Original subtitles

Good evening, and welcome to a private showing...

of three paintings displayed here for the first time.

Each is a collector's item in its own way.

Not because of any special artistic quality,

but because each captures on a canvas-

suspends in time and space--

a frozen moment ofa nightmare.

Ourinitial offering-- a small gothic: item in blacks and grays,

a piece ofthe past known as the family crypt.

This one we call simply The Cemetery.

Offered to you now- six feet of earth and all that it contains.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Night Gallery.

Anything more you need, Mr. Hendricks?

Then I'll move you to the window, sir, fora few minutes.

[Moans]

Oh.

[Brush Clatters To Floor]

[Murmurs]

Aw. Appetite not so good today.

It never is at lunchtime, sir.

Then why do you load it up that way, Portifoy? That is wasteful, Portifoy.

Mr. Hendricks doesn't complain, Mnjeremy.

And he also pays for it.

Tell me something, Portifoy.

During all those 3O years you have been waiting hand and foot...

on that dying blob offlesh upstairs,

you didn't know there was a nephew in the woodwork, did you, Portifoy?

Nor did your uncle, sir.

Well, now you do.

So dwell on it, Portifoy.

Tell me something, Portifoy.

When did my uncle...

paint that one?

[ust before his last stroke, sir.

Hmm. How festive. Yet which brings to question, Portifoy,

not on/ymy uncle'; minimal talents...

but also his somewhat morbid preoccupation with all things dead and dying.

Tell me something. What did my uncle do for kicks before his several illnesses?

I mean, with all that money,

what other interests did he have besides, um, painting?

His painting has been his only pleasure, sir.

And the house. That'; all he 's cared for.

Oh, yeah. So my dear late mother used to tell me, Portifoy.

She herselfdiecl at a relatively early age from ovenmork...

and a surplus of pride.

She cou/dn 1:' brrhg herse/f to cra w/ across to that rich rec/use ofa brother ofhers.

She had her dignity to consider, Portifoy.

That was her long suit- dignity.

As a result, I have spent a good deal of my life...

acquiring a taste for the good life but somehow never acquiring the means.

How sad, sir.

Ah, it's only a passing sadness, Portifoy. [Chuckles]

Ifpainting was my uncle's only indulgence,

I anticipate a much more carefree existence...

as ofthe day he stops staring at this particular point ofview...

and becomes a part ofit.

Why don't you say what you're thinking, Portifoy?

Iam a scoundrel, am I not?

You're a swine, sir.

[Chuckles]

What refreshing candor.

Well, now you just get that right out ofyour system. You hear, Portifoy?

Because as of the day / take over here...

and you bare those ancient fangs at me,

I'm gonna pull them... one by one.

[ Door Closes]

Hmm.

Uncle?

Uncle? l've come to have a little chat with you. [Murmurs]

Ah. [Chuckles] [ Scoffs ]

Now, now, now, now. Don't you move. No, sirree.

You just sit right there and you let me handle all the conversation.

Oh, you know, I have had the most interesting morning.

Oh, I have. I went through all the correspondence in your desk.

Yeah. Guess what I came across.

Yeah, correspondence.

Letters between you and your lawyer.

Having to do with?

Yes. Having to do with your will.

Oh, Uncle, I tell you, I was really impressed by your literary style.

Yes, sirree. Cogent, right- right to the point.

I mean, you say what you have to say. l'm very impressed.

And as to the contents, more impressed

f mean, to drSco ver thatyou had made my mother your beneffcxay- -

/ tel/ you now, that touched me, Uncle. / was deep/y touched

Now, what was the other thing? Yeah l/mow / wrote it down.

I got it right here.

“That should she not be alive,

it would go to herso/e surwvor. ”

Oh, now, Uncle.

Now you believe me when I tell you that, when I read that,

I wept- I actually wept.

Oh, what a good heart. What massive compassion.

It's stuffy in here, isn't it?

Don't you think it's stuffy in here, Uncle?

Yeah, all right.

[Chuckles]

There. Oh, yeah.

That'; better. [ Moans ]

I wouldn't call for Portifoy, Uncle.

Now, reallyl wouldn't.

Why disturb that old gentleman? He has been waiting hand and foot on you for 3O years.

So why don't wejust give him the afternoon off.

Huh. Now,

I have been told byyour medical advisors...

to keep you awa y 29om drafls.

It seems that you are susceptible to colds, perhaps even pneumonia.

Well, now let us just put that medical adwce to the test,

shall we?

Let us seejust how susceptible you are.

Voilé. Isn't that refreshing, Uncle?

[Shudders] oh, the cola'.

The wind. Isn't that refreshing?

And think ofthis, ifyou will, Uncle.

Your last view oflife-

that fimi/ygra veyard do wn there.

Now you remember it well.

Drink it all in, Unc/e, like a new tenant...

investigating his new abode.

[Chuckles]

Very well. I shall leave you now...

undisturbed.

And neither Portifoy nor I shall come back in this room for, let us say, an hour, Uncle.

Or perhaps two-- ho we ver long it takes.

However long it takes to, uh,

simplifythings.

[ Door Opens, Closes]

[Clock Chiming]

No change.

The doctor says he may remain in a coma for some time.

Pity.

I'm told you've become acquainted with, uh,

certain aspects ofthe will.

