Holy Mountain

"We didn't know how to fake it then, so we really did it." That could be the ethos of many silent films, and every film in the "mountain film" genre, of which this is a good example (and the only one readily available on video). By far the best reasons to buy this film are the gorgeous photography (there are few more natural subjects for cinematography than men carrying torches through a snowy night, and the nitrate-era results are truly spectacular), and the climbing work which is hair-raisingly real.

Whether you'll find the late Ms. Riefenstahl's dancing impressive or hilariously galumphing is another matter, and a clue to how you'll react to the storyline as a whole, since it's unadulterated 19th century romanticism, full of titanic emotions and urges which to modern eyes, border at times on the psychopathic. The point of the mountain film genre was that it involved Nietszchean supermen and women going one-on-one with the mountain and the abyss; and though it's a little too easy to read the coming of the Nazis into any German film of the 20s, it's less of a stretch than most to see it in the uncritical admiration of the heroically self-destructive urges of some of these characters. (Riefenstahl, of course, would go on to be the most notable filmmaker of the Nazi era, while Trenker, the embodiment of German manhood in this era, would work internationally and bow out of the business as the 30s progressed, rather than support the Nazi effort-- in fact, several of his mid-30s films manage at least mild condemnations of Nazi attitudes.) However you react to the characters and the film, it certainly offers a window on the time and culture from which it came.

If you have never experienced the 1920's German genre of the mountain film, there is no better introduction than this. In fact it may be the only one you need unless you truly love the genre as most of the films are carbon copies of each other. What gives this film added interest is the debut of Leni Riefenstahl as a performer (and occasional director). Riefenstahl began her career as a dancer in the Isadora Duncan mold until a knee injury ended her career. Nevertheless she does a fair amount of dancing in this film especially in the beginning. While it may look somewhat silly today and Riefenstahl is far from the prototype of today's dancers, it is an excellent example of what Duncan's free form dancing was like and some of it is remarkably effective. Director Arnold Fanck wrote the screenplay in three days after being given a photo of Riefenstahl by co-star Louis Trenker and so began her brilliant and highly controversial career. The story (standard for this kind of film) is the classic love triangle with a lot of German mysticism about Man and Nature thrown in to give it "depth". The real star of the film is the stunning cinematography by Hans Schneeberger (how appropriate) and Sepp Allgeier. There are incredible shots of breathtaking beauty of mountain crags and vistas taken in what seem like impossible positions for a cameraman. The actors were really there and labored under the harsh conditions as recalled by Riefenstahl in a clip from a documentary which is also included (although professional climbers were used in the more harrowing sequences). I found myself engrossed by the obvious sincerity of the film despite the shallowness of the storyline. The print is in fairly good shape with the proper tinting restored which enhances the mountain scenes. The new musical score by Aljoscha Zimmerman strikes just the right balance between Classical and New Age depending on what the story requires. While certainly not a film that will appeal to everyone, it is worth seeing for the astonishing photography and for the young Riefenstahl who is radiant in her film debut. As of this writing she is still alive at age 100, soon to be 101 (August 22nd).