Die Flucht

Berlin July.

Mom, I don't want to go there by myself. Oh Vicky...

I've explained it often enough.

But if Berlin is dangerous for me, it's dangerous for you too.

And if the bombs keep falling... I'll come too.

I promise.

I have something for you.

It was your granny's.

It will protect you.

Viktoria Mahlenberg, is that you?

Then come along. I want my mommy to come too.

Your mommy has to contribute to the war effort.

Say goodbye to your mommy.

I'd never been separated from my daughter.

By now the National Socialists had drawn 40 countries into the war.

We have to be brave now, both of us.

We were hit at full tilt by the backlash.

Now come.

Supplies were dwindling. A normal life in Berlin had become impossible...

especially as the Allies were now even attacking us during the day.

We had to send our children to the countryside for safety.

I had no idea that a telegram would soon call me to my father's sickbed.

Hoping for a reconciliation, I headed home for the first time in eight years.

March of Millions Part 1.

East Prussia August.

Careful on the platform side.

Get on board, hop to. I won't be too far away.

- Friedrich. - Move it.

Heil Hitler, Countess. Welcome home.

Fritz? My goodness. Did you get spruced up for my sake?

Excuse the delay. I told him the State Railways are also punctual in wartime.

The weather is changing. We had to bring in the hay.

Madame la Comtesse.

François Beauvais.

You have no other baggage, Countess? No, Fritz, this is all.

Come.

No car, unfortunately. Not enough petrol.

Board the train, please.

Thanks, I can handle it.

- Mrs Meister. - Welcome.

It's an honour. Anneliese, Helene.

Welcome.

- Welcome. - Hello.

Hello.

Little Lena. Grandma Herta. You look well.

- Dietrich. - Welcome.

How is he?

- Babette. - Lena.

Good, good that you're here. Come, let's go inside.

Such a joy in my old age. Finally some life in the house again.

She didn't recognize me. Oh, child.

Why didn't the little one come? I was so looking forward to it.

Two days before your telegram came, I had to send her to the country.

Why do you live in Berlin, with all those bombs?

You've lost weight.

I'll fatten you up again.

Count Rüdiger is with him. I think it will make it easier.

That he wants to see me at all. He doesn't know...

Lena, I didn't tell him... That I was coming?

Yes?

After you've taken your medicine. Stay out of it. You're not my doctor.

Maybe you'll take it from someone else.

- Hello, Father. - Lena?

Wonderful. Lena, it's Sophie's birthday.

The party is at Gernstorff Castle. Heinrich will also be there.

It'd be nice if you came too. Of course.

Berthold, remember your medicine. Thank you, Uncle Rüdiger.

What are you doing here? Did he summon you behind my back?

Babette sent a telegram. Did she now?

Well, even if they say I'm finished, I'm not dead yet, not by a long shot.

Here everything goes on as usual. But what are you doing here?

Leaving your post in wartime? Aren't you a teacher?

The schools have been closed, Father.

But now I'm here, with you. Nonsense, Lena.

You chose against your family a long time ago.

It's one's duty to follow one's conscience.

Those are your words. Now, after eight years?

I don't need you, Lena. We can manage on our own.

Naturally this burden sometimes puts a great strain on the individual troops.

Waltraud, it's impossible that 69 hens lay only 18 eggs.

22 eggs and 64 hens, Mrs Meister. Yesterday there were still 69.

Those Polacks steal like magpies. It's the French.

Give them a ringer and they take your arm.

You'll see, the Führer's super weapon will make them retreat once and for all.

Hands off, Fritz.

The men work hard and are hungry. They need more food.

I've told you before, François, the portions are carefully measured.

We need more food.

At attention.

Good heavens, you scared me.

My otherwise so punctual brother lets me wait hours...

while I arrive punctually from the front.

I'm sorry, Lieutenant Gernstorff. A meeting in Königsberg. Come.

Why do you have a car and I don't? I'm older than you.

I'm smarter than you. Right, Judge Advocate General.

That's why you drive army material halfway across East Prussia.

Mom loves this music. We love this music.

- Did you know she's back? - Who?

Lena, at Mahlenberg. She'll also be there tonight.

Father and you can hatch old plans again.

