The Golden Goose (German: Die goldene Gans) is a DEFA movie from 1964, based on the Brothers Grimm’s fairytale of the same name.
Klaus, the cobbler, and his two brothers Kunz and Franz work together in a little cobbler’s shop which they have inherited from their dead father. Since the two lazy brothers refuse to do any work, Klaus (also called “Dummling”) has to do everything on his own.
One day, Klaus is sent to the forest to chop wood. His brothers had attempted to do the same, but their plans were foiled by an old beggar woman. When Klaus meets the old hag, he is kind to her and shares his food and drink, for which he is rewarded with the titular golden goose. It soon turns out that everyone who touches the goose gets stuck to it. The first to fall victim are the sisters Lies and Gret, though it doesn’t take long until a whole parade of people is glued to the waterfowl. This gives Klaus, who finds the whole situation rather funny, the idea to visit the princess, since whoever manages to make her laugh receives her hand in marriage.
When Klaus and his troop arrive at the castle, the princess find them so funny that she can finally laugh again. Still, the king refuses to marry his daughter off to a cobbler and begins bombarding Klaus with increasingly difficult tasks. Thanks to his cleverness and newfound friends, Klaus manages to protect the king’s treasure as well as the princess against the evil prince Störenfried, and eventually receives his well-earned reward.
Tropes include
- Ambiguously Gay: Franz. He is very effeminate, doesn’t care to marry the princess, and even flat out refuses to kiss Gret in the end.
- Character Catchphrase: Just about everyone has one.
- Engagement Challenge: If you want to marry the princess, you have to make her laugh first.
- The Fool: Subverted with Klaus, who (especially in contrast to the original fairytale) is rather clever.
- Forbidden Fruit: Even after it is revealed that whoever touches the goose gets stuck to it, people seem to have a hard time just leaving it alone.
- Happily Ever After: For pretty much all the cast except for prince Störenfried.
- Heel–Face Turn: Kunz and Franz, who spend the first half of the movie rather antagonistic towards their brother come around in the end as they help him to fight off prince Störenfried.
- Impossible Task: The king tries to break of the promised engagement between his daughter and Klaus by giving the latter one increasingly difficult challenges.
- In-Series Nickname: Klaus is called “Dummling” (fool), and Franz is called “Pechvogel” (unlucky)
- Ironic Nickname: Klaus is called “Dummling” (fool) by his brothers and the royal court even though he is clearly the only intelligent character around. (Well, save for the princess that is.)
- Laser-Guided Karma: Kunz and Franz get hurt right after refusing to share their food and wine with the old beggar woman. Klaus does share and promptly receives a gift. Also applies to the various people who try to steal the golden goose only to instantly get stuck on it.
- Love at First Sight: Between the princess and Klaus.
- Meaningful Name: Most characters have names that directly describe their role in the story. The antagonist, for example, is named prince Störenfried (“stören” meaning as much as “disrupting” or “troubling”)
- Moving The Goal Posts: The king is all but pleased when Klaus masters the initial task, and presents him some more, increasingly difficult, challenges.
- Must Make Her Laugh: Many suiters try to make the princess laugh but only Klaus succeeds.
- Old Beggar Test: The old woman turns out to have magical powers which she uses to punish or reward the three brothers depending on how they treated her.
- Perpetual Frowner: The princess never laughs and barely even smiles, as she has become bored with the performative antics of the royal court.
- Royal Brat: The king is a selfish and greedy man who at times appears to care more about money than about his own daughter.
- Rule of Three: Three brothers, and three tasks to solve.
- Save the Princess: One of the “impossible tasks” that the king sets for Klaus.
- Standard Hero Reward: Whoever makes the princess laugh receives her hand in marriage and half of the kingdom. Allegedly.
- Sticky Situation: Whoever touches the goose (or sometimes even whoever gets too close to it) gets stuck.
- Wealthy Ever After: Marrying the princess means this for Klaus, though he seems to care rather little about that aspect.
- Youngest Child Wins: Though never outright stated, it is heavily implied that Klaus is the youngest brother (as he was in the original fairytale). And he ends up marrying the princess.
