All language subtitles for Der Einstein des Sex-Leben und Werk des Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld

The Baltic Sea near Kolberg

Is this really your work?

You have talent, my son.

Magnus,

wanting to see the things
of this world isn't bad.

Don't be ashamed of that.

A ginger stick?

What do you want to be
when you grow up?

I didn't know what to tell Father.

What indeed would I become?

When I was 17,

we took in a foster child,
a brother:

Richard.

Richard wanted to be the
same things as I did:

renaissance artist, gigolo,

detective, poet-prince.

Strangely enough,

Richard was my exact opposite.

Like Hauptmann and Ibsen...

we strolled through
the world of the "new spirit"...

and were convinced...

that the upcoming century...

would be named after us.

May He bless and protect you.

This is so typical of your father,
Magnus.

To die is typical of everybody.

But as a doctor, and so young.

Dying like that makes one
look like a fool.

Stop bad-mouthing him!

Oh, Magnus,

you won't die so young, will you?

Promise me!

Gesche my love,
how can he promise that?

We're all in God's hand.

But why pay for his studies
if it's not going to be worth it?

Nonsense!

Of course we'll finance your studies.

You shall study.

Study medicine,
just as your father did.

Only faster!

Of course, faster.

The faster you're done,

the sooner you can operate
out her tongue!

Thank you!

Thank you so much!

Live healthy, my boy!

I will live healthy.

And pay attention to what
the professor says?

And pay attention to what
the professor says.

This specimen
from forensic psychiatry...

is a passive pederast...

committed to an institution
by his father...

30 years ago.

His passive behavior is seen...

in the indrawn, funnel-shaped anus.

Pederastic degeneration...

is an inherited condition...

or is caused by debauched living.

The disease
of homosexuality often...

has a compulsive nature.

Its victims...

are not in full possession
of their mental faculties.

Many pederasts reveal themselves...

by their fixed gaze,

- uncertain gait,
- RUBBISH!

shy bearing...

and effeminate manner.

"Abnormal, degenerate,"

"perverted."

Nobody here talks about
love and affection.

This is a university, Magnus.

There's no room for your
sentimentality here.

- You used to talk differently.
- We used to be young.

No. We used to be old.
Now we're young.

We can change everything.
We can change this university.

We can change the whole world.

I can't stand your talk about
sexuality and perversion anymore,

as if all that were normal.
Damn.

Sappho and Socrates:
what poetic nonsense.

I'm here to learn something solid.

This is about science,

not about feelings.

Why must the one be divorced
from the other?

Take our friendship, for example:

Is that perverse?

No.

Love is a noble quality.

Sexual perversion is not.

And why not?

It's abnormal.
It has no natural purpose.

And what's
the natural purpose of love?

It belongs to the highest ideals
of our German culture.

And sexual intercourse
surely does not!

Neither does copying homework.

What are you saying?

That love can be expressed
in different ways!

Some people copulate,
others let their homework be copied.

What's the difference?

You'll never amount to anything.

You're a goddamned dreamer.
Dream on.

But if you should
ever become a doctor,

I pity your patients.

Richard!

Richard withdrew from me.

Despite my deep disappointment,

I completed my studies successfully.

In August of 1893,

as a newly made doctor of medicine,

I embarked
on my first voyage abroad.

I stepped from the confinement
of my homeland...

into the great, wide world.

Delicious...

Pardon me?

Would you like to experience
something you will never forget?

Who are you?

I'll meet you at midnight
in the engine room.

You're drinking up these poor
creatures with your eyes.

I don't drink.

DOCTOR OF NERVOUS DISORDERS

PSYCHOLOGICAL COMPLAINTS
AND NATURAL REMEDIES

- Dr. Hirschfeld, pardon me, but...
- Yes?

I want to...

have to... I can't...

My dear Lieutenant,
I'm very sorry,

but I really cannot help you now.

I'm very, very tired.

I...

Please come tomorrow morning
during office hours. Good night.

For years my parents have
been urging me -

their only child -

to marry a girlfriend of my youth.

I never found the strength
to admit the truth.

They would never have understood.

May these good people
never discover...

what has crushed my heart.

Take this outcry
of a wretched man...

as a justification of my deed...

and an attempt to restore the honor
of countless people...

who, like me,
labor their entire lives...

under the double curse
of nature and the law.

Possibly my voice will go unheard.

The thought...

that it could help...

the German fatherland
to judge us more justly...

brightens the hour of my death.

Take it easy, young man.
I'm not that quick.

He doesn't seem to be in.

May I?

All right, all right.

Sappho and Socrates...

or How to Account for Same-Sex Love
Among Men and Women

"Not homosexuality causes
homosexuals to suffer,"

"but its false judgment."

"The endless fearful concealment..."

"of an inborn condition,
the dread of discovery,"

"of blackmail, of arrest -"

"all this must ruin even
the strongest of nerves."

There's never been anything
like that in our family.

No mental illness, no syphilis,
no homo...

"I quote Nietzsche:"

"What is natural cannot be immoral."

Chutzpah!

Oh well,

who's Nietzsche anyway.

They'll lock you up for this, boy.

Just what were you thinking of,
Magnus?

Do you know how many desperate
people come to me daily?

Do you know how many desperate
people go to jail daily?

- Think about your reputation.
- That's what I'm doing.

Without the necessary publicity,
I can't help people at all.

