Directing

Otto Lang

Born 1908-01-21 · Zenica, Austria-Hungary (modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Otto Lang (1908 – 2006) was a skier and pioneer ski instructor from Bosnia and Herzegovina, who lived and worked in the United States. After teaching skiing at a variety of smaller resorts in Austria, he joined the Hannes Schneider Ski School in St. Anton am Arlberg, one of the most prestigious ski schools of the era. Like many instructors who taught Schneider's Arlberg Method, Lang was eventually offered a chance to teach in the U.S., at Pecketts' on Sugar Hill in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He later moved out west and found ski schools on Mount Rainier, Mount Baker and Mount Hood. He demonstrated ski techniques in Jerome Hill's documentary Ski Flight (1938) which premiered at Radio City Music Hall. His 1936 book Downhill Skiing was recognized in its day as the most comprehensive manual for skiing instruction for the fledgling sport. Ski Filmmaker Warren Miller and newsman Lowell Thomas both credited Lang's book as their inspiration for their interest in skiing.

Acting credits

Behind the camera

Call Northside 777 poster
6.7

In 1932, a cop is killed and Frank Wiecek sentenced to life. Eleven years later, a newspaper ad by Frank's mother leads Chicago reporter P.J. McNeal to look into the case. For some time, McNeal continues to believe Frank guilty. But when he starts to change his mind, he meets increased resistance from authorities unwilling to be proved wrong.

Call Northside 777

1948

5 Fingers poster
7.5

During WWII, the valet to the British Ambassador to Ankara sells British secrets to the Germans while trying to romance a refugee Polish countess.

5 Fingers

1952

White Witch Doctor poster
6.5

Ellen Burton arrives in Africa to join Dr. Mary as her nurse, bringing modern medicine to the native peoples. Lonni Douglas, an animal wrangler and fortune hunter, agrees to take her upriver, despite his misgivings about her suitability for Africa. They battle escaped gorillas, hostile natives, infected lion wounds, and hostile witch doctors to reach their destination and on the way, they fall in love. Will their contrasting interests doom their romance?

White Witch Doctor

1953

The Best of Cinerama poster
5.8

A selection of excerpts from the first Cinerama films.

The Best of Cinerama

1963

The Art Director poster
6.7

A film's art director is in charge of the set, from conception to construction to furnishing. This short film walks the viewer through art directors' responsibilities and the demands on their talents. They read a script carefully and design a set to capture the time and place, the social strata, and the mood. They must be scholars of the history of architecture, furnishings, and fashion. They choose the colors on a set in anticipation of the lighting and the mood. Their work also sets styles, from Art Deco in the 20's to 30s modernism. Then it's on to the next project. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.

The Art Director

1949

Fury River poster
6.3

Rogers Rangers fight the French & Indians in Canada while searching for a waterway which will lead to this ocean.

Fury River

1961

Vesuvius Express poster
6.5

The first travelogue released by Twentieth Century-Fox in CinemaScope, produced and directed by Otto Lang, is a photographic record of a journey from Milan to Naples, through Florence and Rome, on a streamlined passenger train. En route, the film takes time out in the cities mentioned to take a look at the landmarks -- past and present -- with the climax on the edge of Vesuvius' smoldering crater. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film.

Vesuvius Express

1953

Laura poster
9.7

A detective is assigned to a case of murder. During the investigation he finds himself taking a more than professional interest in the victim, the mysterious Laura.

Laura

1955

Search for Paradise poster
6.5

Lowell Thomas travels across Europe and the Middle East on his way to attend the coronation of King Mahendra in Nepal.

Search for Paradise

1957

Search for Paradise poster
6.5

Lowell Thomas travels across Europe and the Middle East on his way to attend the coronation of King Mahendra in Nepal.

Search for Paradise

1957

No artwork available
NR

A commercial airline pilot and flight attendant have a bit of layover in Las Vegas and see all the sights there are to see in the desert paradise.

Fabulous Las Vegas

1954

Jet Carrier poster
10.0

Jet Carrier is a 1954 American short documentary film produced by Otto Lang as a CinemaScope Special. It was nominated for two Academy Awards - one for Best Documentary Short, and the other for Best Two-Reel Short. It was filmed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown.

Jet Carrier

1954

Jet Carrier poster
10.0

Jet Carrier is a 1954 American short documentary film produced by Otto Lang as a CinemaScope Special. It was nominated for two Academy Awards - one for Best Documentary Short, and the other for Best Two-Reel Short. It was filmed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown.

Jet Carrier

1954

The First Piano Quartette poster
5.3

The First Piano Quartette is a 1954 short documentary film directed by Otto Lang. It shows the First Piano Quartette composed of Adan Garner, Edward Edson, Frank Mittler and Glauco D'Attilli as they play Lecuona's "Malaguena," Debussy's "Clair de Lune," and John Phillip Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever." The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Subject, One-Reel.

The First Piano Quartette

1954

Skifully Yours poster
NR

Skifully Yours by noted ski film director Otto Lang, offers a charming look at the Sun Valley, Idaho, ski scene of the late 1930s.

Skifully Yours

1947

The Basic Principles of Skiing poster
NR

Shot in 1941, this black-and-white instructional film (featuring actor Alan Ladd) serves as a veritable time capsule on the history of the sport, with advice on ski design, schussing, lacquer, wax and toe plates.

The Basic Principles of Skiing

1941