Only certain aspects that were lying around loose...

and unattended in my uncle's desk.

Tell me, who told you of my comforting discovery?

A little bird.

A little bird in a butler's suit...

who should watch out that he doesn't get his little beak smashed.

However, Mr. Carson,

seeing that my mother was the major beneficiary...

and I am her sole survivor,

well, that would mean that everything would come to me.

The man's not dead yet!

Do you suppose you might stffle those great expectations ofyours tx'// the body? co/o'?

[ Door Opens]

Mr. Hendricks has passed on.

He, uh, never regained consciousness.

Ma y / claim my inheritance no w?

Would it be too much trouble to first go through the motions ofa funeral...

and a reasonable period of mourning?

Is that a legal requirement, counselor?

Let's say it's just what might be expected ofa civilized man...

as an act of respect and appreciation.

Well, yousee, Mr. Carson,

I'm not a civilized man.

I'm a black sheep nephew...

with an itch.

And now, Doctor, ifl may impose upon you to take care ofthe burial and all that.

Put it on the bill. He'll be buried in the family plot.

He mentioned that to me many times. Lovely.

And now, ifeither one ofyou gentlemen should need me,

lwill be in there.

Doctor!

Doctor, shouldn't he be covered or somethin', or his hands folded?

I mean, isn't that part ofthe ritual, that he look at peace?

He should be resurrected-- for as long as it takes to cut you off and boot you out.

That would give him peace.

Neverm/nafl Port/fay We '// show ourselves out.

Would you care to pay your last respects, Portifoy?

- He's gone, sir? - Permanently.

Oh, uh, item ofinterest, Portifoy.

There is a small stipend mentioned in the will for you.

I believe it's, oh, $8o a month for as long as you shall live.

Eighty dollars?

Eighty dollars... a month.

I'd like to stay, sir, with your permission.

Oh, excellent. Crazy.

Well, now, / '// tell you what, Port/fay

First thing on the agenda will be to remove the bulk of this grotesquerie and-

Something, sir?

Well, that's odd. Odd, sir?

- Look at this. - Look at what, sir?

The picture. The painting, stupid. Look at it.

It's been altered.

I don't understand.

Haven't you got eyes? Can't you see? Now that has been altered.

It 's a flesh/y dug gra ve.

I see nothing wrong, sir.

Well, forget it. just forget it.

Uh-

You may go now. I'd like my dinner at the usual time.

[ Woman Laughing]

[Both Laughing]

Oh, yeah.

[Laughing]

[Chuckling, Sighs]

[Whistles]

Well, as I breathe and live, ifit isn't Osmond Portifoy.

Osmond Portifoy.

Ifthere's nothing else, sir, I thought I'd lock up and retire.

That is your life, isn't it, Portifoy- locking up and retiring.

[Chuckles] You know,

to my dying day, I'm gonna carry a picture ofyou...

walkin' through life- stiff-backed, straight-legged,

carrying a tray and towels overyour arm...

and that reproving look in your eye.

Hey, you know that look, now, don't you, Portifoy?

How shall I describe it?

Ah, yeah. Like, uh-

Like a bank manager finding an incorrect balance.

It-lt-lt- It's changed again.

It's changed again.

Portifoy?

There is a casket in that painting now.

There is a casket in there no w! Now, that was not there before!

[Groans]

What-What is happenin'? What in God's name is happenin'?

[Grunts]

[Sighs]

[Chuckles]

[Screaming]

[Whistling]

I brought you some hot tea, sir.

I don't want any hot tea.

Suityourself, sir.

Portifoy. Yes, sir?

Did you look at the painting likel told ya?

Yes, sir. It's hanging there as usual.

[Shouts] As usual?

[Exha/es ]

Well, l-l- I don't understand.

I burned it. I threw it on the fire.

And I watched it bubble and crinkle up. I watched it disappear.

And there it is on the wall... as usual.

Imagination, sir.

Imagination?

You burned me. Deliberately.

Oh, no, no, Portifoy. That was your imagination.

The tray, the teapot, your scalded wrist-

that's all your imagination.

Isn't that the catch-all explanation to cover all the phenomena that goes on around here?

I tell you, this is not a haunt. It's a prolonged hallucination.

Get out of here. lf/ want you, /'// call you.

If you call me, Mr. jeremy

you call long distance.

What are you talking about?

I do not intend to spend another night in this house.

- No? - No.

In life, he needed me.

But 1'o dea (/7, it? ob vfous he '5 strong enough to take care ofhxmse/f

Now you look here, old man. Death is final. Death is it.

I think not, Mnjeremy.

I think there are things stronger than death and more lasting than the grave.

Portifoy? I think hate is stronger than death, Mlijeremy.

And I thinkyou're beginning to realize that.

I shall spend the night in the hotel in town and send for my things later.

But what about me? What am I supposed to do?

Who 's gonna tend to my wants now?

Useyour imagination, Mrjeremy. You're rather good at that!

[ Door Closes]

Tell me something, Uncle.

Why don't you stay where you belong?

That is as close to a toast as you'll ever get from me, alive or dead!

[Gate Opens]

[Gate Closes] Portifoy?

[No Audible Dialogue]

Portifoy?

[Stammering] Portifoy!

Portifoy!

Portifoy!

Portifoy!

