Geld und Geist (1964)

On the idyllic Liebiwyl farm, farmer Christen lives in great harmony with his wife Änneli, their sons Resli and Christeli, and their daughter Annelisi. This harmony is abruptly shattered when Christen is persuaded by the sly village clerk to speculate with money entrusted to him. He loses all the money he invested, and the imprudent farmer has to make good the loss to the community out of his own pocket. Änneli is furious at Christen’s lack of caution, while her husband shows no understanding for his wife’s generosity toward those in need. He even accuses her of throwing money around and wasting food. They snap at one another, the recriminations mount, and soon icy silence reigns in their marriage. Their three children suffer greatly from the strained atmosphere. On their Sunday visit to church at Pentecost, the pastor appeals to the estranged couple’s consciences, whereupon Änneli makes the first move and approaches her husband. Christen and Änneli gradually begin to draw close again, and soon nothing seems to stand in the way of their reconciliation. Their first step toward one another is praying together in bed before going to sleep. On that very Pentecost night, a nearby farm burns down. Resli hurries to the scene of the disaster, helps fight the fire, and gets to know Anne-Mareili, the daughter of the Dorngrüt farmer. He had already noticed her at the dance the previous afternoon, and Resli begins to take an interest in her. When he thinks some passing toughs are harassing the girl, he gallantly steps in between them … and gets a sound beating. In the end, the two fall in love. But Resli is not good enough for her father, the Dorngrüt farmer, who is determined to have a wealthy son-in-law and therefore wants his daughter to marry the rich, rather past-his-prime Kellerjoggi. Yet he does not entirely object to Resli courting Anne-Mareili, because he thinks he can drive up the price for his daughter as a much-sought-after bride. During a visit to Liebiwyl, the Dorngrüt farmer demands an exorbitant sum from Christen and Resli as a “groom’s-side dowry” for his daughter—an amount that neither the indebted Christen nor his son can pay. The girl, however, does not want to be auctioned off to the highest bidder and, in her despair, turns to her mother, the Dorngrüt farmer’s wife. At the same time, she cannot understand why Resli is unwilling to comply with her father’s unreasonable demands and thereby puts their happiness at risk. Anne-Mareili is no longer willing to submit to their wishes and, in her despair, flees to the hayloft in the barn, pursued by her equally furious and greedy father. As the Dorngrüt farmer chases after her, he falls from the hayloft and is killed. Meanwhile, on the Liebiwyl farm, Änneli lies dying. She can now pass away peacefully when she hears that Anne-Mareili is free to be with Resli and can become the new farmer’s wife at Liebiwyl.