Hauptmann Florian von der Mühle (1968)

The miller Florian fought in the war against Napoleon Bonaparte and gave his money to the emperor. During the war, his mill was destroyed, and Florian, who is now even expected to pay taxes on the ruins, goes to Vienna to demand compensation from Emperor Francis II. On the way to Vienna, he saves the life of the Duchess Josephine of Guastalla, though he does not learn who she is. Josephine is traveling incognito to Vienna to defend her property, which Francis II intends to grant to his daughter. Napoleon, who is living in exile, is courting that daughter, and Josephine is carrying his love letter, which is supposed to bring his beloved to him and thereby save Josephine’s property. Fearing robberies, Josephine’s sister-in-law, the Baroness von Colloredo, secretly sews the letter into Florian’s uniform. The baroness is also playing a double game on behalf of Prince Chancellor Metternich: shortly before her brother’s death, Josephine married him, thereby depriving the baroness of the chance to inherit. In secret, she has Josephine’s marriage certificate forged. In Vienna, Florian hurries off to submit his compensation claim, and the baroness’s attempt to poison him and take his uniform jacket fails. Instead, Florian is mistaken for the emperor’s new food taster and taken to the palace. When he states his compensation claim to Prince Chancellor Metternich, he is imprisoned, but is freed by Amadeus, his former army comrade. Disguised as a drummer in Amadeus’s military band, Florian recognizes Josephine and is astonished. He follows her to the palace with Amadeus for an audience with Metternich, but Josephine cannot enforce her claim to keep her property because the marriage certificate is forged. She meets her friend Fanny, who is in Metternich’s favor and advises her to accept a settlement. Fanny considers a marriage between Josephine and Florian advisable, provided Florian can get his money claim paid. Napoleon’s letter is destroyed when Florian accidentally takes a bath. When Metternich offers the impoverished Josephine a position as abbess at the convent he has already promised to Fanny, Fanny takes action. She persuades Metternich to pay Florian’s compensation—in many times the amount due—and give it to Josephine as a settlement. Meanwhile, Florian has also resorted to more drastic methods and sent Amadeus to the palace with a letter: if he does not receive his money very soon, he will blow up the palace. Because the police director interprets Florian’s signature as Napoleon’s, and a servant appears with news that Napoleon has landed and is marching on Paris, he pays Florian many times the amount requested from his own funds—even though Florian’s threatening cannon shots turn out to be fireworks. Josephine receives twenty times the amount of Florian’s compensation claim; now rich, he returns with Josephine to his mill, accompanied by his friend Amadeus and Nanderl.