Based upon the fairytale of Wilhelm Hauff, HEART OF STONE (DAS KALTE HERZ) was not only the first East German film made in Agfacolor but the first East German adaptation of a fairytale novel… the result is lavish, macabre and whimsical. HEART OF STONE (1950) is a pretty faithful adaptation of Hauff’s story, with only some minor changes. The glass imp grants Peter the first two wishes but points out that in his opinion, the two wishes aren’t well thought through. Unfortunately, he forgot to ask the glass imp how to mould and blow glass and soon, the business suffers due to his inexperience. The overall message here is that wealth, money and consumerism don’t make you happy - an ideology dear to any true socialist’s heart!