Into the White

This is inspired by a true story.

On 27 April 1940, a German plane shoots down a British plane in the mountains during a brutal Norwegian blizzard. The German plane crashes for some reason that is unknown. The Germans find a cabin to take shelter in until they can move out. The Officer and Airman from the British plane also survived their crash and find the same cabin. The Germans capture the British. After a while it is decided that the only way to survive the severe weather is to forget the Rules of War and find a way for all to get out of this alive. Can it be done?

I am not familiar with any of the actors but they all performed exceedingly well. We are told that the names of the Germans are what you hear in the movie. For some unknown reason, the names of the British were changed.

The movie opens with the crashed German plane on the ground. We didn't see the battle or the crash landing - so much for any action we might have seen. We didn't see the British plane at all. In the cabin tensions between the German and British soldiers are high, but should have been higher and with more grit. There are political stances as to be expected, raggings, insults, some ill advised jokes and once all that is out of their systems the enemies settle down to a somewhat more civilized behavior. They realize they aren't going anywhere and decide to make the best of a bad situation.

They had no food and the cupboards only held a small bag of oats. Later on the cabin reveals a secret.

The snappy/critical dialogues, suspicious eyes, guns pointed, a line on the floor as a border between the Germans, and British all help to keep the movie from dragging. Two only matches flamed out and British Captain Davenport (Lachian Nieboer) had a lighter to light the stove within. That was lucky.

Yes, it is slow in places, but keep in mind there is a war going on and each side would be okay with killing the other side in a New York Minute. The British Captain Davenport will remind some of Hugh Grant as they look and act alike, almost.

At the end of the movie we are told what happened to each of the soldiers. (7/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes.

The other reviews have highlighted the good and the bad about this movie. It is easy to see what the director was trying to achieve: the concept is a good one, some of the cinematography was excellent, some of the acting was first rate, the story was well told and the human element was explored with humour, subtlety and warmth. These are the reasons it's worth an 8/10.

Without the great storyline and the humour however, this would be a 4/10 movie because: While Strunk and Horst were perfectly cast, without exception, all the other actors, including Harry Potter's sidekick and the Norwegian interrogator at the end, were either average or poor. Davenport was positively awful and nearly ruined the movie...but get through this and some of the clunky bits, and there is enough here to make you laugh, cry and and feel simultaneously queasy! All in all a great story, plenty of humour and humanity but some shabby acting/casting. I'd watch it again though!!

Let me start by saying that this is my first attempt at writing a film review and that English is not my native language, so please bear with me.

The first thing that you need to know before watching 'Into the White' is that its not a war film, if you are expecting intense war scenes and action then this film is probably not for you. More specifically, its a drama film that focuses on the subject of friendship and survival. After a dogfight over the Norwegian mountains, three German pilots find themselves stranded in a harsh and inhospitable land during winter, their luck seems to turn when they discover an abandoned hunting cabin. Soon they will meet two British pilots who are pretty much in the same condition as they are in. In order to survive, they understand that they must work together despite their allegiances. What starts as a relationship formed from the forced conditions of the circumstances, develops into a relationship of true and lasting friendship.

Having said a few things about the movie's plot, i would like to say that the cinematography is truly great as well. The harsh and unforgiving nature of the Norwegian mountains is truly captivated well. While the white, snow painted terrain is beautiful its simultaneously terrifying since you will get the impression of fear and impending death, since life is almost completely absent from the scenery. The performance of the actors is very good as well, especially the one coming from the German side.

The actors manage to portray well the uneasiness of being trapped in a cabin in the middle of nowhere along with somebody you cant trust, since that somebody is your enemy. On the downside, i would like it if some particular scenes were more stressful. What i mean is that certain scenes develop kind of slow and don't transmit the feeling of stress and agony to the viewer, since solutions to the problems of the characters come almost immediately without many implications caused upon the characters, which is somewhat unrealistic concerning the circumstances, in my opinion.

To conclude with, 'Into the White' is a film about survival and friendship. Its a drama and not an action film, that immediately makes it a movie that is not for the average masses who are seeking cheap thrills and entertainment, if you are looking for something more, then you will probably enjoy it!

If you enjoyed this film also check:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0277327/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1023114/

"Into the White" is similar to an old Frank Sinatra film "None But the Brave". Both are set during WWII and both are about a small isolated group of soldiers from both sides MUST work together to survive. In the case of "None But the Brave", it was a fictional story about American and Japanese soldiers. Here with "Into the White", it's about two groups of fliers--one German and the other British. However, instead of taking place in the nice, warm Pacific, this film is set in the frozen wastes of Norway. When both planes are shot down, five airmen all converge on a hut--and there just isn't enough food and fuel to keep them alive unless they can figure out something.

So, is this film worth seeing? For a guy like me who has taught history AND loves WWII airplane films, of course--I am the perfect audience. However, for the rest, it might be a tougher sell. But, if you let yourself watch the film and don't give up on it quickly because there isn't much action, I do think you'll appreciate and enjoy the film. Plus, it's a nice opportunity to see Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter films) in a VERY different role. All around, lovely acting, direction as well as a nice respect for real history. Based on what I've read, aside from inexplicably changing the names of the British fliers, it's a highly accurate representation of what really occurred--believe it or not!

Although it does not really qualify as war film, 'Into the White' ranges among the best WW2 films I have seen. The makers as well as the actors deserve praise for getting the most out of a fascinating story: The film is beautifully shot, the soundtrack fits perfectly and the characters are convincing. Indeed, great care must have been taken when choosing the actors, for they not only have the correct origin (except for Strunk, though this will probably go undetected by non-native speakers) but also look like people did back then.

All in all it might not be an overly thought-provoking film, but nonetheless it is very watchable - highly recommendable.