Luis Trenker (born Alois Franz Trenker, 4 October 1892 – 13 April 1990) was a

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

ean film producer, director, writer, actor, architect, alpinist, and

bobsledder Bobsleigh or bobsled is a team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Feder ...

Biography

Early life

Alois Franz Trenker was born on 4 October 1892 in

Urtijëi Urtijëi (; german: St. Ulrich in Gröden ; it, Ortisei ) is a town of 4,637 inhabitants in South Tyrol in northern Italy. It occupies the Val Gardena within the Dolomites, a mountain chain that is part of the Alps. Geography Urtijëi borders th ...

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

(german: link=no, St. Ulrich in Gröden, it, Ortisei) in the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(in present-day northern Italy). His father Jacob Trenker was a painter from North Tyrol, and his mother Karolina (''née'' Demetz) was from Urtijëi in

Val Gardena Val Gardena (; german: Gröden ; lld, Gherdëina ) is a valley in Northern Italy, in the Dolomites of South Tyrol. It is best known as a tourist skiing, rock climbing, and woodcarving area. Geography The valley's main river is the Derjon, a ...

. He grew up speaking two languages: German, the language of his father, and

Ladin Ladin may refer to: * Ladin language, a language in northern Italy, often classified as a Rhaeto-Romance language *Ladin people, the inhabitants of the Dolomite Alps region of northern Italy See also *Laden (disambiguation) * Ladino (disambigua ...

, the language of his mother. He attended the local primary school from 1898 to 1901, and then attended the Josefinum in

Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...

in 1902 and 1903. From 1903 to 1905, he attended the arts and crafts school in Bolzano, where he developed his skills as a woodcarver. In 1912, he entered the Realschule in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

, where he studied Italian as a foreign language. There he began his middle school studies. During his high school years, he spent his holidays working for mountain guides and ski instructors. After his matriculation examinations in 1912, Trenker studied architecture at the

Technical University An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

World War I

At the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Trenker fought as a cadet in an

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

heavy artillery unit on the Eastern Front in Galicia and Russisch-Polen. From 1915 to 1918, he fought in the mountain war against Italy in the border fortress of Nauders. Later he fought in

Trento Trento ( or ; Ladin and lmo, Trent; german: Trient ; cim, Tria; , ), also anglicized as Trent, is a city on the Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th centu ...

. From 1916 he served as a mountain guide in the Dolomites. At the end of the war he had achieved the rank of Lieutenant. He would write 23 books based on his war experiences, the most important of which were ''Fort Rocca Alta'' and ''Berge in Flammen'', the latter of which was made into the 1931 film ''

Mountains on Fire ''Mountains on Fire'' (german: Berge in Flammen) is a 1931 German war film directed by Karl Hartl and Luis Trenker and starring Trenker, Lissy Arna and Luigi Serventi. The film was based on Luis Trenker's novel of the same title, partly based ...

''. At the end of the war, Trenker made several unsuccessful attempts to start an architecture business in Bolzano. In 1924 he graduated from the

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

, and then worked as an architect in Bolzano, forming a business partnership with the Austrian architect

Clemens Holzmeister Clemens Holzmeister (27 March 1886 – 12 June 1983) was a prominent Austrian architect and stage designer of the early twentieth century. The Austrian Academy of Fine Arts listed his life's work as containing 673 projects. He was the father of ...

. In 1924, Trenker participated in the

Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were he ...

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as Chamonix, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 2019, it had ...

as a member of the Italian five-man bobsled team. Under the leadership of Pilot Lodovico Obexer, they ended up in sixth place.

Film career

Trenker's first contact with film came in 1921, when he helped director

Arnold Fanck Arnold Fanck (6 March 1889 – 28 September 1974) was a German film director and pioneer of the mountain film genre. He is best known for the extraordinary alpine footage he captured in such films as '' The Holy Mountain'' (1926), '' The White He ...

on one of his

mountain film A mountain film is a film genre that focuses on mountaineering and especially the battle of human against nature. In addition to mere adventure, the protagonists who return from the mountain come back changed, usually gaining wisdom and enlighten ...

s. The main actor could not perform the stunts required, and so Trenker assumed the leading role. He gradually assumed more roles on the set, and by 1928 was directing, writing, and starring in his own films. By now he had abandoned his job as an architect to concentrate on his films. In 1928 he married Hilda von Bleichert, the daughter of a fabrics manufacturer from Leipzig, and together they had four children. In 1932 Trenker created (with

