Dead Man's Letters (1986) Movie Script

1
My dear boy,
I am working,
can you imagine that?
And whats even more surprising,
its socially useful work, too.
Ive calculated a new day.
Its 7,200 minutes by the old system.
Its not as pointless as one might think,
because day and night
are now all twilight.
When God created the world,
even He needed to have some notion of time.
He divided light from darkness
and called them day and night.
Ive proposed
a new unit of time...
One twilight,
because there is
no more diversity in this world.
Your mother and I
are staying in the shelter
beneath the museum
together with its staff.
We will wait for you here
and then well go to the
central bunker together.
You can come here via the street,
but youll have to climb up the wall first.
Good morning.
What time is it now?
I dont know.
Why wake me up, then?
I feel its daytime.
Did you turn on the ventilation?
She is suffocating.
Then put on a bandage.
Thank you.
Ill turn it off.
Dear Eric,
Before all of us you,
mother and I
become grains of the universe,
for each of us is mortal,
well have a lot of happy hours and days,
even if we use my notion of time.
Mother is much better today.
We havent talked that much
in a long time.
LETTERS FROM A DEAD MAN
- Have you had the inspection yet?
- They are here right now. I am nervous.
Holy God, save and protect me.
Take off your clothes and come inside.
I have to go.
- Whos in charge?
- Me.
Come here.
- How many people are here?
- Twelve.
- Is everyone in here?
- Yes, everyone.
- This is our guest.
- No, I have a permit.
- Whose children are these?
- They are what is left of the orphanage.
There was an orphanage here, 40 children.
Almost all of them are dead now.
- So they do not have parents?
- No parents.
They never talk.
I think they are in shock.
I see.
Stuporous state.
They understand everything.
Almost everything. But they dont talk.
You,
- go behind the screen.
- Maybe its best to start with the children...
- No!
- ...as they should go to sleep soon-- Why?
Because!
What is your name?
Look here.
Do you hear me?
I see.
Children dont count.
Turn around.
Move your hands up.
Put them down.
Turn around.
Put on your clothes.
- Should I call the old man?
- No need.
- Listen, doctor, these children...
- Step aside, you are in the way.
Do you want...
to leave the children here?!
I dont want anything,
Im just following the instructions
which say the children should be
healthy and with parents.
But thats not possible.
You understand what happens
if you leave them here,
dont you?
Its outside my competence.
Everybody should mind their own business.
Youre a doctor!
That is your business!
They will die anyway.
Theyre ill.
We cant support the lives of the healthy,
and you want to save the ill!
Even if I issued a permit for them,
they would be stopped at the check point.
Children without parents
and in catalepsy!
I would be shot
for issuing a false permit!
We have martial law!
Thats final!
They will be taken care of
by the special service.
- And who will take care of you?
- Whats the problem?
You will leave them here
and hide yourself in the bunker.
But they will come to you anyway,
they will come to you dead,
and they will sit before you
just like now.
How will you look in their dead eyes?
How will you live after that?
Which special service
will help you then?
- How old are you?
- What difference does it make?
A big difference.
For you.
Because we dont need old men either.
So you better go find your birth certificate
and shut up.
Youre interfering with my work.
Everything you want to say,
Ive already heard.
Ten, twenty, a hundred times!
Come here!
You should go the day after tomorrow.
Take nothing unnecessary.
Clothes, blanket and food, if any.
That is all.
I wont go anywhere without children!
You cant...
Dont go, then.
Thats your choice.
By the time of the disaster,
every field of human activity
had been in a state of grave crisis.
Full stop.
Scientific efforts were focused on
weapons of mass destruction,
each of which could eliminate
the life on the planet.
Full stop.
Technology had been destroying
nature and the environment.
Full stop.
New paragraph.
Political relations had become
unduly ambitious and paranoid.
Full stop.
New paragraph.
Art had become inhuman
and had been pandering to vile tastes.
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
I feel like a different person.
I feel a wonderful lightness.
A complete adaptation.
I just need to get used to the cold.
Oh, I forgot...
How is your wife?
Bad.
Stand still.
The doctor mentioned some lists...
in the central bunker.
When I came close
they stopped talking.
They didnt want me to hear.
I am nervous.
Weve decided to go today.
What about you?
I dont know.
I havent decided yet.
Here are the pills...
for the headache. Water-soluble.
Thank you very much.
Dont laugh at crazy people.
Hes no more crazy than you or I.
Whats all this paper?
I asked you a question.
I was trying to read seismograms.
If the war is ongoing,
they should show the explosions.
And if not...
Then what?
Then it is...
proof.
Proof?
You think if you find proof,
the world will come back to life?
Cant you...
see...
whats going on around you?
Cant you see
whats happening to me either?
Do you know when you went crazy?
When?
Before all of this started.
After...
you had made your discoveries.
