Everest
"Aspiring to Authenticity: The Real Story" Featurette
Storytellers have a unique responsibility to effectively portray a narrative and its associated characters to an audience. When that story is based on true events, it’s more essential than ever that the film’s creators take this responsibility to heart. Filmmakers depicting a true-life event typically aspire to portray an authentic version of the story to show respect to the real individuals impacted.
To get a clearer sense of how the Everest creators aspired to present an authentic story, check out Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s Everest movie extras, including Everest movie behind-the-scenes footage.
In the exclusive, “Aspiring to Authenticity: The Real Story,” located in our “Making Of Featurettes” section, director Baltasar Kormakur reveals that he wanted to maintain a close connection with the true story of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. For Kormakur, this meant speaking with the victims’ family members early in the film’s production. The creators assured loved ones that their aim was to make Everest as authentic as they could. To do it, they needed surviving individuals’ feedback to play a role in the film.
In addition, the film’s actors were dedicated to understanding who their characters were as people. In fact, the characters portrayed in Everest were all real individuals that were victims of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. Thus, the actors took it upon themselves to learn about their life stories, personalities, and more. In this way, they could create an authentic portrayal—both for the sake of the film as well as out of respect for the real people behind the story.
Rob Hall, a Mount Everest disaster victim, was portrayed by Jason Clarke. An Everest movie behind-the-scenes interview reveals that Clarke impressed Hall’s loved ones with his intense dedication to learning more about Hall and his passion for climbing mountains. Through Clarke’s many discussions with the family, he learned that Hall was a natural-born leader, an aspect that certainly came through with his portrayal in Everest. When the situation was at its most dire, Hall was the kind of person to remain collected and work to help those around him, even when it came at the expense of his own life.
Dr. Jan Arnold, portrayed by Keira Knightley in the Everest film, recounts the final conversation she had with her husband, Rob. “I talked with him, and at that instant I knew he was going to die.” Given the gravity of these accounts, the cast and crew of Everest were devoted to crafting a realistic representation of the events. This way, they could give the victims and their loved ones the respect they deserved.
Dr. Arnold went on to say, “I think we do need to shine the light on people who do extraordinary things. And that is my hope. That people see those things and think, ‘we can do extraordinary things.’”
To learn more about the 1996 Mount Everest disaster and those it impacted, watch Universal Pictures’ Everest today. To gain even more insight into the individuals behind the film’s production, as well as those actually affected by the event, dive into the Everest movie extras. You’ll find a variety of interesting Everest movie features as well as Everest movie behind-the-scenes interviews and clips when you buy the movie on 4k Ultra HD, DVD, Digital, or Blu-rayTM*.
*Bonus features are only available at select digital retailers. Check the retailer for details.
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