The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner

The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner
Film poster
Written by	Werner Herzog
Directed by	Werner Herzog
Starring	Walter Steiner Werner Herzog
Narrated by	Werner Herzog
Music by	Popol Vuh
Country of origin	West Germany
Original languages	German English
Production
Producer	Werner Herzog
Cinematography	Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein
Editor	Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus
Running time	45 minutes
Production companies	Werner Herzog Filmproduktion Süddeutscher Rundfunk (SDR)
Budget	DEM 72.000 (estimated)
Original release
Release	1974 (1974)

The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner (German: Die große Ekstase des Bildschnitzers Steiner) is a 1974 documentary film by German filmmaker Werner Herzog. It is about Walter Steiner, a celebrated ski jumper of his era who worked as a carpenter for his full-time occupation. Showcased is Steiner's quest for a world record in ski flying, as well as the dangers involved in the sport. Herzog has considered it one of his "most important films."

Production

The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner shows Steiner at training, preparations and competitions but also at his work as a woodcarver and during ice fishing.

The film includes footage shot in the German towns of Oberstdorf and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, as well as Planica 1974 competition in Yugoslavia (now Slovenia), Bad Aussee in Austria and in Steiner's swiss home. The film was made as part of a series for a German television station, which restricted in some ways the content. Herzog's original cut was 60 minutes long, but it was edited down to 45 minutes to fit in a one-hour television spot. The station also required Herzog himself to appear on camera, which he had not typically done in his previous documentaries.

During the movie Steiner often expresses his fascination for flying in general, but also the insecurity of ski flying. Especially at the International Ski Flying Week in Planica 1974, where the Swiss seriously crashes after the second jump, he constantly criticizes the jury for choosing a too long distance along the in-run and expecting too much from him. He also calles their behavior a "scandal". Steiner later voluntarily chooses a shorter distance for the in-run. Nevertheless he wins the competition and closes with the sarcastic remark, that the "Yugoslavs are hopefully satisfied".

The film ends with a quotation from the short story "Helblings Geschichte" by Robert Walser, altered to replace Helbing with Steiner.

See also

• Ski flying
• List of longest ski jumps

External links

• The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner at IMDb 
• The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner at Rotten Tomatoes
• Review at Fanzine