The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (1975) Movie Script
1
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1975
THE LOST HONOUR OF KATHARINA BLUM
Hello, Katharina?
What a noise.
Hans is so drunk we had to put him to bed.
And Klaus is on detail.
We've come here to try
and pick up someone else.
You nun, don't be so proper!
See you.
Let's take him with us.
Going to a party?
Want to come to a party?
If you care to accept me,
- and without a costume.
- We'll get you a fake nose.
- Where are we going?
- To a distant relative's, aunt Else.
- We're from the same hometown.
- Nice aunt.
- Don't touch me!
- We'll see.
Not so fast, man!
Shit!
Sheik Karl from Kuwait and his harem.
- I need a napkin.
- What for?
- A bottle of wine fell.
- Red or white wine?
- Red wine.
- Just use salt.
- This is pepper.
- Here you are.
- Who's that beauty?
- My cousin, Katharina Blum.
The nun?
Everybody is feeling well.
Occupied!
They went right onto first name terms.
That was no encounter,
that was a reunion.
Occupied!
Woltersheim, Else. Mergentheimer Str. 3,
telephone 349462.
Blum, Katharina, address still unknown.
I'll call back. Over.
Talking to yourself?
Just telling myself a couple of new jokes.
- You are nuts!
- You girls are pretty tasty.
- Not so prudish, eh?
- You might need a little grease job.
Just a moment! Hach.
Good evening, Mr. D.A.
Beizmenne speaking.
Were you having dinner?
I need to continue the emergency service.
Two this time.
"Escape danger".
Woltersheim, Else
and Blum, Katharina.
Thank you, doctor. Good night.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1975
CARNIVAL NIGH - Attention! Official police action!
- Who are you?
- Get against the wall!
- Don't put up any resistance!
This is an official police action!
Don't put up any resistance!
Where is he?
Nobody here, boss.
Where is he?
He is gone.
Impossible!
Why?
We've watched the house since last night.
If he's not here, he can't be far.
If you want him to be able to walk,
better tell us where he is.
He can't have vanished into the air.
Go ahead!
- Search for weapons!
- How do you know he was here?
You admit you gave him shelter!
When did he leave?
When I woke up,
Ludwig had already left.
- Without a goodbye?
- Yes.
Did he fuck you?
I wouldn't use that word.
We know each other.
I've seen you somewhere before.
Yes, I work for the Blornas.
Please get dressed.
It looks bad if you're parading
in front of our employees.
I'm not parading.
I'm at home.
Mrs. Blum, plea...
- What was that? Take care!
- Sorry.
- Please get dressed!
- Don't be so nervous.
Give that to me.
- Sharpshooters dismissed!
- Take a dress.
He slipped through your fingers again.
Mding!
Come on.
The door stays open.
What's my crime?
Take your clothes off!
- What did Ludwig do?
- The D.A. will explain.
Bend over!
You have a nice bathroom.
Four batteries,
a strong alarm-clock,
two reels of wire and various tools.
A short-haired wig, blond.
Books: two love stories,
three crime stories,
a biography of Napoleon,
and a biography of Queen Christina.
All from a book club.
Typically bourgeois literature.
Nothing else? No weapons?
We found this note in a crime novel.
No other clue for the time being.
What about the two cups on the table?
What use is this to you?
"I am a conscienceless, godless man,
but gold is revered, and so is its owner."
"The divine strength of gold
lies in its being, as the estranged,
alienated
and self-alienating essence of Man.
It is the alienated property of Men."
Sit down here.
- Did Gtten write that?
- No, it has nothing to do with Ludwig.
"Gold is revered,
and so is its owner."
Written by a bank-robber,
it makes sense.
- It's by Karl Marx.
- Probably the early writings.
So you've read Marx?
- No.
- Is that your handwriting?
Father Urbanus, a Dominican,
wrote it down for me.
You can check.
Hohenblumenberg convent.
You mean you know Marx
through the Dominicans?
You chose the wrong Order.
The police requests all occupants of the
house to supply any information they can.
Please report anything suspicious.
There she is!
The duty of the press
is to inform the public.
Take this down:
D.A. Hach speaking.
We're dealing here
with one or several terrorists,
militarily organised,
with little regard for human life.
Sucker!
Attention! The police requests
all occupants of the house
to supply any information they can.
- You were on first name terms?
- Yes.
- Without knowing him?
- Yes.
Didn't Hertha Scheumel
call before the party?
- Yes.
- Why?
She asked if they
could bring someone.
Did she say whom?
She didn't know then.
They wanted to make a pick up.
And you sent your Ludwig!
Right after the call he comes
to that easily recognisable blonde
who was all dressed up.
This sophisticated trick allows Blum
to introduce Gtten at her aunt's place,
without arousing suspicion.
There she gave up even trying to cover up.
As soon as he arrived,
both danced intimately.
I did dance with Ludwig,
but the rest isn't true.
- Do you often dance with strangers?
- No.
You made an exception for Gtten,
although you never dance?
I did dance before.
With Dr. Blorna and his friends,
politicians and businessmen,
when I helped out evenings at parties.
After I got my car,
I turned down those invitations.
Why did you?
Because the men were often drunk,
and made advances to me.
Before that, I had to be driven home.
I danced with this man a couple of times.
We won't get personal.
Only answer the questions
that are put to you.
Gtten's advances didn't bother you?
Ludwig didn't make advances,
- He was tender.
- Same thing.
It is not!
Advances are a one-sided action,
and tenderness is quite different.
- It comes from both parties.
- Who cares about that?
We want to know if you had an appointment.
I won't sign if you keep "advances"
instead of "tenderness".
Alright, "tenderness".
Thank her if this takes forever.
We enjoy listening.
How come last night precisely
you didn't take your car?
It was safer by bus,
- I didn't know how much I'd drink.
- You often get drunk?
No. In fact never.
Pardon. Once, someone got me drunk.
- My husband.
- What are you telling me?
You said you never drink,
so why take the bus?
You know why you didn't take your car?
You wanted to leave with Gtten
in his Porsche!
I told you...
I felt like getting drunk.
Instead, you split with him!
We know why.
How do you explain...
You, who are so proper
that your friends call you "the nun"...
that you throw yourselves
into the arms of a stranger
to take him to your room
and have intercourse with him?
What is it? Love at first sight?
Tenderness?
Advances?
Or just a quick lay?
- Want something to eat?
- No, thank you.
Don't put on airs.
You must be hungry.
We'd like to have a warm meal ourselves.
It is not as good as yours this morning,
but you didn't finish your breakfast.
- No, thank you.
- You're only punishing yourself.
As an adult citizen,
you should have understood
the need to interrogate you.
Some people find it hard to distinguish
between private and business life.
Enjoy your meal.
Come on, girl!
You'll get hungry as you eat.
I'm not a monster.
Can I wait outside, please?
I can also lock you in a cell,
if you can't stand the sight of me.
Yes, please. I'd like it better.
Men have been sentenced
to eight years and more,
and are still appreciating my fairness.
But we can be different.
Pletzer!
Have her put in a cell.
- That hurts!
- You don't say.
Looks like someone got sick.
You really don't want anything?
We can send out for something
and bill you for it.
I'm going out to the caf anyway.
No sense of humour.
The people in contact with the fugitive
have all been checked out.
A bartender who served him a beer,
two girls he danced with.
We'll question them.
Hertha Scheumel and Claudia.
No, not the girls he danced with.
Did he talk to other girls, too?
A gas station attendant,
a cigarette store salesman,
a bank clerk who changed $ 700 for him,
probably from a bank robbery.
Numbers are being checked in Washington.
All of these have been positively
identified as chance meetings.
Not one word he exchanged with them
suggests anything like a code.
Yes, gentlemen.
We are mystified.
For 36 hours he was
under constant surveillance.
He took advantage
of the Carnival to get away.
Shouldn't we try to arrest this Sheik Karl
and investigate his highly obscure role?
After all, he's the one
who introduced him at the party.
Didn't it occur to you that Mr. Beizmenne
deliberately left him out?
He's one of our men.
Why wasn't Gtten arrested
if you had him under surveillance?
All of the inspector Beizmennes moves
have been approved
by Internal Security in Bonn.
Just a moment.
You think she's innocent, Mding?
I see it the other way round.
I'd have taken her to my place.
The morning after, she'd tell me
the police were after her.
- You'd turn her in.
- I probably would.
But I suppose
an average man would not.
Not everyone works for the police.
Anyone who thinks like that
doesn't belong in the force, Mding.
