Taugenichts (1978)

Germany, at the beginning of the 19th century. The title character is a thoroughgoing idler. Since he does nothing but lie in the grass and bask in the sun instead of helping the miller with his work, the miller drives him off the farm one day. The young good-for-nothing is quite pleased about this, however, because he believes he was not made for work. So he picks up his bundle and his violin and sets off into the wide world. He heads south, toward the sun and warmth. Along the way, he has all sorts of encounters. One day, a carriage carrying a middle-aged countess and her companions passes him. The good-for-nothing plays them a little tune on his violin and, in thanks, receives an invitation to the countess’s castle near Vienna. There he is given food and lodging, but in return he is expected to do at least a little gardening. Since the good-for-nothing is an avowed lazybones, however, he soon feels the urge to move on again, even though he has taken a fancy to Aurelie, the countess’s young companion, whom he also takes to be a noblewoman. In reality, though, Aurelie is merely the niece of the castle porter. The countess tries to help the good-for-nothing and secures him a job as a customs collector. But this job also means work, so after a short time the young man simply moves on. In a village where he tries to top up his travel funds a little by playing his violin, he finds no lodging, and so the good-for-nothing has no choice but to spend the night in the dark forest. There he has a particularly strange encounter with a pair of riders. Eventually, in Italy, he falls in with robbers and is supposed to become one of them. But then he feels drawn home to Aurelie in Austria: his love for the young, beautiful woman is stronger than any wanderlust or longing for far-off places.