Original subtitles

The city breathed heavier than usual that summer.

Its breath of thick smoke

poured out of a hundred factory chimneys into the clear sky.

We suddenly found this sky incongruous and difficult to bear.

The air weighed heavy upon us.

And the damned water,

which had stunk of chemicals for as long as we could remember,

tasted bitter for us.

But the earth still bore us

and would continue to bear us for as long as it existed.

So we returned to our humdrum work,

which we had briefly abandoned.

THE DIVIDED HEAVEN

Who would have thought it would all be so important to us?

We wallowed in excess,

as if this strange substance called life existed in limitless abundance,

as if it would never come to an end.

You're in good health. Nervous exhaustion. Can you explain it?

Her studies must have gotten too much for her.

- A man? - No, I'd know about that.

She has no secrets from me.

And now for the last dance.

- Could you love someone like me? - Yes.

So began their story.

A banal story, you might say.

By the way, it's all behind her now.

Two years of her life lie behind her.

The brown-haired maiden!

Wearing a brown fur cap, like in a Russian novel.

It's as I imagined it: Us staring at bathtubs and watering cans in the cold,

not knowing what to do next.

What do you mean?

We just let the novel continue.

- For example? - For example,

the heroine now says to the hero:

"Come and meet my folks, who need to meet you

so they can invite you to Christmas dinner.”

Enough plot for one day?

Enough...

More than enough.

Here's to your doctoral exams.

- Let's hope everything goes well. - To your parents!

Thank you.

Last night I dreamt we were celebrating Christmas at home.

My father raised his glass and drank to my health, and then,

in the dream, of course,

I threw all the crockery at the wall.

Must you shock people like that?

Why are they shocked?

- Your father... - My father is a German man.

By losing an eye in World War I he avoided World War II. He still says:

- "Sacrifice an eye and stay alive." - You're being unfair.

Why won't they admit we all grew up without parents?

Warm,

soft and brown.

Look at me.

Like this?

Like that.

I'm not the first woman you've liked, am I?

- Have you had many? - Several.

I'm getting used to all kinds of things with you.

Promise me one thing: Don't try to accept all kinds of things from me.

What could you possibly do to me?

How many altogether?

20 student teachers recruited.

- Not bad for that district, 20. - 19, Mr. Schwarzenbach.

20.

TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGE

- I can't do it. - Yes, you can.

- And you know you can. - I'm afraid.

It can happen:

You can be catapulted from the edge of the world into its center.

All of a sudden, everything is possible: every fairytale miracle, every great deed.

Even today, a girl comes to the big city for the first time in her life.

Thousands of strange faces every minute.

Here, no one paid attention to anyone else.

How easy it was to get lost here.

Is there any room left for your own experience?

Living coffin, dining coffin, bed coffin and kitchen coffin.

- This way. - But why?

Because for as long as I can remember there's been no life here.

Have no fear, brown-haired maiden, I'll show you where we'll really be living.

At any rate, for as long as you insist on boring me with copybooks, private pupils

and whining parents.

You won't stick it out. You don't know life.

I suppose I'll have to see to it that we have flowers.

You're good.

You're as good as a girl can be.

And I'll make you the finest salads in the evenings.

And in winter

we'll toast bread on the stove.

Yes,

that's how it should be.

Listen.

If you...

hadn't danced that last dance with me...

If you'd kept quiet when I wanted to go inside...

It doesn't bear thinking about.

But I'd planned everything in advance.

- I was scared stiff! - No one could tell. - They could!

- I was OK with you. History's always been my favorite subject. - Wait a sec.

I used to sit back there in the corner.

I told them that history was my favorite subject, too.

Later I taught a bit of everything, history least of all.

- What will you do till the semester starts? - Work at the railroad car factory.

It smells of malt coffee. It's a westerly wind.

It's going to rain. Let's go.

My way to school.

And around the corner there...

The river.

How it's changed.

You're really going to the factory tomorrow?

- Do you have to? - I promised.

- If you think it's worth your while... - I don't know.

I'll give it a go.

ERMISCH BRIGADE

THE FAMOUS BRIGADE

She can go with you two.

Brilliant, Ermisch.

One's too young for her, the other too old.

Enjoy your meal, everyone.

Girls used to prepare for marriage at boarding school.

Now they put them in the factory, with a bunch of men,

That was then, Elfriede.

Miss Rita is a modern person.

Things have changed.

Aren't you off duty, Ulrich?

You've taken off your Party badge.

It looks easy, but it's difficult to learn.

Watch where you're going, you morons!

We've never built so many railroad cars.

- We'll soon be stacking them like cards. - Or maybe not.

Did you say something, Kuhl?

- No, we're a famous brigade. - Exactly.

So, now you know the basics, girl.

- Yes, Mr. Meternagel. - They're a state within the State, the Ermisches.

But things won't stay like this.

Mark my words.

Rolf Meternagel is great.

Meternagel? He's still around?

You think the people Father trips up stay down?

I forbid you to talk to me like that!

My son has long chosen to defame his father's responsible actions.

No one can claim I'm a despot.

But there are certain limits!

More soup, Ulrich?

I won't put up with this insulting behavior any longer.

Even if imprudence is a privilege of youth,

the respect I'm due as your father ought to prevent you from being rude.

I know this old song. I don't want to hear it

or anything else you have to say.

Manfred, remember he's your father! Don't cut the ties between you.

All because of that Meternagel.

As if it was about him!

I don't even know your Meternagel.

If you say he's an upright guy, I believe you.

