The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner

*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

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

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]