DEFA Films

There are obvious parallels between The Devil’s Three Golden Hairs and DEFA’s Schneewittchen. The emphasis on work in The Devil’s Three Golden Hairs becomes apparent in the opening scene at the blacksmith’s shop because the scene seems longer and more detailed than necessary. The idolizing of anything “good” or “hardworking” also manifests itself early in the film, as it also does in Schneewittchen with the scene in the kitchen that cinematically values the work done by the kitchen help. Another similarity between the two films lies in the mockery of the monarchy and disparaging of the vices enjoyed by the monarchy, which include food and money. In The Devil’s Three Golden Hairs, the film seems to associate the monarchy with debauchery (the king’s drunkenness in the forest), along with stupidity (the refusal to believe in the existence of robbers). Interestingly, one major difference between The Devil’s Three Golden Hairs and Schneewittchen is the more chaotic and hectic atmosphere in The Devil’s Three Golden Hairs compared to Schneewittchen, in which the chaos seems confined to scenes involving the monarchy.

The target audience for The Devil’s Three Golden Hairs might have been children in East Germany, whom the government hoped to teach important lessons with the film. The slapstick humor seems like it would have appealed most to children, because it appears a bit too juvenile for an older audience. However, some of the lessons embedded in the film might be hard for children to interpret so maybe the film is also meant for the parents watching the film with their children.