The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner (1974) User Reviews

Werner Herzog- Fan Boy

[dbborroughs · 8/10 · 9 January 2006]

After the madness of Aguirre the Wrath of God, Werner Herzog turned his attention to the greatest ski flier of his day Walter Steiner. Herzog follows Steiner as he get ready for and competes in an international competition. The film is less about the man, I know very little more now that I've seen the film, than it is about what he can do, and that is fly very far on skis. Steiner is so good that he starts farther down on the ramp than the competition and still blows everyone else out of the water.

While the film is very good, and at time exceedingly beautiful, it is ultimately a film made by a fan in celebration of his hero. Its really quite amusing to see the seemingly unflappable Herzog reduced to being a rather human sports nut. Herzog is in love with his subject and what he can do and it shows, thankfully in a positive way.

Despite being a very rough film in many ways it still captivates in its rawness. There is something about the imagery and Steiners achievement that makes it all worth watching.

How to document the sublime

[alice liddell · 8/10 · 29 September 1999]

If, like me, you think documentaries are the runt of the cinematic crown, a lazy option, an unimaginative, dreary response to life, a mendaciously arrogant appropriation of 'truth', than this film might make you see other possibilities in the form. Where documentaries are generally concerned with the 'real', what can be seen, evaluated, and understood, Herzog aims for nothing less than a representation of the sublime. And, as so often, he comes very close.

Walter Steiner is a typical Herzog hero. He carves wood sculptures from ideas that sound suspiciously Herzogian. He tells fable-like stories about his youth, an example of the subject appropriating the language of an all-interpreting creator (Herzog). He is both artist and storyteller. His great gift, however, is in sport, a milieu of order and repetition seemingly alien to Herzog's epic dreams of convention-busting.

Steiner is a ski-jumper. He skis down high slopes, and then just flies over huge distances. He is frequently heard complaining that the slopes are put too high, that he is in danger of jumping too far and killing himself,. This, of course, is why Herzog thinks he is less a mere sportsman, than an exalted attitude to death. He is frequently compared to birds - he is someone who can fly, escape the mundane, transcend the everyday to another spirit level altogether. The very orgasmic brevity of the act makes it all the more precious.

In the act of filming, Herzog appropriates this Wagnerian achievement for himself. By ignoring straight narrative, character, and concentrating on the exquisite moment; by bending, reshaping, slowing down time to elongate the sublime; Herzog goes beyond simple observation to enter new realms of experience. Although there are uncomfortable echoes of Leni Riefenstahl's mountain films, the photography in this film is unparalleled in modern cinema, with the dazzling white vast slopes all mere props for the ecstatic revelation of Steiner's art, this melding of two realms, our human, worldly level, and the mystical unknown.

This kind of Teutonic postering is not usually to my taste, but there are many pleasing more earthy moments, especially the sight of Herzog, cinema's great visionary scuttling around like a nerdy sports fan with ABC and all the other world media. Now there's a sight I never thought I'd see.

Wide World of Werner

[st-shot · 8/10 · 22 November 2007]

Ecstasy is an interesting short documentary about champion ski jumper Walter Steiner made by Werner Herzog. In 45 minutes Herzog manages to reveal more about the feelings of the competitor and a sport than most documentaries twice its length do. Herzog's cameras capture both the grace and gruesomeness of the jump as Steiner meets with failure and success. Steiner is quite candid in assessing himself, revealing insecurities and doubts.

Herzog's cameras much of the time seem to be in the right place at the right time without being intrusive. He does however belabor the point with repetitive slow mo wrecks of the earth bound skiers.

Decades later this compact and uniquely informative sports documentary can hold its own with any made since then.

A poem of obsession, ecstasy and escape...

[Auctioneer · 5 March 2003]

The best of Herzog's shorts, this film documents the mysterious soaring Walter Steiner as he destroys the world ski-flying record in 1974 Yugoslavia.

To be fair, this is not really a documentary about Steiner, the Swiss woodcarver and ski-flyer, nor the sport in general, nor the competition and breaking off the world record, but something more intense and esoteric -- a poem of obsession, ecstasy and escape.

This mesmerizing piece (set to an airy Popol Vuh soundtrack) is marred only by repetitive shots of ski-jump accidents, Herzog's inserting himself into several shots and his unnecessary and clumsy closing line.

Where is steiner now?

