The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner

Everything worth saying about this film is in the title. It might be a cliché but it is a film that cannot be appreciated through words. It's ethereal. It must be watched. It impresses on you and stays with you. Having said that; it's a story of one man pitted against the desire of the masses to see him so exceed his peers that he meets his demise. It's not about psychology, it's about emotion. The super slomo footage of Steiner flying to the eery music of Popol Vuh is something to behold.

I have absolutely no interest in the sport of ski flying, but Herzog is able to keep me interested every second, not only through Steiner's psychological conflict, but also through some incredible cinematography. Many of the jumps are shot in hypnotizing slow motion, accompanied by wonderfully ethereal music that gives the film an almost transcendent quality. Once again Herzog has managed to turn something rather mundane into something beautiful.

Some of the best documentaries ever made are Herzog's, and this is a prime example. Ski-jumping is truly blessed to have been picked out by him as he really gives it universal appeal. Herzog's genuine rush of excitement by the sport is infectious and Walter Steiner's testimonies speak not just for him but for the very state, familiar to many of us, of being alone on the very edge and surrounded by expectations.

The full slo-mo jump was so mind-boggling I rewound it like eight times. Herzog is clearly fascinated with man's defiance of gravity and he likes using these telephoto zoom shots with lots of parallax motion in the background, the subject in a still pose with the world churning around them. The ambient music works so well - far cry from the fish-eye lenses and pop-punk of the skate vids I grew up watching. Can this guy please do Jackass 5?

Quite fantastic short that combines straightforward discourses about some practical issues (this time about ski-jumping safety) to an ambiguously poetic examination of the psychology of its subject. Pretty familiar mixture for Herzog fans but the slighter build adds a lot to it as does the Popol Vuh score.

"I ought to be all alone in the world. Just me, Steiner, and no other living thing. No sun, no culture. Myself, naked on a high rock. No storm, no snow, no money, no banks, no time, no breath. Then, at least, I wouldn't be afraid." In Steiner's words, the material world and the society we've built run parallel - both equally fraught. An unmitigated realisation of Steiner's dreams would not only require an expulsion of society, but of every impeding law of nature under which we exist.

The story of a man who could fly, and how it almost killed him... constantly. It's Werner Herzog's world, man. We're all just living in it.

I couldn't give a shit about ski-jumping, but I found this to be pretty enthralling. That's all Herzog.

It would still be achingly beautiful even if it was just 40 minutes of Popol Vuh playing over images of Steiner soaring through the air. Pure poetry.

People complain that it is about ski flying and not woodcarving (though I agree, a film about woodcarving would be interesting too)? You aren't into ski flying? Are you kidding me? Baffling comments, great film.

Not enough woodcarving, but eminently fascinating. Herzog sure can choose his subjects well, of course his style is a big part making those subjects interesting.

Herzog's portrait of "ski flier" Steiner is marked by some absolutely gorgeous slo-mo footage of his record breaking jumps (and crashes). His story about the raven he raised but was forced to put down after the bird was attacked by his flock once it was no longer able to fly was heartbreaking, and serves as an obvious metaphor for a man whose prodigious flying skills, combined with mounting pressure to attempt bigger, more dangerous jumps, threaten his life and all that he loves, with every run.

It's usually pretty surprising how Herzog manages to keep your attention on stuff you may take no special interest in. Steiner is an interesting guy, and all the shots of him floating through the air are nice.

Herzogs presents us a man who strives to become the best; slow motion sequences work extremely well with ski flying, and the music by Popol Vuh is perfect.

Excellent, quaint documentary, unafraid to speak alongside Steiner, with a voice of poetic form. :')

mostly boring except for a part at the end where he tells the story about his pet crow he had as a child

Herzog examines the psychology of a man who so loves the sensation of jumping through the air that he risks serious injury or even death.

those melodies in the beginning of the movie were godly

Highly praised early Herzog documentary is certainly intriguing, but its greatness is lost on this viewer. It's a pretty simple 'study' of a carpenter who also happened to be a world champion ski-jumper. The slo-mo scenes of Stanier caught in mid-flight are rightfully revered and give us a strong sense of the sport's poetic appeal for Stanier who is no adrenalin junkie. There are hints of his alienated personality beneath the daredevil surface, but the short format doesn't do him justice.

Not bad.

This 45 minute early Herzog documentary is wrapped up nicely by a raven analogy Steiner may have just been reading. Quite a compelling score too.

more fascinating documentary stuff from herzog. it's amazing how much enthusiasm he has for his subjects. steinler himself wasn't quite as wacky as some of this director's characters, but is still nonetheless a bit on the strange side, and the psychological pressures he experiences married with his constant concern with ski-flying regulation makes for not-so-surprisingly-by-now riveting viewing. oh yeah, and the popol vuh slow-mo. wow.

Wow, this is some X-Games/Matt Hoffman ish 30 years prior. I also agree that, fuck woodcarving (to a degree), ski jumping is way crazier. Although, I do want to see a Werner doc about woodcarving. He would make it friggin' sweet.

Werner Herzog's Wide World of Sports. More specifically, Herr Steiner and his very dangerous hobby. An interesting study of what Sebastian Junger calls "bravery without heroism", and done with Herzog's usual fine musical score and other artistic touches that seem far too elegant for a sports documentary

Skis. Slow Mo. Herzog. Epic.

This film reaches levels of profundity that I have come to expect from Herzog's documentaries. The man can take any subject and make it a compelling metaphor for mankind's dreams, aspirations, and failings. Ski-jumping, who knew?

This is what I love about documentaries: take something I have no interest in and make me love it. Awesome stuff about an interesting guy. Loved the slow mo.

Impressive early Herzog documentary in which he himself takes a backseat (as opposed to fx Grizzly Man), and lets the images, the sounds and words from Steiner lead each viewer to his or her thought process. Great slow-mo pictures, great music. A highly meditative work. In most other directors' hands a recipe for disaster, in Herzog's a cathartic experience. Not as good as Grizzly Man. But less will certainly do.

Beautiful slow motion that really takes ones breath away. The end scene with Steiner reminiscing about his Raven is quite moving.

The music was great as were Steiner's feats but I wasn't drawn into this one as I was with many other Herzog docs. I actually thought this was going to be about Woodcarving, I guess ski jumping is cool too.

Nothing much to see here, move along.

Surprisingly good documentary about a carpenter who ski's. The shots of Steiner doing his jumps were breathtaking. A good length, if it was longer than it was, than i wouldn't have enjoyed it as much.

I don't particularly care about ski-flying, and frankly Herzog doesn't do a hell of a lot with the material, but the film was interesting enough to hold my attention. I kind of wanted to hear more about the woodcarving. Nice Popul Vuh music, including some recycled bits from Aguirre.

Very powerful. The slow motion images of Steiner flying above the world were fantastic. The music by Popul Vuh was great (I think some of it was gleaned from the Aguirre soundtrack).