S.O.S. Eisberg

The story involves an expedition of four men who set off to Greenland to rescue an explorer previously presumed dead, but whose survival is attested to by a note written on a piece of jetsam. The expedition itself gets into fatal trouble when, trying to cross a half-frozen fjord, it is swept out to sea. This will be no leisurely drift into the ocean; they constantly see similar icebergs rolling over due to uneven melting. A similar roll would surely be their sudden end.

Even though all action in this movie takes place within a few hundred feet of sea level, this is definitely a mountain movie or Bergfilm (German). Bergfilms are all about individuals at the utmost edge of human existence, pitted against a relentless lethal Nature in a struggle which Nature wins as often as not. Bergfilms are not about wonderful dialogs or intricate plots, they're about iconic heroes sternly staring into the face of an implacable oncoming storm.

The film is directed by Arnold Fanck, the dean of Bergfilms. Leni Riefenstahl, a veteran lead in many great Bergfilms, and later to become a very controversial director in her own right, plays an aviatrix in search of her husband.

The cinematography of the icebergs-- calving, drifting as stupendous sculptures, or rolling over like massive whales breaching-- is absolutely spectacular. You will not be able to detect the shifts between shots made on the outdoor sets and those actually filmed in Greenland.

The film offers some unexpected bonuses-- 30's airplanes puttering among the icebergs, and scenes of real Eskimos (Inuits) in their village and on the water, their lives not yet transformed by Western goods.

If you accept the film for what it is, a symphony of ice and water in dark conflict with the human will to survive, you will not be disappointed.

Scenes of immense natural beauty in the frozen north contrast with the plain peril of shifting ice in frigid open water. The setting for this tale is ripe with possibilities, and the essence of the narrative is solid. Regrettably, while 'S. O. S. Eisberg' is passably entertaining at times, it's filled with very distinct flaws that drag it down.

The basic scenario is great and full of promise, and the screenplay is generally sound. There are a few especially noteworthy shots, and some scenes are especially well orchestrated. To that point: to read a little bit about the production history, it's clear that 'S. O. S. Eisberg' was created without the benefit of stunt doubles, and with very present danger for cast and crew alike. While it's never acceptable to put people at genuine risk for a movie, the fact that the stunts captured on film were very real, and the situations at hand a true hazard, elevates the thrills and excitement beyond what we would otherwise get. It's unfortunate that this realism may actually be one of the most rewarding aspects of the feature.

Everything sounds good on paper, but the execution leaves much to be desired. Editing accordingly helmed by Hermann Haller and Andrew Marton is blunt and sloppy. Whether by their hand or that of director Arnold Fanck, or by studio interference, transitions between shots and scenes, and even the sequencing of the picture, feel not just disjointed, but disorderly. The dramatic weight of each passing moment is drastically undercut by a presentation that repeatedly makes us ask "wait, what?" Fanck and his stars - Gustav Diessl, Leni Riefenstahl, and Ernst Udet - previously made the highly successful mountain adventure 'The white hell of Pitz Palu,' in which all very much proved their capabilities. Here, the cast mostly goes to waste; while provided the benefit of sound and dialogue, the actors are mostly given little more to do than stare forlornly into the distance. For as direly rough, unrefined, and ill-considered as 'S. O. S. Eisberg' is, their performances aren't meaningful - only crudely perfunctory.

It all culminates in a climax and ending that seems incredibly forced, ham-handed, and unconvincing. And that final tawdry impression reverberates so much as to paint the whole length in the same unwelcome hue. The end result of a storied production in which cast and crew had to be hospitalized for the conditions they experienced is that its real-life history vastly oversells the cinematic endeavor. I'm willing to watch almost anything, and to learn that this was not received well upon release in 1933 didn't dissuade me from viewing it for myself. But clearly the high expectations I had developed from recently checking out 'Pitz Palu' for the first time set me up for failure in following it with this. I am gravely disappointed.

It's far from the worst movie you'll ever see, and I hope other viewers can get more out of it than I did. But I watch this and see only great potential that was all but wasted in a realization that broadly feels so garishly undisciplined as to be amateurish. With so many great movies to watch instead, I can't particularly imagine ever recommending 'S. O. S. Eisberg.' Two thumbs down.

This film essentially begins with a formal dinner being held by the International Society for Arctic Research in recognition of 5 men who plan on undertaking a dangerous mission to Greenland in search of the remnants of an earlier expedition which had resulted in apparent tragedy the year before. Although they eventually find one of the camps from the former expedition, rather than waiting there until winter arrives, the leading scientist of the group named "Dr. Carl Lorentz" (Gustav Diessl) decides to throw caution to the wind and sets off in search of more information pertaining to the lost expedition. Recognizing the danger their colleague has foolishly brought upon himself by heading out on his own, the rest of the group eventually decide to set off in search of him. But what they don't count on is the ice breaking up and stranding them on an iceberg adrift in the ocean. Now, from what I understand, this movie was a joint effort between an American studio and its German counterpart. As such, it was filmed in both English and German with the German version incorporating a couple of scenes which extended its running time for an extra 10 minutes. Likewise, the severe Arctic weather also created difficulties for the for both film crews as well. In any case, although the film is quite dated, it's still an entertaining movie, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

After the international success of WHITE HELL OF PIZ PALU and the arrival of sound, Universal decided to get itself involved in this two version effort from Fank's team.

The German copy is incoherent with our hero stumbling round on the ice flows for what appears to be weeks, getting help, but there are some quite amazing passages - harpooning the real polar bear who (understandably) takes a dim view of that or the actors swimming in with the genuine ice flows, an ice berg turning over, Ernst Udet's flying footage and rescue by kayak.

Dramatically things get by. Having Gibson Gowland from GREED in the US version in which a glamorous Leni Riefenstahl speaks English adds curiosity value.

These frozen waste dramas are a cycle which remains fascinating and it's a pity we don't have more access to them

Much about this Arctic adventure film looks to be inspiration for JURASSIC PARK.

Although there are no prehistoric beasts, there are beasts. It is the characters and the nature of the experience which reminds a viewer of Jurassic Park.

The characters are all quite believable, making for what typically makes the best story line, credible characters in incredible situations.

However, this situation is not as incredible as Jurassic Park.

Still, the characters remind us of it. We have "good" guys for the most part, and the "bad" guys are not really "bad" so much as victims of circumstance of their personalities.

Jurassic had three bad guys, and didn't contrive too much in their fates, as two bad guys perish along with at least two heroic types, leaving the most insane and irresponsible of the evil men alive and smelling pretty and still rich.

Here, there is a similar character, a maniac who risks the lives of his group in folly, not waiting for the time to tell him when to explore, but deciding he is a god who tells time when he can explore.

In real life, such a maniac would perish, and the other unstable character can actually be excused his madness, for he does so out of a hunger we probably can't imagine.

And like Jurassic, there is no contrivance to save heroes, bad guys, the brave, or anyone. The chips fall where the chips fall, with just enough miraculous survival to be credible.

The experience is harrowing, and full of adventure. It is a bit chaotic, as we aren't sure who these people are for a long time, but we gradually learn to care about them.

This is an exciting film, and has all the credentials of a good film. Thumbs up.