Damn.
Always the same, stupid cupboard.
Whitey.
Come on, Whitey, get up.
It's time to go to school.
Whitey.
Whitey, get out of bed! It's 8 o'clock.
Whitey - I'm coming.
Don't rub too hard. You'll rub your pretty face off.
Leave me alone, retard.
That's enough!
Why can't he leave me alone? I haven't done anything.
Calm down or you'll feel my hand on your leg. Pick that up.
See, it's not 8 o'clock yet.
Watch where you're walking, idiot. - Be quiet!
He bloody well does it on purpose. - Don't swear.
He still did it on purpose. - Be quiet, I said.
Or aren't your ears working?
You've got too much to say, lad.
It's time you learnt what work is. Come straight home after school.
I always come straight home, don't I, Mum?
I'm not going to repeat myself.
You have to be in time to go to farmer Coene.
Me? - Start shaking now. Farmer Coene.
Hein, that's enough. D'you always have to tease him?
You heard what I said, eh, Whitey?
It's not fair, damn it.
I always have to work, slaving away and sweating like a pig.
Come on, we're going in.
Are you up to your tricks again?
Shall I do it too?
We were learning about
the preparations for the battle of the Groeninge brook near Kortrijk.
Also known as the Battle of the Golden Spurs,
because so many Frenchmen fell with golden spurs on their feet.
Open your books at page 31.
A brook that flowed through a swampy meadow...
Stand up, all of you.
Hello, master. Hello, boys. - Hello, Father.
Sit down. - Glad it's almost holiday time?
Yes, Father.
Lets see what we still know from our last catechism lesson.
Because catechism is the basic laws... - Dries, don't move.
I'll give you a pear. I'll give you two, three.
You there. Curly. How many works of mercy are there?
Two works, physical and ritual.
Ritual? - Spiritual.
Very good. Very good.
You, Whitey. How many works of charity are there?
Seven. First, feeding the hungry, second, quenching the thirsty,
third, clothing the naked... - OK. OK.
What about my pears? - Put your hands behind your back.
They're Flippen pears. You can't nibble those.
...Our Lord Jesus, of course.
Christ came down onto Earth to show us the way to Heaven.
But the world would not accept Him. He was nailed to the cross and He died.
Who by? Who did it? - Yes, lad?
The socialists, damn them.
Father, could you come and see? - What's the matter?
Something serious has happened out in the field.
Well, Coene, what's happened?
As friendly as ever. Old grump.
Well?
Sit down.
Lad, run home quickly, your father's had an accident.
Get out your history book and learn about the Battle of the Golden Spurs
from page 14 to... - 1302.
Give me those marbles. Stop messing around.
I spend all my time on you all to no avail.
All of you, take your slates and write down your multiplication tables.
All of them. Understand?
How many marbles have you still got? - Forty.
Want to swap them for my belt? - OK.
What was that?
Who did that?
Whitey did it. - Yes, it was Whitey.
I couldn't help it, Sir. - It's always the same.
You're a right pest.
Read the whole chapter about the Battle of the Golden Spurs, understood?
Well, Pol? Have you been playing with marbles, too?
My God, books.
The merchant from Antwerp.
Conscience.
Baas Gansendonck.
H. Conscience.
The conscript. The conscript?
The Lion of Flanders.
Conscience. They are all by the same one.
A troop of knights rode silently
through the fields of Roeselare.
The clanking of their armour
and the heavy steps of their horses
frightened the peaceful inhabitants of the woods.
But the Fleming grabbed him round the waist
and hit his head so mercilessly against a tree
that he collapsed to the ground and felt nothing.
Right, Verheyden. Lines. In your best handwriting.
Whitey.
I'll get you for this.
Is that writing lines?
Call that writing lines?
I was about to clean the board and I saw that book.
Did you like it? - Yes, Sir.
It's not a book for brats like you, but it doesn't matter just this once.
Go home. - Bye, Sir.
Hello, Pier. - Hello, Whitey.
Pier, you've got to go and see the master this afternoon. It's serious.
Kobe? What's he done now? Wait till I get hold of him.
The master says you've got to go into school to talk about Tjeef.
That's a taster of what's to come. - What have I done?
Go on, sit down.
Maybe that'll help you to stop stuttering.
Wasn't that Whitey? - Damn.
If you don't keep an eye on him... - Up we go.
Weren't you supposed to come straight home?
Come here.
That'll teach you. And now go and see farmer Coene, without any tea.
He's waiting for those potatoes.
Farmer Coene can go to hell. - Don't be rude. Get going.
Come here, lad. Let me comb your hair. You have to arrive neat and tidy.
Coene? You act as if he's royalty. - And be polite.
Come on. Come on.
Hey, I suppose you came round via Averbode?
No, boss Coene. The master asked me to help him.
He keeps you talking. - We don't do any talking here.
We work. Put those sacks against the wall.
And then come inside. - Right away.
Don't put that horse in the stable. I've got to go out.
Did you put those sacks where I asked? - Yes, both of them neatly in a row.
