The Young Karl Marx Page #4

Work,

your work, can be seen

as merchandise.

Faubourg Saint-Antoine,

Craft workers' meeting

Your labour is sold like merchandise

to your employer.

Except that you're not free.

You're forced to sell it to live.

It's killing us!

- And sell at a low price.

There'll always be bosses and workers.

- Not always!

Saying "there'll always be"

is a bourgeois notion.

Capital wants us to think that.

But everything moves.

Everything is subject to change.

Nothing lasts.

All social relations -

slavery, serfdom, salaried work -

are historical and transient.

The truth is,

current conditions must change.

The bourgeois is still free

to hire labour,

the worker still forced to sell it.

The bourgeois loves talking of liberty

but that liberty is for him,

not for you, as you know.

You sense it in your flesh

each and every clay!

So the game is not a fair one.

That is clear.

It is rigged.

What mistake

do reformers like Proudhon make

in considering equal pay for all

the goal of social revolution?

They dream of improving a system

that naturally produces poverty.

Not of transforming it.

Proudhon is a great man!

- He is.

No doubt about it.

A great man.

Not a great economist.

He has his place in the vast movement

rising up in New York,

represented here by Hermann Kriege...

in Brussels, London, Geneva,

even in Russia,

and above all in Germany,

the homeland

of our famous friend Weitling!

And where our sinister Friedrich Wilhelm

fell victim

to an assassination attempt.

That unfortunately failed.

And also in England,

the home of my friend Engels...

I'm proud to pass the floor to Weitling.

You didn't pull your punches.

My friends, this meeting...

About the attack?

Sorry, I had no time to let you read it.

I don't mind,

but the Prussian embassy won't like it.

I didn't write it for them.

- Just be careful.

If anything happens to you,

I won't be here to defend you.

...different words

to get this feeling across.

Your trunks are already packed?

YES.

Tonight, I'm in London,

tomorrow Manchester.

We'll miss you. Come here.

I'm the one who'll suffer.

What about your great love?

If only it were that...

Hurry back. We have work to do.

Our hearts beat as one!

In the bright sun filled with love!

In the bright sun of revolt!

Yes!

My brothers, my friends...

We are one!

We are invincible!

The first floor.

Come!

Come!

Hurry!

Mr Karl Marx?

Yes, that's me.

On orders of Prime Minister Guizot,

in the King's name,

you are expelled from France.

The King of France or of Prussia?

He's being witty.

Leave within 24 hours.

You must be joking!

You think so?

Your passports.

Within 24 hours.

To go where?

Where?

We have to sell everything.

In one clay?

- We have no choice.

They've all been expelled:

Bakunin, Hess...

Even Ruge.

My darling?

Are you ill?

I...

I'm expecting again.

Yes, Father?

How are you?

How are you?

I'm surviving.

- I call it "being useful".

I pay you for it, rather well.

Is there something you wanted to tell me?

People in my London club, ask after you.

My friend Naylor often says,

"What's young Freddie up to?"

I can't lie. What should I tell him?

- Whatever you like, Father.

Tell him I go fox hunting, play cards

and work hard for you.

What if he shows me that?

What should I tell him?

That it's a work of religion?

It's not what you think.

- Don't play with me.

It is not a satire on religion.

It's against the Young Hegelians,

a subversive group.

- You have no respect for anyone, or me,

but don't treat me like an idiot.

As if you're against subversive groups.

It was going to be called

"Critique of Critical Critique".

Marx added The Holy Family

without asking.

Marx!

Your name linked to a Marx...

May I ask you to give us a moment?

You have fine friends.

I have none better.

You've no idea of his worth.

- Don't provoke me!

I respectfully ask you

not to judge me.

Let's keep this professional.

I'm your signatory

and you pay me as such.

To do you a favour, remember.

My patience has limits.

As soon as I get back,

you start threatening me?

I'm not threatening you.

I'm warning you.

Your brother and sister

are being confirmed next week.

I presume you don't wish

to receive Communion,

Father, why ask me a question

you already know the answer to?

How did this demon get into you?

We go to church, we go to work

and you laze about in dens of evil,

with communists and loose women!

I'm not clone!

Where are you going?

To get some fresh air.

I'm suffocating.

What do I tell your mother?

Do you want a tube, sir?

For your cigars.

For cigars?

Nice work. How old are you?

I don't know, sir.

Some say ten, some say eight.

I'd say six at the most.

Thank you.

Where are they?

Hey, wait!

It's you!

God!

It is you!

- It's me.

Shorty, this is Frederic.

He's not a loan shark.

Who is he?

Well, when he isn't running around giving

money to little rascals,

he's my man.

Lizzy, Frederic is back.

- Hello, Frederic.

Just off the boat, are you?

- I got in three days ago.

Three days?

And you only just come round?

You rotter.

You don't know my dad...

Or rather, you do know my clad.

He's a walking prison.

I only just broke out.

- It's a shame

we don't have a pint of good beer

in the house to celebrate.

Would you give Shorty another guinea?

He's deserved it.

Blooming heck!

- Now run along.

I want to be alone with my man.

- Thanks, sir!

You're welcome.

How are things coming on here?

Any movement?

Oh, it's not just movement, my darling.

I got you the meeting you wanted.

The League of the Just

mean anything to you?

Tell me.

Brussels, Winter 1845

You are banned

from all political activity here.

I signed that, yes.

Here you are.

Can you read this?

I have a family to feed.

I need this job.

Sorry. The postal service

requires a legible hand.

I'll take anything.

Anything-

How is she, Lenchen?

No, not yet, Herr Marx.

Don't push yet...

Stay calm.

Now push... Push!

Why wait? You can go to her.

Jenny!

It's a girl.

Another?

Is that all you can say?

Hello, Laura.

Can we call her Laura?

If Lenchen agrees.

Of course.

Lenchen?

A good job she's here, Karl.

What would I have clone without her?

Lenchen, this is Laura.

Do you like Laura?

It's a very pretty name, sir.

So Laura it is.

My dear Karl,

It's especially horrible

being not only a bourgeois

but also a manufacturer.

A bourgeois actively intervening

against the proletariat.

A few days at my father's

have forced me to face this horror.

Pushing the communist cause,

while working in trade and industry...

it's not right.

I won't last much longer.

My clear Friedrich,

I sympathize with your dilemma.

And I miss having you here.

Here, material life is materially hard.

I became a father again.

Jenny has given me a beautiful Laura.

While I can't feed my family,

I have a new book in mind.

I believe it is important to assert

that materialism as we conceive it

differs from bourgeois materialism

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