[Gasps]

Operator, would you put me through to the hotel in town.

Yeah, I know, I know. But you see, I don't have the number.

Iwould be grateful.

Hello? Hello? Would you connect me with Osmond Portifoy?

He checked in there this afternoon.

What do you mean you can't ring his room?You gotta ring-

Well, I don't care ifit's 3:oo in the morning! Now, you-- [ Line Disconnects]

Oh!

[ Footsteps Approaching]

[Gasps]

[ Footsteps Continue]

[Shudders]

[ Footsteps Continue]

[Whimpers]

O-Operator?

My name isjeremy Evans. l'm-l'm at the Hendricks house.

And there's an intruder here. Now, would you call the police and have them come over right--

right away?

No! I tellyou, I can hear him outside.

Now, will you please- please call the police right now and have them come over right away.

Yeah. Yeah.

[ Footsteps Continue]

[Porch Steps freaking]

[Doorknob Rattling]

Who- Who is it?

[Pounding]

Who is there? [Door/mob Ratt/ing]

[Shouting] Who is out there?

[Pounding]

[Meaning]

[Screaming]

- [Pounding Continues] - You!

You don't belong here! You belong in the ground!

You! You're dead!

You belong in the grave! You're dead!

Hello. Doctor?

This is Portifoy at the Hendricks house.

I'm afraid there's been an accident, sir.

Yes, sir. Mnjeremy seems to have fallen down the stairs.

I believe he's dead.

It appears his neck has been broken.

Thankyou, Doctor. I'll leave a light on.

[ Port/fa y L aughing]

Sol think a long vacation would be in order for you, Gibbons.

You have performed your task... extraordinarily well.

You really have.

Fifteen paintings at $5oo apiece.

Cheap at the price, I'd say.

Indeed, indeed.

Thankyou.

Should I count it? lfyou like. It's all there,

plus 5oo extra.

You're no Rembrandt, Gibbons, but you do have an uncanny knack...

ofimitating other people's style.

You can afford it, I take it.

The savings ofa lifetime.

Butjust a temporary inconvenience.

Perhaps I neglected to tell you...

Mr. Hendricks was a most-thoughtful old gentleman.

In his will, he stipulated that ifthere were no surviving family...

six months after his demise,

his entire estate would be inherited by his old family retainer--

yours truly.

Run along now, Gibbons. Enjoy the fruits ofyour labors.

What ifthe nephew hadn't broken his neck?

What would you have done then?

Put something in his brandy?

Don't be crude, Gibbons.

If, uh, that unfortunate accident hadn't happened to him,

he would have gone slowly out ofhis mind.

And once he was committed,

I would bejust wherel am now.

Same end,just different means.

Would you... throw this in a ditch someplace?

The trappings ofdeath depress me.

From now on, this is going to be a place ofcheer.

Well, good night, Gibbons.

Good night, Portifoy. Uh-

Mr. Portifoy.

Mr. Portifoy.

[Chuckling]

[Sighs]

Rest easy Mr. Hendricks.

Rest easy.

BackJeremy.

Bac/gjeremy Bac/gjeremy

Bac/gjeremy Bac/gjeremy

Back into the ground where you belong!

[Shouts] Back/Bac/gjeremy Bac/gjeremy

Back. Back!

BackJeremy. [Murmuring, indistinct]

Back!

Back, jeremy

[Shuddering]

[Screaming]

Objet d'art number two.

A portrait. Its subject-- Miss Claudia Menlo.

A blind queen who reigns in a carpeted penthouse on Fifth Avenue.

An imperious, predatory dowager...

who will soon find a darkness blacker than blindness.

This is her story.

[E/e vator Bell Ding; ]

Oops. I'm sorry. You're looking for Miss Menlo?

Mm-hmm. Penthouse. You She's the only one in the building.

Yes, I know. You know her?

I've been her doctor foryears.

Say that'; a veg/good likeness.

Not really, Doctor. There was one thing I couldn't capture.

What's that? Her cruelty.

Well, Miss Menlo has been blind from birth.

- Cause and effect, huh? - Mm-hmm.

L'll tell you, Doctor. I was commissioned to do this a month ago.

One final application of lacquer and / am finished.

I used to wonder what kind ofwoman built an apartment house on Fifth Avenue...

and then installed herself as the only tenant.

Well, I'll tell you what kind ofawoman it is, Doctor.

A tiny, fragile little monster-- that kind ofwoman!

Afternoon.

Hello, Dr. Heatherton. Miss Menlo's expecting you. Can I take your coat?

That's all right. Thanks.

[ Woman ] Ho w de/fcxous/J/promp z' you are, Doctor:

You're only an hour late. f 5a wyourpaxh txhg f thxhk the artist has done you/Us tice.

Ifhe has, Dr. Heatherton,

he's the only one in the 54-year history of my sojourn on earth.

No one has ever done mejustice,

beginning with God.

L'm sorry to be late. l've been in surgery most of the clay.

I'm impressed.

/ always am with you. You 're cons tan t/y and eternal/y...

the gent/e healer.

[Chuckles] Now then, what are we to talk about?

What we've already talked about on the telephone.

Well, as I've already told you, Miss Menlo,

the surgical procedure you questioned me about has been tried only on animals.

- Successfully. - A chimpanzee and a dog.

