First Hit: What a powerful dramatization of an attempt to climb the North Face of the Eiger mountain in the Alps.
Philipp Stolzl co-wrote and directed this fascinating drama about “the problem we have in the alps.”
The “problem” is that, by 1936, no one had successfully climbed the North Face of the Eiger and the Germans felt that they should be able to conquer anything.
This recreation was extremely well done. Benno Furmann plays Toni Kurz and Florin Lukas plays Andreas Hinterstoisser as two lifelong friends who love mountain climbing together. A best friend of theirs Luise (played by Johanna Wokalek) has followed their climbing career and, as the film begins, is a news reporter excited to record her childhood friends' attempt to climb the North Face.
There are numerous other teams ready to climb as well, but the inclement weather discourages all others except another team from Austria. As the two teams climb up the face, mistakes of judgment are made, the weather turns bad and it becomes an extreme test of survival.
Furmann was great as the conservative climber as was Lukas as the chancy edgy climber. Together you see their complementary character strengths. Wokalek is wonderful as their lifelong friend who is also in love with Furmann’s character. The direction of this film was extraordinary in creating a sense of the drama on the mountain. His ability to make the audience feel as if they were part of the climb was amazing. More than a few times I found myself cringing in pain while reaching out wanting to help the climbers to safety.
Overall: This isn’t a standard Hollywood feel good film; it is a powerful drama sharing a story of life and death.