Original subtitles

JAZZ MUSIC

NANCY: My father had many excellent qualities.

He had a distinguished war record.

He did his duty in the House of Lords.

He was a fair and considerate landowner.

But, sadly, he was not skilled

in the more modern art

of money management...

Oh.

Damn.

Ooh!..which was why he was currently obliged

to let out the entire Mitford estate

to the Mackinnons,

and move the family temporarily back into our small London flat.

Sugar. Sugar, please.

More tea?Toast?

Not too much. Thank you.

Thank you.

NANCY: In fact, he had completely exhausted all his options.

Right...

Except one.

..I'm off to the bank.

Little did the rest of us know

that the entire family fortune

was hanging in the balance.

Meanwhile, back at my house,

I was contemplating the state of my marriage.

APPROACHING FOOTSTEPS

Look, Nance, about last night...

It's absolutely not what you think.

I mean, Mary and me, it's not...a fling,

you know, a sordid, casual affair. No.

We love each other.

I mean, there's no point in fudging these things, after all, is there?

Best be totally honest.

So, what, you, you...

You want a divorce?

Oh, God, no!

No, it doesn't change how I feel about us.

You're my wife.

There's certainly no need for all our names

to be dragged through the divorce courts.

These things happen.

It's just life, isn't it?

JAZZ MUSIC

DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES

NANCY: At this point, of course,

I was the only one of my sisters who was happily married.

And much to my mother's despair, all my unmarried sisters

were besotted with highly unsuitable men.

Diana with Mosley, who was relentlessly campaigning

for the fascist cause.

Bobo with Hitler,

who had favoured her as an increasingly close companion.

Decca with her valiant communist, Esmond,

whom she still hadn't actually met,

as he was out fighting in the Spanish Civil War.

And, of course, Debo with Derek.

Goodbye! See you later!

Debo, you have to be back before six.Yes, yes, I know!

Ah!Hello! Hello!

Oh! Don't you look gorgeous?

NANCY: The only one poor Muv could rely on was dear, sensible Pam.

Don't worry, Muv. I'll make sure she behaves herself.

Oh, thank you, darling. Thank you, Pam.

She's definitely got a bigger head.

What are you talking about, Stubby?

ENGINE REVS

CLOCK CHIMES

Gosh, is that the time? I've got to go.Where are you going?

I'm meeting Polly for tea at the V&A.

I told you. Remember?

No.

DOG BARKS AND MEN CHAT

CHATTER AND LAUGHTER

Well, of course, I'd like to get out there myself

and join my brother in the fight,

but it's not that simple.

There's a lot of hoops to jump through.

A lot. Such as?

Well, first you need a Spanish visa,

and you can't get one here, so you have to go to Paris.

And then you can only get one if you know the right people.

That will take at least two weeks to come through,

so you need somewhere to stay in Paris.

Unless, of course, you're prepared to sleep on the streets,

like Esmond did.

I have some money saved up.

Well, on top of that, you're gonna need kit,

boots, coat, a pack.

I mean, could you run from here,

with a pack on your back,

across a muddy field as far as...

..say, Claridge's,

under machinegun fire?

Well, I mean...See, this is it.

People don't think it through.

They think it'll be an adventure, a good story to tell at parties.

But, look, the chaps that actually get there,

like my brother, they're not normal chaps.

He's got no sense of his own safety,

it's just everything for the Communist cause.

Do you know what your chances are of ever coming back from Spain?

It's less than 50%.

And dropping...

Look...

..I absolutely do know the risks,

and I'm not going for adventure.

I'm going because I want to fight fascism,

because it's growing, fast, all over Europe.

And I want to do something about it, something practical, something real.

Not just sit in cafes talking about it.

Because all it takes for evil to triumph

is for good men and women to do nothing.

And that's why I want to go.

So...let's start at the beginning, shall we?

SHE SIGHS

I need to get a visa in Paris.

Do you know anyone that could help me do that?

