This Land Is Mine Page #6

another word in court.

Did they find a suicide note?

Hmm, you're a poet Lory, a poet.

Why are you trying to save my life?

I told you - I like you.

Oh, I see. you don't want me to say

anything more in court.

My dear Lory,

it's a peculiar situation.

A courtroom is a public forum.

Of course, we Germans could take over the

whole administration, but we prefer not to.

We prefer to give freedom to those

we defeat on the battlefield.

But freedom must be limited

by the necessities of war.

It's a very small sacrifice we ask of you

when WE are still sacrificing our lives.

I have nothing to conceal. I tell you

these things as a man of intelligence.

Lambert was a tool -

very honest, but not very bright.

You're right, the mayor is

working for his own interest.

We need them. They're in

every country we invade.

Why, even in Germany. That's

the way our party got into power.

They're everywhere and that's why

nothing can stop us from winning.

America thinks of invasion in terms of armies

and aeroplanes, but they are already invaded.

The honest Lamberts and the dishonest Manvilles

are waiting to welcome us, just as in Europe.

If we need peace,

as a further weapon of conquest,

their patriotism will find plenty

of arguments for peace.

What is the United States but a

charming cocktail of Irish and Jews?

Very spectacular but very childish.

LORY LAUGHS:

And England? A few old ladies wearing their

grandfathers' leather breeches. Well, Lory?

What do you say?

Could I have another light for

my cigarette? Certainly. Thank you.

Lory, I'm glad you've decided to live

and be a free man. You're a schoolmaster,

and you have a great duty -

the regeneration of youth.

You must make them ready for the world of

tomorrow. Believe me, it will be a fine world.

TRAMP-TRAMP OF MARCHING FEE TROOPS SHOUT ORDERS

MARCHING FEET STOP ABRUPTLY

Recht!

Professor Sorel!

IN ANGUISH:
Professor SOREL!

Laden!

RIFLE BOLTS CLICK

Professor Sorel!

Feuer!

VOLLEY OF GUNFIRE

CHATTERING VOICES

BELL TINKLES:

You may call your witness,

Mr Prosecutor.

It will not be necessary

to call Manville.

Happily,

new evidence has been found

which will make this trial unnecessary.

Why hasn't the court been informed?

I only found it today among some mail I'd forgotten

to open. It's in George Lambert's handwriting.

It was mailed before his death.

I offer it in evidence. It saves us

from a grave miscarriage of justice.

It shows George Lambert

intended suicide.

Your Honour, it's a forgery.

I know all about that letter.

I mean... Quiet, you fool! One moment,

Mr Prosecutor. What do you mean, Lory?

The letter's forged. Major Keller

told me. The man's insane!

No, I'm not insane. The prosecutor

wrote that letter to himself.

I think he's trying to save my life.

LAUGHTER, BELL TINKLES

This is no laughing matter!

Your Honour, I ask that the man who started

that unseemly outburst be removed from the room.

The court agrees, Mr Prosecutor.

Which of you started that laughter?

SILENCE:

I ask you again -

who started the laughter?

Excuse me, Your Honour. I don't

know but I think I can guess.

Maybe it was the unknown soldier.

Proceed, Mr Lory. Thank you, sir.

I am a very lucky man.

This is the only place left in my

country where a man can still speak out.

I ask that the courtroom be cleared.

He's afraid, Your Honour. He wants to

deprive me of my last chance to speak.

I know I'm a condemned

man. I know I must die.

Are you going to let

me speak, Your Honour?

Or are you afraid to? I demand

that the courtroom be cleared.

Proceed, Mr Lory.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

I'm a very lucky man.

Last night, I had a moment

of weakness. I wanted to live.

Major von Keller told me beautiful

things about the future of our world.

I almost believed him.

But it's hard for people like you and

me to know what is evil and what is good.

It's easy for the working people to know the enemy

because the aim of this invasion is to make them slaves.

But it's easy for middle-class people to

believe a German victory is not such a bad thing.

We hear people say that too much

liberty brings chaos and disorder.

That's why I was tempted last night

by Major von Keller in my cell.

But this morning, I looked out through bars

and saw this beautiful new world working.

I saw ten men die because

they still believed in freedom.

Among them was a man I loved -

Professor Sorel.

He waved at me as if telling me

what to do.

I knew then I had to die.

The strange thing is, I was happy.

Your Honour,

I demand an adjournment!

Quiet, please.

Those ten men died

because of Paul Martin.

They didn't blame Paul Martin -

they were proud of him.

Paul was a soldier,

without glory,

but in a wonderful cause.

I see now that sabotage is the only

weapon left to a defeated people.

And so long as we have saboteurs, the

other free nations who are still fighting

will know that we are not defeated.

Oh, I know -

for every German killed many of

our innocent citizens are executed,

but the example of their heroism

is contagious

and our resistance grows.

Oh, it's very easy to talk about

heroism in the free countries.

But it's hard to talk about it here

where our people are starving.

The hard truth is,

the hungrier we get,

the more we need our heroes.

We must stop saying that sabotage

is wrong - that it doesn't pay.

It DOES pay.

It makes us suffer,

starve and die.

Though it increases our misery,

it will shorten our slavery.

That's our hard choice.

Even now they are bringing more troops into

town because of the trouble that has started.

The more German soldiers here, the

less they have on the fighting fronts.

Even an occupied town like this

can be a fighting front, too.

And the fighting is harder.

We not only have to fight hunger

and a tyrant,

first, we have to fight ourselves.

The occupation -

any occupation in any land -

is only possible because we are

corrupt. I accuse myself first.

I made no protest against the mutilation

of the truth in our school books.

My mother got me extra food and milk,

and I accepted it

without facing the fact

that I was depriving children

of their portion.

You're the butcher, Mr Noble.

Naturally, you wanted to survive and

the black market was your answer.

You keep your business going by selling meat

out the back door at ten times its price.

Some to my mother,

who is equally guilty as I was.

You, Mr Millett, are doing very well in your hotel

although it's filled with Germans drinking champagne.

Of course, they print the money

for nothing.

But with this money,

you are buying property.

Just as the mayor is - I could say

the same about many of you.

If the occupation lasts long enough, the

men who are doing this will own the town.

I don't blame you

for making money,

but you should blame yourselves

for making the occupation possible.

Because you cannot do these things

without playing into the hands

of the real rulers of the town -

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