Decade after decade, courageous and occasionally foolhardy people trekked to the Himalayas and tried to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain. They all failed until 1953, when a British-led entourage took on this brutal test of skill and will. Two members of the group — New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary and Himalayan guide Tenzing Norgay — ascended to the peak. Tenzing, a beautifully rendered docudrama and biopic, looks at that breakthrough climb in 1953 from Norgay’s perspective, offering a broad view of his life and how his youthful experiences eventually brought him to the literal top of the world.
Since that first successful ascent, more than 13,700 expeditions have attempted Everest, and 7,500-plus people have reached the summit, with at least 339 fatalities. The fascination with that challenge, and the toll it can take, has led to over two dozen movies, historical dramatizations, and documentaries about various parties that tried the climb. Some recount failures, in particular the 1996 tragedy when two competing expeditions faced disaster as a blizzard struck the mountain, as depicted in 2015’s Everest. But Tenzing is one of the more uplifting of these films, a tribute to the first successful journey to the summit and the first to see it through Norgay’s eyes.
Directed by acclaimed nature documentarian Jennifer Peedom, Tenzing is a true tale of adventure and grit. The terse, effective script by screenwriter Luke Davies delves into Norgay’s backstory, from his hard-scrabble childhood to his beginnings as a mountain-climbing Sherpa guide who dreams of scaling Everest, known to locals as “Chomolungma” and worshipped as a goddess. The story covers Norgay’s marriage to his supportive sweetheart, Dawa; his struggle to be taken seriously as a climber and guide; and his eventual role on the British expedition led by Colonel John Hunt. Initially brought in as a servant, Norgay wants to be considered an official climber on the British team. It takes the support of expedition secretary Jill Henderson for Hunt to make Norgay a full member of the climbing party.
In an interesting aspect of the team’s dynamics, Hillary, as a New Zealander, is considered to be a lesser climber by the class-conscious Hunt and his fellow Brits, although not as lowly as the native Norgay. Those prejudices dissolve when the actual dangers of the trip up the mountain come into play, leaving Hillary and Norgay as the standard bearers of the group. Peedom’s previous experience directing the visually stunning documentaries River and Mountain prepared her to capture the exquisite beauty on display in Tenzing, though cinematographer Stefan Duscio deserves credit as well. The filming took place on location across Nepal and New Zealand, and it is magnificent to witness.
Because Tenzing is Peedom’s first narrative drama, she had to rely on the skill of its cast to deliver the passion, bravery, gumption, arrogance, and angst that the account demands. From central role to supporting player, they do not disappoint. Tibetan actor Genden Phuntsok is particularly excellent as the adult Norgay, determined to realize his dreams and gutsy enough to make them happen. He’s joined on screen by some familiar actors who are up to the demands of the project, both physically and emotionally. Tom Hiddleston (The Night Manager, Loki) is the unflinching daredevil Hillary, unwilling to be deterred in his efforts to do what no one has done before. Willem Dafoe (Poor Things, The Last Temptation of Christ) is the hidebound and eventually acquiescent Colonel Hunt who permits Tenzing to be on the team and not just serve as a porter. Caitriona Balfe (Outlander, Belfast) is steadfast as Henderson, who believes in Norgay and pushes for his inclusion as a mainstay of the British expedition.
Movies about Everest and those who clamber up its treacherous, icy facade have ranged from the tragic to the triumphant. In fact, a new documentary, Everest: The Other Side, will be released on Oct. 30, presenting the exciting true story of a pair of present-day ski mountaineers who endeavor to climb and ski down the north face of Everest. But there’s something special about Tenzing with its combination of the personal, the historical, and the spiritual. It delivers a multifaceted examination of a mighty feat never been achieved before, and its thrills are real.
Tenzing is currently in theaters and streaming on Apple TV.
