Although very much a slow-starter, this film inevitably builds to a profoundly satisfying climax that packs a genuine emotional wallop.
The movie compares and contrasts the Nazi attitude to physical culture with those who are athletic because it lies in their nature. The mountaineering yearnings of the young are exploited by Nazi propagandists concerning the alleged superiority of Aryan youth while the racists also deal with being dismayed at the best mountaineers having little or no interest in politics. Instead, they do it for love: The story eventually reaches mythopoeic proportions as the woman whose lover scales the mountain attempts his rescue.
The performances are underplayed and so you really empathize with the solidly drawn characters in their extreme plight – albeit that they got themselves into it by choice. Moreover, the tension and the suspense will have you on the edge of your seat to the end with its nail biting conclusion suspended over the North Face of the Eiger.
Copyright © 2009 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com/) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.
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