Demon of the Himalayas

1935 1h 32m DE

🙌

8.0

BANGER

★8.0TMDB · 1

AdventureHorrorDrama

Synopsis

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German film about a Himalayan expedition and the search for a mountain spirit, who guarded, according to the tradition of the locals, the peaks of high mountains. The long-lost and recently rediscovered and restored film is now a unique cinematic document because it is the first feature film that was shot directly in the Himalayas (up to 6400 m altitude). Hans Ertl even turned his Bell & Howell to the main summit of Sia Kangri, 7422m. Likewise, the film contains footage from India and Tibet, from a time long before the emergence of mass tourism. Some of the footage was later recycled in ‘Lost horizon’ (1937) by Frank Capra and in ‘Storm over Tibet’ (1952).

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Gustav Diessl
Dr. Norman - Ethnologe
Erika Dannhoff
Anne
Günther Oskar Dyhrenfurth
Professor Wille - Leiter der Internationalen Himalaya-Expedition
Jarmila Vacková
Ellen - his Wife
Hans Winzeler
Dr. Winkler - Expedition doctor
Hans Ertl
Hans - junger Bergsteiger der Himalaya-Expedition
Albert Höcht
Bertl - junger Bergsteiger der Himalaya-Expedition
André Roch
André - junger Bergsteiger der Himalaya-Expedition

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Andrew Marton
Writers: Fritz Rau, Eberhard Frowein, Mila Rau
Languages: German
Countries: Switzerland, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

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Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

91 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

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International production across 2 countries: Switzerland, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Andrew Marton, shot by Richard Angst. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Carl Forcht shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Gustav Diessl and Erika Dannhoff and Günther Oskar Dyhrenfurth carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0452200 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Andrew Marton directs. Richard Angst behind the camera. Carl Forcht cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Switzerland, Germany. Dialogue in German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

191 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 2 countries: Switzerland, Germany.
3Directed by Andrew Marton, shot by Richard Angst. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Carl Forcht shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Gustav Diessl and Erika Dannhoff and Günther Oskar Dyhrenfurth carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0452200 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
8Classified under 64 themes, including "himalaya mountain range", "asia", "expedition", "mountain".
9Released under 10 different titles around the world.