[ Wind Blowing ]
[ Orchestra ]
[ Whistling ]
[ Whistling Stops ]
[ Song Ends ]
The Lord is
My shepherd
[ Orchestra Intro Note ]
I shall not want
He maketh me to lie down
In green pastures
He leadeth me
Beside the still--
[ Singer Yelps ]
Still waters
He restoreth my soul
Thy rod
And Thy staff
Pig! Grow up, can't you?
Coffee, anyone?
- Franta? - No, I'm in a hurry.
Another job? You must be rolling in it.
Can you lend me a hundred 'til Monday?
- You'll get it back. - I know. Or else I wouldn't lend it.
[ Bell Dings ]
[ Organ Playing Softly ]
Finally!
Now, this car is ideal.
- So practical. - Get a Trabant, at least.
How much is a Trabant?
- New or used? - Used.
- You'd need a hatchback. Twenty, twenty-five thousand. - [ Whistles ]
Hold on, hold on.
[ Horn Honks ]
I'm going, idiot!
They sure looked better from behind.
I didn't look back. So for me, they'll be beautiful forever.
[ Laughter]
Bills, bills!
Greedy vultures, the lot of you.
Hi, Helenka?
This is Louka.
I suddenly felt so lonely,
so guess who I thought of?
That's right, you.
Helenka,
you wouldn't be scared of a night in my tower?
To the theater?
Of course I'm not mad. How could I be?
No, get going then. Bye.
[ Dialing ]
Zuzi?
It's me, Louka.
Zuzi, I suddenly felt so lonely,
so guess who I thought of?.
You, of course.
Oh, he's home?
Okay. Yeah. Bye.
''Socialism: Our Unwavering Security''
[ Radio Announcer ] Czechoslovak socialism is undergoing cosmetic democratization.
Economically insufficient, it has no regard for human dignity.
The system is nearing collapse.
''Trabant, needs much work.
Twenty thousand.''
Crooks!
This is Radio Free Europe.
Good morning.
I'd say that inscription needs restoring.
It's the rain.
- I could do it for you. - What do you mean?
- I restore headstones. - How much would it be, altogether?
Well, it's not that long.
[ Mumbling ]
Thirty-six letters.
That would be 1 80 crowns.
Oh, my. Why is it so expensive?
Because there's real gold dust in there.
See how it glitters? It's real gold.
Pity there are two T's in his name. You could've saved five crowns.
Franta!
He maketh me to lie down
In green pastures
He leadeth me
Beside the still waters
[ Continues ]
[ Organ Continues ]
[ Sighing ] Do you know how long I've waited for this, Louka?
Two years. Since Hajkova's funeral.
- That's awful. -Such a long time! [ Hiccups ]
No, it's awful...
that we measure time in funerals, like undertakers.
- You were never married, were you? - No.
My late father always said...
if you want a musical career, don't get married.
- Music means celibacy. - [ Hiccups ]
- Do you have hiccups? - Yes, always afterwards.
When it's that good.
Always afterwards.
You know what?
Bite on your left pinky.
It puts pressure on the hiccupping points.
- [ Hiccups ] - Or try lifting your left leg...
at the same time as your right arm...
so the blood drains out.
- They say that works too. - [ Chuckles ] First time I heard that one.
-[ Tapping ] - What's that noise?
It's the pigeons.
Sharpening their beaks on the window sill.
- [ Sighs ] - [ Hiccups ]
Wait, I think I got it backwards.
The other way. Lift up your leg.
- That's my right leg. - Okay, right leg and left arm.
[ Laughing ] Why did they toss you out of the Philharmonic...
[ Clears Throat ] when you play so well?
- I don't feel like talking about it. - Then don't.
You know what? It works.
- I told you it would. -[ Tapping ]
Why are they sharpening their beaks?
Why? Now, that one I can explain.
To make them sharp.
You're such a jerk ! [ Laughs, Hiccups ]
[ Car Approaching ]
- Hail, comrade! -And God bless you too.
I've loads of orders for you.
Three in gold, two in silver.
Here you are. It's all written down.
Those are the grave numbers.
Mr. Broz, a gravedigger like you brings joy to the whole cemetery.
You're doing it so well.
I'm trying not to smudge it.
I'm telling you! Don't do it!
You only owe me 37,600 crowns now.
I'm doing my best. I really need a car to earn more.
We could sort out the car problem.
Yes, but how would I pay for it?
I have a wonderful job for you. Money like you never saw.
30,000 for a day's work.
-Straight into your pocket. - Daddy, Daddy.
Andy has a tick and it's real big.
Give him here.
Do you have a pet at home?
No, no pets.
Do you have a kid at least?
- No kids, either. - What do you have?
Go play, girls.
I'll deal with the tick.
I won't beat around the bush. It's a marriage.
- I have this old ''aunt.'' - No, Mr. Broz.
I won't marry. Certainly not some old aunt.
- She's Russian. - Even worse.
It's not the aunt. It's her niece.
