Wachau - land on the river

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title Wachau - land on the river
Original title Wachau - Valley of Golden Magic
Country of production Austria
original language German
Publishing year 2005
length 50 minutes
Rod
Director Georg Riha
script Manfred Christ,
Harald Pokieser
production RIHA - FWG Foto-Werbe GmbH - Brains & Pictures
music Noisia (Wolfgang Krsek and Gernot Ursin), Triology , Arista Trio, a. a.
camera Thomas Kirschner,
Georg Riha ,
Rudi Wesely
cut Gudrun Nieder
occupation

Peter Simonischek : Speaker

Wachau - Land am Strome is an ORF - Universum - Documentation produced in 2005 by Georg Riha about the Wachau .

content

"This short section of the Danube - 36 of a total of 2800 kilometers - is unique," says the reasoning behind which the Wachau and the Nibelungengau were declared a World Heritage Site . Beginning in early summer, this section of the Danube with all its diverse landscapes, its important cultural monuments and the small-town ensembles is shown in the context of the season. The narrator - in the German version Peter Simonischek - tells about the typical villages, monasteries, castles, about the wine-growing terraces, about alluvial forests and rugged rock formations like a fairy tale that begins with the following words: “You couldn't invent it nicer: a winemaker ... vineyards ... the Danube ... a few mountains ... a tranquil summer's day. ” The film is dedicated to the characteristics of the Wachau , which have made this area famous and a world cultural heritage .

A big theme is the wine and the vineyards in the changing seasons, whereby curiosities or rare skills are also taken into account. For example, hail fliers are shown in action, which the winemakers call for help when thunderstorms threaten the grape harvest. The planes rise to the storm clouds and spray silver iodide crystals, which is supposed to turn hail into rain ( artificial rain ). A knowledge of the construction and restoration of dry stone masonry on the wine-growing terraces, which is steeped in tradition and is now rare, is also mentioned.

Another large filmic arc is dedicated to the architecture in the Wachau , which includes the area with the two baroque Benedictine monasteries Melk Abbey and Göttweig Abbey . In between there are numerous castles, palaces and ruins, u. a. Dürnstein where, in a winter at the end of the 12th century, the crusader and later King of England, Richard the Lionheart , was held captive by the Austrian Duke Leopold. The film is also devoted to a rarity in the fauna : the easter lions , which nowhere live as far north as in Lower Austria and can only be seen in flight for a short time: across from Dürnstein .

Camera technology

As usual with Georg Riha , a large number of special camera technologies were used for this documentation.

Aerial photography

Georg Riha's aerial shots serve as connecting elements in the film. Thanks to a gyro-stabilized camera head, which is attached to a helicopter, the camera is protected from vibrations or these are compensated for. Therefore the recordings are almost vibration-free and convey the feeling of weightless gliding.

Timelapse

The use of time-lapse cameras made it possible to illustrate slow events, such as the change of the seasons.

Rope camera

By using the CAMCAT cable camera developed by Brains & Pictures, it was possible to show the Wachau and its sights from unusual angles.

First broadcast

Wednesday, June 8, 2005, 8:15 p.m., ORF 2

Awards

  • Gold World Medal at the New York Festivals 2006 - 48th Annual International Film Video awards competition (Documentaries up to 60 minutes)
  • Silver Screen Award at the 39th US International Film and Video Festival 2006
  • 3rd place at the 39th Festival of Tourist Film and Video Programs 2006 , Czech Republic

Web links