Truth & Treason (2025) Movie Script
1
[musical swirl]
[radio scanning static]
[speaking in German]
[troops marching]
[air raid alarm]
[gun fire and explosions]
[gentle music]
[laughter]
[Karl] Keep up, Salomon!
[Rudi] Where are we
going anyways?
[Karl] Let's race, boys.
Come on!
[Salomon] Oh, I know
where we're going.
[Karl] Go! Jump, you pansies.
We don't have to do this.
This was your idea.
It was a great idea...
from down there.
Helmuth's worried he's going to
mess up his beautiful hair.
Easy!
All right. I'll go if you do. On
the count of three. One.
Woah, hang on, hang on!
You blokes are bloody cowards.
I don't see you jumping.
Two!
Yes you do.
Whoo! Haha!
[Karl] That was nothing!
Jump, Rudi!
Oh, bother. Three!
Jump, pansies!
Let's go!
Helmuth! Helmuth!
What was I thinking?
Helmuth! Helmuth!
Helmuth! Helmuth!
Helmuth!
One people! One Reich!
One bridge--
Salomon! You coming with us
to pick up Gerhard?
I don't know, when does
his train arrive?
Saturday, half six.
[Salomon] Ah, the big
brother returns.
I'll have to see if
I can make it.
Uh-oh.
[Rolf] You boys are
more than late.
More than late? I knew we were
late, but not more than late.
[Rolf] Where's your
uniform, Karl?
It's at the cleaners, Rolf.
[Rolf] Like last week?
Note that.
[stifles a laugh]
What are you laughing at?
Nothing.
Nothing?
Well, then I think you need to
tell me how sorry you are
for laughing at me. For nothing.
Why don't you talk to me, Rolfi?
Shut up.
Your girlfriend's just about to
tell me how sorry she is.
Sorry.
That's right, you little pansy.
Nobody calls my friend a pansy.
Move.
I'm gonna report you, Karl!
You hear me?!
[Rolf] You'll regret this!
[Emma] Honey, it's ready!
[Emma] You coming?
Morning.
How was the night shift?
Oh, don't you look handsome.
Mom, please, you're
spitting on me.
[Helmuth] Morning, Hugo.
Morning.
I'll give it to you
when I'm done.
[Emma] Big day today, eh?
It's Helmuth's first day
at his new job at City Hall.
What did they say?
The youngest intern
they've ever hired.
Are you nervous?
Not really.
I mean, a bit, I suppose,
but I feel ready.
[Hugo] Have you written your
patriotic statement?
[Helmuth] Never before has
Germany been more fatherland
to us than it is now.
In this Athenian age,
the dawn of the
national-socialistic millennium.
Examine the unblemished faces
you pass on the street,
their strong builds.
The industrious manner with
which they carry themselves.
Gone are the plutocrats.
The wealth infested aristocracy.
Gone the sprawling estates
of the decadent bourgeoisie.
They're ready for you.
Today, our nation stands
strong and tall
on the shoulders of our Fhrer,
Adolf Hitler.
As we distill the essence of the
previous statement,
two questions arise.
First, what lifts us above the
other industrialized nations,
and... second point...
or... uh... or question.
How did we arrive at this great
juncture in history?
The answer to both queries is
one and the same.
It's nothing less than our
German perseverance,
our blood, our very nature.
That was very good.
And you're sixteen?
Yes, sir.
[Mohns] Very well done.
We shall use your statement
in the office newsletter.
What do you think of that?
-That would be--
-[Mohns] Perfect!
Just leave your notes
with Frulein Kluge here.
[Mohns] She'll type them up.
Uh... or I could--
Welcome to Upper Administration.
[Elli] Your notes?
Right now?
[Werner] So you're the
gifted writer
they've been
talking about.
The "youngest intern
we've ever hired."
[Helmuth] So I've heard.
Huh.
Come on.
This is your desk.
But for today, all this needs
to be filed and archived.
[Werner] We call this
"the dungeon." At least I do.
Where we file everything
into oblivion.
That back there is for
tenured public officials
and civil servants.
This here is for state employees
and service workers.
Chronological.
That's where we keep archived
copies of banned literature.
Locked for obvious reasons.
And these are policy updates,
both regional and national.
It's all alphabetical,
basically.
And all that is just other
administrative things.
You'll figure it out.
Welcome to Upper Administration.
[gentle music]
-Heil Hitler.
-Heil Hitler.
[man] Morning sir.
[phone ringing]
[man yelling in pain]
[Erwin] It's come to this,
has it?
[Julius] Still smoking?
I thought Anne made you quit.
[Erwin] She did.
See, my wife's trying to
get me to quit.
Shes a good German.
The Fhrer doesnt smoke,
so she stops smoking.
[Erwin] Are you married?
I ask if youre married,
but I suppose Im not
being completely honest.
We brought in your wife
this morning.
Hilde, right? And your daughter.
Theyre just down the hall.
Well chat with them
in a few minutes.
But you knew that, right?
That if we caught you, wed have
to bring in your family as well.
Question them.
Yeah, you thought this through
before you planned your
little coup, right?
Oh, maybe not.
How do they always
forget that part?
Well, let's not
drag this out, Albert.
Who sold you the firearms?
I found them.
Hm.
[screaming in pain]
[casual chatter and laughing]
[Salomon] Gerhard!
Hey! Look who finally shows up!
[Gerhard] Why weren't you at the
train station?
How was France?
A joke. A walk in the park.
Great food, though.
[Emma] Salomon, are you coming
up for dessert?
Can't pass up on that now,
can I?
Of course he is.
So, what do you think of Hugo?
[short laugh]
Yep, that's what I thought.
Mom sure seems happy
though, huh?
Still on the honeymoon, I guess.
Can you keep a secret?
Where'd you get that?
It's a short wave.
I know what it is.
Where'd you get it?
Le March Noir. The
French black market.
Shh. Turn it down!
The reception on
this thing is incredible.
You can get news from anywhere.
Russia, Holland, the BBC.
Wait, wait. Go back.
Mendelssohn.
I'm surprised at you.
Listening to a banned composer
on an illegal wireless.
[clicks tongue]
[Gerhard] That is a
capital offense.
Now, this... this is
more like it.
Yeah. Banned American music.
Completely different.
Come on, up you get.
[Helmuth] I can't...
[laughing] Come on,
little brother!
[laughing and chattering]
-I can't.
-Yes you can.
-Move your feet.
-I'm not like...
Yeah, you can, come on.
That's it!
Shh!
What's all the racket?
We were dancing.
What?
[Gerhard] You know,
just fooling around.
Oh. Yeah, well,
it's getting late,
[Hugo] and I'm sure your mother
will be dragging both of you
to church in the morning,
so you should...
True. I'll tuck him in.
[Hugo] And you. You need to go.
It's past curfew.
I'm glad you made it
back in one piece.
Me too.
See you at church.
Yeah, I'll be there.
Don't have too much
fun without me.
I'm done with this.
Oh, thank you.
Night, boys.
Night.
[laughing] Relax.
[humming Mendelssohn tune]
[Guard] Heil Hitler.
Heil.
You're out late.
It's past curfew.
I live here.
[Guard] Papers, please.
[solemn music]
Where are you coming from?
Hammerbrook.
[Guard] Salomon Schwarz...
Salomon?
Religious affiliation... Mormon?
What is that?
It's a church.
Huh. There it is. Jew. See?
[Guard] His mother is
a half Jew. Right there.
[BBC radio]...nearly impossible
to discern the truth
with Hitler's Nazi
propaganda machine
twisting the truth
beyond recognition.
Thus prompting
Winston Churchill to proclaim,
"Our brave bomber crews
will bring death and destruction
over Nazi Germany.
The blood of a Europe
suppressed by Gestapo terror
must not remain unatoned."
How many more of your
neighbors will be arrested
on the street in broad
daylight without warrant,
never to be seen again?
How long will you tolerate the
brazen disregard for the truth?
How long will you...
[Mendelssohn tune]
[warm greetings]
Girls, nice to see you.
Elise, Anna.
[organ playing music]
[Arthur] Brothers and sisters,
I welcome you here
this beautiful Sabbath morning.
For those visiting today,
my name is Bishop Arthur Zander,
and I'll be
conducting this service.
Heil Hitler.
Heil Hitler.
Our opening hymn will be
"Do What is Right, Let the
Consequence Follow."
After which Brother Ldermann
will give us our invocation.
Do what is right,
the daydawn is breaking,
Hailing a future of
freedom and light...
What happened?
Nothing. I fell.
You fell? Off what, a building?
Later...
How's it coming?
"Dear Private Orbach,
I know I speak on behalf of the
whole congregation
when I tell you how proud we are
of your service in the...
That's good. That's beautiful.
[Arthur] But that's why you are
doing this and not me.
Oh! What about City Hall?
How's the new job?
It's great! Great. Thank you for
your recommendation.
Bishop, a word?
You're on your way, young man.
You mark my words.
Yes, Otto?
[Otto] This is a church.
No place for salutes.
This is not a political rally.
[Arthur] I understand that.
He's right.
[Arthur] You see, the thing is,
I just think it's important...
[trailing off]
[Anne] There you go.
Max. Max!
What's for dinner?
Kndel.
Here you go.
[Max] Oh, can I go play football
after school tomorrow?
Uh, ask your mama.
No,
-we spoke about this.
-[Max] Please?
[Anne] No. No, no. You have
to study. You're lacking.
