Original subtitles

NarratorHans Brnker was a Dutch boy

who lvedn a smallvllage bythe uderee.

Hs stotakesplace about yea ago.

In those days, Hollandhad allthe uantcharacterstcs

we have come to thnkof as typcallyDutch.

Allthe charm andthe beauty capturedandpassedon to us

n thepantngs ofthe greatDutch maste,

such as Vermeer, Rusdael, andRembrandt.

Here, n the fshng vllage ofoursto,

the menpuued therlvelhoodon the sea

forsxhardworkng days each week.

Buton the seventh, theytook therfolks to church.

Andthats where they'dbeen on thepacularSundayn sprng

when ourstobegns.

Among the goodburghe on therwayhome from SundayMass,

was a humble famly offsheolkcalledBrnker.

What a wondeul dayfor a sal.

- On Sunday? - Why not? We've been to church.

- We can go to the coastfor a pcnc. - PIease, Mother.

AII rght. I'II pack a basket Iunch.

- May I nvte HIda van GIeck? - Ra Ofcourse.

Do you thnkthe burgomaster wll approve?

Why shouldn't he?

Good day, Mevrouw. urgomaster.

We wondered f HIda would Ike to come salng.

- May I, please? - No, t's out ofthe queston.

Esdes, we're takng coee wth the Schmmels.

- I'm sor, Hans. - So am I.

- Come n, HIda. - Anothertme, perhaps.

I would have Iked to have gone salng wth Hans.

It's rghtthatyou're polte to persons Ike the rnkers,

butyou must not assocate wth them.

Why not? They're decent, honestfolk and t's fun to be wth them.

Father means you should choose companons from your own class.

Oh, Mother. I suppose he means someone Ike Ludwg Schmmel.

He bores me.

I much preferthe company of Hans rnker.

Man Ahoy Ahoythere

accordonplayng

Have you ever heard people say thatthe Lord created the eah,

- butthe Dutch made Holland? - No.

Well, once upon a tme, all the Iand where we now Ive

was covered bywater.

Then our great-great-grandfathers came

and decded to take tfrom the sea.

- Take tfrom the sea? - Yes.

Frst, they bult a bg dke, Ike ths, to keep the ocean back.

Then they used wndmlls to pump the water out,

so they could rase crops and buld towns

- where the sea used to be. - It's called the watcher.

Ecause t always keeps both eyes open, watchng the sea.

Ut sometmes a storm drves the waves overthe watcher,

- so they bult a second dke. - It's called the dreamer.

It's only halfawake, untl t's needed.

Utthen t stands there, holdng the water back.

And that one?

That Iast one s called the sleeper.

Itust Ies there, snoozng Ike our old cat n front ofthe fre.

Ut fthe sea ever broke through the o other dkes,

the sleeperwould wake up and save us from beng drowned.

Nowyou understand what people mean when they say,

"The Lord created the eah, butthe Dutch made Holland."

- Let me see. - It's notve good.

Well, I don't know much about t, but I thnkyou have talent.

I wantto Iearn. I wantto be a good ast.

Then you shall be. They say a man can do anhng f he puts hs mnd to t.

- Now, what about a race? - Good. Where?

Overthe dke, around the wndmll overthere, and then back.

- I'II get backfrst. - You mean you'II t.

Get ready. Go

bleatng

cows moong

cluckng

eat hm, Father

Thatwasn'tfar. You pulled me back.

I can't Ietyou beat me yet.

- Boy cng - grl Father, come quckly

Yes, you see what can happen fyou don't keep a close watch.

The sea s ourfrend because we Ive by t.

Ut t could also be our enemy,

and fwe are not careful, we mght de by t.

We beer be stang for home.

Even on Sunday, the devl can brew a storm.

It's tme you o wentto bed.

Othese, you'II be sleepy for school tomorrow.

Just a IIe whle Ionger, Mother.

- Thunder - Ra Gretel...

mother To the Io, both ofyou.

- Good nght, Mother. - Good nght, darlng.

- Gretel Good nght, Father. - Good nght.

- Good nght, Mother. - Good nght, darlng.

Good nght, Father.

Don'tforgetyour prayers.

Thunder

Mete, have you seen all these drawngs Hans has made?

- I've seen them. - Don'tyou thnkthey're good?

Perhaps, but he should be Iearnng a useful trade,

notwastng hs tme makng pctures.

Wastng hs tme? He wants to be an ast.

Holland has too many asts, all poor.

Isn'tthat beerthan beng a poorfsherman, Ike hs father?

I'm serous, Ra. I'm worred about Hans.

Gretel wll be all rght. She can cook and sew.

She'II fnd a husband. utwhatwll be the future for Hans?

I thnk a man should work atwhat he enoys.

I want our chldren to have a beer Ife than we've had.

Utwe are geng along fne.

Now, perhaps. utwhen wnter comes and fshng s poor,

there wll be hardly enough to eat agan.

Mete, you don't have to wor anymore.

I've been keepng a surprse foryou.

- Thunder - Tel Mother.

- Mother, what s t? - Oh, darlng. Dd tfrghten you?

Oh, t's such an aul weather.

Come, darlng.

See? See how t rans.

Itwas so Ioud.

Look.

Consnglng

Where dd you get all that money?

Foryears, ever snce Gretel was born,

whenever I made an era gulder, I put t asde.

Frst, I flled mytobacco pouch. Then a sock.

And now, do you know how much we have?

No.

- Exactly one thousand gulder. - Oh, Ra.

Nowyou don't have to work so hard n your old age.

