Music Box Page #9

Synopsis: Hungarian immigrant Mike Laszlo has done well for himself since arriving in the USA over 40 years ago after WWII's end. He is particularly proud of his daughter, Ann, a successful lawyer. Following the release of some secret WWII records by the Russians, Mike finds himself accused of being a notorious war criminal. He's convinced it's a Communist plot to discredit him and insists that Ann defend him in court.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Director(s): Costa-Gavras
Production: TriStar Pictures
  Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.3
Rotten Tomatoes:
75%
PG-13
Year:
1989
124 min
1,034 Views


- Governments not understand such.

- Who are you?

- That's not important.

I hope you will find them very sweet.

- Wait a minute. Please.

- Try them.

United States v. Laszlo...

...number 89-CM-22-80,

proceedings resumed...

...at the Fo Krhz in Budapest,

Hungary. Counsel may proceed.

Your Honour, I move to bar this witness

as inherently unreliable...

...and ask here to put four questions

to him regarding his reliability.

Objection, Your Honour.

He's my witness.

- Ask four questions.

- Thank you, Your Honour.

- Mr. Burke.

- Thank you.

What is your name?

- Pal Horvath.

- Ls this your signature?

Yes, this is my signature.

Mr. Horvath, on April 15th, 1952...

...you swore in an affidavit

to the Hungarian security police...

...that a man, a Michael Zanavi,

was the Mischka...

...who committed war crimes at

the Lanchid Interrogation Centre.

No, I didn't.

And on November 18th, 1973...

...you again swore in another affidavit

to the Hungarian security police...

...that Michael Bato was the Mischka...

...who committed war crimes

at the Lanchid Interrogation Centre.

I don't know

what you are talking about.

Your Honour...

...I have here copies

of both Mr. Horvath's...

...affidavits identifying

these other men as Mischka.

May the translator read these

into the record in English?

Yes.

" I have no doubt in my mind...

...that the man I saw commit

these crimes was Michael Bato."

Signed, " November the 18th, 1973.

Pal Horvath."

- Did you know of these affidavits?

- I did not.

- How did you find this witness?

- The Hungarian authorities notified us.

Apparently,

Mr. Horvath told his doctor...

...and the following day, he picked

Michael Laszlo out of a photo spread.

If I could get these,

why couldn't the government?

We don't have access

to Hungarian security files.

The Hungarians are cooperating

with Mr. Burke, not with me.

They must've known about these

affidavits. They were in their files.

We are fortunate

some honest people...

...sent these affidavits to me.

I think that's absurd, Your Honour.

This man...

He wasn't investigated

by the Hungarian authorities.

He came by his own free will,

and they turned him over to us.

There's no conspiracy here.

- What did he say?

- I have no doubt in my mind...

...that it is Laszlo.

The motion to bar is granted.

We've all come a long way

at substantial government expense.

Both money and time

have been wasted.

- Your Honour, I'd like more time...

- I'm not finished, Mr. Burke.

You have yet to show me enough

evidence Michael Laszlo committed...

...these heinous crimes.

Your Honour, he lied on his application

for immigration, and he admits it.

- That's what he's being charged with.

- Don't make this worse.

You know you have to show more than

a lie about being in the gendarmes.

I move for dismissal, Your Honour.

The motion is taken under advisement.

We are adjourned.

I just wanna tell you...

I just wanna tell you

I think you'll probably win this case.

Or you'll drag it out for years,

which amounts to the same thing.

But tell me...

...aren't you a little suspicious

about all this new evidence...

- ...that just falls into your lap?

- You just can't give it up, can you?

Why do you wanna punish him?

He did nothing.

You really think I give a damn

about punishing an old man?

I don't have vengeance in my heart,

but I'll tell you what I do care about.

I care about remembering.

It's too late to change what happened,

but it's never too late to remember it.

The case is over, Jack.

You don't have to argue it anymore.

You can't tell me

after everything said in this trial...

...you don't have any doubts

about your father.

I don't have time for this.

Our country has always tried

to be a haven...

...for those who have been persecuted.

And after the war,

we let in thousands of its victims.

But unfortunately we also let in

some of the executioners.

The war was almost over.

We were in Germany, and the Russians

were crossing the Hungarian border.

But the Hungarians

were still killing their Jews.

They turned the f***ing romantic

Danube into their own shade of blue.

- That's what was happening.

- Some Hungarians.

Not my father!

Maybe you should go down

to the riverbank, Ann...

...and look into the water.

Maybe you'll see your face.

You like chocolate, Madam Laszlo?

You like chocolate, no,

Madam Laszlo?

Thank you.

- What bridge is this?

- Lanchid.

Ln English, "chain bridge."

Can you ask him to pull over?

I wanna take a walk.

Zoldan, Magda?

Chicago.

Can I help you?

Jesus Christ, lady.

Lt took you a while to come back.

Perfect condition.

Two-thirty-six even.

Annie, I'm trying to call you.

What's going on?

Can I speak with Mikey?

Mikey.

No, I...

I just got home.

How are you, Mikey?

No, I'll come by first thing

in the morning.

Keep your heels down

and keep your hands down.

And keep him going, keep him going.

Look forward.

Boy, that's good.

Yeah, I like it very much.

Sit straight. That's good.

Hey, you.

Good to have you back.

Good to have you back.

You did it, kid. You sliced some nuts.

You did it.

- Hey, what's the matter? Come on.

- Ask Mikey to come in the house.

- He's right out back.

- Get him.

- Harry brought some reporters.

- Get Mikey.

Tell him to come in the house.

I have to talk to him.

- Annie, come on.

- Go on, Karchy, get him.

Hey! No, no. This way.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you.

Thank you all for coming.

Sorry it's not a prettier day.

As you know,

since you've been reporting it...

...we can consider this absurd case

to be over.

- Mom.

- Oh, Mikey, I missed you so much.

Isn't it great? About Grandpa?

- I told you he didn't do anything.

- Come on, honey, let's go home.

Grandpa Talbot got me a pony.

- I know. Come on. Let's go home.

- Come see him.

- Please, Mikey, come on.

- Come on, Mom.

Energy and money that's been

expended by the...

You go on ahead, I'll come out.

Hurry up.

I think the American taxpayer

has legitimate questions...

...as to how his money's

been spent in this case.

Well, personally I think it is

an official lynching...

...that's been choreographed

by the KGB.

If it's not, it's a very good imitation.

What's the matter?

Annie, what's the matter?

- I know, Papa.

- Annie, we won. The trial's over.

- The judge dismissed the charges.

- I know everything.

Oh, Annie, we won. The trial's over.

We won.

- Harry says we are going to sue.

- Lt was you, Papa.

You killed them all.

I saw those photos.

Lt was you, Papa.

You killed that boy

in front of his father.

You raped that woman,

you threw their bodies in the Duna.

I went to see that place, Papa.

The man's son was 7 years old.

He was only 7 years old!

He was 7 years old!

You shot him in the head.

You shot them all in the head.

You were that beast.

You shot that boy in the head when

he was crying over his dead mother.

You hurt all those people.

Oh, God, what are we gonna do?

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Joe Eszterhas

József A. "Joe" Eszterhas (; Hungarian: [ˈjoːʒɛf ˈɛstɛrhaːʃ]; born November 23, 1944) is a Hungarian-American writer. He wrote the screenplays for the films Flashdance, Jagged Edge, Basic Instinct and Showgirls. He has also written several books, including an autobiography entitled Hollywood Animal, American Rhapsody and Crossbearer: A Memoir of Faith. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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