[marcusfernandes · 10/10 · 6 July 2009]

It is necessary a great filmmaker to transform a simple sport in something interesting and fascinating.This 45 minutes documentary show us that it is possible!. HERZOG acts as a witness leaving STEINER do the entire work becoming a bird and talking freely about his fears. One the most amazing moments is when STEINER tell us a certain story that happened when he was a child,pure poetry in complete resonance with the film as a whole. In other moments ,the camera captures in a thrilling way all the danger involved in ski-jumping. STEINER made a small appearance in other HERZOG'S masterpiece, KASPAR HAUSER. Where is STEINER now?. I have read in internet that he lives in a small village in Sweden and works as a Gardener.

Possibly the best sports documentary ever made

[Fpi · 10/10 · 15 August 2007]

This starts out looking like a more or less standard TV documentary about a ski-jumper. Over time, however, it somehow gets stranger and stranger, until the ending, that somehow, incomprehensibly, left me totally out of breath.

The film works on so many levels: It's a fascinating portrayal of the celebrated ski-jumper Steiner, but it's also an amazing look at the plain aesthetics of ski-jumping, with extreme slow-motion pictures showing the jumpers' fears and ecstasy at a very profound level. In addition, there is also something in this film that's simply very hard or impossible to define, something about man itself, something about longing and - perhaps the most advanced of human emotions - pity.

How much of this portrayal that actually reflects Steiner's personality, and how much of it that reflects Herzog's, is hard to tell. But that's the only catch. Those looking for Herzog classics should not think that this movie can be missed because it's a 45-minute TV documentary. Apart from pictures of some nasty ski-jumping falls, it's not really disturbing to the extent that put me slightly off when watching for example Aguirre and Even Dwarfs Started Small - so it could from my point of view overall be the best of the many Herzog movies I've seen so far.

Powerful and quite abstract sports documentary

[Red-Barracuda · 7/10 · 2 February 2015]

The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner is a very strange sports documentary. Perhaps this comes as no surprise when you consider its director is Werner Herzog, a man who tends to focus on unpredictable aspects in his films. It's about the champion Swiss ski-jumper Walter Steiner, specifically his appearance at a competition in Yugoslavia in 1974, where he easily breaks the world record. The approach that Herzog takes differs from most sports biographies in that it doesn't really profile Steiner in a traditional sense. Other than the fact that he is a woodcarver by trade, we don't learn anything about his personal life or his ascent in his chosen sport. Instead the film uses him to explore a more abstract set of ideas, specifically the idea that ski jumpers experience an almost bliss-like state as they fly through the air. The very obvious danger the sport presents the athletes every time they descend down the slope makes the competitors unusual in that they effectively confront the possibility of death each time they compete. Anyone who doubts this only has to watch the incredible and disturbing shots of skiers crash landing in a most brutal manner. And it struck me towards the end that these guys are not even wearing helmets! Many times we see heads battering off the slope and it really makes you shudder to think how many must've died as a direct consequence of having no protective headgear; this shows the advances in safety measures over the subsequent years.

The film is probably best remembered for the incredible slow motion footage of the jumpers captured on special high-speed cameras. Herzog quite successfully captures the otherworldly aspect of this activity by this ultra-slowed down imagery accompanied by the extremely evocative music by Popul Vuh; these moments transcend typical sports documentary footage and do tap into something more mysterious. On a more basic level, there are several times when Steiner openly talks about his fears. Specifically the way the organisers callously encourage extremely dangerous acts by raising the ramp to increasingly high levels. This naturally brings large crowds and media attention – both of whom will no doubt have elements of whom will secretly crave seeing terrible accidents. It really looks into the darker side of why people turn up to watch certain dangerous sporting events. Steiner is so much better than the competition that he genuinely fears the possibility of jumping too far and killing himself on the flat at the bottom. He ends up voluntarily starting further down the ramp to shorten his overall distance. Towards the end of the film he tells a story about his childhood when his only friend was a raven he had nursed back to health. They formed an almost embarrassed friendship culminating with him having to kill the bird in order to save it from repeat savage attacks from its fellow ravens which had that turned against it. It's a story that mirrors Steiner the flier's experience and how alone he must have felt as he travelled at speed towards the bloodthirsty crowd of his own kind for the umpteenth time.

an incredible story of a man's gifts; not your usual sports documentary

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 2 June 2007]

