It was in a country far away. I don't know which one.
But it was a distant land.
A prince lost his mind and imagined himself...
- ... to be a rooster. - A rooster? Like this one?
Yes. He took refuge under the dining-room table...
...striped naked, and refused to eat anything but grain.
- And then? - The King called in magicians and doctors...
...to cure his son, but to no avail.
One day, an unknown sage arrived, took off his clothes...
...and joined the prince under the table, saying he too was a rooster.
Eventually, the sage convinced the prince to get dressed.
And finally to sit down and eat with the others. "Don't ever think"...
...said the sage, "... that by eating like...
...a man, with other men at the table...
...a rooster ceases to be what he is. "
"You can do anything with...
...men in their world. Or even for them. "
"And yet remain the rooster that your are. "
I'm so proud of you, Benjamin.
Such young little fellow, and brighter than all the adults.
Guess what? I have some money.
How would you like to eat in a restaurant?
A restaurant? Really?
What do you think about her and me, huh?
- You'd be fine. - Yeah, it's true!
Miss? Miss!
She has nice tits, and a fine ass.
- I wouldn't say no to sleeping with her. - Miss!
Miss, miss!
Hey, miss! Where the hell are the...
...girls in this stinking place, huh?
Could I have another one, please?
Hey, fatty! You should watch your weight.
Or soon you'll be wider than you're tall. Like a potato.
Like a stuffed pig!
Hey, fatty! What's your name?
He's not fat! He's my brother and he's strong.
I'm a blacksmith. My name is Zishe. Zishe Breitbart.
Hey, fatty! I'm talking to you.
Our fatty is a jew.
A big fat jew.
A fat one, and a thin one.
The fat jew eats too much, and the thin jew not enough.
Hey, fatty! Why doesn't...
...the little one eat anything, huh?
You should eat more, like your fat brother.
Good idea.
You're too thin.
- The thick and the thin... - ... together through thick and thin.
- Open your mouth! - And eat!
Hey!
You will pay me for this! Have you an idea...
...how much beer that was? One hectolitre.
And do you know how much a barrel costs? And how much that table costs?
It wasn't his fault, the others started it!
As for the money, I'd like to pay.
Yes, we'd really like to pay for this, but we don't have any money.
What I should do is call the police.
But I think there's a way for you to pay for the damage.
The circus is in town. Outside, by the gate.
There's a famous "strongman". And there's prize money to be won...
...for the man who can beat him!
Ladies and Gentlemen, dear children!
I would like to announce that our Hercules has a challenger!
A strong young man, without doubt.
But in more than 20 years...
...our Hercules, our Colossus of Rhodes...
...has never been defeated.
For years we have been raising the prize...
...to the amount of 5.000 Zloty for any man...
...who proves himself stronger. Not without reason...
...the ancients have proclaimed the Colossus of Rhodes...
...one of the 7 Wonders of the World!
And now, highly esteemed audience...
...his challenger this evening:
Zishe Breitbart! Blacksmith from this town.
I can do more! I can do more!
Yitzak, come! There's a visitor. A real gentleman.
- What does he want? - I don't know. He arrived in a motorcar.
And, oh my God, I have nothing to offer him.
Landwehr. Alfred Landwehr.
Pleased to meet you, Mr. Breitbart.
And this is your strong son.
- Please! Sit down! - Thank you.
I'm an agent for variety artists.
Dancers, chucklers, magicians.
Everything that is in demand. And the demand in Berlin is enormous.
I possess an instinct for great talents.
For people who will go straight to the top.
I was at the circus yesterday to see the local strongman, when your son-
You need not go on. We are respectable people.
For a jew this is not the right thing.
But the most gifted people in cinema, in theatre and art are.
I never even thought about leaving. I belong in this smithy...
- ... in our little Shtetl. - You see, our jewish Shtetls...
...are like holy books, open...
...to the eyes of God. And the Day of the Torment...
...even the fish tremble in the brook.
In spring, during Passover, the trees rejoice.
