elliot g
Heavy tw for assault and toxic masculinity though nothing overtly sexual or violent, but this is one of the most controversial films based on a bestselling novel of the GDR and is a fantastic film adaptation. Instantly got them into trouble as it shows party officials as HUMAN and fallible, and was banned for years. A very good historical film to watch, ideal for history students or people interested in socialism/communism.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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Audience Member
Interesting look at East German morals and standards in the 1960's.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/27/23
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walter m
Of all the things that rile Party Secretary Werner Horrath(Eberhard Esche) about Hannes Balla(Manfred Krug) and his crew, the drunken skinnydipping and complete lack of discipline finish far ahead of the cowboy costumes and the appropriating of gravel from another project to finish their job. So, Horrath seeks to teach them all a lesson by withholding their anniversary bonuses. Which almost causes a riot until Kati Klee(Krystyna Stypulkowska), an engineer who has already proved her mettle at the building site, seeks to play peacemaker which works as she gets Balla out of the building successfully and peacefully. And then he ruins it by making a drunken pass at her.
Usually when East Germany is portrayed in movies these days, it is as a police state which is definitely not inaccurate. "Traces of Stones" takes it from another angle, as it was made there and banned for the duration, showing it to be much more of a bureaucratic nightmare where not much of anything ever gets accomplished. This is also a classless society that is ironically stratified which also allows Balla a strange kind of freedom; that since he does not belong to the Party, he has no hopes of promotion and no need to behave himself. That does not stop him from being called an anarchist on many an occasion, however.(Or maybe it's just the earring.) And then there is Horrath who proves the universal truism of those who preach purity are usually the least pure but at least he does not lie to Kati about his marital status. So, while the characters are of the three dimensional variety, this otherwise worthwile movie veers too often towards soap opera via its cliched love triangle. Better editing would have helped, especially with the flashbacks, as the movie is also a little too long.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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Audience Member
Ein Hauch von Nouvelle Vague durchweht das DEFA-Kino in Frank Beyers berà 1/4hmtem Zensurfall - und wurde auf der Stelle wieder niedergeknà 1/4ppelt. Einerseits war es vielleicht nicht anders zu erwarten - zu offensiv respektlos kritisierte Manfred Krugs Hannes Balla die Lebens- und Arbeitsbedingungen im Realsozialismus. Auf der anderen Seite aber hätten das DEFA-Kino wie die DDR-Gesellschaft nur wachsen können, hätten sie zu diesem historischen Zeitpunkt beschlossen, eine solche Kritik auszuhalten. Denn den Sozialismus an sich verwirft Beyer keineswegs: Lediglich seine Kalkulationen mit dem idealen, nicht dem konkreten Menschen ist Gegenstand seiner Kritik. Der idealistisch-unorthodoxe SED-Sekretär Horrath schafft es zunächst durchaus, die sozialen Verwerfungen auf der Baustelle in den Griff zu bekommen und, wider alle bà 1/4rokratischen Hemmnisse, die Arbeiter auf eine Umstrukturierung der Abläufe und ein gemeinsames Projekt einzuschwören - sabotiert wird letztlich dieser Fortschritt jedoch durch private amouröse Verstrickungen, die bald auch zu politischen MaÃnahmen fà 1/4hren. Der Sozialismus als Utopie, so scheint Beyer einzufordern, hat nur dann eine Zukunft, wenn er den Menschen, die ihn machen mà 1/4ssen, ihr Menschsein zurà 1/4ckgibt.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/11/23
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Audience Member
This movie was banned in East Germany. It's even more amazing that it even got shot, since it is clearly pointing out the blunder and deficiencies of a Communist system. Worth seeing!
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/01/23
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Audience Member
A Frank-Beyer movie from 1966 (DEFA/GDR). It is the story of a group of craftsmen, held together by their leader Balla, who have no respect for party officials, the police or any other authority. Apart of a rather complicated love story, the shortage of raw materials and careerist functionaries are made topic of the movie. After being played a few times in GDR-theaters, it caused trouble amongst the party elites and was proved to be unsuitable for GDR cinemas. Thus practically forbidden in the GDR, it was first shown in German TV in 1990. Frank Beyer was transferred to a stage company outside of Berlin afterwards, his contract with the state's film-company DEFA was cancelled and he was not allowed to make movies for several years. In 1974, he procuced "Jacob, der Lügner", a way more successful movie, nominated for an Oscar, awarded with the National Film-Price of the GDR and the "Silver Bear" at the 25th International Film Festival in Berlin (Hollywood Remake in 1999 with Robin Williams).
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/19/23
Full Review
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