Werner Herzog's The Great Ecstacy of Woodcarver Steiner is a glimpse of a man who is quite amazing at his gift of ski-jumping- he's the world record holder at the time of filming (and a record he actually tops over himself more than once)- and how he's all the more impressive because of his humble attitude towards the activity. He's a woodcarver as his other profession, but has it as his primary obsession to fly, to get whisked away someplace that is of his design but not entirely of his control. And he's affected by the pressure of his own skills, skills he acknowledges but doesn't flaunt; like some comic-book hero, he has to deal with the responsibilities he has at his disposal, of not going down for his audience (who might want to see that happen), or for himself, and at the same time staying true to his gifts. He's often by his own, seen through Herzog's long lens contemplating or trying to stay on his own two feet well enough when not ski-jumping. But he knows that he can't be brought down, as his touching story about his pet raven as a kid, who got pecked away by other birds, and in order to stop it, as an act of compassion, he shot it down. At the end of the day, however, the thrill of flight is all that counts, high scores be damned.

Herzog takes this man's obsession, albeit with modest feelings about his own worth as a mega-star in Switzerland, and transforms it into a beautiful spectacle of simple facts- of the moment by moment updates of Steiner's conditions or what has to be done to the slope or what rules have to be changed to accommodate Steiner alongside the other contenders- with some of the most beautiful shots in any Herzog film. It's not anything alien to see someone in a typical sports documentary to see the athlete in slow-motion speed, but somehow Herzog transforms the familiar into something akin to the theme, of Steiner's own thrill and 'ecstacy' as what the audience feels as well. It's very interesting as well to see Steiner in slow-motion when he skids, when he or another ski-jumper gets injured (and almost everyone seen ski-jumping in the film, and there aren't many shown other than Steiner, get injured in tumbles in rough ways), as it's something one usually wouldn't see in the glorious montages of sports figures. I also really enjoyed seeing Herzog combine voice-over taken after the event, with Steiner slightly rambling on, over the footage of his jumps.

Just seeing a ski-jumper in and of itself is a fascinating sight, as one curls up and has to anticipate what's to come in mere mili-seconds. And Herzog adds his visual poetry of motion with some usual-yet-compelling behind the scenes footage to make it an exceptional work. Steiner isn't a simple hero, but one who's got complexities even Herzog can only see so much into, as he's an otherwise everyman who goes to fantastic lengths for greatness, yet is very aware of the fragility of such power in a sport so reliant on deadly competition and spectator unrest. Very well done.

Fabulous

[Donald_Ptahotep · 10/10 · 18 July 2006]

A very moving portrait of a simple Swiss woodcarver who becomes the world's best ski jumper. The man's life, his motivation, his fears, his hopes: all beautifully relayed in this early masterpiece by Werner Herzog. Here we find a great tribute to Swiss honesty and depth. I know Swiss people who think and feel like Walter Steiner. And then there's that unforgettable story in which Walter Steiner compares himself with a bird he had saved and raised in his youth, a bird he ultimately had to kill to save it from pain and the cruelty of its companions. Only Herzog can give us meditations of that kind. What is Walter Steiner doing these days?

I ought to be all alone in the world

[anastesiaf · 7/10 · 12 October 2021]

"The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner" was released in 1974. According to the sources, Herzog saw Walter Steiner on TV after his taking the last place in a ski jumping competition and decided to make a movie about him in which Steiner won the world championship. And it was possibly the filming that made Walter win.

The name of the movie refers to a woodcarver, however the movie shows ski jumping -- Steiner's main activity which he devoted his whole life to. It is shot as footage and the director sometimes appears on camera to comment on what's happening. There is an interview with the character which reveals much about Walter as a person as well as a jumper. The movie is centered on a big event, the world championship in Yugoslavia. Before that we are shown Walter's preparation, dozens of bad jumps and injuries - he even goes to the competition having just recovered from one of them. The culminating point is Walter's three jumps at the championship. The first one is preparatory and successful, and then he gets a small injury during the second one which makes him wonder if he is able to perform once more. Still, he makes the final jump only to not frame Yugoslavia and to prove to himself he can do it.

Walter Steiner is the kind of man who doesn't care about the result. He says he could have jumped higher but knew life can't be exchanged for a record. For Steiner it is the moment of flying that is most important and not the result he gets. He even jokes that they want him to beat the record and jump higher and higher every time but he lowers his standards instead.

