"1942, THE NETHERLANDS DURING GERMAN OCCUPATION." "DUTCH JEWS ARE NO LONGER ALLOWED TO WALK IN PARKS" "OR GO TO RESTAURANTS OR STATE SCHOOLS." "DEPRIVED OF THEIR FREEDOM AND SEGREGATED, MOST ACCEPT THEIR FATE" "IN THE HOPE THAT THE HUMILIATION IS THE WORST THAT WILL HAPPEN." "Tazelaar, I want it started up by Monday, before noon." "Maintenance can be carried out on C13." "Den Daas." "That transfer has been sorted out." " Thank you." "Don't forget the doctor's note." " OK." "Have a nice day." "Mr Suskind?" "The director would like to see you." "Can't it wait till Monday?" "Daddy!" "Daddy!" "Whose birthday is it?" " Mine." "You look so pretty." "OK kids, coats on." "Paul, Saar, Anne, Lou." "You're a bit late." "She is your daughter, you know." "Who needs the toilet?" "Hurry up." " Yeah." "I might as well have stayed in Germany." " Yes, but you're in Amsterdam now." "But for how long and where's it all leading?" "To the theatre." "And you're driving the kids there, now." "Without a car?" "Yeah..." "Then we'll walk." "I leave that stinking country because of that bastard and he follows me!" "The son of a bitch." "To pinch your job, how mean!" "Walter, if that's the worst thing that happens... ls everyone here?" "Come on, sweetheart." "JEWS ONLY" "Come on, kids." "Have you got it with you?" " Yes, back to the Dark Ages." "The Suskind family." "Seven people." "Do you want one, Saartje?" "Paul." "Vreugdenhil, Christiaan?" " Yes." "Are you in the show too?" " I'm the pianist." "Jewish?" " No." "Come with me." " What's going on?" "I'm not Jewish." "Officer, you can't treat Arians like that." "What are you doing here?" "I'm here for the revue." "Let him play the piano." "What business is it of yours?" "As a German, I'm always proud of Germans in uniform, like you." "Always correct." "Papers, please." "Here you are." "Mr Suskind?" " Yes." "Wait here." "Mister..." "A nice piece of rough." "If you want to sell it, my boss will know what to do with it." "You still have a job?" "You didn't get fired?" " I got lucky." "You don't have to go to Germany?" " I can stay in Amsterdam." "I've got a Sperre." "Don't ask me why." "It's not from the Krauts." " No, the Jewish Council." "Get your white rag, sorted." " Can you get one just like that?" "Well, not just like that..." "You probably have to work for them." " What are you worrying about?" "If you can earn a living, here in Amsterdam and ride your bike here and breathe the air here, in Amsterdam..." "You can wipe your arse with that rag for all I care." "At least I don't have to go to Krautland." "Simon, come on." "What are you doing here, where do you live?" "What are you sitting there for?" "Come here, you're driving me crazy." " There was a stone in my shoe." "Watch out, a cop!" "Papers, please." " I live here." "Roos!" "Roos, come here!" "Go away, Roos." " Shut up!" "Go away, you stinking Jew!" "Daddy!" "Some day the war will end." "And then she will go to school, and she will live and she will get married." "And we will be a grandpa and grandma." "You'll make a great grandpa." "Hanna, will you promise me something?" "Will you stay with me always?" "Whatever happens?" "JEWISH COUNCIL" "Excuse me, excuse me" "EXCUSE me, EXCUSE me, EXCUSE me." "Good morning." "You're already here, Mr Polak." "It may take a while, but follow me." "Thank you." "To be honest, I don't see myself in some German factory." "You'll be exempted, surely." " As long as you're indispensable here." "You, me..." "Now, where was I?" "Ah, Dr Tugendhaft and his family, they can be removed." "Doctors really are indispensable." "We're lucky the gentlemen are allowed to choose who has to be deported." "Not the Germans?" " No." "They just say how many." "We're free to choose who." "Imagine getting a summons to report." "You could not report in." " Then they'll come and get you." "Miss Elzas, am I mistaken or is that someone new?" "That's Mr Polak from the Expo." "He is here for the lists." "Ah, the lists!" "Guess how many we've managed to remove from the list." "Bram, perhaps Mr Polak doesn't like riddles?" "14,000, all of them a Sperre." "Who would have thought?" "Did you expect that, Mr Polak?" "Be honest." "No." "Ten, maybe." "Twelve, at the most." "This morning, we had coffee with the SS." "Excellent coffee, I must say." "Suddenly, that Mr Aus der Fﬂnten asks..." " Hauptsturmfﬂhrer Aus der Fijnten." "He asks how many people the Council needs to get everyone on the train within a year." "That's what he says." "I say twenty thousand." "Once a businessman always a businessman." "You ask for 20, you get 14." "Like rats, Mr Asscher." "We're walking into the trap like rats." "Mr Kisch, this really is the only way." "A slippery slope." "Do we want to become the Nazis' slaves?" "Is that our mission?" " Adapting." "We've survived for 2,000 years by adapting." "This could, God forbid, be the last time." "Please sit down, Mr Kisch." " Sit down?" "Is your name on there, Mr Polak?" "Suskind is my name, Walter Suskind." "Sluzker." "And you would like to be removed?" "I understand." "But I'm afraid I can't help you." "Sorry." "Listen, you should know I have considerable work experience." "A ship with 1,000 passengers has sprung a leak and there is only room for 50 in the lifeboat." "What