Peaks of Destiny

• 1927
• 1 hr 5 mins

• Watchlist

Originally titled Der Heilige Berg, Peaks of Destiny is another of the legendary and very well-received "mountain films" of German director/geologist Dr. Arnold Fanck. It also represented the screen debut of Fanck's most celebrated protegee, future director Leni Riefenstahl. The actress is cast as a vampish dancer who comes between best friends and fellow mountaineers Luis Trenker (who likewise became a director of note) and Ernest Peterson. Much of the action takes place on skis, with the outstanding exception of the finale when all three protagonists are stranded on a perilous mountain peak after one of the men tries to kill the other. Though it made hardly a ripple in the U.S., Peaks of Destiny was a huge moneymaker in Europe.