In an isolated mountain village in the Dolomites, the painter Vigo meets a young woman named Junta. She is ostracised by the superstitious villagers who consider her a witch. They believe that numerous young men, lured by Junta’s beauty, have followed her towards a mysterious blue light on Monte Cristallo and fallen to their deaths. Vigo wins the affection of the shy hermit. He moves into her hut and one night, he discovers her secret … For her directing debut, Leni Riefenstahl also wrote the script with critic Béla Balázs. The film was an outlier in two respects. Made not only outside of the established Berlin studio system, it was also something of a ‘chick flick’ within the mountain film genre – movies made by and with men, and heavy on athleticism and documentary-style images. The film was shot on location and used many non-professional actors from Italy’s Sarntal. Das blaue Licht renders a landscape of heart and soul, with the use of infrared-sensitive film stock providing unreal effects. Thus the portrayal of Junta, the outcast, fluctuates between fairy tale and horror film, and her sexuality between carefree delight and violent nightmare.
by Leni Riefenstahl
with Leni Riefenstahl, Mathias Wieman, Max Holzboer, Beni Führer, Franz Maldacea, Martha Mair
Germany 1932 German 86’ Black/White Rating R18

With

  • Leni Riefenstahl
  • Mathias Wieman
  • Max Holzboer
  • Beni Führer
  • Franz Maldacea
  • Martha Mair

Crew

Director Leni Riefenstahl
Screenplay Leni Riefenstahl, Béla Balázs loosely based on the novel “Bergkristall” (1930) by Gustav Renker
Cinematography Hans Schneeberger
Camera Assistant Heinz von Jaworsky
Editing Leni Riefenstahl
Music Giuseppe Becce
Sound Hans Bittmann
Set Construction Leopold Blonder
Producers Leni Riefenstahl, Henry Sokal

Produced by

L. R. Studio-Film GmbH / H. R. Sokal-Film GmbH

Additional information

DCP: La Tresor Kreativhandel, München
Digital Restoration: Alpha Omegga digital, München