Arnold Fanck (6 March 1889 – 28 September 1974) was a German

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

and pioneer of the mountain film genre. He is best known for the extraordinary alpine footage he captured in such films as '' The Holy Mountain'' (1926), '' The White Hell of Pitz Palu'' (1929), '' Storm over Mont Blanc'' (1930), '' The White Ecstasy'' (1931), and '' S.O.S. Eisberg'' (1933). Fanck was also instrumental in launching the careers of several filmmakers during the

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

years in Germany, including

Leni Riefenstahl Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (; 22 August 1902 – 8 September 2003) was a German film director, Film producer, producer, screenwriter, Film editing, editor, photographer, and actress. She is considered one of the most controversial ...

Luis Trenker Luis Trenker (born Alois Franz Trenker, 4 October 1892 – 12 April 1990) was a South Tyrolean film producer, director, writer, actor, architect, alpinist, and bobsledder. Biography Early life Alois Franz Trenker was born on 4 October 1892 in ...

, and cinematographers Sepp Allgeier, Richard Angst, Hans Schneeberger, and Walter Riml.Inkster 2012, p. 19.

Biography

Arnold Fanck was born on 6 March 1889 in

Frankenthal Frankenthal (Pfalz) (; ) is a town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. History Frankenthal was first mentioned in 772. In 1119 an Augustinians, Augustinian monastery was built here, the ruins of which — known, aft ...

, Germany. Together with Odo Deodatus Tauern, Bernhard Villinger and Rolf Bauer, Fanck established the company "Berg- und Sportfilm GmbH Freiburg" in Freiburg im Breisgau in 1920. Fanck, who held a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

, directed mountain films,

sports film A sports film is a film genre in which any particular sport plays a prominent role in the film's plot or acts as its central theme. It is a production in which a sport or a sports-related topic is prominently featured or is a focus of the plot. D ...

s and ski films. He was assisted by Sepp Allgeier, a

cameraman A camera operator, or depending on the context cameraman or camerawoman, is a professional operator of a film camera or video camera as part of a film crew. The term "cameraman" does not necessarily imply that a male is performing the task. ...

who later worked with

, and worked mostly in the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

in locations such as the

Engadin The Engadin or Engadine (;This is the name in the two Romansh idioms that are spoken in the Engadin, Vallader and Puter, as well as in Sursilvan and Rumantsch Grischun. In Surmiran, the name is ''Nagiadegna'', and in Sutsilvan, it is ''Gidegna'' ...

Zermatt Zermatt (, ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Visp (district), Visp in the German language, German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a year-round population of about 5,800 and is cl ...

and the

Arlberg The Arlberg (, also: ''Arlberg Pass'') is a mountain pass between states of Tyrol and Vorarlberg in Austria. Ski resorts at the Arlberg include Lech, Zürs, Stuben, St. Christoph, St. Anton, Oberlech, Stubenbach, Zug, and Warth. It is the m ...

and on mountains such as

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...

and

Piz Palü Piz Palü is a mountain in the Bernina Range of the Alps, located between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large glaciated massif composed of three main summits, on a ridge running from west to east. The main (and central) summit is 3,899 metres ...

. His most popular and successful films of the period between the wars include '' The Holy Mountain'' (1926), '' The White Hell of Pitz Palu'' (1929), '' Storm over Mont Blanc'' (1930), '' The White Ecstasy'' (1931), and '' S.O.S. Eisberg'' (1933)—all starring

. During the

Nazi regime Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

, Fanck got in trouble with propaganda minister

Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and philologist who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief Propaganda in Nazi Germany, propagandist for the Nazi Party, and ...