about the other 950?" "They're just allowed to perish?" "I worked at Krupp." "And since '38 at Hoogovens." "You'll see, I'll be indispensable here within a week." "As a pianist?" "I can tap dance too." "I'm a company manager, a good one." "DUTCH THEATRE" "157,694 cards." "The German way." "Double-entry bookkeeping." "There's a card for every name on the list." "Watertight." "Felix." "Felix Halverstad." "After the war he'll be an artist again." "They wait here for transportation to Westerbork camp." "Can't they go straight there?" " 140,000 people on a train in one go?" "You send them twice a week, 400 or 500 people at a time." "Here is the toilet." "One toilet?" "Do you know how much waste matter a family produces in a day?" "Times 400 or 500 families..." " No families or children here." "The Germans don't like whining." "Where do you keep them then?" " There." "In the synagogue?" " That's where the children are housed." "Get rid of the Torah and you've got a créche." "The SS are certainly resourceful." "So the children are separated from the parents upon arrival?" "And brought here, yes." " The slippery slope." "You can still refuse the position and return the armband." "We'll see you here anyway." "Your child here." "You across the street with your wife in the front row stalls." "Let me know." "What do you want with that?" "To escape." "Hide." "Have you gone mad?" "If they catch us, they'll send us to Mauthausen." "Is that what you want?" "Your daughter in a prison camp?" "Hiding is forbidden!" "Walter, I'm so proud of you." "We've got a Sperre." "Yes, if I take that job as the Nazi's stooge." "If you don't, there'll be ten others who will." "Twenty, a hundred." "Someone has to do it." " Why?" "Why must we leave?" "We're ordinary Dutch citizens." "Maybe you can petition the Queen." " As if she cares about a few Jews." "Do you know what will happen if you don't take that job?" "Police!" " Get lost!" "Out the back!" "Come on, run!" "UP There!" "Roos." " Simon, grab my hand." "Look at me." "Let go." " Come on." "Stay where you are!" " Simon, go on." "Roos, stay with him." "Mummy!" "' Mummy!" "Run!" "Run!" "Good morning." "Will you be eating at home this evening?" "No." "Thank you." "Half-blind." "Lowerjaw gone." "Are you still a human being then?" " What are you talking about?" "Helmut." "My brother." "The Eastern Front?" " Yes." "He was awarded the Iron Cross First Class." "A hero." " Yes." "Quite different from those here who are dragging our honour through the mud." "To the Central Bureau?" "And then on to the theatre." " Yes, sir!" "What were our orders?" "How were we going to take care of this task?" "Do you remember?" "Well?" "Quickly, orderly, thoroughly." "How?" "Rottenfﬂhrer?" "Teutonically, Herr Sturmbannfiihrer." "It may not have dawned on you yet but we're not the Salvation Army." "Beating people up in the street, is that Teutonic?" "An officer shouldn't berate his men." "Even when they're beating helpless people to death?" "People?" "Symptoms of decay." "I'm warning you, once more and you'll be going where your brother went." "Together we face the task of making things run smoothly here." "And prevent worse happening." "We all know who and what we have to be on the alert for." "Tolerate them like you would a storm." "You can't do much about that either." "Achtung!" "With discipline and hard work, we can fulfil our honourable task." "Hauptsturmfﬂhrer, may I introduce you to Mr Walter Suskind?" "He has been appointed by the Council to take charge here." "Ladies and gentlemen." "You must execute your tasks here with efficiency and dedication." "There are certain rules to be adhered to." "Rule number one:" "Teutonic regime." "Disorder will be severely punished." "Rule number two:" "Tears or other displays of emotion will not be tolerated." "Rule number three:" "Tough action will be taken against all attempts to fraudulently obtain privileges for family or friends." "It is in everyone's interest that this operation proceeds flawlessly and is concluded within ten months." "Heil Hitler!" "Would you come and report like that?" "So meekly and obediently?" "That's easy for you to say, people are scared." "They should have burned the registers." "Instead they just hand them to the Krauts. "Here, 150,000 Jews."" "Working in Germany..." "I'm a godforsaken P0//sh pagan," "Worth less than nothing, the Muse/mann..." "They kick me here, the y kick me there." "Schoontje Schelvis?" "What a lovely name!" "And what's his name?" " Bmm." "To a labour camp?" "He can't even walk yet!" "A clean nappy first, and then a sleep?" "Sir." "That's enough now, stop." "Have you registered yet?" "Can I see your summons?" "Sir, please stop." "Listen, that's enough." "Sir?" "I want you to stop." "No, no." "Do you have to?" "Let me go, you bastard!" " May I have your keys?" "Calm down, calm down." " What?" "What happened?" " Mrs Waterman, may I have your keys?" "Your keys." "That's it." "Are you alone?" "Madam, are you alone?" "Husband?" "Children?" "Disciplinary case." "Don't you speak Dutch?" " Better than you, you filthy Kraut!" "Probably went into hiding." "Rations halved and immediate deportation." "I have to get out of here." "Listen, my children..." "My children!" "We're getting