I Ike to work. Who would want to st and ust do nothng?

Ths s foryou and the chldren.

If Hans wants to be an ast, all I ask s that he's a good one.

- Where are you gong? - To hde ths where t's safe.

Nowyou're gong to bed, darlng.

Lke...

that.

- Now, you go to sleep. - knockng

Kaps Ra Open up

Kaps, come n. You, too, Peter.

What brngs you out on a nght Ike ths?

The dke at SIoterdam has broken.

- They need men to repar t. - Let's get staed then.

- May I go, too, Father? - Why not? Get dressed.

They say t's the worst storm n 40 years.

The waves are breakng overthe seawall.

Ra Hur up, Hans.

Thunder

man Putyour backs nto t, men

wnd howlng, waves crashng

man Keep them comng

More bags.

Ah

- Hans Father - thud

Hans Help

Aer hm

man He's hu bad.

Founately, the skull wasn't broken.

I thnk he wll be all rght n tme.

When they brought hm home, he ddn't even recognze us.

That should pass soon.

Ofcourse, he has to be n bed for a whle.

I'II Iook n agan ths evenng.

Peter and I wll be glad to share our catch wth you

tll Ra s on hs feet agan.

Thankyou, Kaps. You are a good frend.

Utwe'II get along. Ra managed to put somethng asde.

That's good. We fshermen Ive from hand to mouth.

Come on, Peter.

You mustn'twor. I'II take the Sea Beggarouttomorrow.

We must askthe good Lord to make yourfatherwell agan soon.

NarratorButas the weeks wentby, Raddn'tmprove.

He couldstbythe wndownow, buthe was lstless andvacant.

Hs memowas gone,

andwth tanyrecollecton ofhs savngs andthersecrethdngplace.

Ifwe could onlyfnd the moneyyourfather hd,

we'd have more than enough to Ive on.

Why don'tyou ask hm agan?

Perhaps he'II rememberths tme.

Ra, t's me, yourwfe.

Darlng, do you remember the moneyyou saved?

- Money? - Yes. Athousand gulders.

You hd them n a Ieather bag the nght ofthe bg storm.

Storm?

You took t nto the storeroom, butwe can'tfnd t.

We searched evehere.

You must have hdden twell. Where s t?

Love, do you understand?

Where s the money n the Ieather bag?

You must remember. We need the money desperately

sobbng

Don't c, Mother. PIease don't c.

I'm sor.

You eatyour soup. You must be hung.

NarratorSummerandfallwentby,

andsomehow the Brnke suved.

Butthen...

wnd blowng

to make mae woe, wnter, berandsevere,

came veearlythatyear.

Hans utschool,

forthough he was tooyoung fora steadyob,

the responsbltyforhs famly's supponowrestedon hm.

Noob was too lowly nortoo hard.

There were fve mouths to feed,

andthe medcnes forhs sckfatherwere costly.

shoutng, Iaughng

Hans, wat

I haven't seen you for a Iong tme. Where are you gong?

I'm takng wood to the tavern.

How's yourfather?

Much beer, thankyou. He's able to st up now.

That's good. I mssed seeng you.

When are you and Gretel comng backto school?

Notfor a whle. We have to help outtll Father's on hs feet.

I hope you're keepng up wth your drawng.

I've been too busyfshng all summer and now dong odd obs.

You mustn't gve up your drawng.

There are so many asts much beerthan I'II ever be.

You're too modest. Myfather's bought a Iot of pctures,

and I don't Ike them as well as yours.

Promse me that no maer how dcult t s,

you won't gve t up.

I'II keep on wth tthen.

HIda, I thoughtyou were comng wth us.

Just a mnute, Ludwg.

Itwas good to see you agan.

Yes.

- Good-bye. - Good-bye.

Too bad about Hans's father, sn't t?

- Ut he s geng beer. - eer?

He's a helpless dot.

Ludwg, what a terrble thng to say.

It's true. I've seen hm sng n hs wndow, ust starng.

They say he doesn't even know hs own wfe and chldren.

Dr. Krupp wll cure hm.

How can anyone cure a man who's Iost hs mnd?

We can hope, can'twe?

- Good-bye. - See you tomorrow, HIda.

Ye.

I can car my own books home, thankyou.

Accordonplayng

men sngng Sng to the sturdymen Whopullthe heavybarges

Sng to the captan Andthe mate andallthe crew

Sng to the taverns where We stop to wetourwhstles

Sng to thepreymads Who see the golden brew

Though theollybargemen Leada mer, merlfe

Wth never-endng strfe From a naggng wfe

Though theollybargemen Leada mer, merlfe...

- Fnd anywork? - Nothng butths.

Tthe woodcung mll?

They don't need anyone. Nether does Schmmel.

Tmes are bad. I'm Iucto wash pots here.

Maybe Captan Jansen wll take you on. He's on hs way backto Hoorn.

I'II ask hm.

Ngng, ndstnct

- Drnk, brothe, drnk - Drnk to the sturdymen

Drnk, brother, drnk, brother Drnk, brother, drnk, brother

Drnk

Excuse me, Captan. I'm Ra rnker's son.

Oh, s he geng any beer?

Dr. Krupp says t'II take tme.

He oughtto see a bran doctor.

- A bran doctor? - Dr. oekman.

Saved my brotherwhen the others gave hm up.

- Ut he'II be expensve. - He's the best n all the Netherlands.

- Can you gve me work? - Pullng my barge?

- That's man's work. - ut I'm strong.

Neyear maybe. See Dr. oekman. Ifanybody can cure yourfather, he can.

