Das tanzende Herz (1953)

The story is set in a fictional Austrian residence town during the Biedermeier period. Young Susanne Haberling has studied ballet in Vienna for two years and now returns to her father. The famous ballet master Roberti is in town, and Susanne wants to audition for him, hoping to launch a career. Her father, the court mechanician Haberling, is in trouble. He has borrowed 5,000 talers from the unscrupulous banker Leopold, to whom even the prince owes money. Leopold threatens to seize Haberling’s house and refuses to wait until Haberling can sell the mechanical doll he has built to the prince. But when Leopold catches sight of the attractive Susanne, he changes his tactics and temporarily puts on a show of generosity. To celebrate his impending appointment as a councilor of the commission, he gives a ball, hoping to get closer to Susanne and win her hand. Leopold is not Susanne’s only suitor, however; her childhood companion Viktor has also fallen in love with her. When the two very different rivals quarrel over her dance card, Susanne leaves the house. Later, both Viktor and Leopold serenade her, each from a different side of the house. Susanne realizes that she loves Viktor; to distract Leopold from what is happening on the other side of the house, she places the mechanical doll, which looks exactly like her, in a window. But the doll does not stop waving to Leopold—which he takes as encouragement—so Susanne tries to make it stop. In doing so, she breaks it. Leopold discovers his rival and leaves in a rage. Before Haberling and his assistant Julius can repair the doll, the prince unexpectedly arrives, eager to see the artwork and demanding an immediate demonstration. He is accompanied by ballet master Roberti. As luck would have it, Leopold arrives at the same time with the bailiff to collect the debt. Leopold knows the doll has been broken and is more than curious to see how Haberling will get himself out of this predicament. But then Susanne takes the part of the dancing doll. The prince is delighted, appoints Haberling court councilor, and decides that the doll is to perform in Roberti’s ballet that evening. Leopold has, of course, seen through the deception and demands the supposed doll—that is, Susanne herself—as security. Viktor asks Haberling for Susanne’s hand and follows Leopold to his hotel, rightly fearing that Leopold will try to take advantage of Susanne there. Susanne escapes Leopold, locks herself in a broom cupboard for the night, and then hurries into Viktor’s arms. By now, Viktor has spoken to his father, an influential courtier who has informed the prince about Leopold’s dealings. When Leopold insists on getting back the “stolen” doll, the prince has him put in writing that, once he receives the doll, he will waive all further claims—against both the prince himself and Haberling. Haberling manages to repair the doll, especially its “heart”: the delicate mechanism that keeps it balanced. Since Susanne does not initially know that the repair has succeeded, she takes the doll’s role once more; then the doll itself also appears onstage. Roberti is so delighted by the two-doll dance number that he hires Susanne, who is now engaged to Viktor. Leopold gets the doll instead of Susanne.