I shudder to think
of what will happen to humanity,
including ourselves,
if this war ends in an inconclusive peace
and another war breaks out
when the babies of today
have grown to fighting age.
Every normal American
prays that neither he nor his son,
nor his grandsons, will be compelled
to go through this horror again.
All right, get them.
We're all here now.
The trial can commence.
What is this,
some kind of joke?
It's no joke, Phineas.
Gene's on trial here.
For what?
Are you guys crazy?
Let's go-- they can have their fun and games without us.
There's no fun and games. This is the time for truth.
Let's begin at the beginning, shall we? Wait a minute.
Gene Forrester, you've been brought here tonight
to stand trial.
You're kidding, right?
I'm dead serious. This is an investigation.
What's there to investigate?
I can't believe I made it to Devon.
My God, everything I worked so hard for.
This'll be the first time a Forrester
ever had the opportunity to make something of himself.
I'm finally gonna be someone important.
To be on the same level as these rich kids.
I have a real chance.
My father still has his boat...
Come in!
They said you'd get here last night--
I've been waiting.
Yeah, the train took forever.
Well, anyway, here you are.
Gene Forrester.
Finny.
How tall are you?
Five-nine.
Five eight and a half-- never lie about your height.
When's your birthday?
October 19.
Mine's the 21st.
We're almost twins.
: Not quite.
Come on, I'll help you with your stuff.
Oh, that's okay. I'll take care of it.
Sure.
That's your side of the room.
You'll love Devon--
best school in the world.
My family's gone here for centuries--
they'll never get rid of us.
Did your mother pack for you?
I can't believe anyone could be so neat.
I packed.
Where you from, anyway?
That accent sounds...
I'm from...
Brinker's listening to that goddamn Hitler again.
Six times a day over that radio of his!
Come on, I'll introduce you.
Oh, but I should...
You can unpack later. Brink won't bite.
He's very friendly, really...
once you get to know him.
Brinker Hadley, hub of the class,
king of all knowledge-- the brainiest
brightest--
meet Gene Forrester, my new roommate.
And turn that bastard off, s'il vous plaît.
You'll never pass French at that rate, Phineas.
So you're the lucky one this week?
Shut up, Brink. He doesn't know what he's talking about.
Yes, he does. Oh...
Finny's a shining light around here.
Except for his lousy French.
Would you like to see my snail house?
Your-your what?
Leper Lepellier's a collector.
Because of him, we have a first-rate snail collection
right here in Holmes House.
One night, we're going to make them
into escargots... bourguignons.
You wouldn't.
I'd be most interested to see a snail house,
Mr. Lepellier.
Most interested"? Boy, where you from?
I thought they only talked like that
in moving pictures.
Don't listen to him.
Let's hear about that snail house, Lep.
He's been working on it for weeks.
Mr. Forrester, do you think...?
Oh, no, no, don't push it, Lepellier.
You might lose a possible ally over here.
Go on, Gene.
Don't let that bully stop you.
Well, I'd like to see it-- really.
: What bully?
I don't know what you're talking about.
Shoot!
Well, there it is.
God!
It's got all these floors...
all these nooks and crannies.
Complete privacy, but they can be together if they want.
That way they stay peaceful... don't fight.
Like us.
Oh, you wish.
Wow, Lep,
I didn't know you had it in you.
Oh, I did. Absolutely.
Lepellier, you're a genius.
Present arms. Return.
Well, what do we call it?
Bomber Ball! Gene?
Devon Ball?
Nah.
Blitzball?
Perfect, Lep.
That's a perfect name for a perfect ball.
Catch.
Run.
Run, Forrester. Go!
Come on!
Not that way-- towards the lake.
Come on.
Let's go. Go.
Get him down!
I can't knock him down, he's on my team.
There are no teams in Blitzball-- get him.
Get him!
Lep!
Not me-- don't give it to me.
Here! Don't give it to me!
Lep, you got to take the ball,
it's part of the game. What game?
Finny's just making the whole thing up, as usual.
We're all enemies in Blitzball--
ready to turn on each other at any minute.
Leper...
just demonstrated a crucial move--
the Lepellier refusal.
Let's see what the greatest enemy of all will do.
Whoa!
Here.
Here. Over here.
Come on, get him.
Finny!
Here, Gene.
Brink!
Why are they jumping out of that tree?
Let's join them.
Finny, always so impatient.
It's for seniors-- the draft bait.
It's physical training in preparation for war.
They're practicing jumping out of the troopships.
Just what we want to do, right, Gene?
Well, I...
Look.
There's Fitzwinkle.
God, he's ancient.
He's Fitzwinkling away before our eyes.
The army doesn't get him, those seniors will,
and there'll be no one left to teach us a thing.
We'll just have to make it through on our own
won't we, my friend?
Well, I'm not waiting another minute.
Who's coming with me?
Are you nuts?
It's a snap, Brink.
Fin, you know it's forbidden.
When have we ever let that stop us?
Not you.
Nothing ever stops you.
Come on, Brink, break the rules for once
in your perfectly organized life.
No, you go ahead and kill yourself if you want, not me.
