The Abduction of the Sabine Women - Academy Theater Vienna

Professor Gollwitz, a small-town high school teacher struggling with financial and domestic issues, has succumbed to his secret passion for theater. When the theater director Striese happens to be in town with his traveling theater troupe, he learns that the professor is hiding the play "THE RAPE OF THE SABINE WOMEN" in a drawer, kept secret from his wife. The quick-witted director Striese manages to extract the genius work from the initially reluctant author and prepares for its performance. Before the play can take to the stage, the professor's wife unexpectedly returns from the spa, setting off a family catastrophe with impending embarrassment.

Franz and Paul von Schönthan created a theatrical monument in 1883 with this comedy about Roman tragedy and its captivating characters, which has gone down in history. The character of the theater director Striese has been portrayed by many famous film and theater actors, including Albert Bassermann, Rudolf Platte, Gustav Knuth, Gert Fröbe, Willy Millowitsch, Katharina Thalbach, Fritz Muliar, and most recently by Paul Hoffmann at the Burgtheater in 1975. With its pointed misunderstandings and numerous mix-ups, "THE RAPE OF THE SABINE WOMEN" is still regarded today as an unconditional love letter to theater.