The Legend of Paul and Paula
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| The Legend of Paul and Paula (Die Legende von Paul und Paula) |
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|---|---|
| Directed by | Heiner Carow |
| Produced by | Erich Albrecht |
| Written by | Ulrich Plenzdorf and Heiner Carow |
| Starring | Angelica Domröse Winfried Glatzeder |
| Music by | Peter Gotthardt |
| Cinematography | Jürgen Brauer |
| Editing by | Evelyn Carow |
| Distributed by | DEFA |
| Release date(s) | 1973 |
| Running time | 105 min. |
| Language | German |
| Budget | N/A |
| IMDb profile | |
Die Legende von Paul und Paula (English: The Legend of Paul and Paula) is a 1973 tragicomic East German film directed by Heiner Carow. It was based on the novel of the same name by Ulrich Plenzdorf.
The film was extremely popular on release and drew as many as three million viewers (the GDR had a population at the time of around 17 million). However, due to the film's political overtones it was almost not released; East German leader Erich Honecker personally decided to allow it to be shown. Today it is considered one of the best-known East German films.
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[edit] Plot summary
Paul and Paula have known each other for a long time. While Paul is married and has a career, he is bored. Paula lives alone with her two children, having left her philandering husband. Paula falls in love with Paul, but he is reluctant to endanger his career and his marriage. When one of Paula's children is killed in an accident, Paul realizes that Paula is more important than his career and his marriage, but she is so crushed by her loss that she rejects him and he has to go to great lengths to win her back.
[edit] Trivia
- The film made the band Puhdys a household name in East Germany. The band perform four songs in the film, all of which drew heavily upon specific western pop songs.
- The film's enduring popularity led to a stretch of waterfront on the Rummelsburger See (Rummelsburg Lake) in Berlin-Lichtenberg, near where the boat scene was filmed, to be renamed Paul und Paula-Ufer (Paul And Paula Shore).
- Paul's new apartment was on the third floor of Singerstraße 51 in Friedrichshain. Paula's apartment across the street was demolished, as shown in the film. A supermarket now occupies part of the site.
- Berlin Ostbahnhof can briefly be seen in some of the outdoor scenes, as it is only a short distance from the Singerstraße. The supermarket where Paula worked is located at what was then Leninplatz (now Platz der Vereinten Nationen).
[edit] Main cast
- Angelica Domröse, Paula
- Winfried Glatzeder, Paul