Fin...
Hey, Fin, you really think you should do this?
With any luck,
they'll accelerate us for the war.
Lower the draft.
That's you, Lep.
Gene and me in October.
Brink, you're December.
We need to be ready.
Fin...
Forget it.
Don't worry, I'm almost there.
Here goes.
Who's next?
Brinker... I can count on you.
Not this time.
Lep?
I'll go.
Great.
Oh, my God.
Come out further.
I can't.
Further!
What are you waiting for?
They just torpedoed the troopship.
Jump.
Jump!
Jump.
Nice work.
Mm-hmm.
I knew you could do it
from that first moment when you walked into our room.
You know, you're good.
A good athlete, but look how you walk.
We got to get that West Point stride out of your system.
What's wrong with the way I walk?
Nothing, it's just...
It's the way I was raised.
Rules and regulations, huh?
Rules are meant to be broken.
Not in my family.
My family doesn't give a hoot about what I do.
Yeah?
You're lucky that way.
You're brave, buddy.
You just need some looking after.
Much goes on here at Devon we can't control, Mr. Forrester.
You're new here, so... how shall I put this?
Your work is not yet at the level of...
Well, you simply haven't had the advantages
of the other boys.
But summer session or not, this is school,
not camp.
So, uh, study hard
and, um, yes, you have a long road ahead.
Hey, where you going?
: Boys, boys, boys.
Could you please keep it down for one evening?
You'll get into trouble.
Big trouble, from the big man.
The big man will learn of this, and... oh!
I think I hear him coming now.
Yes, sir!
Kommandant, I understand
you don't like the music!
I will...
Oh, you do like the music!
I will be sure, and make sure...
You want to dance?
Well, go ahead, Herr Kommandant.
Don't let me stop you.
Ein, zwei, drei!
Such a gift you have, mein Herr.
You have always surprised us, sir.
Bill Bailey!
Nous faisons, vous fai--
What in the hell is that?
A shirt, dummy.
Have you never seen one before?
: Not in that color.
You're not really going to wear that, are you?
Why not? I like it.
People might think you're...
Who cares what people think?
I don't, do you?
But not to the headmaster's tea.
I mean, you're not really going to wear it there, are you?
Actually, I think it's quite right for the headmaster, to me.
Very right for high tea, in fact.
Today's a celebration.
Yeah, for what?
Don't tell me you missed the 8:00 a.m. news report.
Roosevelt said there's four million Americans
in the military.
I can't wait.
I say we bomb the living daylights out of them.
Don't you, Professor Carmichael?
Well, I don't know that I'd go as far as all that.
Except for the women and children, of course.
And the old people.
And the works of art.
How do you propose our boys be so precise
from thousands of feet in the air, my dear?
I agree with Mrs. Carmichael.
For God's sake, let's preserve the works of art.
If it were up to me, I'd be on my way over there tonight.
I wish to God I could be.
Goodness.
Oh, that's quite a shirt you're wearing there, my boy.
Mother just sent it up to me today,
but it couldn't have arrived at a better time.
Oh? Why is that?
For our celebration, of course.
The traditional term tea which just happens to coincide
with us having four million Americans serve our country.
I wore it as an emblem.
Wait, isn't that...?
Oh, God.
I must have put it on in my excitement.
Sacrilege.
But it all ties together because what happens here
at Devon is connected with what happens in the war.
And don't you think today's news and today's tea
are worthy of the Devon tie?
I'm glad I wore something, though.
I could have lost my pants
right in the middle of our tea.
That wouldn't have been good.
Not in front of you and the headmaster.
Everything, you got away with everything.
Disappointed?
No, it's just...
I mean, they're teachers, for God sakes.
He's the headmaster.
So what?
They're just people like you and me.
You mean you always respected your teachers?
I had to.
I wouldn't be here otherwise.
I need to clear out my head.
All that talking.
Yeah, who did most of it?
Not me.
I don't know who you're talking about.
After you.
Yeah, sure.
We can lick this tree any old time, right?
Oh, right for me.
I don't know about you, though.
Ah, so you're not scared anymore.
Not me.
Must be thinking of someone else.
Take it easy, bud, there's no rush.
You don't got to tell me. I know this tree by...
Thanks.
Any time, pal.
I got a great idea.
A secret society.
You and me as charter members.
Anyone who wants to join has to make the plunge.
A secret suicide society, you mean.
A super secret suicide society.
We'll celebrate at the Devon diner.
I still have those regular French verbs.
Don't worry, I'll teach you every verb you need to know
over le best French fries dans le New England.
It's the craziest thing I've ever heard.
There are real rules to this game, Phineas.
You can't just make them up.
You're always so concerned
about rules and regulations, Brink.
Someone has to be, or the world would go haywire.
Let it.
Well... that's you, all right.
Forrester and I know differently, though...
Let him alone, Brink.
He's concentrating.
Oh, "And the God shook
they knew not why."
Well, it's a game, isn't it?
A game we all want to play.
Well, especially you.
You always want to play.
That's your life, but...
What, stup... wait, what's going on?
Oh, well, Phineas just won the hand, Brinker.
