The Legend of Paul und Paula

The Legend of Paul und Paula

After renting the movie, it is ready for viewing for 48 hours.

Language DE
Subtitle DE, EN, FR, ES, PT, IT, CZ, AR, RU
Genre Drama, Romance
Country GDR
Year 1973
Director Heiner Carow
Cast Angelica Domröse, Winfried Glatzeder, Heidemarie Wenzel, Fred Delmare, Rolf Ludwig, Hans Hardt-Hardtloff, Käthe Reichel, Eva-Maria Hagen
Production DEFA-Studio für Spielfilme (Potsdam-Babelsberg)
Length 109 minutes

A bit more than 50 years ago, the GDR cult film celebrated its premiere in East Berlin. Heiner Carow’s groovy box office hit about the relationship between a single mother and a married father made the previously unknown band, the Puhdys, to stars overnight.    

Paula, a single mother, falls in love with the political functionary Paul. While Paul is dissatisfied with his personal life, Paula wants to realise her new happiness by all means. But Paul reacts fearfully and hesitantly at first, until he senses that he might have found the love of his life. THE LEGEND OF PAUL AND PAULA is a plea for the right to individual happiness – even in a socialist state. In the politicised everyday life of the GDR, where the boundaries between the individual and the collective were blurred, such a message seems deeply political. A hidden critique of socialism is recognisable in Paul and Paula’s search for individual happiness, which they place above social conventions. Heiner Carow’s undisguised delight in all things fashionable must also have seemed almost subversive at the time. For THE LEGEND OF PAUL AND PAULA is also a film about various “new looks” in a state that was somewhat sceptical about western fashions, including music.

With around three million viewers, THE LEGEND OF PAUL AND PAULA became a genuine box office hit in a very short time. The film music probably contributed to this success. The songs composed by Peter Gotthardt with lyrics by screenwriter Ulrich Plenzdorf pushed the previously unknown band The Puhdys to stardom overnight. Some of the hits are still considered East German cultural treasures today.   

Image © DEFA-Stiftung, Herbert Kroiss, Manfred Damm 

After renting the movie, it is ready for viewing for 48 hours.