Film Review Matchstick Productions “Claim, The Greatest Ski Film…Ever!” Paul Hooge “Claim” is a benchmark film; it defines the vision of the extreme-action ski film for future film makers and future generations. “Claim” reflects back on the sublime in 19th century art when painters such as Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran along with like-minded photographers interpreted their visions of the mountain West as the awe-inspiring, the majestic and the perilous for travel-starved Victorians back East. “Claim", with the bar raised to new heights, reinterprets the sublime into contemporary visual language for contemporary ski audiences. The film is impregnated with the symbolic, the sensual and the referential , although most of this will go unnoticed. Matchstick producers and directors, Murray Wais and Steve Winter gathered together a team of world-class extreme ski athletes, cinematographers and photographers then set out to produce “The Best Ski Movie…Ever!”. Their finished product plays out like an action thriller. The ride is non-stop and you don’t come up for air until the credits roll. The cinematography is skilled if not superb. Everything, every shot, is thoughtfully planned and the camera work totally coordinated so that every possibility is covered and the viewer is the beneficiary. There are lots of highlights, but no duds; every athlete was at the top of their game including Shane McConkey who shares his trepidations about growing old (at 38?). He portrays the aging athlete recovering from an injury then launches himself off of a cliff to confirm his recovery and to deny his age. Perhaps the most phenomenal footage was that of the dread-locked Swede Kaj Zackrisson (aka, the Flying Squirrel) who cut loose a kamikaze, “quad-frying”, over the top run crashing off of a cliff into a spread eagle summersault. Still on his skis in an unanticipated Royal-Christie, almost over another cliff, he nails the long end run as if there was nothing to it. This guy is an alien. Toward the end of the film we are treated to a glimpse of the human carnage in the out-takes; crashes into trees, crushing landings in terrain parks, bleeding, bruised bodies- serious stuff made seriously funny. This is a great ‘on the edge of your seat’ ski film, but Matchstick has attached a bold claim, that “Claim” is “the greatest ski movie ...ever” . How shall we fairly and conclusively judge the Claim? First, we must look at the broad genre referred to as ‘ski films’ and separate it into categories that more accurately identify it in reality. Second, “Claim” must be brought into historical perspective. Finally, we must attempt to determine what constitutes a great ski film, or ‘The Best Ski Film…Ever’. The ski film genre can be separated into several categories including documentaries, historical film, travel, instructional, promotional, X-country specific, snowboard specific, mixed snow sports and ski specific. Within the ski specific category, we find the extreme-action ski film. There are many kinds of ski films and “Claim” can be judged best within a specific category. Placing “Claim” into a historical perspective is also important if we are to understand the film’s significance and to determine if other films might be considered ‘ the greatest ski film…ever’. Can a film that is considered to be the most important ski film ever also be the greatest ski film ever? What about Arnold Franck’s 1931 film “White Ecstasy” starring Hannes Schneider and Leni Riefenstahl? What about films by John Day and Dick Durrance, Otto Lang, Dick Barrymore and the most prolific ski cinematographer in American history, Warren Miller? What about the two period films that laid the foundations and set the tone for all future ski films, “Ski the Outer Limits” (1968) and “The Moebius Flip” (1970) by producers Roger Brown and Barry Corbet? These two films are followed by many others including those produced by the great Greg Stump and later by Geoff McDonald (Meathead Films). Now for the big question, what constitutes a great ski film let alone ‘The Best Ski Film ever’? Here is a laundry list of things to consider: Quality in production, direction, cinematography, locations, musical score, editing, athletes (actors), story line, etc. All of the same things you would expect in a big screen film must be considered. But is it really so simple as all of this? Absolutely not! What separates the mediocre ski film from the good ski film, or the good from the great? It is complex, but generally it is about emotion, range of emotion and the ability of the film maker not only to invite you to watch, but to draw you in, to allow you to participate through your emotions. Ski film makers must also be able to capture and define the essence of movement, the recognition of the beauty of line within an extremely complex environment where a relationship is created between the skier and the elements that challenge them. Skiers seek to discover a perfect relationship between themselves, the mountain and the snow. The film-maker must discover this relationship and again capture it. Brown and Corbet explored these elements, the places where speed and movement become graceful and the extreme beautiful. Ski films at their best create a discourse within the film and with the audience at various levels. Included within this discourse are references to the sensual, the symbolic, the ideological, the referential and the cultural. This discourse is never neutral and should always be challenging. A great ski film will incorporate all of these elements and in the end have the power to pull you in time after time. So much for ski films 101! So, do I think “Claim” is the greatest ski mover ever? I think that it is the greatest extreme-action ski film to date, but could it be even better? Yes, but it is still one sick sucker! Find out more about Matchstick’s Adventures in Powder Magazines September 2008 issue. Also, if you want to build your ski film library, go to: www.vintageskiworld.com and www.skimuseum.org For Matchstick’s film go to www.skimovies.com and be sure to pick up a copy of both “Claim” and last year’s “Seven Sunny Days”, another great Matchstick film.