This program pays lyrical homage to the enigmatic relationship between the poet/dramatist Goethe and the Baroness Charlotte von Stein and explores its influence on his work. Excerpts from a selection of the more than 2,000 letters exchanged by Goethe, Charlotte, and their friends bear testimony to the intensity and intimacy of the relationshipone which most experts believe was platonic, despite the often passionate tone of the letters. Dramatized vignettes, sketches, and actual footage provide a historical glimpse into the German courts of the period, and into the life of this revered German figure and the woman he considered "mother, sister, and one true love." A Deutsche Welle production. (28 minutes)
|