Although I saw many points of communist manipulation in the film, the presence of alcohol in the film was what drew my attention. In a movie intended for children it seems odd from U.S. cultural standards to have the consumption of alcohol be such a central point of the film. However, the film vilifies alcohol consumption as well as those that indulge in it. The king, who is spineless ruler, is defined mostly by his dependance on alcohol. During the letter swap we see the leader of the robber's berating his comrade's for being lazy and apathetic from wine, and finally the devil indulges in the end in a disgusting amount of wine as well. It is interesting that the final punishment to the over indulgent ruler is to strap him down into labor and deprive him of his flask. This focus on alcohol seems to be part of the producer's wider arching plan to warn their future workers against the evils of frivolity and the importance of hard work.

"The Devil's Three Golden Hairs" is an interesting movie that reflects the society in which it was produced. From the ornate costume of the devil to the silly humor used throughout the film, it is fairly obvious that the film was created for children. Nevertheless, the messages it send toward the children are quite blatantly political. It communist Germany, ideals such as equality are greatly emphasized. In this film, the character of the king is shown as malevolent and sly, undermining his legitimacy as a ruler. This portrayal emphasizes that the wealthy of the kingdom are no better than the commoners, like Jacob. All in all, the movie targets children and aims to instill Communist ideals in their minds. 

The Devil's Three Golden Hairs

Sry about the tardiness, but here it is...

In a communist society, there is no doubt a political agenda to this film. Given the simplicity of the story structure and the lack of character depth, this film no doubt is targeted at children. The lack of production quality however doesn't take away from the communist messages intended to brainwash the children watching it for entertainment. Thus, seeing as the dialogue and tone of the film wreaks of immaturity, the target audience, children, are the intended viewers to this powerful propaganda message.

The Devil and the Three Golden Hairs- The Socialist Version

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.

Assignment: 17 March 2009

This week we are going by the normal schedule, so please post by Tuesday at midnight and leave two comments by Wednesday night.

Prompt: Respond to the film “The Devil’s Three Golden Hairs” (DEFA). You may wish to consider one (or more) of the following:

• Target audience
• How it uses the medium specifically in order to tell its version of the story
• Comparison to the DEFA version of “Snow White”