In Our Time Page #10

And now, here is

mayor starzynski,

Our courageous leader,

with a message for you.

Starzynski, on radio:

my fellow countrymen,

On the morning

of september 1,

Without warning

or a declaration of war,

The german armies

crossed our frontiers,

Violating every rule of

international law and common decency.

We are the target of

a barbarian aggression

Which has seen no equal

in the past 10 centuries.

Our towns and villages have

been recklessly bombarded,

Our citizens

mercilessly shot down.

And yet, this does not

weaken my faith

In the final victory

of Poland,

In the final victory

of justice and freedom.

You have heard

the order of the day.

Warsaw will be held and

defended until the last.

And if it does fall into

the hands of the enemy,

It will mean that

they have entered the city

Over the body

of its last defender.

This is an historic

opportunity,

But we need help--

As much as we can get.

We call for volunteers,

wherever they are.

We believe that our sacrifices

will not be in vain,

And with our blood, we shall

swing the balance of victory.

As soon as I have

finished speaking,

You will hear the

immortal polonaise begin,

And you will know...

As long as you hear it

being played,

Warsaw still holds out!

Death to the enemy!

Death to fascism!

Well...we haven't lost yet.

There's still

something we can do.

We must get the peasants

together. I want to talk to them.

I'll get them.

Stephen:
and even though

our army is scattered,

We mustn't give up as long

as there is a chance to fight.

The first thing you must do is burn

and destroy everything in sight.

Leave nothing

for the enemy.

But the harvest belongs

not only to me.

You all have

a share in it,

And I won't burn it

without your consent.

Are you in favor of this?

[Opening phrase from

polonaise plays on the radio]

All:
yes!

[All shouting agreement]

I knew you'd say that.

As long as there are

men and women like you,

They'll never

destroy Poland.

[Door opens]

Zofya:
Stephen!

Stephen! Oh!

You're safe!

You're safe! That's all I can ask for!

Stephen!

We thought we would

never see you again.

Uncle Pavel has arranged

for a special train

To take us

to romania,

And from there, we go to monte carlo.

I'm sorry, mama.

I'm not leaving.

Oh, please

don't argue.

You must get away from

here as quickly as possible.

I'm not leaving

Poland, mama.

But...but...

Pavel! Pavel, Stephen

isn't going with us!

Do you realize it's

only a matter of time

Before the whole country

is in german hands?

The mayor of Warsaw

has called for help.

The city is going

to stand siege.

I am not running away.

But it's madness-- Sheer

madness-- To resist.

The city will be

destroyed. We'll be killed.

And for what? What can

be accomplished?

I've heard you say

it before, uncle--

"Let's not fight. Let's compromise."

Yes, I know.

I've made mistakes.

But I did what

i thought was best.

You did what you thought

was best for yourself.

And now, when Poland

is crying for help

And the people are

still defending her,

You say, "give up.

Run away!"

But,

Stephen-- No!

[Polonaise continues playing on radio]

At some point, a man

must stop compromising.

At some point, he must decide

what he wishes to live for,

And what he will die for.

This is so futile.

How long do you think

Warsaw can hold out?

That doesn't matter.

As long as a nation preserves

its honor, it will always survive.

You are his wife.

Can't you make him

understand?

You must realize

how hopeless it is.

But, Count Orvid,

The people are ready

to fight for something

That means more

than life to them.

Not just the

army, the people--

Those in whom you had

such little faith.

Well, Stephen is

one of them,

And nothing can

persuade the people

That what they are

fighting for is hopeless.

Now, I'm sure

you will understand,

But we haven't

very much time.

Very well.

I wish I had

your faith...

But I haven't.

I have nothing left

to fight for,

And now...

Nothing to live for.

My world is gone.

I hope you will have

better luck.

Good-Bye.

[Polonaise continues on radio]

I'll wait for you

in the car, Zofya.

Leopold!

Uncle, won't you go?

Stephen, all my life,

I have done

nothing but talk.

This is my first opportunity

to do something.

You cannot deny me that.

All right, philosopher.

Good-Bye, mama.

Good-Bye, Jenny.

Good-Bye, mother.

Try to understand,

Stephen.

Jenny.

[Polonaise playing on radio]

You know what

you have to do.

Time is short.

Go to work.

[All talking at once]

Stephen,

you'll need this.

I'll go with

the peasants.

Thanks, uncle.

Jenny...

Darling, I know what

you're going to say...

But it doesn't matter

what happens.

I'm with you.

[Distant explosions]

La lechka.

Life has been good,

Stephen,

And it's going to be

even better

For those

that come after us.

Jenny, voice-Over:

for 28 days and nights,

The people defended

the city of Warsaw.

Finally, it was smashed

to ruins--Burned to ashes.

But the people fought

as long as it was possible,

Until at last, starvation and

disease forced them to submit...

Not the nazis.

Today, we have what we needed

so desperately then.

For the first time in history,

The massed forces of humanity

are on the march,

And, like London,

Bataan, Stalingrad,

Warsaw has become a symbol

of the future world

We are fighting

to achieve--

That will be

achieved-- In our time.

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