In Endurance, the Oscar-winning duo tackles the toughest subject to date

CNN
—

Jimmy Chin has done a lot of memorable things in his time, but the adventure sportsman and Oscar-winning director is more used to documenting big stories than becoming the story itself.

One half of the creative duo behind ‘Free Solo’, ‘The Rescue’ and ‘Nyad’ with partner Elizabeth Chai Vasarheli, Chin is a star in the climbing scene, capturing footage and video of incredible people doing amazing things. But while climbing Mount Everest earlier this year, he came across evidence that could solve a century-long mystery.

Under the north face of Everest, on the Rongbuk Glacier, he noticed an old shoe with human remains inside. A few days earlier, the expedition had discovered an oxygen tank from 1933, and Chin immediately wondered if there were any traces of an earlier, ill-fated 1924 expedition by George Mallory and Andrew “Sandy” Irvine nearby.

Both British explorers went missing on June 8, 1924, and there is still debate over whether they were the first to reach the summit, 29 years before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first confirmed summit in 1953. Mallory’s remains were found in 1999, but not Irwin’s. – who had a camera with him that could contain evidence.

Chin was now looking at the shoe. Inside was a sock soaked in melted glacial water. “I turned the sock over and it said, in very clear letters, ‘AC Irvine,'” he told CNN. “Then we all lost it.”

“It was like finding a needle in a thousand haystacks,” Chin added. Made the news headlines in October, and the remains were taken for DNA testing to confirm they were Irvine’s (results pending). As for the missing camera, Chin said he was “absolutely certain there are more artifacts still frozen in the ice in that particular area.”

The Irvine discovery is, surprisingly, the second century-old mystery Chin has been involved with this year. Another reason why Chin and Vasarheli sit down for an interview. Together with Natalie Hewitt, they acted as directors “Endurance”, exciting retelling of the discovery of the lost ship “Endurance”.

The ship, captained by Ernest Shackleton, became trapped in ice off Antarctica in 1915 before sinking, stranding the crew in what Chin said was “one of the great survival stories.”

The crew endured incredible conditions on the ice for months – some for almost a year – but all 28 members survived to tell the tale. However, the ship’s final resting place was unknown until the Endurance22 mission found it, eerily well-preserved, at the bottom of the Weddell Sea in 2022.

Chin and Vasarhely tell the story, as well as review footage taken by band photographer Frank Hurley, which has been recently restored to stunning effect.

In an interview with CNN, the duo discussed the dialogue between the past and the present, the use of AI, and what unites the characters in their films. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

CNN: Why do you think Shackleton remains such an enduring figure of admiration and inspiration?

Chin: I think there is some consensus that this is one of the best survival stories ever told. It represents the idea of ​​human potential and the power of the human spirit and great leadership.

Vasarheli: We both grew up on the Shackleton stories, and Lansing’s book is one of my favorites. And this has been told many times, and every time you learn something new.

CNN: One thing the movie doesn’t shy away from is the failures that came before — the previous attempts to find Endurance. When the mission set sail, were you confident that it would be found?

Vasarheli: I think we were the hope. And then over time we became less and less sure. But that’s the point, isn’t it? It’s high risk, high reward. This ship remained hidden for 100 years. A film about time. It makes sense to put the two stories together, because it really gets to the idea of ​​daring exploration, ingenuity, courage, and courage.

CNN: Could you take me back to when you learned of the discovery of the ship?

Vasarheli: We were in the Dominican Republic filming “Nyad”, so we heard it second hand. It was quite immediate: this should be a feature film.

There’s nothing like seeing the image for yourself. All these stories, mythology, that were created around Shackleton. When you actually see tangible things, 110 years later, perfectly preserved, that’s a different kind of archive. It really makes you think about how these people lived and how they survived.

CNN: Let’s talk about the photos and footage of Shackleton’s trip taken by Frank Gurley. Given your background, how remarkable is it that this material has survived?

Chin: I started shooting with film. I remember what a burden it was to remove each roll, then pack it up and carry it home. To imagine the circumstances they were in while removing these glass plates on the brink of existence and survival for over a year… It is hard to overestimate the amount of effort and time they put in to preserve this. It’s just awesome. Not once do I look at those photos and footage and wonder what it took for them to save it.

CNN: People may be familiar with the material from the previous films, but we see it here in a completely new way, restored and in color. How did it happen?

Vasarheli: The BFI (British Film Institute) lovingly preserved Hurley’s footage, and they were very strict about not using color. It was a really meaningful collaboration with them, where they entertained it and eventually agreed that we could color process rather than color the footage.

He (Hurley) is such a good shooter. When you finally see the finished film, you hear the audio design, you see the color shots, you hear the AI ​​voices that we used are AI, an iteration of their own voices, their own creations. I had goosebumps.

CNN: You mentioned AI. I think a lot of people think of your cinema as tactile; When we watch Free Solo, we know that someone—you, Jimmy—is hanging on the cliff to capture it all. In this movie, you start working on technology and create artificial voices, albeit based on real recordings. Could you share a little bit about that?

Vasarheli: The story of the Endurance can be told through the diaries of the crew because they are first-person narratives, different points of view, humor, characters. We made it a rule that if we could find the original recordings (of the crew members), we could bring the real words to life in their own voices. We didn’t realize what the effect would be and I have to say I was shocked at how effective it was. It looks like an exciting new type of story like this.

There are many pitfalls in general AI. Everyone has a right to worry. I try to be as educated as possible and push for legislation and ethical approaches – especially in our genre.

CNN: Like Shackleton and his crew, many of your films push the boundaries of what is physically and mentally possible. Did you notice the common features of these people?

Vasarheli: We’re going to have very different answers, so I’ll let Jimmy go first.

Chin: I think all of these people share a certain level of optimism. Because you have to believe that the result is there, no matter how impossible it seems. Whether it’s Doug and Chris Tompkins believing they can save millions of acres in Chile (in Wild Life (2023)) or that Alex Honnold can climb El Cap without a rope and survive (in Free Solo » (2018) )). Shackleton and his men had to believe that even if they were in the worst possible scenario, there was a chance they could do something.

Vasarheli: I’ve been thinking a lot about belonging and relationships. Shackleton was an outsider, an Irishman, a merchant marine. There was some motivation to join or connect and make a mark. I think of Alex Honnold, who couldn’t really connect. With this bold attempt, this journey becomes unexpected and they end up in a different place. Alex ended up falling in love, which was much harder and scarier for him in many ways. If you look at it now, it’s impressive. He has two children. He is a different person. Even Chris Tompkins, who was the CEO of Patagonia, found love in her 40s, but then really found her voice while trying to fulfill her late husband’s dreams. And I think it just makes me because I’ve always felt like an outsider.

There’s just something about connection. I think that’s also why a lot of our movies you can watch with your kids and parents, and you can watch them in a big movie theater. It is still about your connection to the world in which you live. Also this idea: this world loves you and you will find your place.

Endurance is available on Disney+ starting November 2.