Original subtitles

It's the fall of 1944. The war is about to end.

This is Finnmark. Russian troops have crossed the border.

The Germans are retreating.

SCORCHED EARTH

TEAMFILM WISHES TO THANK THE PEOPLE OF EASTERN FINNMARK

- Is something wrong? - Why should something be wrong?

- Do you think it's true? - What do you mean?

About the evacuation?

They're busy evacuating themselves.

They say that Båtsfjord has been burned down.

Do you hear me?

Yes, I hear you.

Don't believe those rumours.

- Shall we stay at home today? - We need the money.

I reckon it could be any day now.

- I'll tell you when it's time. - And grandmother's here.

Say hello to Herdis from me.

- Will they burn down the houses? - Just the barracks.

- So the Russians can't use them. - Are they coming?

- Don't be afraid of the Russians. - I'm not. I don't believe it.

- Believe what? - What our teacher said.

That Nazi bastard.

What did he say?

When the Russians come all of us men will be shot-

- and the women and children will be sent to Russia.

- I wish somebody would shoot him. - Shut up, boy.

Are your legs getting warmer? Damned bastards!

Come on! Faster!

Come on, you fools!

Sleep now, little baby.

Herdis!

- Can't you stop that ungodly racket? - It's better than cannon fire.

Herd is?

Use the dummy.

I had fish guts on my fingers. I couldn't touch the sheets.

But you could stick them in the baby's mouth? He might have been poisoned.

It's just fish guts.

Shall I come to work tomorrow?

- No. Did you finish? - Yes.

Then go home to your grandparents.

- What do you mean? - It's over here.

People don't sail out anymore, and we can't fish on land.

Ivar, take the child and take Herdis home.

Give me the box.

- Back home? - No, just to my place.

He'll be fine here.

- Poor thing. - The boy will be fine.

I'm thinking of Herdis. The boyfriend drowned, and a little boy in a basket.

They'll be here soon.

Don't be afraid of the Russians. I know Russian.

- You do? - A little bit.

- One word. - Which one?

Comrade.

Are you afraid?

No.

- not afraid - not afraid, Rosemary

- not afraid - not afraid, Rosemary

not afraid not afraid, Rosemary

What the hell?

Line up!

Attention!

Eyes forward!

Right about face!

Forward, march!

- What the hell? - We could ask him.

I'm not speaking to that bastard.

- Do you know him? - He's from Kiberg.

A snitch?

He caused a lot of trouble in Berlevåg.

- What are you talking about? - Damned bastard.

Speak Norwegian!

- We're talking about your boots. - How do you make them so shiny?

- What is it? - They're rounding people up!

- Where's the horse? - Outside Herdis' place.

Get back!

Ivar!

Get out of here!

- You, too! - Leave me alone!

They're having a party, and here I am in my trousers.

You can pull them down for the Russians.

- Do you have anything on underneath? - Do you, you clown?

What a country. Mountains, water -

- and wide open landscapes.

I'll come back here when the war is over.

TH bring my mother.

I'm never coming back here. It's not a country fit for human beings.

Well

Listen up!

We called you here to hear a statement -

- from the Reich Commissioner of Occupied Norway, Josef Terboven -

- and General Rendulic, Commander of the 20th Army.

- We called you here - That's not necessary.

"Due to the treachery of a group in the Finnish government -

- part of Northern Norway must be evacuated."

Due to the treachery of a group in the Finnish government, -

- the Germans have to leave parts of Northern Norway.

"The civilian population must also be evacuated."

And the civilian population must be evacuated.

Moving on!

"The Bolsheviks cannot be allowed any means of sustenance. "

The Bolsheviks can't have any

They can't be allowed to find anything here.

“That is why

. ah' houses

all vehicles

and all food supplies

must be removed or destroyed.

Any person who does not comply with this order, -

- will be considered an enemy.

Those who do not comply with this order, -

- will be considered enemies.