- Yes, sr. Thankyou. - From the begnnng. AII together.

Drnk to the sturdymen Whopullthe heavybarges

Drnk to the captan Andthe mate andallthe crew...

Good evenng, Father.

- Mete You are Iate. - I've been Iookng forwork.

Ddn'tyou fnd anhng?

I made a IIe delverng wood, but twon't payfor Father's medcne.

We saved some soup foryou.

You mustn'tfeel badly, son. We'II manage somehow.

We can't keep takng char.

I know. Ifwe could onlyfnd the moneyyourfather hd,

we would have more than enough to Ive on.

- I'm gong to Amsterdam n the mornng. - Whywould you go there?

I've heard about a famous bran doctor. A Dr. oekman.

We can't even pay old Dr. Krupp.

How can we aord a famous c doctor?

I'm hopng someone mght buy my drawngs.

I'II take our Iace and sell t.

We should get a beer prce n the bg c.

NarratorSo earlynextmornng, Hans and GretelwenttoAmsterdam.

The Dutch metropols s notonlyHolland's captal,

t's also one ofthe world's mostexctngplaces,

proudlycalled "the Vence ofthe noh,''

fort, too, s a cty ofslands, brdges andcanals.

It, too, s a seat oflearnng andthe as,

ofsoarng buldngs andmghtychurches,

dynamc wth the bustle ofbusness andworldcommerce.

organplayng

Underanyothercrcumstances, ths ftglmpse ofthe bg cty

wouldhave been sheermagc forHans and Gretel.

Buteven so, theldouthope.

Hope to turn therhandwork nto cash.

Hope to fndthe celebrateddoctor.

Excuse me. Can you tell us howto fnd the marketplace?

Just cross that brdge there.

- Thankyou. - Thankyou.

Ndstnct chaer

There's a place overthere.

Oh, Iook, Hen What exquste Iace

Perhaps you'd be nterested n a drawng, sr.

Ths s hardlythe place to show pctures.

Where should I go?

- To the street ofthe a dealers. - Thankyou.

If I have any Iuck, I'II call on Dr. oekman.

I'II be watng foryou.

Look, I wantths, and perhaps ths.

Oh, don't be so bored, Hen.

Excuse me. Do you knowthe way to the street ofthe a dealers?

- Overthere. - Thankyou.

Not at all.

Well, what do you thnk of t?

It's wondeul, sr.

I've never seen anyone use ols before. Is t dcult?

Yes, atfrst.

Can you tell me where to fnd the a dealers?

- Are you an ast, too? - I hope to be.

Now I only drawwth a pencl.

May I see one?

Hmm. They're not bad.

There's a strong feelng forthe Iand here.

- Is ths yourvllage? - Yes, sr.

I suppose you have come to Amsterdam to sell them.

Ifanyone would want such plan sketches.

The old masters oen worked n black and whte.

Even the greatest, who once Ived n that house I'm pantng.

- Who's that, sr? - Who was...

Why, Rembrandtvan Rn, ofcourse.

Dd Rembrandt really Ive there?

Rusdael For 20 years.

Thatwas hs happy perod, when he was marred to Saska.

Ddn't he de n pove?

Yes. ut I thnk he was happy even then,

for he had fulflled hs ambtons.

- Do you understand that? - I thnk I do, sr.

Come. I'II ntroduce you to a frend of mne

who has helped a Iot ofasts to get staed, ncludng me.

WII you take ths?

No. No.

Thnkyou mghttake a few on consgnment, MynheerDonne?

Well, maybe one.

If he sells t, you can gve hm a commsson.

Thankyou, sr.

Do you knowwhere I can fnd a Dr. oekman?

He's Ivng n the bg house on Prncengracht.

Why do you wantto see hm?

Myfatherwas n an accdent Iast sprng and Iost hs memo.

Hmm. So, maybe I can take o more.

Thankyou, sr.

Thankyou.

I'm ve grateful to you, sr, but I don't even knowyour name.

Frans Rusdael.

Here's a IIe present so you can begn to expermentwth colors.

Colors It's a wondeul g.

- Utyou are too generous. - Oh, no, no, no.

Thankyou agan, sr.

I'II come back as soon as my pantngs are wohy enough.

- What's hs name? - Hans. Hans rnker.

Who knows. He mght turn outto be good someday.

- Oh, yes. I wantto payforths. - Putyour money away.

You thnkyou are the only one who wants to encourage young talents?

Bell rngng

- What s t? - I'd Ike to see Dr. oekman.

The doctor saled for London.

London? When wll he be back?

- He'II be away at Ieasto weeks. - I'II come backthen.

- What happened? - The doctorwon't be backforweeks.

Too bad. I sold evehng.

The rch Iady boughtthe Iace. The restwentfor a good prce.

- Look. - You dd well.

- You'd beer carthe money home. - AII rght.

- I sawwhere Rembrandt Ived. - You dd?

And I met a real ast. Frans Rusdael.

He Iked my drawngs enough to ntroduce me to an a dealer

- who wll tto sell some for me. - That's wondeul.

And the ast gave me these pants. Good ones, too. Now I can t colors.

People are knd here. The rch Iady asked about me,

and when I told her how hard t had been for Mother,

she sad she'd call on us.

That's nce of her, butwhy?

I don't know, but I thnk she means to help us.

We must celebrate tonght.

Let's ask Kaps and Peter to have dnnerwth us for a change.

Belches Ahhh

Iaughs

What a good meal, Mete

Lke old tmes, eh, Ra?