After...
that Nobel prize.
That is possible.
Now take your medicine.
My son thinks we should go
to the central bunker tomorrow.
After lunch.
We should take into account
possible problems at the check point.
What do you think?
That is possible.
To be honest,
everything seems so unreal.
There was a book, The Human Mole.
Has anyone here read it?
An interesting book.
How do you imagine underground mankind?
I would like to know.
It poses...
quite serious problems.
But what else can we do?
Thats...
our only chance.
I disagree.
I dont believe that the world is doomed.
Are you serious?
I am.
Ive formulated a logical theory.
As of now, I have 25 hypotheses,
but each of them can be checked.
Not all at once, but in time.
Ive read book by a scientist...
that states
the human race is
in a state of rapid evolution...
and can adapt itself to anything.
But the body must be allowed to breathe.
The body should be naked.
Ive decided to try it.
Ive already started breathing exercises.
Excuse me...
Am I talking nonsense?
Yes.
Here, drink this.
Its a painkiller.
Drink it.
Drink a bit more.
Do you have a photo of Eric?
Of course I dont, there is no such thing.
He died outside.
Burned.
How do you know?
I saw it in my dream.
Now try to sleep.
You better go...
Dont wait.
Attention! Attention!
Going outside during curfew hours
is not allowed.
Individuals with a curfew pass
should always carry it with them.
Attention, using internal tunnels
during curfew hours...
A week ago,
it was possible
to buy a painkiller on the black market.
One ampoule for one can of food.
Ill try to go there now.
Be careful, its curfew time.
Youll be shot on sight.
Thats all we can do for Anna.
What about escatomon?
Its not a medicine,
just a stimulator.
Any news?
An order arrived
to evacuate to the central bunker.
- Well go today.
- What about the soldiers?
What about them?
They should know something by now.
They know nothing.
They have their instructions.
What instructions?
The same.
Evacuate to the central bunker.
Deep conservation, and so on.
Conservation? Whats that?
Thirty years underground.
Or fifty.
Or maybe forever.
Thats the end.
Our planet is uninhabitable.
Thats impossible.
Intuition tells me that it simply cannot be.
Its impossible.
I cant believe that.
My--
My whole family was burned to death.
Can you believe that?
I dont know.
Ive got problems with my head.
Maybe an amnesia.
You know...
I should think logically,
make a hypothesis--
I really dont know
what I should do.
You need mountain air
and some rest.
- I need some medicine. A painkiller.
- What do you have?
Canned food.
- Is this meat?
- Meat. Stored in a cellar.
Just follow me.
Raid!
Attention! Anyone attempting to
breach the cordon will be shot!
Let me--
Let me, on behalf of
every museum employee
who is still alive,
express our deepest sorrow
over the death of your wife.
Dear Eric...
Dear Eric,
Some say that children live by the
joy of learning the world.
However, I am convinced
that even in their happiest moments,
children live in fear.
When I was a child,
I lived in fear of locomotives.
My parents said that when I was a baby,
I saw a locomotive... run over a cow.
I dont remember that,
but I know...
I had nightmares about
a huge black locomotive
trying to run me over.
My feet felt rooted to the ground.
I woke up screaming.
Ive been having that dream again recently.
I am standing on the rail tracks
and, at the same time,
I am driving the locomotive.
I keep running towards myself
and I cant stop.
My life and my research
have turned into that
black merciless locomotive
that has now run down
the whole human race.
I imagine various people
driving that locomotive...
From the great Niels Bohr...
to our President.
But the most terrible nightmare, Eric,
is the one with you standing on the tracks.
My dear boy,
If anything should happen
to me or your mother,
although thats not very likely,
Ive asked that we be buried
near the red wardrobe
with the Egyptian skulls,
in the left corner of the storeroom.
Yesterday, after wed had an argument,
I went ahead and
wrote a draft message
for a future civilization
which, I hope,
will be reborn some day.
Im sorry, my colleague,
I do not quite understand...
Who are you addressing?
I dont know. Anybody.
There will be someone.
Visitors from space.
Mutants.
Mutants?
Im sorry, but I must go.
I have a lot of work to do.
Excuse me.
I think the discussion of this text
can be postponed till tomorrow.
Perhaps. Today is not the time.
Such a sad day.
We should acknowledge the fact
that the whole
history of mankind
is a history of a slow suicide;
of a living matter
that by sheer accident
acquired an ability to think,
but that did not know what to do
with this fateful ability.
Full stop.
It could not find any better use
for this ability
than invention of the most effective ways
of global suicide.
Full stop.
- From Judas rope...
- I cant stand this any longer.
...to the latest neutron bomb,
genetic, bacteriological,
and the devil knows what other weapons.
An admirable progress,
the triumph of the mind!
Full stop.
That is the essence of science...
Perhaps in some sense...
our colleague is right.
