"What should I write?" "That I was stupid and naive?" " The belief that we could solve our deception of Peter " " By standing in front of the mirror of honesty   and watching the truth emerge and thinking that everything was good?" "No" " Maybe there are some things that just resolve themselves   through time and incomprehensible pain." "And the war intensified." "We, at home, and the elite in Copenhagen   still saw the war as a game." "And only when the Danish generals decided to vacate Dannevirke   a deep and frightened sigh ran through the Danish population " " Like children who suddenly discover   that the adventure doesn't make any sense." "Greetings." "Parlementaires of the Prussian 3rd Arms   6th Dragoon Regiment, 5th Company " " requests permission   to ride freely up to the fort." ""I was born Denmark, where I have my home"" ""my roots and my world"" "This is quite cool, the music is in the grooves " " But doesn't it scratch easily?" "It's not difficult to see if a sword has been in combat " " Or if it has only been on display." "Most people know them only from museums or as dusty antiques " " But in reality it was a hell of a weapon." "A single, well-placed blow could cut a man in half!" "This is my Grandfather's sabre." " It has never been in combat." " Wasn't he in the war?" "Oh yes - he was in the war." "Do you look like him?" "No, I certainly hope not, Miss Claudia." "Maybe no one is completely evil." "Everyone looks for the best in themselves." "Perhaps with the exception of psychopaths who actually enjoy their wickedness." "I don't believe that Didrich wanted to be evil." "He just couldn't help himself." "Taken out of his mother's dead body   and straight into the arms of his father's furious grief." "Can you see the sword hanging over there?" "Would you be so kind as to bring it to me?" "I got this from Karen Blixen." "Look, this has been in combat." "See all the cuts from hitting bones   or the metal buttons, it carved itself into." "Even the groove there ..." "If the blood is not washed away   the blood will oxidize the metal ..." "The soldier who owned this one, never washed it on purpose." "He carried the blood of his enemies as a trophy." "Careful, it is sharp." "Who was he?" "Dinesen was the youngest officer in the army." "Wild, and with a violent hatred of the Germans." "Some said he was indestructible." "And he never got a scratch." "He and Peter's group had left Dannevirke as the very last soldiers   and took to their heels because the Prussians knew   that if they sent the Cavalry to fight the rear troops of the Danish army " " they would slaughter them." "They were trained killers, tense, bloodthirsty   and furious to find Dannevirke had been vacated." "The main group, with Laust and Didrich, had advanced   but was caught in a relentless snowstorm   which almost killed the exhausted soldiers." "It would have been a horror to be at the rear   hearing the trumpets of the Cavalry sounding to attack " "Come on, dammit!" "Come on." "What is it?" "Take my horse!" "Why the hell did you let go?" "We are not leaving the gun!" " We have the enemy right behind us." " I let it fall in the lake." "Then it is your responsibility to get it back up." "That's impossible." "It's too heavy." "You." "You jump in." "Soildier 222, it's your responsibility." "If you jump in the water, you'll die." "We lost it and we need to get it out." "Give him a rope." "More rope!" "Steady!" "More rope!" "Pull." "Pull the rope." " Laust!" " Pull!" "damn it!" "Pull!" "No!" "Now!" "Pull now!" " Damn, Laust." " Pull, dammit." "We have to get him up!" "Pull!" "Get him out!" "Come on!" "Get him out!" "They're coming back." "I'll take the guy on the far left." "You take the guy on the right." "Fire!" "And again." "Damned Danes." "Down on your knees." "Hands behind your necks." "You!" "Take your cap off." "Take your cap off." "Take your cap off!" "Damned Danes!" "What shall we do with you?" "Who hasn't killed anyone yet?" "Peter never spoke about the incident till many years later." "One winter he was deep in despair " " And could barely get himself up." "But finally he began to talk about his experiences   of the cavalry man's eyes." "The first person he killed." "About Dinesen's frantic ferocity   this strange, indestructable man   who after the incident, had blamed them for panicking   and had told them - the best soldier was the one   that already considered himself dead " " and therefore had nothing to lose." " and for the rest of the war Peter remained closed and dark." "There is a special breed of people   that one should always keep close in a war:" "'The Immortals'." "Dinesen belonged to that group." "And what about Laust?" "Laust and the others had lost the gun   and had fallen behind, as Laust was in a terrible state   but the delay would prove to be a piece of luck   as they didn't reach the area near Sankelmark " " until it was too late." "Sankelmark?" "If Dybboel was hell, Sankelmark was the hideous introduction." "Colonel Moeller was to delay the enemy   so the rest of the army could reach Dybboel." "But first they waited " " And that's the worst thing in a war." "To wait and wait." "Suddenly to understand that what is coming toward you   has one sole intent:" "To kill you!" " You were there!" " Was I there?" "You talk, as if you were there yourself." "Sankelmark only lasted about an hour and a half." "The enemy was pushed back   and the Danes had time to entrench themselves in Dybboel   as if that would be significant." "Nearly 900 dead and wounded " " They were alone, suffering   until the