Into the Forest: Folktales at DEFA – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: East Germany, 1955 (The Devil from Mill Mountain), East Germany, 1957 (The Singing Ringing Tree), East Germany, 1960 (Rumpelstiltskin), East Germany, 1962 (Little Red Riding Hood), East Germany, 1977 (The Devil's Three Golden Hairs)
Directors: Herbert Ballmann (The Devil from Mill Mountain), Francesco Stefani (The Singing Ringing Tree), Christoph Engel (Rumpelstiltskin), Götz Friedrich (Little Red Riding Hood), Egon Schlegel (The Devil's Three Golden Hairs)
Cast: Eva Kotthaus, Hans-Peter Minetti, Willy A. Kleinau, Werner Peters, Hans Klering, Aribert Grimmer (The Devil from Mill Mountain), Christel Bodenstein, Charles Hans Vogt, Eckart Dux, Richard Krüger, Dorothea Thiesing, Günther Polensen (The Singing Ringing Tree), Karin Lesch, Karl-Heinz Rothin, Reinhard Michalke, Peter Dommisch, Nikolaus Paryla, Bodo Mette (Rumpelstiltskin), Blanche Kommerell, Helga Raumer, Horst Kube, Friedel Nowack, Werner Dissel, Harald Engelmann, Ernst-Georg Schwill, Jochen Bley, Waltraud Lohrmann (Little Red Riding Hood), Hans-Joachim Frank, Kurt Radeke, Rolf Ludwig, Katrin Martin, Wolfgang Greese, Hannjo Hasse, Fred Ludwig, Peter Köhncke (The Devil's Three Golden Hairs)

Release Date: July 27th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 86 Minutes 29 Seconds (The Devil from Mill Mountain), 74 Minutes 53 Seconds (The Singing Ringing Tree), 72 Minutes 23 Seconds (Rumpelstiltskin), 71 Minutes 43 Seconds (Little Red Riding Hood), 92 Minutes 19 Seconds (The Devil's Three Golden Hairs)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films Except The Devil's Three Golden Hairs), 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (The Devil's Three Golden Hairs)
Rating: 12 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono German (All Films), LPCM Mono English (The Singing Ringing Tree, The Devil's Three Golden Hairs)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £44.99 (UK)

"In The Devil from Mill Mountain, a greedy miller attracts the ire of forest spirits when he and his accomplices disguise themselves as demons to burn down a rival mill. In The Singing Ringing Tree, a young prince must find a legendary tree to win the heart of an icy princess – and risks being transformed into a bear if she fails to fall in love with him. Rumpelstiltskin follows a young woman whose boastful father claims she can spin straw into gold, leading her to make an ill-advised pact with a magical imp. Then, the eponymous Little Red Riding Hood sets off to see her sick grandmother, relying on her friends the rabbit and the bear to help her evade the cunning fox and the big bad wolf. Finally, The Devil’s Three Golden Hairs sees an unfortunate young man tasked with travelling into hell to retrieve three golden hairs from the Devil himself." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5 (Rumpelstiltskin, Little Red Riding Hood, The Devil's Three Golden Hairs), 3.5/5 (The Devil from Mill Mountain, The Singing Ringing Tree)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "1080p HD presentations of all five films from restorations by the DEFA Foundation."

The Devil from Mill Mountain and The Singing Ringing Tree come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.5 GB

Feature: 21.4 GB (The Devil from Mill Mountain), 18.6 GB (The Singing Ringing Tree)

Rumpelstiltskin and Little Red Riding Hood come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.5 GB

Feature: 20.6 GB (Rumpelstiltskin), 19.5 GB (Little Red Riding Hood)

The Devil's Three Golden Hairs comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 38.3 GB

Feature: 26.7 GB

Little Red Riding Hood and The Devil's Three Golden Hairs sources look comparable to Deaf Crocodile’s 2026 Blu-ray release. All of the films exhibit flesh tones and colors that look correct; the image is generally strong; and there are no issues with compression. That said, like Deaf Crocodile’s release, there is digital noise reduction that varies in severity. The worst-looking transfers are The Devil from Mill Mountain and The Singing Ringing Tree.

