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I love this movie so much

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Blistering performances.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

"Das kalte Herz" or "The Cold Heart" or "Heart of Stone" is an East German German-language film from 1950, so this one had its 65th anniversary last year. It is probably the most known work by writer and director Paul Verhoeven, father of Michael and grandfather of Simon. "Writer" is not 100% correct in this case though as the one who wrote the original story was Wilhelm Hauff of course. Here in Germany, Hauff is also still somewhat known, even if obviously not as famous as the Brothers Grimm. His talent usually were a lot of darker than the Grimms'. And this 100-minute film we have here is one example for that. I guess it is safe to say that many GDR films have been entirely forgotten by now, but this one here is among the ones that are still a bit popular today. I cannot understand why though. Lead actor Lutz Moik offers very little and shows painful overacting on several occasions. Hanna Rucker is absolutely stunning, but sadly her character was not written in a way where she really could have showed us her acting talent and range. Or she just doesn't have it. Bildt and Esser, as supernatural creatures symbolizing good and evil, do a decent job, but it's not enough to make up for the flaws either. A while ago, I watched a much more recent version of this story and I was not impressed either. Maybe this tale just isn't for me. It is about a young man who has to go to wealth and back and again the same route in order to find out what really matters. A truly cardiologic sensation happens to him on the way to enlightenment, this one is described in the title. All in all, I am a bit surprised this film is still famous and popular today. I did not have a good time watching. Thumbs down.

a very good classic coming from communist control east Germany ,at that time.Although the plot might of been exploited against the evils of capitalism, it is a tale of greed versus charity ,which still is battling this world today.This was D.E.F.A s first color feature.It used to be U.f.A. before the war.The affects of the a.g.f.a. color cinema photography, By Bruno Mondi, and the art direction gave a black Forrest effect look.Lutz Munk plays a poor coal laborer,Peter, that makes very little money.He lives with his Mother, played by Lottie Loebenger.He comes home to face a celebration going on in the village.Seeing a girl ,that he love,Lisabeth, played by Hannah Rucker, participating in a dance , wishing he was well off so he can marry her.At home he complains to his mother about it.So in the woods he meets a magic Elf name m.r. glass, played by Paul Bilt.Peter tells him his problems .M.r glass give him three mini cones , three wishes.His first wish is to dance better than the other village man ,who is also interested in Lisabeth.Peter proves he a better dancer on the dance floor and ends up dancing with Elisabeth. He wishes to be wealthy and own a glass factory.To a bully he gambles all his money away and loses his wealth.His glass factory does not do well neither ,the elf jumps on him and can't do anything about it.He then sells his heart ,for a cold one, to the demon of the woods,/Hollander Michael, played by Erwin Geshconneck,.Like the greedy millionaire and billionaires of today.Peter becomes wealthy and as Elf Glassman is testing Peter by pretending to be a beggar who needs warm cloth, Lisabeth gives him a coat and Peter get mad and hits her to death.Peter realizes he made a mistake. Trick Hollander mike to get his heart back.His wife becomes alive again and he gets work again. Don't expect corp catting broad caster in the United states, to ever show this .It's made in communistic east Germany and it only 5 years after Hitler killed him self. 05/05/12

THE COLD HEART (DAS KALTE HERZ) was the first color feature after war in East Germany. At the same time (1950) SCHWARZWALDMÄDEL (GIRL OF BLACK FOREST) was also produced in color in Western Berlin and West Germany. Both films were photographed on Agfacolor negative film stock, which was manufactured by the Soviet occupied AGFA film factory in Wolfen, East Germany (later known under the trade mark ORWO). They had been excellent examples for Technicolor's competitor Agfacolor. The cinematographer of THE COLD HEART, Bruno Mondi, was well known for his rich experience with color. So he photographed all color features of the director Veit Harlan, starting with DIE GOLDENE STADT (THE GOLDEN CITY) in 1942, including also the propaganda movie KOLBERG (1944).

Who has watched that film in his childhood will probably never forget it. It ranks with classics like Sinbad or ET in my memory. The story is taken from a German fairy-tale by Wilhelm Hauff. Like many German fairy-tales the setting is the Black Forest, which is nevertheless an interesting fact, keeping in mind that it was cold-war times and the Black Forest part of West-Germany. Apart from being a piece of very subtle socialist propaganda, it is an impressive work of art. The movie plays with German archetypes in a masterly way, the character of the Hollaender Michel is one thing that stays in mind, the state-of-the-art special effects are another one. East-German movie production came never again anywhere close to it. It is a very interesting experience to watch that movie again some 20 years later and notice the dream-like narration in complete accord with the allusions to class-struggle and the last breaths of a unified German conscience at that time. Very nice, and never really appreciated for its accomplishments... I give it 9 of 10, the last frame is too obvious...