Are you jealous? - Of course. It's all I ever envied you for.

Now take me to Hollebens. Carl's been killed in action.

Look, you wore it to the summer ball that time.

The next morning I told Father I was pregnant.

He still hasn't forgiven me for having Vicky against his will.

Eight years. Eight years, Babette, waiting and hoping.

He never answered one letter, as if I were a leper.

He didn't even write when Ludwig was killed.

If you hadn't written me... Don't give in now, Lena. God forbid.

You're needed here.

Two weeks ago they inducted the coachman, and my Georg.

Georg? I didn't know that. Where to? To France.

Who manages the estate now? No one. It's one big chaos now.

Georg put a lot of trust in François. He does a lot now.

A prisoner of war? Yes, imagine.

Well, he's an engineer or something. He hates us.

He's probably a Communist.

Lena, we need you here.

How will we manage?

Just POWs, foreign labourers and us, women and children?

And Fritz can't wait to follow his father to the front.

I hardly recognized your Fritz. He's become a real man.

He's still a child. But he has good chances in the party, you know.

He can really make a career if he keeps his head cool. Maybe get an education.

The party really does things for us.

I know, you can't stand them.

Father wants me to leave. Lena, stop it.

You'll get your daughter from the camp, you hear?

You belong here, and you know it.

Outrageous. I'll complain to Königsberg. That's enough.

What are you doing with our horses? War is war, also for you. Now shut it.

Hold on. I'm Countess Mahlenberg. How dare you take our horses?

The horses are important war material.

War material? They're work horses, as we have no petrol any more. Wait.

No horse leaves my estate. I have orders. Here.

You believe in the final victory?

You believe in the Führer, right? Without a doubt.

Then you don't want this estate to become unprofitable.

It's the basis for nourishing our population.

The Führer wouldn't want that. Right, our Führer cannot want that.

Alright, tomorrow I'll talk to your superior.

See to it that all the horses come back safe and sound.

Easy.

Exactly, and now I want my daughter to come here.

But I'd never have entrusted her to you if I'd known that.

I won't accept that. You'll hear from me again.

In these times, family cohesion is all that counts.

I'm glad we're united like this today.

To the women. You're the backbone of our system.

To you, my dear Sophie, and to you, Lena.

We're glad that you're home again.

Thank you.

I wish they'd left you in France. As judge advocate general...

Father, I'm careful.

I hear about lapses of order and discipline.

When you're so deep in shit, you forget about order and discipline.

We're just cannon fodder for our great Führer.

Good evening, everyone. I knew he'd come.

Mother. I'm sorry I'm late.

Lena, my dear.

Your letters keep me alive.

You're not at the front?

As you see, Father, I'm standing right here. I have two days leave.

The front will collapse with or without me. The war is lost.

You sound like those amateur officers, Stauffenberg, Treskow and their ilk...

who almost gave the front away.

I'd shoot him, if they let me near him. Shoot him like a mangy dog.

But maybe it's better not to, so that everyone sees, including you...

that we do not only fight, but murder. We, the armed forces.

Ferdinand, stop telling scare stories. No honourable German soldier...

Women, children, Poles, Jews, Russians.

We shot and buried them with spades. Stop it.

The acting district leader has come to congratulate me in person.

Without the intention of interrupting a family evening.

- Congratulations. - Thank you.

Good evening, honoured Count.

Let me get changed for you. Excuse me.

Lena, why did you come back..

To this horribly boring place?

Because we're all shackled to you, to our parents...

to our estates and possessions, whether we like it or not.

Yes, and sooner or later we all learn that we must submit.

If we were children, and this life...

You do want children, don't you? I have a daughter.

Of course, you have a daughter.

But these terrible families only want sons, Lena. They only want sons.

I had three sons.

Since Constantin was killed, I only have two.

But I have him, my darling.

I still want a daughter and a grandchild.

I'll take you upstairs, Mother.

Six or seven children, I believe. Sleep well, Sophie.

Good night. Good night, Mother.

Imagine, Viktor's been transferred to Bucharest.

And Benjamin got married during his last leave from the front.

He wanted at least one person to mourn for him...

when he keels over in the mud.

Ferdinand?

It gives me a headache to hear you talk like that.

Tell me about yourself.