Sir... you're like a shopkeeper, with empty shelves.
With nothing to sell.
Son... you'll have to attend university!
You've said that beautifully...
...really.
Do you know how old the boy is? 9!
This little fellow is just 9 years old.
And to think that this is my brother, Benjamin.
Look at what an incredible boy my brother is.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Are you all right?
- Yes, thank you. - Fine! Me too.
Good morning, Mr. Landwehr! We've just been talking about you.
Did you sleep in the motorcar?
There isn't even a hotel around here to spend the night.
- Good morning. Mornin'. Mornin'. - You are an exceptional man.
I am, when i'm after an exceptional talent.
Zishe, listen!
I want you to come with me just for the day!
I have something to show you.
- But i can't leave. I must work. - Your father...
...would excuse you for an afternoon, huh?
My son is able to make up his own mind...
...about such things.
You'll be most interested to see what i'm going to show you.
Look Zishe, look at all the motorcars!
There must be every motorcar in the whole world...
...right in Berlin!
More than motorcars, young man. Watch what's coming.
That's a flying machine! I've read about it.
Look at how many people it can carry.
Aeroplanes will never compete against that.
Benjamin!
- Benjamin, wake up! - I am awake!
- I've been thinking. - So have I.
Do you believe God gives to each of us a gift?
Of course.
God made me strong, Benjamin. Don't you think...
...that he made me strong for a reason?
A blacksmith needs to be strong.
But I am stronger than a blacksmith needs to be.
Sometimes we don't understand why God does what He does.
This is what I must find out.
- Zishe? - What? Tell me.
The Book of Prophets says: "Spare me...
...that i may recover strength, before i go hence...
...and be no more. And be no more. "
- And? - And, what?
- What do you think about it? - About what?
Berlin.
Let me talk to the Rabbi first.
But before anything, we have to celebrate Passover.
But...
Children, when we fled Egypt, we didn't...
...have time for the bread to rise.
Hannah? What happened when we came to the sea?
- Hashem opened the seas. - Yes, he did!
And, Raffael? How many years did we stay in the desert?
Forty.
Yes. All right.
- Search for it! - Yes!
Where is it?
It must be somewhere.
Maybe under the pillow. Hannele found it!
- Wonderful! - Hannele found it!
- She has found it. - Very well!
Wonderful!
- How much do you want for it? - 6 Zloty.
No, that's too much!
Yes...
- 6! - Yes.
I want to thank the Allmighty for my good wife, and my children.
You are the salt of earth. And you fill my heart with joy.
Today, I want to thank God in particular...
...for my strong firstborn.
Zishe, my son! You will go out into the World...
...but don't ever forget who you are!
Hold on! Hold on!
I've travelled very far. I've been as far as Vilna. But a thing like this...
...a thing like this i've never seen before.
Can you give me a ride?
- Where can we take you? - You're not going to Berlin, by any chance?
- Are you hungry? - All the time.
My mother has never been able to feed me enough.
And you want to walk all the way to Berlin?
Yes. I have a ticket for the train, first class.
But i'm going to return the ticket, and my mother will get a new dress instead.
I've heard there are many pretty girls in Berlin.
Girls like you won't find in the country. Maybe you'll meet one.
I have already, sort of. In a dream.
But I couldn't see her face, because... I know it sounds strange...
...but there was so much light. I think she was a princess.
You didn't come specially for me? How did you know?
Your reputation is faster than your feet.
My name is Delilah.
Better take care, Samson!
Berlin, May 1932
It's me, Zishe! Zishe Breitbart!
You want to talk to Mr. Landwehr?
Are you still there? Hello? Hello?
- Speak please. - What?
- Please speak. - Yes!
- Where are you? - In Berlin.
Come and see us at once. Mr. Landwehr...
...is expecting you. We thought you were lost.
A girl you say.
And she wanted to marry you at once?
Well, actually no.
She just wanted to keep me.
Don't just stand there, have a seat.
