Rating: 
Summary: Is on my favorite DVD's list, and should remain there
Review: I too have seen a number of everest films, as well as having read a number of mountaineering books, such as K2: Triumph and Tragedy, and of course, Into Thin Air. This documentary captures the essence of a climb better than any other I have seen. Its focus is on the effects of high altitude on the climber's mental skills and decision making ability, but you get wrapped up in the drama of the climb right along with this. The drama involves one of the climbers who starts out with a mild cough in base camp, but progressively gets worse as he climbs highter, till he is on the brink of death. And none of it is a dramatized recreation, but the real thing. From base camp, to each of the camps (I, II, II and IV on the South Col), you are right alongside the climbers as they progress, then retreat, progress again, and become acclimatized. Breathtaking views from each of these camps are shown, as well as the summit, and you really get a feel of being there with them. This is the first film I've seen a film that has shown the South Summit and the Hillary Step up close, but on a somber note, you see where Rob Hall spent his last hours near the south summit. Before this film I could only imagine what these points on the mountain looked like. Compared alongside the everest IMAX film, this is simply put together and organized much better, with a true sense of what it is like to be on the mountain and struggle with the climbers. I suppose the IMAX film was Breashear's warm up film for everest, and this was the result of a year's reflection on how much better it could have been, and it succeeds admirably.
Rating:
Summary: Teetering between life and death where only jets soar
Review: I've also read quite a bit about Mt. Everest, from the early Mallory and Irvine expedition to Bonnington's Southwest Face success in '75 to accounts of the '96 tragedy. I can safely say, in my opinion, "Death Zone" takes the viewer for a close-up look at life in the thin air. But what it drives home first and foremost for me, is that the line between survival and death at 26,000 feet is sometimes so thin that climbers don't even know if it's been crossed. Recognizing and being familiar with one's physical capabilities is essential for success, and survival, on Everest. The images are awesome and the editing leaves nothing to be desired. Imagine scaling this monster mountain with the essentials necessary to survive. Now imagine lugging cameras, film, etc. to where jets only go. Incredible story and presentation!
Rating:
Summary: Best photography yet of the climb and summit of Everest
Review: I've seen them all, and of the most popular films involving high altitude ascents, this is the tops.
Rating: 
Summary: No much footage of the climb or everest...
Review: Maybe i picked up the wrong tape, but this one hardly contains any footage of the climb or the beauty of everest...most of the time i was staring into the climber's face as they were taking some sort of high altitude test... boring...
Rating: 
Summary: An eccellent documentary on Everest.
Review: Narrated by Jodie Foster,this is an eccellent documentary on the climbing of Mount Everest and the dangers involved.
There are some spectacular shots as they climb the mountain.
It details the health problems that the altitude of Everest can cause and what happens when one member of the climbing expedition is taken ill and the efforts to get him down.
Rating:
Summary: Even LESS O2 than on K2. Ed Viesters saves the day! AGAIN
Review: Nova Special program narated by Jodi Foster. Just try to catch your breath during this in-depth look at the dangers of climbing and High-Altitude. Ed Viesters guides David Carter to the summit but on the way down, David Carter developes a life threating lung condition that causes him to....
Rating:
Summary: Very Realistic - Great Scenes
Review: The most realistic film ever made about climbing Everest, you actualy see the camps, the climbing, some tests they take to measure the impact of high altitude on them, some good scenes of the Hillary Steps, also of the South Col and of course of the summit. They also point the place where Rob Hall is buried and you got to taste what a emergency in high altitude look like when one of the climbers gets in trouble on the way down. David Breashears and Ed Viesturs give you a good insight on what is climbing the everest in this movie Compare to the IMAX movie, this one is more realistic with more scenes of the mountain and the actual climbing although the image as espected is worst. If you are interested in watching the real thing, this movie is as close as you can get.
Rating:
Summary: Very Realistic - Great Scenes
Review: The most realistic film ever made about climbing Everest, you actualy see the camps, the climbing, some tests they take to measure the impact of high altitude on them, some good scenes of the Hillary Steps, also of the South Col and of course of the summit. They also point the place where Rob Hall is buried and you got to taste what a emergency in high altitude look like when one of the climbers gets in trouble on the way down. David Breashears and Ed Viesturs give you a good insight on what is climbing the everest in this movie Compare to the IMAX movie, this one is more realistic with more scenes of the mountain and the actual climbing although the image as espected is worst. If you are interested in watching the real thing, this movie is as close as you can get.
Rating:
Summary: I am on the top of the world!!
Review: This dvd is an interesting one for the ones who love Mount Everest. Tells everything about climbing to Everest and living on high altitude. I rated that one 4 stars because there is not enough landscape pics.
Rating:
Summary: EVEREST TAKES ONE'S BREATH AWAY...
Review: This is a superb presentation by Nova that was directed and produced by award winning filmmaker, David Breashears, and Liesl Clark. Narrated by Jodie Foster, the film explores the high altitude climbing experience and the effects of hypoxia, lack of oxygen, on the brain. In order to do this, scientists will track four climbers, as they tackle Everest, among them David Breashears and Ed Viesters, two of the world's reknowned high altitude climbers. With baseline tests having been conducted stateside, the effects of altitude will be measured, as they climb the highest mountain in the world. Asides from the filming of the scientific tests conducted to provide information on the effects of altitude, there is spectaculatr footage of Everest and its environs. There are breathtaking views of the Khumbu Ice Fall and the great expanse of the Western Cwm. The viewer also gets to see what a bottleneck on Everest looks like. It is pretty amazing to find crowds and congestion in such a vast and remote place. It is also disconcerting to see the amount of trash that is left behind, creating environmental concerns where, until fairly recently, none had existed. Along their journey, the climbers come across the grisly remains of a climber who did not make it. They also come to the final resting place of the late expedition leader, Rob Hall, who froze on the mountain, when he refused to leave the side of his friend and client in order to save himself, during the 1996 Everest disaster. The viewer sees just how lonely and remote that final resting place is. When the climbers summit, the viewer is treated to a spectacular vista from the top of the world with beautiful snow capped peaks peeping through fluffy clouds. With this ascent, Ed Viesters becomes the first non-Sherpa to have reached the summit of Everest five times. Unfortuantely, one of the other climbers, who reached the summit, became quite ill from the effects of altitude. Yet, all descended safely. Later, additional tests would reveal that Ed Viesters, who routinely makes high altitude climbs without the use of oxygen, has had portions of his brain affected. The scientists, who conducted the tests, would like to check back with Ed Viesters over time for a follow up. All in all, this is a very interesting and informative film, with breathtaking cinematography. As a DVD, it offers chapter search, close captioning, a link to Everest: The Death Zone website, and Dolby Sound. It is pretty much a basic DVD with nothing fancy other than the film itself, which is first rate.
|