And what did you and
mama do today?
We went to the zoo.
-[Erwin] The zoo?
-Mhmm.
And what did you see?
We saw a lion.
It had a huge mane.
And we even saw a wolf!
[Lisl] Which, I'm not sure
was a wolf or a fox.
But instead of hunting
or chasing after their food,
they dig holes in the snow and
then they jump into the holes
[Lisl] to get the food.
And did you know that a group
of lion is called a pride?
Wow.
[Lisl] And we saw tortoises.
We even saw--
[air raid alarm]
[Anne] Come on. Max, grab
your bag. Come on. Let's go.
[Erwin] It's alright.
[Hugo] You got everything?
Everything I need.
For the train ride.
Thanks, mama.
Bye. I love you.
[Hugo] We're proud of you.
[Gerhard] You stay out of
trouble, okay?
Look after these two lovebirds.
I'll take that.
Let's go.
Is this work work or
church work?
It's church.
[Charlotte] Come on, let's get
you to bed, big boy.
Say goodnight to papa.
-Goodnight, papa.
-Goodnight.
[laughing and chattering]
How are things at work?
Uh, good.
Looks like they're going to
publish my patriotic statement
in the department newsletter.
Ah, you're on your way,
young man. Mark my words.
[organ playing music]
Ignore it. We go in.
What's he going to do?
No, you go on.
Do you want to get turned in?!
Don't be an idiot.
Salomon!
Go!
[solemn music]
[Arthur] Our 12th
Article of Faith states--
and you can turn there
with me if you like--
"We believe in being subject to
kings, presidents,
rulers, magistrates,
in obeying, honoring,
and sustaining the law."
[Arthur] Would not this
include our Fhrer
and the current laws
of the Reich?
Each of us must ask ourselves,
can we pick and choose which of
Gods laws well follow?
Only the commandments
we find most convenient?
The ones we
happen to agree with?
I don't... I don't understand.
"Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself."
Yes.
[Otto] Your entire life youve
come inside this chapel
and learned of the
peaceable things of the kingdom.
Of brotherhood, and kindness,
and love.
We cant allow a lifetime
of what weve learned
inside these doors to be lost
because of what was
outside them this morning.
[Otto] I love my country,
but there are things
more important than that.
But what do we do?
We do what we can.
[gentle music]
[gentle music]
What are you reading?
Thomas Mann.
They didn't burn this one,
did they?
I guess they missed it.
Everyone's very upset.
Not everyone.
I think it's just a
matter of time now.
I could hide you.
[scoffs]
With Hugo in the house,
that would be interesting.
Not there, somewhere else.
I don't...
I'm German.
As much as you are.
As much as Karl or Rudi.
Or Bishop Zander.
I'm not going anywhere.
[gentle music plays]
[radio static as scanning]
[BBC radio] From London,
this is the BBC.
For our German listeners,
the truth.
Not the propaganda spoon-fed
to you by those sly foxes
on the People's Radio.
And straight off the wire,
we report of the latest
unprovoked attack
by Hitler's troops,
which took the lives of
17,000 innocent civ--
[gentle music continues]
[din of police
entering building]
[Mendelssohn tune]
[police ordering in German]
[arguing in German]
[crash]
[banging on door]
[knocking]
[greeting churchgoers]
[churchbells tolling]
We cant always expect
to understand
why things happen the
way they do.
Not yet, anyway.
[Arthur] People look at our
little congregation
and think we--
were sympathetic to the enemy,
which couldnt be
further from the truth.
Thats why we have to avoid
even the appearance of evil.
[Arthur] Never let anything
shake your faith.
Be true to your convictions
and God will use you to further
the work of His Reich.
[gentle music]
Am I making
any sense here?
Yes.
Alright then. I'll let you
get back to your typing.
Bishop?
Hmm?
I have a lot of work to do.
Do you mind if I borrow
the typewriter?
[foreboding music]
[Mendelssohn tune]
[dramatic music builds]
[man] Hey, whose down there?
[music peaks and fades out]
[dramatic music]
[Helmuth] Do you know the
country without freedom?
The country of terror
and tyranny?
Yes, you know it well,
but are afraid to talk about it.
It is Germany. Hitler Germany.
[air raid alarm]
Through their
unscrupulous terror tactics,
they are making you
into spineless puppets
to do their bidding.
Do not let your free will,
the most valuable thing
you posess be taken away.
Germans, arise!
Make your decision
before it's too late!
Well, who's running your office
down there?
I drove all over
Hammerbrook last night.
Yes, during an air raid.
Didn't see a single one of your
men, which I've requested twice.
And now I'm looking at
a little red leaflet
which calls the Fhrer
"the great deceiver
of the people."
Tonight then, good. Heil Hitler.
Julius!
Now, see how this S,
the sharp S,
it's an uppercase B that's
been typed over with a P.
It's an American typewriter,
or British.
And here, look.
The lowercase skips every time.
[Erwin] See how in "Hitler"
it double hits.
It has the same thing
down here and here.
It's a fingerprint.
[dramatic music builds]
[BBC radio] ...deceived
by the platitudes
of your authoritarian leader.
A lie is a lie, no matter
how many times
he says it's the truth.
Will you stand up
against a dictator
who brutally invades
his democratic neighbors?
And this concludes
our broadcast for this evening.
Tune in for more of the truth
tomorrow night at 10 p.m.
And until then, V for victory.
Can you keep a secret?
Where'd you get this?
Found it.
Presentation isn't much, but...
I thought the writing was
quite brilliant.
Found it where?
In my typewriter.
[Helmuth] Well, come on!
[gentle music plays]
You coming?
[Karl] Where are we going?
[Rudi] It is past curfew.
[Helmuth] Did you know
Mendelssohn was 15
when he wrote his
first symphony?
[Karl] Well that
explains everything.
[Rudi] What are you doing with
those leaflets?
[Helmuth] Getting rid of them.
In mailboxes, phone booths,
party announcement boards.
-Why?
-Because I can't write music.
[Karl] Again with the music.
[Helmuth] I went up there.
To his empty bedroom.
What was left of it.
Salomon wanted to be a teacher.
And those leaflets
you found in your typewriter
will change all that?
A man finds one in his mailbox.
Reads it. Can't get it out of
his head.
[Helmuth] Passes it to
a friend at work
who passes it to another,
-and another.
-And?
And enough people find out
what's really going on
and stand up.
Put an end to it.
I'm in.
We can change things.
Not with guns, but...
with these.
You know what happens
if they catch you.
[Helmuth] Do what is right,
let the consequence follow.
Right. I love that song.
[scoffs]
For Salomon.
How many do you want?
I don't know, 20.
We won't get caught.
Give me 25.
Go.
[Karl] Wait, here. Right now?
Yeah, right now.
You thought
punching Rolfi was fun.
Wait till you try this.
[intense music]
Elli!
Good morning!
Morning.
Careful.
You never know
who's watching.
Thanks, I...
Now, it's official.
[scoffs]
Official...
So, what are you thinking?
[Helmuth] I think it's quicker
to get along there,
to get these streets.
Do you want to hit Sder Street?
It's on your way home.
Sure.
[quick, Mendelssohn tune]
Hello, Karl.
You're home late.
You're out past curfew.
Am I? Must have lost
track of time.
What do you want, Rolfi?
[Rolf] I want you to tell me
where you were.
[grunting and yelling]
Heil Hitler.
[determined music]
[Erwin] I'll be right back.
Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
[Erwin] You go that way!
[determined, upbeat
music continues]
[Julius] Erwin!
[Julius] Erwin! This way!
"Brothers and sisters.
I've been asked to say a
few words about finding peace
through Jesus Christ.
So... um...
Jesus was a revolutionary.
[Helmuth] We like to think
of Him as always being kind
and loving
and filled with grace.
And He was.
But the scriptures say He was
full of grace and truth.
He said what needed to be said.
He stood up,
but He did it peacefully.
Where Barabbas fought with
swords, He fought with words.
He was rejected by
the Romans and the Rabbis,
the Pharisees and Sadducees,
even by most of those
who knew Him.
But He did what was right
and let the consequence follow.
May we be filled with grace...
and truth.
And when the moment comes for us
to stand up, may we stand.
In Jesus' name, amen."
Amen!
Can I borrow your keys again?
Woah!
[Werner] Let me help you.
Thank you!
[Elli] Helmuth.
Here, you missed one.
Thank you.
Better watch where you're going.
Absolutely. Yes.
Woah, nice!
How was your day at the office?
Interesting.
So, where to tonight?
Ah, change of plan.
I've got some more typing to do.
Goodbye, Helmuth.
See you tomorrow.
Right. I'll see you.
Who was that?
Just a girl... uh... colleague.
Just a girl?
What girl?
[Rudi] She's your colleague?
[Karl] What's a colleague?
[Rudi] Seriously?
[in background radio plays]
...only one small
ray of light suffices
to prove their
deceitfulness.
To prove that,
though Nazi propaganda
is often crafted right down
to the last detail,
it seldom coincides even
in one point with the facts.
In conclusion,
the former deputy Fhrer...
Where'd it come from?
I asked, where did the
wireless come from!
Are you trying to get us
all killed? Is that it?
[Hugo] Put your mother in a
prison camp? Get up.
I said stand up!
I don't know what you're trying
to do, you stupid boy!
I want you out of the house.
You can go to
your grandmother's.
I really don't care.
And not a word to your mother.
