The Treasure of the Silver Lake

This was the very first movie to receive the "Golden Screen" (Goldene Leinwand) for having over 3 million visitors within 12 months. It was awarded on 22 January 1964 at the Mathäser-Filmpalast, Munich. The movie also received the Bambi-award 1963 as best box-office-production, handed over on 19 April 1964 at the Schwarzwaldhalle, Karlsruhe. The movie also received a sum of 200.000 DM from the Federal Ministry of the Interior in 1963 as movie-prize. The main title by composer Martin Böttcher, the "Old Shatterhand-Melodie" was the most successful track in German hit-parades in the 1960ies, stayed there for several month and was sold with over 100.00 copies. For that time that was very unusual, especially for a film music-track without any singers. The music was played by members of the symphony-orchestra of the NDR (Norddeutscher Rundfunk = North German Radio). The theme later also was recorded as vocal track by several singers, including a version by the movie's actor Pierre Brice (Winnetou). The set-location was in Yugoslavia (that doesn't have any Alps, as some foreign critics seem to believe). "Der Schatz im Silbersee" was the first screening of a novel by Karl May set in the American West. Earlier movies after his novels were all set in the Near East.

The mentioned butterfly Papilio polymnestor parinda is from Sri Lanka and not from North America.

When the film was submitted to the FSK, they offered the distributor the choice of either a "Not under 12" rating for the uncut version or a "Not under 6" rating if some fight scenes were removed. Distributor Constantin decided to release the uncut version. However, for the re-release in 1964, some scenes were removed and the film was released with a "Not under 6" rating. Unfortunately, these cuts were done to the original negative and the removed parts were destroyed.

Featured in Auf den Spuren Winnetous (2004)