Mrs. Blum?
Mrs. Blum is in the county hospital.
My name is Ttges.
We're investigating for The Paper...
Her daughter Katharina...
she has no other relatives?
There's a younger brother, Kurt.
He is in jail.
Interesting. What for?
- I don't know.
- And the mother?
Not surprising,
with that little bastard.
The husband came back
from the war a wreck,
just to die.
All the better for him.
Ask the reverend
what happened in the sacristy.
Schnni! Come on!
We still have some time left.
Sad... sad... sad...
Schnni!
A waitress may
look like a whore,
but she shouldn't be one.
I need that.
I have stomach trouble.
Soup.
You must eat soup, Schnni.
And Katharina Blum -
was she a whore?
Her? No!
Stiff as a board.
You couldn't even pinch her ass.
Too square and too shy.
And then she fell
for the first one who laid her.
He married her. Brettloh.
This one. Third from the right.
He is - pardon the expression -
a genuine ass-kisser.
Wilhelm, you're going to be
in the papers!
Brettloh, Wilhelm.
Ttges. We're from The Paper...
We're here on account of Katharina.
- So you're the husband.
- I was.
I'm sure you can tell us a lot.
Dial.
Ladies, care for a hump with me?
Give me the editorial staff.
Looks like a sex desert here.
Perhaps we can get laid.
"Damning reputation
throughout the village.
The ex-husband, an honest working man,
Wilhelm Brettloh,
who divorced Blum
on grounds of desertion,
told us, hardly holding back his tears:
'I know at last
why she ran off on me.
Our humble happiness
wasn't enough for her.
She wanted to get up in the world,
and how could a modest working man
ever get a Porsche?
Give my advice to the readers
of The Paper..."'
Just a minute! Coming!
"This is where false ideas
of Socialism are bound to lead.
I ask you and your readers: How does
a housekeeper come by that wealth?
It couldn't have been honestly."
Hello!
It happens.
- Sports.
- Thank you.
Tell me, would you say your housekeeper
was capable of committing a crime?
What do you mean?
Everyone is capable
of committing a crime.
- Interesting.
- So are you.
- Aren't you the attorney Blorna?
- Yes.
I'm from the Austrian bureau
of The Paper...
Katharina Blum has been arrested
in that action against anarchists.
Katharina arrested? Impossible.
It's not that bad. They'll probably
let her run around for a while.
- Who?
- Katharina.
- Could you tell me more about her?
- It's a misunderstanding.
If you refuse, it'll look bad
and can be misinterpreted.
To keep silent in such a case
- this is a front-page story -
could only have bad implications.
Katharina is
a very bright, sensible girl.
Did you ever notice
her political opinions?
- Why?
- Or do you yourself sympathize with...
- That's enough.
- Weren't you reluctant to hire someone like her?
You hold files from the Lstra AG
at your house.
- Couldn't she have a look at them?
- What are you suggesting?
According to our sources,
Dr. Strubleder is your partner.
No, I'm the counsel for the corporation
of which he is the main stockholder.
We are on vacation. Goodbye!
Thank you. That will do.
"I don't know" means
I'm not entitled to say anything.
I'm sorry.
We know the place is a hide-out,
and Blum gave shelter
not only to Gtten but possibly to others.
Our staff has collected
valuable background material.
Did you know that the Blum girl
has had a gentleman friend for two years?
The nun!
- No!
- Just an hour or so.
What kind of man is this Blorna?
Did you dig up anything?
Yes, another "coincidence":
Blorna happened to go on vacation,
when Gtten appeared.
His wife,
an architect.
In student days she was known as
"Trudy the Red."
Not for her opinions,
but for the colour of her hair.
Mrs. Blum, to interrogation.
Wait here a minute.
Mrs. Schwill!
Mr. Ruhwiedel.
Rather good-looking.
Obviously a high-class gentleman.
- I wouldn't say that.
- I would.
Might those visitors have been the men
who sometimes
drove you home after parties?
Is it forbidden to have gentlemen friends?
Mrs. Blum, is it clear to you that this is
a very serious case
with many implications
that have kept the police
and D.A.'s office busy for over a year?
May I ask you: Are your gentlemen friends
- since you admit they exist...
- Yes.
- Good.
Are there many, or just one?
One.
So you've known Gtten for two years!
No.
I only met Ludwig yesterday.
- Then who was it?
- Who was your gentleman friend?
He has nothing to do with Ludwig.
- Get out of here!
- Unbelievable. They're still working.
- Do you recognize this ring?
- Yes.
- Is it yours?
- Yes.
- Do you know its value?
- It can't be much.
We had it appraised by
a jeweller in the city, to be fair to you.
This ring is worth
eight to ten thousand marks.
- How much?
- Eight to ten thousand.
- It was a gift.
- A gift? From whom? What for?
And this letter,
found in your bedside table,
was postmarked February 2 at 6 p.m.
in Dsseldorf
with your address: Mrs. K. Blum,
Hochkeppelstr. 7, Cologne 1.
Who sent it, if not Gtten?
He has nothing to do with Ludwig.
Nothing wrong in having a friend.
You're divorced. You've no ties.
And it's no crime
that you take advantage of it.
Eight to ten thousand.
May I go back to my cell?
I have nothing more to say.
Interrogation ended at 9:40 p.m.
Two cups of tea and a piece of cake
were brought to the detainee,
who accepted and paid for them.
Shouldn't we let her sleep at home?
I think it best to let her loose.
Perhaps he'll get in touch with her.
Shouldn't we lock her up
for her own safety?
- You can sleep at home.
- We can't expose her to any danger.
- In love, Mding?
- Mr. Beizmenne, Bonn!
You can take her home.
- In case you're free tomorrow night.
- Thank you very much, Mr. D.A.
How did your tender Ludwig
leave the house?
All exits were watched.
You must have shown him a way out.
But I'll find him.
And if there is any shooting,
it's obvious who'll get it. Good night!
- Your name is Katharina?
- And yours?
Ludwig.
I haven't called a man
by his first name in ages.
- How long?
- Four years.
Five.
Of course, there are fellow workers
I call by their first names.
- I'm not a fellow worker.
- I know.
I'm so happy,
and a little scared.
Scared? Of what?
If I knew, I wouldn't be scared.
I was married once,
and it didn't turn out well.
Let's leave soon.
Yes? Ludwig?
Yes, this is Katharina Blum.
You fat bitch.
Is your pussy ready?
Will you give me a blowjob?
Will you give me a hand job?
You pig.
"Must I force happiness upon you?
I'm warning you. Your neighbour."
Drunk.
Are you feeling okay?
Were you following me in your car?
You won't lose us that easy.
Two beers.
I almost had an accident.
What are you scared of?
Aren't you innocent?
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1975
"Was her flat
the seat of conspiracy,
a mob hideout, a weapon cache?
The ex-husband, an honest
working man, Wilhelm Brettloh,
who divorced Blum
on grounds of desertion,
could hardly hold back his tears:
'I know at last
why she ran off on me.
Our humble happiness
wasn't enough for her.
She wanted to get up in the world,
and how could a candid, modest-working man
ever get a Porsche? '
As a warning he added:
'This is where false ideas
of Socialism are bound to lead.
Now I know why I feared her radicalism
and her hatred of the Church. '
Her employer, the notorious
corporation lawyer Blorna,
when asked, told The Paper:
'Katharina is ice-cold and calculating,
and I hold her capable
of committing a crime."'
I know exactly what I told this guy.
I said, she's bright and sensitive.
At best don't say a thing.
They can't force you.
I like you.
We like you very much.
Yes.
She doesn't take
this garbage seriously!
Do you know what she said?
"Unbelievable.
I know now how these pigs work."
That doesn't sound like her.
Do you know if she met him long ago?
She'd never talk about it.
She says he's safe.
She's laying herself open to prosecution.
That's what I told her.
We have to go back.
Father Urbanus,
I'm sorry about the note,
but I liked the Karl Marx quote
so much that I had to keep it.
I'm not blaming you, my dear.
I know what situation you're in.
But that isn't why I sent for you.
We were afraid
you would be detained longer.
Katharina!
I thank you for coming.
I find it very foolish to summon me here.
- You hadn't guessed that I wanted to see you?
- No.
If you had, you wouldn't have come.
I understand and admire you, Katharina.
I'm sorry that you got
into trouble because of me.
I'd like to thank you, Katharina.
I've never doubted
your courage and sensitivity.
I'd like to help you.
Yes, I know.
I have been punished, too.