CHEERING AND MUSIC

# My sweet, sweet boy

# My sugarplum

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# My sweet, sweet baby

# Tell me your... #

So, is your husband still misbehaving?

Mm. He's totally unrepentant.

Doesn't seem to think he's done anything wrong at all.

Oh, I can just imagine it.

So, what now?

Well, three options.

Divorce, negotiate,

or just...put up and shut up.

Isn't life wonderful? HE SNICKERS

Right. A question.

Do you still love him?

What's the definition of love, anyway?

Oh, God, we don't have time for that.

Look, the important thing

is not to let his behaviour

dictate your happiness, darling.

Because now you finally see him as he really is,

which means he can't hurt you any more, can he?

When did you get to be so wise? HE CHUCKLES

Other people's problems are so much easier to solve than one's own.

SHE LAUGHS I'm heartbroken twice a week.

Now, sorry, much more important than all this,

what are you doing tomorrow?

Ooh, I have a stupid work deadline.

I'm writing an in-depth piece

on the pleasures of a point-to-point.

I mean, I've been putting it off all week. Why?

I just thought you might want to join me

on the protest march against Mosley?

Oh, no, is it tomorrow?

Oh, damn! Damn, damn!

I'm... I'm so sorry.

It's all right.No, no, it's not, it's utterly hopeless of me!

Can't be helped. A girl must earn a crust.

Shame, though. There's a whole bunch of us going from here.

You'll be missed. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I can feel it, you know?

This is your breakthrough moment.

You've done so well in the north and the midlands.

But today, you are finally going to win over the people of London.

Where's your speech? It's in here.

Leaders don't need little scraps of paper.

Excellent.

Now, I'll be in Berlin by seven,

and at the hotel by eight.

You will call me then and tell me all about it, won't you?

I'm going to see you in person tomorrow night.

Yes, but you will call me tonight, anyway?

All right.

HE SIGHS

I love you.

I know. SHE LAUGHS

I'll see you in Berlin.

RADIO ANNOUNCER: "This is the BBC.

"At the British Union of Fascists rally in London today,

"around 5,000 Blackshirts gathered

"to march through the streets of the East End.

"But their way was blocked by an estimated 100,000 protesters.

"Jews, communists, and anti-fascist protesters

"joined together in Cable Street, where they created barricades

"across the road, chanting, 'They shall not pass.'

"But as the police tried to clear the way for the Blackshirts march,

"they were met with strong resistance from the protesters

"and violence quickly erupted.

"Mounted officers charged their horses into the crowd,

"and the demonstrators fought back

"with whatever makeshift weapons they could find.

"Sir Oswald Mosley, leader of the fascists,

"was finally ordered by police to abandon his parade

"in order to prevent further breaches of the peace

"and possible loss of life.

"In response to those who declared this

"a humiliating failure for the Blackshirts,

"Mosley said he would never give up the fight.

"Up to 100 people have been taken..." PHONE RINGS

"..to Whitechapel Hospital with serious injuries,

"with scores more receiving first aid at the scene,

"in what has been described as the bloodiest political fight

"London has ever witnessed.

"It is already being called the Battle of Cable Street."

I need some help, please!

Can I get some help?

CHAOTIC SHOUTING

Oh!I'm so sorry.I'm so sorry.

Stay sitting down.

Excuse me. I'm sorry.

Nancy? Joss?

Oh, God! What have they done to you?

The animals!It was the police.

What?Yeah. They're protecting the fascists.Oh, God!

They think this arm is broken and maybe some ribs.

Stand aside.

I'll wait here for you.

Or I'll find you. OK.I'll, I'll...

PHONE RINGS

Oh, gosh!

Oh, Nardie, this is gorgeous.

Perfect.

Really beautiful.

Do me up?

It does seem unfair that you've had two lovely wedding days, though.

Two dresses, two cakes, two husbands.

And I shan't have any.

Don't say that. Of course you will.

You're still young.I won't.

