DAS BLAUE LICHT [THE BLUE LIGHT] (1932; 1937 reissue) Photo – 2

Vintage original 9 x 11;” (23 x 30 cm.) double weight glossy silver gelatin print still photo, Germany. Leni Riefenstahl, Mathias Wieman, Beni Fuhrer, Max Holzboer, Martha Mair, dir: Leni Riefenstahl; Sokal. A beautiful character portrait of the legendary actress, director, writer, editor and producer, Leni Riefenstahl. Riefenstahl performed all these creative tasks on this film for her own production company.

This is the story of Junta, a woman hated by the people of her village, who suspect her of being a witch. She is the only person who can climb the nearby mountains and has discovered the mysteries of the blue light during her climbs. She is cast out of the town and goes to live in the mountains. She shares the secret of the blue light with one man, but he betrays her.

Groundbreaking filmmaking at the time, it was an early sound film (though a silent version was also made) to be shot on high mountain locations and employed the people who lived in the mountains as the supporting players. Riefenstahl had made a series of mountain films with director Arnold Fanck in the years prior and was now ready to make her own films. So impressed by this film was Adolf Hitler that he asked Riefenstahl to make Triumph of the Will.

Riefenstahl was a master in lighting and black-and-white photography, evident even in the still photography for this film. Her studio logos are at the bottom left and right margin edges, the title at center and a German blind stamp is at the lower right corner of the image. Slight corner edge wear only. This is still number 32. FINE.