A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

[bunniefuu]

This is the universe.

Big, isn't it?

Thousands of suns, myriads of stars,

separated by immense distances

and by thin, floating clouds of gas.

The starlight makes the gas transparent,

and where there are no stars,

it appears as dark, obscuring clouds,

like that great black cone over there.

Hello. There's a nova.

A whole solar system exploded.

Someone must have been messing about

with the uranium atom.

No, it's not our solar system,

I'm glad to say.

Ah, those are called

a globular cluster of stars.

Rather fine.

Down here in the right-hand corner,

see that little chap

rather like a Boy Scout's badge?

It's a mass of gas expanding

at thousands of cubic miles a minute.

Ah, here we are.

We 're getting near a home.

The moon, our moon, in the first quarter.

And here's the Earth, our Earth,

moving around in its place,

part of the pattern, part of the universe.

Reassuring, isn't it?

It's night over Europe,

the night of the 2nd of May, 1945.

That point of fire is a burning city.

It had a thousand-b*mber raid an hour ago.

And here, rolling in over the Atlantic,

is a real English fog.

I hope all our aircraft got home safely.

Even the my ships sound frightened.

Listen to all the noises in the air.

This was their finest hour.

Listen.

Listen.

Request your position.

Request your position.

Come in, Lancaster. Come in, Lancaster.

Position nil. Repeat nil. Age 27, 27.

Did you get that? That's very important.

Education interrupted,

violently interrupted.

Religion, Church of England.

Politics, Conservative by nature,

Labour by experience.

What's your name?

I cannot read you, cannot read you.

Request your position.

Can you see our signals?

“Oh, give me my scallop-shell of quiet,

my staff of faith to walk upon,

my scrip of joy, immortal diet,

my bottle of salvation,

my gown of glory, hope's true gage,

and thus /'ll take my pilgrimage. ”

Sir Walter Raleigh wrote that.

I'd rather have written that

than flown through Hitler's legs.

I cannot understand you.

Hello, Lancaster.

We are sending signals.

Can you see our signals?

Come in, Lancaster. Come in, Lancaster.

“But at my back I always hear

time's winged chariot hurrying near,

and yonder all before us lie

deserts of vast eternity.”

Andy Marvell, what a marvel.

What's your name?

Are you receiving me?

Repeat, are you receiving me?

Request your position. Come in, Lancaster.

You seem like a nice girl.

I can't give you my position.

Instrument's gone. Crew gone too.

All except Bob here, my sparks, he's dead.

The rest all bailed out on my orders.

Time out 3:35. You get that?

Crew bailed out 03:35.

Stat/on Warrenden,

b*mber group "A, ” "G" for George.

Send them a signal. Got that?

Station Warrenden,

b*mber group apple, George.

They'll be sorry about Bob.

We all liked him.

Hello, George.

Hello, George. Are you all right?

Are you going to try and land?

Do you want a fix?

The name's not George.

It's Peter.

Peter D. Carter. “D” is for David.

Squadron Leader Peter Carter.

No, I'm not going to land.

Undercarriage is gone,

inner port's on fire.

I'm bailing out presently.

I'm bailing out.

- Take a telegram.

- Got your message.

Received your message. We can hear you.

Telegram to my mother.

Mrs. Michael Carter,

88 Hampstead Lane, London Northwest.

88 Hampstead Lane, London.

Tell her that I love her.

You'll have to write this for me,

but what I want her to know is

that I love her very much,

that I've never shown it to her,

not really,

but that I've loved her always,

right up to the end.

Give my love to my two sisters too.

Don't forget them.

Received your message. We can hear you.

Are you wounded? Repeat, are you wounded?

Are you bailing out?

- What's your name?

- June.

Yes, June, I'm bailing out.

I'm bailing out, but there's a catch.

- I've got no parachute.

- Uh _.

Hello. Hello, Peter. Do not understand.

Hello. Hello, Peter. Can you hear me?

Hello, June.

Don't be afraid. It"s quite simple.

We've had it, and I'd rather jump than fry.

After the first thousand feet,

what's the difference?

I shan't know anything anyway.

I say, I hope I haven't frightened you.

- No, I'm not frightened.

- Good girl.

Your sparks - You said he was dead.

Hasn't he got a chute?

Cut to ribbons. Cannon shell.

June, are you pretty?

Not bad.

- Can you hear me as well as I hear you?

- Yes.

You've got a good voice.

You've got guts too.

It's funny, I've known dozens of girls.

I've been in love with some of them.

But an American girl whom I've never seen

and who I never shall see

will hear my last words.

That's funny. It's rather sweet.

June, if you're around

when they pick me up,

turn your head away.

Perhaps we can do something, Peter.

Let me report it.

No, no one can help. Only you.

Let me do this in my own way.

I want to be alone with you, June.

Where were you born?

- Boston.

- Mass?

Yes.

That's a place to be born.

History was made there.

Are you in love with anybody?

No. No, don't answer that.

I could love a man like you, Peter.

I love you, June.

You're life, and I'm leaving you.

Where do you live, on the station?

No, in a big country house

about five miles from here.

- Lee Wood House.

- Old house?

Yes, very old.

Good. I'll be a ghost

and come and see you.

You're not frightened of ghosts, are you?

It would be awful if you were.

- I'm not frightened.

- What time will you be home?

Well, I'm on duty till 6:00.

I have breakfast in the mess

and then I have to cycle half an hour.

I often go along the sands.

This is such nonsense.

No, it's not.

It's the best sense I ever heard.

I was lucky to get you, June.

It can't be helped about the parachute.

I'll have my wings soon anyway.

Big white ones.

I hope they haven't gone all modern.

I'd hate to have a prop instead of wings.

What do you think the next world's like?

I've got my own ideas.

Oh, Peter.

I think it starts where this one leaves off

or where this one could leave off

if we'd listened

to Plato and Aristotle and Jesus.

With all of our little earthly problems solved,

but with greater ones worth the solving.

I'll know soon enough anyway.

I'm signing off now, June.

Good-bye! Good-bye, June!

Hello, “G” for George? Hello, “G” George?

Hello, “G” George? Hello -

So long, Bob. I'll see you in a minute.

You'll know what we wear by now -

a prop or wings.

A prop or wings.

Prop or wings.

Prop or wings.

Prop or wings.

Prop or wings.

Prop or wings.

Oh, bad luck, old boy.

Name and rank?

Come on, fellows, break it up.

Spread out here.

Room with bath.

- Oh, uh, do you have USO shows here?

- No, we don't.

Okay, we'll stay.

- Officer's quarters, of course.

- We're all the same up here, Captain.

Excuse me... brother.

Take over.

- I wish I could make a phone call.

- From here? That would be long distance.

- Flying Officer Trubshawe?

- Oh, I'm so sorry.

You can't wait here any longer.

You must be mistaken about your captain.

- Well, if anyone's mistaken, it's not me.

- Mistakes don't happen here.

But this is the aircrew section, isn't it?

You should know.

Peter couldn't have got away with it.

Besides, you checked

his invoice for me, didn't you?

Yes. It was against the regulations.

Regulations are made to be broken.

He was due here half an hour after me. This

is his section, and he hasn't reported.

