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I don't find Jewish women attractive...

Mahler was Jewish.

- He converted.

- Still makes him Jewish.

- The thing is... - Please, do me

a favour, change the subject.

Don't drag me into your neurosis.

I get it. You're terribly

troubled, you hear music.

Some of us out here in the real world

have plenty to worry about ourselves.

You never seem to worry

about anything... much.

Don't I?

I mean, as a study in pathological

narcissism, the man's quite fascinating.

Trouble is, instead of strapping him to the

nearest couch and frying his f***ing brains out,

everyone is taking him so literally.

Give it time, Maurice.

Hitler's a joke.

He'll never last.

Would it surprise you to learn that the

Fhrer himself had examined your book?

- The Fhrer?

- Mm-hm.

I'd like you to read this.

One of our tasks here at the Chancellery

is to process the huge volume of letters

addressed to our leader by ordinary citizens.

They give, as you can see,

an unrivalled insight into the spirit

of renewal alive in our country today.

- It's very... affecting.

- Isn't it?

The Fhrer has received several

such letters from the relatives of...

unfortunates with incurable handicaps,

requesting his special permission

to ease their suffering.

- Hm.

- Which is where you come in.

- Me?

- We need a paper from you, Halder,

arguing, along the same

lines as you do in your novel,

the case for an enlightened approach to

mercy death on the grounds of humanity.

That's why you asked me here?

Why else?

I'm hardly an expert.

My mother has been

chronically ill. Tuberculosis.

Yes. Well, the Fhrer himself

said it was written from the heart.

- Dr Goebbels was also very impressed.

- Huh.

In fact, he thought it might make an excellent

basis for a motion picture on this theme.

Ah.

As for myself, I was very impressed

by the humanity of your writing.

Thank you.

So, that's really all

you want from me, a paper?

You will, of course, be

very well paid for your work.

But more than that, your

participation would be, for me,

a guarantee that the question

of humanity remains...

central to our whole approach.

Uh-huh. Yes.

I could perhaps draft

something out by next week.

Excellent. Er, just one more thing.

Before inviting you here we did, of

course, examine your record very thoroughly.

Er, front-line service in 1918,

your work at the university...

Everything... more or less in order.

Except for one oversight.

You never joined the Party.

I did discuss it, on several occasions,

with my father-in -law, Dr Brunau.

He's a prominent member

i- i-in our district.

But at the time...

You see... I've already

mentioned my mother's illness...

And my life was a little...

complicated.

I feel such an idiot. Ineeded to

talk to you, but you'd already left,

so I thought, "Why not come

here? You wouldn't mind. "

- The tram took forever and I started

thinking... - Give us your wet things.

..."I can't just turn up

uninvited at this hour. "

You probably didn't even

know I had your address.

So, I started walking up and down the road

trying to decide what to do and then...

Well, now that you're here...

Do sit down.

Oh.

Sorry.

There you are.

I'm sorry it's such a disaster.

Er...

We'd get a maid... if

we could afford one.

I'll just dry these here.

Maybe if that book of

mine ever gets published.

Want something to warm you up?

We should have a bottle of

sherry around here... somewhere.

Unless my father-in-law's

polished it off.

- I'm afraid we only have brandy.

- Yes, please.

My wife's gone to bed.

That's not to say it's late.

She-she... She likes

to go to bed early.

Catch up on her reading.

- Too much?

- Uh-uh.

Right.

Mm. Ah!

I've been thinking about what you said

about finding something to believe in.

And have you... found something?

- Yes, I think I have.

- Mm.

It hasn't solved my problem.

- Problem? With history?

- People. That's what I've realised.

People are what matter. They're so

much more fascinating than ideas.

Well... y-y-you could think of changing

course to something more vocational.

I want to be with you.

Hm.

Um, I wish all my students

were so... appreciative.

You couldn't get it up? F***!

- Shh! Maurice!

- What? Not at all? Not even a twitch?

Not... entirely.

Maurice! Maurice!

- Look, look, you'd had a lot

to drink, right? - Yes.

You're under a lot of pressure.

- I was a bit... overwhelmed.

- Well, there you go.

It's been a long time since

I'd done anything so...

impulsive.

- And there was Helen...

- Ah, yes, the lovely Helen. How is she?

I couldn't sleep. I

wanted to play something.

- Well, I was just on my way up.

- All right.

- It's... It's another one of my students.

- Ah.

She... Soaking wet, poor thing.

Can't very well go home on a night

like this. I've made up a bed.

Oh, will he be warm enough?

"She. " I gave her a blanket, so...

Erm... Who'll make breakfast?

I'll make her breakfast!

Are you all right?

- I've... I've had some brandy.

- Mm. Come here.

What is it, John?

Your father...

told me I'd never get anywhere

unless I joined the Party.

Normally, my father saying something

would make you do exactly the opposite.

What if he's right?

I hate to see you

agonise like this, John.

Have a little faith in yourself.

You'll do the right thing.

You always do.

Do I?

Look...

I can't deny it, I do find

myself attracted to you.

But in my circumstances as a

lecturer and a married man...

I simply can't.

What was that?

- Must be the start of the parade.

- Parade? What parade?

Isn't that why we're here?

No, this was the most

discreet spot I could think of.

They have to go and have another

one of their bloody rallies.

- Let's go and watch. - No, I really

can't stand that sort of thing.

- I'd rather slip away before we

get caught up... - Oh, come on!

What if someone sees us?

We'll say we bumped into

each other in the crowd.

- Why would we even be here? - To see

what all the fuss is about, of course.

Oh, everyone looks so happy. Anything that

makes people happy can't be bad, can it?

Well, I do find some of it rather offensive.

The ideas behind it... or lack of them.

But feel this energy!

All it needs is a few good people to

help channel it in the right direction.

- Do you really believe that?

- Yes.

Burning all those books

- of course it's shocking, but then,

you said so yourself, wouldn't it be liberating to

just chuck them all out and make a fresh start?

Come on!

There's a considerable difference between

talking about something and actually doing it.

Exactly, men like you shouldn't be

shut up in their studies reading books.

They should be out there, helping to

build a better country for our children.

Come on, please. Please?

All right, just for a bit.

I did give serious thought

to joining the Party,

but somehow I just couldn't quite see

myself marching around and waving banners.

What I mean is...

I...

Perhaps you're right.

A man of your talents would

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