Man on a Tightrope

1

(SIREN BLARING)

(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)

Move those

trucks off the road.

Get them off the road!

Move them off the road!

What's the matter?

Come on. Get off.

What's happening here?

Get off!

(ELEPHANT TRUMPETING)

Move them! Move, move, move!

Come on. Move them! Let's go!

KONRADIN:
Cernik! Cernik!

The tractor's off the road.

It's in the ditch.

Get off the road.

My name's Karel Cernik.

I'm the manager of

this circus.

I have a permit to travel.

Get your wagons in the ditch.

Do as you're told.

That's it.

(INDISTINCT)

Get it off the road.

Change your expression. Smile.

Or they'll know

what you're thinking.

Mr. Cernik.

Look at that. Rear axle

on that trailer's broken.

KONRADIN:
Guys, come on.

Again?

Vosdek.

Vosdek!

Joe, my father wants you.

Be right with you, sir.

Here. I'll finish.

No. It's finished.

Check it, will you, please?

Check your knots.

(LAUGHS)

The rear axle

on my trailer.

Again?

Again.

Call all the men in

the circus by their

first names?

If I know them well enough.

Yes. Why?

I don't like it.

You're my daughter, Tereza.

I work in this circus, too.

I earn what I'm paid.

I'll do as I please.

You are my daughter.

That young man is

a stranger to us.

He's been with

the circus for

nearly a year.

He's still a stranger.

Do you know

anything about him?

Where he came from?

Who are his people?

I know that I like him,

I like to be with him,

and I will be with him

just as much as I want.

You will have nothing to do

with Vosdek outside of

your work.

(HORSE NEIGHING)

What's that

bandage on Maria?

It's nothing. When we stopped

suddenly, she got kicked.

She'll be all right.

I wish we could take

better care of you, baby.

MAN:
Coming through.

(ALL SHOUTING)

Rotten. Rotten.

If that had happened

in a performance,

somebody would

have broken his neck.

Everything's rotten.

You're right.

Everything's falling apart.

Father, I'm sorry that

I flared up.

But you don't need

to be worried about Joe.

He's a good man.

He's decent.

He's clean and...

I'm not worrying

about him.

About you, my darling.

Isn't your fault that

you're as ignorant

as a child.

You haven't anyone

to teach you.

No mother, no school,

except the circus.

No one but me.

I've had no time.

Come on. Come on.

We didn't stop here

just to smoke.

Get moving!

Come on, Max! Get up!

We have a performance

in Volary tomorrow.

We entertain the people.

Get this circus back on

the road. Come on, Max.

Get moving!

Get this circus on the road!

Hurry up back there!

(BAND PLAYING SOMBER MUSIC)

(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)

(BAND PLAYING LIVELY MUSIC)

(AUDIENCE LAUGHING)

Hurry, hurry, hurry,

hurry, hurry.

Hurry, hurry, hurry.

Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry.

Hurry. Hurry.

(INDISTINCT)

(SHUSHING)

(AUDIENCE SCREAM)

Jaromir.

Police are in the house.

What?

Police.

Private or secret?

Secret.

Where?

You sure?

Yes.

Come on.

(ALL SCREAM)

I really frightened

them that time,

didn't I?

The police are here.

Police? Where?

(BAND STOPS)

(BAND RESUMES PLAYING)

Enough!

(JAZZ SONG PLAYING ON RADIO)

(MUSIC STOPS)

Wait! What are you doing?

(SHUSHING)

Police are here.

(WHISPERING) Since when is it

a crime to listen to music?

If you don't mind my asking,

what are you trying to do

with that chalk?

Everybody around

here complains because

I don't work with the circus.

They say

I'm just a piece

of excess baggage.

So, I'm working up an act.

Oh, I see.

(CLICKS TONGUE)

(LAUGHS)

A man in Carlsbad

once told me I had the most

beautiful toes in the world.

Yeah, I know.

I was that man

in Carlsbad.

We didn't

have so many other things

to worry about in those days.

Yeah.

Good-bye.

Be careful.

What are you doing there?

The canvas is rotten!

I didn't pull hard!

Don't you ever talk

to Mr. Cernik that way!

Who's that? New man?

He's the best I could get.

He's stupid.

All of our canvas is going.

Where's Placek?

He's supposed to

be watching that.

He's gone.

Where?

Guess they found

out he was a good man.

They transferred him to work

in a factory in Klatovy.

I see.

Maybe you'll be

the next one

they take.

(SHOUTING) Come on

with those poles!

I hope not, Mr. Cernik.

My whole life is in

this circus.

Yeah. I know that.

We couldn't get along

without you.

Took you long

enough to get here.

Come on with my beer!

Come on!

Mother Cernik, excuse me.

What did the police want?

I don't know.

They didn't talk to anyone.

They came and

they looked at us.

Then they went...

(WHISTLES) Without a word.

They suspect something.

I wouldn't worry if they'd

asked a question or two.

This silence...

MAN:
Everybody outside. Move!

It's coming down.

Yeah.

(SHOUTING) Ready!

ALL:
Ho!

Pull!

You love your flowers,

don't you, Mrs. Cernik?

Oh, yes. They're beautiful.

I love to work in my garden.

It's good coffee.

I don't make it.

My husband's the cook.

(CAR HORN HONKING)

Oh! What's that?

Police.

Oh!

(SHOUTING)

Move those poles!

They're not gonna

move themselves!

Let's go!

Come on, you people!

Are you the manager

of this circus?

No, sir.

He's over by

the horse tent.

KONRADIN:
Baby,

come on. Dance.

Get out.

One, two. Dance. Tereza,

make him lift his left foot.

TEREZA:
Come on.

You are Karel Cernik?

Yes.

You are to come with me.

I'm arrested?

You will be taken

to SNB Headquarters

in Plzen for questioning.

What time is it?

Will I be

able to return in time for

the performance this evening?

Perhaps. If your

answers are satisfactory.

May I be permitted to

put my coat on

and necktie?

Do it quickly.

Excuse me.

What's the trouble now?

I don't know.

They're taking me to Plzen.

Have they accused you

of anything?

They didn't tell me.

Did it ever occur to you

to stand up for your rights?

(SCOFFS)

I haven't any rights.

Nobody has.

When will you be back?

They won't keep me long.

It's only the usual routine.

You know,

one of these days,

you may walk in here

and find I've packed

my suitcase and left.

You think

I couldn't get along

on my own, don't you?

What? I didn't say anything.

You look very nice.

(MUTTERING) Nice.

Don't lie to me.

No, no.

If I don't get back in

time for the performance,

you know what to do.

I know, Karel.

Just keep an eye on

everything, will you?

Watch her.

You think she cares?

The minute he's out of sight,

she'll head for the

lions' cage.

What do you expect?

She's not of the circus.

(MUTTERING)

I love you more

than you'll ever know.

(MUTTERING)

Always practicing

your tricks, aren't you?

It's a pity you can't

learn to do something.

I know a few tricks, too.

No, women are

not like angels.

Don't place them

so high above.

Remember,

no matter what I do,

my heart belongs to you.

(WHIP CRACKS)

Now, come, come, Pasha.

You're showing no life.

We must have

life in the act.

Yes. We must have zest.

Otherwise, the people

go to sleep.

They want you to

frighten them. Understand?

Oh, I know, poor fellow.

It isn't easy to show life

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