Das Versteck

After divorcing Wanda (Jutta Hoffmann), ex-husband Max (Manfred Krug) tries to win back his partner. He pretends to be wanted by the police and asks for shelter. Wanda agrees to the game, but soon realizes that a new beginning is impossible. As in Geschlossene Gesellschaft, an interpersonal crisis situation in Das Versteck serves as a foil for a social parable on the GDR, this time in comedic form. However, the fact that the DEFA film was held back for nearly two years after its completion had less to do with political misgivings about the story than with the fact that it starred the popular Manfred Krug, who had fallen into disrepute after signing the Biermann petition. "The film was finished in January 1977, everything calmed down a bit. One day, while dubbing, Krug told me, 'Too bad the film will never come out!' It was clear to me then that he was leaving the country." (Frank Beyer 1993, Spur der Filme) In November 1978, Das Versteck opened in selected GDR cinemas, and from May 1980 the film was shown in West Germany, where Manfred Krug quickly established himself as an extremely popular television actor. In 1983, his film partner Jutta Hoffmann, who had also signed the Biermann petition during the filming of Das Versteck, also left the GDR. (cl)