The House of Rothschild

All Jews must be inside Jew Street by sundown.

Thank you, excellency. Always glad to serve you.

Come on, get inside. This is six.

Mayer Amschel Rothschild. Money changer. Dealer in coins.

Mama.

We're locking uptime. Money hasn't come yet.

It's a long road from Hamburg.

It'll be here in the morning.

Yes, but if anything should happen.

All that money, 10.000 gulden.

So much this journey?

7.000 in one lump from Prince Louis' ties in Egypt.

And then all of the small sums, 10.000 at least.

The roads are dangerous.

Tomorrow morning it'll be here.

We should be thankful, Mayer. Business is dirty.

Nearly a thousand gulden since morning.

- Mama, that agent, did you notice him? - What?

There he sat, sly and smiling, planning to rob this poor old Jew Rothschild.

And here I was so innocent, a little child, a baby in fact.

And there was that fine old clock, that his master had sent into bagging for.

And when at last I let him have it for less money than it cost me,

I could see in his eyes how pleased he was.

That he got the better of this little baby.

Sold it under cost?

A sprat to catch a mackerel, mama.

He thinks he's so clever, and I'm so stupid.

Always make them think they're clever.

Mama, I've been robbed!

Bad, a whole gulden. A dead loss, damn!

Are you sure? Sometimes they are only cracked.

Right, Mayer, who gave it to you? Could it be that...

That agent! And I gave him some wine, too. Some of the good wine.

Mayer. He'll come again.

He'll come again. And then, mama...

I catch my mackerel.

Well, no one can ever say you don't deal fairly with your customers, Mayer.

It pays in the end, mama.

Now finish your tasks, now I'll lay the supper.

All right, mama.

- The roast is almost done. - Smells good.

Looks good too.

Mama, quick. It's Nathan.

Mama, the tax collector.

Papa, the tax collector. He's down on the street.

The tax collector, boys!

- Mama, put away the silver. - I have.

Don't run away. What do you know about?

Take those hats off!

- Here, mama. - Yes.

Hurry up, Carl.

Come up, James. Open the fire case.

- Remember, no deal for the last five days, understand? - Yes, father.

Are you hungry?

- Not so very. - Then look hungry.

Amschel, Solomon, you remain below.

Mama, hide the roast.

All right, we'll take the Rothschild next.

Mama, take your sewings there. Nathan, by me.

Nathan, take your hands out of your pockets.

Open up, Jew!

- Who is it Nathan? - Mayer Rothschild.

Why, it's my good friend, the tax collector.

Bring out your account book.

Certainly, sir.

Here it is, I was just looking over it.

Things are very bad, I was saying to my poor wife.

Gudula, this is our friend, the tax collector.

Never have I known such a bad month.

For five days not one gulden have I seen.

Customers come, yes, but they don't buy.

No one's traveling these days, so my exchange business is worse than nothing.

- I shall soon starve. - Starve, huh?

Something smells good.

One of our neighbors must be having a roast.

Close the window, mama.

What do you take me for?

Now bring out the real books.

Real books? Why, excellency, I don't understand what you mean.

Rothschild, you are doing more business than any Jew in Jew Street.

You're gonna pay 20.000 gulden.

20.000!

A count of the big merchants in the city doesn't pay as much as that.

That's another matter, he's outside the ghetto. He's not a Jew.

You're going to kill me this instant.

I could barely raise a thousand gulden.

Upstairs, that's the house.

Hold the badger, pal.

Well, I might perhaps raise 2.000 gulden.

Very interesting.

Oh, that. Nathan, lift up the trip door for the gentleman.

They're just some old stock.

We have a little wine down there, not very good wine I'm afraid.

Good wine costs money.

But no account books, no gold, no jewels I suppose.

Jewels, I had to give up dealing in jewels long ago.

It needs capital.

- Should I lead the way? - You follow, at a distance.

Stand up, Jew boys!

Wine!

- Fill up a cup! - But that's green excellency. - Do as I say.

It had wine in it after all!

Yes, sir. That's what we drink.

But there's some here, that papa keeps for his special customers.

Won't your excellency try it?

You old fox. It's good.

Your excellency, there's his honor.

Rothschild, apparently you've been telling me the truth.

- So you know what I'm going to do? - No, excellency.

I'm going to charge you 20.000 gulden, just the same.

But I can't do it.

There's not that much money in the whole ghetto.

Rothschild.

You would like to pay only 2.000 gulden again, wouldn't you?

Yes, excellency.

Now what would it be worth to me, if I put you down for 2.000 this time.

Very handsome present for your excellency, say a thousand gulden.

Talk sense, Rothschild.

I want 10.000.

- Would you leave me and my family pennies? - With a great deal of pleasure.

Come now.

Well, perhaps a 3.000 gulden. But that's the limit, the actual limit.

I'll take 6.000.

Well, make it 5.000.

Alright, have it ready tomorrow. I'll call.

And if any of you breathe a word, I'll have your house burned to the ground.

Boys, you did well.

Nathan, you're a smart lad.

That wine, mama, you should have seen him.

And after all, a 5.000 gulden isn't as bad as it might have been.

But it is bad to have to pay away 5.000 gulden.

Not as bad as having to pay away 20.000, father.

Six o'clock. All Jews inside.

- Should I go after him? - Oh, let him go.

Mr. Rothschild!

Mr. Rothschild!

What's the matter?

The man who's bringing your money from Hamburg

has been waylaid by the tax agents outside the city.

Their hunting was for the money of Jew Street.

They might have killed him, but he got away.

- With the money? - No, they got it, Mr. Rothschild.

- All of it? - Yes, all of it.

10.000 gulden, all money, that we worked for.

- Why doesn't your majesty take them dead? - Papa, don't get excited, its bad for you.

You are young. Your life is before you.

You got to fight.

Fight for yourselves, fight for our people.

Mama, I had to cheat the tax collector before my own children.

Do you think I want to do that?

I live honestly, I trade honestly.

I want to be honest with them. But they won't let us.

We are Jews, taxed to death.

Forbidden to learn a trade, forbidden to own land.

They keep us in chains. They send men here to rob us.

So work and strive for money.

Money is power.

Money is the only weapon that the Jew has to defend himself with.

Come, he wants to speak with you. All of you.

We are here papa. All of us.

My sons.

When I go I, leave you in your mama's care.

She is wise.

How wiser than I, and good.

Do always as she says, and you will grow rich.

Come closer.

Much money is lost

for sending gold by coach, from one country to another.

In times of war to seize by the enemy.

In times of peace by thieves.

You are five brothers.

I want you each to start a banking business in a different country.

One to go and open a house in Paris, one in Vienna, one in London.

Choose the most important cities.

So, that when money is to be sent

from here, to London, ever say,

you won't have to risk life and gold.

Amschel, here in Frankfurt,

will just send a letter to Nathan in London,

saying I need so and so,

and that will be offset by loans from London to Frankfurt.

- Understand? - Yes, father.

In your day, there'll be many wars in Europe.

And nations that will have money to transport,

will come to the Rothschilds, because it will be safe.

Papa, you musn't talk anymore. The doctor...

I'm giving advice to our sons, mama.

And that the doctor cannot give.

Remember, unity is strength.

All your lives you must stand by one another.

No one brother must be allowed to fail,

while another brother succeeds.

Now, five banking houses may cover Europe.

But you will be one firm, one family. The Rothschilds.

Who work always together.

That would be your power.

And when that power comes, remember the ghetto.

I shall be here, I shall never leave the house where they were all born.

Remember this before all,

that neither business, nor power, nor all the gold in Europe