quite Teutonic already." " Yes." "What does that really mean?" " Something very German." "Yes, war." "With people like you, you don't even have to be anti-Semitic." "Shall I pray with you?" " Get lost." "I don't pray, ever." "So you're not Jewish?" " Oh, so why am I here then?" "No-one knows." "Can I ask you something?" "What's there to sing about?" "Have you got a better idea?" "Nice catch." "Did he eat well?" " Yes." "Time to have a sleep." "Bye, Mummy." "He's mine." " Of course he is." "You can come and feed him twice a day, but now you have to go." "No!" "I want to keep him with me." "Stop her." "Stop her." "Schoontje, listen." "No, they're taking my child away!" "Calm down." "Soon you'll be on the train with Bram in your arms." "I promise." "OK?" "I promise." "I promise." " Come on." "Mr Suskind?" " What?" "Do you know where they're going?" "Westerbork." " Yes, but after that?" "To work in Germany." "What?" "What else?" "No idea." "But it stinks." "You have to let me go." " Madam." "My children are wandering the streets." " Please, leave." "Stop it." "Stop it, stop it!" "And just leave them?" " They should be in the creche." "Creche, my arse!" "Are you sending your kids to Germany to work?" "Do you have any idea how old they are?" "Mum?" "Mummy?" "Why isn't she here?" "Please knock in future." "What are you doing?" "Are you going to grass on me?" "Idiot." "Double-entry bookkeeping." "The disciplinary cases are marked on the cards too." "I know." "This is only half of the work." "Oh, you want me to play the hero too?" "You've got the key." "To the file room." "Felix..." "Why did you take this lousy job?" "Like you..." "to save my skin." "Yes." "And that's all you can save." "Walter." "Do you think I'm not afraid?" "You shouldn't have become a Jew then." "What are you doing?" "She's on the roof!" " Who?" "I want him back!" "I want my child back now!" "Bram!" "Get her down off the roof." "Quickly." "Milller!" "Get her down from there, using any means." "Bram!" "Bram!" "You don't seem to have understood me." "Rule one?" "I tried..." " Rule one?" "Teutonic regime, Herr Hauptsturmfﬂhrer." "Under no circumstances will I tolerate chaos." "It was an accident." "How could I stop it?" "Your theatre, your responsibility." "Why?" "What have they done wrong?" "They exist." "I'm scared." "That's exactly what they want." "Where did such hatred come from?" "Because of what we are?" " No." "Because of what they think we are." "Because of what we teach them." "About the pure and impure." "That there is a dividing line between what is acceptable and what is unacceptable." "My bed!" "Who are you?" " That's my bed!" "Is that your bed?" "You know what?" "Come and get it, come on." "Don't." " Come on." "Simon!" "Come here, you." " Let me go!" "Let him go!" "No, don't!" " Bastard!" "What are you doing, you little Jewish bitch?" "This is the deportation material for tonight?" "412 people." " We'll have to increase that." "Double it, multiply it by ten!" "Do you have enough workers?" "Absolutely, I have a fine team." "Thank you." "Hauptsturmfﬂhrer, may I ask you something?" "Go ahead." "Where do they go?" "I mean, after Westerbork?" "My responsibility ends when the train leaves." "That's all I can tell you." "The Jews owe us their labour, while our own men are fighting the war." "So Germany will have the Jews to thank for its eventual victory?" "Hauptsturmfﬂhrer, I have found a discrepancy, a 'D'." "A disciplinary case, which is on the card but not on the list." "Arrest them." "All of them!" "Yes, sir!" "Death to Jews!" "Death to Jews!" "Off to Mauthausen with the lot of you." "Unless you suddenly remember the name." "Who messed with the list?" "Herr Hauptsturmfiihrer, I assure you I do not tolerate sabotage or falsification." "But it might be a mistake, we're only human." "That's bullshit." "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't punish your 'mistake'." "Mr Suskind..." "What would I achieve?" "Order." "Without me, you choose chaos." "Because I remove one small cog from the machine?" "Your machine will go on working." "I'm easy to replace." "But there is one difference." "You can trust me." "I'm German." "Meaning?" " I'm a businessman." "A realist." "So I take a realistic approach." "I've had a German upbringing, went to a German school." "I acknowledge you as my superior." "Herr Hauptsturmfﬂhrer, let me do my job." "Mr Suskind?" "Just so we're clear." "One more 'mistake' and you'll be on the train." "With your family." "My God, I thought I was going to die." "I was treated correctly." "He probably likes me." " An SS man?" "Maybe he's fallen for me." "But what happened?" " Oh, nothing." "That arrogant idiot!" "Mr Halverstad." "The dimwit." "The big hero with his ink against a gang of crooks." "Calm down." "It all ended well." " Yeah." "There's someone ill back there, over on the side." "Go and see." "392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 397." "Keep your hands off me." "Come with us!" " Scumbag!" "Look!" "Mummy!" "Mummy!" "Roos!" "Simon!" "I said be quiet." "Simon!" "Let me go!" "Are you deaf?" "Be quiet!" " Let go of me." "Simon!" "That smells good." "I'm Uncle Walter." "And you?" "I'm Roos and that's Simon." " Hi Simon." "No papers, nothing." "Is it