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Studio:Metrodome Video

Director:Philipp Stolzl

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Benno Fürmann, Florian Lukas, Johanna Wokalek, Georg Friedrich, Simon SchwarzDirector: Philipp Stölzl

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Reviews

- The Epic of the Eiger

I like to consider myself a climber. I have scaled Mont Blanc, with some difficulty I must admit. But this achievement is a walk in the park compared to the Eigers infamous North Face. This is at the extreme end of mountaineering and is the preserve of an elite few at the very pinnacle of their sport. I have stared in awe at the "Nordwand" and marveled that men could summon the physical strength and courage to dare to take on this challenge. The mile high great Face dominates the little resort of Kleine Scheidegg like a malevolent black tooth. It is an incredible force of nature close up. It was long considered impregnable. But in the 1930s a special new breed of climber cast eyes on the unclimbed face and dared to take it on. Many died trying. They climbed with equipment that is primitive by todays standards. Hand made hemp ropes, woollen clothes and studded boots. They had basic iron pitons and wore no helmets. But they had youth, strength and an unwavering belief in their own abilities. This film is about some of those men.

"North Face" is based on perhaps the most famous true story in mountaineering history. Yes, even more so than the Mallory and Irvine story on Everest. It concerns the story of two young Germans, Toni Kurz and Andreas Hinterstoisser, and two young Austrians Edi Ranier and Willy Angerer, and their heroic attempt to climb the unconquered Eiger North Face. At a very early stage Angerer is badly injured by falling rocks. This slows them down and the problem is exacerbated when the weather changes for the worse. Suddenly their concern is not about a first ascent, but about a grim battle for survival. Bravery and deep camaraderie come to the fore.

Those that know their mountaineering history will know how it ends. The story has been told in some detail in Heinrich Harrer's 1959 book "The White Spider", a legendary volume in the annals of mountaineering named after a distinctive icefield near the summit. It is a story that fascinated and influenced the famous British climber Joe Simpson. It is a story that has fascinated me. It is one that is deserving of a very special film, and it is one that has got it. Make no mistake this is the finest mountaineering film ever made. Better even than "Touching the Void" which took the genre to new heights of realism. Much better than nonsense like Clint Eastwood's "The Eiger Sanction". In this film you suffer vertigo just watching. You feel the cold creeping through your body. It feels almost like you can get frostbite watching. You are with the climbers willing them on. It is mesmeric viewing.

It is fitting that the Germans should make this fine film. They have a long and distinguished history in mountain films, especially in the halcyon period of the 1930s. Arnold Fanck and Louis Trenker both made fine films that are watched today. That other force of nature Leni Riefenstahl acted in a number of these. "North Face" follows in that tradition. It shows wonderful attention to detail in the equipment of the day and the period feel. This is a very accomplished film in all respects. A word of warning. This is a harrowing story and not for the faint hearted. Blu-Ray is about as close as you will get to experiencing the andrenalin rush you get from climbing on the very edge, without taking the risks. But if you have the stomach this is a tremendous film. A comfortable five stars

- A Force of Nature.

I like to consider myself a climber. I have scaled Mont Blanc, with some difficulty I must admit. But this achievement is a walk in the park compared to the Eigers infamous North Face. This is at the extreme end of mountaineering and is the preserve of an elite few at the very pinnacle of their sport. I have stared in awe at the "Nordwand" and marvelled that men could summon the physical strength and courage to dare to take on this challenge. The mile high great Face dominates the little resort of Kleine Scheideg like a malevolent black tooth. It is an incredible force of nature close up. It was long considered impregnable. But in the 1930s a special new breed of climber cast eyes on the unclimbed face and dared to take it on. Many died trying. They climbed with equipment that is primitive by todays standards. Hand made hemp ropes, woollen clothes and studded boots. They had basic iron pitons and wore no helmets. But they had youth, strength and an unwavering belief in their own abilities. This film is about some of those men.

"North Face" is based on perhaps the most famous true story in mountaineering history. Yes, even more so than the Mallory and Irvine story on Everest. It concerns the story of two young Germans, Toni Kurz and Andreas Hinterstoisser, and two young Austrians Edi Ranier and Willy Angerer, and their heroic attempt to climb the unconquered Eiger North Face. At a very early stage Angerer is badly injured by falling rocks. This slows them down and the problem is exacerbated when the weather changes for the worse. Suddenly their concern is not about a first ascent, but about a grim battle for survival. Bravery and deep camaraderie come to the fore.

Those that know their mountaineering history will know how it ends. The story has been told in some detail in Heinrich Harrer's 1959 book "The White Spider", a legendary volume in the annals of mountaineering named after a distinctive icefield near the summit. It is a story that fascinated and influenced the famous British climber Joe Simpson. It is a story that has fascinated me. It is one that is deserving of a very special film, and it is one that has got it. Make no mistake this is the finest mountaineering film ever made. Better even than "Touching the Void" which took the genre to new heights of realism. Much better than nonsense like Clint Eastwood's "The Eiger Sanction". In this film you suffer vertigo just watching. You feel the cold creeping through your body. It feels almost like you can get frostbite watching. You are with the climbers willing them on. It is mesmeric viewing.

