Das kleine und das große Glück

DEFA’s first real romantic movie deals with the little bliss of love between two people and the larger bliss of work in a collective structure. The protagonists are Schwalk, the laddish and narcissistic foreman of a roadworks brigade, and Erika, a dashing brigadier. Schwalk, who is used to always succeed in business and love, is new in the brigade. He immediately puts on a strongman act and manages to twist Erika around his finger. Love does not make her blind, however, and she soon realizes that Schwalk’s ambition goes to the account of the rest of them. To win a competition, Schwalk puts up with careless work – as long as the job is finished quickly. Erika starts to rebel, even more so when she gets the feeling that to Schwalk she is just another conquest. This time, however, the snappy foreman has really fallen in love, and he realizes that his behavior was wrong. Remorsefully, he redoubles his efforts to fix the damage done to both the construction project and his relationship with Erika. In the end, everything turns out fine: The road is being completed in a neat manner, and Erika and Schwalk face happiness together.