10, 1998. The music was performed by the Northwest Sinfonia, with May credited as conductor. The Harrison songs include "All Things Must Pass", "Give Me Love ", "Here Comes the Sun", "This Is Love" and "Life Itself". Harrison agreed to their use in the film on the understanding that his name would not be used for publicity. According to author Elliot Huntley, MacGillivray chose Harrison's music for its "spiritual quality" and "his ties to eastern religion".
Quotes
Cast
Liam Neeson as Narrator
Beck Weathers as Himself
Jamling Tenzing Norgay, son of famed Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, as Himself
