Broken Promise (Nedodržaný sľub)

Present a film based on a true story

THE BROKEN PROMISE

CZECHOSLOVAKIA 1938

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you...

A watch, everybody knows that.

What kind?

Omega?

Now to our trip to the Trencin castle.

Doxa! Doxa!

Don't forget good manners at home.

You will represent our city there. So try to behave.

Martin Friedman!

If I catch anybody having a beer again,

I will buy him three more pints

and make him drink them all down in one.

Is that clear, Friedman?

Yes, sir.

That's the watch.

My brothers Vilo and Alex got the same.

That was at my shop!

What have you done?! Wait!

Come back! Come here!

- It wasn't me, it was Golonka! -Explain it to your father.

But I must go to the soccer practice. There's a scout from Trencin coming!

Forget it. Get in!

May I go to the soccer game? Come on!

Hello? ls anybody home?

Goal!

I've noticed. They are good.

Fred! Martin! Come here.

Good afternoon.

You're both Jewish?

Because we have to play on Saturdays, too.

We are not all that Jewish.

- We even have pork chops sometimes. -Martin! -Sorry.

Martin! Do you want a lift home?

I will get back to you, boys. But it looks promising.

Thank you.

You can go now. And we continue.

Bye!

Dad, SC Trencin wants me to play for them.

Me and Fred Mahler.

Good for you! And how are things at school, soccer star?

Boring. We're going to the Trencin castle again.

Aren't you cold?

So you're off to New York after all, Levi?

Come on, Mr. Friedman. What am I, a Rothschild?

Don't tell me you're headed for Palestine.

My choice was Argentina, the purse said Bolivia, so we are off to Cuba.

You have always been an adventurer. But emigrating with six women?

Well, good luck, folks. You'll need it. Shalom.

Wait here, Martin. Fischer wants a goose from me.

Hello, Martin. Are you coming to ring the bell?

- May I, Dad? -Of course.

- Guys, can I come along? -Let's go! Hurry!

Three, two, one. Now!

- Good evening, Father Tiso. -Evening.

When you are ringing the bell here, at least take off that Jewish cap.

My apologies, sir.

Sir, we should go or you won't get in time for the meeting in Bratislava.

I'm getting forgetful.

Father, you got a letter.

It's from Kromeriz.

- Can I have the stamp? -Of course.

Here. It is from Moric!

The army will do without him for a couple of days.

So the whole family will be here for Martin's bar mitzvah.

Dinner is ready.

I just hope they won't come in vain.

Who knows if our soccer player will ever master the prayer.

Even the soccer players need a watch! I can't be late for my practices.

Don't count on the watch. You might be disappointed.

Well, come on.

Speak up!

Martin! it's too late for that.

Go to Mrs. Sebo. She promised to lend us two chairs.

- Are you going to the station? -I have to pick up Moric and Rachel.

And while I am there I shall send this to Trencin.

Martin, after the bar mitzvah you can get married, right?

I had to wait for the pleasures of marriage till I was thirty two!

Don't listen to the old man. The chairs are over there.

Marry our Maria and you can jump her right away!

Where shall we get wed? In your synagogue or in our church?

My Mom says I should marry a rich girl.

But our Maria is rich!

She has one flea, a sour fart and ten teeth.

I will ask my Mom if that's enough. See you.

Welcome home! Finally! Rachel!

Let me see him. Erwin, hello.

Emanuel, welcome.

Moric.

Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe,

who creates the fruit of the vine.

Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe,

who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season.

The times are rough.

I'd like all of us to make a promise now.

Let us promise to one another that we'll all meet here again next year.

Let's say for the Pesach.

Shmuel, do you promise we'll see each other here next year?

Yes, father. I'll be glad to come.

What about you, Moric?

Of course, I'll do my best.

Rachel? Do you promise to come?

I do. I speak for the baby, too.

- And you, Emanuel? -Next Pesach we shall be here.

- And you, Vilo? -Of course, I promise.

- And you, Alex? -You've got my word, too.

And you, Martin?

But I'm not going anywhere, Dad!

- And you, Dezo? Do you promise? -Yes, Dad.

And you, Herman?

I'm not going anywhere, either!

What about our mother?

So next year all of us will get together here.

Except for our mother. Because she...

She hasn't promised anything.

But it doesn't matter. I will do the cooking.

I know how to make boiled potatoes, for example.

Thank you.

Mazel tov!

Mazel tov! Mazel tov!

It's a great pleasure...

...to welcome a new young man - Martin to our congregation.

Especially since our numbers in the Slovak Diaspora have been dropping.

Three weeks ago we became citizens of the new Slovak State.

Although the prime minister Dr. Tiso comes from our neighborhood...

...the state will probably not be well-disposed towards us Jews.

What should we do?

Accept that,

or go back to Jerusalem...

...as the Zionists recommend?

Or suffer the wrongs as sign of God's grace...

...as the Talmudists say?

I don't want to provoke hatred and anger of the anti-Semites.

Should we expect God to honor us again with trials as demanding as...

...the Egyptian slavery or the Spanish Inquisition had been?

Let us hope not.

Today we must show God again...

...that we are worthy of being...

...His chosen people.

This Hitler is dumb.

A star looks much better than a cross.

What cross? We're Jewish.

Yeah! We have to wear a star and the Catholics a cross.

No. They don't have to wear anything.

- That's not true! Right, Dad? -Come here, Dezo.

Unfortunately, it is so.

How come? it's not fair!

You're right, it is not fair.

- Then I'm not wearing a star, either. -Stop it! We cannot change it.

I wanna keep going to the movies!

I'm not sewing it on that.

I'll do it myself.

- They will arrest all of us. -I've read the whole decree through.

It doesn't say we can't wear yellow clothes!

I won't stop going to the movies!

I want a jacket like that, too.

Vilo! Even you were drafted?

Kind of. I'm an odd soldier, though. They armed us with shovels and picks.

At least you don't have to worry about bullets or the yellow star.

The President is coming! Let's go!

Stop by the church.

Calm them down.

Gentlemen!

Mr. President is sorry but there is nothing he can do for you now.

In Bratislava he has been entrusted with tasks that will keep him busy.

He can't help you. God be with you.

Jews and dogs not allowed!

Boys, how come you're not studying at the synagogue?

We know the multiplication table already, Mr. Feldman.

They let him keep his shop although he's a Jew?

No. But he has to run the business for the dumb Slovak who got it.

Shit, it so boring here.

I heard there's a camp for the Jews.

You work in a workshop, play soccer, and nobody buggers you about.

My Mom is crying all the time.

I think I'll just go there and be done with all this.

Let's go to play soccer.

Hey, coach!

Go on.

I'm sorry, boys, but if anybody reports I have Jews coming here,

they'll disband my whole team.

- We wanted to quit anyway. -I didn't write this idiotic law.

I could really use both of you. Look at that bunch of stiffs.

Well, good luck.

I'm really sorry.

And we go on.

Hey, guys!

Fred! Martin!

Why don't you put together a Jewish team and come to play us in Biskupice?

-It's a deal. -See you!

No! No!

Boo! Boo!

Ten minutes left in game!

Filthy Jews!

Goal!

Boo!

Let's beat them!

Catch him!