Now we're coming into
the cooling room.
As you can see the upper
three furnaces,
the first one, the second
and the third over there
are constantly in service. The other
furnaces can be fired up when required...
You will have no direct contact
with Herr Hoffmeister,
our director general.
And you are never to disturb him
for any reason whatsoever.
Is that quite clear, Herr Zeitz?
This is his office.
And this is your office.
Friedrich Zeitz, Herr Hoffmeister.
Oh, yes, the new boy...
with the first in engineering.
From Freiburg university.
I majored in metallurgical chemistry.
Is it no rather late for work?
Yes. Though I mean... no.
I have all the time in the world.
Well, I haven't.
Frau Hoffmeister is a stickler for
punctuality, soup is in the plates at 7.30.
I abhore soup.
Hey, Fritz.
You call that a kiss?
- No time, Anna. I'm too busy.
- You're always too busy!
Your washing's dry but
have yet to iron it!
- I'll bring it up with your soup.
- I abhore soup.
- Do you? That's new.
- Yes, it is.
The board was very impressed by your report
on the raw materials to output ratio.
We've decided... I've decided to
widen your responsibilities.
You'll start by supervising the order for
parts for the Dsseldorf railway bridge.
You'll be very
comfortable in here.
If you need to consult me, don't hesitate.
My door will be always open to you.
- Found it?
- Almost! There's such a mountain of files!
- My father's father started
the foundry in... - In 1835!
Exactly. Then the boom came with
the demand for railway tracks...
For the first main line from
Dresden to Leipzig in 1839.
Is there anything you don't know?
Oh, yes, Herr Hoffmesiter,
I still have much to learn.
Are you all right, sir?
- Shall I call the doctor?
- No.
I have... a quite serious
health condition.
But nobody here at the plant
must know of it. Nobody.
Friedrich Zeitz, Herr Hoffmeister
is expecting me.
My doctor has confined me to
the house until further notice.
I can partly run the steelworks
by telephone so...
I've decided to give
you a new job.
- Me?
- Yes.
I want you to report to me
here once a day to discuss
current business and then to relay
my instructions back to the works.
What do you say?
Stop here, please.
The manufacture of 328 girders
should be subject to a 40% deposit,
not 33%, as mistakenly
states in the contract.
Incidentally, Herr Hoffmeister.
For six days this furnace has been
out of line. The hairline crack
in the reservoir must be between
the sixth and the seventh.
That's why this furnace and this one here
are still not operational.
Could you please type out two copies
of the engineer's meeting?
Herr Hoffmeister wishes to
add his own notes before
distributing it to the factory.
I'll take a copy from my desk.
...it follows that
renovating the foundry
will cut budget costs and double
the output to 12 tons per year...
Thank you.
That's enough for today.
Come on.
Herr Zeitz?
I'm Frau Hoffmeister.
Herr Hoffmeister's wife?
Of course.
I'm not his mother.
So we meet at last. My husband
has told me a lot about you.
I was just about to take some tea.
Would you like to join me?
It's very kind of you but...
I'm already late. Another time, perhaps.
Goodbye, Herr Hoff...
Frau Hoffmeister.
Music means more to me
than anything in the world.
Except my husband
and son of course.
Oh, no, thank you.
Milk?
Thank you.
Yes, thank you or no, thank you?
Yes, no, it's perfect.
Somebody once said, I can't
remember who, that so...
that music can exist without the wolrd
but the world cannot exist without music.
I believe it was Goethe.
Yes. So you enjoy
literature then, Herr Zeitz.
To be honest I mostly
read science books.
Tea is really very nice.
- Have you never tasted tea before?
- No, it's the first time.
Well, enough about me.
Tell me about yourself.
- I'm afraid, there's nothing to tell.
- No, surely you must have a family.
I never knew my father. My mother
died when I was very young.
- But who brought you up?
- I was a ward of state.
Well, you certainly did
brilliantly at school.
I had to, it was my only hope,
literally my only hope.
- Have you found somewhere nice to live?
- Very nice, thank you.
My husband commissioned it. I hated sitting
for it, I think it shows, doesn't it?
- That's a very pretty...
- Isn't it beautiful?
I saw it in a shop window
and fell in love with it.
My husband thinks it's ghastly.
- More tea? - No. Thank you.
