In its new movie, "Against the Ice", the network "Netflix" tells the incredible story of a Danish explorer and a mechanic who went out on an expedition on the island of "Greenland" in 1909, in an attempt to prove the sovereignty of their country over part of the The island, between the joy and honor of exploration and the misery of a journey, the two adventurers try to survive their perilous journey.
The film presents the journey of Captain Einer Mikkelsen and his passion and unlimited ambition to document more explorations, and takes us to the real land that witnessed this inspiring journey, to live a similar atmosphere and witness the extended snows and blizzards that will make you feel cold at home.
Proof of Danish Sovereignty
The United States was claiming a part of "Greenland", the largest island in the world, which they believed to be separated from Danish territory by what they called the "Berry Canal". The area, but he did not survive and left his notes and maps he drew.
After the unfortunate accident, the 1909 Alabama expedition, led by captain, explorer, and writer Einer Mikkelsen and his inexperienced expedition mechanic Iver Iverson, set out on their arduous task to find evidence that the northeastern part of Greenland belonged to the island and was not separated by a canal. To refute American attempts to claim it.
Based on a true story, AGAINST THE ICE is a heart-pounding historical drama following Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Joe Cole across the frigid landscape of Greenland.
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— NetflixFilm (@NetflixFilm) March 5, 2022
"You don't think you will ever fail, you think you will find a way to succeed," says Mikkelsen, referring to his close friend who led the previous expedition and froze to death and his team.
By the same logic, the captain went on his dangerous journey to find his friend's body and save his diary that proves his explorations. Will he also fail, or will he find a way to succeed?
The dark side
The events revolve in an interesting framework that shows the joy of the journey and exploration and the ambition of Michelson and Iverson, to reach the memoirs and the honor they will receive after their return home, and on the other hand, the dark and difficult side of this journey appears.
Despite the captain’s great experience, there is still the possibility of perishing in this snow and catching up with those before, for various reasons: including falling off an ice ledge or in freezing water, being attacked by bears, extreme cold that almost loses their limbs, losing supplies, and wounding or dying snow dogs that pushes the wagon, and other threats that may take the lives of the explorers during a journey that lasted for months.
Critics fault "In the face of the ice" that he did not care about the authenticity of the time period in which the events take place (communication sites)
unsuccessful dialogue
Although it is a Danish story, the film is shown in English with multiple British accents, which is considered a bit confusing, especially since the story revolves around a national issue and Denmark's attempt to prove its ownership of "Greenland" lands.
In addition to the issue of language, some critics, according to the newspaper "The Guardian", saw that the writers did not care about the authenticity of the time period in which the events take place, as the dialogue often seems to be too simple, as it also appears to be modern, Some heroes used terms that were not used during this period.
Despite the ingenuity of Danish actor Nikolai Coster-Waldau in the role of Captain Mikkelsen, the great age difference between Waldau (51 years) and the captain, who was only 29 years old when he went out for the expedition, was not something easy to hide, and this difference really appears when The captain shaves his beard, wrinkles appear on his face, and does not look like a young man in his twenties.
royal proposal
The Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II, was the first to suggest that director Peter Flint produce a film based on the book "Two Aganist The Ice" by Mikkelsen. Not only did he co-wrote the script with his old friend Joe Derek.
"I've always loved exciting survival stories and explorers who go to unknown places, but what really struck me here was that it was a unique combination," Waldau said of the film. And that's what actually saves them, that they were so radically different."
AGAINST THE ICE
(On Netflix March 2)
GAME OF THRONES' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and PEAKY BLINDERS' Joe Cole star as two explorers fighting to survive as they search Greenland for a lost map.
Based on the true story of Denmark's 1909 polar expedition.
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— NetflixFilm (@NetflixFilm) March 1, 2022
Filmed on the glaciers of Iceland and Greenland, conditions were really harsh, the crew only had one bus to relax for a while, there were no personal trailers for every actor on the glacier, and shots of the heroes were snow-filled with their beards blown by the wind.
brief history
Greenland means "the green land" and in the Greenlandic language "the land of the people", it is not green at all, but it is white where most of its area is covered by ice, and politically belongs to Denmark, but geographically it is part of the North American continent, 16 kilometers from Canada.
The name "Greenland" emerged in 2019 when former US President Donald Trump offered to buy the island from Denmark, which rejected the offer, and the latter had previously rejected in 1946 the offer of the administration of President Harry Truman for $100 million.