This heart-stopping German drama is based on the true story of two young Bavarian climbers who, in July 1936, attempted to scale the north face of the Eiger – a near-vertical death trap, otherwise known as the ‘murder wall’. Not only is it a thrilling adventure story, it also explores in a thoughtful and uncompromising way the perils of national pride and the impact on young people of the barrage of Nazi propaganda at the time.

North Face, a sheer icy ascent, has been labelled by one mountaineer as an ‘obsession for the mentally deranged’ and by 1936 the peak’s ferocious and notoriously unpredictable weather had claimed several lives, including Karl Mehringer and Max Sedlmeyer who froze to death in 1935.

North Face is a brilliant movie best seen on the big screen, with lots of action and suspense. If you are interested in extreme sports but too afraid to do it for yourselves, then this film is the next best thing. Be warned, North Face is not a film for sufferers of vertigo and I’m glad it wasn’t made in 3D! To quote one movie-goer overwhelmed by the experience: ‘If you can brace yourself for the ascent, and keep your eye on the summit, you’ll knock the bastard off’.