Both subjects had optic nerves regrafted from donors whose visual organs were unimpaired.

In both cases, they were able to see--

one for a few moments, the other for a period of hours.

The donors, ofcourse, were rendered permanent/ys/ght/ess.

So, you see, Miss Menlo, this is nothing more than a breakthrough, a beginning.

Ifit can work on animals, it can also work on human beings.

One doesn't have to be a high-priced Fifth Avenue surgeon...

to make th/s altogether reasonable assumption.

High-priced or othenmise, Miss Menlo, no surgeon would ever make such an assumption.

Nor would he put it to a test. You must understand something, Miss Menlo.

In the first place, the best you could expect-

assuming the transplanting of the central optic nerve was successful--

would be rough/y 77 to 73 hours ofs/ght, no more.

Then you'd be blind again.

And then of course there's that other insurmountable obstacle.

What is the insurmountable obstacle?

To put it simply, Miss Menlo, you need a donor,

someone who'd be willing to part with his sight for the rest of his life...

to giveyou roughly 12 hours ofit.

I don't believe there's such a person around.

Nonsense, Doctor! Everyone has a price.

For their eyes? I seriously doubt that.

Well, that's where you're wrong.

My lawyer has found such a person for me.

He represented him in a criminal case sometime ago.

The man needs the money desperately.

He's agreed to become the donor and part with his eyes...

forasum ofcash. How much cash?

$9,ooo. That's what the individual required. That's what l'm paying.

Miss Menlo, listen to me very carefully.

There are four men who could conceivably perform the operation you're talking about.

/'m one of the four, but / can speak for the others as well

I would no more remove the eyesight ofanother human being...

so that you might enjoy a few hours ofsight than I would deliberately kill a child.

Is that clear to you?

I want you to read something, Dr. Heatherton.

In this envelope, I have a complete file...

on one Dr. Frank Heatherton.

The impeccable Dr. Heatherton.

The respectable Dr. Heatherton.

Go ahead. Read it.

I told you all men had a price.

That's because all men have something to hide.

And you, Doctor,

you have more than most.

All there, I believe.

Do you recall the young woman?

Miss Grace Reardon, age 22,

who died on a kitchen table because the abortionist...

had the hygienic habits ofa pig and the surgical deftness ofa-

ofa paperhanger.

She made the trip to that butcher at the behest ofyou-

that rigidly moral, antisepticaiiy pure physician who-

who might on occasion, as he did on this occasion,

reveal a slightly gamier side to his character.

The release of this information...

would not enhance eitheryour professional standing...

or your marflage.

Would it, Doctor?

No. No, it would quite obviously destroy me as a physician...

and itwould wreck a 25-year-old marriage.

Ifthat's what you've set out to do, Miss Menlo,

you've got all the proper ammunition.

As must be obwous over yourmany protracted lo ya/ years...

ofhand-holding with this dull, imperious woman,

I have no interest in helping or hurting anyone.

I couldn't care less about your extracurricular activities...

or my lawyer's off-Wall Street productions...

or anything else that doesn't involve me.

My abiding concern, Doctor, and my singular preoccupation is...

myself.

Eleven hours or 72-- fewer or more- it makes no zi/fierence.

I want to see something-

trees, concrete, buildings,

grass, airplanes, color!

The idle rich.

A little something to ease the boredom.

Like scrounging around in the dirt, like a dog looking for a bone,

and finally unearthing whatever it is that a man must keep secret...

to guarantee his survival.

All right, Miss Menlo.

Why? I don't know, but I put a premium on my survival.

I'll perform the operation. The donor, who is he?

I'll have my lawyer contact you and giveyou his name.

He's an inconsequential little hoodlum.

You can arrange with Packer as to where it will all take place.

Because I want it to take place as quickly as possible. ls that clear to you, Doctor?

What's clear to me, Miss Menlo, is that you're to be satisfied-

fora whim, a fianq a éwsweeps ofsome dock hands.

While you indulge yourself, a man will deliver up his eyes, thanks to me.

/ just hope the poor--

realizes how much he sold for so little.

[ Door Opens]

[Door C/oses ] [ Man ] L ou, don 1:' p/ay games with me.

Mystomach 's coming up through my throat

[Lou] He )4 maybeyou '// Auck out andchokeowfghmwyfibhqy?

Please. l/l/il/ you ha ve a heart?

/'m ziizzy /'m telling you, this thing makes me sick.

He )4 thxs makes you sick? We//, you don 1:' kno w the meanxhg ofthe word

I'll tell you about “sick,“ Sidney.

You owe 9,ooo bucks and you've owed it for too long.

That's sick, baby. That's terminal, you know?

Lou, l'm- I'm gonna get the 9,ooo bucks tomorrow.

I'm gonna be some kind ofa guinea pig for a doctor.

I'm gonna have a- have an operation ofsome kind.

I'm gonna get the whole 9,ooo bucks foryou.

You don't stop, do ya, Sidney? On my father's grave.

The truth- nothing but the truth.

I'll giveyou this. You got some imagination.

[Laughs] It's to laugh, huh?

What kind ofoperation?

I'm not allowed to say.

.Ahh. laNearu3God,Lou, thafsifl

lt's an operation, and l'm not allowed to say anything about it.

[Chuckles] It's illegal or something.

But I swear, that's the goods.

