Die Schlüssel

Short Summary (English)

Two young people, Ric and Klaus, travel to Poland together to spend their holiday there. They are quite proud and happy when they are put up by a friendly man from Cracow who allows them to use his flat freely. They feel accepted and at the same time. Pleasantly and unusually independent. They embark on a journey of discovery and meet very different kinds of people.

In conversations and narrations, the past comes to life for them - they experience both embittered people and those who are looking for new links between GDR citizens and Poles. To their surprise. the two young people also discover how differently they respond to people and events.

Because of a misunderstanding, Ric gets into a state of panic, rushes into the street to look for Klaus. He is run over and killed by a tram. In these tragic hours, Klaus experiences sympathy and helpfulness on the part of Polish people. Through them, he understands the huge loss he has suffered and discovers an entirely unsuspected sensitivity and ability to mourn in himself. (Source: Progress Film-Verleih)

Film Crew

Director

• Egon Günther

Script

• Egon Günther
• Helga Schütz

Scenario

• Helga Schütz
• Egon Günther

Camera

• Erich Gusko

Film Editing

• Rita Hiller

Cast

• Jutta Hoffmann (Ric)
• Jaecki Schwarz (Klaus)
• Magda Zawadzka (Helena)
• Jerzy Jogalla (Frantisek)
• Jadwiga Chojnacka (Großmutter)
• Leon Niemczyk (Pawlik)
• Anna Dziadyk (Hanka)
• Wolfgang Greese (DDR-Vertreter)

Assistant Director

• Elke Niebelschütz

Assistant Camera

• Klaus Goldmann
• Norbert Kuhröber

Production Design

• Harald Horn

Script Editing

• Werner Beck

Music

• Czeslaw Niemen
• Karl-Ernst Sasse (Musikberatung)

Sound

• Edgar Nitzsche
• Gerhard Ribbeck

Costume Design

• Christiane Dorst

Make-Up

• Horst Schulze
• Margot Friedrichs

Production Management

• Hans Mahlich

Unit Production Management

• Heinz Fröhlich
• Wolfgang Lange

DEFA Photography

• Klaus Goldmann

Short Summary (German)

1972. Ric und Klaus sind jung, verliebt und wollen Urlaub machen. Sie, die lebenslustige Arbeiterin aus dem Glühlampenwerk, und er, der zielstrebige Ingenieursstudent, tauschen den DDR-Alltag gegen das „freiere Polen“. Ein wildfremdes polnisches Ehepaar, selbst auf der Reise nach Paris, drückt ihnen am Flughafen die Schlüssel zu ihrer Privatwohnung in Kraków in die Hand. Ein Vertrauensbeweis, der wie ein Versprechen auf eine unvergessliche Zeit wirkt. Was wird die Verliebten in Polen erwarten? Zwischen kulturellen Entdeckungen und neuen Bekanntschaften prallen die gegensätzlichen Lebensentwürfe des Paares aufeinander...

Short Summary (Other Languages)

Ric e Klaus, lei operaia, lui studente, vanno in vacanza a Cracovia, alloggiando nell'appartamento di un polacco. Nonostante trascorrano giornate spensierate, Ric si accorge di quanto sia diversa da Klaus. La superiorità di lui la ferisce. Capendo che intellettualmente non saranno mai sullo stesso piano, Ric teme per il loro amore. In preda al panico, non trovando Klaus, corre in strada e viene travolta da un tram. Solo ora Klaus, sconvolto per la sua morte, comprenderà quanto Ric fosse importante per lui. (Italienisch)