With your blood, you have certified the pact and promised yourself to us.
Scenes from the Life of the German composer
ADRIAN LEVERKÜHN
A film by FRANZ SEITZ
based on the novel by THOMAS MANN
Episode 1
So hell will be synonymous with the here and now of our present.
And nations, the Devil, Faust, and Mephisto merge with one another.
And every man can be or become both.
I have experienced it.
Adrian Leverkühn was a friend of mine.
Adrian!
Adri!
Adrian!
Adri!
Adrian!
Was I gone too long, Seren?
You know what?
I can hold my breath almost for a minute.
I was counting to 45.
What's the matter?
Some people also happen to drown.
Are you speculating the elements again, Jonathan?
That's right, Elsbeth.
Mark that another's prayer is fit
To save the prayer's soul with it
While I am praying for mankind
In God's good arms am I entwined
Amen.
Just look at these large...
...and exquisitely colored butterflies!
They leisurely fly in their defiant garb
and never hide from a predator.
Because their juices have such a repulsive odor and taste
that if mistakenly swallowed, it would be immediately spat out again.
Their inedibility is known throughout nature.
So they are secure.
Sadly secure.
Wonderful!
Take this one.
Elsbeth!
The glorious azure blue flaunted by the Polyommatus icarus
is actually not a real and genuine color.
Why not?
The delicate scales on the wings exclude all the other colors,
so only the blue remains visible.
So it's a sham?
Then the blue of the sky would be a sham, too, Elsbeth.
Or can you tell me what pigment produces it?
What's the name of this one, up there, in the middle?
This is...
...Hetaera esmeralda.
She's a lover of dusky, leafy shade.
In transparent nakedness.
Yes.
In transparent nakedness.
This is curious.
I mean, naturally, there's nothing curious about it,
but when you figure things out for yourself, like I do,
it seems curious how it all hangs together and goes in circles.
Do you know what I think?
Music is ambiguous.
Take this chord...
...or this one.
These chords have no key as such.
It's all relationship, and the relations form a circle.
Good day, Mr. Leverkühn.
Well, nephew, I'm sure that wasn't the first time you've practiced.
What do you mean, Uncle Niko?
Don't act the innocent.
You're in fact making music.
I'm only tinkering with it.
The way you got to the dominant minor
was very ingenious.
Do you enjoy it?
-Well, you know, Uncle... -Well, apparently you do.
I want to tell you something, nephew.
We'll have our old reed organ, no one plays it in any case,
brought up to your room, yes?
Then you'll have it handy whenever you get the urge.
You're very kind, Uncle Niko, but it's certainly not worth the trouble.
To provide board and lodging is more than enough.
-The food is on the table! -Yes, yes, we're coming.
And one more thing, nephew. You ought to take piano lessons.
Then you'll get a foundation under your castles in the air.
So, starting tomorrow, every afternoon at 4:OO in my apartment.
Be there on the tick! Agreed?
Agreed!
No!
Do you want to confess?
No.
It's an extraction from the Arnica root.
You'll see, it will definitely help.
-Perhaps it will help indeed. -It will help for sure.
The way it had helped my brother when he was hit in the head,
back then in Sedan.
Otherwise, August would probably be dead by now.
You're not supposed to always take the pharmacist's poisonous powders.
-I thought you were sick. -Poison! She said poison!
Yes, yes.
You're going to do all right.
Me? This is Mozart, not me. That makes a small difference.
No, no, no.
You're going to do all right because you love music.
Really? Do I?
Do you believe love is the strongest motivation, Mr. Kretzschmar?
Do you know any stronger?
Yes, interest.
By which you probably mean a love that has been deprived of its warmth.
But, listen now. This here...
This will be your world, Adrian.
Listen up.
Once again.
And here...
And...?
Fioriture and cadenzas!
The appearance is thrown off!
Art throws off the appearance!
Off and away! The chord progression remains static!
And there's no third movement for Opus 111.
No third movement!
It's a pleasure to see that George really enjoys farming.
He can barely wait until his military service is completed.
You're fortunate, dear Mrs. Elsbeth.
Your oldest son will take over the farm,
and about Adrian, you don't have to worry at all.
He is talented to such an extent, it's almost an insult to his teachers.
