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Somewhen in historical neverland: A little Tyrolean alpine village on
the foot of the Monte Cristallo lives in fear of the mountain that towers
over it - especially at full moon when the mountain emits a blue light
that seems to hypnotize all those who see it and lures them to climb up
the allegedly unclimbable mountain. None of the climers have ever returned
alive though ... Junta (Leni Riefenstahl), a poor girl dressed in rags,
is the only one able to climb the Monte Cristallo, and for that she is
considered a witch by the villagers and has long been driven out of town.
That she is repeatedly found carrying rock crystals around doesn't create
the villagers' trust in her either. Enter Vigo (Mathias Wieman), a
painter from Vienna who is not familiar with the local legends and
superstitions, and he takes an instant liking in Junta, even more so when
he sees her persecuted by the locals. One day, Vigo follows Junta up the
mountains to her home, and after some mistrust, Junta welcomes him into
her little hut - and before you know it, the two fall in love, even though
they don't speak each others language. Vigo moves in with Junta, she soon
finds him to be the first man she can trust in ages, and everything
couldn't be more beautiful ... until the next full moon, when Vigo finds
Junta staring at the blue light shining from Monte Cristallo as if in a
trance. Eventually she starts climbing the mountain, and Vigo decides to
follow her. Following Junta's route, Vigo makes it to the top unharmed,
where he finds her sitting entranced - in a cave full of rock crystals,
the reflection of which makes the mountain shine blue. With the best of
intentions, Vigo tells the villagers about the cave where a fortune worth
of rock crystals is waiting to be plucked, and he also gives them the
route (Junta's route) how to get there unharmed. That same day, the locals
make it up the mountain and harvest the mountain crystals. Vigo makes
his way back to Junta's place to tell her the news, which he considers
good news, but doesn't find her. Junta has climbed up to her cave to find
it empty, feels her trust betrayed, and throws herself off the mountain to
her death. All Vigo can find below is her shattered corpse ... By
and large, German mountain films from the 1930's are considered
folkloristic kitsch accompanied by half-baked mountain adventures. This
film however marks an exception to the rule: Sure, it's painfully cheesy
in parts - but in other parts it plays like a horror film, and it's thanks
to first-time-director Leni Riefenstahl that the legend of Junta and her
rock crystals has not become just your typical, forgettable mountain film
but a darkly atmospheric piece of cinema carried not so much by its actors
or story but by carefully arranged shots that invariably hit the right
note, mood-wise. Now be warned, Das Blaue Licht is by no means
kitsch-free, and apart from Riefenstahl's wild mountain girl most
performances are cringe-worthy, but if you can look past that you find
probably not a masterpiece but a diamond in the rough and the work of a
very talented director - who unfortunately would soon use her talent for
all the wrong purposes.
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