Voila! Finally, the Mephisto
script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the Klaus Maria
Brandauer movie based on the Klaus Mann novel. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly
transcribed using the screenplay and/or viewings of Mephisto. I know, I know, I still need to get the cast names in there and I'll be eternally
tweaking it, so if you have any corrections, feel free to
drop me a line. You won't
hurt my feelings. Honest.
l'll give my heart just to one man
The greatest love since time began
He'll come my way and he'll be strong
And he will sing me love's sweet song
- What happened Mr. Höf gen?
- What do you want?
l don't need you now!
Go to hell!
We're invited to a boring banquet.
Sorry, but we have to leave now.
Can't you sit with us, Dora?
No, we'r e much too late.
Sorry, good evening.
l wanted to say you wer e
marvelous tonight.
lt was fantastic. Thank God l saw it.
Y ou fraud, you didn't see the show.
Never mind, you'r e talented.
Me? Talented? Say it louder.
Y es, you'r e very talented,
Herr Höf gen.
l'm sur e you'll soon be able to show
just how talented you ar e.
l must be going, goodbye.
- Böck. Seven marks.
- But Hendrik...
... if you need money
l can lend you fifty marks.
This is men's business.
Böck likes giving money.
Good evening, Miklas.
Thank you.
So...
... Doctor Kr oge lets me starve.
Höf gen, you old sinner!
Take a seat.
Well, Dir ector,
how'd you like the show?
What's getting you down, Hendrik?
That l'm a pr ovincial actor.
ls that all? Nothing else?
Hello.
Y ou'r e late.
One day, l'll come to fetch you.
Don't you dr ead that, Heinz?
- Please don't call me Heinz.
- Why not? That's your name.
l dislike it. Understand?
Perfectly, Heinz.
Y ou can't even drink a beer like
a man who feels like drinking one.
Shall we start?
What was that about beer?
lt's not your style,
simply to call for a beer.
''A beer, please'' sounds
phony when you say it.
l don't drink, Juliette.
l know, Heinz. Take your shoes off.
Come on...
One, two...
One, two...
...one, two, thr ee, four...
On one...
Don't fall down now.
Faster!
Faster!
Show me what you can do.
Y ou want to be an actor
and show off for money, too?
Y ou comical pictur e of misery.
lf you liked this music,
you wouldn't get tir ed.
Y ou always laugh at me, Juliette.
l can't cry. Would you
love me if l could cry?
l love you anyway.
Y ou only love yourself, Heinz,
and even then not enough.
Keep talking.
What you say is very nice.
Y our only concern is your face
being devoid of human expr ession.
lt's a mask, you hear?
l, too, have skin and bones
and body weight...
...and eyebr ows and fingernails,
just like you.
l, too, feel the cold.
l can be hungry and thirsty.
l, too, think of my mother.
And l know ther e ar e
Philistines and Communists.
But my eyes ar e not my eyes.
My legs ar e not mine,
my face is not mine.
My name is not my name,
because l am an actor!
Do you know what it
means to be an actor?
An actor is a mask...
...among human beings.
Juliette...
Juliette...
Ladies and gentlemen,
l have the honor...
...of welcoming you to the
first r eading of the play.
May l intr oduce our guest,
Nicoletta von Niebuhr...
...who will play the female
lead in this pr oduction.
Do you mind if my friend
watches the r ehearsal?
l have no objection.
- Two cognacs, please.
- Y es, dir ector.
Coming up right away.
Thr ee beers, please.
Ther e you go.
Please ex cuse me.
Please ex cuse me.
Father Hansemann...
Hendrik, will we look
lovely in this play?
We ar e lovely.
May l intr oduce my best friend,
Barbara Bruckner?
Nice to meet you.
What?
Ther e's a nice smell of
lavender about you.
Can you smell the lavender, too?
How shocking, on a man.
But l need it like my daily br ead.
A little on the temples is
as good as a night's sleep.
Sleep would be better,
but ther e's no time.
A beer and a mineral water.
We'll hear what he has to say...
... use the good bits,
then play it our way.
He's good, but old-fashioned.
The futur e of Hamburg
Art Theater is me.
l mean the two of us.
Most of the plays her e
ar e shallow bourgeois stuff.
But we visualize theater
that will involve everyone...
...the workers, the dockers.
Wher e will you perform this theater?
lt doesn't matter.
ln the docks, factories, cellars.
They asked me about the play.
We pr omised it for last week.
Let's get this opening night over first.
We must pr ove that theater
has a political function.
Befor e it can be political or
r evolutionary, it first has to be good.
Which actors will be in
this sort of theater?
All who think like us. Even workers.
lt's what we say, not how we say it.
But l've no qualms if
Hendrik stages our plays.
Go on. Why ar e you looking at me?
Am l not allowed to?
lf it pleases you, go ahead.
Without you, l'll be finished, Barbara.
Ther e's too much evil in me.
Alone, l'm too weak to overcome it,
but you could help me.
l can't talk anymor e. So many
thoughts ar e just parts l've played.
l love you, Barbara.
l'm in love. With a woman.
Juliette, am l a good looking man?
l've never seen you on stage.
Maybe you'r e handsome, but...
...frankly, l've never found
you good looking, but...
...sometimes your cold cheating eyes
ar e those of a sad child.
Y ou do it well.
Who have you fallen for?
- A girl.
- Gr eat.
Y ou falling in love...
One day you may just learn
how to walk, not just dance.
Love the girl, Heinz, and don't
tell me anything about her.
- Do we keep in touch?
- Y es.
Y ou know what? l'm coming with you.
l have nothing to lose, Heinz.
Ar e you crazy?
See a psychiatrist.
Though l'm sur e you wouldn't
dar e talk about yourself.
Go, Heinz. We'll meet soon anyway...
...even if l don't want to.
Grandmother, have you a moment?
- l'd like to intr oduce...
- Y our fiancé.
l have to take a closer look
at my new grandson.
Not bad at all.
Ex cuse my mother please,
she will be her e shortly.
l assume you know,
my dear Höf gen...
...that loving mothers rar ely want
their only sons to leave the nest.
Hello, Sebastian.
That is Sebastian.
Mom.
l'm r eally pleased.
Barbara, my dear child.
And l'm Nicoletta von Niebuhr...
...the bride's best friend,
almost her sister.
Often, the bridegr oom's mistr ess.
Only onstage, of course.
May l call you Aunt Bella?
But of course, Nicoletta.
Let us leave the ladies to themselves.
l'd like to show you my garden.
l'd love to see it.
Have you unsettling memories, too?
Y ou know, Barbara,
memories that give you the cr eeps?
When l was about twelve,
l got into our school choir.
l was overjoyed. l thought l could
sing better than the other boys.
We had to sing in church
at some wedding.
l wanted to show off.
l was so pr oud of my soprano voice.
l had a gr eat idea. l sang
one octave higher than the others.
As l stood ther e, pr oudly singing...
...the music teacher looked at me
mor e in disgust than disappr oval...
...and he said softly,
''Just keep quiet.''
Do you understand?
Softly and dryly he said,
''Just keep quiet.''
When l felt l was singing
like an angel.
Do you have such memories?
No.
Y ou've never felt
ashamed in your life.
l often have. That was the first time.
l often have to feel awfully
ashamed of myself.
So ashamed,
l could sink down into hell.
Do you understand me?
This is the basement r oom.
