The second installment in the Wittstock series follows Wittstock Girls and its protagonists, three young women who work together at a textile plant.

Karl Achilles, who has worked for thirty years in the chemical collective in Bitterfeld, is looking forward to retirement and plans to do everything he always wanted to do, but never had the time for: go on holiday with his wife, spend time with his children, and cultivate his flower garden.

A man is left alone with his young daughter, Belle, after his wife dies in childbirth. One day, after many years, the man finds himself caught in the middle of a storm. He is thrown from his horse and wakes to find himself in a castle.

This DVD presents two films on Ludwig van Beethoven, one of Germany's best-known composers, which were produced by the DEFA Studios over 20 years apart. 

Vienna, 1813-1819: Beethoven (played by Donatas Banionis) is at the peak of his fame. Orchestras all over the world play his music, but he lives modestly and is dependent upon private patrons.

Harmonika, an American deserter, is captured by a tribe of Indians, who believe he has murdered the wife and child of their chief Grey Elk. It is the chief himself who sets the American free, and Harmonika stays with the tribe and gradually wins their friendship.

In the middle of the 18th century, the Ruster family immigrates to the United States and lead a hard life as settlers.

Hans served his king faithfully as a soldier. But now, cheated out of his pay, he is returning home. A witch heals his wounds and demands in return that he fetches the blue light from the dried-up well.

This 13-DVD set is designed to accompany DEFA at the Crossroads of East German and International Film Culture (DeGruyter, 2014), edited by Marc Silberman (University of Wisconsin) and Henning Wrage (Gettysburg College).

This 12-DVD set is designed to accompany the book East German Cinema – DEFA and Film History, by Sebastian Heiduschke (Oregon State University), published by Palgrave Macmillan in October 2013.