White Hell of Pitz Palu (1929)

A man climbs a 12,000-foot mountain to search for his wife, who was lost on their honeymoon. Another couple makes the dangerous climb with him.

Directors:

Arnold Fanck (as Dr. Arnold Fanck), Georg Wilhelm Pabst (as G.W. Pabst)

Writers:

Arnold Fanck, Ladislaus Vajda

Stars:

Gustav Diessl, Leni Riefenstahl, Ernst Petersen

Cast

Credited cast:
Gustav Diessl	...	Dr. Johannes Krafft
Leni Riefenstahl	...	Maria Maioni
Ernst Petersen	...	Hans Brandt
Ernst Udet	...	Flieger Udet (as Flieger Ernst Udet)
Otto Spring	...	Christian Klucker (as Bergführer Spring)
Mizzi Götzel	...	Maria Krafft
Kurt Gerron	...	Mann im Salon (guest at night club)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles McNamee	...	Narrator in USA sound version (voice)

Storyline

A man climbs a 12,000-foot mountain to search for his wife, who was lost on their honeymoon. Another couple makes the dangerous climb with him.

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Plot Keywords:

mountain | cold weather | snow | color in title | hillside | 

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Taglines:

Nothing like it before, nothing like it again!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

1 June 1930 (USA)

Also Known As:

White Hell of Pitz Palu

Filming Locations:

Bernina, Kanton Graubünden, Switzerland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sokal-Film GmbH, H.T.-Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

150 min 135 min (TV) 90 min (1935 sound verson)

Sound Mix:

Silent Mono (Tobis-Klangfilm) (sound version: 1935)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During shooting in sub-zero temperatures, Leni Riefenstahl developed severe frostbite and a bladder infection that would plague her for the rest of her life.

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Goofs

At around 53-54 minutes Dr. Johannes Krafft's ice axe appears and disappears between shots.

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Alternate Versions

A restored version was prepared by Nicllai Otto and Gerhard Racky for Magenta TV.

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Connections

Featured in Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood (1995)

User Reviews

I'd score this higher if it wasn't like so many of Riefenstahl's other films.

If you don't know the context for this film, it's pretty easy to be impressed by this film because of its technical prowess. After all, it was an amazing commitment to the film makers to trek up[ into the Alps to make this film and the cinematography is great. However, if you've seen Leni Riefenstahl's pre-Hitler sponsored films, you'd know that this is exactly the sort of film she made again and again...and again. While this actress never made that many films (as an actress, she was only in 11 movies), I have seen four in which the film is set in the mountains--with very, very, very similar plots. And, when I checked, I saw that at least three more of her films were show and mountain films!!! And so, when you see them you have a strong feeling of déjà vu--and the films become incredibly boring with their sameness. And, to top it off, once again Ernst Udet is in the film to demonstrate his considerable skills as an aviator (before ultimately becoming the head of Hitler's Luftwaffe).

Because the plot is basically the same at her other films, though STILL a good silent movie, I score this one a 6. It's good but hardly important for the average film goer to see. I got completely bored watching it--but if you haven't seen her other snow and mountain films, you are sure to be impressed.