by David Hare
Anna I see.
Archie Does that make sense to you?
Anna Of course. But it does seem a little elaborate.
A moment. Archie looks beadily at Anna.
Archie You fight a war, you expect propaganda, you expect your enemy to tell you lies. Right?
He moves across the room towards them.
So people spend a good deal of their time on their guard. Now the beauty of this idea is that when we make our first broadcast tonight, maybe ten or fifteen people, radio hams mostly, will twiddle their dials and stumble on it. But because they have found us by accident, and because they appear to be eavesdropping on a purely private conversation, and that conversation is indubitably between loyal army officers on their own side … they will be inclined to trust everything we say. And from that trust our influence will grow.
Anna looks at Archie, then nods at Karl.
Anna Is he one of the officers?
Archie nods.
Who is he really?
Archie He’s a Jew. From Frankfurt.
Anna Shall I tell him?
Archie nods. Anna turns to Karl. As Archie speaks Anna translates.
Archie He will be playing the part of Otto, a loyal Prussian officer, broadcasting to an old friend in another part of Germany …
Anna (translating consecutively) Sie sollen die Rolle von Otto spielen, einem treuen preussischen Offizier, der mit einem altern Kameraden in einem anderen Teil Deutschlands ein Rundfunkgespräch führt.
Karl Sie meinen, ich soll Theater spielen?
Anna Ja.
Archie The character of the Prussian must be authentic …
Anna Er muss authentisch sein.
Archie is staring at Anna, who has lost her nervousness for the first time.
Archie His language will therefore be rough …
Anna Er spricht sehr roh.
Archie Corrosive …
Anna Abrupt.
Archie Obscene.
Anna does not look up. A pause.
Anna Obszön.
Karl looks up.
19. INT. BILLIARD ROOM. NIGHT
The room has been converted into a wireless station, but signs of its original function remain. Racks of cues stand on the walls, and there is a prominent scoreboard. A green leather top has been laid over the baize.
Microphones have been placed at either end of the table, beside green light bulbs which flash to cue the broadcaster. At one end is Karl, at the other Herr Jungke. He is a small, rather effete old man with pursed lips. In the middle, like a tennis umpire, sits Allardyce controlling the equipment.
Along the side of the room sit the rest of the Unit watching: Archie, Anna, Eileen, Langley.
Allardyce Stand by, please.
A red light comes on and Allardyce nods at Karl who is looking more than usually nervous and distraught.
You have the air.
Langley makes a sign at Karl to sit forward. The green light comes on silently in front of him.
Karl Hier Otto-Abend Eins … Hier Otto-Abend Eins.
Karl’s light goes out. He sits back. At the other end of the table Jungke’s light comes on. He now cups one hand over his ear instinctively in response to Karl.
Jungke Ja … Otto … ich empfange … hast du ’ne Meldung?
A moment, then his light goes out. He sits back with an expression of relief. At the other end Karl becomes more apprehensive than ever. His light is on. Allardyce beckons at him.
Karl Jawohl. Die Meldung lautet. Mitzi muss ihren Vater treffen. Mitzi muss ihren Vater treffen.
Karl’s light goes out. Jungke’s light comes on. We see down the whole length of the billiard table, two ludicrous figures pretending to be miles apart.
Jungke Verstanden. Na, Otto, was hältst du denn von der Flucht von Hess?
The light bulbs change. Karl flinches.
Karl Ach ja, die Sache mit Hess. Tja, also …
He seems to have lost his place. Archie puts his head in his hands. Anna looks away.
Niemand glaubt, Hess sei auf Befehl des Führers nach England geflogen. Nein nein, er ist aus einem ganz anderen Grund nach England geflogen.
Archie gets up from his seat.
Der Grund ist – er ist ein grosser Verbrecher, ein Wahnsinniger.
20. INT. TRANSMISSION ROOM. NIGHT
A disc-cutting machine is the next room. Over it sits an Engineer wiping the floss from the disc as it cuts. Beside him stands Lotterby.