alright if they stay here?" "What happened?" " It was that bully from Puls." "The key man." " You'll just have to sleep here." "Key men aren't allowed in here." "Goodnight." "Uncle Walter?" "Where are they taking Mummy?" "I wanted to thank you." "What for?" "For not grassing on me." "And I want to apologise." "I'm an idiot." " Yes." "Just do your job." "Yes, sir!" " Other hand." "Let them perish." "We're safe in the lifeboat." " Darling." "If I could just have saved one of them." "Are we going into hiding then?" "Until it's all over." "And there's no-one left." "I can hear God berating me." "What do you mean?" " That it's unacceptable that a distinction is made between pure and impure." "Don't try to be a hero, Walter." "How am I going to explain to her later that I got rid of 100,000 people?" "And God knows where they end up." "What about us?" "Is there nobody who can help us?" "God?" "We'll have to manage on our own." " Without God." "But I've got you." "Haven't I?" "Do what you have to do." "Piet." " Walter." "Glad you came." " Right." "Cor, I'll have another one." "I'm listening." "No heroics, no violence, no weapons." "Never." "Not with those kids." "The problem of those index cards remains." "Yes, we know all about that." "But a chain is only as strong as its weakest link." "Aus der Fﬂnten." "Unscrupulous, a lout." "A bastard maybe." "But as lonely as hell." "Why do you think he drinks?" "They're all lonely?" "Why do you think I'm still here?" "I talk to him as one Kraut to another." "He gives me every opportunity to convince him he's an arsehole if he doesn't let me stay." "Listen..." "Can I exchange this for brandy and cigars?" "Good stuff, not that rotgut." "Ask Old Cor." "The sergeant is a good cop." "They do exist." "What'll you do with the brandy?" " Soothe, conciliate, placate, win over." "Aus der FL'lnten." " And where does that get us?" "It diverts his attention." "If he thinks I'm his friend..." "A bastard like that?" "No chance." "Do we want to get those kids out of there or not?" "It'll be fine." "One, two, three, four." "Don't!" "What do you think you're doing?" "Waking little kids up!" "380, 381, 382, 384." "385, 386, 387, 389." "My compliments, Suskind." "Well done." " Thank you." "With a kiss from David." "I'd rather keep him with me." "It's nearly his birthday." "He'll be in good hands, I promise you." "You obviously don't have children." "Mrs Groenteman..." "You'll be reunited after the war." "He can stay with farmers in Friesland." "It's about your son." " We're young and strong." "And quite capable of looking after our own child." "Even in a labour camp?" " No is no." "Just get on with your work, miss." "Just get on with your work..." "You did your best." "But what about that child?" "Conciliate." " Conciliate?" "Aus der Fﬂnten, he's across the street." "At the créche?" " Yes." "He brought a baby." "I'm telling you, this place is only for Jewish children." "From now on every abandoned child is considered Jewish." "I'm willing to bet you she is Jewish." "Mr Suskind." "That went well yesterday." "My compliments." "Incredible." "What an unnatural mother!" "Abandoning such a beautiful baby." "Typical Jewish behaviour." "She doesn't look Jewish at all." " What is Jewish?" "Bauer" "It's all in here." "Scientifically." "Does anyone have a tape measure?" "You forgot her nose." "One hundred percent." "I knew it." "She can stay." "Perhaps a little toast to a happy ending?" "Why are you looking at me like that?" "It's been a long time since I had a drink with a fellow countryman." "So, what's a German doing in Amsterdam?" "My grandparents were from Holland." " I see." "Aren't you homesick?" "Thank you." "Believe it or not, but until I was 23 I never smoked, never drank." "Not a drop!" "We were all for nature, for purity." "Sleeping under the stars on a bed of pine needles." "Dreaming and philosophising." "We wanted to change the world." "And we have done too." "I once had a comrade" "You'd never find a better one" "The drum beat for battle" "He marched by my side" "We kept in step" "A bullet ﬂew towards us" "Is it for me or for him ?" "It' took away his life" "Now he's lying at my feet" "As if he is part of me" "Those Russians are tigers." "The Krauts don't stand a chance." "I want to go to Sienna." "Walter?" "And to Florence, the Ponte Vecchio!" "The war's not over yet." "It nearly is." "Not long now." "I know this really sweet hotel in Sienna, ll Fiore di Dante." "They have homemade fig jam." "Delicious." "But darling..." "I can%leave." "Not yet." "Yes, they're for you." "Hold on." "Like this." "Here you go." "PASS" "Thirteen stamps." "We did it!" "We did it!" "You have to stay here, but won't be deported." "Thank you." " I'll tell the Haupsturmfiihrer." "That is unacceptable." "Do something about it." "Roos and Simon Waterman, thank God." "Where will they go?" " Hindeloopen." "Hello." " One, two, three, four, five." "Coats." "Hurry UP!" "Are we staying here?" "No, you'll take the train later." " With that cop?" "Wait a minute." "Is there a problem?" "That little boy can't come." "I'm sorry." " Why?" "He can't go back." "He'll have to." " But his card's been destroyed." "Nobody will dare take him." "Look at his face." "His face?" "What's wrong with