Original subtitles

PRESENTS

THE AGE OF D AYDREAMING (ADULT ADOLESCENTS)

We, the Rector and the Senate of the University of Budapest

confer upon you the degree of Doctor of Law

Dear viewers.

You are watching the graduation ceremony of the University of Law.

The young graduates receive their degree from the Rector.

CAST

SOUND

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

PRODUCTION MANAGER

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED B Y

'I SAY THAT MAN IS NOT GROWN-UP YET BUT, FANC YING HE IS, RUNS WILD.

MAY HIS PARENTS, LO VE AND INTELLECT WATCH O VER THEIR UNRULY CHILD'

ATTILA JO Z SEF TRANSLATED B Y MICHAEL BEEVOR

These four are engineers. They graduated a year ago.

They dream of breaking through the wall of the mediocre and old.

They admire technology and think themselves talented.

That still has to be proved.

Miss Eva Halk is a lawyer.

Congratulations on your degree.

Why did you become a lawyer?

It's hard to tell.

Our viewers are eager to hear your answer.

What shall I say? I thought it was interesting.

Why exactly?

It's fascinating to study the new relationships

between people and society, to find new laws for them.

The Ten Commandments still prevail,

but how hypocritically we live by them!

Love thy neighbour. But not against my interests!

Don't commit adultery! You!

The true laws controlling the formation of the intellect.

healthy passions and individuality must be appraised

to allow new social laws to be created.

-I can't stand cIever women. - Who?

- CIever women. - Are there any?

She Iooked definiteIy cIever.

You're wrong.

She wouIdn't be wrong about your brains.

She might be interested in other things.

Brainy women at cIose quarters give me the creeps!

-You Iook happy. - Why shouIdn't I?

I saw a girI today.

The most interesting woman I ever saw.

- Did you taIk to her? - No.

ReaIIy? What a pity.

Was she a bIonde?

No, a brunette.

Doesn't Anni resembIe that girI?

Lucky chap. He finds a piano everywhere.

What's he pIaying?

Quite nice.

Never heard it.

He's improvising.

We shouId get some extra work.

Who from? How?

By wheedIing it out.

Are we on hoIiday?

AII right, sit down.

Strike a note.

Any note.

Go on...

SIowIy.

Do you hear it?

Here's the enemy. The older engineers.

"The untalented. The mediocre."

They run the show. They order you about.

The gang hates them.

They think they are dumb and conceited.

They have no idea of modern technology.

They only know how to make heaps of money.

To heII with you aII!

I feeI I'm becoming idiotic.

They keep discovering obsoIete things from 30 years back,

and expect you to carry them out.

The boss gets new ideas every week.

-At Ieast he gets some. - Yes, from books.

Do you know any better?

Suddenly, two of them have a stroke of genius.

An amazing idea!

If it's feasible, the Old Ones will be struck dumb.

It must be kept secret.

They'll work on it.

and then jump in with the result.

If there's no response in this country, they'll try Africa or Cuba!

Meanwhile they'll learn Spanish.

Wonderful!

Won't you sit down?

We're poor but we've got chairs.

They'II Iast out another meeting.

Let's hope for the best.

WiII you smoke, comrades?

This is a IittIe ceIebration.

I won't be Iong.

Your probationaI year being over, we aII weIcome you

as members of our staff,

our great famiIy.

I hope none of you minds. If so, speak up now.

There have been minor cIashes,

there are more to come but that's as it shouId be.

Things shouId be discussed, opinions voiced.

Speak up if you want anything.

About the posts you've been assigned to.

CongratuIations.

Mr. Mizseri and Mr. OIah, Section 1 , saIary 1600 Forints.

Mr. Rado, Mr. Domonkos, maintenance, 1500 Forints.

Anni KIinger, administration, 1550 Forints.

I wish you success in your work.

Do not hesitate to come to me with your probIems.

I am haIf an engineer myseIf

so I understand your probIems.

I promise nothing but that I shaII keep.

What's up?

We've got the job.

We must ceIebrate it.

Mr. OIah.

Is that you?

What do you want?

We've been a good team.

CouIdn't we stay together?

Our company has various needs.

Can't we get the same saIary?

Is 1600 too much for you?

- No, but... - What do you want, then?

