Audience Member
The worst thing about this show is the host. His voice is annoying & uninviting. Have friends who refuse to watch for that very reason
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/13/23
Full Review
Audience Member
- Beyond the Edge of suspense -
I met the documentary filmmaker of Beyond the Edge when she guest-lectured a filmmaking class I took at university. Leanne Pooley's (The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, 25 April) lecture was specifically aimed at the difference between drama and documentary filmmaking - and that's to say that there really isn't a difference at all; they both require the same narrative construction. They're both telling a story, and so both broadly follow the same storytelling convention and structure.
It made sense to me.
So, it came as no surprise when I found Beyond the Edge effortlessly entertaining and suspenseful. It's a solid, well-crafted story.
Beyond the Edge tells the tale of the successful 1953 expedition to summit mount Everest for the first time. The documentary follows the British-led expedition with a degree of minutia, focusing specifically on New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.
Spoiler - they're the first people in history to make it to the peak.
Growing up in New Zealand, there's been a fair amount of time given to detailing Hillary's climb. I'm sure most Kiwi kids like myself, saw a documentary or two about his achievements at school. And after all, he features on the five-dollar bill.
But when it comes to the Everest expedition, Beyond the Edge is the best account that I've seen. The film is a combination of archival footage, reenactments filmed in New Zealand's Southern Alps, and some gorgeous landscape footage shot for the film on Everest itself - in 3D.
(Unfortunately, that's not how I saw it. Instead, I watched it on my laptop huddled in a fort of blankets and pillows - which I still recommend.)
And as far as reenactments go, it's spot on. One of the great triumphs of the movie is how consistently seamless the new footage is integrated with the archival. This was absolutely helped by Chad Moffitt being perfectly cast as a dead-ringer for Hillary. Sonam Sherpa does a good job as Norgay, but then again, I didn't grow up studying Norgay's immortalized features every time I got pocket money.
But even when the new footage is obvious, it's never a weakness. Everest's stand-in, Aoraki (Mount Cook), also carries its weight in obscuring the line between real and re-enacted. This is no doubt helped by the talent behind the camera.
Accompanying the footage is audio compiled from numerous interviews with Hillary himself, as well as other members of the expedition, their children, and those relevant to adding perspective. The narration provides a pretty detailed insight. It makes for an engaging and focused telling of the climb. It feels very authentic, without overt sensationalizing, making the suspense feel all the more real.
Unfortunately, the movie's ultimate limitation is its commitment to the format; first and secondhand accounts of the expedition keep the content focused on the who and what. The documentary doubles down on the details. It doesn't question the 'why.'
There isn't much greater contextualization of the expedition itself. The movie charts little of the background behind the expedition, or the politics and history of summit attempts, and I found myself craving that extra nuance. It does touch on some politics briefly, mostly early on, but only revisiting such themes intermittently. For the most part, Beyond the Edge depicts the climb with a singular focus. There's little exploration into the expedition being one of the last, grasping efforts of a struggling, post-war, British Empire.
What the documentary does display is the determination and mettle of the climbers, and that, in itself, makes for a great story. The archival footage is compelling in its own right, made even more so by how well the film is made. It's engrossing until the end.
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This review was first published on Narrative Muse, http://narrativemuse.co/movies/beyond-the-edge, and was written by Sam Behrend. Narrative Muse curates the best books and movies by and about women and non-binary folk on our website http://narrativemuse.co and our social media channels.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/08/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This is arguably the best documentary of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Sherpa's successful 1953 summit of Mount Everest. This concise account is perfectly woven into a 90 minute feature. Interlaced with archival footage, modern acting and some great CGI effects, this account provides the challenges and events that led to the 1st successful climb of the world's highest mountain.
I only wish that a similar feature is made about the Italian expedition's 1st successful summit of K2 in 1954. This latter feat was much more difficult, but has been overshadowed by the story of Everest, which has been over-covered despite it being much less challenging than the former. This is not meant to downplay Hillary and Tenzing's accomplishment,, which is befitting of all the glory praised upon them over history past and to come.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/15/23
Full Review
Audience Member
kind of teared up at the end. "we knocked the bastard off."
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/19/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Gripping documentary that is not relying on major special effects but does a good job combining 1953 footage with reenactment, showing the enormous feat in understated fashion.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/14/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Very interesting doco. However I didn't know they used oxygen in their climb.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/20/23
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