Summary
In this 1922 cinematic translation of Friedrich Schiller’s seminal 'Sturm und Drang' tragedy, the rigid stratifications of an 18th-century German principality serve as a claustrophobic backdrop for a doomed romance. Luise, the daughter of the humble musician Miller, becomes the fulcrum of a lethal power play when she falls for Ferdinand, the son of the ruthless President von Walter. As the President maneuvers to secure a politically advantageous marriage for his son with the Lady Milford, he orchestrates a labyrinthine conspiracy involving forged letters and psychological terror. The film meticulously charts the disintegration of Luise’s innocence, transforming a domestic romance into a searing critique of aristocratic decadence and the inherent violence of class-bound morality. The narrative culminates in a poisoned chalice, where the lovers find their only egalitarian ground in the finality of death.
Synopsis
Director
Lil Dagover, Paul Hartmann, Walter Janssen, Gertrude Welcker
Georg Wilhelm Pabst, Friedrich Schiller, Walter Supper