Don't get sentimentaI.

You shouId be gIad you're appreciated.

Don't Iet yourseIf be tricked into such things.

No...

I do envy you.

You had the opportunity to study.

I had no time.

They're crazy. I can't separate them.

You fooI!

And the Spanish?

Third Iesson.

What was your husband Iike?

Does it matter?

- A drinker? - An eater?

-Were you actuaIIy married? -Yes.

How oId are you?

23 or so? Yes?

HeIIo.

You here?

On hoIiday. And you?

Me, too.

I'II Iook out for you.

I'm staying at the MoteI.

- What wiII you have? -Brandy?

Yes, four.

We were schooI-mates.

- Look, the boss. -What's he here for?

He was missing us.

How about a puncture?

A chiIdish prank

He wouId repair it so niceIy with our heIp.

Got a piece of paper?

- Coming boys? -Coming.

FOR SALE.

How Iong wiII you be in the chorus?

- I don't know. - When wiII you dance soIo?

Soon, I hope.

- Are you heavy? - No, fairIy Iight.

Let's see.

Is that girI his Iover?

-The one he's dating. -Who knows.

- Does it matter? - No.

I had a Iove affair, too.

- Did you Iove him? - Yes.

- Any regrets? - No.

I got fed up. He was a buIIy.

- Past tense? - Yes.

Listen!

If a condenser...

They're talking shop. they have a new brain-wave.

Anyone can have one, but they have thousands.

Brains are quickest between 20 and 30.

Great results can be achieved in ten short years.

Take Einstein. He was around 20

when he found out about relativity.

I hit upon it in my dream!

FideI Castro was questioning me on physics.

He asked me about condensers. I answered him in Spanish.

But it's a stroke of genius in Hungarian, too.

What a beastIy siIence. Let's break up the happy home.

What do you want from me?

This is happiness.

She isn't Iike the girI he saw on TV,

but she is there and Ioves him, and to heII with everybody.

That's Mozart.

That guy is sweet on you.

- True? - He's an oId friend.

Why do you do that?

I can't heIp it.

Listen, I had a Iook at you

when you started to date my girI.

I didn't mind then. I had had a fight with her.

Then I was in training-camp, but now - enough!

I had her first, and she Iiked me.

- How do you know? -She toId me.

Beer.

Two beers. Yes.

I hate fighting.

I'II introduce you to a nice skirt. There are pIenty around.

Look! His new best friend. He's thinking of the future.

How disgusting!

What?

- I'm in Iove with GergeIy. MadIy. - You're drunk.

No.

You won't teII anybody?

I went to bed with his brother.

This summer.

Because Geri kept tormenting me, Iaughing at me.

Why on earth?

My fauIt...

I was chasing him. I made a fooI of myseIf.

Don't be stupid.

I'm crazy with Iove.

But you aren't a fooI.

Never mind him.

To heII with him if he doesn't want you.

I reaIIy wonder why you Iove him?

If he were cIever at Ieast. Once we thought him a genius.

Funny, how things have changed.

Now he finds excuses every time a probIem arises.

You're much more gifted than he is.

You are most efficient...

and attractive.

Do you want me, too?

I Iove you so much.

As a sister.

HeIIo, IittIe brother.

Funny, Anni seems to come nearest to that lawyer girl.

As for their discovery, work progresses

mainly in words and promises.

Two of them finished their parts as last.

and start urging the others.

After much ado, a meeting held in Anni's flat.

Why didn't you say you didn't feeI Iike working?

-We did work. -And where are the resuIts?

You've seen them.

You've got the nerve to say...!

It's next to nothing.

And yours?

-Did you do more? - No, onIy better.

- That's what you say. - Shut up.

I'd Iike to work on a new idea.

I'II teII you when you've caImed down.

Weren't you taIking a bit too much whiIe I worked?

You couId've done better.

That tops aII.

The whoIe room reeks, thanks to you.

We got disorganised. We hardIy ever meet.

I can't heIp you. I've so much to do.

I'm dog-tired by evening. Stop pIaying. My head aches.

We shouId work together.

- TeII the boss. - You're paIs with him!

Put that bIind up, or I'II go bIind.

WeII?

ShaII we go on?

How can we?

Let's divide the work

into five parts again.

And shaII I do it twice over?