Thank you.
You realize, that the possibilities to employ you are...
- ... somewhat limited. - Yes? What do you mean by that?
No, no, don't be afraid!
I'm good at the work i do. The best, if i may say so.
I'm going to employ you in an establishment called...
..."Hanussen's Palace of the Occult".
I don't quite understand. What am i supposed to do there?
I've talked to Hanussen, and he was immediately pleased with my idea.
Hanussen has understood something about the insecurity of our times.
Inflation, unemployment, mass strikes...
...attempted coups, bank rushes.
People long for a strong man, a leader.
And Hanussen is the clairvoyant, the prophet of this longing.
And what does that have to do with me?
I can tell you! You will be a kind of contrasting program:
The strenght of the body, against the...
...dark powers of the spirit of the occult.
And i have to point out to you right now that you...
...must play a certain game.
I can't do that. I'm strong, that's all.
I don't demand anything else from you. And furthermore, you'll keep your mouth shut!
I'll meet with tomorrow at Hanussen's.
Dismissed!
PALACE OF THE OCCULT
No, impossible!
What if he carries a weapon, pearhaps a spear?
No, he shouldn't look like some primitive man.
Someone from primordial times.
That's my demand. Take it off!
Take it off! I hope you're all in for the dark instincts.
How about a Greek or a Roman? You know, a gladiator?
Turn! Turn around!
Pearhaps for the first act.
After the break he can be dressed as...
...some kind of heroic figure.
How's "Zishe, The Strong"?
By no means! The jewish name must go at once!
You see, my boy... my public consists of film stars.
Above all, followers of the National Socialists.
Big shots of the party.
We will aryanize you.
A jew should never be as strong as you.
The new act!
- Yes, i'm the strong man. - I'm the magician here.
You don't look like a magician.
Oh, indeed? Well, then watch!
Don't be deceived. The ace may seem like the ace.
And the queen may seem like the queen. But the truth here is always...
...what one does not see.
If you want to see the place, i can show you around.
Follow me, but quiet.
This is Hanussen's "Circle of the Occult".
No, performers really shouldn't be here.
Hanussen doesn't like it.
Place your hands in the light.
Make contact with one another.
Feel the energy surge through you.
I am... your clairvoyant.
I see your future.
Excuse me!
My name is...
Actually, I wanted to tell you...
...you are the most...
Ladies and Gentlemen! I'd like to welcome you...
...with all my heart to a new spring and summer...
...program at Hanussen's...
...Palace of the Occult.
Now we shall begin with someone all of you are certainly familiar with.
Herr Rothschild, the banker!
Trying to run off with the profits of the Great War.
The laughter backstage is not permitted! If...
...anyone laughs, it'd better be the audience, do you understand me?
Yes. I understand.
Wig! Put your wig on!
- Put it on! Quickly! - And now, Ladies and Gentlemen!
Helmet!
A novelty in our program. A man of monstrous physical strenght.
The victor of all roman gladiators.
I give you: Siegfried!
Out!
After the great battle against...
...the Cimbers and Teutons, Siegfried...
...was taken to the roman arena as a prisoner.
They put him in chains.
But chains could not hold him.
Ladies and Gentlemen: Siegfried, the Aryan King!
Siegfried won every fight. He took the cuirass...
...from the strongest of all defeated gladiators.
And from Varus, he took not only his...
...head, but his heirlooms.
And now Ladies and Gentlemen, the man who...
...is in league with the powers of the occult.
The Master of the abysses of the soul, whose power over the...
...soul itself is able to achieve unbelievable things.
The man who is endowed with more power..
...than the strongest body could ever possess: Erik Jan Hanussen!
Venerable audience:
You are familiar with the phenomenon which i myself...
...cannot fully explain.
I have been endowed with a misterious gift.
Retracting the aura of the cosmos...
...and transmitting its rays back to people who are gifted... mediums.
And, are we not all in reality endowed with a medial gift?
These rays of cosmic energy are known as "Hypnosis".
