Original subtitles

I'm going to talk about the difference between

a real and a fake.

I'm going to talk about the difference between

a real and a fake.

Good morning.

Morning, sir.

How much do you charge for cards in

the window?

Depends what you want to advertise, sir.

Do I look like a model?

Twenty pence a week, sir.

Twenty pence for a week?

That seems very reasonable.

Can I have one in, please?

Could you put one in for me?

Here we are.

Colin Mearns, memonist.

Nemonist, nem.

Nemonist, yeah.

Will help you develop a perfect memory.

That's right.

Unusual sort of work, sir.

It is, yes.

Years ago, there used to be a musical

chappie called himself the Memory Man.

I saw him at the old empire in

1947 in a bill with Nosmo King, Fred

Emney, Nellie Wallace, the chinky-doo Chinese acrobats

and the great fedora.

There you are.

My goodness, sir.

You should be on one of those TV

quiz shows.

I was once.

Only once, I'm afraid.

I couldn't remember the date of the Battle

of Hastings.

Never forget another face.

Never forget another name.

In just four short weeks, Colin Mearns, memonist,

D.A., will help you develop a perfect

memory.

Mary!

Hello, love.

I didn't expect you.

How did you get away?

Come out on a strike?

Fire at the office, what?

I've got us a bottle of scotch.

You're a mind reader.

We can celebrate my new advertising campaign.

Shop windows.

Shop windows?

I've been cycling all around the town putting

my card in tobacconists' and newsagents' windows.

Cheapest form of publicity there is.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Only 20 pence per week.

I don't know why I didn't think of

it ages ago.

I've worked it out.

Colin.

The cost per student.

Has anyone actually signed up for your new

course yet?

No, not actually signed.

No, but I've only just launched the campaign.

Believe me, by next week, that classroom will

be full of students.

Will it?

Of course it will.

We've just got to give a little time,

haven't we?

I, er...

I think you'd better have another scotch.

I wouldn't say no.

Oh.

You've got a hole in your cardigan.

I did that.

And you've lost a back.

When will you learn to look after yourself?

I've got you to do that, haven't I?

Um, Colin, I think you'd better sit down.

Sit down?

Why?

I've got something I must tell you.

Oh?

What?

Well...

It's not going to be easy for me.

What's the matter?

Well, er...

Do you remember that friend of mine, Archie

Goodchild?

You met him about the time we first

met in the bar at the Grand Hotel.

Archie Goodchild?

Oh, I got him.

Navy blue pinstripe suit, cufflinks and a smoker's

cough.

Er...

I thought he wore a toupee, but you

insisted that he didn't.

He'd...

He worked for a construction company called Willis

& Mayvore.

You'd been a secretary at one time, right?

Yes.

Well, what about him?

He's building oil rigs now.

He's a managing director.

Bully for him.

He wants me to be his personal assistant.

Well, that's terrific, isn't it?

It's in Scotland.

In Scotland?

Aberdeen, actually.

Aberdeen?

That is 126 miles north of Edinburgh.

It's 492 miles from London.

Scotland's third largest city.

Population, 212,237.

With you and Goodchild, that'll make it 212

,239.

It's a hell of a good job, love.

Nice chap, you see, this Archibald Goodfinger?

Yes, very nice.

And kind.

Kind, yes.

What age is he?

Oh, he's in his forties, isn't he?

Late forties.

Married?

Divorced.

Ah.

Well, I suppose I can't stand in your

way, if that's what you really want.

I mean, I haven't much to offer you,

have I?

Colin.

It's not quite like that.

I mean, it's...

It's just not on between us, is it?

Well, if I was a managing director like

Mr Goodchild, it might be, I suppose.

I mean, he's no younger than me, so

it's not the age that matters.

It's money, isn't it?

I think I'd better go before you start

saying things you'll be sorry for.

Colin, I think you're the best friend I've

ever had.

I took your course because I couldn't remember

my own name or my boss's telephone number,

and now...

Well.

I'll always remember us.

It's been two years of real happiness.

Mary.

Yes?

Look, I suppose I stuck oil in the

back garden or something.

Then give me a ring.

I'll send you my new address.

Bye.

Mary.

Mary!

Mr Mearns?

Mearns, actually.

My name is King.

Do you think I could have a word

with you?

I'm just going out as a matter of...

It was about the ad.

Ad?

Oh, you've seen the ad?

Oh, please, come in.

Thank you very much.

Right, well, um...

Oh, please, come upstairs.

I'm sorry.

Please, make yourself at home.

What can I do for you, Mr, um...

King.

King?

Yeah.

Funny.

I must have missed you out with somebody

else.

Sorry, it's just I've got into the habit

of putting names to faces.

Now, how can I help you?

Well, I saw the ad, you know, the

one about the memory course, and it said

on that that you were a...

Oh, a mnemonist.

Yeah, I was just going to say that.

It stems from the Greek, you know, mnemonic.

An aid to memory recall.

Yeah, of course.

Do you want to enrol?

Possibly, yes.

Just having a little celebration with my secretary.

It's her birthday, you know.

Oh, that's nice.

