Thoughtful, artistic approach to filming reality seen in early documentary now on Blu-ray

It may not yet seem like a North Dakota winter, but as winter weather sets in with its cold and snow it will be easier to relate to the incidents depicted in films like the 1924 British documentary “The Epic of Everest.”

Various cable TV channels these days frequently broadcast stories of mountain climbers in their “extreme sports” coverage, typically with lots of quick hand-held closeups and helicopter shots over a soundtrack of loud, edgy rock music and an excited narrator. These rarely convey much sense of danger, isolation, or pioneering achievement, and seem more concerned with personal desires of participants to prove their stamina doing something exotic.

Back in 1924 the general public had little exposure to such experiences in distant places or the cultures encountered along the way, outside of a few written accounts by explorers, occasional drawings and photos, and perhaps brief newsreel film footage. The expedition that year by noted mountain climbers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine to scale the world’s tallest mountain was big news, as no human had ever reached the top of Mount Everest and returned alive (or ever would until nearly another three decades had passed).

Captain John Noel had filmed an unsuccessful 1922 attempt to conquer Everest, and now planned to make a feature-length record of the 1924 climb, inspired by Herbert Ponting’s amazing 1911-12 film of Scott’s ill-fated attempt to reach the South Pole, which was released in 1924 as a feature-length documentary called “The Great White Silence” (now available on a British Blu-ray in a region-free edition from the BFI, packaged in a set with “The Epic of Everest”). “The Great White Silence” is still only available from the U.K. but this past September Kino released a separate disc of “The Epic of Everest” for its Blu-ray debut in the U.S.

This 91-year-old documentary is quite fascinating as well as beautiful to look at (especially on Blu-ray), if very slow-moving by today’s standards. Images are remarkable for their artistic composition and clarity, each shot worthy of a gallery art photo. Some time is spent showing views of the crew preparing for the ascent. During the early stages of the climb it lingers over scenes of remote Tibetan village life, also rare sights for western viewers. As the climb gets higher up the mountain, the film often becomes a meditation on the mountain and on human life and nature, rather than a simple blow-by-blow account of the expedition. Long takes of the majestic scenery and frequent intertitles with a poetic flair go far beyond the simple conveying of a factual record for the viewer. This somber, thoughtful approach is even more evident as the film approaches its conclusion.

The feeling is enhanced by the interesting new (although sometimes monotonous) modern music score added to it, composed by Simon Fisher Turner (who also scored the BFI release of “The Great White Silence”) and blending limited, subdued sound effects at times. At a certain point the film equipment was too bulky to lug any further up the rugged incline with the uncertain and often fierce weather conditions, so a special telephoto lens designed for this expedition was used to capture views of the explorers from longer and longer points of view until they disappeared over a pass, never to return.

Picture quality on Kino’s Blu-ray is excellent, the HD master prepared from the BFI’s recent and beautifully crisp restoration of the film from two different original 35mm nitrate prints (one more worn but color-tinted). Audio quality for the new score and period sound effects is also fine. Bonus features include three six- to nine-minute featurettes: an introduction to the film by the filmmaker’s daughter and the BFI’s silent film curator, a discussion by the composer on scoring it, and a short explanation of what went into restoring it, plus a theatrical trailer, all in HD. Fans of mountain climbing, nature photography, ethnography, and classic documentaries will want to own or at least see “The Epic of Everest” on Blu-ray.

THE EPIC OF EVEREST on Blu-ray – Movie: B / Video: A / Audio: A / Extras: B-