Not even a niece, Mr. Broz.
It would be a fake marriage.
- No, I'm against marriage, in any shape or form. - [ Whimpering ]
- Cheers, cheers. - He's right.
Cheers, Mr. Louka.
This niece needs Czech papers...
to avoid being sent back to Russia.
There it is.
Sounds fishy. It's not for me.
Now to cremate the parasite.
Divorce in six months. You'll be free as a bird.
- Is Andy here? - He had a tick.
- I thought I'd lost you. - We're talking business.
- You know how I feel about this. - Don't worry.
-Just shut the door. -[ Door Closes ]
The wedding's just for show. For appearances.
For 40 grand, Mr. Louka.
- Before you said 30. - She'd willingly pay you 40.
You could buy a car and still repay me 20,000.
It's better than renovating headstones.
Graves, graves.
Screw this job.
I see you've got lots of pets.
A gravedigger has to have living things around him.
Her name is Nadezhda. It's just business.
- Deal? - I can't, Mr. Broz.
It's not for me.
[ Intermittent Squeaking ]
- [ Squeaking ] - Franta, stop that!
[ Squeaking ]
Come to see your mother, have you?
- Hello! - Hello!
[ Piano ]
Franta!
Come again on Tuesday and practice!
Today it was pretty miserable.
- [ Clock Chimes ] - I had a feeling you'd come. Guess what I've made for lunch.
Potato dumplings.
I was in the pharmacy. I said, I'll make him dumplings.
- That's great, Mom. - Vitulka wrote.
It's in the bureau.
Read it aloud if you're reading it.
Maybe later.
Sometimes I think you don't like your brother.
What did he do to you?
What he did was leave.
You can't hold anything against him. He went there with nothing...
and now he has a good business.
Meanwhile, I've got crap.
But you'll have money again, Franta. You're a virtuoso player.
You'll get back on your feet again. Eat up. There's more.
Mr. Holocek says that we need new gutters.
- New gutters? - Yes, he said they've rusted through.
He said that 2,000 would cover...
materials and labor.
How am I going to get the money?
This house has cleaned me out.
I had to sell my car. I'm in debt.
- Where am I going to get the money? - Don't talk that way.
You know the house is yours...
now you've bought your brother's share.
If you hadn't, we'd have lost it to the state when Vitulka emigrated.
Would you have wanted me to live with strangers?
[ Scraping ]
Hey, Franta! Still fiddling for corpses?
And you? Still squeaking for gallbladder patients? - Of course.
I've got to go. I'll be late for the bus. Good-bye, Mrs. Loukova.
What's all this about corpses?
That's what we call a concert audience...
when it's dead; when they don't respond.
It was blocked here.
Otherwise, the gutters are in fairly good shape.
[ Softly ] Except for the odd spot.
Well, I'll be damned.
How did this get here?
It's not very valuable, Franta.
It's just a piece of costume jewelry.
- Where did you get this? - I found it.
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
And what do you think it's worth?
I really have no idea.
Well, look, I could give you five,
maybe ten crowns for it.
Thank you.
A couple's on your street and they get into a fight.
She says, ''You and your two-bit trinket can both go to hell!''
Enraged, she throws it in the air.
That's it.
- Mr. Broz, I think I agree. - Of course.
There's no other explanation.
I mean, I agree to this bogus marriage, I think.
You could talk to Nadezhda in German.
She's an interpreter between German and Russian.
I'm afraid I speak neither.
That's just like you Czechs!
First you don't like Germans, then you don't like Russians.
It's not that.
I just have no head for languages.
Anyway, who cares how they talk together?
Every Czech knows some Russian.
[ Speaking Russian ] Every Czech can speak a bit of Russian.
- Except me. - [ Russian ] Except him?
Nobody will suspect. What's important here...
is for Maestro Louka to know there'll be no tricks.
Divorce in six months. I promise you, that's all.
A fake marriage. Nothing hidden.
Nadezhda has a little son.
And she's young.
And you could be her father.
- What would she do with you? -She's right.
[ In Russian ] Tamara, tell him...
it will be like a real wedding.
She says it'll be like on a real wedding, so...
we must have a reception and a wedding night.
Everything normalish, like a normal wedding.
- A wedding night? - The first night, you'll sleep together.
But in different rooms...
to avoid suspicion in case you're followed.
Waiter, another vodka, please.
[ Whispering Hoarsely ] The down payment.
Do you have any idea what bribes cost in Russia?
Come here.
Don't even ask.
[''Wedding March'']
[ Paper Rustling, Pen Scratching ]
Franta, I'm amazed.
Congratulations. The best of luck.
She's a beauty. A real beauty!
Must you play everywhere?
[Jazz ]
[ Woman Singing ]
[ Chattering ]
[ Man Yelling, Crowd Cheers ]
[ Woman Giggles ]
[ Laughing ]
Friends!
[ Speaking Russian ] Friends!
I like my wife Nadezhda very much.
[ Russian ] I like my wife very much. [ Czech ] But of course!
