01x01 - Stadt der Frauen

[bunniefuu]

IN THIS SERIES, ACTUAL AND FICTIONAL
EVENTS ARE INTERWOVEN.

HEDI AND HER FAMILY,
LIKE FRITZI JANDORF, ARE FICTIONAL.

HARRY JANDORF
AND GEORG KARG DID EXIST.

THEIR PORTRAYAL IS PARTLY FICTIONAL.

sh*t.

-Now you.
-Finish him.

Show him, pull. Don't let him win.

Pull the trigger.

-Yeah!
-Well done, kid.

I'll raise.

-Do it.
-I can't.

Pull the trigger, man. Do it.

-You can do it.
-He's crazy. Totally crazy.

Thank you very much.

-Harry Jandorf?
-Where's Ludwig?

My chauffeur. He drives this car.

I've been driving this car
for three years.

May I take your luggage?

You want to drive yourself too?

None of them are coming with us?
They won't get to Berlin by train.

I don't want to get to know
these gentlemen any better.

Three months as prisoners of w*r
was more than enough.

I saw many soldiers on the way here.

All going to Berlin.

If you ask me, the revolution
won't have a good ending.

Since when do they let women drive?

Ever seen a dead man drive a car?
Or one without legs?

PART 1
CITY OF WOMEN

I could fit in there twice.

Three times.

No shortage here.

When you're rich,

you can be as fat as you want.

When I'm rich,
I'll have cream cake for breakfast.

I could be the first fat model
for fat daughters of rich families.

I'd be booked by the best families.

Jandorf and his brother are coming.

Won't it turn?

We haven't needed
to use it for so long.

Moritz, take a look. Right, show me.

For the daughters, we have the best
Berlin has to offer.

Gerson...

Zaduck, Marie Latz, and...

-hats by Johanna Marbach.
-No Zaduck.

The baroness is conservative
about her daughters' clothes.

Nothing should offend her eye.

Why is the buffet order
not in the kitchen?

My apologies. But there are
only three of us here now.

Miss Kron?

Would you take care of this?

Haven't had a new face here
in ages. They're hiring again?

I have connections.

Well, well. Connections.

It's like the Land of Plenty, right?

No touching.

Do you know how many girls
are queuing up for this?

They're not even your pralines
and cigarettes.

But at least they're my t*ts.

This collection by Gerson
is of such high quality

that it is in no way inferior
to Paris's couture salons...

I don't want to climb mountains.

It just needs to look good.

This is what I want. Parisian chic!

I can't shine in society
wearing Berlin fashion.

Dear baroness, we attacked Paris,

and unfortunately, we did not win.

I know that.

-How long will the blockade last?
-Until we sign the peace treaty.

Anyone who signs that diktat
should have their head knocked off.

Speaking of heads,
this hat is by Johanna Marbach.

-The evening gown by Sophie Storch.
-Can you help me?

Those broad shoulders. It looks
like it was made with an ax.

-What else do they make?
-Of course.

Uniforms?

Do you know what you're looking for?

At a suitable discount...

No.

Yes. A gentleman's suit.

It fits like a glove.

I'm sure you say that
to all the customers.

I only just started here.

Don't move!

Stay where you are!

Just look.

These Jews. They always end up okay,
no matter what.

They've got pretty girls too.

And free lingerie too.

Who do you think you are?

Don't you have any decency?

Who asked you?

Harry...

Call the police, Mr. Karg.

Is anyone injured?

No?

Leni. Leni, sit down, quickly.

Oh God, how awful.

Don't look. That's it, yes.

The city is full of dead bodies
anyway. No one will notice.

But the police
haven't taken their details.

They weren't from here,

or they'd have gone
straight to watches and jewelry.

"KaDeWe heir causes m*ssacre."

We can do without that headline.

Dad says we could lose everything
we've built up.

I didn't recognize KaDeWe.

Where have all the employees
and customers gone?

I know.

But when something old ends,
something new comes along.

The new will be better than the old.

Mama is looking at potential brides.

You're the city's
most desirable bachelor.

Then I don't need
to worry about my future.

You've aged.

Incredible...

how light a suit feels.

Did you have to sh**t them
right away?

Should I have waited
till they shot us?

Harry, come here.

Wertheim was also targeted.
The branch in Leipziger Strasse.

Tietz too,
Alexanderplatz and Friedrichstrasse.

I hope they emptied his stores.

So much for them
not crossing the Spree.

Did Mr. Karg call the police?

-I assume so.
-I wouldn't have.

Justice and order will only exist
if people believe in it.

Justice and order? Here.
1,200 dead.

Tell them. Who'll shop in Berlin
now? It's like civil w*r here.

Or the beginning of a new era.

Where women don't marry and waste
their time working? You'd like that.