I love you.
One word from you,
I'd turn myself in and confess:
"Look, it's me.
I bought her the ring.
I'm the gentleman friend."
- You'd do that?
- I'd do anything to help you.
Anything...
that would help you.
It wouldn't help me.
I often waited for you.
I never completely gave up hope
that you'd show up one day.
Of your own choice.
But now I see: It was in vain.
So it's better
that I take back the key.
You still have it?
It wasn't found in the search.
You forced me to take it.
I never wanted it.
So you can give it back to me.
Wait!
You don't know
how much it means to me. Father Urbanus!
Did you suspect
your daughter led a double life?
Why?
How does a mother feel,
faced with that?
It must have been
a great shock to you.
What for?
Of all people,
no one knows Katharina's character better.
Mrs. Blum, how do you explain how your
daughter has come to this?
- Can you tell me?
- Why?
What are you doing?
No visitors allowed!
- The woman needs rest.
- She will soon rest.
- Man, you can't do that.
- Shut up.
Here comes K. Blum with her aunt,
Mrs. Woltersheim, into the Police station.
The heavily burdened young lady
seems very calm.
According to the D.A.'s press release,
Gtten's hiding place still remains
unknown, in spite of information received.
Mothers are giving, even sick ones.
- How did you get to the mother?
- I'm an old pro.
"'It had to come to this,'
she whispered in a dying voice."
Did she really say that?
We must help simple people
express themselves.
Mrs. Woltersheim
also has something to hide.
Her father, his name is Lumm,
she's a natural child, was a Communist.
In 1932, he emigrated to the Soviet Union,
where he disappeared.
Here are interesting xeroxes
our staff has provided.
If he's in town, we can expect news
for the weekend edition.
You won't have to wait long.
I've got news on the Blum case.
"Backers in the GDR."
"Well-informed police circles tell us
that Mrs. Woltersheim
has something to hide, as well.
Documentary evidence shows
that her father, Peter Lumm,
emigrated to the USSR in '32,
where he disappeared."
Mrs. Hedwig Plotten,
please report to department 3A!
Good morning. Did you sleep well?
Don't blame it on the police
if I'm a little rude.
I'm only a man,
and sometimes pretty blunt.
We realize you must investigate
Katharina's role, but...
- Mrs. Woltersheim?
- Yes.
Please come in.
I wonder if you have a right
to destroy a human being this way.
I don't mean just you,
but the handling of The Paper.
Woltersheim. I've known Katharina
since she was born.
I see the disease and damage in her.
- Because of The Paper?
- Yes.
That's not our concern.
Anyway, freedom of the press
cannot be dealt with lightly.
But freedom and dignity
of a man can be.
If you avoid bad company,
you don't give the press
the wrong opportunities.
I won't take that kind of lesson,
especially from a young man.
My colleague's age means nothing.
However, his position as D.A.
means a lot.
In any event, I don't ask my guests
to produce a police record.
Your mother lives in East Germany
and by her own choice.
She seems to prefer their system.
Do many of your guests
think the same way?
Do I have to supply you
with their political profile?
What are you investigating exactly?
Let the state representative decide
what are the important questions.
Mrs. Woltersheim!
Is Katharina Blum's gentleman friend
- let's leave aside whether
there's one or many of them -
among your guests, too?
Absolutely not.
Anyway, there's only one person,
and the affair is in very bad taste.
By "bad taste", I don't mean
Katharina, but the visitor.
And who is this visitor?
Since Katharina didn't say,
I won't either.
- Do you know him personally?
- No.
But you claim to know
all the details of Mrs. Blum's life.
Did you know that,
over the past few years, your Katharina
has travelled over 50.000 miles
all over Germany,
destination unknown?
Don't you feel well?
Here.
I went through the archive again,
and I've picked out
some more clippings.
Here, for instance,
they just mention a "Katharina B.".
No picture.
How do they know all that?
The value of the ring,
all those lies about gentlemen friends?
That's The Paper.
Is the state unable to protect you
against this garbage?
Not everybody reads The Paper.
All the people I know read The Paper.
- Have some tea?
- Please.
Tip me off. If she's released. She's what
you're always looking for and never find.
A real gem.
Well.
How's Ludwig?
I'm not expecting you
to tell me where he is.
It wouldn't fit into your character.
Let's forget what you've done.
Let's assume you don't belong
to Gtten's gang.
Personally, I don't believe that you do.
Let's imagine Katharina Blum,
domestic help, above all suspicion.
How much do you earn?
1.200 marks at Blorna's.
With extra income I make
1.800 to 2.000 marks.
What extra income?
- I said all that yesterday.
- That's the point.
We don't understand how, with this income
- more or less your salary, Mding -
how can you afford to buy a flat
worth 110.000 marks.
Don't you have any other earnings
or should we admit
the loot of Gtten's robberies
fills the hole in your budget?
I made a down payment for the flat:
7.000 marks. From my savings.
The Blorna's vouched for a 30.000 loan.
My monthly expenses, including
interest, are about 1.100 marks.
We just want to know
how you make it.
Perhaps we can learn
how to get to own an apartment.
1.100 per month.
Our accountant has established
that we should add
another 150 per month
that you send to your mother.
Regular payments to a company
- to take care of your father's grave.
- Yes, twelve marks.
Then something to your brother
who is serving time.
I send him 10 to 20 marks
for cigarettes and coffee.
He needs them.
Don't you spend anything on clothes?
You don't always dress
as economically as you did yesterday.
I fix up things
that Mrs. Blorna gives me.
With this, I need your help.
I wonder where
these gas bills come from.
I drive to Blorna's every morning.
I drive back in the evening.
I do my errands on foot.
We've measured the distance.
The round trip is six kilometres.
In the evening,
I work at Mr. Hiepertz'.
Eight kilometres to the Hiepertz
home and back.
- From time to time, I visit my aunt.
- 4 Kilometres.
On weekends, I go to a caterer's
or I help out as a waitress
at receptions, parties or weddings.
- Often, they're out of town.
- Could we say about 30 a week?
- A little less.
- 30.
That comes to 8.000 a year.
You own a Volkswagen,
which you bought second-hand,
according to the contract,
from a Mr. Klommer,
with a mileage of 56.000.
If we add 6 times 8.000,
it should come to 104.000.
But in fact it shows 162.000.
Now and then she visits
her mother in Gemmelsbroich.
50.000 still remain unaccounted.
We have the gas bills.
Where did you drive to so often?
What were you spying on?
Whom did you meet and where?
That's right.
I just added it up in my mind.
I never gave a thought
about those expenses.
After work,
I often go for a drive.
Mostly when it rains
and when I'm alone.
Sometimes I'm home at 5
with nothing to do.
I know so many women
who get drunk alone
in front of their TV.
That scares me.
- Goodbye.
- Bye.
"Sick mother collapses.
What is Blum hiding?
Are our interrogation methods too gentle?
Our correspondent managed
to find Blum's sick mother.
She complained bitterly that her daughter
hadn't visited her for so long.
Truth didn't catch her by surprise.
'It had to come to this,
she whispered in a dying voice."'
Nobody is allowed near her!
Hello.
You filthy pig.
You filthy, cowardly pig!
- Just let me throw that crap away.
- No, I'll read it.
No news from him.
"A good fuck is half the battle."
"This is rather prickly."
"Where Stalin didn't succeed,
you won't either."
"Learn to pray again."
"I'm the best lay. I'll will..."
COMMIE'S WHORE
Don't take it seriously.
I'll get rid of all this filth.
Nice and cosy again here.
Now you go to sleep.
- Yes, I'll go home.
- Why don't you stay here?
- Good night.
- Good night.
Is that you?
Did you find it?
Are you all right?
Is there anything to eat?
Don't worry.
They're leaving me alone.
I know,
but I had to hear your voice.
You...
I like you so much.
I'd like to be near you.
Last night, I almost was on my way to you.
Don't call anymore. I'll call you.
You told me not to speak of love.
But I still want to tell you
that I'm very fond of you.
Me too... very much.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1975
This bullshit,
following you everywhere.
I'll throw a bomb in their office.
Is Alfred awake?
I have to speak to you
about Katharina.
Did you come back because of her?
You should be careful.
This Gtten belongs to a gang
of deserters and objectors.
They are undermining
our domestic security.
You sound like The Paper...
What's this got to do
with Katharina?
Haven't you read this crap?
The worst slanders
against Trude and me!
Did you come here
to discuss the yellow press?
Don't you want to come in?
