00:01Everest, 2015, is a biographical survival film directed by Baltasar Cormaca that recounts the
00:08tragic 1996 Mount Everest disaster, where eight climbers from two expeditions died during a severe
00:15blizzard. The film was praised for its visceral depiction of the extreme death zone. Here are some
00:22fascinating facts about the film's production and true story. While the second unit crew was
00:28filming at Camp 2 on Everest in April 2014, an avalanche struck and killed 16 Sherpa guides.
00:35This real-life tragedy, which was deadlier than the 1996 event being filmed, caused production to be
00:42postponed. During a bridge-crossing scene with yaks, a helicopter came in for a wide shot,
00:48causing an agitated yak to stampede toward actress Naoko Mori. Actors Josh Brolin and Jason Clark had
00:58its horns to prevent it from sending the crew off the cliff. While the production shot footage of the
01:03trek and base camp in the Himalayas in Nepal, the primary climbing and summit scenes were not filmed
01:09on the real Mount Everest. Instead, they utilized the Italian Dolomites, Argentina's Aconcagua,
01:16and built massive physical sets, including the Hillary Step and Camp 4, on the famous 007 stage
01:23at Pinewood Studios in the UK. The filmmakers obtained the actual radio recordings made on
01:30that fateful night, and used them verbatim in the film to enhance authenticity. In the film,
01:36Beck Weathers, played by Josh Brolin, experiences blurred vision and is nearly blind on the mountain.
01:43In real life, his vision issues were the result of overexposure to ultraviolet radiation combined
01:49with recent radial keratotomy surgery. The film was originally envisioned a decade before its release
01:56as a vehicle for Christian Bale, who was pegged to play the lead role of Rob Hall before dropping out.
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