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When Gregor Samsa
awoke one morning from troubled dreams
he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin.
What has happened to me?
What if I went back to sleep
and forgot all this nonsense?
It wasn't a dream
There, quietly between the four familiar walls, was his room.
Over the table,
on which an array of cloth samples was spread out,
- Samsa was a travelling salesman -
hung the picture
he had recently clipped from a magazine
and set in an attractive gilt frame.
Oh God, what a strenuous career it is that I've chosen!
On the road, day in, day out.
This getting up early makes one quite stupid.
It was half past six
and the hands were quietly moving forwards
One could see from the bed
that it had been set for four o'clock.
Certainly it must have rung out.
Heavenly Father, my train...
Gregor, it is quarter to seven. Didn't you want to go somewhere?
Gregor, aren't you well? Do you need anything?
Gregor, what's the matter?
Thank you mother, I'm getting up now.
I'm ready, now.
Open up, I beg of you.
One mustn't loaf around in bed.
Someone from work is here!
The chief clerk is here
I know!
The chief clerk has come and wants to know why you didn't leave on the early train.
We don't know what to say to him.
Besides, he wants to talk to you in person.
So please open the door!
He will be good enough to forgive the untidiness of the room.
Something's fallen down in there
Good morning, Mr. Samsa
He's not well.
He isn't well, please believe me.
Why else would Gregor
miss a train?
The boy thinks about nothing but the work.
He never goes out at night, on the contrary
He sits at the table with us,
Reading the newspaper or studies the timetables.
His idea of relaxation is working with his fretsaw.
He spent two evenings
cutting out a little picture frame
It's hanging in his room
You will be amazed how pretty it is.
You will see it presently!
When Gregor opens up
By the way, I am delighted that you have come.
We alone would have never been able to get him to open the door.
He must be unwell.
I am just coming.
I have no other explanation, dear madam
I hope it's nothing serious.
But on the other hand, I must say that we people in commerce
are quite often simply forced to overcome
a slight indisposition.
Can the chief clerk come in to see you now then?
No
Mr. Samsa
What is the matter?
You barricade yourself in your room,
respond only with "Yes" and "No"
Causing serious and unnecessary concern to your parents
and neglect your professional duties
In, as it were,
a monstrous manner!
Certainly, your position is not
the most secure
And your performance
has been dissatisfactory of late
It may not be the season for extraordinary business
but
a season
of doing no business at all
definitely does not exist.
Must not exist
Mr. Chief Clerk, I shall open immediately
A slight indisposition, an attack of dizziness prevented my getting up
I'm in bed again and I've calmed down now.
I am getting out of bed
Just give me a moment, spare my parents
All the accusations you make
have no basis
Perhaps you have not read the latest commissions I sent in
I will depart on the eight o'clock train
These few hours of rest have given me strength
Kindly be so good to send my regards to the director
Did you understand a word of that?
You don't suppose he's pulling our legs, do you?
Oh God!
He could be seriously ill and we're tormenting him
Grete
Mother?
You'll have to go for the doctor immediately
Did you hear Gregor just now?
To send my regards to the director!
The voice of an animal
Anna!
Get a locksmith at once!
Listen
He's turning the key
My dear
You, you
I'll get dressed straight away now, pack up my samples and set off.
Will you only let me go? Sir, you see
I am not stubborn and I enjoy working
Travelling is wearisome but I could not live without it
Where are you going now, sir?
To the office, I suppose. Will you report everything truthfully?
One can be temporarily unable to work
but that is just the right moment
to remember past accomplishments
and to consider that, later, once the difficulty has been removed
he will work with all the more diligence and concentration
I am under a great obligation to the director, you know that very well
On the other hand, I have responsibilities for my parents and my sister.
I am in a jam but I will work my way out of it.
Only don't make it any harder for me than it is already!
Give me your backing at the office.
The traveller is not popular there, I know.
It's thought that he earns sacks of money and just has a good time.
