The Holy Mountain [DVD] [1926] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

---

---

Customer reviews

review by: wulfv date: 2006-04-02 rating:
Breathtaking German Cinema
This was breathtaking early German cinema at its best.brDespite the fact that the film is a silent one this did not detract from my enjoyment of it.brLeni Riefenstahl was perfectly cast in the role of the heroine and the film was a suitable vehicle to demonstrate both her acting and dancing skills.brI found the last scenes of the film in particular to be very spiritual and inspiring.Ancient Aryo-Germanic concepts of honour and loyalty shone through the end part of the film.brIt has to be seen to be appreciated.brThe second disc was a very informative 180 minutes documentary of the star`s incredible life from the early days of being a dancer,actress and film-maker to her later years as a photographer and observer of isolated African tribes.brAltogether the package represents 286 minutes of viewing pleasure.brBuy this rare treasure while you still can!

---

review by: date: 2005-12-20 rating:
Difficult film to review
I have to confess, this is an extraordinarily difficult film and DVD combination to review and rate. In the first place, it is undoubtedly a classic of the silent cinema, and warrants five stars on that basis. Director Arnold Fanck made an early name for himself promoting the healthy and invigorating life of mountaineering and skiing. He pioneered new techniques, not simply in overcoming the technological difficulties of filming at altitude, in intense cold, and in the white of thick snow, but he also filmed dynamically - he doesn't offer static calendar shots of mountains, he fills each frame with movement, plays with lighting and slow motion, makes the picture come alive with rushing water, cascading snow, and the vitality of the human actors climbing and skiing.pIn "The Holy Mountain" ("Der heilige Berg"), Fanck introduces Leni Riefenstahl in her first starring role. She had been a successful dancer until a knee injury ended that career. Fanck, here, uses her dancing as the opening and the theme for his film - two mountaineers fall in love with her and compete for her hand. Riefenstahl, of course, would go on to become famous for her own film making, celebrating the early triumphs of the Nazi regime, and winning many directorial plaudits.p"The Holy Mountain", indeed, is highly stylised in its presentation of characters and action. There is much which could be described as National Socialist Realism in its portrayal of its characters - proud, Aryan actors, posing heroically, caught in roles which emphasise their strength, health, courage, and vitality. The picturing of the countryside and nature again offers up this sort of symbolism, glorifying the role of Germanic peoples. Stylistically, it's very dated. Technically, the filming is superb.pFanck does not appear to have been a supporter of the Nazis - he was a geologist by training, he climbed, he skied, and he made films about his passion. His early filming of ski jumping and downhill racing is a singular technical and artistic achievement. "The Holy Mountain" is beautifully shot - for its time the mountain and ice scenes are outstanding - with the camera flirting with 'natural' images of sea, mountain torrents, sheep in the fields, wild flowers blossoming, etc. But it gets a bit tedious. The narrative romance is, frankly, boring - it is melodramatic, and it shows its age. The subtitles, meanwhile, are a bit twee, the music grates - twenty minutes in and you do want to shot the piano player.pThere are excellent extras - not least a film looking at the highs and lows of Leni Riefenstahl's career. It's a substantial package, and for anyone interested in the history of film-making, particularly in silent movies or the German cinema of the inter-war years, this is essential viewing. "The Silent Mountain" is undoubtedly a classic, and this is an excellent transfer of the film to DVD, the black and white images appearing crisp and the vitality of the original production being captured faithfully. But it's not a film which is going to hold the attention of anything but a very specialised audience. Very interesting, definitely worth watching if you're a keen cinema fan, but!

---

review by: date: 2005-12-20 rating:
Difficult film to review
I have to confess, this is an extraordinarily difficult film and DVD combination to review and rate. In the first place, it is undoubtedly a classic of the silent cinema, and warrants five stars on that basis. Director Arnold Fanck made an early name for himself promoting the healthy and invigorating life of mountaineering and skiing. He pioneered new techniques, not simply in overcoming the technological difficulties of filming at altitude, in intense cold, and in the white of thick snow, but he also filmed dynamically - he doesn't offer static calendar shots of mountains, he fills each frame with movement, plays with lighting and slow motion, makes the picture come alive with rushing water, cascading snow, and the vitality of the human actors climbing and skiing.pIn "The Holy Mountain" ("Der heilige Berg"), Fanck introduces Leni Riefenstahl in her first starring role. She had been a successful dancer until a knee injury ended that career. Fanck, here, uses her dancing as the opening and the theme for his film - two mountaineers fall in love with her and compete for her hand. Riefenstahl, of course, would go on to become famous for her own film making, celebrating the early triumphs of the Nazi regime, and winning many directorial plaudits.p"The Holy Mountain", indeed, is highly stylised in its presentation of characters and action. There is much which could be described as National Socialist Realism in its portrayal of its characters - proud, Aryan actors, posing heroically, caught in roles which emphasise their strength, health, courage, and vitality. The picturing of the countryside and nature again offers up this sort of symbolism, glorifying the role of Germanic peoples. Stylistically, it's very dated. Technically, the filming is superb.pFanck does not appear to have been a supporter of the Nazis - he was a geologist by training, he climbed, he skied, and he made films about his passion. His early filming of ski jumping and downhill racing is a singular technical and artistic achievement. "The Holy Mountain" is beautifully shot - for its time the mountain and ice scenes are outstanding - with the camera flirting with 'natural' images of sea, mountain torrents, sheep in the fields, wild flowers blossoming, etc. But it gets a bit tedious. The narrative romance is, frankly, boring - it is melodramatic, and it shows its age. The subtitles, meanwhile, are a bit twee, the music grates - twenty minutes in and you do want to shot the piano player.pThere are excellent extras - not least a film looking at the highs and lows of Leni Riefenstahl's career. It's a substantial package, and for anyone interested in the history of film-making, particularly in silent movies or the German cinema of the inter-war years, this is essential viewing. "The Silent Mountain" is undoubtedly a classic, and this is an excellent transfer of the film to DVD, the black and white images appearing crisp and the vitality of the original production being captured faithfully. But it's not a film which is going to hold the attention of anything but a very specialised audience. Very interesting, definitely worth watching if you're a keen cinema fan, but!


review by: date: 2004-07-25 rating:
Not Jodorowsky's Holy Mountain!
The reviews for this DVD seem to be for Alejandro Jodorowsky's psycadelic masterpiece of the same name, whereas this as a 20's film about mountaineering, not at all the same thing!!!

---

Similar products

Michael - Masters of Cinema series [DVD]
Diary of a Lost Girl [1929] [DVD] [2007]
Vampyr [Masters of Cinema] [DVD] [1932]
Faust - Masters of Cinema series [DVD]
Der letzte Mann (aka The Last Laugh) [Masters of Cinema] [DVD] [1924]

---

Similar categories

Video . DVD Blu-ray . Categories . Classics . Drama
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Categories . Classics . Silent
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Categories . Drama
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Special Features . Region 1
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . DVD
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Editions (feature_two_browse-bin) . Standard Edition
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Region(feature_browse-bin) . Region 1
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Release Date (feature_three_browse-bin) . 1939 and earlier
Video . DVD Blu-ray . Refinements . Language (theme_browse-bin) . German

---