The Porcupine: The Young Englishman

(Das Stacheltier – Der junge Engländer)

GDR, 1958, 67 min, b&w
In German; no subtitles
Credits:
Director
Script
Dramaturg
Editor
Camera
Set Design
Costume Design
Music (Score)
Narrator
Cast
Production Company

Synopsis

In 1825, a stranger has withdrawn to the small southern German city of Grünwiesel to lead a quiet life, but he despises the inhabitants narrow-mindedness gossiping. One day a circus comes to town, and shortly afterwards, the stranger presents his “nephew” to the citizens, whose foreign-seeming appearance and customs lead them to believe he is an Englishman.

 

The bourgeois inhabitants idolize this "man of the world," model their behavior after his, and even present their marriagable daughters to him. Finally, the stranger ends his revenge-driven joke by revealing to the crowd who they are emulating: a well-dressed monkey.

 

This musical pantomime is based on Wilhelm Hauff’s fairytale but is furnished with modern elements.

Availability

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