The window faces the str eet.
Her e's a lamp post and her e, too.
Behind it the bakery...
- ...with workers' wives lined up.
- Stop!
Gr eat.
Ms. Schult, you come up
past the window.
Barbara, can you put a
lamp post her e...
...with a light to dazzle the audience?
Then you come her e. ''l'm Widow
Queck who hasn't paid the r ent.''
We could have several mor e
lamp posts in the auditorium...
...so people feel they'r e
r eally in their filthy str eet.
We'll have posters, r ecent political
slogans, all jumbled up.
At the back, a gr ocer's shop,
with nothing to sell, of course.
Everything in the hall must
expr ess what we talk about.
Two policemen can patr ol the r ows
and star e at the audience.
An end to passive watching, actors
and public isolated fr om each other.
The public must play an active part.
The days of the peepshow ar e over.
The actor is only one element
of the performance...
... not it's focal point.
The hall, lights, walls, movements,
sounds, all must blend into a whole.
Only then shall we have r eal theater.
The workers need total theater.
One that shocks and ar ouses.
l am the widow Queck, who cannot
pay the r ent. l work for the baker.
lt's the only way l can feed
my seven hungry childr en.
The half-hour has to be paid for.
We've been waiting half an hour.
Her e r eigns logic and hunger.
l alr eady owe you marks
and pfennigs.
l've had nothing these past few days.
Silly goose !
Sabotaging our work!
Do you think l don't know why?
Miklas or one of his damn party
friends has put you up to it!
- What do you want fr om me?
- Why don't you pr ompt her?!
Never mind! Revolutionary Theatr e
can't be staged with pr ovincial hams.
With amateurs, you can't
cr eate any sort of theatr e.
Even r evolutions need pr ofessionals!
l'll buy you a drink to celebrate.
Revolutionary Theater is a big flop.
Y ou'r e beside yourself with joy.
Hello.
Two stiff ones, Hansemann.
How about another
r ebellious evening?
l'd like to invite you to dinner.
What, me?
- Good morning.
- Morning.
Y ou'r e still half asleep.
l'm awake.
l've even phoned our gr ocer, he's
a bit impatient over our large bill.
l'm sorry. l don't pr esent a pictur e
of early morning fr eshness.
lf l, too, went riding every morning
l'd pr obably look mor e attractive.
But in our circles,
such noble sport is not customary.
The offended husband, as in Moliér e.
Oh, be quiet.
lt's not customary to sit all night
at a Nazi thug's table.
- Miklas is not a thug.
- All Nazis ar e thugs.
Y ou must avoid their company.
Their dirt rubs off on you.
But you can't understand. lt's your
family's well known liberalism.
No political beliefs, just curiosity.
ldeologies ar e psychological quirks.
l feel sorry for Miklas. He gets
small parts and earns very little.
Y ou all tr eat him very badly. He's
at a loss, that's why he's with them.
So much understanding
for that lousy brat.
How do you think they'd tr eat us
if they came to power?
God forbid.
And yet you sit and chat with him.
lt's you bourgeois tolerance.
This understanding of one's enemy.
l'm sur e you could even
ex cuse Fascist terr orism.
Y our liberalism might even
get used to dictatorship.
No, thank you.
May l r emark...
... it's common practice to eat an egg
fr om its shell and with salt.
l know, in the Bruckner household
you eat it fr om a glass...
...with six spices,
and that's very original...
... but no need to make fun of those
unaccustomed to such originality.
- Who's juvenile lead in Halberstadt?
- Herbert Boltz.
Wher e's
Ms. Türkheim-Gawernitz now?
ln Heidelberg.
- And Hannelor e Kühn.
- Mannheim.
- And who's Othello ther e?
- Max Krause.
- And lago?
- Johannes Fiedler.
- And Desdemona in Leipzig?
- Kathe Müttel.
Who's the ingénue in Jena?
A stupid cow called Lotte Lindenthal.
Why is Lotte Lindenthal a stupid cow?
l don't know, but she is.
l know why you insult her.
She's the friend of
a National Socialist leader.
l'm only moderately inter ested
in the names and titles of her lovers.
Must be quite a long list...
Watch your tongue, Höf gen!
Y ou won't insult a lady because she's
in the Nazi German worker's party...
...and the friend of a German her o.
Y ou won't stand for it?
My, my...
Stop it, you'r e drunk.
l'm not. On the contrary.
Appar ently l'm the only one her e
with a spark of honor left.
Nobody in this Jew-ridden business
car es if a lady is insulted.
Let me !
No !
Go away!
l'll gladly believe you'r e not drunk.
Y ou won't make that an ex cuse, then.
As for this Jew-ridden
business you'r e in...
...you won't suffer it much longer.
That l pr omise you.
Perhaps you'r e right.
l agr ee, the fellow's behavior
was intolerable...
... but l can't just fir e a poor,
sick man like that.
Sick? He's not sick at all.
Why this indecision and compr omise?
lt's just like our government parties.
Ex cuse me, Barbara.
We must show this murder ous
pack it can't get away with it.
l beg you, don't insist that
he be sacked on the spot.
lt's punishment enough that he
won't be hir ed for next season.
He has no idea what he said
last night, he just went wild.
l'm amazed, Otto.
l'm r eally amazed that you,
of all people, should say that.
l don't want him made a martyr.
- ln the political situation...
- Ex cuse me if l interrupt.
This conversation is quite pointless.
The case is simple.
Either Miklas leaves the theater...
...or l do.
That's nonsense.
Higher, higher!
Higher, higher!
Enough! This isn't a funeral march!
Again.
Lights!
Sorry, to interrupt.
Dr. Kr oge asks you to
appr ove the next poster.
l must take it to the printer.
Can't l get my name spelled
corr ectly even in this theatr e?
My name is not Henrik, but Hendrik!
Hendrik Höf gen.
One day they'll all
have to mark my name.
Try to understand, doctor.
l can't and won't tie myself down.
lt's a gr eat strain
to stay under contract.
l must be fr ee. Fr ee.
l can't be a pr ovincial matinee idol.
No, no, l don't want to be that.
Y ou want to leave Hamburg for good?
l don't know yet.
The Pr ofessor invited me to a Berlin
guest appearance. One never knows.
By the way, Dora Martin
will be my partner.
Good. Then accept the offer.
Thank you.
Berlin.
Thank you, ladies. Till tomorr ow.
Goodbye.
So you ar e Höf gen.
Y ou have friends her e.
Some of them, who understand
theater, r ecommended you to me.
Y our father-in-law, too,
when we met at the ministry.
And Dora Martin, as well.
ln r eal life l may seem a bit
nondescript, but not, l hope on stage.
My father-in-law once aptly described
my ability to transform myself.
Well, we'll give you a try.
Don't expect too much.
l'm not offering anything big.
Y ou ar e pr obably used to a
r easonable income in Hamburg.
Her e you'll have less.
Have you expensive tastes?
Money doesn't inter est me.
My needs ar e modest.
All l need every day is a clean shirt
and a dr op of cologne.
Discuss the details with
Miss Bernhardt.
Please give my r egards
to your father-in-law.
- Hendrik Höf gen.
- Oh, yes. Bernhardt.
Her e's your contract.
Thank you.
- May l?
- Please.
marks a month, less tax.
Y ou agr ee to play as cast.
Please give these flowers...
