Nordwand (North Face) details the true story of two climbing partners, Kurz and Hinterstoiser, who are attempting to conquer the as of yet unclimbed Eiger. The story takes place during WWII, and like many endeavors during the period, the climbing of The Eiger became a competition between Nazi Reich supremacy and the rest of Europe. The two were under pressure from the party to become the first to summit the daunted rock.
The film was beautifully shot, and the directors did a great job to bring the WWII period European atmosphere to life. I was not overly impressed by the acting, however. I didn't find it bad, but just lacking of chemistry for some reason. Some of this can probably be blamed on subtitles (this is a German film), but not all of it. The entire film also felt somewhat rushed. I would have liked to have seen more development of the Hinterstoisser/Kurz and Louise/Kurz relationships. Additionally, more on the Nazi propaganda aspect would not have been out of place. Finally, I felt like they needed to spend more time on the actual climbing scenes and the blending of these scenes with the surrounding story. Just as I would begin to really get into what was going on up on the mountain, the film would transition back to the story in the chalet, and the intensity would wane/ Instead of grossly underdeveloped, I felt these areas all sat at around three quarters of what was really necessary. Any one of them at 3/4 might not have been bad, but the combination was disappointing. Frustratingly, what was done was done pretty well, and that really left me wanting.
It definitely is not a bad film, but it could have been much, much better. Anyone interested in WWII era European political climates or mountaineering should give this one a look. For everyone else, it wouldn't be a bad Sunday movie, but temper your expectations.
Schan