While you were talking.
Finny always win.
Yeah, so I've noticed.
Winner today, winner tomorrow.
Is that an old Vermont maxim?
What? What's a maxim?
What you just...
What's a Lepellier, that's what I'd like to know.
Isn't it about that time?
Come on.
Come on, everyone.
Time to jump.
Come on, it's time.
All right, I'm ready.
Just give me a second.
Let's go. Let's go, Harry.
Hold on.
Let's go, Rach.
Be right there.
Come on, we're going to do the jump.
Come on, Gene.
Let's go, everybody.
Get your stuff.
You gonna jump?
I like to watch.
Excellent, Forrester.
I knew you could do it.
Keep it up, and we'll all be proud of you.
Brinker.
That's my paper.
Another "A."
Boy, oh, boy.
Well, no math today, mon ami.
We've got bigger things to do.
Uh, sorry I go to go to a class.
You don't need that watch.
You're your own ticking clock.
Tick, tick, ticking away.
Come on, we need to calm that ever busy brain.
Whoo!
Wasn't this a great idea?
Yeah.
You got to trust me.
We still got a test tomorrow.
Oh.
Tick, tick, ticking again, huh?
You'll do fine.
Whoo! Oh!
Hey, Finny, who's A. Hopkins Parker?
Who?
A. Hopkins Parker.
Holds the record
for the 100 yards freestyle.
I don't remember any A. Hopkins Parker.
Well, this was six years ago.
You mean, no one's broken the record since then?
Guess not.
About time they did.
On your mark.
Get set.
Go!
Go, Finny!
So, how did I do?
You broke it.
A. Hopkins Parker's record.
Point seven-five of a second.
My God, I did?
I really did?
I can't explain it, but I had this feeling I could.
Well, you did.
You absolutely did.
New school record-- 54.25.
The only problem is, no one saw it but me.
So what?
Well, it has to be official.
A. Hopkins Parker cannot stay up there
when you've broken the record.
It doesn't really matter.
Of course it matters.
Hey, tomorrow... we'll get the coach
timekeepers, a reporter from The Devonian
and you'll do it again.
You'll break the record again.
And we'll put up a new plaque with a new champ...
No.
What do you mean, no?
It was just something I wanted to do
but not in public.
That would ruin it.
We're just going to keep this
between you and me.
Besides, swimming in pools is weird anyway.
The only real swimming
is in the ocean.
Come on, buddy.
Finny, you know I can't.
I got that math test in the morning.
Tick, tick, tick.
Where's that tiger?
Whoo!
Buy balloons!
Get your balloons, five cents!
Here you go.
Thank you.
Hi. You girls getting some popcorn in here?
Hi, yes.
Yeah. Okay.
Uh, one popcorn.
Yes, sir.
Mmm, how about this one.
Hi, girls, you want some popcorn?
Hey, give me some.
Hmm-mm.
Look. Let's get ice cream.
Vanilla.
That's what you got-- a chocolate and vanilla.
That's 20 cents.
Want some? That's good.
There you go.
Thanks.
I know you didn't want to come today,
but it was worth it, wasn't it?
Ah, there's nothing in the world
like the ocean, and it wouldn't have been the same
if I'd been here alone.
I mean, it's great.
It's always great, but it's not the same
as being here with your best buddy.
What a sleep!
It's the best ever.
What time is it?
Oh, it's 6:30.
Come on.
Finny!
Ya!
Whoo!
We got to get back.
I won't be long!
Forrester?
Mr. Forrester?
How's it going?
Don't worry.
You'll get your usual "A."
Yeah?
Well, I flunked that math test today.
First time I ever flunked anything in my life.
A fluke.
A mere fluke.
You're the smartest person I know.
Except for Brinker.
You're not trying to beat him or anything, are... ?
Aha, I get it.
What?
You want to be head of the class.
The new boy wonder.
The valedictorian,
and all that stuff.
Are you kidding?
Come on, I wouldn't waste my time.
You don't have to.
I waste it for you.
Look, somebody's got to be head of the class.
I knew it.
I know you like a book.
Well, what if I did beat Brinker?
I mean, you get all the athletic prizes.
If I beat Brinker...
You wouldn't mind, would you?
Mind?
I'd eat my heart out.
I'd kill myself out of jealous envy.
I'd hate you forever.
Absolutely.
Il ne reste que cinq minutes, mes enfants.
Yeah!
Well, gentlemen, I believe I've found my calling at last.
God forbid.
Shut up and sing, Brinker.
You're the only bass we've got.
What about Forrester; can't he help?
No.
Him? He can't sing for beans.
Then we can't use him, can we?
Uh, chorus?
He can't sing for beans.
That's lovely.
Your phrasing's off, gentlemen, and your pitch.
I'll bet he can't fight, either.
Bet he can't fight for beans.
On pitch this time, and watch that rhythm.
That's enough, Brink.
Come on, pal.
We need your spicy southern voice.
Uh, y... you don't need my voice.
You have plenty of voices here, anyway.
'Sides, I-I got to go study.
Oh, Forrester, always the student.
He's a mighty mysterious roommate.