..and this card to Ms. Martin, will you?
THANKS !
Well, Hendrik Höf gen.
Now you'r e a beginner again.
Hamburg's fame, r outine and
security all lie behind you.
Now you must summon
up all your str ength.
And we'll work off that blubber.
- Who is that?
- Dora Martin's Hamburg actor lover.
- No, Miss Bernhardt's.
- Y ou'r e misinformed, dear.
So glad you wer e able to come,
despite all your work.
May l intr oduce some
of your admir ers?
Mr. Davidson of the London Times.
Caser von Muck, Mr. Müller-Andr ea.
Mind you ar en't influenced by
the pr evailing cultur e Bolshevism.
What do you mean?
German cultur e can only be r enewed
if it r eturns to its national r oots...
...to its essence of blood and soil.
Russian ravings or Fr ench farces ar e
alien to the spirit the nation needs.
Have you met Mr. Höf gen?
Berlin's new star, according to
tomorr ow's London Times.
l've seen you on stage.
Y ou danced, didn't you?
Y es, l like dancing.
l had a good teacher.
l'd like to model your head.
No necktie and no gold we've got
We'r e just a very shabby lot
At which the bourgeois spits
The bourgeois with polished boots
And medals on morning suits
And every morning he ablutes
for church, or for the Ritz
Wher e does the bourgeois get it all?
His guns his celebration ball?
He steals it wher e he can
He makes it hard for us to r ob
Takes it all, the gr eedy slob
Exploits the poor and wr ecks the job
of every working man
Oh, if so wealthy l could be,
Commit like him grand larceny
All honor ed since my birth
lf then l met someone l knew,
Y ou filthy lot, l'd spit at you
That's all you dogs ar e worth!
Get the Jews out of her e !
They ar e completely drunk.
Now one of the most famous
State Theater actors, Hendrik Höf gen.
Forget State Theater and fame.
l am your comrade Hendrik Höf gen.
What does the pr oletariat want?
That nobody should rule !
What does the pr oletariat want?
That nobody should rule !
Nobody shall give orders
Nobody shall be a slave
Fr eedom, equality for all souls
l'll dictate. Headline :
Actor Höf gen wins
Berlin workers' hearts overnight.
New paragraph.
- Hendrik?
- Hello.
l bought this pictur e at the
antique dealer. Y ou don't mind?
Why should l mind?
Y ou can admir e it
while l go and change.
l love you, Barbara. Not only
your father and grandmother.
l love you... l, Hendrik Höf gen.
Welcome to my home,
dear Sebastian.
The theater awaits me.
Up!
Up!
Two !
Thr ee !
Four!
Five !
Six !
Führ er!
We ar e our people's str ength!
We shall cr eate a new world!
- What's your father's job?
- Road digger!
- And your father's?
- Farmer!
- And yours?
- Teacher. He educates us!
- And your father?
- Baker. He bakes our br ead!
Mine's a miller. He grinds our grain!
A doctor. He makes us healthy!
Bricklayer. He builds our houses!
- Conductor!
- Electrician!
We ar e the sons of one people,
we all have the same goal!
Unity and str ength!
We follow the Führ er!
No. That's not convincing enough.
Say it like this...
- Again... one, two, thr ee.
- Unity and str ength!
- Again... one, two, thr ee.
- Unity and str ength!
Again!
Unity and str ength!
- Louder! Again!
- Unity and str ength!
We follow the Führ er!
Blood is a very special juice...
... let us in depths of sensuousness
assuage our burning passions.
No bounds and goals ar e set for you.
Y ou find your pleasur e.
A fleeing tr easur e.
May you enjoy the prize you get.
Help yourself and don't be coy.
But listen, it's not a question of joy.
To knowledge l'm devoted,
most painful gratification.
Most hateful love,
most vexing stimulation.
Believe me, who countless years
on this hard nourishment has fed.
That fr om cradle to the grave, no
human can digest so stale a br ead.
Believe me, worlds
celestial and infernal...
...for one divinity wer e made.
He exists in eternal light.
But us, into the darkness, has
conveyed ther e's day and night alone.
Y et l want that!
That's well worth hearing.
But ther e's one thing l fear.
For time is short, but art is long.
lf l thought you sought mor e teaching,
cultivate a poet fond of pr eaching.
Let his thoughts wander.
And every noble quality upon
your br ow let him bestow...
...the lion's courage,
the buck's swiftness.
The ltalian's fiery blood,
the north's enduring pluck.
He'll teach you the secr et vile
of magnanimity steeped in guile.
May his youthful drives uncover
to make of you an ardent lover.
I'd like to meet a scholar of such fame
to Micr ocosm l'd change his name.
So what am l, if it's not possible
the paragon of humanity to attain...
...towards all my senses strain?
Y ou'r e in the end just what you ar e.
Put on the wigs of a million curls.
Put your feet in elevating socks.
Y ou'll stay for ever what you ar e !
Bravo !
Wonderful!
Y ou wer e fantastic, Hendrik.
Y ou wer e born to play Mephisto.
Y ou say that with a
touch of malice, Dora.
Not true, l don't detest
people for what they ar e.
- Anyway, thank you for coming.
- Let's skip the cliches.
- What's your next pr oject?
- l'm learning English.
English? Why?
- l'll be working in America.
- But why?
Her e the curtain's descending.
Haven't you noticed?
Y ou'r e at the top her e, hit after hit.
Thousands ador e you. So why go?
Thousands! Soon they'll be
raving about others.
Ther e'll always be theater,
no matter what happens in Germany.
No matter what happens in Germany?
Y ou r eally mean that?
Well, all the best.
l'm leaving in a few days.
ln a few days?
l don't want to wait till it's too late.
But you'll always do well, Hendrik...
... no matter what happens
in Germany.
lt's open.
Mephisto, l never lock the door.
need neither bolts nor life insurance.
- l bet you've taken one out.
- l need no life insurance.
Sit down, sir, in my new home.
Y ou could have
gotten me a nicer flat.
- Have you r egister ed with the police?
- Y es, sir.
What did the landlord say?
Nothing. He was drunk,
humming a song...
No neckties, no gold we've got...
He gave me the key and l moved in.
l've been longing to see you.
- And how's your wife?
- She's with her father, thank God.
They'r e worried about the Republic.
ln Hamburg, the for eigners wer e also
very worried about Germany...
...about German cultur e,
whose Number-One-Parr ot you ar e.
As if a peril thr eatened it. What ar e
the Jews planning against Germany?
Even the whor es wonder...
...and they don't car e about
the pant color as long as it has a fly.
Barbara understands politics,
doesn't she?
ls she keeping an eye on you?
No. Mostly her opinions
ar e the opposite of mine.
- Have you told her so?
- No. What point would ther e be?
Words don't say everything.
l'd like very much to sleep with you.
Shall l make up the bed?
Y es!
Hendrik! Hendrik!
Hendrik, wake up! Didn't you her e?
Y ou'r e her e alr eady?
l came on the early train,
because of you.
- What's the matter?
- When did you go to bed?
l'm tir ed. l was tossing all night.
Why?
The Nazis have won the elections.
Y ou know who became Chancellor?
No.
Do you hear that?
Do you hear that?
That Bohemian corporal has
become Chancellor?
Her e, r ead it.
l thought ther e was nothing
to fear fr om the Nazis.
Remember that business with Miklas?