Is that clear?
[BBC radio continues]
...he will not rest
in turning his plans
for imperialistic world
conquest into actions.
This is the BBC, with our
V for victory programming.
For our German listeners,
the truth.
not the propaganda fed to you
by Hitler and his..
[Emma] What happened?
He won't tell me.
Look at me.
It'll sting for a bit.
Looks a lot worse than it is.
[Gestapo Secretary]
Yes, I'm calling to see
if you still own the Remington
we serviced for you...
[intense music]
Our records say last
November the 15th...
[Elli] Helmuth.
You alright?
Yes.
I saw what was on that paper.
The red one.
Do you have more?
No.
Good.
[gentle music]
[shouts and intense stinger]
[Helmuth] Hitler knows we're
beginning to see through him.
The suppressor
of free nations,
the murderer of millions.
The Europe suppressed by
Gestapo terror
must not remain unatoned.
A determined deed
can still rescue you
and your country from
the abyss to which Hitler
has led you with his lies.
Do you want to tolerate having
the happiness of your lives
taken from you,
and your children
cheated out of the most
beautiful years of their lives?
Do you want to tolerate this?
You know what I like about you?
I like that you ate all your
dinner tonight.
Even your green beans.
That makes mama happy.
Another one.
Another one? Alright.
You know what else I like
about you? I like that--
[airplane engines]
[air raid alarms]
Let's go.
[explosion]
[explosion]
[explosion]
[explosion]
[explosion]
[high-pitched ringing]
[Erwin muffled] Anne?
[Anne muffled] Max! ...
[rumble]
Lisl!
[crying]
[Erwin] Lisl? Breathe!
Lisl...
[triumphant tones]
[explosion]
[explosion]
[knocking]
I'm sorry...
[Julius] Thank God Anne
and Max are alright.
Yeah.
Yeah, thank God.
I'm so sorr... sorry.
[upbeat, tense music]
[Rudi] Hitlers false
halo has fallen.
His words are nothing more
than acrid bubbles
that dissipate into thin air.
See the little man for what
he is: a murderous charlatan.
P.S. This is a chain letter.
Pass it on.
Helmuth, let's go.
What?
If I were ever to get caught...
I would never
give them your names.
Me either.
I'll just blame it all
on the bishop.
Did we ever talk about my
university professor? Schultz?
[Anne] From your one year
at university?
Yeah, before I dropped out.
Gottlieb Schultz.
Professor of World History.
He was...
Well, he opened my eyes,
you know.
First time away
from home and suddenly
the worlds much bigger.
Had my first girlfriend.
[Anne] Clara?
Yes.
Yeah, Schultz
didnt just lecture
about peoples and cultures.
He took you there
with his words.
He sort of took us under
his wing, Clara and me.
All of us, really.
And without even meaning to,
I learned about life.
About loyalty and integrity...
...what it means to
be a good man.
So I decided to study French
literature. Become a poet.
And then a friend of mine
informed me that Schultz,
this whole time, had been
sleeping with my girl.
[Anne] What did you do?
I... uh...
I took it out on the
friend who told me.
Knocked him out cold.
For telling you the truth?
Yeah. For telling me the truth.
Do you wish you'd never known?
The truth?
[Helmuth] Dear Elli.
I would love to invite you
to accompany me to
the opera this weekend.
Franz Lehar's operetta
"Giuditta" is playing
and always delights in its reach
for the Italian flair.
Please let me know if this
proposal interests you.
Your company would be
most welcome.
Cordially, Helmuth.
[background conversations]
[Elli] So you like opera?
I... love it.
Are you trying to ask
me on a date?
[nervous laugh] Uh... Yeah.
I want you...
to pick me up here Friday.
Seven sharp.
[opera singing]
[opera music continues]
[Elli] That was beautiful.
I genuinely think it's one of
Franz Lehar's best operas.
Where are we going?
It's just down here.
Technically it's an operetta,
but it's really--
I especially liked that aria.
What was it called again?
My Lips Fiery Kiss.
Yes, that's the one.
It was nice.
Although Jenny Lind
would have done it better
[Helmuth] had she been alive
when it was written.
[Elli] Who's Jenny Lind?
She was one of the most renowned
sopranos of the 19th century,
and a favorite of Felix
Mendelssohns,
and for whom he wrote
some of his best arias.
Who's Felix Mendelssohn?
Joking! I know who
Mendelssohn was.
That's good to know since
were not allowed to
listen to him anymore
because he was Jewish.
[Helmuth] Anyway...
Do you know where he was born?
Lehar?
Mendelssohn.
No.
Right here.
-In Hamburg?
-No, right here.
[Helmuth] This is where
we were going.
[Helmuth] Do you know who
commissioned that plaque?
I'm sure you're
about to tell me.
None other than Jenny Lind.
The most renowned soprano of
the 19th century.
[laughs] Yeah, and more than two
decades after his death, she--
Stop talking.
[opera music swells]
You'd better get me home.
It's starting to rain.
[Julius] [Clears throat] Hello?
They're quoting from
banned authors.
Theyre quoting Thomas Mann.
Then its Schiller.
Hes even got a...
oh where is it...
Yeah, here.
Quote: And so the English
soldier could never feel
that he had been misled
by his own countrymen,
as was the case with
the German soldier,
who rejected everything
coming from this source
as swindles and bunk.
You know where thats from?
Mein Kampf.
[Julius] Ah, of course.
He's weaving between Schiller,
Thomas Mann, the Fhrer.
He's even thrown in a little
Shakespeare for good measure.
Hamlet.
Its quite brilliant.
[Julius] So an intellectual,
a university professor
or something.
[thunder]
Or someone who has access
to banned literature.
They keep an archive.
Copies of banned books. Where?
Uh, Berlin.
Any in this region?
What about City Hall?
I'll look into it
first thing Monday.
And do you think--
Good, do it.
[gentle music]
[gentle music swells
with ominous tones]
[door opening and closing]
[tense music]
[Helmuth] "Tis the
times plague,
when madmen lead the blind"
[tense music continues]
...oh, alright...
[clears throat] Ex... excuse me.
I'm... I'm...
Yes...
...we'll need an update on the
river dredging project...
[Julius] Heinrich Mohns?
Heil Hitler!
[Julius] I understand you
archive banned books here.
Yes, yes we do.
Show me.
[ominous tones build]
[Gestapo Secretary]
Sir, can I help you?
Look what I found.
[fast-paced, suspenseful music]
Who else has keys to this room?
That is not what you just said.
[Werner] What I meant was,
I'm not the only one
that goes down there.
Into the archives.
Who goes in there?
The archives?
[Erwin] Where they keep the
banned books. And these.
[tense music]
[fast-paced, dramatic music]
You're dead.
[Erwin] Easy!
He's working for someone.
He's going to tell us who it is.
[Erwin] Profile.
Now look at me.
[dramatic stinger]
He's a stubborn one.
Take it off.
[dramatic music]
[Hugo] I'm sorry.
Who's the book for?
Me.
What, you like Shakespeare?
Get up.
Now why should you take all the
blame? You just the paperboy.
Who's writing these?
[Helmuth] I am.
"Indeed the nefarious plan of
the Fhrer
to attack the Soviet Union,
contrary to all agreements
and in spite of the
non-aggression pact..."
You wrote this?
[grunts and coughing]
[knocking]
Here. Let me hear you read this.
I wanna hear you read it.
...if you can.
"Just as tendentious
and illusionary
is the Hitler
propaganda campaign"--
Speak up.
"...But Hitler and his
accomplices know
they must deprive you
of your free will,
in order to make submissive,
spineless creatures
out of you..."
"...For Hitler knows that we are
beginning to see through him."
"...the suppressor of
free nations.
The murderer of millions."
They found this at his
grandmother's house.
Where he was living.
It's a half-finished leaflet.
[solemn music]
-[Karl] What?
-[Rudi] He's been arrested.
I knew this would happen.
I... I... I have a cousin,
Basel, we could leave now,
we could go to Switzerland.
And then what?
We run... you know what
they'll do to our parents?
To everyone?
What are they doing to Helmuth?
He'll outsmart them.
You know Helmuth.
He'll keep his promise.
What do I tell my parents?
We lie.
Don't tell them anything.
It's gonna be alright.
We were rough on you. Well, we
don't need that anymore, do we?
Alright. [sighs]
We'll talk tomorrow.
Try and get some rest.
[dramatic music swells]
[Julius] Get up!
[hits and grunts]
[background yelling]
Please Father,
give me strength...
The Fhrer wants peace...
A piece of Poland.
A piece of Czechoslovakia.
A piece of France.
No?
[laughs to himself]
A friend of mine suffers
from schizophrenia.
Has delusions that he's either
Adolf Hitler or
Winston Churchill.
He's his own worst enemy.
[subdued laughter]
Yeah...
You know, my colleauges think
that you had help
putting out these leaflets.
Did you?
There is no one else.
[door opens and closes]
You know, I'm not sure
there were others.
There's always others.
Why don't you
hold off for today.
And let me keep working on him.
You keep working your way,
I'll keep working my way.
We'll see who wins.
I mean it, let's just
hold off for a bit.
Nah, this'll be quick.
I said hold off!
Fine.
[door closes]
[gentle music]
I need you to do
something for me.
[door opens and closes]
Why?
Why?
Because... because
they took my friend.
Salomon. Salomon Schwarz.
Because of a Jew?
Yes... and the truth.
The truth...
