This is a 60-minute condensed and abridged version of the original 3-hour documentary with the same title, which is also available for streaming.
In the summer of 1958, volunteers from across the GDR come together to build an open-sea harbor for international trade near Rostock. In only six months, they are able to erect a 540 meter sea wall in Warnemünde.
In the late 1950s, the collectivization of agriculture is in full swing in the East German village of Willshagen on the German-German border. Those in charge have to face many obstacles, especially from a large-scale farmer who is unwilling to join the co-op.
This black-and-white documentary portrays the life of Wilhelm Pieck and his ascent from young working-class revolutionary to the first president of the GDR. Archival film, historical photos, and documents from the period between 1914 and 1945 trace the history of Germany during his lifetime.
In 1949, superstition still thrives in the Thuringian village of Hunsdorf. Pigs keep disappearing from different farmyards and the village residents naturally blame the problem on witches.
Karl and Richard, two German soldiers captured by the Russians in World War I, become very close friends—so close that Richard shares intimate stories about his wife, Anna. Through these stories, Karl falls in love with her in his thoughts.
While an anatomy seminar prepares to examine the cadaver of Franz Wozzeck in the name of scientific progress, medical student Büchner excoriates humanity for having allowed Wozzeck’s fate. The tragic story unfolds in flashbacks, as Büchner narrates.
It is the year 1935: After being released from a concentration camp, Arnold remains working for the resistance movement in Hamburg. He has mixed feelings about his new contact agent; he almost envies the man's self-confidence, but cannot help mistrusting him.