Until last year he was a foreman at your factory.

He didn't mention that, did he?

He had the misfortune to have dishonest people under him...

and my father as his boss.

He let him walk into a trap and shut it at the right moment.

3,000 marks overpaid.

Meternagel raised hell, apparently.

I've always saved my own skin and I've done so for as long as I can remember.

It's the oldest tale I know.

I heard it as often as other kids hear Sleeping Beauty or Little Red Riding Hood.

It's the fairytale of my birth.

There was a man and a woman who loved each other but couldn't have children.

She had several miscarriages,

but they're not part of the fairytale.

And then the longed-for wunderkind was born:

me, a premature birth,

"Too weak to survive," the doctors said.

- My mother nursed me to health. - I feel sorry for her. -So do I.

I used to hear them fighting in the bedroom

whenever she discovered he'd been cheating on her again.

He'd become an executive, had his own car.

A brown uniform hung on the coat-rack in the hall.

That's when Meternagel met him.

After 1945, we were fed up with adults.

We said:

“Let them try and tell us what to do!"

You'll have been learning to read.

After '45, my mother enthusiastically took control of the family.

And one day, a Party badge appeared in my father's buttonhole.

I burst out laughing.

Since then, the mere sight of me is an insult to him.

I've not really enjoyed anything since that day.

Except my job. That's good.

It requires just enough precision,

just enough...

imagination.

And you. You're good, too.

Just enough precision, just enough imagination?

Yes,

brown-haired maiden, that's exactly the way it is.

Long may he live! Long may he live!

Three cheers!

Here's to our 230 percent!

Here's to our brigadier's smart pencil.

That's nothing. Paris is nice, but...

A song. Three... Four...

The water roars down from the mountains

as though it were cool wine.

In the water a fish is swimming

that's happier than I.

You don't easily forget the songs you once marched to...

Happy is he who forgets

that which cannot be changed.

Even if they're no longer of any use.

Hey, production manager!

Come and drink to my birthday!

To our brigadier!

Long may he live! Long may he live!

Three cheers!

- Good work deserves a few beers! - Or does someone begrudge us our beer?

So long.

Pretty young for a production manager, huh?

I knew it.

Your beer's bad, barkeeper.

- You've been waiting for me? - You can bet on it. - For long?

If I say yes you'll get smug and come home every night stinking of beer and smoke.

- Of other people's beer and smoke! - How will you prove that?

Good evening.

Good evening.

Where do I know him from?

That's our new factory manager.

The old manager never returned

from a business trip to Berlin.

West Berlin, you know what I mean?

All hell's broken loose at the factory.

Now it's purring.

What are you writing?

"Co CI2 is separated into alpha-hitroso-beta-naphthol,

annealed at 800° Celsius in a muffle kiln,

and Co3 04 is produced.”

What are you really writing?

That your sweater-to-be will be a prettier blue if I put it in this fluid

and not in that one.

You see, that's very fair of you.

So you think I should wear blue?

Absolutely.

Cobalt blue and no other.

When would they ever be in this position again?

Life lay before them and was theirs to determine.

Everything was possible. Only losing each other was impossible.

A visit brings it all back again.

The whistle of our factory locomotive, shunting off the new cars in the evening.

Where were they headed?

Siberia? Taiga? The Black Sea?

They could go anywhere, if you wanted.

All new things were connected to memories.

What would that strange factory have meant to her then?

A factory like any other: not particularly big, not particularly modern.

But we suddenly felt that everything depended on our factory, on us.

Attention! This is the factory radio station.

Colleagues, we now begin our break-time request show.

No work.

Move.

No materials.

The old man saw it coming.

Guilt? He got out at the right time.

I'd known for a long time that I was fighting a losing battle.

It was only recently that I was able to free myself from my crisis of conscience,

by making the right decision...

They can't blame me for everything now.

Who wouldn't have signed a manager's order?

Don't get upset, Ulrich. What can happen to you?

Where else will they get a sales manager who knows a thing or two?

Greetings to my freedom-loving friends from the happier part of Germany.

One day you, too, will be faced with the same decision as me.

And the new guy?

He's a young man with new ideas and healthy ambition. Why not?

He's an excellent organizer.

I'm only sorry that youngsters here have no time to gain experience.

- What's really going on? - What's going on? The usual.

What had to happen when nobody takes responsibility,

when everyone ducks and dives, right up to the top.

Then one day all the little messes

are bound to turn into one great big mess.

Why are you looking at me like that?

- Is there something wrong with me? - Plenty.

You ought to take a look at yourself.

Why won't you speak, Mr. Meternagel?

Me? I've got regressive cadre development.

Comrades!

Co-workers!

I will now read out the official report of the investigative commission

- into the factory's shortcomings. - I don't envy him.

"After examining the overall situation..."

It's all in here.

STUDY OF THE WORKPLACE

If I've learned one thing in the last twelve years, it's patience.

There's nothing more stupid than misplaced heroics.

Wendland over there? I know him. He'll give the factory a good going-over.

You can count on that.

That means he'll come to our section one day.

I'm waiting for that day.

What we need most are workers:

fitters, carpenters, welders.

The same goes for the whole region.

Nobody will help us.

The way out?

Everyone does the best they can...

honestly.

Can't you go any faster, Mister PhD?

Faster!

You can perform magic, brown-haired maiden.

You'll make a happy man of me yet.

You have just the right hands for me.

How did I survive without you?

And here's the great cannon Isabella,

captured from the Spanish in 1583.