- I have just decided... - [ Russian ] I decided...
that Nadezhda and I...
shall together enjoy a real...
and truly beautiful wedding night.
- [ Russian ] What did he say? - [ Russian ] Some joke.
Because it would be a great pity...
if a Czech man denied...
his Russian wife her unde-- undeni--
- undeniable right. - [ Russian ] Translate, Tamara.
I promise tonight...
I'll be hot-blooded as any Russian Don Juan.
[ Phone Ringing ]
[ Russian ] Go screw your mother!
I'll be... [ Coughs ]
- a real Casanova! - They don't understand your jokes.
They're terrified.
That's how it should be.
Every bride should be terrified on her wedding night.
The baby's coming.
The contractions have started.
[ Russian ] She's having a baby. The contractions have started.
Broz, look after the children.
[ Chattering ]
[ Tape Falters ]
[ Sighs ]
Nadezhda Ivanovna.
Wife of mine.
[ Locks Click Shut ]
- New, isn't it? - It's used, Mom.
It looks pretty new to me.
No rust anywhere.
These cars never rust.
Then it was a good buy.
Look at all those Russians.
They're like locusts.
Would you believe it? Lots of Czechs do business with them.
It's certainly cheaper.
Russian diesel, gasoline, coal.
Collaborating with the occupiers! Such fine patriots.
[ Chuckling ] When the Russians invaded...
people shook their fists;
said they wouldn't even give them stale bread or water.
And look at them now.
A fine nation we are.
Can I give you a lift?
[ Klara ] Is this your dowry?
I see someone can't keep his mouth shut.
It's a nice car.
You're better off in more ways than one.
Look, this marriage--
I'm not interested.
I live alone. Nothing has changed.
I'm such an idiot. I nearly got divorced because of you.
Klara, let's go to my place.
Stop. I'd like to get out.
Klarena.
I'd really rather get out.
[ Sighs Deeply ]
[ Shifts Down, Brakes ]
I've done all your washing and ironing.
Great.
We're supposed to decorate the windows. Put up some flags.
Christ, another Communist anniversary? I can't keep up with them.
They're judging the best-decorated building again.
My windows are too high for them to see.
Don't you believe it. They watch us like hawks.
Put up one Russian flag and one of ours...
so they leave me in peace.
That's 7 0 crowns.
I'll add it to the 200 you already owe me.
You can have it right now.
- Right now? - Yes.
- I don't have any change. - Keep it.
Thank you very much.
- Hello. - How do you do?
Mr. Stoklasa sent me.
He did, did he? Hold this.
Slowly, slowly!
And what was Mr. Stoklasa's message?
He wanted you to look me over.
That is, he wanted you to hear me play.
[ Grunts ] Decorating for the anniversary?
Like hell. I've outgrown all that.
Like a drink?
Yes, please.
I play the viola, but I want to play the cello.
- And what made you-- - Decide to switch?
- No. - I like the fact that it's so big.
Uh-huh.
- You prefer big instruments, do you? - Yes.
Play something, then.
Show me.
You've got long fingers. That's good.
[ Clears Throat ] You're giving me butterflies.
Squeeze more with your knees.
That's it.
- Shall I play? - Please.
- Like that? - Play, play.
[ Telephone Ringing ]
Louka.
Which friend?
Right this minute?
Who's calling?
- Blanka. - Yes?
We must make it some other time.
That's a pity.
Tell me about it.
- [ Mumbling ] Come to the Green Tree. - What?
Come to the Green Tree!
Are we staying here or are we off again?
It's all right here.
So you're a spy. Is grave digging just a hobby?
Mr. Louka, we're in deep shit.
- Nadezhda has emigrated. - Where to?
- Germany. - West Germany?
Mm.
She went as an interpreter...
and stayed there.
She has a guy there.
She's crazy about him.
I never told you about him.
Some businessman, married. I thought he'd visit her here.
No sleeping! You're not at work!
- Why not go directly? - From Russia to West Germany?
They're not allowed. Russians can come here but they can't go there.
So how come she got there from here?
Because she has Czech papers, thanks to you.
Going home? Fine, go then.
Also she left her son here, so she was allowed to go.
Why go, if he's married?
That's not our problem, Mr. Louka.
The bad part is that the cops will get interested.
I knew I was being stupid. I could feel it in my bones.
I'm sorry, Mr. Louka.
But you'll be all right,you'll see.
The boy will stay with the aunt.
And when should I expect them?
- Who? - The cops.
I'd say soon.
[ Thunder Rumbling ]
[ Knocking ]
[ Loud Knocking ]
[ Louka Panting ]
Frantisek Louka?
- You're this boy's father? - ''Father?''
The lady he was staying with is downstairs in our ambulance.
She's had a stroke. She says you'll take over.
But I'm only a distant father. I mean to say a stepfather.
That's your problem. Sort it out yourselves.
She sent him here while she's in the hospital.
