Naman Shrestha
Based on true events, Netflix’s ‘Narvik’ aka ‘Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat’ (originally titled ‘Kampen om Narvik’) is a Norwegian historical war drama movie set in the spring of 1940. It revolves around the famous World War II battle known as Hitler‘s first defeat. The movie follows Norwegian soldiers joining forces with other allied forces to show resistance and fight against the Germans who are looking to get their hands on iron ore, which is very important to Hitler’s war machine.
After a hard-fought battle for two months, Hitler and his army are given the taste of defeat for the very first time. Apart from the biographical narrative, the brilliant onscreen performances of a talented ensemble, including Kristine Hartgen, Carl Martin Eggesbø, Christoph Gelfert Mathiesen, and Henrik Mestad, keep the viewers captivated throughout the movie. In addition, the setting of the Second World War against the backdrop of all the snow makes one curious to learn about the actual filming sites of ‘Narvik.’
Narvik Filming Locations
‘Narvik’ was filmed entirely in Norway, specifically in Narvik, Oslo, Rjukan, Øverbygd, Drammen, and seemingly in Harstad. As per reports, the principal photography for the war action movie commenced in March 2020, but just after a couple of weeks, the shooting was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After a few weeks, production resumed in April 2020 and went on through June of the same year, completing filming nearly half of the movie.
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Now, the filming unit was forced to postpone the rest of the taping for a year or so due to quarantine measures as well as a lack of snow on location for shooting the winter scenes. After a long break, they got back to work in April 2021 and finally wrapped up production in May 2021. Now, without further ado, allow us to take you through all the specific sites that feature in the Netflix movie!
Narvik, Norway
Many pivotal sequences of ‘Narvik’ were lensed on location in Narvik, the third largest municipality in Norway’s Nordland county, in terms of population. Most of the outdoor winter scenes were recorded in and around the city of Narvik, including Vassvikkaia and Norddalsbrua, which is a steel railway bridge east of the city of Narvik.
Oslo, Norway
Several important portions of ‘Narvik’ were also taped in and around Oslo, the capital and most populous city of Norway. From the looks of it, the production team seemingly utilized various locales in and around the city, including Rodeløkka Velhus, to record key scenes against suitable backdrops. Located at the northernmost end of the Oslofjord, Oslo is not only the economic and governmental center of the nation but also a global city.
Other Locations in Norway
For shooting purposes, the team of ‘Narvik’ traveled to various other locations in Norway. For instance, to lens a few exterior shots, they utilized the locales of the town of Rjukan, which is the administrative center of Telemark’s Tinn municipality. Moreover, the cast and crew members reportedly set up camp in FilmCamp AS at Tomas Tomassens vei 41 Pb 144 in Øverbygd.
The film studio is home to a 1750 square meters stage with a massive backlot area behind it, two hotels for accommodation, numerous production offices, and rooms for costume and make-up, making it a suitable production location for all kinds of film projects. Moreover, several outdoor scenes were taped in Drammen, a city and municipality in Norway’s Viken, and seemingly in the municipality of Harstad as well.
Read More: Best War Movies on Netflix
