Tag Archives: GDR

East Side Story (1997)

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Director: Dana Ranga

Tagline: Tractor! The Musical!

I had heard rumours and seen some clips of Eastern European communist musicals before, but I never knew that someone had made a documentary about them until my research on tractors turned up this title.

Through as series of clips of the movies, interviews with the people involved in their production, audiences and recreations of party review committees, this documentary attempts to tell the story of a forgotten era of cinema from behind the Iron Curtain.

I have to say after watching this that some of these films look like the best movies ever. It is very frustrating to find out after my own further research that the amount of these movies that are actually available today can be counted on the fingers of one hand. (When I first watched this documentary back in 2005, a lot less of these movies were available.)

It is a bit sad that these films were never considered as ‘art’ when they were released, as it means that many of them were just forgotten after the fall of communism. The people involved had a hard enough time making them in the first place and they deserve recognition for their achievements.

I also liked the funny anecdotes from this movie, such as Stalin liking to laugh it up with funny movies and having a fantasy for ‘boys photographing tractors’. The views of the audience members interviewed were also great to hear as you don’t normally hear their opinions in this sort of documentary.

This documentary comes very highly recommended and I am planning on buying a copy on DVD (along with the movie ‘Hot Summer’) as soon as I am able to so I can watch it again for the great musical clips.

Rating: 9/10

Buy the documentary on VHS (DVD too expensive)
http://www.amazon.com/East-Side-Story-Margarita-Andrushkovich/dp/6304829825/

Full movie now on Youtube!


DEFA Film Library – Cinema of East Germany
http://www.umass.edu/defa/

Hot Summer clips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0gO_JighOQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW8mvupM470
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WPh4gUVB-0

No Cheating, Darling! clips

Full list of films in the documentary and availability:

Title Non-english Title Country Year IMDB entry DVD Youtube Clip
Adventure in Marienstadt Przygoda na Mariensztacie Poland 1954 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047373/ – http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=cWjNsB06voo
The Antique Coin Antike Münze, Die Bulgaria/GDR 1966 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058911/
AT 6PM at the End of the War В 6 часов вечера в конце войны USSR 1944 – http://vobzor.com/page.php?id=1394 http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=qm1e_m23Gks
The Bright Path Светлый путь USSR 1940 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215582/ http://www.russiandvd.com/
store/product.asp?sku=47932		 http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=1WofR0OB9K4
Carnival Night Карнавальная ночь USSR 1957 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049397/ http://www.amazon.com/
The-Carnival-Night-Karnavalnaya-Noch/dp/B0002K1SBI		 http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=6t7SGhEofgY
Cossacks of the Kuban River Казаки Кубани USSR 1946 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041562/ http://www.ozon.ru/
context/detail/id/702225/?item=4700979		 http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=OiCA3Qy2CiA
Ernst Thalmann, Class Leader Ernst Thälmann – Führer seiner Klasse GDR 1962 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048038/ http://www.amazon.de/
Ernst-Th%C3%A4lmann-seiner-Klasse-F%C3%BChrer/
dp/B00006FMFM		 http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=uajsrOjQdSA
A Handful of Notes Handvoll Noten, Eine GDR 1962 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230272/
Hard Work, Happy Holiday – GDR 1950 –
Hot Summer Heißer Sommer GDR 1968 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061756/ https://defafilmlibrary.com/
product/sku/112		 http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=jzH3uG9Qqbk
I Don’t Want to Marry Nu vreau sa ma însor Romania 1961 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0125960/ http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=tWC89FmmD3M
The Jolly Fellows Веселые ребята USSR 1934 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025946/ http://www.russiandvd.com/
store/product.asp?sku=49641		 http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=WoCTDCdnZIA
The Lovable White Mouse Geliebte weiße Maus GDR 1964 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058134/ http://www.amazon.de/Geliebte-wei%C3%9Fe-Maus-Der-Reserveheld/dp/B0000AMK3R http://www.veoh.com/watch/
v19196513dJrJrEHa?h1=+
Geliebte+Weisse+Maus
Midnight Revue Revue um Mitternacht GDR 1962 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056411/ http://www.amazon.de/Revue-um-Mitternacht-Christel-Bodenstein/dp/B0012OVDZE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEeUzf6eq8M
My Wife Wants to Sing Meine Frau macht Musik GDR 1958 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051919/ http://www.amazon.de/
dp/B000EFTF4I		 http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=tgeMNetbs8Y
New Year’s Punch Silvesterpunsch GDR 1960 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0175168/ http://www.amazon.de/Silvesterpunsch-VHS-Erich-Franz/dp/B00004RXZ3/
No Cheating Darling Nicht schummeln, Liebling GDR 1973 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068999/ http://www.amazon.de/
Nicht-schummeln-Liebling-Chris-Doerk/
dp/B000MGTVFM/		 http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=HRfsz7neM0s
The Swineherd and the Shepherd Свинарка и пастух USSR 1941 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034249/ http://www.ozon.ru/
context/detail/id/701897/?item=2973372		 http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=HxJbbvvxpz4
Tractor Drivers Трактористы USSR 1939 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032050/ http://www.ozon.ru/context/detail/id/701881/?item=2396079 http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=XVscT8bysKg
Vacation on the Black Sea Vacanta la mare Romania 1963 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0175289/ http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=sPfGAIIlfrY
Volga, Volga Волга – Волга USSR 1938 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030947/ http://www.ozon.ru/
context/detail/id/505792/?item=3576828		 http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=lYjzfUflFyU
The Wayward Wife Lots Weib Czechoslovakia/GDR 1965 http://www.umass.edu/defa/
films/lotsweib.shtml
Woman on the Rails Dáma na kolejích Czechoslovakia 1968 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060279/ http://www.csfd.cz/
film/8014-dama-na-kolejich/		 http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=jRQpy35lpI0