[ Thunder Rumbling, Rain Pattering ]
[ Boy Sniffling ]
[ Sighs Deeply, Exhales ]
- Come on then. - [ Sniffles ]
Don't just stand there. Come on in.
Mr. Broz, have you heard?
Oh, so you do know?
Then come fetch him right now.
This wasn't part of the deal.
- [ Babies Crying ] - We can't solve this on the telephone.
Drop by tomorrow.
I can't hear you.
- One night won't kill you. -[ Crying Continues ]
Give him a bath and put him to bed.
Screw this.
[ Thunder Rumbling ]
You have some slippers?
Something to wear indoors?
A fine conversation this is going to be!
This is all I needed.
Here they are.
Slippers. Yours.
Take your shoes off, see, and put your slippers on.
- [ Sniffling ] - Look, stop snivelling.
I'm not thrilled myself.
Stick it out for one night here...
and then it's off to the gravedigger's.
He got us into this and he'll damn well get us out.
There you go.
Look what we have here.
Some crayons and paper. You can draw.
Why don't you sit down and draw something?
Draw. Come on, draw!
So, stare out the window. What do I care?
Be pigheaded then. Take a good look.
[ Sniffling ]
Eat.
At least drink your tea.
Tea.
Russian tea, what you people drink nonstop.
I put sugar in it.
Don't pretend you don't understand.
You must understand something.
We're both Slavs.
I don't speak Russian, you don't speak Czech...
but you must understand the word ''tea''.
We have it, you have it.
We use the same word.
There you go.
Now we're getting someplace.
[ Radio Announcer] At the moment there are 1 1 5,000 heavily-armed Soviet soldiers...
- [ Sniffling ] - on the territory of our homeland.
[ Clicks Off]
[ Sniffling ]
Stop snivelling and sleep. One night won't kill you.
[ Sniffling, Whimpering ]
Fine. Be that way.
[ Broz ] She was against the wedding all along.
- Who was? - Marus, my wife.
She kept saying, ''You'll get him into trouble.''
She was right about that.
She was.
So I can't ask her to take in a fifth child.
Mr. Louka, our place is a madhouse these days.
Try to put up with him.
I'll take 2,000 crowns off what you owe me.
No, three, 4,000.
And what am I supposed to do with him?
Can't that woman with gold teeth take him in?
Pasha? Been back in Leningrad for ages.
Look, his aunt will be out of the hospital in a couple of weeks.
Keep the boy. It's in your best interest.
That's why the aunt left him with you--
for your own sake.
Looking after your wife's child makes your marriage look genuine.
To whom, exactly?
The police, when they interrogate you. And they will come.
- Have you been questioned before? - No.
I was. Once.
The first cop was real nice. The second one was named Novotny.
He was sharp as a razor.
Sooner or later they'll come for you.
And they'll grind you down slowly but surely.
When my old mother taught me to sing
She would often weep
[ Rumbling Sound ]
[ Loud Thumping ]
Mr. Louka, you didn't put up the flags.
You said you'd do it and you didn't.
I've been too busy.
I'm doing concerts every day for the workers.
Well yes, but you're the only one who didn't do it. All the others did.
What a nice little boy. Who do you belong to, then?
He's my nephew.
What's your name, dearie?
He won't talk. He's terribly shy.
I don't care about the flags...
but you're drawing attention to yourself.
I'm a coward.
Last year...
I didn't give a damn and it was okay.
But we mustn't give them any excuse now we're in the shit.
[ Russian ] Ours, yours.
What did you say?
[ Russian ] Ours. Yours.
So you can understand when you want to.
The thing is, we put up your flag because we have to.
Once we put it up in gratitude.
But that was before we realized that you Russians are scoundrels.
You understand? No, you don't.
You're expansionists!
Wherever you march you stay.
But not you, you'll go back to your aunt.
The moment she gets better I'll pack your chemodan and you'll be off.
[ Russian ] ''Chemodan.''
That's all the Russian I know, because they stole mine in Moscow.
You steal suitcases and other people's land.
[ Russian ] Ours is red.
What's so beautiful about it? It's red like your underpants.
Now ours is beautiful.
- [ Russian ] Ours is red. - You don't understand a thing.
Look what I bought you.
- Russian eggs. - Russian?
Some Czech hens...
lay Russian eggs, and they don't even know it.
[ Knocking ]
[ Russian ] Grandma!
Hello.
- I've come for my lesson. - Today?
- Isn't it convenient? - No, it's fine.
It's just that I have a visitor.
[ Laughing ]
- Is he your little boy? - No, no.
- A grandson? - Of course not. I'm babysitting--
I'm baby-sitting for a colleague from Leningrad.
The boy is Russian.
- [ Russian ] Hello, kid. - Hello.
- [ Continues ] What's your name? - Kolya.
[ Chattering Continues ]
Shall I begin?
We'll put the light on so you don't get scared.
And here's a steamboat.
[ Steamboat Sounds ]
[ Cello Stops ]
[ Russian ] Ours is red.
So we're putting up flags after all!