And over here, ladies and gentlemen, you can see West Germany.

- Oh, yes? - Oh, yes.

In the travel brochures it'll soon say: "With view of West Germany".

The most curious of this city's curiosities.

I want a red balloon.

Don't you want this pretty little doll?

Big girls like you don't cry.

You see? Everything balances out.

A balloon.

My aunt once refused to give another girl a balloon...

for my sake.

Can you understand that? I could still cry when I think about it.

You're a white raven. And the best thing is, you don't know it.

What I don't know, you do.

Where do I know him from?

Come on, let's go over.

Hello.

Hi.

- We've seen each other before, haven't we? - That's right.

- And I know where. - Me, too.

We had a club in school. It was harmless.

We were accused of subversion. He saved our necks.

- You were head of the local Free German Youth. - That's right.

Your teachers clearly had it in for you, so I was able to help.

However, I'm still not sure

- whether you actually were totally unpolitical. - Definitely.

At least according to the theory that all thoughts and actions are political.

We're the political generation, right?

My boy...

My interpretation of the theory isn't so soft-hearted.

- Well? - A lovely day.

- Forget your anger at Wendland. - You don't know the old story.

But I know you. You look like you do when you're wrong but don't want to admit it.

Trying to change me?

- You never wanted a wife like that. - No, but regrets won't help me now.

I want to ride on a horse!

No. Now it's time to go home.

But I'll give you a ride.

- So how's the Meternagel Brigade doing? - Same as ever. They're arguing.

- Meternagel's kicking up a fuss, right? - No. He isn't saying a thing.

- And that disappoints you? - Yes.

I understand him.

He doesn't trust anyone.

We keep running into this mistrust.

With the older guys, it's like a second skin.

It's a kind of historical protective layer, I'd say.

They call him "Master" behind his back.

- This is where we live. - I do, you don't.

I'm divorced. My mother's raising him.

You know, I've never had such a wonderful day.

I never imagined what wonderful days there'd be.

This very second, someone is turning 20 years old.

Midnight.

Head over to section 8!

Our overtime's been approved. More money!

You have a fast pencil, Brigadier.

- How did Ermisch pull it off again? - When do we start?

- Today. - Great, my girl needs a new hat.

Two hours overtime.

So everyone will work as much he can?

"Honestly" the production manager once said.

We're the last ones to say no when the shit hits the fan.

And the first to pocket the money.

- Our money! Do you begrudge us? - Our money? You know that for a fact?

Prove me wrong.

They've made you sick of proving things, right, Master?

- Why's he doing it? - What? - Keeping quiet.

The Master? He's had enough of talking.

- How he ranted on about that 3,000 marks! - You all cheated him out of it.

Ask Ermisch.

It makes no difference. He's been demoted.

What does regressive cadre development mean?

He acts as if nothing happened. But it bothers him. He doesn't fool me.

Then he'd...

Then everyone would say he's doing it so he can be foreman again.

I've got a couple of new ones.

Not all that exciting? B. B. shot from above.

Quick. The Master's checking the time.

The whole factory knows Meternagel's watch.

- Who's brigadier here, you or me? - You, of course.

But Meternagel wants more.

We're just foot soldiers to him.

Nobody has to know what he's up to.

We're selfish, easily led,

and one day he'll be a big shot again and we...

I don't mean me.

And we'll be left out in the cold.

Isn't that so, Comrade Meternagel?

The Ermisches are starting their second shift.

You know that costs the factory double.

Oh, Ernst!

- If you don't need our overtime... - You guys need it.

How many frames do you fit per shift?

Eight.

And how many could you fit?

Bye, Mr. Meternagel.

Miss Rita!

Give me the precise time!

Six minutes to seven!

Come over here with that clock!

- Time? - Eight past seven,

14 minutes...

one frame.

Meternagel doesn't get to see the likes of that.

- 60 minutes is the norm for a frame. - You know that.

Why don't you change it, Mr. Meternagel?

Why do you keep calling me "Mr. Meternagel"?

My name's Rolf. Everyone knows that.

Fourteen minutes?

A fine fellow.

He wants to provoke a reaction from me.

So I'll give him one.

He has such tremendous potential.

He has an itch but always scratches the wrong spot.

I just can't get through to him.

- If only he'd cooperate... - Hénschen says:

Anyone who messes with the norm will get his neck broken.

Now I'll open my book.

TIME WASTED BY BRIGADE

- 117 hours. - Show it to the management. - I've got a page for them, too.

- I'm interested in our hours. - I'm not.

Do you always have to go too far?

- Maybe we can work it out somehow. - Sure.

"If upon the dung heap the cock doth crow

there may be sun or there may be snow.”

I hope you are right.

10 frames a shift.

10 WINDOWS A SHIFT, NOT 8!

Don't tell me it's impossible.

Lots of things are possible. But fouling our own nest?

A normal person doesn't do that.

- What do you call normal? - I'll tell you what's normal.

Normal is doing what's good for us.

What makes the likes of us human.

Being a bunch of ass-kissing foots-loggers,

which we've been for long enough, that's abnormal.

You'll never grasp that, lieutenant.

That was a mistake, Rolf.

And I'll gladly make the same mistake again!

What's your Meternagel trying to achieve?

Raise the norm, produce more?

There's nothing unique about that.

But you have to aim for your goal rationally

and not antagonize people unnecessarily.

You think a man like Kuhl can never change?

I'm no dreamer.

What are we working for, then?

You've got to be kidding!

I thought you're either in the Party or you're not.

