Tiere des Bodens

“The better the life of the soil, the more productive it is.” How bacteria, nematodes, and fungus work together to form humus, is rendered visible in Tiere des Bodens (Animals of the Soil), through the use of microscopic images and experimental scenarios. In addition, the film, made for GDR television, gives practical advice on the care of well aerated soil, and thus the maintenance of fertility. In 1959, Siegfried Bergmann began his thirty-year long career in the biology-film division of DEFA. He worked closely together with his wife Christine, who took over the dramaturgy for many of the films. The Bergmanns were permanent employees of DEFA, but were frequently contracted by television. This may perhaps be the reason why films could be made that were comparatively critical of the long suppressed themes of ecology and environment in the GDR.