01x06 - Das Ende der Schönheit

[bunniefuu]

THEIR PORTRAYAL IS PARTLY FICTIONAL.

Rich Americans
jump from their office tower,

crash into Manhattan's sidewalk,

it's only a question of time
before the wave reaches us.

This has never happened before,
and I'm older than you greenhorns.

One in five is unemployed.

I don't know how much longer
I can keep our people.

It's a huge bubble,
which is bursting right now.

The end of one crisis
is the beginning of the next.

-It never ends.
-I've exhausted my means.

After the fire in Chausseestrasse,
after I acquired this "broke house."

Mr. Karg?

Please prepare a loan application.

Deutsche Bank
and the discounter association

are in favor of the KaDeWe?

We have paid back the last loans
reliably and on time.

They won't abandon us.

PART 6
THE END OF BEAUTY

Thank you.

About your appointment
at the bank...

Irene is
their executive secretary now.

Is she?

And she says

that loans for Germans will receive
preferential treatment in future.

-What other loans are there?
-For Jews.

Tietz is German, Elisabeth.

But I know that, Georg.

You're not going
to the KaDeWe today.

You'll run to your husband now.

And you'll give him
some joyous news.

You already suspected, didn't you?

-I had hoped that...
-It is a healthy child.

Don't even think about it.

You would bleed to death.

Hey, watch out!

You just have to find the right one.

Fritzi.

Can I talk to you?

Yes.

In private, maybe?

I don't have any secrets from her.

I...

I'm pregnant.

Sorry. I don't know what to do, I...

Help me, please.

-How should I help you?
-Do you need money?

I...

I'm so alone.

So terribly alone.

Don't, Hedi!

Don't jump!

It's all right. It's all right.

I'm here.

Yes, but...

But only as a friend.

Yes.

It's my own fault.

-I lost you, I shouldn't have...
-"You shouldn't have" nothing.

Nothing at all. I shouldn't have
and you shouldn't have.

It's not our fault.

I can't laugh anymore, Fritzi.

The way I am now, the way...

The way I am going to be
you will never be able to love me.

You will probably forget
how you were ever able to love me.

I also wanted to end it all.

But this one life you have...

You know...

it was you who taught me
what love is.

I always thought I was the gardener

and you the garden
I'm allowed to take care of.

But it was the other way round.

I wasn't capable of physicality
and love. It was always just...

words or on paper.

You brought these words to life.

You made me blossom.

I was the garden.

I miss you so much.

You will now give birth
to a new life. A girl.

How would you know?

I just know.

Where the hell have you been?

-I'm pregnant.
-What?

Really?

Hedi...

You will be...

a gorgeous baby.

But now you won't work anymore.

I'll soon be making more money
than we had ever hoped.

Every week,
I'm rising further up in the party.

Golden times.

Finally.

Finally...

our time is coming.

Thank you.

All the best to you.

-This here is Tall Peter.
-How do you do?

-And this here is Pretty Peter.
-How do you do?

My sincerest congratulations.

And those of my wife. Mr. Karg.

Thank you, Mr. Hartmann.
Where's Hedi?

We're having a baby.
She has to take it easy now.

I can only return the good wishes.

Elisabeth's brother told me
that it eats you up.

That what eats me up?

The parasites.

Between you and me? Don't worry.

We'll take care of it.

Soon, it will be
very different here. Better.

Hello.

My father has one thing
to thank for his success.

The first sentence that us
normal mortals utter every day...

"Just a quarter of an hour."

But you're not like that.

And to make sure you'll never
pay heed to this saying...

I'll give you
my father's very first prototype.

And if you do want to lie down
for 15 minutes...

just think of me.

Then you'll see...

how little you achieve
if you are lacking ambition.

I wish you all the best.

Thank you, Harry.

-To the couple.
-To the couple.

Every day...

is my lucky day.

The value of your empire has...

considerably decreased.

But our inspectors think
your reconstruction work,

your established clientele, and
your range of goods are impressive.

In a nutshell, we want to help you.

So, you'll give us the loan?

Not only that.
We want to become share-owners.

Greater gentlemen have wanted that.

Mr. Tietz thinks that the strong
leadership of one person

has a better chance of success.

A similar concept
can be found in your party.