So he's either AWOL

or there's been a mistake.

There hasn't been a mistake here

for a thousand years.

Oh! So there have been mistakes?

The girl that was here before me,

she was here 640 years.

Holy smoke!

She said when the records don't balance,

all of the alarm bells start ringing

in the records office.

I bet they do. Proper flap, eh?

Yes.

That's only the living records.

Everyone on Earth has a file -

Russian, Chinese, black, or white,

rich or poor, Republican or Democrat.

Holy smoke.

If anybody had told me the clocks were

working away up here, just like on Earth -

Everyone here is allowed

to start how they like.

It's heaven, isn't it?

You see,

there are millions of people on Earth

who would think it heaven to be a clock.

- And don't say, “Holy smoke.”

- Why not?

There's no smoke without fire,

and we don't call smoke holy.

Thanks for the gin, Section Officer.

Boy, oh, boy! Home was nothing like this!

Mine was.

Sign here.

Oh, all right.

I don't want to star': Those bells ringing.

I wonder where I report.

Oh, I always hoped there would be dogs.

Good morning.

- Morning.

- Where do I go from here?

I'm new. I only just arrived.

Where do I report?

You mean the aerodrome?

Aerodrome?

- Where am I?

- Huh?

- This place, what's it called?

- The Boroughs.

- The Boroughs, where?

- Lee Wood.

- Lee Wood?

- Yeah.

Do you know a house called Lee Wood House?

That's it.

- Where the smoke is, behind those trees.

- Is that the quickest way?

There's a track from the beach.

See that bike?

- Who is it?

- Don't know. One of the Yank girls.

They live up at the house.

Here, Jock.

Hey!

- Hello.

- Hello yourself. What's wrong?

You're June.

You're Peter!

How did you get here?

I'm glad you're safe.

What did you do? What happened?

I don't know. I just don't know.

- Are you hurt?

- My head feels a bit q*eer.

Oh, there's a little cut in your hair.

It's nothing much.

Oh, Peter, it was a cruel joke.

If it was, it was on me.

I've been crying so

ever since we said good-bye.

Don't cry, darling.

Peter, darling.

91,716 invoiced,

91,715 checked in.

Conductor 71?

Madame, it could have happened to anybody.

How did it happen?

Everything was calculated

except for this accursed fog.

The pilot jumped, he got lost in the fog,

I missed him.

Flying Officer Trubshawe.

You've been waiting all day for your pilot.

Yes, ma'am.

You see, over the Channel

we ran into this ruddy pea-souper.

Oh, excuse the language, ma'am,

but really, it was so thick that you

could have stepped out of the kite

and walked about on it.

Sacré brouillard!

And he, the skipper, ordered everybody

to bail out when we were over the coast.

He knew his brolly - chute -

had been written off.

It got a direct hit

as he was bandaging me.

But he didn't tell the others.

I only knew about it

because I'd bought it by then.

I mean, I was... dead.

I understand.

And I knew he'd be clocking in here,

so I thought I'd stooge around

and wait for him.

Oh, this young lady is not to blame at all.

- I'm sorry if I broke the rules.

- Thank you.

Nineteen hours and 50 minutes

have elapsed.

Don't you know that any slip

must be reported immediately?

- I lost my head.

- Not long in the service?

I joined in the so-called second germinal

of the so-called glorious

French Revolution.

I see. Natural death.

I lost my head.

The case is not so simple.

- No?

- No.

He's fallen in love.

- It complicates things.

- True, madame.

- You must do your best.

- Oiu, madame.

- You'll proceed to Earth immediately.

- Oui, madame.

You will explain your grave error

to Squadron Leader Carter -

- Oui, madame.

- And ask him to follow you.

- Oui, madame.

- Wait.

Your captain is not an unreasonable man,

I hope?

The skipper? Oh, no, ma'am.

Unless he's had a few, of course.

Euh, pardon? "Had a few"?

Beers.

Scotch being hard to come by, you know.

Naturellement.

By the way, monsieur, when you see Peter,

would you give him a message for me?

- Avec plaisir.

- Just say, “What h*.”

Bon.

One is starved for Technicolor up there.

What a night for love.

Drink, darling?

Mon ami?

Evening.

I think I keep these for a little.

- And how are you, my friend?

- I've never been better.

- June, wake.

- She cannot wake.

We are talking in space, not in time.

Are you cracked?

Look at your watch.

It has not moved since you said,

so charmingly, “Drink, darling?”

Nor will it move, nor will anything move...

until we have finished our little talk.

It is only a trick.

Who are you?

We should have met yesterday

at 04:10, mon cher.

Unfortunately, I missed you.

Well, you couldn't have missed me

because I wasn't here. Now, who the -

I bring you a message from Mr. Trubshawe.

Bob? Bob's dead.

Oh, yes, he's dead.

He says, “What h*.”

Well, that sounds like Trubshawe.

But he is dead, isn't he?

En effet. But how?

- Why?

- Cannon shell.

And what should happen to a man

who jumps from his aircraft

without his parachute?

How do you know?

But it is I who am telling you, my friend.

It is I.

Your time was up,

but they missed you because

of your ridiculous English climate.

I am French.

- But what do you want now?

- You, my friend.

- What for?

- To conduct you.

- Where to?

- To the training center.

- Training for what?

- For another world.

You don't mean -

But, my dear friend,

that is just what I do mean.

Oh, this is absolutely fantastic. June?

June!

All right. And what if I refuse to go?

But you cannot refuse.

Your time was up.

Now, by mistake, you overstayed by about,

speaking in time, of course, 20 hours.

The advantage was exclusively yours.

You lost nothing. You only gained.

What about her?

Exquise.

You will see her again

when her time comes.

She will live to be 97.

I looked her up in the files.

- I'm in love with her.

- But, my friend, what is love?

The feeling of the moment.

But I represent eternity,

the law of this world and the other.

- Good, but what is law?

- Law is law.

- Yes, but law is based on reason.

- That is so.

Now, yesterday I wasn't in love.

Today I am.

But, my friend, what is love?

How many people are in love?

Soldiers, airmen. How many sailors?

Do they protest when their time is up?

No, they don't.

- They have no right.

- Exactly.

- But I have.

- Why?

Look, I've fallen in love

because of your mistake.

I'm in an entirely different position

from what I was in last night.

Then I expected to die,

I was ready to die,

and it wasn't my fault that I didn't,

it was yours.

- What kind of government do you represent?

- I do not represent any government.

Well, what laws govern

the place you come from?

I am not permitted

to express any political views.

Well, if it's a respectable place,

there must be a law of appeal.

But, my friend, be reasonable.

Appeal to whom?

- That's for you to find out.

- But it's never been done.

Is that any reason

why it can't be done now?

You are determined

to get me into this salad.

And what about the salad you got me into?

Now look here, you don't want me

to use force, do you?

Well, you can always try.

- I think I'll leave you for a little.

- That's the form.

- I shall report for instructions.

- Now you're talking.

And do not fall any deeper in love now.

You have been warned.

She is... charming.

You know, I think you're not a bad chap.

- Do you play chess?

- Yes.

So do I.

We could play every day.

Some other time.

Next time perhaps?

Au revoir, mon ami.

No, thank you, darling.