Audio: 4/5 (LPCM Mono German - All Films, LPCM Mono English - The Devil’s Three Golden Hairs), 3.5/5 (LPCM Mono English - The Singing Ringing Tree)

Each film comes with a LPCM mono mix in German with removable English subtitles. While all tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, they are limited range-wise. The Singing Ringing Tree and The Devil’s Three Golden Hairs also come with a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English subtitles for text in German. The Devil’s Three Golden Hairs sounds clean, clear, and balanced, while The Singing Ringing Tree has some background hiss and other minor imperfections.

Extras:

Extras on disc one include Fairytales and Nightmares—new interview with writer, broadcaster, and Fortean Times columnist Bob Fischer on the history of The Singing Ringing Tree (21 minutes 24 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Christel Bodenstein (16 minutes 33 seconds, LPCM stereo German with non-removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with film historian Michael Brooke for The Devil from Mill Mountain.

Extras on disc two include The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats, a short cut-out animation adapted from the Brothers Grimm story by the DEFA studio for animation film (10 minutes 21 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono German with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Sam Goff, editorial director for Klassiki and host of The Klassiki Kino Club podcast for Rumpelstiltskin.

Extras on disc three include a video essay on the depiction of the Devil in folktales from the Brothers Grimm to DEFA by film and literature scholar Mary Going titled DEFA and the Devil (25 minutes 18 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), The Magic Scissors, a short silhouette animation inspired by traditional folktales and produced by the DEFA studio for animation film (19 minutes 7 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono German with removable English subtitles), and Sleeping Beauty Was a Beautiful Child, a short puppet animation adapted from Sleeping Beauty by the DEFA studio for animation film (5 minutes 19 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono German with removable English subtitles).

Other extras include reversible cover art, a hardbound slipcase (limited to 2,000 copies), and a 60-page book (limited to 2,000 copies) with cast & crew information for each film, an essay titled Work, Wealth, and Ordinary Women: An Introduction to DEFA’s Folktales written by Sebastian Heiduschke, Forest Fairies: Notes on Folktales at DEFA written by Sonja Fritzsche, Qinna Shen, and Elizabeth Ward, Brothers Grimm Folktales translated by Margaret Hunt, and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

The Devil from Mill Mountain: A greedy windmill farmer and some accomplices dress up like devils and burn down a rival windmill farmer’s land.

While most of DEFA’s fairy tales are based on stories written by the Brothers Grimm, The Devil from Mill Mountain is based on folklore from the Harz region, a low mountain range in Germany. The Devil from Mill Mountain, like all of DEFA’s fairy tales, is a morality tale, and the theme this time around is greed.

The narrative is exposition-driven, and it has many moving parts. Besides the aforementioned greedy windmill farmer, there is a love story that revolves around an orphan named Anne and a man named Jörg. After the fire, the greedy windmill farmer uses the stolen flour from the burned-down windmill farm to further exploit the locals and become richer. The fire also keeps Anne and Jörg apart; Anne is forced to work for the greedy windmill farmer, while Jörg finds employment at a nearby castle working for a sadistic steward.

Athough there are fairy tale elements, notably three spectral characters named Good Coal-Burners, the result is a film that’s actually closer to a melodrama. That said, the narrative has many peaks and valleys, and its deliberate pacing some might find slow-moving. When it comes to the performances, they suit the story that unfolds really well. The most memorable performance is by Willy A. Kleinau, who portrays the greedy windmill farmer. Ultimately, The Devil from Mill Mountain’s positives outweigh any of its negatives.

The Singing Ringing Tree: A prince trying to win the heart of a stubborn princess goes on a magical journey to retrieve for her the Singing Ringing Tree.

While there are some elements from the Brothers Grimm’s The Dwarf, the Fox, and the Princess, The Singing Ringing Tree’s main source of inspiration is based on the German fairy tale The Singing, Ringing Tree, or the Punished Presumption. The Singing Ringing Tree is a fantasy film featuring a character who transforms into a bear and another character, a dwarf, who possesses the ability to alter his surroundings at will. That said, The Singing Ringing Tree is yet another morality tale that explores selfishness and inner beauty.

From its opening moments, the narrative does a superb job captivating you. It is a story that’s overflowing with imagination and there are an ample amount of surprises. Along the way the prince and princess face many challenges, and it is how they react to them that makes them stronger. All around, the acting is solid, especially Christel Bodenstein’s portrayal of a selfish princess who only learns the error of her ways after being turned ugly and forced to become self-reliant. Another performance of note is Richard Krüger’s portrayal of a mischievous dwarf who uses his magical powers to keep the prince and princess from finding happiness. Ultimately, The Singing Ringing Tree is an exemplary film, making it one of the best examples of DEFA’s fairy tales. 

