Sonnensucher (1971) User Reviews

Banned by DEFA during the Warsaw negotiations

[gjmorris · 29 April 2006]

Keep in mind when viewing this film that it was actually produced and set for release in 1958, not '72. DEFA banned the film because of its content regarding uranium and the nuclear arms race. The film was made while this was a hot topic, but for international diplomacy reasons, the film was banned so as not to interfere with Warsaw negotiations. Taken as a 1958 film, and not a '70s film, it becomes much better for comparison to other Konrad Wolf films and serves as a much better example of national film within the GDR at the time. As an earlier Wolf film, then, the presence of anti-fascist ideas and propaganda for the socialist state is quite present. This type of content dropped off in later Wolf films.

One of Wolf's more forgettable films

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 10 October 2016]

"Sonnensucher" or "Sun Seekers" is an East German movie from 1972, so this one will have its 45th anniversary next year. The director is Konrad Wolf who is widely considered among the best East Germany had to offer in terms of filmmaking and he is definitely a lot more known than his two writers here: Karl-Georg Egel and Paul Wiens. The cast of this movie probably does not ring familiar with many anymore today so much later, but Erwin Geschonneck (father of Matti) may be known to film buff here in Germany even these days. It is a black-and-white film and it is actually really long, makes it close to the two-hour mark. It focuses on the East German mining industry and the title is of course a little play on words on the subject of light versus dark because down there it is extremely dark. However, sadly, the film is not a revelation at all. It may have been a bit on the controversial side back then, but looking at it today I felt it was fairly underwhelming, especially compared to some of the other pretty good works by Wolf. The characters don't feel written in a way that keeps me interested for easily over 100 minutes and I must also say I found the acting and most of the performances really bland and not memorable, also from lead actors. And this in combination with the massive run time of course results in a film that drags on several occasions. I'd only recommend the watch to those with a huge interest in what life back in the GDR was really like. And as I have not experienced it back then in a way that I could still remember today, it's also tough for me to say how accurate the film is. I give it a thumbs-down. Not recommended and sadly another example of how the GDR did not really produce that many films worth watching if this is one of the more known given how mediocre it is.

An Aufbau film on mining

[eabakkum · 8/10 · 13 September 2010]

Sonnensucher belongs to the wave of Aufbau (build up) films, that followed the founding of the German Democratic Republic (East-Germany). The story unfolds in 1950, an extremely shaken period, in which the new state was still subjected to the Soviet occupation. The aftermath of Nazism had to be digested, the material and psychological destruction of war, and the ensuing poverty. The minds of the people had to be more or less reprogrammed. Under these desperate conditions (although less desperate than in 1917!) the Bolshevist system of a Stalinist fashion had to be implemented. Defa Studios has produced a range of such films, in particular about the collective rural reforms, but this one concerns the uranium mine Wismut (hence the title Sunseeker). The USA has destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki with nuclear bombs, and has become a threat to world peace. Fortunately the Sovietunion has secured peace by fabricating their own bombs. MAD (mutually assured destruction) will rule the world. Nevertheless, the SU still needs lots of uranium, and the German mining industry in the Soviet occupation zone is forced to deliver its share. In fact the German part in the Soviet zone had to provide harsh reparations to the Sovietunion, which severely hampered the reconstruction of the economy and the infrastructure. Later this has often been used as an excuse for the arrears with respect to West-Germany, who could enjoy the benefits of the Marshall aid. Most of these aspects find their place in the narrative. The young woman Lutz, who is one of the leading characters, is rounded up during a wild party in Berlin, together with her frivolous aunt Emmi. They are transported to Wismut, in order to assist in the exploitation of the local uranium mine. Lutz may well be intended as a symbol of the young uncertain new state. Although the mine is formally run by the German state, it is actually controlled by the Red Army. The chief engineer Beier insists upon an upgrade of the existing installations, but the supervising Russian general prefers the energetic continuation of the exploitation with primitive means. By the way, it has always been a problem of planned production, that the immediate plan fulfillment is deemed more important than investments for the future. Even much later in the film Die Architekten (1990) this theme is still spun out. Beier is not a Bolshevist, and actually has a past in the Wehrmacht, which makes his position all the more unstable. However, everybody recognizes that he is dedicated and competent. This is clearly another message of the film makers, that people had to be judged on their potential and not on their past. The German Bolshevist party is represented in the story by the solid Jupp (played by the famous Geschonneck), a sturdy member who back in the republican revolutionary times of 1919 was even a rebelling navy sailor. He is the type, who prefers a feast above a meeting, and the comrade of your dreams. It turns out, that in his youth he has had an affair with Emmi (another reference to the need to single out human potential). After yet another wild party the Soviet administration persuades him to marry her. The story portrays the Soviet characters (the general and his aide-de-camp) as noble and competent personalities, who left their fatherland in order to defeat fascism and liberate the Germans. Of course they do not represent Soviet interests, but the well-being of the global proletariat. For that matter, the global proletariat has no hope except for the Sovietunion. Remember that the narrative unfolds in a Stalinist background. There is also a saboteur, an agent of the western Bourgeois, who sets fire to the electricity cables. He is caught, and most likely executed (not shown). For the time being the death penalty lived on - it was later abandoned. Beier marries Lutz, and this brings him into conflict with a rival miner. In the final scenes, Beier, his rival and the Soviet aide-de-camp are all trapped during an explosion in the shaft. Here they open up and fraternize. This emphasis on comradeship and conversion is typical for the vision of the GDR elite, and caused considerable distortions in their interpretation of history. Basically there can be no bad people, except for the capitalist elite with her inclination to fascism. However, an occasional party member may have dozed off, and is impersonated here by the local party secretary. Of course, eventually the trapped people are rescued, enabling them to continue their society endeavors. And it is probably no coincidence, that the aide-de-camp returns to Russia. Lutz has been transformed into the working woman of the type, that decorated the posters in that period. It is definitely a fascinating film with lots of interwoven threads, which connect to the many entanglements of the time. It breathes the air of The Third Man, and is Worth seeing.