They will be tracked down and shot without mercy.

They will be found and shot without mercy.

Any questions?

Any questions?

W hat?

What are we supposed to do with our live stock?

Quiet. What?

What are we supposed to do with our live stock?

What about the animals?

We'll take care of the live-stock.

Listen up.

Go home and pack. You will come back here at 7 pm.

15 kilos of luggage per person. And one more thing.

Fishing boat owners are to report back here immediately.

Why don't they try to kill us?

- They know they'll be shot. - And?

- They want to survive. - Survive?

Look at these boats.

I've seen such transports before. That was in Poland and over land.

The High Command estimated 25% casualties back then.

Herdis, Herdis, you have to

Herdis?

These cards aren't valid until next week.

The stamps aren't correct.

Forget the stamps. Is it better that the Germans take the food?

Get out of here. Now!

AH of you. Faster.

You, too.

Get out.

You have to leave. No one can stay here.

What time will we have to leave?

Tonight. Tomorrow. Soon.

Everybody's leaving by can

Quiet.

Stop!

- Don't live here. - This road is blocked.

Leave the horse alone. We're going home.

Do you understand? We're going home.

Tell them. We have to get home and pack.

- Where do you live? - In Seilnes.

I have my wife and child there. And my mother.

Get going then. Everybody in Seilnes will be picked up by a can

- What about the horse? - One moment.

Sausage.

Ivar!

Stop!

Ivar. Ivan

Ivar. Ivan

- My brother. - Look. This is Ewald's brother.

We can't bring every little thing. Are these the curtains?

No, it's the christening robe.

We won't be baptizing the baby until this is over.

Have they been here?

Go to the barn and see for yourself.

- We managed to rescue one sheep. - Then we can't complain.

Alma

This could be a hard winter.

Yes. It started out well.

- Where's the king? - In England.

He'll be back when the war's oven

- Will the king come here, father? - What would he do here?

- Why would the Germans take the boat? - They'll blow it up if they find it.

It's better that we hide it.

It won't work.

- Can't we run away? - Think of your mother.

She can't have a baby in the mountains.

What are you doing?

- What are you doing? - We're putting the boat on land.

Nonsense.

- Where's the Russian? - Listen for yourself.

On the other side of the fjord.

A Russian prisoner.

He ran away.

- There aren't any Russians in there. - Shut up.

You know this.

Harbouring prisoners is punishable by death.

By death!

Now get out of here. Go away.

Throw some seaweed over him.

Comrade

- Have you taken a good look? - He's not here.

I'll help you look. I don't want any Russians here.

I have a wife and child to look after

And a damned Bolshevik. They're like animals.

That's enough.

Search the place or I'll take it up with your commanding officer.

He's not here.

What is that?

Move that.

Faster.

Hurry UP-

Damned Nazis.

Get out of here. We have to move on now.

Operator?

Hello? Is anybody there? Operator?

What the hell?

Hello? Hello, operator?

Hello? Hello?

- It's never been this bad before. - You couldn't get through?

Through? There's no operator.

Something must be wrong with the telephone.

- Then I have to walk there. - That's a two-hour walk.

- He's burping. - That's good.

I can't leave my grandparents behind.

They'll be here. Everyone in remote areas are being picked up.

Why do you think Heikki has been down by the shore this late?

It'll be safe here.

I've buried things in the muck before.

- What have you buried? - My father.

Was he dead?

Do you think I would have buried my father in muck if he was dead?

He was alive, and he was alive when we got him out of there again.

- When they left. - Who?

The officers. They had sophisticated noses.

They didn't want to dig in the muck. They just poked it with their sabres.

It was in 1905 back home in Finland.

- Your father was a small boy then. - Was it the Germans back then, too?

No.

Back then it was the Russians.

- My Lord. Who is that? - Do we have any milk?

- Yes. - Heat some up and get a blanket.

- Shall we put him inside? - No, they'll be here soon.

- Is he alive? - Just barely.