“No, thank you” what?

You just asked me to have a drink.

Did I?

Yes, I remember I did.

What's the matter with me?

What is it? Is it your head again?

It might be, yes.

An odd thing happened

while you were asleep.

I haven't been asleep.

Didn't you hear us talking?

No. Who was there to talk to?

- They sent somebody.

- “They”?

Who are they?

I don't know.

June, do I look cracked?

Not to me, darling. Are you?

Look, there was a ten-tenths fog

last night. That's right, isn't it?

You know there was.

- And I did bail out without a parachute?

- That's your story.

So how can I be alive?

I give up. I don't know and I don't care.

I had no parachute. It was shot up.

And when I came to this morning,

I had no parachute.

Anyway, why wasn't I drowned?

You don't need to prove to me

that you ought to be dead.

Well, I ought to be,

according to this character.

What character?

Well, this conductor character

they sent after me.

He says he missed me in the fog.

Bad luck for them, good luck for me.

I told him I was going to appeal.

He's gone off to get instructions.

It's not my fault I'm not dead.

It's not my fault that I've found you

and fell in love with you.

Maybe he wasn't here at all.

Hey, you, Frenchman!

Where are you?

- What is it?

- Oh, I've got an awful headache.

June!

June, you're there, aren't you?

Yes, Peter, of course I'm here.

I thought I'd lost you.

Dr. Reeves's residence.

Oh, good morning, Miss June.

Yes, isn't it?

The doctor's up in his thing,

you know, his camera obscura.

He's got his new lens

from the shop this morning,

and it makes a lovely picture.

He's taken the big white garden table

to project on.

He'll be glad you're coming over.

He's showing it to the dogs now.

Nice day.

Hmm. Mrs. Bibble's ducks are too early.

She'll lose all the eggs

if she's not careful.

Ah, the start of the cycling season.

There's a hefty young girl.

Time Mrs. Tucker went to get our rations.

There she is.

Oh, the vicar and his sister.

Not coming here, I hope. No. Good.

Quite a queue at the butcher's.

Must have some offal.

Wonderful how the kids

love playing in the splash.

Just the same in my day.

That tree ought to come down.

Old Mary looking quite skittish.

Sally Allgood getting herself dated up.

Ah, here's June. Here she comes.

“She walks in beauty like the night.”

Only she's cycling and the sun is out.

Nice girl. Worth a hat full of ambassadors

in Lee Wood anyway.

Come on up!

- Hello, Doc.

- Hello, June. Come in. Shut the door.

- Surveying your kingdom?

- A village doctor has to know everything.

You would be surprised

how many diagnoses I've formed up here.

I love looking at the village from here.

It looks so different.

That's because you see it all clearly

and at once, as in a poet's eye.

I want to talk to you.

So you said on the phone,

but it's really none of my business.

Dr. McEwen says

it's right down your street.

This is my street, a village street,

and I'm a village doctor.

Only because you like living in a village.

Dr. McEwen says what you don't know

about neurology would fill a peanut.

Well, I'm a good guesser.

Your guesses are published

by very famous magazines

like that Brain I've seen in your library.

- Dr. McEwen says -

- I know what Dr. McEwen says.

I had a talk with him

on the phone this morning.

Oh, did you?

After I talked to you.

This is really the RAF's business.

Carter should have rejoined

his station today.

- I know.

- Anyhow, what's it got to do with you?

- Oh, I'm just interested.

- Oh, I see.

But strictly speaking, he's a RAF case.

He's not a case at all.

He's a person. A very fine person.

And I want you to see him, Frank.

I don't want just anybody mauling him about

and asking him questions.

I want you.

I'm sure the RAF would say that-

I know what the RAF would say.

I had a talk to his CO this morning.

Oh, Frank.

And I had a talk

to his group medical officer too.

- Fortunately he's heard of me.

- Oh, Frank.

And if you'd done that earlier,

I would have told you earlier.

You can't go around the place

kidnapping good-looking RAF officers

just because

you like the shape of their nose.

It's not his nose, it's his voice.

I fell for that before I ever saw him.

He still believes that he bailed out

without a parachute?

- Yes.

- And he has hallucinations?

And during these bouts,

does he go rather pale?

- Yes, yes, he did.

- And he has headaches, here?

I think so. I don't know.

You'd better ask him.

- But he definitely sees things?

- And hears.

All right.

- Did you tell him he was talking rubbish?

- No.

- Quite right.

- He's not talking rubbish.

He's talking very logically.

Then he can't be in love. Bye.

- Frank?

- Yes?

He has a very cute nose too.

- I'll be over about teatime.

- Right.

It's Dr. Reeves. Let's go.

Yippee!

That's not the way to spell Shakespeare.

Who are you? His agent?

“You spotted snakes with double tongues.

Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen.

Newts and blind worms -”

- “Do no wrong.”

- “Do no wrong.

Come not near our Fairy Queen.”

“Oh, you can never bring in a wall.

What say you, Bottom?”

“Some guy or other -”.

No, no, no, my dear Private Logan,

Bottom's not a gangster.

Now, watch me.

“Some man or other must present Wall,

and let him have some plaster

or some loam,

or some rough-cast about him

to signify Wall,

and let him hold his fingers thus,

and through that cranny

shall Pyramus and Thisbe whisper.”

- Now try that, my boy.

- Can I do the business?

- Business as well, yes.

- Oh, brother.

“Some man or other must present Wall,

and let him have some plaster

or some loam,

or some rough-cast about him

to signify Wall.”

Check.

Peter, check.

“Peaseblossom. Cobweb.

Moth and mustard seed.”

Oh, dear, I didn't see that one coming.

“Be kind and courteous to this gentleman.

- Hop in his walks and gambol in his eyes.”

- Good afternoon.

Hello, Frank.

Squadron Leader Carter, Dr. Reeves.

- How do you do?

- How do you do?

- Do I get some tea?

- Mmm. It's ordered. Ginger cookies.

- Good. Who's winning?

- June's very good.

But he's winning. Sit down, everybody.

Thanks.

- “I beseech your worship's name.

- Thank you.

I shall desire you of more acquaintance,

good Master Cobweb.

If I cut my finger,

I shall make bold with you.

Your name, honest gentleman?”

- I told Peter.

- What?

- Who you are, what you are, all about you.

- Mmm. Tall order.

And I've told you all about him.

- Has she read your poems?

- What poems?

Well, didn't you know

this is Peter Carter?

- I didn't know.

- We hadn't got around to that yet.

I haven't got much modern stuff

in my library, but you're there.

Oh, good.

I like your point of view

and I like your English.

- I hope we shall have some talks together.

- So do I.

Now let's get down to this thing.

You've never had any visions

or hallucinations before?

- Never.

- What were you in civil life?

- I was at Oxford.

- Specializing?

- European history.

- Hmm.

- Both parents alive?

- My mother.

- Brothers, sisters?

- Two sisters, both in the Wrens.

- What was the cause of your father's death?

- Same as mine.

- Brain?

- No, w*r.

- When?

- 1917.

- You're, um, 29?

- Twenty-seven.

- Called up?

- No, volunteered.

- Trained in Canada, went on ops in '41.

- b*mber?

A spell of coastal, a spell of instructor.