it?" " These people are risking their lives." "I'm not leaving him on his own!" "These are dark days, young lady." "Too Jewish?" "Meshuga!" "That may be so, but if they do a check we're all in big trouble." "You want him to sit in there all day?" "I'm not sure that's a good idea." "Up here is perfect." " That's the first place they'll look." "It's absurd." " But it's true." "And there will be more." "That's just crazy!" "Ridiculous!" "Watch your fingers!" "No, Walter." "But where shall we put them?" "There's nowhere they can go, dammit." "What's over there?" "A college." "Mr Van Hulst?" "Miss Pimentel." "You're from the theatre, aren't you?" "Mr Suskind?" "Yes." "I wanted to ask you something." "I knew you'd come and see me one day." "And not via the front door." "Your shed." "Could we use it?" "It's an emergency, I take it?" "A half-empty train." "Do you know how much that costs?" "It is beyond my control." "How many people have you got here?" " Almost 400." "Almost 400?" "'I am sorry, mein Fuhrer, but the war will have to wait a while." "My esteemed colleague made a mistake.'" "I can't do magic." " You can't count either." "400 Jews are 400 Jews and not almost 400." "How many orphans do you have right now?" "Without parents across the street." "Hardly any." " How many?" "With her, thirteen." " That will just be enough." "Please, they're just children." "Jewish children." "Tomorrow's enemy." "Wrap them up warm." "All thirteen?" "And get a move on." "It's beyond my control." "Believe me, I don't want this either." "Then don't do it if you don't want to." "I have to, it's an order." " Do what you can." "If Berlin orders 400 and I only send 387 what do you think will happen?" "To me?" "To the Central Bureau?" "And to her?" "What does the German war industry want?" "A civilised country doesn't make children work in factories." "Families have to stay together." "And the numbers have to add up." " Exactly." "Vigeveno, Lea." "Vigeveno, Isaac." " That's me." "De Vries, Salomon." " Yes, sir." "Flessedrager, Zwaantje." "I have a proposition, Mr Suskind." "Your choice." "It's up to you." "Either the children..." "OI'..." "My mother worked as a cleaning woman for Mrs Kohn." "Her husband was a, what do you call it, the singer in the synagogue?" "Hazzan." " Hazzan." "I must have been seven, eight years old when I heard the Jew Kohn sing." "Wonderful!" "I wanted to sing like that too." "Do you feel that too sometimes... a sadness that makes you happy?" "Do you know that feeling?" "Yes." "How is he today?" "Who?" " Mr Kohn?" "We're not barbarians." "Such a beautiful orchestra." "Maybe we should send the children after all?" "I'm having a little celebration on Friday." "I would value your presence." "Me?" "It's very informal." "Just me and a few friends." "Thank you." "For inviting me." "But, you see..." "My wife is a little anxious." "What can happen?" "I personally guarantee your safety, and your family's too, you can have that in black and white." "Well, see you this Friday then." "Old Cor sends his regards." "For your friend." "He makes me sick." " Bastard." "But our bastard." "Ours?" "Who's going to his birthday party?" "You're a hero." " I don't want a hero, but a husband." "How many have we managed to get away?" "50, 80 children?" "338." "338 human lives." "And how many have I put on the trucks?" "40,000 or 50,000?" "You can't think like that." "I see all those scared faces in the dark." "OK, fine." "So stop." "But then no more children will get away." "It's up to you." "I'd like you to leave now." " Hanna." "Or I'll go." "Where to?" "Just bugger off!" "There's an art to exaggerating." " Why would they?" ""The forced labour of the Jews turns out to be systematic extermination."" "English propaganda." " I hope you're right." "Five stars." "Thank you." "Many thanks, dear..." "Walter." "May I call you Walter?" " Of course." "You and I are in the same boat." "You didn't know that, did you?" "When this is over, when the place is cleansed of Jews, we can both go east." "You to work in Poland, me to the Front in Russia." "May I ask you something about that?" " Do you know what that means?" "The Eastern Front?" " No." "You're nothing but cannon fodder." "Until you're blown to pieces." "Sorry, Walter." "It's all a bit much at the moment." "And on my birthday, of all days..." "I got a letter from my sister." "Do you have any brothers?" " Yes." "I don't any more." "Sunday..." "Helmut hanged himself." "God!" "Here." " No." "Thank you." "I'm alright." "This damned war!" "If it weren't for the war, we might very well be friends." "Yes." " Really good friends." "Welcome." "Good evening, Mrs Hirschfeld." "Fancy coming pheasant hunting?" "They're everywhere." "Albert!" " Ferdi." "Happy birthday." "Thanks." "I heard about your brother." "Your sister must be very upset." "Yes." "War is war." " And a drink is a drink." "Don't worry." "They won't be sending you to the Volga!" "Cheers." " Cheers." "If only it was going as smoothly all over Europe as here." "It's a pleasure to watch." " Thanks to our theatre manager." "Mr Suskind, Obersturmfiihrer Gemmeker." "Commandant of Westerbork Transition Camp." "Pleased to meet you." " Pleased to meet you." "Excuse me." "For your wife." "Thank you." " Sylvie?" "And