I should be getting back to the office.
Yes, of course. What time is it?
Otto will be home soon.
Otto, he's our son.
You haven't met him yet?
No.
He is... he is a very
bouncy, very happy boy,
but he doesn't really
apply himself in school.
It occurs to me...
I did some tutoring
when I was a student.
If you like I could give your
son some extra lessons.
- Would... would you have time for that?
- I could make time.
No. Don't let me disturb you,
I left my newspaper somewhere.
- So how do you find our young friend?
- You'll never guess what he just offered.
I've no idea.
- He's offered to give Otto extra lessons.
- Well!
You soon have the whole
family under your wing.
It's easy. Come on, try.
See? You've got it in you.
Now, let's practise your French.
- French is a beautiful language.
- No, it's not. Mother makes me learn it.
But I hate it.
Try reading me this fable.
The Wolf and the Dog.
A prowling wolf, whose shaggy skin
Hid little but his bones,
So strict the watch
of dogs had been
Once met a mastiff dog astray.
A prouder, fatter, sleeker Tray,
Sir Wolf in famish'd
plight, Would fain have
made a ration upon
his fat relation
But then he first must fight;
And well the dog seem'd able
To save from wolfish table
his carcass snug and tight.
So, then, in civil conversation
The wolf express'd his
admiration of Tray's fine case.
Said Tray, politely,
'Yourself, good sir, may be as sightly;
A penny for your thoughts, Fritzi?
Stop calling me that.
If you say so, Fritzi.
Not now.
Why not?
I've got an important job
to finish for tomorrow.
- Are you sure there's no other reason?
- No, like what?
Like what? Like who?
Like what? Like who?
Like what?
I think we should buy
Otto that train.
Karl, please, it would make
him so happy!
I told him he must
wait until christmas.
I know but he got such
good marks in his exams.
Thanks to our friend here.
- Hm?
- Hmm.
How expensive is this
train set, anyway?
- Very well!
- Good.
I leave you two to get
on with your work.
How can one resist?
I bet you can't play trains and recite
fourth declension nouns at the same time.
Dominus, domina, domino...
Dominum.
Dominum, domini, domino.
Domini, dominii, domina, dominis,
dominorum, domines.
Very good. Again.
Singular. Dominus, domina,
dominum, domini, domino.
Plural. Dominii, dominii, dominos,
dominorum, domines.
Singular. Dominus, domina,
dominum, domini, domino.
Plural. Dominii, domini, dominos,
dominorum, domines.
Singular.
Dominus, domina...
Here, this is for you.
What is it?
It's to say thank you for
your kind work with Otto.
I can't accept it.
No, but you must.
"The laborer is worthy of his hire."
You don't understand.
I don't want money from you.
Wait!
I was tactless earlier today.
- I do hope that
I didn't offened you. - No.
Here.
By way of an apology I'd hoped that you
would stay to dinner with us sometime.
Even... even this evening.
If you're free.
I'm terribly sorry,
I have an engagement.
As Germans we know our
industrial strength.
- But you know what our weakness is?
- I'm sure you are going to tell me.
Raw materials. That's what we lack.
Take your steelworks. Every year
one-third of its budget gets
spent a manganese ore.
- And the price keeps going up as you know.
- Can't we just use less manganese?
- Out of the question. It's a key ingredient in
metal alloys. - So what are you getting at?
What I'm getting at...
...is highly confidential.
Vast deposits of manganese have
been discovered in Mexico.
Enough to keep your steelworks
running for decades.
It's highly confidential but
you know about it?
Yes.
A fellow student from Freiburg, now
working at Veracruz, tipped me the wink.
And we've got to get
in there first.
Form a consortium, buy up the land,
secure the mining rights, dig up that ore.
We're a long way from Mexico.
This is the 20th century. The age
of speed and new horizons,
the world is ours for the
asking, all we have to...
Just a second.
Always find it strangely moving
when she plays this piece of music.
It's very affecting.
Don't you think?
Yes.
You were saying?
I do find it very affecting.
No, about Mexico.
I'm sorry... I was saying.
We must take this
golden opportunity.
Why would Mexico bring in
a German steelmaker
when they have Americans
on their doorstep?
Why?
Because...
You know this revolution
they've just had Pancho Villa, Zapata?