Because he will never marry.

He told me. Not even that shop girl.

And they say that, years ago, he was in love with a young niece of his,

but she shot herself. He was heartbroken.

Hm.

Now, he says he's married to Germany,

and that no woman can take precedence over his country.

Isn't it wonderful? Mm. Very noble.

I never thought I could ever be this happy. Did you?

When we were growing up?

No, I didn't.

And today is truly the happiest day of my life.

Thank you so much for helping me arrange it all, Bobo.

Of course, I do wish the others could be here, but...There he is!

The Fuhrer!

Well, then, it's time.

SOFT CLASSICAL MUSIC

SINISTER MUSIC

DOOR SLAMS

Well...what a revolting display.

What?You and your sister.

Hanging on his every word.

Grinning and giggling at every banal comment that he made.

What on earth are you talking about? We didn't...

He doesn't give a damn about you! Either of you!

He just wants to see how high he can make you jump!

God, it makes you look foolish.

And cheap, frankly.

Are you trying to ruin this day for me?

And who is he, anyway? Hm?

He's just an ignorant little jumped-up corporal from nowhere.

He's got no manners,

no courtesy,

no respect!

Is this because he left early?

That means nothing. Obviously he's busy running a country!

If he thinks, because of Cable Street, that I'm finished,

then he's got another thing coming.

One defeat is nothing.

One defeat. He's had scores of them!

And yet you treat him like he's a God.

It's disgusting.

Look, I am not playing games here.

Hitler is an important ally for us

and deserves respect for everything he has achieved.

But today...

..I married a man...

..who has more real intellect...

..and vision...

..than Hitler or Mussolini put together.

And you have no idea how much I've given up to be with you.

So don't you dare doubt my faith in you.

NANCY: Of course, I had absolutely no idea

about Diana's secret wedding to Mosley.

Still preoccupied with my husband's affair

and my best friend in hospital after Cable Street,

I failed to notice all the dramas unfolding in my family.

Including the dilemma facing my poor father.

The bank has made it clear to him

that the only way of saving his beloved family estate

was to borrow money.

But to a man of his generation and upbringing,

this would have been the deepest disgrace.

So, when he received an invitation to tea in his own house,

he was obliged to accept.

Ah, Mackinnon.

Lord Redesdale. Come in.Thank you.

It's Derek. Has he come to collect you again

in that awful contraption of his?

He's with Pam.

I think it's time he introduced himself properly to me now.

Well, he's coming up.

Muv. Pamela.

I'd like you to meet Derek Jackson.

Lady Redesdale, a very great pleasure to meet you at last.

Yes, pleasure to meet you, too.

What's... What's going on?

There's something we'd like to tell you all.

Derek?

Pamela has today agreed to be my wife,

and we're going to be married in the next few weeks."Married"?

DEBO GROANS "Married"?

Oh, Christ, Stubby! Get some salts, get some salts!

Ring the bell! Oh, my gosh, Stubbs!

You'll be all right, Stubbs. Wake up. SHE RINGS BELL

Hey! Come on now.

Stubbs...

I just find it extraordinary

that he just announced it as a fait accompli.

He didn't even have the politesse of asking to speak to you.

It doesn't exactly endear us to him, does it? We know nothing about him.

Other than he's been married already.

Oh, and the divorce has just come through this month,

which means, of course, there's no chance of having a church wedding.

When I think of two weddings in a year,

and one so secret that we weren't even invited to it,

and now this rushed affair out of the blue,

and both with men who seem...

..rather full of themselves.

David, are you listening to me? Hm?

Yes. Weddings and...

And so forth. Hm.

Darling, what is it?

I...

I went down to Swinbrook today.

Oh, really? You didn't say. Why?

Mackinnon said he had...

He had a proposal for me.

And?

He's, erm...

He's offered a big lump of money...

..for the house and land.

He wants to buy it? The estate? Yes.

The whole kit and caboodle.

