Original subtitles

(Transcrito por TurboScribe. Atualize para Ilimitado para remover esta mensagem.) What the hell are you doing?

I want a word with you.

For God's sake, you're disturbing the neighbours.

Let me in or I'll disturb the whole

bloody street.

Did you tell Danny Randall I was going

to sack him?

But it's true, isn't it?

It's a bloody lie.

It's standard procedure, agree with the unions.

Three warnings and out.

The man's incompetent.

Fine, I'll make him competent then.

He's already been trained, I checked.

He obviously needs special help.

Remedial training.

Remedial?

I'm not running a bloody kindergarten, you know.

I'm running a business.

At least I was until you came on

the scene.

Shadow?

You're not a shadow.

You're a bloody menace.

Have you just been burgled or something?

Did you just come here to relieve your

anger or have you something substantive to say?

I'll tell you something substantive.

55 men walked out of the foundry this

afternoon after you spoke to Danny Randall.

I told him to keep the information to

himself.

How simple can you get?

He told his mates, of course.

And they all walked out in sympathy.

The shop stewards are considering whether to make

the strike official.

Even if they don't, the Asians will stay

out for a fortnight at least.

I know them.

The group could decide to cut its losses

and close the factory.

You would be responsible for pulling 500 men

out of work for good.

Look, I was just trying to prevent what

I saw as an obvious...

What I still see as an obvious injustice.

You are meddling in things you don't understand.

Now you've got to un-meddle them.

What do you mean?

I've arranged a meeting with Ram and the

shop stewards tomorrow morning.

I want you to tell them that you

made a mistake.

What mistake?

You misunderstood the discussion.

There never was any question of firing Ram.

He got the wrong end of the stick.

Not surprising, really.

A university lecturer.

Wet behind the ears.

First time in a factory.

They might just buy it.

You're asking me to lie to save your

face?

I'm asking you to save the factory.

And 500 jobs.

All right.

On one condition.

Danny?

Come in.

Mr Wilcox has asked me, as personnel director,

to chair this meeting.

As you know, there was an unfortunate misunderstanding

in the foundry yesterday afternoon.

Though I'm sure that we can clear this

up to everyone's satisfaction.

Excuse me, Mr Prendergast.

Whose misunderstanding, may I ask?

Mine.

Perhaps you would like to give your viewpoint,

Dr Penrose.

Without going into too much detail.

Yes.

Well, I was attending a meeting, a management

meeting, in this room yesterday.

Observing.

She was observing, not attending.

I think we should make the point that

Dr Penrose has nothing whatsoever to do with

this company.

And the company has no responsibility for her

actions.

I think that's already been indicated to you,

hasn't it?

Yes.

Dr Penrose, please continue.

They were talking about Mr Ram.

Someone said that he wasn't competent at his

job, so...

I think we've all been aware of problems

within that section of the foundry.

Anyway...

I got the impression that they were talking

about sacking Mr Ram.

And I'm afraid I reacted rather hastily by

rushing over to the foundry to warn him.

It seems that I was...

mistaken.

Mr Wilcox assures me that what he was

proposing was a course of special training to

ensure that Mr Ram would not be sacked.

This training, will it be on full pay?

Absolutely.

And the men will be paid for the

stoppage time yesterday afternoon.

Well, I...

We should insist on that.

Well, in order to bring this unfortunate matter

to a speedy conclusion, and bearing in mind

that it is a one-off situation and

sets absolutely no precedent, I think management would

consider that request sympathetically.

We agree to that.

Ah.

That's all right, then.

Well done.

That works out for you.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh.

Mm.

So he conceded the point.

Mm.

With ill grace.

But yes.

Danny Ram is going to get special training.

You're a remarkable girl, Robin.

Woman.

Woman.

Sorry.

Not that I got any thanks from Wilcox.

He didn't even say goodbye.

Ah.

Turn over.

Ah.

A little more oil, darling.

How do you like my nightdress?

It's new.

It's a bit flimsy for this weather, isn't

it?

It's supposed to be the dynasty look.

Don't talk to me about television.

There's nothing worth watching on Saturday since they

took over much of the day.

What's that smell?

My scent, silly.

Oh.

Vic.

Mm.

It's a long time since we...

You know.

What?

You know.

I thought you'd gone off it.

Oh, it was only a phase.

Part of the change of life.

It says so in the book.

For God's sake, Marjorie, what are you doing?

Just a minute.

Where was it?

Oh, yes, listen.

You may feel a revulsion against marital relations

for a while.

This is quite normal and nothing to worry

about.

With time and patience and an understanding partner,

your lib...

Libido?

Libido.

Freud invented it before he discovered the death

instinct.

Your libido will return stronger than ever.

You mean you've got it back?

Well, I don't know.

I won't, will I, until we try?

I think we ought to give it a

try, Vic.

Why?