Yes, it's been in the papers.
Well, German military advisers
played a crucial role.
Yes?
The Mexican leadership wants to
blunt North-America's influence
by attracting investment from
Europe. The door is wide open.
How much would we have
to invest to get started?
Hello.
Yes, ma'am?
Does Herr Friedrich Zeitz
live here?
- He's out at work!
- Yes, I know, I was just er...
- I was wondering if I could see
his apartment? - His apartment?
It's up there, top floor!
Who are you?
Nobody!
The landlady!
I beg your pardon, ma'am,
I had no idea! Top floor, room 14.
- I'll see you up. - Oh, no,
don't bother, just give me the key.
- Should I give him a message?
- Yes. Don't tell him I was here.
Private secretary?
- I'm not sure I am up to the job...
- Of course you are. You're young
but you have all
the right qualities.
Who else do we have to thank for
our new venture in Mexico?
Herr Hoffmeister, I can't tell
you how honoured I am
by the trust of you. - I've one small
condition to ask but it needn't detain us.
It would be better if you left your
present lodgings and moved in here.
Isn't it a bit more convenient
in every respect?
- I take your point but...
- What's putting you off
the thought of moving in here, you'll be
better off here than up in your garret.
Did I tell you I lived in a garret?
Yes.
Didn't you?
Oh, Herr Zeitz!
My... my husband's told me what he
had asked and I understand that you...
...that you have some reservations.
Can I ask you what they are?
- I've been given board and lodging by
employers in the past and... - Oh, but...
Well, my husband is not offering
you a servant's position.
I...
...cherish my independence.
Of course. I can well understand
how important that is.
For a young man to be independent.
Is that your... your only reason?
Speaking for myself I will do
everything that I can to make your stay
as comfortable as possible.
- Thank you, I'm sure but...
Oh, no, thank you for accepting.
We'll expect you tomorrow, I'll send
Hans to bring your belongings.
I can't not going,
my job depends on it.
I'll come back here as soon
as I can, I promise.
Don't...
Please.
Not now.
As you can see there's enough room
for everyone to feel comfortable.
Those are the servants' stairs.
No.
Your room is here.
And ours is just down the hall.
So please, tell me if you're not
completely comfortable.
Your my husband's assistant
and I'm his wife.
- Let's agree to be frank with each other.
- Agreed.
Dinner's at 7.30., my husband's
a stickler for punctuality,
he likes his soup served on the dot.
- Yes, Frau Hoffmeister.
Hah, Charlotte, though
people call me Lotte.
- Is your room adequate?
- Impeccable. Thank you, sir.
- Pleasant autumn we're having.
- Yes. A blaze of colour.
Oh, I'm so sorry I was late.
I was with Otto.
You haven't met?
Let me introduce you.
Herr Zeitz, my Husband, Karl.
Karl, Herr Zeitz.
...and it rears at every single jump.
So eventually I asked the riding
master for a quieter horse.
And he says to me:
Madam, a horse is like a mirror.
It reflects everything
you fear or dare to do,
so if your horse refuses a fence it is
you who are not ready for it. - Huh!
It sounds like that Viennese doctor
that claims he can read your thoughts
by listening to your dreams. What's his
name again? - As if you didn't know.
And my husband loves
to play the village idiot.
I'm turning in.
See you shortly, my dear.
And you tomorrow.
Yes sir. See you tomorrow.
Thank you, Magda,
you can leave it.
My husband never eats dessert. And
always retires to bad at a quarter to nine.
- Every night?
- Yes. Except for New Year's Eve.
I knew nothing of life
before I met Karl.
I was engaged to be married to a childhood
friend in the town that I grew up.
But he died in a mountaineering
accident and...
Karl was a friend of my parents'.
He... er... He helped me through the
ordeal, gave me a shoulder to cry on.
Why are you telling me this?
Well, because I presume
that you're surprised
that my husband is not younger.
No... no.
Here.
Sorry.
What do you think of it?
Let's say it's a fine
portrait of you.
But... unfaithful.
Unfaithful?
Yes, it's...
It's like a mask, it's...
...smooth and...
...superficial and shows
nothing of who you are.
Deep down.
- Time for bed, I think, don't you?
- Uh... No, I'll...
...stay down here awhile...
...try and do some more of your puzzle.
- You'll find your own way to your room?
- Yes, Frau Hoffmeister. - Lotte.
Good night, Friedrich.
Good night. Lotte.
...by replacing this third
furnace here...
...we will most likely be able to extract
similar minerals such as copper and nickel,
and reasonably expect a return
of around 115 % in the first year...
- Is Madame Lotte at home?
- I don't know, Sir.
Holland: Amsterdam.
Greece: Athens.
Serbia: Belgrade.
Switzerland: Bern.
Belgium: Brussels.
Denmark: Copenhagen.
Finland: Helsinki.
Portugal: Lisbon.
England: London.
Father wouldn't let me learn the piano.
He made me learn fencing instead.
He said it'd be more use
to me when I grow up.
What for?
For fighting duels with people who
dishonour my wife. Or my mother.
Oh! A rat! A mouse!
It just ran under there...
Where is it?
It's a horrible thing
with a big fat face.
I see it, I see it!
Quick! It's up...
No, Otto!
Don't!
Thank you!
The bankers in Frankfurt are
interested in the project.
They're waiting to see
our investment plan.
What will you do with your sunday?
I don't know.
Probably go to the caf, play a few
rounds of billiards with some friends.
Chase the girls?
Ah!
- Do you have a sweetheart?
- I'd rather not talk about it.
Ah, a secret fiance.
So I'll see you at lunch then.
Frau Hoffmeister.
She wouldn't miss the 10 o'clock
service if the world was on fire.
- Don't you accompany her?
- No time for all that humbug.
But if you enjoy church
don't let me stop you.
Me? No. No, no, thank you.
Only the passion that
touches its abyss
can light the tinder of
your utmost truth.
Only to him who loses his
whole self will self be given.
Blaze that.
For only by catching fire will you learn
to know the world deep inside you.
Only where mistery
works does life begin.
Please, be seated.
One, two, three, freeze.
Back to the start.
Yes, I saw you.
One, two, three... freeze.
One, two, three, freeze.
- Back to the start again.
- No, no, no. I'm here.
One, two, three...
I won, I won!
I get to give you a dare.
You cheated!
What?
Oh, Otto!
No, I didn't. I didn't cheat. Oh, no,
don't give me that grumpy face. Smile.
I didn't cheat, did I, Friedrich?
You're not cheating.
Stop.
Enough!
So will you, please?
Really... I can't, I have
too much work to do.
- Well, even on the sunday?
- Even on the sunday.
Don't you ever go to church?
My husband can't stand any
noise of any kind anymore.
He even gets cross
when I play the piano.
I can't keep Otto cooped
up in this monastery.
He'll be very upset
if you don't come.
Otto!
Come.
What a lovely boy.
Just like his parents.
Hey man, come in here,
look at these potatoes!
- I do like your scent.
- Thank you.
What is it?
Young man, don't you know better
than to ask a lady her scent?
No, I'm afraid, I didn't.
But if I don't ask
how can I find out?
It's L'Heure Blueue, by Guerlain.
It suits you so well.
I'm not sure Guerlain may have
made it especially for you.
Ready, smile! And!
Otto! Where is he?
Otto!
Otto!
Otto!
Otto!
Otto!
Otto!
Otto!
Otto!
Otto!
Otto!
I would hate to
appeare indiscreet...
...but my husband has told me...
- Yes?
...that you have a...
...a friend in town, a...
...lady friend.
I didn't expect him
to tell you about it.
Oh, we tell each other
everything, it's only natural.
Oh, I assure you
that's all I know I...
Especially since I understand that
it's a secret affair.
Yes, it is.
It's very romantic idea,
a secret love affair.
Like a novel.
How gentlemanly of you not
to disclose her name.
One day I'll tell you who she is.
Stop. Stop.
- So you're top dog now, are you?
- Don't be silly.
I asked the man on the gate and he
said you'd taken over from the boss.
I'm only his private secretary.
- What about the car?
- He lets me use it.
What about his wife?
You forgot this lot.
Washed and ironed.
Thank you.
You promised to come back
and see me, you remember?
Sorry, I haven't had time.
There's a young couple living
in your old room now.
They're going to have a baby.
They're going to be happy together.
Anna, I've got to go.
You did that a long time ago.
Carry on!
Go on then!
Go back to your mistress!
Anyone would think
it was made for you.
- I'll lend you a top hat too.
- Is that really necessary, sir?
Indispensable.
In that case, thank you.
No, I thank you for relieving me
of these dreary obligations,
a Sunday in the country
and then an evening in town
listening to some fat woman
take forever to die.
- I prefer to walk back.
- As you wish.
Alone.
Why?
Because...
You know very well.
No, I don't. Please, tell me.
Because we can't keep doing this.
Doing what?
Lying to each other.
Lying to each other?
What on earth are you
imagining, Herr Zeitz?
Who do you think you are?
And what do you think I am?
Help! Help!
Come! Quickly!
Don't just stand there!
Help me!
Let's try and get him to sit up.
It's another seizure.
Karl, can you hear me?
Listen to me! Yes?
I'm going to call Doctor Meyer.
I'll give you one of
those injections.
I don't need that.
I feel better already.
Right.
Now. Tell me all about it.
About what?
Your night at the opera.
Thank you, Doctor.
It was a serious heart attack.
The doctor says he might not
recover unless he keeps lying in bed.
It was fortunate that you
were there last night.
If my husband hadn't survived I...
Dread to think what would
have become of us.
The new machine is being
installed but it can't be
brought on stream until it's been run
in for months. - Never mind about that.
Friedrich, all our hard
work is paid off.
Tomorrow the bankers sign up
for our Mexico venture.
- I had no idea.
- No? I wonder that surprise you.
The wheels will be turning
fast from now on.
I shall need a man on the spot
to oversee the money operations.
- On the spot in Mexico?
- Where else?
And you're the man for the job.
What?
Me?
I want you out there
as soon as possible.
Why me?
The whole idea of this wonderful
scheme was yours, wasn't it?
Just think, travelling halfway across
the world, building and running
a mining town, exploring the
depth of the earth.
What a prospect, what
a life for a young man.
So should I take this proposal
as a... kind of exile?
Exile from what?
Alright.
If you want me to go I'll...
I'll go.
If you have any personal
reasons that I'm not aware of
that prevent you or
deter you from going...
...I shan't force you into it.
No, sir, there's nothing.
And no one.
The dinner's on the table.
Aren't you coming down?
Are you unwell?
Hasn't your husband told you?
What?
That I'm to go to
Mexico for two years.
For two years?
No... You... You... You can't!
No, you can't!
You can't! You can't!
When do you need to leave?
Ten days.
No. Please, don't...
Don't... I... I...
I can't live without you.
Why didn't you tell me?
Tell you what? You already knew.
No. Not here, no.
Not now.
Mother! Mother?
No. You mustn't.
Not here, not now.
Please, I told you.
No!
When then?
- When you return.
- In two years? - Yes.
- Will you still want me in two years?
- Will you still want me?
We'll make a...
A vow to each other.
A promise to love each other.
Do you see?
No.
Friedrich!
Friedrich!
Where the devil are you?
I was just arranging some flowers.
And one of those horrible creatures
from the garden came in.
You know, one of those...
...fury ones. It knocked
over the vase.
I was frightened, I screamed.
Friedrich came to my rescue
and chased it out the window.
Everything's fine now.
Come along, Friedrich,
I need you too.
No, no darling. Otto has
been waiting for his lesson.
- Will you see cowboys and indians?
- No, Mexico isn't America.
But it's a huge big country
too with lots of deserts.
- Will you carry a gun?
- Well, definitely.
- How long will it take you to get there?
- Just over three weeks.
So, we sail from Hamburg, here, down
the coast of England and France.
Spain, Portugal and all the way
across the Atlantic to Brazil.
Venezuela, and finally dock here in
Mexico in a port called Tampico.
Will you send me stamps
for my collection?
That's enough now, Otto,
it's time to supper.
Will you come back
here afterwards?
Yes. I promise I'll
come back here.
There.
It's finished.
Now what do we do with it?
Break it up.
Stop. Stop! St...
Stop.
Stop.
Come closer to me.
It's ridiculous this great
table separating us.
Soon it'll be an ocean.
Why don't we try and
be happy this evening?
Yes, I'm sorry.
Here's to your last night.
Our last night.
I may, mayn't I?
For our last night.
I'm going to make
a suggestion and I want you
to think very carefully
before you answer me.
Now what if you...
- May I clear the table, ma'am?
- Yes, of course.
Thank you.
It was delicious.
What if you come away with me?
With your son, of course.
- You must be...
- Think... carefully... please.
You must be dreaming.
Then I shall stay here.
If you stay here
we'll be found out.
I want to say goodbye to Friedrich
before he leaves tomorrow.
At the crack of dawn
for what I hear.
Yes, sir. Five o'clock.
Let's make the most of these
last few moments together.
I wanted to thank you for
making this immense sacrifice...
...for leaving your homeland and
your loved ones behind you.
Karl, do you really
think you should...?
Why deny oneself a pleasure
while one is still alive?
My secret love. Your letters
take so long to get here
that I can't bear to wait for
the next one before I write.
Hello, I've... I've come for some
letters for Frau Verlage.
They should be transatlantic
mail from Mexico.
I'll check for you.
We are still only at the prospecting stage
and I cover vast distances on horseback.
I have had to learn to ride,
shoot, make a campfire.
I dull my mind with work
to try and numb my yearning for you.
But the evenings by
the campfire, tired as I am
I write to you envying the sheet of
paper which will soon be in your hands.
Pressed to your breast...
...perhaps even to your lips.
My beloved,
I can think of nothing but
you from morning till night.
Especially at night.
If only you knew how
much I miss you,
no sooner was our love disclosed
than we had to say goodbye.
The moment I saw the
train take you away
I knew that your absence
would be unendurable.
But do not worry.
This is our pact and I will stand
the test with fortitude.
We're aparted by distance,
but also by time.
Little by little the past feels more
and more like a foreign country.
Your letters are all that I have
to keep it alive inside me.
I too preserve your
letters like treasure.
But yesterday I had quite a fright.
Otto showed me a Mexican stamp which
he said his father had given him.
Look at the stamp
that father gave me.
I was terrified that Karl might
have found your letters.
I had a letter from Friedrich.
Poor boy had bad luck.
Caught some kind of fever.
Seems he almost died.
Ma'am! Ma'am!
Are you all right?
Let me help you.
Are you all right?
"Dear Herr Hoffmeister,
Everything is going well here.
I shall be back in six months.
In the meantime I wish you a happy
and prosperous year for 1914
to you, your gracious
wife and young Otto.
Respectfully yours, Friedrich Zeitz."
Father, may I keep this
stamp for my collection?
Hans, what does that bell mean?
It means we are at war, ma'am.
"After stabilizing all fronts our
glorious army has retaken
the initiative."
"This time in the East."
How I wish this war would end.
I don't care whether we win
or lose as long as it is over.
I no longer even know when
I can hope for your return.
This may be my last letter or the
last you will receive for some time.
We have heard there is
to be a naval blockade.
I feel like a man
under house arrest.
Cut off from my country
and the woman I love,
by an ocean of steel and fire.
Returned to sender, ma'am.
Why?
Well because of the
war, I suppose.
Is there a war in Mexico?
I wouldn't know, ma'am.
My husband wondered whether
you've heard anything from Fr...
From Herr Zeitz?
I'm afraid we've lost
touch with him, madam.
How so?
Didn't Herr Hoffmesiter tell you?
All see trafic between Europe
and South America has stopped.
No ships, no mail.
Can't somebody cable him
just to see if he's all right?
I'm sure he is all right.
There's no war there.
Tell your husband not to
fret, Frau Hoffmeister.
I can't... I can't breathe!
I can't breathe! I can't breathe!
Sssh.
It's all right. It's all right.
It's all right. It's all right.
Sssh.
It's all right.
Sssh.
It's all right. It's all right.
Still these letters which
you will never read.
The steelworks have been requisitioned
to make artillery guns.
No word from you, but
I keep on writing you.
Karl tried to object. They threw him out
and put an army officer in charge.
As a result my poor husband
has fallen ill again.
I am frightened, I've got
nothing to hold on to.
The world of yesterday, the
world I knew, is vanishing.
And I can't endure the present.
On his last day, Karl told
me a stupendous secret.
I wanted to bring you together
from the very beginning.
But then I felt such pain.
I could see that you loved him
more than you ever loved me.
He took possession of you
and dispossessed me.
How could I have kept
you from loving him?
I told Otto it was for his sake. That
he'd be safer in a boarding school.
But in my heart of hearts
I felt I was abandoning him.
Just as I feel abandoned
myself now that I'm alone.
With no one left to love.
I remember those lines from the
poem I read you one evening.
The week before you left.
"In the old, cold, lonely park
two ghosts recalled the past."
And you answered at once.
"Why take refuge in the past
when we can revel in the present."
Please, ma'am.
Don't sit there in the dark.
For six years now
we've been apart.
And for four of them I haven't
heard a word from you.
Not a single sign of life.
And yet I am certain
you are still out there.
Somewhere alive. I still think
about you all the time.
The only thing that keeps me
alive is the memory of our love.
It is for our love
that I am in mourning.
Your skin, my skin, our union.
Ma'am?
Ma'am!
We have lost the war.
We've lost what?
Germany has lost the war.
Hallo.
Yes. Tomorrow.
Yes.
Herr secretary!
Hello, Hans.
Thank you, Hans.
What a pleasure to come back
here after all these years.
Yes, Herr secretary.
All these years.
Hello, Friedrich, welcome back.
I hope I haven't been too long.
I'm back in Germany on business.
I took the chance to look you up.
It's very nice of you.
Are you settled in Mexico now?
By necessity, more than choice.
- You're still in the mining business?
- Oh, no. No. I used my knowledge
of chemistry to start
a chemical fertilizer plant.
I'm pleased you've done
so well for yourself.
Do you intend to stay
in Germany for long?
I'm not sure it depends on...
...how my business goes I've
come over to sign contracts
with the company in Frankfurt.
I had no news of you.
Your letters stopped coming.
So did yours.
So eventually I stopped
writing them.
I wrote you a letter just
after the armistice.
Must have gone astray.
A riding accident. I would have
been unfit to serve the war.
In any case we were
kept under house arrest.
Did you want to serve?
I felt a sense of guilt...
...by thinking of all the boys my
age who had to... go off and fight.
When the blockade began I tried to get
out, I was desperate to get back to...
To my home country.
Is that Otto?
Yes.
He's 19 now.
Starting in geography, his dream
is to explore the polar regions.
What about you?
What's your dream?
Oh, I don't have any dreams.
I'm alive.
The wolrd is at peace.
Yes. It is.
I couldn't quite finish it,
there was a piece missing.
No, there isn't. Look.
They're all here.
Where did you find it?
Here.
It's been here all the time.
I sold it.
You never liked it anyway.
- The portrait of Herr Hoffmeister's wife.
- Now, his widow.
Yes, I know.
I'm sorry.
I never got married myself.
I've been with women but...
Well, of course. Far be it from me
to reproach you on that front.
- More tea?
- No, thank you.
- I should be getting back to my hotel.
- So soon?
- I have a business meeting.
- Oh, I completely understand.
- Well, thank you for taking the trouble to visit...
- Could I ask you just one favour?
Yes.
Might I have a look at my old bedroom?
It's... It's silly, I know.
...how sentimental one
becomes with age.
I must warn you that your
room is exactly the same.
- Nothing has changed.
- Not even you.
See? Nothing has changed.
Everything's the same.
No, nothing has changed.
Except us.
I haven't forgotten
my promise to you.
We're nearly there.
It took us a long
time to get here.
Any chance for room?
- Er... No, no. We're booked solid.
- You too? What's going on in this town?
Well, it's the parade.
The war veterans.
They've booked every
single room in the town.
A war wound?
So you're here for the parade?
Yes. Yes, we are.
Well there...
Then you are in luck. We have a...
An unexpected vacancy.
- Er... And that's Herr...
- Zeitz.
Herr and Frau Zeitz?
Yes. Herr and Frau Zeitz.
Is this your first stay
in town, sir?
No. We were here once. Before.
Before.
Yes, indeed, ma'am.
Shall we go for a walk?
Yes.
We walked down this very same
path with Otto. You remember?
Yes. He kept running
on ahead and we'd almost
lost him for the umpteenth time.
I kept calling him to come back.
But actually I just wanted
to be alone with you.
We were stargers then.
As now.
Don't ever leave me again.
Don't ever leave me.
I never ever leave
you from now on.
It took us a long
time to get here.