You'll be asking yourself "How did they do that?" Based on a true story about an ill-fated mountain-climbing mission to scale the north face of the Eiger in the Alps back in 1936, this is must viewing if you're a fan of man vs nature films. The climbing scenes are spectacular, brutal, and incredibly suspenseful. I loved this film, and I wished I had seen it on the big screen but I hadn't even heard of it before I saw it yesterday on Netflix. I can only assume it didn't get much of a push because the 2 lead characters are, well, Nazis -- albeit reluctant Nazis that don't care about the party at all, they just care about climbing and each other.They team with a pair of Austrian climbers halfway up the cliff in a harrowing battle for survival. Terrific drama and edge-of-your-seat suspense. Highly recommended.

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.

This is one of the best mountaineering films -- up there with Touching the Void. It is artfully constructed, beginning with a lighthearted romp in the Alps by the two protagonist climbers and ending with the full menacing power of the Eiger pounding them as they fight for their lives. It evokes the terror of people off for an adventure and getting in way over their heads. The terrorizing scenes on the mountain contrast with the spectators below, who warm themselves by a cozy fire and drink wine and eat fine food, dimly aware of what the mountaineers are going through, yet caught up in the romance of a first ascent of the North Face, as seen through a telescope on the deck of the restaurant. The movie is a meditation on the role of the press and the chasm between the news account of an event and the reality of the event itself. News reports are as detached from the reality of what is occurring on the mountain as the spectators with their telescopes down below.The climbing seems authentic -- there is no Sylvester Stallone swinging by one hand with a grimace on his face, no Tom Cruise doing a fancy back-to-the-wall climbing move never before seen on a rock wall. These are either very competent mountaineers or very good facsimiles.The female love interest evolves through the movie. At first she is a mousy secretary, easily bullied by her supervisors. Eventually she finds her own strength, and in doing so she begins acting on the basis of what she thinks is important and becomes an appealing person in her own right. The photography is stunning.

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.