However, rather than watch the premier of another Warren Miller film, or death defying footagin from an Alaskan Couloir, or even one of my former students skiing in an urban Meatballs production ... I went to the Steep Edge Films website an watched a movie comedy from the 1930s. A classic of the German genre of Berg Films - Der Weisse Rausch - starred Leni Riefenstahl, AND just in case you couldn't tell she had a big LR monogrammed over the left breast of all her outfits. Leni with her guide, and the Mutt and Jeff two-some (trying to learn how to ski from a book) make every beginner mistake possible. Of course, by the next season they are reeling off impressive gelandesprungs and doing sophisticated ski ballet steps ... all on the wood skis, and bear trap bindings of the 1930s ... PRETTY DAMNED IMPRESSIVE WATCHING HANNES SCHNEIDER, RUDI MATT, AND THE LANTSCHNER BROTHERS.
Produced and directed by Franck, set in the Arlberg, this is a beautiful piece of cinematography, and I only wish that I could ski as good with modern gear. What little dialogue there is, is in German, however the thin story line is pretty easy to follow without sub-titles. This is must see for a history buff.
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