You think I wouldn't give my all for the Party?

THEY'RE CATCHING UP! 10 WINDOWS A SHIFT, NOT 8!

15 YEARS RAILROAD CAR PRODUCTION

To conclude the official part of the evening,

I'd like to quote our great national poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Goethe said:

"Revel by night, work all day, weeks are woeful, festivities gay."

On that note...

He got that from one of his cards, huh?

- Making a speech is difficult. - Everyone liked it.

They think that's normal.

Milady, you are the queen of the ball.

Do you realize this is only the second time we've ever danced together?

Really?

We're still able to count every single happy moment.

- You like that, right? - Yes, I do.

I saw you dancing.

This is a nice evening...

after all that stress.

- Coffee? - Thank you.

- Being manager must be a big responsibility. - That's right.

- But you get used to it. - Like everything else in history.

People get used to all sorts of things.

Are you sure?

Thanks.

They're arguing about history.

That's what you think. But we won't go into that.

- Wendland's a real a man now. - Drink your coffee. - Alright!

How old are you, Mr... I mean, Rolf.

Almost 50.

You can still visit the house where I was born.

Back tenement. Five boys.

You'll agree that indifference is the foundation of history.

Father was killed in the war, Mother took in laundry.

"There's no poverty where there's cleanliness," as our social worker said.

What makes mankind think it's rational?

We'd have preferred pants without holes.

What was I?

A skilled carpenter and proud of it.

And all the while the war was waiting just long enough for us to be old enough.

For three years I felled trees in Siberia.

But later I realized that that has more to do with carpentry than shooting does.

Doesn't the randomness of history cause us to ask too much of ourselves?

"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."

Maybe not hope, but our illusions.

"The Spirit of God hovers over the water.”

Do you think we invented the class struggle out of sheer malice?

They were in power. I understood that.

Right away, they made me an instructor.

No more quiet life for me.

I was right in the thick of things: directing, giving orders, training.

While my juniors were quietly learning just enough to take my place.

But that's not fair.

That bothers you?

They set you tasks...

that are too difficult.

And they even cheat you.

If you make a mistake...

there's a price.

- But you agree that life on Earth is a cosmic accident? - Cut it out!

If I want to see theatrics, I'll go to the circus.

- Hey, Rolf. - Hi, Ernst.

- What do you wish for now? - The same as ever.

Just one skin, just one breath for us both.

I had a dream.

We were in a small boat, floating through the streets of a city.

It rained and rained.

The streets were deserted, the water kept on rising.

The houses, trees and churches were disappearing in the flood.

Just the two of us bobbed up and down on the waves.

Totally alone. In a very frail boat.

- What are you doing? - We're the lighthouse

and out there is our small boat.

We're responding to its distress signals.

- Will it make it into port? - Of course!

And will it still find people in the lost city?

Yes, the city isn't lost. The boat just drifted out too far.

So everyone in distress will see our lighthouse?

Yes, everyone.

If they want to.

- And no one will sink alone anymore. - No one.

Eight months later, the boat has sunk.

They stand on different shores.

Did no one respond to their signal,

see that they were in distress?

For a long time, she tried to forget. Now she's afraid she might forget...

his face.

She's traced every line of that face a hundred times. It fades...

if she tries to capture it whole.

That summer was lost to her.

Back then, that year still lay ahead of us.

Maybe one day it will be known as "a historic year".

Is something wrong, Sigrid?

Work is possible in

and through society,

which means that its fruits belong to all members of the society.

That was a misquote!

A misquote? Seriously?

Let me just check...

You're right.

A slip of the tongue. It's correct in my manuscript.

You're welcome to take a look, Comrade Mangold.

May I offer you a window seat, Milady?

Do you love me?

A bit.

Are they pestering you?

Is it too much for you?

So what is it then?

They're all so clever there. They think they know it all.

Sounds familiar. They'll stop thinking that way when something happens to them.

Nothing will ever happen to them.

Something happens to everyone. You can count on it.

Take me, for example.

What's the matter?

Nothing in particular.

They've turned down my new process.

- But it's... - But it's good, better than the old one. But so what?

Who says the best process has to be used in this country?

Fight them!

"Do you deny the eternal return of the same?"

This Julien Sorel...

He's supposed to have lived in just one specific century?

In just one specific decade even? Nonsense!

I'd feel quite at home in his skin.

Regardless of revolutions, past or future,

characters last longer than systems of government.

If that's the case...

It just so happens that one's born at this particular time

and in this particular place.

But it's stupid to make a kind of law out of that,

and with moral ramifications, too.

That's for the dullards!

- Then I'm terribly dull. - You?

You're terribly modest.

- If Julien Sorel were here now... - Sorel?

I don't recall him being a chemist.

- Out of the question. - Let me introduce

my assistant, Martin Jung, state-certified optimist,

who moonlights as a standard-bearer for our new process.

Gingerbread from home.

Tomorrow we'll go right to the top, to the general manager.

Yes, sir!

Self-confidence is the thing.

They've got to feel honored we're offering them the new process.

- You understand? - Yes. But no banners, OK?

I'll write a slogan for you and put it in your trouser pocket.

Which slogan?

"For the sake of justice!”

That's the cue for schnapps.

Manfred's a lucky guy. First he invents this process, and then...

- Gingerbread. - Don't you have a girlfriend?

- Women chase after me. - That makes men arrogant.

Listen, Martin.

If he's impulsive tomorrow...

- He can be impolite. - Impolite? He's rude.

He doesn't know how to talk to people, becomes overbearing.

