All language subtitles for The.Cremator.1969.Criterion.1080p.BluR

My sweet...

This is the blessed spot
where we met 17 years ago.

Only the leopard is new.

Kind nature long ago relieved
the other of his shackles.

You see, dear, I keep talking
of nature's benevolence,

of merciful fate,
of the kindness of God.

We judge and criticise others,
rebuke them.

But what about we ourselves?

I always have the feeling
that I do so little for you.

- We are not doing badly, Roman.
- Not badly...

Thanks to your dowry,

to your blessed mother's support

and the support of your aunt.

Perhaps
I furnished our apartment,

but that's about all.

Dear, I must take care of you.
Zina is 16, Mili 14.

Come now, children...

Cages are for mute creatures.

I've discovered how
I can increase my income.

I'll hire
an agent on commission.

It will be Mr. Strauss.

A good, decent man.

I'll invite him to our party.

We are a lovely
and blessed family,

but I always have the feeling
that I do so little for you.

FILMOVE STUDIO BARRANDOV
presents

as

THE CREMATOR

Based on the novel by

Screenplay by

Starring

Costume designer
Wardrobe

Production Designer
Make-up

Art Director
Assistant Art Director

Edited by

Sound

Music by

Played by
Conducted by

Production Manager

Director of Photography

Directed by

Not a drop of liquor,
Mr. Rybka, just tea.

Mr. Prachar is a poor man.

You may serve weak coffee...
to those willing to pay.

What about my cream coffin?

Smokers must also do without.

You'll neither drink
nor smoke during eternity.

How about next
to this charming lady.

I still didn't
get my cream coffin.

Indeed, Mr. Strauss, working
in contact with confectioners

must be rather pleasant.

But why not offer such
sweet people something...

...else?

Not goods but something more
personal for those fine people.

Offer your treats

and then hand them a flyer
with an application form.

COME JOIN US!

You'll get five crowns

for every subscriber.

Excuse me, Mr. Strauss.
Excuse me, my angel.

A friend from the war,
Mr. Reinke, has arrived.

We fought together for Austria.

A warm welcome!
I haven't seen you for ages.

- You must come and visit.
- Oh, paunchy...

Afterward,
we must introduce our wives.

Mr. Rybka...

What's this? I thought
we were going to a concert.

Well...
they're playing, aren't they?

Are you kidding?

A philharmonic is an orchestra.
I see... how many musicians?

Four!

The others might turn up...
...maybe.

I am sure you love music,
Mr. Strauss.

Sensitive people do.

The poor, pitiful souls

who die without knowing
Schubert, or Liszt...

Are you by any chance related?
To Johann Strauss? Or Richard?

Composer of 'Der Rosenkavalier'?

No, I'm sorry to say,
Mr. Kopfrkingl.

- But I love their music.
- Yes?

Anyway, the applications...

People's suffering,
Mr. Strauss, is another matter,

and animals suffer, too.

I have
a wonderful book on Tibet.

This is Potala,

the Dalai-Lama's palace.

Lhasa.

You can read it
like the Bible.

God knew what he was
talking about when he said:

"Remember, thou art dust
and to dust thou shalt return."

Dear friends, a crematorium
is pleasing to our Lord,

helping Him to hasten
our transformation into dust.

Some object, saying that Christ
was buried, not cremated.

Quite a different matter,
dear friends.

I tell those good people:
They embalmed our Saviour,

wrapped Him in a shroud
and interred Him in a cave.

But none of you
will be interred in a cave

or wrapped in a shroud.

My dear friends,

we live in a humane
country that builds crematoria.

But not without reason, and
not to visit like a museum.

After life's tribulations, they
allow people to lie down quietly

and be transformed into dust.

I have a wonderful book
on Tibet - page 38, for example:

"Suffering is an evil we must be
rid of, or at least alleviate.

"The sooner a man turns to dust
the sooner he is free,

"transformed,

"enlightened

"reincarnated..."

Animals, too.
It takes 20 years in a grave

but just 75 minutes
in a crematorium.

Well, dear friends...

to humanity's happiness.

Now, dear friends, enjoy
the lovely music and dancing.

Partake of the refreshments,
and may no one feel lonely.

Good bye.

- A pleasant and witty man.
- And how he has suffered.

He had to go on disability
because of an ulcerated liver

...or was it kidneys?

Well,
something connected with urine.

Then he lost his wife and son
to fever. You don't like it?

I could increase
his commission if he does well.

Jews are good businessmen.

You think he's a Jew, dearest?
Strauss isn't a Jewish name.

A name means nothing.

You call me
Lakme instead of Marie.

You want me to call you
Roman instead of Karel.

Because I'm romantic
and love beauty, my dear.