Wantto playyour accordon? Hmm?

Chuckles

Oh, you want me to play t, huh?

Accordonplayng

There's an oldsalorsong Thatwe sng alldaylong

Andwe callt "The wooden shoe waltz''

When we're faroutatsea Ths gaymelody

Makes us dream Ofoursweetheas

Bythe olduderee

Oh, mydarlng, mydarlng, MyHollandermss

I'm longng to hugyou Andgveyoua kss

Then whrlyouaroundwhle The bandplays wth schmaltz

As we dance to the tune of "The wooden shoe waltz''

- Lke ths - taps shoes

- Lke ths - taps shoes

Then whrlyouaround Andgveyoua bg kss

- Lke ths - ksses

- Lke ths - ksses

The tune of "The wooden shoe waltz''

Iaughs

narratorButRa's smle was onlyfleetng.

The hah graywntermonths marchedby.

In those days, when the ce lockedup canals andwateays,

thepulse n those busyaeres ofHolland

came almostto a standstll.

No wondertbecame evermore dcultforHans to fndwork,

though he tredevehng n hspowerto help out.

Butthe urge to be an ast was euallystrong n hm.

He devotedeach lesure hour to canvas andbrush.

Hadn'ttbeen the lot ofmanya Dutch ast

to suerprvatons before aanng fame?

Andanay, he'dpromsedHlda

thathe wouldnot neglecths talent.

Iaughng, chaerng

I suppose you wantto see what Hans s pantng.

I'II on you Iater.

Boy Come on. The ce s beer overthere.

Hello, Hans.

- Hello, HIda. - May I see?

Oh, t's wondeuI

It's so exctng to work n colors.

Thngs used to seem dull and gray, but now I see evehng derently.

- Do you, Hans? - It's all because ofyou.

Now I feel confdent. I beleve n myself.

I'm glad.

I am anxous to t a porat ne.

Howwould you Ike to pant me?

I'd Ike to ve much. When?

Is tomorrow all rght, aer school?

Fne. I'd askyou to come to our house,

but Father sn'tfeelng too well these days.

I knowwhere we can go. Insde the mll.

- It's warm, and boss won't mnd. - I'II be watng.

I'd Ike to surprse Father wth t on St. Ncholas Day.

Maybe he'II wantto buy t.

Oh, I wouldn'tfeel rght about sellng tto you.

Good evenng, sr.

Good evenng.

- Ve good coee. Thankyou. - knock on door

Come n, young man.

As I was sayng, my husband and I have no chldren.

We are qute well-to-do.

We Ive n a house wth more rooms than we can use.

MynheerKorbes has consented to Iet me nvestgate condtons here.

I admt, I expected to fnd a sordd atmosphere.

Even drunkenness, perhaps.

Mrs. Korbes ut I must say, I'm releved.

Evehng s qute clean and tdy, despte your pove.

Gretel, you would Ike to Ive n a bg nce house

wth seants and good food, wouldn'tyou?

I hardly need to remnd you ofthe advantages

that Gretel would have that's she's mssng now.

Ut, Mevrouw Korbes, I couldn't Ieave myfamly.

Do you mean...

You mean thatyou would preferto Ive here?

We're ve happytogether.

Ofcourse, you could vst Gretel wheneveryou wsh.

My husband s prepared to send you a sum from tme to tme,

untl your husband s able to work.

Thankyou foryour good ntentons, Mevrouw Korbes,

but I could never gve up one of my chldren.

Ut...

I hope you understand. We are all so close...

Perhaps fyou rased chldren ofyour own, you'd knowwhat I mean.

Afamly s somethng you never separate,

no maer how pooryou are.

Well, t's your decson. I onlywanted to help you.

I thnkyou'II come to realze you're not beng farto Gretel.

Here's my husband's card fyou change your mnd.

- Gretel. - Good evenng.

And I thought she came to help us.

Oh, she meantwell, Hans.

You can't blame one who can't understand what a famly means to each other.

- Hello, boss. - Hello.

Hello, boss.

Hans s gong to do my porat as a surprse for Father.

Ah, t should be nterestng.

It may notturn out Ike Rembrandt,

butthe Ight and shadows are the same.

Well, well. What's the maer, Ludwg?

You haven't carred HIda's books home Iately.

- No, sr. - Have you had a fallng out?

I don'tthnk I should tell you, sr.

Tell me what? If t concerns my daughter, speak up.

Well, I don't beleve n carng tales, sr.

Tales? Tales? What do you mean?

Well...

HIda's been meetng secretly wth Hans rnker.

What?

I ust sawthem go nto oss' wndmll alone.

Oss' wndmll alone?

Ja, t's comng pre good. It even Iooks Ike her.

Iaughs

I'II get some more frewood.

Mnd f I rest a moment?

No, ofcourse not.

Oh, t's gong to be good. Fatherwll be ve pleased.

So, ths s howyou abuse my confdence, HIda?

- I'm ashamed ofyou. - ut, Father

Go home at once. You'II be punshed Iater.

Sobs

Hans rnker, I forbd you to ever see my daughter agan.

Utyou don't understand, sr.

SIence

You're an nsolent peasant.

If I ever hearyou're meetng secretlywth HIda agan,

I'II have you horsewhpped

growls

Oh, what's the good burgomaster so upset about?

Ddn't he Ike your pantng?

Hans, have you seen yourfather?

- No. - He's wandered osomewhere.

I'm afrad somethng terrble happened.

- I'II fnd hm. Take ths and go home. - AII rght.

It's the dot

Where s he?