Then explain this truth to me:
How does one person cover all
of Hamburg in a single night?
[Edwin] How do I post these in
Hammerbrook, and in Altona,
and up in Eilbeck...
all in a single night.
How do I do that?
I can't be two places at
the same time, now, can I?
I know someone's
been helping you.
Who were they?
No one.
-[Helmuth] Theres no--
-No, no, mhmmmm.
The Truth.
The truth?
If we dont stop Hitler,
he will destroy Germany.
No one is safe.
Not you. Not your family...
No one.
[suspenseful music]
[ominous music]
Who was with you?
No one.
[grunts]
Who was with you?
No one.
[grunts]
Who was with you?
No one.
[grunts]
[Edwin] Your mother,
your stepfather.
We met with them...
Now hes a good Party member and
your mother, she's supportive,
doubt shed be involved
in any of this...
But you never know.
May have to bring her back in,
just to be sure.
Still no one?
[ominous tones]
She doesnt know anything!
[yells]
[Elli screams]
[Edwin] I wouldnt have
suspected her
but then we found this
in her things.
You like opera?
It's typed on your typewriter.
With your signature.
She doesn't know anything.
Oh youre probably right...
But Julius is going to find out,
I can promise you that.
You dont have to tell me
whos been helping you.
Just write down their names.
It's alright.
[Edwin] Doesn't have
to be perfect.
[solemn music]
[grunting and crying]
It's devastating, isn't it?
So committed to a cause,
only to realize
you've hurt those you
love the most...
You were right.
No one is safe.
But you knew that.
And did it anyway.
[door opens and closes]
Send the girl home.
[dramatic music]
What are you looking at?
[door unlocks and opens]
[gentle music]
What happened there?
[Guard] Don't touch him.
We got a letter from Gerhard.
Is he alright?
He's fine.
He says he should
be home by summer..
and, you know,
that's what the papers say too.
Things are going well in Russia.
Karl and Rudi?
Not good.
[gentle music continues]
[solemn music]
[Hans Knie] Sit up. Sit him up!
In court tomorrow,
you'll be in a suit and tie.
Hair combed back,
looking presentable. And...
youll read this.
Out loud. Let's hear it.
I, Helmuth Hbener
express my deepest regrets
for the malicious acts
of treason I have com-
You'll have to be more
convincing than that
if you want any leniency
in Hitler's highest court.
Little secret.
I've had a nice chat
with the judge.
He doesn't want to see
this come to the worst
any more than I do
as your attorney.
This is your life
we're talking about.
This is treason.
Youre barely seventeen.
Now, Karl on the other hand,
Herr Schnibbe, he's eighteen.
An adult.
[Hans Knie] And a known
trouble-maker,
assaulting Hitler Youth
leaders and what not.
You read this
statement in court.
Put your heart into it.
Save your skin
and let Karl-Heinz
take what's coming.
Now let's try it again,
shall we?
Hmm? From the top.
[solemn music]
[background conversations]
[suspenseful music]
[Judge Fikeis] All rise.
The Honorable Head
Judge Karl Engert,
Chairman of the Second Senate
of the Peoples Court,
representing our Fhrer,
Adolf Hitler,
in the case against
Helmuth Hbener,
Karl-Heinz Schnibbe
and Rudolf Wobbe.
Heil Hitler.
[crowd] Heil Hitler.
[Judge Fikeis] The accusations
laid before the court are:
preparation to high treason,
aiding and abetting the
enemy in time of war,
listening to illegal
foreign broadcasts,
and the publishing
and distribution
of seditious material.
The accused stand
before you now,
on this day,
the eleventh of August, 1942.
[Judge Engert] Sit down.
Read it with feeling.
[Judge Engert] These are
leaflets that were written
and distributed by
the defendants.
On a typewriter stolen
from their church, the...
hmm, Mormons.
That's interesting.
So religious...
and yet, here you are, accused
of committing high treason.
I find that ironic.
Well.
My intent is to determine who
actually instigated this group,
and whether the ring
leader wasnt indeed
the adult of the group,
Herr Schnibbe.
[Judge Fikeis] We now call
to the stand
Criminal Secretary
Erwin Mssener
with the Secret
State Police, Hamburg.
[Judge Engert] How many of these
leaflets were distributed?
There were twenty-nine
separate leaflets
that either we found
or were turned in.
Multiple copies of many of them.
But we don't know exactly how
many others remain uncollected.
You believe there were more?
[Edwin] Yes.
A number?
We dont know.
Possibly many more.
I will say that the content
of these leaflets
was extremely well written.
Very persuasive.
None of us were expecting
to find a sixteen year old.
[Judge Engert] Persuasive?
You're saying that the words
of a 16-year-old boy
could sway the German people?
Im saying,
they were well written.
I was looking for a university
professor, someone older.
But we have someone
older right here:
Herr Schnibbe. Karl-Heinz.
Karl-Heinz Schnibbe
was not the
author of the leaflets.
We found the typewriter,
we know it was used by--
But isn't it likely that this
young man was influenced,
perhaps persuaded by
his older friend?
Herr Schnibbe, a known
troublemaker?
Isnt that possible?
[Judge Engert] Kommissar?
I don't know.
[Judge Engert] Excuse me?
-I don't know.
-[Judge Engert] You don't know?
I asked if its possible-
Of course it's possible.
That will be all.
[Hans Knie] Your honor.
My client has prepared
a written confession
which demonstrates very clearly
that he was bullied into
this "resistance group"
by his older friend, here,
Herr Schnibbe
Bring him forward.
I, Helmuth Hbener,
express my deepest regrets...
[inspirational music]
...I express
my deepest regrets...
that Germany
has followed a lunatic
into a war she cannot win.
[Judge Engert] No, no, no, no.
This is a court of law.
The accused is free to speak.
[Judge Engert] Ah, that's
quite the statement.
Do you really believe that
Germany will lose this war?
Absolutely.
Don't you?
And yet, it was only a year ago
when you wrote,
"Never before has Germany
been more homeland to us
than it is now,
in this Athenian age,
the dawn of the
National-Socialistic millennium.
And how did we arrive at this
great juncture in history?
On the backs of the conquered.
Thats how we arrived here.
The power of this Reich is mired
in the blood of the innocent.
In Poland, in France.
Germany's future lies frozen and
dead on the steppes of Russia
so Hitler can have
his living space.
Ah yes, the Allies are up
in arms about our living space,
aren't they?
Have you never heard of
British Imperialism,
or what the Americans call
their Manifest Destiny?
Hmm?
Theyre hypocrites!
Its exactly
the same expansionism
that our Fhrer has achieved!
What did you think, boy?
You would write some little
leaflet and overthrow the Reich?
I thought...
I would write the Truth...
and let it overthrow the Reich.
The Reich doesn't fear
your little papers.
Then why are we here?
[Judge Engert] It has become so
convenient to accuse the victor.
Its the very reason Aristotle
said that in the time of war,
truth is the first to go.
[Helmuth] You mean Aeschylus.
"In war, truth is the
first casualty."
He was right.
Hitler says whatever he can
to cover the truth:
That his thirst for power has
cost millions of lives!
Millions of lives.
Every German knows
that we're winning this war.
You only know what Goebbels
wants you to know!
I know that in my court you will
address me with respect!
Your court? Or Hitler's court?
My court! The Fhrer's court!
The German people's court!
The people deserve the truth!
-Hitler will stop at nothing!
-Truth is loyalty to the Fhrer
He will send Germany
into the fires
Shut your mouth!
Sit him down!
[Helmuth] ...in order to finish
the crimes he has started!
The people deserve the tru-
[Judge Engert] Not his face!
-Expose him for what he is:
-Shut him up! Shut up!
a reckless mass murder-agh!
[music swells]
This court is in recess.
Sentencing will follow.
[gentle music]
[Judge Fikeis] All rise.
In the case against
Helmuth Hbener,
Karl-Heinz Schnibbe
and Rudolf Wobbe,
the court pronounces all three
guilty of high treason,
and of aiding and abetting
the enemy in time of war.
[Judge Engert] Rudolf Wobbe.
You are hereby sentenced to
five years imprisonment.
Karl-Heinz Schnibbe.
You are hereby sentenced to
ten years imprisonment.
Helmuth Hbener.
For your crimes
against the Reich...
the sentence
is death...
by beheading.
Any final words from
the defendants?
Yes...
[inspirational music]
I am guilty of no crime at all.
I will die, having done
nothing wrong...
But your time will come.
The judge will be judged
and truth will prevail.
[inspirational music swells]
[Guard] Rudolf Wobbe.
Karl-Heinz Schnibbe.
Come.
You stay.
One moment. Please.
One day,...
this will end.
You will live...
to have a better life...
in a better Germany.
[gentle music]
We did what we could.
Remember me.
[gentle music]
[door unlocks and opens]
[Edwin] You should know,
this was filed on your behalf.
Clemency?
It was denied.
[solemn music]
Thank you.
Will you deliver this for me?
Please?
[Helmuth] Mother,
By the time you read this,
I will be gone.
I'm not afraid to die.
Father in Heaven knows
I have done nothing wrong.
He will be the proper judge
of this matter...
[low rumbles]
[gentle music]
My deepest regret is the pain
I have brought to those I love.
I pray God will protect them
and bring them home.
Please remember me kindly.
and that I love you.
And that we'll
see each other again...
in that better world.