It is fitting that the Germans should make this fine film. They have a long and distinguished history in mountain films, especially in the halcyon period of the 1930s. Arnold Fanck and Louis Trenker both made fine films that are watched today. That other force of nature Leni Riefenstahl acted in a number of these. "North Face" follows in that tradition. It shows wonderful attention to detail in the equipment of the day and the period feel. This is a very accomplished film in all respects. A word of warning. This is a harrowing story and not for the faint hearted. But if you have the stomach this is a tremendous film. A comfortable five stars

- Nordwand

Philipp Stölzl's 'Nordwand' is the story of Bavarian mountaineers Toni Kurz and Andi Hinterstoisser who attempted the north face of the Eiger in the 1930s.

Great idea for a film, but let's be realistic for a second. How many directors could even begin to do justice to this story? Well, I don't know, but one that could (and did, with great effect) is Stölzl.

Luise Fellner is a wannabe journalist at a big city newspaper. She mainly makes tea for editorial meetings. The hacks at the paper treat her with friendly condescension. The country's political 'leaders' are desperate for German mountaineers to conquer the Eiger before anyone else. Luise sees her chance - two mountaineers she's known since childhood could be the ones to crack it. She tells the editor about her friends. This could become a big big story for the newspaper, and launch Luise into her journalistic career, make Toni and Andi into 1936 Olympics heroes.

Luise and her boss are sent to Switzerland to cover the story of the climb, fully believing that Toni and Andi have decided against doing the Eiger. Two other teams are about to start the job.

Meanwhile, Andi has persuaded Toni that it would be a smart move to climb the north face. (NB They don't give a rubber duck about Nationalsozialismus - they just like mountains. Indeed the portrayal of Nazi fanatics in this film is spot-on. Not the cardboard cut-out baddies of usual 30s-40s films, they are seen as fully human but generally very misguided.)

And on to the climb. Actually, no. Sorry, you'll have to buy the DVD (and a massive telly...)

The mountain is given proper respect in this movie - it's one of few films that truly give a cinema-context sense of VERTIGO.

German cinema has thrown up a couple of genuine classics lately, and this is one of them.

Difficult to fault on any level: photography, acting, storyline, whatever. Every single dart has hit the treble 20.

I loved this film.

- A Film in Peak Form

I did not take much notice of this film when it was initially shown here in Germany last autumn. Having read about its imminent release on Blu-ray, I bought the German version online just recently. Speaking fluent German as I do, and living only about three hours driving distance from the Bavarian Alps, this film held a surefire appeal for me.
I had already read some positive reviews of the film, so I thought it might just be worth the purchase price. I was completely wrong. Not only was the Blu-ray version great value for money, it was probably one of the best films I have seen in the past year! Gripping, genuinely moving and well told, it makes you really wonder why people inflict such hardship on themselves just to climb to the top of a huge rock! But isn't that exactly the point? This story (with a factual background) tells of 2 men from Berchtesgaden in Southern Bavaria (Germany) and their determination to be the first to climb the north face of the Eiger mountain in Switzerland. Such endeavours probably appear pointless to the vast majority of us. Yet it is this very struggle between man and the elements that enobles such human efforts. This is a film which helps us understand more about where our humanity - with all its positive and negative facets - can lie.
No, the film never fully explains to its audience exactly why mountaineering holds the two film protagonists in its thrall. It is simply a given. And if the truth be known, we do not really need an answer to that question. The thrill of the challenge, and the fact that the (Eiger) mountain is simply there to be vanquished, is reason enough for the men's attempt, in direct competition with an Austrian pair of mountaineers, to reach the mountain peak. We are kept on tenterhooks right to the end about the film's ultimate outcome ...but there can only be one winner in this race to the top; the climbers, or the mountain itself.
Apart from the grippingly told story, there were other elements which appealed equally to me about this film. The film simply feels authentic. Living in Germany,and familiar with Austria/Switzerland, I can usually spot phoney film set-ups a mile off (two miles off with my contact lenses in!) Whether it was the fantastic alpine panoramic shots, or intimate close ups often detailing ambition and triumph, pain and desperation in the climber's faces, the picture composition was always engrossing. Outside shots are clear, bright and detailed, as one would expect from a new film. Some of the mountain top shots are grainy, others were soft and lacking in focus. Some others suffer slightly from camera movement. These may have been deliberate stylistic elements, so apart from these very minor gripes, they do not detract from the film's overall quality. Also, other production values, such as costumes, or even the actor's accents (Bavarian/ Swiss dialects) further enhanced the genuine feel to the whole project. In the latter case, a certain compromise was probably made in respect of the two lead actors - Florian Lukas and Benno Fürmann - as they are clearly not Bavarian (in fact, they both hail from Berlin). Given that a lot of Germans themselves would not necessarily easily understand a thick Bavarian dialect/accent (of which there are many variations), this was likely a necessary compromise.
I am also pleased to note that as this film plays out in Germany/Switzerland of 1936, it was not particularly marred by the usual hackneyed movie treatment of day-to-day life in Nazi Germany. Life as it probably was then, is simply taken as given. There is little to be seen of the usual heavy-handed pedagogical attempts to show us (yet again) just how deplorable the Nazis were. We are treated to people as people wanting, for the most part, to get on with their lives. That in itself makes a refreshing change.
To sum up: the story may take a little while to ignite and the somewhat contrived love interest can irritate occasionally, but when the film gets going, prepare yourself for an emotional rollercoaster, which few films of recent vintage can match. Highly recommended.

(This review already appeared in a slightly different form for the DVD edition)

- Awesome

Exciting storyline. Pretty close to the channel 4 documentary shown a few years ago. Ashame that the film had only been shown in one cinema over the whole country. PS: Is it necessary to put a Nazi Flag in the front cover to spoil the whole idea of the film?