Curtis Bernhardt Curtis Bernhardt (15 April 1899 – 22 February 1981) was a Jewish film director born in Worms, Germany, under the name Kurt Bernhardt. He trained as an actor in Germany, and performed on the stage, before starting as a film director in 1924, wi ...

and

Edwin H. Knopf Edwin H. Knopf (November 11, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American film producer, film director, and screenwriter. Biography He was born in New York City and went to work early in his life in the editorial department of his brother Alf ...

) a

historical film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...

'' The Rebel''. Trenker stated that the film's plotline of a Tyrolean

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

Severin Anderlan leading a revolt against occupying French forces in 1809, during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. The greatest

Tirol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

ean patriot

Andreas Hofer Andreas Hofer (22 November 1767 – 20 February 1810) was a Tyrolean innkeeper and drover, who in 1809 became the leader of the Tyrolean Rebellion against the Napoleonic and Bavarian invasion during the War of the Fifth Coalition. He was subse ...

was a proto-type of "Severin Anderlan" ... Trenker was designed to mirror what was happening in contemporary Germany as it rejected the terms of the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...

.Prawer p. 207. The main theme of Trenker's work was the idealization of peoples connection with their homeland and pointing out the decadence of city life (most clearly visible in his 1934 film ''Der verlorene Sohn'' (''The Prodigal Son''). This loosely played into the hands of Nazi propagandists, who seized upon the nationalistic elements of his work. However, Trenker refused to allow his work to be subverted as such and eventually moved to Rome in 1940 to avoid further governmental pressure. After a pair of documentary films, however, Trenker returned to Bolzano and stopped making films. The style he had developed in the thirties was not limited to nationalistic, folkloristic, and heroic clichés. His impersonation of a hungry, downtrodden immigrant in depression era New York was regarded as one of the seminal scenes for future

Italian neorealism Italian neorealism ( it, Neorealismo), also known as the Golden Age, is a national film movement characterized by stories set amongst the poor and the working class. They are filmed on location, frequently with non-professional actors. They pri ...

by the likes of

Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such ...

After World War II

Trenker was accused of fascist opportunism after the war, but the charges were eventually dropped. In the 1950s, he returned to the movie industry, though by 1965 he was making primarily documentary films that focused on the Austrian province of

and

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

(his homeland), which had become part of Italy. He also returned to writing about the mountains.

Later life

In 1988 Hilda Trenker von Bleichert died. Luis Trenker died on 13 April 1990 in Bolzano at the age 97. He was buried in his family's plot at

. In 1992, for the centennial of his birth, his native town of Ortisei dedicated a monument that shows him in mountaineer garb while looking at the Langkofel, a mountain he liked to climb. In March 2004, the

Museum Gherdëina The Gherdëina Local Heritage Museum was opened in the ''Cësa di Ladins'' in Urtijëi, in northernmost Italy, in 1960. The building is the seat of the Union di Ladins de Gherdëina a cultural organisation for the keeping of the Ladin language ...

displayed a collection of Trenker's belongings from a bequest of his family.

Filmography

* ''

Mountain of Destiny ''Mountain of Destiny'' (german: Berg des Schicksals) is a 1924 German silent drama film written and directed by Arnold Fanck and starring Hannes Schneider, Frida Richard, Erna Morena, and Luis Trenker. The film is about an alpinist who falls ...

'' (1924), ''Der Berg des Schicksals, * '' The Holy Mountain'' (1926), ''Der heilige Berg'', * '' The Great Leap'' (1927), ''Der große Sprung'', * ''

Struggle for the Matterhorn ''Struggle for the Matterhorn'' (german: Der Kampf ums Matterhorn) is a 1928 German-Swiss silent drama film co-directed by Mario Bonnard and Nunzio Malasomma and starring Luis Trenker, Marcella Albani, and Alexandra Schmitt. The film is part o ...

'' (1928), ''Der Kampf ums Matterhorn'', * '' The Call of the North'' (1929), ''Der Ruf des Nordens'', * ''

The Son of the White Mountain ''The Son of the White Mountain'' (German: ''Der Sohn der weißen Berge'') is a 1930 German mystery romance film directed by Mario Bonnard and Luis Trenker and starring Trenker, Maria Matray and Renate Müller. It was part of the popular serie ...