[Poor Wayfaring Stranger
by The Lower Lights, plays]
[musical swirl]
[radio scanning static]
[speaking in German]
[troops marching]
[air raid alarm]
[gun fire and explosions]
[gentle music]
[laughter]
[Karl] Keep up, Salomon!
[Rudi] Where are we
going anyways?
[Karl] Let's race, boys.
Come on!
[Salomon] Oh, I know
where we're going.
[Karl] Go! Jump, you pansies.
We don't have to do this.
This was your idea.
It was a great idea...
from down there.
Helmuth's worried he's going to
mess up his beautiful hair.
Easy!
All right. I'll go if you do. On
the count of three. One.
Woah, hang on, hang on!
You blokes are bloody cowards.
I don't see you jumping.
Two!
Yes you do.
Whoo! Haha!
[Karl] That was nothing!
Jump, Rudi!
Oh, bother. Three!
Jump, pansies!
Let's go!
Helmuth! Helmuth!
What was I thinking?
Helmuth! Helmuth!
Helmuth! Helmuth!
Helmuth!
One people! One Reich!
One bridge--
Salomon! You coming with us
to pick up Gerhard?
I don't know, when does
his train arrive?
Saturday, half six.
[Salomon] Ah, the big
brother returns.
I'll have to see if
I can make it.
Uh-oh.
[Rolf] You boys are
more than late.
More than late? I knew we were
late, but not more than late.
[Rolf] Where's your
uniform, Karl?
It's at the cleaners, Rolf.
[Rolf] Like last week?
Note that.
[stifles a laugh]
What are you laughing at?
Nothing.
Nothing?
Well, then I think you need to
tell me how sorry you are
for laughing at me. For nothing.
Why don't you talk to me, Rolfi?
Shut up.
Your girlfriend's just about to
tell me how sorry she is.
Sorry.
That's right, you little pansy.
Nobody calls my friend a pansy.
Move.
I'm gonna report you, Karl!
You hear me?!
[Rolf] You'll regret this!
[Emma] Honey, it's ready!
[Emma] You coming?
Morning.
How was the night shift?
Oh, don't you look handsome.
Mom, please, you're
spitting on me.
[Helmuth] Morning, Hugo.
Morning.
I'll give it to you
when I'm done.
[Emma] Big day today, eh?
It's Helmuth's first day
at his new job at City Hall.
What did they say?
The youngest intern
they've ever hired.
Are you nervous?
Not really.
I mean, a bit, I suppose,
but I feel ready.
[Hugo] Have you written your
patriotic statement?
[Helmuth] Never before has
Germany been more fatherland
to us than it is now.
In this Athenian age,
the dawn of the
national-socialistic millennium.
Examine the unblemished faces
you pass on the street,
their strong builds.
The industrious manner with
which they carry themselves.
Gone are the plutocrats.
The wealth infested aristocracy.
Gone the sprawling estates
of the decadent bourgeoisie.
They're ready for you.
Today, our nation stands
strong and tall
on the shoulders of our Fhrer,
Adolf Hitler.
As we distill the essence of the
previous statement,
two questions arise.
First, what lifts us above the
other industrialized nations,
and... second point...
or... uh... or question.
How did we arrive at this great
juncture in history?
The answer to both queries is
one and the same.
It's nothing less than our
German perseverance,
our blood, our very nature.
That was very good.
And you're sixteen?
Yes, sir.
[Mohns] Very well done.
We shall use your statement
in the office newsletter.
What do you think of that?
-That would be--
-[Mohns] Perfect!
Just leave your notes
with Frulein Kluge here.
[Mohns] She'll type them up.
Uh... or I could--
Welcome to Upper Administration.
[Elli] Your notes?
Right now?
[Werner] So you're the
gifted writer
they've been
talking about.
The "youngest intern
we've ever hired."
[Helmuth] So I've heard.
Huh.
Come on.
This is your desk.
But for today, all this needs
to be filed and archived.
[Werner] We call this
"the dungeon." At least I do.
Where we file everything
into oblivion.
That back there is for
tenured public officials
and civil servants.
This here is for state employees
and service workers.
Chronological.
That's where we keep archived
copies of banned literature.
Locked for obvious reasons.
And these are policy updates,
both regional and national.
It's all alphabetical,
basically.
And all that is just other
administrative things.
You'll figure it out.
Welcome to Upper Administration.
[gentle music]
-Heil Hitler.
-Heil Hitler.
[man] Morning sir.
[phone ringing]
[man yelling in pain]
[Erwin] It's come to this,
has it?
[Julius] Still smoking?
I thought Anne made you quit.
[Erwin] She did.
See, my wife's trying to
get me to quit.
Shes a good German.
The Fhrer doesnt smoke,
so she stops smoking.
[Erwin] Are you married?
I ask if youre married,
but I suppose Im not
being completely honest.
We brought in your wife
this morning.
Hilde, right? And your daughter.
Theyre just down the hall.
Well chat with them
in a few minutes.
But you knew that, right?
That if we caught you, wed have
to bring in your family as well.
Question them.
Yeah, you thought this through
before you planned your
little coup, right?
Oh, maybe not.
How do they always
forget that part?
Well, let's not
drag this out, Albert.
Who sold you the firearms?
I found them.
Hm.
[screaming in pain]
[casual chatter and laughing]
[Salomon] Gerhard!
Hey! Look who finally shows up!
[Gerhard] Why weren't you at the
train station?
How was France?
A joke. A walk in the park.
Great food, though.
[Emma] Salomon, are you coming
up for dessert?
Can't pass up on that now,
can I?
Of course he is.
So, what do you think of Hugo?
[short laugh]
Yep, that's what I thought.
Mom sure seems happy
though, huh?
Still on the honeymoon, I guess.
Can you keep a secret?
Where'd you get that?
It's a short wave.
I know what it is.
Where'd you get it?
Le March Noir. The
French black market.
Shh. Turn it down!
The reception on
this thing is incredible.
You can get news from anywhere.
Russia, Holland, the BBC.
Wait, wait. Go back.
Mendelssohn.
I'm surprised at you.
Listening to a banned composer
on an illegal wireless.
[clicks tongue]
[Gerhard] That is a
capital offense.
Now, this... this is
more like it.
Yeah. Banned American music.
Completely different.
Come on, up you get.
[Helmuth] I can't...
[laughing] Come on,
little brother!
[laughing and chattering]
-I can't.
-Yes you can.
-Move your feet.
-I'm not like...
Yeah, you can, come on.
That's it!
Shh!
What's all the racket?
We were dancing.
What?
[Gerhard] You know,
just fooling around.
Oh. Yeah, well,
it's getting late,
[Hugo] and I'm sure your mother
will be dragging both of you
to church in the morning,
so you should...
True. I'll tuck him in.
[Hugo] And you. You need to go.
It's past curfew.
I'm glad you made it
back in one piece.
Me too.
See you at church.
Yeah, I'll be there.
Don't have too much
fun without me.
I'm done with this.
Oh, thank you.
Night, boys.
Night.
[laughing] Relax.
[humming Mendelssohn tune]
[Guard] Heil Hitler.
Heil.
You're out late.
It's past curfew.
I live here.
[Guard] Papers, please.
[solemn music]
Where are you coming from?
Hammerbrook.
[Guard] Salomon Schwarz...
Salomon?
Religious affiliation... Mormon?
What is that?
It's a church.
Huh. There it is. Jew. See?
[Guard] His mother is
a half Jew. Right there.
[BBC radio]...nearly impossible
to discern the truth
with Hitler's Nazi
propaganda machine
twisting the truth
beyond recognition.
Thus prompting
Winston Churchill to proclaim,
"Our brave bomber crews
will bring death and destruction
over Nazi Germany.
The blood of a Europe
suppressed by Gestapo terror
must not remain unatoned."
How many more of your
neighbors will be arrested
on the street in broad
daylight without warrant,
never to be seen again?
How long will you tolerate the
brazen disregard for the truth?
How long will you...
[Mendelssohn tune]
[warm greetings]
Girls, nice to see you.
Elise, Anna.
[organ playing music]
[Arthur] Brothers and sisters,
I welcome you here
this beautiful Sabbath morning.
For those visiting today,
my name is Bishop Arthur Zander,
and I'll be
conducting this service.
Heil Hitler.
Heil Hitler.
Our opening hymn will be
"Do What is Right, Let the
Consequence Follow."
After which Brother Ldermann
will give us our invocation.
Do what is right,
the daydawn is breaking,
Hailing a future of
freedom and light...
What happened?
Nothing. I fell.
You fell? Off what, a building?
Later...
How's it coming?
"Dear Private Orbach,
I know I speak on behalf of the
whole congregation
when I tell you how proud we are
of your service in the...
That's good. That's beautiful.
[Arthur] But that's why you are
doing this and not me.
Oh! What about City Hall?
How's the new job?
It's great! Great. Thank you for
your recommendation.
Bishop, a word?
You're on your way, young man.
You mark my words.
Yes, Otto?
[Otto] This is a church.
No place for salutes.
This is not a political rally.
[Arthur] I understand that.
He's right.
[Arthur] You see, the thing is,
I just think it's important...
[trailing off]
[Anne] There you go.
Max. Max!
What's for dinner?
Kndel.
Here you go.
[Max] Oh, can I go play football
after school tomorrow?
Uh, ask your mama.
No,
-we spoke about this.
-[Max] Please?
[Anne] No. No, no. You have
to study. You're lacking.