There is no particular cause to review this prejudice, but you, sir
You have a better overview of affairs
than the rest of the staff
Even, in confidence, than the director himself
Who, as an entrepeneur, too easily errs unfavourably
against the employee
And you also know that the traveller who is away from the office almost the whole year
May all too easily fall victim to gossip and to chance
and to baseless complaints
Against which he has no way of defending himself
since he mostly knows nothing about them
And when he returns exhausted from his travels
And only then suffers in person from their evil consequences
which he can no longer trace back to their original causes.
Chief Clerk, do not leave without
showing me by a word or two
that you at least partly agree with me!
Mother
You want to guzzle my coffee?
Go away, go away, you beast!
Gregor, come
Did you enjoy it?
Did he, did he eat anything?
Look what you've done
I'll never get that out of these trousers again
Is there hot water?
What am I going to wear? I wanted to go out
Heat up some hot water, will you
Yesterday he left it all untouched
But today he enjoyed his meal
Already in the course of that first day
his father set out the family's financial situation and prospects
to his mother and sister.
Now and then he rose from the table
and produced from his till
which he had rescued from the collapse of his business five years earlier
some certificate
or some savings book.
It had even happened that
various family jewels which the mother and sister
used to wear exuberantly at functions and celebrations
had been sold.
Gregor was now informed comprehensively,
since his father repeated his explanations several times
that in spite of all misfortune
an admittedly miniscule capital remained
which, in the meantime, had increased a little
because the dividends had not been touched.
Behind his door,
Gregor nodded eagerly
rejoiced at this unexpected foresight and thrift.
What's he doing now?
Would you like me to get you a beer?
I don't mind fetching it
Or I could ask the janitor's wife
Please let me see Gregor
He is my misfortunate son, after all
Can you not understand
that I must be with him?
No
Come in, Mother. He's nowhere to be seen.
And won't it seem that by removing the furniture
we indicate our giving up any hope of a recovery
and that we're ruthlessly abandoning him
No
Go away
Hello, what...
What has happened?
Mother fainted
But she's better now
Gregor escaped
As I'd expected
I've been telling you, but you women
don't want to listen.
No, stop that
Stop it
Gregor's severe injury
from which he suffered for over a month
- since nobody dared to remove it, the apple remained
lodged in Gregor's flesh as a visible reminder -
apparently had reminded even the father
that Gregor despite his current sad and revolting form
was a member of the family
who could not be treated like an enemy.
Rather, the obligations of family dictated
to swallow one's revulsion
and to endure, just to endure.
And even if Gregor had probably permanently lost his mobility
because of his wound
He gained for the deterioration of his condition
in his opinion,
a completely sufficient compensation,
in the fact that now every evening the living room door was opened.
How long you've been sewing again today
Rendez-vous
avec
vous
Grete, come here
Come
What a life
This is what peace I get in my old age!
No, no
Rendez-vous
No, let go
Go now
Grete, close the door
Away, away!
But even when the sister had become weary of
caring for Gregor as before
this did not mean that the mother would have to replace her
And there would not have been any reason to neglect Gregor
Because now the maid was around
What is this?!
Come here, for God's sake
Yes?
Who did this?
Why? I cleaned up earlier
- Why did you clean the room?
- You're supposed to stay in your room, this is her work! - How can you say this!
I've always said this is her work
Stop that now
Stop your coughing
Calm down
Don't choke
I can no longer stand this
Look at the old dung-beetle!
Come here you dung-beetle
Can't go any further?
It had now become customary
to place into this room such items
that could not be accommodated elsewhere.
And there were now many such items
because one of the apartment's rooms
had been let of late to three gentlement
These earnest men were painfully insistent on tidiness.
Unnecessary
or dirty clutter would not be brooked.
Many items
had become superfluous
which, although they could not be sold,
the family did not wish to discard.
I do feel hungry, but not for these things
How these gentlemen feast while I perish
Is the music disagreeable to the gentlemen?
