The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner (1974)
The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner (1974)
Made for West German television and broadcast by Süddeutscher Rundfunk, this 45-minute documentary sits comfortably within the run of obsessive, singular-subject films Herzog was producing throughout the early-to-mid 1970s, alongside features like Aguirre and The Mystery of Kaspar Hauser. Its subject, Walter Steiner, was a Swiss ski-flyer of genuine world-class ability, famous for out-jumping the designed safety limits of competition hills, a problem that fascinated Herzog as much as the sport itself. Herzog shot the film at the Planica ski-flying venue in Yugoslavia, using slow-motion footage to capture Steiner's flights in unusual detail. The budget was negligible, as was typical for Herzog's non-fiction work of the period, where minimal resources were compensated for by intensity of focus on the individual subject.
Honestly... unless you're into Skiing or carpentry I wouldn't recommend this. The soundtrack is great and it's relatively interesting but yeah... that's about it
Rating: Not rated | Year: 1974 | Watched: 2026-03-07
Where to watch (UK)
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Physical: Amazon UK
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Werner Herzog: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Fitzcarraldo (1982)
More with Werner Herzog: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers (1980)
More from Germany: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Cemetery Man (1994) · The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) · Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
More from the 1970s: Fantastic Planet (1973) · Here and Elsewhere (1976) · Italianamerican (1974) · Punishment Park (1971)
More documentary: Letter from Siberia (1957) · Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Style Wars (1983) · Here and Elsewhere (1976)