Maybe I shouldn't say this in his presence, but he knows it anyway.
Don't make my boy turn arrogant, Mr. Kretzschmar.
Talent is a gift of Heaven.
Only scoundrels are modest.
But you're right.
Natural merits are God's merits on our behalf,
and not our own.
And it is Lucifer who always strives to make us forget,
since he himself came to grief out of pride.
He makes a wicked guest,
a roaring lion who walks about seeking whom he may devour.
You, Adrian, are among those who have every reason
to always be on guard against his wiles.
But you will resist evil if you always bear in mind
that self-satisfaction is itself apostasy
and ingratitude to the Spender of every mercy.
"Why do I pass by the highways where other travelers go?
I have surely done no wrong that I should shun humankind."
Why do I pass by the highways Where other travelers go
Why do I take hidden forays Through the mountain's heavy snow
The supreme command of the armed forces announces:
German submarines have attacked an enemy convoy in the North Atlantic
and thus sunk 14 ships amounting to 69,893 gross register tons.
I have surely done no wrong That I should shun humankind
Yes, I loved Adrian. Even as a boy.
I loved him with terror and tenderness,
seldom asking whether he in any way returned my feelings.
When were you born, Mr. Leverkühn?
On the 15th of October, 1885.
And where?
At the Buchel Farm.
Township of Oberweiler.
Weissenfels District.
Religious denomination?
Protestant.
At which faculty would you like to enroll?
Theology.
Thus evil itself is an inevitable extension
of the holy existence of God.
Just like a certain logical imperfection
of His omnipotence and benevolence appears in the act of Creation.
For what He had been unable to do was to furnish the creature,
that which He released from Himself,
with the inability to sin.
The logical dilemma had consisted in His having been incapable
of granting the creature, man, and the angels,
both the independence of choice, that is, free will,
and, at the same time, the gift of being incapable of sin.
Piety and virtue therefore consist of making good use of the freedom
of which God had to permit His creature,
meaning , making no use of it.
But...
But what would the good be without the evil?
It would be of a quality without comparison.
Evil is far more evil when there is good,
and good far more beautiful when there is evil.
Augustine said that the function of the bad
is to let the good emerge more clearly.
Holiness, gentlemen, is unthinkable without temptation.
Therefore, God has granted Satan greater magical power over coitus
than any other human act.
And he has tolerated that the curse of the flesh
has been laid upon the female so that it could come to the proverb:
"A fair woman is like a ring of gold in a swine's snout."
Thank you, gentlemen.
Your very humble servant.
Halle on the Saale, 3-minute stopover.
-Did you manage? -Yes, all documents were there.
Very well , then.
It was not difficult. I hope you're satisfied.
Well, we'll see.
How nice of you to pick me up!
I'm pleased you're prepared to say good-bye to Jena.
Yes, it wasn't too difficult.
Now I'll be able to witness how and whether you'll succeed
to satisfy your intellect with matters of religion.
Why religion?
I study theology.
For great virtues of another, there is no other remedy than love.
I call that "elective affinity."
What is "freedom"?
Only what is indifferent is free.
What is characteristic is never free.
It is formed...
...determined...
...and bound.
Is there "free" music in any sense?
Or "liberal theology"?
That would be a "wooden iron".
A contradiction in itself.
Eight, one, six, three, five, seven,
four, nine, two.
One could establish that no note in this row should recur
until all the others have first occurred.
I don't understand. What row are you talking about?
Nothing but Devil's quints!
And the "S"...
Like Satan!
It seems to me that in the past year,
you were more engaged in music than theology.
Music is energy in itself.
And in that almost a definition of God.
Imitatio dei....
I'm amazed it's not forbidden.
Your very humble servant.
Dr. Schleppfuss, one of my professors.
Here, too, it's best to listen to one only and swear by the master's word.
May I have a word?
Go ahead!
High Corona, honorable fraternity.
I bring you Serenus Zeitblom,
son of the druggist Wolgemut Zeitblom
from Kaisersaschern.
My friend decided to suckle at the breast of Alma Mater Hallensis
and continue his studies of philology here with us.
Please welcome him as our guest.
-Let's drink to close friendship! -That's right!
Come in!
Multae causae sunt vivendi, my respectable, cheerful friends!
-Yes! -Cheers!
