Nine Lives (1957)

During World War II, nine members of the Norwegian Resistance trapped into a deadly Nazi ambush. Only one escapes on foot, and a fierce hunt through the ice desert has begun.

Director:

Arne Skouen

Writers:

David Howarth (book), Arne Skouen (screenplay)

Stars:

Jack Fjeldstad, Henny Moan, Alf Malland

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Fjeldstad	...	Jan Baalsrud
Henny Moan	...	Agnes
Alf Malland	...	Martin
Joachim Holst-Jensen	...	Bestefar
Lydia Opøien	...	Jordmoren
Edvard Drabløs	...	Skolelæreren
Sverre Hansen	...	Skomakeren
Rolf Søder	...	Sigurd Eskeland
Ottar Wicklund	...	Henrik
Olav Nordrå	...	Konrad
Alf Ramsøy	...	Ivar, kjelketrekker
Jens Bolling	...	Alfred, kjelketrekker
Per Bronken	...	Ole, kjelketrekker
Grete Nordrå	...	Stenografen
Lillebil Nordrum	...	Sykepleiersken

Storyline

The movie takes place during World War II and depicts the true story of Jan Baalsruds amazing escape from the German army from the coast of Northern Norway and across the border to the neutral country Sweden. Jan Baalsrud is on a sabotage mission from England to Norway together with 11 other soldiers in the winter of 1943 in a fishing boat when they are attacked by a German patrolboat. Jan Baalsrud is the only one who manages to escape and sets off towards Sweden through the enormous amounts of snow and the steep mountains of Norway. The local communities where he passes through help him despite the danger of being arrested and killed. Jan Baalsrud, snowblind and having to cut off his toes because of frost-damage survives alone in the mountains for weeks. The locals are constantly trying to get him over to Sweden, but German patrols and the winter storms delay their departure.

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Plot Keywords:

manhunt | norway | german | escape | snow | 

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Taglines:

The Most Exciting True Escape Story Ever Filmed!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Biography | Drama | Thriller | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Official submission of Norway for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category of the 30th Academy Awards in 1958.

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Connections

Remade as The 12th Man (2017)

User Reviews

An interesting take on the Norwegian resistance during WWII

This was not the war movie I expected. I figured that since it was about a famous member of the resistance movement, it would be about the sabotage they did, but that's only a small part in the movie's opening. Most of the film is not about the sabotage, but his escape. The enemy is obviously the Nazis, but just as much the fear of Norwegians giving him in, and most of all nature and the elements themselves. This makes for a much more interesting movie than I had anticipated.

That said, this is still an old movie, made in a small country which back then were not famous for their movies. The acting hasn't aged well, and there's some annoying editing that's obviously meant to cover up some difficult sequences. That said, there's also some really nice shots, and they actually went to the trouble of getting actors speaking the right dialects (or, mostly at least!).

This never felt like a very exciting film, but more like a slow, brooding reflection over what people went through during the second world war, and also just how dedicated people can be in helping each other.

It's a no brainer if your aim is to see a Norwegian classic, and it's not a bad choice if you want to see a different ww2-movie.

Details

Country:

Norway

Language:

Norwegian

Release Date:

3 October 1957 (Norway)

Also Known As:

Nine Lives

Filming Locations:

Troms, Norway

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nordsjøfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White