last vestige of life was frozen out of their bodies." "No one had time to take care of them." "Johan?" "What is that?" "That is Sankelmark, Alfred." "It's the wounded who are left behind." "But we must help!" "We don't have time, Alfred." "We must move on." " Come on." " We can't do that!" " Yes, we are being slaughtered here." " We can't leave them here." " Alfred!" " We can't!" "Hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come." "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." "For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever." "Amen." "Then Laust could not carry on." "Elsewhere, Peter and his group reached the safety of the far north." " Are you Danish, or are you going to die?" " Danish." " Are you coming from Sankelmark?" " Dannevirke." "The last ones." " and you?" " Are you hurt?" " It is not our blood." " Are you coming from Sankelmark?" " Yes." " It was terrible." "They stood in formation with bayonets at the ready   and then the Cavalry came." "Dinesen." "You have not been in combat." "You're a damned deserter!" "Betraying your comrades." "I'll blow your brains out of your head!" "Stop it now, Wilhelm." "Stop it now." "Run!" "The people hate you, Monrad." "You let the army flee, and your own son was one of them." " De Meza had tactical reasons." " An escape without a fight." "Nobody is taking your vision seriously." "If it was theater, it would be amateurish and touring the provinces " " The schoolmaster as director " " The King played by Lars Cobbler and you Monrad, played by Jens Wagoner." " I ask you." " What you are asking for Jens Wagoner?" "Every play has its dramaturgy." "There is a beginning, middle and an end." "The first two acts build up to the final climax in the third." "This amateur performance builds up, builds up, builds up " " But there will never be a the third act!" " It is not that easy, Mrs. Heiberg." " Aha ..." "God has always been with us Danish " " But in these days, he is absent." "It makes me very, very afraid, Mrs Heiberg." "Gentlemen, I know the impression   that abandonment of Dannevirke has made of myself ..." "Dad is practising his speech to the Members of Parliament." "... it is easy to understand the impression   must have made on the honourable gentlemen, Members of Parliament   and the citizens of Copenhagen in general." "I can't explain what caused the General to abandon Dannevirke." "When I last spoke with him, he was prepared   to fight and form serious resistance." "Shortly afterwards, we get the message that they have decided   to vacate ..." "They have decided to abandon Dannevirke " " And the army is in flux." "This note came as a thunderbolt." "I couldn't do anything but agree   that the Secretary of War has transferred the task to another." "But let us not condemn, let us not condemn " " Let us not rashly condemn " " The men who fled from Dannevirke." "It is an indication that a nation is disintegrating   when you fling the word "treason" towards those   who serve their country." "Towards those who serve their country." "Ditlev ..." "My son is not a traitor." "I love you, Viggo." "I love you." "The Danes win at Mysunde." "We put everything into Dannevirke, and when we arrived   no one was there." "We emerged as fools." "Re-armed, combative, survivors and completely alone at the front." "While the others regroup   making us the laughing stock of Europe." "We look like toy soldiers." "Bismarck, that's great." "Before we can blame you, you have already done it yourself." "I wish I were less cynical." "But one thing is in our favour." "The Danish army is fighting on two fronts." "Against us to the south, and against their own government." "It is said, that the Danish General has broken away from Copenhagen   to save the army." "Goodness me!" "What's wrong with that country?" "Can't they see reality?" "The Danes are 'feeling' violent, Your Majesty." "They 'feel'." "Finally, I was ready to leave." "I was beginning to feel the child " " And now, I was alone, as my parents had turned their backs on me." "No, not alone." "The child was there." "And not least Sofia, my beautiful sister " " With the dark eyes." "Although she was mute, I always understood what she said   through her silent gaze and certain movements." "And then we were on our way heading south." "We jumped on the wagon." "Ignazio and Djargo went do business in the wake of the war   and I went to find Laust and Peter." "We'll stay here the night." "Djargo, your thoughts are black." "Forget them." "Djargo." "Forget them." "Laust and his group were now further behind   overtaken by the enemy." "And now they tried to negotiate the forest up to Dybboel." "Sofia?" "Are you asleep?" "Inge?" "Inge?" "Laust!" "Inge" "You must not die." "I am coming to you." "We'll meet tomorrow." "Then we'll talk to Peter, and we'll solve eveything together." "Tomorrow we'll find each other and I'll tell you everything." "Tomorrow you will be a father." "That night Sofia and I were lying together   that is how we kept warm." "My breath on her neck." "Her back against my chest." "Your stomach ..." "There is something kicking." "Are you pregnant?" "Who is the father?" "Sofia?" "Who is it?" "Who is it, Sofia?" "Was it him?" "The pig?" "Was it him, Sofia?" "Did he rape you?" "He's destroyed you, Sofia." "Made my sister a whore   who bears his bastard." "You can't carry his child!" "I'm sorry, Peter." "I didn't mean to do it." "I love you, Peter." "But I have failed you." "I'm a pig." "Something just happened." "Something just happened with me and Inge." "We lost ourselves." "Couldn't