And they manifest all the power of the occult.
The unknown side of the human psyche.
And it will prove to you that all our german people...
...are full of unknown power. A die will be cast.
- Four! - Four. Table four. Is there?
Count Helldorf! Good evening, Sir.
Good evening.
The Police Chief of Berlin!
May i ask your enchanting companion...
...to come up on stage, please?
Please.
- What is your name? - Hedda Christianson.
- And i think i've seen you on the screen. - Yes, I've done two talkies.
But I'm still a beginner.
The beginning of a great carrier, no doubt!
Don't worry. Just relax.
I'm now going to send you into trance.
Count Helldorf, the most charming of all...
...police chiefs, will be there to keep an eye on you.
And some of our sturdiest Stormtroopers...
...in Berlin will be there to support him.
- Certainly! - Always ready! To victory!
Focus on this object. And listen to my voice.
Follow my voice. My voice is leading you.
Keep your eyes fixed, watch this object.
Focus your eyes. The power of the whole people...
...will concentrate in you.
Your legs are getting heavy. Very heavy.
Your arms are getting heavy.
Heavier and heavier...
Your eyelids are getting heavy.
Very heavy... You feel sleepy.
You feel tired. Very tired...
You want to sleep. Your eyes are closing.
Your eyelids are becoming heavier. And heavier.
Your eyes are closing. And you feel sleepy.
Tired. Very tired. You want to sleep.
Let yourself sink. You're sinking deeper and deeper.
To the bottom of a bottomless lake.
You are asleep.
I now place a coin on the back of her hand.
I invoke all black powers from the blackest abyss.
The coin on your hand is growing hot.
Very hot.
You feel your hand getting hotter... and hotter.
Yet you feel no pain. No pain.
The coin is burning now.
Your hand is being burned. Yet you feel no pain.
No pain. Listen to my voice.
I'm now going to wake you up. I will count to three.
When i count to three, you will awake.
You will feel well, very well. And you will awake.
One. You feel your body becoming lighter. And lighter.
Two. Let your body drift up slowly...
...towards the surface of the lake.
Three! You break the surface of the water.
You open your eyes, and you're awake.
You're awake. You're strong.
You are feeling strong, and you are feeling good.
Are you awake now? Are you awake?
Yes.
- Where am I? What happened? - Count Helldorf, Sir.
Can you please come up on stage as a witness?
Will you please take the coin from the back...
...of the hand of your charming companion?
- What do you see now? - Hedwig, my darling!
For God's Sake, what has happened?
Please describe what you see.
A blister. A blister from a burn.
- A big blister on her hand. - Are you in pain?
No, not at all!
Come in.
Well?
Well, the cost- The costume and all this.
What about it?
Marta... my darling!
Have you met our new strong man?
His name is Zishe.
Yes.
I have big plans for him.
- I've seen you before. - Yes, backstage.
- No. - Where then?
A dream.
- A dream? - Yes, actually...
What i want to say is...
The costume... I don't feel quite right as a Teuton.
Champagne!
Sit.
Sit!
Take a sip.
No, thank you.
Now listen! My boy!
You don't seem to be quite clear yet.
We are entertainers.
We work for a sole employer. And that is the public.
We give them what they want. We articulate their colective dreams.
Now: if you still don't understand this at the end of intermission...
...pearhaps we should send you back to your little Shtetl.
In Poland.
I'm homesick. I miss my brothers and sisters.
And working with my father.
I work here for a clairvoyant.
His name is Hanussen. And he is a mystery to me.
I have the power to radiate energy onto you.
You feel pulled. Something is drawing you.
You're sinking. Sinking.
Sinking...
What the power of the body can achieve, Ladies and Gentlemen...
...the power of the spirit can also achieve.
And more, much more.
The frail body of our pianist is...
...able to perform far greater things...
...Ladies and Gentlemen. Just as our people...
...are capable of developing unimaginable powers.
They merely need to be led.
And, like a cosmic event, like a comet in the sky...