Back to bombers, Lancasters.

- You must have done a good many operations.

- Sixty-seven.

I'm surprised they let you go back,

with your experience and seniority.

With a new job - master b*mber.

- Tricky?

- Somebody's got to do it.

Now about these headaches.

When did they start?

- Headaches?

- Oh, I know you get them.

I know you've had them for some time,

and I know you've told nobody about them,

especially your MO, right?

- What else do you know?

- I know about your eyes.

- You know a good deal.

- I'd like to know more.

All right.

Good.

These headaches, when did this start?

- About six months ago.

- Bad?

- Not at first.

- Where mostly?

Here.

Frontal and temporal.

Did you ever have

a rather nasty bang on the head?

- I don't think so.

- Sure?

The usual one - dropped as a baby.

- Does that support everything for you?

- Yes, I'm afraid it does.

I'll see what I can cook up.

- Do you mind if I try something?

- No, go ahead.

Now, uh, just face this way. Don't move.

Now, don't move your eyes.

Look straight ahead.

- Check.

- What are you looking at?

That girl with the red hair and the legs.

All right, I've got her.

Don't take your eyes off her.

This is going to be easy.

Now, without moving your eyes,

what can you see on the extreme right?

Fireplace.

- In the center?

- Girl.

Extreme left?

Windows.

- Curtains?

- Yes.

- Color?

- Red.

All right, that will do.

Well, if you're quite done staring

at that girl's legs, both of you.

Well, you've got to do

what the doctor tells you.

Confidentially,

they're rather knock-kneed.

- Now, any loss of appetite?

- No.

- Nor of thirst?

- No fear.

In fact, if anything, you've been eating

and drinking rather more than usual?

You've just been looking at my mess bills.

And you've seen something?

- Someone.

- Clearly?

As clear as I see you.

Have you had

a similar hallucination before?

No, thanks.

Tell me, do you believe in the survival

of human personality after death?

I thought you said you read my verses?

Do you?

I don't know. I've never thought about it.

Do you?

I don't know.

I've thought about it too much.

- I thought I was asked to tea?

- It isn't time yet.

Past my time.

One last question. It may sound silly.

But, um, have you imagined recently

that you've smelled something

that couldn't possibly be there?

- What an extraordinary thing.

- What is?

- How did you know?

- It was a long shot. You have?

Yes, but it was so silly,

I would never have told you.

It's important. It might explain everything

abnormal that you've seen and heard.

Well, that would be a relief.

But it still can't explain how I can jump

without a parachute and be alive.

No, it couldn't do that,

but there might be a possible explanation

even of that.

Now, this heavenly messenger.

You saw him quite clearly?

I told you, as clear as I see you.

And this smell you imagined,

was it at the same time?

Yes, it was particularly strong.

- Was it a pleasant smell?

- Yes.

- Could you place it?

- Fried onions.

And this messenger,

he hasn't turned up again?

- No, but he will.

- When?

He picks his own time and stops it.

- Oh, Peter's lodged an appeal.

- Against what?

- Against his call up.

- That's the spirit. Don't give in.

I won't.

I'm lucky that June knew you, Doctor.

Thank you for coming.

June has lucky friends.

- I've got bad news for you.

- Then why the grin?

- You're going with me.

- Where to?

To my house, for two reasons.

First, I want to meet this chap

next time he drops in.

Second,

I like a nice girl around the house,

and she only comes to see me

to borrow a book.

- And she's a slow reader.

- What about my CO?

I fixed it with him. Besides,

until we get this settled, I am your CO.

And at my house,

you get your tea at half past 4:00.

- Tea breaks!

- All right!

Here you get it at 5:00.

Sinkers, Doc?

Thank you.

We are shaping, Frank. We are shaping.

Ha-ha! 20-all!

21-20. Sorry.

- You're sorry, my foot. Ready?

- Ready.

Nearly.

Nearly doesn't count. 21-all.

- Up!

- I'll be.

Count ten.

- I wonder if Peter's a good player.

- You can ask him when he wakes.

Well, he's been asleep

nearly two hours and a half.

- He'll wake at 11:00.

- How do you know?

- I gave him a tablet.

- Well, how can you tell exactly?

I can't tell exactly,

but I know the patient.

- But do you know him?

- I think so.

- Well, then tell me something about him.

- Are we playing table tennis, or are we not?

- All right, your serve.

- Right. Ready?

Ready.

Your game.

Now tell me what you think about him.

- I think he's fascinating.

- So do I.

Not biologically. Medically.

- Have a drink?

- Love one.

What do the books say, Doc?

I see a dark stranger in his life.

Do you know what's wrong with him?

Yes, I think I do.

Is he going to be all right?

He'll be all right. Here's your drink.

Will he have any more hallucinations?

- Yes.

- How do you know?

Because this conductor

promised to come back.

- Will that make him worse?

- Why should it?

I don't know.

Seeing things, arguing about his own life,

talking to a nonexistent man and -

He does exist for him.

He's not going mad then?

His brain isn't being affected?

Of course it's being affected,

but not in the way you mean.

That's why I asked him

about his sense of smell.

I saw it was important.

He's having a series

of highly organized hallucinations

comparable to an experience

of actual life.

A combination of vision,

of hearing, and of idea.

To a neurologist,

that points to a direct connection

with a sense of smell or of taste.

Once that connection is established,

we know where to look for the trouble.

I only want to find out one thing more

in his personal history,

and I'll find that out later.

Now...

- I'm not going to tell you any more.

- Thanks.

But how did he survive the jump?

I don't know.

If we could find that out and tell him,

it would save him.

It would help. But the main thing

is for him to win his case.

- Are you serious?

- Perfectly serious.

- We must help him to win it.

- How?

It depends on what message

the conductor brings.

But suppose he loses his case?

Oh, that's absurd.

If we see that he's losing

or we think he's going to lose,

we'll find out the reason why he survived.

Or we'll invent one.

We'll have a couple of drinks, you and I.

And we'll invent the greatest lie

in medical history.

- Care for another game?

- I don't mind.

Now, don't worry about him.

You see that bell?

Yes.

He's promised to ring it

if he gets another visit.

- Fine.

- Come on, your serve.

- Ready?

- Mm-hmm.

One-love. Come up.

Doc, he's here! June!

Doc!

Eh bien, mon chef,

comment ça va?

- Not too good.

- Hmm. Not too good, huh?

I would not bother to ring that bell

if I were you. Nothing will happen.

A little trick of mine, you remember?

After all, what is time?

Only, uh, tyranny.

Let me know if you're going

to do that again, won't you?

- This looks good.

- Very good. Do you know the author?

- No, but I often have a game with Philidor.

- Philidor?

The greatest master of chess

who ever lived.

A Frenchman, nature/lament.

Come along and I'll introduce you.

- Good.

- Splendid.

No, I mean you've got

good news for me, my friend.

How did you guess?

Well, you wouldn't try to entice me

with this Philimor-

Philidor.

Philidor. If you had the right

to conduct me anyway.

- True.

- Well?

Speaking officially,

I have good news for you.

Good.

You are to be allowed to appeal

to the high court.

Splendid.

The trial will be a full-dress affair,

trés chic, in three days,

to give you time to prepare your case.

