When the singer-songwriter Wolf Biermann was stripped of his citizenship in the autumn of 1976, a deep sense of disillusionment about the potential to reform the system set in. Hundreds of authors, filmmakers and other intellectuals left the GDR for West Germany. Resignations and artistic stagnation were rife among those who stayed. At the same time opportunism triumphed. Both literature and cinema moved away from contemporary subjects, some voluntarily (such as authors Christa and Gerhard Wolf), some under the influence of the state (such as DEFA director Rainer Simon, steered by DEFA director-general, Hans Dieter Mäde). To compensate for the loss of credibility in domestic policy, the GDR’s cultural policy increasingly attempted to provide works – particularly for young people – which diverted attention from the drabness of daily life in the GDR. Suddenly the state-owned AMIGA label, which had the monopoly on record production, released western music and the state textile industry tried to copy the denim fashion which, until recently had been so abhorred.

Against this backdrop Herrmann Zschoche’s feature film SEVEN FRECKLES, released just two years after the Biermann scandal, presents an interesting exception. On the one hand it could be interpreted as a rescue attempt, to draw young people back into the state-controlled, cultural policy supply chain, thereby indirectly resparking their enthusiasm for socialism and its youth policy. Viewed in this way, SEVEN FRECKLES constitutes an undertaking in support of the state. On the other hand the film did address the real problems and desires of adolescents and was accepted as such: a refreshing departure from the politicization of daily life and a reaction to the actual highs and lows experienced by young people.

Karoline (Kareen Schröter) and Robby (Harald Rathmann) meet in the summer holidays at a company holiday camp, somewhere in provincial East Germany. They had met before, years ago, but had lost contact. In the rigorously organized world of the holiday camp, under the eagle-eyed watch of the camp’s strict leader (Christa Löser), there is little room for relaxation and the adolescents’ true interests. Early morning exercise, roll-call, all manner of sporting competitions, harvesting and company visits structure their stay. In contrast to this doctrine, camp worker Benedikt (Jan Bereska) tries to stir up the adolescents’ enthusiasm for a production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Karoline and Robby become closer as they rehearse for the play. A passionate love affair ignites and stands firm in the face of multiple oppositions, setbacks and underhand schemes. Romeo and Juliet also ultimately enjoys a triumphant premiere. Even the camp leader who reacted vehemently to the softening of her regiment watches the performance with tears of emotion in her eyes.

SEVEN FRECKLES skilfully handles the different levels of its mise-en-scène. With Romeo and Juliet, the film offers up a play within a play, opening up the potential for two-way connections. In Shakespeare’s drama a feud between two households hampers Romeo and Juliet’s relationship; Zschoche gives Karoline and Robby family backgrounds which also harbour the potential for conflict. She lives with her mother, sister and her sister’s baby in difficult, almost chaotic conditions. He is the son of a high-ranking official who enjoys numerous privileges. Overall, life in the camp could be interpreted as a model microcosm of the GDR, populated with prototypical characters in the form of stubborn officials, reformists and conformists. In this sense, this DEFA film could be interpreted as an optimistic utopia pushing for change. That aside, however, the film is also a timeless love story.

Production Period

1977/1978

Production Year

1978

color

color

Aspect Ratio

1:1,66

Duration

Feature-Length Film (61+ Min.)

Type

Feature Film

Genre

Love Film

Topic

Love, GDR, Film History

Target Group

Youth film (12-17)

Scope of Rights

Nichtexklusive nichtkommerzielle öffentliche Aufführung (nonexclusive, noncommercial public screening),Keine TV-Rechte (no TV rights)

Notes to the Licence

DEFA

Licence Period

31.12.2025

Permanently Restricted Areas

Germany (DE), Austria (AT), Switzerland (CH)

Available Media

DVD

Original Version

German (de)

DVD

Subtitles

German (de), English (en), French (fr), Spanish (es), Portuguese (Brazil) (pt), Arabic (ar), Chinese (zh), Italian (it), Japanese (ja), Russian (ru), Turkish (tr)

Note on the Format

Parallelwelt:Film - Ein Einblick in die DEFA

• Sieben Sommersprossen
• Herrmann Zschoche