The Reader Page #2

and look at you and say:"

"Only one thing

can make us so complete".

"And that thing"

"is love".

- Hello.

- Hello.

- Excuse me.

- Hello.

Do you know what you'd like?

What are you having?

- You order, I'll have what you have.

- OK.

Two frankfurters,

two potato salads,

and two beers, please.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- I hope your mother was happy.

- Thank you.

She enjoyed her meal very much.

Come on.

Here, let me show you

where we're going.

It's OK, kid,

I don't want to know.

What are you doing?

I'm writing a poem.

About you.

Can I hear it?

It's not ready.

I'll read it to you one day.

- Morning, Hendrick.

- Morning, Mr. Berg.

- You're in court 306.

- Thank you.

- You all right, Michael?

- I'm fine.

- Hurry, you know what she's like.

- Yeah, I'll see you later.

- Good luck.

- Thanks.

Please stand.

Please sit down.

The defendant, please.

They're coming.

Hello.

Hello.

- Did you see that?

- Good morning, ladies.

Gentleman, welcome your new

fellow students and be courteous.

Sit down.

Hello.

- My name's Sophie.

- I'm Michael.

The Odyssey.

Take out your books.

Everyone believes Homer's subject

is homecoming.

In fact, The Odyssey

is about a journey.

Home is a place you dream of.

Berg, I don't mean to distract you,

but you're studying Homer,

not Sophie.

It's wonderful.

Wonderful.

It's going to be a great summer.

- Why do you leave early?

- He always leaves early.

- Do you have somewhere to go?

- See you tomorrow.

I'm sorry I'm late.

I got held up at school.

I've got a new book.

The Lady with the Little Dog.

By Anton Chekhov.

"The talk was that a new face

had appeared on the promenade".

"A lady with a little dog".

Schmitz, one moment, please.

I read the reports on you.

Every single one excellent.

You'll be working in the office.

You got promoted.

Congratulations.

Let's get out of here!

Come on.

Michael, we're leaving, let's go.

Michael.

It's meant to be a surprise,

for your birthday.

- Come on.

- What's the matter?

- I'm sorry, really.

- We thought you'd like it.

We've got beer!

We're going to dance!

I promised someone.

Michael, please!

"Here and there the reflection

of the stars and the lights"

"on the bank quivered and trembled".

- Oh, kid, kid...

- What?

Stop.

What's wrong now?

Nothing's wrong.

Nothing.

You know,

you never ask.

You never bother to ask how I am!

You never say.

It just happens to be my birthday.

It's my birthday, that's all.

You've never even asked when it is.

If you want a fight, kid...

No, I don't want a fight!

What's wrong with you?

What business is it of yours?

It's always on your terms,

everything.

We do what you want.

Always what you want.

My friends were giving me a party.

Why are you here then?

Go back to your party.

Is that what you want?

It's always me

that has to apologize.

You don't have to apologize.

No one has to apologize.

War and Peace, kid.

Now you must go back

to your friends.

Are you all right?

It's him.

Good.

Get the boy something to eat.

I think we all knew

you'd come back to us eventually.

Mr. Berg?

It is eight o'clock.

Your daughter.

Thank you.

Julia.

I've not kept you waiting?

I was early.

Welcome back!

So,

how will you decide?

I don't know.

I'm happy back in Berlin, I suppose.

You've seen your mother?

I wanted to get away, that's all.

It was Paris, but it could

have been anywhere.

Away from your parents.

I'm aware I was difficult.

I wasn't always open with you.

I'm not open with anyone.

I knew you were distant.

You know,

I always assumed it was my fault.

Julia,

how wrong can you be?

- I'll see you very soon?

- I'll see you soon.

- Good night, dad.

- Good night, Julia.

Those in the special seminar group,

please stay on in this room.

Professor Rohl will be here

in a moment.

Well,

we seem

to be quite a small group.

A small group and a select one.

Really, this is going to be

a unique seminar.

We are going to start

with a reading list, gentlemen.

Karl Jaspers...

And ladies.

The Question of German Guilt.

So, this is where you are.

Yes.

Come in.

You take work seriously.

I don't know.

You're rather a serious boy.

It's how I was brought up.

What about you?

Are you serious?

Sure you want to work tonight?

Yeah.

But I won't work every night.

See you tomorrow.

Do you need a hand?

Why all the police?

They're worried

about demonstrators.

For or against?

Both.

Wow, it's a circus.

All rise.

All photographers

are now asked to leave.

This court is now in session.

Please sit down.

First I'm going to hear motions from

each of the defendants' lawyers.

They argue that there is no reason

to keep their defendants in jail

until the outcome

of their trial.

- I'll take it case by case.

- Want a pen?

I've got a pen.

Hanna Schmitz.

Your name is Hanna Schmitz?

Yes.

Can you speak louder, please?

- My name is Hanna Schmitz.

- Thank you.

You were born on October 21, 1922?

Yes.

At Hermannstadt.

And you're now 43 years old?

Yes.

You joined the SS in 1943?

Yes.

What was your reason for joining?

You were working

at the Siemens factory at the time?

Yes.

You'd been offered a promotion.

Why did you prefer to join the SS?

Objection.

I'll rephrase my question.

I'm trying to ascertain

if she joined the SS freely,

of her own free will.

I heard there were jobs.

Go on.

I was working at Siemens

when I heard the SS was recruiting.

Did you know the kind of work

you'd be expected to do?

They were looking for guards.

I applied for a job.

- And you worked first at Auschwitz?

- Yes.

Until 1944.

Then you were moved

to a smaller camp near Krakow.

- Yes.

- Are you OK?

- You then helped move prisoners...

- Yes.

To the west, in the winter of 1944,

in the so-called "death marches"?

So what did you think?

I don't know.

It wasn't quite

what I was expecting.

Wasn't it?

In what way?

What were you expecting?

I thought it was exciting.

Exciting?

Why? Why did you think

it was exciting?

Because it's justice.

Societies

think they operate

by something called morality,

but they don't.

They operate

by something called law.

You're not guilty of anything

merely by working at Auschwitz.

8,000 people worked at Auschwitz.

Precisely 19 have been convicted

and only six for murder.

To prove murder

you have to prove intent.

That's the law.

The question is never

"Was it wrong?",

but "Was it legal?"

And not by our laws.

No.

By the laws at the time.

But isn't that...

What?

Narrow?

Oh, yes, the law is narrow.

On the other hand,

I suspect people

who kill other people

tend to be aware that it's wrong.

Miss Schmitz,

you're familiar with this book?

Yes.

Parts of it have already

been read out in court.

It's by a survivor,

a prisoner who survived,

Ilana Mather.

She was in the camp

when she was a child, wasn't she?

- She was with her mother.

- Yes.

In the book, she describes

a selection process.

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