- Better and better.

- Hmm.

- Do not be too pleased.

- Why? Is there a catch?

The prosecuting counsel.

Of course, I am not permitted to offer

advice or give a personal opinion, but-

- Who is this prosecuting counsel?

- Be prepared.

- For what?

- A shock.

Well, come on.

Tell me the worst. Who is it?

Abraham Farlan.

- Come again?

- Abraham Farlan!

- Well, I never heard of him.

- No?

- Never in my life.

- He lives in Boston.

- I've never been in Boston.

- Massachusetts?

I'd never been there.

Abraham Farlan died in Boston in 1775.

Does that date convey anything to you?

- Lexington, Concord?

- Exactly. You are good at history.

The American w*r of independence.

- Oh, he was k*lled?

- By a British b*llet.

Oh. He might be, uh, prejudiced.

Hmm. He hates your guts.

And he hates the guts of every Englishman.

And particularly, he hates

this little affair with a Boston-born girl.

It's not a little affair.

A big affair.

He will hate you even more.

- All right, I'll appeal against it.

- It will be no good.

After all, we had to choose a good man.

The honor of the department was at stake.

No, what you have to do

is to choose a good man for yourself.

- As defending counsel?

- Precisely.

- Can I choose anybody?

- Anybody in the other world.

Anybody who has ever lived upon Earth.

Everybody is at your disposal.

You can choose me.

- That would suit your book.

- But do not waste any time.

Abraham Farlan

is piling up his case already.

You can choose Socrates.

You can choose William Pitt.

You can choose Henry VIII.

Oh. Madame du Barry.

She knows all about love.

- Rather a one-track mind.

- You are a good chess player.

Philidor.

I'll think it over.

By the way, I'd like to borrow this.

- It's not mine. It belongs to the doctor.

- Oh, doctors.

What about them?

They give me a great deal

of trouble in my job.

- He was here. He tricked us.

- Yes, he was... here.

And these were on the floor.

Peter, sit down.

Now, look up.

Yeah. You've been doing some hard talking.

- I have.

- I hope you didn't give into anything.

- No.

- That's the spirit.

- Do you think I could stay overnight, Frank?

- Yes, I'll tell Mrs. Tucker.

- I don't need anything much.

- Now, let's see.

Hmm. I'll tell Mrs. Tucker you're staying.

- Dr. Reeves?

- Yes?

Can I stay in here?

I want to be near these books.

Of course. I'll fix up a camp bed.

- Great news, darling.

- What, sweet?

- I'm to be allowed to appeal.

- Really?

Oh, June, I don't want to leave you.

Darling, why should you leave me?

Everything will be all right.

- Well, if I can get a good counsel.

- Of course you will.

It's very important.

I - I don't want to lose you.

Darling, I don't intend to let you go.

No one can take you from me.

I won't let them.

It's no good, you see?

A judgment against me will be backed up

by all of the power of this world

and of the other.

Drink this.

- Peter's got the right to appeal.

- Splendid.

- Did you smell anything?

- Yes.

- The same? Fried onions?

- Yes.

Good. Drink that up.

- Any headache?

- Hmm.

- You can tell me tomorrow what he said.

- No. He said -

- Good heavens.

- What is it?

- He's got my Hundred Best Games.

- What?

Alekhine's chess book, Hundred Best Games.

Are you sure?

Absolutely certain. He had it in his hand.

What a nerve.

A bit cold. Now, how about getting to bed?

I want to talk to you first.

It's important.

No, not now. Have a long sleep.

Tomorrow you'll feel as fresh as a daisy.

It's about my counsel. I don't think

you believe a word of what I say.

Of course we do.

My dear friend, here on Earth,

I am your defending counsel,

and as your counsel,

I believe everything you tell me.

Uh, hello, Dr. Gaertler.

Why, hello, Dr. Reeves.

You make your rounds the hard way.

- Give me a coupe anytime.

- Is Dr. McEwen free?

- He's just going to operate.

- Oh.

He hasn't started yet. I'll tell him.

I imagine he'll see you in the washroom.

Thanks.

- Hello, Frank. What's new?

- Deterioration all around.

- We ought to operate tonight.

- That's impossible. We're swamped.

- Are you sure of your diagnosis?

- Certain. I discovered the missing fact.

He had slight concussion two years ago

with no aftereffects.

The X-ray is inconclusive.

You'll see in the ocular reports.

You know all about these

highly organized hallucinations

coupled with a sense of smell.

Everything points to arachnoid adhesions

involving the olfactory nerve in the brain.

It's a tricky operation,

but I've never seen one.

I have. Several

at the Hospital de la Pitié in Paris.

I've made some notes, so I wonder

if the surgeon could see them.

Sure. It'll be Dr. Liza.

He's a very fine neurosurgeon.

- Liza. A good man.

- I don't see how we can manage tonight.

There's no crisis in such a thing.

Any day will do.

No, it won't.

And I'll tell you why I think it won't

and why there is a crisis.

I'm afraid of his brain

being permanently affected.

- Insanity?

- Yes.

Why?

Because his trial is fixed for tonight and

he hasn't found anyone to defend him yet.

He spends all his time in my library

or in talks with me and the girl.

He only sleeps when I drug him.

The boy has a fine mind,

but it's a little taxed.

That's the trouble. It's too good a mind.

A weak mind isn't strong enough

to hurt itself.

Stupidity has saved many a man

from going mad.

Yes, you're right there.

And he's had several talks

with this heavenly messenger.

Hallucinations, of course,

but you never saw such an imagination.

I've been taking tips on the otherworld -

laws, system, architecture.

Here's the interesting point.

He never steps outside the limits

of his own imagination.

- I don't quite get you.

- Nothing he invents is entirely fantastic.

It's invention, but logical invention.

And the keystone to his invention

is that the trial takes place tonight.

He must win or lose his case tonight,

and that's why I think

we ought to operate tonight.

It's no use shaking your head, and that's

why I think we ought to find a counsel

to save him from losing his case,

or we may lose him.

What about... him?

Lincoln?

No, it's hardly fair to drag him in.

I don't believe he'd be prejudiced.

Plato.

How would you like

to be defended by Plato?

Nobody knew more

about reasoning than Plato.

He was 81 when he died. He might be

too old to think love important.

You think so?

Anyhow, Plato had

very elementary ideas about love.

Besides, didn't he quote Sophocles

when somebody asked him

if he was still able to appreciate a woman?

What did the old boy say?

Well, he said, uh, “I'm only too

glad to be rid of all of that.

It's like escaping from bondage

to a raving madman.”

These Greeks - cold as their marble.

Now, if he had been French.

Richelieu, for example.

Irresistible at 80.

How about Richelieu?

I never liked him much

since The Three Musketeers.

Solomon.

Solomon.

No?

Mais, tonnerre de Dieu, who do you want'?

You have only a few hours left.

Look, it sounds a grand idea to have

all these great men to choose from,

but what did they know

of our problems today?

True. Very little.

Besides, I think it ought

to be an Englishman.

Nobody famous, but somebody

with his head screwed on all right.

Screwed?

Now, this Abraham, um -

- Farlan.

- Farlan. Was he a famous man?

He was the first American

to be k*lled by a British b*llet.