You can throw a libel action
against The Paper.
How could they get all that information
if it wasn't from you?
This is not the time or the place
for your accusations.
- Are you under surveillance too?
- They're here to protect me.
I'll file an inquest to see
if you collaborate with The Paper.
Do as you want.
Five days a week I work on radicals.
I want to have the weekend off.
- What are you doing?
- What do you want?
- I'm with The Press.
- Who are you?
Move it.
Leave us alone or I'll whack you
in the face! Go away!
I recognized you right away.
You're the broad's boss.
And this is the house
with the swimming pool.
The coffee is very weak.
- Not like Katharina's.
- Cut it out.
- I'm not blaming you.
- You couldn't if you wanted to.
- With Katharina I could never...
- Never do what?
Take her in my arms.
- Not on your account.
- Thanks.
You know what I mean.
On account of her.
She's so damned vulnerable.
- I don't think Alois noticed that.
- What's Alois got to do with it?
Didn't it occur to you
that he's the gentleman friend?
He thinks he's irresistible.
I know that from experience.
If it turns out it was Alois,
I'll punch him in the jaw.
Help yourself.
He just drove up.
Come in.
- Good morning, Trude.
- Hello, gentleman friend!
I suppose Trude was right.
I'm not sure
that's very good taste.
Good taste would be to be
your wife's gentleman friend.
The heating isn't on yet.
Do everything you can
to find Katharina.
I'm sorry you couldn't
get here before.
- I can't do anything about The Paper.
- Lding is in charge of that.
I don't want my name to appear.
Didn't you speak to Lding?
- You don't seem to be in the picture.
- I've no idea.
That's weird, considering
I happen to be your client.
- Why didn't you come by plane?
- Because of the fog.
- So you don't know where she is?
- No.
Do you?
Katharina called Ttges an hour ago
to offer him an exclusive interview.
So what? Lding is controlling The Paper.
There are other papers
besides The Paper.
Ttges can sell his articles
through patsies.
I have nothing
against making headlines,
except in connection
with anarchists.
Why didn't you think of that
before your "visits"?
An affair might at worst bring me
into trouble at home, not in public.
We do live in a free country.
Hubert.
Talk her out of this interview.
The worst hasn't come out yet
in the interrogations or in the press.
Six months ago,
I made Katharina
take the key to our place in the country.
Sentimentality, I guess.
I do love the girl.
- But you won't help her against The Paper.
- You can't help her.
You can help me.
She won't let you help her!
God damn it, Hubert.
You still don't understand.
I'm sure she gave the key to Gtten
and he's hiding at my place now.
It's a good hideout.
Why don't you call the police?
An anarchist in my house!
He must go away.
You could drive out there as my lawyer.
- Me? - Yes.
To see if the snow drops are out?
Do you really mean that?
These Paper-bastards must be
watching me every minute.
If my name is printed
in connection with this gang,
I'm through.
Just out of the feeling
you shouldn't get
too involved for Katharina.
I'm not saying that for me, but for you.
- Sorry, Alois.
- Then we'll have to part company.
Two picture frames with portraits,
a pair of health shoes,
toilet articles in a plastic bag.
Clothes are in the suitcase
with an inventory.
Valuables:
Two wedding rings,
a pin, and 32.50 marks in cash.
Do you like it?
Thank you.
If Ttges actually was in her room,
I'll sue him.
But I think it's impossible
that he had the nerve to do it.
I'll go to court.
I'll notify the Medical Association.
We can't prove it had a harmful effect,
but we can't exclude it either.
The operation had been successful,
and your mother
was on the way to recovery.
These people are murderers.
All of them.
It's their very business to rob
innocent people of their honour,
often to take their lives.
Otherwise nobody would buy
their papers.
Are you a Marxist?
Just a moment, please.
Your mother is being prepared.
I would like to be there.
Maria and Teresa, our two helps.
- Are you her daughter?
- Yes.
Thank you for everything.
Attention! This is the police!
The villa's owner, a well-known
Executive and university professor,
is also a major Party official.
It is not clear yet how Gtten could have
broken into this well-protected place.
The owner, Professor Strubleder,
has gone into retreat
for the carnival period.
The house is surrounded by hills,
as if by perfect watch towers.
Special troops were landed
at night by choppers,
out of earshot,
and went into action.
We waited for Gtten
to make his contacts.
It was essential to find out
whom he was trying to contact.
Our success here has proven
that it was a risk worth taking.
Excuse me.
Where is Ludwig?
What happened?
We've already removed him.
He's well.
Just a bullet wound in the thigh.
What are you doing here?
All we know is he's a deserter
from the Bundeswehr.
He damaged this blessed
institution materially,
not only morally.
He never robbed a bank.
He helped himself to the pay
of two regiments.
Actually, it's all my fault.
This is the blueprint for the heating and
plumbing system of Katharina's building.
It was on the wall in our bedroom.
It fascinated Katharina. I told her
exactly how high the passages are,
where you can stand up straight,
where you have to duck
in order to fix pipes or wires.
Katharina, will you sit down?
Today, we are going to spoil you.
Without minimizing anything,
what exactly happened?
You've been interrogated.
So have we all.
The Paper smeared the usual crap on us.
They only spared me,
perhaps just because
I'm an old Nazi.
You can stay at my place
if you won't go home.
Here's my key.
- Thanks.
- I'm going to live with Else anyway.
Life goes on.
- So, Katharina.
- How long will Ludwig get?
With this hysteria,
I figure eight to ten years.
- You really love him?
- Yes.
Why this interview,
now that it's all over? Let me cancel it.
No, I want to see Ttges.
I want to know
what such a man looks like.
You're not up to his tricks.
He'll fool you again.
At least let me come along.
I'd prefer to do it alone.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1975
GTTEN CAUGHT - MOTHER DIES
FIRST VICTIM
OF ANARCHIST PARAMOUR
Hey, Katharina, is that you?
We'll have a beer for breakfast.
- Look over there.
- It's the Blum girl.
You're in The Paper. Everyday!
We're saving the clippings.
How about a quickie?
She belongs in the gas chamber.
Cheers!
See, Blum,
you're famous now.
All that mail, even on Sunday!
You can thank me for all that.
Special delivery, telegrams,
by messenger.
Just wait. You can make a lot of money
on your name.
The story is still hot news,
but we must keep plugging it
or people will forget about you.
First an exclusive interview
for a weekly magazine.
You're news.
You have to exploit that.
Here.
This is for the story on Strubleder.
That business with the key.
We'll take care of the gentleman!
We'll club him over the head.
You have to be a bit more tolerant.
You're not blaming me
for that Paper coverage?
They treated you a little rough.
You're not mad at me?
I'll get through it and so will you.
I often get furious with the editors.
I deliver first-rate copy
and they turn it into crap.
I have a lot of respect for you.
Really!
What you've done...
I take my hat off!
Politically naive, of course.
We should get to know
each other better.
This interview is just the beginning.
How about fucking for a start?
Schnner's corpse has been found in the
woods. The Paper photographer.
He was shot.
Did you kill him too?
Well, why not him too?
EPILOGUE
This is a very moving moment
at the cemetery.
Many of our prominent citizens
are paying their last respects
to the cold-blooded murdered journalist,
Mr. Ttges.
This is his mother, Mrs. Ttges...
We recognize
Mr. and Mrs. Strubleder
and the owner of The Paper,
Dr. Lding, who will give the eulogy.
The shots that killed
Werner Ttges
didn't hit him alone.
They were aimed
at Freedom of the Press,
one of the most precious values
of our young Democracy.
And these shots
- for us who stand here
in grief and horror -
they strike us.
Just as they struck him.
Who doesn't feel the wound?
Who doesn't feel the sorrow
above and beyond
one's personal concerns?
Who doesn't feel the breath of terror,
the savagery of anarchy,
the violence which is undermining
the foundations
of our liberal-democratic order,
which we are so devoted to.
Here, allegedly private motives
have led to a political assassination,
and we can say once more:
Stop it before it grows!
Look out,
for Freedom of the Press
is the core of everything:
well-being, social progress,
democracy,
pluralism,
diversity of opinions.
And whoever attacks The Paper
attacks us all.
TO OUR COLLEAGUE-
VICTIM OF HIS PROFESSION
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT "THE PAPER"
CHARACTERS AND EVENTS ARE FICTITIOUS
DESCRIPTION OF
CERTAIN JOURNALISTIC PRACTICES
ARE NEITHER INTENTIONAL NOR ACCIDENTAL
BUT UNAVOIDABLE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1975
THE LOST HONOUR OF KATHARINA BLUM
Hello, Katharina?
