Product Description

9 classic ski films. 3 legendary filmmakers. 1 distinctive collection.

From the TOPICS ENTERTAINMENT video vault, comes CLASSIC SKI FILMS, the 1st title in the new series aptly named, "Films of Distinction - Treasures of the American Cinema". Classic Ski Films relives the Golden Age of Alpine Skiingâ€"from 1940s Hollywood coming to Sun Valley, Idaho for lessons, to the birth of hotdogging in 1970s Aspenâ€"with Classic Ski Films on DVD. Whether it was the first WWII training film for U.S. mountain troops, or the pageantry and power of the 1960 Winter Olympics, three extraordinary pioneering filmmakers captured it through the lens of history.

* The Films of Distinction line is an exclusive archival video series bringing the work of pioneering producers and filmmakers to the attention of today’s discerning audiences. Look for other DVD boxed sets in the Films of Distinction library, available from TOPICS Entertainment®.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51015 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-11-21
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Special Edition, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 8
• Running time: 378 minutes

From the Actor
John Jay Considered the grand-daddy of the modern ski-film road show, John Jay was a Rhodes Scholar whose prolific output and inveterate showmanship were the inspirations to an entire generation of newly minted skiers. His books and magazine articles aside, Jay’s annual ski filmsâ€"featuring his trademarked brand of wittily inspired commentaryâ€"have played to tens of thousands of alpine enthusiasts. John Jay died in 2000, four days before his 85th birthday.

Otto Lang Entrepreneur, ski instructor to the stars, Academy Award®-nominated documentarian: Otto Lang ranks among the greats of ski-film production. Opening America’s first ski school in the mid-1930s, Lang was invited to head the Sun Valley (Idaho) Ski School, offering instruction to the likes of Gary Cooper, Groucho Marx, and Twentieth Century-Fox studio head, Darryl Zanuck. At Zanuck’s invitation, Lang embarked on an illustrious Hollywood career as producer/director. Otto Lang resides in Seattle.

Dick Barrymore He took a short vacation from the Los Angeles Fire Department to make a documentary film about skiing. Thirty years and thousands of feet of film later, Dick Barrymore enjoys a global reputation as an itinerant artist whose motion pictures highlight every aspect of the sheer joy of skiing, from innovations in early equipment to the thrill of adventure and competition. Hanging up his camera in 1990, he decisively retired from ski-filmmaking while at the top of his game. Dick Barrymore resides in a thatched-roof bungalow at the sourthern tip of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula

About the Actor
The Films of John Jay

Olympic Holiday (57 minutes) A stunning chronicle of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games in Squaw Valley, California. Filmed events include: • Opening & Closing Ceremonies • Women’s & Men’s Downhill • Women’s & Men’s Giant Slalom • Women’s, Men’s & Pairs Figure Skating • 90-metre Ski Jump • Hockey: USA vs. USSR

Winter Magic Around the World (80 minutes)
Part global travelogue, part thrilling ski spectacle, with a narrative tone as light as a dusting of fresh powder.
Locations include:
• Bugaboo Mountains, British Columbia
• Vail, Colorado
• Tasman Glacier, New Zealand
• Switzerland
• Japan
• Australia
• Russia

Ski Down the Years (40 minutes)
A light-hearted celebration of The Golden Age of American Skiing 1940-1970, an era pre-dating release bindings, fiberglass skis, aluminum poles, snowmaking, and efficient ski lifts.

The Best of John Jay (85 minutes)
A Vail-to-Zermatt greatest-hits compilation from this prolific ski-cinema patriarch, serving up a pioneering pan-global ski safari of yesteryear’s most daring action. Locations include:
• Sangre de Cristo Mountains, New Mexico
• Atlas Mountains, Africa
• Aspen, Colorado
• Sun Valley, Idaho
• Klosters, Switzerland
• Japan • New Zealand

The Films of Otto Lang

The Basic Principles of Skiing (40 minutes) The quintessential B&W instructional film from 1941, instrumental in the training regimen of United States mountain troops. A unique cinematic record of ski techniques and equipment of the period, and featuring actor Alan Ladd as a 10th Mountain Division recruit! Documentary highlights include:
• Ski Design, Selection & Care
• Bindings & Toe Plates
• Climbing Skins
• Lacquer & Wax
• Schussing & Traversing
• The Herringbone & Sidestep
• The Side Slip & Lunge
• Stem & Jump Turns

Ski Flight (20 minutes)
The first theatrical ski film, produced for Warner Brothers and premiering at Radio City Music Hall in 1938.

Skillfully Yours (20 minutes)
An insightful retrospective on the Sun Valley, Idaho ski scene circa 1939.

The Films of Dick Barrymore

The Performers (26 minutes)
The gonzo short film from 1971 that ushered in the freestyle revolution. Five members of the K2 demonstration team travel the United States, putting 10,000 clicks on a 26-foot motor home painted red, white, and blue.

The Last of the Ski Bums (28 minutes)
Made for a mere $12,000 and released as a feature film in New York and Chicago, Ski Bums follows the European exploitsâ€"nightclubbing in France, winning at roulette in Monte Carlo, hitting the slopes at Chamonix, reliving the days of skiing the Tasman Glacier--of three footloose Americans in 1967.

Customer Reviews

What a ski movie should be --The pure fun of sking
This is a wonderful collection of ski movie classics. It brings back great memories. As a kid, I remember going to see a John Jay movie in Albany, NY in the early 60's. His drole humor and home movie feel makes it fun to watch all over again. The 1960 Winter Olympic footage at Squaw Valley, Dick Barrymore's "The last of the Ski Bums" and Otto Lang's classic B&W movies are worth adding to your collection. These movies are a reminder of skiings rich history. It puts the emphasis on the joy, the exhilaration and the pure fun of skiing. You won't be disappointed.

Memory Lane
A great trip down memory lane for an old skier. Took me back to people, places and events with special signifigance. For someone who isn't an old skier it's a look at history which shows what it used to look like and how we used to do it.