The Exception Page #3

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Do you always follow orders?

What else is there?

I'm Jewish.

I'm not.

Obviously.

I don't care.

One day, you might have to.

One day, we'll be dead.

You have bad dreams.

You have someone, somewhere?

If I did, you wouldn't be here.

And you, captain?

No girl anywhere?

If I did, I'd still be here.

You have to go.

What you told me

about yourself...

Don't tell anyone else.

You're up early, inspector.

The transmitter's right

in the village.

If he doesn't signal tonight,

we'll go in and search.

Hmm.

But that's not why I'm here.

The old man is getting

a visit tomorrow,

from the head of the ss.

- Himmler's coming here?

- You catch on quick.

He'll have dinner,

then we'll take him back

to a secret location.

- I'll notify the household.

- No, you won't.

You can tell the old man,

but no one else.

I'm handling his security,

so we'll search the house.

I'll need a list

of all the staff.

What do I tell them?

They'll ask questions.

Oh, their job is to answer them.

I'll be back in an hour.

Captain Brandt requests

a private audience.

Hmm.

Your highness,

what I have to tell you

is top secret and must remain

strictly between us...

Wilhelm! Oh, captain.

Have you heard the news?

Reichsfuhrer of the ss,

Heinrich himmler,

is coming to dinner

tomorrow night.

Isn't that marvelous? I just

received this telegram from Berlin.

One can only hope

he has better manners

than that oaf, goering.

It is a pity that his wife

is not able to join him,

but still...

Oh, we have

a million things to do!

He came here a few years back,

fat goering.

You never knew

if he was a boy or a girl.

And he came down to lunch

in plus fours.

Plus fours!

My old regiment would have set

the dogs on him.

My husband is always joking.

You must have a great deal

to do today, captain,

so we mustn't keep you

a moment longer.

Better start counting

the silver.

Wilhelm!

I regret to inform you

the gestapo will search

the house

before the reichsfuhrer's visit.

And may I say, between us,

it would be better if the kaiser

didn't air certain opinions

in front of the gestapo.

Inspector Dietrich

has no sense of humor.

Oh, colonel?

Do you keep guns in the house?

Of course. His highness shoots.

- And who cleans them?

- The guns? The footmen.

Hmm. Not the maids?

No, of course not the maids.

Why?

Thank you.

At ease.

Ready?

- Captain.

- Your highness.

You must pay no attention

to my husband's jokes.

You know, there is nobody

more loyal to the fuhrer.

Please.

Now, this visit tomorrow

is of the utmost significance.

It is, of course, well-known,

among those who know,

that himmler is

Hitler's right-hand man.

One hears that goering

isn't quite so trusted

although,

it is due to my efforts

in that direction,

I shall say no more -

that the government continues

to pay our allowance,

which Wilhelm doesn't seem

to understand,

could be taken away

at any moment.

But, before the last war,

he was the richest man

in Germany,

so I'm afraid he has

very little idea of money.

The purpose of this visit

can only be to propose

in some form

the restoration of the monarchy.

Oh, the fuhrer has done

very well so far, of course.

But it is obvious that,

in this time of crisis,

Germany needs its king.

A man of wisdom and experience,

who can ensure

the allegiance of the church,

the aristocracy,

and the armed forces.

I myself have been using

what little influence

I have in Berlin.

Oh, I shall say no more.

But I am delighted that

my efforts have borne fruit.

It was for Germany that I acted,

of course.

Not for the pleasure

of seeing my sisters

bowing and scraping

in front of me.

Hmm.

Do you know, I am not sure

I shall even receive them

in court.

They treated me very shabbily

when I was young.

Captain,

as head of the kaiser's

personal bodyguard,

herr himmler will surely want

your impressions.

May I hope

you will give a positive account

of our humble and loyal

household?

- Of course, your highness.

- Thank you.

- I knew I could rely on you.

- If you'll excuse me.

- Yes.

- Everyone knows.

- Hmm?

- Kaiser's wife got a telegram.

I'll find out who sent it.

May I suggest my men start

at the top, work down?

You come up from the bottom.

Yes, that's just

what I was going to suggest.

It's a madhouse.

It's a damned madhouse!

Who do they think they are?

Who do they think I am?

You should never

have permitted it!

Send me the damned girl!

Take a room each.

Be respectful

of personal property,

but thorough.

I'll start at the far end.

You know, my uncle friedrich

once told me

that a one-armed man

should never be king in prussia.

I'll show you, I thought,

you miserable swine.

The old bastard died just

before I came to the throne.

I always thought

he did it on purpose.

By the way, are you courting?

Courting?

No. Well, not exactly,

your highness.

I mean, there is someone.

Oh, of course there is.

Do you love him?

No, I... I hardly know him.

You know, my... the first girl

I ever loved, her name was Ella.

We had the same grandmother,

queen Victoria of england,

on her mother's side

and on mine.

But Ella...

Oh, she was gorgeous.

Of course, she knew it.

I went down on my knees

one summer evening

and begged her to be my wife.

Instead, she married a romanov.

Butchered by bolsheviks

in a mine shaft.

That'll teach her, I thought.

So,

the moral of this story is...

Be careful what you wish for.

And, as they say, seize the day.

Yes, definitely do that.

Finished?

For now.

- You look happy.

- Of course.

Here am I,

a butcher's son from Munich,

tearing the kaiser's palace

upside down.

That is what national socialism

has done for Germany.

Staff files from Von ilsemann.

- What do you think of him?

- He's harmless.

- I don't like him.

- You don't like anyone.

We'll be back...

Tomorrow.

Get it refueled.

Himmler's coming

to the house tomorrow.

Himmler? The head of the ss?

He'll arrive in the afternoon,

and he'll stay for dinner.

- I can kill him.

- No, that's not our mission.

Well, tell London.

They might change it.

No, it would be suicide!

The ss murdered my father

and my husband.

You're not here for your family.

Tell London.

Tell them I'm ready.

Tell them I'll do it.

Oh, my god.

Oh, mieke.

I'll come to the house.

And I'll give you the answer

tomorrow.

Let's go!

Sorry.

I can go, if you want.

No.

Stay.

Shh.

What is it this time?

Poland.

A village of women and children.

They'd been machine-gunned

by the ss.

It was a beautiful day.

And I thought...

God made this.

God made all of it.

There was a girl.

She was still alive.

I tried to help her,

but she died.

I beat the officer senseless

in front of his unit.

It's men like that they shame

the ss. They shame us all.

But they are not the exception,

they are the rule.

I don't believe that.

I have to go.

- Will you marry me?

- What?

Marry me, mieke. Now. Today.

- Are you serious?

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