That could have unpleasant
consequences. What do we do now?
Keep a clear head and don't panic.
So, the Austrian clown has
become Reichs-Chancellor.
But ther e still is the opposition, no?
Communists and Social Democrats.
They'll make sur e he doesn't
get too big for his boots.
Perhaps ther e'll even
be armed r esistance.
And even if the Nazis stay in power,
why should it concern me?
l'm fr om the Rhineland.
So ar e my par ents.
What can happen to us?
On top of that, l'm an actor. No?
l go to the theater, play my parts,
then go back home. That's all.
Some people ar e leaving a country...
...wher e a car eer in the arts
is now impossible.
People will think you don't car e
about anything beyond the limelight?
Ther e wer e elections in a democratic
state. One party won, that's all.
l've never been inter ested
in politics, so why now?
Don't you r ealize
what's happening her e?
Don't answer it. l'm not her e,
l'm sick. Say what you want.
ls that any solution? To lock
yourself in, to hide, not be at home?
ls that all you can think of,
instead of taking a definite stand?
Definite... this is my answer!
Hamlet! Shakespear e !
Either we take a stand or go,
if our fr eedom is in danger.
This is the only form of fr eedom
for me, for an actor.
Y ou can't hide behind Shakespear e,
on the stage.
Barbara, l'm an actor.
An actor in Germany at all times.
Y ou can go away.
Y our father is a famous writer.
Y ou can design sets anywher e,
or buy antiques.
But l need the German language !
l need the motherland, don't you see?
- Who's ther e?
- Otto.
- Who?
- Otto.
- l must talk to you.
- Y ou want some coffee?
- No, thanks.
- Tea?
Act with us again. lt's the only r eply
we can give to these events.
An appearance by all of us,
a common fr ont.
So we don't lose our futur e.
Y ou just want to divide the audience?
We must work out our tactics.
Tactics will force us to our knees.
We must fight this
crushing demagogy.
lt's our job to tell the hesitators:
Now is the time to r esist dictatorship!
Otto, in the first place, we'r e actors...
No, not a pr otest on the str eet.
l'm talking about the stage.
Still, l think we should
wait a few days.
We must do something
immediately. Tonight.
Otto, l'd rather stay
with the r eserves.
Thank God
l've no performance today.
GERMAN RElCHS-MAlL
Film contract, locations in Budapest...
... leading r ole.
Pr oduction Manager Altenburger.
She r eally is a beauty.
She's sitting by the side altar.
Cut! V ery good!
The second one.
Now the scene wher e they follow her
to the Fishermen's Bastion.
What's going on?
What's going on?
Ar e we done for today?
Can we go?
- The Reichstag was burned down.
- What?
They say the communists set fir e to it.
Y our wife wants you
to join her in Paris.
She didn't dar e phone you. Don't go
back to Berlin. l'm moving to Vienna.
Many of your Berlin friends have
vanished lately. Otto Ulrichs is one.
We must be pr epar ed for anything.
l fear we'll never be able to r eturn.
The Nazis have blacklists.
Y our wife and you ar e on them.
Please, never go back to Berlin.
Hendrik, pr omise me that.
Please !
Cheers, and many thanks!
Cheers!
To the most beautiful
actr ess in Eur ope !
When ar e you going home?
l'll stay a few mor e days in Budapest.
Then l'm going to see about
a contract in Vienna.
l understand you, Hendrik.
l'll tell you now, l'm not going
back to Germany, either.
l signed you for this part...
...so you, too, could slip away,
if you want to.
The film studio gave me your
addr ess in Budapest.
l hope my letter r eaches you.
l'm in Berlin now.
l've landed a part in a comedy.
During the shoot l met the
actr ess Lotte Lindenthal.
She's friendly with a National
Socialist who's very powerful now.
She's wonderful. She never flaunts
what gr eat influence she has.
l told her you wer e abr oad and didn't
dar e r eturn, for certain r easons.
What's the man afraid of?
She said you wer e an eminent artist
and saw Mephisto several times.
''We need such actors'', she said, and
she pr omised to speak to her friend.
This morning she said: ''No matter
what silly things Höf gen has done...
...when it's an eminent actor,
people ar e tolerant.''
Her friend has pr omised that nothing
will happen to you if you r eturn.
Hendrik, Berlin awaits you.
Y ou have nothing to fear.
No one can r eplace you.
Those who rule our lives...
... know that the theater is a shelter
for me and people like me...
... in which we all feel safe
and have nothing to fear.
lt would be that for you, too.
Theater is a mission.
ln true friendship,
yours, Angelika Siebert.
Name?
- Hendrik Höf gen.
- Pr ofession?
Actor.
Wher e?
At the State Theater in Berlin.
- ls something wr ong?
- No, no.
Thank you.
Thank you.
l don't know if you'll
feel at home again her e.
The spirit is differ ent fr om
that you wer e accustomed to.
Cultural Bolshevism is over.
Ther e will no longer be a chance to
appear in your friend's plays...
...or those popular Fr ench farces.
We perform German art now.
Frankly, l saw no gr eat r eason
to r ecall you fr om abr oad.
But Lotte Lindenthal wants you as
her partner in her comedy debut her e.
l didn't want to displease her.
The r ole of elegant friend and seducer
shouldn't cause you any difficulty.
l'm so cold.
l'll warm you up.
Y our r oom isn't heated
in this dr eadful weather?
ls this how you anticipated my visit?
V ery nice of you!
Ther e's a warm r oom over ther e.
Come.
No, l'm in a gr eat hurry today.
lt would warm us up.
No, ther e's no point in this cold flat.
My new maid doesn't
know her duties yet.
Y ou should have told her
your visitor needed warmth.
But l've only just r eturned home.
Y ou should have r eturned earlier.
l'm someone you must
wait for, impatiently.
lf l want to meet someone in passing,
l have my husband. And besides...
Wher e did you get this new maid?
She's far too pr etty.
lt's an honor to act with you.
lt's so nice to hear
a warm voice again.
l'm happy to hear you say that,
l know you'r e no flatter er.
Me, a flatter er? l'm notorious
for telling people the truth.
l like honest people.
lf she turns, everything will be fine.
lf she waves, l've scor ed a triumph.
After the Reichstag fir e,
l had to leave Hamburg.
Bonetti wears a uniform now.
He thr ew me out of the canteen.
''We've got you now, Böck!'' he said.
They almost beat me up,
my landlady thr ew me out.
l had to leave Hamburg.
Ar e you upset that l've come?
When l heard you wer e in Berlin,
l found new hope...
...and l just came.
Ar e you angry with me?
l'm not angry with you.
Live her e till things settle down,
but don't tell anyone.
Just simply disappear without a word.
lf l wer e in your position,
l might well commit suicide.
l'll buy you a radio, so you'll know
what's happening outside.
l've got nobody else
in the world but you.
- ls Budapest beautiful?
- l don't know...
Y es, quite nice.
l could have gone ther e.
Barbara wasn't with you.
They wouldn't have let you
cr oss the border.
l'm a German citizen, too. My father
was pur e German. Why can't l go out?
lf you can't understand why,
we'll both be in tr ouble.
- Y ou'r e horrible.
- Y ou'r e an idiot!
Go to hell you... you actor!
Dear Lotte, may l ask a gr eat favor?
l have to play Mephisto.
l'll see what l can do.
l look forward to seeing
you again as Mephisto.
lt's thanks to me you'r e
playing Mephisto again.