...a figure of light has come among us.
And this force, which will crush all foreign vermin...
...has a name: Adolf Hitler.
He will. I see it, i see it clearly before my eyes.
One day he will lead our thirsting people.
I am the seer. I am the prophet of his coming.
To victory!
The flag up high...
...the troops tight together!
SA marches with firm...
...and calm steps!
To victory! To victory!
So lively, so early in the morning?
I am, you see... possibly in the wrong place.
Marta, leave us for a moment.
I'll call you when i need you.
- Something on your mind? - You see, the audience...
I don't feel right with the audience.
Pearhaps i'm just too jewish.
I understand you better than you think.
Really?
We are alike, you and i.
Yes.
We are showmen. We provide the...
...bewildered a beacon of light.
The audience doesn't seem very bewildered to me.
There are a lot of those nazis out there...
...who seem to know exactly where they are going.
And i am their prophet.
You know, my boy, what my dream is?
Something... much grander than this.
And i've already found it.
I want to be to the present what the...
...Oracle of Delphi was to antiquety.
High ranking party members have..
...already intimated to me that I will be the Minister...
...of the Occult in Hitler's future cabinet.
I have just awakened the barbaric prehistoric demons...
...to a new godless life.
Look, I am not particularly religious...
...but in my family there is God.
If there is such a thing as God...
...then he dwells here.
And this God protects me.
Gives me power.
Do you want to see what real power is? Marta!
Marta!
Sing! Sing!
- Which song? - The one about chandelier.
"As long as my panties are hanging...
...in the chandelier come morning...
...you can be sure that i still love you. "
Now the proof.
Turn around.
Look, my boy.
The roundest butt on God's wide earth.
And it's mine.
All mine.
EXIT
I didn't want to disturb you. I'm sorry.
You're not disturbing me at all. Please, stay.
That was really won- Wonderful.
Why don't you sit down next to me?
I don't know anything about music. Tell me, where did you learn all this?
I thought you were a princess when I first heard you play. Tell me.
I studied at the Conservatory, in Prague.
You see, i had high hopes then.
And i've never really given them up.
And why are you here?
The reason is that i'm a stateless person.
Do you know what that means?
As a child they kept pushing me around between three countries.
I never knew my parents. And when Hanussen was in Prague...
- ... he took me away with him. - He was in Prague?
Yes, in Prague. And he gave me work with his Palace Orchestra.
I'm sure you have noticed that he doesn't treat me well.
Ye. Yes, i've noticed that.
But i stay with him all the same. Well, yes.
Why am i still with him?
Miss Marta, I want you to... I am...
Zishe, I know what you mean.
Your music... It's so beautiful when you play.
- You see, I have a dream. - Can you tell me what it is?
Someday I'd like to play Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto.
With a full orchestra to accompany me.
I would give anything for that.
I have a vision deep inside.
Come with me. I'll show you.
Now look at these beings.
To me they have the purest of souls.
I have never seen anything more beautiful.
More delicate.
I want to play music to match this vision.
It's deep inside me.
Now I can see your soul.
- Please, will you take this? - Enough. Enough.
Yes, madame, i shall of course accept your paper.
Thank you.
Is your name on it?
Yes. And an important event in my life.
Mr. Hanussen will mind-read this as well.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I cannot explain this phenomenon myself.
There are human emanations which I can...
...read in a state of self-hypnosis.
Quiet, please!
Mr. Peters?
Mr. Peters wants to know from you...
...Mr. Hanussen, what happened in his neighbor's...
...appartment, on March 2nd of this year.
I see a room.
Flashes.
Yes, flashes. Someone is taking photographs.
He does have a gift, I must admit that.
It's a trick. Everything's a trick.
I see, I see...
Blood. A dead body lies there.
Police! Police!
Call the police!
No! The police are there already.
Murder. Horrible!
Can you confirm this, Sir?
It's all true. My neighbor was murdered.
And yes, there were many photos taken at the scene of the crime.
