Trace Of Stones Limited Edition Blu-Ray with Slipcover + Booklet (Eureka/Region B) [Preorder]

Preorder scheduled for release on May 18, 2026

In the mid-1960s, eleven films produced by DEFA – the state-operated film studio of the German Democratic Republic – were either pulled from theatres or barred from release due to their supposedly anti-socialist themes. The most infamous of these films was Trace of Stones, an intense and accomplished political drama directed by one of East Germany’s most talented filmmakers, Frank Beyer (Jakob the Liar).

Hannes Balla (Manfred Krug) is the bullish leader of a crew on an East German worksite and is not averse to indulging in some questionable tactics – including the theft of scarce materials – if it will keep his projects on track. In order to tame Balla, the ruling Socialist Unity Party installs Secretary Werner Horrath (Eberhard Esche) to oversee the site’s day-to-day operations. At the same time, a new engineer arrives: Kati Klee (Krystyna Stypułkowska), a lone woman in an all-male environment. As a love triangle develops between Klee, Balla and Horrath, tensions both personal and political threaten to boil over.

A nuanced exploration of the everyday workings of socialism in practice, Trace of Stones was perceived as an attack on the GDR’s national ideology and withdrawn from cinemas in 1966. Frank Beyer did not direct another feature film until 1975, while Trace of Stones was suppressed until after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present this extraordinary film, available on Blu-ray for the first time.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Carly A-F [2000 copies]
• Limited edition booklet featuring a new essay on the response of East German audiences to the banning of Trace of Stones by DEFA expert Michael Wedel [2000 copies]
• 1080p HD presentation from a restoration by the DEFA Foundation
• Original German audio
• Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release
• The 11th Plenum: A Cultural Devastation – substantial archival documentary on the 11th Plenum, which resulted in the banning of several DEFA productions including Trace of Stones
• Trace of Time: Director Frank Beyer – feature-length archival documentary on Trace of Stones director Frank Beyer, widely recognised as one of the most important East German filmmakers
• Children’s Home (Angelika Andrees & Petra Tschörtner, 1978) – DEFA documentary on the residents of an East German children’s home, banned until after the fall of the Berlin Wall

This is a UK Import. The Blu-ray is Region B and will require a multi-regional capable player.

Preorder Policy

All items ordered together will ship together when everything is in stock. Please place separate orders if you wish to have your items shipped sooner. Please note that a titles release date change will delay the shipment of your order. We can cancel items out of orders to expedite your shipment as needed. However, we are unable to add items to your order.

Domestic preorders will usually ship before or around release date. Import preorders can take a week to three weeks after release date before they are available to ship to you.

All product release dates, features, and artwork are subject to change.

Preorders are charged when you place an order.  If for any reason, I am unable to fulfill the order for this product, the product will be cancelled from the order and a refund will be issued for the product.  If you have other items in the same order, this will not disrupt those from shipping out together if and when they become available. 

You will receive an automated email when your item ships.  Please check your junk email folder as they could be filtered as spam by your email provider. 

If you need to cancel a preorder please contact me at owner@atomicmoviestore.com