Certain ministerial circles fear ed
you might r evive your old Faust spirit.
The spirit of cultural Bolshevism,
as it was called.
Well, l succeeded in
overcoming those fears.
Casar, thank you,
thank you very much.
THANK Y OU!
Please give these flowers...
...to Miss Lindenthal.
- Good morning!
- Good morning.
Morning, Mr. Höf gen.
Mr. Miklas! Ar e you still ar ound?
- Morning.
- Fine.
l've only been her e a short space,
l come with a humility to this place...
...to find a teacher of vocation
who's held by all in veneration.
How pleasant is your courtesy!
A man like many mor e you see.
Have you looked ar ound?
Take me as your student.
l come with courage and my youth.
l want to study with all my heart.
Y ou've come to the right place.
l feel like going home l fear.
ln that gr eat hall
l won't like it at all.
Y ou see no grass, you see no tr ee.
And in the classes we ar e taught
l lose my hearing, sight and thought.
lt all depends on habit.
Seeing the br east, a child
might accept the gift unwillingly.
But soon it sucks in delight.
So will you, on wisdom's br east,
enjoy it daily with mor e zest.
Ar ound her neck l'll
cling with pleasur e...
... but tell me how can l
find this tr easur e?
When you continue on your way,
which faculty will make your day?
ls this wher e the cut comes?
The art of medicine
is not hard, you know.
Y ou study the world, big and small.
And in the end you let them go
when God demands it.
Y ou'll try in vain to learn all science.
Each man just learns what he can.
But he who grasps every chance
he is the worthy man.
Y ou ar e still of pleasing build
with self-confidence at last instilled...
...others will have confidence in you.
Especially learn
the women to enthrall.
Eternal moans, a thousand ills.
Ther e's just one place to cur e them.
lf you've honor to some degr ee
one may allow some shar ed intimacy.
A title helps to make her certain
your art ex ceeds that of your peers.
And may grant you a glimpse of which
another schemes for many years.
Her pulse you must learn to feel.
And burning looks you
then must steal.
Her slender hips ar e then embraced
to see how tightly she is laced.
That's what l could car e for.
Gray, my friend is all theory.
And gr een the golden tr ee of life.
That's the way.
l gr eet the learned gentleman!
Y ou made me to sweat pr ofusely.
- What is your name?
- The question's odd...
...for someone who idle talk despises.
Who, far r emoved fr om worldly show
seeks only academic prizes.
With you, one knows your game
generally by your very name.
lt's evident, Sir e
if one's called a liar.
Who ar e you?
l'm a part of that force...
...that always craves evil
and always cr eates good.
What is this riddle?
l'm the spirit who negates.
And rightly so, for all cr eation
is worthy of annihilation.
So it wer e better,
nothing wer e cr eated.
And so everything you've stated
is sin, destruction, devilment.
Remains my actual element.
Good evening. The Prime Minister
invites you to his box.
Y es.
lt's all going like clockwork.
May l intr oduce you to
my distinguished colleague?
Ah, our Mephistoles.
Congratulations.
That mask is perfect, it's evil itself.
lt's sacr ed evil.
Y et, your eyes ar e so kind,
your handshake so soft. lt's strange...
... it seems the secr et of acting is
to portray str ength, yet one is weak.
l imagine you've pr epar ed
for this r ole for a long time.
All my life, Prime Minister.
That's the only way.
That is the secr et of gr eatness.
Br eak a leg.
Carry on the good work, Mephistoles.
Höf gen r esidence.
Lotte Lindenthal.
Höf gen.
- Hendrik?
- Y es.
Will you come to us
after tonight's performance?
Ther e'll be just a few friends her e.
With pleasur e. Thank you very much.
Böck!
Just a few friends will be ther e.
Am l not an incr edible villain?
Why a villain?
Y ou'r e just successful, Mr. Höf gen.
To the r enewal of German cultur e.
Long live the actors.
Our theater has many elements that
have nothing to do with Germany.
We must set up a customs contr ol
of the mind for cultur e smugglers...
...to stop for eign elements poisoning
German literatur e and theater.
This can't be left entir ely
to our fr ontier guards.
Everyone must cooperate
in this contr ol.
- Am l understood?
- Y es, General.
Ther e ar e many who
don't understand.
Look at this painting, my Mephisto.
A masterpiece of
German r omanticism.
Wher e did l find it? At an art dealer
with an for eign accent.
l had it r estor ed. No, no...
...the futur e of painting doesn't
belong to the Liebermanns.
Y our Mephisto occupies my mind.
Y ou've br ought him alive.
He's a hell of a guy.
lsn't ther e a little of him in all of us?
l mean, isn't ther e a bit of Mephisto
in every German?
Wouldn't our enemies love it if we
had nothing but the soul of Faust?
No, Mephisto is also
a German national her o.
lt's just something we
mustn't tell people.
l must go now.
Come to my office at :
the day after tomorr ow.
Some for eign journalists
want to know many things.
Above all, what 'Germany' means
today, and the German cultur e.
l'll tell them. Y ou can elaborate on
what l say about theater, for ex ample.
Painting, architectur e, sculptur e,
plenty to write about.
l want them to be
informed by experts.
Tell me, why do you have
such a limp handshake?
So, we meet again. How time flies!
Y ou wer e wonderful as Mephisto.
Now you act him mor e forcefully.
But l liked the other one, too.
l sensed it in the seed of what
can now be unfolded to the full.
l also liked you in the play
with Lotte Lindenthal.
The ideal actr ess to portray
the ideal German woman.
What ar e we doing her e? Why is
he wasting his time with for eigners?
He said they'r e inter ested in German
cultur e. They'll ask a few questions.
- l see. Y ou spoke to him?
- Y es.
How ar e you?
Nice to meet you again.
The Prime Minister sent for me.
l hope this doesn't last too long.
Always pr oblems with the old statues.
Shall we tear them down or not?
As if that wer e important
for our futur e.
l'd like to sculpt
a bust of you, Höf gen.
What sort of man ar e you? Y our own
face differs amazingly fr om Mephisto.
ln private life, you look rather shy.
l'll do a bust of you,
but in clay or in br onze?
- What is your face made of?
- Perhaps a mixtur e.
l very much enjoyed your Mephisto.
l only had eyes for you.
l'm pr eparing an exhibition.
The General wants a pr eview.
Try to come. Her e's my number.
lf you have time, give me a ring
and come to my studio.
Y ou can r elax while l model you.
How strange your face is.
A German face yet it
changes every moment.
That's acting.
The r est is humility and hard work.
l've discover ed your secr et.
lt's the surprise effect, right?
The unexpected.
l've been watching the way you
appear on stage. Always differ ent.
Sometimes quick, erratic.
Then slow, suddenly,
when the audience is lulled.
But always surprising
and unpr edictable.
Thus you cr eate the feeling
of something original...
...even if the spectator
knows your lines by heart.
And your glib tongue, your deliberate
pauses, your pr ecise emphasis.
l think l'm learning fr om you.
lt's important to be unpr edictable.
Spectators needn't know what
my next step is or wher e l'm going.
- They'r e not pr epar ed, it's a shock.
- Ex actly.
Y et it was only a change of pace,
or a slightly longer pause.
ln the theater it's the others
who make the king a king.
Building the r ole is all important;
pianissimo alternating with fortissimo.