What do you mean to say?
All the old values are gone.
They turned out to be groundless...
out there.
Here, under the ground,
we will create a new mankind.
Well have a new set of commandments...
Hate thy neighbor.
Hate everyone else.
Hate thine own self.
I can imagine
what youll create.
I understand you.
It is alien to you.
You are just like my father.
Excuse my frankness,
but youre the last humanists.
Like...
mammoths.
I have to go.
Ill go with you, Father.
...mountains of corpses
and rivers of blood.
Thats your museum, up there!
Whats down here
is but a smoke-screen.
We must finally accept that we
completely failed,
that we disgraced ourselves
without even using a fraction of
what we were given.
If there is an intellect in space,
it should look on us
with scorn and disdain.
We are nothing but arrogant monkeys...
Dear Eric,
I am working a lot
and am close to understanding
a thing of universal importance.
But my work is hindered by
various distractions.
Im certain I heard the operator on duty
at the electronic center shout,
A computer error,
cancel the missile launch!
Yes, he said,
Cancel the missile launch command!
He said he was drinking coffee
and he choked...
He was 7 seconds too late.
Seven... Perhaps there is
something in this number,
even if we forget
the commonplace things.
By the way, I remember his face.
He went along the hall,
a drop of sweat on his nose.
He was smiling and
he unzipped his pants as he walked.
He hanged himself in the bathroom.
He knew there were only 14 minutes left.
Why did this deadly wind have to
start its journey across the world here,
in our miserable town?
Why?
Your son is not registered!
Please wait!
It must be a mistake.
- Do you hear me?
- Yes, I do.
But registration isnt over yet, is it?
I cant hear anything!
What did you say?!
Give me my child!
Its forbidden to go out to the surface.
I beg you...
You are responsible for the guards.
No,
not anymore.
New regulations since morning...
The guards obey no one;
they only follow special orders.
I understand that,
but I must get outside.
Any way will do.
Eric is there,
Anna is there!
Until there is a special order,
only the dead can go outside.
Call later.
Do you understand?
No.
You can go out
through the funeral tunnel.
Are you willing to take that risk?
Of course.
Be careful, especially at the checkpoint.
There is a side tunnel there!
Give me a gas mask!
Let me through
to the childrens department!
Its a place best avoided.
- Dont drive yourself crazy.
- Hes in there, I feel it!
And you dont let me in!
There are no children of his age in there!
I beg you to let me through!
Youre not a father!
Okay, okay! Go!
Let him through!
Therefore,
all evidence suggests
that the history of mankind
has ended.
Its time
to sum up the outcome.
And I think it should be done calmly,
without vulgar histrionics.
Today,
I want to talk to you
as a dead man
to other dead men.
That is frankly.
Permit me a short speech
in defense of man
as a biological species.
Mankind...
was a tragic species,
doomed, perhaps, from the very beginning.
Our fateful tragedy was that
we always strove to outdo ourselves.
To be better than nature intended.
We... found a place in ourselves
for compassion,
even though this contradicted
the laws of survival.
We had a sense of dignity,
even if it was
always trampled on.
We created masterpieces of art,
yet knew they were ultimately useless...
and short lived.
We found in ourselves the ability to love.
Oh Lord, it was so difficult!
For inexorable time
caused our bodies, thoughts,
and senses
to decay.
But a man continued to love.
And love created art,
an art which reflects our unbearable
yearning for perfection,
our immense despair
and our endless cry of terror,
a howl
of desolate thinking creatures
in the cold and impassive
space desert.
In this room,
a lot of hateful words
had been said about mankind,
contemptuous...
and scornful.
But I wont throw a stone at it today.
No.
This is what I say.
I loved
mankind.
I love it even more
now that it no longer exists.
I love it for its tragic fate.
And I want to say to you, colleagues,
I want to say that...
I love you.
Theres a moment of truth
for every person.
This one is mine.
Now I will go to my room
and everything will end for me.
After all,
we are adults
and death is not so frightening...
when everything has already died.
And yet...
Are you really...
My son...
has understood me...
and forgives me.
I hope...
you will also understand...
and will not condemn me.
Forgive me, O Lord.
Permit me...
to express...
our most...
deepest,
our most sincere...
condolences...
at the...
untimely death...
of your father.
Ive never met
another man...
who was...
so committed...
to art.
You can...
Everybodys underground.
Its the end.
A wasteland under the cold void of the sky.
Remember that?
No? A pity.
A long time since I last saw you.
I thought you were dead.
Its in fashion now.
But dont take it to heart.
You look wonderful.
I found that reference book that you wanted.
Volume 7 only, Im afraid.
Volume 8 is missing.
By the way,
Ive been thinking about your idea
that the world hasnt
come to an end.
About your proof, that is.
A nice idea, but very stupid.
Not worthy of you, professor.
