Beyond the Edge premieres in Wellington

  • Breaking
  • 22/10/2013

A movie about how a New Zealand beekeeper became the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest is about to hit the big screen in 3D.

Beyond the Edge is a docu-drama that uses Sir Edmund Hillary's own voice to tell the incredible story, 60 years on from the first ascent of Everest's summit.

It's an important story to tell, and the filmmakers felt the weight of that responsibility.

"I was acutely aware of that from the beginning," says Leanne Pooley. "He's a taonga, a treasure, but at the same time it's a wonderful story and you really just have to focus on that and honour that story and hope that honours the man."

Beyond the Edge combines archival footage with dramatic recreations of the final ascent.

"We had this gift of the footage shot on the expedition – a godsend for a filmmaker, all this beautiful 16mm footage and all those incredible stills," says Pooley. "But they finish on a certain point of the journey, so you know there is a certain point in the journey that you don't have any material for."

Pooley would have to tell that part of Sir Ed and Tenzing Norgay's journey.

Many of the scenes were shot on the Tasman Glacier – a logistical challenge and a potentially perilous one.

A 24-strong cast and crew had a 1.5 tonne kit shipped up 10,000 feet in eight helicopters each day of shooting.

One of those men was Chad Moffit. Hold him up to our $5 note and you may do a double-take. He was a shoe-in for the coveted role of Sir Ed.

"Chad was the first person we saw," says Pooley. "I couldn't get him out of my head. His parents are beekeepers. He's quite shy, almost awkward, like Ed."

The remaining footage was shot by Kiwi mountaineer and cinematographer Mark Whetu on Everest itself.

"Because that footage is 3D, what I'm hoping people will feel is that they have gone there with him, that they've experienced what its like to be on Everest."

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source: newshub archive