For a film based on the well-known attempt by a set of climbers to scale the north face of the Eiger in 1936, the German-made thriller North Face perfects the art of the cliffhanger (literally) — even for an audience aware of the ultimate historical outcome.
From the moment the main characters Toni Kurz (Benno Furmann) and Andi Hintertoisser (Florian Lukas) — two Nazi soldiers who prefer pitons over pistols — approach the deathly Eiger, director Philipp Stolzl crafts the story of the climber’s ascent with visual and emotional precision.
With the group of climbers clinging to a mass of rock by the most inconsequential of steel and rope, dodging avalanches and taking a frostbitten beating from the fickle weather, Stolzl brings the audience to the mountain, piecing together the infamous story in the process.
This becomes most evident in the scenes off the mountain; where the storyline strays from original accounts of the expedition, it struggles the most. The pre-war Nazi-era political drama surrounding the climb (to climb the “last great problem” of the Alps, all for the pride of Germany), as well as the romance between Toni and his childhood love Luise (Johanna Wokalek), a young photographer sent to capture the expedition, both feel contrived and out of place. The media hubbub portrayed below pales in comparison to the intense and wrenching scenes filmed mountainside.
Despite the historical liberties taken, North Face frames a story and feeling that not only recreates 1936 Germany — whether it be in its questionable politics or climbing technology — but transports viewers to the face of the mountains itself. With this the film truly succeeds. It illuminates what Toni and Andi lived for: the simultaneous exhilaration and suspense at conquering a crag as daunting as the Eiger.
Directed by: Philipp Stolzl
Starring: Benno Furmann, Florian Lukas
Rated NR, 126 min.
3.5 Stars
