On a historical day in 1953, two headlines rocked the British press. Queen Elizabeth went through her coronation, and a group of British explorers were praised for being the first humans to reach the top of Mount Everest, the highest point in the Himalayas. This documentary excellently tells the tale of their preparation, struggle and success, and does so humbly and with great care. I feel sorry for the cameraman documenting all this, as with all the others traipsing around in the bitter cold, overloaded with heavy supplies. It takes more than strong ropes, warm clothes and a heavy pick to make it there. Luck and nature must be on their side, and this doesn't leave anything to the imagination. Of course, the scenery is gorgeous, but even beautiful nature has its dangers, so there is an element of suspense. Dramatic music adds to the impact and the result is am Oscar nominated documentary that would make a great tool for showing the triumph of the human spirit in middle and high schools.

Many climbers have made to the top of Mt. Everest; many with fantastic video or film. What makes this film truly extraordinary is:

* This was a 1953 expedition. No one had been close to the summit; much was unknown. They had to laboriously create the path and lay the ropes&ladders used by subsequent expedition. * They didn't have the advantages of modern tent materials, climbing clothing nor gear; yet they dragged a film camera up most of the way. * Hunt, the expedition leader gives the best explaination of the climbing path and camp positions that I've seen. * The perilousness of the South Col is very evident (the expedition was delayed an extra day due to a storm). This is interesting in retrospect of the 1996 disaster where 9 people died in a stome on the South Col. It also makes me appreciate the tenacity of Beck Weathers, the Dallas physician who survived the 1996 storm with severe frostbite. * The film covers the 175 mile hike required from Katmandu to the first base camp. Now climbers just taken in by helicoptor. * The film focuses on the entire expedition team, including the Sherpas, and not just on Hillary and Norgay. It is very truly a team accomplishment ... Hillary and Norgay made it because of the assigned order of the summit assault teams; not because they were any better climbers than the other. * Great shots of - Everest with the blanket of snow blowing off its south face - Dangerous terrain - The difficulty of hiking and working at high altitudes

I did not know this documentary existed until I found it at Kathmandu airport as I left Nepal recently. What fascinated me was the amazing changes that I noted, particularly on the West Buttress and some other places in the 56 years since this was filmed. It also amazed me how long it took them to find a way thru the Ice Fall. I was born a couple of weeks prior to Hillary's summit and I summited Everest myself on May 23, 2009 within a few days, give or take 56 years from the first summit. In fact, our climb was documented by Discovery Channel and will be aired in November, 2009. The experience is difficult to explain, but when I saw this video with the highest quality cinematography, all using presumably large, heavy cameras and 16 MM film or larger, it is truly amazing to watch. The music is typical of the 50s but that adds to its historic nature. The documentary is wonderfully accurate, is not overly dramatic as many of today's efforts are (such as Discovery's Everest series) so its really a pleasant review of an awesome achievement over 56 years ago.