But his process is good.

You know, he's not exactly a hero either.

There's no room in the Plan for heroes. They want chemists.

So you'll reign him in a little?

You've brought me luck, brown-haired maiden.

She's probably been held up.

Most streetcars already stopped running this afternoon because of the fog.

At least take a look at this.

These are for you, my son.

- Who's taken pity on us? - Your Aunt Agnes remembered us...

- I thought you weren't speaking. - Just a misunderstanding.

Sisters have to stick together when times are hard.

Go on. Write a few words to her.

- Could I speak to Mr. Schwarzenbach? - Of course.

Come on in.

She shouldn't keep you waiting this long.

After all, you're worried about her.

I'll go fetch her.

Where've you been?

At Schwarzenbach's.

It's damp.

You'll catch a cold.

He never said: "Wait a while, you'll get used to it."

What did you go there for?

Schwarzenbach understood when I said we're expected to learn from Mangold.

“I can't," I said, "and I don't want to either."

- Do we really have to become like him? - What is he like?

He's a know-it-all.

- He intimidates us all. - Aren't you being a bit sensitive?

So what? We need sensitive people most of all.

My only advice to the thin-skinned in this day and age is get over it.

Mangold must've spent years of his life learning quotes by heart.

Every bit of progress has its price.

Having to deal with guys like Mangold, that's our price.

We've no right to be afraid of them or see them as incapable of changing.

We shouldn't dramatize it either.

A young man with overblown ideals jumps in with both feet,

gets whacked on the head a couple of times,

and so he pulls his head in,

and starts lashing out himself. That's your Mangold.

No one speaks to me frankly anymore. Even Sigrid's been avoiding me.

- What's going to happen? - That's terrible.

But losing your courage would be even worse. Believe me, Rita:

- It's them or us. - By "us," he meant me, too.

There's no one more dogged than a bourgeois.

The ones who cling to us are the most dangerous.

They seem to serve us, but harm us all the more.

Your Schwarzenbach is a Communist. You're not.

Let him fight who he likes, how he likes. But what does he expect of you?

I don't know.

He seemed to think I agreed with him.

If you want my advice, keep out of it.

I'd sure like to.

One morning, everything has changed.

The sober light of the present dazzles you a little,

when you've long yearned for the vague contours of the past.

Now you have to survive in this light.

It's no longer necessary to he sick. We can cope with all words again.

You even hear his name

as if someone were saying "house" or "moon".

Waiting wasn't the hardest part,

it was giving up waiting: waiting for a letter, for a miracle...

Even that's over now.

No one is spared this.

But we knew that already.

You can only fight misfortune when you look it in the eye.

Now you know everything.

- You should have talked to him. - To my father?

You don't know him.

I didn't go home for a whole night and a day.

Then the apartment was empty.

Now they're over there.

But science is permeating everyday life more rapidly elsewhere.

- You mean west of the Elbe? - For example.

- When? - Two weeks ago.

And since then?

Since then, I've been calling in sick for my father

and telling the school my brothers have measles.

Since then, I've been thinking up new excuses night and day.

To our general manager! To you, who softened him up.

How did it go again?

"No one can keep seeing a stone fall to the ground

and hear someone say it's not."

Here's to reason.

Do you think they'll expel me from the institute when they find out?

But I've stayed here!

What should I do?

You've no choice...

What does Joe Blow want from us? Houses that work like well-oiled machines,

cities that renew themselves, to live as long as Methuselah.

- Automatic child-rearing devices. - That as well.

- I'm going now. - Tell them as soon as possible.

I know.

Of course, being frank is always good. Men like that.

If you'll sit down, Miss Sigrid, we can all eat éclairs together.

Those responsible just treat us like children.

"The general state of affairs, our special situation,” etc.

Look.

This is what we should be doing.

- Hurry up, master alchemists! - Is that any way to talk to your superiors?

It's democratic.

And the guys at IG Farben are infallible?

They've learned not to make mistakes. They're a well-oiled organization,

they spit out anything that's holding them up.

Well if you want my opinion,

I'd rather be criticized than spat out.

Not only do I have to put up with you, now this guy's making things hard for me.

I have to go.

Go see Schwarzenbach. Tomorrow.

Give me time.

You've kept quiet about this for three weeks?

- I knew about it. - I see.

A fine little conspiracy!

A worker leaves his state, his daughter lies to this state,

and her friend helps her.

- This requires discussion. - That's right, this...

Discuss it, then! Discuss it now!

For such things, preparation is required.

They'll throw us out.

I knew it.

- I have to go away. - A factory's been made to test our method.

If we're not there, they'll screw it up.

For how long?

A couple of days.

And then we'll throw a party.

We must demand...

At last, a reasonable person.

Come in and tell them they shouldn't yell like that!

Next you'll be writing "We most humbly request”.

- "We demand"! - Come in.

- What do you say: Do we "ask" or "demand"? - What's it about?

We want the management to stop postponing the new assembly line.

"Demand", - You see?

Your studies haven't been in vain.

Is anything wrong?

Oh, it's you.

Our boy's having an operation.

Appendicitis.

He was home alone yesterday afternoon. We...

We both had things to do.

I'll never forgive myself.

Oh, you're going away!

- On vacation? - No.

Then you're doing the right thing, getting a proper rest.

You think I haven't noticed how bad you sometimes look?

Give your mother my regards.

She'll nurse you back to health.

We always return to Mother, my dear child.

Shall I give Manfred a message?

No need.

Yes?