It can be halted at once
On the contrary
would the young lady not like to come in and play here in the room
where it is, after all, much more cosy and comfortable?
Oh yes
Was he an animal if music could captivate him so?
It seemed to him he was being shown the way to the unknown nourishment he had been yearning for.
He was determined to make his way forward to his sister
and thereby to indicate to her that
he'd had the serious intention
to send her to the conservatory.
Mr. Samsa
Away with you!
Please, gentlemen, withdraw to your room
Please
Take care of him!
I declare here and now
that with regard to the repugnant conditions
that prevail in this flat
I give immediate notice on my room.
For the days that I have been living here I will, of course, pay nothing at all, on the contrary!
I will have to consider thoroughly whether to sue for damages
and it would be very easy to set out the grounds for such an action.
I am giving notice, too!
I am giving notice, too
This is intolerable, we will not submit to this
Dear parents, this cannot continue!
Maybe you can't see it, but I do
This beast does not
deserve my brother's name
This is why I say
We have to try to get rid off it.
We have tried everything humanly possible
to tolerate it and to care for it
I believe
we are beyond reproach
She is quite right
We have to try to get rid off it
It is going to be the death of the both of you
I can see it coming. We can't all work as hard as we have to
and at home endure this endless torture
We simply have to get rid off it.
I can no longer stand it either!
But child, what can we do?
If only he understood us
It has to go, that's the only way, father!
You only have to abandon your belief
that it is Gregor
If it was Gregor
he would have understood already
that one cannot live together with such an animal
and he would have left voluntarily
And he would not torment us incessantly
We'd no longer have a brother
but we could continue living
And honour his memory
As it is this animal pursues us
drives out the gentlemen
And apparently seeks to occupy the entire apartment
While we have to sleep in the streets
See father, there it goes again
But Gregor had never intended in the least
to inspire fear in anyone
certainly not in his sister
He had simply begun
to turn around
in order to return to his room
This was rather conspicuous
since, due to his suffering,
he had to employ his head
during the difficult about turns
Although he felt pain throughout his body
he felt as if
it was gradually weakening
And would dissipate entirely, at last
He could already hardly feel
the decayed apple in his back or the inflamed area around it.
He thought back of his family
with emotion and love.
His view concerning his necessary disappearance
was possibly even more determined
than his sister's.
He remained in this state of
empty and peaceful rumination
until the clock tower struck three in the morning.
Then, without his willing it, his head sank down completely,
And his last breath flowed weakly from his nostrils
Now look, it's dead
just lying there, totally dead.
Dead?
I'll say
Now then, let's give thanks to God
Look how thin he was
He has not eaten in two days
Grete, come in our room for a while
Come here
you dung-beetle
Where's our breakfast?
Leave my apartment at once!
What is the meaning of this?
Exactly how I said it!
Well
in that case, we are leaving
I'm going
Now?
What do you want?
Well, concerning the disposal of the stuff
in the other room
you needn't have any concerns
It is taken care of
Cheerio then
Tonight she will be sacked
Let's forget about all that old stuff. Come and give me a bit of attention
They decided to make use of the remainder
of the day for resting and for a promenade
They sat down at the table and wrote three letters of apology.
Mr. Samsa to his directorate,
Mrs. Samsa to her employer
and Grete to her principal.
Then they left the apartment together
something they had not done for months
they discussed their future prospects
They now wanted to rent a smaller and less expensive
but better situated
and altogether more practical apartment
than the current one which had been chosen by Gregor.
While they conversed
Mr. and Mrs. Samsa noticed, while their daughter was becoming livlier,
how she
- in spite of all the recent worries that had turned her cheeks pale -
was blossoming into a beautiful and voluptuous girl.
They considered
that it would soon be time
to find a good husband for her.
And, as if in confirmation of their new dreams
and good intentions
as soon as they reached their destination their daughter was the first to rise
and stretch out her young body.
Subtitles by stefflbw (2010)