Naturally, you need a
certain flair, artistic talent...
...and as l usually say,
a high degr ee of cultur e.
When l hear the word cultur e,
l r each for my r evolver.
Bourgeois nonsense ! Bolsheviks
pr each it to win over school teachers.
To say nothing of artists.
lsn't that so?
l wasn't untouched by
Bolshevik tr ends, either.
And l must admit that for a while
l flirted with the left.
Well, anyone can get
involved in some folly.
Those wer e tr oubled times.
Let's have a drink.
General, other deserving artists
committed the follies l did.
l don't forget those paying for sins for
which l've been gener ously pardoned.
l'm pleading for a certain person,
for a friend.
l guarantee he's r eformed.
l'm pleading for Otto Ulrichs.
Otto Ulrichs? Who's he?
He ran the communist cabar et,
'The Storm-Bird' .
Well... he must be
a pr etty bad fellow.
No, he's not bad.
A bit rash, l admit.
A bit thoughtless, but not bad.
lf anything, he's too decent.
Once he gives his word, he keeps it.
l'm back at the State Theater.
The funny thing is,
l simply can't believe it.
Just as l can't believe
l'm her e with you by the window.
l know it's r eality, but l don't feel it.
- Gr eat.
- Magnificent, r eally.
A German work of art.
Not every German artist is
capable of such work.
lt is a courageous work.
Come, Mephisto.
Y ou sign, too.
What did l pr ophesy?
The exhibition is a success.
Y ou rascal, so you make
secr et visits her e.
lf l may add something personal,
it is a courageous work.
Courageous,
because it captur es our time...
...the beauty of str ength
without bourgeois snobbery.
Contrasting the degenerate taste...
...of the loud-mouths of cultur e.
We see muscles and clear-cut
featur es mankind wants to see.
Str ong and beautiful in his str ength.
Warrior-like and victorious
in his struggle.
Hello Hendrik.
That was a wonderful speech.
-Y ou know each other?
-V ery well.
Y ou'r e in Berlin? Since when?
l'm her e because
l want to dine with you.
l haven't seen you for so long.
So wher e will we go?
Y our choice. How's Hamburg?
Surviving without me?
l'm in Berlin to have dinner with you.
Hamburg is history.
Y ou'r e out of touch. Kr oge's in
Switzerland. He just vanished.
Didn't even tell his girl. Simply went.
Kr oge is a traitor.
Why must you appear with them?
Because they asked me to.
They ask others, too. Y ou needn't go.
Y ou can't r efuse, none of us can.
lf anyone says they do, they'r e lying.
Besides, the General's a nice chap
and he knows a lot about the theater.
He's not so closed minded
as most others.
A well behaved boy who wants to
enjoy the r ewards for good behavior.
- Y es, l like to be well behaved.
- Because you'r e afraid.
- l like it.
- Then you should.
lt will be difficult to stay with me
and maintain good behavior.
Damned black woman, right?
l can't help being differ ent
fr om what's allowed her e.
People can spit in my face
in the str eet.
Only l can't do anything about it.
My nose, my hair r emain the same
even if l want something else.
Y et, l'm German, a German Negr o.
German is my mother tongue.
What am l supposed to do?
Wher e should l go?
l don't know. l don't even know
what will become of me.
Y ou think only of yourself.
And like an idiot,
l dr eamt of us having a child.
That's all we need.
ls the child to be to blame, for she
might ruin her father's car eer?
That's enough now!
- That's enough of that now!
- Now it is enough?
l can see why your wife
couldn't stand living with you.
Her e... l pinched a photo
of you once. Look at it!
Do you r ecognize yourself?
l must speak to you.
To tell me what you've said
behind my back?
l don't know what you mean.
Höf gen would bury his mother alive.
Didn't you say that?
l won't dispute that l dislike you.
- What do you want?
- l want you to sign this.
My signatur e? What for?
Y ou want a raise?
Or do you collect signatur es...
... because theater safety
r egulations ar e a bit unsafe?
Fr om a moral standpoint much seems
unsafe. And l don't mean the theater.
What do you pr otest against?
Against a leadership that
disr egards our rights.
But you wer e in the Nazi party,
back when you wer e in Hamburg.
l'm leaving the party.
That's your business.
l'd like to ask you to
r ead our pr otest and sign it.
Regardless of my opinion, you ar e
today's leading German actor.
Let me say that
l won't even r ead this thing.
Be car eful not to get yourself
and others into r eal tr ouble.
Miklas, you can go to hell.
l won't let a dirty pig like you
pr ovoke me.
Dear God.
Congratulations, my dear Höf gen.
Y ou put it pr ecisely.
Some elements must go to the devil.
lf you wer e a soldier,
l'd pr omote you. l'm very pleased.
By the way, you needn't be afraid.
For the fun of it, l checked
your hor oscope. lt's ex cellent.
- Best of luck, Höf gen.
- Thank you.
Did something happen?
Good morning.
Get walking!
The management r egr ets that Hans
Miklas has died in a car accident.
How awful, such a young fellow.
But, frankly, ther e was something
disquieting about him...
...don't you think?
Disquieting...
That was no car accident.
He must have come to you, too,
with that pr otest.
Ar e you insane?
How can you talk such nonsense?
Why shouldn't it have
been a car accident?
The government would stage
a car accident...
...all for some unknown actor?
We'r e not in some
tenth-rate melodrama.
People shouldn't cr oss
r oads in heavy traffic.
l've gr eat plans for you. We'r e alone.
Y ou can r efuse and r emain an actor.
But then you can't do as much
for our cause as you could.
Y our speech was good.
l r ealized you'r e not only an actor.
Y ou put the essence into words.
Write your own biography, Hendrik.
Submit it to me, as soon as possible.
Höf gen...
...you will manage the Prussian
State Theater. Y our task is easy:
A full house and a wildly
enthusiastic, audience for you.
Do you understand?
No need to enlarge upon
those matters in Hamburg.
Nor need we mention
the Revolutionary Theater.
Just mention some of
your r oles ther e.
What did you r eally imagine
in Hamburg?
How could you have conceived...
... pr omoting Russian Bolshevism?
Y ou, a German. lncr edible !
- Wher e is your wife now?
- ln Paris, l believe.
No, she's in Amsterdam,
working against her Motherland.
They'r e publishing a newspaper.
Y ou don't corr espond with her?
We have no contact at all.
Y ou'll get a divorce easily.
l'll see to that.
German citizens
who have left Germany...
...couldn't wipe us out, so they
signed their own death sentence.
Wher e weakness perishes,
humanity becomes healthy.
Politics, like theater, is a fight.
Just as every r ebuild
is the start of a new war.
But we'r e not talking about this now.
Hamburg...
''ln a harbor town by the river...''
Lots of for eigners, night clubs, bars.
l understand you perfectly.
But in the Reich's capital?
No offense, we'r e men, but...
What's this Hamburg souvenir
doing her e? Juliette Martens.
ls she kept by you?
Y ou once, rightfully, said...
... Pr ofessor Bruckner was
not a man of the futur e.
And, even mor e rightly,
you parted fr om his daughter.
lf you have such a good instinct
for a healthy, clean attitude...
...what's this Negr o-woman
doing in Berlin?
Mephisto...
... it defies racial purity.
Don't even keep her pictur e at home.
General...