Karl (VO) Der Erschreckende an Hess ist nicht was er gemacht hat, sondern die Tatsache dass er so leicht ein Vertrauter Hitlers werden konnte. Als treue Deutsche müssen wir uns damit abfinden, dass Adolf Hitler bereit ist, Idioten um sich zu dulden …
21. EXT. HOUSE. NIGHT
The house from outside sitting confidently in the English countryside. The moon beyond. Distorted across the airwaves comes the continuous sound of Karl, now ranting falteringly but with increasing vehemence. Some rabbits pass across the lawn.
Karl (VO) … Archlecker, Verbrecher, Verräter, solche die an Grössenwahn leiden, oder die ihre eigenen Mütter vergewaltigen wollen.
22. INT. BILLIARD ROOM. NIGHT
Jungke waves at Karl. Karl waves back.
Jungke Auf wiedersehen.
His light goes out. Allardyce turns to Karl.
Karl Auf wiedersehen.
His light goes out. He sits back. Archie walks straight out of the room. Silence. Karl spreads his palms on the table.
Am sorry.
Langley acknowledges this with a nod. Karl speaks with terrible seriousness and difficulty.
Will be good.
Langley Yes.
Karl All Jews … good at showbiz.
Langley Yes. (He gets up and smiles.) All right everyone.
23. INT. HALL. NIGHT.
The Unit comes quietly into the hall and disperses upstairs, Anna and Eileen walking up together. Langley crosses with Jungke to the front door where Lotterby is waiting with Jungke’s coat.
Lotterby Take Herr Jungke back, sir.
Langley Thank you.
Jungke confides in Langley as he puts his coat on.
Jungke The boy is nervous.
Langley Yes.
Jungke But also the script is not good. The writing … (rubs his fingers together) … not savage enough.
A pause. Langley remains expressionless.
Langley We’ll try again tomorrow. Thank you for coming. Goodnight.
He reaches for the unseen light switch by the door and we are plunged into darkness.
24. EXT. SKY. NIGHT
Clouds move quickly across the moon.
25. INT. BEDROOM. NIGHT
As before, but this time Anna is asleep. Then suddenly the door crashes open, and Archie bursts into the room carrying a bottle of Scotch.
Archie I’ll smash a bloody bottle in yer if yer bloody come near me.
He slips and falls at once to the floor. The bottle smashes. Silence.
26. INT. CORRIDOR. NIGHT
In the moonlight Anna’s door opens and she appears dragging Archie’s body out into the upstairs corridor. Then, when she’s got him out, she turns him to point the way the corridor goes. He does not wake. Then she goes back in. A moment later she comes out with a blanket which she lays over him. She goes back into her room, closes the door.
27. INT. BEDROOM. DAY
Morning light at the window. Anna gets out of bed. Avoids the broken glass on the floor. Takes away the chair she has jammed under the door handle. She involuntarily puts one arm over her chest as she opens the door. The corridor is deserted. Even the blanket has gone.
28. INT. DINING ROOM. DAY
Archie sits alone at the far end of the table with a bottle of milk and a plain glass. Anna goes over to the sideboard. On the hot-plate there is a kettle, a pan and a tin. She opens it. Powdered eggs. She attempts normality.
Anna Can I make you some egg?
Archie I’ve had yer tea. I’d want inoculation before I tried yer egg.
Anna Look, I’m quite prepared not to mention the fact …
Archie (shouts) What?
Anna looks at him and walks out of the room.
29. INT. HALL. DAY
Anna comes out into the deserted hall. At the bottom of the staircase a teleprinter machine is clattering out information. Then a Voice comes from a distant wireless.
Voice This is the first news bulletin of the day and Joseph McLeod reading it. The retreat of the defeated Italian army goes on. General Wavell’s message to his troops …
Anna stands alone in the middle of the hall.
Anna Somebody talk to me.
