The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner

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

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."^[1]

Production edit

The film includes footage shot in the German towns of Oberstdorf and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, as well as Planica in Yugoslavia (now Slovenia). 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.^[1]^[2]