Everest

"Meet the Guides" Featurette

As you might expect, a great deal goes into creating a film based on real-life events. To learn more about what it took to produce Everest and why authenticity was so important to the filmmakers, check out the Everest movie extras from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Viewers can watch “Meet the Guides” in our “Making Of Featurettes” section to better understand the work that went into making the film.

Based on the true story of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, Universal Pictures’ Everest follows the journeys of several climbers involved in the tragedy. Eight people lost their lives over the course of the incident, which occurred after a storm struck with little warning. Everest follows two expedition groups scaling Mount Everest at the time of the tragedy.

Everest - Jake GyllenhaalThe first expedition group was known as Adventure Consultants and was led by New Zealander Rob Hall. Hall was an experienced Everest climber and was widely known as the man who popularized commercial expeditions of Mount Everest. The other group, known as Mountain Madness, was led by American Scott Fischer. Unlike Hall, Fischer didn’t have any experience as a guide of an Everest expedition group. However, Fischer had vast experience as a climber and had scaled Mount Everest several times.

Although both guides came from different backgrounds and had different levels of experience guiding others up Everest, they shared something significant—a passion for mountaineering and a dedication to reaching the summit. Both used this passion to help their respective groups do the same.

Despite some initial disagreements between Hall and Fischer, the two men eventually decided that they would need to work together to ensure the safety of their groups. Hall and Fischer took very different approaches regarding how they led their groups up Everest and displayed their own unique expeditionary styles. These differences were described in part by actors on the set.

Hall was a very particular, detail-oriented person, and disliked diverging from the rules and routines he’d established. By contrast, Fischer took a far more relaxed approach to leading his own expedition group. If anything, he may have seen Hall as a hand holder or believed he should give more freedom to those in his group. Fischer liked to offer his group more independence, allowing them to “climb on their own, to find their way,” according to actor Jake Gyllenhaal.

Everest - Jason Clarke

In the film, Rob Hall and Scott Fischer are portrayed by Jason Clarke and Jake Gyllenhaal, respectfully. As they prepared to film—as well as over the course of filming—the actors worked to develop a deeper understanding of who their characters were as individuals. Clarke and Gyllenhaal put what they’d learned to good use, portraying Hall and Fischer in a way that was authentic and respectful to their memories.

To receive more insight into the final climb of Rob Hall and Scott Fischer, be sure to watch Universal Pictures’ Everest. The film follows the journey of both guides, as well as the other members of their expedition groups. You can learn even more about production and filming by viewing the assorted Everest movie extras and Everest movie features 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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