Down bythe canal.

You stay here. I'II getthe watchman.

Dog barks

barkng contnues

Father

It's me, Father. Come back home, won'tyou, please?

There he s.

Arrest hm.

It's Ra Come on and help

It's me, Ra. Your old frend.

Come on. Let's go home.

Woman They shouldn't Iet hm run around Ike ths.

Man He should be put away.

- Woman 2 Oh, t's terrble. - Poor Mete.

Well, he's quet now. You should all take some rest.

How can we rest?

I'm afrad, Kaps. Poor Ra doesn't knowwhat he's done.

Knock on door

You knowwhat they're sayng n the tavern?

Thatthey're gong to send yourfatherto an asylum.

I'm sor. I wsh we could help.

You've done evehng you could. Thankyou.

We beer be gong, Peter.

You mustn'twor. Dr. oekman s due back soon.

I am gong to see hm.

How are we gong to pay such an expensve doctor?

- I hope the dealer sold my drawngs. - You mustn't count on that.

Ifworst comes to worst, I can Ietthe rch Iady adopt me.

- Oh, no. - No, Gretel, you won't have to do that.

I'II fnd somethng.

NarratorHans and Gretel redoubledthereos,

butthepromse ofa soluton forthertroubles

came from an entrely unexpectedsource.

Hans GreteI

Have you heard aboutthe competton on St. Ncholas Day?

That's the one wth the prze ofthe slver skates.

There's 300 gulders, too, forthe boy and grl who wns t.

Ths s the mracle we've been watng for.

Even fwe get n the fnals,

we'II be up aganstthe best skaters on the whole ZuderZee.

Who cares? We all have the same chance.

Ifone of us wns, our problems wll be solved.

We beer go sgn up now.

Come on. I'II race you to the town hall.

Go

narratorAndso thepossbltyof wnnng theprze n the greatrace

kndlednewhope n Hans and Gretel.

Here, ndeed, was a possble soluton to thermanyproblems.

Ths comng eventadded, also,

more exctementto one ofthe mostdelghulDutch holdays,

St. Ncholas Day, the tme when St. Nck appea on hs handsome whte steed.

Its a tme forpaes andthe gvng ofgs,

much lke ourChrstmas.

Atthe mayor's house, as n mosthomes along the uderee,

there was onlyone topc ofconveaton thatevenng

tomorrow's ualfyng races topck the contestants

forthe bg slverskate event usto weeks away.

HIda and I are gong to wn frst places n the competton tomorrow.

Don't be so sure. Ourtown s famous for good skaters.

- Lke Hans rnker? - Yes, Ike Hans and hs sster.

- Cakes? - Ludwg They shouldn't be allowed.

- Why not? - They only have wooden skates.

- I don't see why t makes a derence. - Wooden skates are dangerous.

They can cause an accdent.

Hans and Gretel seem to do all rght on thers.

It's almosttme for St. Ncholas to be arrvng on hs whte steed.

So Iet's sng a welcome song for hm. AII together.

Hearthe hoofbeats on the roof

We don'tneedmore fuherproof

GoodSt. Ncks comng

He wllflleach lle wooden shoe

Ifyou're goodyou'llbe Geng somethng too

GoodSt. Ncks comng

Welcome, St. Ncholas

Brng us cheer

Forwe onlyseeyoubutonce a year

Hearthe hoofbeats on the roof

We don'tneedmore fuherproof

GoodSt. Ncks comng

He wllfll...

- chldren shoutng - Come, chldren.

Well, hello, IIe boys and grls.

I hope you've all been good chldren durng the year.

- Oh, yes. - We've been good.

So have I.

Iaughng I'm glad to hear t, fortonght, when you're asleep,

I'II brng presents down the chmney

nto the shoes ofall the good boys and grls.

Ut I wll brng swtches to those who have been bad.

You see, I know evehng that's gone on,

Ike not studyng your Iessons, or squrmng n church,

or not obeyng your parents.

Some ofyou could even be gul ofthrowng snowballs

at gentlemen n hgh hats.

Ut neyear, I'm sure you wll all be IIe angels agan.

Now I must be oto vst other chldren all overthe count.

So help yourselfto the sweets,

and I wsh you all a happy and mer St. Ncholas Day.

Hur up, chldren. You mustn't catch cold.

What are you dong?

What are you dong sneakng around n the dark Ike a thef?

I wasust passng, Your Honor. I mean, Your Holness.

I have ths presentforthe burgomaster.

Present?

I am the one who gves presents, my boy.

When dd you do ths?

The Iastfew nghts. I panted tfrom memo.

Well, I'm sure the burgomaster wll Ike t.

Ut nowyou beer be o home.

Yes, Your Holness... Uh, Your Grace.

I thought eveone had a good tme.

- Oh, yes, especally Father. - How he Ioves to play St. Ncholas.

HIda, have you been seeng the rnker boy Iately?

No, not snce you forbade me to.

Hmm. Why don'tyou Ietthose go and get some sleep.

- You wantto be fresh forthe contest. - AII rght.

Good nght. Thanks forthe pa.

- Good nght, Father. - Good nght, dear.

I sawthat rnker boy outsde Iookng n on the pa.

- What dd you do? - Sent hm away, ofcourse.

We really should've nvted the rnkers ths year.

It's been a tng tme forthem.

HIda says Hans and Gretel are entered n the competton.

Utthey only have therwooden skates.

Why don'tyou send HIda's old ones to the grl?

That's what I hoped you'd say.

Wasn't t nce of Kaps and Peterto remember Tel?