I was afraid for you.

Go ahead. Say something.

- I can't. - I see. You're not alone.

- No. - OK. Let me talk.

- I know exactly what face you're making. - Me too.

- Do you still frown when you're angry? - Yes, but I'm not angry.

- Everything's fine here. - Here, too. - So / was wrong.

- Yes, you were wrong. - Scout's honor? - Scout's honor.

- You can't fool me. - I wouldn't dare try.

- I'll come back soon. - Do that.

And so to summarize:

Severe punishment for Sigrid and Rita,

because they abused our trust.

We also feel that Sigrid's silence about her parents' leaving the GDR

demonstrates that she is morally unsuited to educate young people.

We therefore demand that she be expelled from the Institute.

On whose behalf are you speaking?

For the comrades. It's been decided.

- We've agreed... - Decided?

What about Sigrid's motives?

Why didn't she trust us?

Why? Because she doesn't understand the Party line!

And what is the Party line?

Not avoiding conflict, saying what's what.

See to it that Sigrid feels the Party's there for her.

Whatever happens.

Who else is the Party there for, if not for her?

That's politically naive!

The imperialists are preparing for the decisive blow and what are we doing?

How old were you when the war finished?

18.

You know...

1, the son of a worker, wanted to join the Nazi "Werewolf" underground

or kill myself, when the war ended.

Back then, we expected and deserved to be hated and despised by the world.

But the Party was tolerant and patient with us.

And since then, I've come to admire these qualities.

Revolutionary qualities, Comrade Mangold.

You've never needed them.

It can't have been easy for Mangold.

He's probably had so many bad experiences that he has no faith in people.

Look. Does this go with my suit?

And you have faith in people?

Years ago, I had a friend,

my only one besides Martin.

We hung out every night talked about everything...

I don't know if I can go in this.

- Put on your other suit. - The gray one?

- Black's de rigueur at these receptions. - Keep it on, then.

He became a journalist.

Two years later, I met him at a big university conference.

I gave a speech on poor teaching methods,

- and how hypocrisy is rewarded with good grades. - You said that?

I once had big ideas, too.

The whole bunch of them tore into me,

said how dangerous and perverted my views were.

I just looked at my friend.

He knew me.

He knew exactly what I was talking about.

He didn't look at me once.

He was first to leave.

Sometimes I think...

It would be better for you if I was a few years older.

- Your husband's still the same. - That's right. - No, really!

You're right, of course.

You have to force him to concede that he's had a good idea.

I capitulate.

- Idolatry. - Why did you come?

He's a great chemist. That doesn't mean he's a great man.

- We're all sinners, anyway. - I hear your process has been accepted.

- It's almost certain. - Congratulations. You deserve it.

"No one should call himself happy before he's dead and buried," said the ancients.

You're too cynical, my dear Dr. Seifert.

So, Mr. Schwabe...

How do you feel in our circle?

The only authority we recognize is science.

You won't believe how happy I am to be working with Mr. Schwabe.

There are so many delicate problems at the university

- and he solves them brilliantly. - That's science:

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

That's why the State depends so much on its scientists.

- Every state, Mr. Schwabe. - Of course, Doctor.

That's why the state supports its scientists.

Let's have a drink.

It makes them more bearable.

Keep smiling, Master.

- We've been turned down. - Turned down? What do you mean?

It means there are people at the factory who're pushing their own process.

We're in their way.

Is that right?

I knew it. This is where the battle really begins.

We have to prove to them that your process is better.

We do?

I do? I don't have to do anything anymore.

He needs a good shaking.

Today, everything in Germany is doubled, even chemistry.

So if certain circumstances force a scientist to swap states,

he doesn't swap his language and people.

He pledges his German name to a different German concern.

He switches companies.

Quite legitimate.

- Which circumstances do you mean, Doctor? - Well,

privileges that came too late.

We sons of science rely on such things.

- Retirement benefits, for example. - Thinking of passing away, Doctor?

So?

Will we survive all this?

Time ought to stand still now.

Germany has always been a leader in chemistry. We can't jeopardize that.

But which Germany will keep up the tradition?

East Germany?

West Germany?

That depends on a number of things.

Our brains amongst them.

- Right, Herrfurth? - Indeed.

No, you're mistaken.

But some people need the faults of a revolution

- as an excuse for their own laziness or cowardice. - Revolution.

Revolution in Germany? A contradiction in terms.

Right?

But some people live very well from this contradiction, don't they?

This is German Freedom Radio 904 with an important announcement:

Attention! Attention! This is a message for Alligator:

Land, ho!

You return,

without coming home.

She still feels the pain.

Can one cope with everything?

Dear Rita,

I was afraid that writing to you might increase your pain and bitterness.

But I think you'll be glad to hear that our process is going to be put to use.

A Party commission currently at the factory has expressed an interest in it.

Manfred wrote me from West Berlin... tried to justify his actions.

Everyone who left tried to explain this step to us.

They all felt they'd left behind something irreplaceable...

a few people...

maybe a friend...

a woman.

Remain steadfast for 8 months?

For some, that was too long.

There, right before our eyes, a person could gradually fade away.

Land, ho! End of message.

They've thrown Martin out of the Institute.

Why?

He was screaming at everyone in the factory,

- calling them saboteurs. - He did that for you.

I went to see Schwabe.

How he looked at me when I said Martin was my friend!

"Your friend, eh? He's being incredibly immature.

We'll have to remove him from the Institute.”

And I talk and talk until I feel sick.

But he doesn't hear what you say to him.

