The wonder of the snowshoe
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The wonder of the snowshoe |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1920 |
| length | 66 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director |
Arnold Fanck Deodatus Tauern |
| script | Arnold Fanck Deodatus Tauern |
| production | Paul Davidson |
| camera |
Sepp Allgeier Arnold Fanck |
| cut | Arnold Fanck |
| occupation | |
|
With Hannes Schneider , Ernst Baader , Sepp Allgeier, Bernhard Villinger and Arnold Fanck as ski buyers | |
The wonder of the snowshoe is a German silent documentary film by Arnold Fanck , who made his directorial debut in the winter of 1919/20.
action
This pioneering strip for documentaries, nature and mountain films has no plot in the usual sense. As part of a series of ski runs, the beauty of the Central European glacier world up to peaks of almost 4200 meters is shown. At the center of the action are the sporty, sometimes downright artistic achievements of the experienced skiers, some of whom also act as cameramen on their descents and jumps over crevasses. A few of them stayed loyal to (mining) film work afterwards.
Production notes
The wonder of the snowshoe was made in the winter of 1919/20; filming locations were the Feldberg , Kreuzeck near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Bernese Oberland ( Jungfrau ) and in Tyrol . The premiere was in October 1920 in Fanck's hometown Freiburg im Breisgau . After the film censorship was passed on December 6, 1920, Das Wunder des Schneeschuhes had its mass start on March 11, 1921 in Dresden. The five-act strip with a length of 1822 meters was released for the youth.
Reception and reviews
"Yesterday evening I was invited to a world premiere as a representative of the trade press by the" Berg- und Sport-Film-Gesellschaft "GmbH. Yes, actually, a premiere in Freiburg! Definitely an event. - When the hall darkened and the first part of the five-act film "The Miracle of the Snowshoe" began to roll on the screen, cinematography revealed itself to be what, in its extreme possibilities, demands of it from some always unsatisfied leaders and theoretical improvers becomes - as a bridge to distant realms - as space shortening and eternity seeker. (...) And I am pleased to say that yesterday's premiere gave me full enjoyment, satisfaction and a view of completely new areas. - The dramatic plot? .... Absolutely none. If you look for the drama in people, the mental conflicts that degenerate into death and hardship. And yet a drama - a drama of nature. A heightened pictorial quality, increased to the monumental from act to act. And as accessories people, their boldness and skill, their defiance in the fight against snow and glaciers arouses feverish tension in the audience. This interesting film was created in months of work, without effort and danger, without being afraid of the cold and sunburn. The technical director of this young, daring company, Dr. Tauern ... and the artistic guide, the geologist Mr. Fanck, have put all their resources into their "experiment" in their belief in the understanding of the audience. Yesterday evening proved to them that, as courageous pioneers, they can count on the full recognition of the film industry. - With the "miracle of the snowshoe" Fanck has enriched German cinematography with a new film, no not with a new film - with a new film genre! "
“In the recently opened Frankfurter Volkstheater for folk-forming cinematic art… a film is currently being shown that is unlikely to have any equal. In images of rare beauty, he reveals the wonders of the winter high mountains, which are only accessible to experienced alpinists and skiers. But before we accompany the daring climbers - they are the best skiers in Germany - on their dangerous hike, we take part in a real ski course in which the non-eerie arts of telemark and Christiania turns and, above all, ski jumping are methodically practiced. You can see jumps of 20 to about 50 meters, rapid descents, arduous climbs, elegant turns, and naturally there is also no lack of falls and strange leg dislocations. (...) The film operator captures the sunset over the flowing sea of clouds. Fog constantly pushes between gleaming mountain peaks and splits again ... steep firn stand out in sparkling splendor from the dull sky. The mountaineers laboriously make their way over the glacier past deadly crevasses and finally get rid of their skis in order to cope with the otherwise indestructible route to the summit on foot. "
“The cultural film has so far led a shadowy existence in the opening program. Arnold Fanck proved with “Wunder des Schneeschuhs” (1920) that even a mass audience would accept a full-length cultural film. At that time, a masterfully guided camera opened up the wonderful world of inaccessible summit giants and at the same time gained countless fans for skiing through gorgeous images of the seemingly weightless gliding.
“The role of the cameraman Sepp Allgeier is particularly important in Fanck's first two ski films, THE WONDER OF THE SNOWSHOE and its second part, FOX HUNT ON SKIS THROUGH THE ENGADIN. Allgeier was the only film experienced in a team of amateurs - the autodidact Fanck came from photography. These films are most closely related to abstract film: diagonal division of the screen. Tracks, curves and signs in the snow. Art Nouveau ornaments, circular image details, small dots that appear on the horizon, shoot quickly at the camera and huge disappear from the picture. "
"Fanck's early works, most of which he produced himself, were primarily visually fascinating, semi-documentary series of images in which the storyline was of secondary importance."
Web links
- The miracle of the snowshoe in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The wonder of the snowshoe at filmportal.de