They've had a hard wnter, too.

- I caed these for hm. - He'II Iove them.

It sn't much.

We have a Iotto be grateful for.

Ra used to Iookfoard to St. Ncholas Day as much as you dd.

I remember how excted you used to be to wake up n the mornng

and fnd your shoes ovelowng.

Sometmes he'd go wthouttobacco for a month

so he could brng you apples and gngerbread men.

Knockng

- Who brought t? - I don't know.

Perhaps there's a card nsde.

- Oh. - Look.

What tths?

Oh, t must be foryou, Gretel.

Now I have a chance to wn tomorrow.

- Isn't twonder... - I can skate fne on wooden ones.

Let's showyourfather.

Look, Ra. We have good frends who remembered us.

AII ths wondeul food you need to make you strong.

Tomorrow Hans and Gretel are gong to enterthe competton, and they maywn.

Look. Gretel has real skates.

The competton has narrowed down to sx boys and sx grls.

We shall now select the fnalsts forthe bg race.

The grls wll take ther stang postons.

Good Iuck.

You'II race outto the barrel, crcle t, and return.

The frstthree to fnsh wll have the honor

of representng ourvllage n the bg race, the 20th.

On your marks.

Get ready. Go

all cheerng

Come on, Gretel. Come on.

AII cheerng

Wondeul, Gretel. You dd t.

Congratulatons, HIda. Itwas a good race.

The wnners are

HIda van GIeck, Gretel rnker, and Katrnka FIack.

And now, the boys wll take ther stang postons.

Good Iuck, Hans.

At Ieast get n the fnals Ike I dd.

You'II race across the bay, up the canal as far as the marker, then return.

Don't get behnd rnker.

If he hts rough ce wth those snowplows, he'II break hs neck.

On your marks.

Get ready.

Hey Come back and watfor my sgnaI

On your marks.

Get ready.

Go

Hans s keepng up.

Ut t's a Iong wayto go. Come on, Hans.

Eat hm, Hans

Never mnd, Hans You can catch up

That's my boy n the Iead.

Eat hm eat hm

Ludwg, what happened?

You were frst. You were n the Iead. Why dd you Iet hm beatyou?

And the wnners are Hans rnk...

Hans rnker, Ludwg Schmmel, and Peter ouman.

If my son had tred, he could easly have come n frst.

Ut he ddn't. Hans rnker beat hm, and on wooden skates.

In the bg race, rnkerwon't have a chance.

Who do you thnk'II wn, MynheerSchmmel?

My Ludwg, ofcourse. I've been gvng hm some ponters.

I'd put my money on Peter, not because he s my son,

but ttakes endurance to skate 2 mles.

And Peter s a strong Iad, bg for hs age.

I'II wager 20 gulders that Ludwg comes n ahead.

I'II take that bet.

Make a note ofthat.

Forgve me, but I hope that spoled brat of hs falls and breaks...

Ah, ah, ah, Kaps.

At Ieastwe all agree that someone from ourvllage wll wn.

I thnkyou're all crowng a IIe too soon.

Have you heard ofa boy at Hoorn they call "Charles the Champon"?

He won the Iasto years.

That's rght. And he won't be 1 untl ne month.

So, he's entered agan.

Bargemen Iaughng

narratorOn the day the famous surgeon was due back,

Hans wenttoAmsterdam.

Wth skates lke those, howmuch beerwouldbe hs chances

to wn the race andpay forthe doctor's seces.

Perhaps the adealer hadsoldone ofhs drawngs.

You won'tfnd anyone n there. The shopkeeper s II.

He went home.

Bell rngng

- It's you. - Has the doctor returned?

Ths mornng, but I'd advse to come backtomorrow.

Ut I must see hm today.

I'm sor. He has gven strct orders to admt no one.

He s notfeelng well. He had a rough crossng.

I can't Ieave wthouttalkng to hm. PIease.

Myfather needs help badly.

Vewell, but I warn you, he'II be furous wth both of us.

Excuse me, Dr. oekman.

Ddn't I tell you I was notto be dsturbed?

Whateveryou're sellng, I don'twant t.

- I'm not sellng anhng, sr. - What's thatyou car?

- Pantngs to show an a dealer. - I'm much too busyto see anyone.

Utths can'twat, sr. It's about myfather.

He had a head nu Iast sprng and Iost hs memo.

I'm sor. I can'ttake on any new patents atths tme.

Couldn'tyou ust come and Iook at hm?

Frankly, no. Mywork has pled up snce I've been away.

Captan Jansen sad fanyone could cure hm, you could.

- Who's Captan Jansen? - Commander ofa barge over at Hoorn.

You cured hs brother when eveone gave up.

Oh, yes. Interestng case. Amnesa.

Won'tyou see fthere's any hope?

- You're ve persstent. - I have to be.

People n ourvllage thnk he's dangerous.

Theywant hm Iocked up n an nsttuton.

- Order my slegh at once. - Yes, doctor.

Well, come on. You've gotto show me where you Ive.

Ndstnct murmurng

Well, I thnkthe chldren should be consulted.

What s t, Mother?

The doctor says an operaton may restore hs memo,

but t's ve dangerous.

You mean Father mght de?

Any operaton where pressure on the bran s concerned s hghly delcate.

Founately, the patent appears to be strong physcally.

I thnk he has a good chance ofgeng through t.

Utwe knowthat no maer how dangerous, t's necessa.

Don'twe?

- Yes, Mother. - Yes.

When wll you do t, doctor?

I have a vefull schedule snce I've been away.

