Ryan: Hey guys, Ryan Thompson here in the Vail Tasting Room with the one and only the
Legend, Chris Anthony.
We're having a good time getting ready for a showing of his film Mission Mt Mangart which is all about the 10th Mountain and the original soldiers back in the 1940s.
We are gonna take the time to ask Chris a couple of questions, three questions with Chris: What inspired you to make the 10th Mountain documentary?
Chris: Well, first of all, thanks for this. It is gonna be very unique, an intimate setting, and this thing, and this is long overdue, so
Ryan: You've done these in front of crowds of thousands of people.
Chris: Yeah, my biggest audience was 1800 people with the Colorado Symphony.
Ryan: Yeah, that's right, yeah, that was super cool.
Chris: Since it has four original scores, that's why we did it, that was so cool.
Ryan: So what's the inspiration behind it?
Chris: It's explained in the film. I was with a retired brigadier general of the Slovenian Mountain troops in Slovenia, who saw me out while I was in England to bring my attention to the fact that there's this whole missing part of the 10th Mountain Division's History. When they were on the Yugoslavian border just want to be back in and you just want to be after they march their way and they win away after Germany is coming in. And the unique part about that was that during that period, the 10th Mountain Division decided to have a ski race on the second highest mountain range, the Julian Alps, called Mangart.
So I thought it could be a cool little sightseeing on Europe just about the ski
race. But as they started digging into it, I was like, I'm I was talking about
this. I got to figure out how to explain the characters that they are and where
did they come from. So I went all the way back to 1939 and went up to June 3rd,
1945. And it was kind of just, the story found me and it took me on a trip.
So it wasn't me that made the film. It's the film that just took me.
Ryan: That's awesome. Incredible journey. Yeah, incredible. Speaking
of fun journeys and incredible journeys, how many years did you spend with Warren Miller?
Chris: 28 years.
Ryan: 28 years, that's pretty damn impressive. With 28 years of experience, what did you learn from that side of the camera to produce this documentary?
Chris: Everything. Did you write that? I mean, all the way to,I mean, Warren started a parking lot and made these films and then we go into the day launch and project them and pass the hat and narrate the films live because there was no sound on the film and that's how he survived, and in essence and he also had to learn to make the film. He became a good filmmaker. He was also obviously very good at marketing and all that so I kind of, since I was very low budget with this, I had to sort of follow that philosophy, where I made the film from scratch, I did everything, and I toured the film just like Warren did, but nowadays we can put everything on a film, voice anything. It was only easier
for me because nowadays with the technology we have, you know, everything down to
the GoPro, the Drones, the computer, like He was, you know, in 16 millimetres developing and cutting in and splicing, big cadastres and traveling the country and showing it. But it was a period of time, 28 years, with filming as an athlete, I mean I'm surrounded by the best gentlemen, the editors and everything. You just can naturally absorb Everything, including how you put a tour together. So I know every bit of knowledge that I couldn't make
this happen.
Ryan: That's incredible, that's so cool. One last question, what is next for Chris Anthony?
Chris: As far as on this front, I made this film accidentally. I felt backwards into it, but because of the research that I did, I've discovered other stuff. And naturally I set up all the best things and I wish I could put it in but it was too late. And it turns out there's a lot more to be told. One thing is that after the Mangart race, June 3rd, 1945, there was another race that took place June 23rd and 24th in Austria. So that story needs to be
told. And that's just how it happened. A lot of things around it, and I've already
done a ton of research here. Still, I got that kind of sidetrack of one individual
Story that, one, it's going to show there in 1935, and he was actually outcasted in Europe because of Hitler. He ended up in the United States, and then in the 10th Mountain division, he fought war in Europe, came back and started Aspen, so that is great, so I've been in this document so cool, It's great to watch that
Ryan: And when are they going to be released? That's what I told myself I want to have done by this member first because I made a goal that I want to have.
Ryan: Well That's it buddy, I think we've got to settle in, get some popcorn and get
ready for the show.
Chris: Absolutely.
Ryan: Thank you. Mission to Mt. Mangart with Chris Anthony here. Cheers
guys.
