Mook, an old, hunchbacked man who is always being teased by children, lives in the old winding alleys of an Oriental town. One day he succeeds in luring the horde of children into his pottery workshop, and he doesn’t let them out until he has told them the story of his life. That is how the story of Little Mook begins. It is a fairy tale adventure story that increasingly captivates the children: After his father dies, the young boy sets out to find the Merchant of Good Fortune. On his journey he encounters a witch who helps him obtain magic slippers. When he puts them on, he is able to run faster than any of the Sultan’s runners. He is appointed the Sultan’s number one runner, but he is quickly surrounded by courtiers whose intrigues and envy know no bounds and who want to trap him. But the clever and helpful young boy is a godsend for the sultanate and is actually able to prevent a war and expose the Sultan’s corrupt ministers by using magic figs to make their ears grow into donkey ears. In the end, he even puts a spell on the princess to bring her together with the prince of her heart. After all that sorcery, Little Muck’s lust for adventure is satisfied. He returns to become a potter and eventually the old man who is mocked by the children. But those days are over now. By telling the story of his life he is able to win the children’s hearts.

The famous German director Wolfgang Staudte put great effort into filming Wilhelm Hauff’s fairy tale and enhancing it with a few new storylines, for example the princess romance. Everything works together: the action, the acting, the costumes, the design, the atmosphere, the special effects, the music. The film’s message is conveyed with humor and sensitivity: Happiness can’t be bought, magic has its limits. The director has also succeeded in illustrating the magic of the Orient and the wisdom of the story, yet preserving their mystery.

“’The Story of Little Mook’ was conservatively dramatized as a big fairy tale revue without overemphasizing by using too many superficial effects. It has very humorous and ironic style which children can relate to, not to mention the story’s humanist message: Good triumphs in the end, but a little cunning and cleverness is necessary. Recommended for age 6 and older.” (film service, 3/1985)

“Staudte’s fary tale of ‘Little Mook’ violated the German tradition of intimate fairy tale films full of romping children: Optical fantasy is connected to a humanist tendency. Next to ‘Heart of Stone’ (which was also a fairy tale by Wilhelm Hauff, directed by Paul Verhoeven, 1950) it is the foundation of the heavily funded production of children’s film in the GDR. (rororo Film Lexicon, 1987)

Film reviews from children (from the archives of Kinderkino München e.V.):
“I really liked the film. It was funny, nice and exciting, and it had a deeper meaning, too. The film taught me that you shouldn’t mock people because of their looks.” (Ulrich, 10 years old)
“The scenes were full of suspense and well filmed. I’d recommend the film to my friends.” (Sebastian, 9 years old)

Production Period

1953

Production Year

1953

color

color

Aspect Ratio

1:1,37

Duration

Feature-Length Film (61+ Min.)

Type

Feature Film

Genre

Fantasy / Fairy Tale

Topic

Social Engagement, Illness / Addiction / Physical impairment

Target Group

Junior film (7-11)

Available Media

DVD

Original Version

German (de)

DVD

Subtitles

German (de), English (en), French (fr), Spanish (es), Portuguese (Brazil) (pt)