You never trust anyone, Brink.
And for your information, Gene and I
are planning to enlist after graduation.
Now, how could I go into this war and serve my country
without someone to trust with my life?
One more time.
"And though this world with devils filled."
Away with the books, away with the French.
Ce soir le grand Leper va sorter... out of our tree.
C'est incroyable!
Leper wouldn't jump out of that tree
with all Germany behind him.
He's not ready.
He promised he would today.
The French final is tomorrow, Finny.
You'll do great.
What makes you so sure?
You always do.
When you let me.
Let you what?
You know, work. Study.
All the things you don't give a hoot about.
Not everybody is like you, Phineas.
Things come naturally to you.
To you too, buddy.
No, they don't.
I have to work...
You know what?
Forget it.
Never mind; you wouldn't understand.
Come on, let's go watch Leper not make his leap.
What wouldn't I understand?
Nothing. Never mind.
You mean you want to study?
I never thought you needed to.
I mean, you're good.
You're really good,
and if I had a brain like that, I'd...
well, we all know I don't, but you do.
And if you have to study, bien sûr.
I just thought it came to you.
I'm not you, Finny.
So, don't go.
Wh-What?
I'll watch Leper.
Don't even think about it.
W-Wait a minute.
It's just a game, for God's sakes.
Your work's more important. But I should...
Maybe you really will beat Brinker
and be head of the class.
I'd like that.
We all would.
I'm coming with you.
You're staying right there at that desk, studying.
No.
You mean, you think you've done enough?
Sure?
You're nuts, you know that?
Why didn't you tell me you ever had to study?
All this time, and I never knew.
I wish you had.
But now, you're going to be the best student
in the best school in America.
Thank you.
If we hurry,
we can do a jump before the others get there.
So, uh, w-where is everyone?
They're coming.
I told you Leper wasn't coming.
Take my word for it, Leper will be here.
Finny, you don't control everybody's life.
Leper will be here.
We'll go together.
I bet no one's ever done that before.
Come out a little further.
We'll jump side by side.
All right-- he's going to be all right.
How do you know?
I talked to the doctor.
So, we don't have to worry anymore.
Are you sure?
The doctor wouldn't lie, would he?
Uh, Finny wants to see you.
You're the one person he asked for.
Me? He wants to see me?
Of course you.
You're the roommate.
You'd think he'd want to see me and Leper, too, the bum,
but the doctor said only one visitor tonight.
So, he's going to be all right?
Yeah.
Uh, no internal injuries.
He'll be walking again eventually.
Uh, sports are finished for him.
They can't be finished.
Well, what did you think?
His leg's shattered, for Christ's sake.
Well, if he can walk again, then he can play sports.
He's alive, Forrester.
Thank God for that.
But it's what he lives for.
Well, he'll have to live for something else from now on.
It's a tragedy, of course, but the tragedy is his.
He'll get through it, though.
We can't let him feel sorry for himself.
Yeah?
Uh, Forrester, he's in there waiting for you,
but don't stay too long.
He's still a little tired after the procedure.
Well, don't just stand there.
What's wrong?
I'm the one in the infirmary, for Christ's sake,
and you look positively sick.
I hate that tree,
you know that?
I absolutely hate it.
You always did.
Even when you pretended not to.
Yeah, but you loved it.
What happened up there, anyway?
I don't know.
I keep going over it in my mind, and I can't...
I just can't put it together.
I remember turning towards you to reach you,
to grab... to hold onto you so I wouldn't fall.
When I held out my hand,
it was like you got this really weird...
this really funny look,
like you were shocked or something.
Like the look you have on your face right now.
Well, I am shocked.
I mean, we all are.
What made you fall, Finny, you remember?
Something moved.
The tree... m...
and I...
...I lost my balance.
Huh.
I did have this feeling, though, when you were standing so close,
so near to me that...
I must have been insane.
Hallucinating, as usual.
I could have sworn.
I fell.
That's all, I just fell.
Sorry for that feeling I had.
Listen, I got to tell you something right now.
I'm afraid I have to cut this visit short, boys.
Phineas needs his sleep.
He's got to be ready for the morning.
What for?
Summer session's almost finished anyway,
and, you sir, you're going home.
I know he was...
but she hasn't heard back from him yet.
Boston, next stop.
All passengers continuing on to Greenhood, Devon
and Jackson Corner,
please remain seated.
Boston, next stop. Boston, next stop.
All passengers continuing on to Greenhood...
Finally. I've been expecting you.
You have?
I didn't even know I was coming.
I always know what you're going to do before you do.
So, what did you bring me from the sunny south?
I must confess, I didn't... bring anything.
Don't worry.
Your foolish face is enough.
: And hearing that accent back in full swing.
What happened down at Dixie?
Not much.
Not much of anything.
No beautiful Southern belles?
Not really, no.
Oh, there must have been something.
Someone.
Come on, don't disappoint me.
Uh...
as a matter of fact, I came to talk about the accident.
I thought about it the whole way up.
No kidding?
Yeah. 17 hours on a train.
Well, that was very thoughtful of you.
Well, I have to think about it.
