As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me (2001)

........................................................from Pasto,Colombia...Via: L.A. CA...and ORLANDO, FL

Immediately after watching "So weit die Füße tragen" an inescapable question popped into my head: Why did it take nearly half a century for this movie to get made? If ever there was a film that serves as irrefutable proof of the old adage "Truth is Stranger than Fiction", believe me, "As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me" is it!

Imagine trying to wrap your suspension of disbelief around all of the following elements: At the end of WWII, a German POW, Clemens Forell, is sent to a Siberian forced-labor camp, in the far northeast corner of the Soviet Union (Russia), only a few hundred miles west of Alaska. After years of the most inhumane treatment and paltry diet imaginable, Forell manages to escape with the aid of the camp Dr., his compatriot. Thusly, he becomes the most sought after fugitive in the Communist Bloc. His life-sustaining obsession: To reach his family in Germany, over 8,000 miles away, on foot!

Now if this premise were presented as a work of fiction, it would seem so preposterous that, more than likely, it would have been laughed out of theaters. This film should appeal to several diverse groups: To those of you who seek out true stories; to fans of escape films; to those who enjoy Man vs. The Wild/Nature themes; to the fans of German and/or foreign cinema and to those with an interest in diverse cultures and film shoot locations.

One thing that really impressed me; Most "True Stories", in recent years, stretch the truth quite a bit, for "dramatic impact"! It is obvious that this film refuses to compromise the truth. This apparent faithfulness to the original true story was influential in my decision to give it a 9* rating. By the way, very solid ensemble acting and some very beautiful exotic locations.

9* Stars ....ENJOY/DISFRUTELA!

Fmovies: So weit die Fusse tragen (As Far as my Feet Will Carry Me), is a beautiful and unusual WW II film. It is based on a true story of a German prisoner of war captured by the Russians. The film locations are strikingly beautiful and severe. The hero's encounters with other prisoners and various folk (and animals) keeps you on the edge of your seat. The acting is superb. I loved every suspenseful minute of it.

Atlast the wait is over, we see a German POW portrayed in good sense,up against all obstacles,hurdles a human could ever tolerate.Its about Clemens Forell(POW)making his way all through the feet to him hometown. I donna want to spoil the plot by detailing the events.

The film scores in its background & theme music,adds Chilling effect to the frozen sheet.The exotic locations is visual treat for eyes. Irina Pantaeva locks you in her charm and beauty.Even though the film ends in a positive note,you will suffer from the DISTANT WALK.This film made me look beyond the horizon Hollywood, and ignited a liking for German movies.A great movie if you have the TIME. If you like this movie you will also like THE GREAT ESCAPE(pow classic)

As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me fmovies. I like this movie very much - from my point of view its one of the best German movies i saw last years.

Protagonist of movie is Clemens Forell, a German soldier in WWII, judged by Stalins Soviet Union to many years of "Arbeitslager" (you can also say "Gulag") in the most north-east of Siberia - what was normally equal to be judged to death (for example only 6000 from close to 100.000 POWs from the "Battle for Stalingrad" returned ever home - last ones in 1956 - 3 years after Stalin died).

So, this movie shows the escape of Forell, going (mostly) by feet thousands of miles to escape from this point in the Soviet Union, where no tree grows - East Siberia.

What is nice in this movie is the fact, that you realise, that not Forell, or the Russian people, have any hate against each other - its government, who made all this - the tyranny of Hitler and Stalin.

This movie is really nice made - you don't want to stop to watch - as you cant stop reading a good book - i recommend it for everybody who want to see something about a part of WWII, where nobody speaks too often about - or who want to watch only a really nice movie.

10 of 10 from me for this movie.

I agree with some other commentators who said that this movie was somewhat overtly dramatic - in some points getting almost too sugary/tear-jerking experience. I haven't read the book so it is hard to comment how faithful the film is to the book, but seems that the authors of the film almost a bit overemphasized the great survival story and the connection between the father and the child.

This is counter-balanced by good acting, rather good cinematography and beautiful images of nature. "So weit die Füsse tragen" is fairly entertaining as an adventure film and I was strangely attracted by the story about travelling through endless wastes of Siberia. The portrayal of nature is captivating. The film isn't a remarkable masterpiece, but I'd still recommend seeing it if the subject sounds appealing. After all, German POWs in Russia isn't exactly the most worn subject of films.

A revolution took place and the german media never mentioned it: Except from some ignorant right wingers the general media was not willing to comment on this first major production on the topic of german prisoners of war. The original version from the fifties and the book are interesting - this movie is watchable for a big public. I appreciate the courage of the moviemakers to touch this forbidden legacy of germany. Great, heartbreaking cinema, that leaves you in tears at the end - as far as I am concerned.