Eichmann

1 OVER BLACK:

SUPER:

“He said he will leap into his grave laughing, because thefeeling of having six million Jews’ deaths on his consciencegave him extraordinary satisfaction.”

- Dieter Wisliceny, quoting Adolf Eichmann, 1948

Wind. The GROWLS of an approaching THUNDERSTORM as we PRELAP

2 EXT. GARIBALDI STREET. BUENOS AIRES. NIGHT

The year is 1960, and we are in the San Fernando barrio, onthe outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Rain slaps the asphalt road. Small bungalows, illuminated bykerosene lamps, cast shadows across large yards. We glimpsefamilies relaxing, dining, celebrating together...

3 INT. BUICK. NIGHT

THREE MOSSAD AGENTS sit in silence, staring forward as rainpounds their ‘53 black sedan. They watch a KIOSK and BUS-STOPnearby. Their hood is open, as if they’ve broken down.

Behind the wheel sits RAFI. Normally so warm and calm, nowthis short man’s eyes bulge behind thick specs and his handjitters. UZI, the dripping-wet beast of a man by his side,

clenches his fists against the cold.

In the back sits PETER MALKIN. Handsome, in a gaunt kind ofway. A caged animal. In the eyes, grim determination.

UZI:

(checks watch)

Like clockwork, you said.

RAFI:

I know what I said, habibi.

UZI:

Well, my watch isn’t broken.

RAFI:

We can’t turn back. Not now.

UZI:

Peter?

They both turn. Malkin doesn’t look at either of them.

2.

MALKIN:

He’s here.

Climbs out of the car. Both Rafi and Uzi turn to see-

a GREEN/YELLOW BUS (No.203) wheezing towards the kiosk.

4 EXT. GARIBALDI STREET. NIGHT

Striding forward, Malkin dons a pair of fur-lined leathergloves. Breathes, steadying himself. Looks up as-

WHOOSH. The bus DRIVES STRAIGHT PAST THE KIOSK.

MALKIN:

No. No, no!

Behind him, leaning out of the car window, Uzi hisses-

UZI:

Where is he? What do we do?!

Where’s Attila?!

Off the look of TOTAL PANIC IN MALKIN’S FACE AS WE CUT TO

5 TITLES:
EICHMANN

The SCRATCHING of a fingernail grows louder and louder

6 INT. DINING ROOM. VILLA MINOUX. DAY (JANUARY, 1942)

A brown stain, on a slate-grey collar. Try as it might, theclipped, tobacco-stained thumbnail is failing to shift it.

Over the sound of the scratching, a general MURMUR builds to-

HEYDRICH (O.S.)

Herr Eichmann?

Looking up from his collar, ADOLF EICHMANN finds himself at a

plush dining-table surrounded by 14 HIGH-RANKING NAZIS. Thisis the Wannsee conference. During the next hours these men

will seal the fate of approximately six million human beings.

Attractive in his way, Eichmann appears languid and calm. Notin the eyes, though. They betray a man constantly evaluating.

Always searching for weakness, for opportunity.

He clears his throat. His right hand twitches briefly. Stops.

3.

EICHMANN:

Gentlemen. I begin by stressing our

enemy threatens not only our war and

our country but also our families.

My eldest is six. My second only two

and a third is on the way. I am sure

I speak for everybody gathered here

when I say we will give our lives

and souls today to guarantee the

safety of Germany’s children.

There’s a small RUMBLING of approval from the collected men.

Eichmann smiles thinly. The sense he was hoping for more.

EICHMANN (CONT’D)

But how? We tried reasoning with

the enemy. We’ve tried deportation.

But no, no, the foolish Jew has

stayed put. So. We adapt. Before I

continue, a glass to Herr Heydrich,

Lange, Sch�

ngarth and our men in

the Einsatzgruppen for their work

in the Ukraine dealing with the

Slav and the Eastern Jew.