Well, I hope you told him on no account would we sell.Mm.

David, that land has been in your family for centuries.

Mm. Yes. He offered...

..�30,000.

Cash.

Mm.

Gosh!

Yes, that's...

..rather my thought.

Well, what did you say?

I told him I would discuss it with my wife.

MUSIC AND CHATTER

Is it news from Paris about the visa?

No, no, it's nothing like that.

Erm...

It's Esmond. He's back.

He's been invalided out of Spain. Dysentery.

Oh, God!

Back here?

Well, he's in a military hospital somewhere up north.

Is he going to be all right?

Yes, it looks like it.

The thing is, he won't come back to the parents' house,

he's too bloody proud for that,

so he's gonna stay with our cousin in Havering while he's recuperating.

Havering?

Is that cousin Dorothy?

Yes. Is she your cousin, too?

I think she may be my mother's.

Excuse me.

Could you tell him I'd love to meet him when he feels better?

Yes, of course. What can I get for you, love?

Could I get the haddock in milk, please?Yes.

And a tea.And a tea.

We can pick it up tomorrow.

Tom.

Tom.Hello! Excuse me.Of course.

Back from Berlin already? Mm.

Did it all go off well?

Yes, yes, thank you.

Good.I did wish you could have been there, though.

Oh, that's all right, I quite understand.

But I missed you all terribly.

Muv and Farve, the girls.

Even...

Nancy?Mm.

Nothing quite like a wedding to remind one how important family is.

Mm.

I mean, I know Mosley is not to everyone's taste...

..but it made me realise I don't want to lose

any of you lot on account of him.

Especially not Nancy.

After everything we've been through.

Good.

I'm very pleased to hear it.

I should be delighted if you two could bury the hatchet.

Now, would you like me to sound her out?

Tom, I'd be so grateful. Leave it with me.

I'll pick my moment.

So...how's married life the second time around?

Well, as we can't tell anyone, or even live together,

it's much the same as single life. But I do have this...

..to remind me. HE LAUGHS

And what's that on your hand? SHE LAUGHS

Yes, he gave me that as an engagement ring,

and I thought, "Well, why not?"

Let people wonder, to their heart's content, who I might be engaged to.

Who cares?

But, in fact, nobody's noticed it at all.

HE CHUCKLES

The King and Mrs Simpson?

Oh, no, no, no. This is dreadful!

What? What is it?

Oh. Yes, I told you. It's been all over the foreign press.

She's been divorced two times, which means, if she marries him,

she'll have three living husbands.

I just don't know what he's thinking.

I think he should be allowed to marry whoever he likes.

As long as he loves her, who cares?

"Who cares"? I care!

The coun... SHE CLEARS HER THROAT

The country cares, darling.

The Royal Family are precisely there to set an example.

The whole point is that they put their duty to this country

before anything else.

VOICE FADES:When I think of those hundreds and thousands of poor men

who gave their lives for this country in the war,

your uncles included.

One small sacrifice... Muv?

Yes, darling, I'm sorry. It's cousin Dorothy in Havering.

Dorothy?It's an invitation to a weekend house party.

I haven't seen her for years.

That's incredibly kind and thoughtful of her.

I mean, you're not going to refuse, like you usually do, are you?

It'll be good for you to go out and meet new people.

No. No, I think...

I think I'll go, actually.

Really, darling?

Well done.

You see, she's a terribly hard-looking type of woman.

The poor Queen Mother must be at her wits' end.

Which way do you think he'll jump?

Duty or love?

Head or heart?

He'll just keep her as his mistress, won't he?

Following a time-honoured tradition of British monarchs. Head, I reckon.

No, no, no. He's looking for a way out of the whole royal shebang.

He'll definitely marry her. Heart.

Well, of course you'd vote for marriage, woman.

You all set for your own event?

It's not going to be an event.

It's just in, out, sign the papers, jump on a plane.

Surely you'll buy a dress, though?

No.Really? Why not?

