Original subtitles

Who is it?

lt's me. Hans.

Oh, it's you.

Mother!

lt's just like you to arrive in the middle of the night.

l've been away for more than a year.

Joining the foreign legion is your business.

But dragging in a nice boy like Manfred Wagner...

l had no end of trouble with his parents.

They gave me the blame.

Has he come back, too?

No, he's dead.

lt's always the same.

The good die young, and people like you come back.

l've changed, Mom.

Once a no-good, always a no-good.

Best pears!

MERCHANT OF THE FOUR SEASONS

2.40 a kilo!

A real bargain!

Buy your pears!

Fresh pears!

What's the matter?

Fresh pears!

Lovely pears!

Buy your pears!

They're a bargain!

Bring me up two pounds, please.

Nice big ones.

You're not going!

l have to.

Two pounds of pears, please.

Come in.

No. She...

Maybe some other time.

As you wish.

l'll leave the pears here.

Thanks.

l didn't even shake her hand.

lt took you seven minutes.

You do more than shake hands in that time.

Fresh pears!

Of course you're lying.

-Can it be a bit more? -Yes, of course.

Trouble?

You know what men are like.

2.80.

You know what l mean.

Hi. A double.

Trouble?

lt's always the same.

Yes, l know.

Thanks.

l'm going to collect Renate from the day-care center.

l'll take the pears down to the cellar.

Dinner's at 7:00.

Eat your dinner.

Nothing!

Nothing you've done can be undone.

Nothing.

lt was all my fault.

Why did l have to fall for her tricks?

What a fool l was.

l was a good policeman, too.

Never in trouble. Never...

until that little bitch comes along.

She must have been quite horny, though.

Horny? My God.

l picked her up at the market.

Off-limits, l thought to myself.

lt was quite obvious what she was up to.

''Come on, my girl,'' l said.

''We'll have a little chat at the station.''

She came quietly.

That's all there was to it.

l just wanted to take down her particulars.

Just her personal details.

Name?

Mariele.

Mariele Kosemund.

Date of birth?

May 31, 1932, in Munich.

Officer Epp!

l'm sorry. l...

No need to explain.

l have eyes in my head.

You'll pay dearly for this.

He's not there?

l'm so worried about him.

You're sure he's not at your place?

Yes, of course.

Sorry. Thanks.

ls that The Swan?

This is Mrs. Epp.

l just wanted to ask if my husband's there.

Yes. Hans.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Of course it was just.

What else could they do?

lt's obvious...

the police can't tolerate behavior like that.

l'm not complaining.

lf l didn't know it myself...

l'd have been a lousy cop, wouldn't l?

And l was a really good cop.

A good cop!

What are you doing here?

Come home...

please.

Please come home!

l'll come home when it suits me.

ls that clear?

Hans, please.

l'll come home when l'm ready!

Or are you hard-of-hearing?

l'll come home when it suits me...

and not a second sooner.

Not a second.

Now, get out of here, or there'll be trouble!

Hans, please.

Please!

You'll pay for that chair!

l'll pay for it.

Sure l'll pay for the chair.

l'll pay for everything.

Another round!

Make it snappy!

What do l earn my money for?

What do l work for?

Am l right?

Sure you are.

How much do you charge, darling?

Stop whining.

Put the kid to bed and come to bed yourself.

What a rat you are!

Get out of here, Renate.

-Come here. -Don't touch me!

You hit me!

You'll do what l say!

You're my wife!

ls that clear?

You don't call me a rat and get away with it!

You called me a rat!

Call the police!

The police?

Go on then, call the police!

Call them !

You bitch!

l want to sleep.

All l want is my peace.

l just want to sleep.

lrmgard?

lrmgard!

Can l be of any help, Mr. Epp?

Did you hear all that last night?

Couldn't close an eye.

l hate that sort of thing.

Did you hear it, too?

l'm leaving you. lrmgard.

l want to become a mechanic, Mother.

No, Hans. You're staying at school.

l don't want you working in a job...

where you have to dirty your hands.

l won't have it.

And that's final.

l hate you, Mother. l hate you!

Then he hit me.

lf you only knew how he hit me!

With his fists.

He used his fists on me.

Renate!

Tell them !

Tell them how he hit me!

Tell them !

Mommy!

l'm never going back to him again.

l feel so humiliated.

Of course not.

There's a limit to what a person can stand...

regardless of his good points.

And we always took them into account.

What did you take into account?

Anna, please.

l only asked what you held in his favor.

