"As Far As My Feet Will Carry Me" takes the audience on the epic journey of a Nazi POW who escapes from a brutal GULAG on the far eastern shores of Siberia. It is essentially a remake of a popular television series that was made back in the 1950's, and deals with a subject that has been for the most part ignored, perhaps for a good reason. It is a good, thought provoking watch, but falls disappointingly short of the cinematic masterpiece it could have been.
Beginning in the summer of 1944, Clemens Forell bids farewell to his pregnant wife and young daughter, as he ventures off to the Russian front during the last 12 months of the war in Europe. The film then jumps forward a year, with the war over and German POW's in Russia being transported to the GULAG's in Siberia. The scenes on board the train showing the appalling conditions mirror those that you would expect to see in most Holocaust films.
Upon arrival at the end of the line, the prisoners then embark on a march through the snow until they reach their final destination and the very eastern tip of the USSR. Once at the GULAG at Cape Dezhnev, the prisoners are sent down lead mines where, historically, most perished over the next 10 years.
The film effectively shows the harsh conditions imposed on the prisoners, although at this early stage of the film, the viewer is still deciding whether or not they feel sorry for the central character and his countrymen, who's exact crimes are not made clear in the film. During WW2, the USSR witnessed the very worst atrocities carried out by the Nazis, so feeling sympathy for these guys is hard to do if you know the history.
When Forell makes his successful escape, following an unsuccessful one, the journey that follows is truly remarkable. From the desolate barren landscapes of Arctic Siberia, Forell encounters a variety of characters, including a tribe of Siberian Eskimos that thankfully only took up a small portion of the film. The romance with the Siberian girl was silly and unnecessary.
The remainder of the journey leads Forell to eventually cross the border into Iran, but not before another silly scene with the GULAG camp commander, who has supposedly chased the escapee for 3 years only to meet up with him on the bridge between the border posts. This was daft and took away a lot of credibility that the film does earn at different stages. A large chunk of the story them seems to disappear as Forell finds himself in a prison in Tehran waiting to be executed for being a Soviet spy. This part of the story could have been the subject of a film on its own.
I'm not going to spoil the end, but it was quite effective, if not brief. I will say that the viewer will be left still thinking whether or not the hero of the film really is a hero. Watch a film like "Come and See," then see how you feel about the Nazi POW's portrayed in this film.
Overall, the film was a good watch, not a great one as it could have been had a few more details been provided for the audience. Hardy Martins' direction has its moments. The acting was generally good, although Anatoly Kotenyov was wishy-washy in the role as Kamenev, the Soviet officer who chases Forell throughout the film. Michael Mendl in his brief role as Stauffer was memorable. Bernhard Bettermenn in the lead role was solid, although the true nature of his character is never fully realised. As a Nazi officer fighting on the Russian front, the good-guy persona needed to be more toughened up. Realistically, only the hardened of men could have survived what Clemens Forell did.
Beginning in the summer of 1944, Clemens Forell bids farewell to his pregnant wife and young daughter, as he ventures off to the Russian front during the last 12 months of the war in Europe. The film then jumps forward a year, with the war over and German POW's in Russia being transported to the GULAG's in Siberia. The scenes on board the train showing the appalling conditions mirror those that you would expect to see in most Holocaust films.
Upon arrival at the end of the line, the prisoners then embark on a march through the snow until they reach their final destination and the very eastern tip of the USSR. Once at the GULAG at Cape Dezhnev, the prisoners are sent down lead mines where, historically, most perished over the next 10 years.
The film effectively shows the harsh conditions imposed on the prisoners, although at this early stage of the film, the viewer is still deciding whether or not they feel sorry for the central character and his countrymen, who's exact crimes are not made clear in the film. During WW2, the USSR witnessed the very worst atrocities carried out by the Nazis, so feeling sympathy for these guys is hard to do if you know the history.
When Forell makes his successful escape, following an unsuccessful one, the journey that follows is truly remarkable. From the desolate barren landscapes of Arctic Siberia, Forell encounters a variety of characters, including a tribe of Siberian Eskimos that thankfully only took up a small portion of the film. The romance with the Siberian girl was silly and unnecessary.
The remainder of the journey leads Forell to eventually cross the border into Iran, but not before another silly scene with the GULAG camp commander, who has supposedly chased the escapee for 3 years only to meet up with him on the bridge between the border posts. This was daft and took away a lot of credibility that the film does earn at different stages. A large chunk of the story them seems to disappear as Forell finds himself in a prison in Tehran waiting to be executed for being a Soviet spy. This part of the story could have been the subject of a film on its own.
I'm not going to spoil the end, but it was quite effective, if not brief. I will say that the viewer will be left still thinking whether or not the hero of the film really is a hero. Watch a film like "Come and See," then see how you feel about the Nazi POW's portrayed in this film.
Overall, the film was a good watch, not a great one as it could have been had a few more details been provided for the audience. Hardy Martins' direction has its moments. The acting was generally good, although Anatoly Kotenyov was wishy-washy in the role as Kamenev, the Soviet officer who chases Forell throughout the film. Michael Mendl in his brief role as Stauffer was memorable. Bernhard Bettermenn in the lead role was solid, although the true nature of his character is never fully realised. As a Nazi officer fighting on the Russian front, the good-guy persona needed to be more toughened up. Realistically, only the hardened of men could have survived what Clemens Forell did.