Arnold Fanck started out as a geologist, but somehow became a director, first of documentaries, then in the creation of the genre of "Mountain Films" in which people go freeze their patooties off in the winter and thus reach a state of grace. It's a peculiarly German genre, although other people tried their hands at it from time to time.
But here, in this semi-documentary about skiing, he certainly shows us everything worthwhile about it: beautiful pictures of snow-covered mountains, skiers flying over the heads of onlookers in slow motion -- everything that you might expect to see on The Wide World of Sports except for that guy who keeps falling off the mountain while the announcer intones "The Agony of Defeat!". There's a bit of a story tacked onto it, and thus it's an early stage in the evolution of the Mountain film, but the real point is to see the skiers in action. They're as good as they've ever gotten, and the editing is dynamite.
But here, in this semi-documentary about skiing, he certainly shows us everything worthwhile about it: beautiful pictures of snow-covered mountains, skiers flying over the heads of onlookers in slow motion -- everything that you might expect to see on The Wide World of Sports except for that guy who keeps falling off the mountain while the announcer intones "The Agony of Defeat!". There's a bit of a story tacked onto it, and thus it's an early stage in the evolution of the Mountain film, but the real point is to see the skiers in action. They're as good as they've ever gotten, and the editing is dynamite.