Why's that?
Because I caused it.
: What?
What are you talking about?
Sit down and relax.
I deliberately shook the limb so you'd fall.
Sure you did. You're nuts.
I have told you that before.
Listen. You got to listen to me.
I'm not listening to another word.
But you got to believe me.
I shook the limb.
Finny, I wanted you to fall.
Stop it. I'll kill you if you don't shut up.
You hear that?
You'll kill me?
I mean... that's nearly what I did to you.
Go away! You're killing me now.
You must be Gene.
Fin's always talking about you.
I don't think he's ever said one bad thing.
You asked Gene to stay for supper,
didn't you, Fin?
Oh, no, thank you.
Uh, I've got to get back to school.
I just came to see how he was doing and everything.
Him? Well, he's up to his usual tricks.
Well, that's good.
Bye, buddy.
See you soon.
Soon, really?
As soon as possible.
Imagine having a nice peaceful house again.
He's driving us all crazy.
Yeah, he can do that.
Well, don't send him back too soon.
We need the rest.
Hey...
Don't start following the rules now.
I'm counting on you till I get back.
I won't.
Definitely not.
We used to pick apples
every fall back home.
Well, Forrester and I really need your expertise.
I'd venture to say we've never picked an apple
before today, right?
Not quite.
Well, don't tell me you picked one down
on that romantic southern plantation of yours.
No, that was cotton.
So, I guess there's no need to send home today's
hard-earned cash, is there?
You mean, we're getting paid?
You too busy sketching
to hear the announcements in chapel, Lep?
Don't tell me you just volunteered.
I like picking apples.
Of course.
Forrester and I are more practical.
We did it for the money.
It's not quite the same anymore, is it?
Without Finny?
No, it's not.
Nothing is.
They're beauties, aren't they?
You boys worked hard.
Especially that one.
Grew up on a farm, did you, son?
Yes, sir.
You put me in mind of my youngest.
Joined the army with the other three.
They'll take you, too, you know.
They'll take the whole goddamn school.
Brought him home the other day. I...
I buried him...
under his favorite tree.
This is all I got left of my youngest son.
Maybe one of you... you want it, huh?
Go... go ahead, son.
Go ahead, take it.
My guess is that it's a perfect fit.
Hey, Forrester,
long-distance call for you.
For me? Who is it?
I don't know. He wouldn't say.
Do you have five?
Yeah.
Hello.
Speak up, I can't hear you.
Hey, you don't recognize your old roommate?
Finny?
Who the hell else would spend all his money
on a long-distance phone call to you?
Well, I-I just didn't...
I...
Everybody misses you.
I mean, Leper was saying today...
Good old, Lep.
I got to get back,
make sure the old place is in order.
Yeah.
Yeah, there's been no order whatsoever
since you've been gone.
I bet.
Where were you, anyway?
I've been trying to reach you all day.
Apple picking.
Apple picking?
What the hell for?
Well, all the harvesters have gone off to war.
Can't they stop talking about that war for one second?
What a waste!
Corrupt, stupid.
Tell me about school, Devon, sports.
What sports are you going out for?
Nothing.
I hate all forms of exercise.
Except apple picking.
Are you crazy?
What's more important than sports?
Well, I don't have time anyway.
Don't tell you're living by the rules again.
Listen, if I can't play sports,
you're going to play them for me,
and I don't want to hear another word about it.
I forgot to ask--
who are you rooming with?
Nobody.
I mean...
Everybody expects you to come back.
Ah.
Well, good, 'cause I did have this momentary little doubt.
I mean, you acted pretty strange
when you came here last.
Yeah.
Yeah, I guess I was a little.
A little?
You were completely out of your mind.
Anyway, I'm glad we're still roommates.
Yeah, but, Phineas was his best friend.
He never even talks about him.
Yeah, I know, but what happened?
What really happened, you know?
Okay...
Was that Phineas?
I thought so.
"O saisons, ô châteaux
"Quelle âme est sans défauts?
"O saisons, ô châteaux
"J'ai fait la magique étude
"Du bonheur, que nul n'élude.
"O vive lui, chaque fois
"Que chante le coq gaulois.
"Mais je n'aurai plus d'envie
Il s'est chargé de ma vie."
Yesterday, due to the enormous snowstorm
that struck the northeast,
the rail yards of the Boston and Maine
in our neighboring Chesterton were paralyzed.
...outside of France.
I don't know why.
I think everyone would really like it.
Hey, Leper, what are you doing?
Touring.
Touring? What the hell is that?
The way you get around the countryside in the winter.
Oh, forgive my ignorance.
I thought that was skiing.
Skiing is what everyone does these days.
Zipping along, never seeing the hills or the trees.
Real skiing isn't supposed to be fast.
Where are you two going?
Where everyone else at Devon is going today.
Didn't you hear the headmaster... ?
We're going to help shovel out the railroad tracks, Lep.
What are you going to do?
I'm looking for a beaver dam
behind those woods.
Beaver dam? That's...
interesting.
It used to be in a stream that flows into the Devon.
Well, let us know if you find it.
Yeah, and don't drown in the dam.
