Giant Mountains (Krkonose) was a poor region before the World War I where the Czech collided with Germans. Bohumil Hanc was the most famous Czech skier of his time. He had won many races both in the Czech country and abroad. The versatile athlete Emerich Rath was the only German to take part in the Czech races. The other Germans from the Giant Mountains boycotted the races for national reasons. Hanc and Rath knew each other well. They even met at the start of an important race in March 1913. After the first round, the weather on the ridges got worse. A blizzard broke out and everyone gradually gave up. Hanc remained alone on the track, but the race turned into a fight for his life. Rath sets out to help Hanc. With the only spectator left, all three begin to write a story about heroism, courage, will and friendship in the inhuman cold and impenetrable gale.
The story is notorious, and those who don't know it can have even greater experience from this film. The script follows faithfully the events, and it deserves important bonus points for that. Director Hodan scored on all lines and except for the occasionally slightly disturbing flashbacks, the film is a real success. The acting is brilliant, and you can see that the actors really enjoyed themselves. No wonder every actor had to go through a toughening course. I am also happy to pay tribute to Emerich Rath, whose life story would deserve a separate feature film, if not a whole show. Of course, the nice Giant Mountains exteriors and interiors (Hancova roubenka) are also a plus.
9,5/10