Crime scene: The guardian of the spring

Episode of the series Tatort
Original title	The guardian of the source
Country of production	Austria
original language	German
Production company	ORF
length	87 minutes
classification	Episode 572 ( List )
First broadcast	August 8, 2004 on Das Erste , ORF
Rod
Director	Holger Barthel
script	Felix Mitterer Holger Barthel
production	Herbert Reutterer
music	Yull-Win Mak
camera	Peter von Haller
cut	Thomas Knöpfel
occupation
Harald Krassnitzer : Moritz Eisner Birgit Doll : Barbara Trenkwalder Johannes Krisch : Reinhard Gasser Hussi Kutlucan : Abdellatif al Sayeed Gregor Bloéb : Siggi Wegscheider Franziska Weisz : Karin Leitner Andreas Lust : Peter Kaindl Alma Hasun : Maria Kaindl Alexander Mitterer : Franz Pfurtscheller Peter Mitterrutzner : Hermann Wegscheider Birgit Melcher : Rosmarie Kaindl Werner Prinz : Bruno Mauler Heinz Frölich : Otto Friedmann Andreas Puehringer : Alois Kehrer Reinhold Tischler : Policeman Gerhard Kasal : Teacher Catherine Oborny : Hotel Clerk Monica Anna Cammerlander : Doctor Doris Plörer :

The Guardian of the Source is a television film from the crime series Tatort . The contribution produced for ORF under the direction of Holger Barthel was first broadcast on August 8, 2004. It is the 572nd crime scene episode and the 11th case of the Austrian chief inspector Moritz Eisner , played by Harald Krassnitzer .

action

The groundbreaking ceremony for the use of a healing spring is carried out in St. Johann . In the middle of the ceremony, the police officer Barbara Trenkwalder appears, who wants to solve the death of an old man who died three days ago near the spring. The mayor doesn't like this at all. Since he does not want any negative press, he threatens her. Without further ado, the policewoman turns to Moritz Eisner and asks him for assistance. Together they try to reconstruct what happened. Hermann Wegscheider had opposed any overexploitation of nature from the start and therefore wanted to prevent the industrial use of the spring, as the construction of a modern bottling plant would mean a major intervention in the ecosystem of his home country. For months he had set up a camp at the spring to guard it. Thirteen-year-old Maria Kaindl had visited the old man frequently and then found him dead one day.

The investigators consider it very likely that Hermann Wegscheider was removed from the way as an unpleasant contemporary and troublemaker. All that could be proved was who was the murderer of the old man. There are many suspects. The spring belongs to Reinhard Gasser, who, with the help of the investor Abdellatif al Sayeed, planned to build a large filling plant for the new healing water due to the property conditions. The mayor saw this as a major economic upswing for his town and was not very enthusiastic about Wegscheider's actions. Maria's father, Peter Kaindl, also benefited from the new location. He and many other farmers received compensation from the source users because they were no longer allowed to fertilize their fields in order to keep the water clean. These funds were a secure source of income that they were reluctant to take away from them. Kaindl admits to having put old Wegscheider under pressure and beaten him up.

The autopsy of the dead reveals that the victim drowned and that the body has a very high dose of morphine , which the investigators explain by his cancer. However, the doctor explains to them that he did not want to take the drug she had prescribed for him. Therefore Eisner and Trenkwalder suspect that someone administered it to him to help a quick death. Eisner finds out that Gasser's parents run a pharmacy in Innsbruck and that the exact morphine preparation that Wegscheider was prescribed went missing there some time ago. This makes Reinhard Gasser the main suspect, who, however, vehemently denies having anything to do with the old man's death. Unexpectedly, Marie Kaindl's statement relieves him. She tells the police about a great beating attack by numerous local men who had banded together to get him to give up. Maria had watched all of this as she was on her way back from one of her visits. Since Wegscheider wanted to relieve his pain with pills after all, he had taken an entire pack, which then obviously led to death. Eisner and Trenkwalder can only charge the men she has identified with assault on the basis of Maria's testimony.

background

The shooting took place in St. Johann in Tirol .

reception

Audience ratings

The first broadcast of Der Wächter der Quelle took place on August 8, 2004. It was seen by 5.61 million viewers in Germany and achieved a market share of 22.9 percent for Das Erste .

Reviews

"Tension-free fall in a beautiful mountain backdrop," said the critics of TV Spielfilm . Otherwise they state: “In Austria the clocks go a little slower, they say. That doesn't have to be a bad thing. But this alpine thriller is really extra-snoring. "

Web links

• Crime scene: The guardian of the source in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Summary of the plot of Der Wächter der Quelle on the ARD website
• The guardian of the source at the crime scene fund
• The guardian of the source at Tatort-Fans.de

Individual evidence

1. ^ Location at the Internet Movie Database , accessed on March 21, 2016.
2. ↑ The Guardian of the Source at tatort-fundus.de, accessed on March 21, 2016.
3. ↑ In the idyllic Tyrol the Austrian Commissioner Moritz Eisner is faced with the question: murder or suicide? TV crime thriller with Harald Krassnitzer short review on tvspielfilm.de, accessed on March 21, 2016.

previous episode July 25, 2004: Bienzle and the stone guest

Crime scene follow

next episode September 19, 2004: betrayed and sold