That's the one.

And that noble face.

We're framing it
for the Japanese Embassy.

Yes, that's the one.

It's Emiliano Chamorro,
president of Nicaragua.

Yes, it's financial
officer Louis Marin,

Minister of Pensions
under Poincare.

But it says on the frame he's
the Nicaraguan president...

- Never mind that, Mr... - Holy.
- What? - Holy.

Never mind, Mr. Holy, just
cover the name with some tape.

Ah, yes, and something else.

This is the Cremation Law.
Please frame it for me,

and decorate it
with some nice sombre pattern.

Yes, yes...

I imagined
something more cheerful.

I bought you some pictures,
my angel.

With my first extra income,

so our home would be
even more beautiful.

So Zina's practicing.

What a talented child.

Mili isn't home?

He's out with Jan,
Dr. Bettelheim's nephew.

At least
he isn't wandering around.

Jan is a decent boy who won't
go farther than the bridge.

- Who's this?
- The President of Nicaragua.

Let's put him...

I think he'll go here, dearest.

- And where will we hang this?
- In the bathroom.

Do you know, my angels...

this bathroom
is the nicest room we have?

I don't know,
a bouquet might be better.

Or a hunting scene...

...pursuing a deer.

And how's Enchantress?

Don't let
the poor animal suffer.

Would you like some too?

Give it to Enchantress then.
It's yesterday's, anyway.

Help yourselves. May I?

Prague statisticians
say married men live longer.

We're lucky, Walter, and we
should thank our lovely ladies.

Without them we'd die sooner.

When I remember, Walter, how
we enlisted in the Great War...

how we fought and died...

how our poor horses suffered...

It all seems unbelievable.

Peace, justice and happiness
should reign in the world.

They don't drop like manna from
heaven. We must fight for them.

Take Austria. Joining the Reich
was only the first step.

The Fuehrer
is a political genius.

He has rid his huge nation
of poverty and unemployment.

Haven't you seen
our Party flyers?

That's Louis Marin,
former Minister of Pensions.

I bought it at Mr. Holy's
frame shop. He's a widower.

Our nation was wronged
after the war, and those

with German blood in their
veins must put the wrong right.

COME JOIN US

Have some almonds.

You'd rather hear about some
sensational death, eh?

Life is full of tragedies,
Mrs. Reinke.

Mr. Strauss went on disability,
then lost his wife and child.

I don't know... Our children
go to Czech schools.

We only speak Czech at home,
like right now.

All my books are in Czech...

even my book on Tibet.

Our blood is Czech too.

Investigate and you'll find at
least one drop of German blood.

Perhaps...

perhaps a drop.

Well, a truly sensitive
person feels even that drop.

I've got to see Goermann. He's
meeting the Minister in Berlin.

This republic is
an obstacle to our deliverance.

But that would take
too long to explain.

I wanted to tell you
something interesting.

Siamese twins were born;
two heads, two sets of limbs...

Poor kids,
a life twice blessed.

- Where've you been, Mili?
- Right here.

Jan and I
were looking at cars...

Pity you missed
a noteworthy conversation.

Mr. Reinke also went to high
school before going to college.

He is meeting a Mr. Goermann...
and you're behind in German.

We speak Czech at home,
but you should learn German.

It's a huge nation.

Ah, Mr. Strauss!

Go on, go on.

See how successful
the poor man is.

- Good day.
- Welcome, Mr. Dvorak.

Don't be frightened.
I'll initiate you very gently.

- This is our porter, Mr. Vrana.
- Good day.

He has liver trouble, poor man.

I've been coming to this
temple of death for 15 years,

and every time I enter
a holy feeling enshrouds me.

It's like my marriage.

We've been together for 17 years,

and it's still
just as beautiful

as the day we met
at the leopard's cage.

Come, Mr. Dvorak,
nothing to be afraid of.

You have chosen
a beautiful, noble profession.

But one
full of responsibilities.

Good day.

That's Mr. Fenek,
a morphine addict.

Have you heard? The Allies
are pushing for appeasement.

Don't worry.
It will all turn out fine.

Even I might have
a drop of German blood.

One can't help one's origins.

No coat, Mr. Dvorak? We'll find
one and I'll show you around.

Mrs. Liskova...
How about coming too?

You don't know how
our equipment works either.

It's not necessary for cleaning,
Mr. Kopfrkingl.

Let's go then, Mr. Dvorak.

May I smoke?

Of course,
if it makes you happy...

No thanks, I don't smoke or
drink. I'm a total abstainer.

We can hear the ceremony
through that speaker.

Beautiful music everywhere...
Do you like music?

Mr. Dvorak?
Sensitive people love music.

I really love it.