Would you care to glance through our brochure?

Um, the full course is four weeks.

All right.

You do a bit of fishing, do you?

Yes, very fond of fishing.

Was that your secretary I saw?

Yes, she just popped out.

Have you got a receptionist?

No, staff problems, it's been difficult, you know.

All on your own, then, eh?

I'm afraid so, yes.

That's good.

Go on.

Thank you.

Now, I have forgotten something.

Ah?

And I thought that you, being a...

A mnemonist.

A mnemonist, might be able to help me

to recall it.

Oh, that's what our course is designed for.

No, I don't want the course.

I just want you to help me to

remember one particular thing.

I don't think you quite understand my methods.

You see, I help to develop people's memories

through these techniques of association.

I don't want a lot of stupid sales

talk on fancy words.

I've come here to buy something, and if

you don't sell it, then I've come to

the wrong shop.

Well, let's not be too hasty.

You see, I haven't got time for a

four-week course, but I'm quite willing to

pay for it in cash.

And if you can help me to remember

this one particular thing, then I'd be very

happy to double it.

Well, that seems more than fair, I must

say.

Well, my fee for the full course is

£100?

£100.

That includes stationery and coffee.

Fine.

Here's the receipt.

Well, no, we don't want anything on paper,

do we?

Ah.

Well, now, Mr King.

King?

Yeah.

What exactly can I do for you?

Well, two days ago, I put some personal

belongings in one of the luggage lockers at

the station.

Now, these are new lockers.

They've got no keys.

But what you have got is a row

of buttons with numbers on them.

Now, you punch four figures, and then you

get a ticket with the number of the

locker and the figures that you've punched, right?

Sort of a combination.

Then when you go back, you punch the

numbers again, and the locker opens.

Now, I bet it was made in Japan,

eh?

Well, what exactly is the problem?

Well, you see, I memorised the numbers in

case I lost the ticket, because the stuff

is very important.

And then I lost the ticket, and now

I can't...

You can't remember the numbers.

I can't remember the number of the locker

or the combination.

It's seven figures.

Right.

Well, couldn't you...

I mean, I don't want to forfeit my

fee, but couldn't you just go back to

the station and explain what's happened?

Oh, no, no, no, there's a problem there,

because they'd require some identification, and at the

moment I can't lay my hands on my

documents, you see.

And they'd want to know what was in

the bag.

They'd probably open the bag.

And there is some very personal things in

there, very private things.

Right, all right.

Let's do it.

It's not drugs, is it?

Drugs?

Now, that is not a very nice suggestion.

And I might add that you took the

money a bit quick to seem to me

like a man who's fussy.

We all have to earn a living, you

know.

Then you'd better show me how you earn

yours.

Now, I know you don't want the full

course, but we've got to start somewhere.

Now, it was Sigmund Freud who first drew

our attention to the possibility that memory lapses

may be rooted in the unconscious mind.

And the way to unlock that mind is

through association, assimilation and correlation.

Perhaps you would like to jot down those

three headings while I think up a few

shortcuts.

Right.

Eh?

Er, finished?

No, got the last one.

Charlie Krebs, ace safe-breaker, was sought by

police after the theft of £160,000 from

the safe of Mayfair's Elysee Casino.

A police spokesman said the notes would be

difficult to trace as they came from the

night's takings.

Krebs was released on parole from a ten

year sentence.

Darling, I think I've had a real break

at last.

A stroke of absolutely disreputable luck.

What time is it?

Well, it's, er, 7.35. All through putting

a name to her face.

Now, the face is most untrustworthy and the

name ridiculous.

Krebs.

Krebs?

You don't remember him, do you?

No.

But I do, and I think he's going

to be the most rewarding pupil I've ever

had.

Colin, I'm sorry, but I must go.

Oh, this could make all the difference in

two or three days.

Darling, I'm sorry, but I'm going to be

late.

The table's booked for 7.30. Let Archie

wait.

This is important.

Now, there's some wine in the fridge if

you want it, but I must go.

Take care of yourself.

Bye.

Bye.

Thus, as Kopinski has shown, we may deliberately

suppress a memory because it is disagreeable, because

it has connexions with some guilt or shame

which may have its origins in infantile experience.

In other words, we don't want to remember.

What are you talking about?

Of course I want to remember.

I said I didn't want the course.

All I want to do is remember seven

bloody numbers!

Yes, well, as I was about to say,

perhaps we should put aside theory for the

moment and move on to a more practical

approach.

All right, then.

Shall we try again?

Now, think, Mr King.

Please, think.

Now, when I tap a number, you call

out yes or no, right?

Yes.

Nine.

No.

Two.

No.

Four.

No.

Six.

No.

There must be a yes somewhere on this

board, Mr King.

Please, please try to find the yes.

Oh, God, I'm going to go bananas.

I'm going to forget my own name in

a minute.

I...

I have tried every technique I know.

Except, of course...

Except what?

Well, no, I haven't done it for a

long time.

I wouldn't like to...

You haven't done what?

What?

Hypnosis.

You mean hypnosis?

Yes, but, frankly, I'm not very keen on

it because I may have gone rusty.

