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