30. MONTAGE SEQUENCE ONE
At once we hear Chopin’s Waltz No. 3 in A Minor. A piano segment, no more than thirty seconds. Under it we see the following images: Archie standing watching the rain coming down outside the window; Allardyce looking regretfully away as Karl blunders through another broadcast; Anna and Eileen laughing together as Eileen elaborately shows Anna how to make a cup of tea; Langley and Allardyce playing croquet on the lawn as Eileen and Anna sit watching. Lotterby stands behind them and commentates. Long cool drinks are being sipped; Anna before she goes to bed putting the chair against her door. Fade. The Chopin ends.
31. INT. PASSAGE. DAY
Outside the gun room. Most of the sporting gear has been moved into the passage from which no one has had time to move it. It is oddly piled alongside overspill from inside the office. There is a pair of skis by the door. Nailed on to the door is a trophy, a Nazi noticeboard: JUDEN BETRETEN DIESEN ORT AUF EIGENE GEFAHR. The sound of Eileen’s typewriter as Anna walks quickly down the passage and into the gun room.
32. INT. GUN ROOM. DAY
Eileen at work on a huge pile of notes. Anna comes in.
Anna Langley wants us. There’s a morning conference.
Eileen I’ve still got all this stuff to do.
Anna They’re going into Russia.
Eileen Who?
Anna The Germans.
Eileen Into Russia. What for?
Anna To make us work even harder, I suppose.
Eileen smiles.
33. INT. LANGLEY’S OFFICE. DAY
A room in the front of the house. Once a gentleman’s study and library, now serving as Langley’s office, it has a large open fireplace and cleared desks. It is clean, manly and well ordered. Flowers in vases. Langley sits behind his desk opposite Archie. At one side Eileen sits taking dictation; on the other side sits Anna. Langley is at his most severe.
Langley This discussion to be noted, minuted, dated 10th June 1941.
Eileen’s shorthand follows.
We have it from the War Cabinet that Hitler is invading Russia within the next two weeks. I needn’t stress how important this news is to our work. It’s a military step of extraordinary foolishness, Hitler himself counsels against it in Mein Kampf, and it gives us exactly the opportunity we’ve been looking for to cast doubt on Germany’s war leadership. Our loyal German officer therefore is now in a position to condemn the step as national suicide. He can then go on to question the whole direction of the war.
Pause.
Archie May I ask a question, Will?
Langley Of course.
Archie Surely if there’s a possibility of national suicide, that’s something we’d be wanting to encourage, no?
Archie smiles.
Langley I’m sorry, I don’t see your point.
Archie You see, I can’t help looking at it another way. Your idea is nice, Will, I mean it’s simple anyway, but surely one of the things we’ve learnt … attack the leadership direct and it always sounds like propaganda. And anything that sounds like propaganda is not good propaganda.
Langley Go on.
Archie I’d say if they’re going to do something foolish, we should encourage them. I mean, let’s have Otto right behind the idea.
Langley But you can’t justify it, Archie. Otto’s a military man …
Archie Look, Otto says …
Langley He’d know that going into Russia is insane. I mean, a war on two fronts.
Archie Look, Otto says … Otto says the real enemy of Germany has always been Bolshevism. And now the army is getting a chance to begin its real fight. But. It is hard to fight Bolshevism abroad, when there are known Bolsheviks inside the Nazi Party. So. The loyal German is happy to die in Russia, but he is not happy if there is any evidence of subversion at home. And anybody … anybody at all who for whatever reason dares to oppose the Russian venture, or fails to support it with every sinew of their body is by definition … a Bolshevik. (He smiles.) Do y’see, everybody? Red-baiting! (He laughs and claps his hands together.) Anyone who speaks out is branded as a Bolshevik. Criticism silenced. Millions die.
Pause. Langley stares at him.
Well? Is that no’ what ye want?
34. INT. GUN ROOM. NIGHT
Blacked-out windows. A single green light. Eileen has a single sheet of paper in her hand, which she reads out. Archie is sitting on the desk. Langley, Anna are watching. Karl is tucked away, his lips moving slightly as Eileen reads. There is a new concentration in the work. Eileen reads well.
