The Singing Ringing Tree

Francesco Stefani's 1957 East German fairy tale film follows a prince searching for a singing tree to win the heart of a haughty princess, and turned into a bear when he fails. From there the story turns to the punishment of the princess and the changing of both. The film was shot entirely on sets at the DEFA studio, and that artificiality is now its most striking quality: painted skies, plastic rocks, saturated colour. Broadcast in episodes on children's television in Britain, it became a byword for a generation's childhood fear; the giant fish, the dwarf and the bear are unsettling well beyond what a fairy tale film leads you to expect. Its moral lesson is delivered directly. Who it's for: viewers interested in classic fairy tale films and Eastern European children's cinema. Who it's not for: anyone wanting realistic visuals, or not reckoning that some scenes may frighten young children.