Trace of Stones
- Manfred Krug: Hannes Balla
- Krystyna Stypułkowska: Kati Klee synchronized by Jutta Hoffmann
- Eberhard Esche: Werner Horrath
- John Wieke: Hermann Jansen
- Walter Richter Reinic: Richard Trutmann
- Hans -Peter Minetti: Heinz Bleibtreu
- Walter Jupe: Kurt Hessel beard
- Ingeborg Schumacher: Marianne Horrath
- Gertrud Brendler: Woman Schicketanz
- Helga Göring: Elli
- Erich Mirek: Oswald Ziemer
Trace of Stones is one of the DEFA Studio for Feature Films, Artistic Working Group (KAG ) " Heinrich Greif", produced contemporary film from the year 1966. Director was Frank Beyer, who also wrote the screenplay with Karl Georg Egel. It is based on the novel by Erik Neutsch. The film premiered at the 8th Workers' Festival of the GDR in Potsdam, then ran three days in some cinemas, before he was arrested for " anti-socialist tendencies" from the program. Only in October 1989, the film was allowed to be listed in the GDR again, a little later at the Berlinale in 1990 in the Federal Republic of Germany.
- 3.1 1960s
- 3.2 1980s
Content
At GDR construction site Schkona the carpenter and brigade leader works (foreman ) Hannes Balla. Balla and his people do not think much of the bureaucratic rules of the planned economy, but are still the most productive work brigades in construction. If necessary, they obtain missing material by force. However, their methods are tolerated due to their work performance of the construction management first. When one day the idealistic SED party secretary Werner Horrath starts his service to the construction site, he feels initially undermine his authority, yet he succeeds in Balla, he estimates as first class workers to gain higher productivity for its idea to the working conditions to improve.
The two men soon combines a mix of mutual respect, but also a certain rivalry for the love of the engineer Kati Klee, also came onto the construction site. Both men fall in love with Kati, Horrath he finally succeeds, however, to win Kati's heart for himself. It begins a secret love affair, as Horrath is already married, his party posts do not want to endanger and also can not be separated from his family. Later Kati is pregnant. But do not reveal out of party loyalty, the name of the Father, thus protecting Horrath, which in turn alienated more and more of Kati and gets into a crisis in which he must decide between duty and his love for Kati. Only when Kati wants to break away from him for good, he is committed to her publicly and thereby lose all party posts. His wife is enough for divorce, so Horrath henceforth have to work as laborers in Hannes Balla Brigade. Balla is ultimately the person who defended him at a party a process of elimination.
Genesis
Novel
The film is based on the eponymous best-selling novel by Erik Neutsch, which appeared in 1964 and was honored in the same year with the National Prize of the GDR. The DEFA Studio for Feature Films offered film director Frank Beyer to the novel for film adaptation, which at that time belonged to the fixed staff of the DEFA, however, was initially not entirely convinced of the project. Beyer has, as he himself later said, it takes some time to recognize the quality of the extensive material. Despite the acclaimed novel of the SED and a distinctively socialist position of the novel depicts a realistic representation of the GDR everyday life.
Neutsch agreed to a film adaptation Admittedly, however, was not interested in a future collaboration on the film, so that Beyer together with Karl -Georg Egel conceived a screenplay for an approximately 180 - minute film. In another version, the writing team shortened the script later to just under two hours and handed it to the Culture Department of the Central Committee of the SED for review in knowing that the project was moving on the border of the permissible.
Pre-production and production
Film director Beyer had originally planned to occupy the three lead roles with Manfred Krug, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Jutta Hoffmann, however, could only fall back on Manfred Krug, as the other actors were already involved in other film projects. The already very popular singer and actor embodied the Hannes Balla due to its improvisational talent rather cheerful and natural. He was able to enrich the film with humorous improvisations that were not initially provided, and were later developed with Beyer. Besides Krug also Jutta Hoffmann also worked in the strip, but only as a synchronous voice for the Polish actress Krystyna Stypułkowska.
Trace of Stones had a film budget of 2.7 million Ostmark, about three times more than an average DEFA film mid-1960s.
When filming began on May 3, 1965 Frank Beyer was cited for the Minister of Culture Hans Bentzien who cared about a "correct" representation of the SED party officials, although Beyer, as was customary at the time, the script already months before all instances had presented, and finally obtained a release to production. However, could the shooting took place whose exterior shots in the industrial areas of Leuna and Schwedt, in Coswig (Anhalt), to be completed on October 5, 1965, so that by the end of the month a rough cut version for acceptance by the head office film of the Ministry of Culture was present. Was overshadowed by the decrease in the increasing critical review by the members of the Central film that previously the productions Just Do not Think I howl of Frank Vogel and the rabbit I am had not been released by Kurt Maetzig. The presence of stripes Trace of Stones became late October, the approval by the Board and has been highly praised, although Beyer feared a massive criticism.
