The Night Porter Page #2

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I want everything clear in my head.

Will you eat with us?

Yes, Greta. Thank you.

How's business? Going well?

Thanks to him.

He runs the kitchen.

Go on, Greta.

We want to talk.

Yes. See you later.

- Did you see Klaus?

- Mm-hmm.

- Did he say anything to you?

- I saw Klaus.

He was asking me about that girl

you had with you then.

The daughter of a socialist.

She was--

She was Viennese, right?

Certainly you are a strange lot.

I won't go to the police.

It's all water over the dam.

Klaus showed me--

He showed me a photograph

of that girl,

so I explained I had no memory.

I said I didn't recognize her.

I want to live in peace,

and Greta feels the same.

Thank you, Mario.

I never told anybody how, uh,

you saved your skin.

Sometimes to save one's skin,

there is no price too high.

You can't compare me with you.

I know, I know.

Still, it would be nice...

to talk in peace and quiet.

We could go fishing,

perhaps, if you like.

Sure. If we're not too long,

it's fine with me.

- What about Sunday?

- Okay.

Okay, Mario.

- The car has come, sir.

- Oh, thank you.

I'll be right there.

Well? The day after tomorrow

at the Weber Hotel.

If you take the plane, I'll send

a car to pick you up at the airport.

You're such a strange creature.

Now you wish you were

coming with me, right?

Don't you want to do that shopping

you told me about?

- No.

- I can't wait now.

Take the plane tonight,

or just come with me now.

We can have them

send everything to Frankfurt.

I'm so silly. Come on.

You'll miss your plane.

At the Weber Hotel

the day after tomorrow.

I'll miss you.

Good morning, sir, madam.

Have you made a reservation?

A client said he caught

a four-kilo pike just here.

We didn't believe him.

The water's too fast for pike.

A trout maybe,

but not a pike.

What is it, Max?

What are you doing?

- How much?

- One hundred shillings.

...about 200 were accused

by eyewitnesses,

and the other 100 reported

by the Allies' War Crimes Commission.

Another organization

extremely dangerous for us...

is the War Documentation Center

here in Vienna.

They have files on the S.S. leaders,

I'll see to it that I get

my hands on that file too.

In the meantime, I want you to take

a look at the evidence against Max.

This constitutes documentation

which could be damaging.

This is all due to Max,

on his orders.

He himself transmitted

the orders for execution.

As always, we must find out if all this

is already known to our enemies...

or if I have managed to get

into the archives before them.

And Max can remain in the shadow,

which is what he wants.

We have decided to delve together to the

very bottom of our personal histories.

We have decided to confront them,

speaking without reserve,

without fear.

Remember. We must try to understand

if we are victims of guilt complexes.

If so, we must be

freed of them.

A guilt complex is a disturbance

of the psyche, a neurosis.

Let's not delude ourselves.

Memory is not made of shadows,

but of eyes which can stare straight

at you and fingers which point at you.

Information on existing witnesses

we have from Mario the cook.

We all know him. In particular, Kurt.

He was very useful.

I wanted him here tonight and sent word

to him. Instead, he disappeared.

- Any of you know anything?

- What do you want witnesses for?

Hans, you know all about my life.

Why rake everything up again?

That's my profession. You accepted

to take part in this group analysis.

I know, I know. Somebody speaks

and the others listen.

But in the end, something

happens within one's self.

Something does.

First we were all afraid. Now we're not.

And something else happens, Max.

I play the devil's advocate

in all this, and to do so I...

seek and I find

dangerous documentary evidence,

which I'll give to our colleague

so he can make a nice bonfire.

I also have a nice list

of witnesses I keep an eye on.

And I keep a most

particular eye on them...

because they're not as manageable

as a pile of papers.

Max, you must

have faith in Klaus.

Remember when we had

my trial here?

I felt as awful

as you feel now.

It did me good to speak,

to confess, to defend myself.

It did me good to clash with Klaus

when he accused me pitilessly.

Remember?

When it was over, however,

I felt a great relief.

Perhaps, also, because Klaus

burned some 30 documents concerning you.

Just as he burned yours, Kurt.

Naturally. And now there's no trace of

us in any military archive. Right?

It will be the same

for you, Max.

Klaus?

Klaus, perhaps there are

no living witnesses.

But if there are,

can't we leave them in peace?

Let them forget?

Even if it says 1,000 persons

on paper, 10,000,

it still makes less impression

than one witness in flesh and blood.

That is why they are

so dangerous, Max.

My task is to seek them out,

wherever they are,

and to see that they

are filed away.

Max, our trials

are held in private.

They're also therapeutic, right?

And the more shock value they have,

the more effect they have.

Only eyewitnesses can provoke this...

because they go into details,

they blurt out everything.

You've seen it, haven't you? Only

confronted with their accusations...

can we discover how far

we're able to defend ourselves.

We have to defend ourselves.

The war is not over.

If you want to live hidden away

like a church mouse, go ahead !

But we want back...

the ranks we held.

So we have never given up.

Never given up !

I haven't given up !

I'm still here with you.

And you must be pleased, Max.

I, Klaus, Kurt, Dobson, Bert,

we're all clean.

All evidence has vanished.

I never thought it was quite enough

just to burn all the papers.

I want to be left alone to-- Just

to live in peace, like a church mouse.

I would like to get back

to the point.

It's important that

I find the witness...

whom Mario thinks he recognized.

Who is it?

So far, I only know it's a woman.

I don't know anything

about a woman.

Yes, I want to call Frankfurt,

the Hotel Weber.

Number? Just a minute.

Right away, please.

The number I just

gave you for Frankfurt.

Frankfurt. 347-229.

Yes. Cancel.

Cancel.

Yeah.

Hello? Hello?

What about my call to Frankfurt?

There are no lines to Frankfurt.

Why did you come here?

Hmm?

Why did you come?

Why did you come?

Have you come to give me away?

Have you?

Did you? Answer!

Did you? Why'd you come?

Why'd you come?

Why, why, why?

Stupid !

You!

Let me get out!

- Ah, no, no. Too fast, too fast.

Too long. Too long.

- Tell me. Tell me !

- I want you !

Tell me what to do. Tell me what to do.

Tell me what to do!

No!

I love you so.

- Shh.

My little girl.

No. Nobody's here.

No. He's gone upstairs.

- He has gone up.

- Where?

Well, they called him.

Will he be gone long?

Depends on the lady.

- What lady?

- The American.

The American.

The conductor's wife.

Probably wanted to be cheered up.

- And the, the husband?

- He left.

Telegram... from your husband.

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