What proof can there be?
It is ridiculous!
Even the one who had come to save mankind
called it doomed.
And that was
two thousand years ago.
Ive come to save the doomed, he said.
Want me to tell you a secret?
There was no war.
No. There was no war at all.
What happened was not a war.
It was a fulfilled prophecy. Doomsday.
The apocalypse!
Everything was programmed
in advance, from birth to death.
Exactly on the predicted day and hour.
That is why astrology was
always so popular.
All soothsayers and fortune-tellers
predicted, with uncanny accuracy...
What other proof is needed?
Its obvious!
Dear Eric,
Today I woke up, got dressed,
and solved the Dan-Cooper equation
in one hour.
Of course, that doesnt mean anything to you,
but my research institute struggled
with this problem for 30 years,
or maybe more.
Something is wrong with my brain.
If I had 11 tables,
I could calculate the probability
of the survival of living matter.
But I was only able to find 3.
Military reference books are now
priceless on the black market,
because of thick hard covers
and natural paper pages.
They produce a lot of heat
when theyre burned.
Books serve a new purpose nowadays.
Lately...
Ive been having the same dream
over and over.
About a bottle of soda water
that I left unfinished.
Why?
I went out to look for you.
They didnt accept the children.
Ive decided to bring them to you.
You did the right thing.
You wouldnt believe whats
happening in the central bunker.
Its so overcrowded...
My pass is valid for one day.
I have to go back.
I understand.
How is the pastor?
Hes dead.
We must leave at once.
Pack your things.
Im remaining here. You know that.
Thats a pity.
Farewell.
Ill be back right away.
Ill bring the firewood.
Ill be right back.
Dont you believe me?
Dont be afraid, Ill be back.
Its late.
Time for bed.
Dear Eric,
I long wanted to tell you about
that awful night in September.
You came in...
when your mother was shouting at me.
Then she slapped my face.
Juveniles do not know
mercy and understanding,
but have a tendency to analysis.
I hope this will help you to understand
I always loved and love your mother.
And she loved me.
Nothing else matters.
Today,
according to my own calendar,
is the seventh twilight
of the first snow month,
which means today is
Christmas Eve.
I want you to remember,
that on Christmas Eve,
people...
always tried to
bring some happiness to each other.
They gave presents,
cooked wonderful feasts,
or just...
sat together in warm, cozy rooms...
and talked.
And then...
everybody would go outside
to welcome the first star in the sky.
Whoever saw the first star...
was blessed with good luck
and all their wishes
were supposed to come true.
We will also
go out today
to welcome the first star.
The snow has started to fall.
It should always snow on Christmas.
Well, is it time to light the tree?
Thats it.
Now we have a real Christmas tree.
Dear Eric,
I feel...
that by exerting
all of my will-power,
and because I finally found
some purpose in life again,
Ive gained the upper hand
over my now enfeebled body.
Another...
important thing,
Eric,
my dear boy, is this...
Dont leave me alone in this world!
And on the sixth day,
from the beginning
of the worlds end,
Teresa led them to another place
like the pastor prophesied.
And she left them there
and went away.
And a man adopted them,
a man with no name,
like the pastor prophesied.
And the eldest child
wrote a note about it in his notebook,
like the pastor taught.
He wrote about everything
that happened each and every day,
until the day of the great exodus.
And it was so:
On the Christmas day,
he gathered everyone around the tree
and lit the candles.
And he admonished them by saying,
Remember, the world has not died.
That was his exhortation.
And he led them to welcome the first star.
And he said,
Look, and you shall see a star.
But there were no stars in the sky,
for the darkness took over the world.
And when the night came,
he lay down near the furnace
and did not get up anymore.
And he said, I will die soon.
Thats what he said.
And then the eldest child
came up to him
and asked,
Can I ask you a question?
Yes, he said.
No, said the eldest child,
We know that people always tell lies,
and tell the truth
only when they are dying.
We will wait until you are dying.
Ask away, he said.
It is time.
And they all came up to him
and looked into his eyes.
And the eldest one asked,
Have you told the truth today?
Do you believe in what you said?
Go, he answered.
Go, while you have the strength.
For while a man walks on,
there is still hope for him.
THERE LIES BEFORE US, IF WE CHOOSE,
CONTINUAL PROGRESS IN HAPPINESS,
KNOWLEDGE, AND WISDOM.
SHALL WE, INSTEAD, CHOOSE DEATH,
BECAUSE WE CANNOT FORGET OUR QUARRELS?
WE APPEAL AS HUMAN BEINGS
TO HUMAN BEINGS:
REMEMBER YOUR HUMANITY,
AND FORGET THE REST.
BERTRAND RUSSELL, ALBERT EINSTEIN,
FRDRIC JOLIOT-CURIE, ...
FROM THE RUSSELL-EINSTEIN MANIFESTO