Do we have any clothes that haven't been packed already?

Anne, Lilly. Get the coat.

- And the pants from the suitcase. - And the milk.

And the milk from the stove.

Go fetch some water and a rag.

We found him by the water. The Germans were looking for him.

You fool. Do you have a death wish?

He's dead.

- You want him to be dead. - No.

You can't fool a granny from Seilnes.

We'll We'll leave behind a little food.

- We can hide him in the peat bogs. - And leave him to die?

- We can't take him with us. - Then let the Germans kill him.

- Do you want that? - That's what Alma wants.

They'll shoot him.

They'll shoot us all.

If it was one of your own, you wouldn't leave him in the peat bogs.

But you're right.

They will shoot us.

There's only one thing we can do, and that's to get to the mountains.

Do you want me to give birth out there?

- Winter's coming. - So are the Germans.

You decide.

God will guide our way.

There's room for everybody.

Get back!

One man, one woman and three children.

Two families. Seven people.

Come here. You may go.

Slowly.

The vicious bastards.

- They're not evil. Just stupid. - Are you on their side?

There's hope for the evil, but even God can't thwart the Devil's folly.

Herdis. There's room for you in Laurits' boat.

- What about grandma and grandpa? - They won't get here.

- What do you mean? - The road is blocked.

It's your only chance. I'll speak to Laurits.

Stop! Get back!

Hurry up, lads. Two canisters each.

What's wrong with this lock?

Why lock up? When we get back, there won't be anything to unlock.

Leave that picture frame. We can't take everything with us.

It doesn't weigh that much.

Take out the picture and put it in the Bible.

That's a good idea.

Don't just stand there.

Drink your coffee.

They'll be here soon.

We're going on a journey. Do we have money for the fare?

Yes. Herdis will take care of that.

Herdis

- I hope we can find her. - Go rest for a while.

I have better things to do.

But you have time to scrub the floor?

We can't leave it like a pigsty.

Poor thing. They left the cat behind, Inga.

- The cat can take care of itself. - Did you hear her?

You can take care of yourself, she said. Come here, kitty.

It would be funny if she's here, when we come back.

- Put her outside. - We're leaving, too, kitty.

I have to put you outside.

How many?

Heikki Haldonen. One man, two women, three children.

An older couple lives next door.

Get them out of there.

There's no one here. Understood?

- They've fled to the mountains. - Damn.

What's that?

We've seen these people before.

Is that you, Henriksen?

We have to go now.

- I'm waiting for my husband. - Is that your luggage?

- But my husband - Come on.

Thank you very much.

Fm sorry. It was a misunderstanding.

Seilnes.

Two families.

Two farms. One family has fled.

And they are harbouring a Russian prisoner.

One person shot to death.

That was an accident. TH write the report myself.

Ivar. Ivan

- What is it? - You have to see this.

Heikki. Try to get some sleep.

Sleep?

It took me 15 years to build the place up.

I can stay awake for the couple of hours it takes to burn it down.

Here you go, Lilly.

Scratch my back.

- Do you know his name? - Ilja.

Ilja.

How are you doing? Are you ...?

Are you not H! anymore?

Thank you.

It's a good thing because we have a long walk ahead of us today.

- Don't touch the coffee pot. - What about the smoke?

- They'll be able to see it. - There's smoke everywhere today.

Yes we will find the others

then you can sleep so soundly

it's not far to go now

soon we'll find the others

both Heikki and Alma

and Ivar and everybody

Heikki! Alma! Ivar!

Heikki!

Dunkirk.

- Waterloo. - What do you mean?

We can go home soon.

You mean because of our victory.

Of course. You do believe we will be victorious, right?

Of course.

- What did you do as a civilian? - I was a baker.

- You? - That's a useful trade.

Fm sure, you made good bread. Did you also bake cakes?

I asked about your civilian profession, major.

I've never been a civilian. Come along.

You've done good work.