Herzog shows a lot of failed jumps of other sportsmen before Walter's performance. These shots terrify and make us ask ourselves if this is going to happen to our character as well But the ending shows that Walter's perseverance is not in vain - he leaves Yugoslavia having not only won the world championship but also overcome himself.

At the end Steiner tells a story about a little raven who he was raising as a child. Every day Steiner watched other birds mock the raven for having lost the ability to fly and he had to shoot him. This story is highly symbolic because Steiner would have never forgiven himself if he wasn't able to jump. He only gets the sense of absolute freedom from jumping. This state is his ecstasy. He says, "I ought to be all alone in the world, just me, Steiner, and no other living thing".

After the film we start to understand why he is also fond of woodcarving - he is moved by forms, grace and curves. A beautiful figure comes out from an unshaped log, it breaks free just like Steiner finds freedom during a jump.

As for the techniques used, slow motion is worth noting; using it Herzog shows every single movement of the jumper, his total focus and tension in the whole body just before the landing. The shots are sometimes hand-held which creates the effect of presence. Soulful music sets the mood but isn't very noticeable by itself.

The method of filming involves experiencing dramatic situations along with the character. The camera allows us to be near Walter right after the jump when he is attacked by fans and paparazzi longing for his autograph, it is there when he's training persistently and starting over and over when he fails. It is even there when Steiner spends some time in solitude in a forest to recover from a bad jump. The camera is an unseen character of the movie, through it we see records being beaten and history being written.

Herzog makes a movie about a seemingly ordinary person. Steiner attracts the audience with his sincerity, simplicity, calmness and focus. But on the inside he is in a perpetual conflict with other people and with himself.

The movie lets us partly into Steiner's world. As we approach the ending, we begin to see his motives, the reason why he has chosen that career, what drives him and what he lives for. Steiner has dreamed of flying since he was in school so we can conclude that ski jumping is the most important part of his life, something he has always aspired to and continues to live for.

In my opinion, this film is important for the history of cinema, just like all other films by Werner Herzog. The movie shows an internal conflict along with an external conflict and the way they influence each other and observes a rich inner world and a delicate constitution of a sportsman. What's more, it tells us what extraordinary abilities an ordinary man can possess and proves that there are no limits to human powers.

Unexpectedly rich and striking

[I_Ailurophile · 8/10 · 15 August 2022]

Among all the documentaries of Werner Herzog has ever made, this one is decidedly simple, concise, and straightforward. Given the common subject matter and rueful insights of his body of work, a feature about ski-jumping perhaps seems out of place. Yet for anyone who has explored the filmmaker's oeuvre even in part, it also becomes evident that there are deeper truths within 'The great ecstasy of woodcarver Steiner' for which narration is unnecessary. Herzog's pictures are nothing if not an examination of humanity, in all its variety, by one who is plainly fascinated with it, and with this in mind one can see how the focus here holds such interest for the director. Long, loving shots of athletes in flight, and primarily Walter Steiner, accentuates the dedication and commitment that is required not just to compete in the sport, but to execute each jump. The creation and upkeep of skis, and the length, grade, and condition of the ramp, all further bring to clarity that ski-jumping requires unerring precision - of both body and mind. One slight miscalculation in how an athlete holds their feet in the air, or any thought or feeling that induces distraction and hesitation, may result in a crash, and possible grievous injury. Each jump demands exquisite bodily fortitude and - in and of itself, but also to even achieve peak physical condition - an indomitable spirit.

And there's the crux, I suspect, for Herzog: the human spirit, and what it can accomplish. Indeed, Steiner was remarked as having achieved records during his career; how much more daunting must events become, then, when a trace of doubt or fear enters one mind, as Steiner is shown to struggle with here? It's no wonder that ski-jumping appealed so much to the filmmaker, and this is to say nothing of the artistry in the execution of every flight, and the unique beauty of watching a person briefly soaring through the air by sheer force of will. Those words that Herzog speaks in 'The great ecstasy' by way of narration are not nearly so profound, but they do not need to be. The footage says all, and to this point I must also commend cinematographer Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein for capturing such moments that can only be described as majestic, and kudos as well to film editor Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus. Figure in the enticing musical themes provided on the soundtrack by regular collaborators Popol Vuh, and this 45-minute documentary becomes far much more than it would ever seem at first blush.

