"Epic of Everest deserves its place as an invaluable time capsule of a bygone era, but also as one of the first great nature documentaries and a testament to Earth's fearsome beauty." – Twitch

In 1924, mountaineers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine set out to conquer Everest. It was their third attempt, and their last: they disappeared on the ascent, sparking an as-yet unanswered debate over whether or not they reached the summit.

With them on the expedition was Captain John Noel, whose official film of their exploits has now been restored by the British Film Institute. Already an extraordinary document (Noel was filming in chillingly harsh conditions with a customised camera, and his images are both breathtakingly beautiful and historically significant), the restoration highlights Noel's majestic compositions, whether of the climbers, the mountain or the local Tibetan people.

The original coloured tints and tones of his images have been reintroduced and, combined with a new, suitably foreboding score by Simon Fisher Turner, they ensure that Epic of Everest is not only a moving tribute to the mountain and those who live and die on her, it's also an exhilarating tale of bravery and sacrifice.

"Astonishing, a restoration which wholeheartedly taps into the sense of awe that lies in Noel's silent images, pivoting on the wonderment, loneliness and sheer otherworldliness with which he imbued his visual account of the expedition." – The Quietus

For more contextual information on the film, the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Melbourne has prepared a study guide, which you can read here.