And what did you and
mama do today?
We went to the zoo.
-[Erwin] The zoo?
-Mhmm.
And what did you see?
We saw a lion.
It had a huge mane.
And we even saw a wolf!
[Lisl] Which, I'm not sure
was a wolf or a fox.
But instead of hunting
or chasing after their food,
they dig holes in the snow and
then they jump into the holes
[Lisl] to get the food.
And did you know that a group
of lion is called a pride?
Wow.
[Lisl] And we saw tortoises.
We even saw--
[air raid alarm]
[Anne] Come on. Max, grab
your bag. Come on. Let's go.
[Erwin] It's alright.
[Hugo] You got everything?
Everything I need.
For the train ride.
Thanks, mama.
Bye. I love you.
[Hugo] We're proud of you.
[Gerhard] You stay out of
trouble, okay?
Look after these two lovebirds.
I'll take that.
Let's go.
Is this work work or
church work?
It's church.
[Charlotte] Come on, let's get
you to bed, big boy.
Say goodnight to papa.
-Goodnight, papa.
-Goodnight.
[laughing and chattering]
How are things at work?
Uh, good.
Looks like they're going to
publish my patriotic statement
in the department newsletter.
Ah, you're on your way,
young man. Mark my words.
[organ playing music]
Ignore it. We go in.
What's he going to do?
No, you go on.
Do you want to get turned in?!
Don't be an idiot.
Salomon!
Go!
[solemn music]
[Arthur] Our 12th
Article of Faith states--
and you can turn there
with me if you like--
"We believe in being subject to
kings, presidents,
rulers, magistrates,
in obeying, honoring,
and sustaining the law."
[Arthur] Would not this
include our Fhrer
and the current laws
of the Reich?
Each of us must ask ourselves,
can we pick and choose which of
Gods laws well follow?
Only the commandments
we find most convenient?
The ones we
happen to agree with?
I don't... I don't understand.
"Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself."
Yes.
[Otto] Your entire life youve
come inside this chapel
and learned of the
peaceable things of the kingdom.
Of brotherhood, and kindness,
and love.
We cant allow a lifetime
of what weve learned
inside these doors to be lost
because of what was
outside them this morning.
[Otto] I love my country,
but there are things
more important than that.
But what do we do?
We do what we can.
[gentle music]
[gentle music]
What are you reading?
Thomas Mann.
They didn't burn this one,
did they?
I guess they missed it.
Everyone's very upset.
Not everyone.
I think it's just a
matter of time now.
I could hide you.
[scoffs]
With Hugo in the house,
that would be interesting.
Not there, somewhere else.
I don't...
I'm German.
As much as you are.
As much as Karl or Rudi.
Or Bishop Zander.
I'm not going anywhere.
[gentle music plays]
[radio static as scanning]
[BBC radio] From London,
this is the BBC.
For our German listeners,
the truth.
Not the propaganda spoon-fed
to you by those sly foxes
on the People's Radio.
And straight off the wire,
we report of the latest
unprovoked attack
by Hitler's troops,
which took the lives of
17,000 innocent civ--
[gentle music continues]
[din of police
entering building]
[Mendelssohn tune]
[police ordering in German]
[arguing in German]
[crash]
[banging on door]
[knocking]
[greeting churchgoers]
[churchbells tolling]
We cant always expect
to understand
why things happen the
way they do.
Not yet, anyway.
[Arthur] People look at our
little congregation
and think we--
were sympathetic to the enemy,
which couldnt be
further from the truth.
Thats why we have to avoid
even the appearance of evil.
[Arthur] Never let anything
shake your faith.
Be true to your convictions
and God will use you to further
the work of His Reich.
[gentle music]
Am I making
any sense here?
Yes.
Alright then. I'll let you
get back to your typing.
Bishop?
Hmm?
I have a lot of work to do.
Do you mind if I borrow
the typewriter?
[foreboding music]
[Mendelssohn tune]
[dramatic music builds]
[man] Hey, whose down there?
[music peaks and fades out]
[dramatic music]
[Helmuth] Do you know the
country without freedom?
The country of terror
and tyranny?
Yes, you know it well,
but are afraid to talk about it.
It is Germany. Hitler Germany.
[air raid alarm]
Through their
unscrupulous terror tactics,
they are making you
into spineless puppets
to do their bidding.
Do not let your free will,
the most valuable thing
you posess be taken away.
Germans, arise!
Make your decision
before it's too late!
Well, who's running your office
down there?
I drove all over
Hammerbrook last night.
Yes, during an air raid.
Didn't see a single one of your
men, which I've requested twice.
And now I'm looking at
a little red leaflet
which calls the Fhrer
"the great deceiver
of the people."
Tonight then, good. Heil Hitler.
Julius!
Now, see how this S,
the sharp S,
it's an uppercase B that's
been typed over with a P.
It's an American typewriter,
or British.
And here, look.
The lowercase skips every time.
[Erwin] See how in "Hitler"
it double hits.
It has the same thing
down here and here.
It's a fingerprint.
[dramatic music builds]
[BBC radio] ...deceived
by the platitudes
of your authoritarian leader.
A lie is a lie, no matter
how many times
he says it's the truth.
Will you stand up
against a dictator
who brutally invades
his democratic neighbors?
And this concludes
our broadcast for this evening.
Tune in for more of the truth
tomorrow night at 10 p.m.
And until then, V for victory.
Can you keep a secret?
Where'd you get this?
Found it.
Presentation isn't much, but...
I thought the writing was
quite brilliant.
Found it where?
In my typewriter.
[Helmuth] Well, come on!
[gentle music plays]
You coming?
[Karl] Where are we going?
[Rudi] It is past curfew.
[Helmuth] Did you know
Mendelssohn was 15
when he wrote his
first symphony?
[Karl] Well that
explains everything.
[Rudi] What are you doing with
those leaflets?
[Helmuth] Getting rid of them.
In mailboxes, phone booths,
party announcement boards.
-Why?
-Because I can't write music.
[Karl] Again with the music.
[Helmuth] I went up there.
To his empty bedroom.
What was left of it.
Salomon wanted to be a teacher.
And those leaflets
you found in your typewriter
will change all that?
A man finds one in his mailbox.
Reads it. Can't get it out of
his head.
[Helmuth] Passes it to
a friend at work
who passes it to another,
-and another.
-And?
And enough people find out
what's really going on
and stand up.
Put an end to it.
I'm in.
We can change things.
Not with guns, but...
with these.
You know what happens
if they catch you.
[Helmuth] Do what is right,
let the consequence follow.
Right. I love that song.
[scoffs]
For Salomon.
How many do you want?
I don't know, 20.
We won't get caught.
Give me 25.
Go.
[Karl] Wait, here. Right now?
Yeah, right now.
You thought
punching Rolfi was fun.
Wait till you try this.
[intense music]
Elli!
Good morning!
Morning.
Careful.
You never know
who's watching.
Thanks, I...
Now, it's official.
[scoffs]
Official...
So, what are you thinking?
[Helmuth] I think it's quicker
to get along there,
to get these streets.
Do you want to hit Sder Street?
It's on your way home.
Sure.
[quick, Mendelssohn tune]
Hello, Karl.
You're home late.
You're out past curfew.
Am I? Must have lost
track of time.
What do you want, Rolfi?
[Rolf] I want you to tell me
where you were.
[grunting and yelling]
Heil Hitler.
[determined music]
[Erwin] I'll be right back.
Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
[Erwin] You go that way!
[determined, upbeat
music continues]
[Julius] Erwin!
[Julius] Erwin! This way!
"Brothers and sisters.
I've been asked to say a
few words about finding peace
through Jesus Christ.
So... um...
Jesus was a revolutionary.
[Helmuth] We like to think
of Him as always being kind
and loving
and filled with grace.
And He was.
But the scriptures say He was
full of grace and truth.
He said what needed to be said.
He stood up,
but He did it peacefully.
Where Barabbas fought with
swords, He fought with words.
He was rejected by
the Romans and the Rabbis,
the Pharisees and Sadducees,
even by most of those
who knew Him.
But He did what was right
and let the consequence follow.
May we be filled with grace...
and truth.
And when the moment comes for us
to stand up, may we stand.
In Jesus' name, amen."
Amen!
Can I borrow your keys again?
Woah!
[Werner] Let me help you.
Thank you!
[Elli] Helmuth.
Here, you missed one.
Thank you.
Better watch where you're going.
Absolutely. Yes.
Woah, nice!
How was your day at the office?
Interesting.
So, where to tonight?
Ah, change of plan.
I've got some more typing to do.
Goodbye, Helmuth.
See you tomorrow.
Right. I'll see you.
Who was that?
Just a girl... uh... colleague.
Just a girl?
What girl?
[Rudi] She's your colleague?
[Karl] What's a colleague?
[Rudi] Seriously?
[in background radio plays]
...only one small
ray of light suffices
to prove their
deceitfulness.
To prove that,
though Nazi propaganda
is often crafted right down
to the last detail,
it seldom coincides even
in one point with the facts.
In conclusion,
the former deputy Fhrer...
Where'd it come from?
I asked, where did the
wireless come from!
Are you trying to get us
all killed? Is that it?
[Hugo] Put your mother in a
prison camp? Get up.
I said stand up!
I don't know what you're trying
to do, you stupid boy!
I want you out of the house.
You can go to
your grandmother's.
I really don't care.
And not a word to your mother.
Is that clear?