, since he refused to cooperate — apparently because of the necessity of joining the party. In 1934, he also began working on his film, '' The Eternal Dream'', which not only starred a French

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

in French mountains, but also had a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

producer, Gregor Rabinovitch. This conflict brought Fanck economic difficulties from which he escaped only by accepting a contract from the

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese ministry of culture in 1936. With '' The Daughter of the Samurai'' and other "culture films," Fanck decided to cooperate with the Nazi regime. Soon afterward, he produced '' A German Robinson Crusoe'' (1938/40) a

propaganda film A propaganda film is a film that involves some form of propaganda. Propaganda films spread and promote certain ideas that are usually religious, political, or cultural in nature. A propaganda film is made with the intent that the viewer will ad ...

for Bavaria Filmkunst. Fanck joined the

NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...

in April 1940. In 1944 he made a

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

about the sculptor

Arno Breker Arno Breker (19 July 1900 – 13 February 1991) was a German sculptor who is best known for his public works in Nazi Germany, where he was endorsed by the authorities as the antithesis of degenerate art. He was made official state sculptor, ...

called ''Arno Breker – Harte Zeit, starke Kunst''.Aitken, Ian (2013
''The Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film''
Routledge , pg 245 After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Fanck's main films made during the regime were proscribed by the Allied military governments. Fanck received no further job offers and went to work as a

lumberjack Lumberjack is a mostly North American term for workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees. The term usually refers to loggers in the era before 1945 in the United States, when trees were felled us ...

. After the screening of his film ''The Eternal Dream'' at the mountain film festival in

Trento Trento ( or ; Ladin language, Ladin and ; ; ; ; ; ), also known in English as Trent, is a city on the Adige, Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the Trentino, autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th ...

in 1957, Fanck was once again recognized for his artistic achievements. In order to survive his economic difficulties, however, he was forced to sell the rights to his films to a friend, until TV broadcasts improved his situation. Fanck died on 28 September 1974 in

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

, Germany, at the age of 85. He is buried in the Hauptfriedhof in Freiburg.

Filmography

* ' (1920, documentary) * ' (1921) * ''Das Wunder des Schneeschuhs, 2. Teil – Eine Fuchsjagd auf Skiern durchs Engadin'' (1922) * ''Pömperlys Kampf mit dem Schneeschuh'' (co-director:

Holger-Madsen Forest Holger-Madsen (11 April 1878 – 30 November 1943) was a Danish film director, actor and screenwriter. He directed more than 40 films between 1912 and 1936. He also appeared in more than 20 films between 1908 and 1935. Selected filmo ...

, 1922) * '' Mountain of Destiny'' (1924) * ' (1924, short documentary) * ''Die weiße Kunst'' (dir. Sepp Allgeier, 1925, documentary) * '' The Holy Mountain'' (1926) * '' The Great Leap'' (1927) * '' Struggle for the Matterhorn'' (dir.

Mario Bonnard Mario Bonnard (24 December 1889 – 22 March 1965) was an Italian actor and film director. Career Bonnard was born and died in Rome. He began his cinematic career as an actor becoming a popular romantic lead in numerous silent films made befo ...

and Nunzio Malasomma, 1928), co-wrote * '' The White Stadium'' (1928, documentary) * '' Milak, the Greenland Hunter'' (dir. Georg Asagaroff and , 1928) * '' The White Hell of Pitz Palu'' (co-director: G. W. Pabst, 1929) * '' Storm over Mont Blanc'' (1930) * '' The White Ecstasy'' (1931) * '' S.O.S. Eisberg'' (1933) * '' North Pole, Ahoy'' (dir.

Andrew Marton Andrew Marton (born Endre Marton; 26 January 1904 – 7 January 1992) was a Hungarian-American film director. In his career, he directed 39 films and television programs, and worked on 16 as a second unit director, including the chariot race in ...

