White Hell (1945)

Genres - Drama  |   Run Time - 107 min.  |   Countries - Switzerland  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson

Filmed in Switzerland, White Hell of Pitz-Palu is a remake of the 1929 G. W. Pabst/Dr. Arnold Fauck production of the same name. The original had been one of the foremost examples of the German "mountain film" genre; it also served to enhance the star appeal of actress Leni Reifenstahl, who later became the Third Reich's most prominent propaganda filmmakers. The remake stars Liselotte (later Lilo) Pulver in the Reifenstahl role as one of several participants in a mountain-climbing expedition. The film's dramatic conflict concerns the personal hell of Dr. John Jensen (Hans Albers), who holds himself responsible for the death of his wife during a similar expedition some 20 years earlier. The superb exterior photography of Richard Angst is the main attribute of White Hell of Pitz-Palu, though Angst's work isn't quite in the same league as the lenswork in the earlier film.