50% OFF! Hot items selling fast—Grab them before they're gone!
Unconditional Satisfaction GuaranteeNo Shipping Fees Above 302 Months to Decide. Returns Simplified.In 1950, DEFA the state-owned film studio of East Germany or the GDR embarked on what would prove to be a long tradition of producing films based on folktales by the likes of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. German author Wilhelm Hauff provided the source for the studios first folktale:The Cold Heart, which becameDas kalte HerzorHeart of Stone. The first East German production to be shot in colour, it remained one of the most successful films the GDR ever produced until DEFAs dissolution in 1992.
Peter Munk (Lutz Moik) lives in the Black Forest with his mother (Lotte Loebinger) and makes a modest living selling charcoal in the nearest town. He is deeply in love with the beautiful Lisbeth (Hanna Rucker) and equally as jealous of the arrogant Ezechiel (Paul Esser), a wealthy merchant who frequents the local tavern. Desperate to improve his social standing, Peter appeals to a mischievous forest spirit the Glass Imp (Paul Bildt) for help. The Imp grants Peter two wishes, but only with strict conditions attached that leave him wanting more. He then turns to the infamous Dutch Michael (Erwin Geschonneck), a reclusive warlock who can give Peter anything his heart desires but only if hes willing to exchange his heart for one made of stone.
By turns whimsical, weird and darkly macabre,Heart of Stoneis an arrestingly beautiful work of fantasy that established a template for DEFAs future folktales including a penchant for scenes likely to induce nightmares in children and was swiftly followed by the likes ofThe Devil from Mill Mountain,The Singing Ringing TreeandRumpelstiltskin. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to presentHeart of Stoneon Blu-rayfor the first time in the UK from an astonishing 2K restoration by the DEFA Foundation.