'' (1930), ''Der Sohn der weißen Berge'', * ''

The Great Longing ''The Great Longing'' (german: Die große Sehnsucht) is a 1930 German comedy film directed by Steve Sekely in his directorial debut and starring Camilla Horn, Theodor Loos, and Harry Frank. It was shot at the EFA Studios in Berlin. The film's se ...

'' (1930), ''Die große Sehnsucht'', * ''Les Chevaliers de la montagne'' (1930), ''Knights of the Mountains'', * ' (1930), * ''

'' (1931), ''Berge in Flammen'', * ''

Doomed Battalion ''Doomed Battalion'' is a 1932 American drama film directed by Cyril Gardner and written by Karl Hartl, Patrick Kearney, Paul Perez and Luis Trenker. The film stars Luis Trenker, Tala Birell, Albert Conti, Victor Varconi, Henry Armetta and Gus ...

'' (1932), * '' The Rebel'' (1932), ''Der Rebell'', * ''

The Prodigal Son The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a parable of Jesus from the Bible. The Prodigal Son or Prodigal Son may also refer to: Film * ''L'Enfant prodigue'' (1907 film) (The Prodigal Son), by Michel Carré, based on his play * , a short silent film b ...

'' (1934), * ''

Der Kaiser von Kalifornien ''Der Kaiser von Kalifornien'' (English: ''The Emperor of California''), is a 1936 film that was the first western film made in Nazi Germany. Some exterior scenes were shot on location in the United States at Sedona, Arizona, the Grand Canyon an ...

'' (1936), * ''Giovanni de Medici: The Leader'' (1937), * ''

Condottieri ''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europ ...

'' (1937), * ''

The Mountain Calls ''The Mountain Calls'' (German: ''Der Berg ruft'') is a film directed by Luis Trenker which recreates the struggle between Edward Whymper and Jean-Antoine Carrel for the first successful ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. This German film is on ...

'' (1938), ''Der Berg ruft'', * '' The Challenge'' (1938), * ''

Love Letters from Engadin ''Love Letters from Engadin'' or ''Love Letters from the Engadine'' (german: Liebesbriefe aus dem Engadin) is a 1938 German romantic comedy film directed by Luis Trenker and Werner Klingler and starring Trenker, Carla Rust and Erika von Thellmann. ...

'' (1938), ''Liebesbriefe aus dem Engadin'', * ''Boundary Fire'' (1939), * ''Urlaub im Schnee'' (1939, short), * ''

The Fire Devil ''The Fire Devil'' (German: ''Der Feuerteufel'') is a 1940 German historical adventure film directed by and starring Luis Trenker. It also featured Judith Holzmeister, Bertl Schultes and Hilde von Stolz. The title is sometimes translated as ''The A ...

'' (1940), * ''Der König der Berge'' (1940, short), * ''Pastor Angelicus'' (1942), * ' (1943), * ''Monte Miracolo'' (1945), * ''

Barrier to the North ''Barrier to the North'' ( it, Barriera a Settentrione) is a 1950 Italian mountain film directed by and starring Luis Trenker. It also stars Amedeo Nazzari, Marianne Hold and Margarete Genske. It is sometimes known by the alternative title of ''M ...

'' (1950), ''Barriera a settentrione'', ''Duell in den Bergen'', * ''Aus König Laurins Rosengarten'' (1951), * ''Bergsommer'' (1952, short), * ''An der Dolomitenstraße'' (1952, short), * ' (1952, short), * ''Niemals mutlos'' (1952, short), ''Don't Surrender Never!'', * ''Gondelfahrt durch Venedig'' (1952, short), ''Venetian Walk'', * ''Lofotenfischer'' (1952, short), ''The Lofoten Fisher'', * ''Die Sphinx von Zermatt'' (1953, short), * ''Kavaliere im Eis'' (1954, short), * ' (1955), * ''S.O.S. Zinnennordwand'' (1955, short), * ' (1956), * ' (1956), * ' (1957), * ''Unser Freund, der Haflinger'' (1957, short), ''Our Friend Haflinger'', * ''Zwei Wege, ein Gipfel'' (1961, short), * '' His Best Friend'' (1962), ''His Best Friend'', * ''Vacanze scambio'' (1962), * ''Luftsprünge'' (1969–70, television series), * ''Skifreuden in den Dolomiten'' (1970, short), * ''Ich filmte am Matterhorn'' (1970), * ''Olympia'' (1971), * ''Die Glückspirale'' (1971), * ''Heimat aus Gottes Hand'' (1979), * ''Hochkant'' (1982),

