The White Hell of Pitz Palu

Die weiße Hölle vom Piz Palü
A promotional film poster for "Die weiße Hölle vom Piz Palü"
Directed by	Arnold Fanck Georg Wilhelm Pabst
Produced by	Harry R. Sokal
Written by	Arnold Fanck Ladislaus Vajda
Starring	Leni Riefenstahl Gustav Diessl Ernst Petersen Ernst Udet
Music by	Willy Schmidt-Gentner
Cinematography	Sepp Allgeier Richard Angst Hans Schneeberger
Editing by	Arnold Fanck Hermann Haller
Distributed by	H. R. Sokal-Film GmbH
Release date(s)	Germany November 15, 1929
Running time	150 min. (original version)
Country	Germany
Language	German

The White Hell of Pitz Palu (German: Die weiße Hölle vom Piz Palü) is a 1929 silent mountain film directed by Arnold Fanck and Georg Wilhelm Pabst and starring future filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl and World War I flying ace Ernst Udet.

Plot

The wife of alpinist Dr Johannes Krafft (Gustav Diessl) dies after a crevasse fall. It is implied that the accident was due to his negligence. Ten years later the newlywed Karl Stern (Ernst Petersen) and Maria Majoni (Leni Riefenstahl) arrive in an alpine hut near St. Moritz. They meet Dr Krafft who is obsessed with the death of his wife and is still searching for her in the mountains. Together they depart to climb Piz Palü, not knowing that a storm is approaching. Trapped in the mountain and with Stern having broken his leg they are forced to spend the night on a small ledge. Dr Krafft who had given his coat to Karl does not survive until the next morning. Eventually the aviator Ernst Udet (played by himself), who is also a friend of Karl and Maria, finds the couple. He alerts the rescuers who eventually safely escort Karl and Maria back to the valley.

Cast

• Gustav Diessl: Dr Johannes Krafft
• Leni Riefenstahl: Maria Majoni
• Ernst Petersen: Karl Stern
• Ernst Udet: himself, flying ace Ernst Udet
• Mizzi Götzel: Maria Krafft, the wife of Dr Johannes Krafft
• Christian Klucker: Otto Spring, mountain guide
• Kurt Gerron: guest at night club^[1]

Production

The film was shot from January to June 1929 in the Bernina Range in the Alps. Work was divided between the two directors. Arnold Fanck was responsible for the location shots in the mountains, Georg Wilhelm Pabst was responsible for the indoor shots and was advising Fanck in matters of dramaturgy. The set design was by Ernö Metzner, the cinematography by Fanck's long-time collaborators Sepp Allgeier, Richard Angst and Hans Schneeberger. Fanck would continue to work with actors Leni Riefenstahl and Ernst Udet in the films Stürme über dem Montblanc and S.O.S. Eisberg.

Distribution

On October 11, 1929 the film premiered in Vienna. In Germany the film had its premiere in the same year on November 1 in Stuttgart. The official German premiere was on November 15, 1929 in Berlin. In the first four weeks the film was seen by more than 100,000 people at the UFA Palast in Berlin, at this time Germany's largest and most important movie theater.

In 1930 a sound film version in English was released internationally. In 1935 a German sound film version with a film score by Giuseppe Becce was produced. The film was shortened to 90 minutes. With the Nazis in power since 1933, the Jewish-sounding name "Karl Stern" was changed into "Hans Brandt". All scenes with the Jewish actor Kurt Gerron, who was murdered in Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944, were cut from this release. A remake was produced in 1950 under the title Föhn by Rolf Hansen, starring Hans Albers and Liselotte Pulver.

The original version of Die weiße Hölle vom Piz Palü was lost until 1996. The film was restored in 1997 by the German Federal Film Archive. The original film score by Willy Schmidt-Gentner is still lost.^[2]

Northern side of Piz Palü

Reception

The film was well received both critically and commercially. Several film historians cite it as Fanck's most successful picture critically and Riefenstahl's as an actress. It also became the second biggest box office hit of the year in Germany.^[3]

In the New York Times, Mordaunt Hall wrote that "Leni Riefenstahl is convincing", remarking on "a swift undercurrent of tenseness and anticipation that carries one along through the avalanches, up the precipitous and threatening mountainside and finally to the climax of the rescue."^[3]

Legacy

Both Pabst and Riefenstahl are referenced in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. In Tarantino's film, the movie is just ending its run as the feature attraction advertised on the marquee of Le Gamaar cinema (in French: L'Enfer Blanc du Piz Palu), with a German-language billboard of Weisse Hölle vom Piz Palü above it. Also, when questioned by an SS officer regarding his unusual accent, disguised British soldier Archie Hicox (Michael Fassbender) claims to hail from Piz Palü, and that he and his family were cast as extras in the film.

References

1. ^ Filmportal.de. "Die weiße Hölle von Piz Palü". http://www.filmportal.de/df/2f/Uebersicht,,,,,,,,89CE9DCEB87F4545BEF53BCB3EE095F9,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.html. Retrieved 2008-02-12.  (German)
2. ^ Stummfilmmusiktage (January 2005). "Die weiße Hölle von Piz Palü (D 1929)". http://www.stummfilmmusiktage.de/de/archive/movies/weisse_hoelle.php. Retrieved 2008-02-12.  (German)
3. ^ ^{a b} Bach, Steven (2006). Leni- The Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl. Abacus. 

External links

• Die Weiße Hölle vom Piz Palü at the Internet Movie Database
• Die weiße Hölle vom Piz Palü at AllRovi