Duel au Sommet

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.

North Face (2008)

Well, this is one exhausting, harrowing, amazing experience on film. Even the actors, acting and not actually fighting for their lives, look like they've been through hell. The filming holds back nothing on the horror of being caught in a storm on the infamous North Face of the Eiger, in the Alps. These very talented, likable chaps (even though Germans just before WWII, yes), are up against it big time. And the movie makes the most of it.

It's a simple story, and a simple structure, contrasting the comfortable press corps down below with their fireplaces and wine, against the men on the cliff, night and day. A woman and a love story are a part of it as we go, but this is more a love/hate story of men against each other, against themselves, and against the mountain, weather systems included.

It's a relief to see a movie without heroes. There is a lot of heroism, for sure, and admirable human behavior up and down. But none of the throbbing music as one or the other of the men performs an impossible feat. This is about a real life and death confrontation, and breakdown, and impossibility. Well done, well done. High frustrating and nerve wracking to watch, but well done.

I wasn't familiar with the story behind Nordwand which is absolutely essential to get the most out of this masterpiece. I also watched, like I always do, the movie in it's original language, German, with English subtitles. Even though I don't speak German I could tell the cast was absolutely stunning in their performance, perfectly casted and directed.

Due to the Swedish distributor Atlantic Films commercial need to picture Nordwand (a.k.a North Face) as a WWII-movie the Blu-ray cover is covered in Nazi-symbols and references to Der Führer. I thankfully found very little of this in the movie. Instead the director choose to invest the first third of the movie into the characters which he did great. Then the story moved to the Eiger and the Nordwand.

Watching Andi and Toni climb in their 1936-gear is breathtaking. I was totally on the edge of my seat most of the time, and remember, I didn't know how the story would end. The experience was amazing and I really connected with the actors and their story.

It's now been 12 hours since I finished watching Nordwand and I have been thinking about it ever since. Nordwand is a heartwarming story unlike everything that could ever come out of Hollywood. It's up there with another German masterpiece; Das Boot. A perfect 10 and a Must See!

"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.

The cinematography here is brilliant. The film does a wonderful job in portraying the close-up atmosphere that's possible and lethal in some of these violent outdoor places. I think it's easily one of the best climbing-themed films out for this reason. Go and see the movie for breathtaking scenes.

I think it was let down (not much) by the way the climbing theme was tied to the sub-plots. A third of the film has no mountains in it at all, which is fine, but as long as it was going to branch into another kind of film, I think I would have enjoyed more character development. The Nazi theme is brushed over as background politics, with little attempt to show disturbing things were brewing. We barely learn anything about the attitudes of the people involved in the film. I guess this may have been fear of distracting from the film's main theme, but which I think could have made the entire story and characters stronger if it were done well and believably.

Some details of these sub-plots also directly interfered with the main climbing theme, and maybe believability. eg. The love story (presumably tacked on for interest) included Luise shouting into a storm and amazingly being heard. I found this very difficult to believe -- I've been in what I thought were similar storms at high altitude (not dangling from a cliff), and had trouble screaming and being heard by people a couple of metres in front of me. Since leaving I've also read conflicting stories about the ending sequence, and although there would clearly have to be much creative licence for much of this under the circumstances, I now also wonder how much even confirmed facts have been changed to romanticise the story more.

All of this is small nitpicking, though. If you want to see some awesome cinematography it's a brilliant mountain film which makes it one of my favourite films. It's also not such a bad story if you're less pedantic than myself.