Erler and his maid, riding in a coach, overtake an old man on the highway. Her: "Nehmen Sie ihn doch mit!" (Take him with you!) [frame scans 1&2] Erler refuses gruffly. Behind them, the man rants. / In court. The judge to Erler: "Sie werden also beschwören, daß Sie nichts von dem Verbleib des in dem Testament ihrer verstorbenen Frau bezeichneten Geldes wissen!" (You thus swear that you don't know anything of the whereabouts of the money mentioned in your dead wife's will!) The old man, standing at the door, gives Erler a sign [frame scan 3]: "Erler! Schwöre nicht!" (Erler! Don't swear!) The old man exits, shaking his head. Erler swears [frame scan 4]. The maid asks the old man: "Haben Sie nichts von Hans gehört?" (Have you heard nothing of Hans?) The man waves dismissively. Erler joins, moving the man aside. / Erler and the maid in a fashion house. IT: "Es kleidet die gnädige Frau vorzüglich!" (Madam is dressed exquisitely!) / Scene in a dance hall. Erler and the maid sit down at a table. The girl applauds at the wrong moment. She then recognises the conductor as her Hans! [frame scan 5] "Hans!" He comes to their table, looks at Erler: "Also ist es doch wahr, was man sich von Dir erzählt!" (So it's true what they say about you!) Erler jumps up: "Sie Lump!" (You bounder!) A brawl. / Outside, on a large farmstead. Erler and the maid return by coach. The other maids mock her [frame scan 6]. / Inside. The maid to Erler: "Ich suche mir eine andere Stelle. Hier zeigt man schon mit Fingern auf mich." (I'm looking for another job. People are pointing the finger at me here) - He tries to embrace her. "Nein, ich heirate sie nicht, ich will fort von hier!" (No, I won't marry you, I want to go away from here!) - - "Entweder Du heiratest mich, oder..." (Either you marry me or...) - "...oder ich melde der Polizei, daß es Deine Mutter war, die das Geld aus der Truhe gestohlen hat!" (… or I will tell the police that it was your mother who stole the money from the chest!) - "Weiß Du nicht mehr, wie sie beim Totenmahl die Kleider stahl?" (Have you forgotten how she stole the clothes during the funeral banquet?) / A thunder-storm. / Erler in the maid's empty room. Insert containing an extract from a newspaper [frame scan 7, from "Film-Kurier"?] with a handwritten note: "Ich heirate Sie nie. Ich kehre zu meinen Eltern zurück." (I won't marry you. I'm going back to my parents) / The storm, bolts of lightning [frame scan 8&9] Erler saves the girl from the burning house [frame scans 10] Erler takes her in his arms: "Ich habe Dich gerettet, für mich habe ich Dich gerettet! Willst du jetzt mein Weib werden?" (I have saved you... saved you for myself! Now will you be my wife?) - She answers: "Bauen Sie oben am Berge für die arme Seele meiner Mutter eine Kapelle! Und wenn die Kapelle fertig ist, dann will ich ihr Weib werden!" (Build a chapel at the top of the mountain for the poor soul of my mother! And when the chapel is complete then I shall become your wife!)
Jeanpaul Goergen, Deutsche Kinemathek, 23.02.2011
Great! This is indeed the fifth part out of six of DIE TRAGÖDIE ZWEIER MENSCHEN (Germany, 1925)!
The identification is confirmed by the censorship card Nr. 10449, preserved at Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv.
Jeanpaul Goergen, 28.09.2011
Apparently this is DIE TRAGÖDIE ZWEIER MENSCHEN, directed by Otto Rippert. Fritz Greiner plays the male main character, Erler.
Mischa von Perger, 21.08.2011
