Gevatter Tod (1980)

Görlitz, after 1500: The poor farmer Hans Kläusle is looking for a godfather for his thirteenth child, Jörg. After rejecting offers from God and the Devil—saying that one only makes the rich well-fed, while the other would lead his son astray—he chooses Death as his son’s godfather. From 1530 onward, Death has his godson study medicine at the universities of Perugia and Casablanca. As a doctor, Jörg soon becomes a famous and wealthy town physician. Under an agreement with his godfather, however, he may heal only those patients beside whose heads he sees Death standing, and not those beside whose feet he sees him, because, “When it’s over, it’s over.” Years later, the plague breaks out in the town. Jörg saves the life of little Stanislaus, a boy from Kraków whose mother and father have both died. Shortly afterward, the town’s mayor falls seriously ill and, according to Death’s will, is also supposed to die. Jörg tricks Death by laying the mayor with his feet at the head of the sickbed. Death lets it pass, but warns him not to try that again. At a celebration afterward, Jörg is formally admitted to the town’s citizenry and meets Barbara, the mayor’s daughter, with whom he falls in love. Soon afterward, she too falls ill. The mayor promises to make Jörg his sole heir if he can save Barbara’s life. So Jörg tricks Death once again. Death then takes him to a cave filled with life candles, including his own and Barbara’s. Barbara’s candle has almost burned down and is close to going out. Death reminds Jörg of their agreement and tries to make him understand that life ends when it is meant to end, and that neither youth nor medicine can change the laws of nature. But Jörg still refuses to accept this, so Death finally asks him: “Tell me, how brightly do you want the girl’s life to burn?” Jörg makes a fateful decision: he reaches into the sea of candles and pulls out a large candle at random. Death takes the candle and presses Barbara’s flame onto it, saying, “For your sake.” When the doctor returns to town, he sees that the life candle belonged to his little foster son, Stanislaus, who now lies dead on the steps of his house. Shaken by what he has done, Jörg flees the town after one last encounter with his godfather. In the final scene, Barbara, who would rather not live without Jörg, meets Death, who tells her: “Make use of your life, girl; you still have many years to live.”