Well, it's natural for married couples.

You used to want to.

Everything comes to an end.

But we're not old, Vic.

The book says...

Oh, fuck the book!

Oh!

Oh, thank you, darling.

That was lovely.

Good.

Now it's your turn.

I could come into you if you like.

Oh, don't you like non-penetrative sex?

Yes.

It's just that...

What?

I just thought, for a change, we might

have ordinary sex.

All right.

You don't sound very enthusiastic.

No, I'm fine.

Carry on.

Oh.

Robin, I can't carry on if you look

at me like that.

Like what?

As if I've just failed a viva.

I thought we'd discussed all this.

I thought we'd agreed that we've got to

get away from the idea of the sexual

act as possessive.

Yes, I know.

I mean, it's hard to break old habits.

One has to persevere.

Yes.

Of course.

Dear Charles...

You may have failed a viva...

but you were terrific at the practical.

Sorry, love.

You can't expect me to suddenly...

get all interested out of the blue.

I thought we were past all that.

So we're not.

Good.

Now, give me a chance to readjust, OK?

I have my own problems, you know.

I know, Vic.

I know you have a lot of worries

at work.

That silly bitch from the university's caused me

no end of trouble.

Yeah.

And this Brian Everthorpe with his daft idea

for a calendar...

which he claims Stuart Baxter approves of.

Why, has Everthorpe been Baxter's confidence?

That's what I'd like to know.

As long as it's not me.

Of course it's not you, pet.

Oh.

I think...

I think...

you are interested after all.

Are you going to go back

to the factory next week?

I shouldn't think so.

I thought you wanted to impress your VC.

Fat chance of that now.

Anyway, Wilcox will probably complain and call off

the shadow scheme.

Oh, let him.

Suppose Wilcox doesn't cancel it.

If you don't go back, you'll think he's

scared you off.

Won't he?

Turn over.

Morning, Mr Everthorpe.

Morning, George.

Morning, Mr Everthorpe.

Morning, gentlemen.

Morning, Vic.

Morning, Brian.

I didn't think you'd have the nerve to

show your face in this place again.

Go away, if you like.

Nothing would please me more.

Why did you come, then?

I agreed to come every Wednesday for the

rest of term.

I sincerely wish I hadn't, but I did.

If you want to cancel the arrangement, that's

fine by me.

Get in.

You might send me someone even worse.

As long as one thing is understood, everything

you see or hear while you're with me

is confidential.

Right.

Where are we going?

Bradford.

Phone call to Rawlinson's.

I came all the way to Bradford and

back today.

Why not?

Does this bother you?

Yes, it does, actually.

Thank you.

Do you have some music?

Help yourself.

You like Randy Crawford, do you?

She's all right.

You'll find her a little bland.

No, why should I?

Have you got any classical music?

Follow the radio.

What?

There was a sign to Howarth.

The Brontes.

What are they?

The Brontes, sisters.

You must have heard of Jane Eyre and

Wuthering Heights.

Oh, they're women's books, aren't they?

Not in the narrow sense.

Of course, they are often read as mere

wish-fulfilment romances.

You have to deconstruct them to bring out

the political and psychological contradictions inscribed in the

text.

Eh?

That's hard to explain.

If you've never read them.

MUSIC PLAYS A

shadow, eh, Vic?

Well, I believe you.

Thousands wouldn't.

On the medical side, are you Dr Penrose?

No, I teach English literature.

Oh, yeah?

Now, I like a good book myself, last

thing at night.

I'm on the thorn birds at the moment.

I'm afraid I haven't read it.

We've had a letter from your purchasing director,

Ted.

Do you know about it?

I think so.

Well, 5% is ridiculous.

If you can't do it, there's others that

can.

Who?

You know what I can't tell him, that.

You know I can't tell you that, Vic.

I could bite the bullet and come down

by 2% on the four ball.

You're wasting your time.

We've been doing business together for a long

time, Ted.

That's true.

And it's my duty to accept the lowest

bid, you know that.

He knows that.

The quality won't be as good.

The quality is fine.

Ah.

You're already sourcing from them.

The quality is fine.

3%.

It's my last offer.

I can't go any lower.

Settle for 3% and I'll tear your

arm off.

It's no go, Vic.

Thanks, Ted.

It's all right.

Bye then, Ted.

Bye, Vic.

Goodbye, Dr Penrose.

What was all that about?

We supply Rawlingsons with cylinder blocks for their

diesel pumps.

I got a letter from him asking for

a 5% cut in our prices.

The 5% is silly.

Prices ought to be going up, not down.

What with the price of pig iron.

I wanted to find out what was going

on.

He didn't tell you anything?

I didn't expect him to.

I, er...

I just wanted to see his expression when

I asked him.

What did that tell you?

He isn't bluffing.

Somebody really is offering 4% to 5

% cut at our prices.