No. I don't mean that. I mean, was he

a great philosopher or statesman?

- He was a schoolteacher.

- There, you see.

Now, Plato would probably talk

about perceptions and causations.

Pardon?

- Over your head too?

- Definitely.

Well, it's quite simple.

By the way, why are you so interested

in my winning my case?

L'.>

Yes, you.

And why am I being taken up this stairway?

I'm not being taken for a ride,

am I, by any chance?

- What a suggestion.

- Take that bit of barley sugar away.

I don't like it,

and I don't like your suggestions.

I think I'll go back before it's too late.

Peter. Peter!

Peter!

Peter.

Peter, ne soyez pas béte! Peter!

Peter, come back.

Peter. Peter, come back!

Peter.

Peter, come back!

Peter!

Peter, come back!

Peter, come back!

Peter! Peter, come back!

Peter! Peter, come back!

Peter! Peter, come back!

Peter! Peter!

Peter, my darling, come back to me.

He almost got me.

He'll be all right in a moment.

Why isn't the ambulance here?

It was due half an hour ago.

Go and phone Dr. McEwen.

Tell him we must operate tonight.

It's life or death.

And tell him about the ambulance.

Yes, Doctor.

Send a telegram to his mother.

He's got two sisters too.

- Yes, Doctor.

- That's all.

- Now, Peter-

- Where's June?

Phoning. Back in a moment.

- He almost got me.

- I know.

He's a crafty beggar.

I only got away by the skin of my teeth.

Now look here, don't let anybody

fool you into giving up this case.

You've been allowed to appeal.

You've been promised a fair trial.

- Don't give in to anybody. Promise?

- I've got no counsel.

We'll find the right man. They can't

start your trial without your counsel.

- They might appoint some stooge.

- Nonsense.

- Or let it go by default.

- I tell you, we'll find somebody.

They can't start till then.

Nobody famous.

No, that would be

the worst thing we could do.

- How about a pal of yours?

- We might find somebody.

What about your radio operator?

- Bob?

- Yes, think it over.

- You couldn't get through?

- They don't answer.

It's the storm, Mr. Frank.

They always cut the telephone off.

- I'll go on my bike.

- No, one of us must go.

Look, you're more valuable here.

Now, if the ambulance comes,

don't wait for me.

And if I meet it, I'll come back.

Now, go to him.

Don't allow him to despair.

His life is in your hands.

- Where's Frank?

- He won't be long, darling.

I must talk to him.

- I don't think Bob's the right man.

- I'll tell him you said so.

- Do you know Bob?

- No.

He was my sparks.

Highly operational type.

We'll find somebody.

Time's nearly up.

- Frank will come up with something.

- I wish he'd hurry.

Look out!

Dr. Reeves!

- Get the fire extinguishers!

- Okay, sir!

- And the blankets!

- Right!

- Can I help you, sir?

- Watch the road.

He never saw us until it was too late.

He turned off to save us.

Gosh, I feel bad about it.

He was a fine man.

You couldn't help it.

He was interested in this case, wasn't he?

- Yes.

- I saw his notes he left for Dr. Liza.

It was a fine piece of diagnosis.

He left notes for the operation too.

- Dr. Liza is very good, isn't he?

- The best.

Frank?

I'm here, darling.

Where's Frank?

He's gone ahead.

He's had an accident.

Hasn't he?

Yes, a bad accident.

Is he dead?

Yes, he's dead.

All right, boys. Step lively.

Okay, Doc. His hand.

- Easy.

- All right.

Easy down there.

- All right, Johnny. Take it away.

- Okay.

- An atropine injection, Sister?

- Yes, a hundredth.

- Is this the cranial case?

- Yes, that's right.

Hello, Squadron Leader.

We're all ready for you.

- Dr. Reeves?

- Yes.

Permit me to return your book.

- So, it's you?

- I will introduce you to Philidor.

Cher colllégue,

this is a special case. Court of Appeal.

- I will undertake to deliver Dr. Reeves.

- As you wish.

Merci.

- Be of good cheer, friend.

- Thank you.

One of the best men in the service,

a compatriot of yours.

- What's his name?

- Oh, John -

Bunyan. Yes, of course.

And how is dear Peter?

Oh, he has a fighting chance.

- Dr. Frank Reeves?

- Yes.

You're familiar with the case

of Squadron Leader Carter?

Lam.

- He has chosen you to be his counsel.

- I hoped he would.

- Do you accept?

- I do.

You have very little time

in which to prepare your case.

What facilities do you wish?

I should like to see my client

and get his instructions.

And I subpoena

Flying Officer Trubshawe as a witness.

Certainly. Conductor 71.

You will take Dr. Frank Reeves

to Squadron Leader Carter.

Psst. Peter. Peter.

- Hello, Bob.

- What h*, Skipper.

I didn't expect to see you here.

Not yet anyway.

Not up there either.

- Well, it was Doc Reeves' idea.

- I subpoenaed him. Let's talk.

Right.

- You sure they won't miss me?

- Miss you? You know me, man ami.

That surgeon's very neat.

Very neat indeed.

I like his work.

You're in good hands, Peter.

I know.

- Now, look here.

- I know what's coming.

Yes, I'm very flattered,

but are you sure I'm the best man?

Quite sure.

Aren't you afraid that I may be

out of my depths up there?

No.

- Well, doesn't it worry you I'm no lawyer?

- No.

- If he gets onto politics, I'm sunk.

- Who isn't?

- Come on, Frank. You must have something.

- Oh, just a little common sense.

And if it's as rare up there

as it is down here, it'll do me.

- Say yes.

- Well -

- He has no choice anyhow.

- What are we talking about then?

All right. I need evidence.

Look at her.

Holy smoke!

Well -

- She looks like a nice girl.

- She is a nice girl.

Hardly your type, Skip.

I've fallen in love with her.

Her accent is foreign,

but it sounds sweet to me.

We were born thousands of miles apart...

but we were made for each other.

That's an excellent piece of prose.

- Sorry.

- Nothing to be ashamed of.

May I kiss her, just in case, you know?

Okay, you may, but she will not know it.

It doesn't matter.

Oh, he's English.

What is the good of kissing a girl

if she does not feel it?

- Look.

- What?

The evidence you wanted.

Her tears.

Oh, I wish I could take one with me.

You are counsel. You can do as you wish.

I say, why don't we wrap it up

and take it with us?

Permit me.

That's it.

The only real bit of evidence we have.

Quick. We must not keep the court waiting.

The court of appeal sits

to consider the case

of the Department of Records

versus Squadron Leader Peter David Carter

of the Royal Air Force.

He claims negligence

and superior rights and responsibilities

arising out of that negligence.

He is appealing for remission

of the date of his term on Earth

and for a reconsideration of his case.

It has been decided to allow this appeal.

It is for the jury to decide

whether it shall be successful.

Owing to the Interest aroused by the case,

there is an unusually large audience.

We can, of course, seat everyone

who wishes to be present,

but the front rows have been reserved for

those who have a special interest in the case.

Members of the jury,

do not allow yourselves to be influenced

by anything but the facts

and by your conscience.

You will have every assistance from the

court to help you to arrive at your verdict.