Tamara Komarova.
Nurse, take the child out.
[ Speaking Russian ] Am I going to see Grandma?
She died yesterday.
At seven A.M.
You're her... what?
Nothing. Just an acquaintance.
We didn't know where to send her things.
Dressing gown, teeth, spectacles, watch--
[ Russian ] Where's Grandma?
Grandma is asleep.
We mustn't wake her.
[ Russian ] Faster.
[ Man ] Write to the Welfare Office and have him put into a home.
Say you're his stepfather. His mother has left,
and you can't look after him due to your job.
Or put him in kindergarten. He can't stay here.
- Look what he's drawing. - A coffin, isn't it?
It's not a bad drawing.
Gentlemen, the bakery won't wait.
[ Klara Singing ]
[ Chattering, Laughing ]
Are you his dad or his granddad?
His granddad.
Fill out these forms and send them...
to Comrade Zubata at Social Services.
- And when do you think--? - I can't say.
I don't understand.
You say the boy is from Yugoslavia.
His parents let him stay with you, Just like that?
So he'd see the Czech countryside.
And why is he called Kolya?
That's a Russian name.
Kolya is short for Nikolai, Mom. It can be a Yugoslav name too.
- Couldn't he stay here for a few days? - No.
He's pale.
He'd have the fresh air and he'd be company for you.
[ Mother ] What's the world coming to? People leaving their kids anywhere.
[ Gulps Food ] If you devote yourself to music, you shouldn't have children.
Like you. It should be either music or a family.
You've put me on the spot. How long would he stay?
[ Laughs ]
-[ Trucks Driving By ] - You see them? Always on the road...
driving back and forth.
[ Russian ] Ours.
No, not yours. Those are Russians.
Come here. It's the King.
[ Speaking Russian ] Russians. Russian soldiers.
What's he saying?
How should I know?
Maybe the uniforms remind him of the Yugoslavs.
Stay here, Kolya. It's almost ready.
[ Speaking Russian ]
[ Soldier Playfully Shouting Orders ]
You lied to me.
He's a Russian.
Yes, I lied to you. He is Russian.
You're in with the Russians now?
Mom, all Russians aren't alike.
[ Doorbell Rings ]
We're not home.
-[ Doorbell Rings Again ] - Oh, come on.
He saw me come in.
[ Speaking Russian ] Excuse us. Could we wash our hands here?
- Oh, wash your hands? - The water's off.
The water's off.
[ Russian ] The water's off?
There's a burst pipe somewhere.
[ Russian ] Sorry to bother you. Good-bye.
- [ Faucet Running ] - [ Russian ] It's running.
The water's running!
I won't have a Russian child here.
Come on, let's go see Uncle Ruzicka.
[ Russian ] The water's running.
I don't like it, Frana. Lying to your own mother.
- Vitulka would never do that. -[ Clock Chiming ]
First you show no interest in children and then it's a Russian.
[ Places Object On Shelf ]
[ Wood Grinding ]
[ Man ] Come look... whip it so.
How's things in Prague?
Same as here.
Did you hear what this one psychic says?
That it'll all fall apart this year.
They've said that for 40 years.
This psychic had a vision.
The Communists...
were buying bars of gold...
and fleeing to Russia in great hordes.
But Gorbachev was there, took the bars...
and beat them on the ass with them.
Then he said, ''Leave the gold here and go home!''
But nobody wanted them at home.
The kids and nurses rebelled. They drove the Communists to Albania...
with a great pealing of bells...
and set up reservations for them there...
like for the Indians in America.
What a vision!
Why was it the nurses who rebelled?
That I can't tell you.
[ Trucks Driving By ]
[ Russian ] Are they ours?
Yes, yours.
[ Russian ] Are they going to Moscow?
No, they're here for good.
They just go back and forth.
[ Russian ] Do they live here?
Unfortunately.
[ Trucks Continue Driving By ]
[ Russian ] Like me.
[ Sighs ]
It's cancelled today. The Russian kids from the barracks...
all saw it yesterday.
- [ Crying ] - They're not showing it. Come on.
[ Whining ]
How big an audience do you need?
At least five. But this is a Russian film.
'Angelika''is on tomorrow.
Give me five tickets.
Mr. Lansky, we're going to show it after all.
Hi, Franta.
[ Chopping ]
[ Cartoon Characters' Voices Echoing ]
[ Smacking Gums ]
[ Laughing ]
[ Kolya Giggling ]
[ Russian ] Where's Grandma?
She's asleep.
Mr. Louka, you got a registered letter.
I signed so you wouldn't have to go to the post office.
Just imagine!
Our building came in second in the decorations competition.
We'd have come in first too, if it wasn't for that idiot Pech.
It's from the police.
Probably a parking ticket.
I suppose you'll have to show up in person.
[ Yawns ]
I'm Pokorny. You would be Mr. Louka.
- You brought-- - There's nobody to look after him.
But during the interrogation--
Comrade, could you take him?
He'll bawl his head off.