Eichmann lifts a glass of wine. Those at the table raiseglasses. Several KNOCK ON THE TABLE in support. Heydrich,

Lange and Sch�

ngarth nod in appreciation.

EICHMANN (CONT’D)

But Reichsführer Himmler has noted a

problem. A bullet in a Jew is a

bullet not in an enemy soldier.

Plus, dispatching women and children

this way is... problematic. The men

hesitate. And with 10.3 million to

go- the exact break-down is in

document 171 there- we cannot afford

even a second’s hesitation per Jew.

Now. Within six weeks, the camps of

Belzec, Sobibor and Auschwitz-

Birkenau will be operational. The

MoT, the Foreign Office and we at

the RHSA will strive to relocate all

enemies of the Reich to the camps.

At present, we process about 2000 a

day, but with the zyklone B proposal-

details in appendix C- permanent gas

chambers and a more efficient train

timetable, by next year it will be

that many every hour. By 1949, if we

follow the plans I’ve outlined in

your files, our children will live

and thrive in a Jew-free Europe.

4.

Silence, for a moment. Then, Heydrich KNOCKS the table. All

the others follow suit, BANGING louder and louder. For a

moment, Eichmann basks in the glory. That’s more like it.

As it dies, Heydrich begins to speak. But Eichmann returns to

his collar. Licks his thumb. Tries the stain again. Thistime, it shifts. And, as the sound of SCRATCHING BUILDS-

WE SMASH INTO A RAPID MONTAGE OF THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF THE

FINAL YEARS OF WW2. Stalingrad, Tripoli, the Pacific,

Normandy Landings, the Red Army, the Berlin bombing,

Hiroshima, the liberation of the camps...

Over footage, a mishmash of NEWS ANNOUNCEMENTS, CHEERS,

MUSIC, CHURCHILL AND EISENHOWER proclaiming an Allied victory-

BUT, LOUDER THAN THE NOISE, COMES A BROADCAST

NEWSCASTER (V.O.)

As the Nazi high command arerounded up, several remain missing.

With the world’s eyes turned toNuremberg, the question on

everyone’s lips is: where is Adolf-

EXT. ROSENHEIM PRISON CAMP. DAY (1945)

AMERICAN PRIVATE

Eichmann? Where is he?

An AMERICAN PRIVATE, chewing gum and flanked by two others,

stares at an assortment of Wehrmacht soldiers and officers.

They stare blankly forward, refusing to engage.

Taking the gum from his mouth, the American Private plants iton a defiant Wehrmacht SOLDIER’S nose.

The Wehrmacht Soldier PUNCHES the American Private.

NEARBY:

Hidden by a makeshift barracks and beside a barbed-wirefence, Eichmann watches a FIGHT break out. Sees other

American soldiers running over to help break it up.

Eichmann tears the arms from a jacket. Wraps the sleevesaround his hands. Grabs the barbed-wire fence.

EICHMANN (V.O.)

Dear Vera. My darling wife. My love.

Scrabbles up and, in a few moments, is on the other side.

Quickly runs into the woods. As he PASSES A TREE

5.

8 EXT. TOTENGEBIRGE MOUNTAINS. LOWER SAXONY. DAY (1946)

Knee-high snow covers this lush alpine landscape. All around,

LUMBERJACKS hack at trees. On a stump, an old RADIO.

One Lumberjack chops with a particular ferocity. It takes amoment to recognise EICHMANN, such is his beard and dress.

EICHMANN (V.O.)

I hope with all my heart that youand the children are safe.

Bright red in the face, he stops. Lets the axe slip from hishand. Approaches the radio. Robert Jackson, lead AmericanProsecutor at Nuremberg, in his opening statement:

ROBERT JACKSON (ON RADIO)

The wrongs, which we seek to condemnand punish, have been so calculated,

so malignant, and so devastating,

that civilisation cannot tolerate

their being ignored, because itcannot survive their being repeated.

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