"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.
Review of Das kalte Herz