Listen, can you do it or can't you?

Because if you can't, I'm going to find

somebody who can because I want results.

They're going to open the locker in two

days' time!

All right, we could try.

We could try hypnosis.

Well, come on, then.

Let's try.

I can't just do it like that.

I've got to refresh my memory.

I've got to look at my notes and

everything.

Well, tomorrow morning, then?

Yes.

Nine o'clock?

Nine.

Right.

Listen, nine o'clock sharp.

Yes, sharp.

Oh, God.

The subject will not remember anything he has

said on the hypnosis unless he has been

instructed to remember.

Unless he has been instructed to remember.

PHONE RINGS You're bright and early.

I did say nine o'clock sharp, didn't

I?

Right, now, are we nice and relaxed?

Well, you know...

I'm going to breathe deeply, all right?

That's it, nice and easy.

Right, now, we're going to think of nice,

gentle things like clouds and streams.

Keep watching the pen.

Oh, yes.

And fields and trees.

And now we're floating down a big, wide

river and we're lying in a boat that's

rocking gently to and fro.

That's nice.

And now we're going to start counting backwards

from 100.

Now, 100.

100.

99.

98.

Yes.

97.

Diary.

96.

95.

94.

93.

Mr King.

Mr King.

Charlie Krebs.

Not guilty.

Charlie.

When you nicked all that cash from the

casino, it was 162,000, wasn't it?

Well, give or take a pound, yeah.

Look, you were on the run, weren't you?

The police were after you.

Oh, yeah, the police, they nearly got me,

you know.

Yes, so you put the cash in that

locker.

Yes.

And you threw away the ticket because you

knew that if they found the ticket on

you, they'd get the loot, right?

I tore the ticket up and stuffed it

down the drains.

I thought I'd remember the number.

Oh, thought you'd remember the number, yes.

Well, I do.

You do?

You do, Charlie?

Yeah.

What is the number, Charlie?

154.

Right, would you repeat that, Charlie?

154.

And the combination number?

6237.

The number of the locker was 154 in

combination with 6237.

Ah, yes, now look, one thing.

Yes, Charlie, one thing.

When you wake up, you will remember nothing.

I will remember nothing.

Especially numbers.

Especially numbers.

Right.

Yes.

Now, wake up, Charlie.

Charlie?

Charlie?

Charlie, wake up!

Oh, Charlie.

Hello.

Colin.

Mary!

Colin, love, I couldn't go without saying, well,

you know.

I've got news for you.

You know that thing that I was talking

about?

Well, it's come off.

Well, as near as a cat's whisker, anyway.

Look, look.

So you can forget all about tweed skirts

and jumpers.

You're not going anywhere near freezing Aberdeen.

You can go anywhere you like in the

world with me.

Look, I can charter a yacht.

I can go big game fishing, whatever you

like.

Well, look, what about the Bahamas, eh?

Yes, what happened?

Yes, now, the estimated population of the Bahamas

in 1947...

What are you talking...

...was 194,000.

The principal...

Colin, have you gone mad?

This is just to confirm your appointment for

this evening.

Thank you very much.

It worked.

I went clean out.

Yes, I know you did, yes.

Well, did that say anything?

Look, unfortunately, nothing we could use.

What, do you mean it didn't work?

No, I'm afraid...

Yes, I'm sorry.

Look, I must bear great disappointment to you.

I've got an urgent appointment.

All I can do is to return your

fee.

Well, I don't want the money.

Mr. Mearns, I want to find the numbers.

Listen, what...

Did nothing happen?

Yes, you may be a little confused for

a while.

If so, make yourself a cup of tea

and lie down for an hour.

I don't want a cup of tea.

Where are you going, Mr. Mearns?

Sorry, I can't.

This is terrible.

You've been trying again.

You just can't.

You didn't want the first time.

Mr. Mearns, please try it again.

I've got to remember.

Passengers for Swayne, Beale and England should take

the rear three coaches on Platform 2.

The number on the locker was 154 in

combination with 623...

The 1045 fast train for London will depart

from Platform 7.

Platform 7 for the 1045 to London.

Platform 7 for the 1045 to London.

Hello.

Hello.

Hello, would you put me through to Archie

Goodchild, please?

Hello, Archie?

Yes, it's Mary.

Yes.

Yes, I've packed, but, um...

Archie, I've changed my mind.

Mr. King?

Mr. King?

Mr. King?

I'm sorry, Archie, really I am.

I think I'm just too fond of Colin

to leave him.

Yes, yes, I...

I know it's silly of me, but...

but there it is.

Please forgive me.

Must have set it off accidentally.

Just think, there's half a pound of explosive

in that bag.

I won't keep you long, miss.

Just a couple of questions.

I don't understand why he wanted to leave

luggage in a station locker.

He didn't.

He collected it.

Was his name Krebs, his pupil?

Yes.

He seemed to be in a state about

Krebs.

I'm not surprised.

You'd remembered something about him.

Colin never forgot a name or a face.

I'm afraid he forgot one name, miss.

A nickname.

Krebs is the best safe-blower in the

business.

They call him Gunpowder Charlie.