War movies are all the rage on Netflix. After In the west, nothing is new who was nominated for the 2023 Oscars, it’s the turn of Narvík to experience success on the streaming platform where he is a hit all over the world. But did you know that this Norwegian film is inspired by a true story?
After a relatively quiet weekend, netflix hit hard on Monday, January 23, 2023 with the release of the film Narvík. In this feature film by Erik Skjoldbjærg, which takes place in Narvik, we follow the story of Gunnar, a Norwegian soldier who leaves his family to fight the German army occupying Norway, while his wife Ingrid Tofte, a a true polyglot, worked as an interpreter for the Germans who invaded the territory. If this part of the film is purely fictional, the battle of Narvik actually took place during the Second World War in this small Norwegian town where iron ore was mined for the Allied countries and for the Axis countries (i.e. Germany, Italy and Japan).
A film inspired by real events
The events described in the Netflix film are inspired by real events. As the film explains, Norway did its best to remain neutral during the first months of World War II, trying to reach some kind of agreement with Germany and Great Britain in order to avoid acts of sabotage in their business relationships. As a reminder, Narvik was a strategic location for transporting iron ore, necessary for German industry. The Allies had long thought of occupying the country in order to counter the German aims, but the decision was slow in coming. Thereby, Germany invaded Norway in the spring of 1940 in order to secure the transport of iron from the Kiruna mines. It was when German troops attacked Norway that the Allies decided to send troops there to help the routed Norwegian army. However, the victory for Britain and France was short-lived as both countries quickly withdrew and left the field open to the forces of the Third Reich because of the battle in France.
The continuation under this advertisement
That other war movie that was all the rage on Netflix
In the vein of NarvíkNetflix subscribers can learn more about the First World War thanks to the film In the west, nothing is new, adapted from the novel by Erich Maria Remarque. The feature film follows Paul Bäumer, a young man who voluntarily joined the German army alongside his friends Albert Kropp and Frantz Müller. If at the start, they were full of enthusiasm and patriotism, they were quickly disillusioned when they arrived on the Western front, near La Malmaison. The young Germans will then discover the horror that reigns in the trenches. After its huge success on Netflix, Edward Berger’s masterpiece could win all the biggest awards this year. As a reminder, the film obtained 14 BAFTA nominations and no less than 9 Oscar nominations, which will take place on March 12 in Los Angeles.
Article written in collaboration with 6Médias
