By now most of us are used to Covid-19 playing havoc with our plans, and this autumn it is fans of the great outdoors that will have to re-jig their social calendar.
The annual Dundee Mountain Festival has been cancelled for a second year running due to disruption caused by the pandemic – but a screening of the silent film Epic of Everest at the DCA will take place this weekend instead.
The special screening of the documentary, which has been digitally restored, will feature a live accompaniment by musician Stephen Horne. It forms part of the Hippodrome Silent Film Festival, held at the Hippodrome in Bo’ness.
Everest expedition 1924
Audiences will be treated to a remarkable production and official film record of the legendary Everest expedition of 1924, showing the third attempt to climb Everest.
It is a tragic story, which culminated in the deaths of two of the finest climbers of their generation, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, and sparked an on-going debate over whether or not they did indeed reach the summit.
Filming in brutally harsh conditions with a hand-cranked camera, Captain John Noel captured images of breathtaking beauty and considerable historic significance.
Stephen Horne
“The Epic of Everest is – appropriately enough – a demanding film to accompany, primarily because of the sustained, measured pace”, muses Stephen. “At the same time I find it beautiful, meditative and ultimately very moving.
“My aim will be to try and draw the audience into the film’s tempo, so that they engage with the almost mystical elements that become increasingly important as it reaches its famous conclusion.”
Stephen first started accompanying silent films at BFI Southbank repertory cinema over 25 years ago. He has recorded music for several DVD releases and regularly plays at major international festivals.
Although principally a pianist, he often incorporates flute, accordion and keyboards into his performances, sometimes simultaneously. Recently Stephen won ‘best online silent film screening of 2020’ in the Silent London Poll.
Tibet
As well as portraying the doomed expedition, Epic of Everest is also among the earliest filmed records of life in Tibet and features sequences at Phari Dzong (Pagri), Shekar Dzong (Xegar) and Rongbuk monastery. But what resonates so deeply is Noel’s ability to frame the vulnerability, isolation and courage of people persevering in one of the world’s harshest landscapes.
Ahead of the screening, on 22 September, there will also be an online discussion of the film hosted by Hippodrome and livestreamed to DCA and Hippodrome Facebook pages, during which followers are invited to put their questions to Stephen Horne and a panel of film experts.
Dundee Mountain Film Festival
Meanwhile, those who are missing the atmosphere of the Dundee Film Festival will be glad to know that the event is scheduled to go ahead in 2022, with most of the line-up intact.
“We have been fortunate that the speakers and everyone else involved with the programme is on board to transfer everything over to next year. The films we were going to show this year will just carry over.
“This year we’ve developed a partnership with the DCA and hopefully will have a number of screenings in the near future, starting with The Epic of Everest.
Covid-19 disruption
“We had to make the decision to cancel the festival this year. Covid has just caused too much disruption and many people are still uncomfortable about attending in-person events.
“We’re a small committee run entirely by volunteers and because of all the disruption we weren’t confident that we would be able to have a good enough offering this year. But we hope people will enjoy the screenings and that next year we’ll have better luck with the festival.”
Epic of Everest will screen at the Hippodrome in Bo’ness at 7.30pm on Saturday, September 25, and at at Dundee Contemporary Arts at 3pm on Sunday, September 26, in partnership with Dundee Mountain Film Festival.