Running a department store
is more exciting

than waiting for a husband all day.

Fritzi, you'll marry this year
before you lose your looks.

There were enough suitors.
Harry, you need to help.

-Most are dead!
-Grosse and Rosenfeld survived.

One lost his mind,
the other his legs!

Where do you find a man
with no legs?

Right where you left him.

Let's raise a glass to our Harry!

I'm so happy you're back.

Here you go.

-Thank you.
-If Harry had fallen,

I'd be in charge one day.

Would you still marry me
to Rosenfeld's torso then?

-Thanks, Fritzi.
-To you.

As far as I know, I'm in charge,

and you will take
that suit off now, Friederike.

-To your health, Harry.
-To us.

She gave me chocolates
to say thanks.

-She had gold rings on each finger.
-On every finger?

They have to sleep too at some
point.

MY HEART

She's a Jandorf.

Did she wear gold rings too?

No.

She wore a suit.

Good evening, fair lady.

Would you like
to go dancing with me?

"Your sinful mouth
is my burial crypt

Narcotic in its sweetness,

For my virtues have departed,

And I drink, intoxicated,
from your spring."

I don't quite get it either.

"My feverish body glows
in your breath"

"You tremble

Like a young rose bush

Kissed by the warm rain in May

I follow you

Into the wild land of sin"

"And pick fire lilies on the way

Even if I never find my way home"

No pissing here.

You can't sleep here either.

There's no work here
and nowhere to live.

Get out of here! Go back
to the villages you came from!

I'm going, I'm going.

Good morning.

I picked these yesterday.
They're the last ones.

Soon we'll have
our own garden and cherry tree.

Get out. They take up every last
hole, and there's no place for us.

We'll find somewhere.

Clear the entrance.
Some of us have to go to work!

-Shall I take you to the trolley?
-Thanks, we'll walk.

We'll be lucky to get two rooms.

I want to go to KaDeWe with you.

Go back inside.
I'll bring you back something.

Go home.

-Well then...
-See you later.

See you later.

Mr. Karg works like clockwork,
conscientious and reliable.

Mood swings are alien to him.

He's a logical thinker and has
an almost photographic memory.

Did he serve?

I asked him the same thing I asked
you when you signed up to the army.

Where can an intelligent, educated
man do more for his country?

At his desk at his company?

Or in a muddy hole
somewhere in France?

Good morning.

-Is she reliable?
-She did two ab*rtion on me.

Expensive?

Yes, but she knows what she's doing.

Hedi, your order. Look.

-How much?
-What have you got?

-Does it work?
-Of course.

-Then why are you pregnant?
-I didn't put it in far enough.

You put something else in
further, huh?

Let me see.

Mr. Karg has,
shall we say, revolutionized

our in-house accounting.

He uses a new balance sheet method
that halves the work required.

Is he Jewish?

Protestant.

Can we trust him?

Find out. I trust him 100 percent.

Good morning.

SENIOR MANAGEMENT

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING

Did you do this?

Yes.

Where's my department? My people?

We made some cuts.

How will our customers know
what we're selling and for how much?

AVAILABLE TODAY.

Thrift and diligence. That's how
we'll survive the trade blockade.

And by switching to everyday items
useful for Berlin's residents.

I want my team back.

We used up
our capital surplus in the w*r.

The raid caused another shortage.

HEAD OF ADVERTISING: HARRY JANDORF

Everyday items?

Toilet paper?

Advertising is the last thing
we save on. And this is my desk.

You want to be head of advertising?

How would you know
what today's modern woman wants?

Women have changed since the w*r.

They even design
their own fashion now.

If you know all this,
why haven't you implemented it?

Because Father
only listens to a Mr. Karg.

I don't have a say, anyway.

Then introduce me to them.
These modern women.

-Is it just women working here now?
-82% right now.

We've managed to fill management
and deputy roles with men.

If the w*r had lasted another
two years, that would've been hard.

The population of Berlin
is currently 78% women.

There are 600,000 w*r widows
aged between 20 and 35.

So there are four women
to every man.

Wait in the car.

A child's doll?

The sailor boy.

-Miss?
-With the little boat, please.

Alright.

With pleasure, Miss Jandorf.

Thank you.

h*m* ARE NOT PERVERSE,
THE SOCIETY THEY LIVE IN IS.

Looks good.

Harry Jandorf wants to take a look
at the editorial office.

We're all very excited, right?

Your sister has only published
with us under a pseudonym so far.

If these broads with wheelbarrows
are modern women,

I'll happily abstain.

-We'll take this out. And this?
-This is on page five?

Then this too.

This will work beautifully.

-These ones.
-These two?

-Good, right?
-Yes.

The Eldorado will be downstairs.
A dance venue with a stage.

