Der ewige Klang (1943)

The tranquil Bavarian town of Mittenwald, on the northern edge of the Alps, is the center of German violin-making. The very different brothers Berthold and Matthias, who is somewhat older, have both become highly skilled at the craft. Matthias dreams of one day making a master violin like those of Stradivari. Berthold has far less patience and not as much talent as his brother, but he knows a thing or two about playing the violin. One day, Matthias returns from a trip to Innsbruck with a valuable Stainer violin. He wants to take the precious instrument apart in Mittenwald so he can reproduce it perfectly. Berthold sees, for the first time, a chance to play an instrument of the very highest quality. He promptly takes the Stainer violin and slips away under cover of night to join impresario Grundmann and Josephine Malti, a once-celebrated singer. Furious at his younger brother’s betrayal, the robbed Matthias Buchner remains bitterly behind in Mittenwald. Malti has not had a major success for a long time and hopes that Berthold’s masterful violin playing will restore her fame and acclaim. He has adopted the stage name Bertini as a violinist, and audiences hail him as a virtuoso on the instrument. His latest tour even takes him to America. There, Berthold is overcome by homesickness for his old life and for Mittenwald. He is also tormented by his guilty conscience. It takes Berthold some time to realize that he was merely a means to an end for Josephine and Grundmann, and that both of them used him to further their own aims. After several years away, Buchner returns to his hometown of Mittenwald, where his brother Matthias has not built a single violin since his departure. Instead, Matthias has given his heart to Therese, a very young girl from the village. Love inspires Matthias, who does not welcome Berthold when he unexpectedly appears at his door, and he begins building a new violin. Matthias has no idea that Therese, the daughter of senior journeyman Florian, has in fact always been waiting for Berthold to return and does not return Matthias’s feelings. Now that Berthold has come home and Matthias is also losing the woman he loves, Matthias is devastated. Therese feels responsible for his state of mind and persuades Berthold, now back home, to play Matthias’s new Buchner violin in a competition. Berthold wins first prize for Matthias, who has succeeded in making a perfect replica of the Stainer violin. This victory brings the two brothers to reconciliation.