Cos I hate those stupid dresses.

Oh, charming.

I mean, I didn't mean yours.

Obviously. It was lovely.

Er, but no dress.

I remember you saying he was the rudest man you'd ever met.

Oh, he absolutely is.

But he's also the most...

..exhilarating.

Well, to exhilaration!

Exhilaration!

And...now to our real purpose.

Yes. Will you go first, or shall I?

What?

I'll start. You do back-up.

What?

Well, it's, er...

It's you and Diana.

She misses you.

She really does.

Time to forgive and forget, Nance.

Can't you just put politics aside...

..and remember how close you two used to be?

For the sake of the family?

For the poor old parents?

EDWARD VIII: "At long last,

"I am able to say a few words of my own.

"You all know the reasons...

"which have impelled me

"to renounce the throne.

"But I want you to understand...

"..that in making up my mind...

"..I did not forget...

"the country...or the empire...

"..which, as Prince of Wales...

"..and lately as King,

"I have, for 25 years, tried to serve.

"But I have found it impossible

"to carry the heavy burden of responsibility...

"..and to discharge my duties as King...

"..without the help and support...

"..of the woman I love.

"And I want you to know..." SHE SWITCHES OFF RADIO

Off to bed, you two, come along. Muv, I want to listen!

At once, please.

I want to speak to your father. Come on, Stubbs.

Goodnight. Goodnight.

DOOR CLOSES

Sell it.

Hm?The house.

There's no point hanging onto it and getting deeper into debt.

The world is changing

and we have to adapt, sink or swim.

Are you sure?

HE SIGHS

It's only bricks and mortar, isn't it?

What matters is us.

The family.

There.

Oh, it's so good to have the walking wounded

back in circulation. Here's to you.

And it's good to be back.Mm.

Though, I got off lightly in comparison to some.

At least you won.

You made them turn back.

No, no, we won the battle.

The war is far from over.

Look at Germany.

You know, I've spent...

..so much of my life, Nance, trying to fit in, trying to keep quiet.

But we can't do that now.

We have to stand up and fight back.

Madness, isn't it,

that anyone should have to fight for the right

to sit quietly in a bar,

discussing life with their best friend, without fear of persecution?

It is madness,

and yet reality.

Anyway, how is it?

What?

Life!

Modern marriage.

Oh, that.

HE LAUGHS

Well, what happened to you

helped me put things into perspective, actually.

Really? How? Because the truth is that,

while my husband is out all night carousing with his...

..spoon-faced girlfriend... HE LAUGHS

..I can go to bed early with a book and everyone is happy.

Dessert or soup? Oh, soup, soup! Poor love.

HE LAUGHS Or I can see my friends,

or I can do anything I like,

without ever again consulting him.

And there's no...

There's no true hardship there. It...

In fact, it... it feels rather like...

Freedom?

Yes.

NANCY: Always a late developer,

perhaps I'd finally grown up.

And meanwhile, at cousin Dorothy's house in Havering,

Decca was about to take her first steps into the grown-up world.

DOORBELL RINGS

MUFFLED CHATTER AND LAUGHTER

Hello.

I'm Esmond.

I'm...I'm Decca.

Yes, I know who you are.

My brother told me all about you.

Actually, it was me who asked cousin Dorothy

to invite you here this weekend.

Are you fully recovered from your illness?

Yes, thank you.

Much better. Much.

Are you planning to go back to Spain? To the front?

Yes.

In about a fortnight.

Well, I was wondering if...

If you could possibly...

..take me with you.

Yes. Absolutely.

I've got �50 saved up, ready to go.

You're a serious comrade, then.

Even better.

NANCY: When we finally came to bid farewell to Swinbrook,

my parents put on brave faces...

..but they knew they had failed in their duty

to pass the land on to future generations.

Will you miss it, Boud?

Nope.

Keen to move on.

Nostalgia is the opium of the masses.

I thought that was religion.

Same kind of thing.