Eileen Many will die. Many will be happy to die on the road to Moscow as long as they feel they have the efforts of the whole nation concentrated behind them. For those who stay at home have a duty too. They have a duty to keep morale high, to silence dissent.
Archie nods at Langley to signal approval of the idea.
There will not be enough food this winter, there will not be enough clothes. Everyone must therefore try to discover those Party members who are taking more than their rations. Everyone will have to be vigilant, everyone will have to be a spy. It is a great adventure. We must all be ruthless in its pursuit. Goodnight my friend. My dear, dear friend.
She looks up. They look at her, awed.
35. INT. BILLIARD ROOM. NIGHT
The red light goes on. Karl bends forward. He is transformed. We follow his delivery – ironic, witty, inflected. Sweat pours from him. His voice is much deeper than before.
Karl Viele werden sterben. Viele werden froh sein auf dem Wege nach Moskau zu sterben, solange sie wissen, dass das ganze Volk ihnen beisteht.
We look at the Unit sitting at the side, as if deeply moved by what he is saying.
Aber die, die zu Hause bleiben, haben auch eine Aufgabe. Ihre Aufgabe ist es, die Moral des Volkes zu heben und Gegner zum Schweigen zu bringen. Es wird in diesem Winter nicht genug zu essen geben, nicht genug Kleidung.
Archie smiles. We go back to Karl.
Jeder muss also versuchen herauszufinden, welche Parteimitglieder mehr als ihre Rationen bekommen. Jeder muss wachsam sein. Jeder muss Spion sein. Es ist ein grosses Abenteuer. Wir müssen rücksichtslos sein. Gute Nacht lieber Freund, mein lieber, lieber Freund.
The red light goes off and Karl takes off his glasses. Langley smiles.
Langley Superb!
36. INT. HALL. NIGHT
At once Chopin again. Odd, lilting, deft. Langley and Archie seen from behind going down corridor together.
Archie We’ve hit a vein.
Langley We have. More again tomorrow?
Archie Certainly.
Langley This Russian business … could be the making of us.
As they turn into the drawing room, Archie uncharacteristically performs a tiny dance step.
37. INT. DRAWING ROOM. NIGHT
Jungke sits playing Chopin. His face is angelic, his feet barely touch the pedals. The Steinway has been pulled out from the wall, and the Unit has flopped down round the room. Eileen is reading Wellington Wendy, Langley is reading The Times. The Engineers are playing chess. Anna sits staring on a sofa as behind her Archie moves very slowly‚ decanter in hand. He stops immediately behind her, pours out a glass very steadily and moves on. She does not turn. Jungke leans in to perform an intricate arpeggio. Then Lotterby appears at the door with Jungke’s coat.
Lotterby The car for Herr Jungke, sir.
Jun
gke stops playing. Langley gets up from his seat, speaks slowly to him.
Langley We have something for you.
Lotterby crosses to the piano and helps Jungke up as Langley goes to the sideboard where a bottle sits on a tray with a little dish beside it. Lotterby brings Jungke back and sits him in Langley’s empty chair. Langley ceremoniously carries the tray and sets it down beside Jungke.
Langley Sambuca.
Jungke Do you have … a coffee bean?
Langley takes the dish and puts one coffee bean in the liquid, then takes out a box of matches and sets light to it. Jungke looks at the flame.
Jungke It is payment enough. Thank you.
Langley looks up at Lotterby.
Langley Ian, would you take Herr Jungke back to the internment camp?
Lotterby Sir.
38. INT. HALL. NIGHT
Jungke is being escorted out by Langley, Lotterby waits for them.
Jungke It’s not too bad. I have to be in solitary because of this work but there are compensations. I have books, you know. And I had a letter once.
Anna and Eileen cross the hall and go upstairs on their way to bed.
Eileen Archie’s drunk again.
Anna Why does he drink so much?
Eileen I don’t know. Fleet Street, I suppose. They all do.
Anna Was he a journalist?
39. INT. STAIRS. NIGHT