Oh, don't worry.
It's not that deep.
I'm just concerned
that the beaver himself won't show up.
Now, that could be a problem.
Not really.
Just finding their home, where they live.
They're incredible builders.
They don't want any trouble, just to be safe.
The search itself will be worth it.
And besides, I've got my deerstalker's cap.
Well, that's it.
My mind's made up.
Leper Lepellier made it up for me.
About what?
Beavers. Beaver dams, touring.
For God's sakes, doesn't anybody know
there's a war going on?
First thing tomorrow, I'm going to enlist.
You want to come along, Forrester?
Yeah.
As a matter of fact, I do.
Hey, look who's back.
Hey!
Come on, time to go.
Where are we going?
Practice.
Got to get you in shape.
For what?
The Winter Olympics, dope.
What else?
What the hell are you talking about?
It's the season.
We've never had a Winter Olympics at Devon before.
And this is the year to start?
Why not?
You ready, Forrester?
You ready for the big day?
Oh, my God, you're back.
Yeah.
What big day?
Uh, Forrester and I are, uh...
What's going on?
We're going to enlist.
Enlist?
Yup.
You're going to enlist?
When?
I don't know... Today.
We're on our way now.
I'm first in the shower.
Oh, hey, don't get that cast wet.
Here, let me take those.
No, I can manage.
You know, Brink, I-I changed my mind.
I mean, we weren't really going to enlist, were we?
Well, I thought so.
Enlist?
I wouldn't enlist with you if you were, uh...
General MacArthur's eldest son.
Not even if you were Madame Chiang Kai-shek.
You know something?
He really is Madame Chiang Kai-shek.
You didn't really think Brinker would enlist, or me.
I mean, come on.
Stuck with you, huh?
Quelle catastrophe.
Come on, let's get started.
Hurry, man, it's freezing out here.
Oh, you're freezing?
Come on, how about getting some breakfast at the Devon?
I don't care how cold it is.
Four times around as usual, Forrester.
I know you.
You're not really giving yourself to this.
Now after three weeks, I want to see some headway.
I don't think I can.
Did I ever tell you...
I was aiming for the Olympics?
You know, before the accident.
No, you never told me.
It was kind of a dream, I guess.
Anyway, everything's different now.
Yeah. Yeah.
Now it's up to you.
What?
You're going to be the hero now.
Me?
: Are you crazy?
I'm going to make you the greatest athlete
this school has ever seen.
Let's go.
This time for real.
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
Speed it up.
Go on, go on.
Keep it going.
One more time.
Go on, go on.
There you go, pal.
Whoo!
Look at you, not even winded.
I can't believe it.
I can, I saw it happen.
Right over there.
That last time around.
I knew it would.
If not today, it'd be tomorrow or the next day.
Worth the effort, wasn't it, pal?
Yeah.
That's why I kept pushing you.
I wanted you to understand what it feels like.
To understand what I lived for.
Even if it's only once in your life,
it's worth everything.
We're extremely fortunate to have Lieutenant Johnson
of the United States Ski Force
here with us this evening.
The Lieutenant is also a recruiting officer
and he's going to show us a film.
I know that some of you
are looking forward to joining up;
to go to the war for the sake of our country.
Hopefully, you'll find this film inspiring.
In any event, it will require your complete concentration.
So, sit up and pay attention.
Any questions you may have
will be answered at the end of the film showing.
...Uncle Sam's modern cavemen
the army's white-clad mountain troops
in training at Mount Ranier, a mile above sea level.
Versatile fighting men equipped for winter warfare.
Mechanized, too.
These motorized toboggans run on a cleated caterpillar belt,
something new in snowmobiles.
And they really can climb.
Now they're coming down the mountain.
Only weeks ago, three-quarters of them
never saw a ski outside the newsreel.
Now look at them.
Yankee troops on skis, fitting themselves for action
in any clime where the drifts are deep, the winds are cold,
and the slopes are steep.
Check.
Christ, he really did it.
Yeah, right after the film.
I never knew he had it in him.
Who knows? Maybe he'll surprise us all.
Hey!
Lep.
Leper, old man, you're really going?
Right away.
Did you realize, Lepellier,
you're the first in our class to enlist?
In two weeks I'll be 18.
Too late to choose, they'll choose me.
What am I good for?
Those skiers.
I could be one of them.
If war can be like that, I want to go, too.
I brought you each a going away present.
You first, Finny.
My, God, Lep, I can't.
I thought you'd take care of them
till I come back.
I'll guard them with my life.
For you, Gene Forrester.
Thanks, Lep, but I already got...
Ah, but with such a destructive ring.
You can wake an army with that ring.
With mine, you could sleep right through.
Well, I mean, doesn't that sort of defeat...?
Thanks, Lep.
I'll use it every night.
When you hear it, think of me on the snowy slopes.
This for me?
I thought it might come in handy some day.
Might find the beaver dam with it.
Maybe even the beaver himself.
Well, thanks, Lep, that's very thoughtful.
Hey, won't you need this on those snowy slopes?
Don't you remember?
I've got this.
That's where Neil is.
Right there.
Right there!
