A poor soldier meets a witch who promises him gold if he fetches an old lighter from a hollow tree. He unearths the gold, but does not hand the lighter to the witch because of a quarrel. In the next town he settles in well, gives of his gold to the poor, but lets himself be fleeced by the rich. As his possessions dwindle, he has only the friendship of the poor - and the lighter. When he tries it out, three dogs are ready to fulfill his wishes. He wants to go to the princess whom the king is holding captive because she is supposed to marry only a common soldier. This fairy tale adaptation was received rather cautiously in the West because of supposed 'revolutionary motives'.
Kids & Family
1h 19min
0 FSK
DE
The film adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's original is one of the most successful DEFA fairy tale films.
A poor soldier meets a witch who promises him gold if he fetches an old lighter from a hollow tree. He unearths the gold, but does not hand the lighter to the witch because of a quarrel. In the next town he settles in well, gives of his gold to the poor, but lets himself be fleeced by the rich. As his possessions dwindle, he has only the friendship of the poor - and the lighter. When he tries it out, three dogs are ready to fulfill his wishes. He wants to go to the princess whom the king is holding captive because she is supposed to marry only a common soldier.
This fairy tale adaptation was received rather cautiously in the West because of supposed 'revolutionary motives'.