Arnold Fanck was a successful filmmaker in the 1920's Germany, known especially for his mountaineering films, like this one. "Der heilige Berg" (The Holy Mountain, 1926) is great proof of Fanck's greatest talent: his eye for depicting nature. This is still a very watchable film, because of the way the director shot it. The lakes, the mountains and the skies all melt together, forming a timeless-seeming space, that gets broken every time the director attempts to tell a story. As a storyteller, he is no great talent.
The narrative is about two friends, who travel in the mountains, and meet a dancer (Leni Riefenstahl), with whom both fall in love with. The romantic triangle means their doom, since the mountain is cursed. The story is told in a very uneven manner, with narrative bumps here and there. Also we have a skiing contest for no apparent reason, which again affects the film's mood in a negative way.
The nature shots of this film could be edited into a better film, as some later tried to do. They are that gorgeous. Besides the scenery, this film is remembered for Leni Riefenstahl's first big role. Acting-wise, it isn't anything special, but the years she spent on the mountains with Fanck are visible in her directorial works as spacial understanding.
The narrative is about two friends, who travel in the mountains, and meet a dancer (Leni Riefenstahl), with whom both fall in love with. The romantic triangle means their doom, since the mountain is cursed. The story is told in a very uneven manner, with narrative bumps here and there. Also we have a skiing contest for no apparent reason, which again affects the film's mood in a negative way.
The nature shots of this film could be edited into a better film, as some later tried to do. They are that gorgeous. Besides the scenery, this film is remembered for Leni Riefenstahl's first big role. Acting-wise, it isn't anything special, but the years she spent on the mountains with Fanck are visible in her directorial works as spacial understanding.