Men are allowed too.
It's opening soon.

Do you see what I mean now?

I mean, flat shoes?

The modern Berlin woman walks.

And what about the eroticism?

You find it erotic
when a woman can't walk properly?

Interesting.
Because she can't run away from you?

It's just all very functional.

The modern woman puts
her abilities in the foreground.

What abilities?

Uniformity
and a similar style of dress

enable wearers to feel solidarity.

-Competition and sexual envy fade.
-But...

What, "but"?

-Where's the romance?
-Romance?

Women compete because they need
men's favors and money to survive.

They compete on the marriage market.
It's the only way to get a provider.

Men have money, and women,
as erotic objects, try to be chosen.

They can't afford the luxury
of their own erotic interests.

High heels,
a bosom pushed up high in a corset?

That fashion
doesn't follow beauty or taste.

-It appeals to the lowest senses.
-That isn't modern.

It's the fashion of wh*res.

A woman who wears our clothes

shows she can afford the luxury
of not looking for a man.

Freedom is luxury, Harry.

And if we're smart,

we'll secure this luxury
exclusively for KaDeWe.

But nothing works without eroticism.

Eroticism drives all the senses.

Only when these senses
are appealed to

are you tempted to buy luxury items.

Let's do this, Mr. Jandorf.

This catalog

will be the most erotic thing
Berlin has ever seen.

You want your book back?

No, you can keep it.

And? Anything interesting?

No. Not this gentleman.
He wants to pick me up in his car.

I know that trick. You have
to put out before you even eat.

It usually ends up with a dinner.

I guess I look like I can
be talked into it for a meal.

Oh well.

Maybe I'm just a nice way
to pass the time. Who cares?

I like the thrill and I need
to make ends meet somehow.

I wasn't born
with a silver spoon in my mouth.

-Most of them are taken, anyway.
-Are you taken?

Are you Adolf Jandorf's daughter?

Yes.

May I walk with you?

Whistling, for example.

I couldn't do that until I was 14.

All I could do was this:

Oh well.
Anyway, my father is a carter.

And my sis...
My sister's name is Mücke.

I once read you can understand time
in a different way.

We always say, "time passes",

but we could also say,
"time is created."

Again and again. Right?

At least
that's how it feels right now.

I have to go in here.

I'd like to shine.

Like those ladies.

With their expensive purses,
perfume.

I'd have Peach Melba c*ck
in the evening.

My bath water
would be full of bubbles.

You just have to find the right man.

Or the right woman.

When I'd sorted him out, so he
didn't take me out for nothing...

Wait. Wait.

...he was disappointed.

First, he'd pressed me to do it...

then he was disappointed, he
wanted me not to give in so easily.

I have to go.
My wife will be back tomorrow.

Never mind. It was still fun.

But...

I met someone else too, Mücke.

A fancy man in a suit.

Dark hair and...

very soft lips.

And very educated.

He thinks about time.

I don't understand love.

Where does it come from?

Why does it exist?

Can you hold on to it?

You can.

Damn it. Mend it
and it just breaks elsewhere.

-We'll repair that too then.
-There's no point, Rüdiger.

It's done with.

Where were you last night?

I took a colleague home.

She wasn't feeling well.

Is she feeling better now?

A woman has no business
being out at that time.

Thanks, Rüdiger.

Thank you.

What is it, Father?

I transported bodies
all day yesterday.

I loaded up the dead
from Frankfurter Allee.

Took them to the cemetery.

Then the tension belt tore.
So there I was, with all my bodies.

Then they loaded them
onto a motorized cab.

That doesn't need a break.
Doesn't need water or oats.

But it fits twice as much
and is three times as fast.

I earned less in a week
than you in one day, Hedi.

Soon you'll be the sole breadwinner.

If you keep
treating Rüdiger this way...

What if someone else comes along?

Who's going to come, Hedi?

A rich prince?

Photos? You want to take photos?

It'll be great, Harry.

Our everyday items sell best.

-Last month, we--
-This is not our KaDeWe.

Tietz can sell chamber pots.
Everyone pisses.

We sell luxury.

What good is luxury
if the population doesn't have food?

That's precisely why.

What did you stand for
back then, Father?

Halbrecht.

This is the kind of thing
we sell at KaDeWe.

Completely unnecessary and yet
the most important thing there is.

With this catalog,
we'll sell a new lifestyle.

And what will that cost us?

If I learned anything
in the trenches,

it's that people need hope.

Only longing keeps us alive.

If they hadn't given us hope
of victory,

we wouldn't have fought
one single day more.

We sell hope.

And we can't save money to do that,
we have to spend it.

Our advertising is aimed
at the modern woman.

The modern wife of the w*r
profiteers and the wealthy.

For what can we sell to men?

Trousers with one leg? Single shoes?