Listen, Fransoos. - My name's not Fransoos.
And why isn't it Fransoos? - Because it's Lewie, that's why.
Fransoos or Lewie. Makes no difference to me.
Lewie, I talked to your father.
And what I heard wasn't very good.
Still, there's a lot of work to be done.
And your father told me that if I keep a close eye on you you can work hard.
Did he say that? - You're coming here tomorrow, to work.
Pardon?
Your father didn't tell me you were deaf.
You're a bit of a skinny lad.
But I'll do your father a favour and give you a try.
From now on I'll expect you every Thursday
and Saturday afternoon.
And every day in the holiday. - What?
Haven't you got ears?
Come tomorrow, right after high mass. Come with your brother Teun.
It's not Teun, it's Hein.
People today only think about messing around. Liza too.
What are those antics for? That's how accidents happen.
Liza.
Inside.
Aren't you ashamed?
Workers today. Come on, get to work, all of you.
What was it like at farmer Coene's? - Awful.
Try to make the best of it.
Do your best and I'll give you 5 cents. - Must I work myself to death for that?
Whitey, lad.
Here, peel these potatoes and put them on the stove.
Hey.
These potatoes are rotten.
Well done. Did you put salt on them?
Salt? I completely forgot.
Good job I remembered.
Learn your lesson later. Lay the table. - Hey.
I'm starving.
Aren't the potatoes ready yet? - They're cooking.
Did you do that?
Did you put salt on them? - Salt? I completely forgot.
Porridge again.
Is it true that Tist had a stroke in the field?
Yes, Munte was there.
It quite upset me. Tist wasn't a bad lad.
He was a good lad, always worked hard.
You can't work hard enough for Coene. Tist couldn't keep up.
He just collapsed.
Lads are going to the factory again.
Sooi van Penneke Pastoor and Gust van Torrekens.
I thought... - You can forget about the town.
Did farmer Coene say anything about your wages?
One thousand francs in half-a-cent coins.
Aren't the potatoes ready yet?
I don't want any. I'm not hungry.
That's the first time Whitey has said he's not hungry.
So eat before you get hungry. - I'm not hungry.
I've had stomach ache all day.
It's from working, I think.
Come here. Where are you? If I catch you... Little bastard.
Brat.
Stop, stop, stop.
Listen, lads. The first part is allegro.
That means fast, lively.
The second part is largo. Slow, wide. Like the rear of a horse.
Right, from the beginning.
One, two, one.
If only we could go and play in Diest...
In Diest.
That would be great. - Leuven, lad. Leuven.
You should think big.
Stop. Stop. Stop.
We'll have to work hard for the fair.
That's notes there, not fly droppings.
We ought to stop more often for a drink. I'm dying of thirst.
Marie, Sofie. - It's always difficult to start with.
It's difficult because we've got new instruments.
They are so shiny they hurt my eyes.
I think it'll all be a lot better when we march.
Marching and playing are two things, don't forget that.
Someone who plays music and walks along at the same time
is, in fact, also playing with his feet.
Music should move. - Nand, let's try it.
It's worth trying.
Where are you going? We haven't finished yet.
Lads, come on. Make a bit of an effort. We'll start from the largo.
Good rehearsal?
Hey, have you ears dropped off?
There's so much whining going on in there, I don't feel like it any more.
Are you coming? - Where to?
Don't know. Outside.
Yes.
The rehearsal's not that way. It's that way.
Don't do that here, Hein. Someone will see.
Or Whitey. - If he says anything, I'll belt him.
You shouldn't say that. He's a nice lad.
He's a strange lad.
He's always a nuisance. Always.
I don't mind if he does go and work in the factory. He'll change fast enough.
Hein, what are you saying? Lt'll be hard enough for him later as it is.
No harder than for the rest of us.
I'd rather talk to you about something other than our Whitey.
Once evening had fallen, the landowner said to his steward:
Call them over and pay them.
The last to come to the vineyard received one penny.
But those who were there first also received one penny.
And they started complaining.
Sir, they said, that's not fair.
Those who only worked one hour are getting as much as us,
and we slaved away all day in the heat.
And the landowner said:
Friends, did you agree to one penny?
Yes, sir, they said. And did you receive your penny?
Yes, sir, they said. Well, he said, what is there to discuss?
If I want to give those who arrived last the same as you,
that's my affair. Are you cross at me for being kind-hearted?
What does this parable tell us?
Firstly, that we cannot go back on our given word.
Secondly, that we mustn't be jealous.
Jealousy is so ugly.
If you are jealous of what someone else earns,
that is ugly. That's no way to live.
It eats away at you.
And thirdly, that in the eyes of Our Lord,
and you all realised that the landowner was Our Lord,
that in the eyes of Our Lord we are all equal.
The first and the last, the rich and the poor.
And he will cancel out the unfortunate inequality found in this world
with the equality of his great love in the hereafter.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Food.
Come and get it.
Whitey, d'you want to come swimming?
