The play's inspiration came from a true story: the investigation into a missing class register at a Vienna boys' school. The likely thief was a student named F. Kirchner. Police Inspector Cimrman, working in the district, was asked by the school principal to intervene after other efforts failed. Cimrman and his officers spent three days tracking Kirchner without success. He then decided to try a different approach: he wrote a play about the theft, which the police drama club performed as a required school play. Cimrman hoped that witnessing the distress of the teacher, principal, and inspector during their fruitless search would make the boy feel remorse and confess. But the unyielding student, the son of a nun, remained unmoved.
Lists with Movie “Investigation of the Loss of a Class Book”
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