Then you will surely understand
that this is about a lot more

than your... department store.

Our bank merger is making you
a unique offer of help.

As you know,
we are living in times in which...

there are boycotts
against established stores.

Not against all of them.
Only against Jewish ones.

Well, such are the times.

It is regrettable.

What kind of tone is this?

We've had decades
of good business relations.

-Very lucrative relations for you.
-Sure.

We are all under political pressure.

They are watching
all our decisions too.

-Share-ownership is your last word?
-There won't be a better offer.

On the contrary.

It would likely be an advantage
to have partners like you,

a merger of the most important
German banks, on our side.

German is at a premium
at the moment.

About time, one is tempted to say.

You made it very clear
that you still have your foreskin.

What's the plan?
Jews out, German banks in?

Of course not.

I just give them a good feeling.

-You always want me to be shrewd.
-Negotiating with the devil isn't.

-It's stupid and dangerous.
-Why?

My calculations show that we just
need to be cheaper by ten percent.

The banks accuse us, or rather
the Jews, of practicing usury.

We can just about handle
ten percent less.

This way we'll show the banks
that Berliners still shop with us.

-In spite of Jewish ownership.
-We would prove them right.

It's your decision, but...

What do you think?

When the Romans were outside Judea,
they charged the Jews high tariffs.

The Jews asked their Rabbis if they
should declare their wares properly.

The Rabbis answered,
woe be to him who tells,

woe be to him who doesn't tell.

That's just great.

Whenever a Jew recites a parable,
we end up being lost.

I'm so sick of it.

You're practically my brother.
Be honest.

What makes us so different?

What have we done to the world?

Exactly.

I'm going to go out now.

And have endless fun.

Do you think that's okay?

That you, with your abilities,
help the Jews?

While they celebrate?

We work differently.

I'm at the office,
and Harry is in the bar.

What do I get out of it?

I don't understand,
why you do all of that for him.

Because Harry is my friend.

Who brought us together.

Fine.

But even with friends
you have to ask yourself...

if the friendship only lasts...

because you sacrifice yourself
for it.

A little joke.
I'm already dead.

Go on, your turn.

No, old friend.

I need to go back to the fight.

Come to the plenary meeting.
It's time we fight back.

Meeting of the brigade against
department stores on Wednesday.

We have to support retailers.

"Brigade against department stores,

co-ops, large branches..."?

Brigade, huh?

Against department stores, yes?

Do you know who's paying your wages?

Give me that.

The department store...
of my father.

Who wanted
the German people to bleed out.

Who gave work
to thousands of Berliners.

Who fought for them all his life.

If this sh*t doesn't disappear,

there will be
a disciplinary warning for all.

The Jew.

A highly decorated Jew.

You don't want to know
what I did with renegades.

Calm down. What are you doing?

Give me that.

I apologize.

Hello.

No.

There you are.

I'm sorry. I can't anymore.

-Because of this? Let her be.
-No. This is you.

I admire you for it...

It's just about Hedi.

I'm sorry.

And put your feet up properly.

Mücke. Mücke!

Yes, try to relax in between.

I can't do this anymore.

Here's the little girl.

There she is, there she is.

Yes, my little one.

Yes, my little one.

-Go see your mom.
-Look.

Hello, Lore.

Lore?

Lore.

And?

Is it healthy?

I mean...

It might be too early to tell.

But for now
I see two arms, two legs,

and a very exhausted mother.

Can't even enjoy
a piece of cake in peace anymore.

I'm sorry.

But I'm sure they have
wonderful cake over there.

Stop talking to me like that.

I'm not a child,
and I'm not blind, either.

We'll take your assets
and transfer them

via an American stock corporation.

It would be totally legal.

You could travel there first
to meet the people behind it.

I won't go to America.

Harry, this country is filling up
with cadres against Jews.

Know what they call you?

"Parasites."

I defended this country,
tooth and nail.

I won't surrender without a fight.

They are more than a few now.

I don't know
if you should stay on a train,

if the staff
is no longer in favor of you.

But if you want to keep affording
your sentimental love of Berlin,

you should safeguard
a few hundred thousand.

May I please
deposit them for you, Harry?

I foresaw the inflation.

I prevented us from
investing in shares, remember?

If I can get
the money back no problem...

then go ahead.

Mr. Karg.

