North Face is a 2008 German historical fiction film directed by Philipp Stölzl and starring Benno Fürmann, Florian Lukas, Johanna Wokalek, and Ulrich Tukur. Based on the famous 1936 attempt to climb the Eiger north face, the film is about two German climbers involved in a competition to climb the most dangerous rock face in the Alps.

Plot

In 1936, climbers attempt to summit the Eiger via the north face, the last major unclimbed Alpine face. German climbers Toni Kurz (Fürmann) and Andi Hinterstoisser (Lukas) and novice journalist Louise (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, she serving as a photographer, to cover the pair's ascent. Having no funds, Toni and Andi 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. After a series of incidents, the teams are forced to join together to survive and descend to safety. A rescue team comes within metres of reaching the last climber, but a knot between two short ropes is unable to pass through his carabiner. Toni dies within earshot of Louise. Distraught at losing her best friends and repelled by her editor's cynicism, Louise resigns. Later, she finds work as a professional photographer in postwar New York.

Cast

Production

Reception

After a successful theatrical run in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, the film was released in several non-German speaking countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan from 2009-2010, receiving favorable reviews throughout. Some critics have argued that this is a brilliant metaphor for Germanic anti-Semitism.

Historical elements of the plot