[BBC radio continues]
...he will not rest
in turning his plans
for imperialistic world
conquest into actions.
This is the BBC, with our
V for victory programming.
For our German listeners,
the truth.
not the propaganda fed to you
by Hitler and his..
[Emma] What happened?
He won't tell me.
Look at me.
It'll sting for a bit.
Looks a lot worse than it is.
[Gestapo Secretary]
Yes, I'm calling to see
if you still own the Remington
we serviced for you...
[intense music]
Our records say last
November the 15th...
[Elli] Helmuth.
You alright?
Yes.
I saw what was on that paper.
The red one.
Do you have more?
No.
Good.
[gentle music]
[shouts and intense stinger]
[Helmuth] Hitler knows we're
beginning to see through him.
The suppressor
of free nations,
the murderer of millions.
The Europe suppressed by
Gestapo terror
must not remain unatoned.
A determined deed
can still rescue you
and your country from
the abyss to which Hitler
has led you with his lies.
Do you want to tolerate having
the happiness of your lives
taken from you,
and your children
cheated out of the most
beautiful years of their lives?
Do you want to tolerate this?
You know what I like about you?
I like that you ate all your
dinner tonight.
Even your green beans.
That makes mama happy.
Another one.
Another one? Alright.
You know what else I like
about you? I like that--
[airplane engines]
[air raid alarms]
Let's go.
[explosion]
[explosion]
[explosion]
[explosion]
[explosion]
[high-pitched ringing]
[Erwin muffled] Anne?
[Anne muffled] Max! ...
[rumble]
Lisl!
[crying]
[Erwin] Lisl? Breathe!
Lisl...
[triumphant tones]
[explosion]
[explosion]
[knocking]
I'm sorry...
[Julius] Thank God Anne
and Max are alright.
Yeah.
Yeah, thank God.
I'm so sorr... sorry.
[upbeat, tense music]
[Rudi] Hitlers false
halo has fallen.
His words are nothing more
than acrid bubbles
that dissipate into thin air.
See the little man for what
he is: a murderous charlatan.
P.S. This is a chain letter.
Pass it on.
Helmuth, let's go.
What?
If I were ever to get caught...
I would never
give them your names.
Me either.
I'll just blame it all
on the bishop.
Did we ever talk about my
university professor? Schultz?
[Anne] From your one year
at university?
Yeah, before I dropped out.
Gottlieb Schultz.
Professor of World History.
He was...
Well, he opened my eyes,
you know.
First time away
from home and suddenly
the worlds much bigger.
Had my first girlfriend.
[Anne] Clara?
Yes.
Yeah, Schultz
didnt just lecture
about peoples and cultures.
He took you there
with his words.
He sort of took us under
his wing, Clara and me.
All of us, really.
And without even meaning to,
I learned about life.
About loyalty and integrity...
...what it means to
be a good man.
So I decided to study French
literature. Become a poet.
And then a friend of mine
informed me that Schultz,
this whole time, had been
sleeping with my girl.
[Anne] What did you do?
I... uh...
I took it out on the
friend who told me.
Knocked him out cold.
For telling you the truth?
Yeah. For telling me the truth.
Do you wish you'd never known?
The truth?
[Helmuth] Dear Elli.
I would love to invite you
to accompany me to
the opera this weekend.
Franz Lehar's operetta
"Giuditta" is playing
and always delights in its reach
for the Italian flair.
Please let me know if this
proposal interests you.
Your company would be
most welcome.
Cordially, Helmuth.
[background conversations]
[Elli] So you like opera?
I... love it.
Are you trying to ask
me on a date?
[nervous laugh] Uh... Yeah.
I want you...
to pick me up here Friday.
Seven sharp.
[opera singing]
[opera music continues]
[Elli] That was beautiful.
I genuinely think it's one of
Franz Lehar's best operas.
Where are we going?
It's just down here.
Technically it's an operetta,
but it's really--
I especially liked that aria.
What was it called again?
My Lips Fiery Kiss.
Yes, that's the one.
It was nice.
Although Jenny Lind
would have done it better
[Helmuth] had she been alive
when it was written.
[Elli] Who's Jenny Lind?
She was one of the most renowned
sopranos of the 19th century,
and a favorite of Felix
Mendelssohns,
and for whom he wrote
some of his best arias.
Who's Felix Mendelssohn?
Joking! I know who
Mendelssohn was.
That's good to know since
were not allowed to
listen to him anymore
because he was Jewish.
[Helmuth] Anyway...
Do you know where he was born?
Lehar?
Mendelssohn.
No.
Right here.
-In Hamburg?
-No, right here.
[Helmuth] This is where
we were going.
[Helmuth] Do you know who
commissioned that plaque?
I'm sure you're
about to tell me.
None other than Jenny Lind.
The most renowned soprano of
the 19th century.
[laughs] Yeah, and more than two
decades after his death, she--
Stop talking.
[opera music swells]
You'd better get me home.
It's starting to rain.
[Julius] [Clears throat] Hello?
They're quoting from
banned authors.
Theyre quoting Thomas Mann.
Then its Schiller.
Hes even got a...
oh where is it...
Yeah, here.
Quote: And so the English
soldier could never feel
that he had been misled
by his own countrymen,
as was the case with
the German soldier,
who rejected everything
coming from this source
as swindles and bunk.
You know where thats from?
Mein Kampf.
[Julius] Ah, of course.
He's weaving between Schiller,
Thomas Mann, the Fhrer.
He's even thrown in a little
Shakespeare for good measure.
Hamlet.
Its quite brilliant.
[Julius] So an intellectual,
a university professor
or something.
[thunder]
Or someone who has access
to banned literature.
They keep an archive.
Copies of banned books. Where?
Uh, Berlin.
Any in this region?
What about City Hall?
I'll look into it
first thing Monday.
And do you think--
Good, do it.
[gentle music]
[gentle music swells
with ominous tones]
[door opening and closing]
[tense music]
[Helmuth] "Tis the
times plague,
when madmen lead the blind"
[tense music continues]
...oh, alright...
[clears throat] Ex... excuse me.
I'm... I'm...
Yes...
...we'll need an update on the
river dredging project...
[Julius] Heinrich Mohns?
Heil Hitler!
[Julius] I understand you
archive banned books here.
Yes, yes we do.
Show me.
[ominous tones build]
[Gestapo Secretary]
Sir, can I help you?
Look what I found.
[fast-paced, suspenseful music]
Who else has keys to this room?
That is not what you just said.
[Werner] What I meant was,
I'm not the only one
that goes down there.
Into the archives.
Who goes in there?
The archives?
[Erwin] Where they keep the
banned books. And these.
[tense music]
[fast-paced, dramatic music]
You're dead.
[Erwin] Easy!
He's working for someone.
He's going to tell us who it is.
[Erwin] Profile.
Now look at me.
[dramatic stinger]
He's a stubborn one.
Take it off.
[dramatic music]
[Hugo] I'm sorry.
Who's the book for?
Me.
What, you like Shakespeare?
Get up.
Now why should you take all the
blame? You just the paperboy.
Who's writing these?
[Helmuth] I am.
"Indeed the nefarious plan of
the Fhrer
to attack the Soviet Union,
contrary to all agreements
and in spite of the
non-aggression pact..."
You wrote this?
[grunts and coughing]
[knocking]
Here. Let me hear you read this.
I wanna hear you read it.
...if you can.
"Just as tendentious
and illusionary
is the Hitler
propaganda campaign"--
Speak up.
"...But Hitler and his
accomplices know
they must deprive you
of your free will,
in order to make submissive,
spineless creatures
out of you..."
"...For Hitler knows that we are
beginning to see through him."
"...the suppressor of
free nations.
The murderer of millions."
They found this at his
grandmother's house.
Where he was living.
It's a half-finished leaflet.
[solemn music]
-[Karl] What?
-[Rudi] He's been arrested.
I knew this would happen.
I... I... I have a cousin,
Basel, we could leave now,
we could go to Switzerland.
And then what?
We run... you know what
they'll do to our parents?
To everyone?
What are they doing to Helmuth?
He'll outsmart them.
You know Helmuth.
He'll keep his promise.
What do I tell my parents?
We lie.
Don't tell them anything.
It's gonna be alright.
We were rough on you. Well, we
don't need that anymore, do we?
Alright. [sighs]
We'll talk tomorrow.
Try and get some rest.
[dramatic music swells]
[Julius] Get up!
[hits and grunts]
[background yelling]
Please Father,
give me strength...
The Fhrer wants peace...
A piece of Poland.
A piece of Czechoslovakia.
A piece of France.
No?
[laughs to himself]
A friend of mine suffers
from schizophrenia.
Has delusions that he's either
Adolf Hitler or
Winston Churchill.
He's his own worst enemy.
[subdued laughter]
Yeah...
You know, my colleauges think
that you had help
putting out these leaflets.
Did you?
There is no one else.
[door opens and closes]
You know, I'm not sure
there were others.
There's always others.
Why don't you
hold off for today.
And let me keep working on him.
You keep working your way,
I'll keep working my way.
We'll see who wins.
I mean it, let's just
hold off for a bit.
Nah, this'll be quick.
I said hold off!
Fine.
[door closes]
[gentle music]
I need you to do
something for me.
[door opens and closes]
Why?
Why?
Because... because
they took my friend.
Salomon. Salomon Schwarz.
Because of a Jew?
Yes... and the truth.
The truth...