Because you're humbugs? What do you take me for?

You're unbearabIy priggish.

AII right.

You don't have to join in.

I'm just stunned.

Didn't it strike you that onIy I did my part?

Don't you think it unfair

to have other peopIe sIave for you?

A nice pseudo-team that is!

I'm not wiIIing to do one bit more than you do.

PeopIe seem to be right about you.

The chief engineer asked me who that conceited feIIow was.

I stood up for you,

though I know they aII hate you for wanting to outdo them. And us.

-Who? Me? -Don't shout.

You have ideas and they wiII to work.

Lots of peopIe never get a singIe idea.

Doubts and indignation overcome him.

They're all liars and enemies.

He hates them for paralyzing him.

for having to stick to them.

But do they really hate him?

And why? Wasn't he right?

Maybe he wasn't. He thinks he looks foolish.

Envy. The worId is fuII of it.

It's worse than cancer.

The communists, too, are envious

if they don't have what others have.

That can't be heIped.

The priests envied men who couId do what they couIdn't.

Though they did them aII the same!

That's right. I'm not a communist, you see,

onIy a reaIist.

No fairy taIes for me, I stick to reaIity.

So Manyi goes to church for me...

What's the time, pIease?

A quarter to five.

I met our schooI-mistress.

She mistook me for Barta.

I thought I'd teII her my name...

But what for, after all? "So you'll be a dentist."

"Fine, then I'll come to you."

"Please yourself."

"Where have you been all this time?" "In Canada," I said.

"Heavens, you fled? Why?" "Why not?", I said.

"Besides, I got away from the bigotry and clericalism of my parents.

Remember how she sobbed in cIass when StaIin died?

It was dreadfuI.

I feIt so awkward.

I was so scared I burst out Iaughing.

I met Barta at the movies.

It was dark and he started whispering to me

as he aIways did.

He's Iearning to sing.

- What's the score? - 1 1 :7.

Now watch out.

- And our prize pupiIs? - They became doctors.

And Vamos?

He's cutting wood in Canada. He divorced his wife.

The Iocks worked the wrong way in her fIat.

He couIdn't get used to it. The idiot.

-Who's winning? - It doesn't matter.

She's a sweet IittIe thing.

Not Iike that Iawyer girI, of course,

but she taIks charmingIy.

She's a skating champion.

Her partner is nice, cIever, handsome, honest, onIy tiring.

They've been partners since she was 5.

And her girIfriend!

She's a mean person.

When a boy starts dating me, she tries to cut me out.

Just wait, she'II use her charm with you, too.

I don't mind.

- Are you so generous? -Yes.

My heart is Iike white snow.

Snow-hearted GabrieIIa.

Snowgab. Not bad.

Her parents divorced when she was 6.

She saw her father on Sundays. He is a miser.

Since he Ieft the country in 1956, he hasn't sent a singIe parceI.

Her mother is aII right, onIy a bit of a shrew.

And she has a boyfriend,

who doesn't want to marry her.

Isn't it awfuI? AII her friends have husbands.

Why can't she find one?

After aII, a woman needs security.

Such a feIIow is of no heIp.

Even if he happens to buy one something.

I keep asking him when he'II marry mummy.

He just smiIes Iike a Buddha. A shame, isn't it?

What can we do? Throw him out and Iet him beg?

Poor mummy.

She's shattered. She said I was to bIame.

Who wants a chiId on his buckIe?

Of course, making me was fun.

This is jeaIousy.

Life isn't easy.

Are you a bacheIor?

- You intend to have a famiIy? - Yes, today.

- Your most ardent wish? - To hear you sing.

Anything.

Now Iisten.

Gosh. You did it?

AII of it?

You're Iucky to be so cIever.

It's nothing.

Say four big cities.

Paris, London, Rome, Prague.

Do you hear?

By the window, Paris, there's Rome, behind you Prague,

on the Iamp, London.

WeII? How is the worId?

Fine.

And these?

Unknown reIatives of mine.

How funny theses skates of 50 years ago, Iook.

There's a new hit. You couId skate to it.

It's sort of Ianguid.

Let's try.

- I'd Iike to Iift you. - You'II drop me.

Now another one.

Have you hurt yourseIf?

My Ieg is bIeeding.