What a noise.
Hans is so drunk we had to put him to bed.
And Klaus is on detail.
We've come here to try
and pick up someone else.
You nun, don't be so proper!
See you.
Let's take him with us.
Going to a party?
Want to come to a party?
If you care to accept me,
- and without a costume.
- We'll get you a fake nose.
- Where are we going?
- To a distant relative's, aunt Else.
- We're from the same hometown.
- Nice aunt.
- Don't touch me!
- We'll see.
Not so fast, man!
Shit!
Sheik Karl from Kuwait and his harem.
- I need a napkin.
- What for?
- A bottle of wine fell.
- Red or white wine?
- Red wine.
- Just use salt.
- This is pepper.
- Here you are.
- Who's that beauty?
- My cousin, Katharina Blum.
The nun?
Everybody is feeling well.
Occupied!
They went right onto first name terms.
That was no encounter,
that was a reunion.
Occupied!
Woltersheim, Else. Mergentheimer Str. 3,
telephone 349462.
Blum, Katharina, address still unknown.
I'll call back. Over.
Talking to yourself?
Just telling myself a couple of new jokes.
- You are nuts!
- You girls are pretty tasty.
- Not so prudish, eh?
- You might need a little grease job.
Just a moment! Hach.
Good evening, Mr. D.A.
Beizmenne speaking.
Were you having dinner?
I need to continue the emergency service.
Two this time.
"Escape danger".
Woltersheim, Else
and Blum, Katharina.
Thank you, doctor. Good night.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1975
CARNIVAL NIGH - Attention! Official police action!
- Who are you?
- Get against the wall!
- Don't put up any resistance!
This is an official police action!
Don't put up any resistance!
Where is he?
Nobody here, boss.
Where is he?
He is gone.
Impossible!
Why?
We've watched the house since last night.
If he's not here, he can't be far.
If you want him to be able to walk,
better tell us where he is.
He can't have vanished into the air.
Go ahead!
- Search for weapons!
- How do you know he was here?
You admit you gave him shelter!
When did he leave?
When I woke up,
Ludwig had already left.
- Without a goodbye?
- Yes.
Did he fuck you?
I wouldn't use that word.
We know each other.
I've seen you somewhere before.
Yes, I work for the Blornas.
Please get dressed.
It looks bad if you're parading
in front of our employees.
I'm not parading.
I'm at home.
Mrs. Blum, plea...
- What was that? Take care!
- Sorry.
- Please get dressed!
- Don't be so nervous.
Give that to me.
- Sharpshooters dismissed!
- Take a dress.
He slipped through your fingers again.
Mding!
Come on.
The door stays open.
What's my crime?
Take your clothes off!
- What did Ludwig do?
- The D.A. will explain.
Bend over!
You have a nice bathroom.
Four batteries,
a strong alarm-clock,
two reels of wire and various tools.
A short-haired wig, blond.
Books: two love stories,
three crime stories,
a biography of Napoleon,
and a biography of Queen Christina.
All from a book club.
Typically bourgeois literature.
Nothing else? No weapons?
We found this note in a crime novel.
No other clue for the time being.
What about the two cups on the table?
What use is this to you?
"I am a conscienceless, godless man,
but gold is revered, and so is its owner."
"The divine strength of gold
lies in its being, as the estranged,
alienated
and self-alienating essence of Man.
It is the alienated property of Men."
Sit down here.
- Did Gtten write that?
- No, it has nothing to do with Ludwig.
"Gold is revered,
and so is its owner."
Written by a bank-robber,
it makes sense.
- It's by Karl Marx.
- Probably the early writings.
So you've read Marx?
- No.
- Is that your handwriting?
Father Urbanus, a Dominican,
wrote it down for me.
You can check.
Hohenblumenberg convent.
You mean you know Marx
through the Dominicans?
You chose the wrong Order.
The police requests all occupants of the
house to supply any information they can.
Please report anything suspicious.
There she is!
The duty of the press
is to inform the public.
Take this down:
D.A. Hach speaking.
We're dealing here
with one or several terrorists,
militarily organised,
with little regard for human life.
Sucker!
Attention! The police requests
all occupants of the house
to supply any information they can.
- You were on first name terms?
- Yes.
- Without knowing him?
- Yes.
Didn't Hertha Scheumel
call before the party?
- Yes.
- Why?
She asked if they
could bring someone.
Did she say whom?
She didn't know then.
They wanted to make a pick up.
And you sent your Ludwig!
Right after the call he comes
to that easily recognisable blonde
who was all dressed up.
This sophisticated trick allows Blum
to introduce Gtten at her aunt's place,
without arousing suspicion.
There she gave up even trying to cover up.
As soon as he arrived,
both danced intimately.
I did dance with Ludwig,
but the rest isn't true.
- Do you often dance with strangers?
- No.
You made an exception for Gtten,
although you never dance?
I did dance before.
With Dr. Blorna and his friends,
politicians and businessmen,
when I helped out evenings at parties.
After I got my car,
I turned down those invitations.
Why did you?
Because the men were often drunk,
and made advances to me.
Before that, I had to be driven home.
I danced with this man a couple of times.
We won't get personal.
Only answer the questions
that are put to you.
Gtten's advances didn't bother you?
Ludwig didn't make advances,
- He was tender.
- Same thing.
It is not!
Advances are a one-sided action,
and tenderness is quite different.
- It comes from both parties.
- Who cares about that?
We want to know if you had an appointment.
I won't sign if you keep "advances"
instead of "tenderness".
Alright, "tenderness".
Thank her if this takes forever.
We enjoy listening.
How come last night precisely
you didn't take your car?
It was safer by bus,
- I didn't know how much I'd drink.
- You often get drunk?
No. In fact never.
Pardon. Once, someone got me drunk.
- My husband.
- What are you telling me?
You said you never drink,
so why take the bus?
You know why you didn't take your car?
You wanted to leave with Gtten
in his Porsche!
I told you...
I felt like getting drunk.
Instead, you split with him!
We know why.
How do you explain...
You, who are so proper
that your friends call you "the nun"...
that you throw yourselves
into the arms of a stranger
to take him to your room
and have intercourse with him?
What is it? Love at first sight?
Tenderness?
Advances?
Or just a quick lay?
- Want something to eat?
- No, thank you.
Don't put on airs.
You must be hungry.
We'd like to have a warm meal ourselves.
It is not as good as yours this morning,
but you didn't finish your breakfast.
- No, thank you.
- You're only punishing yourself.
As an adult citizen,
you should have understood
the need to interrogate you.
Some people find it hard to distinguish
between private and business life.
Enjoy your meal.
Come on, girl!
You'll get hungry as you eat.
I'm not a monster.
Can I wait outside, please?
I can also lock you in a cell,
if you can't stand the sight of me.
Yes, please. I'd like it better.
Men have been sentenced
to eight years and more,
and are still appreciating my fairness.
But we can be different.
Pletzer!
Have her put in a cell.
- That hurts!
- You don't say.
Looks like someone got sick.
You really don't want anything?
We can send out for something
and bill you for it.
I'm going out to the caf anyway.
No sense of humour.
The people in contact with the fugitive
have all been checked out.
A bartender who served him a beer,
two girls he danced with.
We'll question them.
Hertha Scheumel and Claudia.
No, not the girls he danced with.
Did he talk to other girls, too?
A gas station attendant,
a cigarette store salesman,
a bank clerk who changed $ 700 for him,
probably from a bank robbery.
Numbers are being checked in Washington.
All of these have been positively
identified as chance meetings.
Not one word he exchanged with them
suggests anything like a code.
Yes, gentlemen.
We are mystified.
For 36 hours he was
under constant surveillance.
He took advantage
of the Carnival to get away.
Shouldn't we try to arrest this Sheik Karl
and investigate his highly obscure role?
After all, he's the one
who introduced him at the party.
Didn't it occur to you that Mr. Beizmenne
deliberately left him out?
He's one of our men.
Why wasn't Gtten arrested
if you had him under surveillance?
All of the inspector Beizmennes moves
have been approved
by Internal Security in Bonn.
Just a moment.
You think she's innocent, Mding?
I see it the other way round.
I'd have taken her to my place.
The morning after, she'd tell me
the police were after her.
- You'd turn her in.
- I probably would.
But I suppose
an average man would not.
Not everyone works for the police.
Anyone who thinks like that
doesn't belong in the force, Mding.