To clear up any doubts:
Do you know Mr. Hanussen personally? Might there be any possibility, Sir...
...that you had some secret arrangement...
...with Mr. Hanussen beforehand?
I won't stand for this! I'm Chief Justice of the High Court...
...and known to a good many of the gentlemen present.
Benjamin! Mother!
- Who are you? - Zishe, my son!
- How did you get here? - By train. Father gave us permission.
Benjamin just wouldn't stop pestering us.
We can only stay a single day.
- What's the matter? - Zishe!
You've changed so much!
Zishe... I made you these cookies.
Zishe? For you.
Zishe?
Mother, how kind of you. You know how much I love your cakes.
- But Benjamin... - Zishe, what's the matter?
Benjamin, you're my favorite brother.
And mother, you're the best mother a son could have.
But you shouldn't worry about me.
I think i've seen my soul.
I mean, there is an acquarium here.
Benjamin, I can put it simply: I am who I am.
And now, Ladies And Gentlemen, something unheard of.
Never before attempted: Siegfried, the Aryan King and...
...the elephant!
Siegfried! Siegfried! Siegfried!
Ladies and Gentlemen! My name is not Siegfried.
For my family at home, in Poland call me Zishe. I mean:
I'm not Aryan. I am not a Germanic hero.
There isn't german Aryan King any longer.
But... but the new Samson.
Samson, The Strong. A jew.
And i am proud of it.
Jewish pig!
You have no business here! Get out of here!
- We don't need you! - Out of here, jew!
Silence!
Ladies and Gentlemen!
I did not expect such an affront to...
...our german people.
I have at this gentlement... I have an answer for him:
Marta Farra, the delicate and...
...pretty pianist from our palace orchestra...
...will under the influence of my hypnotic power...
...unite all your strenght.
Miss Farra has never performed this feat before.
And yet we shall risk it...
...to oppose this cowardly provocation.
You become strong. Stronger than...
...cold reason can imagine.
You're strong! You will lift this elephant.
Lift it!
We! We all! We are all united!
Germany! Hail! Hail! Hail!
I've come for the money you owe me.
I mean, as soon as you pay me, i'll go.
Have you seen the paper? Front page!
- You do read, don't you? - Yes. Yes.
Do you know that there was a line three blocks...
...long when the box office opened this morning? Three blocks.
Three!
It's the jews!
They all want to see their new Samson.
- There you are! - I'm so happy to see you!
Over here darling...
Yes, it was very good. Interesting program.
I booked a table.
Excuse me. Excuse me. May I introduce myself.
Samuel Edelmann.
I am the Rabbi of the congregation of Berlin-Charlottenburg.
- Zishe Breitbart. - You needn't introduce yourself.
I saw you on stage. I was deeply impressed by your courage.
Well, yes, but anyone would have. I mean... at least.
I'd like to invite you to our synagog...
...to be called to the Torah this Sabbath.
Well, you know, i don't have much practice in reading.
What you have done, has given...
...courage to the jewish community.
Listen, Zishe! Just come.
You don't have to read, maybe that...
...wasn't such a good idea. Just come.
We are looking forward to having you with us.
We are so proud of you.
Before i begin my sermon today...
...i would like to take this opportunity to welcome...
...a very special guest to our congregation: Zishe Breitbart.
Zishe, please!
Good Shabbes.
- Good Shabbes. - Good Shabbes. Have a seat.
Good Shabbes. Good Shabbes.
And in his honour, I would like to recite one of the Psalms:
"I will lift up mine eyes onto the hills...
...from whence cometh my strenght."
"My strenght cometh from the Lord...
...which made Heaven and Earth."
"He will not give suffer thy foot to be moved. He the keepethy...
...will not slumber." "Behold...
...He the keepethy Israel, shall neither slumber...
...nor sleep."
You've been drawing such large crowds...
...i've been thinking about raising your salary.
That was my idea.
And tonight, my circle of aficionados...
...brings out their big guns.
