Leni Riefenstahl is an Italian peasant who lives in the Dolemites. She enjoys free climbing barefoot, much to the annoyance of her would-be lover, Luis Trenker. One day she is lathering her goat by the river. She rescues Berlin tourist Hans Schneeberger, and the two instantly fall in love. This would not be a romantic comedy if there were no impediment to their love, and Schneeberger -- a great name for a mountain movie actor, is it not? -- is a shy, repressed city man. He misses a date with her and her eighteen or twenty orphaned brothers and sisters, so she sets him the challenge of winning the big cross-country skiing race.
Thanks to the machinations of Schneeberger's valet, Paul Graetz, the fix is in through various tricks, involving a fat suit, propellers and an umbrella, in fullblown silent-movie fantasy gags. The race, which takes up the second half of the film is a long-winded affair, full of comic tricks, a goat on skis, and much excellent camerawork by Fanck's team of six cinematographers, who shoot the skiers on the snow in an engaging fashion. It's a very engaging movie.
I looked at it on the new Kino dvd, from the Murnau Stiftung restoration. The print is in excellent shape, and Neil Brand's score is a fine one. For some reason, he seems to have chosen his themes by doing variations on Richard Roger's "Manhattan" and Cole Porter's "Love For Sale." I won't argue with success. It's a first-class silent comedy.
Thanks to the machinations of Schneeberger's valet, Paul Graetz, the fix is in through various tricks, involving a fat suit, propellers and an umbrella, in fullblown silent-movie fantasy gags. The race, which takes up the second half of the film is a long-winded affair, full of comic tricks, a goat on skis, and much excellent camerawork by Fanck's team of six cinematographers, who shoot the skiers on the snow in an engaging fashion. It's a very engaging movie.
I looked at it on the new Kino dvd, from the Murnau Stiftung restoration. The print is in excellent shape, and Neil Brand's score is a fine one. For some reason, he seems to have chosen his themes by doing variations on Richard Roger's "Manhattan" and Cole Porter's "Love For Sale." I won't argue with success. It's a first-class silent comedy.