The counsel for the prosecution

will take his place.

The counsel for the defense

will take his place.

I call upon the prosecution

to open the case.

Your Honor, members of the jury,

this case has three issues.

Peter D. Carter, an Englishman,

should have died

on the second day of May, 1945,

at ten after 4:00 of the clock.

British double summertime.

Due to an oversight, which I hasten to state is

contrary to the traditions of a great service...

the defendant did not die.

Therefore, issue number one,

who is responsible?

When summoned to report

some 20-odd hours later,

the defendant refused

to accompany Conductor 71,

giving, as his reason,

that in the time, which he had borrowed,

he had accumulated new responsibilities

of an allegedly important

and permanent nature.

He claimed, in fact,

that in these 20 hours,

a young lady of good American stock

had fallen in love with him.

Therefore, issue number two,

are we to believe this?

Furthermore, he states that

in these 20 hours, which he had borrowed -

My lord, I object to the word “borrowed,”

which counsel is using so emphatically.

To borrow means

to get temporary use of something,

to use something

without being the true owner.

My client didn't get.

He was given the 20 hours in question.

He didn't use something

without being the true owner.

He was the true owner of his own life.

The next points are,

is this young Englishman in love

with this young lady

of good American stock?

And even more important this,

is she in love with him?

Why do you stress their nationalities?

Very important, sir. Extremely important.

- Why?

- Because we are talking of love, sir.

It can happen, you know, between

an Englishman and an American girl.

And, uh, vice versa.

Possibly.

But what are these love affairs,

Dr. Reeves?

Men and women,

thousands of miles away from home,

away from the love they left behind.

Minute sparks instead of scorching flames.

Fading shabby wigs

instead of the rich gold of a woman's hair.

The love of the moment, Dr. Reeves.

Do I call it love?

Once in a thousand times, perhaps.

And how many end in lasting marriage?

One in 10,000.

My case, sir.

That, sir, is for you to prove.

When in the course of human events,

our men and women came

to your country as your allies,

it was not to become your prisoners.

Sir, may I bring you up to date? We're

living in the 20th century, not in the 18th.

May I bring you up to date, sir?

We are not alive at all.

A point.

And I am up to date, sir.

I've been watching you English

from upstairs.

Your wars, your politics, your business.

From the tax on tea in 1766

to a certain report on England

by five members

of the United States Senate in 1944.

The defendant has nothing to do

with tea nor senators.

But other Englishmen had, sir.

Is Peter D. Carter what you would call

a good Englishman, sir?

Yes, sir.

Do you see this glass?

Out of it Benedict Arnold

drank the health of King George Ill.

Does it break because it is faulty

or because it is glass?

Can I tear this piece of paper

because it is defective

or because it is paper?

We are all as God made us, sir.

But our ancestors had a deal to do

in the shaping us, as well.

I quite agree.

The jury will please note that.

My lord, may I ask where Mr. Farlan's

grandfather was born?

Your Honor, the question is irrelevant.

Could it have been in England?

You need not answer that question,

Mr. Farlan.

But I prefer to answer, Your Honor.

My grandfather left England, sir,

because he didn't like it.

And Granddad would have liked it

even less today.

Listen.

Well, here we are at Lord's.

The voice of England in 1945.

And here, let me say, that the weather

is much more like cricket weather now.

It's stopped raining.

Play has been resumed.

And the crowd of, I say,

about 50,000 people

have discarded their macs and umbrellas

and settled down to enjoy the game,

which, to people all over the world,

is perhaps more truly representative

of all that's typically English

than anything else.

Do you admit that this

is an English voice, sir?

That was Wally Hammond who played

a delightful 14-shot off Miller -

The voice of America in 1945.

>A' Shoo, shoo, shoo, baby A'

Bye, bye, bye, baby I'

>A' Your papa's off to the seven seas A'

Don't cry, baby I'

>A' Don't sigh, baby I'

Bye, bye, bye, baby I'

I don't understand a word.

Nor do I.

But, for England, I am ready to call

John Donne, Dryden, Pope,

Wordsworth and Coleridge,

Shelley and Keats,

Tennyson, Bridges.

And Milton and Shakespeare.

I concede your point.

And you've already called Peter Carter.

- Is he a poet?

- He will be, if you give him time.

We are here to decide that, sir.

I can't deny it.

Can the new world return to the old?

Should the vibrant humor

of a young American girl

be stifled in the pages of Punch?

Should the swift tempo of her life

be slowed

to the crawl of a match at cricket?

Should her accustomed native comfort

per force conform

to England's warm drinks, cold rooms,

drafty windows, smoky chimneys,

faulty plumbing?

Two million houses have no windows at all,

and frequently the roof and walls

have gone with the windows.

My lord,

I submit that this court is concerned

with the life and death of Peter Carter,

and not with past history

or prison plumbing.

Hear! Hear!

But Peter Carter's character, sir,

like every other human being,

has been formed by circumstance,

by a chain of circumstances.

As Benjamin Franklin said,

“For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe, the horse was lost.

For want of a horse, the rider was lost.

For want of a rider, the message was lost.

For want of a message, the kingdom was lost.

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.”

You've heard of Benjamin Franklin, sir?

I beg you, in George Washington's words,

“Labor to keep alive in your breast

that little spark of celestial fire

called conscience.”

That could not have been said

by an Englishman, sir.

What was George Washington?

Conscience, Mr. Farlan.

Are you insinuating, sir, that something

is wrong with my conscience?

- I am.

- Your Honor, I protest.

I'm only trying to give a full picture

of this case to the jury.

You are trying to prejudice the jury, sir.

I see that they've been selected

from many races, creeds, and nationalities.

I cannot believe them interested

in ancient grudges

against Peter Carter's ancestors,

nor in present grumblings

about drafty windows.

I don't need to prejudice the jury, sir.

They're already prejudiced against

your country, and with good reason.

You can't pick a jury that isn't.

Look closely at the distinguished

members of the jury, sir.

The first member is?

Jean-Marie Barault, French.

Has any century passed without w*r

between England and France?

- The second member is -

- Gregorius Johannes Bund, sir.

Burgher from Transvaal.

The Boer w*r, Dr. Reeves.

- The third member is -

- Ivan Burdei, Russki.

- What?

- I am Russian.

The Crimean w*r, Dr. Reeves.

- And you, sir?

- Chang Chi Min, Peking.

Don't forget England's attack

on China in 1857,

occupying unprotected Peking.

- And you, sir?

- Rana Tejpalal from the Punjab.

Think of India, Dr. Reeves.

Think of India.

And you, sir, you are?

James Monahan, Irish.

Choose a new jury anywhere, Dr. Reeves.

It will always be prejudiced

against your country.

My lord, I wish to take counsel

for the prosecution's advice.

I challenge the jury and request

that a new one be chosen.

Chosen from where, Dr. Reeves?

- Mr. Farlan said from anywhere.

- Except from England!

Why not from England?

Where else in the world have the rights

of the individual been held so high?

In America, sir, where these rights

are held to be inalienable.

I doubt if you have more practical freedom

in America than in England.

An Englishman thinks as he likes

in religion and politics.

It isn't what a man thinks and says.

It's when and where and to whom

he thinks and says it.