What will Martin do now?

He's gone crazy.

- He's returning to the factory that did him in. If I were him... - Yes? You?

The whole thing makes me sick.

The dregs of history...

are always made up of individual misfortune.

You know...

Whatever happens, we'll always love each other.

Won't you speak to me anymore?

Have I become unbearable?

You're imagining things.

Give me a kiss.

Imagine they hadn't invited us on this test run and we were in the car,

heading for Siberia, the Caucasus... I'll show you the car.

One, two, three, four, Golf, Alpha.

Braking test in four minutes.

Do you like our car?

It's good.

A stone on the long road to Socialism.

- What are you referring to? - To a trifle,

to the fact of historical delay, something we Germans should be well aware of.

For us, corrupted by individualism and civilization,

no road leads back to the simple virtues of a new society.

Humbug!

He doesn't mean it.

Yes, he does.

He really does mean it.

Don't you see that what you need are unbroken heroes?

- But what you find is a broken generation. - Ready for braking test.

- A tragic contradiction. - Your resignation lacks anger,

my dear latter-day Faust.

Between Faust and us lie centuries.

That's what I'm saying.

The braking distance is too long.

Hey! Have you heard?

The Russians have put a man in space.

"I saw clouds and their light shadows on distant, beloved Earth.

And for one moment, the farmer's son in me awoke:

The perfectly black skies looked like a freshly-plowed field

and the stars were the seed corn.”

Everything that happens suddenly makes sense.

A farmer's son plows the heavens

and scatters the stars as seed corn over them.

Will our tiny scrap of human warmth withstand the cold of the cosmos?

I know what's next: A huge propaganda campaign,

but whizzing about through space won't make our lives easier.

The Sixties: Mankind's great sigh of relief.

My God, do we have to take the petty accident

that caused life on earth so seriously?

- Has your father got used to his new post? - What are you talking about?

Didn't he tell you? He's been head bookkeeper for four weeks.

So he's been demoted!

- I think he prefers it. - I see.

The same old song:

"The Moor has done his duty, the Moor can go..."

Let me ask you something.

What use do you see in the excessive mistrust so prevalent today,

otherwise known as vigilance?

- You're mixing up different things. - I see.

I'm mixing things up.

At least I can see the absurdity of certain contradictions:

Such as the contradiction between means and ends.

Yes, it's hard to bring the two into accord with each other.

Admit it: it's impossible. Honesty's a virtue.

Then strive for it yourself.

I'll do my best.

It seems I'm being misunderstood here.

I just regret the huge amount of energy being wasted on the impossible.

- Why do you need everyone's approval? - Approval?

I'm speaking from experience:

Greed, selfishness, mistrust, envy. You can always rely on them.

- But humanity? - Even bad qualities only persist as long as necessary.

Grand sentiments aren't my specialty. Forget the grand rhetoric,

the grand sentiments.

Forget them!

What's the matter with you?

I'm looking...

for the fixed point a person needs...

in order not to lose oneself completely.

And you're looking for it in me?

Where else?

You weren't sure of me anymore?

Yes, I was, brown-haired maiden.

Let me always be sure.

Yes?

As sure as you want.

My dear! My son has finally seen reason.

- Gone. - Not returned, there's a difference.

The professor himself sent him to the conference.

He also thought of you.

Until you can follow him, you can continue to stay with us, of course.

We can pack in two hours...

and just leave.

Leave? Where to?

My God! He doesn't know.

Parents belong with their children.

Who would employ an old man like me over there?

My drops.

Quick...

YOU MUST COME!

I LIVE FOR THE DAY WHEN I'll BE WITH YOU AGAIN!

Bye, Rita!

Bye!

Hello, Rita!

Good to see you! They've just put me through the mill.

Why? Everything's going well.

West Germany has canceled our metal shipments.

- And they're criticizing you for that? - Should we criticize Krupp?

People say there's going to be a war.

And what do you think?

Sometimes I'm afraid.

People say if we get through August and part of September,

- then there'll be no war. - I see.

People are familiar with how wars begin.

I often say too little. I did that day, when I spoke with Manfred.

You always think there'll be time to clear things up.

Then suddenly, your time's up.

With you, I'd be sorry if I'd said too little

or said the wrong thing.

You know you can count on me.

Here.

- Thank you. - Do you smoke?

- Thanks. - You're welcome.

The Medusa's head of the age. Everyone has their problems:

For one person it's plastic bombs, for another, a toothpaste grin.

If we're to believe the magazines.

But aren't they problems of a different magnitude?

Indeed they are.

Whatever you say.

Are you visiting someone in Berlin?

My fiancé.

Please have your identity cards ready.

I hope your fiancé lives in East Berlin.

- Why? - They might ask you.

Yes, in East Berlin.

He lives in Pankow.

20.

And a round trip?

40.

Rita.

You've changed.

This is purgatory!

Look around.

The free world is at your feet.

I'd always asked myself why we live in this world.

With him this question vanished, as if it had been answered.

Didn't you ever think of following him?

I did follow him.

And?

I missed him.

I remember that Sunday was very hot.

I barely noticed it at the time.

The streets were like ovens.

By the way,

buildings look the same everywhere.

There's more glass and cellophane on the shopping boulevards, of course.

I can well imagine how much I'd enjoy shopping in such stores.

But everything just revolved around eating and drinking,

buying clothes and sleeping.

Why were they eating? Where were they going in those big wide cars?

What did people in this city think about before going to sleep?

First things first! That's what you now think.

