Over the past decade-and-a-half, distributors Eureka Entertainment have been responsible for remastering and resurrecting a vast number of pre-war German cinema classics, including such landmark works as Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922) and Lang’s Metropolis (1927). Recently, however, Eureka have turned their sights towards another, oft-overlooked area of German filmmaking history – that being the cinema of East Germany.
During the period between 1946 and 1992 when Germany was divided into two separate states, the state-owned movie studio DEFA was responsible for producing hundreds of films that, whilst often relatively unknown outside of their country of origin, entertained millions of cinemagoers both young and old in the socialist GDR. Earlier this year, Eureka made their first descent into the unexplored depths of the DEFA archives with Strange New Worlds, a collection of Soviet-era sci-fi tales; now, the label takes us on a trip into the dark heart of the Black Forest to witness the genre that East German cinema would become most internationally (in)famous for – really weird, and vaguely unsettling, childrens’ fantasy.
Directed by Paul Verhoeven (no, not that one), and adapted from the fairy-tale by Wilhelm Hauff, Heart of Stone (1950) is the beloved childrens’ classic that would spawn the trend of folk-tale filmmaking in East Germany and the USSR that led to such beloved and spellbinding titles as The Singing Ringing Tree (1957), Three Wishes for Cinderella (1973), and the iconic Soviet fantasy-spooker Viy (1967). Making its stunning debut on UK Blu-Ray thanks to the efforts of Eureka and the DEFA Foundation, Heart of Stone tells the tale of Peter Munk (Lutz Moik), a poor young coal merchant who falls deeply in love with the beautiful noblewoman Lisbeth (Hanna Rucker), but is prevented from expressing his feelings towards her due to the discrimination he faces from the well-to-do townspeople who make fun of his scruffy appearance and low social standing. Desperate to overcome his financial woes and gain Lisbeth’s hand in marriage, Peter turns to the services of the legendary guardian of the Black Forest, the “Glass Imp” (played delightfully by Paul Bildt), who begrudgingly grants him two “foolish” wishes; however, when these wishes end up coming back to bite him, Peter decides to make another deal with a far less benevolent spirit – the sinister “Dutch Michael” (Erwin Geschonneck) – whose bargains are decidedly Faustian in nature, and whose assistance comes at the cost of Peter’s still-beating heart…
This film – ostensibly made with children in mind – features extortion, gambling addiction, threats of mob violence, general wanton cruelty, murder, and an extended bar-table discussion of what happens to the souls of the condemned after death that seems more befitting of a gritty ‘40s noir than it does a family-friendly folk-tale adaptation.
For starters – this is a beautiful film, and the DEFA Foundation’s new 2K restoration is stunning. Heart of Stone was DEFA’s first ever colour production, and the quirks and oddities of early three-strip Agfacolor film only strengthen the film’s ethereal fairy-tale atmosphere. It’s a technically accomplished piece, not least in the production design department – I could barely believe that the Black Forest sequences were achieved on a studio set, let alone in a time and place where stark realism and brutalist design were the familiar aesthetic norm. The fantasy elements of Heart of Stone are, naturally, where the film shines – the sequences featuring Bildt’s “Glass Imp” and Geschonneck’s “Dutch Michael” are full of delightful optical tricks, moving scenery, animal performers, stop-motion (including, weirdly enough, stop-motion taxidermy birds?), editing-based illusions, and many other such examples of genuine movie magic which are worth seeing this film for by themselves. These sequences are complimented by wonderful performances from Bildt and Geschonneck as polar opposite forces of the supernatural – a kind of angel and devil on Peter’s shoulders respectively, albeit both with a fair few tricks up their sleeves.
Unfortunately, the film’s Black Forest fantasy sequences are less frequent than I had hoped, though that isn’t to say that the rest of the film isn’t interesting or entertaining. Outside of these fantastic elements, Heart of Stone is primarily a rural historical morality-tale on the dangers of avarice and selfishness; a childrens’ fantasy romp this may be, sure, but it’s also a socialist critique on the evils of capitalism, which is more than thoroughly welcome to this viewer. Heart of Stone also isn’t afraid to get a little dark at times, and whilst it isn’t necessarily a “horror” picture, viewers will likely be surprised at how far the film is willing to go in portraying the extent to which an obsession with material goods, like a supernatural curse, can rot the soul; indeed, this film – ostensibly made with children in mind – features extortion, gambling addiction, threats of mob violence, general wanton cruelty, murder, and an extended bar-table discussion of what happens to the souls of the condemned after death that seems more befitting of a gritty ‘40s noir than it does a family-friendly folk-tale adaptation.
Yet, beyond all that, Heart of Stone is still a magical romp full of whimsy and hope that uses its darkness, as with many fairy-tales in the Grimm tradition, to accentuate its message of the triumph of love and community support over selfishness, greed, and jealousy; it’s not too difficult to figure out why adaptations of folk stories such as this one were so popular with audiences back in the GDR, and as to why the themes of this one – whilst not remotely subtle and done in a very traditional manner – may resonate with viewers today.
Extras include two featurettes, Once Upon a Time in the East and Tales from the Black Forest, which shed some light on the social and cultural contexts surrounding the production of Heart of Stone. The former is more focused on the socio-political climate of East Germany and the film’s socialist politics, whereas the latter is primarily concerned with exploring Germany’s history of gothic and folkloric literature and art, though both naturally end up covering a lot of similar ground. Both featurettes make for a welcome companion to the feature, even though I personally wish that Once Upon a Time in the East, whilst presented very well by expert Claire Knight, went into a little more depth on the nature of childrens’ media in East Germany and its relationship to the state’s wider politics.
The disc also includes three animated shorts from DEFA, two of which are shadow-puppet animations in the tradition and style of German animation pioneer Lotte Reiniger – both directed by animator Bruno J. Böttge. The Bremen Town Musicians (1954) is a largely light, cute affair about escaped animals that is expressively-animated, and pairs nicely with Heart of Stone due to its Black Forest setting (and unexpected hints of the macabre); the latter of the two, The Magic Ring (1957), is perhaps a little less charming and creatively-told, but its socialist-lensed tale of mutual support and kindness bringing greater happiness than a wish made out of selfish greed makes it a fitting companion piece to Verhoeven’s feature. The other short, Christl Wiemer’s Thumbelina’s Adventures (1958), is the least compelling of the three outside of some sweet moments and interesting use of perspective, but it nonetheless makes for a welcome addition to a fascinating package.
HEART OF STONE (1950) IS OUT NOW ON EUREKA MASTERS OF CINEMA BLU-RAY
