INTO THE WHITE is based on a true story of two groups of pilots (one British and the other German) who must survive together in a cabin in Norway after the German bomber crew and the surviving British crew members of British fighters crash in the Norwegian mountains on April 27, 1940.  The British names were changed for the film, but the real names of the German bomber crew are in the film.   They are first fighting against each other before they learn they have more in common and they are just following the orders of their superiors.  In different times, they could have been friends. 

 

INTO THE WHITE plays out like a tale of survival you could easily stage as a play since most of the movie takes place in the cabin.  If they are rescued and make it out alive, they have tough choices to make after that if they are found by the Norwegian army (who have no love for the Germans).  This is a well directed film with a good cast.  It starts with the aftermath of the crash of the planes and continues into their tale for survival in the cold frozen snowy mountains of Norway.   Even though the area looks cold, the landscapes in the movie are beautiful.  I love the contrast between the characters who learn to survive together and become friends as they share stories and bond with the cold outside as they sometimes face hunger and one of the Germans faces an infection in his arm from the crash.  I liked the relationship between Captain Davenport and Captain Horst Schopis the best.  It is strange to see Rupert Grint as a bomber pilot when I will always think of him as Ron from the Harry Potter films (made even stranger in the film when his character goes out for a piss outdoors and sings).  INTO THE WHITE closely follows the real story only with a few minor changes to increase the drama and switch who finds the cabin.  In the end, it turns out to be a great character drama / survival tale.

 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

AXS TV: A LOOK AT INTO THE WHITE is a promo fluff review piece for the movie.  Too bad they didn’t include any featurettes on the making of the movie.

 

Also included on the disc is the theatrical trailer and previews for SHADOW DANCER, AT THE TABLE, and the latest Terrance Malick film.

 

FINAL ANALYSIS: INTO THE WHITE is a good tale of survival based on a true story. 

 

This blu-ray review is (c)7-2-2013 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com

 

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