Am Galgen hängt die Liebe (1960)

Greece, 1944. The German Wehrmacht occupies the country and rules it with an iron hand. Greek partisans, sensing an opportunity as Germany’s military position in the war deteriorates dramatically, engage the occupying forces in mercilessly fierce battles. Amid the heavy fighting, the elderly couple Nikolaos and Marulja, who live in a somewhat secluded house on the outskirts of town, are caught in the middle. They have already lost their son to senseless hatred between nations, and their beautiful daughter-in-law Alka was widowed after just one day of marriage. Before long, the old couple find themselves caught between all sides, because their sole guiding principle is humanity toward friend and foe alike. Firm in their convictions, they oppose senseless killing and hatred between nations, and demonstrate profound humanity through an initiative that is at once life-affirming and life-threatening. They give shelter to anyone in need, whether wounded or frightened, making no distinction between friend and enemy. Anyone who knocks on Nikolaos’s door and needs help is welcomed with deep conviction by the old man, who radiates an almost archaic, wry calm and composure. His wife Marulja is his opposite: she constantly rants and scolds, especially about the “shooting” outside their front door. Their deeply held faith also means that they extend the right of hospitality to everyone as their highest duty, even though the old couple themselves have only the bare necessities of life. They have already helped Greek partisans who were being pursued, and now they face a new situation: when two German soldiers desert and seek protection and shelter—one of them, the younger man, is in life-threatening condition after being shot in the stomach—the Greek partisan leader Petros takes notice. Shortly before, Petros himself had found shelter with Nikolaos and Marulja for several days while the Germans hunted him. Petros is determined to track down his German adversaries. Meanwhile, Alka carries on the humanism of her parents-in-law. She tries to persuade her lover Alexandros, whose child she is expecting, to abandon the partisan struggle and leave the country with her. When he falls into German hands, she once again passionately pleads for her beloved’s life, as he too is due to be executed in a hostage shooting. After the hostages have been shot, Petros ultimately intends to settle accounts with the people who once saved his life: old Nikolaos is to be held responsible for his alleged “betrayal.” The old man is to pay for the humanity he has lived by with his life and be hanged. Since Marulja does not want to go on living without her husband, she has just one last wish: to die alongside him, walk with him to the gallows, and share his fate.