«ZUGZWANG OF OBER LIEUTENANT BRUNO THEVS» Page #19

There is a funeral procession of Hindu Sikhs. Sikhs are dressed in their national clothes, carrying the body of the deceased.

THE HINDU (V.O.)

On the way to the place of cremation of tribesmen that existed from time immemorial, we were met by a raging crowd. With obscene shouts, in front of the respectable citizens.

There is a crowd of Afghans shouting insults, pelting the procession with stones, rotten vegetables, and demanding to get them back to the India immediately.

112. INT. JEWELRY STORE — DAY.

THE HINDU:

(emotionally)

We had no choice but to endure this humiliation, tame our pride and sacrifice our dignity.

The horror is that none of the elders who saw this outrage tamed and condemned them!

BRUNO:

(nodding sympathetically)

Thank you, Mr. Singh, I'll take your instructions into account!

FLASHBACK:

113. NAT. AN ABANDONED WORKSHOP IN AN INDUSTRIAL AREA — DAY

Bruno, a 13-year-old boy, is tightly surrounded by older boys beating him. He gets punched and kicked from different sides, and name-calling "rusish" sounds in his address.

Bruno's face is covered in blood, he fights back furiously, but the forces are not equal.

Bruno takes a large boulder and hits one of the offenders in the face with it.

The offender falls unconscious. The crowd makes way in fright.

FLASHBACK OUT:

114. INT. JEWELRY STORE — DAY.

Bruno ends the conversation with the Indian, leaves the jewelry store.

115. EXT.KUNDUZ CIRCLE-DAYLIGHT HOURS.

Bruno goes out into the street, squeezes through the moving traffic and smartly jumps into a taxi standing on the opposite side of the road.

116. EXT.MSF HOSPITAL-EVENING. FLASHES OF A CRIMSON SUNSET.

The taxi flows briskly into the courtyard of the MSF hospital and drops Bruno off. He immediately draws attention to a variety stage mounted in the depths of the hospital garden, a farm with lighting devices, sound equipment and artists tuning musical equipment.

117. INT.MSF HOSPITAL-EVENING. ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING

Bruno walks through the hospital corridor and finds Seeta sitting alone in the doctor's room studying medical histories. Bruno fixes her with a loving look and, leaning back against the door, locks himself in. Seeta also looks with love, waiting for his further actions.

Bruno approaches, without looking away, gently takes Seeta's hand and leads her out from behind the table. Turning his back and closing his eyes with the palm of his hand Bruno slowly takes out boxes of jewelry from his backpack and puts them on the table in an open form. Bruno removed his palm, and Seeta beheld a silver set with lapis lazuli and a gold ring with an emerald.

BRUNO:

Please try this on!

Seeta is stunned, shyly inserts the rods of earrings into the ear punctures, puts both rings on her ring fingers. Seeta changes her profile twice with a teasing smile, shows earrings in her ears. Seeta raises her fingers up, shows the outside of her palms, shows rings.

SEETA:

Well?!

BRUNO:

These are my pre-wedding gifts. With a green stone-an engagement ring.

SEETA:

(joking)

Is there any money left for the wedding?!

Bruno is inflamed with passion, leans forward to kiss Seeta. Seeta pulls back slightly, covers Bruno's lips with her palm.

SEETA:

It's still early!

(pause)

My father agreed after long persuasions – mom and mine, to marry you.

But!

(smiling)

With the indispensable preservation of chastity before entering into the marriage bond.

Maiden honesty is the main wealth of an unmarried girl!

We'll have to be patient!

BRUNO:

(shaking his head to the sides, sobering up)

Where to go!

(smiles)

Be patient, so be patient!

SEETA:

In the evening, a charity concert of the beloved Afghan singer, musician Shafiq Murid will be held at the MSF hospital. I invite you to the concert program. Only it will be necessary to sit down among male doctors.

(sympathetically with a smile)

Otherwise, it will cause the indignation of my local relatives and local inhabitants. Afghan traditions are strict and unchangeable!