L'm supposed to have a meeting about it tomorrow afternoon...

with a lawyer and a doctor.

And then tomorrow night, l'm supposed to check into a private hospital.

And I get my money when?

As soon as they give it to me.

Anytime after 3:oo. You come to my place.

I'll have it foryou.

All right, Sidney.

I'll be in your room tomorrow afternoon.

Ifthe 9,ooo isn't there with you, you get 15 seconds to sayyour prayers.

It's been nice having this little chat with you.

Well, what do you think, Doctor? Will he pass?

Yeah, I think so. l'll have to do some more extensive tests at the hospital, but I think he'll do.

After all, we're not asking too much of him. just his damned eyes, that's all.

She's got you too, huh? That's her style.

She knows precisely what wheels to put in motion,

this fragile bird-like little thing.

The threat to destroy, passed down through channels-

you do it to him, orl'll do it toyou-

till it reaches the bottom echelon.

Then there emerges one poor hapless soul...

who can find no one lower or more vulnerable than he is,

and this is the one who is destroyed.

Mr. Resnick, a little something foryou to sign here.

Oh. [Chuckles]

Hey, it's to laugh. I swear, it's to laugh.

You gotta be a Philadelphia lawyer to read this thing.

On the bottom line, Mr. Resnick, just above the word “donor?

Hey,just for kicks-

really,just for kicks,

what am I givin' and what are you gettin'? Huh?

Well, Mr. Resnick, you are donating your eyes-

specifically, the central optic nerve.

Now, I could give it toyou medically.

I could talk about the nerve fibers or the axons ofthe ganglion cells-

I believe it. I believe it.

[Chuckles] I got no choice.

No choice.

Here, you take the eyes. Outside, they take the body.

[ Packer, Sigh/mg] Here you are, Mr. Rem/ck

Yeah.

My son the donor, huh?

Sidney...

the sight giver.

So, what's left to see, huh? Mr. Resnick.

Mm.

I seen everything there is.

/ seen the second L ou/k-Schme/ing fight, and oh, / won a bundle.

/ seen the Kentucky Derby three times.

And I seen the home run that Bobby Thomson hit that killed the Dodgers.

Oh, I seen everything, man. Everything.

But, uh, the thing ofit is-

May l? Yes, of course.

The thing ofit is-

What's it gonna be like when it's midnight all the time...

and nobody's paid the electric bill, huh?

5o-5o, what do Ida?

White cane, tin cup, pencils?

5o, what? to do?

Grievea little maybe.

Plenty oftime for that. Oh! Plenty oftime.

I'll still be able to cry out of'em,won't l?

To your heart's content, Mr. Resnick.

To my heart's content. Oh, Doc, baby, you do turn a phrase.

I swear, you turn a phrase. Here's your money, Mr. Resnick-

with an extra 5oo thrown in by the doctor and myself-- and the address of the hospital.

You're to be there at, uh, 7:oo this evening.

It's got a nice heft to it.

L, uh-

I hope I don't meet a bookie on the way.

L-l'm a sucker for a game ofchance.

Honest. It's a fact. Anything at all.

For example, gentlemen, f/l/ayyou 5-to- 7...

that 24 hours afteryou make me blind,

I'm gonna want to cut my throat.

And /'// lay you even money Ida it.

[ Door Closes]

[Men/o '5 Voice ] When f see, f 5/1a// drrhk up C en tra/ Park.

/ shall let it pour through my eyes until it floods my brain.

/ sha// maintain a reservoir ofthihgs that- that /'ve seen during that brief time...

to remember for the rest of m y life.

[Resnickk Voice ] So, what? to do, huh? No thin'.

That'; the story ofsimp/e Sidney'; life.

Hey put it on the tombstone, will you, rel/as, huh?

“Here lies Rem/ck

“He wanted Miami Beach and a 5o-cem' cigar,

and that'; all he real/y wanted ”

5o, learn the lesson, huh?

This /s what you get for cheap tastes.

You get your eyes cut out.

G,' [ Music Box]

[Heatherton ] Miss Men/o, the anoir: tea' hour can be any moment no w,

as / told you, anytime afler 5'oo.

But mayl make a few suggestions?

Remove the bandages very gradually.

I'd keep my eyes closed, ifl were you, throughout the process.

Also, I'd keep the room dark.

The introduction oflight should come in stages, in degrees.

It's sort ofiike becoming used to an artificial limb.

It may- ma y take time for the eyes to focus,

to accept light.

Perhaps hours.

What'; the matter, Doctor? L ooking at m y gallery, are-you?

[Chuckles] You've got it all planned, haven't you, Miss Menlo?

Indeed. All the paintings and all the statues-

they're right there where I can see them,

andso is the rest of the evening and the night.

My eyes will take pictures, Doctor--

pictures ofeverything to be filed for future reference.

A rather long future reference--

whats ver is the length of m y life.

And now, ifthere's nothing else, Doctor?

Miss Menlo,

I hope you enjoy the next 11, 12 hours.

/ hope...

that your eyes will see whatever is important to see.

I hope that my efforts have made it possible.

For both our sakes, I hope they have.

- I'll say good evening then. - Say good-bye, Doctor.

- We'll not be seeing one another again. - How sad.

Ho w re vea/ing. /'m to be zfiscarded then.