Oh, hell--
We've never done this before.
Never before, Mr. Louka.
Don't you have children?
Yes, but I don't take them to work.
Maybe I could ask Jitka.
Jitka, you'll have to look after this boy.
Use Kopecky's office. He's out.
- Go and play with Auntie. - [ Growling ]
- [ Growling Continues ] - He won't go with strangers.
- Well, how old is he? - Five.
But he doesn't speak Czech. He's Russian. Can't he stay?
If you have paper and pencil, he'll draw.
Sit down, Mr. Louka.
Do you have any colored ones? He really likes crayons.
So you got married on us, Mr. Louka.
Well, well, how interesting.
Here you are a confirmed bachelor,
and bang! Suddenly at 5 5--
People do foolish things, especially at my age.
Well, she's young and pretty.
- A guy could fall in love pretty quick. - You know how it is.
How did you meet?
- In a restaurant. - Which one?
It was the Molostranska café.
She was there sitting alone, and there was no other table free.
- We got to talking-- -And do you speak Russian well?
No.Just a few words...
left over from school.
- The cigarette. - Please take one.
No, it fell.
That's always happening.
Very nice.
[ Pokorny Over Speaker ] He draws well. That violin--
[ Louka ] Cello. It has a spike.
[ Pokorny ] Of course. A violinist would stab himself.
- I have a five year old but he can't draw as well. - [ Sighs ]
-[ Louka ] What's his name? - Rodek, after my wife.
-She has a man's name? - No, it's Rodka really.
[ Switches Off, Coughs ]
How's it going?
Captain Novotny, Mr. Louka.
Listen, my dear man,
you seem to have a bad influence on your family.
Your brother emigrated.
Your wife emigrated.
You didn't live together long in that tower of yours, did you?
Nobody saw her there.
We lived together a few days,
but we didn't get along. She spoke Russian...
and I only spoke Czech.
And you didn't notice that before the wedding?
Of course. But there were other problems as well.
She kept opening the windows.
She was so used to Siberian winters.
So we decided we'd live separately.
Okay, you've had your fun.
Now spit it out.
How much did they pay you, smart-ass?
Isn't that a bit rude?
I'll be as rude as I like.
I call a jailbird anything I choose...
and that's what you'll be.
I asked you a question!
Comrade, can't you take this child?
We already tried.
How'd you pay for that Trabant?
I saved some and borrowed the rest.
From whom?
My colleague Parizek and Mr. Broz.
Did your wife tell you she would emigrate?
That took me by surprise.
And her son. That also took you by surprise?
Yes, that too.
What will you do with him?
I'll probably keep him.
Since he's mine by marriage.
Look here, my dear man. This marriage is an obvious scam.
Tell your fairy tale of an old goat in love to someone else.
And don't think you'll be playing with the Philharmonic much longer.
You'll be lucky to fiddle at funerals. We'll make sure of that.
''He's already only playing funerals!''
Why not try to save your skin?
Just tell us who arranged the wedding...
and how much you got for it.
This isn't the last time we'll meet. Go back home and think it all over.
Then maybe you'll come back...
and see us before we send for you.
[ Sighs ] Well, that's it.
[ In Czech ] That's it. ''My dear man.''
A couple more interrogations and you'll be speaking Czech.
[ Sandals Squeaking ]
[ Woman Speaking Over P.A.]
- Well, Marketa! - No, Misa.
Misa, of course!
- What are you up to? - Well I play--
-[ Woman Speaking Over P.A.] - I play in a sort of ensemble.
Jesus, the boy! Excuse me.
[ Air Hissing From Train ]
[ Electrical Sparking ]
A five year old boy is lost on Line B. He does not speak Czech.
- His name is.... Kolya. - Kolya.
He should be taken to the supervisor at any station.
[ Speaking Bad Russian ] Donut be skary and donut going nowhere.
You must to stay in metro but we find you. Hello.
End of message in Russian language.
[ Sandals Squeaking ]
[ Air Hissing From Train ]
[ Grunting ]
[ Loud Groan ]
[ Air Hissing From Train ]
[ Stairs Banging Metal Guard ]
The shoes.
Kolya!
You gave me such a fright.
[ Sighs ]
That wasn't a phone call. It was a phone scream.
It was all this, ''Kolya, my baby!''
When I said her aunt was dead...
and that you had him she almost fainted. She wanted to come...
but I talked the idiot out of it.
I told her they'd send her straight to a camp in Siberia.
- What about the Red Cross? -She applied for the boy...
and there are international agreements on mothers and kids.
Oh-- She sends you her greetings.
[ Louka ] That's very nice of her.
[ Kolya Chattering ]
- [ Door Squeaking ] -[ Russian ] Hello, Grandma.
[ Russian ] It's me, Kolya.
Can you hear me? [ Crying ]
We went to see you but you were asleep.
Please come back, Grandma.
Come on.
Zuzi? It's Louka.
I suddenly felt so lonely and guess who--
Can you talk? He's in Warsaw?