this is for you!" "Have fun, Walter." "I-1" "Sylvie, you should know..." " You are shy, aren't you?" "A high-up but not SS, right?" "Not really." "But you are German." "A sweet, shy Kraut." "A horny Kraut?" "Please, don't do that." "Yes, very high UP!" "I'm married, Sylvie." "Are you?" "So am I. I won't wear you out, you know." "You have guts." "I've seen some meshuga things in my time..." "That's why I'm not with the SS." "Don't worry, sweetie." "I'm not going to grass on you." "All the girls here are." "And Mrs Hirschfeld." "Madame." "In exchange for a Sperre." "Seems to make the Krauts extra horny." "Now, are we going to do anything or not?" "Don't then." "So why did you come here?" "From our civilised gentleman?" "Hung like a mouse." "'To whom it may concern." "Walter Suskind has always been a loyal servant of the Third Reich.'" "Well, well." "'Who has supported the SS above and beyond the call of duty.'" "Peﬂod." "'Neither he nor his family should be impeded in any way.'" "Peﬂod." "'Signed Ferdinand Aus der Ffinten, Commander of the SiPo and the SD.'" "Bloody hell!" "Are you his bumboy?" " His what?" "Traitor!" "Get the hell away from me!" "Licking that scum's arse for a Sperre." "And you then?" "Nazi whore." " Yeah, right." "Otherwise I'd be sitting on a cloud now." "Just like my grandma, parents, sister, nieces..." "The whole street, taken away." "They'll come home after the war." " You think?" "You should hear your Kraut friends when they're pissed." "What are you on about?" " They're never coming back." "They only have to work." " Oh yeah?" "Completely naked?" "Men and women, mothers with their children?" "They make you take your clothes off." "And then..." "Then what?" "In the shower." "They say." "Except no water comes out." "What then?" "What comes out?" "What comes out then?" "Gas." "You too." "You, just as easily." "Yes." "You don't believe me, do you?" " What should I believe?" "The lifeboat doesn't exist." "Hanna, you're going to die." "Stop it!" "What's the matter with you?" "I disposed of them." "Sent them to their death." "We're just a big heap of offal." "You, me and Yvonne." " No!" "You don't believe me, do you?" "Look at me." "Look at me!" "Look at me." "What do you see?" "What do you see?" "A Kraut." "You're a fucking Kraut." "I won't bloody do it." "Sending people away is one thing." "But an accessory to murder?" "You forgot that bit." "Mr Suskind." "What do you mean?" "Hitler is doing what he promised!" " Poland is tough, yes." "There's hunger, people have to work very hard, there are diseases." "Don't bullshit me!" "They're being murdered." "Annihilated, exterminated like... vermin." "Will you stop, please?" "That horror story about gas trucks again?" "Where did you get that from?" "From someone who works for the SS." "A Jewess." "Who works for the SS?" " A tart!" "Horizontal collaboration." "Bullshit!" "I've heard of it." "By the park." "The brothel run by Ulla Hirschfeld." "Even if what she says is true, what would you have us do?" "What can we do?" " Stop, just stop!" "Leave the theatre to the Nazis?" "Do something." "Let people know!" "I wouldn't want panic to break out in the theatre." "How many are left in Holland?" " 40 or 50,000?" "They're all going to be gassed." " What do you want them to do?" "How do I know?" "Go into hiding!" "Do something." "That's forbidden." "Forbidden?" "Goddammit!" "They're wiping us out!" "People in hiding are a danger to our community." "It inevitably leads to reprisals." "It is our duty to take care of our people." "Feed them, give them medical assistance, alleviate the pain." "We cannot, may not, do more." "Not I, not you." "A true Humanist." "Wasn't Mr Cohen a professor before the war?" "Of Classics." " I still am, actually." "You're an undertaker for the Nazi's." "That's what you are." "I quit." "Can I give you a word of advice?" " Just carry on?" "Yes." " Do it yourself." "You've got the contacts." "Why did you think I gave you the job?" "Because of your virtuoso piano playing?" "So you..." "How could you know that I'd..." " That you were so brave?" "I didn't." "But you have to carry on." "We're doomed anyway." "All of us." "Just bomb the shit out of it all." "The theatre, the railway." "Westerbork, Auschwitz." "A few bombs and it's done with." " Why would they?" "Damn English." "It's all about winning the war." "Why should I care who wins the war if I won't be there to see it?" "I can't stand the sight of them, I can't bear the language." "Damn Krauts." "Shall we get him?" "How did they get here?" "Mummy wouldn't let me go with her." "Maupie neither." "Where am I going to put you, child?" "Come on." "No problem." "Everybody wants babies." " Maupie." "Cute." "But please leave the deliveries to the girls." "A man with a baby is suspicious." " But we meet in a bar." "Here?" "They're Communists, every one of them." "Maupie's got a sister too." "Nine years old, Mirjam." "Fine, but nothing too Jewish." "No-one wants them." "Where do I put the girl then?" "The shed is full." "Isn't there one with blue eyes?" "Just less obviously Jewish." "Then she can come with me." "Less Jewish?" "Come on, little girl, sit here." "Hurry UP" "Hold on tight." "Here we go." "Roos!" "Roos!" "Roos!" "Henneicke Column." "Henneicke