- Have you ever been there? - Yes, years ago.

Then you know how it is.

You like a lot of things...

but they don't really make you happy.

You're alone in a terrible way.

It's worse than being abroad, because you're still hearing your own language.

Of course, you're still wearing your political glasses.

I know it's hard to get rid of them.

- But things are different in West Germany. - Wendland said:

"I can forgive some people, but not him. He knew what he was doing.”

Wendland?

Let me tell you something.

Here, I know where I am.

Anything's possible here. Over there...

- I pity your Wendland. - Why are you so angry, then?

- We're having a tough time right now. - Who's "we"?

Everybody. The pressure's increasing.

We've even noticed it at the factory.

Well, that's all behind me now, those meaningless difficulties.

I'm getting a job where others are paid to get rid of my difficulties for me.

It's what I've always wanted.

You were the one who always told us, "We just need more time."

One day, I understood what you meant. I saw what became of Herbert Kuhl.

Meternagel called for higher norms again. Everyone resisted.

Then Kuhl fitted 14 frames during one night shift.

Are you put out because I was the first to do it?

You're a blockhead. But I'd like to know why you're doing it.

Yes, I bet you would.

Anyone else can do less and he's a hero.

I'm the only one you ask why I do it?

Why only me? Because I was a lieutenant?

Well, I was. With my heart and soul. I never do things by halves.

You can make any man look a swine.

Hey, cool down.

For ten years, you've wanted to prove to yourself that you're a swine.

Now you've spoilt your own plan.

The Party Secretary said to Meternagel:

"Stop taking things to extremes. You're driving my men to the West."

For God's sake, not so loud.

Do you remember how appalling we sometimes found the behavior of the adults?

Today, I'm afraid I too could get used to terrible things.

- You might, too. - What things?

Not saying what you think, working less than you can.

That there are enough bombs to blow up the planet several times.

That a person you belong to can be driven away from you forever...

- leaving behind only a letter. - Rita...

You think it was easy for me, little one?

It was too much for you. You're confusing things: your factory, the bomb, and me.

A city without a hinterland.

That's grim.

You're blaming me for that?

I'm sorry.

I'm going crazy. Let's stop blaming each other like...

two opposing politicians.

I love you and no other. Forever.

And I know what I'm saying.

I've never said that to anyone else.

Is asking you to come with me too much?

Close your eyes. Listen to a few names:

Lake Constance, the Rhine, the Black Forest.

Isn't that Germany, too?

This city doesn't give anything away.

In fact, the people here pity us.

They think it's obvious who's richer, who poorer in this country.

A year ago, I would've followed him.

Anywhere.

And now?

Sometimes I ask myself:

Can the world be measured by our standards of good and evil?

Isn't it simply there, and that's it?

But that would make my having left him senseless.

Do you know why I wanted to talk to you today?

I want to know if telling the truth is always the sensible thing.

- You expect me to answer that? - You said it. - What?

Sometimes everything comes at once.

I was told too much trust ruins people.

There's some truth in that.

I became unsure myself.

But people are so greedy for honesty.

At last we're ready to face the truth,

to stop saying that difficult things are easy and that darkness is light,

to stop abusing people's trust.

It's the most precious thing we've won.

Heal, kitten, heal!

The cat has four legs.

Four legs and a long tail,

tomorrow he'll be well.

Heal, kitten, heal!

"I want to follow you, through forests and seas,

through ice and iron, and the enemy's ranks."

Isn't that how it goes?

What did they know when they wrote such songs?

In the olden days,

when lovers parted they chose a star where their gazes could meet at night.

What should we choose?

At least they can't divide the heavens.

The heavens are the first to be divided.

Farewell...

brown-haired maiden.

And that's how the story ends.

A banal story, you might say.

If this only happens once in a lifetime, it's behind her now.

Things will never be the way they once were.

Pardon my frankness, but you are a peculiar person.

To be honest, I'm still puzzled as to why you came back.

Love was more romantic in my day.

Why did my son hate me?

He doesn't hate you anymore.

Really, he doesn't.

Martin Jung is back at the Institute.

Some people would give a lot to be able to take back certain harsh words.

You see how many things depend on chance at the moment.

And Rolf Meternagel?

Has his file been cleared of the chance that had cost him his post?

But he's foreman again.

And the 3,000 marks? A trifle.

My husband is sick.

- I'll find something else. - Come on, you think he'd let you leave?

He's not like other people.

They buy TVs and refrigerators and washing machines for their wives.

You know what he does with his money? He saves it.

He thinks I don't know what for, but I do.

He wants to...

return the 3,000 marks he overpaid.

He's crazy.

He's really crazy.

Does the factory need those 3,000 marks? I need them.

- You can't imagine how much he gets done. - Yes, I can.

That's why he has to be the way he is.

Who told you to take over in the sickbed?

Sit down, girl.

Well...

It's all caught up with me now.

Heart, nerves,

circulatory problems, and the devil knows what else.

I'm going to a spa, so they can patch me up.

Who'll cover for you?

If only we knew in advance what's in store for us.

There was a time once

when I thought nothing could happen to me...

that nothing could faze me.

Keep thinking that. Nothing will faze you.

Maybe now you'll realize

that the fate of future generations

depends on the strength of countless people.

At every single moment.

Sometimes we'll be tired,

sometimes be angry and furious.

But we're not afraid,

and that makes up for everything.

So we'll get used to sleeping soundly,

wallow in excess,

as if this strange substance called life existed in limitless abundance,

and will never run out.