- 1 mentioned that in my report. - Thank you, Major.

and grandma and grandpa

they're probably a long, long way away

but Heikki and Alma

- What's this? - We need a break.

A break? Are you aware, -

- that the Russians are 22 kilometres from here?

- The prisoners were tired, Major. - Nonsense.

Do you think the Russians will wait while you rest?

They have to get out of this valley by six o'clock.

- You have your orders. - Yes, Major.

Get ready to move on! Quickly!

Get moving! Faster!

Come on! Get up! We have to move on!

Come on you, you lazy bastard. Come on!

Bastards!

Look! It's one of ours!

Take cover!

Look!

Take cover!

Do you want me to kick you? Take cover! Get your faces on the ground!

Ivar! Get in here all of you.

It's Russian!

Comrades!

Careful! It could be a bomb.

- What is it? - Bread and

Are you cold?

You're so hot.

Why aren't you crying?

It's okay if you cry. It's okay.

Do you hear me? It's okay to cry.

Cry!

God bless our precious homeland

let it bloom like a beautiful garden

let there be peace from the mountains to the beaches

let the spring sun chase evil away

let the people live in peace together

as Christian brothers united

h' God does not build

I cannot build my house

if God does not protect us all

the guard cannot save us

protect us God so we may live

in our homes in peace

I've never had vodka while singing the national psalm before.

Spring has come to Norway again

with sunshine and songbirds chirping

And this is the first time I've wrapped a baby in silk.

Maybe you do that in Russia.

Cheers.

What is this?

In Finnish?

Yes. In Finnish.

He says, the Russians have chased the Germans away.

And Kirkenes has been liberated.

We've never had it better, mother. Meat every day.

- That sheep won't last forever. - It won't have to.

When they've blown up the bridges, we'll go home again.

What kind of knife is this?

I could ride it without getting a sore back. Where's the Finnish knife?

You used it to butcher the sheep.

Damn.

Granny. The blanket.

Alma! Alma!

Just keep the Germans away. I'll take care of this.

- How is she doing? - Good, God willing.

Don't scream.

Don't scream.

Heikki should have found himself a real Finnish wife.

- Are you happy? - Why wouldn't I be?

The Germans have turned around.

Herdis!

Herdis.

What have you done with the baby?

Come on.

Please try.

As long as he gives it a try, he'll get something down.

It's no use. I don't have any milk.

This has to stop, or he'll die, too.

- We have to go down there again. - Down to the Germans.

To anybody. Do you want us to die up here?

And Ilja?

He can come with us or take care of himself.

- We'll soon be rid of them. - How do you know?

I can feel it in my bones.

- Why are you still here? - We were mining the river.

The Russians are only 12 kilometres away. Get away from here!

Rex?

REX!

- Isn't it deep enough? - No. The wolves mustn't find him.

I remember how I chose him. My mother

Your mother?

She didn't like dogs.

- But when I came to Godesberg - Godesberg?

- I'm from Rostock. - Rostock?

I live in Godesberg.

We have a fruit garden there. It's so beautiful.

Rostock is beautiful, too.

She was standing under the apple tree. Rex came running towards her.

Then she bent over and patted him.

- Why aren't they firing? - Who?

- They' re not firing any more. - We're the last ones left.

We have to get across the bridge, Major.

- Major? - We have to bury Rex first.

It's over. This is the end.

I felt if the last time I was back home.

Apple flowers smell funny. Don't you think so?

They are Never again will I

This was delicious. I think I'll buy you all a glass of water.

They're blowing up the bridge!

The Germans have left Eastern Finnmark.

And we thought we were alone in the mountains.

Maybe they'll think we're Germans and fire on us.

Rise up damned of the Earth

and throw those bastards out

then we'll be free here in Norway

throw those bastards out

Fm Russian!

Cheers.

- Do you like it? - It's good.

First we'll have a cup of coffee.

Translation: Jesper Buhl Scandinavian Text Service 2012