Mrs. Blum?
Mrs. Blum is in the county hospital.
My name is Ttges.
We're investigating for The Paper...
Her daughter Katharina...
she has no other relatives?
There's a younger brother, Kurt.
He is in jail.
Interesting. What for?
- I don't know.
- And the mother?
Not surprising,
with that little bastard.
The husband came back
from the war a wreck,
just to die.
All the better for him.
Ask the reverend
what happened in the sacristy.
Schnni! Come on!
We still have some time left.
Sad... sad... sad...
Schnni!
A waitress may
look like a whore,
but she shouldn't be one.
I need that.
I have stomach trouble.
Soup.
You must eat soup, Schnni.
And Katharina Blum -
was she a whore?
Her? No!
Stiff as a board.
You couldn't even pinch her ass.
Too square and too shy.
And then she fell
for the first one who laid her.
He married her. Brettloh.
This one. Third from the right.
He is - pardon the expression -
a genuine ass-kisser.
Wilhelm, you're going to be
in the papers!
Brettloh, Wilhelm.
Ttges. We're from The Paper...
We're here on account of Katharina.
- So you're the husband.
- I was.
I'm sure you can tell us a lot.
Dial.
Ladies, care for a hump with me?
Give me the editorial staff.
Looks like a sex desert here.
Perhaps we can get laid.
"Damning reputation
throughout the village.
The ex-husband, an honest working man,
Wilhelm Brettloh,
who divorced Blum
on grounds of desertion,
told us, hardly holding back his tears:
'I know at last
why she ran off on me.
Our humble happiness
wasn't enough for her.
She wanted to get up in the world,
and how could a modest working man
ever get a Porsche?
Give my advice to the readers
of The Paper..."'
Just a minute! Coming!
"This is where false ideas
of Socialism are bound to lead.
I ask you and your readers: How does
a housekeeper come by that wealth?
It couldn't have been honestly."
Hello!
It happens.
- Sports.
- Thank you.
Tell me, would you say your housekeeper
was capable of committing a crime?
What do you mean?
Everyone is capable
of committing a crime.
- Interesting.
- So are you.
- Aren't you the attorney Blorna?
- Yes.
I'm from the Austrian bureau
of The Paper...
Katharina Blum has been arrested
in that action against anarchists.
Katharina arrested? Impossible.
It's not that bad. They'll probably
let her run around for a while.
- Who?
- Katharina.
- Could you tell me more about her?
- It's a misunderstanding.
If you refuse, it'll look bad
and can be misinterpreted.
To keep silent in such a case
- this is a front-page story -
could only have bad implications.
Katharina is
a very bright, sensible girl.
Did you ever notice
her political opinions?
- Why?
- Or do you yourself sympathize with...
- That's enough.
- Weren't you reluctant to hire someone like her?
You hold files from the Lstra AG
at your house.
- Couldn't she have a look at them?
- What are you suggesting?
According to our sources,
Dr. Strubleder is your partner.
No, I'm the counsel for the corporation
of which he is the main stockholder.
We are on vacation. Goodbye!
Thank you. That will do.
"I don't know" means
I'm not entitled to say anything.
I'm sorry.
We know the place is a hide-out,
and Blum gave shelter
not only to Gtten but possibly to others.
Our staff has collected
valuable background material.
Did you know that the Blum girl
has had a gentleman friend for two years?
The nun!
- No!
- Just an hour or so.
What kind of man is this Blorna?
Did you dig up anything?
Yes, another "coincidence":
Blorna happened to go on vacation,
when Gtten appeared.
His wife,
an architect.
In student days she was known as
"Trudy the Red."
Not for her opinions,
but for the colour of her hair.
Mrs. Blum, to interrogation.
Wait here a minute.
Mrs. Schwill!
Mr. Ruhwiedel.
Rather good-looking.
Obviously a high-class gentleman.
- I wouldn't say that.
- I would.
Might those visitors have been the men
who sometimes
drove you home after parties?
Is it forbidden to have gentlemen friends?
Mrs. Blum, is it clear to you that this is
a very serious case
with many implications
that have kept the police
and D.A.'s office busy for over a year?
May I ask you: Are your gentlemen friends
- since you admit they exist...
- Yes.
- Good.
Are there many, or just one?
One.
So you've known Gtten for two years!
No.
I only met Ludwig yesterday.
- Then who was it?
- Who was your gentleman friend?
He has nothing to do with Ludwig.
- Get out of here!
- Unbelievable. They're still working.
- Do you recognize this ring?
- Yes.
- Is it yours?
- Yes.
- Do you know its value?
- It can't be much.
We had it appraised by
a jeweller in the city, to be fair to you.
This ring is worth
eight to ten thousand marks.
- How much?
- Eight to ten thousand.
- It was a gift.
- A gift? From whom? What for?
And this letter,
found in your bedside table,
was postmarked February 2 at 6 p.m.
in Dsseldorf
with your address: Mrs. K. Blum,
Hochkeppelstr. 7, Cologne 1.
Who sent it, if not Gtten?
He has nothing to do with Ludwig.
Nothing wrong in having a friend.
You're divorced. You've no ties.
And it's no crime
that you take advantage of it.
Eight to ten thousand.
May I go back to my cell?
I have nothing more to say.
Interrogation ended at 9:40 p.m.
Two cups of tea and a piece of cake
were brought to the detainee,
who accepted and paid for them.
Shouldn't we let her sleep at home?
I think it best to let her loose.
Perhaps he'll get in touch with her.
Shouldn't we lock her up
for her own safety?
- You can sleep at home.
- We can't expose her to any danger.
- In love, Mding?
- Mr. Beizmenne, Bonn!
You can take her home.
- In case you're free tomorrow night.
- Thank you very much, Mr. D.A.
How did your tender Ludwig
leave the house?
All exits were watched.
You must have shown him a way out.
But I'll find him.
And if there is any shooting,
it's obvious who'll get it. Good night!
- Your name is Katharina?
- And yours?
Ludwig.
I haven't called a man
by his first name in ages.
- How long?
- Four years.
Five.
Of course, there are fellow workers
I call by their first names.
- I'm not a fellow worker.
- I know.
I'm so happy,
and a little scared.
Scared? Of what?
If I knew, I wouldn't be scared.
I was married once,
and it didn't turn out well.
Let's leave soon.
Yes? Ludwig?
Yes, this is Katharina Blum.
You fat bitch.
Is your pussy ready?
Will you give me a blowjob?
Will you give me a hand job?
You pig.
"Must I force happiness upon you?
I'm warning you. Your neighbour."
Drunk.
Are you feeling okay?
Were you following me in your car?
You won't lose us that easy.
Two beers.
I almost had an accident.
What are you scared of?
Aren't you innocent?
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1975
"Was her flat
the seat of conspiracy,
a mob hideout, a weapon cache?
The ex-husband, an honest
working man, Wilhelm Brettloh,
who divorced Blum
on grounds of desertion,
could hardly hold back his tears:
'I know at last
why she ran off on me.
Our humble happiness
wasn't enough for her.
She wanted to get up in the world,
and how could a candid, modest-working man
ever get a Porsche? '
As a warning he added:
'This is where false ideas
of Socialism are bound to lead.
Now I know why I feared her radicalism
and her hatred of the Church. '
Her employer, the notorious
corporation lawyer Blorna,
when asked, told The Paper:
'Katharina is ice-cold and calculating,
and I hold her capable
of committing a crime."'
I know exactly what I told this guy.
I said, she's bright and sensitive.
At best don't say a thing.
They can't force you.
I like you.
We like you very much.
Yes.
She doesn't take
this garbage seriously!
Do you know what she said?
"Unbelievable.
I know now how these pigs work."
That doesn't sound like her.
Do you know if she met him long ago?
She'd never talk about it.
She says he's safe.
She's laying herself open to prosecution.
That's what I told her.
We have to go back.
Father Urbanus,
I'm sorry about the note,
but I liked the Karl Marx quote
so much that I had to keep it.
I'm not blaming you, my dear.
I know what situation you're in.
But that isn't why I sent for you.
We were afraid
you would be detained longer.
Katharina!
I thank you for coming.
I find it very foolish to summon me here.
- You hadn't guessed that I wanted to see you?
- No.
If you had, you wouldn't have come.
I understand and admire you, Katharina.
I'm sorry that you got
into trouble because of me.
I'd like to thank you, Katharina.
I've never doubted
your courage and sensitivity.
I'd like to help you.
Yes, I know.
I have been punished, too.
I love you.
