Broken Lullaby Page #2

Frulein!

A Frenchman.

He's been here before.

Twice.

I got suspicious of him,

so I talked to him.

You know what he did?

He gave me a tip!

Ten francs. French money!

Doctor Holderlin?

Yes, yes, come in.

Come in, come in, sit down!

Doctor, doctor, I don't know how I...

Just a moment, please!

Be seated.

Name?

Paul Renard.

Paul Renard.

Address?

Hotel Gstehaus.

Ah, a stranger here, huh?

Yes.

Where are you from?

Paris.

Frenchman?

Yes.

A Frenchman?

Yes, I am.

It can't be possible!

Let me look at...

It's hard to realise,

a Frenchman sitting here under my own roof.

Get out!

Get out of my house!

No, I came here to see you

and I'm going to see you.

You have to listen to me,

you must!

Oh, France is talking, huh!

Victorious France

dictating, giving orders.

Doctor, hear me out.

You must understand!

Understand? There can be

no understanding between you and me.

Millions of dead lie between us,

a dead world.

You were a soldier

for three years

and you're alive.

You killed Germans

-I...

-Stop!

The French killed him.

To me, every Frenchman is the murderer of my son!

What can I do for you?

Papa!

Oh, pardon me!

Mother!

Mother!

She was there.

Where?

I just came from the grave of your son.

From my son's grave?

I am Walter's mother.

Welcome to our home.

Let me look at you.

A Frenchman...

...putting flowers on my son's grave.

Thank you for the flowers.

You knew Walter?

Yes.

You met him in France?

Yes.

In Paris. And you didn't forget him.

I can't forget him.

God bless you.

Please forgive me,

for here I am in the house where he lived.

His father, his mother, his...

His fiance.

His fiance.

I came here to talk about him

and now, oh God,

it's so difficult...

You don't know what it means to us

to have you here.

It's just as if you'd brought

Walter back again.

Tell us about him, all about him.

-Yes, everything you know.

Everything you have done, please!

How did you meet him?

When did you see him last?

Yes, tell us all about

the last time you saw him.

When I saw him the last time...

He was happy?

Happy?

He was very happy!

It was in Paris?

Yes, Paris.

We went out together.

Two friends.

We went out together.

We had a great time.

Oh, a wonderful time!

What an evening!

You made them very happy.

Me, too.

I'm glad my coming was not a mistake.

Oh, no, no!

It was inspiration

as it only had been given to you by God.

And you made it feel alive again.

Auf Wiedersehen!

You... You like that dress?

Yes, Herr Bresslauer, I like it very much.

Well, you're wrong,

that dress is for a brunette.

Here is a dress for you.

Listen, I'll tell you a secret:

Remember, you must not

repeat this to a soul.

It's a French model.

It's really very pretty.

Made for you!

I haven't sold you a dress

and a long mile further I've never seen.

It's about time you get one

Let me tell you:
a young girl

should keep up mit the style.

It's bad to be left behind.

This dress is good for two years

because it's already two years ahead of the style

Come in and slip it on.

No thanks, I haven't any time today.

I'll tell you what I'll do:

seeing that's you, I make a special price.

Take it away for 2, 95, 50.

Some other time, Herr Bresslauer.

Did you really see it, Frau Stein?

With my own eyes, Frau Klein!

Good morning!

Good morning!

After you, Frulein Anna.

We're in no hurry, thank you.

Five lamb chops, please.

What do you say? Five?

Yes, five.

And tomorrow we shall want pig's trotters,

also for five.

Yes, Frulein Anna.

And if you think you'll get one word out of me

about that Frenchman, you're mistaken.

Not a word!

What Frenchman!

You know very well what Frenchman.

The one who's in love with Frulein Elsa.

He, in love?

He doesn't know it, but he is.

I'll be back in a minute.

Me too!

Frau Weber!

Frau Schmidt!

Frau Oberkischler!

Frau Kugel!

Look!

Adolf, look!

I can hardly believe it's Wednesday already.

No, Paul, it's Thursday.

Thursday?

How the days go!

I love this little town.

I wish you could stay here.

Is there very much

you're missing at home?

No, nothing.

Elsa...

Yes, Paul?

Prosit, gentlemen!

Prosit! Prosit! Prosit!

Now, gentlemen,

if I walk in Paris, on the boulevards,

I expect to see Frenchmen,

naturally, and plenty of them.

In fact, too many!

-Prosit, Herr Krause!

-Prosit, Herr Schultz!

Prosit, gentlemen!

Prosit! Prosit!

But... when I walk on a German street

in a German city

under a German sky...

Pardon me, there is no more gulash,

Herr Schultz!

No gulash? Impossible!

Why do you print it for,

if you don't mean it?

There is enough of our country

occupied by Poland's soldiers

Who knows if they'll ever leave?

Why don't let our free cities alone?

Well? Bring me sauerbraten...

Yes, sir.

and a juicy beef.

Gentlemen, let us face the facts:

Sauerbraten for Herr Schultz,

plenty of fat!

Who is this Frenchman?

That's what I'd like to know!

What's his business here?

Gentlemen,

I may as well tell you.

I've come to the conclusion

he's a spy

The porter told me

that he has in his room a violin case.

Locked. He never opens it.

Aha!

Doesn't surprise me at all,

not at all.

Now, gentlemen, let me ask you one little question:

what is in this violin case?

What can be in a violin case?

Maybe a violin.

There you are.

That's what's wrong with us.

Always trusting, believing anybody.

A Frenchman comes along with a violin case.

Locked, mind you.

And we take it for granted

it contains a violin.

We never learn.

Well, my friends, good morning.

Good morning

Same round table.

Same chairs.

Same old friends.

And Herr Schultz.

Waiter!

Nine beers, please.

None for me, please.

No?

All right, eight beers.

Better make it seven, doctor.

One beer, please.

Yes, sir.

I hope I'm not intruding.

Not at all, doctor.

Very glad to have you here.

In fact, we were just thinking about you.

Oh, well, I'm not sorry that I came, then.

Why don't you bring your friends along?

You mean my friend?

Well, maybe I will.

He came here from France to put flowers on my son's grave.

He is my guest.

My wife likes him.

Elsa likes him.

And I love him.

Well, there's only one thing left:

let's sing the Marsellaise.

I haven't done any singing, Herr Schultz,

since my son died.

And who killed him?

And my son?

And my son?

And my two sons?

No one here can tell me

the meaning of death

or the meaning of hatred.

I've drunk deep of both of them

And so, I tell you, have the French.

Who sent that young man out to kill Germans?

And who sent my boy

and your boy, and your boy,

and your two boys?

Who gave them bullets and gas and bayonets?

We, the fathers!

Here and on the other side!

We are too old to fight,

but we're not too old to hate.

We're responsible!

when thousands of other

men's sons were killed

we called it victory,

and celebrated with beer.

And when thousands of our sons were killed

they called it victory and celebrated with wine.

Fathers, drink to the death of sons!

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