One of my all time favorites.

Captivating movie !

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

"Nordwand" is a German 2-hour film from 7 years ago. It takes place during the early years of the Nazi reign and basically shows us how a group of mountain climbers try to master a truly touch challenge. The (co-)writer and director here is Philipp Stölzl and I have seen some of his works. I liked "Goethe!" and I loved "The Physician", so I had some hopes for "Nordwand" as well. Unfortunately, they were not fulfilled. I am generally not the biggest fan of Benno Fürmann, but he was okay here. the acting is good in general and there are more famous names in here, such as Florian Lukas, Ulrich Tukur, Georg Friedrich, Martin Brambach (personal favorite) and, of course, Johanna Wokalek, who sort of plays the only significant female character in the film and also gives the best performance I guess. Quite a pity that, in recent years, she hardly acted in films.Anyway, the reason why I did not really enjoy this film was that adventure movies are not exactly my cup of tea. I liked the film for the historic references in the first half and it would have been great if this could have been a political movie and not entirely focused on the expedition. The more history, the better for me. The less climbing scenes, the better as well. Unfortunately, pretty much the entire second half/hour takes place in the Alps. The film is sometimes fairly graphic in terms of injuries and drama, especially towards the ending. People who like this kind of films more than I do and also enjoyed the recent Hollywood film "Everest" can check this out, but everybody else is not really missing much. Not recommended.

Being a mountaineer, and having read several books about the early attempts to climb the Eiger's North face, I naively assumed this film would be a reasonably accurate portrayal of the events. What a let-down when the story started straying further and further from what actually happened, only to turn into a sappy Hollywood-style BS-fest. The filmmakers should be ashamed of themselves for completely misrepresenting a gripping and tragic story which didn't have any need whatsoever for fiction to make it compelling. This is my first review on IMDb after many years using the site. The reason is that this film is simply disrespectful to the people involved in the actual events.

Great climbing shots - but also shot-for-shot ripoffs of Clint Eastwood's "Eiger Sanctions". Loved the history, but lost interest when it turned into a rehash of the earlier film. I can't think of anything more challenging than conquering this mountain. And the fact that there were no hard-hats, no down sleeping bags for bivouacs back then. Just like those whose made it to the top of Everest with no oxygen. They were stronger back then, and I have nothing but admiration for those who made it back to tell the tale. I also recommend Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" for a very real taste of those who have the stamina to ascend, and those in our modern age who are instead carried to the summit.

"One has lived if one has loved." LuiseIn 1936, Nazi Germany was eager to propagandize the race for "the last remaining problem in the Alps," scaling the face of the treacherous Eiger. Enter into the race dutiful Germans Toni (Benno Furmann) and Andi (Florian Lukas); the race is on with two Austrians as competitors in a climbing romance called North Face. Touching the Void (2004) was more harrowing and less boy-girl romantic, but this emphasis on non-climbing romance I can love or hate depending on how demanding I am at the moment about the purity of the climb.The political subtext is apparent—as Germany is about to annex Austria and the Olympics are imminent, a win on the Eiger would be good for the Nazis. Much as this is a suspenseful adventure of love for climbing, based on a true story, it is also a love story, connecting climber Toni and Luise (Johanna Wolkolek), a photographer and childhood friend of both mountaineers. It is she who watches the adventurers throughout the suspenseful climb and return, kissing Toni only once.That minimalism pervades the film as no kiss goes any further and no rappel is overly dramatized—they are what they are set against the majestic Alps and the cruel Swiss massif. (That the Eiger "ogre" waits to devour anyone who tries the North Face may be fanciful; nonetheless what happens to the best of climbers would give even the sternest skeptic reason to pause about that legend). The editing is first-rate: Never for a moment did I think it is a movie made not on location and with actors because the shots are believable and wild.Parallel cutting to the comfortable lodge with waiting reporters, dignitaries, and telescope gawkers serves as a convenient counterpoint to the harrowing climb. At times, I wanted to throttle the insouciant ones who seemed oblivious to the life and death struggle on the mountain.The most beautiful day I ever spent hiking was down the Jungfrau with the Eiger seemingly all around. My Facebook portrait is of me standing at a crest with that most dangerous Alpine rock face as background. I loved that day, that mountain, and this film.