Where do you think Leper is now?
He's in hiding.
He's worn out after his attempt on Hitler's life.
What about the Tunisian campaign?
Oh, yeah, that really took it out of him.
Just one victory after another.
Leper's stand at Stalingrad.
Very big.
Leper on Burma Road.
No, even bigger.
Why didn't he write us and tell us he left
the ski troops?
All around the world, I've not gotten one postcard.
Leper's always had his secrets.
Who knows, he could be running
the leadership of the Free French.
Pass the bread.
Any day now.
Everybody knows it's not the Big Three,
but it's the Big Four
that are running the goddamned war.
You guys are nuts.
Leper'd be the first to vanish in a crisis.
This whole war is senseless anyway.
Old Lep.
Peaceful old Lep from Vermont
in love with his ski troops and his reindeer?
Come on.
Who created these masterpieces, anyway?
The artist among us-- my roommate.
I like... I like Leper the best.
He's probably getting another medal as we speak.
Poor Lep, having to miss our Winter Olympics
for some war.
Oh, don't kid me. You'd miss it, too,
if it wasn't for that gammy leg.
Shut up, Brinker.
I know you, Phineas,
you'd be the first to join.
Hey, better check your cider.
It'll be gone if you don't.
Oh, God.
On behalf of our beloved Devon,
on behalf of our beloved Devon community,
on behalf of...
Boy, I really go on, don't I?
Worse than Brinker.
Anyway, at this glorious moment
I want to formally declare the opening
of the first Devon Winter Olympics.
Let the games begin!
Go! Go! Go!
Whoo! I knew you'd do it.
I could dance for joy.
Go ahead, go ahead, Finny.
Yeah, what's stopping you?
Go ahead!
What's up, pal?
You look like you've seen a ghost.
Nothing.
Come on.
Wait.
Wait!
Leper!
Lep!
Come on, come on!
It's me, Gene!
Lep?
Lep, what is that?
Where I live.
You mean it's your house?
My house.
Right.
I don't understand.
I mean, what are you doing here?
Are you on leave?
Leave?
What do you know about leave?
Any army lessons you want, you can get from me.
Lep... Leper, what the hell are you talking about?
The army, jerk.
They wouldn't keep me anymore.
They'll never take me back,
not if I beg on bended knees.
I tried that.
But I don't want to go back.
Those...
white capes drifting down...
The reindeer running...
I never got there.
Where I was...
Horror. So much...
What?
I started to see things.
L-Lep, you got to speak up.
I can't hear you.
I saw things!
Can you hear me now?
Things no one else could see.
Visions, they called them, but they were real.
Yeah, sure they were.
You want to know what the war taught me?
I'm a failure.
Come... come on, Lep, I can't listen to this.
No, you have to, you have to be my friend.
Oh, my God.
I forgot.
You're incapable of friendship.
What do you mean?
Perfect
for the army, like your clock.
Tick,
tick, tick, tick,
tick, tick, tick.
Those visions taught me to see...
Shut up!
Shut the fuck up, you son of a bitch!
I always knew what you were underneath.
No one liked you!
They hated you!
The only friend you had you pushed out of a tree!
You shut up!
The army was right.
You are crazy.
Am I?
Well, I better go back to where I belong, then.
Where you're not invited.
Hey, pal, where you going?
Come on.
I need you for the game.
You don't need me.
You've got everybody you need.
Wait.
Come on, Finny!
Will someone please knock down Brinker?
Come on, get him!
It was Leper.
Leper?
My God, this looks official, huh?
I've never seen stamps like that.
Why is the Moscow War Office writing to you?
Just give it to me, please.
My God, there's more.
I don't know why I never told you.
I hated everything about the war.
Everyone going but me.
I tried to pretend it didn't exist, but...
I kept writing.
Army, Navy, Air Corps.
I even wrote General de Gaulle.
After the medical report, it's always the same.
But I haven't given up.
I know the letter will come.
Someone will want me, won't they?
Come on, wake up.
Come on.
What's this, the drafting committee?
What's taken so long?
It's no draft, Phineas.
Come on, Brink, I know it's you.
Where are we going, on a picnic?
You'll see.
Well, I, for one, am not going with you,
and I don't think Gene is, either.
All right, get them.
All right, we're all here now.
The trial can commence.
What is this,
some kind of joke?
It's no joke, Phineas.
Gene's on trial here.
For what?
Are you guys crazy?
Let's go-- they can have their fun and games without us.
No, there's no fun and games.
This is the time for truth.
Let's begin at the beginning, shall we? Wait a minute.
Uh, Gene Forrester, you've been
brought here tonight to stand trial for...
You're kidding, right?
I'm dead serious. This is an investigation.
What's there to investigate?
Isn't it better for both of you that everything about
your accident be cleared up?
So, tell us.
There's nothing to tell.
There's nothing?
I fell out of a tree.
How?
Took a wrong step.
Lost my balance.
You had the best balance of anyone in our school.
It's funny, sometimes I think
the tree shook me out by itself.
As if it wanted to get rid of me.
Maybe it wasn't the tree that wanted to get rid of you.