The used lightbulbs ofMiss Menlo's life-

when they cease lighting her way- out they go.

Of course. Doctor.

Flick on the light switch ifyou will, the one in the hall.

Ofcourse.

Perhaps ifyou're around town this evening, Doctor,

you might introduceyourse/f

It occurs to me that I've never seen your face.

[Scoffs] Oh,you can't miss me, Miss Menlo.

I'll be the tall man with the sick eyes,

the one with the ache in his gut,

the infection in his conscience so miserably incurable.

You can't miss me, Miss Menlo.

[ Door Opens, Closes]

[ Thfnkxhg] Thankyou. Than/grog Heatherton.

No]

No Whimpers

oh, God no

Heatherton!

[Screaming] Heatherton!

You witch doctor! You quack!

- You charlatan! Butcher! - [Objects Crashing]

[ Phone jang/es ]

[Object C/atters] Heatherton!

I'll destroyyou!

Heatherton! I want you! You come back here! [ Object C/atters ]

[ Pounds] Elevator!

[Pounding]

Heatherton! [ Footsteps Echoing]

[whimpering] [Thinking] Heatherton, please come back.

[Continues Thinking] lt- ltdidn't work.

[Crying] ltjust didn't work.

[Thinking] Everything's dark again.

Heatherton, please.

[ Door Opens] [ Vehicle Horns Honk/mg]

[Peop/e Shoutxhg: fndrktxhct] [ Men/o ] Who '5 there?

[ Street Noise, Shouting Continue]

Somebody'; there. [Hooking Continues]

Can anybody see me? I need help! [Clatteri ng]

[Crying] Heatherton. Please.

[Street Noise, Shouting Continues] [Honking Continues]

[Honk/mg]

[People Shouting, indistinct]

Hey, Officer, what's goin' on? What's happening?

Blackout. No power, no nothin'. Where you headin', mister?

Uh, home- Westport, Connecticut.

Lotsa luck.

Go on over to Columbus Circle and see ifyou can take 79th Street out.

But get out of the city if you can.

- How long is it gonna last? - Askthe mayor.

Come on, get movin'.

[ People Shouting, lnzfistinct] [Horns Honk/mg]

[Thinking] I can see.

That'; the sun /'m seeing.

And sun is- It's a golden yellow.

That 's color.

oh, Goo1 it'; beautiful'

lt's going 8W3)'-

No.

No, wait. Not- Not yet.

[Clock Chiming]

Eleven hours--

all gone, all finished

That'; not fiirl

It'; simply not fiirl

/'m not ready Come back.

/ won 't let you go.

Please come back.

Iwant it! lwant the sun!

[Screams] g,' [ Music Box]

G,' [ Music Box Continues]

G,' [ Music Box Fazi/ng]

And now the final painting.

The last ofour exhibit has to do with onejosefStrobe,

a Nazi war criminal hiding in South America--

a monster who wanted to be a fisherman.

This is his story.

[Mank Voice, Speaking German]

[ Voice Continues, Echoing]

[ Siren Wailing]

[Mank Voice Continues] [jackboots Marching]

[Man Shouting] [Object flattering]

[ Shouts Command] Halt!

[ People Crying, Screaming]

- [ Fan Clattering] - [ Crying, Screaming Continue]

[Man Shouts Commands] [Machine Gun Fire]

[Clattering] [Machine Gun Fire Continues]

[ Gunfire Stops] [Fan C/atters TOA Stop]

[ W2 ter Dripping]

[ Drrppxhg Re Verbena res ] [ Cro wa' Shoutxhg] Heffl Heffl Heffl

He/Z' He/Z' He/Z'

He/Z' He/Z' He/Z'

[Ma/L Woman Laughing Drunken/y In C orridor ]

[ Laughing Continues]

[Man Speaking Foreign Language] g,' [ Woman Humming Bo/sterous/y]

F w o/éfma" l

[Both Laughing, Talking L oud/y]

[Coughing]

[Continues Coughing]

[ Laughter, L oud Talking Continue]

G,' [Bo/sterous Singing]

[Both Laughing] What is this, a bus station?

Oh, go back to sleep, old man,

or I'll put you there.

Bravo.

Next time, less noise please. [Clapping] Bravo!

You are so persuasive, Herr Strobe.

My proximity to a noisy tramp makes that imperative.

But ifsomeone were to cut offyour fists,

how would you ever prove a point?

[Gasps] You must learn to live with a little pain, my clear.

[Whimpers] lt's what the world is made of.

Hmm? So get used to it. [Swallows]

[Soft Gasp] lam quite used to it.

It is the nature of my business.

It's what gets deducted from my body.

But, uh, we all ofus sufi'er a few deductions along the way don 't we?

Instead of, uh,

a few thousand a day in the gas chamber,

Now- Oh, now it is, uh-

It must be an occasional drunk in a sailor suit.

Or a lady ofcommerce who speaks my language.

That is an accident of birth, Herr Strobe.

The language, that is all we have in common.

SQ?

Good night, Herr Strobe.

Go into your room...

and have one ofyour frequent nightmares.

When I hear all that fear coming through the wall,

[Sighs] it is a lullaby.

[Man] GruppenfUhrer Herme Arndt. A/xas josef S trobe.

Last known whereabouts- Caracas, Venezuela.

Known to have left the country April, 1961.

[ Exhales] Assumed present whereabouts-- Buenos Aires.

Is there anything on him here?

Usual thing- seen here, seen there.

Supposed to have been working in a steel mill.

I checked them all out. Nothing connected.

I checked out beer gardens, German social groups- everything.

Nobody remotely resembling him.

Avram, he is here.

This time, I go on my instincts.

He could have had plastic surgery,

wear a beard or a mustache...

or a black homburg hat... and sell securities.

He's here,

and wewill find him.

[Engine Starts]

[Engine Revving]

[ Horn Hanks]

- [ Horn Honk/mg] - [Tires Screeching]

[No Audible Dialogue]

[ Man, Woman Speaking Spanish]

[Man On P.A., Speaking Spanish]

Nightmare. Huh?

He has captured a nightmare.

I saw such a thing. I was there.

My friendJacob Sternbach- they crucified him that way.

It took him two days to die.

Forgive me. I was affected by the picture.

It brings back certain-- certain memories.

L/mpe lha ven 't zfisturbed you.

Excuse me. Yes?

L've-

That is, we've met before, haven't we?

I think not. I've onlyjust arrived here.

You're German, aren't you?

No. Hungarian.

You look- You look familiar.

You were ne ver in a camp, were you?

A usch w/tz or... Oran/enburg

/ was at both places.

My name is Bleum.

I told you I am not German.

Excuse me.

[Man On P.A., Speaking Spanish]

[Man On P.A. Continues]

G,' [ Woman'; Voice, Singing /n German]

Senor, the museum is closed.

Kindly leave the building, please.

Senor. Kind/y lea ve the building

Please.

[ Bell To/ling Hours]

G,' [ Woman'; Voice, Singing /n German]

[Bottle C/atters To Floor]

Nightmares again, Herr Strobe?

- Go to hell, my dear. - [ Laughing]

I hearyou've become quite an art lover.

My girlfriend told me that she saw you this morning in the museum.

[ Knocking]

What disturbs you tonight?

Gretchen.

Talk to me for a moment.

What do you want to talk about?

Something happened last night... and again today.

What? / was looking at a picture--

picture of a... fisherman... on a mountain lake.

And after a while, it seemed as if-

As ifwhat?

As ifit were me in that boat...

just fishing.

No pain.

No running away. No...

looking over my shoulder.

What do you expect to see?

Ghosts.

Israeli ghosts.

They have a list, it appears.

[Sighs] They have a list.

And, after Eichmann,

it is you who are on the top ofthat list, Herr Strobe?

Very likely.

What would they do with you?

[Sighs]

- So. - [ Exhales] What do I ask ofanyone?

5o much is it to stop running

to stop trying to find shade ws to hide in?

[Breath Qua vers ]

Where is this compassionate and forgiving God they talk of?

L et him sho w himself to me now.

Let him give me a chance to survive.

Only that-just survive.

Like on that boat...

and that lake.

[Exhales]

- Gretchen. - /a.ja.

You know, ifl had...

concentrated... with all my might,

ifl had exerted all mywill,

I could have moved into that picture.

You surprise me, Herr Strobe.

Who would have thought...

that all you hunger for is a rowboat?

Yes.

[Voice Quavers] That's all.

You black-uniformed gods...

who put barbed wire around the Earth...

and all you want is a rowboat!

[Laughing]

You know something, Herr Strobe,

your tastes are really quite expensive.

You yearn for the most-

the most expensive and unobtainable things-

peace and immortality.

Forget it, Herr Strobe.

The price is a soul and a conscience, and you ha ve neither!

Go to hell, you-

[Murmurs]

Afteryou, Herr Strobe.

[Laughing]

[ L aughing L ouder]

Good afternoon.

Rather taken with it, aren't you?

It has a quality.

And the concentration camp picture--

that has no quality, Herr Arndt?

L beg your pardon?

I thinkyou've made a mistake.

My name is Strobe.

Josef Strobe. You called me something else.

Forgive me. I guess I did.

You reminded me ofsomeone,

a certain Herme Arndt.

HerrAmdt was not an admirer ofje ws.

He would stand by the front gate at Auschswitz.

With a riding crop in his hand,

he would inzficate which of the incoming people would zfie...

and which would temporarily stay alive.

And how were you so fortunate, Herr Bleum?

A concentration camp can be a university ofhigher learning...

when it comes to teaching a man to sta y a/i ve.

Good day to you, Herr Strobe.

[ Footsteps 5/o w/y Recezfing]

G,' [ Woman'; Voice, Singing /n German]

G,' [ Singing Continues]

G,' [ Singing Continues]

[Man On P.A., Speaking Spanish]

[Man On P.A. Continues]

[ Thunder Rumbles]

[Lightning Crashes, Thunder Continues]

JflSinging In Spanish] [ People Chatter/mg]

JAM J14 81'» 5%'

♪ Canta y no llores ♪

,' Porque cantando 5e a/egran,'

,' Gel/to lindo Io5 corazones,'

♪ Ay. ay. ay- ay ♪

,' Cantayno l/ores,'

♪ Porque cantando se alegran ♪

♪ Cielito lindo los corazones ♪

♪ Ay. ay. ay- ay ♪

,' Cantayno l/ores,'

,' Porque cantando 5e a/egran,'

