Hoheit tanzt Walzer (1926)

In order to help his friend Strampfl, whose inn "Zum silbernen Schwein" is failing as a result of the opposing competition, the musician Peperl, a young man who lives entirely in his music, places two advertisements in the city newspaper: a male millionaire is looking for a woman, a female millionaire is looking for a man. The meeting point is at the inn "Zum silbernen Schwein." Success comes, customers flock to Strampfl's inn from all sides. Among the latter is Princess Marie, who likes to go among people of the people, unrecognized. Here the princess meets Peperl and when he even plays his latest, self-composed waltz "Wienerwaldgeister", the princess has given her heart to Peperl and he, believing that he has a poor girl of the people in front of him, feels genuine, longing love germinating in him for the first time in his life. To the horror of the orchestra, Princess Marie now often meets with the "musician" - until one day her father, the old archduke, explains to her that she must marry the prince of the neighboring country. With a bleeding heart, she says goodbye to Peperl, who has no idea that he is about to lose his beloved forever. The next day, Peperl receives his appointment as a conductor. He should present himself at the orchestra on the same day. He happily sets off and meets the princess in the castle. Now he knows that everything is over. And then, after the wedding festivities, he has to conduct the wedding dance for "his" princess and her unloved husband. But when "Wienerwaldgeister" sounds, Peperl's strength is at an end. His musicians take the collapsed man out to the park. Here he sees the princess for the last time, he lets his violin sound a final farewell for her. Then the lights go out; Peperl remains alone with his suffering, while the princess mourns her lost happiness in the castle.