Der Springer von Pontresina (1934)

Pontresina, Switzerland, at the beginning of the 20th century. A ski-jumping competition is approaching. High in the mountains, the German team is training feverishly for victory. When Tielko Groots, a favorite on the slopes, meets the young Englishwoman Violett Moore, who is spending her vacation there with her father, he falls in love with her. He accompanies her to the hotel and spends an evening there with her and her father. Team captain Uli Boeker disapproves of his protégé’s “excursions,” seeing them as a threat to the team’s sporting spirit—especially when Tielko returns to the training camp late at night. The following day, Uli and Tielko meet in St. Moritz, where Tielko is accompanied by the young woman, Violett. Uli takes Tielko aside and tries to appeal to his conscience. After their conversation, the team captain believes he has his protégé back under full control. But he is mistaken: Tielko can think only of his new love and has no interest in training anymore. One evening soon afterward, Tielko sneaks out of the training camp in borrowed evening clothes and goes to a ball at the Grand Hotel in St. Moritz. Team captain Uli notices, however, that Tielko is missing from camp again and tracks him down at the hotel. He takes him back to the training camp. The rest of the team, of course, cannot fail to notice Tielko’s regular “excursions,” and the athletes begin to resent their teammate. When team captain Uli is seriously injured in a sports accident, one thing leads to another, and eventually his teammates blame Tielko for the accident. Uli’s colleague Marlen looks after him in the hospital, and the two eventually get together. Meanwhile, Lies tries to calm the agitated team, which holds Tielko responsible for their captain’s accident. Tielko himself also returns to normal after learning that his new love, Violetta, has announced her engagement to her cousin Henry MacPherson. Team captain Uli, who cannot yet leave the hospital because of his accident, entrusts Tielko with leading the team. Together with Lies, Tielko leads the team through the rest of its training.