Rotkappchen
(aka RED CAP, LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD)
With: Blanche Kommerell (Red Cap), Helga Raumer (Mother), Horst Kube (Father), Friedel Nowack (Grandmother), Werner Dissel (Wolf), Harald Engelmann (Fox), Ernst-Georg Schwill (Bear), Jochen Bley (Rabbit)
Plot Outline: On the edge of a dark forest a young girl, known as 'Red-cap' after her favourite head-wear, lives with her parents. The friendly child has several animal companions, the lively Rabbit and the blundering Bear. However, not all the forest creatures have Red-cap's best interests at heart... The wicked Wolf, and his cunning friend Fox plot constantly to carry her off and devour her. Their plans are however always foiled by Red-cap. When Red-cap's Grandmother runs out of snuff, she sends a message via Rabbit, that her grand-daughter should bring along a fresh supply in her basket of goodies on her next visit... Setting off into the forest with the nervous Rabbit, Red-cap is blithely unaware of the great danger she is in, for the Wolf and Fox are intent on having their evil way this time... Can the child, with the help of Rabbit and Bear, foil the dastardly duo?
***
Not to be confused with Fritz Genschow’s ROTTKÄPPCHEN (1953) or Walter Janssen’s ROTKAPPCHEN (1954), this retelling of the ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ story hails from the East German DEFA-Studio and was helmed by Götz Friedrich in 1962.
Opting for a dark-haired girl over the usual flaxen-tressed mädchen, this version adds a few new characters (a friendly rabbit, a grumpy bear, a wily fox), does away with Little Red’s many brothers, making her an only child and therefore even more precious to her parents (Helga Raumer and Horst Kube), whilst her Grandmother (Friedel Nowack) becomes a pernickety snuff-addict with a ropey-looking hand-puppet pet squirrel.
Overall the animal costumes are a distinct improvement on the earlier films, and the Wolf and Fox in particular are given amazing fang-snarling full-head masks that must have given the kindergarteners a few sleepless nights back then (the Wolf’s full-on look predates THE HOWLING’s climactic lycanthropes by several decades!).
The actors portraying the individual animals are also given specific body movements to further mimic the creatures they are playing, becoming almost balletic on occasion. Little Red’s nose-twitching friend Rabbit (Jochen Bley) is a lively, likeable character, and tries to protect her and guide her throughout, which is not easy as the child is as wilful as brave, constantly wandering from the forest pathway and into peril, with her other animal pal, the somewhat slow Bear (Ernst-Georg Schwill), proving more of a hindrance than a help, though he too comes through in the end.
An entirely studio-bound production, ROTKÄPPCHEN is handsomely mounted, with forest sets of stunning intricacy and detail that constantly enchant the viewer, as does Blanche Kommerell’s double-pigtailed Little Red with her Freudian-looking crimson cap perched atop her dark-tressed head. She’s not just a pretty face but a tough cookie, seeing off both the crafty Fox (Harald Engelmann) and the fearsome Wolf (Werner Dissel) on two seperate occasions before being gobbled up by the lascivious lupine following the traditional verbal exchange we all know and love so well.
Cut free from the sleeping Wolf’s distended belly by her mother, Little Red is rescued along with her Grandma, and the vicious varmint who caused all the uproar is carted off by her father and Bear, trussed like a turkey, in another break with tradition (usually his split gut is filled with heavy rocks and stitched up, leaving him to die slowly in extravagant agony).
Inventive and visually rewarding thanks in no small part to Helmut Bergmann’s camerawork, ROTKÄPPCHEN is available in Germany from Icestorm Entertainment GMBH in a lovely looking, brightly coloured full-frame transfer. It’s in German with no English subtitles option, but is easy to follow throughout, and runs for just over 66 minutes.
Aimed at children rather than adult film collectors, the only DVD extras offered here are a trailer for THE GOLDEN GOOSE and a so-so photo-gallery that serves as a taster for other Fairy Tales on the label rather than showing scenes from this film, rather a wasted opportunity: it would have been great if they could have located a set of original East German lobby stills or poster art. However, basic release or not, this little known gem of European children’s cinema comes thoroughly recommended.
-- Nigel J. Burrell
Video/DVD availability: DVD (Icestorm Entertainment)
(1962, East Germany) color 66 minutes
DEFA
Cinematography: Helmut Bergmann
Music: Gerhard Wohlgemuth
Directed by Götz Friedrich
