Film Review – Tenzing

Director Jennifer Peedom has built most of her career around the study of nature, with emphasis on the mysteries of mountains. She scored critical hits with documentary endeavors such as 2015’s “Sherpa” and 2017’s “Mountain,” and examined the labor of mountaineering in other efforts, getting a full sense of the dangers and passions involved with such extreme physical challenges. Peedom looks to summon all this experience for “Tenzing,” embarking on a dramatic understanding of the 1953 ascent of Mount Everest, which involved leadership from Tenzing Norgay. There have been many stories about activity around Everest, leaving screenwriter Luke Davies (“inspired” by the book “Tenzing: Hero of Everest,” by Ed Douglas) to find a more emotional approach to the tale, mixing elements of an underdog story with the pained ways of climbing. “Tenzing” runs too long, spinning its wheels at times, but Peedom successfully captures an epic quality to the picture, also overseeing many strong performances. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com