All this having been said: on the face of it, there's no arguing that the material here is very light. To get the most value out of this picture, one must be somewhat well-versed in Herzog's work, or readily prepared to approach any movie with the same keen eye as one would an arthouse flick. Unless one is an especial fan of winter sports, for the casual viewer I can't imagine there's much attraction. Still, for abject cinephiles and those able and willing to truly look beyond, 'The great ecstasy of woodcarver Steiner' bears worth that well surpasses what the naked eye discerns. Recommendable mostly for niche audiences, I also don't think 'The great ecstasy' claims to be anything it's not. So if anything I've written has caught your ear in a good way, then kick back, relax, and soak in 45 surprisingly lush minutes.

Typically profound

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 30 May 2015]

In this 45 minute documentary, Werner Herzog takes a seemingly ordinary subject matter (ski jumping) and turns it into something profound: a meditation on life and death and man's desire to be the best, no matter the consequences. It follows the career of champion ski jumper Walter Steiner, who's determined to win big at a contest in the former Yugoslavia.

Despite the scant running time this is a moving and reflective viewing experience that seeks to give an insight into a man living on the edge. It does so ably, and in addition Herzog includes a number of beautiful images of this chap jumping through the air in extreme slow motion, with the viewer waiting to see whether he makes or breaks it. It's a wonderful visual experience, and another example of Herzog's skill as a documentary film-maker.

Great Ecstasy

[Michael_Elliott · 24 May 2008]

Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner, The (1974)

*** (out of 4)

Another interesting documentary from the German director. The film takes a look at Walter Steiner, a Swedish ski jumper who was considered the greatest in history. At least he was considered the greatest when this film was made and since I'm not too familiar with the sport I can't say if he has been pasted or not. The film, like most of Herzog's documentaries, takes a look at something that a lot of people might not find interesting yet Herzog does his magic and in the end the film works quite well. It seems that Herzog is interested in the sport as well as the man himself so a lot of attention goes into both as we get to learn the rules behind the sport and we see what sets Steiner off. Steiner is constantly upset with judges for making the judges do things he thinks are dangerous and this attitude has gotten him in trouble at times. We get to see Steiner go through various ups and downs and his attitude really isn't any different no matter how he does. The film runs 45-minutes and remains entertaining throughout even if you aren't too interested in the material being talked about.

A fascinating film from master documentarian Werner Herzog

[lhmcm · 9/10 · 13 September 2023]

When you say the name Werner Herzog, many images come to mind: Vampires, Explorers, Aviators, etc. Werner has a huge filmography of films that are all very different, but often contain similar themes and tones. Whether it's an existential horror film or an experimental comedy, you can tell it's Herzog. Today, I am reviewing one of the director's less famous documentaries, but one of his favorite of his own films. It's called 'The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner'.

Werner's film follows the story of Swiss Ski-Jumper Walter Steiner. It documents his life as it happens, from every broken record to every moment of possible injury. It's not a film that looks back at the past through interviews, it shows everything at the exact moment at which it happened.

Herzog's camera captures slow-motion shots of Walter flying through the sky. These shots, paired with Popul Vuh's stunning score, are very powerful. They perfectly capture the most important moments in Steiner's life, and you feel them just as much as he does.

'The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner' is a short and simple doc, but it's a fascinating and well-made one. Werner Herzog stirs the audience's emotions perfectly, and makes this 45-minute watch one highly entertaining.

SSSCCCHHH

[EDOUARDNG · 10/10 · 25 March 2021]

STEINER SCULPTOR SKIER CLIMAX CRASH CARVER HIGHER HIGHER HIGHER!

Some incredible camera-work....

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 21 January 2012]

This film is about Walter Steiner, a Swiss ski jumper whose specialization is ski flying--the longest of all the ski jumping events. Back in the 1970s, he was a major star--with an Olympic silver medal and two world championships.

Werner Herzog and his crew traveled to three different places to make this 45 minute documentary--two in Germany and the big event in Yugoslavia. It's interesting that Steiner ended up winning the event and setting a world record here--as other athletes COULD have won. For example, it's pretty easy to get knocked out of the contest due to injury (and Steiner does take a pretty nasty fall in this one)--and the film would have ended up focusing on a good ski flyer who lost! But, in the end, Steiner pulls it off and wins by a very comfortable margin.

