![]() Showings in the United States and Canada are pending. Berlin-based Picturetree International is managing global distribution. 26 in Villach, Austria, near Klammer’s childhood home of Mooswald. “Chasing the Line.” The feature-length film debuted with a screening Sept. The story of the Austrian legend comes to the big screen this month with the release of Today, more than 45 years later, its legend still lives on, an enduring story of what many consider to be the greatest ski race of all time. The 1976 Olympic downhill was arguably the most anticipated Winter Olympic event in history – a matchup with the veteran, defending gold medalist Bernhard Russi of Switzerland, and the upstart young Austrian farm boy Franz Klammer. It would also usher in a new era of ski racing as a global sport while hundreds of millions of viewers watched his ‘Klammer Style’ run to Olympic gold. The next one minute, 45.73 seconds would change Franz Klammer’s life forever. Alongside the ski track outside Innsbruck, 60,000 fans lined the piste. Every set of Austrian eyes were tuned in to ORF across the far corners of the land. School playgrounds were quiet and the capital of Vienna was empty. “No,” he replied, “because whenever I see it, I always win.Across all of Austria, there was nary a single person on a village street. When I interviewed Franz on stage at the Inghams’ anniversary back in 2009, the first question I asked him was ‘do you ever get tired of seeing the film of your run’? “With such a bad start number and the weather conditions getting worse, I felt I had nothing to lose, so my decision to change my line was made on the spur of the moment.”īut in my own opinion, nothing can capture the actual excitement surrounding the 1:45.73 of pure drama on the Patscherkofel 46 years ago, the footage of which still makes me tingle. My emotions were going up and down, but I was good under pressure and it brought out the best in me.” The film is certainly worth seeing especially if you are a winter sports fan, and there are some great racing scenes.Īt the London premier, Franz told the audience: “The film shows one of the greatest weeks of my life. TV presenter and former British racer Chemmy Allcott interviews Franz Klammer and Benni Raich (left) another Austrian Olympic gold medal winning skier Recently, I was lucky enough to be invited to an exclusive premier in London, attended by Franz and a host of other former Austrian and British ski racers including Graham Bell, Konrad Bartelski, and Chemmy Allcott (plus a special message was beamed in from Dave Ryding). The film ‘Chasing the Line’, directed by Andreas Schmied, was released in German last year, and it has now been dubbed into English. Now, 46 years after the famous victory, the story behind the build up to the race and Franz’s run have been given Austria’s version of the ‘Hollywood treatment’. In Austria, it is said that Franz’s triumph united his country, and it was one of those occasions when everyone remembers where they were at the moment he crossed the finish line. ![]() The packed auditorium rose to their feet and welcomed Franz with a standing ovation – and that was before he enthralled the audience with tales of his life and his views on skiing. My answer came when we walked out on stage after the footage of his amazing and dramatic gold medal winning 1:45.73 run at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck was shown on a giant screen. I already knew ‘the Kaiser’ and how he is seen as a hero in Austria, but wondered how well known he would be to a British crowd? By Skier & Snowboarder editor Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwinīack in November 2009, I was invited to interview Austrian ski legend Franz Klammer in front of a large audience during a weekend organised by Inghams in Warwickshire to celebrate the company’s 75th anniversary.
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