Be honest. You despise him.

That's not true. You know that's a lie.

l'm sorry, lrmgard. You know yourself they despise him.

They're ashamed of him.

No, they're not, Anna!

Really they aren't.

They always allowed us to put our fruit in the cellar.

They were always good to him.

My son beats his wife half to death...

but he'd never listen to me.

lt's the other way round, Mother.

You never took any notice of what was important to him.

That's the truth of the matter.

How can you say that?

l always loved my son.

Don't get worked up, Mother.

You've nothing to blame yourself for.

We must decide what to do: where you're going to live and so on.

You obviously can't stay here forever.

Of course not.

But for a few days, until things have sorted themselves out...

Thank you.

Don't cry.

Don't cry.

Everything will work out.

l need her. l need her so much.

Everything's so screwed up.

So screwed up.

You're right.

But if he really beats her...

What should we do, Kurt?

The poor thing just doesn't stop crying.

-Hans is here. -No!

My God! He'll beat me to death!

He's so brutal.

He'll beat me to death. l know it!

ls she here?

Let me in.

You won't hurt her?

They're all against you anyway.

l want her to come back. l want her back.

That's all.

Come with me, lrmgard.

No.

Stay where you are!

Tell him to go!

l won't hurt you.

-Hans. -You're coming with me!

You're coming at once!

He'll kill me!

No, he won't.

Calm down, Hans! You can't go on like this.

l want her to come back with me.

l'm going to phone my lawyer.

ls that Dr. Schirach's office?

Can l speak to my attorney, please?

This is lrmgard Epp.

l want a divorce.

Yes, of course.

You can't have all

You'd like to have

Hans!

Hans, my boy!

Do something!

Hello, Mrs. Epp!

What's the matter?

Don't do this to me, Hans.

Emergency service?

Send an ambulance to 33 Tizianstrasse.

l've never done...

anything like this before.

That's what they all say.

That's mean.

Everyone wants his bit of fun.

Where shall we go?

No idea. Your place?

No. My wife's at home.

You're married?

Yes, aren't you?

Yes.

Yes, l'm married, too.

You're good.

That's good!

-How is he? -He's not allowed to talk.

l've brought him some grapes. May he eat them?

No.

He's so fond of them.

Maybe another patient would like them...

someone who has no visitors.

Yes, there are plenty of those.

Thank you.

The child should stay outside.

Children can be disturbing.

Will you wait here?

ls Daddy going to die?

Everybody has to die some day: some sooner, some later.

l brought you some grapes, but you're not allowed to eat them.

l told the nurse to give them to someone...

who has no family.

Mrs. Epp, that's enough for today.

l'll be right out.

l'll come again tomorrow.

Get well.

l'll stick to you.

He looks so terrible.

He's very ill, Mrs. Epp.

Come along.

Where's Renate?

She was here just now.

Don't cry.

Your daddy will get well...

if he wants to.

Your daddy's tough.

But what if he dies?

l told you, he'll live...

if he wants to.

13-37-48.

Yes, she's here.

The nurse told her a load of nonsense.

What?

How is he?

Bye, then.

Your mother was worried.

You lied to me.

Sorry.

l didn't understand what you said.

What?

That.

l mean, saying Daddy would live if he wants to.

People haven't always treated your father well.

Who?

Forget it.

Tell me, Auntie Anna, tell me!

No, Renate.

Maybe later.

Maybe l'll tell you one day.

Why don't you come up?

l'm through with all that.

l've joined the foreign legion.

l can't stand it here anymore:

Mother, the school...you know.

You can't do that.

You'll be fighting a war.

You could be killed.

Anything's better than this here.

They gave me some money.

Here.

Buy yourself something.

Of course your husband will be his old self again, only...

Tell me doctor, please.

A heart attack like that...

weakens the condition, you see?

And with a weakened condition, he daren't overdo things.

ln other words...

he must avoid any heavy work.

No more lifting heavy loads, you understand?

You must see to that.

And another thing...

Any consumption of alcohol...

would be absolutely fatal.

You must keep an eye on that, too.

l must be going. l've explained it all to your husband.

You can see him now. Good-bye.

No more heavy work.

No more lifting things.

Hello, Mrs. Epp.

-Don't you feel well? -No. Thanks.

-Can l help you? -l'm all right.

Did the doctor tell you what the position was?

lt's bad, eh?

We'll manage.

You're just saying that.

lt's the truth, Hans.

We'll manage. l know we will.

lf only l'd learned a decent trade, something solid.