Rumpelstiltskin: A lazy mill owner makes up a tale about his daughter being able to spin straw into gold to avoid paying taxes. The king's treasure demands a demonstration and the mill owner's daughter is then locked in a room. In the morning when gold replaces straw, the king's demand for more gold further complicates things.

No name is more synonymous with fairy tales than the Brothers Grimm. Rumpelstiltskin is one of the Brothers Grimm's most famous stories, having been adapted for film numerous times. That said, Rumpelstiltskin is a morality tale about greed and how its cure is taking something away that is more important.

The narrative quickly draws you in and holds your attention as each new lie from the father character digs a deeper hole for his daughter. While social commentary about greed is the driving force of the narrative, one must not overlook the significant role that humor plays. The moments with the magical imp Rumpelstiltskin and the father character are where all of the humor lies.

While many of DEFA’s fairy tales were made on very limited budgets, the more memorable ones always overcame their limitations. This is most certainly the case with Rumpelstiltskin, a film that’s bursting with imagination and full of wonder. Ultimately, Rumpelstiltskin is a highly entertaining film that perfectly balances fantasy and humor.

Little Red Riding Hood: A little girl named Red Riding Hood travels the treacherous forest with her bunny friend on her way to visit her sick grandmother. 

Red Riding Hood is another character and story that has been adapted into numerous films over the years. Although Götz Friedrich’s Little Red Riding Hood brings little that is new to the table, it never strays too far away from the source story’s core elements. Red Riding Hood is constantly looking for the positive in everyone, and it is her naivety that puts her in danger. Little Red Riding Hood is a story firmly rooted in deception; there is a wolf and a fox who want to eat Red Riding Hood, and they try to deceive her in various disguises.

While Little Red Riding Hood’s production design is not as stripped down as Frau Holle, its costumes, specifically the ones that are clearly people in obvious animal suits, reveal the film’s lack of resources. At 72 minutes in length, the narratives' peaks and valleys are well handled, and pacing is never an issue. Considering the subject matter, it's not surprising that a few scenes are grim, notably a scene where the mother cuts open the wolf to remove a still-alive grandmother from his stomach. That said, the film does remarkably well when it comes to its use of humor. Ultimately, Götz Friedrich’s Little Red Riding Hood is too much by the numbers, making its shortcomings more glaring.

The Devil's Three Golden Hairs: Jakob, a blacksmith's apprentice, crosses paths with the king and enrages him. The king gives him a letter calling for his execution. Before Jakob is able to deliver said letter, his former coworkers get ahold of it and rewrite it. When Jakob finally delivers the letter, it says that he’s supposed to marry the king’s daughter.

While The Devil's Three Golden Hairs is a film firmly rooted in fantasy, it also leans heavily into humor. The protagonist Jakob is a klutz and those around him are often the recipients of clumsiness, which often ends with bodily harm. Knowing Jakob’s limitations, the king tries to prevent him from marrying his daughter by insisting that he retrieve the devil’s three golden hairs.

By far, The Devil's Three Golden Hairs is DEFA’s most accomplished fairy tale film and one of its longest in duration, clocking in at 92 minutes. Its production design, which is for the most part solid, does an excellent job pulling you in to the world depicted. When Jakob ventures into hell, these moments are where the production design excels the most. While The Devil's Three Golden Hairs is a colorful film, the use of color for the scenes in hell is striking.

As mentioned before, humor plays a significant role in the story that unfolds. While there is an absurdist quality to the events, the performances at times are a little over the top, notably Rolf Ludwig’s delirious portrayal of the king. When it comes to pacing, there is never an issue, as the narrative does a superb job building to its finale. Ultimately, The Devil's Three Golden Hairs is a very satisfying blend of humor and fantasy that fans of fairy tales should thoroughly enjoy.

While there are many who are disappointed in the use of digital noise reduction for these masters, the blame lays with the rights holder and not Eureka Video. That said, if Eureka Video rejected the masters, these films would languish in obscurity. Despite the master's shortcomings, I still recommend Into the Forest: Folktales at DEFA.

Written by Michael Den Boer