A couple of years after WWII, the young and lovely Alida Valli arrives in the small Swiss town of Kandermatt where her father, a famous mountain climber, died trying to climb a famously formidable mountain dubbed The White Tower. She is in town to attempt to climb it herself but her old friend (Oscar Homolka), a mountain guide, tries to talk her out of it, saying that she won't get enough locals to make up a good climbing team. But a group of men staying the same inn where Valli stays eventually agree to head up the mountain with her, some just to carry packs and stay at base camp, some to go all the way. The group includes a middle-aged writer (Claude Rains) and heavy drinker who is working on finishing a novel but whose wife constantly belittles him; an older scientist (Sir Cedric Hardwicke); an athletic German climber (Lloyd Bridges) whom we discover still subscribes to the Nazi ideology of the 'superman'; the faithful Homolka; and a handsome American bomber pilot (Glenn Ford) who was shot down over Switzerland during the war and has returned as something of a drifter. Of the group, Ford is the most reluctant, but he is attracted to Valli and decides to go because he's jealous of Bridges' attentions to Valli. Once they get going, however, various concerns (Rains' health and the booze he's brought along) and conflicts (American vs. Nazi—when they take a vote about slowing down their ascent, Bridges says dramatically, "To rest is not to conquer") weigh them down almost as much as the supplies they've brought. There is also fog and bad weather to contend with, not to mention the very dangerous final passage to the top.
I had avoided this film over the years because I run hot and cold on Glenn Ford; I tend to like him in his earlier films, but not so much later on. But this one, coming not long after his breakout role in GILDA, is one of his better performances. His character arc resembles that of Bogart's in CASABLANCA—at first, he seems passive, not caring much about others, or even much about himself, but the trip up the mountain changes him. Ford was in his early 30s when he made this, and he's about as attractive as he ever was in movies; both he and Alida Valli get lots of glamour close-ups throughout (she is billed as just Valli, like Garbo). The two make a nice pair, and the rest of the cast is strong, though Rains doesn’t get many opportunities to shine until his final scene. Bridges is especially good as the hunky Nazi. The movie looks great in Technicolor. There was quite a bit of location shooting in the French Alps, though it's clear that the shots of our cast while climbing were filmed in a Hollywood studio. Still, the mix of studio and location footage mostly works well. One online reviewer notes that some of the actors (Homolka and Rains in particular) look like they could barely climb a flight of stairs let alone a treacherous mountain, but we suspend our disbelief. Overall, an enjoyable if fairly predictable adventure melodrama—though the climax may take you a bit by surprise—worth watching, if for no other reason, for the scenery. Ford and Valli are pictured at top, and a glamour shot of Ford is at right. [TCM]
A couple of years after WWII, the young and lovely Alida Valli arrives in the small Swiss town of Kandermatt where her father, a famous mountain climber, died trying to climb a famously formidable mountain dubbed The White Tower. She is in town to attempt to climb it herself but her old friend (Oscar Homolka), a mountain guide, tries to talk her out of it, saying that she won't get enough locals to make up a good climbing team. But a group of men staying the same inn where Valli stays eventually agree to head up the mountain with her, some just to carry packs and stay at base camp, some to go all the way. The group includes a middle-aged writer (Claude Rains) and heavy drinker who is working on finishing a novel but whose wife constantly belittles him; an older scientist (Sir Cedric Hardwicke); an athletic German climber (Lloyd Bridges) whom we discover still subscribes to the Nazi ideology of the 'superman'; the faithful Homolka; and a handsome American bomber pilot (Glenn Ford) who was shot down over Switzerland during the war and has returned as something of a drifter. Of the group, Ford is the most reluctant, but he is attracted to Valli and decides to go because he's jealous of Bridges' attentions to Valli. Once they get going, however, various concerns (Rains' health and the booze he's brought along) and conflicts (American vs. Nazi—when they take a vote about slowing down their ascent, Bridges says dramatically, "To rest is not to conquer") weigh them down almost as much as the supplies they've brought. There is also fog and bad weather to contend with, not to mention the very dangerous final passage to the top.
I had avoided this film over the years because I run hot and cold on Glenn Ford; I tend to like him in his earlier films, but not so much later on. But this one, coming not long after his breakout role in GILDA, is one of his better performances. His character arc resembles that of Bogart's in CASABLANCA—at first, he seems passive, not caring much about others, or even much about himself, but the trip up the mountain changes him. Ford was in his early 30s when he made this, and he's about as attractive as he ever was in movies; both he and Alida Valli get lots of glamour close-ups throughout (she is billed as just Valli, like Garbo). The two make a nice pair, and the rest of the cast is strong, though Rains doesn’t get many opportunities to shine until his final scene. Bridges is especially good as the hunky Nazi. The movie looks great in Technicolor. There was quite a bit of location shooting in the French Alps, though it's clear that the shots of our cast while climbing were filmed in a Hollywood studio. Still, the mix of studio and location footage mostly works well. One online reviewer notes that some of the actors (Homolka and Rains in particular) look like they could barely climb a flight of stairs let alone a treacherous mountain, but we suspend our disbelief. Overall, an enjoyable if fairly predictable adventure melodrama—though the climax may take you a bit by surprise—worth watching, if for no other reason, for the scenery. Ford and Valli are pictured at top, and a glamour shot of Ford is at right. [TCM]
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