Guess who's coming to honour us tonight!
- I wouldn't know. - Himmler and Goebbels.
Who are they? Movie stars?
No! Politicians! Both high up...
...higher up in the party. The party of Hitler.
They let me know they were coming just to demonstrate their support for me.
Ladies and Gentlemen! As you know, the strong man...
...of our house has--
Jews! You pigs! Jews out!
Gentlemen, please...
Doubts have been voiced both from the audience and in the press...
...about the strenght of Zishe Breitbart.
Swindler! You swindler!
It's unthinkable that a jew has such strenght!
Yes, sir. I acknowledge your objection.
That's why Breitbart has announced an attempt...
...at the world record tonight.
He will try to lift from the ground, a weight of 900lbs.
This weight is 50lbs heavier than the current world record.
The precise weight has already been established.
But to give an idea of just how heavy this is...
...we have here 9 sacks of potatoes.
100 pounds each.
And now... the new Samson:
Zishe Breitbart!
You pig, get out! Jewish pig!
The rule is simple: it says that the weight has to be...
...held for three seconds.
If any of you out there touches this old man...
...I will break your arms and legs!
You stop that! You stop that!
- This must be yours. - This was merely an arabesque Ladies and Gentlemen.
Take your seats, please. Don't we all feel refreshed...
...after an envigorating battle? Place your hands in the light.
Make contact.
At least the people in the palace learned a lesson.
May i pass on a question from our Führer to you?
- I am honoured. - The Führer, who appreciates...
...your predictions for the future and who will regard to your..
...historic prognosis, agrees with you entirely.
Asked the other day in a small circle...
How clairvoyance could be in accord with the principle...
...of cause and effect? A law of nature.
Nature doesn't care what we think of it.
Nor about the laws that we assign it.
In reality... there is no such thing as clairvoyance.
Because for me, there is no future.
- How is this? - There is no future.
Just a state of things and events.
You cannot imagine the cosmos as either...
..."having been" or "coming into being".
Events are still-point.
Only men hurries past.
Imagine time as a die.
And time sections as sides of the die.
The normal human being sees only one side.
The side that faces him.
And that is the present.
The clairvoyant, however...
...in a state of trance, walks around the die in a way.
Seeing it also from the back.
And that is the future side.
Which in time will become the present.
Mr. Himmler, please tell the führer...
...that I have seen his coming.
And that I welcome him...
...as the redeemer of the german people.
In line! March, march!
Remove the vehicle!
Move it!
Eyes forward!
Attention!
This is not my new palace... but my Ministry.
Open your eyes!
I respect you because you truly are strong.
This is huge.
This is not only the very heart...
...of my future Ministry of the Occult...
...but far more. At this circle...
...cabinet sessions will be held.
In this very hall, my dream, my ascent to power...
...will become a reality.
But when i see all this...
...and this is the reason i brought you here...
...i sense something...
...almost like fear.
I love palmtrees.
I don't know why.
I even had a dream about palmtrees.
And lots of crabs.
You have to get away from him.
Then i'll lose my job. And i'll be thrown out of the country.
- But he beats you. - This is nothing new.
Is there something i could do? I mean to help.
- Come with me on Sunday. - Where?
Hanussen's boat. He's hosting a party.
There'll be some of his business associates party members.
- The usual crowd. - I wouldn't be welcome.
Zishe, please come! For my sake.
I need you.
What the hell is he doing here?
Zishe is my friend. I invited him.
Our jewish strong man.
Excellent. He will add to our entertainment.
Please, come onboard.
Have fun!
Herr Goebbels? I don't understand your concept of style.
You nazis don't even know how to live.
Don't even know what elegance is.
Last night i went to the casino.
And there was a japanese man standing there.
He didn't play. He was just watching and smiling.
And early in the morning, the casino almost closed, he presented...
...half a million gold marks, and he put it on one colour:
On black. 50:50 chance. Everybody is silent.
Only the sound of the ball, rolling round and round.
