The perjurer
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| Title: | The perjurer |
| Genus: | Folk piece with singing in three acts |
| Original language: | German (Bavarian) |
| Author: | Ludwig Anzengruber |
| Music: | Adolf Müller senior |
| Publishing year: | 1871 |
| Premiere: | December 9, 1871 |
| Place of premiere: | Theater an der Wien , Vienna |
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The perjury is a folk piece with singing in three acts by Ludwig Anzengruber , the music was written by Adolf Müller senior . The play was premiered on December 9, 1871 in the Theater an der Wien with the then famous actress Marie Geistinger in the leading role of Vroni.
Along with The Pastor of Kirchfeld and The Fourth Commandment , it is the most famous drama of Anzengruber. In the tradition of realism , it deals with moral mistakes and their effects on one's own life and that of future generations.
action
first act
Vroni, maid at the Adamshof, makes Toni, the son of the Adamshof farmer Höllerer, beautiful eyes. But she is warned by the foreman. He tells Vroni about the fate of her mother, also called Vroni, who was a maid at the Kreuzweghof. She had two children, Vroni and Jakob, whose father was Jakob Ferner, a farmer at the time. Although he wanted to marry Vroni, to the displeasure of his brother Matthias Ferner, which would have spared her the shame of illegitimate motherhood and the children would have found a secure livelihood, he died unexpectedly on a trip to Vienna on which he took Vroni's brother Jakob with him . Since no will was found, Vroni's mother lost the following lawsuit for the inheritance against Matthias, who swore that his brother had made no last will. Thereupon Vroni and her two children were driven from the court in disgrace, and Matthias has led an outwardly pious life ever since.
The foreman advises Vroni to heed her mother's fate. But Vroni ignores this warning and does not want to admit that Toni has already been promised to Creszenz, Matthias' daughter. As a result, Vroni would no longer be tolerated at Adamshof and would be driven out like her mother.
Enter Creszenz, Toni, Matthias and Höllerer. Höllerer and Matthias come to an agreement regarding the marriage of their children and see themselves as future brothers-in-law. Vroni is indignant about this, but Matthias harshly rebukes her. Vroni suspects that Matthias' outwardly displayed piety is an expression of a guilty conscience and hopes to find out about his tricks at some point. But for now she has no choice but to leave the Adamshof and look for accommodation with her grandmother, Burger-Lies, who runs a run-down restaurant and makes up her meager income by accommodating blackers ( smugglers ). Lies, who despises the hypocritically pious nature of her fellow human beings, is therefore just as much an outsider as Vroni. She tells Vroni that Matthias had his brother's will disappear at the time, but testified in court - under oath - that there was no will, which is why she calls him " perjury farmer" from now on .
Witness to the whole incident was his then twelve-year-old son Franz, who never clarified the facts and later left the farm to study.
Suddenly Jakob, Vroni's brother, enters the room, much to the surprise of Vroni and Lies, because he got on the wrong track and was therefore in prison for many years. Because he felt his end was near, he traveled to Vienna again to fetch the last of his father's belongings. Below is a prayer book that he gives Vroni. There is a letter from Matthias in which he confirms that he has received the will. With the knowledge that he now has the missing piece of evidence against the perjury farmer in his sister's hand, Jakob dies satisfied.
Second act
Franz is now returning to Kreuzweghof after many years and is greeted with joy by his father. Matthias immediately explains his plans for him. Creszenz will marry Toni, which would lead to a union of the Adam and Kreuzweghof. The only obstacle is his son Franz; therefore Matthias hopes to persuade him to pursue the career of a clergyman, especially since he promises the forgiveness of his sins from it (" You are the only one who cleanses me without speaking and counter-speaking, who once in my last need the Can bless sin! ").
But Franz, who is entangled in his father's guilt through his complicity, wants nothing more to do with all of this and indignantly rejects the request. Matthias then implores him to reconsider , after all, at the time, he took the perjury out of concern for the future of his two children (" for the sake of the children I took sin upon myself "). Franz leaves the room and Vroni enters.
She tells Matthias everything on the head and tells him about the letter she received from Jakob. She'll go to the district court with it tomorrow.
Matthias is devastated and Vroni triumphs. Franz arrives and asks Vroni for his father. Vroni admits that she has nothing against Franz, but will not waive her right.
Vroni then goes back to the Lies house. Shortly afterwards, Franz arrives at her home, who warns her that his father will stop at nothing to get the letter back. Vroni, touched, accepts his offer to guard the house. Both confess their love to each other. However, Franz lets her persuade him to leave the house because the shady blackers are coming that night.
After Franz has left, Matthias appears with his stump and tries to get her to hand over the letter with a death threat. In her need, Vroni says she gave the letter to Franz. Matthias storms out into the thunderstorm night to press the letter from Franz.
He meets his son high above a ravine and asks for the letter. To protect Vroni, Franz does not deny that he has the letter. Because Franz does not want to hand over the letter, the father shoots the son who falls into the ravine.
Third act
Believing that he had killed his son, Matthias flees to an old woman, Baumahm, who lives in a remote hut with her sick brother and her two nieces. There he witnessed how she told her nieces the story of a farmer who had perjured and therefore, despite his piety which had been openly displayed throughout his life, was taken by the devil. Gripped by horror, Matthias dies of the river blow .
In the meantime the black people have brought the seriously injured Franz to the hut of the Lies, where he is looked after by Vroni, who makes serious accusations. She realizes that he could die and is willing to forego all of her rights if only for that she can adopt him as a husband. With the words " better dead" right never comes to life than you die to me! “She tears up the letter that stands between her love.
The next day, Franz is already on the mend. Höllerer, Creszenz and Toni arrive and inform him of the death of his father and that he is now the master of the Kreuzweghof. The piece closes with the prospect of weddings between Vroni and Franz as well as Creszenz and Toni.
Film adaptations
The piece was filmed several times. The first film version was made in 1915, directed by Jakob and Luise Fleck . Hermann Benke , Viktoria Pohl-Meiser and Karl Baumgartner played the leading roles . The Fleck couple was also responsible for the second film adaptation from 1926. Gisela Günther took on the role of Vroni, Eduard von Winterstein played Matthias, Josephine Josephi played Burgerlies.
In 1941 Leopold Hainisch directed, Eduard Köck played Matthias, Ilse Exl played Vroni and OW Fischer played Franz.
Heidemarie Hatheyer , Carl Wery , Christiane Hörbiger and Hans von Borsody played the leading roles in 1956, directed by Rudolf Jugert, in Der Meineidbauer .
In 1960 a television film was produced under the direction of Otto Hoch-Fischer . Florl Leitner , Gretl Löwinger , Auguste Welten and Walter Scheuer played the leading roles .
Another television film was made in 1990, directed by Jürgen Kaizik . Adolf Laimböck and Christian Fischer played the leading roles .
The last film adaptation so far was shot in 2012 in Virgen / East Tyrol under the direction of Joseph Vilsmaier with Suzanne von Borsody , Günther Maria Halmer , Max Tidof and Heikko Deutschmann .