The film is very interesting to see because of the nice camera-work. Even when seen today, you marvel at some of the slow-motion closeup shots. How did they get these shots so well considering that Steiner is flying very high and very fast. It is interesting that Steiner's world record of 166 meters is actually WAY less than the record today--which stands at 246.5 meters! Worth seeing and well made.

Too big to fail

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 8 June 2015]

This is maybe the statement which describes Swiss ski jumper Walter Steiner the best. Back in the 1970s, he had to start lower than his competition and yet he won easily most of the time. Had he started where they did, it would have been too dangerous as he may have had jumps of around 180 meters. And despite this massive talent, Steiner still had to work as a carpenter, so he would have enough money. If you know a bit about ski jumping (and -flying today), you will understand better about the perspectives. They improved the material so much in the last decades that the current world record stands at over 250 meters. I heard in another documentary that Herzog was ambitious to become a ski jumper himself, but then picked the profession of filmmaker after a serious ski jumping accident by a friend of his. Well, without that friend's crash, we may not have Herzog's excellent contributions to the world of movies today, so all's good I guess.

Here, he tries to examine the mind and psychology of somebody who risks his health, maybe his life, so many times. There is certainly a reference about being free as a bird. The competition of ski jumping on the biggest hills is called flying for a reason. The film runs for 44 minutes and Herzog was in his early 30s when this was made. Steiner was in his early 20s. Steiner also got a small cameo in another Herzog film from the same year. It's also funny to see how the athletes had to prepare the skis themselves. Unthinkable today.

Maybe this is still the most famous ski jumping documentary, or movie in general, of all time. I thought it was worth a watch for seeing the differences compared to today (I was very interested in it a while ago, but don't watch it today anymore) and because of Herzog's narration which is as strong as ever. The title is slightly pretentious and sometimes he is a bit over the top in terms of drama when he says it is unsure if he will ever jump again and then he jumped the same day, but oh well. I still enjoyed the watch. Recommended.

Bad Spill

[tedg · 27 April 2007]

Herzog can dazzle, challenge. He's one of only two German filmmakers I think are worth watching. Yes, that goes all the way back.

Even now, his formula of conflating fiction and truth, documentary and stylized narrative, risk and art still works, even when he's mostly just referencing himself. But he can still do some crazy stuff that doesn't work, at least for this viewer.

What we have here is a celebration of an athlete. Herzog tries to make him a warrior of life. There's a supposedly poetic metaphor of his pet bird who had to be shot because he couldn't fly, and that was because its peers picked on it. Get it? There's the bit of him being a sculptor of merit, but when this man speaks of his art and what we dissolves that. And gee, he's German, and we hear a long diatribe about bad judges, not because they are bad, but because they are Yugoslav!

No, he's the center of attention here simply because he takes risks. His art is in how far he is willing to go beyond safety. I would have liked a film (or even a sculpture) that this jumper did of Herzog. But this way, this thing we have, is a miss of huge proportions. We need Herzog as a risktaker, not as an admirer of one.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

"The ecstasy of the feature-like documentary......"

[cwei-1 · 28 February 2006]

After seeing this documentary "the great ecstasy of the sculptor Steiner" by Werner Herzog in 1974, I think this is a good story, but a little tricky "documentary". This 45 minutes long documentary basically recorded champion ski-jumper in a competition. I think the story basically is like other sports-related feature movies, no matter the commercial movies or not, and it gives confidence to audiences and encourages people to try their best and not to lose their hopes. Like most commercial Hollywood movies, like boxing, baseball, basketball and so on, this movie did make audiences moving. The happy ending - the protagonist broke the world record - made the movie more positive. However, I wonder if the whole story had been scripted in advanced? Firstly, it did not record other competition when the protagonist failed and the whole documentary only recorded this competition - the summit of his career. Second, the happy ending dramatized a little much for this film. The extremely slow motion with the background music portrayed the brave of the main character. Then when the reporter was worried about the main character and did not know what had happened to him, this documentary became too dramatic. After he finally got the championship, the story became too coincident. All these elements made this documentary a touching story but also a feature-like "documentary". By and large, the director dramatized the whole story to make this short film like a feature film (fiction film), and people may deeply get moved. Interestingly, the director used "documentary" this form to make the story more realistic and believable.