Weiße Hölle vom Piz Palü, Die (1929)

Directors:

Arnold Fanck
Georg Wilhelm Pabst

Writers:

Arnold Fanck (writer)
Ladislaus Vajda (writer)

Release Date:

1 June 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Action | Adventure

Tagline:

Nothing like it before, nothing like it again!

Plot:

A man climbs a 12,000-foot mountain to search for his wife, who was lost on their honeymoon. Another couple makes the dangerous climb with him. |

Plot Keywords:

Climbing | Disaster | Mountaineer | Mountain

Cast

Gustav Diessl	...	Dr. Johannes Krafft
Leni Riefenstahl	...	Maria Maioni
Ernst Petersen	...	Hans Brandt
Ernst Udet	...	Flieger Udet
Mizzi Götzel	...	Maria Krafft
Otto Spring	...	Christian Klucker
Kurt Gerron	...	Mann im Salon (guest at night club)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles McNamee	...	Narrator in USA sound version (voice)

Directed by
Arnold Fanck		(as Dr. Arnold Fanck)
Georg Wilhelm Pabst		(as G.W. Pabst)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Arnold Fanck		writer
Ladislaus Vajda		writer

Produced by
Paul Kohner	....	associate producer: USA Universal 1930 version
Harry R. Sokal	....	producer (as H.R. Sokal)

Original Music by
Giuseppe Becce		(1935) (as Dr. Guiseppe Becce)
Ashley Irwin		(1998)
Heinz Roemheld		(1930 version)

Cinematography by
Sepp Allgeier
Richard Angst
Hans Schneeberger

Film Editing by
Arnold Fanck

Set Decoration by
Ernö Metzner

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marc Sorkin	....	assistant director (as M. Sorkin)

Sound Department
C. Roy Hunter	....	recording supervisor: 1930 Universal USA version
Eberhard Leschin	....	sound engineer (b&w restored version 1998)

Editorial Department
Edward L. Cahn	....	editor: US version
Nina Goslar	....	commissioning editor (1998 restored version)

Music Department
David Broekman	....	score synchronization (1930 version)
Frank Strobel	....	conductor (B&W restored version 1998)
Richard Bronskill	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Andor Pinter	....	orchestrator (1930 version) (uncredited)
Heinz Roemheld	....	conductor (1930 version) (uncredited)
Heinz Roemheld	....	orchestrator (1930 version) (uncredited)
Walter Schiller	....	orchestrator (1930 version) (uncredited)

Other crew
Heinz Landsmann	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Sokal-Film GmbH
• H.T.-Film (1935) (sound version)

Distributors

• Aafa-Film AG (1929) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1930) (USA) (theatrical)
• Bild und Ton GmbH (1935) (Germany) (theatrical)
• H.T.-Film (1935) (Germany) (theatrical) (Berlin)
• Nitzsche AG (1935) (Germany) (theatrical) (Leipzig)
• Nord-Film GmbH (1935) (Germany) (theatrical) (Hamburg)
• Arthaus Filmverleih (1999) (Germany) (DVD)
• Grapevine Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Kino Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Grapevine Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

The White Hell of Pitz Palu (UK) (literal English title)
White Hell of Pitz Palu (USA)

Runtime:

150 min | 90 min (1935 sound verson) | Germany:135 min (25 fps) (TV version) | USA:75 min

Country:

Germany

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Tobis-Klangfilm) (sound version: 1935) | Silent

Filming Locations:

Engadin, Kanton Graubünden, Switzerland

Company:

Sokal-Film GmbH

Goofs:

Continuity: In the Rescue scene of Maria Maioni, whilst being hoisted unconscious up the glacier, her hand suddenly awakes and holds on to the tether she's bound to. In the next scene, her hand is no longer hold the tether, and both her arms are shown dropping on both sides.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Lulu in Berlin (1984)

Even fewer weak points than expected...

Other comments nicely point out the excellence of this film's mountain photography. That's why you should go watch it. Yet, before viewing it, i feared the plot and the film's perspective on humankind might be quite annoying. Gladly, this is not so.

Leni Riefenstahl has a rather doubtful reputation for acting Nazi propaganda films - but this film is quite free from patriotic or chauvinist sub tones. In fact, it is pleasing even from a modern feminist perspective, actively avoiding and rebuking gender clichés, which is quite astonishing in a piece of art dating from pre-WW2 times.

Many ancient mountain films, in particular German ones, praise heroic fight. On first sight, some people claim this one does so, too. On closer inspection, i don't think so any more. Granted, Dr. Krafft does act heroically - but it's completely obvious less obsession and more prudence from his part would have served everyone much better. Hans wants to be a hero - but for that very reason is proved the greatest fool. Maria, the least heroic of all the party and the most sensible, clearly leaves the best impression in the end. A film can hardly promote heroism by showing off its dumbness...

The film has its weak points, but naming these rather shows how good it actually is: The film's location is the Piz Palu north face. Yet, many scenes have been taken in the Piz Morteratsch south east face. So far, no problem - a north face has bad sunlight, but the film dwells on light. On top of that, turning a film in the Palu north face would have been suicidal. That ice wall is indeed extremely dangerous and quite famous for its icy avalanches. Yet, the faking of the location could have been better concealed in many scenes. Viewing a panorama in the background that simply cannot be seen from the location the foreground is meant to represent IS disturbing if you know the whereabouts. A few glitches are even worse: For probably technical reasons, when searching for climbers in the steep Palu north face, the film actually shows scans of a flat glacier basin (the Vadret Pers glacier tongue, as far as i remember). This gross inconsistency will annoy you even if you do not personally know the Bernina mountains.

The weakest point of the film are the subtitles. Clearly, they are meant to help understanding of the plot - remember this is a mute movie. A few of them are certainly required, but they are simply far too numerous, and many just rehash what is obvious from the fine pictures, anyway.

But hey, superfluous subtitles and faked locations - we ought to be glad not to find more serious defects to complain about...