North Face

Info

It portrays two competing climbing pairs, each hoping to accomplish the first ascent to the summit via the north face, but becoming a team of four in response to difficulties on the mountain. The more prominently featured pair (Fürmann and Lukas), from Berchtesgaden (now widely known as the location of Hitler's home throughout that decade), have left the German army in order to make their attempt. They repeatedly respond to greetings of "Heil Hitler" with non-political greetings. The other team are both Austrians who hope for a Nazi-led incorporation of Austria into Germany. A major subplot involves a principled young newspaper employee (and hometown friend of the German climbers; Wokalek) whose career the climbing story could launch, and her cynical superior (Tukur).