Narvik

"Hitler's First Defeat"

2022 1h 48m NO

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 465

WarDramaHistoryAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

April, 1940. The eyes of the world are on Narvik, a small town in northern Norway, a source of the iron ore needed for Hitler's war machine. Through two months of fierce winter warfare, the German leader is dealt with his first defeat.

“Hitler's First Defeat”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Kristine Cornelie M. Hartgen
Ingrid Tofte
Carl Martin Eggesbø
Gunnar Tofte
Christoph Gelfert Mathiesen
Ole Tofte
Henrik Mestad
Majoren
Mathilde Holtedahl Cuhra
Bjørg
Stig Henrik Hoff
Aslak Tofte
Kari Bremnes
Hotelldirektøren
Christoph Bach
Den tyske konsulen

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Erik Skjoldbjærg
Writers: Sebastian Torngren Wartin, Christopher Grøndahl, Live Bonnevie
Languages: German, Norwegian, English
Countries: Norway

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, Norwegian, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg, shot by John-Erling Holmenes Fredriksen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Christine Hals. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Martin Stoltz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kristine Cornelie M. Hartgen and Carl Martin Eggesbø and Christoph Gelfert Mathiesen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Hitler's First Defeat".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt9737876 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Erik Skjoldbjærg directs. John-Erling Holmenes Fredriksen behind the camera. Christine Hals scores. Martin Stoltz cuts. Produced in Norway. Dialogue in German, Norwegian, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 4 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, Norwegian, English.
3Directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg, shot by John-Erling Holmenes Fredriksen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Christine Hals. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Martin Stoltz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Kristine Cornelie M. Hartgen and Carl Martin Eggesbø and Christoph Gelfert Mathiesen carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Hitler's First Defeat".
8IMDB entry: tt9737876 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: John-Erling Holmenes Fredriksen
Original score: Christine Hals
Editing: Martin Stoltz
Production design: Merete Boström
Costume design: Karen Fabritius Gram
VFX supervisor: Arne Kaupang
Sound: Espen Rønning
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $8,000,000
Original language: NO
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Narvik (2022)

Awards

The Amanda Public Choice Award

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Erik Skjoldbjærg

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-08-30
★ 6/10
If you didn't know, the northern Norwegian town of Narvik was crucial to the supply of iron ore to the Third Reich and so when they decided to invade that country in 1940, it was one of their important targets to secure. The British and the French were initially around to support the valiant efforts of the Norwegian army to defend the port and "Major Omdal" (Henrik Mestad) is the no-nonsense officer charged with moulding his small force of enthusiastic but inexperienced men into something capable of resisting the invasion. One such soldier is "Gunnar" (Carl Martin Eggesbø) who lives in the town with his father, his wife (Kristine Hartgen) and their young son. While he is off fighting, she goes to work in the local hotel only to find it commandeered by the new German consul (Christoph Bach) who asks her to help out as his interpreter. Ostensibly, they are only there to halt an Anglo-Fremch invasion and are their friends, and she also has enough nouse to know that she and her son are vulnerable should she refuse, so she co-operates - though not quite unconditionally. With the fall of France, however, the allies have to reprioritise and that leaves this dwindling local force at the mercy of a massively superior military and at home when the young lad needs medical help, the dynamic for this tightly knit family becomes perilously compromised. This is one of the few films I've seen where there is any depiction of French forces taking part in this theatre of war and it also shows off just how tough the terrain was as these men fought their rearguard action short of everything but bravery. There is a great deal of CGI here which isn't the best, nor is the writing which strays perilously close to the sentimental at times (and it also uses British/English as synonymous terms and that always irritates me), but by focussing on a young family it delivers a very personal touch to the impact of this attack and of the concessions required by both those in and out of uniform to stay alive. There are a few of these wartime adventures telling us of the escape of Haakon VII or of their 50-odd tonne gold reserves, and this fits neatly into those celebrations of the stoic defiance of a nation under siege. It's not great, but is worth a look.

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