Blond muß man sein auf Capri (1961)

Maria Gebhard works as the executive secretary to Luise Niklas, owner of the large Niklas sawmill. She has been dating her boss’s son, Hannes, for some time, and the two are planning a holiday together in Sweden. Luise knows about their relationship, which they are keeping secret from her, but is only somewhat pleased. She hopes her son will make a better match. Because of a planned merger between the sawmill and a furniture factory, Hannes has to cancel their Swedish holiday. Maria also sees him flirting with the furniture manufacturer’s daughter, and shortly afterward Hannes leaves in a hurry for negotiations with the manufacturer, Wagner, and his daughter Helga. Disappointed, Maria joins two colleagues who are planning a holiday in Capri. She is not in the mood for a holiday and plans to return to Munich from Naples, the trip’s first stop. In Naples, she meets a boy named Marietto, whom she rescues from a difficult situation. Marietto shows her around Naples and eventually persuades her to come with him to Capri, where he lives. On Capri, the travelers are already being awaited by a group of men. The Italians have just used dice to draw lots for who gets first choice of the prettiest blonde, brunette, and redhead. Although Maria’s two colleagues had dyed their hair blonde especially for the trip, Giulio chooses Maria. She has no interest in him and dumps a bucket of water over his head when he refuses to leave her alone. His friend Roberto promises to avenge him. Maria rejects Roberto time and again, but soon begins to like him. Roberto, in turn, gradually stops seeing Maria as a casual holiday flirt and falls in love with her. When he loses sight of his plans for revenge, his friends start shunning him. Roberto, however, suddenly begins making plans to marry and wants to introduce Maria to his family. She flees back to Munich in a hurry. Hannes, too, has returned early from his business meeting with the Wagner family. Although he had fallen in love with Helga, he realized that Maria was the right woman for him. He now proposes to Maria, thereby standing up to his mother as well. Maria is happy about their engagement, but after some time she admits to Hannes that she fell in love with Roberto on Capri. Hannes forgives her. One day, Roberto turns up at Maria’s home. He has come to Munich as a guest worker and will be staying for at least six months. Maria is distraught and makes it clear to him that she is no longer free. Later, when she has money offered to him so that he will return to Capri, Roberto angrily seeks her out. It is Maria’s wedding day. Beside himself with rage, he lunges at Maria, who is standing before him in her wedding dress, and stabs her several times. Some time later, Maria is seen in a hospital. Her condition has improved considerably. Hannes visits her with roses. He reassures her when she worries that Roberto will be convicted, even though everything was her fault. Hannes says that everything will be all right.