The Singing Ringing Tree (German: Das singende, klingende Bäumchen) was a children's film made by East German studio DEFA in 1957 and shown in the form of a television series by the BBC. It was a story in the style of the Brothers Grimm, directed by Francesco Stefani. GDR redirects here. ... Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft, better known as DEFA, was the national film company in the German Democratic Republic (GDR/DDR). ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm The Brothers Grimm (Brüder Grimm, in their own words, not Gebrüder - for there was a third brother: Ludwig Emil Grimm, the painter) were Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, German professors who were best known for publishing collections of authentic folk tales and fairy tales, and...

The programme was broadcast by the BBC in the 1960s and 70s as part of Tales from Europe, with an English-language voice-over track (not dubbed, however, the original soundtrack was simply faded up and down). The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of £4 billion. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... A voice-over is a narration that is played on top of a video segment, usually with the audio for that segment muted or lowered. ... In filmmaking, dubbing refers to the recording of voices for a movie. ...

The cast included Christel Bodenstein as the Princess, Eckart Dux who played the Prince/bear, Charles Hans Vogt as the King and Richard Kruger as the dwarf.

One reviewer (Roger Thomas at amazon.com) has summed it up thus:

Imagine a fairy tale conceived by Wagner and directed by Fritz Lang, with nods in the direction of The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari and German expressionism, and you'd be close.

A Radio Times readers' poll in 2004 voted this programme the 20th spookiest TV show ever. Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813 – February 13, 1883) was an influential German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as he later came to call them). ... Friedrich Anton Christian Lang (December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976) was an Austrian-American-jewish film director, screenwriter and occasional film producer, one of the best known émigrés from Germanys school of expressionism. ... Dr. Caligari, Caligari, and Doctor Caligari all redirect here. ... The Scream by Edvard Munch (1893) which inspired 20th century Expressionists Portrait of Eduard Kosmack by Egon Schiele Rehe im Walde by Franz Marc Elbe Bridge I by Rolf Nesch On White II by Wassily Kandinsky, 1923. ... Current Radio Times logo Radio Times is the BBCs weekly television and radio programme listings magazine. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A spoof of the series was created as a sketch in the last season of The Fast Show, entitled The Singing Ringing Binging Plinging Tinging Plinking Plonking Boinging Tree. The musical bridge from the series played Gary Numan's "Cars" as the characters walked across it. It has been suggested that Scorchio be merged into this article or section. ... Gary Numan (born Hary Anthony James Webb on March 8, 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, composer and electropop pioneer. ... Cars is a 1979 song by Gary Numan, released as a single and on the album The Pleasure Principle. ...

External links

• The Singing Ringing Tree at the Internet Movie Database
• British fan site
• BBC page and link to half-hour radio programme