Der schweigende Engel (1954)

Sylvia Verena, a ballet teacher at the opera house, meets a young girl named Angelika in a village. Since falling from a tree three years earlier, Angelika has been unable to speak, and over time she has learned to make herself understood through gestures. Sylvia is impressed by Angelika’s graceful, expressive movements and suggests to her mother that Angelika take ballet lessons. Mrs. Helmer has another child, Andreas, now a grown-up graphic artist. He went astray when he drew counterfeit money for the gang run by the shady Kats. After several years in prison, he is now released early. The priest in his hometown, who teaches Angelika sign language, makes Mrs. Helmer understand that her overly strict upbringing also contributed to Andreas’s situation. Andreas is met upon his release by his good friend Löffel, who puts him up in his mother’s garden cottage. When Andreas cannot find work, Löffel also gets him involved in delivering newspapers. They split the proceeds and plan to open their own kiosk one day. Meanwhile, Angelika’s mother enrolls her in ballet lessons at the opera house. Sylvia takes the girl under her wing and gives her private lessons so she can catch up with the other girls more quickly. Angelika is very talented and learns fast. This makes the group’s former child prodigy, Charlott, especially jealous. She makes inquiries about Angelika and learns that her brother has been in prison. At the next opportunity, she accuses Angelika of stealing her money and reveals her brother’s past. Angelika flees to her mother in the country, but Sylvia is able to bring her back to the city. Sylvia is engaged to Robert, who is successful in his career. He demands that she give up her job. She initially agrees, but keeps working so she can continue teaching Angelika. Sylvia and Robert break up. The opera house is planning to add a new ballet to its repertoire. While Sylvia advocates for Angelika to have the leading role, her rival, Fräulein Küfner, would rather see Charlott cast in it. Both teachers begin preparing their pupils for the role. Meanwhile, Löffel’s boss forbids Andreas from continuing to deliver newspapers. The young men now plan to buy a kiosk so they can be independent. While checking out a kiosk for sale, Andreas runs into Kats, who is selling it. Kats wants to draw Andreas back into his criminal schemes, but Andreas firmly refuses to work with him. Angelika, who has been listening to their conversation, secretly goes to Kats to ask him to sell the kiosk to her brother. Kats promises to sell Andreas the kiosk cheaply if Angelika does him a favor: she is to run errands for him. Angelika agrees, not knowing that Kats sold the kiosk long ago and is only using her to get rid of badly forged 20-mark notes. The audition at which the lead role in the ballet will be decided is approaching. Charlott slips a nail into Angelika’s ballet shoe. Angelika nevertheless manages to dance her role convincingly. Only when her ballet shoe is stained with blood does she collapse unconscious. Kats forces Angelika to keep running errands for him despite her injured foot. Robert sees her out on the street and takes her to a hospital. He also reconciles with Sylvia. Meanwhile, the police follow the trail of the counterfeit 20-mark notes and track it back to Angelika. The young Elfie, who works at the ice-cream shop and has met Angelika and Andreas, has fallen in love with Andreas. She wanted to get him a job as a graphic artist with her uncle, and learned from him that Andreas had been in prison for counterfeiting. Angelika paid her with a counterfeit note; Elfie denies to the police that she knows Angelika, but informs Andreas. He goes to see Kats. A fight breaks out, and Kats pulls a pistol. In the struggle, Andreas shoots him and flees. Believing he has killed Kats, he says goodbye to Angelika and hurries away. Angelika follows him and falls down a tall flight of stairs. She is taken to the hospital; Andreas turns himself in to the police. Because Kats survives and admits that the pistol belongs to him, Andreas is acquitted on grounds of self-defense. Later, through Elfie’s help, he gets a job as a graphic artist at a large publishing house and becomes a couple with Elfie. Angelika’s fall has overcome her inability to speak. A little later, she performs the lead role in the ballet and delights the audience, thanking them after the performance.