That's nothing, just
Mrs. Lesetinska practicing.

This lets down the catafalque.

Upstairs is the world
of the survivors.

Our work begins down here.

The furnaces always
remind me of the ovens used

for the baking of our daily bread.

That's our timetable.

A schedule of death
no one can avoid...

unless he's
buried in the ground.

Come, Mr. Dvorak.

We have two gas furnaces
which can transform

the deceased into dust
in an hour and 15 minutes.

We take a break
in the afternoon,

and you can breathe
fresh air in the cemetery.

These little windows
allow us to see inside.

There's nothing to see now,
Mr. Dvorak. You must wait

for a nice cremation.

The ashes are packed
into these canisters.

But the soul is not.
It's floating in the ether,

free of the bonds of suffering.
Free and purified it seeks

another body.

Here are
this afternoon's coffins.

The first is upstairs
waiting for the surviving family

to say their goodbyes.

But some coffins
are not sent for viewing.

As you see,
these are already nailed shut.

Just leave it there,
Mr. Dvorak.

It may come in handy.

Today we cremate Miss Strunna.
Can you give me a hand?

Here she is.
I already saw her yesterday.

Her complexion
is remarkably rosy,

as if she were alive.

As if she might awaken...

and rise.

You may think
she's not really dead,

but you would be
in error, Mr. Dvorak.

She has been pronounced dead,

and it is
our duty to cremate her.

It would be very unlucky if
Miss Strunna were still alive,

as she had
her whole life ahead of her.

It would only be lucky
if she were to have suffered.

Suffering is a great evil and
we must try to alleviate it.

Don't worry, Mr. Dvorak,
Miss Strunna is, I suppose

really dead.

Such mistakes usually
don't happen nowadays.

How beautiful...

How gorgeous, my angels.

If only they were artificial
they'd bloom even in the snow.

Mr. Dvorak's so nervous
he smokes all the time.

Come on, Mili!
Don't keep wandering off.

They exercise so nicely.

My pretties,
I know something far better.

- What is it?
- Not afraid, are you?

Laget, the mass-murderer.

He murdered every day...
and every night.

- They look so alive...
- Stop acting so stupid.

This is a wax museum, right?

Now, in dread of His wrath
let's all see the bath.

Lights!

- Will there be water and steam?
- Shut up.

It's just wax museum.

This is the St. Francis Spa,

where people come to fix a flaw.

This lady
will give the baths a try...

She smiles sweetly
at this young guy.

Then sits to calmly in the tub,

but he's planning
more than a scrub.

Old baths.

How much nicer our bathroom is.

- She looks like the milk woman.
- Ssh! You're not at the dairy.

Darkness.

This bloke had the plague
so he hanged himself dead.

He was decisive and brave
and didn't want it to spread.

He hangs here by the neck,
and no one can bring him back.

- He looks alive.
- He's dead, hanged.

This unfortunate lad was
killed by murderer Moore.

It only took
a second with this iron bar.

Sweet, blue-eyed
Moore had everyone baffled.

He murdered 6 people
and ended at the scaffold.

There he is.

- I knew it.
- The hell you did. You're nuts.

I can't even take you to
a wax museum. She's an idiot...

This way please,

toward our wax gnome
by the name of Tom.

He's alive!

The show is through
for most of you.

But men whose nerves are strong
might like to come along.

Here we have various diseases...
pox and syphilis...

Both contagious.

How horrible to die this way.

Indeed.

But modern doctors

can protect us.

Like...

our kind Dr. Bettelheim.

You still feel these tests
are necessary, Mr. Kopfrkingl?

Doctor, I have intercourse
only with my beloved wife.

I'm afraid to seem like
a bit of a hypochondriac,

but I worry about being
infected at the crematorium.

You don't deal with corpses.
Infection is impossible.

How glad I am that
you are our neighbour,

and that my son
is friends with your nephew.

Mili wanders around
and today that's dangerous.

I hear martial law has been
declared in the border region.

That will mean
hell for many people.

Violence never pays,
Mr. Kopfrkingl.

It's not a reliable
principle of power.

This is 20th-century
Europe in a civilized world.

Aggressors are
always defeated in the end.

If you think it necessary,
Mr. Kopfrkingl, come again.

Mr. Kopfrkingl...
Come have a look.

Banana flies,
used for heredity tests.

This one is a 'Drosophila
Funebris', the funeral fly.

Would you like the collection?

I'll let it go cheap...
for just a pinch of morphine.

I have a weakness
for such... decorations.

We have a butterfly
pinned on the bathroom wall.

But where would I get morphine?
I don't even smoke.

That friend of yours
is a chemical engineer...

Mr. Reinke is out of town.
It's mobilisation, Mr. Fenek.