Lucky you.
Oh, he's washing!
He takes his time in there, doesn't he?
Listen, I'm looking after a Russian kid.
Russian. Belongs to a violinist from Leningrad.
He can't sleep.
You teach Russian. Could you read him a story?
-[ Throwing Slippers On Floor ] - Anything. He's five.
Go and find something. I'll wait.
She's a teacher.
[ Russian ] A fairy tale.
The Eagle and the Lamb. Fantastic! I'll give him the phone.
Kolya Bilyukov.
[ Russian ] No, I'm not scared of eagles.
[ Zuzi, Reading Russian ] ''High on a Caucasian Mountain peak lived an eagle.
''One day he flew so high...
''he reached a star.
''On that star there was a little house.
''In the house lived an old sheep and her lamb.
'''I came for a visit,' said the eagle.
'Let's see how you live here.'''
[ Russian ] Beautiful.
Thanks, Zuzi.
You left them here?
Black lace ones?
You went home without your panties?
No, I'd have noticed them.
I'd like to see you too, Zuzi, but I can't right now.
I'll call you.
[ Hangs Up Phone ]
[ Louka Playing Classical ]
[ Biting Apple ]
[ Russian ] Hello.
What's your name?
My name's Kolya.
-[ Louka Picking Cello Strings ] - Do you want some bread?
- Get out of here. - [ Stops Playing ]
[ Louka ] Don't feed them. They'll take over.
And shut the window. There's a draft.
Scram!
[ Kolya Singing ]
[ Singing Continues ]
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures
He leadeth me
Beside the still waters
[ Singing Continues ]
[ Louka Continues Playing ]
[ Stops Playing ]
What are you doing?
[ Russian ] Your job.
[ Sighs ]
That's enough.
[ Kolya Shouting ]
[ Laughing ]
[ Louka ] We're up as high as the birds.
High up like birds.
[ Inhaling, Exhaling Deeply ]
His mommy isn't at home?
She's abroad at the moment.
He must have antibiotics.
Every four hours. Set your alarm clock.
And a quarter aspirin as well. You have some?
Yes.
There's a danger of meningitis.
If the fever continues, apply cold compresses.
-[ Doctor ] You can do that? - Yes, of course.
-[ Kolya Whispering ] - Will your wife be away long?
Probably.
You'll need a note for your employer.
- [ Whispering Continues ] - Yes, maybe.
[ Soft Chiming ]
[ Classical ]
[ Loud Orchestra ]
[ Soft Chiming ]
[ Panting ]
[ Bell Tolling ]
This will feel a bit cold.
Hold on, it's going to be all right.
You'll be all right now.
Thank you, Klara. I'm sorry I called you so late.
- That's okay. - No, really, I mean it. Thanks a lot. Good night now.
No need to see me off. I'm staying 'til morning.
What will you say at home?
That an old flame of mine had a child.
And he couldn't cope.
A magpie or a jay. They steal shiny things.
[ Hiccups ]
You're right. Nobody thought of that.
It's still beautiful, even if it's worthless.
When I said Jan and I couldn't have children,
I didn't mean that I can't.
You must have misunderstood.
When is he supposed to take his next pill?
At five. I set the alarm.
[ Bell Chimes ]
You're less selfish than I thought.
I never imagined you'd worry like this about someone else's child.
Neither did I.
[ Coughs ]
[ Klara ] Weren't you afraid...
to go through with the fake marriage?
You, a victim of political persecution.
I'm not a victim of political persecution.
Just a victim of my own stupidity.
They used to let me go to the West.
One time, the Party Officer said,
''Your brother has emigrated but we trust you.''
When I returned, I had to fill in the usual forms.
One of the questions was, ''Did you meet an emigré?''
I wrote, ''Yes.''
Then it said, ''State in detail what you discussed.''
And I just wrote, ''Just the usual shit, Comrade Blaha.''
- Is that all? - I guess he felt hurt.
And I thought you'd done something heroic!
Pathetic, isn't it?
You filled that form out perfectly.
- [ Kissing ] -[ Glass Bangs Table ]
[ Inhales, Exhales Deeply ]
I'd like you to have this.
That's nice. And you've stopped drawing coffins.
[ Russian ] Telephone story.
Oh, a story?
Let's call our teacher Auntie.
[ Russian ] ''The Eagle and the Lamb.''
Could I have the one about the eagle?
I liked that one.
[ Hangs Up Phone ]
It was the Uncle.
He's no good at stories.
We'll have to manage alone.
Once upon a time, there was a grandpa and a grandma.
[ Russian ] A grandpa and a grandma.
They had a grandson who was named Budulinek.
One day Grandma said, ''Budulinek, my dear...
''We're going into town. You'll stay here on your own.
Don't open the door for anyone at all.''
[ Russian ] Don't open the door for anyone.
That's it. And so they left.
[ Bird Squawking ]
Otters lived here once.
[ Russian ] What's otters?
You and your questions!
