The Legend of Paul and Paula

This is a film from the time when you only saw Trabant (GDR-made) and Volga (Soviet-made) cars on the streets. It is a sad love story, set among the ruins of old German houses and the new blocks of socialism. In the soundtrack we hear some songs by the band from DDR Die Puhdys, unfortunately not the best from their repertoire, actually some very bad, they having some really excellent ones, being the most valuable rock band in communist Germany. For a film made in that period, when in countries like GDR, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Albania the films were nothing but communist propaganda, this film is a real exception, being very libertine, something inexplicable how it got away of the fierce censorship of the regime. In Yugoslavia the situation was different, they were much freer. And, there were bolder films in Hungary, Poland, Romania, but they were banned soon after release or scenes were cut. Angelica Domröse plays a role full of courage, totally unconventional for the politics behind the iron curtain. Scenes of sex and alcohol consumption could not be seen in those films of communist countries where everyone had to appear happy, without problems, living a wonderful life, in a perfect society, where children were brought by storks, not being the fruit of a sexual act between a man and a woman.

The Legend of Paul and Paula seems simple yet not boring. However, the film has profound ideas to tell – gender roles, social inequality and escapism. I like the film's way portraying of everyday life in East Berlin. You can almost see and feel the city. The love story between a passionate single mother and a complacent, married bureaucrat is not your typical Hollywood movie. The film also has a psychedelic and hippie feel. The soundtrack suits the film. I like the portions of the film where some elements (like the band that plays music while Paul and Paula are making love) are placed for no reason. The movie has a simple charm that captivates audiences. I guess that the film's success lies in its way of making the ordinary scenes of life extraordinary.

This picture, which has been shown in East Germany for only a week until political censors understood its impact on the people, is a very realistic East German view of life in post war East Berlin. It's mainly about the romance of Paul, a privileged but unhappy secret service agent, and Paula, an underprivileged and single girl with children. Since it is one of the very few movies which portraits honest details of real life in East Berlin at that time, it now serves as a reminder of emotions and feelings for a lot of East Germans. Despite the heavy use of symbolism (pretty old houses are blown away for the construction of uniform socialist buildings) it still doesn't draw a too pessimistic picture and leaves space for dreams and hope. I really love this movie, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to catch a glimpse idea of how life was at that time in a socialistic system. The film is available with English subtitles which gives foreigners the chance to understand it, too.

This film is a fascinating artifact to watch, and I use my language carefully there. This is perhaps not a film with as much current meaning and significance as other pieces of German cinema, but when watched as an artifact of how it might have felt to live in East Germany in the 70s (not to suggest that Paul and Paula themselves are necessary the model), it is a fascinating and interesting watch. Of course, within this, I do not seek to reduce it simply to a piece of history, it is art, entertaining and beautifully done, but I do think one needs to watch from the perspective of an East German in the 70s.

What does this entail? It entails watching not for a simple critique of East Germany and socialism. It entails watching not for a love story. It entails watching not to fulfil some preconceived notion of what is right and what is wrong. Instead, one must seek to go beyond these simple conclusions. I'm not the one to say what this film means, and that is precisely my point. When this film was released East Germany was far behind its Western counterpart in terms of economic development. Socialism was not achieving what it desired. It's easy in that light to jump to conclusions right away about what the film means. Instead of doing that, ask why Erich Honecker, leader of East Germany, would have personally allowed this film to be shown? Ask why this film was (and still is to many) beloved by East Germans. My point is, this film is more than one thing, equally critical as it is optimistic, equally a love story as it is a Shakespearian tragedy, and equally compelling as it is confusing.

Give it a watch, you may not like it (I only gave it a 7), but it is incredibly rich.

It's kind of weird. Angelica Domröse speaks in the movie of a Banana and why it's bent, yet she as an actress has probably never seen one. Also her parents most likely chose her name 'Angelica' (note: the name is spelt 'Angelika' in any German-speaking country) to mock the Soviet system and give credit to the American way of life. Just like pretty much anyone else in the GDR (note: if ever you meet a girl in Europe named 'Doreen', 'Melissa' or 'Mandy', it's pretty safe to say that she's from East Germany).

Pretty much all of the home appliances shown are authentic, yet they had to introduce coffee and cosmetics (which didn't really exist in the GDR at that time) to make it suitable for the political demagogues. Imagine it: the fact that there is a sentence in English ("excuse me, only one glass for you") could have led to a total ban of the entire movie.

What else is there to say? Try to understand the lyrics of the Band 'Puhdys' featured manifold in this flick and the in-between-the-lines-messages and how this was important to get thoughts of freedom past the GDR's government's census.

Well you guys probably don't and will never understand what kind of fruit GDR's socialism sprouted, but watching 'Paul and Paula' could theoretically help you get at least a glimpse.