When he comes back then.
I still have a bit left.

I came in early

so I could see you.

There are better
things to look at.

How long have you
been living like this?

Do you find meaning in life
by cleaning every morning?

Times are hard -
it's mobilisation.

You need someone to cling to,
to protect you.

Let's talk about it
later tonight.

What's the matter?

I frightened Mrs. Liskova.

Mr. Kopfrkingl, a crematorium
is no place for jokes.

You're right, bad timing.

I wanted to invite her to
our place for a change of pace.

Maybe some other time.

Well, Mr. Kopfrkingl!
Do come in.

MASSAGE PARLOUR

How sweet and thoughtful of you.

- I bought this for Zina.
- The young lady has a client.

Perhaps you'd consider another?
They all say how nice you are.

You'd have to wait a bit
for Miss Dagmar.

Pity you only
come once a month.

You should honour us more often.

Maybe I should.

I can afford to now.

I have an agent,

and it's healthy.

Ah, Miss Dagmar. You didn't
have to wait long after all.

- Farewell, goodbye.
- Goodbye. Here...

Mr. Kopfrkingl, I've waited
all month. Let me just tidy up.

I wouldn't like my
Zina's present to be crumpled.

We have a new man
at the ovens, Mr. Dvorak.

He helps prepare the coffins.

He smoked
from nerves when he started.

He's not so nervous now.

Thank God
he no longer smokes so much.

Mr. Strauss is a success
at selling cremations.

People at sweet shops
are gentle,

kind,

and pleasant.

Alright, let's go...

I need another agent,
a seller of toys...

or cosmetics.
Either would serve.

I must take care of my family.

We have a beautiful
and blessed home.

I must take care of you
even better.

I'd like to take
on another agent.

Mr. Dvorak
no longer smokes so much.

But haven't I
already mentioned that?

You look so sad lately, Lakme.

anything worrying you?

Any problems?

Our angel's
birthday is coming up.

I bought her an outfit.

Let's hope her Kaja's
as much a family man as I am

Even these died on us.
Everything dies here.

Mrs. Liskova is quitting.
She couldn't get used to it here.

Such a shame, Mrs. Liskova.
Why so suddenly?

Now I won't
be able to take you out.

We're so busy too, and German
soldiers stand at the border.

Even Mr. Vrana can't light it.

You're so upset,
but why would they occupy us?

Violence never pays.

This is 20th-century Europe
in a civilized world.

When does Miss Carska's
turn come, Mr. Dvorak?

Seventh.

The first this afternoon.
No waiting for her, poor...

Miss Carska.

She was
just about to get married.

I'll make sure
she's perfectly ready.

Mr. Kopfrkingl,
I don't want to trouble you,

but have you got the morphine?

I told you Mr. Reinke
is out of town. Be patient.

You can't worry about morphine
with the Germans at the border.

They've convened a conference.
It may mean war, and Miss Carska

was just about to get married.

"How horrible it is to lose

"so many
loved ones in their prime.

"Frost burns
flowers' flushed cheeks,

"and the Angel of Death
takes his toll."

An educated speaker.

They're playing
Dvorak's 'Largo', Mr. Dvorak.

In 75 minutes Miss Carska's
ashes will fill an urn.

But not her soul.

That can't be.

It will be reincarnated,
liberated, as the Tibetans say.

It will rise into the ether.

You know, premature death is
a blessing only if it relieves

...great suffering.

I'd like to leave, too.

I think I'd be
happier in a boiler room.

What's wrong now, Mr. Dvorak?

I thought
you had overcome your fears.

I was even telling
my dear wife you smoked less.

Boiler work is a humiliation.

Help yourselves, dear children,
Kaja, girls, Vojta...

Much has happened since the
border regions were occupied.

Lovely music...

Let's see
what they say in the papers.

CHERRY BOMBS, SKY ROCKETS

Mili, what odd ideas you have.
Never swallow a cherry bomb.

Understand
You could be crippled for life.

Will you take a photo, Kaja?

A photograph eternally
preserves the present moment.

We take photos at work too, but
without the finger-waggling.

They buy them as souvenirs -
the survivors, that is.

Did anyone ever
wake up in their coffin?

Oh really, Kaja...
it hasn't happened yet.

Not even Miss Carska,

although so young
and about to be married.

People do wake up in coffins.
I read about it.

Only if the person wasn't dead.

But it would be impossible
after 75 minutes in the furnace.

In some human countries
they even burn animals.

You'll be cremated too,
Enchantress.

One day you won't even
recognise your present self.

Cremation is humane.

And rids people
of the fear of death.

My dear children...
do not fear cremation.

Zina, why don't you
play for our guests?

How about Mahler's
'Songs on the Death of Children'?

