''Silas'' was a 1981

ZDF ZDF (), short for (; ), is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Launched on 1 April 1963, it is run as an independent nonprofit institution, and was founded by all federal states of Germany ( ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

mini-series In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

based on the Danish children's book ''Silas og den sorte hoppe'' (Silas and the Black Mare) by

Cecil Bødker Cecil Bødker (27 March 1927 – 19 April 2020) was a Danish writer and poet, most known for young adult fiction books about the character "Silas". For her "lasting contribution to children's literature" she received the international Hans Chr ...

who kept on writing installments until 2001. The series was Patrick Bach's debut and because the series did so well he also starred the very next year in another adventure series about a young orphan: Jack Holborn. ''Silas'' was a German production, and despite being recorded in France — Normandy and in Brittany (Bay of Douarnenez, Locronan, Bay of Audierne, near Plovan - on the long sandy beach where the German version of the opening credits were shot) — it was filmed solely in German. Still it received attention beyond German-speaking countries and consequently the successor ''Jack Holborn'' involved international producers and was dub filmed in English.

Plot

As a little child ''Silas'' ( Patrick Bach) was sold to a

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

where he learned to pull

stunt A stunt is an unusual, difficult, dramatic physical feat that may require a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually for a public audience, as on television or in theaters or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Befo ...

s and tricks from early on. This comes in handy when he decides to rather live an adventurous life on his own than to be trained in the dangerous art of

sword swallowing Sword swallowing is a skill in which the performer passes a sword through the mouth and down the esophagus to the stomach. This feat is not swallowing in the traditional sense. The natural processes that constitute swallowing do not take place, bu ...

. Also being threatened by director ''Philipp'' ( Diether Krebs) that the sinews of his feet would be cut just in order to prevent him from running away, it occurs to him it is now or never and off he goes. A farmer called ''Bartolin'' (

Shmuel Rodensky Shmuel Rodensky (; 10 December 1902 – 18 July 1989) was a Russian-born Israeli actor whose stage, film, and television career in Israel and West Germany spanned six decades. He immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1924 and studied drama at the E ...

) gives him shelter but underestimates the boy's skills and carelessly bets him his horse. Bartolin cannot accept the outcome of this bet and so Silas is on the run again. Getting hungry he accepts a meal provided by swindler ''Emanuel'' (André Lacombe) and his likewise rogue wife ''Theresa'' (Reine Barteve). They use a strong

barbiturate Barbiturates are a class of depressant, depressant drugs that are chemically derived from barbituric acid. They are effective when used medication, medically as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants, but have physical and psychological a ...

on Silas and disappear with his horse. After Silas awakens in a boat on a river he sees Philipp trying to steal fresh milk from a blind girl. When the girl's mother arrives Philipp puts the blame on Silas, who as a result finds himself in a wooden cage. He has to find a way to gain the family's trust if he wants to escape. While searching for his horse, he meets the scallywag ''Godik'' (Lucki Molocher), who helps him to retrieve the animal. They stick together, both trying to make a living on what they've learned. Silas shows circus tricks and Godik works as a carver. Yet Silas gets into trouble again because he and Godik stumble across a treasure hidden by smugglers. Hunted by the smuggler's gang, they run into homeless young ''Jenny'' (Nina Rothemund), who is running from an unsavoury woman called ''Corby'' (Ingeborg Lapsien). Silas, Godik and Jenny reach a town, where Silas gets the idea of buying a bear with money from the smuggler's treasure. The citizens decide to investigate him over theft. He finds himself in prison with ''Corby'', who once abducted Jenny. Eventually, he learns that Jenny is not really an orphan. Silas and Godik return Jenny to her family. Then Silas accompanies his friend Godik to his family. The lost son Godik is heartily welcomed and so is Silas, but Silas doesn't feel safe and believes his presence is endangering his new friends. On the road again, he makes new friends - he saves merchant ''Sandal'' (Hans Helmut Dickow) and later also his son ''Japetus'' (Armin Schawe) from harm. But ''Corby'' has followed him. She teams up with some other

low-life Low-life ( low-lifes or low-lives; also lowlife) is a term for a person or animal who is of low social status due to their low moral character. Examples of people typically referred to as ''low-life'' include bullies, criminals, drug dealers, ...

s, who eventually capture Silas and Japetus for

ransom Ransom refers to the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release. It also refers to the sum of money paid by the other party to secure a captive's freedom. When ransom means "payment", the word ...

. Sandal's employee ''Karneol'' (Jacques van Dooren) saves them. Corby and her gang are imprisoned. Silas finally feels saved and returns to Godik and his family.

International broadcast

The BBC took the series from Cori Film Distributors and split it into twelve 24-minute episodes starting on 16 May 1984, with repeats in 1986, 1987 and 1988https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_one_london/1988-07-26#at-10.00 during the summer holidays. It was also broadcast on Iranian television in 1991.

Accolades

Bambi ''Bambi'' is a 1942 American Animated film, animated Coming of age, coming-of-age drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Loosely based on Felix Salten's 1923 novel ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'', the ...

Award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be d ...

1982 *

: ''Silas'' (Originaltitel: ''Silas og den sorte hoppe''). Deutsch von Gerda Neumann. Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1996, 158 S.,

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0081929 1981 German television series debuts 1981 German television series endings German adventure television series Children's adventure television series Television series about orphans Television series about teenagers German children's television series 1980s German television miniseries ZDF original programming Television shows based on children's books Television shows based on Danish novels Television series set in the 19th century German-language television shows