Column?" "Never heard of it." "You wanted to speak to me?" "No." "Just need you to sign for delivery." "Of what?" " She was in hiding." "In Lunteren." "And what if I don't sign?" "Then I don't get my money, you sod." "That's worth seven-fifty!" "A reward?" "Sorry, no chance." "Then I'll take her to the SD." " Out of the question." "She belongs here." "Now listen to me very carefully, my friend." "I let you do your bloody work, so let me do mine." "You call this work?" " No." "My passion." "My work is emptying houses." "Sending stuff to Berlin for auction." "Jews' stuff." "And the money from the 'Jews' stuff'?" "Stop whining." "It's used to pay for the trains, of course." "They pay for their own transport." "Stay here!" "Let go of me!" "Shoot then!" "Shoot!" "What are you waiting for?" "Need me to show you how?" "Let go of my gun!" "Out the way." "Where will they hide next?" "Does it hurt?" " Only when I laugh." "What will happen to Fanny?" "What if she talks?" "Say something, Walter." "What if they come here?" "Won't happen." "You don't know her." " And you don't know the Gestapo." "Don't be so stupid!" "You're a traitor, think about it." "You've taken Aus der Ffinten for a ride." "Terrible, isn't it?" "You've done enough, you're not God!" "Walter the Messiah." "We'll go on holiday." " We're going into hiding." "Now!" "They'll arrest everyone." "Piet, Felix..." "There, Walter the Messiah again!" "We have to leave." "We've got those stones." "Any news of Fanny?" "She's on the half-four train tomorrow." " Dammit!" "Did she tell them anything?" " Then they'd already be here." "How can we get her off there?" "Pinched from the Central Bureau." "An arrest warrant." "And who will arrest who?" " You, Fanny." "And they'll fall for that?" " A bit of bluffing, play-acting." "You are a theatre manager, aren't you?" "See you tomorrow." "What are you doing?" "I'm leaving." "With Yvonne!" "We can still get away." "Help me then!" "Before you know it, the Tommies and the Reds will be here and you... will still be smoking cigars with that clown." "He is indispensable." "For the saboteurs, yes." "She was acting alone." "She said she was trying to get her nephew away." "She's on tomorrow's train." " As will you be." "A one-way ticket to the Caucasus." "I wouldn't do that." "Our work here'll be finished in a month." "Cleansed of Jews." "Thanks to me and to this clown." "He's got you wrapped round his finger." " I'll give him a good grilling." "Really?" "Don't forget to wear your velvet gloves." "Suskind wouldn't betray me." "GESTAPO PROTECTIVE CUSTODY ORDER" "Brilliant." "That should do it." "Let's hope so." "Philips..." "Philips, Fanny." "Leave her on there." "This is from the Central Bureau." " On the list is on the list." "An order's an order." " Westerbork." "No, not Westerbork." "Mauthausen, right away." "The traitor." "She's a criminal." "As are you!" "Get on the train." "Or do you need help?" "Zimmermann..." " Am I on that list?" "I don't care." "You can go too." " D'you know who draws the lists up?" "Me!" "I do!" " Then I will personally add your name." "What is it?" " Suskind." "And yours, Herr Rottenfﬂhrer?" "Scharfijhrer Schénfeld." "Now get on the train." " Scharfilhrer Schénfeld." "Put me on the train if you must." "But I can assure you that you will be on the next one." "And it won't stop at Westerbork." "Stop the train!" "Thank you." "My compliments." "Well done." "Very well done." "What was so urgent?" "Your friend." "In two days' time he wants half of all the white armbands, 7,000 people, to be deported." "They're in a hurry." " Amsterdam has been cleansed of Jews." "Why have a Jewish Council if there are no Jews left?" "Cohen protested fiercely, of course?" " Cohen spent the morning with them and managed to get thirty names scrapped from the list." "Those thirty will get an exemption letter tomorrow telling them they don't have to report." "Signed by Asscher and Cohen." "You mean can I make 7,000 more letters?" "Why?" "What good will that do them?" "It'd give them a little extra time." "A glimpse of freedom." "The illusion of a choice." "How many have we got now?" " Over 6,000." "This trick could cost him his head." " Who?" "Our Hauptsturmfilhrer." "Revenge is sweet." "I don't really want revenge." " But he might." "Achtung!" "Suskind?" "Suskind?" "Where are my Jews?" "You, get UP!" "Where is Suskind?" "I asked you a question!" "Get them out of here." "All of them!" "Yes, sir!" "Get out, everybody out!" "Out, I said." "Are you deaf?" "Out!" "That's what I'm saying." "Listen, Mr Cohen." "I can assure you, it's a mystery to me too." "Just a moment..." "My God." "Take two men and get them all out of there." "Yes, sir!" " You, come with me." "You too." "Where's the rest of my 7,000 Jews?" "I'm waiting for them." "It's still early." "On your knees!" "Hands behind your back." "Hands behind your head." "What will happen if I pull the trigger now?" "Then I'll be gone." "I mean, to me." "Do you think I will mourn your death?" "Yes, I think I would miss you." "You don't have to shoot." "No, I know." "I have a will of my own." "I can choose not to shoot." "Or maybe I'll shoot you anyway." "If you kill me do you really think those 7,000 will turn up?" "Dammit!" "They'll have