Crime scene: playing with fire

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Episode of the series Tatort
Original title play with the fire
Country of production Germany
original language German
Production
company		 SWF
length 89 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
classification Episode 193 ( List )
First broadcast May 17, 1987 on ARD
Rod
Director Wolfgang Storch
script Knut Boeser ,
Barbara Piazza
production Peter Schulze-Rohr
camera Real Estate Rentz
cut Monika Kretschmann
occupation

Playing with Fire is the 193rd episode in the Tatort television series . By the Südwestfunk result produced (SWF) was first on 17 May 1987 at the preliminary program of the ARD broadcast. For Chief Inspector Hanne Wiegand ( Karin Anselm ) it is the seventh case. It is about the murder of a young teacher and arson resulting in death with a multitude of suspects.

action

An apartment building burns down, three tenants, the thirty-year-old teacher Monika Karges and two older tenants burn in the house. Chief Detective Wiegand is entrusted with the investigation, as it is obviously arson. Most of the house was already vacant because the landlord Pohlmann had given notice to all tenants in order to demolish the house and build a more lucrative new building as part of a major project. Monika and the other remaining tenants had opposed the termination of their rental contracts. Wiegand and her assistant Leverkühn question Pohlmann, who denies the fact that it was no problem for him to buy out the tenants, at the time of the crime he was at a meeting with the project manager Schlotterbeck. Wiegand and Leverkühn go to the caretaker Wernitz, who says that Pohlmann would have promised him another job if the house was torn down. He had played cards during the time of the crime and that was why he noticed the fire so late. Karges' neighbor Blümel, who was saved from the fire by Wernitz, testifies that Pohlmann had already found him a new apartment for the same rent and that he therefore did not cause any problems. Ms. Karges, on the other hand, was unruly, on the evening of the fire she had an argument with one of her lovers. The autopsy report shows that Monika Karges was dead before the fire, she was strangled.

Wiegand asks Karges' colleague Binder, who was friends with Monika, who says that her friend had been in a relationship with a married man for two years, the government school councilor Dr. Friedrich Vasemeier, who is also a candidate for the state parliament. The relationship had been difficult, so for some time Monika had turned to a much younger man named Michael. Wiegand goes to Vasemeier, who is not there, Wiegand is surprised that his wife knows about Monika Karges. Elisabeth Vasemeier says that she knew about her husband's relationship from the start, that she sensed it, and that she also found a video cassette of her husband that documents the relationship, he didn't hide it very well. She has always seen her husband's affairs calmly because she has a deeper level with him. Her husband was at home with her at the time of the crime. The further autopsy shows that Monika Karges was three months pregnant, the fire in the house was triggered by spilled rum. Wiegand and Leverkühn await Dr. Vasemeier, who is returning from an external appointment, and inform him of Monika's death. He claims that he has no time, but assures the officers that he will be available for an interview the next day. In the evening Vasemeier speaks to his wife, who assures him of his alibi that she was with her sister at the time of the crime, but lied to Wiegand to give him an alibi for his sake. He admits to his wife that he was with Monika that evening, but that he has nothing to do with her death.

During the questioning by Wiegand and Leverkühn, Vasemeier admits to have been with Monika on the evening of the crime and to have had an argument with her. She admitted the pregnancy to him, but also told him that the child was not from him, but from Michael, she wanted to separate from Vasemeier. But they would have reconciled and even had sexual intercourse before he left Monika's apartment. He went for a walk in the forest before going home. He did not want to accept his wife's alibi in order not to make himself more suspicious if someone saw him. In the evening Wiegand and Leverkühn take Dr. Vasemeier then confirmed after the officers discovered that he was covering up obvious battle marks on his face with glasses that were not needed. In addition, rum stains were found on the pants he was wearing on the evening of the crime, as well as Monika and him fingerprints on a rum bottle in a garbage can near the crime scene. In the apartment, the officers also found a cup with leftover rum, which also has his fingerprints. While Wiegand's supervisor expresses doubts about Wiegand's approach due to the explosive nature of the case, Vasemeier's lawyer and brother-in-law Herrmann Voigt advises him to plead intoxication in order to avoid being convicted of murder, Vasemeier realizes that neither his wife nor his brother-in-law believe in his innocence . The next morning Wiegand is under pressure because of the press reports, but the investigating judge considers the grounds for detention to be sufficient and issues an arrest warrant against Vasemeier, but Wiegand begins to doubt Vasemeier's guilt.

Finally, Monika's friend Michael Scheibner reports to the officials, who claims to have been on a study trip and only now to have found out about the murder. He had called Monika on the evening of the crime, Monika stated that she had found something against Pohlmann and that she now had him in hand. Pohlmann wanted to visit her on the evening of the crime, Michael heard the doorbell ring at Monika's door. Michael had warned her to open the door, but Monika said she would deal with him. Monika was looking forward to their child with him, Monika said to his concerns about caring for the child that she already knew a way to provide for the child financially and in terms of time. Wiegand and Leverkühn inquire at the Monument Protection Office how objections to a demolition permit can be lodged and whether there have been any such objections in the case of the Pohlmann House, the responsible Mr Vogeler denies this, but his secretary says that Monika Karges has asserted in A Jewish poet hid in the house from the Nazis during the war and the house must therefore be listed as a historical monument. Wiegand seeks out Pohlmann's partner Schlotterbeck, who admits that he knew about the Jewish poet that he had advised Pohlmann to give Karges money so that she would remain silent, that Pohlmann had left the joint meeting earlier than previously stated.

Wiegand has Pohlmann put out to the search and brought it to the front, who says he had an appointment with Karges on the evening of the crime because he wanted to give her money for her silence. When he got to her apartment, he found the apartment door open and Karges lying lifeless on her sofa. He left immediately. Wiegand does not believe him and has Pohlmann arrested. Then she goes to the prison to personally apologize to Vasemeier before he is released. The officers find Dr. Vasemeier hangs in front of his cell. Wiegand finds his written confession, and Leverkühn also finds a crossword puzzle made by Mrs. Vasemeier, which contained hidden messages to her husband. Wiegand discovers in it an allusion to Jason and Medea, the latter burned after she realized that she had lost Jason to a lover, the rival. Wiegand seeks out Elisabeth Vasemeier, who admits that she spoke to Monika that evening and strangled her emotionally because she felt that she had lost her husband to her. She was hiding from Pohlmann in the bathroom, when he was gone, she started the fire to cover up the crime. Wiegand arrests Elisabeth.

Audience and background

When it was first broadcast, this episode attracted 18.53 million viewers, which corresponded to a market share of 48%. The episode was filmed in Baden-Baden between January 13 and February 19, 1987.

criticism

The critics of the television magazine TV Spielfilm rate this crime scene only mediocre and comment: "Karin Anselm just seems too staid".

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Release certificate for crime scene: Playing with fire . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF). Template: FSK / maintenance / type not set and Par. 1 longer than 4 characters
  2. ↑ Tatort: ​​Playing with fire data on the 193rd crime scene at tatort-fundus.de
  3. ^ Tatort: Spiel mit dem Feuer short review on tvspielfilm.de, accessed on December 26, 2015.
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