Let me see. Two amputatons and, uh...

Well, there's no openng untl the 20th.

Rng hm to the Amsterdam hosptal the day before.

Yes, I wll.

I'm prescrbng some medcne to quet hs nees

f he should be restless agan.

See he has plen ofgood nourshng food.

Meat, preferably red wne.

- Thankyou for comng, Doctor. - Oh, not at all.

Well, ths wll be all fortoday.

- Doctor... - Huh?

I knowyou're expensve, so t's onlyfarto tell you,

we can't payfor a whle.

It's not my custom to send a bll untl aer I have rendered my seces.

Good day.

NarratorAs the day ofthe greatrace drewnear,

the contestants n thepacpatng vllages bythe uderee

spentevespare moment practcng forthe event.

- Have you seen Hans anhere? - He's embarrassed on hs wooden skates,

so he's practcng atthe pont where no one can see hm.

Thanks.

Dd you huyourself?

It's these old wooden skates, but I'm geng beer.

It'sust a queston ofumpng overthe rough spots.

Stll meetng secretly, huh?

What do you mean?

A pre IIe scene. Not as comfoable as the mll, s t?

How dd you know aboutthat?

Eveone knows that HIda's father forbade herto see you agan.

Ut he ddn't know aboutthe mll.

You're the one who told the burgomaster.

What f I dd?

You are contemptble.

Getyour skates o.

My Ludwg was aacked today bythe son ofthat madman rnker.

Wthout provocaton, mnd you.

As a member ofthe town councl, I stronglyfeeI

that a boy Ike Hans rnker should not be allowed

to represent ourtown n the race.

- You sure twas wthout provocaton? - I have Ludwg's word for t.

I heard from my daughter, who happened to be present,

and she feels thatyoung rnker was entrelyustfed.

And, frankly, so do I. Good evenng.

NarratorOn the eve ofRa's removalto the hosptal,

the Brnke facedo ofthe most crtcalstuatons oftherlves

Ra's operaton andthe race forthe bgprze.

No wonderthe mmedate future heldforthe lle famly

a mxture offearandofhope.

You are gong to shave before we take you to the hosptal.

I can't Ietyou frghten the nurses.

Dr. oekman s gong to make you well agan. I know.

Who's gong to take care ofTel when we go?

OId Mara's gong to take care of hm.

Amsterdam hosptal, atyour sece.

Thankyou ve much forthe rde.

WII you pck up Hans and be atthe marketplace ths aernoon?

Ut not Iaterthan 400.

I hope evehng goes well.

I thnk t's bestyou say good-bye to yourfather now.

Good-bye, Father.

Gretel Mother, we hate to Ieave you.

If twasn'tforthe money we maywn, we'd gve t up.

Ofcourse you won't. There's nothng you can do now.

Whattme are the races tomorrow?

Grls sta at 1000 and the boys go rght aer us.

Hans, when do you thnkyou wll be reachng Amsterdam?

Early aernoon. We turn backwhen at Kng's rdge.

Ifthe operaton s over and fyourfather s out ofdanger,

I'II wave to you from the brdge.

God be wth you.

God be wth you.

Come on, darlng.

I'II come to the marketplace as soon as I can.

AII rght.

Can you help a poor crpple?

Can you help a poor crpple?

No, I am sor.

Eggars are not allowed n here.

I am not a beggar, sr. I am an ast.

- Iaughng - Aren'ttheythe same?

You made a good purchase.

Rusdael s becomng qute popular.

- Yes, so I understand. Good day. - Good day, sr.

- Is MynheerDonne around? - Oh, he ded o weeks ago.

Went home II and never recovered.

- I'm sor. - Evehng's n qute a mess.

I'm hs nephew. I'm here to take over.

Do you know f he sold my drawngs? I Ie some pencl sketches.

Oh, those. Yes.

I'm glad to get rd ofthem. Theytake up space.

- Are these yours? - Yes.

Now I have beer ones. In ols. See?

- Perhaps you'd be nterested n these? - I'm sellng out. Not buyng.

Thankyou, sr.

- Are you badly hu? - Athef He stole all my money

Open the door Open up

Help

Help Polce I'm n here Help me get out

What dd the boy who ran aer hm Iook Ike?

Lke any beggar.

I wouldn't be surprsed f he wasn't n Ieague wth that cuhroat.

They oen work n pars.

- Dd the boy Ieave these pantngs? - And those dreadful drawngs, too.

He's no thef. I know hm. He's a frend of mne.

T and fnd hm. He mght be n trouble.

Yes. Come on.

I am sor, but I can'twat any Ionger.

I can't understand what's happened to Hans.

He knows we have to be back forthe races tomorrow.

If he doesn't come soon, I thnkyou'd beer go to the polce.

NarratorExhaustedby hs van eos to getfree,

hs troubledmndflledwth concern fortomorrow's events,

Hans spenta nght offrustraton andanxety.

HansHelp meHelp me

man Who called for help? Where are you?

Here I'm Iocked n, and can't get out

Oh, ho You must be the boy the polce are Iookng for.

Wattll I call them, and we'II have you out n a.

We've been Iookng all nghtforyou.

Can you show us the shp where you sawths crpple?

- Frst I mustfnd my sster. - Don'twor about her.

She's sleepng n a warm polce staton.

Well, come on then. It's nearby.

What do you want?

May I speakto the man wth the crutch, please?

Someone wants to see you.

How dd you...

I can'tthankyou enough, rnker.

I'II even take your pantngs. On consgnment, ofcourse.

