German filmmaker Arnold Fanck made this beautifully photographed Bergfilm, or ‘mountain film’, in 1926. Written in three days and nights – especially for Leni Riefenstahl – The Holy Mountain took over a year to film in the Alps with an entourage of expert skiers and climbers.
Ostensibly a love triangle romance – between Riefenstahl’s young dancer and the two explorers she encounters – Fanck relishes the glorious Alpine landscape by filming death-defying climbing, avalanche dodging, and frenetic downhill ski racing.
Digitally restored in 2K, The Holy Mountain is a visual feast – and a fascinating look at the origin of a genre. The Masters of Cinema Series is very proud to present this landmark film in its UK debut on Blu-ray.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- 1080p presentation on Blu-ray, from a 2014 2K digital restoration
- Score by Aljoscha Zimmerman, available in both LPCM 2.0 and DTS-HD MA 5.1
- Original German intertitles with optional English subtitles
- The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl [180 mins] – Ray Müller’s definitive documentary on the life and career of Leni Reifenstahl.
- Feature Length Audio Commentary by film historian Travis Crawford
- PLUS: a collector’s booklet featuring a new essay by critic and film historian Kat Ellinger, and a 2004 essay by Doug Cummings from the original Masters of Cinema DVD release
