An outstanding film adaptation by Frank Beyer of the bestselling novel “Trace of Stones”
Dir. Frank Beyer
Germany, 1966
DVD, 134 min
Trace of Stones was first released in 1966 but was banned in the GDR only a short time later due to its “anti-socialist tendencies.” It was only in October 1989 that the film was allowed to be shown again in the GDR, and shortly afterwards it was shown at the 1990 Berlinale in the Federal Republic of Germany.
The film is set on a construction site in Schkona, a village near Leipzig in what was then the GDR. Hannes Balla, a carpenter and brigadier, works there. Despite disregarding the bureaucratic regulations of the planned economy, Balla and his crew work as one of the most efficient work brigades on the building site. They do not hesitate to acquire necessary materials forcefully when needed. Although their methods are unconventional, their productivity results in them being tolerated by the construction management.
The working atmosphere is shaken when Werner Horrath, the new manager, starts working on the construction site. However, the initial rivalry between Horrath and Balla quickly fades when they both recognize their potential. It is only when Kati Klee, a new engineer, is hired that the situation on the construction site spirals out of control.
Frank Beyer is considered one of the most important and internationally renowned filmmakers of the GDR. Despite his increasingly critical stance towards the SED (the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, the governing party of East Germany) over the years, he was awarded several prizes there, including the GDR National Prize.
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