Das Blaue Licht

Leni Riefenstahl’s Das Blaue Licht is a film of cinematic beauty. The film is based on a fictional legend of a blue light on Mount Cristallo. The legend’s heroine represents the world of ideals. She is surrounded by the harsh world of reality. I will be examining how Riefenstahl creates conflict between idealism and realism through her story, special effects, and mise-en-scene.

The story begins in a village called Santa Maria. Santa Maria is located beneath the majestic Mount Cristallo. The two main characters are Yunta (a young Italian woman) and Vigo (a Viennese artist). When there is a full moon a blue light radiates from Mount Cristallo. The blue light mesmerizes young men who climb Mount Cristallo in search of its source. These young men are in search of an ideal, which is unattainable to them. All the young men who attempt the climb fall to their deaths. Yunta is the only one able to reach the light. This is done when she is sleepwalking. In her dream state she is able to reach the ideal.

The villagers label Yunta a witch. They base their judgments on the fear of the unknown. Yunta is different, so in their realistic view, there must be something wrong with her. If none of their sons can reach the blue light then how can Yunta? She must have supernatural powers. They persecute her when she comes into town from her mountain cabin. She represents hope and the light. All they are able to fell is their despair and inability to deal with their grief.

Vigo is a newcomer to Santa Maria. He falls in love with Yunta. He is a realist also. It is absurd to him that a young peasant woman could have that much control over the lives of others. He sees her as a natural beauty that relies on her instincts. He also sees her as being untainted and pure, because she lives away from civilization. This makes him desire her more. She becomes his ideal.

One night when there is a full moon Yunta climbs Mount Cristallo and Vigo follows her. He watches how she climbs, but he finds an easier path. Realists see exactly what is there. They then access the situation, and take the easiest route. Vigo is a realist. Idealists create more of a maze so they do not tarnish the object of their desire. They are skittish. He finds Yunta in a cave covered wall to wall, top to bottom, with crystals. She immediately is fearful. He is elated with feelings of its monetary worth.

Vigo goes back to the village and shows the peasant in a drawn map how to mine the crystals. They mine the crystals with Vigo help. This takes the form of a rape of nature. Yunta’s ideal is killed by the greed of the realists. Vigo and the villagers become wealthy over their exploit and celebrate at the Inn.

Yunta suspects something is wrong and climbs Mount Cristallo. She discovers the crystals have been mined. She is devastated. The beauty of her life is gone. While descending down the mountain she loses her grip and falls to her death. Her body lands in a bed of flowers. Nature cares for her in her death as she had cared for nature in her life. She dissolves into the ideal and becomes part of its essence in her death. This symbolizes transcendence. In death, there is a smile on her face. Later, Vigo discovers her body.

Special effects are used throughout the film. Riefenstahl used negative film material to shoot some of the scenes. The effect of this is the scenes shot during the day appeared as if shot in the moonlight. The moon appears to be rising opposite to that in reality. It appears to be rising in the West and setting in the East in the film. A reversal of film would have solved the problem, but Riefenstahl decided to leave it to create a mystical effect.

Another special effect used to create the idealism of the film was a red and green filter. This was placed on the camera lens. It made the green leaves white as if they were being illuminated by the moonlight. Riefenstahl also used smoke bombs to create fog. Whenever Yunta is shot climbing the mountain, there is fog around her symbolizing her oneness with nature.

The mise-en-scene conveys to the viewer the emotions of the characters. There are several scenes that have no words, but are conveyed through camera angles and the expressions of the characters. Yunta’s ideal is shown by her fixated look as she holds a piece of crystal. There is a scene where Vigo paints a canvas of Yunta. He is speaking to her but all she can focus on is her ideal (the crystal she is holding).

The villagers’ attitudes towards Yunta are conveyed through a series of close-ups. Near the beginning of the film, Yunta goes into the village when they are in church. When she passes the priest he crosses himself as if to say only God can save her. The scowls on the faces of the women in the village are seen through the camera lens as she passes them by. Yunta has downcast eyes, which present her as an alien or outlaw to this community. She knows she is not welcomed there. When Yunta climbs the mountain she is dead center in the frame. She is the center of attention for the viewers because she is in her domain.

Das Blaue Licht retains a mythical quality form its beginning to its end. It is a fairytale. Fairytales represent the two worlds; that of idealism and realism. In the ending both achieve their own goals. In idealism when this world crushes the dream, the next world opens up to it. It is transcendence. In this world realism is rewarded, but there is no further realm to move on to. Das Blaue Licht is a visual representation of these two worlds and their consequences.

References
Borg-Pan Renata. (1980). Leni Riefenstahl. Boston, MA: Twayne Publishers.
Giannetti, Louis. (1999). Understanding Movies. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.