I've got something to show you, Boud.

But you absolutely mustn't tell.

Boud! When have I ever told?

He gave it to me...

The Fuhrer.

..for protection.

Isn't it beautiful?

Well...

..I've got a secret, too.

I'm off to join the Communists.

You're going? You're running away?

To Spain.

Oh, Boud!

Well, it's wonderful!

What if...one day...

..we're on opposite sides of the barricades...

..for real?

Well...

..we'll just have to fight for what we believe in...

..won't we?

NANCY: The family had come, from far and wide,

to say goodbye to the place where we all grew up.

It was an emotional day for us all.

ECHOING:Lunchtime!

ECHOING:Nancy!

ECHOING:Good morning, Muv! Elbows.

VOICES ECHO

ECHOING:I'm taking you to the moon!

ECHOING LAUGHTER

Ah, the young master.

Mourning the loss of your inheritance?

Oh, bloody hell, no.

No, I'm relieved if anything.

I mean, I'm not a farmer. BOTH LAUGH

Not a countryman like him, am I?

No, I suppose not.

Here.

Oh!

SHE LAUGHS

Such youth, hope and innocence.

Seems like a lifetime ago. Hm.

Mm! Come on.

MUFFLED CHATTER

SHE SIGHS

No. Go on, Decca.

Hello, hello, hello!

All come to bid farewell to the fortress?

Well, it's the end of an era after all, isn't it?

The decline and fall of the Mitford empire.

Bobo, all the way back from the Fatherland?

I must say, we're lucky the Fuhrer could spare you for five minutes.

Can someone please tell Nancy that I'm still not speaking to her?

Oh, it's all right, Bobo.

I take it as read.

And you, woman,

how goes married life?

Three weeks in, seven countries visited

and, as of yet, not a crushing disappointment in sight.

Excellent. And has Stubbs found it in her heart to forgive you

for marrying the man of her dreams?

Not quite yet. Oh, my word!

It's the longest sulk in the history of sulks.

And that's saying something in this house. Hats off, Stubbs.

I'm not sulking. I'm actually making a rather important point

about sisterly loyalty.

Hm. Good luck with that.

And you, Decca?

What news of our communist cousin, the dreamy Esmond?

Erm...nothing really.

I've rather gone off him, actually.

Oh, dear. Oh!

Poor old Esmond.

Here you all are.

Nards! You're here!

Yes, join us, we're just saying our final farewells to the old place.

Aren't we, Nance?

Hello, you.

I've missed you so much.

BOTH LAUGH

What's... What's this?

You're engaged?

Oh. Well, it's...

It's Mosley's.

Isn't it? You're engaged to him now.

Erm...

Oh, no, you've married him.

Have you?No!

Oh, come on.

He's not a monster.

Isn't he?

Isn't he?

Tell that to the people beaten up and trampled on in Cable Street.

The women and the children...

..with broken bones and bloody faces.

My friends were among those people.

And they used to be your friends, too.

Oh, Nard.

Who have you become?

Nancy.

NANCY: I thought I could put politics aside for the sake of my family...

Nancy, wait.

..but no.

There was just so much hatred bound up in fascism

that I knew I had to take a stand against it,

whatever the consequences.

Ah, Nancy, darling, time for the photograph.

Tom, everyone, come on, come on. One last family picture.

NANCY: The sale of the family home marked the end of our girlhood,

but it was just the beginning of our lives as women.

Come along, Unity, come along.

Into the chair.

Nards, go between Nancy and Tom up there.

Make some room for her. There we are. Come on, budge up.

NANCY: And as Europe hurtled towards another devastating war,

the next few years would be even more tumultuous for us.

More scandal and tragedy,

more births, marriages, deaths,

and one terrible betrayal.

Shoulders back. Chins up.

NANCY: But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Ready?

CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS

Subtitles by Red Bee Media

Repair and Synchronization by Easy Subtitles Synchronizer 1.0.0.0