Die Försterchristl (1926)

Austria, during the Josephine era (1765–1780). Forester Lange has a beautiful daughter, usually called Försterchristl. Two young men try to win her heart. One is the estate manager Földessy, whom the girl also desires; the other is the rather unattractive court hairdresser Walperl, a terrible braggart. One day, Christl discovers a stranger hunting illegally in the forest. She does not recognize him as her emperor, who is vacationing there incognito. Christl arrests him and demands his watch as collateral for a later punishment. The emperor enjoys playing this game with the young forester’s daughter, whose unaffected innocence he finds refreshing, so he lets her go on believing that he is a poacher. Walperl is tormented by jealousy, for he suspects he has no chance with Christl as long as Földessy is his rival. To get his rival out of the way, he accuses him of being a deserter. In fact, some time earlier Földessy had horsewhipped a lieutenant. To avoid the imprisonment that threatened him, he fled. Now he is arrested after all. Christl is deeply distressed and wants to do everything she can to help her beloved. The emperor must help! And so she leaves the provinces for the vast metropolis of Vienna. Försterchristl waits a long time at the monarch’s palace, hoping in vain for an audience with the emperor. But she is lucky: she recognizes the supposed hunter from before—the man she once arrested. He carries himself with great assurance, as if he belonged at the palace. They strike up a conversation, and the stranger promises to arrange an audience for her. It is not long before His Majesty walks up to her. Completely bewildered, the girl realizes that the man she arrested is the emperor himself. At first she fears he will punish her for her behavior, but things turn out quite differently: the emperor is kindness itself. He talks with her as though they were good friends. And it gets even better: a court ball is to be held, and Emperor Joseph gives her not only the first dance but also a kiss. Of course, she also succeeds in persuading the emperor to pardon her beloved Franz. She almost forgets about him, now that her heart has begun to beat for the charming monarch, too. Back in the forest, Christine tries to rekindle her love for the returned Földessy, but she simply cannot get the emperor out of her mind. As if by magic, he suddenly appears before her. He wants to see her one last time and explains to Christl that reasons of state do not permit him to marry her. So that she will always remember him fondly, he gives her a ring as a parting gift, and appoints her suitor Földessy chief forester. Then the engagement takes place.