Tenzing

Its ok, a solid 7, maybe higher. It's Merchant Ivory + slight Downton Abbey, but with snow, so a heavy dose of Seven Years in Tibet. So yeah, derivative, dated and very wholesome. But its also high quality, got good pace and it doesn't matter if you don't care much about anyone because it's a biopic not high drama. Lots of long dreamy shots of Tenzing as a boy, looking at Everest from down in some valley. I liked the Tibetan praying scene, great soundtrack. Its worth a watch, but don't expect to be wowed. Good family afternoon movie.

Jennifer Peedom's TENZING restores the historical narrative surrounding the infamous first successful ascent of Mt. Everest in 1953 to include its most unsung hero — Tenzing Norgay. It's been 73 years since Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary made history by becoming the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of the world's tallest mountain.  Yet, for much of that time, the historical narrative surrounding their extraordinary achievement has largely favored Hillary, relegating Tenzing's equally remarkable accomplishment to something of a footnote. (We might attribute some of this historical imbalance to the lingering influence of British colonialism, or perhaps a prevailing sense of Western cultural superiority — something the film itself never fully addresses.) Peedom's film seeks to rectify that historical imbalance, placing Tenzing (played by Tibetan actor Genden...

Ever since he encountered George Mallory (Johnny Flynn) as a young boy, Tenzing Norgay (Genden Phuntsok) has been determined to become involved in one of the annually licenced attempts to get to the top of Mount Everest. For him, though, as adulthood sets in this isn't so much an endeavour of achievement, as more an opportunity to meet with the revered goddess of the Chumulungma mountain where he can pay his respects to those from his family that he has lost. His problem is that he isn't technically a Sherpa as his penniless family had arrived in Nepal from Tibet when he was a boy, and so whilst he is welcome enough now as a yak herder he isn't really considered "one of us" - especially when he sets his cap at his childhood friend Kinzom (Lhakpa Tsamchoe) who just happens to be the daughter of his boss. Persistence is key for him here both romantically and strategically, and so learning...

Check out my full review @ https://movieswetextedabout.com/tenzing-movie-review-genden-phuntsok-leads-a-reverent-everest-climb/ Rating: B- TENZING is a nice enough biopic, and more respectful than most. I love that it’s named after its hero and actually keeps him at the center, and that the Sherpa language gets real space. Genden Phuntsok is extremely compelling as a man with unbreakable faith in his own ambition, while Tom Hiddleston plays the supporting role perfectly. The on-location cinematography, the real Sherpas, and the Everest-versus-Chomolungma idea make it immersive, and I appreciated how few cheap action beats it bothers with. It’s also formulaic, too sanitized, low on friction, fuller of British characters than it needed to be, and slower than its 2h+ runtime can support, with repetitive flashbacks that leave Dawa with very little. I respected it more than it moved me, and...