Or something more lively...
Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens?

I'm taking Mili
to a boxing match.

My enchantress almost
forgot to tell me about it.

You've never seen
a boxing match, neither have I.

It seems a brutal sport.

But I'm looking forward to it.

One... two...

You're seeing a truly
manly sport for once.

- I think it rather brutal.
- Tough, yes, but that's good.

You must be brave. Boxing is
for fighters. Man against man.

Why must I do this...
Can we never be on time?

Excuse me.
These are our seats. Beat it!

That pale-skinned
girl over there

reminds me
of a waitress at our club.

- Look!
- Shut up.

- What if he breaks his leg?
- What? Drop it!

My angel nearly forgot
about your invitation today.

- Is he bleeding?
- There shouldn't be any blood.

- Clean your glasses, Mili.
- They'll knock their teeth out!

- Are they dancing?
- They're in the ring, damn it.

They'll hurt him.

The referee doesn't box.
Watch the two men in shorts.

White shorts is a Union man and
red is a butcher's apprentice.

- A butcher! There'll be blood!
- This isn't a slaughterhouse.

Now shut up, stupid, and watch.

- You said he wouldn't get hurt.
- It was a mistake. Now shut up.

It is slaughterhouse! There's blood
everywhere. Why did we come?

Get out of here, you nut!
She's headed for the asylum...

...three, four, five, six...

...seven, eight, nine...

Is the apprentice dead, Daddy?

Death is the only certainty.

COME JOIN US!

Ah, Christmas...
a truly blessed time.

You look radiant, my angel.

Why don't I hang you up
among these pretty angels

and all this beauty?

Don't make them suffer.
They're suffocating.

Ana is coming
soon to kill them.

Why is Ana coming?
Can't you do it?

Dear child, of course I could,
but I don't like to.

Ana is used to it.
She's a good old soul.

Come, children,
we needn't watch.

Leave her here.
My sweet one enjoys the entrails.

One of them is dead by now...
if Ana hit it well.

It's soul
is already in the ether.

Now the second one is dead.

You may play with
their soul-bladders.

But those are really their lungs.

Their true souls may have
just reincarnated...

into cats, maybe.

We may have once eaten
Enchantress as a carp.

We may even
eat her again sometime as...

something else.

But before enjoying our repast
we'll wait for Mr. Reinke.

A pretty Christmas tree.
Any carp?

Two. My angel is frying them
on our little home furnace.

Her blessed mother
used to make jellied carp,

a foreign recipe,
but we do it Czech style.

With carp, okay.
But don't you feel our blood?

We're fighting for the cause
and you fry carp the Czech way?

I thought you opposed violence,
wanted justice and salvation.

This republic
is a bastion for our enemies.

It's a humanitarian
state with good laws.

For instance,
the one on cremation.

We will implement a higher
moral code, a new world order.

You are an honest
sensitive, dutiful man.

You are strong and brave.
A pure Germanic soul.

Listen, Karel,
we want to put you to the test.

On March 6th there will
be some kind of celebration

at the Jewish Town Hall
here in Prague.

Get your old Jew
Bettelheim to invite you,

the one who got rich curing VD.

Listen to their talk,
their opinions...

It's a way of helping
the poor unfortunate Jews.

How is it going to help them?

They are poor, misguided
people who understand nothing.

They fight against our Fuehrer
because they don't get it.

They are a lost nation
which understands nothing.

You can help them by finding
out what they say and think...

Walter won't
be having almonds today, dear.

I bought you an application
to join the Party.

Become a member.
There's still time.

I have to go now.

The wife and I are spending
Christmas Eve at the casino.

We usually don't
bring our wives.

We already have
excellent companions there.

Gorgeous blondes only.

Have a look. Of course,
only Party members are allowed.

Germans like you and me.

"Mother tongue"

"I declare... No Jewish blood...
I claim German citizenship..."

All blondes...
I'll have to get used to it.

Now it's really Christmas.
Candles at home, for once.

I usually see them
on the catafalque and on graves.

I wonder what
the Bettelheims are doing.

Celebrating Christmas like us
even though they're Jews?

He's rich, the poor man,
living off other's misfortunes.

It's Christmas Eve, my dears,
and the temple of death is idle.

No cremating today, but they
should cremate on Christmas

when so many souls
need emancipating,

need liberating
into space to find new bodies.

Christmas should be for
the dead, too.

At least the carp
have profited.

Just as a token. I don't drink.
I'm an abstainer.

Germans don't drink either.

That humane nation
also has a cremation law.

A great future awaits them.
Unfortunately...

I hope we, too, belong
to this chosen people

who will implement
a higher moral code.

Blood is blood
and cannot be renounced.

