Nordwand

This is one of the best mountaineering films I have ever seen. It is one of the great mountaineering stories in the history of climbing. If you have a chance to see it, go the extra mile to get there. I was fortunate enough to see it at UC Irvine, Sneak Previews with Michael Berlin. I have been climbing most of my long life and have been watching climbing films for 40 years, this one really gives a sense of what it is really like in full conditions. This movie opens in the USA in January in New York and in Feb in the Los Angeles area. I really hope that people will support this film and that it gets to travel to other more remote parts of the country. Made in Germany in 2008, and widely supported there, I was pleasantly surprised by the non Hollywood style. It is almost like it was filmed in 1936 when the actual event transpired. Enjoy and support!

Nordwand moves along like a finely jeweled Swiss watch. It functions at many levels: It is the story of a young female trying to earn respect in a man's world of journalism in 1936 Berlin. It is the story of her boss, whose "nose for news" reflects the morbid fascination of a readership that craves either the heights of historic triumph or the depths of tragic failure -- any middle ground is not "newsworthy." It is the tale of young friends trying to make names for themselves by daring exploit.

The film poses many questions. Is our attraction to mortally dangerous acts powered by the same force that drew Roman crowds to the gladiator arena? Do adventurers seek glory for themselves, or are they goaded to risk their lives for the satisfaction of others? And if the daring cross the line between the heroic and the foolhardy, must their rescuers do the same?

This film is a travelogue back in time, from Berlin to Bavaria to the Swiss Alps by bicycle and train. It's an art film, with the Eiger providing photogenic backdrop. It's an adventure film. It's a love story. It's a tragedy. It is one part historic documentary and three parts cinematic drama, all in cadence. Oh yes, it is also a great film about climbing.

The reaction this film got at the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) in Pusan, South Korea, was better than any of the other big movies there.

This movie gets a 10 out of 10 from me. It is a harsh story about Germany in the 30s as the Nazis were rising and wishing to prove to the world that they were the best. The tale is about two German men who take on a very difficult climb. The story is quite riveting, and human. Full of laughs, tragedy, and ... a little bit of a love story.

Although the movie starts a little slowly, it really picks up about one third the way in. The main characters (the two mountain climbers and the one female love interest) are all solid actors, well directed, and well casted. The director did a great job at capturing the climb. Everything was so convincingly shot, it makes you wonder if they actually filmed some of it on a real mountain. I suppose they must have used CGI, but it was used so sparingly and realistically that it must be commended. The contrast between the plight of the mountain climbers and that of the rich bystanders makes the movie so much more emotionally riveting. Some people in the audience cried.

This is a tragedy that must be seen. It captures humanity at its best and worst... and shows us that sometimes nature rules our lives, and that it is not forgiving.

Overall, I felt this movie was a small masterpiece. One that will probably not be seen by many. But for those who do, you will get a very special treat...

It was especially amazing to know that you, as the viewer, had more than a telescope to watch this climb with... unlike the bystanders in the movie, we were able to see more than just the ascent and the final moment. We saw the part that mattered the most: the climb.

10/10.. Solid

I have seen a lot of climbing movies and this one tops them all. The climbing scenes are remarkable- it will keep you on the edge of your seat! To see these guys climbing thousands of feet up on this face with the old equipment is incredible, and you feel like you are actually there with the amazing cinematography. It left me asking, "how in the world did they film that?!" It is an astonishing true story. If you don't know about it, do yourself a favor and watch the movie before reading about it. Why don't they make more movies like this?? Hollywood needs to learn a lesson…tell a true story, be faithful to it, and don't rely on CGI and special effects.

"One has lived if one has loved." Luise

In 1936, Nazi Germany was eager to propagandize the race for "the last remaining problem in the Alps," scaling the face of the treacherous Eiger. Enter into the race dutiful Germans Toni (Benno Furmann) and Andi (Florian Lukas); the race is on with two Austrians as competitors in a climbing romance called North Face. Touching the Void (2004) was more harrowing and less boy-girl romantic, but this emphasis on non-climbing romance I can love or hate depending on how demanding I am at the moment about the purity of the climb.

The political subtext is apparent—as Germany is about to annex Austria and the Olympics are imminent, a win on the Eiger would be good for the Nazis. Much as this is a suspenseful adventure of love for climbing, based on a true story, it is also a love story, connecting climber Toni and Luise (Johanna Wolkolek), a photographer and childhood friend of both mountaineers. It is she who watches the adventurers throughout the suspenseful climb and return, kissing Toni only once.

That minimalism pervades the film as no kiss goes any further and no rappel is overly dramatized—they are what they are set against the majestic Alps and the cruel Swiss massif. (That the Eiger "ogre" waits to devour anyone who tries the North Face may be fanciful; nonetheless what happens to the best of climbers would give even the sternest skeptic reason to pause about that legend). The editing is first-rate: Never for a moment did I think it is a movie made not on location and with actors because the shots are believable and wild.

Parallel cutting to the comfortable lodge with waiting reporters, dignitaries, and telescope gawkers serves as a convenient counterpoint to the harrowing climb. At times, I wanted to throttle the insouciant ones who seemed oblivious to the life and death struggle on the mountain.

The most beautiful day I ever spent hiking was down the Jungfrau with the Eiger seemingly all around. My Facebook portrait is of me standing at a crest with that most dangerous Alpine rock face as background. I loved that day, that mountain, and this film.