D'you want to come swimming?
Lewie, d'you want to come?
Have you come to help too, Wannes?
The doctor said I had to be careful of hard work and weak beer.
And where does this doctor live? - Straight ahead.
But turn off in time.
That's what happens when you look at me like that.
Does it make you feel uncomfortable?
A bit.
D'you want a sandwich, Wannes? - If there's curd cheese on it.
Here you are.
What are you up to, you thieving poacher?
Nothing. Just passing by.
I thought, I'll go and see how Tist is.
And you? Finished flirting with the women?
Father!
Stop flirting with the workers. Go on.
Damn. Haven't you left yet? - Drop dead.
What did you say? - I'm leaving. Don't worry.
I'm leaving in good health, unlike Tist. - Go away.
All you can do is poach and drink.
They should put you away for life in Leuven prison.
Are you still eating? Come on, back to work.
Come on, I said.
Bloody hell, where is that little bastard?
Where have you been? - Whitey, shouldn't you be at work?
Change the subject, quickly.
Help.
Peer is drowning.
He almost bloody well drowned. - Damn, my mother.
Have you seen Whitey? - No, we haven't seen him.
Who's that there then?
That's none of your bloody business.
That's Mie Boot's Nand.
You wait until you get home, lad.
She took my clothes with her.
You don't need to cry about it. - You can wait until it's dark.
If you go the roundabout way maybe no one will see you.
Curly, can't you go home and get me some clothes?
Clothes? Ma's home and then I won't get back out again.
I've only got one pair of trousers and I'm wearing them.
Whitey, you don't need to be shy with a body like that.
How much did that costume cost? - Your flies are open.
I think he's too hot.
Can I have some more soup? - Leave some for Whitey.
You take too much pity on Lewie. He can do what he likes.
Wait until the little sod gets home. Then you'll see.
Pass the salt.
I think there's someone in the barn.
It can't carry on like this. - There he is, dressed for dinner.
Get dressed and sit up at the table. - I'm not hungry.
Do as your mother tells you.
And stop dawdling. Eat.
I'm not hungry. - Eat, I said.
And the soup is cold. - Cross yourself first.
My money. All my money's gone.
You lost a lot more today than just money.
All my money. - Will you start eating!
It was more than five cents. - Eat, Whitey.
It was five cents.
The soup is cold. - Stop whining.
That's hot. - You've just been in the Demer.
I'm going to drown myself. Then you'll be rid of me.
Are you going to do that naked, too? - You'll get a shock when I'm dead.
Just say if you want cold potatoes.
Eat them yourself.
Silence. When I say silence, I mean silence.
But I didn't say anything. - I said 'silence'.
School is almost over and you still don't know anything.
Look at him standing there.
D'you know now, clever clogs? - I'm still working it out.
Six.
Five.
You'd be better walking naked along the street, ugly.
I heard about that.
I'll take you in hand this afternoon. Then you'll remember your lesson.
Then you'll be in trouble with father because I've got to go to work.
Can you remember? Give it to father Ambrosius and say:
Here you are, Father, with the compliments of farmer Coene.
Understand?
I think so. - Don't think, know.
Make sure you don't lose your trousers again.
Liza, Hein says hello.
Did farmer Coene send you? - Yes, Father.
Did you carry that parcel all by yourself in this heat?
I've always been tough. - Then you must be thirsty.
Would you like a glass of water or would you prefer beer?
What sort of beer have you got?
Bet they call you Whitey, don't they? - Yes, Father.
That's because of my hair but my real name is Lewie.
Lewie Verheyden.
I suppose you got it from your father? - Yes, he's called Verheyden, too.
And how's it going at school, Whitey?
So-so.
The master always wants me to learn things just when I don't feel like it.
But in a couple of weeks it'll be finished.
And then?
Then I have to go and work on the land, like everyone else.
At home?
No, at farmer Coene's. The old grump.
Nis, you'll never believe it. It's all clean and white there.
As clean and as white as in heaven. - Have you ever seen heaven?
And all the corridors are white. And you can't hear anything.
Only the monks singing like angels. - Angels are girls.
And they've got a garden full of flowers.
Strong beer.
And a room as big as a church full of books.
Books, millions of books. And I was allowed to hold one.
That's enough. Go to sleep. I've got to go to work early.
There are books there that are five hundred years old.
In Latin and French.
And almanacs. Forecasting the weather for all over the world.
And they also make books themselves in their printing factory.
And they are all friendly.
Nis, would you like to live in an abbey?
Are you mad?
I thought...
Maybe, I don't know, they could let me help there a bit.
Then you'll have to become a monk or a priest.
How do you become a priest?
Would it help if I became altar boy first?
You haven't got the face for it. Go to sleep or you'll end up on the floor.
Her breasts curved elegantly,
restrained by the silk.
Most had a bird of prey on their hand.
Among all
these noblewomen there was one whose beauty and splendour
put the rest in the shade.
Her name was Machteld. She was Robrecht's younger daughter.
She was incredibly beautiful.