Children, Mother, and the General

CHILDREN, MOTHERS AND A GENERAL

written by HERBERT REINECKER based on his novel "Quick"

Featuring

The mothers: HILDE KRAHL... The girl: BEATE KOEPNICK

The children:

The soldiers:

and the general: EWALD BALSER

Directed by: LASLO BENEDEK

MARCH 1945 EAST OF STETTIN

WHEELS ROLLING FOR VICTORY

Isn't the train going on to Piritz? -No, this is it.

Is another train going to Stettin? - I don't know. Nobody knows.

There's a timetable. - Forget about it.

What about Puritz? - Why go to Puritz?

I've got 100 pairs of shoes there.

Russians are wearing your shoes now. - My daughter! Helga!

Where is my daughter?

They blew the Oder River bridges. - Then how will we get away?

Fast! Come on! - I don't know.

How many times do I have to say it? I don't know.

I can't stay here all night. - Excuse me.

I don't know anything! Nothing at all!

I don't know either!

I need a doctor! A woman fainted!

A few shoes? It's my livelihood!

Listen to me! She's lying on the platform!

Excuse me. Some information... - Damn it...

What do you want? Lock the door.

Yes, yes. It's returning to Stettin, but I don't know when.

I just came from Stettin. I wanted to ask where the school is?

What school?

A Stettin boys' school. They evacuated it.

Yes, I think I heard something. They brought them here.

Tons of children. Just crazy.

I want to pick up my son.

Dear woman... - May I make a call?

Try if you want. Maybe the operators have taken off as well.

Do you know how many have left? Fast as they could,

across the Oder River. - Is the front so close?

No one knows how close it is. They don't tell us anything.

Is the stationmaster in? - Yes, but it's locked!

There's no such thing! - He won't open up.

Making noise is always the best.

Hello? - I'm not waiting till the Russians get here.

No one is picking up. - Then they've left too.

They can, they don't have to ask permission.

I was going to retire in 6 months, and now this mess, this damn mess.

What's going on?

Why did you lock yourselves in? I just have a question.

My dear woman, we know a little as you. - You don't even know the question!

They're all nuts here. I just want to know where the school is.

I'm also looking for the school. - You're picking up your boy too? - Yes.

How do you like that? They evacuate for an air raid so, God forbid, they don't get hurt,

and then they don't come back. - That's right.

They're gonna get it! Elfriede Bergmann is my name. My husband's a locksmith

in Stettin.

I waited for the boys everyday, and I set off today. I've got two, Karl and Leo.

Harald is my boy. Mrs. Asmussen. - A pleasure.

Ladies, this is an office. Until the very last day,

this is an office! - Keep your pants on about your office...

We only want to pick up our boys. Like I said before, they're all nuts.

Is nobody here to...

Are you taking the tickets?

Tickets? What good are tickets? You can stick them in your hat.

It must be bad if a guy like that doesn't want your ticket anymore.

FIRST TRIUMPH, THEN TRAVEL!

This can't be the school. -Yes, I bet it is.

They always put military nonsense in schools.

Fast! Close it, would you? - What did I tell you?

Now they're packing. Now they're coming.

Now they're in a hurry.

Hello, Dr. Brant.

Good evening.

Good evening, Mrs. Asmussen. Mrs... - Bergmann.

Bergmann, yes. We're just packing.

I can see that. Can you tell us why we had to come here to pick up our children?

First we had no car, and then no gasoline, but now we can go, finally.

Thank goodness. But where is my son?

Watch out, gentlemen.

Come with me.

They packed the place full of ammunition and guns. God forbid, these are children in here!

I...

I have something to tell you. - What's wrong?

Your boys are gone.

What do you mean, gone? They went home, right?

Are they at home?

No.

They're at the front.

Yes. They wrote it in a note.

I found it today but they were gone.

15 boys, a whole dormitory.

My son Harald? - He's with them.

I don't even need to ask if mine are with them, huh?

They went too. - When something's going on, they're there.

They just can't stay out of mischief's way.

I don't understand. At the front?