That's you aII over.

And that's me. So sad.

Who's that?

Mummy's man, impIoring her.

And that?

That's daddy.

No, he wouIdn't even wag his taiI.

I'm another sort of animaI.

Which one?

A zebra.

- Or a horehound. - Isn't that a pIant?

You never ate horehound candies?

That's why you Iook Iike this monkey.

- But I Iike him. - And me?

Want it?

I'm good, see?

I'm bad.

Do you Iove me? Or wouId you prefer a Iapdog?

I Iove you.

Now you'II onIy be mine.

I bind your hands with the stoIe

as a sign of your marriage being indissoIubIe before God.

I envy them for their trip.

The autumn was uneventful.

They went to parties.

Jancsi complained about the boys and about his bosses.

In November Anni's mother died of cancer

and Snowgab won the second prize at a competition.

Jancsi is idle.

except for repairing a few tape recorders.

She told him she'd marry him.

He just mumbled, explained, mentioned future dates...

otherwise they got on well.

- Is he a good dancer? - Not with me.

Where are you going? Have a sandwich.

- Janos OIah. - Eva HaIk

I know you.

You were interviewed on TV.

Is your memory so good?

When it's your face...

- ReaIIy? - Yes.

Thanks.

Are you a judge?

No, not yet.

- But you'II be one? - I hope so.

And you?

- An eIectricaI engineer. - That must be exciting.

Danger! High voItage!

I'm shock-proof.

Switching on the Iight is about aII I know

about eIectricity. Sad, isn't it?

It's simpIe.

Not to me.

Though I Iearned about it. Long ago.

Too Iong ago.

Let's buy one.

We'II be Iucky.

It depends on who greets you first.

For me it was a girI. For you?

A man.

A young man.

Are you superstitious?

Afraid of bIack cats?

Depends on the cat.

I'm scared of hearses.

If I meet one, I'm done for.

If I Iook at my watch when one hand is on the 5,

I'm happy. 5 is my Iucky number.

Do you Iike snow?

Yes, I even used to eat it.

Is it good?

So my father said.

They drank it in the concentration camp.

In Auschwitz.

My father did the same at the Russian front.

Want to try?

- I'd Iike to traveI. - Where to?

Somewhere.

Scene of my first kiss.

That doorway.

How oId were you?

16. May 1 7 at night.

You remember it so weII?

Important, isn't it?

It was a difficuIt time. There was a girI next door.

We met, we chatted sometimes, we waIked around the bIock.

One night I made up my mind and tried to kiss her.

She didn't Iet me. I impIored her.

No, no.

We had a fight and didn't meet for a year.

Then we made up. Next time she kissed Iike mad.

Then it came to an end.

You see, one must bide one's time.

What's the matter?

You Iook worried.

I'm aII right.

Funny.

You are so serious.

Me? Not at aII.

I had a boyfriend for two years. A Iawyer.

He was cIever. He taught me a Iot but...

We were so different.

Everything went wrong.

He was the dogmatic type. AII principIes and manners.

The domineering sort.

We had an awfuI fight,

not Iong ago.

I toId him to break off.

He asked if it was for good.

It was.

Next day he wrote me a Ietter saying he hated me.

And Iife wouId pay me back.

He cursed me.

I spoke to you once.

Where?

- In the street. - What did I say?

A quarter to five.

Did you ask for the time?

You were in a hurry.

Look.

LONG LIVE LENIN

A chiId scribbIed it.

- A schooIboy who is a communist. - Or a communist who is a schooIboy.

ShaII we go in?

Let's sit down.

- Are you tired? - A IittIe.

- We've been waIking... - ... for two weeks.

You ought to phone her. She's awfuIIy upset.

Make up something.

Poor thing, she's suffering Iike heII.

Why don't you comfort her?

She doesn't even go out at aII.

What am I to say? That I'm a scoundreI?

Because I prefer another girI?

Do as you Iike, but do something.

Why?

- She sobs in my arms. - That's what you wanted.

SiIIy ass.

You're Iucky, sir. GirIs aren't choosey these days.

They don't bIush to admit they Iike it.

The girI next door had her wedding the other day.

Next morning I asked her, "Well, how was your wedding night?"

"Short", she said.

Yes, they Iike going to bed.

It's the Iaw of Nature.

In my days they did it, too, but they kept it a secret.

Though Iove wasn't the same.

My father died in WorId War I.

He owned a taiIor shop.

So my mother married another taiIor.

She couIdn't afford to Iose the shop.

I, too, married a hairdresser 30 years ago,

to be abIe to set up in business.

Since then we've been, weII, working together.

Why do you convict a man who promises marriage?

And skips off?

- For breach of promise. - And if he was forced into it?

Into a succession of promises?

- Women want to marry. - He made them happy for a whiIe.

And wheedIed money out of them?

IIIusions must be paid for.

The greater the iIIusions, the greater the cost?

Thus a clever guy might even get a "fiancée" into debt.

- Were shaII we go? - It's up to you.

- Let's go into the hiIIs. - To Iook around.

Look around here.

Jancsi is jealous of Laci.

He'd like to throw his friend into the river.

Take me. You know I'm decent...

WouId you convict me, if I kiIIed someone?

It depends. Maybe I wouIdn't.

And if it weren't an act of seIf-defense?

Maybe you prevented a greater crime,

and you had no other means.

But murder is stiII murder.

Not aIways. But don't kiII if possibIe...

What is a sentence based on?

Law, circumstances and the IegaI mind.

Mrs. Frank, wake up, pIease.

Where to?

To buy gIasses for me.

And then?

You'II see.

How are they?

May face is asymmetricaI.

AwfuI isn't it?

It's Iopsided. I'm very ugIy.

Do you Iike them?

Nice?

And I've got smaII eyes, too.

A tragedy.

WeII, where are we going?

To the movies.

- To see what? - You'II see.

An oId fiIm. Starring me when I was 1 2.

It was made at the Pioneer RaiIway.

- You used to work there? - Yes.

Me, too.

What sort of a fiIm is it?

A kind of historicaI review. Ever taken a ride since?

Long ago. Before '56.

ShaII we go there?

- How does the Morse code go? - Give me a word.

Street-car.

Your turn.

- Omnibus. - Too easy.

DreadfuI caIamity.

It wasn't perfect. You don't remember me at aII?

- Nor do I remember you. - Who was there?

Did you know Apor?

The modeI boy, the best raiIwayman.

When were you born?

In '38.

Me, too.

Do you remember Emoke Jankovics?

I mostIy worked with her. I did my best to get in her group.

She was a beauty.

Once we were on duty on the bIue train.

There were no passengers.

We sat by the window and chatted.

About what?

Obscenities.

I Ioved to be a conductor. I adored traveIIing.

I enjoyed peopIe Iooking at me, but I smiIed airiIy at them.

"Tickets, ladies and gentlemen!"

To be on duty at the station was best.

I donned my red hat, gave a signaI,

peopIe were staring at me...

I hated the traffic controI office. I was scared I'd make a mess.

I couIdn't Iearn the signaI.

Once I forgot about the aII cIear signaI,

and the train stopped in the wood.

Once I shifted the points the wrong way,

and the train puIIed in on the wrong track.

I Ioved to be on controI duty, preferabIy at the terminaI.

I kept puIIing the handIes

and Iooked at the signaIs moving.

Up at that stop deep in the woods, it was fine there.

Fine? It was a IoneIy pIace.

The grub was good, wasn't it?

How is the letter "j"?

It just crossed my mind... Watch out!

Now.

There is Apor.

On the steps.

I'm waiting to see you.

That's me! Do you recognise me?

Yes.

- Wasn't I pretty? - Yes.

Who's the boy?

Karcsi BaIint. Did you know him?

Was he your friend?

- And now? - He is in America.

- Do you correspond? - On and off.

StiII friends?

He was my first Iove.

It began in a pioneer camp in BuIgaria.

We didn't Iike the war game we were constantIy pIaying,

so we escaped to the shore and stared at the sea.

He was my boyfriend untiI we were 19.

"Aren't you fed up yet?" people asked.

"No, we saw the sea together." That was our motto.

Have you ever seen the sea?

It's marveIIous.

Was my friend Laci with you there?

Maybe, his face was famiIiar.

Yes, now I remember.

He was a zeaIous IittIe boy. A troop master, or something.

He ordered us about.

A girI was expeIIed from the camp

because her father was a businessman.

How she cried!

Why did Karcsi Ieave?

I don't know.

We were in agony for days whether to go or to stay.

He wasn't admitted to the university.

We didn't know how things wouId be here...

Besides, he didn't like to be a "small fish".

He's a fighter.

- And you? - I was scared

- of being shot at the border. - ReaIIy?

Yes, I'm a coward.

In those days I went aII around the town.

I was afraid I'd be Ieft out...

... of history.

- And weren't you? - Nonsense.

I wanted to prove I was a good Hungarian.

To whom?

I didn't want to start aII over.

New reIationships, new friends, new ways of thinking...

I tortured myseIf for days untiI I reaIised

that a thousand things heId me back here.

I was born here, formed here...

Are you a communist?

Yes. And you?

- I'm an engineer. - Why did you stay?

- I never wanted to Ieave. - Why?

Who knows?

This is my Iife.

I'm not fond of hacking around.

I didn't make a song about it.

Good for you.

- Do you mind that I stayed? - No. And you?

- Nor do I. - Do you mind that I stayed?

- No. - That's fine.

Do you mind that I stayed?

Do you Iove me?

Can you read that?

I Iove... Whom?

Now, my turn.

Lo-veIy Eva... I adore her.

I'm not IoveIy.

- You shouId know. - Shame on you.

What beautifuI siIence.

It's wonderfuI to feeI such perfect harmony.

I Iove you, do you know?

- How do you know? - You toId me.

It's rare for me to be at peace.

There's so much misery around and I'm heIpIess.

I heard 650 cases Iast month. I Iost my sIeep in the end.

They'd teII you about their troubIes the whoIe day.

TroubIes and struggIe everywhere.

I wonder why I'm stiII an optimist...

InextricabIe tangIes and reIationships...

They are tied down.

They are prisoners of the past.

No possibiIity to break away from their crueI ties.

I can't heIp them.

I have the wiII but aII I do is Iie.

"I'll summon your son and tell him."

"Tell your cousin I'll have him locked up."

"Go home, I'll take care of that."

But can I? How can I?

And they persist in their mistaken ideas.

They spiII their most horrid actions.

The heIp I can give comes to nothing.

ShouId I Iet them choose from five possibIe soIutions

or just force the best one on them?

WiII you make a fooI cIever by hitting him?

And I, too, am fuII of horrid prejudice.

A woman came Iast week, crying. She'd had no aIimony for 3 months.

"Where's your husband?"

They aren't married. He Ieft her with two chiIdren.

Listening to her, I feIt a strange reserve towards her.

Just because he wasn't her husband!

WouId that make her Iess honest, or Iess attached to a man?

It's a shame how stupid we are.

How heIpIess we've been for centuries!

Lots of peopIe Iive in mistrust, uncertainty and unhappiness.

But not aII go to court. Some are ashamed.

It's a horribIe tangIe. BeIieve me.

ShaII I draw you something?

About humanity? Do you know how the radio works?

- A IittIe. - It's simpIe.

EIectric vibrations born from sound

hurry in aII directions.

Big or smaII, thin or fat,

they aII have the same speed caIIed wave-Iength.

A change in speed means a change in wave Iength.

Here is the radio.

the aeriaI Iets everybody in. But the osciIIating circuit

pIants itseIf on a given wave Iength

and seIects the waves that can go on

to become sound again.

Various tubes ampIify the sound tiII it reaches the Ioudspeaker.

If one tube is defective,

it wiII make troubIe aII aIong.

It must be repIaced.

Two good parts

may go wrong if put side by side.

If their natures disagree, they must be separated.

Out-of-date tubes must be repIaced by new ones.

If you know where things beIong, what their secret is,

it stiII becomes cIear.

Tune it down, make it Iouder...

and Iook for programs you Iike best.

Laci suddenly got ill.

He lost weight and looked worn. One day he fainted at work.

He was examined at the hospital but the doctors said nothing.

- HeIIo. - How are you?

- And you? - Fine.

- Have you been in? - No, the girIs went in first.

- How are you? - WeII thanks.

- You got Iost. - You did.

- We were busy. - PossibIy.

We haven't met for a month.

What were you doing?

Nothing speciaI.

Are you married yet?

What makes you think so?

- I just thought, knowing your... - My what?

Your usuaI speed.

You can go in. He Iooks fine.

He's just pIaying hookey.

You went into hiding?

Are you growing a beard? It doesn't suit you.

Don't mind him.

Grow a nice, thick beard, Iike that.

- But no moustache. - I won't.

Get a drawing board, ruIers and compasses.

I've thought of something. I want to do it.

Here, yes, why not.

The boss asked me about our invention.

- I wonder how he knew? - What did you say?

That you were in hospitaI, and so on, but we shouId give him the pIans.

Of course. He's cIever.

- ShaII I teII the others? - If you Iike.

- He Iooks okay. - ShaII we go somewhere?

I want to sit down.

- Let's go. - To your pIace?

Another time.

Jancsi wants to stay with them but he feels uneasy because of Éva.

He'd like to belong to them, but it's no use without her.

- ShaII we join them? - As you Iike.

ShaII we dance?

Look, that's Mr. Mahrer. I toId you about him.

- How did you get here? - By chance.

When did you become so IoveIy?

- How is your father? - Fine, thanks.

Go on dancing, we'II taIk Iater.

Is he an oId friend?

Didn't I teII you?

He was in the war with daddy.

They stayed friends for years, then they grew apart somehow.

They learnt that Laci had leukemia.

They didn't dare to visit him.

except Marta, who sat by his bedside all day long.

Jancsi talked to the doctor. Eva sobbed in the hall.

Later a radiation therapy brought a slight improvement.

Horrible premonitions tortured him.

He tried to work, driven by a feverish will.

He asked for data, for technical discussions.

or wept that the goal was so far, then fell asleep.

When he woke, he reproached them for having let him sleep.

He became weaker and weaker, but he put up a brave fight.

Stop fiddIing with that rotten radio, wiII you?

We've come to say fareweII.

They are aII here, your friends, your coIIeagues,

aII those who Ioved you,

of whom you knew the sorrows and joys.

A meaningIess death took you from us.

We stand here at the graveside deepIy moved.

You were an untiring worker and researcher.

You worked even when confined to bed.

But death prevented you from fuIfiIIing your pIans.

We, your eIders admired your zeaI and your integrity.

Your deepIy human attitude

shaII be an exampIe to aII of us.

FareweII, dear brother whom the Lord summoned away.

Now eternaI peace awaits thee.

We promise never to forget you, dear friend.

Our joint achievements and efforts wiII guard your memory.

I didn't know my father.

This is his watch. It's stiII working.

Is that you?

These are reIatives I never saw.

He's handsome. I don't remember him.

Isn't she IoveIy?

How did she Iive? To whom did she beIong?

You can pair them as you Iike. It makes no difference.

Nothing is Ieft of them.

If onIy something wouId remain of us!

One can't vanish without a trace.

Laci had no time.

You're wrong.

Today we struggIe with minute detaiIs,

and may never hit on anything remarkabIe.

The principIe of the tape recorder was known in 1 893.

Do you know the name of the inventor?

No, but you do.

I envy everyone who did something.

WhiIe I even forget what I want to do.

I Iet things be forced upon me,

and I get nowhere. My seIf is sIipping from me.

I just sit and watch you changing tubes and things.

That other boy buIIied me into becoming Iike him.

And you aren't any better.

PeopIe aren't Iike broken radios,

to be thrown away for new ones.

I've decide to...

I wanted...

But it's no good. I never succeed.

My work can't be done with your outIook upon Iife!

I don't want to Iive Iike you.

I want to be my own seIf.

You can't heIp me, damn it aII. Can't we heIp each other?

Fear of death grabs them.

It's an unfamiliar feeling

that drives them into feverish activity.

Nothing is important but their work.

Only their own world exists.

Suddenly it occurs to Jancsi that he hasn't seen Éva for weeks.

- Are you tired? - No.

- Don't you Iike it? - It's strong.

- I'm hot aII over. - Me, too.

Let's go.

Where to?

Not to my pIace, the oId woman is on the Iook-out.

Nor to mine.

Pity.

Are you angry?

It shows.

Then they met again but had little to talk about.

To go to his place was impossible again.

They looked in vain for another room.

and drifted further apart.

I'm fed up with the oId woman.

She even wants to know what I dreamt.

I toId her, Captain Cooper had nicer dreams in space.

She'd better read the paper.

She was hurt, but not for Iong.

She's IoneIy. We taIk about Iife.

You shouId.

Life is horribIy intricate and puzzIing.

But Cooper dreamt even in space.

And what's more, the instruments toId us he was dreaming.

HeIIo.

HeIIo.

How are you?

Okay. And you?

Fine.

I read about you in the paper. CongratuIations.

Thanks.

How are you getting on?

I've got a job.

- I'm married. - To whom?

My partner. You know him.

- Are you happy? - Yes.

And you?

The same...

- HeIIo. - HeIIo.

- Bye. - Bye.

Who is she?

An oId friend.

Good afternoon.

- Where to? - I'm off.

I saw your pIans. Very interesting.

Any new ideas?

I'd Iike to go on with that.

ReaIIy?

WeII, come and see me one of these days to have a taIk.

Yes.

- Where to? - Home.

How about the match? We're stiII in time.

- Sure you don't mind? - Be my guest.

I'm working on an exciting acoustic probIem.

I'd be pIeased if you couId heIp me.

Of course.

Can you recommend a third person?

Perhaps Rado.

- Why perhaps? - Do you know him?

- Do you? - WeII?

He's pretty decent.

- The pianist, isn't he? - Yes.

WouIdn't he rather pIay the piano?

There are so few to choose from. I agree.

It's rather hard to work here.

Mediocrity surrounds us. At Ieast it does no harm.

TeII me, who can one reaIIy reIy on? There is Harrer, know him?

Of course. He's your boss. What has he got?

GoodwiII. At Ieast that. And the others...

they are unabIe to keep abreast with modern technoIogy.

They have no imagination. No use taIking to them.

You just waste your energies fighting against stupidity.

Wait and you'II see.

It's as if they hoped you'd faiI.

If onIy one couId pick out sensibIe peopIe to work with.

But everybody wants to do the picking.

But one can't work aIone.

Go on, boys!

WeII done!

That was a good one!

A feeling of uncertainty seizes Jancsi.

Fleeing from his confused thoughts, he phones Éva.

They meet in Anni's flat.

It Iooks very modern.

Where's your piano?

I soId it. There's nobody to pIay it.

Your kids maybe?

They aren't imminent... I'II take care.

But you'II have kids soon.

How do you know?

I know you.

- You can't avoid fate. - I can.

Who's that?

That? How shaII I put it?

My Iover.

- He'II marry you? - I don't care. Bye.

You haven't answered yet.

The chief engineer. What shaII I do?

What can I say?

You know best.

- Are you peeved? -No.

I hate this.

It's terribIe to have your feeIings pried into.

In a most personaI matter.

Nonsense. Anni is a nice girI.

Maybe.

What can I do?

Let's go out of town.

Where?

To the mountains. WeII?

I'm busy. When are you free?

At the week-end.

No good.

I have a date on Sunday morning.

- Postpone it. - ImpossibIe.

It must be a Sunday.

- Go next Sunday. - I can't.

Then I'II go aIone.

Can't they cIear away aII that snow?

- Haven't they got snow-pIoughs? - Not enough.

What's the matter?

What if it doesn't stop? WiII traffic be paraIyzed?

-We'II do some shoveIIing. - You too?

Why not?

You'II Iook funny.

- Bye. - Bye.

When wiII you be free?

I don't know.

And you?

I don't know. I'II phone you.

Okay. Bye.

Bye.

Everything seems to be baffling and chaotic.

Éva is strange and aloof, which makes him desperate.

Is such agony necessary to become an adult?

How long does it take till agony turns into experience?

For we didn't become adults

when the ideals of our childhood turned out to be phony.

Nor in '56 when we had to choose

which country we wanted to live in.

Nor when our friends changed and we learnt how to judge them.

Nor when we learnt about work, death and love.

No, these were all paving stones on our way to maturity.

Step by step we learn to think.

All that seemed odd, becomes natural and evident.

And we realise that we share this feeling with others.

And that's a wonderful feeling.

Good morning This is your wake-up caII.

Time to wake up.

Good morning! Wake up, pIease!

Time to wake up!

Good morning! Wake up, pIease!

THE END