A man with a flint and steel striking

sparks over a wet blanket is one thing,

but striking them over a tinderbox

is another.

An American baby sucks in freedom

with the milk of the breast

at which he hangs.

A man can see further, sir,

from the top of Boston statehouse,

and see more worth seeing

than from all the pyramids

and turrets and steeples

of all the places of the world.

No smoke, sir.

No fog, sir.

And a clean sweep

from the outer light in the sea beyond

to the New Hampshire mountains.

Yes, sir, there are great truths,

higher than mountains

and broader than seas,

that people look for

from the tops of our hills.

America, sir, is the only place

where man is full-grown.

Then I choose a jury of Americans.

Of Americans, sir, selected

from every walk of American life.

If there is one who has fought

in the wars of independence,

I want one who has fought

shoulder to shoulder with us

against our common enemies

in this century.

If the third has a mind

that can only think 170 years back,

I want the fourth

to be thinking 170 years ahead.

I cannot deny that I hope,

know that I know,

that this jury will be prejudiced

in favor of my case,

for I am pleading for the rights

of the individual against the system.

But it is also against the law,

Dr. Reeves,

the eternal law of the universe.

Nothing is stronger than the law.

The whole universe is built upon it.

This is a court of justice, not of law.

My lord, I ask for a new jury

of American citizens.

- Do you agree, Mr. Farlan?

- I would welcome such a jury, Your Honor.

The jury will stand.

The jury will retire,

and a new jury will take their place.

Robert Dupont, American citizen.

Lieutenant Pete Vandereyk,

American citizen.

Alexander Barabaranoff, American citizen.

George Wong, American citizen.

Jefferson Lincoln Brown, American citizen.

Patrick Aloysious Mahoney,

American citizen.

The jury will be seated.

Counsel for the defense?

Here in this rose is my case.

And what is my case?

I entirely agree with Mr. Farlan.

Has Peter Carter fallen in love

during the allotted extra -

Borrowed, Dr. Reeves.

Disputed extra 20 hours he had

or hasn't he?

Has someone, the name is unimportant,

fallen in love with him?

Now, here are two young people

who would never have met

but for a mistake higher up,

penalized for the most natural

and simple thing in the world.

They fell in love.

Here in this tear

are love and truth and friendship.

Those qualities and those qualities alone

can build a new world today

and must build a better one tomorrow.

That is my case,

and upon it I demand a verdict

that Peter Carter shall live.

Your Honor, we all feel

that the defendant and this young girl

should be given the chance to be heard.

My lord, nothing is impossible.

The court will adjourn.

There is no reason to deny ourselves, for

the dimension of time will not disturb us.

The jury feels it would help establish

a true picture of the conditions.

Very well.

I call-

My diagnosis was right.

Fine vascular meningeal adhesions

binding the optic nerve to the brain.

The internal carotid and the chiasm.

Similar adhesions

between the chiasm and the brain.

Did I tell you about my operation?

Dr. Reeves, we are not here

to check your diagnosis,

but to put certain questions

to this young man.

Quite right, certainly.

I call Squadron Leader Peter D. Carter.

- Hello, Peter.

- Hello, Frank. How's the operation going?

- Fine. Liza is a very good man.

- He better be.

Peter Carter,

you are on the witness stand.

- You are under oath. Do you understand?

- Yes, Mr. Farlan.

You know me, sir?

There's no mistaking you.

Your smile is not unattractive, sir.

Did you use it to enamor

this young American lady?

I love her, sir.

Answer the question.

Would you repeat the question?

It, urn, had “enamored” in it.

Never mind the exact question.

Did you consciously try to influence

the emotions of this young American lady?

We fell in love before we'd ever met.

- You claim you love her.

- I do love her.

- Can you prove it?

- Oh, give me time, sir.

Fifty years will do.

But can you prove it?

Well, can a starving man prove

he's hungry except by eating?

- Would you die for her?

- I would.

But, uh, I'd rather live.

Young devil.

Your Honor,

I apologize for the expression.

- Your witness.

- No questions.

- Conductor 71.

- Monsieur?

Is the young lady available?

- She sleeps.

- She sleeps?

- The jury will please note that.

- I put her to sleep.

Indeed, why?

To enable you to call her, sir.

The jury will please note that.

I do call her, Your Honor.

You are before the high court

in the case of Peter Carter.

You have been called as a witness

by the prosecution.

You will tell the truth.

This gentleman is counsel

for the prosecution.

- Child, where were you born?

- In Boston, sir.

Do you know this man?

- I think so.

- You think so?

- I only met him a few days ago.

- You hardly know him.

- How can you think you love him?

- But I do love him.

- Nonsense, my child.

- I object.

- Counsel will withdraw the expression.

- It's all right, Frank. He's right.

There's no sense in love.

Wisdom still flowers in Boston.

Can you prove that you love him?

How can I?

- Would you be willing to die for him?

- Yes.

Would you take his place

in the balance sheet?

Yes.

- Don't believe her!

- Would you?

- My lord?

- Stand aside, sir!

- You've got no right to ask.

- How dare you address me like that!

- Peter, you must obey.

- Well, of all the dirty tricks!

This is contempt of court.

I'll have you committed.

Commit away.

Don't answer any more questions.

Do you realize that by this attitude

you've forfeited any chance

of winning your case?

All right, but you won't get June as well.

Your Honor, members of the jury,

I'm afraid he really does love her.

Your witness.

June, you know me well. Do you trust me?

Yes, Frank, I trust you.

It is absolutely necessary that you take

Peter's place in the other world.

Have you gone mad?

If you really love him, June,

step onto this staircase and come with us.

- You are mad!

- It is the only way to prove your love.

- I do love him.

- You shan't go.

- My lord, I ask the court to restrain him.

- Granted.

June.

Take care, Dr. Reeves.

In the whole universe,

nothing is stronger than the law.

Good-bye, darling.

Yes, Mr. Farlan, nothing is stronger

than the law in the universe,

but on Earth,

nothing is stronger than love.

Members of the jury,

as Sir Walter Scott is always saying,

“In peace, love tunes the shepherd's reed.

In w*r, he mounts the warrior's steed.

In halls, in g*y attire is seen.

In hamlets, dances on the green.

Love rules the court, the camp, the grove,

and men below and saints above,

for love is heaven and heaven is love.”

Will you please consider your verdict?

- Case for the defendant, Your Honor.

- Bravo!

The appeal is granted.

There now remains the new date

on Squadron Leader Carter's file.

Will, uh, both counsel approve it?

- Does that satisfy you, Dr. Reeves?

- Very generous, my lord.

Do you agree, Mr. Farlan?

Isn't that a little too much, Your Honor?

I agree.

My lord, I hope this will not

establish a precedent.

"I Object!

"I Object!

- Uh, you, sir.

- You, sir.

You mean the rights of the common man -

- The uncommon man.

- Exactly.

The rights of the uncommon man

must always be respected.

Exactly.

Keep his head firm, between the sandbags.

I've written him up.

- Tell Nurse I'll send the notes.

- Yes, sir.

Congratulations.

An interesting case.

Peter!

Don't forget your book!

Frank.

Frank.

Frank.

Hello.

Hello.

- We won.

- I know, darling.