The Young Lions Page #3

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Anyway, not after Vermont.

- Vermont?

- Mm-hm.

New York City, I must say,

does have some beautiful women.

Flashy, some of them, but...

You know, I'm told European women

are more mature emotionally.

- They are?

- Oh!

As a matter of fact,

friends of mine have told me...

- Well, anyway...

- What time is it?

- lt's late. We'd better be getting back.

- No, I'd like to go home.

Oh.

- Well, I'll take you home.

- Thank you.

- Where do you live?

- Brooklyn.

- Brooklyn?

- Mm-hm.

Well! At last.

- Now we take the bus.

- Now we take the bus?

- Now what?

- Now we walk.

- (Michael) Margaret.

- Yeah?

- Don't.

- Don't what?

Don't be angry with me.

Why not?

You haven't been very charming.

You have not been understanding.

ln fact, you haven't even been

conversational all evening long.

I'm sorry, Margaret, really I am.

But lately, it seems

we can't talk without arguing.

And you haven't the faintest idea

what's bothering me.

Honey, I'd flip without you.

- You sure would.

- No, that's the truth.

You're so right about me.

I sure am.

Why don't we just sit and be quiet?

And then what?

Then you kiss me.

Then I kiss you.

Oh, Michael, I love you so.

Are we getting warmer?

You'll be happy to know... that we're here.

Good night.

Uh... I want to say...

I'm pleased...

very pleased, I mean,

to have brought you home.

Thank you.

I mean, I'm really pleased.

- Do that with your other girls, not with me.

- Yes.

No! No, I don't.

- Oh, only with me?

- You don't understand what I mean.

You think you're so attractive that any girl

would fall over herself to let you kiss her.

Oh, God.

Never in all my days have I met such

an opinionated, self-centred young man.

- Good night, Mr Ackerman.

- No, don't. Uh...

Hope?

(door closes)

(tapping on window)

(whispers) Stop that. You'll wake everyone.

How do I get back to the city?

You're lost?

No one will find me again, ever.

You're a terrible fool, aren't you?

Well, you walk two blocks to your left,

and you wait for the bus -

the one that comes from your left -

and you take it to Eastern Parkway.

Now, whe...

Are you listening to me?

I want to say something to you.

I'm not opinionated. I don't think

I've a single opinion in the whole world.

I... I don't know why I kissed you,

I just couldn't help it. I guess...

I guess I wanted to impress you.

I was afraid that if I was myself,

you wouldn't look at me twice.

lt's been a very confusing night.

I don't think I've ever been through

anything so confusing.

(softly) You tell me tomorrow.

The bus... to Eastern Parkway.

Don't get lost on the way home.

Uh... the bus to Eastern Parkway.

And then...

I love you.

I love you.

Good night.

Thanks for taking me home.

- Now this is really boring, Brandt.

- Oh, don't be so impatient, Christian.

Wait till you see her. A more delicious

little strudel you have never seen.

Really superb, typically French, and very...

Well... I could use a little strudel, Brandt,

but we have been here...

ja... two hours.

- To be French is to be late.

- Two hours.

lt's part of their charm. I hope they get here

before I'm too blind drunk to recognise them.

Franoise! Of course the men are

Germans, but all Germans are not swine!

- No?

- I promise you, one drink.

Definitely just one drink, then we'll go.

I don't want to be seen with the enemy.

I don't want to be beaten by my neighbours!

I would not look good with a shaved head!

Franoise, please. Please!

All right, I'll go. But not because of

your arguments, because I'm curious.

I'd like to observe one of these supermen. I'm

a city girl and I've never seen a pig up close.

Come on.

Here they are.

Ah! At last you are here. lf you didn't look

so pretty, I'd give you a good spank.

- Perhaps I'd like it.

- We can talk about that later.

How nice of you to come, Franoise.

May I present Herr Leutnant Diestl?

This is Franoise.

Enchant de faire votre connaissance.

- I'm sorry, but that's all the French I know.

- That's all right.

Because you are all the German I know,

and perhaps all I care to know.

And this is my little Simone.

lt's a pleasure. I am sorry we are a little late.

You see? Didn't I tell you

they were worth waiting for?

- Would you care to sit?

- How really gallant you are.

Are you always as dashing

as that with the ladies?

Yes, always, if they are ladies.

I warn you not to be deceived

by this Aryan charm.

He is the most famous lady-killer

in the Austrian Alps.

Oh l l!

Tell me, Lieutenant, how many

French ladies have you killed?

Well, I think that I am not

clever enough to do that,

but perhaps if I serve in France for a while,

I could learn how with your very... kind help.

But I'm confused. I thought

you came here to teach us something.

How to be tall and blond

and clean and efficient.

Perhaps if you were not French and I was not

German, but we were just simply Europeans,

we could... learn something

from each other, don't you think?

United Europe. Of course, how stupid of me.

You German have charmed us so that

I forgot that you were all idealists.

Oh, now, look, doesn't somebody

know a good dirty joke?

Ta gueule, Franoise,

tu vas nous gcher cette soire.

Vise les fridolins derrire.

How many of us do you plan to murder

in the name of that golden plan of yours?

lf there is no unification, we will all

go on murdering each other anyhow.

Listen, I know a restaurant in Montmartre

which has a beautiful garden. Shall we go?

Ja. We can answer historical questions there,

and we don't need to get arrested.

No, wait. I would like to know...

how many French lives you have personally

contributed to that Wagnerian dream.

- Look, this is no longer funny. Let's go.

- Let go of me!

- I want an answer from the Boche.

- Franoise!

How many Frenchmen have you killed?

I've killed no one.

No one.

But if I have to sacrifice

a few lives for peace... I will do it.

Ja.

Even if one of them is my own.

Now I have seen a pig up close.

Thank you for your wine.

T'es compltement folle!

- Franoise...

- Laisse-moi tranquille!

Tu te rends compte de ce que tu as fait?

Tu vas aller en prison.

Ah, Christian...

Good night, Simone. Thank you.

I am so sorry. Really I am.

Good night, Franoise.

Lieutenant.

I am sorry. I should not

have made such a scene.

- No, no...

- Please.

My husband was killed... in 1940, in Belgium.

And all this talk about sacrificing lives

in order to have peace

just doesn't make any sense to me.

The only way to peace

is to stop killing each other.

I think about this...

And I... I wish it would seem so simple to me.

Could I have another glass of wine?

Yes, of course.

This is my house.

This is where I live.

I think that I will not...

try to tell you how lovely...

this evening was for me.

But I would like so much to see you again.

You're still the conqueror.

A young, golden god of war.

Perhaps...

when the gold has worn off a little...

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