I was very happy
to hear from you again so soon.

Statistically, there are not enough
retailers to replace the big stores.

The Germans will surely accept that.

It... is more about...

the Jewish part.

This is what the Germans dislike.

-But Tietz is the owner.
-Let me be more specific.

Karstadt.

They can present themselves
more confidently against retailers

without Jewish ownership.

You understand?

Karstadt is not KaDeWe.

-KaDeWe stands for something else.
-What does KaDeWe stand for?

For the exquisite.

The exquisite.

Exactly.

I'll have to ask you something now.

How would this be possible?

Acquiring something exquisite,
being happy with it...

when the hands presenting it to you
are Jewish?

Isn't the exquisite no more than...

degenerate?

Decadent?

Once it has
passed through the hands of...

-Well, you know, of...
-Parasites.

I noticed during our first meeting
that you are easy to talk to.

Mr. Karg.

Together we can achieve quite a lot.

I'm home.

All's well.

She peed and had a poo.

Please...

Look how I'm struggling.

Let me see.

Take her, please.

And she always calms down
with Mücke.

If Mücke could take her more often,
I could return to KaDeWe.

-With my salary...
-Motherhood is most important.

-But I...
-How would that reflect on me?

You would be
the only operative's wife who works.

And it spoils my mood when I look
forward to you and Mücke is there.

Her... degeneration
painfully reminds me

of the long way
Aryans have yet to go.

What are you talking about?
She's our Mücke.

And does your foot conform
to the Germanic master race?

Goebbels and Hitler don't look
Aryan. Like me, they are brainy.

Mücke's head is empty.
And I don't want Lore to catch that.

She's just bad company
for our child.

Tomorrow, I'll look
for an institution for Mücke.

My word is final.

What if the bankers
don't respond to our proposals?

Retreat, reform, attack again.

I particularly like the attack bit.

I think the time has come to not
mince our words if you permit.

You know, my father
kept telling me a jovial anecdote.

It went something like this.

Grosnowice changed hands 17 times.

Seven times there were pogroms,
and three times...

they led Chaim Leibowitz outside
and said,

"Right, now we'll hang you."

Harry.

And everyone went to see him
and said,

"Chaim, be reasonable.
Leave Grosnowice."

But he didn't leave.

Even when they led him out
for the fourth time,

they didn't hang him.

They shot him instead.

I don't care if they hang
or sh**t me some day.

Dead is dead.
But I still won't be reasonable.

You understand?

I won't have you tell me
how we have to run our business.

But sure, that...

I understand.

Then simply give us a loan,

and we'll get through
that darn market crisis.

-Then, please, leave us in peace.
-Harry.

We've already got it.

The bank as a share-owner would like
me as the sole managing director.

They explained money flows
will become increasingly difficult,

if KaDeWe is not led by a German.

Tietz is German.
I am German.

-Father was German. He built...
-Harry.

The bank has granted me a loan
to buy KaDeWe off you, Mr. Tietz.

This is the new advert.

The bank likes it.

BUY GERMAN GOODS

A loan for you, yes?

Or I don't buy it.

Then KaDeWe,
the entire Hertie Group,

and all Tietz stores
will go to Karstadt.

What infamous blackmail.

Is that what you always wanted,
Georg?

Harry, please.
It's not my fault. It's the times.

-I'm only trying...
-My father treated you like a son.

While I was defending this country,
you were sitting comfortably

in father's heated kontor,
stuffing your face.

You kept eating your way
deeper and deeper,

all the way to the boss's chair.

Now you want to deport me to America
while you spread like a kraken?

I would do it all together with you.

I see myself as a trustee
for all previous owners.

Harry, leave it be,
there's no point.

Your father
would have seen it the same way.

You will always be a worm.

You're the parasite.

A kingdom for a nicely
sharpened spade, Mr. Bank Director.

But which kingdom would that be?

Erica?

Erica?

Not half bad.

Well...

This would have been your chance.

You...

let it pass,
your little piece of happiness.

I don't want to leave everything
to chance anymore.

You're talking to the wrong guy.

I'm hightailing it.

Come with me?

-This is my country.
-Mine too.

I'll miss you, brother.

I don't think so.

I think she's hungry.

You have to feed her now.

Please get up now.

