This is maybe the statement which describes Swiss ski jumper Walter Steiner the best. Back in the 1970s, he had to start lower than his competition and yet he won easily most of the time. Had he started where they did, it would have been too dangerous as he may have had jumps of around 180 meters. And despite this massive talent, Steiner still had to work as a carpenter, so he would have enough money. If you know a bit about ski jumping (and -flying today), you will understand better about the perspectives. They improved the material so much in the last decades that the current world record stands at over 250 meters. I heard in another documentary that Herzog was ambitious to become a ski jumper himself, but then picked the profession of filmmaker after a serious ski jumping accident by a friend of his. Well, without that friend's crash, we may not have Herzog's excellent contributions to the world of movies today, so all's good I guess.
Here, he tries to examine the mind and psychology of somebody who risks his health, maybe his life, so many times. There is certainly a reference about being free as a bird. The competition of ski jumping on the biggest hills is called flying for a reason. The film runs for 44 minutes and Herzog was in his early 30s when this was made. Steiner was in his early 20s. Steiner also got a small cameo in another Herzog film from the same year. It's also funny to see how the athletes had to prepare the skis themselves. Unthinkable today.
Maybe this is still the most famous ski jumping documentary, or movie in general, of all time. I thought it was worth a watch for seeing the differences compared to today (I was very interested in it a while ago, but don't watch it today anymore) and because of Herzog's narration which is as strong as ever. The title is slightly pretentious and sometimes he is a bit over the top in terms of drama when he says it is unsure if he will ever jump again and then he jumped the same day, but oh well. I still enjoyed the watch. Recommended.
Here, he tries to examine the mind and psychology of somebody who risks his health, maybe his life, so many times. There is certainly a reference about being free as a bird. The competition of ski jumping on the biggest hills is called flying for a reason. The film runs for 44 minutes and Herzog was in his early 30s when this was made. Steiner was in his early 20s. Steiner also got a small cameo in another Herzog film from the same year. It's also funny to see how the athletes had to prepare the skis themselves. Unthinkable today.
Maybe this is still the most famous ski jumping documentary, or movie in general, of all time. I thought it was worth a watch for seeing the differences compared to today (I was very interested in it a while ago, but don't watch it today anymore) and because of Herzog's narration which is as strong as ever. The title is slightly pretentious and sometimes he is a bit over the top in terms of drama when he says it is unsure if he will ever jump again and then he jumped the same day, but oh well. I still enjoyed the watch. Recommended.