Should we shun earthly delights?
For we have devoted our lives to study the holy Writ?
Man alive! Never!
Upon my name, Ehrenfried Kumpf!
Now listen to my tale, without debate and disruption,
about the perils of water.
The Pope in Rome was given a marvel of the sea.
It was glowing.
And half of it almost looked like a human being,
like half of a virgin, I should say.
But since it was captured , it didn't want to eat or drink.
And as it was on the verge of dying, the Pope looked at it again and said:
"Dear God! Why are Your creatures on Earth so peculiar?"
Then the marvel of the sea looked up and said:
"They're a great deal more peculiar in the sea!"
That was the Devil speaking for he dwells in the sea!
And thus was the comment of our striking Dr. Martinus:
"Ergo gaudeamus! Ergo bibamus!"
-That's right! -Bravo!
Even if he should stand by,
the mocker, the killjoy, the sad sour spook,
and will not suffer our hearts to rejoice in God with meat and song!
But he shall not have the better of us, the archvillain,
with his sly and fiery darts!
Apage!
Cum grano salis.
-Where will we spend the night? -I don't know.
If I only knew why we are actually so immature,
so young, as you put it.
I mean as a nation.
The German is, if you will, the eternal student,
eternally striving among the nations.
And his revolutions are the shindig of world history.
Farewell, good night
Now that the end has come
I have to leave
In the summertime the clover blooms
In the winter the snow falls
Then I will return
The Germans have two-tracked minds.
They always want it to be both.
They want it all.
They just want it all.
They simply have both within them.
A rich nation.
A confused nation.
And a puzzle to others with their stubbornness.
And in evil, too.
It's called loyalty in this country.
What I would like to know is whether the youth of other nations
lie in the straw like this and torment themselves with problems.
Hardly.
One should make the exception of Russia's youth.
I should say, Russia's revolutionary youth.
The Russians have depth, but no form.
Those to our west have form, but no depth.
Only we Germans have both together.
Well, if that isn't a nationalist commitment!
It is merely the commitment to an idea.
Or to the demonic.
It was indeed a fantastic performance.
"Love is mad!
As mad as Ajax, it kills sheep.
-Kills me!" -"The sheep."
"It kills me. I, a sheep."
The rapid and disconnected prose of Mr. Shakespeare!
"I will not love.
If I do, hang me!
Hang me!
O, but her eye."
This could be set to music.
Zeitblom?
You've decided to join the army.
And I?
Well, I will put an end to this here.
I've packed my suitcases and shoved the Holy Writ under my bench.
I will go to Leipzig, to Kretzschmar, and study music at the conservatory.
And so, dear friend...
Farewell, Valet!
Farewell, Adrian.
Your very humble servant.
Private Zeitblom.
Please salute the 3rd Field-Artillery Regiment in Naumburg.
-Hold its leg! Have its butt! -Yes, constable!
Beg your pardon, constable.
May I ask permission to address Private Zeitblom?
Yes.
Private Zeitblom, come see me at the office after official hours.
-I have a registered letter for you. -Yes, Private First Class.
Esteemed dear Master and Ballistier,
we are obliged and grateful for your perturbation and epistle,
as our immaculate Magister Kumpf would put it.
I'm also grateful for your most comical tidings
of your present demanding state,
of your caperings, combings, and polishings.
I would like to requite you with a disreputable farce
that you may also have cause for marvel and laughter.
So that you're in the know about what is afoot between Satan and myself....
First, we are going to Paul's Church,
a beautiful cross, extremely interesting.
The porter who'd picked up my luggage at the station
offered his services as a tour guide.
The man showed me everything.
The Thomas Church, for the sake of Johann Sebastian,
and his grave in John's Church.
Also the Reformation monument and the new Gewandhaus.
Finally, Auerbach's Inn was not to be missed
and the tower that yet stands from Pleissenburg's citadel,
where Luther had disputes with Eck.
Three hours later, I was weary and hungry.
Let's get rid of this.
So you would like to go to an inn?
Yes. It's time I ate something.
A good inn?
A good inn, but not too costly, if possible.
Very well, Monsieur.
This is it. You will be satisfied.
I demand two marks for my services.
Thank you.
Enjoy your meal.
Welcome, Monsieur.
