Famously badly dubbed, this was pretty watchable as a kid back in 1985. But the version to see is the original German with English subtitles - several unofficial efforts are doing the rounds on the internet. Shame on you ZDF - bring out an official subtitled version ! The plot as others have stated is "12 year old boy runs away from abusive circus owner." That doesn't really do it justice. Without the unintentionally hilarious dubbing it's actually a superior but very dark tale which probably would never get past a modern editor. a few examples for illustration :
(a) The first episode begins with Silas standing against a wooden board having knives thrown at him. They look both sharp and too close for comfort - I get the feeling the fear on Patrick Bach's face is no act. The the circus owner then tries to push a sword down his throat, it's a violent scene that is quite difficult to watch even now.
(b) A man drugs Silas to steal his horse, then pushes him into the river on a boat he's just made a hole in - we get a closeup of this, just to make the point that this man is trying to kill him.
(c) When faced with direct attack Silas defends himself very effectively with a knife, facing down the bad guy. This is one of many examples where Silas shows true courage, he could run away from a direct physical threat but does not.
(d) Many times Silas is portrayed as exhausted and in despair. It's a fine piece of acting, although the 16 hour days Patrick Bach was working at the time might have contributed to the realism of these scenes !
Adding to the quality feel, large quantities of Deutchmarks were obviously burned through during the production, also good cinematography, careful direction - and a great music score by Christian Bruhn. This is TV matching the quality of the modern 'Band of Brothers' rather than a simple kids show.
At the end Silas decides to abandon his newly found comfortable life and throw his lot back in with Godik. This scene is much criticised but makes perfect sense to me. He's the only person Silas can really trust. Only in the original German does the bittersweet nature of this choice show through.
Downsides - the overall length of it. 4 hours rather than 6 would have been about right. Also the plot starts well but meanders in the middle. But these are minor gripes.
(a) The first episode begins with Silas standing against a wooden board having knives thrown at him. They look both sharp and too close for comfort - I get the feeling the fear on Patrick Bach's face is no act. The the circus owner then tries to push a sword down his throat, it's a violent scene that is quite difficult to watch even now.
(b) A man drugs Silas to steal his horse, then pushes him into the river on a boat he's just made a hole in - we get a closeup of this, just to make the point that this man is trying to kill him.
(c) When faced with direct attack Silas defends himself very effectively with a knife, facing down the bad guy. This is one of many examples where Silas shows true courage, he could run away from a direct physical threat but does not.
(d) Many times Silas is portrayed as exhausted and in despair. It's a fine piece of acting, although the 16 hour days Patrick Bach was working at the time might have contributed to the realism of these scenes !
Adding to the quality feel, large quantities of Deutchmarks were obviously burned through during the production, also good cinematography, careful direction - and a great music score by Christian Bruhn. This is TV matching the quality of the modern 'Band of Brothers' rather than a simple kids show.
At the end Silas decides to abandon his newly found comfortable life and throw his lot back in with Godik. This scene is much criticised but makes perfect sense to me. He's the only person Silas can really trust. Only in the original German does the bittersweet nature of this choice show through.
Downsides - the overall length of it. 4 hours rather than 6 would have been about right. Also the plot starts well but meanders in the middle. But these are minor gripes.