You can't be lying here
all the time.

Maybe I'm just not...

Maybe I'm just not a good mother.

Every woman is a good mother.

Get a grip on yourself.

To my marzipan girl,

"You're like the gray, sunless day,

Sinfully descending on young roses.

I felt, when I was lying
by your side,

As if my heart had stopped moving.

I made your ashen cheeks
blush with kisses,

Coaxed a smile from your stare.

You crushed my young soul to death,

And returned to your cold self."

Look who's... who's here.

Her skin.

How incredibly soft.

Amazing.

The world's cutest being
emerged from you.

Yes?

Yes.

Wouldn't you agree
that Lore has my ears?

Like this...

Show me.

She can probably fly with those.
Shall we try?

Too warm. Only linen.
Silk and linen.

-This was Papa's.
-Not too much, we'll be back.

-I know, but...
-Hello.

-I've got something for you.
-Thank you.

Unlike your marriage guidebook,
this could be useful.

They'll understand you.
And Harry can translate for you.

I don't have a good feeling
about leaving you here, Fritzi.

Won't you come with us?

I'm needed here.

I don't get it,
but you know what you're doing.

I admire your courage.

One second.

THE LOVING GIRLFRIEND

Come, Hedi.

Please, Rüdiger.

Go to a wh*re.

Please, Rüdiger. Go to a wh*re.

Deduct three marks
off my housekeeping money,

but go to a wh*re.

Give me your hand.
Give me your hand.

Come on, give me your hand.

Please, come on.

Give me your hand.

I found a good institution for
Mücke. They'll take care of her.

And we'll have some peace here.

I'll take her there tomorrow.

Will you be so kind
to bring me my nightcap?

KaDeWe is asking for discretion.

Mr. Hartmann was in charge
of personnel for years.

A very good man.

He must have despaired
of his inner demons.

I'd get depressed
if I were here too.

If I wasn't already.

You can't choose your origins.

Nor your time.

-I'm leaving.
-I'm staying here.

You know what? We should party hard
once more, yeah? Come on.

Go on, jump.

NOTHING IS A COINCIDENCE

CENTRAL REGISTER

"We're long
dejectedly leaning somewhere

On the gray stone of an old wall

Thus obliterated

Longing for a single little light

In the world's grief"

Compared with the universe,
we really are like small ants.

But each ant has a purpose.

What could mine be?

I thought you might want it back.

Keep it.

You need every talisman you can get.

Which reminds you what Father
wanted KaDeWe to be.

A place that would show Germans
beauty even in the worst of times.

I won't forget it.

Nor that you were
the only brother to me.

How did it go, with Cain and Abel?

I only recognized
the m*rder*r so late...

because he was so close?

Come sit with us.

Life has probably
always been like this.

Good and bad.

That's why I find it mean
when people badmouth their time.

It's the only time we live in,
and...

it's ours.

No matter what it throws at us.

When you come back from America,
we'll meet back here.

And look at our Berlin.

From the roof of KaDeWe.

HARRY JANDORF WENT TO AMERICA
AND DIED IN LOS ANGELES IN 1981.

HARRY AND GEORG
REMAINED FRIENDS FOR LIFE.

GEORG KARG TOOK OVER
THE TIETZ EMPIRE

AND RECOMPENSED THE FAMILY
WITH PEANUTS AFTER 1945.

HE SOON SACKED
ALL JEWISH KADEWE STAFF.

HIS FORTUNE
WENT TO THE HERTIE TRUST.

FOR YEARS
THEY BLOCKED THE DISCLOSURE

OF THEIR PROFITS FROM
EXPROPRIATION PROCEEDINGS.

A NEW STUDY
WAS COMMISSIONED IN 2020.

HERMANN GÖRING HAD
THE ELDORADO CLOSED DOWN.

THE NSDAP MOVED THEIR
BERLIN OFFICE INTO THE BUILDING.

HEDI LOST CUSTODY OF MÜCKE.

SHE WAS TRANSFERRED TO AN INSTITUTE
AND BECAME A VICTIM OF EUTHANASIA.

FRITZI SURVIVED WITH FALSE PAPERS.

SHE AND HEDI HAD TWO MORE CHILDREN.

THEIR RELATIONSHIP
LASTED UNTIL THEIR DEATHS.