BRUNO:

What can I do?!

(smiling)

To men, so to men!

118. EXT. HOSPITAL GARDEN — EVENING. DARKNESS. EXTERNAL LIGHTING

The hospital garden is filled with people, aiding for the concert. The concert will start soon. On the chairs in front of the stage sit the MSF doctoral staff, divided by gender.

Bruno is sitting in the center of the first row. Seeta is in the fourth from the edge. Her blue beautiful dress is in harmony with the stones of jewelry. The patients of the hospital are in the back rows, there are no women among them.

The illustrious Shafiq Murid, a short man in a black pakol and a flowered perukhan, comes out to the musicians who are playing on the stage. The audience meets the artist with applause. Murid begins to perform folk songs in a heartfelt way. To the beat of the tabla (an Afghan musical percussion instrument), the ensemble played rhythmic music, inviting active spectators to dance in front of the stage.

European medical staff MSF employees who know about Seeta's Pashtun origin push her to the stage, forcing her to dance.

Seeta is forced to enter the rhythm, having danced incendiously and inspired the audience and artists who clapped to the beat. Delighted with her grace, Bruno claps are the loudest.

HISTORICAL EVENTS FROM THE BOOK "THE GREAT GAME IN AFGHANISTAN".

119. INT. THE HOUSE OF A WEALTHY AFGHAN — EVENING. ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING.

TITLE:
KUNDUZ, SOUTHERN OUTSKIRTS, SEPTEMBER 1941.

The house of a wealthy Afghan, a conversation between employees of the German diplomatic mission in Kabul (residents of the Abwehr) Karl RASMUS and Dietrich WITZEL.

The owner of the house brings chess and tea.

Rasmus takes the chessboard in his hands, opens it, and begins to arrange the pieces.

Meanwhile, the owner of the house pours tea into two bowls, and leaves.

Witzel takes out a smoking pipe — a hexagonal "bulldog" Bruyeregarantie, fills it with BREMARIA tobacco from the Bremen company BRINKMANN, lits it.

RASMUS:

(to Witzel)

Dietrich, but Mahmoud Bek is right!

I do not believe their king Zahir Shah and the camarilla of the Barakzai dynasty - the eternal creature of the British.

I agree with Reich Minister Ribbentrop, who considers it necessary to replace Zahir Shah with the exiled Emir Amanullah Khan.

For joining the axis countries, the Afghans demand from Germany a guarantee of the transfer of the territories of the republics of Central Asia and access to the Indian Ocean, the port of Karachi. In addition, a large number of military aircraft, artillery guns, tanks.

Isn't that too much?!

Unbridled greed!

(with pathos)

Do you know, Ober lieutenant, that by April 1941, the Chief of the General Staff of the Wehrmacht, Franz Halder, by order of the Fuhrer, had developed a plan for Operation Amanullah?!

According to him, 4,000 paratroopers should seize Kabul and overthrow King Zahir Shah. Having accomplished this, the Wehrmacht troops will rush to the borders of British India and, with the support of the rebellious Pashtun tribes, with the forces of 17 divisions: 6 mountain infantry, 4 infantry, 4 motorized, 3 other mobile units, will capture it.

The base we have created in Afghanistan will become a springboard for the offensive.

The adaptation of personnel to the operation in a region with a hot climate takes place in Greece, a special unit of the Wehrmacht "F".

The above-mentioned divisions will be joined by a "Turkic division" from among Soviet Muslim prisoners of war, natives of Central Asia.

In Poland, a secret base for training saboteurs "SS-20 Forest Camp" or "Main Camp Turkestan" has been created near the city of Wroclaw. Ideological support in them is provided by military mullahs.

Sabotage groups of the "Turkestan Legion", formed from Basmachi from the strongholds we created in Baghlan, Kunduz, will invade the borders of Soviet Central Asia. Weapons will be delivered to northern Afghanistan by Luftwaffe planes.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes