What do you see?

Felt a little flat today, maybe the start of a bug trying to get hold, maybe disappointed that we didn't get the glorious day they forecast. Neither of us could settle to any chores or work - so we decided on lunch out & the cinema, we both knew we'd have to go and see Everest.
I expected it to look glorious, and I'm usually ok with Hollywood's unresearched approach to the finer points of climbing (I draw the line at Cliffhanger *shudders*) - I expected I'd have fun playing the 'what's real, what's not & where do I recognise' game. I'd even prepared myself for what an emotional rollercoaster it would be, this is a tragedy I've read pretty much every account of, I've met Beck Wethers, its a hard tale to digest. The phone call scene - well if you've a dry eye at that you're either made of concrete or I despair!

The film tries (I think) to take a middle ground and fortunately steers well clear of Krakauer's malicious Into thin Air - and whilst I understand that films with $65,000,000 budgets need a mass appeal, I'm amazed that the heroics of Boukreev aren't emphasised - one of the greatest rescues ever, and a climber with a beautiful soul. The film shows him finding his friend's body - what it doesn't say is that this was not by accident - he climbed back to nearly 8000m the next day, alone, to do so - to pay his respects and so that his friend(s) would know. During the night he made some very very tough calls, but ultimately he rescued three people from the South Col alone in the dark. Three people everyone else had described as gone. All of his clients survived - an astounding feat.

Watching this tale of disaster and loss I also saw hope and humanity. It doesn't (though it subtley tried) to answer why climbers play these games, but it did, I think, show that by doing so they find their own answers.

& yes, I had a lot of explaining about my own choices to do afterwards lol!
(after I'd got the 'dust', ahem, out of my eyes)