, 1934) * ''Die Seehunde'' (1934, short) * '' The Eternal Dream'' (1934) * '' The Daughter of the Samurai'' (1937) * ''Winterreise durch Südmandschurien'' (1938, short documentary) * ''Kaiserbauten in Fernost'' (1938, short documentary) * ''Hänschen Klein'' (1938, short) * '' A German Robinson Crusoe'' (1940) * ''Kampf um den Berg'' (1941, short) * ' (1943, short documentary) * ' (1944, short documentary) * ''Atlantik-Wall'' (1944, short documentary)

Retrospective films

* ''In Eis und Schnee – Der Filmregisseur Arnold Fanck'' (1997) directed by Hans-Jürgen Panitz * ''Zwischen weißem Rausch und Abgrund: Über Arnold Fanck, den Extremregisseur'' (1998) directed by Andreas Berg

References

Notes Bibliography * Fanck, Arnold; Schneider, Hannes (1925
''Wunder des Schneeschuhs; ein System des richtigen Skilaufens und seine Anwendung im alpinen Geländelauf''
Hamburg: Gebrüder Enoch. ; reprint * Baader, Ernst Wilhelm; Schneeberger, Hans; Allgeier, Sepp; Fanck, Arnold; Arató, Gyula (1926) ''Wunder des Schneeschuhs Sprunglauf, Langlauf'', Hamburg: Gebrüder Enoch * Fanck, Arnold (1929) ''Die bruchlose Deformation von Fossilien durch tektonischen Druck und ihr Einfluss auf die Bestimmung der Arten. Beobachtet und bearbeitet an den Pelecypoden der St. Galler Meeresmolasse''. Zürich: Fretz * Fanck, Arnold (1932) ''Das Bilderbuch des Skiläufers. - 284 kinematografische Bilder vom Skilauf mit Erläuterungen und einer Einführung in eine neue Bewegungs-Fotografie''. Hamburg: Gebrüder Enoch * Fanck, Arnold (1973) ''Er fuhrte Regie mit Gletschern, Sturmen und Lawinen; ein Filmpionier erzahlt'' München: Nymphenburger Verlagshandlung * Haarstark, Gunther (1990) ''Dramatische Berge. Der Filmregisseur Dr. Arnold Fanck'', Frankfurt M., Magisterarbeit * Horak, Jan-Christopher with Pichler, Gisela, eds. (1997) ''Berge, Licht und Traum. Dr. Arnold Fanck und der deutsche Bergfilm'' München: Bruckmann * Rapp, Christian (1997) ''Höhenrausch. Der deutsche Bergfilm'' Wien: Sonderzahl * Bock, Hans-Michael and Bergfelder, Tim (eds) (2009
''The Concise Cinegraph: Encyclopaedia of German Cinema''
Berghahn Books pg 116 - 117 * Fanck, Matthias (2009) ''Arnold Fanck. Weisse Hölle – weisser Rausch. Bergfilme und Bergbilder 1909 – 1939''. AS-Verlag, Zürich * Inkster, Darlene (2012
Film Pioneers: Arnold Fanck
pg 18-21 in ''Directory of World Cinema: Germany'' edited by Michelle Langford, Intellect Books * Haque, Kamaal (2012
Genre of the Mountain Film
in ''A New History of German Cinema'' edited by Jennifer M. Kapczynski, Michael David Richardson; Boydell & Brewe pp 142–147

External links

Pioneer of 'Mountain Filming'
(2020)

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

*
The case of Arnold Fanck
by Béla Balázs
Article by Thomas StaedeliFilm's Role in Popularizing Alpine Skiing in America
by Rick Moulton

by Donald G. Daviau * ttp://www.filmportal.de/person/arnold-fanck_7b6bac083afb40e1b6309f99a6384638 Arnold Fanckbiography, filmography and photos at filmportal.de
Arnold Fanck
at

MUBI Mubi (; stylized as MUBI; the Auteurs before 2010) is a global streaming platform, production company and film distributor. MUBI produces and theatrically distributes films by emerging and established filmmakers, which are exclusively available ...

*
Der weisse Rausch. Actor Walter Riml as the tall Hamburger carpenter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fanck, Arnold Climbing and mountaineering film directors German Nazi propagandists German film directors People from the Palatinate (region) Film people from Freiburg im Breisgau 1889 births 1974 deaths Nazi Party members