The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner
Encyclopedia
The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner (Ge. Die Große Ekstase des Bildschnitzers Steiner) is a 1974 documentary
film
by German
filmmaker Werner Herzog
. It is about celebrated ski-jumper Walter Steiner
who works as a carpenter
for his full-time occupation. Herzog has called it "one of my most important films."
and Garmisch-Partenkirchen
, as well as Planica
in Yugoslavia
. The film was made as part of a series for a German television station, which restricted in some ways the content. Herzog's original cut was 60 minutes long, but it was edited down to 45 minutes to fit in a one hour television spot. Also, the station required Herzog himself to appear on camera, which he had not typically done in his documentaries until this point.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
by German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
filmmaker Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
. It is about celebrated ski-jumper Walter Steiner
Walter Steiner
Walter Steiner is a Swiss ski jumper who was active in the 1970's.Steiner earned a ski jumping silver medal in the Individual large hill at the 1972 Winter Olympics...
who works as a carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
for his full-time occupation. Herzog has called it "one of my most important films."
Production
The film includes footage shot in the German towns of OberstdorfOberstdorf
Oberstdorf is a municipality and skiing and hiking town in southwest Germany, located in the Allgäu region of the Bavarian Alps.At the center of Oberstdorf is a church whose tall spire serves as a landmark for navigating around town. The summits of the Nebelhorn and Fellhorn provide...
and Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...
, as well as Planica
Planica
Planica is an alpine valley in northwestern Slovenia, extending south from the border village of Rateče, not far from another well-known ski resort, Kranjska Gora. Further south, the valley extends into the Tamar Valley, a popular hiking destination in Triglav National Park.Planica is famous for...
in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. The film was made as part of a series for a German television station, which restricted in some ways the content. Herzog's original cut was 60 minutes long, but it was edited down to 45 minutes to fit in a one hour television spot. Also, the station required Herzog himself to appear on camera, which he had not typically done in his documentaries until this point.
External links
- Review at Fanzine