directed by Philipp Stölzl
starring Benno Fürmann, Johanna Wokalek, Florian Lukas, Simon Schwarz, Georg Friedrich, Ulrich Tukur

Thank you, Music Box Films! It’s been a long time coming….7 years since Touching the Void – the only other REAL mountaineering movie that exists. While Vertical Limit (2000), Cliffhanger (1993), and the Eiger Sanction (1975) are certainly entertaining and give the armchair mountaineer a good dose of adrenaline, they can be disappointing to the bonified mountaineer. In each case, there is some wacky subplot…whether the assignment to assassinate a spy on the mountain, rescue a group of stranded hijackers, or a tycoon hell bent on his advertising campaign at all costs.

Mountaineering is full of rich history. First ascents around the world have required international cooperation, exemplary leadership, and strength of the human spirit not required by other endeavors. Of course, Norgay and Hillary’s first ascent of Everest comes to mind… but there are many others. Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal conquering Annapurna, one of the most deadly mountains in the world, Art Davidson’s team succeeded in the first winter ascent of Denali, with the most inhospitable weather in the world, and the daring first ascent of Mt Huntington by the “Harvard Boys.” Any one of these could be a spectacular movie in its own right.

NORTH FACE spins a true tale of the race to climb the North face of the Eiger, the Eigernordwand, considered in the 1930s to be the “last great problem of the Alps.” In 1936, there was a particular rush to the Swiss giant, looming at 13,024ft, to prove which race was superior prior to the Olympic Games in Berlin that year. Two German climbers, Toni Kurz and Andi Hintersoisser (of the Hintersoisser Traverse), were followed by an Austrian duo, Edi Rainer and Willy Angerer competing for the first ascent.

What unfolds is an amazing adventure and gripping tragedy as the climbers attempt to ascend the 5,900ft “murder wall.” I was on the edge of my seat during the climbing scenes with my fingernails digging into my palms and my stomach somersaulting. Cinematographer, Kolja Brandt, does an amazing job capturing the sense of exposure and the harsh elements that make the north face of the Eiger such a prize for elite climbers. It was completely awe inspiring to see a reenactment of the climbers braving the elements with burlap bivy sacks, no helmets, pitons, natural fiber ropes, and leather boots.

My only criticism is the somewhat gratuitous love story to create more plot than I felt was needed. However, it was useful in order to show the juxtaposition of climbers battling for their lives on the face while well-fed fat cats watched the drama unfold from telescopes on the deck of the Kleine Scheidegg hotel. The love interest curls up in her warm bed each night holding to the hope that climbers “forget everything [when they are climbing], except the one person you promise to come back to.”

Don’t miss this one!!!

NORTH FACE opens 2/19/2010 at Landmark Theaters in SF, Berkeley, Palo Alto, San Rafael, and San Jose. It runs 121 minutes, is not rated, and is in German with English subtitles.

Emilie’s Piton Scale:
One Piton – don’t trust your life to that screenwriter
Two Pitons – do you really need to chase bad guys in order to climb a mountain?
Three Pitons – gratuitous use of nitro but entertaining nonetheless
Four Pitons – a classic with hair-raising depiction of real climbing
Five Pitons – solo oxygenless Messner Everest ascent filmmaking equivalent