A new movie by Pål Øie called 'Tunnelen' (The Tunnel) will have its premier on December the 25th. It is not to be confused with the 2016 movie by director André Øvredal also called 'Tunnelen' (The Tunnel). Or with the earlier movies.
So many tunnel movies? You see, Norway is a tunnelling country. We have over 1100 tunnels here. With high mountains stretching perpendicular to the deep fjords, you have three options for land travel:
1- Navigate the valleys and have your trip prolonged maybe 10-20 times of a birds' fly.
2- Face the mountains head on to overcome them. It means a lot of curvy, snowy dangerous mountain roads.
3- Dig deep tunnels under the high mountains for fast and safe travel.
Sure, the tunnels cost money. Lots of it. But once you build them, they certainly pay back handsomely in time with the savings from time, gas, environmental pollution and safety.
Now, wait a minute, this safety part is a bit up for debate.
A safety expert interviewed by a local newspaper emphasizes that, although in general the disaster films are based on probability of a disaster, this movie is based on what can happen tomorrow. He says in Norway we have 25 fires in tunnels. Although he later adds that, per kilometer the fire rate is lower in tunnels than that in highways, it sounds a little bit trying to convince a person with fear of flying by using flight accident statistics and saying how safer it is compared to everyday driving (all due respect, I have not seen this explanation cure fear of flying on anyone).
He goes on saying that with single tube tunnels (one lane in each direction flowing in the same tube), there are only two emergency exits: one in each end of the tunnel. If there is a fire, you have to run to the closest exit (this may not be always the right thing to do in inclined tunnels though, as a train tunnel fire some years ago in a Austrian ski resort showed. In inclined tunnels it makes sense to run downwards, as the heat and smoke goes upwards). He says, with twin tube tunnels, the requirement is to have an emergency exit every 250 meters.
I started with the intention of talking about this new movie and here we are.
Have a Snowy and Merry Christmas!
Paul
Is it in English or Norwegian?
The new disaster film 'Tunnelen' (The Tunnel) is on view all over the Norway as of December the 25th and you already see the effect on the Norwegian mindset.
At once, you see news stories in print and non-print media with titles such as this one:
' You should know this if there is a fire in a tunnel'
As a tunnel professional I do not know if any publicity is a good one....
It might be yet another disaster film, but the Norwegian tunnel fire film 'Tunnelen' really arises tunnel safety in Norway. Suddenly you have many articles in the media on what to do when you get caught in a tunnel fire.
This one advises to push the air recycle button on your car
https://www.dinside.no/motor/denne-knappen-kan-vaere-livreddende/72056083
Ekspertene mener: Bruk resirkulering dersom du havner i tunnelbrann
Hi Paul, `The Tunnel` arrives in New Zealand. So far I can remember, it is the first Norwegian film in this particular movie theater.
When a truck crashes inside a tunnel, people on their way home for Christmas are brutally trapped in a deadly fire. With a blizzard raging outside, and the first responders struggling to get to the accident, it's every man for himself.
I think this is the movie being screened in the UK nowadays. Though it has been found important enough to be reviewed by The Guardian, it did not fare well in the review. Got only 2 starts out of 5.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/sep/16/the-tunnel-review-a-tidal-wave-of-fire-and-cliche
Firefighters battle to save people trapped in an icy Norwegian road tunnel by a petrol tanker explosion
Samuel Goldwyn has acquired the film from the Nordic sales outfit.
Paul, I think this is the same Tunnel movie. It is now available in Estonia
Tsisternauto rammib tunnelit jääkülmades Norra mägedes ning jõuluks koju teel olnud pered, teismelised lapsed ja turistid jäävad jõhkralt pimedusse lõksu. Väljas möllab lumetorm ja esimesed abistajad näevad tõsist vaeva, et õnnetusekohani jõuda. Aeg...
There you go, a local review over the Norwegian movie
https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/the-tunnel-review-1234928767/
Holiday travelers are trapped by smoke and fire in this well-crafted but uneven third recent Norwegian disaster thriller.
The Dutch newspaper AD gives 3 starts out of 5 for the Norwegian disaster film The Tunnel.
The review calls it 'wonderfully predictable craftsmanship'. I haven't seen it myself yet.
https://www.ad.nl/show/noorse-rampenfilm-the-tunnel-is-heerlijk-voorspelbaar-vakwerk~a742ddbb/
cover tunnel photo by: Matt Brown from London, England / CC BY
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Unlike the 2016 science fiction movie 'The Tunnel' by another director, this new 2019 film 'The Tunnel' by director Pål Øie is a suspense drama.
TUNNELEN | TRAILER | Kommer på kino 25. desember🎬
www.youtube.comTunnelen er et intenst spenningsdrama om en ulykke i en tunnel, som raskt eskalerer til å bli en kamp om liv og død for de involverte. Kommer på kino 25. des...