Dir: Paul Verhoeven 
Star: Lutz Moik, Hanna Rucker, Paul Bildt, Paul Esser
a.k.a. Das Kalte Herz

First things first. Despite its presence at the time on both Klaus’s IMDb page and Wikipedia (update: it appears to have been removed from the former in early 2018), there is very severe doubt at to whether Kinski ever appeared in any released version of this film. It appears possible that he may have auditioned for a role and even appeared helped with some screen tests, but the consensus of discussion appears to be that he is not even visible as a background extra. Unless someone can prove otherwise, this is therefore included here solely for completeness. [Also note: this is not directed by “the” Paul Verhoeven, who would only have turned 12 that year. This is a different Paul Verhoeven, whose son Michael has followed in his father’s footsteps and forged a solid career in German cinema]

That said, I certainly didn’t feel like this was a waste of time, despite the lack of any apparent Kinski content in it. I was particularly reminded that, in the early days after World War II, up until about 1952, the border between the two parts of Germany was not the “Iron Curtain” it would later become. Consequently, an East German production such as this, made by state film company DEFA, could still make use of cross-border talent like Moik and Rucker – not least because the West German film industry was all but dead in the post-war rubble, and not encouraged by the Allies. This was also the first East German film made in color. But despite its origins in a fairy-tale published when Karl Marx would still have been in short pants, the Socialist subtext here is not exactly subtle.

Peter Munk (Moik) is a poor charcoal-burner who lives in the Black Forest. He yearns to escape his life of poverty and marry the beautiful Lisbeth (Rucker). He sees his chance when he meets the legendary Glasmännlein – basically, think of a German leprechaun – who gives Peter two wishes, “and then a third, if he is not foolish.” It’s clear that Peter never played D&D: I did, in my college days, and know from experience there, that all wishes must be extremely carefully worded, for any loophole will be ruthlessly exploited. Rather than taking the time to consider his options, Peter rushes straight in. “I wish first, that I can dance better than the dance king, Hannes Schlurker (Peter’s rival for Lisbeth’s affections), and that in the pub, I always have as much money in my pockets as that rich Ezekiel (the town’s most successful businessman).”

I know my old dungeon-master would have immediately called that two, due to the use of the word “and” in the wish. However, the Glasmännlein is a little more forgiving – apparently having realized Peter is quite capable of digging his own grave – and lets it slide. His follow-up is even more esoteric: “I wish for the beautiful Winkfritz glassworks, which will be auctioned tomorrow.” Even the Glasmännlein is taken aback, pointedly asking Peter, “What do you know about the art of glassmaking?” Still, the charcoal-burner persists, and gets what he wants. But it turns out to be not what he needs. While he does win the heart of Lisbeth, the glassworks is a financial disaster, and one of those loopholes in his first wish leads to Peter teetering on the edge of ruin.

He goes back into the forest and meets another legend, the malicious giant Dutch Michael (above). He convinces Peter that the heart is the cause of all woes, and allowing Dutch Michael to add Peter’s to his collection – which includes Ezekiel’s – will put him back on the road to business success. Yes, the brick-like moral here is that the rich are literally heartless. Peter is soon back on top indeed. But only at the cost of his humanity, which eventually leads to the loss of Lisbeth, and his realization that he made a terrible mistake. Fixing things will first require tricking Dutch Michael into returning Peter’s heart,  then hoping the Glasmännlein will be as good as his word, and give Peter a chance to fix things with his third wish.

Probably not much of a spoiler to say that, as in all good fairy stories, everyone lives happily ever after, having learned a valuable lesson about something. Specifically here: money can’t buy contentment, and the pursuit of wealth is only going to cause misery, for you and those around you. Oh, and: Proletariat of the world, unite! In the film’s defense, much of the morality on view was not added, but came from the original story, written by Wilhelm Hauff and published in 1827, shortly before his death at the young age of 25. However, it’s perhaps the good fit with Communist philosophy which brought it to the attention of DEFA – they did excise the scene where Peter uses a cross to repel Dutch Michael, allowing him to escape.

It is not the only adaptation of Hauff’s work. There are reported to be two other versions of this story, though the only one about which I could find much, is the 2016 movie, in which Moritz Bleibtreu (Lola’s boyfriend from Run Lola Run) played Dutch Michael and Frederick Lau (the male lead in Victoria) was Peter. Three years after this version, DEFA adapted another of his stories, Die Geschichte vom kleinen Muck, which became the studio’s most successful production ever, selling almost 13 million tickets [Heart of Stone is third on the list, at 9.78 million]. Hauff also wrote the first version of the story which would become the infamous Nazi film, Jud Süß, though without the anti-Semitic agenda of the cinematic version.

This is a solid bit of story-telling, which does a good job of not talking down to its audience (unlike some fairy-tale adaptations), and kept me interested throughout. Moik manages to play both hero and villain of the piece effectively, and the setting creates a world where the magical and mundane can co-exist. If you’ve seen other East German films and series in the genre, such as The Singing Ringing Tree, this is very much cut from the same cloth. It was an engaging exercise to think about which role Klaus could have had in the film. I can’t really see him as the romantic lead, even at a relatively early stage in his career. One of Ezekiel’s henchmen seems more likely, or perhaps even Dutch Michael?

Particular thanks to the East German Cinema Blog for the subtitles which allowed me to review this.