Johanna Wokalek

Faszination bergfilm - Himmelhoch und abgrundtief is a documentary about alpinism that takes place in Matterhorn and Eiger. It was directed by Hans-Jürgen Panitz in 2008 and produced by Movieman Productions. It features Philipp Stölzl, Gerhard Baur, Matthias Fanck, Kurt Diemberger, Jean Afanassieff, Peter Latzko and others.

The shooting of Nordwand started in 2006 in the Bernese Oberland using real-life alpinists as stunt doubles to capture frequently impressive shots of the ascent of the Eiger. From the beginning, a team of the Bavarian television accompanied the film crew to produce a documentary on how the film was made. Part of the movie was shot in pretty tough snowstorm situations at the Eiger, and scenes like the one of the last bivouac were shot in a minus-15-degrees-Celsius freezer that was used as a studio. To make it more realistic, snow canons rented from ski resorts were used to produce snow, so actors were literally covered with real ice and snow and under strong cold conditions in the shots.

Germany, summer 1936: Toni and Andi, friends since childhood, are particularly attracted to one mountain: the Eiger. Its north face, also known as 'the death face', has not yet been conquered. During their preparations, they encounter Luise, the first woman Toni ever loved. Now a journalist, she has arrived to cover their attempt, along with the loyal Nazi reporter Arau. On the face the two men meet the Austrians Willi and Edi. Then things spin out of control for the climbers: the weather changes, and Willy is injured. A race against time and the forces of nature is set in motion. Recreation of the drama of Toni Kurz and Andreas Hinterstoisser on the Eiger in 1936.