More important, they're already supplying Rawlingsons.

And with a bit of luck, I can

find out who they are.

It could be broadcast.

Who's broadcast?

A rummage firm just up the road from

us.

They've always supplied Rawlingsons with the cylinder heads

while we did the blocks.

MD's Norman Cole.

An accountant.

We never trusted accountants.

If he's trying to purge our business, we'll

have to regret it.

Why?

What will you do?

Attack his customers.

You mean have them beaten up?

What do you think we are, the Mafia?

No.

Attack them with lower prices.

Take broadcast business away, tit for tat.

I don't see the point of it.

Who benefits?

The consumer.

At the end of the day, somebody gets

a cheaper pump.

Why not just put your heads together and

make a cheaper pump?

What would happen to competition?

You've got to have competition.

Why?

How did you become a university lecturer?

By doing better than other people at exams,

right?

Actually, I'm opposed to competitive examinations.

Yeah.

Having done all right out of them, you

can afford to be.

I don't know, but it reminds me of

your precious competition.

A lot of little dogs squabbling over a

bone, and somebody's stolen your bone, so while

they're chewing on it, you're going to steal

one from them.

So, what did you think of the ending?

Marion?

Well, it's a bit of a cop-out,

isn't it?

I mean, the will's too convenient.

Yes, I agree.

I mean, it seems as if the only

solutions that the Victorian novelist had for the

problems of industrial capitalism were a marriage, a

legacy or emigration.

Sometimes all three in the same book.

Helen, you don't seem convinced.

Come in.

Well, they had to have a happy ending,

didn't they?

And what about Villette?

Sorry to interrupt, Robin.

There's an outside call for you.

In the office.

Excuse me for a minute.

But Villette isn't an industrial novel, whereas in

Shirley, which is in a way, it's got

a really unhappy ending.

No, it hasn't.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Robin Penrod speaking.

It's broadcast.

What?

It's broadcast.

Well, I thought you'd like to know.

I told two of our reps to sit

outside Rawlinson's...

Listen, I really haven't...

Nearly froze to death, they said.

Look, Mr...

But they got the name of every waggon

that went in.

Now, the likeliest was a Midland firm called

GTG.

My transport manager used to work for them.

So it didn't take long to find out

what they were delivering to Rawlinson's.

Guess what?

Four-bore cylinder blocks from broadcast.

Have you dragged me all the way to

this phone just to tell me that?

Don't you have your own phone?

All our outside lines have been taken away

as part of the economy drive.

Furthermore, I was in the middle of a

tutorial.

Oh, sorry.

Why didn't your secretary tell mine?

I haven't got a personal secretary.

We have one secretary between 15 of us

and she isn't in the office at the

moment.

I'm sorry, she didn't say...

She's probably in the storeroom steaming open letters

so that we can reuse the envelopes.

Now, is there anything else you'd like to

know or can I go back to my

students?

No, that's all.

Goodbye.

Oh, what do you think?

Oh, Brian.

Why didn't you tell me you were going

to see Ted Stoker last week?

He should have come with you.

I went on the spur of the moment.

Took a shadow with you though, did you?

She happened to be with me at the

time.

It was her day.

Sounds like it was your day.

You're a darker horse, you are, Vic.

What's your jaw?

You got the squints again, have you?

It's irritable bowel syndrome.

Any road?

What's this rumour about Budcast overcutting us?

It's true.

Greggie's double-crossing Bess.

Did you go in after him?

No.

You're not going to let Norman Cole get

away with it, are you?

I'll drop a hint that I know what

his game is and let him twist in

the wind a bit.

Sounds like we're the ones that are twisting

in the wind.

We'd look weak fighting with Budcast for the

Rawlinson account.

Like little dogs squabbling over a bone.

There's not all that much on the Rawlinson

bone when you come to think about it.

Let Norman Cole have it.

Let him choke on it.

Stuart Baxter.

Stuart, Vic here.

Yes, Vic.

Look, I want to let Brian Everthorpe go.

Why?

He's no good.

He's idle.

He's stuck in old grooves.

He doesn't like me and I don't like

him.

Well, he's been with the company a long

time.

Exactly.

Well, he won't go without a fight.

I'll enjoy that.

I think you should give Brian time to

adjust.

Adjust to what?

To you, Vic.

To you.

I suppose you know he had hopes of

getting your job.

I can't imagine why.

Yes, well, don't do anything hasty.

Hasty?

Now think about it.

Vic, I believe Brian mentioned to you about

his idea for a calendar.

Yes, he did.

He should have gone out yesterday.

He said you weren't keen.

He's putting it mildly.

A great chance for our Tracy.

A great chance to degrade herself, you mean.

What do you mean?

New pictures of your own daughter stuck up

on the wall.

Well, I don't see the harm.

What about art galleries?

You don't get people looking at a picture

in an art gallery and saying...