You have to stand behind what
you're fighting for.

I want sexual science
to be inseparable...

from the name Magnus Hirschfeld.

Oh, disaster.

That's our name, too.

Why don't you study cholera,

malaria, cancer...

or something that brings us more
joy than this "sexuality"?

Cholera brings you more
joy than sexuality?

You know what I mean.

Do you at least
have a nice girlfriend?

I have no time for that.

I'll really have to think about
supporting you any further.

Auntie,

your ginger cake is delicious.

Madam,

the life of the literary genius
of our age is destroyed.

Oscar Wilde is imprisoned...

for the "love that dare
not speak its name".

His health is ruined,

his hands cut and bleeding
from hard labor.

In our land are countless
similar stories.

Suicide, murder,
blackmail are all too common.

I intend to found a committee
to fight against these tragedies:

the Scientific-Humanitarian
Committee!

Please help me.

Do you know Oscar?

Unfortunately, no.

I met him four years ago in London,

and I assure you that,

had he heard you just now,

he would never have supported
your peculiar committee.

Too much risk?

Not enough wit.

But, Countess, I thought...

I have nothing against that type,

as you can see -

as long as they don't do it
in the streets and scare the horses.

But please leave me
and my name...

out of your committee!

Dr. Hirschfeld.

I'm Baron Hermann von Teschenberg.

May I ask your advice?

I ended my studies with honors.

I was to become the stage manager
of the Hofburg-Theater.

The scandal was enormous.

My family disinherited me.

I had to leave Austria
within 48 hours.

All doors were locked behind me.

From one day to the next,

I was completely on my own.

My dear baron,
it is indeed a terrible story.

But I really don't know what
I can do for you.

Doctor,
if you have any use for me,

it would be an honor to assist
you in your work.

Is that a joke?

Does it sound like one?

How is your handwriting?

Pardon?

How is your handwriting?

Dimple at the small of the back.

Do you have that?

Yes.

Female-sized waist,

fragile figure,

slim upper arms.

Congratulations.

As you suspected,
you are clearly same-sex inclined.

I prescribe repeated visits...

to the Adonis Dance Club.

There you'll meet others
like yourself.

Fall in love, be happy.

Stay away from public toilets,

limit the amount of intercourse...

and avoid depraved people.

You can get dressed now.

What does this mean, doctor?

An "I", for what?

It's an abbreviation...

for the category
he probably belongs to.

"I" as in "idiot" or what?

No patient is an idiot!

Intelligent?

You'll never guess.

I...
I... Intimate...

"Investite."

Maybe this young man
is an investite.

His bodily proportions imply it.

An "investite"!

That must be a Prussian word.

I invented it yesterday.
Derived from Latin "in"

and "vestire" - to clothe.

Aha,

one who invests lots
of money in clothes?

Nonsense! One who changes
his sex through his clothes.

Then shouldn't it be "exvestite"?

That's one who undresses.

Or perhaps "transvestite"?

"Transvestite".

It was just a suggestion...

Perfect!

Well done, Baron!

I developed a psycho-biological
questionnaire...

with 85 questions about
a subject's sex life.

It was to become the centerpiece
of my practical research method.

So,

do you know anything about
your life before birth?

About unusual excitement of your
mother during pregnancy?

What's that supposed to mean,
Hermann?

But I explained it to you, my dear.
Dr. Hirschfeld is a scientist.

What kind of science is that?

We are researching sexuality.

These questionnaires
are important to us. Really.

Well,
I find these questions indecent.

Do I bite my nails?
Do I cry or wank?

No, Hermann,
that ain't nobody's business at all.

But look,
this is completely confidential.

Your name won't even be noted.

No offense, Hermann.

Don't waste your time
on such freaks.

There are enough German men
worthy of male friendship.

You don't know me,
Herr Hirschfeld?

I'm sorry.

We are brothers of fate
on an agonizing crusade...

driven by boundless,
never stilled desire.

May I introduce myself?
Adolph Brand. Writer.

Pleased to meet you,
Herr Brand.

- Have I seen you before?
- Just now,

although we've both been wandering
along the beach of happiness...

searching for
ship-wrecked soul mates,

storm-surviving fighters
of proud loneliness, right?

Well, in a sense...

Our journey is to the
source of salvation.

Therefore I want to give you
my latest magazine.

May it bring you enlightenment.

- "Our Own"?
- For male culture!

Thank you, Herr Brand.

I'll see you soon, doctor.
And harken, harken.

- Do you know this guy?
- "Harken."

Brand is an idiot.
You can't take him seriously.

What does it say?

"'Our Own'
fights with word and image..."

"for the rebirth of male love,"

"for a cult of boys' beauty and
for the spring of a third renaissance..."

"Against prudery and hypocrisy..."

"and against all suppression
of personality."

Speaking of
suppression of personality,

he won't even talk to me,
this Herr Brand.

He doesn't like my allegedly
effeminate ways.

He actually said that,
the ignoramus.

Do you think we could get him
to join the committee?

What?

We need everyone for our struggle.

Police Headquarters, Berlin

- You have your instructions?
- Indeed, Commissioner.

This is your man.

My man, Commissioner.

As of yet, no violence.

Dismissed.

Gentlemen.

For today, May 15th, 1897,

I invited nearly 100 people
to this meeting.

The result is evident.

People avoid being seen
with me in public.

