To mark the 70th anniversary of the historic expedition, Studiocanal has announced a dazzling new restoration of the classic British documentary, The Conquest of Everest. Telling the awe-inspiring story of the first successful attempt on the peak of Mount Everest, this thrilling and important piece of adventuring history will be available to own on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital on 29 May – the same date the party made it to the peak.

Narrated by Meredith Edwards (A Run For Your Money) and featuring the mountaineers Sir Edmund Hillary, Wilfred Noyce and Tenzing Norgay, the documentary details the history, preparation and description of the route as well as fascinating footage of previous attempts and the social context of the achievement.

In order to document the entire ascent, the producers had to rely on footage from the climbing team themselves. Select members were given rudimentary training and equipped with cameras and a variety of lenses, which they had to lug around in addition to the actual essentials, such as their oxygen tanks. They also carried a few experimental automatic cameras that were as small as cigarette packets and much easier to use. Original cameraman Tom Stobart fell ill at the lower level, so George Lowe, Hillary's climbing partner, took over as director and came back with dozens of magazines of footage. The news of the expedition's success was received on the morning of the Queen's coronation and helped further cement its place in history.

Winner of the BAFTA for Best Documentary and nominated for an Oscar, The Conquest of Everest is a truly unique document of an epic journey. Following a painstaking restoration process, this important historic document is released looking better than ever before and comes complete with new special features. A welcome addition to Studiocanal's ever-expanding Vintage Classics collection.

The Conquest of Everest will be released on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital platforms by Studiocanal as part of its Vintage Classics collecion on 29 May 2023.

BLU-RAY AND DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:

• British Entertainment History project Interview with producer John Taylor (1988)
• The Conquest of Everest Premiere (1953)

Check out our 2007 review of the previous Optimum DVD edition here.