Man on a Tightrope Page #3

to the people.

That's how you

should have said it.

Ah-ha, yes, sir.

I can see my error now, sir.

Thank you for pointing it

out to me.

I'm not going

to worry about

this man Cernik.

He seems to me a dull,

uncomplicated clown.

Is that what you think,

Commissar Sergeant?

And what do you think,

Comrade Fesker?

I think

that this man Cernik

is far from uncomplicated.

Granted that he

has never known anything

but the life of the circus.

Politically,

he's an imbecile.

I have

a feeling that beneath

the deceptive exterior,

he is profoundly

shrewd, subtle.

There's something in the back

of his mind that might

make me...

He's a dedicated man

with an exalted sense

of individuality.

He deserves to be watched.

Where will that circus

be tomorrow?

Still in Volary.

I'll have a look at it.

The Ministerium of Propaganda

and their perversities of

human nature.

All of those

superior gentlemen

end up in treason

to the party.

He'd like nothing better

than to make fools of us.

Well, Comrade, if he's

going to be watching that

flea-bitten little circus,

I'll see to it

somebody's watching him.

M. 4-2.

(BAND PLAYING LIVELY MUSIC)

He's here.

God be praised.

Get into your own outfit.

I'll be ready in time.

There's no doubt

about it now.

The police have had

a spy in this outfit.

Who?

We'll find out.

Tell the others to meet in

the ticket wagon right

after the show.

Come on.

Come on, Pasha. Come on.

Come on. Come on, Caesar.

Caesar.

Good evening, Mr. Cernik.

Mr. Cernik.

What's the trouble, Rudolf?

I know they're

all telling you...

Telling me what?

But it isn't my fault.

I can swear to that.

Please, Mr. Cernik. Please.

Keep her away from me.

Rudolf Hubmann, you're the

last good lion tamer left

in this country.

If it weren't for that fact,

I should take great pleasure

in killing you.

Mr. Cernik,

the curse of my life is

that I'm a handsome man.

(DRUM ROLL)

There's your cue.

Get on with your act.

(BAND PLAYING

WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE)

(BAND STOPS)

(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)

(BAND PLAYING DRAMATIC MUSIC)

(LA DUCHESSE VOCALIZING)

Madame.

LA DUCHESSE:
Who is it?

It's me, Cernik.

I must speak to you.

I am occupied

at the moment.

Even so,

I have to speak to you.

I can hear you

quite distinctly

from where you are, Cernik.

I've been to

the police in Plzen.

I hope you spat in

their faces.

No. They were the big police,

the SNB.

There was an official there

from the Propaganda

Ministerium in Prague.

Swine. Every one of them.

They told me

I must dismiss

you from the circus.

Accordingly,

I am informing you

that you're dismissed

as of tomorrow.

You will have

two weeks' pay.

Haven't you anything to say?

Go away.

KAREL:
Madame.

Go away.

Madame, the dismissal

is canceled.

Maybe they'll

forget about it,

or maybe I'll think of

something to tell them.

But you're not

gonna leave my circus.

Not as long as I'm manager.

Will you please burn

that flag?

(BAND STOPS)

(AUDIENCE MUTTERING)

(BAND RESUMES PLAYING)

(AUDIENCE CHEERING)

(BAND PLAYING WALTZ)

(HOOTING)

(AUDIENCE LAUGHING)

TEREZA:
Joe. Joe,

let's go for a walk.

No, I can't.

I got work to do.

Joe, come on.

Joe, come on.

There's your father.

There's your father.

Let's go for a walk.

What do you...

What do you know

about this Joe Vosdek?

Not much.

He's one of those

displaced people.

I think the Gestapo

killed his father.

You ever talk to him?

Not much. Only about work.

Keeps to himself.

Got any friends

that you know of?

You know yourself.

Miss Tereza seems to

be friends with him.

Uncle! Kalka! Kalka!

Kalka?

What's he been up to now?

Kalka stole something,

and Konradin wants to

kill him.

ZAMA:
No!

Give it back to me,

or I'll kill you!

No!

Get the fire hose.

That'll bring him down.

Get the hose.

No, no, no!

Never mind the hose.

What was stolen,

Konradin?

My crucifix.

He stole it.

I saw him with it.

It's my crucifix.

I didn't steal it.

I believe you, Kalka!

You believe him.

I'll cut him in half!

KAREL:
Get off that rope!

Come down off that!

Come down here!

Come down here!

Come down.

Come on, Konradin.

Get down off of that rope.

Get off that rope!

Come down!

Now, get out of here,

all of you. You go to bed.

You'll get it back from him.

Mr. Cernik?

Yes, yes.

You'll get it back?

Yes!

And I'll see you in

the ticket wagon later.

Now, Kalka, come down.

(SPITTING) No.

Come down!

No!

You...

Come on down, Kalka.

He won't beat you.

He can get a job

with Barovik's circus.

Mr. Barovik himself

offered him a job.

When did you

see Barovik?

Mr. Barovik

has a real circus.

He has four elephants.

Come down!

You won't be beaten.

You promise?

Yes.

Do you swear that?

Yes.

Come on down, Kalka.

He won't beat you.

All right. Come on.

Give me the crucifix.

Now you can pack your little

bag and go to Barovik and

his four elephants.

You can't do that, Karel.

This circus is

bad enough already.

If you lose Kalka...

Here. Now, get out.

If you lose Kalka...

Come on! Get out!

At last you found

someone you're not

afraid of, a dwarf.

How'd they find out?

That's what I've

been wondering. How?

No one who knows about it

except the six of us here,

my wife and daughter.

Whenever it's turned on,

it's so low that

no one outside the trailer

could possibly hear it.

No, I...

I just

cannot suspect

any one of you.

Perhaps I should,

but I can't do it.

What about Zama?

My wife is my wife.

We leave her out

of this discussion.

Our lives

are at stake, Cernik.

We can't leave anybody out.

If she could

betray you in one way...

Konradin!

I can forgive you

for that only because

you don't know what

you're talking about.

So that disposes of everyone

except my daughter.

Tereza? That's impossible.

Thank you, Jaromir,

and you're right.

But she's a child.

She may have

talked to someone.

She may

have innocently told

someone what we listen to.

And who is that someone?

She talks to

that silent young man

who handles the horses.

Joe Vosdek?

Joe Vosdek.

So he's the spy.

Who'd be more likely?

We don't know anything

about him.

Where he came from,

who are his friends.

As far as I know, he never

sends a letter or

receives one.

But there are lots of people

we don't know anything about.

That's always the way

with the circus.

They come and they go,

and we don't ask

any questions.

Do you think he's learned

anything definite?

No, I don't think so.

But I have a feeling that

everything's closing in

around us.

Yeah.

Cernik.

You know that I've never been

backward in my loyalty to you.

I'd go along with you

wherever you'd lead.

But now,

you look at that

map and you dream.

Dream.

You seem to have

lost the power of action.

You've let that woman

take the heart out...

That's enough, Konradin!

Now, get out!

(DOOR SHUTTING)

Terez.

I'm going with you.

No, you're not.

You don't know

where I'm going.

Anywhere.

You don't even know who I am.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes