Original subtitles

A WHOLE LIFE

What should I do with the boy?

Just because she's my sister-in-law...

Let the priest take him!

Well then.

In God's name.

You look hungry.

Go inside.

Let's have something to eat.

Who had the bastard sit at the table with us?

Sit over there. In the corner.

You!

Didn't you hear me?

You're to sit in the corner.

Come.

The eyes of all wait upon thee, and thou givest them meat in due season.

Thou openest thine hand, and satisfies every living thing.

We ask your mercy, O Lord, for my good wife and mother of my children. Amen.

Here we are.

Enjoy.

Does it taste good?

Yes, it's good.

So, Andreas...

Move over, now.

You can sleep here.

Now.

Get out. Go on.

Go away.

There.

So, in you go.

Bang!

There.

Now poke holes in the dough.

Here! Look at this, you lout.

You're coming with me!

Let's go!

Come on!

You're still not crying out?

Are you still not crying out?

Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Lord, have mercy.

From bottom to top, Andreas.

B...

M...

C...

F...

E...

D...

C...

B...

A...

It was a royal stag. An odd number. 17-pointer.

Eight on one side, nine on the other.

I saw it once myself. Up on Steinwandklamm.

My heart leapt.

It was such a beautiful creature.

It had something very special about it.

He laughed. I heard him.

I am Kranzstocker.

If I want to,

I'll plough a field,

I'll lift a full-grown sow on my shoulder,

or I'll bring a child into the world,

or I'll put another one over the oxen's bar.

Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

Hey.

Say something.

Boy!

Hey.

It's broken.

It...

It will heal up.

Like everything in life.

Yes...

Andreas.

Lovely, isn't it.

The dough.

Get up!

- Off to pay the French a visit. - Hope they've suited up.

See you in Paris.

- Hello there. - Hello.

I can hardly wait for the war.

I'll handle it.

Everyone wants to go off to war.

- I'm going to catch you. - No, you won't.

But Major!

Please, you can't take away my favorite foster son,

and sell him to the wops,

or the frogs!

Major, please!

I've already buried two sons because of diphtheria.

Without that boy...

You can burn down my whole farm under my ass.

You'll have one soldier more,

but one farm fewer feeding the soldiers in the field.

We're going.

No way are you getting away from me!

Ahnl is gone now.

Where to...

one cannot know.

But it will be all right.

Where the old die, there is space for the new.

So it is, and so it will be forever.

- Amen. - Amen.

The eyes of all wait upon thee, and thou givest them meat in due season.

Thou openest thine hand, and satisfies the desire of every living thing.

Amen.

Fetch the hazel rod and put it in water.

Pants down.

Oh, look!

The bastard shows dissent to the farmer.

If you beat me,

I'll kill you.

Get lost!

- Bye. - Bye.

Egger! Come!

Timber!

And go.

Gruber.

Thanks.

Egger.

Go on.

Steiner.

Dying wouldn't be the worst thing.

But not on my back.

You limping devil.

In which earth

do you want to be buried?

There will be a cold.

A cold...

that gnaws your bones.

And your soul.

Death brings forth new life,

so people say,

but death brings forth nothing at all.

Death...

is the Cold Lady.

The what?

The Cold Lady.

She has no face.

And no voice.

She comes,

and takes,

and goes.

She throws you into a black hole.

And in the patch of sky

you can still see

before they shovel earth over you

the Cold Lady reappears

and breathes on you.

And all that is left for you then

is the darkness.

And the cold.

The cold.

Hold tight!

Horned Hannes...

Stay where you are.

No one has ever outrun Death.

We don't do credit.

Death...

is the Cold Lady.

Do you want another?

Well?

I'll take it.

The lease is due one year in advance.

And am I supposed to carry this down?

Feel free to leave it here.

We are here

to build a cable car.

In wooden cubicles,

people will be able to float up the mountain

and enjoy the panoramic view of your entire valley.

We will overcome a difference in altitude

of 1,300 meters.

With the cable car,

electricity will come to your valley,

light for your living rooms

and streets

and stables.

Yes!

It's progress.

A new era is beginning.

Get her out of your head.

Marie is one for work and not for love. Understood?

I'd like...

Yes?

Come.

I still need to paint the hut.

The wind and the...

the damp eat through the wood.

You can't even see how fast it goes,

and then it's over with...

cosy.

I planted vegetables over there.

The celery

is virtually growing over my head.

The sun...

shines brighter up here than down in the valley

It's not only good for the plants, it also warms the bones.

And the soul.

You can't forget the view, of course.

It's of the whole area.

And in good weather, up on the mountain,

even further.

I will also paint behind the stove.

And the...

kitchen may also have to be set up properly.

But...

at least... the most necessary things are already here.

Pots,

plates, cutlery.

Things like that.

And I will also sand the pan,

when I get a chance.

I won't build a cowshed.

There's no space for cattle.

Or time.

I don't want to be a farmer.

Being a farmer means

spending your life

crawling around your soil

digging the earth with your eyes lowered.

You talk well.

Yes?

Yes.

Move, work faster.

Yes, your eyes don't deceive you.

You have a limp. We don't need someone like you.

There's no better worker than me in the area.

I'm strong.

I can do everything. I do everything.

- You have a limp. - In the valley, perhaps.

On the mountain I'm the only one who walks straight.

Welcome to Bittermann and Sons.

No alcohol, no whoring,

and no unions.

Start in the morning at half past five.

Ready, and...

heave!

Slowly.

Slowly!

The mountains look like...

like porcelain.

Then we have to be careful as we walk.

One misstep and...

all the scenery will get a crack.

Or it will shatter

into countless tiny shards of scenery.

Yes.

I can't endure it any longer.

- My goodness, you are strong. - Sorry.

It was still nice.

Even though it hurt?

Yes.

Very nice.

That's it.

Then you must write her a letter,

and ask for her hand.

It has to be something special.

Not just anything.

I'd like to write it on the mountain,

so everyone sees it.

Maybe we really can write it on the mountain.

Let me take care of it.

I'd like to

show you something that you may never forget,

Marie.

Something nice?

It could be.

Look.

Will you be my wife?

Yes.

Do you want to?

Marie?

Yes.

I want that.

I will protect you.

And take care of you.

No one wants to work more.

I do.

Because I'm going to have a family.

So you want more money, not more work.

If you say so, I guess that's right.

Yes. I do say so.

How much do you earn now?

60 pennies an hour.

You'll get 80.

But for every single penny, I want you to work your ass off.

Will you do that?

Yes.

Timber!

Timber!

Timber!

- Watch out! - They're falling!

He needs to get to the valley at once. Two men, go with him and help.

His arm!

It must go too. Then the doctor can sew it on.

Even if he sews it on, it will sag like an old sack.

- Come on, get going! - One, two...

Go with them and help them.

Make way for them. Get him to the hospital, quickly!

Pretty odd.

Moments ago, it was part of Grollerer,

now it's worth no more than a rotten branch.

What do you think? Is Grollerer still Grollerer?

Why wouldn't he be? But Grollerer with only one arm.

And if the rope had cut off both his arms?

Then too.

He'd still be Grollerer.

If it had, let's say...

taken off both arms, both legs and half his head?

Probably, he would still be Grollerer.

Somehow.

Somehow.

Okay, that's deep enough, Egger.

May the Lord God

look upon this technical miracle with goodwill.

But at this hour, we also want to remember those

who lost their lives for the sake of this miracle.

Those brave workers.

For each gondola, one goes six feet under.

God be with them. The Lord knows they helped to advance

not just our valley, but all of humanity.

May the Lord bless this structure

and all know travel on it. Amen.

Amen.

I hereby announce that

the first Weitlahner cable cars are open.

Right.

Stand over there.

I have you to thank for all this.

They're building a cable car now,

where instead of having gondolas,

skiers ride straight up the mountain in free-swinging wooden chairs.

With their skis on!

That's something.

There's enough swallow shit to cement a new foundation for the house.

I like the swallows.

For me they're fluttering talismans.

They keep evil away from the house.

I could enlarge the vegetable patch.

Behind the house, I mean.

Potatoes...

Onions...

And things like that.

Plenty will grow here.

Something will grow.

And it will be something wonderful.

- Buongiorno. - Egger, hello.

- Greetings. - Hello.

Hello.

Hey, pal!

- And? Amazing. - New equipment.

- It's mine, right? - Only if you pay me.

Marie!

Marie!

Marie.

Marie.

It has pleased God in his unfathomable decision

to tear three of our dearest from our midst.

Helpless, we face the suffering that has befallen us.

And yet we who have been spared

must thank God for his immeasurable kindness in letting us live.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

And let perpetual light shine upon them.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

My condolences.

My condolences.

My condolences.

My condolences.

Come, Egger. You can do it.

Wait, I need a better grip.

It's fine now.

This is from the hut.

It's going to be all right.

Can you stand?

Once as a young child,

I fell over a rickety wooden gate into the pig pen.

Then the mother sow bit me.

Scars...

are like years.

One comes on top of another.

And all that together is what makes a person.

I will protect you.

And take care of you.

I'm sorry about your wife.

But don't think it's related to the blasts.

The last blast was weeks before the avalanche.

Or do you think the mountain has a memory?

People are crazy about sliding down the mountain on planks.

God alone knows why that is.

We have now built 17 cable car lifts.

They have to be maintained.

Ropes need to be checked, wheels greased,

gondola roofs cared for.

You don't need any solid ground under your feet, do you?

I don't think so.

That's good.

It's all messed up with death.

With one it goes quickly. With another it's slow.

From birth onwards, you lose one thing after another.

First a tooth, then an arm.

Then all your teeth.

First a memory,

then your entire memory.

Until at some point nothing is left.

They throw your remains in a hole,

shovel earth into it, and done!

There will be a cold.

A cold that gnaws the soul.

Nonsense.

There won't be anything.

No cold, and definitely no soul. Dead is dead.

There's nothing after that, no dear God.

If God existed, his heaven wouldn't be so infernally far away.

Mattl!

In the mountains he was as fast as a chamois.

He worked like a horse.

And he sensed danger like a lynx.

He lay down in hot bath in the evening, and by morning he's frozen to death.

Who can understand that?

Not me.

But as the priest always says,

God's ways are unfathomable.

Marie...

Come here.

Look, there's a butterfly.

Yes, take my hand.

Look at the stream, Marie.

Not so fast.

Come!

Take my hand, come.

Dear Marie...

If your voice at least had stayed with me,

If sometimes at least I got to hear it...

I expect all the women and girls to support this fight with the utmost zeal.

Most young men are in the field.

They're glad to have men like me.

There's plenty of work.

Even if cable cars aren't being built anymore due to the war.

There are no young people left here at all now.

The war devours them all.

They forgot about me.

Yours, Egger.

Soldiers and workers,

are you

and are the people of Germany determined,

if the Führer orders it in time of need,

to work daily for 10, 12, and if necessary 14 and 16 hours,

and to give your all for victory?

I ask you, do you want total war?

If necessary, do you want a war more total and radical

than anything we can even imagine today?

I ask you, do you trust the Führer?

Are you willing to follow him wherever he goes

and do all that is necessary

to bring the war to a victorious end?

And absolute and unlimited end?

Be proud to able to serve your country.

What can you do?

I know my way around the mountains.

I can sand steel cables

and drill holes in the rock.

That is good.

Have you heard of the Caucasus?

- No. - Doesn't matter.

Andreas Egger, I hereby declare you fit for war.

Your honorable task is to liberate the East.

Next.

- You secure the position here, Egger. - Yes.

Prepare blast holes,

to blow it all up in case of retreat.

Stay here until your relief arrives.

My dear Marie,

I'm writing to you from Russia.

Winter here

has a different cold than at home.

But I don't want to complain.

Some lie stiff...

and cold in the snow,

while I still

look at the stars.

Maybe you can see the stars as well.

Yours, Egger.

Egger.

You're still alive.

Yes.

Nothing is like before, Egger. Nothing.

Mitterhofer over there

has also opened a guesthouse now.

Now he has cattle and tourists in the cowshed.

But once a farmer, always a farmer, and will never be a landlord.

Is the room still available?

I have guests in there.

But I'll find something for you.

Are you still not crying out?

It will heal up.

Like everything in life.

It's you.

You of all people.

Come here.

Let's have a look at you!

Huh?

What has become of me?

A pile of brittle bones.

Once I was Kranzstocker.

I never bowed before anyone! Except the Lord God.

And how does he thank me?

He took two sons from me.

And since he still hasn't had enough, the bastard makes me wait to die.

And who comes along?

Not him.

But you!

Now you can do it.

Now you can beat me.

Beat me.

Do you hear?

Please,

beat me to death at last.

- When it gets torn down, you must leave. - That's fine.

Good morning, Miss Holler.

So what shall we do today?

- Our times tables! - Our times tables, you remembered.

Very good. We'll start with something easy.

- Eight times seven. - Fifty-six!

Right! Seven times eight and eight times seven are fifty-six.

Excuse me, please, but it's too loud.

Who in God's name are you?

I'm Egger. I live downstairs.

The bed is there, right under the board.

- You can't just burst into our lesson. - Yes I can.

- And looking like that as well! - Yes I can.

Children, let's calm down again. Children, quiet.

I thought I'd bring you something to eat.

Uh... where is the table?

- So this is where you live. - Yes.

One can be happy anywhere after all.

That's true.

Cake like that is often rather dry.

Yes.

I made us some coffee quickly.

Blacker than the soul of the devil.

And I brought sandwiches too.

In case we get hungry.

It's so incredibly beautiful here.

The way the mountaintops disappear behind the clouds.

The blue sky. The clouds. The mountains.

The way it sweeps down. Amazing.

The green.

I haven't seen anything so beautiful in a very long time.

Oh, thank you.

Amazing.

I'd like you to take me home.

You are a man.

A man with a real appetite.

Aren't you?

That may be.

A person is often alone in this world.

Come now.

I... have only lain with one woman.

That doesn't matter.

It's all right.

I...

I'm sorry.

What about the lease?

It's fine.

Dear Marie,

recently I have often been thinking of you again,

of what was,

and of what might have been.

I have no one.

But I have all I need.

Spring will come soon.

The birds have already seen it.

Something is stirring in these bones.

And deep beneath the snow,

the bulbs are bursting open.

I'm at the foot of the ladder. The LM footpads are only...

depressed in the surface about one or two inches,

although the surface appears to be very, very fine-grained

as you get close to it. It's almost like a powder.

There you go.

- Where did you find him then? - He was up by the piste.

In a crevasse in the Ferneis Glacier.

Good Lord.

I wonder how long he lay in the ice.

40 years.

Here you are.

How did you manage to get up to the glacier back then?

And where is your leg?

Is it still up there?

You look happy.

Look at me.

I'm now as old as you were then.

I have become hunched.

Sometimes I think my back is growing over my head.

Progress, Egger. It can't be stopped.

Where to?

To the last stop.

It doesn't go any further.

I know nothing of the world.

Dear Marie,

I have never believed in God,

and death doesn't scare me.

Like all people, I have had hopes and dreams.

Some came true.

Many were unattainable,

or no sooner did I have something,

than it was taken from my hands.

I can't remember where I came from,

and I don't know where I am going.

But as for the time in-between,

I can look back on my life

in singular and utter wonder.

And were I not so tired,

I could laugh for sheer happiness.

No Limits Media 2023 Subtitles: S. McEachran et al.