User Reviews

Truly, this isn't much of a film. It isn't the place to start on Weimar era cinema, Leni Riefenstahl, the German mountain films, or anything else for that matter. But, it still rates a look for the fantastic cinematography of snowscapes and skiers. The movie is almost a silent film. Much of the dialog was added or dubbed during editing but it was hardly needed. The total lack of background noise, the sound of skis on snow, is disturbing. I believe you could watch and understand it without knowing a word of German.

Riefenstahl is something of an innocent in "Ski Chase." It is hard to believe that she is the same person who became Nazi Germany's official film maker. Of course, we all know that the propaganda minister wanted to give the job to Fritz Lang. If only Lang hadn't turned out to have morals.

On the one hand, the skiing sequences are spectacularly performed and shot. It is easy to see the genesis of some of Riefenstahl's set-ups for "Olympia" in the slow-motion and low angle camera work ("Skicam!"). On the other hand, as a film this is just laughable, with Riefenstahl mugging her way through a plot that must have taken all of a minute to think up. It's hard to believe that this is anything other than Arnold Fanck collecting the producer Harry Sokal's money, yelling to his cast and crew, "Come on, we're going skiing!," and then tossing something together in the editing room once everyone had thawed out and sobered up. No wonder Riefenstahl (reportedly) insisted on G. W. Pabst being hired as the "co-director" of "The White Hell of Pitz Palu;" when given full control over the dramatics of the film as he is here, Fanck makes Mack Sennett look like Herik Ibsen.

Although made in 1931, this film is still astonishing today. The story is extremely simple. Leni, a daring young girl, is visiting for the second time a ski-resort. The local ski-teatchers agree to organise a "fox-hunt" for her. Leni and Hannes are "the foxes", and about 40 other skiers will have to catch them, starting with a 15 minutes delay. It's not the story that makes this film, but the extremely spectacular, thrilling shots about ski. How many crew members and figurants broke their bones in making this picture ? is a question every specator will ask himself ! On the other hand, the film also reveals us the beauty and the delight of ski, like only a genuine black&white picture could do! If you have the chance to see this picture, don't miss it: you won't regret, even if you are not in the least interested in ski or sports.

One has to reflect upon - what is a movie, what it is for - is it only a strong story as one reviewer here indicated ?

Not necessarily - it should have something called wholesomeness - it should be something which keeps one glued and in the end, (in my opinion), it shouldn't end up with a wrong message. After all, a movie too is a form of mix between an art (like Mona Lisa) and a story (e.g Les Miserables), or a poem (e.g. Odyssey) - one can enjoy when they are well married, but even if they are not it can still have a lot of attraction, as stand alone.

This one, as mentioned by a reviewer has a very thin plot line - in fact almost no plot. There is a village girl, with a naughty child (brother ?) and a local skier who teaches her the tricks, and then there are a crowd of skiers (and professional, as the starting intertitles mentioned), with two (in role of Carpenters) more professional than the rest. The whole movie is around a chase, where the instructor and girl don the role of Fox, and the rest as Fox-hunters - all on ski.

And despite this thin line, and not much of an action (or accident) on the snow, I found this movie, after quite some time, which stopped me from jumping forward. And that is simply because the art on the snow which the two Foxes and the hounds delineated. That too, when I have no interaction with the sport, whatsoever. But to appreciate a poem, one need not be a poet.

Hovered around 9 and 10, but the cheating at the end by the kid brother was really a bit far fetched. I assume it was introduced to make the romantic angle a bit clearer - who would be the girl's choice, there were three major male characters who seem to be interested - the carpenters and the maestro.

Beautiful movie, and even more considering it was in early thirties. But on other hand at that time Hollywood (except the products of European imports) might have been almost in infancy, but Europe was far ahead then, Sjostrom, Renoir, Murnau, Gad, Pabst, Machaty, Stiller, Becce,... are only few.

And to counter again, of Lena not coming over to Hollywood, may be it was not that bad, after all those who came to Hollywood, either became market-driven, or were thrown out like Stiller. So her staying back might not have been too bad, as far as the art is concerned. And here we are bothered abot art, not who was the patron of it, even if it was Hitler, as far as it didn't transcent in the product. And for the naysayers, well Hitler might have been monster, but what about the other side - who did equal annihilation of the native americans ? And not only that, kept on encouraging it for another 50 years, through Westerns/ Cowboy Movies, ironically, painting the invaders/ killers as heroes, and the actual owners of the Ranch, defending their property as villains ? But ce la vie - the one is left standing, with Gun still in hand is always right.

It is better, we look at art for art's sake, and not bother about what were the ideaology of the humans who went on to make it, as long as the ideology didn't inhumanise the product like Jud Suss did (or scores of Westerns and Cowboy movies too did so)

I don't speak German, but this film ROCKED!

The skiing was fun, Leni was ...what can I say, she was FANTASTIC in this movie. Uber lustig! Super toll!

Made in 1931, it heartened the German people. Even now it can still make you forget your troubles. This film is fun, an all-around good time... definately worth the effort to track it down.