Man on a Tightrope Page #2

when all we can feed you

is slops.

Mash made of sawdust

for the king of beasts.

But the show must go on.

So come on, Pasha.

Come on.

We must have discipline.

Show your teeth.

Claw at me. Ah! Come on.

Ah, come on, Pasha!

Come on! Come on!

(CAR HORN HONKING)

Can't you see I'm

busy at the moment?

Why don't you let

Pasha have a rest?

I'm an artist, madam.

I'm never satisfied.

Cernik's going to Plzen.

I told you I was busy.

I have plenty of time.

Everybody's watching.

Come on, Pasha! Strike at me!

Tear me to pieces!

Come on, Pasha!

Strike me. Strike at me.

JOE:
(SINGING)

That day you

say you're mine

For all of

All of time

Some lovely...

Karel Cernik.

You are the owner

of the Circus Cernik?

No, sir.

Bears your name.

Yes, sir. I used to own it

and my father before me,

but...

What happened?

1948, when

the people's Democratic

Republic of Czechoslovakia

won the victory

over fascist imperialism,

my circus was nationalized,

became the property of the

state, like everything else.

I was permitted

to remain as manager.

You have various members

of your family with you

in this circus.

Yes, sir.

My wife and

my daughter.

Your second wife.

Yes, sir.

My first wife died.

She was the mother

of my child, Tereza.

You and your family form

a little clique within

the circus.

I don't know

what you mean, sir.

You have private meetings,

late at night.

Of course.

We get together.

That's the way with

all families, isn't it?

Your circus appears to be

very cosmopolitan in

its personnel.

"Cosmopolitan"?

International.

You have many

foreigners on your rolls.

French woman, for instance,

who calls herself La Duchesse.

She's not French, sir.

She's certainly no duchess.

Years ago, she

married a sword-swallower,

who called himself The Duke.

And when he died,

she went a little

wrong up here.

In a performance in Malacek,

she produced a French flag

and waved it.

That was only in honor

of the memory of her husband.

I confiscated the flag

and burned it.

You have a Chinese.

Yes, sir.

Does he give adherence to

the Chinese people's

democratic republic,

or is he one of the lackeys

of the defeated fascist

regime?

I don't think he knows

what he is, sir. He's

a juggler.

You see, sir,

circus people aren't

like other people.

The only nationality we have,

the only religion we have

is the circus.

We have no politics.

We have no home,

the circus.

Two weeks ago

you were ordered by

the Ministerium of Propaganda

to make certain changes

in your performance as

a clown.

Yes, sir.

We made those changes.

That was in the act where

the other clown kicks me

27 times.

Did you continue to do

as you had been ordered?

Well, to tell

the truth, sir...

Answer my question.

No, sir. I didn't.

You went back to doing it

just as you had done before.

Yes, sir.

Why?

Well, the way the

propaganda officials

wanted me to clown,

it just wasn't funny.

The people didn't laugh.

And what do you do?

Well, I just stand there.

I flinch on each kick,

but my expression

never changes.

And this is

considered amusing?

The audience thinks so.

Can you show us?

You mean here?

Yes.

Now?

Mmm-hmm.

You have to imagine it

in the clown makeup

and costume.

See, he's trying

to make me furious,

so that I'll turn

around and kick him,

but he can't do it.

And then finally,

he's so tired

that he can't lift

his foot to kick

me again.

And then I do turn around...

(KISSING)... and I

give him a big kiss.

The propaganda people

said that in this act,

Jaromir,

that's the other clown,

should represent

Wall Street imperialism.

Silk hat, spats,

diamond studs and all that.

And I was to be

an American negro worker.

And we were

told to eliminate

the kiss at the finish.

Well, we tried it that way

and they didn't laugh.

We worked at it

and worked at it,

but they didn't laugh.

I mean, you can

understand that without

the unexpected kiss

at the finish,

it was no good.

You have your

permit with you?

Yes, sir.

You'll hand it

over to the sergeant.

Will it be

given back to me?

Without that permit,

the circus can't

continue to move.

That will depend.

Mr. Chief Inspector,

I am not a political man.

You will do well

to become one.

I've been with the circus

in this country since

I was born.

I was here

when we were ruled

by an emperor in Vienna.

I was a performer under the

Masaryk and Benes republics,

and even under

the Nazi tyranny.

My circus

isn't much anymore,

and heaven knows

there are better

clowns than I.

All I ask is to be allowed

to continue as a performer.

You have

shown disobedience

which approaches treason.

I've never

been a traitor.

In the past month,

I've given seven

shows free

for the soldiers

of our army.

You were ordered to give

those shows, were you not?

Yes, sir, but

I was glad to do it.

I must warn you,

Karel Cernik,

that you will

obey the instructions

that have been given you.

You will obey them

within 48 hours,

or you'll be transferred

to a field of activity

where you can do more

constructive work

and less damage.

But my circus!

Your circus?

You've already forgotten

it's no longer your circus!

It's the property

of the state!

It'll be

subject to liquidation and

its properties turned over

to your competitor,

Vladislav Barovik,

who has been far more

intelligent in his ability

to accommodate himself

and his circus to the

party line.

Now, pay a fine of 100 koruna

for failing to do as you

were told.

You pay the

lieutenant outside,

and then you may go.

But we shall be calling

upon you again within

48 hours.

(WHISPERING) The duchess.

Hmm? Oh!

And when you do,

we expect that you will

have gotten rid

of your La Duchesse.

Yes, sir.

What'll she do?

How will she live?

That's neither

here nor there.

Just throw her out.

Dismiss her. That's all.

Oh, Cernik.

One moment.

What about that

radio receiver?

What about it, sir?

Is it equipped

with a condensator?

I'm afraid I don't

know what that is, sir.

Surely you're

a good mechanic, Cernik.

You know that

a condensator enables you

to bring in

shortwave broadcasts.

I never

listen to them, sir.

I wouldn't think of it.

I'm sure

you wouldn't.

But as long as the radio

is there, others might.

I advise you,

just to be on

the safe side

with the police,

smash your condensator.

Remove temptation.

Just look through it.

Check it.

I know

where the radio

section would be.

If it's in the file,

it would be back here.

Thank you, sir.

May I go now?

You may go.

There we are.

There's nothing in the

dossier here about

a radio set.

Isn't there?

Well, sir,

what did you think?

You made a botch

of the interrogation.

In what way, sir?

I'm not aware

that I had departed

from my instructions.

You told him the circus

belonged to the state.

Don't you realize

there is no state?

The circus and everything,

but everything, belongs

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