Arnold Fanck
Arnold Fanck | |
---|---|
![]() Fanck in spring 1939 aboard the German linerSS Bremen | |
Born | |
Died | 28 September 1974 | (aged 85)
Nationality | German |
Alma mater | University of Zürich |
Occupation | Film director |
Known for | Mountain films |
Arnold Fanck(6 March 1889 – 28 September 1974) was a Germanfilm directorand pioneer of themountain filmgenre.[1][2]He is best known for the extraordinary alpine footage he captured in such films asThe Holy Mountain(1926),The White Hell of Pitz Palu(1929),Storm over Mont Blanc(1930),The White Ecstasy(1931), andS.O.S. Eisberg(1933). Fanck was also instrumental in launching the careers of several filmmakers during theWeimaryears in Germany, includingLeni Riefenstahl,Luis Trenker,and cinematographersSepp Allgeier,Richard Angst,Hans Schneeberger,andWalter Riml.[3]
Biography
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Arnold_fanck_%2B_elisabeth_kind_1933_greenland.png/220px-Arnold_fanck_%2B_elisabeth_kind_1933_greenland.png)
Arnold Fanck was born on 6 March 1889 inFrankenthal,Germany.[2]
Together withOdo 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 aPhDingeology,directed mountain films,sports filmsandski films.He was assisted bySepp Allgeier,acameramanwho later worked withLeni Riefenstahl,and worked mostly in theAlpsin locations such as theEngadine,Zermattand theArlbergand on mountains such asMont BlancandPiz Palü.[citation needed]
His most popular and successful films of the period between the wars includeThe Holy Mountain(1926),The White Hell of Pitz Palu(1929),Storm over Mont Blanc(1930),The White Ecstasy(1931), andS.O.S. Eisberg(1933)—all starringLeni Riefenstahl.
During theNazi regime,Fanck got in trouble with propaganda ministerJoseph Goebbels,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 aFrenchheroin French mountains, but also had aJewishproducer,Gregor Rabinovitch.This conflict brought Fanck economic difficulties from which he escaped only by accepting a contract from theJapaneseministry of culture in 1936.[citation needed]
WithThe Daughter of the Samuraiand other "culture films," Fanck decided to cooperate with the Nazi regime. Soon afterward, he producedA German Robinson Crusoe(1938/40) apropaganda filmforBavaria Filmkunst.Fanck joined theNSDAPin April 1940.[4]
In 1944 he made adocumentaryabout the sculptorArno BrekercalledArno Breker – Harte Zeit, starke Kunst.[5]AfterWorld War II,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 alumberjack.
After the screening of his filmThe Eternal Dreamat the mountain film festival inTrentoin 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.[citation needed]
Fanck died on 28 September 1974 inFreiburg im Breisgau,Germany, at the age of 85. He is buried in the Hauptfriedhof in Freiburg.[6]
Filmography
[edit]- Das Wunder des Schneeschuhs (1920, documentary)
- Im Kampf mit dem Berge (1921)
- Das Wunder des Schneeschuhs, 2. Teil – Eine Fuchsjagd auf Skiern durchs Engadin(1922)
- Pömperlys Kampf mit dem Schneeschuh(co-director:Holger-Madsen,1922)
- Mountain of Destiny(1924)
- Das Wolkenphänomen von Maloja (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 BonnardandNunzio Malasomma,1928), co-wrote
- The White Stadium(1928, documentary)
- Milak, the Greenland Hunter(dir.Georg AsagaroffandBernhard Villinger ,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,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)
- Josef Thorak, Werkstatt und Werk (1943, short documentary)
- Arno Breker – Harte Zeit, starke Kunst (1944, short documentary)
- Atlantik-Wall(1944, short documentary)[2]
Retrospective films
[edit]- 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
[edit]Notes
- ^Bergfilmpionier Arnold Fanck - Vergessener Star
- ^abcSadoul, Georges; Morris, Peter (1972).Dictionary of Film Makers.Berkeley: University of California Press. p.79.ISBN978-0-520-02151-8.
Arnold Fanck
- ^Inkster 2012, p. 19.
- ^Dramatische Berge. Der Filmregisseur Dr. Arnold Fanck,by Gunther Haarstark, Frankfurt/M., Magisterarbeit, 1990
- ^Aitken, Ian (2013)The Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film. RoutledgeISBN9781136512063,pg 245
- ^"Arnold Fanck".Find a Grave.Retrieved6 December2013.
Bibliography
- Fanck, Arnold; Schneider, Hannes (1925)Wunder des Schneeschuhs; ein System des richtigen Skilaufens und seine Anwendung im alpinen Geländelauf,Hamburg: Gebrüder Enoch.OCLC10252521;reprintISBN9783897709416
- Baader, Ernst Wilhelm; Schneeberger, Hans; Allgeier, Sepp; Fanck, Arnold; Arató, Gyula (1926)Wunder des Schneeschuhs [2] 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 erzahltMünchen: Nymphenburger VerlagshandlungISBN3-485-01756-6
- 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 BergfilmMünchen: BruckmannISBN3765430919
- Rapp, Christian (1997)Höhenrausch. Der deutsche BergfilmWien: Sonderzahl
- Bock, Hans-Michael and Bergfelder, Tim (eds) (2009)The Concise Cinegraph: Encyclopaedia of German CinemaBerghahn BooksISBN9781571816559pg 116 - 117
- Fanck, Matthias (2009)Arnold Fanck. Weisse Hölle – weisser Rausch. Bergfilme und Bergbilder 1909 – 1939.AS-Verlag, ZürichISBN978-3-909111-66-4
- Inkster, Darlene (2012)Film Pioneers: Arnold Fanckpg 18-21 inDirectory of World Cinema: Germanyedited by Michelle Langford, Intellect BooksISBN9781841504650
- Haque, Kamaal (2012)Genre of the Mountain FilminA New History of German Cinemaedited by Jennifer M. Kapczynski, Michael David Richardson; Boydell & BreweISBN9781571135957pp 142–147
External links
[edit]- Pioneer of 'Mountain Filming'(2020)BBC
- Arnold Fanck, the master of mountain filmsat theWayback Machine(archived September 24, 2008)
- The case of Arnold FanckbyBéla Balázs
- Article by Thomas Staedeli
- Film's Role in Popularizing Alpine Skiing in Americaby Rick Moulton
- The Artistic Films of Arnold Fanck, the Apostle of Skiing and High-Mountain Climbingby Donald G. Daviau
- Arnold Fanckbiography, filmography and photos atfilmportal.de
- Arnold FanckArchived2013-06-06 at theWayback MachineatMUBI
- Arnold FanckatIMDb
- Der weisse Rausch. Actor Walter Riml as the tall Hamburger carpenter