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6.4/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.4/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Storm Over Mont Blanc remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies that feel like they were actually dangerous to make, then yes. You should watch this on the biggest screen you can find.
People who love old-school adventure or just staring at massive clouds will dig it. If you need a fast plot or people talking every five seconds, you will probably hate it.
It is a 'mountain film,' which was a whole thing in Germany back then. They didn't have CGI, so they just sent actors up real cliffs in thin sweaters.
Hannes lives in a tiny shack on Mont Blanc. He is basically a 1930s nerd who looks at weather gauges all day.
His only friend is a dog and a Morse code machine. He talks to a girl named Hella who is way down in the valley.
They have this weird, long-distance radio romance. It is actually kind of sweet, if you ignore how lonely it seems.
One day, Hella and her dad decide to climb up to see him. It goes bad. Really bad.
Arnold Fanck, the director, was obsessed with the mountains. You can tell because he lets the camera just sit there and look at the snow for a long time.
The clouds move like waves in the ocean. It’s almost spooky how the mist rolls over the peaks.
There is a scene where the frost builds up on Hannes's window. It looks like the house is being eaten by the cold.
The lighting is harsh and beautiful. Black and white really captures the way snow blinds you.
Ernst Udet is in this movie. He was a real-life flying ace, not just some actor in a studio.
He flies this tiny plane through narrow mountain passes. I kept waiting for him to hit a rock, but he never does.
The wings look like they are made of paper. Literally paper.
There is no way a modern insurance company would let a movie do this today. It makes the stunts in Crash look like a playground slide.
The plot is thin, honestly. It’s mostly just: man gets cold, woman tries to save him, pilot flies fast.
But the tension is real. When the storm hits, you can see the actors actually shivering.
Their breath is thick in the air. You can’t fake that on a soundstage in Berlin.
Sometimes the acting is a bit much. They do that old-timey thing where they grab their heads to show they are sad.
But when Hannes is trapped and his fingers are turning blue, you don't care about the over-acting. You just want him to find a heater.
It is a slow movie, but it never feels boring. It feels heavy.
Maybe it's not as weird as something like Luna-cy!, but it has its own vibe. It's a movie about how small humans are compared to a big pile of rock and ice.
I forgot I was watching a movie from 1930 for a minute. The wind sounds are so loud and lonely.
Check it out if you want to see what 'real' looked like a hundred years ago. Just have a blanket nearby.
The dog is the best part. I hope he got a treat after filming in that blizzard.
IMDb 4.9
1925
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