Bolwieser (1977)

The Prussian, duty-conscious stationmaster Xaver Bolwieser tries to please his wife, Hanni, whenever he can. He gives up drinking bouts with his friends for her sake. Hanni, however, is becoming increasingly bored with her life as a housewife. That changes when her old school friend Frank Merkl takes over a tavern in town. She lends him money from her inheritance, sends her husband back to the pub to help get the business going, and enjoys the dances held there. Since Xaver does not dance, she grows closer to Frank Merkl on the dance floor. This develops into a love affair that is observed by more and more villagers. Xaver initially notices nothing, though one night, when he checks on Hanni during his night shift, he wonders why her bed is empty. Only after being subjected to the villagers’ mockery at a funeral gathering does Xaver dare to confront Hanni about the gossip. She responds with indignation and reproachful words. When Merkl learns that villagers have been talking about him and Hanni, he sues them. Xaver takes the stand as a witness and swears under oath that he had never suspected anything. Although Hanni ends her affair with Merkl, she is no longer happy with Bolwieser. When the hairdresser Schafftaler takes an interest in Hanni, she begins a new affair with him. This does not escape Merkl’s notice. He pressures Hanni to continue her relationship with him. When she rejects him and, because of his importunate behavior, also calls in the loan, he takes revenge: “as a friend,” he tells Bolwieser about Hanni’s affair with the hairdresser. Bolwieser takes the news resignedly. He also tolerates Hanni’s going away with the hairdresser for a week under a pretext. But Merkl’s revenge is not over: he reports Bolwieser for perjury. Bound by his sense of duty, Bolwieser can do nothing but confess.