A dead body under a pear tree, a missing money-collector, and a wife who'll never fit in — East German noir at its frostiest.
Abel Hradscheck, the owner of an inn in the Oderbruch country, faces financial ruin. For this state of affairs, Ursula, his wife and former actress, is by no means free of blame. She is a "newcomer" to the area and even after eleven years in the area, still a "stranger". A Cracow company announces that a money-collector is on his way to the innkeeper. Mr. Szulski arrives and the debts are settled - with money supposedly stemming from an inheritance. The next day, Szulski departs but according to the maid and the stable-boy, behaves in a very strange manner. Soon afterwards, his carriage is discovered in the Oder River, but there is no trace of the drowned man. Hradscheck's neighbor starts casting suspicion on the innkeeper. The Counselor of Justice, who heads the investigations has the spot under the pear tree dug out. A dead body is exhumed...
Acting
Angelica Domröse's brittle, watchful performance as the eternal outsider.
Cinematography
Bleak Oderbruch landscapes that suffocate more than any dialogue.
Director
Ralf Kirsten
Angelica Domröse
Ursula Hradschek
Erik S. Klein
Abel Hradschek
Agnes Kraus
Mutter Jeschken
Norbert Christian
Pfarrer Eccelius
Manfred Karge
Bauer Kunicke
Günter Junghans
Bauer Mietzel
Gert Gütschow
Müller Quass
Hannjo Hasse
Justizrat Vowinkel
Jürgen Frohriep
Gendarm Geelhaar
Karla Runkehl
Male
Jürgen Holtz
Jakob
Angelika Waller
Frau Mietzel
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
DEFA Studios rarely produced pure crime dramas; this adaptation of Theodor Fontane's novella was a rare prestige exception, shot in the actual Oderbruch marshlands.
The pear tree itself becomes a character — in German folklore, pear trees guard secrets, and Kirsten lingers on it like a threat before the reveal.
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