Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

North Face Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 7, 2009

A terrific film about the power of human spirit, Philipp Stölzl's "North Face" (2008) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Metrodome Video. The film is yet to be released theatrically in North America and a Blu-ray release is not currently announced. Fortunately, the Blu-ray disc herein reviewed is Region-Free.

Training

Germany, 1936. The Nazis are looking to produce a statement that would intimidate their political opponents. They urge young Germans to conquer the unclimbed North Face (dubbed by the locals the Death Wall) of Mount Eiger, Switzerland. Andreas ‘Andi' Hinterstoisser (Florian Lukas) and Toni Kurz (Benno Fürmann) two lads serving in Hitler’s army, decide to respond to the challenge.

Luise (Johanna Wokalek) is an aspiring young journalist who works at a large national newspaper. She is asked to go to Switzerland and cover what everyone hopes would be an unforgettable for Germany event. She knows Andi and Toni but does not know that they have decided to climb North Face.

Luise arrives at Grindelwald, a tiny ski resort below the famed North Face, with one of her editors, Henry (Ulrich Tukur), who is also a fanatical Nazi supporter. Other journalists and casual spectators have also arrived hoping to witness history. As Luise enters one of the local hotels, she sees a framed billboard with the names of those who have died trying to conquer North Face.

Andi, Toni, and Luise meet a few days later. Luise is shocked to see her friends but visibly excited that they would attempt to make history. Other climbers, from other countries, have also gathered, hoping that they would be the ones to conquer North Face.

Andi and Toni map out their route. The weather, however, does not allow them to start climbing immediately. While they wait for it to improve, Andi, Toni and Luise meet again and talk about the past. Meanwhile, the weather gets even worse and the French and Italian teams announce that climbing North Face under such terrible conditions is simply madness. Shortly after, they leave. The German and Austrian teams are the only ones left.

Andi and Toni begin climbing North Face a few days later. They are immediately followed by the two Austrians. Half way to the summit, one of the Austrian alpinists is seriously hurt. It is time for the two teams to make a crucial decision – keep climbing and make history or go back and save their friend’s life.

Based on a true story, Philipp Stölzl’s North Face is a film that would likely impress those who appreciated Kevin Macdonald’s Touching the Void (2003). The two films certainly allow for a very unique experience that is difficult to describe – they are fascinating, disturbing, beautiful and ugly, forcing one to seriously ponder human nature and its limits.

Something else that makes North Face unique is the fact that the overwhelming majority of the film was shot on-location, with professional climbers assisting with key scenes where we see the alpinists climbing the Death Wall. Unsurprisingly, clarity and detail in North Face are truly impressive.

The cast is also terrific. German actor Benno Fürmann, who rose to fame with Tom Tykwer’s The Princess and the Warrior (2000), is terrific as the levelheaded Toni. Florian Lukas, who contributed to Hendrik Hölzemann’s highly decorated in Germany Off Beat (2004), is a pleasure to behold as well. Johanna Wokalek, who plays the ambitious Luise, is equally impressive. Last year, she also contributed to another very good German film - Uli Edel’s The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008). Finally, North Face is also complimented by a strong soundtrack courtesy of Christian Kolonovits.

North Face Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 and granted a 1080p transfer, Philipp Stölzl's North Face arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Metrodome Video.

This fairly recent German film has received a lovely Blu-ray treatment. Contrast is near perfect, clarity very strong and detail outstanding. The color-scheme is also notably pleasing – blues, greens, browns, grays, blacks and whites are lush and well saturated. A lot of the panoramic vistas from Eiger Mountain for example are remarkably vivid. This being said, neither edge-enhancement nor macroblocking are a serious issue of concern. Additionally, the actual transfer is also notably healthy – I did not detect any debris, dust, scratches, or stains to report in this review. To sum it all up, this is a top-notch transfer that will surely impress those of you paying close attention to detail. (Note: Even though this Blu-ray release is marketed as Region-B, it is in fact Region-Free. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

North Face Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray release: German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, the English subtitles Metrodome Video have supplied for the main feature are imposed (they cannot be turned off). They also appear inside the image frame.

Though there isn't an overwhelming amount of activity in the rear channels, the German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track impresses with excellent balance, terrific clarity and potency. For example, there are a few scenes during the second half of the film ((most notably when the rocks hit one of the Austrian alpinists) where the sound is of near reference quality. Additionally, the dialog is crisp and very easy to follow. Finally, Christian Kolonovits' lovely soundtrack is expertly mixed with the dialog. For the record, there are absolutely no audio dropouts, pops, cracks, or hissings that I could detect either.

North Face Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Please note that the majority of the supplemental features listed below are in standard-def PAL. Therefore, you need to have a Blu-ray player that converts PAL-NTSC, or a multi-system TV set, in order to access them.

Making North Face – a standard featurette where the director of the film, Philipp Stölzl, and cast members talk about Kurz & Hintersoisser and their unbelievable story. (With imposed English subtitles, PAL, 18 min).

Visual Effects of North Face – a short segment revealing how a few of the more challenging scenes from the film were shot (With imposed English subtitles, PAL, 3 min).

Deleted Scenes – six deleted scenes (With imposed English subtitles, PAL, 6 min).

Interview with Philipp Stölzl and Jolja Brandt – a text-format interview with the director of the film and his cinematographer where the two discuss the production history of North Face, the filming conditions as well as specific challenges the tech team had to overcome.

The Myth of the Eiger North Face – a text-format history of Eiger Mountain and those who attempted to climb its North Face.

Timeline of Attempts on the Eiger Mountain – a chronological list of the known attempts to conquer Eiger Mountain. In text-format.

Cast and Crew Biographies –

Theatrical trailer - subtitled in English (PAL, 3 min).

UK exclusive trailer –subtitled in English (PAL, 1 min).

North Face Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Expertly lensed and terrifically acted, Philipp Stölzl's North Face is very easy to recommend. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors Metrodome Video, looks and sounds great. Fortunately for film aficionados residing outside of Region-B territories, it is also Region-Free. Highly Recommended.