Wait, l haven't finished.
l hope you completely
understood me.
- Y es.
- So?
- She's not to come to any harm.
- Leave that to me.
l'd like to r equest, Prime Minister...
...that she'd be allowed
to leave Germany unharmed.
Agr eed. She'll be taken to the fr ontier
and good-bye. That's what we'll do.
And you'll hold a pr ess confer ence,
giving information about the theater.
The r epertoir e, plans
and your performances.
ln October ther e'll be a big cultural
event in our Paris embassy.
l'd like you to attend it.
Böck. l bet they know about him, too.
Böck, Böck, my note-book.
Böck stays.
- Her e it is.
- Give it to me.
l have to call friends.
l urgently need a friend.
- Find me a friend.
- But you've so many friends.
Friends...
Call Miss Nicoletta von Niebuhr.
Find the number and call her.
Shall l make coffee, or tea?
Shall l become manager? Y es or no?
Can l? May l? Must l?
ls it my duty?
Can l make myself useful?
l mean, can l help anyone?
And if so, should l?
Or shall l look at it as a new r ole?
Or shall l emigrate to America?
l can earn as much in films
as Dora Martin.
lf l accept such an office
of this government, then...
Do l want to, at all?
They need me.
l was about to emigrate...
...and the Prussian Minister
asks me to r escue his theater.
Tomorr ow morning l must
give him an answer.
Heaven evidently has
gr eat plans for me.
Then you've won.
Would you help me?
l'd be pr oud of you.
Y es, l'll help you Hendrik.
lf only one could live for ever.
Her e's your passport for France.
Y ou have five minutes to pack.
Y es, but why?
We'r e waiting. Hurry up.
Y ou needn't thank me for this raise.
l made it a condition for
taking over this job.
Everything's cover ed with dust.
lf you don't clean the dr essing r ooms
as well as all the others...
...you may have to look
for another job.
l hope we'll get along. lf you have
any pr oblems, come to me.
l would like to tr eat you all to coffee.
Allow me to give you the money.
l'm sorry l can't come with you.
Joachim would like to speak to you.
Wait, Hannelor e !
Wait, Hannelor e !
So, now he can enter.
Please consider decent r oles for me.
Y ou'r e not like the other managers.
Y ou'r e an actor yourself.
Y ou understand.
l must act as if he's
saying something important.
When you talk to actors, you must put
them at ease. That goes for me, too.
No, l don't like Pr emier es. All night
one has to wear a big, fr ozen smile.
l hate that.
Y ou think it's a good costume?
l don't! l think it's terrible !
Good morning, Mr. Kappelmüller.
How ar e you?
- Good.
- How's the family?
So your daughter graduated as
a hairdr esser. Maybe we can use her.
Good morning.
Haven't you noticed? New suit,
new shoes, new manager, no? Well.
...ex-Bolshevik Höf gen, manager of
the Prussian State Theater...
... is letting his former comrade
appear in his pr oduction of Hamlet.
Hannelor e ! Was the cast list
for Hamlet posted yet?
Not yet.
Good. Let's wait another two days.
Thank you.
l must offer them mor e
than old comrades.
Y ou must cultivate connections.
That's the essence of the system.
Let me tell you, yesterday l went to
the Prussian State Theater...
... it was Faust and the name of some
white-faced clown was Mephisto.
What a joke ! And Mephisto by some
man called Höf gen, it was terrible !
l'd rather go to the Bavarian
People's Theater. Goodbye then.
Why am l doing all this?
Because l enjoy it.
l must enjoy amateur plays and use
actors that ar e blonde not talented.
Most ar e totally untalented.
A Frankfurt audience
applauded Marquis Posa's...
...'Give us fr eedom of thought' .
Performance stopped, play withdrawn.
ln Munich, 'The Robbers', withdrawn.
Schiller, our national poet!
They want to pr oduce plays by
German authors. But what authors?
Those who haven't emigrated
ar en't allowed to write, or won't.
lt's simply impossible to offer
theater worthy of the name.
Unless l dig up a couple of old farces.
All Rococco wigs and white faces.
The joke is that the r egime now sees
Shakespear e as one of our own.
Let's do 'As Y ou Like lt',
'Wher e the Banished Return.'
Show the opponents of dictatorship
that the will for fr eedom still lives.
l didn't hear that!
l can't possibly have heard that!
Am l not an incr edible villain?
lsn't what l'm doing insane?
''Fürst and Niklisch, both on
the staff of your theater...
...on gr ounds of German
racial purity... dismiss them.''
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
- Well, how ar e you?
- Fine.
- And you?
- Everything all right.
The stage-hands that ar e concerned,
Fürst and Niklisch...
...ar e indispensable...
...and the loss of their services...
...would jeopardize the theater's
work. Date. Heil! Signatur e.
Germans!
Don't tolerate Nazi oppr ession.
Embassy of the German Reich
Did you bring me anything fr om
Germany? A leather coat, at least?
- Leather coat?
- Y es.
lt's the fashion for men. Those who
took me to the fr ontier had them.
Y our eyes ar e so dead,
how do they look?
- Empty?
- No, dazed.
Y es, that's how l felt these past days.
Y ou see? Y ou wer e never like that.
l've thought a lot about you.
l believe l should be grateful.
Without you, l'd be in a
concentration camp, or alr eady dead.
lf you still like being with me,
then stay her e.
l'll look after you. Y ou needn't
leave the house, not at first.
Then we'll find jobs. Y ou'r e so gifted.
- l could have gone to America.
- Ther e you go.
l think l r eally was gifted.
But also a terrible coward.
What do l do elsewher e? Be an extra,
a stage-hand, a technician?
Do you think these hands
wer e made for manual labor?
l'll pr ovide for you.
What else do you want?
Success.
Hendrik Höf gen, just imagine...
you'd belong to me.
Juliette, l have to go now.
- Shall l see you again?
- l don't know.
- Can l see you off at the station?
- No, you don't fit into the pictur e.
All right, forget the station.
Just do what you want.
l do.
That's why l'm her e.
Juliette, don't write anymor e.
lt's no good.
Ther e ar en't many people in this café.
Would you pr efer to sit in the sun?
Y ou like that.
No. Though l haven't had
much sunshine lately.
May l ask you something?
Do you still live alone?
No, l've got friends. And you?
Friends... in times like these?
lt's difficult.
How can you still live in Berlin?
What keeps you ther e?
Barbara, l live in the theater.
And that is in Berlin?
l don't think you can judge
fr om Paris.
Y ou'r e mor e than an actor now.
Y ou took an oath. Y ou'r e a manager.
l didn't take the oath,
l just moved my lips.
Someone has to save our
values for a better world.
l'm playing Hamlet, whether those
in power like Shakespear e or not.
Shakespear e is their ornament to
pr ove ''we'r e not as bad as you think.''
Y ou can't stay in Berlin.
l have a family in Berlin.
Y ou know l'm married to the theater.
l can help people who ar e
having a hard time.
lf l leave, nothing better
will r eplace me.
Words!
lt's always the same with you.
Y our method of self-deception
is still intact.
Don't you see? Whoever you save,
it's only a gestur e to your friends.
Y ou'r e in a show-case, legalizing
these people will be attached to you.
We can't choose when
and wher e we'r e born.
An entir e people can't emigrate.
As an actor l'm obliged to live in
my country, to observe and portray it.