Just two months later, at the XI. Plenum of the Central Committee of the SED in December 1965, the cultural-political mood of the country changed fundamentally. Under the chairmanship of former Central Committee Secretary Erich Honecker, the two productions of thinking were not merely, I cry by Frank Vogel and the rabbit I am classified by Kurt Maetzig as critical of the regime and - as the almost complete DEFA annual production of contemporary films - taken out of the rental. These films were unofficially referred to as basement movies, as they all disappeared unperformed in the archive. Other film projects further work was prohibited in the planning phase or in early production. As a politically responsible for this anti-socialist stance, the then Minister of Culture Bentzien and DEFA director Jochen Mückenberger that were relieved of their posts and replaced by compliant party functionaries were. These were in turn reports to the new Minister of Culture Klaus Gysi.
Trace of Stones, which had previously been approved by the head office film of the Ministry of Culture, should now rehabilitate the DEFA Studio for Feature Films. He came across fierce criticism of cultural officials and Culture Minister Gysi, so that Beyer was forced to recut his film, until he was finally released for performance at the Worker Festival in Potsdam.
Reception
1960s
On June 15, 1966 Trace of Stones premiered at the 8th Workers' Festival in Potsdam, and soon became a popular success. Driven by the positive mood was planned to film 56 copies for a nationwide theatrical release in the GDR, as well as participation at the International Film Festival of Karlovy Vary ( Carlsbad). The film should be classified with the title " particularly valuable" - all good conditions for a solid box office success.
Nevertheless, the film came then again in the crosshairs of censorship. On June 29, the Secretariat of the CC ( Central Committee of the SED ) advised on trail of rocks and decided to film after theatrical release discontinued at least another week. " The advertising was reduced, posters were pasted over, and only in New Germany still allowed a review of the film will be released. In addition, the participation was canceled at the festival in Karlovy and the film now but awarded no predicate. "
The movie premiered on June 30, 1966 in East Berlin International, were present at the director Frank Beyer and all the main characters, it came to a head. After a few minutes, the demonstration of organized protests was disturbed that influenced massively heckle the film mode. The reason for their discontent was the representation of workers and party secretaries in this film, which supposedly " a SED vorführte that is internally deeply divided, the two warring wings ". The then Minister of Culture in the GDR, Klaus Gysi, justified the protest because he " also artistically was very weak due to wrong political positions of its director, just a piece of work in every respect !" More screenings in East Berlin, Rostock and Leipzig were boycotted also follow the same pattern, so that the strip had to be taken after only three days of the program. The media coverage of the GDR remained prohibited, only controlled by the SED New Germany at that time published a "managed " film criticism. Nevertheless, in the few days before the ban alone in East Berlin 8000 spectators attended the movie.
"The film Traces of Stones does not do justice to the size of the subject. He gives a distorted picture of our socialist reality, the struggle of the working class, its glorious party and the self-sacrificing work of its members ... "
"The film does not cover the ethos, the moral and political strength of the party of the working class and the idea of socialism, but it brings scenes on the canvas, which triggered outrage among viewers with law. "
The wine classified as a party and subversive film Traces of Stones then disappeared for 23 years in the DEFA archives. Frank Beyer, who did not want to distance himself from his work itself, was accused of distortion and falsification on a novel and could - despite the intervention of the author Erik Neutsch - years not realize movies. His contract with the state film production DEFA was disbanded, and he himself banished to the theater in Dresden. From 1969 he worked as a director for the television of the GDR and turned television series. From 1974, Beyer worked again at DEFA, where he later staged Jurek Becker's Jacob the Liar. Nevertheless followed constant clashes with the cultural leaders of the GDR, which disabled him in his artistic endeavors - so that in 1980 he received permission to both the Federal Republic and the GDR to realize film projects.
1980s
On 28 October 1989, the film in Berlin Johannes R. Becher club was shown publicly for the first time after 1966 and will be listed on November 23, 1989 public again in the GDR cinemas. This time he received consistently favorable movie reviews, as well as later in West Berlin at the Berlinale 1990.
With 256 948 moviegoers in 1990 landed trail of stones on the 62nd place in the list of the most successful films of the year in Germany.