King Thrushbeard 1971

Directed by Rudolf Jugert

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful but proud princess, and seven suitors from all the kingdoms sought her hand in marriage. But all seven were mocked and rejected by the stubborn princess. When the king finally grew weary of her vanity, he gave her in marriage to the first minstrel who sang outside the castle gates. And so the once-spoiled princess must leave the castle and live in poverty with her new husband. Her delicate hands are now forced to learn all manner of crafts, and to earn a living, the minstrel eventually sends her to work in the royal kitchen. There, in the castle of the young king—whom she once mockingly called "Thrushbeard"—a grand feast is being celebrated. The princess still cannot guess what secret the minstrel has kept from her all along! A short film produced by Ullstein AV for distribution through the Foto-Quelle catalog of the period, based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale.