Come on.
Let's show 'em
how it's done.
Unh.
Aah!
- Come on!
- Hey, come on!
Damn!
- I got you!
- Aah!
Where are my glasses?
Clean my wound!
There's no water.
Well, use your tongue, then, you idiot!
Aah!
Thank you.
Abel!
What are you doing?
Abel!
AD Califum!
AD Califum is Latin.
I still don't know
the meaning of that phrase.
All those years at St. Christopher's
I lived like a zombie,
like a sleepwalker,
Forever dreaming
of an awakening,
waiting for an unpredictable event
that would set me free
and let me be myself at last.
I remember climbing up
several flights of stairs
to a room where I would
eventually be greeted
by the headmaster
of St. Christopher's School for Boys.
Oh, yes. My name is Abel.
Unh! Unh! Uhh!
Unh!
My only friend was Nestor.
Nestor protected me
whenever he could.
His father being the school janitor,
Nestor enjoyed incredible privileges,
such as having a bicycle.
Nestor had keys
to all the rooms in our school,
and at night,
he took me to a whole other world.
Start reading when they get to Canada.
"Slowly, they passed
the great lakes
"called Reindeer,
Slave, and Bear.
"The big caribou
entered the clearing
"as the Indian had predicted.
"The wind had not carried
the two men's scent to him.
Very slowly, the Dutchman
raised his Winchester while"...
He's not going to kill the caribou, is he?
He has to. They have to eat.
Go on.
"Very slowly, the Dutchman
raised his Winchester,
while the Indians seemed
to stop breathing. "
In Canada, we'll catch foxes, seals,
Maybe even bears in huge snares.
Within 3 years,
you can make a fortune out there.
If you're well organized.
Can you give me a hand?
Sure. Lean over.
Amen.
Amen.
You need to fill it up.
Abel! AD Califum!
AD Califum maximum!
I wish you could make
this school burn down.
I wish it would catch fire
And burn down
to the ground. Please.
OK, let's give it a try.
Get the fire hose!
Aah!
Aah!
That day... I understood
that fate was real, that she was cruel,
and that she was on my side.
I would be protected, saved,
and guided,
While others would be harshly, savagely,
tossed into the void.
Today, I live simply, quietly,
like an ordinary man.
A small business, an apartment,
a mistress.
I confide my secrets to no one.
How come my car isn't ready?
You promised.
In fact, I hardly speak to people.
I'm running some tests.
Mm-hmm.
It's an accident!
Can't you see?
Did you get badly hurt?
I don't think so.
Did you... did you fall?
Yes.
Where are you taking her?
Martine!
I fell down.
You've got dirt all over her.
Look at your dress.
Come.
All I'd wanted to do was to help,
but somehow I always
inspire fear in people.
Very good. Now, 1... 2... 3.
Hey, you'll ruin my picture.
Martine, isn't
your mother coming today?
Not today.
Now look up here.
Ok, now stand very straight.
What about me?
Will you take my picture?
Sure. One second.
Very good. Thank you.
Yes.
Now... now sit down,
sit on the bumper. Yes.
Now sit back a bit.
A little more to the right. Yes.
Ok, now cross your legs,
like a real lady.
Good.
All right. Good.
Now close your eyes.
Good.
Shall I take you home?
Is this yours?
Sure. I have a dozen.
You'll have to tell me where to go.
What's your name?
Abel.
That's a funny name.
It comes from the Bible.
Abel was a shepherd, a nomad.
Do you have any children?
No, no family.
No parents?
No. I was found in the street.
And the moment I was born,
I was already grown up!
When I was your age,
I had a friend.
But... he died in a fire.
A fire?
In school.
I was about to be punished,
and I didn't want to be punished.
So I made a wish,
and the wish came true.
So you killed your friend?
No. He was the only
one who liked me.
You must be sad about it.
Maybe. Sometimes I'm sad,
and sometimes I'm happy.
I can't say why.
Maybe it's because
half of my body
is made of stone.
Really?
You're kidding.
No, I'm not.
That's why I can be very nice,
But very cold, too.
People don't know that.
It's a secret.
But someday, they will know.
Hey.
Abel.
It's the 30th.
It is?
Rachel is not my wife.
But she is the feminine element
in my life.
Once a month
She comes into my particular universe,
to keep my books in order.
Which one are you?
I wouldn't have recognized you.
Oh, you were so thin then.
You've certainly made up for it, hmm?
Were you good in class?
I bet you weren't.
I was always top of the class.
Do you want to take my picture?
No, no!
No!
Rachel is the one
who first called me an ogre.
"You're not a lover," she said.
"You're an ogre. "
No, no!
No!
Look at...
I can't stand this.
You're a monster.
You can't do this to me.
I'm more delicate than that.
Sorry.
Careful.
Abel?
Are you going to
drive me home again?
Oh, am I your chauffeur?
Grahh!
You might enjoy this.
What is it?
Look at it.
Start reading when they get to Canada.
"If one puts a canoe
"in the lower A-A-A... "
Athabasca.
"If one puts a canoe
in the lower Athabasca
"and travels northward
to Great Slave,
And thence up the Mackenzie... "
Sorry. I don't like it.
Can I borrow your camera
for a minute?
No! No, no.
Why not?
Because I said so.
Why not?
Frankly, I'm afraid you'll break it.
I won't break it!
And I'd like to have my pictures...
Martine! Careful!
We could have an accident!
Stop it. Don't do that.
I don't want you
to use my camera.
Don't touch me.
And I don't like to have my picture taken.
- Let me out!
- Stop it!
I don't want your stupid camera!
Let me out!
No. I'm your chauffeur.
I promised I would
take you home and I will.
Come on. Don't be silly.
Read me some more.
You read very well.
Please? It's my favorite book.
Please?
Don't forget my book.
"Slowly, they passed
"great lakes called Reindeer,
Slave, and Bear.
"A big caribou entered the clearing,
as the Indian had predicted. "
"The wind had not carried
"The two men's scent.
"Very slowly, the Dutchman
raised his Winchester,
while the Indian
seemed to stop breathing. "
Help!
"... Across the level plain.
"It was the call
of the leader to the pack,
the animal man to his... "
Help!
Martine?
Help!
Help!
Help!
- Martine...
- Help!
Ow!
What happened?
He hurt me. He hurt me!
- He hurt me.
- Martine...
- He hurt me!
- What happened?
He hurt me.
Don't cry.
Tell me what happened.
- He hurt me.
- Tell me...
You there!
Officers, did you see
a man go past here?
He did it. He hurt me!
Come along! Come here!
No!
I make a wish on you!
I make a wish on you!
I make a wish on you!
So, you're a photographer.
Yes.
Why do you photograph children?
I like children.
You like children.
I like to protect them.
From what?
From grownups.
But you're a grownup yourself,
Aren't you?
You know perfectly well
what you did to her.
I didn't do it.
We caught you right there.
There was a man who ran away.
There's no need
to be frightened, dear.
You're quite safe with us now.
Just tell us.
Do you recognize this man?
He did it. He did it, he hurt me!
Martine!
He hurt me!
Will you tell us now
what you did to her?
- Huh?
- I didn't do anything.
He hurt me!
If it were up to me,
animals like you
would be torn apart.
Look yourself in the mirror.
Don't you see the face of a murderer?
It's true.
I suppose I do have
the face of a murderer.
If you're looking for one.
I tell myself,
there's nothing to worry about.
I tell myself,
my prison is going to burn down,
Just as it did 20 years ago.
I tell myself,
enormous events
are going to be arraigned
solely in order to carry me forward
on the path which fate
has laid out for me.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
The barbarians are at our gate.
Is this the moment
to judge each other,
or shouldn't we face
the enemy united?
We have lots
of evidence against you.
And all your lawyer wants to do
is plead mental deficiency.
Or temporary insanity.
Under normal conditions,
I'd send you up for trial.
But we may soon
be at war with Germany.
And this war will save you
from going to prison.
Show up at 8:00 tomorrow morning
at Coupevoir barracks.
We are hoping that you will atone
for your doings through
some brave actions
on the battlefield.
All right.
In the name of the French Republic,
I dismiss the case.
The outcome of the war
will largely depend on the quality
of the communications system.
I mean to say,
the telegraph is a fine invention,
but wires are easy to cut.
That's what saboteurs are so good at.
Whereas our little birds,
our brave feathered soldiers
are way beyond the enemy's reach.
It's mid-day. What about lunch?
I do feel a bit hungry.
Certainly, Captain.
Lunch is being served!
Perfect military order.
A pigeon carrier of good breeding
easily covers 500 miles a day.
Lunch is served!
Nothing can stop them.
Neither wind
nor a thunderstorm...
But what about banks of fog?
Oh, you've got a point.
Major fog might be a nuisance.
Oh, with carrier pigeons,
you'll be informed
prior to anybody else.
Mm-hmm.
And in a most secret way.
Hmm.
I mean, any movement of the enemy
- shall be at least...
- Hey.
What is it?
Hande hoch.
France was trampled.
Paris was humiliated.
Der triumphum.
Ein blick Auf Den eifeltum.
But I wasn't upset.
My country hadn't given me
much opportunity
to act like a hero.
So I was quite happy
to be taken far away
from the great nation.
You managed to save them!
This is fantastic, Abel.
Captain.
Captain, look at this.
Do you know the use
we could make of them?
From wherever we are,
they'll fly back to France
carrying our messages.
What messages?
About the place
where we're going, Captain.
Poland, Eastern Prussia.
While the others plotted their escape,
I looked out at the open fields.
The land seemed to be waiting,
quietly, to embrace me.
All the men of this country
have been called up, right?
So, we have to figure out how
to take advantage of that. Eh?
You mean, um...
I mean...
That women are running
the farms and the factories.
Hah? German women
are just like other women.
They need men. Hah?
Us, in other words. Am I right?
- Am I right?
- No.
Los, los. Arbeit.
All right, all right!
Say, what's the matter with him?
I have no idea.
You know, I think
we're building an airstrip.
Really? Here? That close to Russia?
Hey, Abel.
Years have gone by
since Nestor told me of the blizzard
howling among the black pines,
Of the icy gulf she went over,
crossing a frozen lake.
Of the monotonous
shhp-shhp of snowshoes.
And also of a log cabin,
where the trapper
takes refuge at night
and lights a big fire.
Nestor had told me, "One day, Abel,
you'll see. One day. "
"Slowly, they passed great lakes
"called Reindeer,
Slave, and Bear.
"A big caribou
entered the clearing,
"as the Indian had predicted.
"The wind did not carry
the two men's scent to him.
"Very slowly, the Dutchman
raised his Winchester,
while the Indian seemed
to stop breathing. "
You the big caribou? Huh?
Are you hungry?
Do you want some food?
A minute.
Carrot?
Come.
Huh? Huh?
Good boy. Huh?
Come.
No, don't go away.
Don't go away.
No, stay.
Come.
Good-bye.
Come, come.
Come, come.
Bist Du kalt?
Bist Du kalt? Bist Du kalt?
Hast Du feber?
You speak German now?
You think they're gonna win the war?
Naturlich.
He likes the place.
He's thinking of settling down.
If only the carrier pigeon
service had been expanded.
We should have built a big loft
directly linked to the general staff.
We would have known
everything that was going on.
We could have easily
stopped the German advance.
Nonsense, Henri.
This is not nonsense.
Bist Du kalt? Bist Du kalt?
Nein.
In this world,
I am a prisoner of war.
But in my world, I am a trapper.
Whenever I can,
I sneak away to my cabin
and feed the moose.
What are you doing here?
French?
Yes.
Escaped.
No, no, I'm a...
Prisoner at the camp.
L... I come here sometimes,
but I always go back to camp
after a while.
This is not permitted.
The whole forest is not permitted.
For military reasons.
Didn't they tell you?
Hello.
He... he comes here sometimes.
Hello. How are you today?
Come, come, come.
I've seen him a lot.
But I think he's, um...
Blind, yes.
You know him?
Everyone knows him.
His name is "The Ogre. "
The Ogre?
Yes, people think he's a monster.
A fiend, devil.
Be careful. He's dangerous.
In the winter he comes
and begs from the farmers,
but he scares people.
Someday, someone will shoot him.
No. You're not a monster, are you?
You're big and strong
and gentle, aren't you?
And handsome, too.
Yeah. They won't shoot you.
I know. I know.
I know. Yeah.
Now, get out of here.
Go back to the camp.
And don't come back again.
Go back. Quick.
You're just in time. Marsch, marsch.
Captain's order.
Well, this way at least
they served some purpose.
Most important
is to keep up our morale.
The war is not over yet.
Abel.
Berkel did not want his.
So we kept it for you.
I cooked them with
some honey and vinegar.
Sit down.
You'll like it.
Here. Come on, sit down, Abel.
Sit down.
Abel!
Abel, don't do that!
Don't do that!
Ach. Come, Abel.
A little schnapps on the Fatherland
On Christmas. Hah?
Cheers.
My New Year's resolution
was to never see France again.
And once again, fate and history
worked closely together.
As soon as winter was over,
my life took a new turn.
...further east,
all the way to
the Russian steppe.
Don't say that! Please don't say that!
Abel.
Abel!
Get into the car. Come on.
This is the place.
The hunting lodge.
I need someone to look after the cars
and to assist me generally.
You're a mechanic, aren't you?
Come on.
You're needed in the kitchen.
You'll have a room there.
They'll show you.
Please, be careful.
Jawohl.
Who does all this belong to?
All this belongs to
The field marshal Hermann Gring.
Never heard of him?
He's a great hunter
of the Third Reich.
And I'm his chief forrester.
You'll have to learn a lot.
Abel. Go now.
His name is Booby.
Ha ha ha ha ha!
Welcome, Field Marshal.
Ha ha ha ha!
Come!
Ah ha ha ha ha!
Get it! They're good ones.
Hyah!
Now pick them up.
Always on the left side, Abel.
On the left side.
Come on.
Oh, yes.
This one belongs to
the one called Sergeant.
It's his 11th set.
All stags cast off their antlers
at the end of winter.
The young ones sometimes
quite not till June.
You have names for all the stags?
Almost.
You see, the field marshal
is very precise.
Everything has to be in order.
Jawohl.
The military academy in Kaltenborn Castle.
The castle belongs to
the count of Kaltenborn.
He is the last descendant
of the Knights of the Sword.
You want to see?
The oldest nobility in Germany.
They train the elite.
They call them the vital force
of the Reich.
This is Rubens.
This is art.
In those days, they weren't afraid
to celebrate flesh.
Look at those thighs.
The magnificent abandon.
Living life to the full.
Draining the glass of life!
Good to see you.
Karl.
Count Kaltenborn.
The one I was telling you about.
Take a look at this.
A cure for sorrow.
Ohh!
No, no, no, I'm serious.
It's very, very relaxing.
Ohh...
It feels wonderful.
Oh, wonderful.
I'm calm already.
Let's go.
Into the forest.
Where is he going?
You, follow them.
Hey, hey!
Are you French?
Yes, sir.
Ha ha ha ha ha!
I like France very much,
even though I fought at Verdun.
But we are natural allies.
We're at the heart of Europe.
You see?
A doe.
The evening turds
are harder and drier
than the morning turds.
And look.
In the summer, they're all compact
and cylindrical.
But in September,
they're just like little beads.
You actually can tell
the season by the taste.
A roe buck.
A tapered pack.
The flavor almost like apples.
Wonderful.
Field Marshal.
That's him.
The one I was telling you about.
It's candelabra.
The king.
He's mine.
Give me that.
No, please. Give him another season.
But he is carrying
20 pounds of horn on his head
but he's our best stud!
No...
No!
No! No! That's terrible!
That's terrible!
Now he is going to get shot
by somebody else!
I warn you...
I want him.
He is mine.
He is mine
Or you are dead, my friend.
I'm serious.
Your life depends on that.
Am I still living in the ordinary world,
or have I wandered into a fairy tale
with magical creatures, giants,
and wild beasts.
In his gigantic appetite,
his tireless enjoyment
of the fruits of life...
You're a rascal.
...reminded me
of someone. Yes.
Nestor.
Ha ha ha ha!
Achtung!
Heil Hitler, Herr Feldmarschall!
Heil Hitler.
There we are.
Quick.
We have to cut off
the animal's balls immediately.
Otherwise, the meat gets a horrible taste
and becomes inedible.
You see?
Ah. Merci.
Ahh.
All right.
And now for some champagne.
No!
No! No.
- Let go of...
- No.
Let go of my gun, you idiot.
It is the Pope, they say
That Churchill will pay
For each of his cigars
While the king twirls a baton
The navy has been sunk
There's big fires in the sky
And Churchill is a drunk
Oh, my
England had an empire,
a jolly good king...
- Marshal.
- What is it?
Field Marshal, I have bad news.
That's very annoying.
The Count of Kaltenborn is here to...
Candelabra.
Where is he? Where is the Count?
He went back to Kaltenborn.
And the animal?
He took it with him.
That animal was mine, you idiot.
You disobeyed a direct order
and now you are going
to pay the price.
I'm sending you to the Russian front.
Please, Field Marshal.
I'm sending anybody who works here.
You people think you can
get away with anything
because you know I'm lenient.
Do you think I've noticed it?
Discipline has collapsed here!
I won't stand it!
I won't!
Was there anybody to stop him?
Uh, Field Marshal, we tried to, but...
But! But!
Field Marshal,
You know the Count of Kaltenborn.
His family...
Don't you dare talk
to me about his family.
The fact that that's an ancient family
doesn't make him better
than anyone else.
Quite the contrary, you idiot!
Fate does not favor
those who are content to be born.
We have to create our own future.
I am the Reich's Jaegermeister,
the field marshal,
the, uh, head of the Luftwaffe,
the number-two man in the Reich!
The... the stones...
The bowl!
The bowl, quickly!
The stones!
The stones...
Ooh... thank you.
Ohh. JA.
JA.
Those aristocrats from Kaltenborn...
they are the ones
who destroy the nation.
They have to be killed.
He knew what he was doing.
He knew that this animal was mine,
and he deliberately killed it.
Where is Field Marshal?
Heil Hitler!
Heil Hitler.
From Stalingrad.
Everybody get out of here.
Leave me alone!
Can't you hear? Get out.
The war in Russia was not going well.
The field marshal had to leave us
as abruptly as he had shown up.
His armored train was waiting
to take him to Berlin...
and I didn't want to go back
to the camp.
Field Marshal...
may I ask a favor?
Who are you?
I'm the French prisoner.
Yes, Field Marshal.
Tuh!
What's wrong?
I'm going.
Where?
To the Russian front.
I'm leaving tomorrow.
Because of candelabra?
No.
No, no.
Everybody's needed
on the Eastern Front,
to defend the Fatherland.
- Good luck.
- Do you...
Do you think I could be assigned
to the castle at Kaltenborn?
Yes. I'll write you a letter.
Uh...
What about the horse?
Keep it.
Kein schner Land in Dieser Zeit
Als hier Das uns're weit und breit
Wo wir uns finden
wohl unter Linden
Zur AbenDzeit
Wo wir uns finden
wohl unter Linden
Zur AbenDzeit
So you worked for
the Reich Field Marshal?
Yes, sir. For 2 years.
You see, ordinarily
We only have pure Germans here.
But with so many men
going to the front
at the moment, perhaps...
something temporary
could be arranged for you.
We'll have to give you
a proper outfit, huh?
Are you familiar with
the rank insignia of our corps?
No, sir. I'm afraid not.
Well...
you are expected to salute
all S.S. Officers
from the rank of Haupttruppfhrer,
who has 2 stars and 2 stripes.
Here.
A Scharfhrer... one star and 2 stripes...
You don't salute, and you don't salute
an Oberscharfhrer above 2 stars.
Above that you have
Untersturmfhrer
with 3 stars,
whom, of course, you have to salute.
3 stars and 4 stripes
for the Hauptsturmfhrer.
Yes, that's right.
4 stars for the Sturmbannfhrer.
On the left side,
the Obersturmbannfhrer...
that's me.
You have 4 stars and 2 stripes.
And the Standartenfhrer
with this sign on the left.
Sieg heil!
Sieg!
You'll have to go to the villages
to get the food for the boys.
Apples, potatoes, anything.
At that age, boys are always hungry.
You'll have to be tough.
People keep too much for themselves.
Certainly we do need more
Potatoes, apples, cherries...
How many boys stay here?
About 200.
In this room.
Our guard is away at the front.
For the time being,
you can use his bed.
And through the night,
you'll have to keep the fire going.
Dinner is at 7:00.
This school
felt nothing like St. Christopher's.
This school felt like home.
Stop.
Stille gestanden!
Wait!
Abel, wait for dinner.
Hut!
Professor Blattchen, mein Herren.
Sitzen.
Abel!
Hier!
Where shall I put this?
Over there.
Here?
Yes. Careful.
French.
Yes, sir.
I'm Professor Doktor Obersturmbannfhrer
Otto Blattchen.
Open it.
Goldfish.
Yeah.
Carassius Auratus.
Next exercise...
What nonsense.
Physical education... it can never work.
Whatever happens
happens in our own genes.
When are we going to admit it?
Carassius Auratus.
The masterpiece of Chinese biology.
If Aryans could create a goldfish like this,
can you imagine what Germans
might be able to create?
Aah.
Good night, boys.
Good night, Abel.
Danke schon.
They were from Marienburg
and were using the holiday
to bicycle through the forest and lakes
of Masuria.
I told them about Kaltenborn...
about the castle, the lake,
the shooting stands,
the boats and the guns
and the exciting life there.
I invited them to dinner
and to spend the night
with hundreds of boys their own age.
Did you bring us these boys?
Abel!
Heil.
Heil!
This is excellent, Abel.
Welcome. Hello.
Hello.
Welcome.
You showed initiative.
Welcome. Hello.
In fact, I think I'm going to make this
your regular job here.
'Cause you like the boys, don't you?
Yes, sir, very much.
Yes. And the boys like you.
Excellent.
You see, here's our problem.
We have such a wonderful school,
and all the best families in Germany
are proud to have their
children come here,
but the common people,
especially the peasants here,
you see, they are so crude and uneducated
that they don't want their children
to attend our school.
They even hide them from us.
Bravo, Abel.
Now we want to give everyone
the benefit of the Reich.
And that's why I want you to help us, Abel.
You yourself are an ordinary fellow.
So it's simply ideal.
All right, my boy?
I'm relying on you.
Cover the entire countryside.
And don't worry about
insisting when you have to.
Just bring me the boys.
Jawohl.
He called me an ordinary fellow.
Because he does not know
that I am emerging
from the mists of time.
Mommy!
That's why there is something
magical in my nature.
Yes, yes, I smelt them, too.
How old is your little boy?
Oh, no, no, no, no.
Don't go in. Don't be scared.
At first I inspired fear in people.
Guten tag.
But soon they were to recognize
my secret affinity with children.
They looked up to me,
they respected me...
Mommy, who is the man?
And they entrusted me with their boys.
And I was happy with my new mission.
Splendid.
Absolutely splendid.
Perfectly!
Don't change a thing.
Typical of the pure Nordic.
The nose...
Is leptorrhinian.
Neck...
Leptorrhinian.
By this point,
I ought to be able
to guess his blood type.
Rhesus positive.
I bet you!
Mmm...
A pure odor.
Smell him.
Do you know
that I can spot a black or a Semite
with my eyes closed,
just because of the essence
they secrete.
There's an unmistakable
impurity about their smell
you can't fail to notice.
Slow reactions.
Not very bright.
But solid.
Don't worry.
Brightness is not a characteristic
of the German race.
We don't want brightness.
People say, "Oh...
"so-and-so is so bright.
He has such a clear mind. "
No.
We mistrust
this brightness, this clarity.
Let the new African races
cultivate brightness.
Our sources are in darkness.
That is what drives us
to unparalleled creativity.
Wagner...
Nietzsche...
Bruckner.
7 boys I brought back
from the lake in a single catch,
but now, as my list
grows longer and longer,
I have to pick them up one by one
in the villages and forests.
Young boys are so...
bold and courageous.
No living creatures are as noble
or as beautiful,
and yet so heartbreakingly awkward.
I love nothing like I love the young boys.
What a privilege to gather them all
in a castle they can call their own.
Mostly they trust me.
But sometimes they don't.
And then I can feel the part of me
that is made of stone.
Hard and pitiless.
I force them to come with me.
Anything goes.
You bring anything you run into.
Nothing but eastern characteristics.
Short, pale,
testicles...
poorly hung.
What do you want me to do with him?
Get out.
Now.
Uh-oh.
Where are you off to?
Home.
Home?
What's going on?
Nothing. Go.
Are you insane?
We can't disqualify anyone now.
Look at him. A marvelous physique.
Blond as can be.
So what?
Genetically, he's worthless.
We are here to train these boys.
We create men here.
This is a crucible of men.
That's all it is.
For you, too, my boy.
The world is wide open. Come on.
One day, he won't let us stand.
One day, he'll betray us.
Because his deceitfulness is endemic.
It's inscribed in his genes.
A race is something homogeneous.
It's coherent and pure.
There can't be a nation...
mixing the races leads to disasters.
Look at the Americans.
A stupid country which
no amount of education
can save.
We can make a champion
out of a lad like him.
With his miserable upbringing,
he never had a chance yet.
You see, the Bolsheviks, too,
think that education is the key,
and you are just like them.
So then, if you fail to treat every rat
like a prize racehorse,
that's a social injustice.
And they think you can
take any pig from the pen
and educate him
until he becomes a greyhound.
It's utterly absurd.
Enough!
Rubbish.
All right, Colonel, that's enough.
I'm in charge here
and we're keeping the boy.
Thank you.
That's OK.
Nice work, Abel.
Keep it up. Come on.
Hier!
"A warning to all mothers:
"Beware of The Ogre.
"An ogre is roaming
through our neighborhood
"stealing our children.
"Don't listen to his promises or threats.
"Teach the children to hide from him.
"If The Ogre takes your child,
you will never see it again. "
My God.
"The Ogre. "
Go.
Take it to Raufeisen.
An ogre. Ha ha.
An ogre!
Are we in a fairy tale?
We're surrounded by traitors.
This has a Jewish stink about it.
Can't you smell it?
It just means that you have to work harder.
Our school must still remain the best.
I count on you.
Mesmerizing ritual.
Songs and torches.
Hard to resist.
You are quite intoxicated by it,
are you?
The flames, the flags.
There's a picture.
Quite overwhelming for a simple mind.
Look at him.
His father was a grocer in Leipzig.
He stands there in his uniform
as if he were selling sardines.
Heil!
- Sieg...
- Heil.
- Sieg...
- Hmm.
Heil!
Come.
Come. I'll show you.
Hermann von Kaltenborn.
They say the oak trees
bowed down as he passed.
The night before the battle
in which he would die
the Virgin Mary appeared to him
and told him his place in heaven
was ready.
Hmm.
And there...
he baptized 10,000 Prussians
in a single day.
These men are giants.
Oh, they...
felt the hot sun of the Crusades
on their faces.
They were chaste.
Obedient.
No wealth,
no possessions,
no women.
No women.
They would flagellate themselves
before they put on their breastplates
and went into battle!
No.
Today, my castle is bristling with flags
that aren't mine.
A tottering spider...
ready to devour us.
He utterly repels me.
Every year, hundreds of thousands
of young men volunteer
to fight the enemy.
Youth is at the forefront
of our movement.
Youth is the very soul of our resistance.
Like your ancestors,
the Knights
of the Teutonic Order,
you will fight the barbarians
at the gate of the Reich.
- Lothar.
- You have the honor...
and the good fortune
to be on your way east.
And cradled in your hands,
you will bring us back victory.
Lothar.
And now, my young heroes,
listen carefully to me.
From this day forward,
you no longer have a mother, a father,
or a family.
From now on, you belong
to the Fhrer.
You have been given to him.
Sieg...
Heil!
- Heil!
- Sieg...
Kehrt!
We're most proud to add you to our ranks.
Welcome, Lothar.
Charge!
It's the famous Krupp 88.
It's almost a shame that there are
no planes to fire them at.
Fire.
A tank is deaf and half-blind.
You can hear it, but it can't hear you.
It's hard for you to see it all
because of the way it jolts up and down.
Also, it has big blind spots
here and here,
and it's almost totally blind
when you're right up close to it.
So, don't be afraid of tanks.
Just the opposite. Go right up to them.
Because that's when
they are the least dangerous.
All right?
Crouch down...
Here, let me help you.
OK.
All right?
Can you carry it?
There's your helmet.
Thank you.
OK?
- Let me.
- All right?
What?
Let me do it.
Wait for me, Hans.
Ready? Fire.
Traitors.
Horrible.
What is it, sir?
A bomb. At the Fhrer's headquarters.
No!
The ambulance!
Lothar, can you hear me?
Lothar. Help!
Help!
Hurry up!
Hurry up! Here!
It's all right. I'll take him.
I'll take him home.
I'll take you home.
I'll take you home.
Take it away.
Touch my hand.
Let go.
Take me away.
Let go.
Help.
Take it away.
Help.
Mommy.
Mommy.
- Heil Hitler.
- Heil Hitler.
You swine.
Traitor.
Scum.
Fake nobility and a fake tradition.
That's not Germany.
I wish I'd turned you in a long time ago.
I had the strongest suspicion.
Exposing young men to filth like that.
You should set an example.
You're part of the conspiracy,
Like all these so-called aristocrats.
I'll be with you in a moment.
Please.
Excuse me.
He won't require any more water.
Bathing wouldn't cleanse him.
He must be given a horrible death.
Hanged with a piano wire.
We'll clean the army of all such elements,
up to the highest ranks.
The Fhrer was protected.
Thank God death wouldn't take him.
Can't you do anything?
We tried, but it failed.
This whole beautiful country
to which we've given our souls
is utterly doomed.
It's going to be wiped out
of human memory.
Our entire heritage,
even our name.
Our ancestors' names.
Wiped out! All wiped out!
No idea... Come here.
Take this...
Right up here.
Thank you.
My advice to you
is to leave immediately.
With all the chaos,
no one will stop you.
Thank you.
But I...
I can't leave the children.
No.
Go. Go now.
Don't stay. This castle
is going to be destroyed.
Everything is going to be destroyed.
Even the children.
It's, uh, my diary.
Would you please keep it for me?
It's, uh...
my life is in it.
Uh, no... part of my life.
Thank you. Keep it.
Ah, it's not important.
Excuse me.
I have to go.
Periodically, the oldest boys were sent
to fight at the front,
which was no longer far away.
This time,
Raufeisen went along with them.
Frau Netta and I remained
in charge of the younger ones.
Ooh!
Yaah!
We still played,
but the nights have grown
longer and colder
and the food even more scarce.
And the boys
grow younger and younger.
Good night, boys.
Good night, Abel.
Excellent.
This...
And this will do.
Bring it outside.
My mission calls me west.
They're expecting me in Berchtesgaden.
I have to report about my results.
Soldiers!
Your blood is our most priceless gold.
Some of it may have to return
to the earth.
You should take pride.
Blood and earth belong together.
The soil has to be
drenched with blood.
Blood is fertilizing the earth.
New generations will rise from it.
But this is my horse.
Yours? Nothing is yours.
You're a prisoner, Abel.
A K.G.
- Sieg...
- Heil!
Sieg...
Heil!
- Heil!
- Sieg...
"This whole beautiful country
"to which we've given our souls
"is utterly doomed.
Wiped out of human memory. "
"These people started a fire,
"and now their own house
is going to burn down.
"It's going to be destroyed.
Absolutely everything
is going to be destroyed. "
"Even the children. "
Along the few narrow roads
in the frozen cold of winter,
I discovered refugees
from all nationalities fleeing.
The Russians must be nearby.
It's a wild confusion...
With German soldiers
making for the front
or retreating back to the west
among the civilians.
Oh, Alf.
You're all right, you know.
You're not hurt?
You're not hurt?
I'll take you...
I'll take you...
Take you away, yeah?
Abel! Abel!
Abel.
What the hell are you doing here?
Come with us.
Soviets keep marching,
Fritz kaput!
Where are you going?
We are helping them
to track back to the west.
So they have to keep marching.
Fritz kaput!
Come with us, really.
Everybody's on his own now.
Come with us, Abel!
I can't. L... I...
I have to stay with the children.
- Ha ha!
- Children?
Children?
Good luck!
Soon, I was about to discover
that at night, too,
there were people on the roads.
They only walk by night.
I saw them in the moonlight.
Some say... these are the dead
Risen from the grave all over the east.
But I know who they are.
They are from the camps.
There were camps everywhere.
Death camps.
Nobody was to know.
But I've seen them.
Marching.
Floating in their pajamas.
Who's there?!
It's me... Abel.
Who is there?
Let me in.
It's me... Abel.
Hinei ma tov umanaim
Shevet Achim gam Yachad
Hinei ma tov umanai...
...Im,
shevet Achim gam Yachad
I sang when I got there.
I always sing.
They liked my voice,
the S.S. Officers in the Iager.
They made me sing.
"Sing, Ephraim, sing. "
Hinei ma tov umanaim
Shevet Achim gam yachad
Where... where are your parents?
Gas...
oven.
Many, many people.
All gas.
Oven. Dead.
Abel!
Shh.
Abel! Are you there?
Where are you?
I'll come back, but you stay up here.
Stay... stay quiet, now.
You hear?
My fate had led me so gently,
so carefully so long.
I had trusted her totally.
I had always followed her.
But what if all that time
I had been following nothing?
What if there was nothing there
and I was alone?
What had I done?
What am I to do with all the children
I've collected here?
What about all those bodies
strewn around?
Some in groups,
Some in brotherly embraces.
Whole rows, as if mowed down
by one machine-gun volley.
Get your coats and sweaters
and blankets, too.
Why?
And all the food you can find.
What's up?
- Leaving?
- We're leaving.
They told us nothing but lies.
There'll be no victory.
All the officers are gone already.
Even Raufeisen hasn't
been seen for days.
He's fighting the Russians at the border.
The Russians have already
crossed the border.
They could be here any moment.
We could go into
the forests or the lakes,
take our canoes.
I know a cabin in the woods.
We could...
we could hide there
Until they... they send
reinforcements.
You speak like a traitor.
No, I'm not a traitor.
But we can't stop the Russians.
We are the forefront
of the Fatherland.
When the moment comes,
the Fhrer will put his
secret weapon to good use.
We'll hit them from above
and from below.
We'll crush the Bolsheviks
like cockroaches.
We must attack at the right moment.
When the... when
the Fhrer decides that...
Whoever has the will to win can't lose.
And we have pledged
our lives to the Fhrer.
We will never surrender.
We... we could hide
our weapons,
and if we're... if we're caught...
Only rats would leave like this.
All of Germany's looking at us.
No army ever took our castle.
Throughout the century
it held its ground
and so will we.
Listen, if we're caught,
we say that we were on...
Victory will be ours!
...a school expedition.
Sieg heil!
Sieg heil. Please.
Sieg heil,
but we must hurry.
You'll all be killed.
Like... like Lothar.
They'll... they'll... they'll burn you.
You're... you're just children.
You'll never see your parents again.
Parents?
We have no parents.
We belong to the Fhrer.
Still gestanden!
Kompanie kehrt!
Kompanie marsch!
We're leaving right now.
Everyone.
Abel!
Traitors should be hanged.
He's just a Frenchman.
Yes. He isn't even one of us.
Help me.
Close the gate!
Close all the exits!
Man the machine guns!
Get the mortar ready!
Position men on the main tower!
The time has come.
The castle is now on alert.
The enemy is nearly here
and he is bringing us back victory!
We will fight them!
We beat them! We kill them!
The castle will never surrender!
Never!
- Heil!
- Sieg...
To your battle stations, boys!
Hurry up! Hurry up!
Abel, what happened to you?
Let's see.
No.
I've got to clean your wound.
Abel, listen.
Some tanks. Russian tanks.
Go now! Go now!
Who are you?
Abel?
What are you doing here?
Who's that?
A Jewish child?
There's a Jewish child here,
in our castle?
Nyet! Nyet! You'll be fine!
Nyet! Nyet!
You'll be fine!
Stay down!
Down!
Take cover!
Surrender!
The fortress is surrounded!
Don't shoot! It's a school!
We surrender!
Don't shoot!
Surrender!
Don't shoot! There are only children here!
You are surrounded!
Don't shoot! We surrender!
- Don't shoot!
- Kaput!
Don't shoot. There are only children here!
Abel! No!
Don't shoot! We surrender!
Stupid idiot!
You must surrender!
Ohh...
Don't hit the school! Don't shoot!
Achtung! Feuer!
It's jammed! It's jammed!
No!
No!
Ach!
Ephraim!
Come. Let's go.
No, not now. Come. Come!
Hey, let me finish my...
- Hey!
- Come on.
Hapurim, hapurim...
...ha yeladim
No! No!
No!
Hanukkah...
Don't shoot! Don't shoot!
Don't shoot!
Don't shoot! Don't shoot!
Don't shoot! He is friend!
Don't shoot! Don't shoot!
He's a French prisoner.
Don't shoot!
Don't shoot!
Don't shoot!
Aah!
Aah...
Go, go, and do not look back!
Go, Abel!
Don't look back.
Go!
Don't look back!
Do not look back, Abel.
Hinei ma tov umanaim
Shevet Achim gam Yachad
Hinei ma tov umanaim
Shevet Achim gam yachad
Abel, stop!
You can't do that!
Forget it!
Abel, you can make it.
Go, go.
Please. Go, Abel.
The boy is so heavy.
Whenever I begin to let myself sink
In the frozen mud,
I... I...
remember a story.
Once upon a time that...
Our priest had told us in school.
Once upon a time there was a...
a sailor who was in this storm at sea.
He was afraid to die a sinner,
and he took upon his shoulders
a young boy...
and hoped that by saving
the young boy,
he would save himself.
That the...
the child's innocence would serve as a
recommendation to God's favor.
So he told us...
remember always
You are under the sign
of St. Christopher.
You are a child-bearer.
Hinei ma tov...
Remember, as long as
you carry a child...
you will be able to avoid harm
by taking shelter
under the mantle of innocence.
And you will go through rivers...
and you will go through tempests...
and you will go through
even the flames of sin...
and then...