Do you still feel it's
necessary, Mr. Kopfrkingl?

What kind of blood do I have,
Doctor?

It'll be negative, as usual.

That's not what I meant.
I was wondering...

whether it's Czech blood...

or German?

It's impossible to tell.

Well, then,
whether it's Slavic or Germanic?

There's no difference in blood.
The same as with human ashes.

You yourself always say that -
whether French or Spanish,

doctor or clerk...
It's all the same.

Isn't the Jewish community

planning some kind of
celebration with pretty songs?

You mean Chevra Suda, a dinner
at the Funeral Brotherhood Hall.

It won't be so nice this year.
Would you like to come?

At the Funeral Brotherhood Hall.

What a magnificent tremolo.

They called the Fuehrer
a fraud and a blackguard.

What a gorgeous voice...

So sad...

Didn't they say that Party
members would be eliminated?

Yes, there were lots of
them there, speaking, eating...

And that cantor,
those high notes...

So they said they'd destroy
Germany and assume power?

Yes, assume power...
And the singing was so soft,

so heartrending...

They said they'd bury Germany?

The Reich!

Yes, yes.
It was like a grand funeral.

You're right...
It's heavenly here,

and no one is suffering.

Soon there will be no suffering
anywhere: Warsaw, Paris,

London, New York...

They'll be liberated
just like Bohemia and Moravia.

Not even horses need suffer.
The Reich's army is mechanised.

You didn't see any horses
when Prague was occupied, right?

It's all mechanised, automated -
just like your crematorium.

The Fuehrer
is building a paradise.

- Good evening.
- We must celebrate our victory!

Hold on, hold on...

- Cheers!
- Quick!

I'm an abstainer.
I don't even smoke.

Today doesn't count.

I'll remember
March 15th my whole... life.

Just a token drop, then.

We have enemies, Karl.

Even at the crematorium.

We rely on you.

You're our only man there,
and you're a Party member.

What's the situation?

Some people
just don't understand,

like Zajic,

Fenek,

Beran,

Podzimkova,

Pelikan,

or the porter... Vrana.

There's something wrong with
his liver, but still...

He's an inveterate
enemy of the Reich.

Or... Liskova.

She used to clean but quit last
year. We can find her easily.

And the director
of my temple of death...

He also lacks the proper
attitude towards the Reich

I'd like to burn all Germans
in these ovens, he said once.

I don't think
he should remain director.

We'll take care of it.

And what about those poor,
unfortunate Jews of yours?

You employ two of them.

Well, Mr. Strauss...

is a good...

decent man...

who likes music, a good worker.

He may be doing it
only for the money.

He confided to me that he
disagrees with the Germans.

Dr. Bettelheim's a good man too,

but doesn't understand either.

I'm afraid he's
influenced his nephew, Jan.

I don't like him.
He makes Mili wander.

His housekeeper, Ana...

She isn't Jewish.

She killed our Christmas carp...

But she's probably
also under his influence.

Jews can't be re-educated.
A misguided, unfortunate nation.

As you say,
it's the same with music...

look, the Spartans
killed sickly children.

Some think it cruel,

but, indeed, how merciful,
especially for those children.

They'd have been unhappy,

and how much
better for the nation.

Listen, Karl, your wife's mother
used to make jellied carp.

You called it a foreign recipe.

But that's the Jewish way.

Lakme's mother was a Jew.

Your dark-haired Lakme told me

that you only spoke Czech until
I spoke of your German blood.

She 'forgot about' my
invitation to the boxing-match.

She didn't like
your joining the Party.

What'll she say when you send
the kids to a German school?

You see what she's done to Mili.
The boy is soft, effeminate.

That's the covert
way they operate.

They start with the family,
with the children.

How long, Mr. Kopfrkingl,
have you been married?

Our blessed marriage has
lasted for 19 years.

We met
by the leopards at the zoo.

At the predator pavilion.

We must make sacrifices,
Mr. Kopfrkingl.

I'm afraid
you'll never hold a higher post.

There's no difference in blood.
Dr. Bettelheim says so.

It makes all the difference.
Purity of blood is essential.

Under the just, new order
inferior blood must go.

Isn't your Dr. Bettelheim a Jew?

Lakme should realise
she isn't worthy of you.

It's incompatible with the honour
of an honest and healthy man.

Karl, many problems await her.

Director,
I couldn't get here on time.

I had several
unexpected meetings.

That isn't like you,
Mr. Kopfrkingl.

But in these crazy times
everything is changing.

Yes, we must
expect certain changes.

You've nearly stopped smoking,
Mr. Dvorak.

Mr. Pelikan will take
this fair lady for viewing.

Okay, Mr. Pelikan,
she seems just about ready.

