By Dan Skip Allen

The world has been around for a long time, and there are a lot of things that have been described as breaking records and so forth. One of the biggest things for a long time that wasn’t conquered or a record that wasn’t broken was that of climbing Mount Everest. Many men have tried and came close but didn’t succeed in getting to the summit of this wonder of the world. That is until the 1950s. When a team of climbers from England and New Zealand, along with some sherpas, tried to conquer the unconquerable. These kinds of bio-dramas are interesting to me because they are about stories I didn’t know about but only heard bits and pieces about. Seeing the details of this story unfold in front of my eyes made me cold and scared.

Tenzing (Genden Phuntsok) is a Napali-Indian sherpa. He has always had a dream of climbing Mount Everest ever since he was a kid. As an adult, after a few previous tries with other groups, he is approached by an English group who are trying to climb this great mountain with a short window before the season is over. They heard good word of mouth about his work ethic and stills as a climber. With his wife and two children, he doesn’t want to leave them behind to do another climb. He has to be coaxed into joining the team by their leader John Hunt (Willem Dafoe) by saying he’ll be a full-fledged part of the team, not a sherpa. This convinces him to join the climbing team. Along the journey, he makes a friend, Sir Edmund Hillary (Tom Hiddleston) from New Zealand. They quickly learn that they need to pair up to do the unthinkable, which is getting to the summit of this grand landmark of nature.

The filmmakers give this movie an interesting perspective by showing flashbacks of Tenzing growing up as a kid and young man. He learns the ins and outs of politicking to get what he wants. He has to show his work ethic as a young man, so he gets the respect he needs as an older man. The flashbacks were done very well. The clothing and hairstyles were different to differentiate from the present in the context of the film. I was glad the writer split the story in half like this because it gave more time to learn about this man’s motivations as he gets to the main part of the story. The impending climb to Mount Everest. 

The relationship that forms with these two men along this climb was a fascinating one to me. The Huddleston character is like royalty in New Zealand. The Phuntsok character is more of a lesser standing man in this film. The Huddleston character listens and studies this man. He realizes he knows more than most of the people on this climb team. He asks to partner with him for good but selfish reasons. He knows that he knows what he’s doing regarding climbing and to observe the weather and the conditions. Pairing up is a key to getting  picked for the summit team, but it ends up becoming genuine friendship between the pair. That’s the ultimate achievement the story has in the end. I got the most from this as much as the climb itself.

I talk about a lot of technical things when I write movie reviews because I love how movies are made. One of the best parts of this film is its cinematography by Stefan Duscio. He is able to capture the beauty of the mountain on a clear day and darkness of the mountain during avalanches and stormy moments. The grandness and scale of the mountain is here in full view for all to see. When it comes to real locations like this, they should look as good as possible. The scale and immense beauty of the mountain range is, and Mount Everest was a sight to see. I’ve watched a few handful of films about climbing mountains, and this is one of the most breathtaking of them all I’d have to say.

“Tensing” is a biographical film that delves into a story and a man I wasn’t that familiar with. The flashbacks helped me learn about him and his motivations to be a man who would be remembered throughout history. This story has now become a matter of record because of what these men were able to accomplish at a time when it wasn’t easy to achieve a feat such as this one without the equipment and knowledge of how to go about doing it properly. The two main actors, Phuntsok and Hiddleston, were very good in their various roles. Dafoe was also good as always. The cinematography was gorgeous, which was a nice bonus. I’m glad I was able to watch this film and learn something new about history once again. 

Tensing Is I Theater Now And Streaming On AppleTV On October 16th

🌟 🌟 🌟 stars