One word from you,
I'd turn myself in and confess:
"Look, it's me.
I bought her the ring.
I'm the gentleman friend."
- You'd do that?
- I'd do anything to help you.
Anything...
that would help you.
It wouldn't help me.
I often waited for you.
I never completely gave up hope
that you'd show up one day.
Of your own choice.
But now I see: It was in vain.
So it's better
that I take back the key.
You still have it?
It wasn't found in the search.
You forced me to take it.
I never wanted it.
So you can give it back to me.
Wait!
You don't know
how much it means to me. Father Urbanus!
Did you suspect
your daughter led a double life?
Why?
How does a mother feel,
faced with that?
It must have been
a great shock to you.
What for?
Of all people,
no one knows Katharina's character better.
Mrs. Blum, how do you explain how your
daughter has come to this?
- Can you tell me?
- Why?
What are you doing?
No visitors allowed!
- The woman needs rest.
- She will soon rest.
- Man, you can't do that.
- Shut up.
Here comes K. Blum with her aunt,
Mrs. Woltersheim, into the Police station.
The heavily burdened young lady
seems very calm.
According to the D.A.'s press release,
Gtten's hiding place still remains
unknown, in spite of information received.
Mothers are giving, even sick ones.
- How did you get to the mother?
- I'm an old pro.
"'It had to come to this,'
she whispered in a dying voice."
Did she really say that?
We must help simple people
express themselves.
Mrs. Woltersheim
also has something to hide.
Her father, his name is Lumm,
she's a natural child, was a Communist.
In 1932, he emigrated to the Soviet Union,
where he disappeared.
Here are interesting xeroxes
our staff has provided.
If he's in town, we can expect news
for the weekend edition.
You won't have to wait long.
I've got news on the Blum case.
"Backers in the GDR."
"Well-informed police circles tell us
that Mrs. Woltersheim
has something to hide, as well.
Documentary evidence shows
that her father, Peter Lumm,
emigrated to the USSR in '32,
where he disappeared."
Mrs. Hedwig Plotten,
please report to department 3A!
Good morning. Did you sleep well?
Don't blame it on the police
if I'm a little rude.
I'm only a man,
and sometimes pretty blunt.
We realize you must investigate
Katharina's role, but...
- Mrs. Woltersheim?
- Yes.
Please come in.
I wonder if you have a right
to destroy a human being this way.
I don't mean just you,
but the handling of The Paper.
Woltersheim. I've known Katharina
since she was born.
I see the disease and damage in her.
- Because of The Paper?
- Yes.
That's not our concern.
Anyway, freedom of the press
cannot be dealt with lightly.
But freedom and dignity
of a man can be.
If you avoid bad company,
you don't give the press
the wrong opportunities.
I won't take that kind of lesson,
especially from a young man.
My colleague's age means nothing.
However, his position as D.A.
means a lot.
In any event, I don't ask my guests
to produce a police record.
Your mother lives in East Germany
and by her own choice.
She seems to prefer their system.
Do many of your guests
think the same way?
Do I have to supply you
with their political profile?
What are you investigating exactly?
Let the state representative decide
what are the important questions.
Mrs. Woltersheim!
Is Katharina Blum's gentleman friend
- let's leave aside whether
there's one or many of them -
among your guests, too?
Absolutely not.
Anyway, there's only one person,
and the affair is in very bad taste.
By "bad taste", I don't mean
Katharina, but the visitor.
And who is this visitor?
Since Katharina didn't say,
I won't either.
- Do you know him personally?
- No.
But you claim to know
all the details of Mrs. Blum's life.
Did you know that,
over the past few years, your Katharina
has travelled over 50.000 miles
all over Germany,
destination unknown?
Don't you feel well?
Here.
I went through the archive again,
and I've picked out
some more clippings.
Here, for instance,
they just mention a "Katharina B.".
No picture.
How do they know all that?
The value of the ring,
all those lies about gentlemen friends?
That's The Paper.
Is the state unable to protect you
against this garbage?
Not everybody reads The Paper.
All the people I know read The Paper.
- Have some tea?
- Please.
Tip me off. If she's released. She's what
you're always looking for and never find.
A real gem.
Well.
How's Ludwig?
I'm not expecting you
to tell me where he is.
It wouldn't fit into your character.
Let's forget what you've done.
Let's assume you don't belong
to Gtten's gang.
Personally, I don't believe that you do.
Let's imagine Katharina Blum,
domestic help, above all suspicion.
How much do you earn?
1.200 marks at Blorna's.
With extra income I make
1.800 to 2.000 marks.
What extra income?
- I said all that yesterday.
- That's the point.
We don't understand how, with this income
- more or less your salary, Mding -
how can you afford to buy a flat
worth 110.000 marks.
Don't you have any other earnings
or should we admit
the loot of Gtten's robberies
fills the hole in your budget?
I made a down payment for the flat:
7.000 marks. From my savings.
The Blorna's vouched for a 30.000 loan.
My monthly expenses, including
interest, are about 1.100 marks.
We just want to know
how you make it.
Perhaps we can learn
how to get to own an apartment.
1.100 per month.
Our accountant has established
that we should add
another 150 per month
that you send to your mother.
Regular payments to a company
- to take care of your father's grave.
- Yes, twelve marks.
Then something to your brother
who is serving time.
I send him 10 to 20 marks
for cigarettes and coffee.
He needs them.
Don't you spend anything on clothes?
You don't always dress
as economically as you did yesterday.
I fix up things
that Mrs. Blorna gives me.
With this, I need your help.
I wonder where
these gas bills come from.
I drive to Blorna's every morning.
I drive back in the evening.
I do my errands on foot.
We've measured the distance.
The round trip is six kilometres.
In the evening,
I work at Mr. Hiepertz'.
Eight kilometres to the Hiepertz
home and back.
- From time to time, I visit my aunt.
- 4 Kilometres.
On weekends, I go to a caterer's
or I help out as a waitress
at receptions, parties or weddings.
- Often, they're out of town.
- Could we say about 30 a week?
- A little less.
- 30.
That comes to 8.000 a year.
You own a Volkswagen,
which you bought second-hand,
according to the contract,
from a Mr. Klommer,
with a mileage of 56.000.
If we add 6 times 8.000,
it should come to 104.000.
But in fact it shows 162.000.
Now and then she visits
her mother in Gemmelsbroich.
50.000 still remain unaccounted.
We have the gas bills.
Where did you drive to so often?
What were you spying on?
Whom did you meet and where?
That's right.
I just added it up in my mind.
I never gave a thought
about those expenses.
After work,
I often go for a drive.
Mostly when it rains
and when I'm alone.
Sometimes I'm home at 5
with nothing to do.
I know so many women
who get drunk alone
in front of their TV.
That scares me.
- Goodbye.
- Bye.
"Sick mother collapses.
What is Blum hiding?
Are our interrogation methods too gentle?
Our correspondent managed
to find Blum's sick mother.
She complained bitterly that her daughter
hadn't visited her for so long.
Truth didn't catch her by surprise.
'It had to come to this,
she whispered in a dying voice."'
Nobody is allowed near her!
Hello.
You filthy pig.
You filthy, cowardly pig!
- Just let me throw that crap away.
- No, I'll read it.
No news from him.
"A good fuck is half the battle."
"This is rather prickly."
"Where Stalin didn't succeed,
you won't either."
"Learn to pray again."
"I'm the best lay. I'll will..."
COMMIE'S WHORE
Don't take it seriously.
I'll get rid of all this filth.
Nice and cosy again here.
Now you go to sleep.
- Yes, I'll go home.
- Why don't you stay here?
- Good night.
- Good night.
Is that you?
Did you find it?
Are you all right?
Is there anything to eat?
Don't worry.
They're leaving me alone.
I know,
but I had to hear your voice.
You...
I like you so much.
I'd like to be near you.
Last night, I almost was on my way to you.
Don't call anymore. I'll call you.
You told me not to speak of love.
But I still want to tell you
that I'm very fond of you.
Me too... very much.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1975
This bullshit,
following you everywhere.
I'll throw a bomb in their office.
Is Alfred awake?
I have to speak to you
about Katharina.
Did you come back because of her?
You should be careful.
This Gtten belongs to a gang
of deserters and objectors.
They are undermining
our domestic security.
You sound like The Paper...
What's this got to do
with Katharina?
Haven't you read this crap?
The worst slanders
against Trude and me!
Did you come here
to discuss the yellow press?
Don't you want to come in?
You can throw a libel action
against The Paper.
