Spur der Steine (The Trace of Stones)

1966/1990, b/w, 138 min. Feature
Dir.: Frank Beyer
Script: Karl Georg Egel, Frank Beyer
Camera: Günter Marczinkowsky
Music: Wolfram Heicking, Kunze
Cast: Manfred Krug, Krystyna Stypulkowska, Eberhard Esche, Johannes Wieke
35mm, English subtitles - renting information
16mm, English subtitles - renting information
VHS-NTSC, English subtitles:

Synopsis:

Building construction foreman Hannes Balla is self-proclaimed king of the large construction site "Schkona." He is held in high esteem by his co-workers because he makes sure they are paid correctly. Things stop running so smoothly when supplies become scared, and Kati Klee, a young technician, and Werner Horrath, the new Party Secretary, arrive on the site. Hannes' unassailability and his reputation are at stake now because Horrath has a lot going for him and is quite a match for Hannes. Kati is able to see Hannes' true nature, and he falls in love with her. But Horrath loves the young technician as well, despite being devoted to his wife and children waiting for him in Rostock. He cannot make up his mind and entangles himself in lies, pretending his motivations are for the sake of his work. But he pays a high price for lying. This love triangle involving Kati, Werner and Hannes, which initially benefited their work because it inspired Balla to take on new tasks and views, is destroyed. This film was banned for 25 years. Arguably the most important DEFA film of the 1960s, Trace of Stones was shelved by East Germany following its 1966 release. Based on Erik Neutsch's novel of the same title.