Des Goldes Fluch (1917)

In 1732, Bernhard Gruber, an embittered recluse, leaves 1,000 talers in his will. He stipulates, however, that the money may not be paid out until a specific date 180 years later—in other words, in 1912. In 1912, notary’s assistant Peter Oblinsky discovers the ancient will one day. Over the 180 years, the modest sum of 1,000 talers, wisely invested, has grown into a fortune worth millions. The notary’s clerk decides to seize the money for himself, unaware that old Gruber’s last will carries a terrible curse upon the heirs who come after him. Oblinsky identifies the four possible heirs: a direct descendant, the laborer Gruber; a factory owner named Greven; the convict Graf; and a frivolous woman named Lola Bartel. Lola seems to him an ideal accomplice, since she is hardly burdened by scruples either. With Lola’s help, one rightful heir after another is removed from the way. But even then, Oblinsky’s greed has not been satisfied. Why, after all, should he share with Lola? At last, he knocks her down so that he can take sole possession of the entire sum of 15 million talers. But his soul, poisoned by unscrupulousness and greed, has long since been damaged, and so Oblinsky, marked by madness, burns all the money he has stolen.