Trivia

In 1932 followed his engagement as a cinematographer assistant for Leni Riefenstahl's movie "Das blaue Licht" (1932) which led to another collaboration three years later for Riefenstahl's movie "Triumph des Willens" (1935).

Because of a bomb attack in 1944 in Berlin he lost his archive with more than 30,000 negatives from his travels and works in Japan and Greenland. Therefore, planned film projects together with the American film producer Paul Kohner could not be realised any more.

The cinematographer Walter Riml began his professional career as an interior designer and carpenter.

The 2.05 m tall Tyrolean played the tall carpenter "Fietje" from Hamburg together with his petite carpenter-partner "Tietje" Guzzi Lantschner, both in the traditional black carpenter costume in The White Ecstasy . Their ski acrobatic scenes became legendary until today. This film is also a favorite film for today's snowboarding generation because of the fabulous ski jumps.

He became established as a cinematographer in the next years and he shot both documentaries and feature movies. To his well-known works of the 30s and 40s belong "Peter im Schnee" (1937), "Der Berg ruft!" (1938), "Zyankali" (1948) and "Weisses Gold" (1949).

In 1962 he was engaged by the director John Sturges as cinematographer assistant for his movie "The Great Escape" (1962). He was also active in this function for the James-Bond movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969).

In his long life he worked on more than 100 film productions and documentaries worldwide.

His last cinematical works came in the 60s into being with the serial "Funkstreife Isar 12" (1960), "Ring frei" (1962), the serial "Mario" (1963) and "Bergwind" (1963).

Besides his acting Walter Riml was always interested in cinematography and with a body height of more than two meters he offered at the end of the 20s his service as an assistant to the cinematographers Richard Angst and Hans Schneeberger.

After the documentation about the movie "The Last Valley" (70) he retired fro the film business.

After the war he was able to continue his career as a cinematographer, first as a correspondent for the US army and later for documentaries and feature movies again.

Together with Guzzi Lantschner he created a comical duo which harmonized on the big screen very well.

As an enthusiastic skier he was a regular guest in the mountains and new its circumstances. When Arnold Fanck - a movie director who often settled his works in the environment of the mountains - met Walter Riml he engaged him first as a skier and shortly afterwards as an actor.

After the Second World War he was a cameraman for the US Army. In 1957 he was one of the four western cameramen who were allowed to make a film about the daily life in Russia. Riml also worked on different TV productions.

Besides cinematical works he also shot news as a war correspondent during World War II.