I'm enchanted to see you.
It's the first time you give me the honor, isn't it?
Please follow me.
May I introduce my damsels?
Lulu,
Ninette,
Isabelle,
Elaine,
and Vera.
The choice is yours, Monsieur.
In transparent nakedness.
Hetaera esmeralda.
I strode back, away from this hellhole of lust,
past the daughters of the wilderness, the morphos, clearwings, esmeraldas.
I ran down the stairs into the street, never touching the rail.
There you have the rag that befell me.
Ecce epistola!
To which, Amen, and pray for me!
Needless to say, you shall destroy this at once.
"Pray for me"?
"Destroy at once"?
The Germans love their fate, as long as it is one.
And should it be doom, how does one break free?
How does one burst the cocoon and become a butterfly?
Hetaera esmeralda.
E.
A.
E.
Esmeralda.
H.
E.
A.
E.
S.
Hetaera esmeralda.
S.
Esmeralda.
Oh, sweet maiden
How bad you are
Oh, sweet maiden
How bad you are
No, she's no longer with us.
It's already been half a year.
Ask Madame. She's upstairs.
I will tell you the story.
One day she had to go to the hospital for a small "defect."
After that, she was a very nice girl.
But I have to make sure that my damsels...
You understand?
So, we have parted ways.
Is she still here? In Leipzig?
She returned to her homeland.
Do you know where she lives?
Yes, she had forgotten some jewelry.
I sent it after her.
Spade. And another spade.
Please give me her address.
And a heart.
Just a moment, please.
Voilà! Sarajevo.
You may keep it, Monsieur.
Thank you, Madame.
Do you know where this is?
Thank you.
I have come for you.
Just to see you, Esmeralda.
You must not do it.
You must not love me.
I am ill.
Not the top! The bottom!
Hold up your shirt.
Swollen, but indolent.
Without question.
Beyond any doubt.
There's absolutely no doubt about it.
So, what has to be done, Dr. Erasmi?
We'll treat it with ointments for the quicksilver to enter your bloodstream.
It will be all right.
Just lay down, to begin with.
One bird alone makes no flock of sea gulls,
but one misconduct will do for syphilis.
From now on, you'll have to be damn careful.
I'm sure you know what l'm talking about.
Morbus gallicus is a serious matter. It's malicious.
It won't be easy.
Leverkühn.
From now on, you'll have to see me every afternoon at 4:OO.
You've come at just the right time.
The Schaffgosch Quartet is playing Opus 132 this evening.
Since I'm here, I'll come along.
It will be good to hear Beethoven again for all these military marches.
The Lydian movement.
The Hymn of Thanksgiving upon Recovery.
The malady and its consequences affect a lot of things.
I refer to creativity.
I see it looking at myself.
I have more ideas lately.
Do you suffer from your dreadful headaches again?
No.
At the moment, I'm dealing with a different malady,
which forces me to call on the help of a doctor.
Oh, the gentlemen from Schaffhausen!
I beg you pardon?
I'm talking about your faux pas. You don't have to say anything.
You're a patient of my deceased colleague Erasmi.
A good human being but a bad therapist.
Well , meanwhile he has been immobilized. Follow me.
It's due to the lust garden,
this is no pun on your adventure, Mr. Leverkühn.
I'm talking about Professor Lustgarten,
whose science makes no distinction between rather ordinary bacteria
and those making my profession such a lucrative one.
So due to said Lustgarten, many of my colleagues believe
one could tackle Columbus's souvenir with rubbing ointments.
Humbug, dear friend.
I will go about you and your problem in a completely different way.
With nice little shots, in fact.
Not in the ass, no! You may keep your pants on.
Just uncover the calf of your left leg, the limp leg of the Devil...
And all the wounds of love
Broke open wide in me
And as I finally found you
I lived and died in you, in you
Oh, sweet maiden, how bad are you
And now let's try the verse before the last, please.
And on the wound the serpent
Now tightly clings and sucks
And from her mouth of poison
Flowed death into my blood
Oh, sweet maiden, how bad are you
Very beautiful, Adrian.
And very sad.
So much the better.
For what it's worth.
What's the matter with you?
It's all right.
It will pass.
It's nothing, nothing at all.
It will pass.
-Some other time! -Move on.