♪ Cielito lindo los corazones ♪

♪ Ay. ay. ay- ay ♪

♪ Canta y no iiores ♪ ♪♪ [ Singing, indistinct]

J Porque cantando se alegran J J Uber alles J

g,' [ Singing /n Spanish Continues] ♪ Uber alles in der Welt ♪

,' Wenn es stets zu Schutz und Trutze,'

,' BrJder/ich zusammenhéh';

Jvon der Maas bis an die Memel ♪

Jvon der Etsch bis an den Belt ♪

- ,' Deutsch/anzi Deutsch/and fiber a/les,' - [Shouting In Spanish]

[People Shouting, indistinct] ,' Uber al/es in der Welt,'

,' Deutsch/anzi Deutsch/and fiber a/les,'

- ,' UbEf2//ES",' - [Screams]

[ People Chatter/mg]

[Stick Raps ] ,' Deutsch/anzi Deutsch/and,'

,' Uberal/es,'

,' Uber al/es in der Welt,'

[ Continues Rapping Stick] JWenn es stets zu Schutz und Trutze ♪

[ Thunder, Lightning] ,' Von der Etsch bis an den Belt,'

,' Deutsch/anzi DEUfSCILI/2l7d",','

Uberal/es. [ Si g h s ]

L/l/ie geht es l/men, Gruppenffihrer?

Gut, danke.

Una' lhnen?

I knew who you were.

One doesn't forget a man like you very easily.

I'm touched.

Well, shall we have a drink, Herr Bleum,

or shall we talk ofold times or-

What shall we do, hmm?

What would please you?

Tell me and see ifl can't accommodate you.

Tell me, Herr Bleum,

have I changed much?

No. No, Gruppenffihrer.

You've changed very little.

[Lightning Crashes]

Excellent.

Excellent, Herr Bleum.

The memory is still intact. Hmm?

The, uh, body is somewhat... the worse for wear, hmm?

The body has had much done to it.

This was done to me with a lit cigarette...

during an otherwise dull aflemoon.

Your kind of sport, Gruppenffihrer,

something you would understand.

Tell me, Herr Bleum,

have you, uh-

Are you content to reminisce about these things?

- Or have you seen fit to- - Tell others?

What do you think?

I think, Herr Bleum,

that ifyou have something to say to the god oflsrael,

- [Stick C/atters] - now is the time.

I've made my peace-

something you shall never be able to do, Gruppenffihrer.

You have put too many Christs on crosses...

for any god to give you an audience.

Still the martyr, huh? No. lam simply...

[Gasping] the six millionth plus one.

G,' [ Voices Singing /n Hebrew: Mourning]

[ Woman On P.A., Speaking Spanish]

[ Woman On P.A. Continues]

[Man Speaking Spanish]

De nada.

[ Raps 1 What time is the next bus?

The next bus to where? Where would you like to go?

Just-just anywhere. Out ofthe city-

as far as this will take me.

Well, uh, that will takeyou to Mar Del Plata.

Lucky foryou it stopped raining. You have kind ofa long wait.

After 2O years, it's not so long.

Excuse me. I believe we have a mutual acquaintance.

Doyou know a man named Bleum?

Listen to me. I don't care what Bleum told you.

He's-He's mad. He's out of his mind. Let's go.

Listen- Listen to me.

I'm not the one you want.

There are others, big ones.

There's-There's Bormann. Martin Bormann- he's still alive.

Believe me, he's-he's still alive.

And MUller. Heinrich MUller is still alive in Silesia.

Listen to me. I know these men. I can find these men foryou.

Please. There must be a price, huh?

There's some price. Any price!

G,' [ Voices Singing /n Hebrew]

[Men Con versing In Spanish]

[Men _#3] ;Estupldos! Don 1:' /ez' those park? txhgs get we z'.

You were hxred to put them x}? the truck, 5o put them x}? the truck!

[Men Mutteflng] A// r/ght, all right!

No wonder we ha ve no culture in this count/y

Sure, sure. Get a uniform, and r/ght awa y you are a king

Nobody cares for paintings. All right. We take them in.

Be sure and dry them when you get them in the truck.

No w ge z' mo vrhg! G ea' mo vrhg! All right, all right.

Come on, come on. Hurry up. lt's getting late. A// fig/l r.

And be carefu/ when you set them down. P/ease! P/ease!

- [Statue C/atters] - [ Door Creaks]

Who is in there?

Who is in there?

[Man] Shalom, G ru ppenfU h rer. Shalom.

[Both Grunting, Straining]

Please. lfthere is a God, let him show himselfnow.

Get me into the picture.

I must get into the picture.

G,' [ Woman'; Voice, Singing /n German]

Please. Please.

God, Christ- anyone.

Get me into the picture!

I must get into the picture.

[Gasps]

[Screams]

[ Speaking Spanish ]

At this hour?

[Howling Faint]

What's the matter? What do you hear now?

Don't you hear it? [Ho w/ing Continues]

A dog or something. It must have been run over.

Everything seems intact.

Maybe there was someone here, but they're not here now.

What happened to The Fisherman?

Was that one of the loaners? Yes, sir. It was taken away tonight.

The director had that concentration camp thing put there in its place.

Hateful-looking thing.

Luiz. Luiz.

[Howling Faint]

Good evening.