What about my morphine?

You'll get none from me,
Mr. Fenek.

You won't be on my conscience.
I am an honest, healthy man.

If you don't stop
pestering me I'll report you.

Addiction is a vice
incompatible with honour.

One more word and
I'll have you put in an asylum.

Perhaps, Mr. Vrana, you didn't
notice that the fires went out!

And so they arrested Beran,
Zajic and the director.

It couldn't be helped.

Mr. Fenek asked
for morphine again.

He's a weak, destroyed man.

Mr. Prachar drinks,
and his poor son, Vojta...

Who else is there...?

It's just that butcher's
apprentice... That boxer.

Where did you get this, Mili?

I've been to that youth club,
where they train.

Their flyer
said, "Come join us."

How great
to have a boxer for a friend.

You need to be tough and brave.

You've got my German blood
in your veins.

You'll be going
to a German school next year.

A boxer is better
than that Jan Bettelheim.

And what does the boxer say?
What do you talk about?

He says he has to train
hard to be able to knock...

the Germans' teeth out.

That's all wrong, Mili.

When you and Zina
come back from your aunt's

I'll explain to you
how things are.

Go and be good.

Why don't you dress up...

since we're alone?

We'll have a special dinner.

You can put on
your black party dress.

You've only worn it a few times.

Then we'll take a bath
in our lovely bathroom

as would befit a Roman feast.

You see,
I'm to be promoted to director.

And isn't it
our wedding anniversary?

Or that of our blessed encounter
by the leopards at the zoo?

No? We'll pretend it is.

Didn't you enjoy the meal?

One should savour
every day of one's life...

as if it were the last.

Silent one,
the world is open to us,

as are the heavens across which
no cloud has passed for 19 years.

But I noticed that
the bathroom fan is broken.

I've attached a rope so that
we can get to it from a chair.

Do you hear this lovely song?

How poor is he who dies...

without knowing
the beauty of music.

You at least loved music.

Come, my silent one,
let's draw a bath.

It won't be too hot for you.

Open the fan, dearest.

What if I hanged you,
my dearest?

May I speak to
Director Kopfrkingl?

Please take a seat.

I was just reading...

May I offer you a cognac?
Or some Czech plum brandy?

No thank you, I'm an abstainer.
I don't even smoke.

The Dalai-Lama has died.

Our blessed land of Tibet
has been seeking

the reincarnation of Buddha,
our Saviour.

After years of searching
we have found him at last.

The throne in Lhasa
awaits you, Rimpoche.

I shall come for you.

We shall then leave
for the Himalayas,

our blessed homeland paradise.

A painful duty has befallen me.

As new director
of this grand temple of death,

my first cremation will be
that of my own beloved wife.

19 years of happiness
have ended in her tragic death.

But truly death
can be a blessing.

A great blessing
if it spares us from suffering.

It can free us from the terror
and anxiety which might...

have awaited us.

That's the last straw...

You have returned
to where you come from.

Your soul has been liberated
and now soars in the ether.

Even the old Teutons,
dear friends, burned their dead,

entrusted them to the flames.

I bid you farewell, my angel,

as crematorium director
and as your loving husband.

But we must make sacrifices.

The only certainty in life

is death...

...and the implementation
of a propitious new order.

The Fuehrer's new,
fortunate Europe and death

are the only certainties
that we humans have.

Heil!

The flames,
my sweet, will not hurt you.

I've also retired Mr. Vrana,
the porter.

He was too old.

As well as Mrs. Podzimkova,
the cleaning woman.

She once said
the incinerators scared her,

so I relieved her of her fears.

I'll keep the others
for the time being.

But Mili worries me.

He is more and more effeminate.
He never did take after me.

- And he wanders about so much.
- Hedvika, throw me the soap!

His mother was half Jewish...
and it shows.

- Good evening.
- Good evening.

We won't intrude. Good evening.

Mili is a Mischling
of the second degree,

a quarter Jew
according to Reich law.

I'm afraid they won't
let him go to high school,

and you can forget the Hitler Youth.

And he wanders about so much.
I think he likes soldiers.

We're almost at war...

He's romantic enough to join up.

Children are always a trial.

It's Saturday and nothing's
burning at my temple of death.

At least you'll be able
to have a look at everything.

At the place your
father started 20 years ago.

- Where're you going, Mili?
- Just out.

To walk a bit on a fine day
so he won't just wander about.

These are revolutionary times.

We must bravely bear...
our pain and suffering.

Your blessed mother...

I wonder what she's
been reincarnated into?

Would you like a cream coffin
or a vanilla wreath?

Both, I guess.

Just the wreath
or you won't eat your dinner.

Let's walk through the cemetery.