And l can tell you, ther e ar e
decent people among them.
l hate coffee shop intellectuals and
l hate such r esistance-fighters, too.
The r eally valuable, such as theater
and art can rise above everything.
That's my conviction.
Why did you want to meet me?
Well, l don't r eally know why.
lt might even be danger ous for you.
Tell me, Barbara, did you ever...
... r eally love me?
Why did l come her e today? lf you'd
been listening, you wouldn't ask that.
lf you don't accept what's
happening in Germany...
...why do you still live ther e?
What does fr eedom mean for you?
Do you need it to live? Or do you just
need to be successful and loved?
l'm satisfied with success.
lt means many love me.
And the fury of the envious
does me good.
Don't make me r esponsible
for the impotence of your friends.
- Mr. Höf gen.
- Mr. Davidson, this is a surprise.
The check, please.
Have l come too early?
Far ewell, Barbara.
May l pay?
What could l do her e?
Fr eedom...
What for?
Ober on and Titania.
Congratulations!
l gr eet our wonderful and truly
tantalizing German bride and gr oom.
Two young, yet matur e people...
...of pur est race and noblest blood,
who have enchanted us...
...and who serve our new society!
- Thank you.
- All the best.
General, nice of you to come.
They can say what they want.
For me, the world is Grunewald.
I'll r emain a German artist and patriot,
no matter who may rule my land.
Grunewald is my favorite place...
...and what other country
br ews such good beer?
Casar, nice to see you.
Y ou can hold your r ehearsals
in this villa.
We'r e very pr oud of the way
you spoke in Paris.
The way you simply answer ed
all the questions...
...and said quite frankly and
honestly what it's like her e.
Carry on dancing.
Good evening.
Now, that's a surprise !
l won't say no to that.
- Congratulations, my Mephisto.
- Thank you.
Now, as old Admiral Tirpitz said:
''Target sighted! Full speed ahead!''
l'm looking forward to
your Hamlet, my Mephisto.
Y our interview in Paris made a
good impr ession on all of us.
Congratulations!
And lots of healthy German boys!
Thank you.
Madam?
Beautiful.
Y es, very much to my taste.
V ery lovely.
Thank you, Madam.
Cheers!
We have no working hours, just work.
l'm sorry, l must go now.
Be happy together... Hamlet.
Lately l've been wondering whether
we actually deserve all this.
lf l'm forced to answer,
then l must say ''Y es.''
lf not we, who r epr esent
individuality and art...
...who else should, can and must rise
above all that happens in the world?
That's why we'r e an ex ample
and encouragement to others.
No matter how filthy the world is...
...true art always r emains pur e
and true, doesn't it?
l'm married to the theater.
And so ar e you.
l can't contact Otto Ulrichs.
l sent a messenger to his flat...
... but he was told that two men
took Ulrichs away two days ago.
Call the Prime Minister and
connect me with him.
lf he's not ther e, ask for an
appointment as soon as possible.
- Hello?
- Give it to me.
Höf gen.
- Hello.
- Do come in.
- Hello.
- Do come in.
Well, what's going on?
Recently you helped me, on
behalf of a colleague.
Now l have to ask again for help.
The thing is...
...a few days ago, Otto Ulrichs
was taken fr om his apartment.
- ls this why you've come?
- Y es, Ex cellency.
l'm fed up with you, Höf gen. These
matters ar e outside your jurisdiction.
Keep your nose out of this affair.
l'll give you some good advice :
Stop meddling.
Y ou'd do better minding
your own business...
...so you won't get crushed
like a bug! Think you matter?
Ulrichs was involved in dirty work.
My State Theater manager ought
not show such inter est in a traitor.
Now go.
l told you to go.
Get out, actor!
l know how much l and the theater
owe to the General.
l also know that to a gr eat
extent we owe it to you.
Dear Lotte, that's why l ask you
to intervene for Ulrichs.
- l'm so worried.
- Worried? But he's dead.
Didn't you know? As far as l know,
he committed suicide.
Suicide.
He knew the risks he ran.
l think he's mor e to be envied.
The Prince of Denmark
r enounces rank, youth and love.
He is the savior of the North.
The lonely knight with lofty ideals,
the ideal of purity of blood and race.
Hamlet is a complex character, too.
A gr eat and simple man.
Despite r epeating myself so soon:
He is a man of the North.
He kills. And in his
self-destructing battle...
... he shows us the way to the futur e.
He commands us to lead a pur e life.
That is his bequest to us today.
He is not weak, yet actors have
often portrayed him as neur otic...
...a pathological r evolutionary,
thus as a decadent type.
Hamlet is a hard man.
Y ou will see him as an
energetic, r esolute her o.
He is also a hazard for the Germans.
We constantly analyze too much.
For the hour demands actions,
not only thoughts.
Least of all corruptive r eflection.
Hamlet is the tragic conflict
between action and inaction.
Between hesitating,
thinking and doing.
And we, the bear ers
of German cultur e...
... know what to make of that.
Hamlet is a populist drama.
Neither r eligious,
aristocratic, nor bourgeois...
... but a work like the Gr eek tragedies.
So we'll abolish the barrier
between audience and actor.
Space, light, movements,
sounds ar e everything...
...and even the spectators merge
into one gr eat, common effect.
We must bring about total theater.
A theater that shocks and mobilizes.
lt cost marks to decorate
the theater for tonight...
...and five days loss of takings.
A nice birthday party. And we have
to participate in this circus.
- Good evening.
- Good evening.
The only place you will find a
party like this is in Berlin.
Dear est Bella,
we haven't met in ages.
Ar e you well? Not homesick?
l'm sur e you'r e fantastically well
and your gr eat son is flourishing.
Dear Höf gen, how ar e you?
How is the party going?
People seem to enjoy it.
Y our Hamlet was magnificent.
The boss was quite taken.
After the pr emier e he spoke
only of you and the theater.
Success is strange. Sometimes
you have it, sometimes not.
No, dear Höf gen, you give
people something, you cr eate.
Her e they come.
- How ar e you, Mephisto?
- V ery well, Y our Ex cellency.
l haven't told you, how wonderful
your Hamlet was.
l'm very glad.
Allow me to say a few words.
Mr. Prime Minister, Madam,
ladies and gentlemen.
We ar e pr oud to be able to celebrate
this day with you in this theater.
Since l have the honor...
...of gr eeting you on behalf
of everyone pr esent...
... l salute the statesman and soldier...
...friend and gener ous
patr on of the arts.
We admir e him as our r ole model,
love him as our friend...
...obey him as our master...
...for without patr ons,
art is a bird with br oken wings.
As the poet says:
''May the gods pr otect you...
...and may the heart of Rome
beat for your aims.''
The Prime Minister wishes to
speak to you outside, in his car.
Y ou alone.
Nicoletta will take you home.
l won't be long.
Well, Mephisto, what power is
looking down on you her e.
Do you feel it?
This is theater! Look at this ar ena.
lt's almost r eady. Wonderful, isn't it?
This is wher e
l'd stage a performance.
Don't blink, Hendrik, look history
in the eye. What an echo.
Hendrik Höf gen!
We shall rule Eur ope and the world.
A thousand-year empir e.
Hendrik Höf gen!
Go ! Get going!
lnto the middle !
Well, how do you
enjoy this limelight?
This is the r eal light, isn't it?
What do they want of me? After all...
... l'm only an actor.