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Vienna, 1826. The penniless composer Franz Schubert lives with friends in the house of court glazier Tschöll and his wife. Because of their three beautiful daughters, Hederl, Haiderl, and Hannerl, the property is called the "Three Girls' House." Hederl and Haiderl celebrate a double wedding with the gentlemen, master saddler Bruneder and postmaster Binder. Due to an intrigue by soprano Lucia Grisi, Hannerl, with whom Schubert is in love but dares not reveal herself, turns away from him and marries singer Franz von Schober. Schubert is left with nothing but music.
Director
Screenplay
Status
Released
Original Language
DE

Christian Tschöll
Roughly chronological, from 3/96 to 11/96, with a coda in spring of 1997: inside compounds of Aum Shinrikyo, a Buddhist sect led by Shoko Asahara. (Members confessed to a murderous sarin attack in the Tokyo subway in 1995.) We see what they eat, where they sleep, and how they respond to media scrutiny, on-going trials, the shrinking of their fortunes, and the criticism of society. Central focus is placed on Hiroshi Araki, a young man who finds himself elevated to chief spokesman for Aum after its leaders are arrested. Araki faces extreme hostility from the Japanese public, who find it hard to believe that most followers of the cult had no idea of the attacks and even harder to understand why these followers remain devoted to the religion, if not the violence.