Like the DEFA version of Schneewitchen, this rendition of The Devil and the Three Golden Hairs is an obvious attempt to indoctrinate children and teenagers with socialist values, especially a strong dislike for kings/the wealthy. The king in The Devil and the Three Golden Hairs is similar to the evil stepmother in Schneewitchen in that he is portrayed as a proud, bumbling fool that is completely inept at administering to the needs of his dominion and he is the root of all problems for his kingdom. The Devil is depicted in a similar manner in that the Devil is not the all-powerful, although the movie attempts to make him look demonic (unlike in the Grimm's version.)
One of the more interesting departures from the Grimm's story is that the boy/young man is not aided by the grandmother. Instead he takes on the guise of the Devil's wife, and he overcomes the Devil and eventually the king by learning how to master his clumsiness to fool the more powerful lords and return what they have taken from the hardworking townspeople. This movie is particularly aimed at older boys and young men to show that it is within their power to fight back against the lure of wealth in a capitalist society because hard work will eventually give them an honest and happy living.
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I agree with your idea about young boys, and I understand your logic behind older men, but I think the story structure and feel of the movie suggests that this is primarily for youths.
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