Mignon

The picture opens with the Gypsy camp and the assignation made there between Lothario and Musette, the daughter of Giarno, the leader of the Gypsies. Learning of their proposed meeting, Giarno declares vengeance on Lothario, to whom Musette hastens to give warning. At his palace the Gypsy girl learns for the first time that her lover is already married and is the father of baby Mignon. Her wild despair in consequence causes her to throw herself over the cliffs into the ocean. In the midst of the excitement, following this suicide, baby Mignon slips unobserved from the palace and, wandering too near the brink, also falls over the cliff, but is providentially saved by an out-jetting bush. Meanwhile Giarno has gone to the water's edge to reclaim the dead body of Musette from the waves and here sees Mignon's fall. Thinking to revenge himself on Lothario, he scrambles up the rocks and steals the child. This rapid succession of tragic events hastens the death of Lothario's wife, and Lothario, observing the disaster that follows his one moment's indiscretion, rushes insanely from the palace to begin his mad wanderings over western Europe. At this point the thread of the story is dropped to be picked up again years later, when Mignon has blossomed into maidenhood of 16 years. She follows Giarno's Gypsy train. He delights in cruelty toward her. He prizes her, however, because her exquisite dancing has become a source of revenue. One day she refuses to dance before a party of ladies and gentlemen, but Giarno, blacksnake in hand, is driving her to it, when Lothario, who is wandering by in rags, and carrying his old harp, tries to interfere. The Gypsy leader is too much for him, however. Shortly afterward Wilhelm Meister rides into the scene and succeeds in quelling Giarno from whom he later buys Mignon. The Gypsy-stolen maiden falls in love with Wilhelm, but finds a rival in Filina, the celebrated actress. Having spied upon a love-scene between the two, Mignon becomes convinced that Wilhelm is not intended for her, so starts to wander away with Lothario, but she cannot so easily tear her affections from the man who rescued her from Giarno. Leading Lothario, she follows Wilhelm again to a grand reception given by Frederick, one of Filina's suitors, in honor of the actress. She manages to smuggle herself and Lothario into the palace, again sees Filina making love to Wilhelm and, hoping to win favor and strengthen her own cause, steals to Filina's room and dresses herse