It's an animal about this big, with whiskers like me.
These otters caught trout.
-[ Russian ] What's trout? - They're fish.
[ Russian ] Fish!
But because the water is poisoned now by acid rain--
You won't understand because I don't myself--
the fish died.
[ Russian ] Fish kaput?
So the otters died too.
[ Russian ] Otters also kaput?
So now you have the Otter River...
with no otters in it!
-Jesus Christ! - [ Chuckles ]
[ Men Singing In German ]
Some East German is celebrating his birthday.
[ Russian ] What's ''birthday''?
That's the day you're born.
[ Russian ] And when will I have a birthday?
Well, when were you born?
You're five, yes, but when were you born?
[ Russian ] I don't know.
It's hard to celebrate your birthday if you don't know when it is.
[ Woman Chattering Over Radio ]
Bye-bye, Dad.
Anti-Socialist groups are trying to destroy our Republic.
But the workers will smash them.
[ Sighs ]
Happy birthday
[ Singing ]
The main thing is that you're healthy and happy.
Look here.
- [ Kisses Cheek ] - What is it?
[ Knocking ]
[ Russian ] Such a beauty!
[ Woman ] Do you have to live at the top?
I'm Ms. Zubata from the Department of Social Security.
You sent us an application...
regarding this boy some time back.
We've only just gotten around to it.
That was a long time ago. Everything's changed since then.
You say here that you play at night?
No, only during the day now.
- Where does the boy sleep? - Over there.
He doesn't have his own bed? Or room?
No, but there's enough room--
So it's the boy's birthday?
Not really. I don't have his papers so I decided it would be today.
-[ Kolya Plucking Violin Strings ] - You decided?
Please, Ms. Zubata, I wrote that...
- when I wasn't coping very well. -[ Strumming Violin ]
The boy is Russian?
[ Sighs ] Not now, dear.
He understands Czech pretty well now.
His mother went to the West and shows no interest in the boy.
That's not true. She's applied to the Red Cross.
- Look, Mr. Lucina. - Louka.
Even though the boy's mother...
gained Czech nationality by marriage,
she is still Russian.
So the Soviet authorities still have an interest in this child.
The matter may be well taken out of our hands.
They'll probably put him in a home in the Soviet Union.
That's how I see it.
Look, Ms. Zubata,
that letter of mine... couldn't it be canceled?
Why? They'll take care of the boy.
- I'll be back, Mr. Lucina. - Louka.
Next time,
I'll bring someone from the Soviet Embassy...
and they can take over.
A nice little boy.
Good-bye.
-[ Door Squeaks ] -[ Plucking Violin Strings ]
[ Sighs ]
[ Rain Falling ]
[ Russian ] ''Chemodan''?
Yes, chemodan,
before that Zubata comes to get us.
[ Buzzing ]
[ Wind Howling ]
- What brings you here? -[ Louka ] Can you put us up?
But of course.
The springs are coming through a bit.
But if we put this blanket over them, they won't stick you too much.
This is Uncle Houdek, but you'll say Goudek, I suppose.
A great power, but they can't say...
the letter ''H''.
[ Kisses Cheek ]
I'll hide you like you're parachutists.
It'll be my way of Joining the resistance.
- Will your conductor hire me? - Definitely.
Though he'll wonder why you want to play in a spa band.
We'll tell him-- Christ, that's an idea.
You're convalescing after a gallbladder operation.
Take the waters at the Gagarin Springs.
- Gagarin? - You go to sleep.
Damn, I love this illegal activity!
[ Orchestra ]
[ Violin Strings Squeaking ]
[ Announcer] The police blocked the central streets...
so there was no way out.
When faced with the riot police,
the students sang the national anthem. They were unarmed...
but they were savagely attacked--
I'd hate to be mistaken, Franta, but I think it's just collapsed.
But they're beating people--
Shh! Quiet!
Prague's university students call on everyone to demonstrate.
It's a pity we joined the resistance so late. The lid's off. It's over!
We should be there, Franta.
It finally happened.
[ Siren Wailing ]
[ Crowd Chanting ]
[ Chanting Continues ]
It finally happened! It finally happened!
[ Man Speaking Over P.A.]
Please let the ambulance through. Thank you.
Glad to oblige! Glad to oblige!
The kids and the nurses rebelled.
They drove the Communists to Albania...
with a great pealing of bells...
and set up reservations for them like for the Indians in America.
What a vision!
[Jangling Continues ]
[ Woman Speaking Over P.A.]
There's your mom.
That's your mommy.
[ Russian ] Thank you again. And please forgive me.
[ Pushes Back Envelope ]
- Good-bye, Dad. - Good-bye.
[ Russian ] When will you come to see us?
[ Louka, Shuddering ] Good-bye.
[ Full Orchestra ]
- Remember me? - Of course I remember.
[ Orchestra Fades ]
[ Kolya Singing Quietly ]
The Lord is my shepherd
I shall not want
[ Kolya Continues Singing ]
[ Stops Singing ]