Description: "I looked up at a patch of white. It wasn’t rock and it wasn’t snow," explains Conrad Anker, world-renowned climber and mountaineer. It was the half-buried body of British mountain-climbing legend George Mallory. Clothed in a tweed jacket and leather boots, Mallory had set off to scale the final slope of Mt. Everest on the morning of June 8, 1924. Soon after, he was seen for the last time just 1,000 feet from the summit.
75 years later in May 1999, Mallory’s frozen remains were discovered by Anker, a member of the world-class climbing team charged with solving a mysterious question: Was Mallory the first to reach the top of Everest?
Discover what new clues Mallory’s body, bones, clothes, personal items and letters offer. Climb the daunting slopes that challenged Mallory’s mind, body and archaic equipment. See remarkable exclusive archival film footage from Mallory’s deadly expedition. And take part in mountaineering history as NOVA brings you an up-close look at this headline-making quest.
Amazon.com: In 1924 British "gentleman climbers" George Mallory and Andrew Irvine attempted to reach the top of the world's tallest peak, Mount Everest (28 years before the successful expedition of Sir Edmund Hillary). Mallory and Irvine were last spotted 1,000 feet from the summit, at which point they vanished, never to be seen again. Seventy-five years later, a nephew of a member of the 1924 expedition sponsored a search for the bodies of Mallory and Irvine, hoping to prove that they had been the first to conquer Everest. The PBS documentary series Nova was there to record this exciting quest. We follow the searchers as they brave the world's harshest climbing and weather conditions. Their efforts are amply rewarded when they find Mallory's frozen remains, the name tag on his clothing still intact, a moment of discovery that's thrilling to witness. Archival footage of the 1924 expedition provides a fascinating counterpoint as the viewer is struck by how incredibly underdressed and ill prepared the 1920s climbers were compared to today's trekkers, with their high-tech clothing and equipment. Also engrossing is the analysis of the clues surrounding the body, in the attempt to settle the question Did Mallory and Irvine actually attain the summit, or not? --Laura Mirsky
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Rumble And Toot
Volcano's Deadly Warning is a near excellent entry in PBS's long-running and usually sterling NOVA series. USGS scientist Bernard Chouet's hypothesis concerning long-period seismic events as a reliable precursor for the prediction of explosive volcanic events is the focal point of the video. Folks who have read Stanley William's book 'Surviving Galeras' and/or Victoria Bruce's book 'No Apparent Danger' should already be familiar with the issues surrounding Chouet's hypothesis. I was worried that the video would take sides in a controversy that has gone beyond basic volcanology, but the video ... Read More
Rating: - Watch it
Nova needs to add more extras and to put out more of thier videos in the DVD format. Enjoyable, educational, and balanced. The searchers, with a discreet camera following them, walk about an area where climbers who fall off Everest seem to collect. I understand the need to be respectful, but I think it would be more (for a lack of a better word) 'scary' to see what the stakes of climbing Everest often are. Do I give away the ending? They find Mallory expecting to find Irvine, but do they find the answer? It was possible they made it, though not likely. But how often has 'not likely' not prevented ... Read More
Rating: - We will never know.
What a mystery. Did Mallory & Irvin summit before Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953? We will probably never know, so its up to the viewer to come to his or her own conclusion. This video has great information and detailed maps of where clues were left behind. Everest has always been a passion of mine and this video is an important part of my collection as far as the history of the mountain goes.The climbers on this expidition are on a mission to find the bodies of Mallory and Irvin and search a mountain were humans don't belong. I dont think Mallory made the top, but what do you think.......?
Rating: - Did Mallory and Irvine Summit first?
Great video of the search for the remains of Mallory and Irvine in an attempt to discover whether their expedition was a success! The viewer shares in the search and in the emotion of the discovery of Everest's secrets from the Mallory and Irvine expedition. The bits of information on the equipment and dress used by Mallory and Irvine is fascinating. The photos of the original expedition are also great. The graphics diagraming the route used by Mallory to climb Everest are good, too, although I would like to see them shown and discussed further.
Rating: - LOST AND FOUND...ON EVEREST!
This Nova presentation is a first rate documentary which explores the mystery of the disappearance of Mallory and Irvine, chronicling their 1924 Everest summit attempt and the present day efforts made to find them on Everest. Archival footage of the 1924 Everest British Expedition, along with a montage of vintage photographs of these early gentleman explorers, as well as extracts from personal letters sent by Mallory to his wife, are interposed with modern day footage of Everest in order to frame the story. Commentaries by David Breashears, world class filmmaker and climber, and by various members ... Read More
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