Those who visit me as patients
are scorned and ridiculed.

This goes to show the depth
of people's fear.

Today, we have come together
to fight that fear.

We have come together...

to found the
Scientific-Humanitarian Committee.

I repeat:

the
Scientific-Humanitarian Committee.

For the first time in world history,

brave men have gathered...

to raise their voices against
Paragraph 175 of the criminal code.

Justice through science.

We are a brotherhood united,

standing together in times
of danger and distress.

Liberty, equality, fraternity.

Homosexuality.

You're drinking?

To my failure.

But it wasn't a failure at all.

Pitiful.

But the first step has been taken.

Well, the first step...

To the future.

To the future.

Without you I wouldn't even
have achieved this much.

So I would like to...

Please call me Magnus.

To the present, Magnus.

To the present, Hermann.

Yes, to the present.

You are very, very dear to me.

How could I forget myself like that?

Forgive me. The wish to be close to
someone was suddenly so strong...

Anyway, it's impossible.

It would jeopardize my work.
I'd lose everything:

My reputation,
my license to practice medicine.

I'm a scientist. I must be rational.

We can't make any mistakes.
You must understand.

We shall forget this night.

It is now a thing of the past.

Well then,

here's to the past.

I felt I had to decide...

between private happiness
and my work.

Foremost was the
abolition of Paragraph 175...

which made love between men
a punishable crime.

As a committed Social Democrat,

I turned directly to the leader of the
German Socialist Party, August Bebel.

Comrade Hirschfeld,
alone I can't do much.

Bring me 200 signatures...

of outstanding personalities,

and the German Social Democrats
will support your petition.

Do you see it? Do you feel it?

Ancient Greece,

where Homer's
sun shone on humanity.

And you.

Do you sense
the power of that culture?

The far Ionia?

Yes, grasp this noble solidity.

And you.
Tell me what you behold?

Isn't this unnameable sweet suffering,
my warrior?

Two splendid bodies disfigured...

by the monstrous English
textile industry?

Cotton.

Silk.

Shouldn't we, in protest...

against censorship
and the sentinels of morality,

tear these disgusting clothes
from our bodies?

Rip them apart right here and now?

And then burn them?

- But they were expensive.
- So what.

Let us step out
of the darkling day...

into the bright light of the temple.

Mustn't we show our brothers, now
living in the narrowness of their souls,

- that the way leads into the light.
- Harken, Herr Brand.

I hope I'm not disturbing you.

Oh, we're in the midst of a protest.

So am I.
That's why I'm collecting signatures.

- Do you read my magazine, doctor?
- To my benefit, Herr Brand.

Then you should know
what a true one of Our Own...

must think of your queeny committee,

of the swishy creatures you
surround yourself with,

your unmanly efforts,

your vain behavior
and this whole effeminate...

bourgeois
Paragraph-175-Parliament-bullcrap.

Which makes your signature
all the more important.

You have no pride, doctor.

Why should we work
against each other?

Even Athens and Sparta fought
each other mercilessly.

But together
they defeated the Persians.

Comrades, what do you think?

How many signatures do you have?

We have about 150.

Not bad for a start, is it?

Marvelous.

Even the ultra-conservative writer
Ernst von Wildenbruch signed.

And Krafft-Ebbing, Hermann Hesse,

Gerhard Hauptmann,
Max Liebermann...

Didn't we have an old biscuit tin
around here somewhere?

I don't know.

At last, my petition was debated
in Parliament.

Would the disgraceful Paragraph 175
finally be repealed?

Silence.

Representative Bebel has the floor.

People who indulge in so-called
unnatural acts...

are extremely numerous and
from all social classes.

If the Prussian State were
to prosecute them all,

it would have to build ten new
prisons in Berlin alone.

We, the Social Democrats,
support Dr. Hirschfeld's petition...

to repeal Paragraph 175.

Silence, gentlemen. Silence.

Representative Pastor Schall
has the floor.

I am deeply puzzled...

how men of public standing
and moral judgment...

can introduce a petition
to repeal Paragraph 175.

Gentlemen,

we are talking here about a crime...

which the Apostle Paul condemned...

as one of the worst sins
and vices of the pagan age.

We will do everything in our power
to prosecute such criminals...

in accordance with Christian
moral principles.

- Herr Hirschfeld.
- Do I know you?

Oh yes, weren't you standing
behind me in the Parliament?

Please halt.

This time we failed,
but I won't give up.

We will submit the petition
over and over again.

I said halt.

Come on, get in.

Would you like a cigar?

No thanks, I don't smoke.

Please regard our meeting
as top secret.

What do you want from me,
Commissioner?

The police files show that you
are homosexually inclined.

On May 15th of this year
you founded...

the so-called
Scientific-Humanitarian Committee.

That same evening
you had immoral contact...

with your co-worker,
Baron von Teschenberg.

There is a witness.

What do you intend?

Do you wish to destroy me?

Not at all.

Let me say clearly
that I feel aversion, contempt...

and loathing for your kind.

But don't take it personally.

A highly placed figure wishes...

the police to combat the blackmail
epidemic with more energy.

And you want me to help?

Exactly!

I think we'd better leave.

But why?

That thug keeps staring at me.

Relax, Commissioner.

This is no den of vice.

People here are very discreet.
Agreeable.

No danger of public scandal.