How could they get all that information
if it wasn't from you?
This is not the time or the place
for your accusations.
- Are you under surveillance too?
- They're here to protect me.
I'll file an inquest to see
if you collaborate with The Paper.
Do as you want.
Five days a week I work on radicals.
I want to have the weekend off.
- What are you doing?
- What do you want?
- I'm with The Press.
- Who are you?
Move it.
Leave us alone or I'll whack you
in the face! Go away!
I recognized you right away.
You're the broad's boss.
And this is the house
with the swimming pool.
The coffee is very weak.
- Not like Katharina's.
- Cut it out.
- I'm not blaming you.
- You couldn't if you wanted to.
- With Katharina I could never...
- Never do what?
Take her in my arms.
- Not on your account.
- Thanks.
You know what I mean.
On account of her.
She's so damned vulnerable.
- I don't think Alois noticed that.
- What's Alois got to do with it?
Didn't it occur to you
that he's the gentleman friend?
He thinks he's irresistible.
I know that from experience.
If it turns out it was Alois,
I'll punch him in the jaw.
Help yourself.
He just drove up.
Come in.
- Good morning, Trude.
- Hello, gentleman friend!
I suppose Trude was right.
I'm not sure
that's very good taste.
Good taste would be to be
your wife's gentleman friend.
The heating isn't on yet.
Do everything you can
to find Katharina.
I'm sorry you couldn't
get here before.
- I can't do anything about The Paper.
- Lding is in charge of that.
I don't want my name to appear.
Didn't you speak to Lding?
- You don't seem to be in the picture.
- I've no idea.
That's weird, considering
I happen to be your client.
- Why didn't you come by plane?
- Because of the fog.
- So you don't know where she is?
- No.
Do you?
Katharina called Ttges an hour ago
to offer him an exclusive interview.
So what? Lding is controlling The Paper.
There are other papers
besides The Paper.
Ttges can sell his articles
through patsies.
I have nothing
against making headlines,
except in connection
with anarchists.
Why didn't you think of that
before your "visits"?
An affair might at worst bring me
into trouble at home, not in public.
We do live in a free country.
Hubert.
Talk her out of this interview.
The worst hasn't come out yet
in the interrogations or in the press.
Six months ago,
I made Katharina
take the key to our place in the country.
Sentimentality, I guess.
I do love the girl.
- But you won't help her against The Paper.
- You can't help her.
You can help me.
She won't let you help her!
God damn it, Hubert.
You still don't understand.
I'm sure she gave the key to Gtten
and he's hiding at my place now.
It's a good hideout.
Why don't you call the police?
An anarchist in my house!
He must go away.
You could drive out there as my lawyer.
- Me? - Yes.
To see if the snow drops are out?
Do you really mean that?
These Paper-bastards must be
watching me every minute.
If my name is printed
in connection with this gang,
I'm through.
Just out of the feeling
you shouldn't get
too involved for Katharina.
I'm not saying that for me, but for you.
- Sorry, Alois.
- Then we'll have to part company.
Two picture frames with portraits,
a pair of health shoes,
toilet articles in a plastic bag.
Clothes are in the suitcase
with an inventory.
Valuables:
Two wedding rings,
a pin, and 32.50 marks in cash.
Do you like it?
Thank you.
If Ttges actually was in her room,
I'll sue him.
But I think it's impossible
that he had the nerve to do it.
I'll go to court.
I'll notify the Medical Association.
We can't prove it had a harmful effect,
but we can't exclude it either.
The operation had been successful,
and your mother
was on the way to recovery.
These people are murderers.
All of them.
It's their very business to rob
innocent people of their honour,
often to take their lives.
Otherwise nobody would buy
their papers.
Are you a Marxist?
Just a moment, please.
Your mother is being prepared.
I would like to be there.
Maria and Teresa, our two helps.
- Are you her daughter?
- Yes.
Thank you for everything.
Attention! This is the police!
The villa's owner, a well-known
Executive and university professor,
is also a major Party official.
It is not clear yet how Gtten could have
broken into this well-protected place.
The owner, Professor Strubleder,
has gone into retreat
for the carnival period.
The house is surrounded by hills,
as if by perfect watch towers.
Special troops were landed
at night by choppers,
out of earshot,
and went into action.
We waited for Gtten
to make his contacts.
It was essential to find out
whom he was trying to contact.
Our success here has proven
that it was a risk worth taking.
Excuse me.
Where is Ludwig?
What happened?
We've already removed him.
He's well.
Just a bullet wound in the thigh.
What are you doing here?
All we know is he's a deserter
from the Bundeswehr.
He damaged this blessed
institution materially,
not only morally.
He never robbed a bank.
He helped himself to the pay
of two regiments.
Actually, it's all my fault.
This is the blueprint for the heating and
plumbing system of Katharina's building.
It was on the wall in our bedroom.
It fascinated Katharina. I told her
exactly how high the passages are,
where you can stand up straight,
where you have to duck
in order to fix pipes or wires.
Katharina, will you sit down?
Today, we are going to spoil you.
Without minimizing anything,
what exactly happened?
You've been interrogated.
So have we all.
The Paper smeared the usual crap on us.
They only spared me,
perhaps just because
I'm an old Nazi.
You can stay at my place
if you won't go home.
Here's my key.
- Thanks.
- I'm going to live with Else anyway.
Life goes on.
- So, Katharina.
- How long will Ludwig get?
With this hysteria,
I figure eight to ten years.
- You really love him?
- Yes.
Why this interview,
now that it's all over? Let me cancel it.
No, I want to see Ttges.
I want to know
what such a man looks like.
You're not up to his tricks.
He'll fool you again.
At least let me come along.
I'd prefer to do it alone.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1975
GTTEN CAUGHT - MOTHER DIES
FIRST VICTIM
OF ANARCHIST PARAMOUR
Hey, Katharina, is that you?
We'll have a beer for breakfast.
- Look over there.
- It's the Blum girl.
You're in The Paper. Everyday!
We're saving the clippings.
How about a quickie?
She belongs in the gas chamber.
Cheers!
See, Blum,
you're famous now.
All that mail, even on Sunday!
You can thank me for all that.
Special delivery, telegrams,
by messenger.
Just wait. You can make a lot of money
on your name.
The story is still hot news,
but we must keep plugging it
or people will forget about you.
First an exclusive interview
for a weekly magazine.
You're news.
You have to exploit that.
Here.
This is for the story on Strubleder.
That business with the key.
We'll take care of the gentleman!
We'll club him over the head.
You have to be a bit more tolerant.
You're not blaming me
for that Paper coverage?
They treated you a little rough.
You're not mad at me?
I'll get through it and so will you.
I often get furious with the editors.
I deliver first-rate copy
and they turn it into crap.
I have a lot of respect for you.
Really!
What you've done...
I take my hat off!
Politically naive, of course.
We should get to know
each other better.
This interview is just the beginning.
How about fucking for a start?
Schnner's corpse has been found in the
woods. The Paper photographer.
He was shot.
Did you kill him too?
Well, why not him too?
EPILOGUE
This is a very moving moment
at the cemetery.
Many of our prominent citizens
are paying their last respects
to the cold-blooded murdered journalist,
Mr. Ttges.
This is his mother, Mrs. Ttges...
We recognize
Mr. and Mrs. Strubleder
and the owner of The Paper,
Dr. Lding, who will give the eulogy.
The shots that killed
Werner Ttges
didn't hit him alone.
They were aimed
at Freedom of the Press,
one of the most precious values
of our young Democracy.
And these shots
- for us who stand here
in grief and horror -
they strike us.
Just as they struck him.
Who doesn't feel the wound?
Who doesn't feel the sorrow
above and beyond
one's personal concerns?
Who doesn't feel the breath of terror,
the savagery of anarchy,
the violence which is undermining
the foundations
of our liberal-democratic order,
which we are so devoted to.
Here, allegedly private motives
have led to a political assassination,
and we can say once more:
Stop it before it grows!
Look out,
for Freedom of the Press
is the core of everything:
well-being, social progress,
democracy,
pluralism,
diversity of opinions.
And whoever attacks The Paper
attacks us all.
TO OUR COLLEAGUE-
VICTIM OF HIS PROFESSION
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT "THE PAPER"
CHARACTERS AND EVENTS ARE FICTITIOUS
DESCRIPTION OF
CERTAIN JOURNALISTIC PRACTICES
ARE NEITHER INTENTIONAL NOR ACCIDENTAL
BUT UNAVOIDABLE