Was geschah auf Schloß Wildberg (1972)

Young Christian Freytag happens to be there when his acquaintance Momme spontaneously steals a car in Munich with his girlfriend. Christian gets into the car too, and it is eventually stopped by the police. He is sentenced to six months in prison. After three months, he is released on probation to serve the remaining three months proving himself at a construction company in rural Wildberg. In Wildberg, he spots a neglected dog on a fenced-off property. He secretly gives it water, then keeps visiting and feeding it over the following weeks. One day, he finds the dog outside his lodging. It refuses to be chased away and will not leave his side, so Christian secretly takes it to his room and names it “Kumpel.” The room is part of a rundown attic provided to him by his boss, Traugott Jellinek. Traugott lives with his sister Emma, who distrusts Christian because he is an ex-convict. Only Traugott’s secretary, Marianne, is friendly toward him. Over time, the two grow closer, though Marianne’s parents know nothing about Christian’s time in prison. Marianne is also courted by Till Beckmann, the son of the owner of the castle. Till suffers from an illness that will make him blind in a short time unless he has an operation. His girlfriend Jeanette feels unable to take on the possible task of caring for a blind man and leaves him. Marianne regularly visits Wildberg Castle, which is being renovated by Jellinek’s workers, to bring over the bills. Till asks her to accompany him to the city when he has doctor’s appointments. He soon realizes that Marianne loves Christian, not him. Marianne’s brother Viktor owes money to his friends. Out of laziness, he does not take his mechanic’s exam; instead, he plans a burglary at Wildberg Castle that he hopes will make him a lot of money. Till keeps his late mother’s jewels in the castle. When Momme also turns up in Wildberg looking for Christian, Viktor has found his accomplice for the burglary. The two blackmail Christian, demanding that he secretly get them into the castle as one of Jellinek’s construction workers. Christian refuses, so the two men break into the castle alone at night. Christian eventually arrives to warn Till, but Viktor and Momme knock him unconscious. As a result, he is the only one at the scene when Till and the police arrive. He is arrested, since Momme can go into hiding and Viktor claims he slept all night. The “stolen” dog Kumpel, who has meanwhile been reported missing, is also found in Christian’s room and further incriminates him as a thief. Meanwhile, Till has come through his eye operation. Marianne, who doubts Christian’s guilt, visits Till at his bedside. Under the influence of the anesthetic, he tells her that in fact he saw her brother Viktor and an unfamiliar man that night; Christian only arrived later and tried to stop the burglary. He did not tell the police because he wanted to eliminate Christian as a rival. Marianne goes to the police, who intend to question Till the next day and thereby prove Christian’s innocence. Christian, however, believes he has no chance against the testimony of the wealthy Till, since everyone will believe Till, but no one will believe a man with a prior conviction. With the help of a fellow inmate, he escapes from prison. Christian goes to Viktor, hoping to get a confession out of him. The two get into a fight. Meanwhile, Marianne is also on her way to her brother’s to persuade him to tell the truth. The police secretly follow her. When Marianne arrives at her brother’s, he is just fleeing. Christian is lying injured on the ground, but flees when he sees the police behind Marianne. A young police officer shoots at Christian as he runs and accidentally kills him. Later, Christian’s death becomes a subject of village gossip, especially since people now know that the real culprits have still not been caught. “It’s almost like the story of Krambambuli,” Emma Jellinek observes. Marianne keeps vigil at Christian’s grave with Kumpel, then eventually leaves the cemetery. She sees Till, who has recovered by now, and walks past him in silence, with Kumpel by her side.