Why would they want to go there? - Why go there?

Don't you see?

They want to shoot. They want to fight.

To defend their fatherland, am I right?

Yes. It's...

What can I say? It's some kind of fascination.

Now that everything's going badly, they have to...

It's something like heroism. That's what they think it is.

Stop it with your heroism. You know what I call it? Stupidity is what I call it.

Colleague? Can I leave with my class now?

Please. The carts here. Please, go ahead.

Ladies, your boys left some things here. Please come and pack them. - Okay.

So, here are their things.

Here come more of them.

Are your boys gone too? Off to the front?

Yes. A fine mess, eh?

We just heard, too. Horrible.

Sons are a punishment from God. If mine were here, I'd beat him.

Here. That's the only thing I can find of his.

It's his harmonica case.

Please, we have to leave. I don't know whose this is...

This is his sweater.

He didn't even take his sweater.

And the nights are so cold now.

They don't think of those things. Their minds are elsewhere.

WHAT DOESN'T KILL US ONLY MAKES US STRONGER

I just don't understand how children could do this...

YOU'RE NOTHING, YOUR NATION IS EVERYTHING

As you can see, they can.

Please ladies, pack up these things.

The car is waiting, we have to leave.

Back?

I cant.

But I can't go back without my boy.

And you think I can?

No. My boys won't get away from me that easily.

I'm going to bring them back. It wouldn't be the first time.

Bring them back?

I'll come for them. I'll get them. I've always gotten them.

And if they're at the front?

I'll bring them back, no matter where they are.

Brilliant! - But that's...

But that's impossible! - It's brilliant,

but you couldn't understand that.

Just drive with the children back to Stettin.

I beg your pardon, I'm... - Oh!

I'm bringing mine back too.

Even if he's at the front. - Do you really think that...

My God, do you think that'll be of any use?

I'll do it. I'll do it at once!

Well then, let's go.

Who is in favor?

All of us.

Of course, we're all going. - What about you?

I... I don't know. My mother is sick, but if I come back without Robert,

that's even worse. If you'll take me? - Come on,

we can do it. - Where are we going?

Freight trains are still running. - But you can't just go to the front!

How do you propose to do that?

Hello, Doctor. When are you leaving? - Soon, Lieutenant. It's just that...

The car has to be back here tomorrow. Go, go, go! Pardon me, ma'am...

They're retrieving their boys from the front. - What?

Tell them not to. - Where is the front?

What? Somewhere near Piritz, but that's nonsense. You can't do that!

Why are you laughing? - Orders, Lieutenant.

They're going to Piritz. - What do you want there?

We're going on holiday. I hear there's a nice lake with sailboats.

The Russians are sailing them now. Come with us to Stettin.

We've got everything. Radio, schnapps...

Come on, there's no use asking them any more questions.

Have they lost their minds? - Yes, apparently.

The blond one, I'd like to take her along. - Me too, she's drop dead glamorous.

That wasn't my plan this morning. My husband will be surprised,

when I don't come home.

If mine knew what I was doing...

He has a bad temper.

My husband wouldn't understand either. He's a pastor.

I'm sure he would think it was wrong. - What, are you afraid already?

No. I just hope we can get our boys back.

My boy's name is Edmund.

He's 15.

He's a good boy.

My boy's name is Werner.

He's taller than me, even though he's just 15.

We always stuck together against my husband.

He wants to study. I sew on the side, just so that he'll be able to study.

He's going to be an engineer. - That's a good job.

My husband says there's a future in it.

My brother is also going to study.

Robert is his name.

He's only 14.

My boy's name is Harald. - And my boy is Georg.

Georg is his name. Can't you stop with the "My boy's name" stuff?

They all have names.

Forgive me.

Were you dreaming?

Yes.

They're all sleeping and dreaming. You can tell by looking at them.

And you?

I can't sleep. I'm a doctor. I've had a lot of night shifts.

I don't dream at all.

Are you also suddenly afraid for your son?

I dreamt of mine.

You know... My husband fell in battle, a year ago.