North Face

Released Jan 29, 2010

2h 6m

Adventure

Romance

List

84%

Tomatometer

58 Reviews

82%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

German and Austrian mountain climbers (Benno Fürmann, Florian Lukas) scale the Eiger in 1936.

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Critics Consensus

A tense and gripping spectacular piece of snow-bound historical German film-making.

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Ian Buckwalter

NPR

The mountaineers climb for reasons that have little to do with nationalism - reasons the film clumsily attempts to articulate in words. It's far more successful conveying those inspirations with stunning images of them scaling daunting heights.

Rated: 7.1/10

Jul 4, 2010

Full Review

Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

It's Kolja Brandt's gloriously edge-of-the-seat/seat-of-the-pants cinematography (much of the film was shot on location) that really packs a natural wallop.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 30, 2010

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Amy Biancolli

Houston Chronicle

A straightforward, wickedly suspenseful Man vs. Nature saga of the type that rarely gets made any more.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 16, 2010

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David Harris

Spectrum Culture

The most effective climbing thriller since Touching the Void.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 5, 2020

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

This is gripping stuff, a tautly directed, white knuckle suspense yarn with a keen sense of time and place.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 5, 2019

Full Review

Steve Erickson

Nashville Scene

North Face is at once exciting and horrifying.

Mar 2, 2019

Full Review

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Audience Member

In 1936, climbers attempt to summit the Eiger via the north face, the last major unclimbed Alpine face. German climbers Toni Kurz (Benno Fürmann) and Andi Hinterstoisser (Florian Lukas) and novice journalist Louise (Johanna Wokalek) are childhood friends from Berchtesgaden, Bavaria. Toni and Louise are also romantically involved. The men enlisted in the army and are successful amateur climbers. After hearing of an attempt on the Eiger north face, they decide to compete to make the ascent. In spite of their false claims that one of them is getting married while the other is to be the best man, they are refused leave from the army. They quit the service, being more interested in mountaineering than politics. Meanwhile, the competing team of Austrians are hoping for a Nazi-led incorporation of Austria into Germany. Louise's superiors at the newspaper see a media opportunity and send her and her editor, the latter as a photographer, to cover the pair's ascent. Having no funds, Kurz and Hinterstoisser travel to the Bernese Alps on bicycles and share a tent, while the reporter pair stay in the luxurious hotel at Kleine Scheidegg. Competing French and Italian climbers assess the conditions and decide to abort their attempt, leaving the German and Austrian teams. Once both pairs begin, others watch from below... What a magnificent piece of historical film based on the famous 1936 attempt to climb the Eiger north face by the German mountain climbers Andreas Hinterstoisser and Toni Kurz and two others. There´s magnificent sceneries, magnificent acting and great attention to details in the film. However, both Andreas Hinterstoisser and Toni Kurz died during the attempt. A section of the north face was later named the "Hinterstoisser Traverse" in Andreas Hinterstoisser honor. We also get outstanding CGI in the climbing scenes. I had to hold my breath several times. So very well made. And it´s also a difficult film to watch as the balance between life and death is on such a thin line in the second part of the film. The film received several German film awards and nominations. "North Face" ("Nordwand") shows that we are mere humans and nature will not yield just because we believe that we can conquer it fully.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Thrilling and gripping, in-deep dive into alpinism like rarely seen on screen. On the main story part it's a little too conventional and long to really start putting its character on the mountain but when it really kicks it gets really immersive and tense. You can feel the cold through the screen.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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Liam D

A unknown part of historical events This Drama is not a much watch but it's a interesting movie

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/20/21

Full Review

isaac m

North Face is an interesting movie that talks about the 1936 climb of the Eiger mountain. I love the performances, the story, the direction and the emotional scenes. I was so surprised that this movie was so clear about a historic event that I never heard in my life. This movie is a good German historical film for everyone, even for those who don't speak German. Overall, North Face is a historic climb through the ages.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Not typically accurate. Over glamourised and cheapened a truly spectacular story. The so so romance and vilification of Rainer and Angrer cheapens the drama and gravity of the situation Kurz and co were in. Better to watch Joe Simpson's The Beckoning Silence from a purer point of view. However asides the cheap romance, it was a very enjoyable watch. IMPORTANT NOTE there was no evidence of Willie Angrer being the villain in real life. I feel the character they made him into is disrespectful to his memory.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

modi m

Watch this masterpiece instead:: "The Beckoning Silence" (2007)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Philipp Stölzl

Director

Benno Fürmann

Toni Kurz

Johanna Wokalek

Luise Fellner

Florian Lukas

Andreas Hinterstoisser

Simon Schwarz

Willy Angerer

Georg Friedrich

Edi Rainer

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Synopsis

German and Austrian mountain climbers (Benno Fürmann, Florian Lukas) scale the Eiger in 1936.

Director: Philipp Stölzl
Screenwriter: Christoph Silber, Rupert Henning, Philipp Stölzl, Johannes Naber
Distributor: Music Box Films
Production Co: DOR Film-West Produktionsgesellschaft mbH
Genre: Adventure, Romance
Original Language: French (Canada)
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 29, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 15, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $711.0K
Runtime: 2h 6m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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