Wasn't someone else up there with you?
Someone said Gene Forrester.
Finny knows who was there.
You were down at the bottom, right?
Y-Yeah, I was down at the bottom.
I thought you were in the tree.
Uh... I-I might have been on the rungs.
I remember now.
You were down at the bottom,
and I said something to you about...
about doing a double jump.
No, wait, I said that to you on the ground,
and then the two of us started to climb.
But he said he was on the bottom.
I-I... what I said, I said I was maybe climbing the rungs.
Nobody's accusing anybody of anything, Forrester.
Uh, by the way, wasn't somebody else there that afternoon?
Wasn't Leper Lepellier there?
Yeah, that's right, Leper was there.
He would have remembered the whole thing.
He was always a great one for details.
It's too bad he's not around.
Leper's here.
Somewhere.
He destroyed the snail house.
Leper? You're kidding.
What can I do for you?
Well, the hero returns.
Perfect timing as usual, Lepellier.
I repeat, what can I do for you?
Uh, the tree, Leper.
We want to ask you about the tree.
I know all about the big tree.
About a certain afternoon?
That, too.
Where were you standing that afternoon?
Behind the tree.
Oh, see, you couldn't really see any...
Oh, I saw everything.
I was at the trunk
looking up.
They were black as death up there.
Where were they, exactly?
Up on the limb.
Was one ahead of the other?
Yes.
Who?
Who was ahead?
I couldn't tell.
Just two black shapes.
One was further out on the limb than the other.
All right, and then what happened?
They moved.
How did they move?
Like an engine... with two pistons.
One goes down, then the other.
Up... down...
like a piston.
Then the other went down and fell.
All right, so one shook the other's balance.
Was the one who fell--
was Phineas, in other words,
the one who moved first or second?
Are you trying to trap me?
No.
I know all about people like you.
I have information that could be dangerous.
Leper, please, this is important.
Don't you "Leper" me.
I'm important, too.
I don't care.
Finny. I don't care.
Finny. I don't care!
Wait, we haven't got all the facts yet.
Well, go ahead and get 'em, Brinker!
Get all the facts you want!
Get every fucking fact in the world.
Finny! Finny!
Same leg again.
It appears to be a cleaner break this time.
Probably a simple fracture.
We're taking him to the infirmary.
: Fin.
Finny!
Who's there?
It's me, Gene.
You!
Ow!
I want to talk...
To what?!
What? To break what's left of me?
Haven't you broken enough already?
I tried to tell you that time in Boston,
Finny, but you... Why did you come last night?
I felt I belonged here.
What happened up in the tree?
Something crazy inside me.
I mean, something took over me, but it wasn't real, Fin.
I swear to God.
Just some impulse.
I've had that before, too.
Not something you had against me, not...
some hatred you had for me all along?
You don't hate me, do you?
No, of course not.
I just wanted you to love Devon like I do--
to love the tree, but...
: Nobody loves anything like you do, Finny.
I just wanted to look after you.
Well, you did.
You absolutely did, all the time.
Remember that one time you-you said, uh...
"Even if it's only once in your life, it's worth everything"?
Remember that?
You did it, didn't you?
It doesn't really matter, does it?
Nothing does.
As long as we're still friends.
'Cause in the end, that's everything, isn't it?
Ah, Forrester.
I'll be setting the bone this afternoon.
So, if you'd like to come back about 5:00
he should be coming out of the anesthesia by then.
Can't keep our favorite patient
around here forever.
Is Dr. Stanpole here?
He's over there.
Thanks.
Forrester.
Such a clean break.
Anyone could have set it.
The only explanation is
when I was moving the bone
some of the marrow...
went directly into the bloodstream--
directly into his heart.
It stopped.
Just like that, in the middle of the procedure.
Just gave up.
This is something that boys of your generation
are going to be seeing a lot of.
But why here, so soon
and to this boy?
Hit the deck, men!
Look sharp, boys.
Left... left...
left, right, left.
Left... left...
left, right, left.
Unbelievable. We're being invaded.
Yeah. The war's moving in.
Remember how we all talked about enlisting?
Yeah.
You know, whether or not Finny enlisted, he was a hero.
It's strange, but I keep expecting him to pop up somewhere--
you know, that way Finny always had of popping up?
Yeah, when you least expected it.
Yeah. Well, it's just us now.
Yeah, I know.
Well, I better get going.
You going home?
Nah.
What we always talked about?
What Finny wanted more than anything?
: You're kidding. You enlist?
Well, for Christ's sakes, that's something.
That's really something.
Yeah, well... I wish you luck, Gene.
Thanks, Brinker, thanks a lot.
Well, I-I better be getting along myself now.
Oh, you, too?
Oh, no, no, not me, not yet.
But I thought I'd look for... that beaver dam.
Maybe find the old beaver himself.
Good luck, Brinker.
I thought that Devon would teach me everything.
Turns out Phineas was the best teacher I ever had.
He taught me how to not be at war with myself,
that not everybody is my enemy.
Finny'd always say, "Just be yourself."
And I know if he were here now, he'd tell me to just go on.
And so I will, Fin.