help it." "I'm so sorry." "I think it is too hard to die   if you hate me." "We must go now." "Peter, don't you want to screw?" "The dead can't screw." " Dybboel." " Are we going through there?" "We can't do that." "Just wait here." "Who's there?" "A Danish soldier, who is tired of war." " Tea?" " Yes, thanks." "Are you a deserter, or are you just afraid?" "Who isn't afraid?" " What's your name?" " Why do you ask?" " You should not be here." " No" "Why don't you stare at the others?" "Aren't you interested in them?" "No, just you." "What's up with Heinz?" "You can't do that here." "I need you to relax  and nothing will happen." "We won't do anything to you." "You have no worries." "I need you to relax completely." "Completely relax." "You don't need to do anything." "Everything is as it should be." "Good." "Now just close your eyes and shut out everything." "Heinz!" "Listen to me." "You cannot shoot a man in the back." "You cannot." "If you see an enemy, you don't shoot him in the back." "Do you hear?" "And when that day comes, you don't shoot." "I can not." "Danish on the way!" "Danish on the way!" "Danish on the way!" "Danish on the way!" ""When I went off to war"" ""When I went off to war"" ""my girl wanted to go as well, yes, my girl wanted to go as well"" "Where is the gun?" "The one you threw in the lake?" "It's miracle we are here, Captain!" "By refusing to obey, you have surrendered expensive equipment to the enemy." "There is no excuse for cowardice." "There are no cowards behind this line." "What are you saying?" "I can smell cowards from a distance." "From the time we were at Fredericia." "You were there?" "It is the second time now " " So don't make it hard for both of us." "Laust needs help, Captain." " General de Meza wants to see you." " Does he have an appointment?" "No, it's completely unannounced " " But he says it is important that he talks to you" "Well." "General de Meza." "No, you don't like ..." "No." "Mr. President of the Council of Ministers " " I am aware and must naturally respect   that I have been stripped of my position as Commander in Chief." "But it is my duty to inform you of the scale of the disaster   that the Danish army and the whole of Denmark are facing at this moment." "The retreat from Dannevirke was an imperative." "We should not stay at Dybboel." "It could mean a bloodbath." "A carnage unparalleled in the history of Denmark." "We will throw our men to their deaths to no avail." "We should follow the original strategy and transfer the army to Fredericia   and the Prussians will , by storming Dybboel, once again be fighting air." "We should avail ourselves of smaller units, moving in the countryside   that can attack the enemy in unexpected places and use local knowledge." "General du Plat is the best man to be in command." "He thinks strategically." "He thinks creatively." "But to lock ourselves into at Dybboel ..." "Mr. President of the Council of Ministers, I implore you." "Stop this lunacy, before it is too late." "General de Meza, you are nervous   afraid of cold air and bacteria." "It is no wonder that you are also afraid of the Prussian army." "The Danish army does not need creative leaders." "Denmark needs a general who understands Danes' wishes." "That's why you are out of work right now." "May I ask you who you have in mind for the post as General?" "General Gerlach." "Gerlach?" "General Gerlach is not a decisive person." "He is doesn't have to make decisions." "He is doing what he is told." "He was not present when you decided to evacuate Dannevirke." " He would never have done that." " No, I am certain." "So if you'll excuse me." "Hr. Monrad ..." "You are aware that you now have put 30,000 Danish soldiers   on the altar to be slaughtered at Dybboel." "Thank you for your good advice, General de Meza." "I am sure, that God will show us the way very soon." " God?" "" "When God appears, then we can remove our children from the sacrificial altar." "You ..." "You are far too early this year." "Gentlemen, here you can see our situation." "We are on this page." "North, East." "And the enemy near Dybøl." "It will be the most violent slaughter in our history." "We will exhaust the Danes, by bombarding them with cannon fire." "And I mean, not only their entrenchments and fortifications   but we will break the Danish mentally." "In the meantime, our troops will dig under the Danish positions." "In a few weeks, these will be galleries populated by 30,000 soldiers   ready to attack." "Howitzers. 12 and 24 pound field guns with breech loaders." "They have a range of five kilometers with unprecedented accuracy." "Cover your ears, gentlemen." "The noise is deafening." "The time is 16:15." " and we begin the exhaustion of the Danish fort." "Gentlemen..." "Fire!" "Look." "Take cover!" "Cover!" "Why is the light given to the wretched?" "Why does God give life to the desperate?" " to those who are longing for death   which does not come " " For it is treasured more than any other   by those who rejoice and cheer   and rejoice when they find their tomb   To a man whose way is hidden, and God has locked up?" "My sighs are my daily bread." "My groans pour like water." "What, I fear   hits me." "What I dread comes over me." "I find no peace, no rest " " No peace." "What was it that had taken us so far   from common sense?" "Maybe it's the war and its anarchy, turning reality on its head  so fascinating." "Life and Death." "Words and juices that flow freely." "Piss and shit, laughter, swearing, semen and blood." "Was I going insane   or were we all already insane?"