Then explain this truth to me:
How does one person cover all
of Hamburg in a single night?
[Edwin] How do I post these in
Hammerbrook, and in Altona,
and up in Eilbeck...
all in a single night.
How do I do that?
I can't be two places at
the same time, now, can I?
I know someone's
been helping you.
Who were they?
No one.
-[Helmuth] Theres no--
-No, no, mhmmmm.
The Truth.
The truth?
If we dont stop Hitler,
he will destroy Germany.
No one is safe.
Not you. Not your family...
No one.
[suspenseful music]
[ominous music]
Who was with you?
No one.
[grunts]
Who was with you?
No one.
[grunts]
Who was with you?
No one.
[grunts]
[Edwin] Your mother,
your stepfather.
We met with them...
Now hes a good Party member and
your mother, she's supportive,
doubt shed be involved
in any of this...
But you never know.
May have to bring her back in,
just to be sure.
Still no one?
[ominous tones]
She doesnt know anything!
[yells]
[Elli screams]
[Edwin] I wouldnt have
suspected her
but then we found this
in her things.
You like opera?
It's typed on your typewriter.
With your signature.
She doesn't know anything.
Oh youre probably right...
But Julius is going to find out,
I can promise you that.
You dont have to tell me
whos been helping you.
Just write down their names.
It's alright.
[Edwin] Doesn't have
to be perfect.
[solemn music]
[grunting and crying]
It's devastating, isn't it?
So committed to a cause,
only to realize
you've hurt those you
love the most...
You were right.
No one is safe.
But you knew that.
And did it anyway.
[door opens and closes]
Send the girl home.
[dramatic music]
What are you looking at?
[door unlocks and opens]
[gentle music]
What happened there?
[Guard] Don't touch him.
We got a letter from Gerhard.
Is he alright?
He's fine.
He says he should
be home by summer..
and, you know,
that's what the papers say too.
Things are going well in Russia.
Karl and Rudi?
Not good.
[gentle music continues]
[solemn music]
[Hans Knie] Sit up. Sit him up!
In court tomorrow,
you'll be in a suit and tie.
Hair combed back,
looking presentable. And...
youll read this.
Out loud. Let's hear it.
I, Helmuth Hbener
express my deepest regrets
for the malicious acts
of treason I have com-
You'll have to be more
convincing than that
if you want any leniency
in Hitler's highest court.
Little secret.
I've had a nice chat
with the judge.
He doesn't want to see
this come to the worst
any more than I do
as your attorney.
This is your life
we're talking about.
This is treason.
Youre barely seventeen.
Now, Karl on the other hand,
Herr Schnibbe, he's eighteen.
An adult.
[Hans Knie] And a known
trouble-maker,
assaulting Hitler Youth
leaders and what not.
You read this
statement in court.
Put your heart into it.
Save your skin
and let Karl-Heinz
take what's coming.
Now let's try it again,
shall we?
Hmm? From the top.
[solemn music]
[background conversations]
[suspenseful music]
[Judge Fikeis] All rise.
The Honorable Head
Judge Karl Engert,
Chairman of the Second Senate
of the Peoples Court,
representing our Fhrer,
Adolf Hitler,
in the case against
Helmuth Hbener,
Karl-Heinz Schnibbe
and Rudolf Wobbe.
Heil Hitler.
[crowd] Heil Hitler.
[Judge Fikeis] The accusations
laid before the court are:
preparation to high treason,
aiding and abetting the
enemy in time of war,
listening to illegal
foreign broadcasts,
and the publishing
and distribution
of seditious material.
The accused stand
before you now,
on this day,
the eleventh of August, 1942.
[Judge Engert] Sit down.
Read it with feeling.
[Judge Engert] These are
leaflets that were written
and distributed by
the defendants.
On a typewriter stolen
from their church, the...
hmm, Mormons.
That's interesting.
So religious...
and yet, here you are, accused
of committing high treason.
I find that ironic.
Well.
My intent is to determine who
actually instigated this group,
and whether the ring
leader wasnt indeed
the adult of the group,
Herr Schnibbe.
[Judge Fikeis] We now call
to the stand
Criminal Secretary
Erwin Mssener
with the Secret
State Police, Hamburg.
[Judge Engert] How many of these
leaflets were distributed?
There were twenty-nine
separate leaflets
that either we found
or were turned in.
Multiple copies of many of them.
But we don't know exactly how
many others remain uncollected.
You believe there were more?
[Edwin] Yes.
A number?
We dont know.
Possibly many more.
I will say that the content
of these leaflets
was extremely well written.
Very persuasive.
None of us were expecting
to find a sixteen year old.
[Judge Engert] Persuasive?
You're saying that the words
of a 16-year-old boy
could sway the German people?
Im saying,
they were well written.
I was looking for a university
professor, someone older.
But we have someone
older right here:
Herr Schnibbe. Karl-Heinz.
Karl-Heinz Schnibbe
was not the
author of the leaflets.
We found the typewriter,
we know it was used by--
But isn't it likely that this
young man was influenced,
perhaps persuaded by
his older friend?
Herr Schnibbe, a known
troublemaker?
Isnt that possible?
[Judge Engert] Kommissar?
I don't know.
[Judge Engert] Excuse me?
-I don't know.
-[Judge Engert] You don't know?
I asked if its possible-
Of course it's possible.
That will be all.
[Hans Knie] Your honor.
My client has prepared
a written confession
which demonstrates very clearly
that he was bullied into
this "resistance group"
by his older friend, here,
Herr Schnibbe
Bring him forward.
I, Helmuth Hbener,
express my deepest regrets...
[inspirational music]
...I express
my deepest regrets...
that Germany
has followed a lunatic
into a war she cannot win.
[Judge Engert] No, no, no, no.
This is a court of law.
The accused is free to speak.
[Judge Engert] Ah, that's
quite the statement.
Do you really believe that
Germany will lose this war?
Absolutely.
Don't you?
And yet, it was only a year ago
when you wrote,
"Never before has Germany
been more homeland to us
than it is now,
in this Athenian age,
the dawn of the
National-Socialistic millennium.
And how did we arrive at this
great juncture in history?
On the backs of the conquered.
Thats how we arrived here.
The power of this Reich is mired
in the blood of the innocent.
In Poland, in France.
Germany's future lies frozen and
dead on the steppes of Russia
so Hitler can have
his living space.
Ah yes, the Allies are up
in arms about our living space,
aren't they?
Have you never heard of
British Imperialism,
or what the Americans call
their Manifest Destiny?
Hmm?
Theyre hypocrites!
Its exactly
the same expansionism
that our Fhrer has achieved!
What did you think, boy?
You would write some little
leaflet and overthrow the Reich?
I thought...
I would write the Truth...
and let it overthrow the Reich.
The Reich doesn't fear
your little papers.
Then why are we here?
[Judge Engert] It has become so
convenient to accuse the victor.
Its the very reason Aristotle
said that in the time of war,
truth is the first to go.
[Helmuth] You mean Aeschylus.
"In war, truth is the
first casualty."
He was right.
Hitler says whatever he can
to cover the truth:
That his thirst for power has
cost millions of lives!
Millions of lives.
Every German knows
that we're winning this war.
You only know what Goebbels
wants you to know!
I know that in my court you will
address me with respect!
Your court? Or Hitler's court?
My court! The Fhrer's court!
The German people's court!
The people deserve the truth!
-Hitler will stop at nothing!
-Truth is loyalty to the Fhrer
He will send Germany
into the fires
Shut your mouth!
Sit him down!
[Helmuth] ...in order to finish
the crimes he has started!
The people deserve the tru-
[Judge Engert] Not his face!
-Expose him for what he is:
-Shut him up! Shut up!
a reckless mass murder-agh!
[music swells]
This court is in recess.
Sentencing will follow.
[gentle music]
[Judge Fikeis] All rise.
In the case against
Helmuth Hbener,
Karl-Heinz Schnibbe
and Rudolf Wobbe,
the court pronounces all three
guilty of high treason,
and of aiding and abetting
the enemy in time of war.
[Judge Engert] Rudolf Wobbe.
You are hereby sentenced to
five years imprisonment.
Karl-Heinz Schnibbe.
You are hereby sentenced to
ten years imprisonment.
Helmuth Hbener.
For your crimes
against the Reich...
the sentence
is death...
by beheading.
Any final words from
the defendants?
Yes...
[inspirational music]
I am guilty of no crime at all.
I will die, having done
nothing wrong...
But your time will come.
The judge will be judged
and truth will prevail.
[inspirational music swells]
[Guard] Rudolf Wobbe.
Karl-Heinz Schnibbe.
Come.
You stay.
One moment. Please.
One day,...
this will end.
You will live...
to have a better life...
in a better Germany.
[gentle music]
We did what we could.
Remember me.
[gentle music]
[door unlocks and opens]
[Edwin] You should know,
this was filed on your behalf.
Clemency?
It was denied.
[solemn music]
Thank you.
Will you deliver this for me?
Please?
[Helmuth] Mother,
By the time you read this,
I will be gone.
I'm not afraid to die.
Father in Heaven knows
I have done nothing wrong.
He will be the proper judge
of this matter...
[low rumbles]
[gentle music]
My deepest regret is the pain
I have brought to those I love.
I pray God will protect them
and bring them home.
Please remember me kindly.
and that I love you.
And that we'll
see each other again...
in that better world.
[Poor Wayfaring Stranger
by The Lower Lights, plays]