my head for this!" "You didn't do anything wrong." "It's beyond your control." "Tell Sturmbannfiihrer Lages that." "Someone deceived us." "Betrayed us." "Go on." "Move." " Easy, easy." "Faster!" "No!" "No!" "Aaron!" "Up there!" "Stay where you are!" "Faster!" "Sylvie?" "Go on." "Come on." " Where are we going?" "Quietly, eh?" "Mind your head." "Next one." "Come on." "I'll bring some more in the morning." "Go to sleep." "Goodnight." "That clown of yours can now stencil as many letters as he likes." "Suskind?" "It's not true." " You're a half-wit, Hauptsturmfijhrer." "A wimp." "Hello!" "Open the door!" "Open up." "Open up, police." "Come on, let's take a look upstairs." "They've gone." "They're not here." "That's dangerous." "You should come inside." "Excuse me." "Sorry." "Excuse me." "Walter." " Sylvie?" "They picked them all up this morning." "All the girls." "Everybody." "Oh no, and the children?" "They're still there." "They'll hear us." " I can't open it." "I can't let them starve." "I have to go back." "Back?" "You can't go back." "I have to." "I know someone who can help me." "This makes me sick." "What about these girls?" "What would you choose:" "dancing or Poland?" "Our Jewish SS." "Get back." "Well done." "Now you won't be deported." " I said, get back." "Obersturmfilhrer!" "The Commandant knows me." " I don't give a shit!" "Commandant!" "We've met before." "Sorry, but it's urgent." "Right." "I'm the theatre manager." "Hauptsturmffihrer Aus der FL'lnten's birthday?" "I don't remember." " In Amsterdam." "At Mrs Hirschfeld's." "Never heard of it." "Take him away." "No." "Come with me." "Slop!" "Enough!" "You're Suskind, aren't you?" "Yes." "There's someone who wants to talk to you." "By the latrines." "OK." "God bless you." "Don't ask any questions." "My darling." "I'll never leave you." "Sweetheart." "Where's Yvonne?" "She's asleep." "Did he..." " Don't ask any questions." "We'll always be together." "Forever." "Listen, Walter." "Tomorrow..." "You can go to Amsterdam." "In the morning." "No questions." "He wants Grandma's stones." "He'll give you till midnight tomorrow." "And you?" "I'm staying here." "But you have to go." "Those children..." "My darling." "Yes." "You will be back by midnight." "With Grandma's treasure." "If you try to cheat me, they'll be on the very next train." "And if I don't try to cheat you?" " Then she is yours once more." "Yours and yours alone." "Don't worry." "She has a Sperre until further notice." "Do I have your word?" "You have my word." "Walter." "Uncle Walter!" "I'll be back before dark." "Do you think I can take a bath too?" "As long as you keep them quiet." "And?" "They're safe." "We have to get them out of there." "And quick." "PISS OFF!" "Is that enough for 14 children?" "Plenty." " The rest are for Gemmeker." "What?" " Nothing." "We should hurry." "You." "The key man!" "Sallie!" "Where is Sallie?" "Sallie?" "Simon, come on, hurry up!" "Close it!" "Close it!" "Bloody little Jew!" "Are you still alive?" " Let go of me!" "What have we here?" "Two, four, six, eight, ten." "That'll bring in a nice amount." "Walter!" "It'll be alright." "Another train leaves at quarter past nine." "Everything you need to get away." " Get away?" "You have to go underground, Walter." " And leave Hanna behind?" "A boat leaves tonight." "I'll take you to Katwijk." "To Katwijk?" "I need to go to Westerbork, I gave Gemmeker my word." "And he gave you his?" " Yes." "He gets the diamonds, Hanna gets a Sperre until further orders." "Well, it seems the order has been given." "BY Who?" "By who?" "Why?" " I don't know, but they're on the list." "Tonight." "There's a deportation at half past one." "Bye, kids." "Sweetie." "Bye." "Uncle Walter?" "Hi, little one." "My brave boy." "Have a good trip." "Can I come with you?" " No." "Where are you going then?" "I don't know." "AT THE END IS VICTORY!" "Mummy!" " Essy, here." "Essy!" "Mummy!" "My case." "I'm looking for my case." " Your case is staying here." "Excuse me." " Move along." "Go on." "Where's the Commandant?" " Go on." "Move along!" "Hanna?" "Please, I'm ill." "Bloody bastard!" "Let go of me!" "Son of a bitch, learn some discipline!" " He's a human being too!" "Mum, where is Mum?" "Mr Suskind?" "Follow me." "My wife, where is she?" "And my child?" "Mr Gemmeker, we had a deal." "We agreed..." " I know, Mr Suskind." "It was beyond my control." "Where is Hanna?" "My wife and my child..." "Hanna!" "Hanna!" "A person can be mistaken." "I thought we were friends." "Did you...?" "Did you have Hanna...?" " The game is over." "Please, Ferdinand." "Please..." "Hanna and Yvonne Suskind." "Carriage number 14." "Bloody Kraut!" "HANNA AND YVONNE WERE GASSED IN AUSCHWITZ ON 24 OCTOBER 1944." "WALTER PROBABLY DIED FOUR MONTHS LATER" "ON ONE OF THE DEATH MARCHES SOMEWHERE IN CENTRAL EUROPE." "DURING THE YEAR HE WAS IN CHARGE OF THE DUTCH THEATRE," "WALTER SUSKIND HELPED SAVE THE LIVES OF OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE." "Roos!" "Simon!" "DEDICATED TO ALL THOSE STILL BEING HUMILIATED AND PERSECUTED TODAY." "THE CHILDREN FROM THE THEATRE WERE SAVED AND GREW UP IN FREEDOM." "MILLIONS OF CHILDREN ARE STILL CAUGHT UP IN THE HORRORS OF WAR." "WAR CHILD HELPS THESE CHILDREN." "WE SUPPORT THIS CHARITY."