Doesn't he get a reward for recoverng the money?

- Ceanly. Here you are. - consnglng

Fve gulders.

Gretel, t's almost enough to buy some new skates I saw.

- How much more do you need? - Two more gulders.

Two more gulders.

Gretel We have to pck up my skates.

- We'II never getto the dke by 1000. - Unless we fnd a slegh.

I'm sure MynheerDonne wll be happyto Ioan us hs. Come on.

Bandplayng folk tune

- I don'tthnkthey're comng. - Whywouldn'tthey?

Maybe they realzed Hans doesn't have a chance.

They had to take therfather to Amsterdam, butthey'II be here.

As soon as the dance s over, I shall call the grls' race.

Ut, Your Lordshp, o ofour contestants are mssng.

- Neveheless, we shall proceed. - ut...

- Where are Hans and Gretel? - We'II be called any mnute.

SIence

The grls get readyforthe frst race.

Horn blowng

I wsh I knew what's happened to them.

Crowd murmurng

bellsnglng

woman Look overthere Here comes someone now

Here they come

man The grls wll take ther stang postons.

That's you, Gretel. Hur

Good Iuck

- Oh - What happened to you?

- I've been to Amsterdam... - There sn'ttme. Get ready.

Look, they're even beerthan yours.

When the horn blows, you wll sta.

The grls' race s four mles outto the ZuderZee and back.

The wnnerwll receve these slver skates

and 300 gulders.

Good Iuckto all ofyou

horn blows

cheerng

cheerng

Come on You can do t

PIease don'tfeel bad about t.

Man slence

The wnner s WIhelmna Vooster ofSparkenburg.

- Applause - all Hooray Hooray Hooray

WII you please come foard and receve your prze?

Crowd murmurng

man The prze.

Never mnd. You nearlywon.

Anay, you stll have a chance.

Man And nowthe boys wll take ther stang postons.

Go on, Hans. I'm sure you can wn.

Good Iuck, Hans.

Man You are aboutto begn a Iong-dstance race of2 mles,

across the ZuderZee to Amsterdam and return.

The one we have to wor about s thatfellowfrom Hoorn.

- Whch s he? - The tall one wth the fur cap.

They don't call hm Charles the Champon for nothng.

I expect eve one ofyou to fnsh,

whether he wns or not.

You wll sta on the horn.

Aerthat, t's eve one for hmself.

Maythe best Hollanderwn.

Whsperng

Oh. It has been called to my aenton thatthere s

a dangerous patch ofthn ce n the south basn.

So heed the warnng and be cean thatyou all go around t.

Good Iuck

horn blowng

cheerng

Even wth the best possble speeds, theywon't be backfor a Iong tme.

Come. I nvte you to the tavern for a drnk.

AII Iaughng

cheerng

- Hur Come on - Hur

Hans Here I am

Yourfather s out ofdanger

That's t, Hen Go, boy, go Go

grunts

screechng

horn blowng

I don't see Hans anhere.

- Ut Peter s second. - Come on, Peter

Ioud cheers

all Hooray Hooray

Hooray

- Where's my boy? - What happened to Hans rnker?

Theywere both behnd me when we Iethe canal.

Man The wnner s Peter ouman ofVolendam.

WII you please come foard and receve your prze?

My 20 gulders, fyou please.

I don't understand t. There must be foul play here somewhere.

Here they come

- woman Get a blanket. - man They're hu?

Somethng must have happened.

Hans Ludwg

What happened?

Peter You won?

Yeah. utwhat happened to you?

- Well, tell us now. - Outwth t.

Itwas all myfault.

I tred to take a shocut across the thn ce,

and twouldn't hold me. Hans pulled me out.

And what do you have to sayto that?

I say...

I saywe should both be glad that ourtown won.

Come on, Ludwg.

I am sor.

Thanks for evehng you've done.

You're recoverng quckly, I don't I have to call on you agan.

- It's thatthck Dutch head of mne. - all Iaugh

- We can'tthankyou enough, Doctor. - No.

Peter ouman has oered to Iend us hs prze money.

- So we can payyourfee. - I warn you. It's pre hgh.

Ths s myfee.

And I won'ttake anhng Iess.

A genune Hans rnker s gong to be woh a Iot of money one ofthese days.

Ythe way, someone has taken care ofyour hosptal bll.

- Who was that? - MynheerSchmmel

sad t had somethng to do wth Hans and hs son.

- Well, good day. - Iaughs

What's all ofths about money?

Why ddn'tyou use the thousand gulders I saved?

Oh, Ra.

We ransacked the storeroom. We Iooked evehere.

Somebody must have stolen t.

Utyou ddn't Iook under the Ioose board, dd you? Huh?

Oh, Ra.

Do you call that a safe place to hde so much money?

- Anyone could have found t. - utyou ddn't, dd you?

No, because twas too easy.

Oh, you slly man

accordonplayng

There's an oldsalorsong Thatwe sng alldaylong

Andwe callt "The wooden shoe waltz''

When we're faroutatsea Ths gaymelody

Makes us dream ofoursweetheas

Bythe olduderee

Oh, mydarlng, mydarlng, MyHollandermss

I'm longng to hugyou Andgveyoua kss

Then whrlyouaroundwhle The bandplays wth schmaltz

Anddance to the strans of "The wooden shoe waltz''

- Lke ths - taps shoes

- Lke ths - taps shoes

Then whrlyouaround Andgveyoua bg kss

- Lke ths - smoochng

- Lke ths - smoochng

The dance of "The wooden shoe waltz''