Josef “Sepp” Allgeier (6 February 1895 – 11 March 1968) was a German
cinematographer
The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...
who worked on around fifty
features,
documentaries
A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". The American author and media analyst Bill ...
and
short films. He began his career as a cameraman in 1911 for the
Expreß Film Co. of Freiburg im Breisgau. In 1913, he filmed newsreels in the Balkans. He then became an assistant to
Arnold Fanck, a leading director of
Mountain films. He worked frequently with
Luis Trenker
Luis Trenker (born Alois Franz Trenker, 4 October 1892 – 12 April 1990) was a South Tyrolean film producer, director, writer, actor, architect, alpinist, and bobsledder.
Biography Early life
Alois Franz Trenker was born on 4 October 1892 in ...
and
Leni Riefenstahl
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (; 22 August 1902 – 8 September 2003) was a German film director, Film producer, producer, screenwriter, Film editing, editor, photographer, and actress. She is considered one of the most controversial ...
, both closely associated with the genre. He was Riefenstahl's lead cameraman on her 1935 propaganda film ''
Triumph of the Will''. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Allgeier filmed material for
newsreels. He later worked in
West German
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republic after its capital c ...
television.
[Reimer & Reimer p.39] His son is the cinematographer
Hans-Jörg Allgeier.
Selected filmography
* ''
Mountain of Destiny'' (1924)
* ''
The Holy Mountain'' (1926)
* ''
The Great Leap'' (1927)
* ''
Alpine Tragedy'' (1927)
* ''
Milak, the Greenland Hunter '' (1928)
* ''
Struggle for the Matterhorn'' (1928)
* ''
Diary of a Lost Girl'' (1929)
* ''
The White Hell of Pitz Palu'' (1929)
* ''
Storm Over Mont Blanc'' (1930)
* ''
Mountains on Fire'' (1931)
* ''
The Rebel'' (1932)
* ''
Baroud'' (1932)
* ''
William Tell
William Tell (, ; ; ; ) is a legendary folk hero of Switzerland. He is known for shooting an apple off his son's head.
According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albrecht Gessler, ...
'' (1934)
* ''
The Champion of Pontresina'' (1934)
* ''
Frisians in Peril'' (1935)
* ''
Escape Me Never'' (1935)
* ''
Ewiger Wald'' (1936)
* ''
Militiaman Bruggler'' (1936)
* ''
The Great Barrier'' (1937)
* ''
The Mountain Calls'' (1938)
* ''
A German Robinson Crusoe'' (1940)
* ''
The Sinful Village'' (1940)
* ''
Lightning Around Barbara'' (1941)
* ''
Border Post 58'' (1951)
References
Bibliography
* Allgeier, Sepp (1931) ''Die Jagd nach dem Bild; 18 Jahre als Kameramann in Arktis und Hochgebirge'' Stuttgart: J. Engelhorns nachf. OCLC 9001961
* von Savigny, Brigitte; Allgeier, Sepp (1999) ''Sepp Allgeier Fotografien eines Kamerapioniers'' Furtwangen DesignConcepts-Verl.
''Sepp Allgeier Archetype of a Camera Man''(1999) film by Sigrid Faltin
* Klien, Arno (2004) “Sepp Allgeier and the First High Mountain Movie” in 3rd FIS Ski History Conference at Winter! Sport! Museum! Mürzzuschlag, Austria pg 11
* Von Moltke, Johannes (2005
''No Place Like Home: Locations of Heimat in German Cinema''University of California Press pg 45
* Masia, Seth (September 2006
"Moving Pictures"''Skiing Heritage Journal'' Vol 18 #3:37
* Allen, E. John B. (2007
''The Culture and Sport of Skiing: From Antiquity to World War II'' Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press pg 262
* Reimer, Robert Charles & Reimer, Carol J. (2010) ''The A to Z of German Cinema'' Rowman & Littlefield
External links
Sepp Allgeierat
filmportal.de
*
1895 births
1968 deaths
Film people from Freiburg im Breisgau
People from the Grand Duchy of Baden
German cinematographers
{{Germany-film-bio-stub