But as it is...

Don't say that!

lt doesn't help.

Listen, l'll find a regular pitch.

All you need do is buy the fruit...

and l'll sell it from the stall.

What about the hawker's license?

There's more money in hawking than selling from a stand.

And they're not issuing any more permits.

Who knows if we can live from your earnings?

lt doesn't look very rosy to me.

What if...

we hired someone?

Employ someone?

Yes, he can do the backyards.

He'd get a fixed wage and a percentage of the profits.

The rest would be ours.

Great idea.

l should have thought of it before.

We'll make more than we ever did, much more!

We just need another barrow. But that's no problem.

Everything will be fine.

l'm so happy, Hans.

So happy.

400?

No, no.

600.

With this barrow, you'll earn the money in a week.

600 is the least l can take.

450 and not a penny more.

No.

Wait!

Come here.

l bought it 20 years ago for my girlfriend...

to set her up on her own.

She's dead now. Dropsy.

Take good care of it.

All right, 500.

Yes, Rankestrasse, number 9.

Epp's the name. See you soon.

lt's not all clean work.

Are you used to getting your hands dirty?

l had dirty jobs wherever l went.

Cairo, Beirut...

Things are not as clean there as they are here.

l've been around.

That wouldn't be a problem for me.

Where have you been?

l wound up in Egypt, but l left when all the trouble started.

l've been...

all over the East.

Persia, Pakistan...

l was in long-distance haulage.

Down there...

But you want to stay in Munich?

-What's that? -You want to stay in Munich?

Not really. l want to get away again.

But if you're looking for a job in Munich...

Not for the long term.

l'm not so keen on staying, you understand?

No, l don't understand.

l've been knocking around for years.

But you're looking for a job?

Yes, but only temporarily.

And l mean temporarily.

How much were you thinking of?

What were you expecting to earn?

l must have 900.

900 is a lot of money.

l've got an apartment, new furniture...

a washing machine...

and l'm saving up for a car.

And l have a girlfriend, too.

She costs a fortune.

A fortune.

And the washing machine, as l said.

No, l couldn't do it for less than 900.

Just a moment.

That's right.

Come and see me...

at 9 Rankestrasse.

My name's Epp.

Yes, number 9.

Bye.

Could you give me...

some surety?

Surety?

Yes, surety.

My mother has no money, either.

Maybe my grandparents...

or rather my grandmother.

l'd have to ask.

-How much would you need? -5,000 at least.

No, that's out of the question.

No surety?

No.

You'll be handling money that doesn't belong to you.

That means l have to trust you.

Am l getting the message?

You're saying you can't trust me?

l didn't say that.

Have you ever done any real work before?

Sure. But l don't have to take the job.

l've got the barrow.

For 500. He wanted 600 at first.

This is my wife.

But l wasn't having any of that--

This is Mr. Ansil.

He'll be working for us.

Hello.

How do you do?

l'd better be going now.

Bye.

Bye, Mrs. Epp.

Bye.

See you tomorrow.

See you tomorrow.

ls he to be trusted?

Who?

This Ansil guy.

He looks a bit shady to me.

You reckon?

l don't know.

l like him.

No one can end

Your yearning

Not even when your dreams

Come true

Do you remember?

You were so funny.

Don't be sad.

l knew right away you were the one l wanted.

Even though you're shorter...

than me.

And then...

you joined in the song.

You were so funny.

l knew right away you were the one.

lt's really quite simple.

You must just find the right tone...

as if you were an old friend of the customers.

Try it.

Plums! Lovely plums!

1.20 a kilo!

Buy my lovely plums! Best quality plums!

Special offer!

Go on.

Fresh plums!

1.20 a kilo!

Not bad at all.

But you must just put more heart into it.

lt ain't so easy...

especially more heart.

That's the way it is.

OK.

Plums! Quality plums!

Buy my plums! Special offer!

Only 1.20 a kilo!

-Do you need anything? -Two crates of plums.

ls that your husband?

Yes.

What a nice husband you have.

l think he's nice, too.

That'll be 1.30, please.

Thank you.

Bye, and good luck with your new pitch here.

Thank you.

How's he doing?

Not bad.

Where are you off to?

We'll see.

Plums! Best plums!

1.20 a kilo!

Four kilos, please.

Are you new around here?

Yes. l work for Mr. Epp.

He used to do the rounds here.

Oh, yes. The little guy with the tall wife.

lt's terrible when a short man marries a tall woman.

Must give him complexes, eh?

l think they get on well enough.

-1.30, please. -Thanks.

Good-bye.

Bye. See you tomorrow.

Plums! Fresh plums!

Buy your plums!

Special offer!

Four pounds of plums, please.

How much?

2 marks 40. 1.20 a kilo.

Very nice turnover.

1,720 marks 70.

1,720.70 in a week.

That's very good. Very good, indeed.

Thanks.

Yes, that's OK.

You get 200 marks...

and five percent of the profits.

That's...86 marks.

Thanks.

-Cheers. -Cheers.

Well, l must be going. My wife's waiting.

See you on Monday.

Well?

He didn't cheat us, if that's what you mean.

How do you know?

l watched him working.

You what?

That's right.

You watched him?

-Yes. -Honestly?

Yes, and l'll go on checking up on him.

You want to go on watching him?

What a laugh!

Dad, l don't understand my homework.

Read it out.

''Farmer Obermeier buys a cartload of hay.

''His cart can carry 40 hundredweights.

''How long will the load of hay last...

''if a cow eats 25 pounds a day...

''and the farmer has 62 cows?''

l'll look in on him. Zucker always has good tomatoes.

Well?

Wait a moment. l have an idea.

Out with it.

You can make your own decisions when you sell, can't you?

More or less.

What would happen if you asked a bit more than you reckon up?

You mean...

Exactly.

The extra money you earn, you can share with me.

Sometimes there are things...

l'd like to be able to afford.

l want to go to bed with you. l'm hot on you.

Later.

That's a promise.

Careful.

lf l take 50 crates, l can have them for 2.50 each...

or 3.50 if l take less. What do you think?

Sure.

Can we sell them all?

l can sell 40 a week. She can sell the rest at the stand.

Come on, then.

Buy my tomatoes!

80 a kilo! Special offer!

Rock-bottom prices!

You sold them for 60 a kilo, right?

That's what you told me to do. 60 a kilo.

Anything wrong?

No.

All correct.

But what would you say if l said you sold them for 80 a kilo...

and not for 60?

There, that's everything.

l'll take 200 marks. l earned it, after all.

You whore! lt was her idea!

Hans, help!

She put me up to it!

He's lying!

Leave her alone! Get out!

A fine wife you have.

You don't believe him, do you, Hans?

Of course not.

l love you, Hans.

l really love you, but...

But?

l can't take you home with the trade you've got.

l can't tell my father l want to marry a fruit seller...

a street trader with a barrow.

l thought, if two people love each other...

lt's better if we don't see each other again.

Be sensible.

l love you so much.

Don't you know anyone reliable who could do the backyards?

lt's not easy.

lt's not easy to find someone reliable.

And if you have to keep watching him...

you might as well do it yourself.

lt's true, isn't it?

Hi, Zucker.

Hi, Harry.

-Hans! -Harry!

My God.

You must come and meet my wife.

l was in Egypt for seven years.

Then l got married...

and started my own business.

But it all went bust...

marriage, the business, everything.

How did you get out?

Out of the legion?

l just took off...

about two months after you.

My God, what times they were.

Who is it?

Hans.

Let me introduce my friend Harry.

My wife.

Hello.

Hello.

Are you the Harry from the legion?

That's right.

Hans told me a lot about you.

Good things, l hope.

Only good things.

He's going to work for me.

l'm glad to hear it.

Thanks a lot.

We've made almost 2,000 marks this month.

Harry's OK.

l've nothing against him.

But why he has to live here, l just don't know.

Harry's my buddy.

And anyway, he's not here very much.

Be reasonable.

And another thing:

he hasn't cheated us once in all these six weeks.

Not once.

l've nothing against him, Hans, but in an apartment like this...

We're a family, after all...

and we need a place...

where we can be alone, don't we?

Harry can stay as long as he likes.

And that's final.

What's up with your husband?

He's become a bit quieter.

But it suits him, don't you think?

l've noticed several times, he seems a bit strange...

as if he were ill.

No, he's fine.

He's just quiet, that's all.

1.90, please.

Hello, Mr. Epp.

Hello.

Bye, then. See you tomorrow.

Bye.

There. l've finished.

Hans. Harry wants to reckon up.

You do it. l don't feel like it.

As you wish.

OK, then.

Monday to Wednesday, tomatoes: that makes 612 marks 30.

Four crates were rotten.

Thursday and Friday...

Dad, l can't do my homework.

Can you help me?

Let me finish the accounts, and l'll help you.

We'd better be quick. My husband's due back.

How could l know you'd turn up after all these months?

Eight.

-What? -Eight months.

What's up? ls something wrong?

l don't know.

Get undressed and lie down next to me.

Come on.

Tell me.

ls something the matter?

No.

Something is wrong, though.

l don't know.

l just don't feel like it.

Come on.

Please.

l...er...

lf there's anything l can do for you...

No, no.

l wouldn't mind a coffee.

Or are you very busy?

The coffee's in the pot.

Something worrying you?

No.

No, there's nothing worrying me.

Do you have you a lot of work?

l let the others do that for me.

l go for walks a lot and think.

Maybe l think too much.

You can never think too much.

On the contrary.

Maybe, but it torments me.

What?

Oh, nothing.

l'm going now. l don't want to disturb you.

You're not disturbing me.

l just have to hand in this manuscript by tomorrow.

l'll come some other time.

-See you soon. -See you.

''The Frog Prince.

''The princess is weeping.

''Her golden ball has fallen into the well.

''Then the big fat frog says...

'''Don't cry. l'll bring you your golden ball.

'''My reward will be to be your playmate.'''

Yes, it's lovely.

What do you say, Hans?

What? Sorry, l wasn't listening.

Yes, your essay is very good.

Dinner's ready.

Are you coming, Hans?

Aren't you hungry?

He'll live if he wants to.

People haven't always been nice to your daddy.

No one can end

Your yearning

Even when your dreams

What...

l knew my son would make a go of it.

Last month, we had a turnover of 5,000 marks.

5,000?

That's pretty good.

Kurt had a raise, too.

You don't mind my saying that, do you, Kurt?

Of course not.

How much does that leave you?

A bit more than 2,500.

About 2,620.

But what's more important...

he no longer has to hawk the stuff around the backyards.

To tell you the truth, l always felt ashamed...

when people asked what my son did.

l got all hot under the collar.

But now...

l'm really proud of him.

You have a proper business now, haven't you?

Of course, Grandmother.

lt's a proper business.

ln two years at the latest, we want to have our own shop...

if all goes well.

Things have really changed.

Something big with delicatessen and so on.

How wonderful.

That's something else l have to look forward to.

lt's quite a comfort.

lt wasn't much of a life if you think about it.

A few months ago, you all denied you despised him.

Do you remember?

You're just being nasty.

You're always so aggressive.

l'm not aggressive.

l'm just honest.

You did despise him...

and at the bottom of your hearts, you still do.

Forget it.

They're right, in a way.

lt wasn't a very nice life. No security or anything.

Now, in the police...

OK. So they were right.

But that doesn't give them the right to look down on you.

You're much more despicable, Kurt, if the truth were known.

Much more despicable.

Anna, please.

Why is Kurt despicable?

You open your mouth, but you're evasive when you're confronted.

Have it your way.

lsn't it despicable to run a newspaper...

whose politics you don't agree with?

Anna, l beg you. You're just surmising all this.

Do you support their line?

Go on. Tell us.

Of course l agree with the line.

Then you're stupid.

More stupid than l thought.

l won't have this bickering!

Kurt is a Christian...

and his newspaper is a Christian paper.

A Christian newspaper?

You won't listen to your mother, Anna.

But believe me, behavior like that doesn't go unpunished.

l'll help you to bed, Mother.

Thank you, my child.

You'll die, Hans.

lt'll kill you.

That was one for each of you.

And one more for my mother...

for my sister Heidi...

for my brother-in-law Kurt...

for my sister Anna...

and for my daughter.

And...

this...

is for the love of my life.

For the police...

and this is for my old school...

and for the legion.

Harry, you're the only real human being...

but you're a swine, too.

Sure. We're all swine.

That's right.

But you're nothing more than a swine...

a tiny, little swine.

You were interested only in my welfare.

Remember...

in Morocco...

'47?

We must help him.

Let's wait and see what happens.

Go on, shoot.

Shoot.

Shoot.

Shoot, man.

Help me.

We couldn't get here any quicker.

You should have let me die.

Why didn't you let me die?

He's dead.

Who is that woman?

Which one?

The one over there.

The love of Hans' life.

l phoned her.

l'm going to my mother-in-law's.

Come with me.

OK, l'll come with you.

You know the business.

l can't manage on my own.

And you get on well with Renate.

You like her.

l don't know what you feel for me, whether you like me...

but l like having you around.

lf we were to team up...

it'd be the best for everyone, l think...

for you...

for me...

and especially for Renate.