Bibliography

* ''Meine Berge'' (1931), with Walter Schmidkunz * ''Berge in Flammen. Ein Roman aus den Schicksalstagen Südtirols'' (1931), with Walter Schmidkunz * ''Kameraden der Berge'' (1932) * ''Der Rebell. Ein Freiheitsroman aus den Bergen Tirols'' (1933) * ''Berge und Heimat: Das Buch von den Bergen und ihren Menschen'' (1933), with Walter Schmidkunz * ''Der verlorene Sohn. Roman'' (1934) * ''Berge im Schnee. Das Winterbuch'' (1935) * ''Helden der Berge. Roman'' (1936), with Karl Springenschmid und Walter Schmidkunz * ''Leuchtendes Land. Roman'' (1937), with Karl Springenschmid * ''Sperrfort Rocca Alta. Der Heldenkampf eines Panzerwerkes'' (1937) * '' Hauptmann Ladurner. Ein Soldatenroman'' (1940) * ''Der Feuerteufel. Ein Speckbacherroman'' (1940) * ''Sterne über den Gipfeln. Roman'' (1942) * ''Heimat aus Gottes Hand. Roman'' (1948) * ''Duell in den Bergen. Ein Roman aus den Dolomiten'' (1951) * ''Glocken über den Bergen. Roman'' (1952) * ''Sonne über Sorasass. Ein heiterer Roman aus den Dolomiten'' (1953) * ''Schicksal am Matterhorn. Roman'' (1957) * ''Helden am Berg. Roman'' (1956) * ''Das Wunder von Oberammergau. Roman'' (1960) * ''Sohn ohne Heimat. Roman'' (1960) * ''Die Farm am Kilimandscharo'' (1960) * ''Der Kaiser von Kalifornien. Roman'' (1961) * ''Alles gut gegangen. Geschichten aus meinem Leben'' (1965, autobiography)

Honors and awards

* 1936

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

Award for Best Foreign Film for ''Der Kaiser von Kalifornien'' * 1966 Cross of Honor of the City of Vienna * 1966

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking ...

* 1977 Order of Merit of the State of Tyrol * 1978

Karl Valentin Order The Karl Valentin Order was established by the Carnival club Munich Society Narrhalla e.V. on the occasion of its 80th anniversary. It was awarded for the first time in 1973. The Karl Valentin Order commemorates the legendary Bavarian humorist Karl ...

of Merit * 1979

Bavarian Order of Merit The Bavarian Order of Merit (german: Bayerischer Verdienstorden) is the Order of Merit of the Free State of Bavaria. It is awarded by the Minister-President of Bavaria as a "recognition of outstanding contributions to the Free State of Bavaria ...

* 1982

Deutscher Filmpreis The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the German film industry. Besides being the most important ...

for Outstanding Individual Contributions to German Cinema

Gallery

File:Trenker family grave - Urtijëi - 01.jpg, Luis Trenker's grave in Urtijëi File:Trenker memorial plaque - Urtijëi.jpg, Memorial plaque near the grave File:Luis Trenker.jpg, Luis Trenker memorial statue File:Hotel Adler Holzmeister.jpg, Hotel Adler designed by Luis Trenker and Clemens Holzmeister

References

External links

* *
Virtual History – Photographs

* http://www.walter-riml.at/welcome/1927-gita-the-goat-girl/ Luis Trenker * {{DEFAULTSORT:Trenker, Luis 1892 births 1990 deaths People from Urtijëi People from the County of Tyrol Ladin people Italian film directors Italian male silent film actors Germanophone Italian people Austrian film directors Austrian male silent film actors German-language film directors Italian people of Austrian descent Mountaineering film directors 20th-century Italian male actors 20th-century Austrian male actors Bobsledders at the 1924 Winter Olympics Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Sportspeople from Südtirol