Die Elixiere des Teufels

St Francis, a young seminarian at a Capuchin monastery, guards the reliquary of St Anthony and the mysterious elixirs kept there, which are strictly forbidden to be tasted. An ominous stranger, who asks to see the objects, nevertheless takes a swig from the bottle and sets a sinister story in motion. Francis falls in love with Aurelie, causing him to question his vows. The prior sends the monk on an adventurous journey to Rome, where he meets his own doppelganger. Barely escaping him, he becomes involved in a murder plot and, through no fault of his own, falls victim to an intrigue. The film scenario had been available in the GDR since 1969, but could only be realised as a co-production with the Barrandov Studios in Prague. (Anett Werner-Burgmann)