And if a man
still has all his limbs,

we sell him one single suit,

which lasts a lifetime.

We are realigning ourselves.

To women.

Because Berlin is the city of women.

Tietz can sell chamber pots
and potato mashers.

We always stood for what's special.

Make your catalog, Harry.
Whatever gets us out of our misery.

Your catalog, right?

Put out a job ad for copywriters,
designers, photographers.

Applications
to the advertising department.

I thought there was a hiring freeze.

Leave the thinking to me.

Get it in the morning edition
of the Berlin Daily.

If you want to do that
you need to hurry up.

Does your secretary always sit
with her blouse half open?

I don't know, but I will
pay attention to it in the future.

-And does she always stay late?
-I'm the last one to leave here.

Are you screwing
your secretary, Mr. Karg?

No. But she's right.

I did order a hiring freeze.

Then you will withdraw that order.

You don't notice
your half-naked secretary,

but you can see the future?

PROJECTED INFLATION UP TO 1923

Your copywriters and so on
won't refinance themselves.

They will. I'll gladly explain how.
But not here.

To arrange your budget,
I need to work on the books.

You're coming with me.

That's the most expensive bar
in the city. I won't go there.

If you want to save money,
choose one of the girls outside.

Now stop frowning.

Not today, ladies.
Come on, leave us be.

Come on...

-All good. There you go.
-Well, are you up for some fun?

Don't touch me.

-No, not today. Take this.
-Thank you.

Let's go inside.

My children are hungry.

So, did I promise too much?

...not what you want

Who wants to conquer me?

Harry Jandorf?

The Queen of the Night.

Little Jandorf.

Tietz, you old huckster.

So this little trip
to the house of joy was worth it.

-Beer?
-If you're paying.

The scrimper
in the cavern of extravagance.

You know each other?

I've been trying
to hire him for years.

But it looks like KaDeWe
would have to go bust,

before he'll accept my offer.

You want to continue
with your sweet talk,

or may I introduce my new treasures?

Yes.

Karl!

Karl! Wake up!

Harry. Harry! Harry!

Harry Jandorf! Hey!
Can you hear me? Harry!

Harry! Can you hear me? Harry!

Harry!

Did I hurt you?

Mr. Jandorf.

May I?

WOMEN'S FASHION

This is one of the best portfolios
I've seen today.

Thank you.

Thank you.
I look forward to hearing from you.

You will, you will.

What will we gain from this catalog?

How much will you sell it for
to offset production costs?

It'll be free, of course.

To the rich and famous.

See to it that funds are released,
so we can start production.

Those graybeards are going
to do my catalog? My shop windows?

We need a team. Deputy manager,
copywriters, artists, photographers.

When were those men
last in the streets?

When have they asked women
what matters to them?

-This position is meant for me.
-Your sister.

When you were away,
she was a very reliable assistant.

And as this was all her concept...

These gentlemen all expect
to be paid a handsome salary.

And I'm the best.

That too.

A contract for advertising
department deputy manager?

Miss Jandorf.
An employment contract?

Under what conditions?
Did Mr. Jandorf give any orders?

I must... I...

My fiancée.

-You're a lucky man.
-Yes. We're made for each other.

She works here, in ladies' fashion.

-Until you marry, I guess.
-Not a day more.

So I won't get
an employment contract here?

It's an honor, Miss Jandorf,

but the writing up of a contract
needs to be handled by management.

-Your father will let you know if--
-Thank you.

Good evening.

Catalogs, job ads, shop windows.
Have these all been commissioned?

-Does your father know?
-My father left it up to me.

How will we finance it?
Did he leave that to you too?

We'll spruce up the accounts a bit

and we'll get ourselves a loan.

You'll be the only one who knows.

I won't do that.

Once you start,
you end up not knowing

what shape your company's in.

If the bank finds out, we forfeit
our creditworthiness for good.

Your father would never allow this.

My father never needs to find out.

As long as you do a good job.

I won't do anything ill*gal.

Mr. Karg.

If we were both on a platform and
a train was leaving in 30 seconds,

you'd buy a ticket
and I'd jump on the train.

Who would reach their destination?

What if the ticket inspector got on?

I'd sh**t him.

We have no other choice.
If you don't do this, we're ruined.

I'm so pleased
when the customers leave.

All that clearing up after them.

No sooner have you
tidied everything up,

then it starts all over again.

People make a mess of everything.

What do you suggest?

Just don't open it.

So it stays tidy?

Exactly.

The best thing would be

if the customers
could choose items from a catalog

and have it delivered
to their homes.

I am currently working
on our new catalog.

I think you would make a good model.

A photographic model.

-Who decides that?
-I do.

You'll look stunning.

What do I have to do?

Shine.

Just shine.

Miss Kron.