North Face

aka: Nordwand
Germany 2008, 126 minutes
Dir. Philipp Stölzl
In German with English subtitles
Rating: [M]
Genres: Foreign Cinema, Suspense/Crime, Action/Adventure

Topics: Sport, Period 1930s.

Feat. Benno Fürmann, Florian Lukas

Aroview: Exceptionally vivid, nerve-wracking mountaineering thriller in which two novice climbers attempt to be the first to scale the treacherous north face of the Eiger mountain in the Swiss Alps, also known as 'The Murder Wall'.

Quite distinct from other sub-zero "cliff-hangers" with its competitive component (replete with Chalet-dwelling spectators), the pressures of nationalism in pre-war Nazi Germany, and an intrinsic, deeply romantic love story, which all contribute to the film's scope and power. However, it's the treacherous mountain action that is front and centre and it is extremely well dramatised in the tradition of other visceral German knuckle-whiteners like DAS BOOT and DOWNFALL. Wrap up warm and treat yourself.

NZ International Film Festival 2009

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0 star (Not rated) Crappy, stupid, cheesy, mountaineering nonsense with appalling dramatisation. For true "vivid, nerve-wracking" thriller see Joe Simpson's documentary "The Beckoning Silence" on the history and a re-enactment of Tony Kurtz's 1936 North F ~rakau