In 1974, Swiss ski jumper Walter Steiner was by far the best man on the slope. Werner Herzog decided to film him for German television during competitions in Planica, in what was then Yugoslavia, and set up two high-speed cameras to shoot slow-motion footage. Herzog makes effective use of this material, with a montage of painful falls revealing the enormous risks the athletes take, accompanied by an incantatory score by the rock band Popol Vuh.
Herzog is as intrigued by Steiner the man as by his achievements. The sportsman is an introverted figure, a woodcarver, and a careful guardian of his boundaries: when he considers the risk of an accident too high, he shortens his inrun himself.
The finest footage is of Steiner in his vulnerable moments. He talks about a tame raven he had in his youth, which he had to shoot because it was being attacked by other ravens. In this way, Herzog manages to incorporate themes such as peer pressure and a desire to fly into a sports film.
Stills
