Summary
This co-production costume picture from 1972, made by East German director Ralf Kirsten, was inspired by the novel of the same name written by E. T. A. Hoffmann. The protagonist of this romantically based tale is the young, newly ordained priest Franziskus, who is led astray from the path of righteousness by the devil Viktorin. Using fabled elixirs he causes the young man to succumb to the charms of the comely Aurelie, which leads to his expulsion from the monastery and his committing of a murder... This mysterious tale relating the temptation of a young priest was – paradoxically and in contrast to the original work – conceived of as anti-Catholic propaganda. Kirsten, together with cameraman Claus Neumann, attempts to build a mysterious, eerie atmosphere. While the crew that make use of the Czech scenery is mostly German, Jaroslava Schallerová (Aurelie) and Milena Dvorská (Aurelie’s malicious stepmother, Euphemie) appear in the German-Polish-Czech cast.
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