And that "thug" is Clara,

the bisexual daughter of a baker.

You're not serious.

Cheers.

That two men can be so tender
to one another...

Why is that against the law?

Doctor, I've had enough of this.

What's wrong?

Everything is so clean here.

Nobody scratches between his legs
or spits on the floor.

Just nice, friendly people.

- What's wrong with that?
- I want to see Sodom and Gomorrah.

This is the reality, Commissioner.
These people are just people,

nothing more or less.
That's why I fight for them.

Show me more.

Show me the mire,
show me the heart of darkness.

That must exist.

But you'll need a disguise,
Herr Commissioner of Police.

Do you know my Pauly?

The torchlight of my life...

Such a man, a beauty...

What a joy to be his wife...

When dressing up
becomes his plan...

We like to go together...

He's the girl and I'm the man...

Could anything be better?

He loves it so, and I do, too...

When Paul is taken for Paulina...

Pi-pa-po-Paulina...

You great big blonde charmina...

Whatever you got,
you got by the ton...

And whatever it is,
it's so much fun...

Pi-pa-po-Pauleen...

You amazing queen,

Whatever you got,
you got by the ton...

Whatever it is, it's so much fun...

Isn't this a charming little
get-together?

This lady is my collaborator,
Baron von Teschenberg.

Allow me to introduce you:
the Empress of Austria,

the Great Unknown.

Don't you know the proper behavior?

Oh, pardon me,

your Majesty.

And what are you two
portraying tonight?

Contempt and Loathing,
your Majesty.

How poetic.

- Excuse me for a moment.
- Certainly.

- Shall we take a seat?
- Oh yes, thank you.

What are you doing here,
your Majesty?

Confidentially,

I'm on a top secret
government mission.

You'll laugh, but so am I.

Who are all these people?

Over there are Asta von Schönmark
and Berta von Brunneck.

We all give ourselves female names,
you know.

Next to them is Merry Violet,

called that
because she's always drunk.

Next to her is the Loo Lotus,

named after her favorite place.

So the names reflect behavior,
your Majesty?

Sometimes.

Back there, that's Whine de Vine,

because she cries so easily,

but the one next to her
is just Wally von Trauten.

And that one, behaving without
the least self-possession,

is Carmen Sylva,
the coffee-fortune queen.

I don't think much of her.

You dance very well, your Majesty!

I know.

So you don't think much
of Carmen Sylva.

And what do you think of him?

A lonely man.

As lonely...

as all heartbreakers.

It was a wonderful evening.

And a wonderful Empress...

Of course, this night never happened.

Thank you. Coachman, let's go.

Artists' Colony outside Berlin

Shy as a deer,
your glance fled to me...

Warm and mild as a night in May...

I clasped you deeply in my heart...

Sweet angelic child...

Beautiful miraculous boy...

Silent tales are blooming...

When, fresh and tender
as a peach...

Your cheeks are...

glowing.

When your eyelashes' shadow...

Conceals the darkling gleam...

Then I want,
then I want to kiss you...

Heartily, fine and well.

Doctor. Thanks for coming.

Do you see how the community
of Our Own is blossoming?

I heard your petition in Parliament
failed again.

So that's what you want
to talk to me about?

Come on.

The infamous Paragraph still exists
and will exist for centuries...

unless we move now
openly and boldly...

to put an end to the
thousandfold injustice.

What do you intend to do?

We must open up a new front.

We must force the dignitaries,
Eulenburg...

and the other friends of the Emperor,
the Chancellor von Bülow...

to show their true colors.

What do you mean?

I shall unmask Chancellor von Bülow
and his better half,

the privy councilor Schaefer.

For Heaven's sake, why?

Courage, truth and action...

reveal the way to Arcadia.

In Bülow's case there is absolutely
no proof. I won't allow you to do it.

You deny me your support?

Nobody should be made to avow
anything against his will.

A person's private life is his
own most private concern.

No, I won't allow it.

Be glad that I don't expose you,

you and the pitiful faggots...

with whom you indulge your
perverted pleasures.

You don't know
what you're talking about.

Those creatures are neither
man nor woman,

and you lump such wretched
stepchildren of nature...

together with these blossoming,
glorious boys.

We don't need a doctor who spends...

his time in brothels and privies...

examining the underpants
of Jews with three anuses.

You're inviting disaster, Herr Brand.

Oh, get out.

Go back to your
Scientific-Humanitarian Committee.

Your Shit-Haha-Crap.

A few weeks later
Adolph Brand publicly accused...

the German Chancellor von Bülow
of homosexuality.

Before he could turn around,

Adolph Brand was jailed for slander.

More and more men were brought
into court for homosexuality...

and because I defended them,

I was constantly under attack.

Hermann. Can't you knock?

Now you've broken it.
Asia, 18th century.

I have to leave Germany.

You know how much
I love these antiques.

Are you listening?
My train to Italy is leaving in an hour.

Please understand.

I couldn't sleep,
and I wanted to go for a walk.

Then all of a sudden,
it came over me...

Your wallet. Be quick,

or I'll yell
the whole neighborhood down...

and tell everyone you touched me
in nasty places, you pig.

But I didn't.
I don't know what you...

The wallet.

Well, well, a baron.

I have no more money, and...

Shut up!

From now on,

I'll see you every 1st of the month,
understand?

You have to go to the police.

After what happened in Austria
no one will believe...

that I didn't even touch him.

My God, Hermann. How could you?

Of all boys, a blackmailer.

Do you know
what this could mean for me?

Yes, you.

You, you, you. It's always you.

All you care about is your work.
Your science. Your "mission".

From dawn till dusk, even nights
you work like a demon...

for your antiques. But what
about me? What do I have?

In all the years I've spent here,
have I found love? Or money?

Or recognition?
You get the recognition.

You're the famous doctor.

A little expertise here.
A rich patient there.

But I'm just your lackey,

only good for a touch of class.

No more Hermann.

I am the Empress Elisabeth,

and an Empress knows when
it's time to go.

I could go to the
Commissioner of Police.

- Why would he help me?
- You've danced with him.

I wish you luck from
the bottom of my heart.

The loss of Hermann von Teschenberg
made me conscious...

of how lonely I was.

A few years later
I received word from Naples...

that my beloved friend had died.

My craving for sweets...

had certain effects
upon my appearance.

As I grew older,
I became something of a celebrity.

Patients from all social classes
streamed into my practice.

Inhale.

Hold your breath.

Exhale.

And again, inhale...

How long is this going to take?

And exhale.

Don't make a fuss when Magnus
is examining you so nicely.

So nicely?

He's family,
and I'm lucky to get an appointment.

And all the time
I have to cover my eyes.

I'd rather you didn't do that.

So I'd see all these sinful objects?

I don't have enough room here,

and I love to collect things.

Other boys your age collect stamps.

You wouldn't need
much room for stamps.

An emergency?

We'll have to remove the string.

Doctor, I hate being a man.

Truly, you aren't alone,

young girl.

Can't I get rid
of that thing somehow?

Not that way.

Then how?

You have a woman's soul...

in a man's body.

They fired me at work...

when they found out I wear dresses.

They wanted to kill me.

Now I wish they had.

- You have no work?
- Not anymore.

- What's your name?
- Dorchen.

- How's your handwriting, Dorchen?
- I don't know how to write.

- But you can read?
- No,

but I can cook, knit, iron...

and make excellent macaroons.

- With ginger?
- With ginger.

Doctor, it's a blessing
that you're going to Vienna.

You always make such a mess,
I can't keep up with the cleaning.

Where are the Chinese testicles?

Over here.
Do you want me to pack them?

- Of course.
- I mean wrap them as a present?

That won't be necessary.

For months I'd been in touch
with Professor Steinach,

the greatest authority in the field
of testicular research.

In Vienna he had treated
all sorts of testicles for years.

He even cut
Sigmund Freud's spermatic cords...

"for reasons of rejuvenation".

These are splendid.

Marco Polo brought them.

Allegedly they were Siang-Ho's,

the brother of the
Chinese Emperor Siang-Ming.

- Are those tattoos?
- Yes.

They say,

"To May-Yong,
the flower of my smile,"

"who never took me seriously."

Thank you, dear colleague.

I will give them a place of honor.

Doctor, come here! Quickly.

Renate is trying
to impregnate Gustav.

I injected her with testicle extract,

and her sexual behavior
changed radically.

Since then
she's been acting like a male.

Look at what
she's doing to Gustav.

Oh, my God.

And you really think...

that this phenomenon
is transferable to humans?

That you can...

Change human sexual behavior?
Of course.

I've transplanted the testicles
of so many rats,

always with great success.

This way
we could even cure homosexuals.

Professor Steinach, to "cure"
is certainly the wrong word.

I would implant first-class
heterosexual material in the patient,

and I guarantee that homosexual
impulses would disappear completely.

If you are right,

then homosexuals whose predisposition
causes undue suffering...

could be helped.

I have no doubt of that.

Professor Steinach came to his...

"first-class heterosexual material"...

through quite dubious channels.

A roaring trade
in testicles developed,

and I, too, sent him patients...

who begged for help...

unfortunately.

My body now longs for a woman,

but my soul still cries out for a man.

Brothers,

you know I was thrown into prison.

The fatherland was cruel to me...

and my friends in the dungeon.

Yet, in times of danger we must
defend our ungrateful fatherland.

There is no friendship without
the fatherland,

and there is no fatherland
without friendship.

Love between men
is love between heroes.

Down with sissies, fairies,
nellies and queens.

Like echoing
thunder roars the call...

Like the clanking of swords
and the billow's bawl...

To the Rhine, to the Rhine,
to the German Rhine...

Who will be the keeper of the storm?

Dear fatherland, be calm...

Dear fatherland, be calm...

Firm we stand and true...

The guardians of the Rhine...

Dorchen.

If they catch you with this,
they'll send you to the front.

So far I could spare you
and the others...

this fate,

but please don't go too far.

I'll be careful, doctor.

You're all better off here...

or sewing uniforms...

than out there.

These poor boys.

Tell me, Dorchen,

do you think I'm a cold person?

But doctor, dear.

You're such a wonderful, warm,

- helpful angel.
- No.

I'm constantly thinking...

about sexuality.

But we all do.

You know, Dorchen,

I dream of founding a great institute:

an Institute of Sexual Science.

A place were all aspects
of sexuality can be explored,

and a home for us all.

In November, 1918,

Germany was seized by a revolution.

The old Empire collapsed
and something new emerged:

the Republic,

in which I believed with all my heart.

I dreamed of a great future.

If only I could afford it...

- It's too much.
- It's my fee, Comrade Noske.

You never wanted a fee
before the war.

But now your husband is
in the government.

- But it's for a good cause.
- Exactly.

So keep to our arrangement,

or you can give the lecture yourself.

My husband will hear about this.

We're ready, my dears.

As president of...

"Spouses of Progressive
Parliamentary Representatives",

I am pleased to welcome
such a famous authority...

as Dr. Hirschfeld
for today's lecture.

Dr. Hirschfeld, if you please.

I gave my sexual education
lectures to all kinds...

of people throughout Germany.

The corroded brain
of a 20-year-old girl...

who died of syphilis
always left an impression.

The excellence
of the new condoms of rubber...

was obvious,

not only as ideal contraception,

but as protection from
venereal disease as well.

Oh God, knocked up again?

That means a whipping.

We got five already,
and I can't keep them fed.

When I make them sandwiches,

I put lard on a piece of bread,
scrape it off,

put it on the next one and so
on till I have all five.

And when I get home
from work dog-tired,

I take care of the brats...

and then go out and turn tricks. The
money's got to come from somewhere.

I'm sorry to say
I can't do anything for you.

The law still forbids abortion.

And about your syphilis,

your husband and children
should visit me.

But we ain't got no money, doctor.

We got nothing at all.

Don't worry about that.

Doctor dear,

you can't go on like this.

The waiting room is crowded
day after day.

It's too much work for you.
You need an assistant.

I need money.

I've found a villa
near Tiergarten Park.

I've already paid as much as I could.
I need the rest within three months.

Your stupid Sex Institute brings
you nothing but misery.

Misery is life's reward.

No, my boy.

I can't give you your inheritance
in advance.

Not one penny.

But why not?

Didn't Uncle Egon
leave anything to me?

Didn't he want to do something
for science?

Exactly.

That’s why I gave
all the money to the zoo.

They're building a new house
for the rhinoceroses.

Rhinoceroses?

He was a good man,
your Uncle Egon.

Not such a goy like your father.

Doctor Hirschfeld.

They want you at the Adlon Hotel.
It's urgent.

Good evening.

I'm sorry. I can't understand you.

Hold on. What did you say?

Hermaphrodite.

Interesting.

Indeed.

A hermaphrodite.

She has both sexes.

What do you want me to do?

Operation.

Out of the question.

Give me a week to think it over.

I have to lecture in Munich.

We are all mixtures...

of male and female.

In nature there is no 100% male
or 100% female.

Feminine attributes appear...

in some homosexual men.

Some homosexual women...

have distinctively
masculine features.

I call these individuals
sexual intermediaries.

Jewish pig
asshole-intellectualism!

Lynch the child molesters!

Die, Judas!

With fire and sword
these unfortunates...

have been persecuted
for 1500 years.

Homosexuality, heterosexuality,
bisexuality are inborn,

and therefore as much
an expression of humanity...

as white,
yellow or black skin color...

which must not separate
Earth's children,

but serve to unite us in a humane
and peaceful society.

Thank you.

What shall I write?

I've read all your books.

I'm "one of them".

It's my greatest desire
to work for you.

I'd give up everything here.

- What's your name?
- Giese.

Karl Giese.
I'll give you my address.

Would you have any use for me?

You'd have to work
on your handwriting.

My handwriting? Well, if that's all...

When you're in Berlin,

just stop by my practice.

May I bring you to your hotel?
It's nearly curfew.

Thank you, but no.

Thank the gods, you're alive.

Back home people say you were
murdered here in Munich.

Wishful thinking.

There was even
an obituary in the paper.

But little girl, you can't read.

You're mean, doctor dear.
And I even took the night train.

If he hadn't mixed in,

the papers might have been right.

I have to get back to Berlin.

Would you tell me
what you're up to?

I have an appointment to operate.

That must have been quite
a whack on the head.

You can't operate in your condition.

Get well soon, do you hear?

You won't get rid of me that easily,
doctor.

- Doctor dear, I don't like this.
- We'll manage.

Why are they staring like that?

- Scalpel.
- So fiercely.

Scalpel.

No problem. Everything will be fine.

Doctor dear,
I think I'm getting a cramp.

You're not getting a cramp.

- I'm sure I'm getting a cramp.
- During the war,

you never had a cramp.

INSTITUTE OF SEXUAL SCIENCE

PUBLIC LIBRARY

SEAT OF THE SCIENTIFIC
HUMANITARIAN COMMITTEE

AND THE UNION
FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS

Marvelous. The fifty portraits.

Good old Oscar Wilde.

Right here in the entrance hall above
the fireplace. Beautiful.

And King Ludwig of Bavaria
goes in the x-ray room.

This is a masturbation device
fur us ladies.

And now, to work.
The opening is in one week.

You were great today.

Your speech.
Everyone was so moved.

- You feel lonely, don't you?
- Nonsense.

Although...

now that my dream
has come true.

I'll have 12 physicians under me,

the State of Prussia has
offered me a subsidy,

I have inquiries from
all the major universities in Europe.

Well, Paragraph 175 still exists,

but it won't last forever.

And yet...

You feel lonely.

I can't stop thinking
of that young man.

- Little Siegfried from Munich?
- Right.

He's written to me so often,

but I never replied.

Then write to him. Invite him.

I'm so afraid that it could jeopardize
all of my work.

Love is dangerous.

You don't need a Sexual Institute
to know that.

That sounds rather bitter,
my heart.

Doctor dear,

it's funny with you.

You collect millions of objects
from all over the world,

and they're all about one thing.

You're probably the greatest
love expert in the universe,

but you know about as much
about real love as...

this table here.

You don't have the slightest idea
of what true feelings are.

I took you into my house, girl.

Why do you think I did that?

Out of pity.

I know you think I'm not very bright.

I'm illiterate, I'm uneducated...

Dorchen, please stop it.

But there are three things
I'm very good at:

being secretly in love,

being unhappily in love,

and being hopelessly in love.

You mean me?

You're in love with me?

- But that's terrible!
- Don't worry. It's no tragedy.

Dorchen,
I don't know what to say.

You know how much
you mean to me, but...

It won't kill me.

You should invite him.

- Whom?
- Little Siegfried.

Just right for you.

At least he knows
how to get slapped around.

I won't invite him.

I definitely won't invite him.

INSTITUTE OF SEXUAL SCIENCE
DIRECTOR: DR. MAGNUS HIRSCHFELD

SEXUAL COUNSELING OF ALL KINDS
MARRIAGE COUNSELING

RESEARCH LABORATORY AND CLINIC

Excuse me, doctor.
I've been waiting so long.

Please be patient.

Sit over there and I'll call you later.

Well, Herr Giese. What a surprise.

Good afternoon.

Dr. Hirschfeld wrote
that I should come.

Give me your bags.
I'll put them away.

Please be careful.
There are breakable things in there.

Of course.

Please turn right and go down the
hall. It's the first door to your left.

Dr. Hirschfeld is conducting a tour.
Feel free to join.

Thank you.

In this room are sexual objects...

from all over the world.

What bizarre objects.

We'll soon see whether
or not they're bizarre.

For example, these are three
penis tubes of the Papua tribe.

They are worn as artificial penises
over the genitals.

So large?

In New Guinea,
a must in men's fashion.

Here, of course,
quite out of the question.

We'll move on to even bigger things.

A splendid male member carved
from an elephant's tusk.

Its special feature:

it takes on the body's
warmth immediately.

Would you like to prove that?

Please,
Mr. Secretary of Commerce, no?

General, be brave.

Well, Mr. Representative,
it is impressive, isn't it?

Your colleague just said it
feels very pleasant.

I wouldn't even let
my daughter see it.

I take special pride...

in making this collection available
to the public.

In our liberal, enlightened times...

everyone should have the chance
to view these objects.

Gentlemen, I thank you.

You asked me to come.

Here I am.

Excuse me,
I have an appointment.

I'll see you this evening.

And please fill out a questionnaire.

- Finished?
- This isn't what I expected.

He sees me and gives me
this stupid questionnaire...

as if I'm one of his patients.
Why does he do that?

Maybe he can't stand you.

Maybe.

If this goes on, I'll leave.

What an idiot
I was to give up my job.

- I'd love to work for him.
- Really? Doing what?

I don't care. I'd do any work,
even the very lowest.

I'd even humiliate myself enough
to cook and clean, like you.

Very charming, young man.

Tell me,

don't you smell something?

Damn.

How could this happen?

- You blink and it's done.
- Crucifix-of-holy-god-again.

And all over the pretty clothes.

Now I've really had enough.

This place is a disaster.

Your questionnaire.

Come in.

I have to ask you something.

Later.

No. Now.

It's not that I don't find
you attractive.

I'm out of practice,

and anyway,
I'm far too old for you.

I have a surprise for you.

I really don't know.

Come on.

The 20's were happy
and successful years for me.

I published books,

initiated international congresses
and tried...

to make all aspects of sexuality
public.

My Institute became world-famous...

and the respected center of sexology.

At the core
of the physicians' work...

was individual sexual counseling.

The extensive program
included advising people...

regarding sexual orientation,

treatment of venereal diseases
and potency disorders,

establishment of paternity,

and issuing of
marriage suitability certificates.

At the Institute was the first
medical marriage counseling office.

I discovered that, unfortunately,

most people choose
their partners less carefully...

than their automobiles.

The number of couples
seeking counseling...

reached 20,000 per year.

Last but not least, the Institute...

became a meeting place,

open to everyone with humanistic
convictions.

The decision could happen
at any moment.

- What shall we do?
- Bring the radio outside.

By the well near the gate...

Is a linden tree...

I dreamt in its shade...

So many sweet dreams...

Children, shut up.
It's time for the news.

Today the Legal Committee
of Parliament has recommended...

by a narrow majority to
repeal Paragraph 175.

Friends, stop it.

Don't cheer too soon.

It's just a recommendation.

The changes in Paragraph 175
accomplished nothing.

The reactionary forces
in Parliament...

drafted Paragraph 297...

which further criminalized
sexual contact between men.

I have to tell you something.

I have an invitation
to a series of lectures...

in America.

I'll be gone for almost a year.

Do you love me?

Did you hear what I said?

Did you hear what I said?

Yes.

Does that mean yes,
you love me or...

yes, you heard what I said?

I love you.

Then tell me something nice.

I can't take you with me.

You mean,
you're going by yourself?

A whole year? Without me?

Can you bear that?

Marvelous.

You tell me you love me,

and I ask you to say something nice,
and you say:

"I can't take you with me,
can you bear that?"

Brilliant, doctor.

Karl,

you know how Americans are.

Two men together. It's impossible.

You expect everyone to be open.
Of all people, you.

I know.

I'm fed up with your hypocrisy.

No shared flat.

Always walking on tip-toes.

No unnecessary glances in public.

"May I introduce the Institute's
archivist, Herr Giese?"

Why on earth
are you such a coward?

What's the worst that could
possibly happen?

BLOODY SWINE

Doctor dear, I packed
two bags of ginger sticks for you.

You're a sweetheart.

You will get along with him,
won't you?

With Little Siegfried?
Don't worry about that.

I'd be grateful...

if you'd give him your support.

He's the only one
who can manage this place.

You are coming back, aren't you?

Of course I'm coming back.

I mean, in case things get nasty?

You all worry too much.

The few addled souls out there.

That Austrian has 20% in Parliament,
doctor dear.

It can't just be on account of his
Charlie Chaplin mustache.

I promise:

If anything happens,

you can count on me.

Dear Karl,

Who would have thought that,
at my age, I'd see half the world?

I hope my postcards from India
and Egypt arrived.

Please don't be too angry with me...

that it's going to take a little longer
than planned...

before we can hug each other again.

By the way, a talented student
is traveling with me.

His father entrusted him to my care
in Shanghai.

A thousand greetings,
Your Papa Hirschfeld...

Have you shown it
to Auntie Gesche?

PS: Give Dorchen a hug for me.

Attractive, don't you think?

A new student.

A new student. Very funny.

Other mothers
also have lovely sons.

He'd never do that.

The rascal has changed his spots.

He knows what he likes
thanks to you, Little Siegfried.

Don't call me Little Siegfried.

No doubt he gives good head.

You've become obscene, Dorchen.

Like all old, pitiful,
frustrated queens.

You can't offend me.

Why should the truth offend you?

Listen. I could never stand you.

But in the 2 years since
the doctor's gone,

you've turned into a real beast.

You think all this is yours.
You think you built it all.

At least I helped.

Your prick helped.

You're crazy.

The doctor needed your prick, or he
would've dried up like a primrose.

And since I knew that,
I brought your prick here.

You brought me here?

And for that,
you should be grateful.

Treasure of the Nibelungen.

I'll kill you.

I'll kill you.

For heaven's sake.
The patients' files.

Those pigs.

That's a disaster.

- But what could they want with them?
- How naive can you be?

Why do you think
they took the files?

Because of the pretty handwriting?

Now they have a perfect black list.

If they get the chance,
they'll kill our patients.

Don't be such a pessimist.
Things will be better soon.

- Or should I come back?
- You mustn't come back.

Do you hear?

In the Nazi press, your name
tops the list of "Jewish Criminals".

Did you hear me?

What's that sound?

Just a moment.

You know,
it's raining cats and dogs here,

and I had to close the window.

How's your student coming along?

Oh, Tao Li?

He's applying himself, I must admit.

By the way, I've had fever lately.

Maybe it's malaria again.

Papa...

I miss you.

Don't worry.

Everything will be all right.

German men and women.

The age of overrefined Jewish
intellectualism...

has come to an end.

Comrades. Together we storm
this place of shame.

This Institute of Sexual Science
is a pigsty that needs cleaning.

Matches, you need matches...

To build a fire anytime...

When the woman
in the dark of night...

Suddenly awakes
and needs a light...

She seeks a lamp and finds it...

But she needs a match to light it...

- You're still here?
- We have to take Auntie with us.

Leave now. Find a safe place.

I'll take care of that.

Don't let them see you in those.

Come on. Let's clean it up.

Auntie, we have to hurry.

Aunt Gesche?

Aunt Gesche.

What are you up to,
my two pretties?

What's it look like?
This is a Sexual Institute.

So, you like old dead women, hey?

Get that pig.

What brave warriors you are.

Are you proud of yourselves?

Go ahead, beat me up,
if you're so proud of yourselves.

Beat me, smash me.

What's wrong? Why so shy?

Don't you dare to beat
up a little fairy?

There's three of you.

It worked on him.

- He started it!
- He started it?

How old are you? Five?

He started it.

What about this woman here?
Did she start it, too?

Come on. Why are you so shy?

Rip her apart.

Grind her up.
Show how magnificent you are.

What are you waiting for?

Karl.

I'll be right back.

They're gone, Aunt Gesche.
Well be going now, too.

THE JEWS - OUR MISFORTUNE

Garbage.

This will make a good fire.

I give to the fire the writings...

of Heinrich Mann, Ernst Gläser,

Erich Kästner.

I give to the fire the writings
of the school of Sigmund Freud.

I give to the fire the writings
of Erich Maria Remarque.

I give to the fire the writings
of Alfred Herz.

Against impudence and arrogance.

For respect and reverence...

for the immortal spirit
of the German people. Sieg Heil...

Let's go. The film is over.

We're closing now.
What's wrong with your friend?

- Does he need a doctor?
- No, no doctor.

- Help me.
- Magnus, please get up.

On May 14th, 1935, his 67th birthday,

Magnus Hirschfeld died
in exile in southern France.

In 1938, while fleeing the Nazis in
Czechia, Karl Giese committed suicide.

Nothing is known of Dorchen's fate.

To date, all attempts to found...

a new Institute
of Sexual Science have failed.