Karbid und Sauerampfer (1963)

After the second World War, Dresden has a lot of reconstructing to do. To get the cigarette factory he once worked for running again, Kalle has to travel to Wittenberg - the only place ... See full summary »

Director:

Frank Beyer

Writers:

Frank Beyer, Hans Oliva (scenario)

Stars:

Erwin Geschonneck, Marita Böhme, Manja Behrens

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Erwin Geschonneck	...	Kalle
Marita Böhme	...	Karla
Manja Behrens	...	Clara
Margot Busse	...	Karin
Kurt Rackelmann	...	Riese
Rudolf Asmus	...	Sänger
Hans-Dieter Schlegel	...	US-Offizier
Fred Delmare	...	Kutscher
Bruno Carstens	...	Polizeikommissar
Aleksei Presnetsov	...	Sowjetischer Kommandant (as A. M. Presnezow)
L.P. Svetlov	...	Wirtschaftsoffizier (as L.P. Swetlow)
Werner Möhring	...	Peter
Peter Dommisch	...	Paul
Fred Ludwig	...	Ganove
Günter Rüger	...	Mann mit Marmeladeneimer

Storyline

After the second World War, Dresden has a lot of reconstructing to do. To get the cigarette factory he once worked for running again, Kalle has to travel to Wittenberg - the only place where carbide can be found. Once there, Kalle find himself in the unfortunate situation of having to hitchhike his way back to Dresden, transporting seven heavy barrels of carbide. However, his inventiveness and optimistic attitude help transform the grueling task into an adventurous, entertaining, and funny journey.

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Plot Keywords:

carbide | barrel | defa | luck | landmine | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

East Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

27 December 1963 (East Germany)

Also Known As:

Carbide and Sorrel

Filming Locations:

Wittenberg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Deutsche Film (DEFA)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Erwin Geschonneck (Kalle) was for a long time a vegetarian himself. The idea of making his character avoid meat is from him.

User Reviews

Comedic odyssey to deliver rebuilding material after WW2.

Filmed by the famous East German DEFA studio, this 1963 film looks back at the immediate post war life in the Soviet zone of defeated Germany in 1945. As such, political notes are not to be missed. The one American character is a stupid Army officer with incredibly ugly teeth patrolling the Elbe River in a nice little motorboat. On the other hand, a Soviet officer is a handsome, intelligent, decent man. There are ruins, but people aren't in absolute misery; they're rebuilding the future. This film does not have the despair and nihilism of the real Truemmer Filme produced in the early post war years. Geshonneck delivers an excellent character, an Anthony Quinn with a subtler touch. Despite the political touches, this is a sweet comedy, the type that keeps you smiling, not guffawing. A good film for people interested in post War Europe, even if it looks back with a telescope of almost twenty years.