The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner

The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner (1974) is Werner Herzog's short documentary you can watch online on iFILM. Walter Steiner is a Swiss ski-flying champion who spends the off-season carving wood in his workshop, and his winters sailing off ramps at distances that regularly carry him past the safe landing zone.

Herzog filmed the jumps in slow motion, and in doing so turned a sports portrait into something stranger. Steiner isn't chasing trophies. He wants the few seconds when the earth disappears and he is completely alone. Herzog narrates the film himself, framing those flights as private acts of solitude on the edge of catastrophe. At 45 minutes it doesn't outstay its welcome. Stream The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner online on iFILM.