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 - NOVA - EVEREST: THE DEATH ZONEFASCINATING, PLUS I ORDER FROM AMAZON FOR EVERYTHING I WANT THAT IS AVAILABLE. YOU'RE GREAT! Rating: - The Reality of going highIn a word for anyone planning on going high--ominous. The medical realities of making an attempt to climb higher than 8,000 metres are graphically illustrated in this excellent presentation. Rating:  - Just okI guess I am jaded because I watched the IMAX Everest video (which seems to get the best reviews) first and can't help but compare them. Still this video had some good participants i.e. Ed Viestur's and such. Interesting view point but the testing didn't do much for me but provide information. Would have liked more extra's on dvd to. All in all ok. Rating: - NOVA - Everest: The Death ZoneExcellent DVD on Everest! Have read a lot of books on the Himalayan Mountains (especially Mt. Everest) and this gives you a beautiful view of the area and what it is like to climb in the Death Zone. A DVD you can watch many times! Rating: - Better than the Imax filmDavid Breashears was the director of photography on both this film and the Imax film made the year before. In my opinion, this film was more successful, at least as viewed on VHS on a medium-size old tv. That's probably because the equipment for Imax was so bulky and the filming process so cumbersome that just taking the footage was an accomplishment. On this video, the purpose of the expedition was to study the effects of altitude on the human body, so it really focused in on the human aspect. As Breashears explains in his book High Exposure, the massive film size in Imax films requires that you not pull in close to a human face, because it will not make a good image when projected on a 7-story screen. So in terms of home viewing, I really enjoyed this video and thought it helped me visualize the things I have read about so many times. The Khumbu Icefall and the treacherous ladders, the Hillary Step, the summit itself--I could truly feel that I was there. The images were crystal clear and very beautiful. If I were only going to watch one video to help me get a picture of what a Himilayan expedition looks and feels like, this would be it.
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