I used to take walks here
before I became director.

Go on, go on! Don't say a word.

You think you're at a carnival?

You see how crazy she is?
She thinks she's at the fair.

Stop or I'll kill you!

Come along... It's nothing.

Did you enjoy
your vanilla wreath?

That's good.

One shouldn't
desecrate a sacred place.

That's not for you, Mili.

Look, isn't that
a nice gravestone?

Do you see there? Greek torches...

like in ancient Sparta.

They've been burning
ever since we hired new people.

But they're not burning.

Come along.

This is where people
are turned into dust.

Don't be frightened, Mili.
I'm here with you.

Mr. Dvorak...

this is the preparation room.

This one is nailed shut
because it won't go for viewing.

The ceremony is Monday
and then straight into the oven.

It holds a brave
pure-blooded German.

No weak, effeminate soul.
Pure origins.

Wipe your glasses
so you won't ruin your eyes.

Mr. Dvorak wanted
to get rid of this bar,

but I said it might
come in handy sometime.

There's no difference
between human ashes.

Mili, what about if I...

...put you in with him?

Daddy...

Rimpoche, it's time.

The throne awaits you.

Our beloved Tibet
awaits its ruler.

The wall obscuring
your vision has fallen.

The heavens have opened,
stars shine above...

You will save the world.

You are Buddha.

Yes, the heavens have opened,
the stars above are infinite...

As I read for years in my book
about Tibet by David-Neel:

"free all creatures from
the suffering that awaits them."

I must save one more good soul.

Save her from
the suffering in store for her

in the coming
blissful life which awaits.

Wait until next Saturday,
my son.

So that's it, Mr. Kopfrkingl...

We have to test certain...
as you know...

But it's all top secret.

You have 20 years experience...

A gas furnace of the future...

You'll be the expert in charge.
But absolute secrecy is vital.

It's top secret.

Naturally,
I understand completely.

Equipment for incinerating
as many people as possible

to free them from
the shackles of this world,

and let them
dissolve into the ether.

What a tremendous opportunity.

My crematorium takes 75 minutes
to change each corpse into dust.

If we had huge furnaces
to hold a hundred,

five hundred,
a thousand,

it could be done in 10 minutes.

Entire halls in constant
operation would be economical.

Hundreds fed into one side,
ashes streaming out the other.

They'd get mixed, true,
but ashes don't differ...

And liberated souls
would gush from the chimneys.

We could quickly liberate
all humanity, the whole world.

Poor Mr. Prachar, Vojta...
What luck for the Bettelheims,

for all those Jews
at the celebration...

If I gave them hope
that they wouldn't suffer...

If I could tell them
about reincarnation...

Mr. Kopfrkingl!

Mr. Kopfrkingl!
You must be overworked.

You know, a person wouldn't
have to be completely dead.

In such huge halls
constantly in operation

once you entered
you'd never come out alive.

But absolute
secrecy is essential.

Yes, secret...

Absolute secrecy is essential.

I've been put in charge
of a huge project.

I'm leaving my temple of death,
but you can still have a look.

Truly, Zina,
there is still no news of Mili.

He must have
wandered off quite far.

Where are you going, Zina?

Please come another time, Kaja.
I've something to show Zina.

Should I come next week?

Yes, my angel will be so glad.
Do you have your camera?

- No.
- You don't...

A pity, you could have
taken an everlasting keepsake.

No one will suffer any longer.
I am working on a great project.

Let's go through the cemetery.

I used to take walks here...
It may be my last time.

Excuse me, have you seen
my wife? She ran off a week ago.

You met us here, remember?
Have you seen her?

You were here with some boy.
I've already waited a week.

Maybe she'll come back
by herself, the idiot.

Look around where your father
worked for twenty years.

That's a bit disrespectful.
Don't even look, angel.

Look, sunshine,
at this lovely gravestone.

This is where people
are turned into dust.

But the ovens are small. I'm
planning something much larger

...and faster.

This is the preparation room.

The coffin's nailed because it
goes right to the oven Monday.

No, that wouldn't be proper.

This piano teacher will be
far more suitable.

See that bar? I told Mr. Dvorak
it would come in handy.

We must go.

The wall around us has fallen.

Stars and
eternal light are before us.

Now you will save the world.

Rimpoche, the nation
and humanity are waiting.

I'm glad you came.
I will soon come among you.

I shall mount my throne.

But my poor unfortunate
daughter is a quarter Jewish.

I haven't yet saved her.

Don't worry
we'll take care of her.

We'll take care
of her ourselves.

You've work to do, Mr.Kopfrkingl.
Lots of work.

For the nation.
For all mankind.

No one will suffer.
I'll save them all.

I'll save them all.

The whole world.

The End