And then it stops. And it stopped on red.
He loses. So, now what happens?
The japanese guy just blushed a little bit.
And smiled. Herr Goebbels...
...that's what i call style, that you nazis don't have.
I wished that Germany after the...
...catastrophic defeat of the World War...
...would just blush a little bit...
...and smile, and show some style.
You know, Count Helldorf, it's easy to blush for a moment...
...if you own 50.000 acres of land and two castles.
My young Goliath. Do sit down.
We would like your opinion on a little plan of ours.
A jewish one. Yes, my love...
A little fire. The Reichstag Parliament!
You know, Herr Goebbels, what puzzles me most?
That a vulgar person like Himmler...
...is rising in the party.
What is he babbling about burning the Reichstag?
Cheers!
I won't do it! I won't go to that ugly dwarf.
You watch your mouth! You're speaking of Goebbels.
What do you think you're doing? You remember your place.
Marta is my friend.
Fancy that!
This man, whom you shall now keep company with all your charm...
...may have a club foot, and measure only 5 feet...
...but what he keeps in his pants...
...he must have borrowed from a stallion.
You will take him to my private cabin...
...below deck. In one hour you will be back with a full report.
I can't.
What does that mean, "I can not"?
Let me put it more clearly: I won't!
You will not say this word to me!
- Put me down! You put me down! - Bravo! Excellent!
- Put me down! - This is enterteinment at its best.
You will pay dearly for this! I demand satisfaction!
Sabers? Pistols? Excellent!
I shall... I shall...
Gentlemen, frauds like this one are inevitable.
They go hand in hand with the fall of empires.
I mean, the empire you are dreaming of.
- Silence! - It's true. You are a fraud!
A faker, simply a man with a bag of tricks.
I will not have someone like you telling lies in front of my friends.
These people are not your friends, they're your puppets.
You told me so yourself.
I should kill you for what you've just said.
Herr Hanussen?
Please!
We have ladies present.
May i suggest this be settled...
...in a court of law? If our strong man...
...can prove his case, so be it.
If he can't, then he shall find out what the penalty is...
...for defying the honour of a german citizen...
...with cheap accusations.
Excellent, excellent.
Ladies and Gentlemen, you're all kindly invited...
...to a public spectacle.
It seems to me that all performers take certain liberties...
...with their presentations.
- What else? - The elephant act.
There was an apparatus. A hydraulic apparatus...
...was secretly built.
I mean, it would be impossible for a woman...
...to be hypnotized to lift an elephant.
- I miself can barely do it. - And how is it that you can do it?
Well, Sir, i'm very strong.
Herr Breitbart, in your alegation of the so-called "mind-reading"...
...you referred to a secret code.
Explain it to the Court.
Your Honour, this is very simple.
You just need a good assistant.
He reads out loud from a piece of paper on which...
...a member of the audience has written down some event.
Then he says "Quiet". And the word "quiet" signals a death.
When he says "Quiet, please", it means a murder.
And Mr. Hanussen...
...guesses the rest and embellishes it.
And do you have witnesses for this?
Well, yes! Marta Farra.
Fräulein, please... Approach the witness stand.
- Is Marta Farra a stage name? - No, it's my real name.
- Are you a german citizen? - I'm czech by birth.
And do you know if Mr. Hanussen uses...
...tricks and fakery for the purpose...
...of defrauding his customers?
Answer the question, please.
I can't, I mean...
I don't myself believe in such things...
...the power of the occult.
Are you saying then, that Mr. Hanussen is a fraud?
Yes.
She's lying.
- You're lying! You're lying! - Sit down Herr Hanussen!
Sit down, Herr Hanussen!
I will determine who's lying here.
Can you prove your alegation?
His name is not Eric Jan Hanussen.
- He's not a danish aristocrat. - What is his name then?
Well?
His name is Herschel Steinschneider.
- Jew! Jew pig! Swine! - Silence!
Silence! Silence! Order in the Court!
Or I'll hold you in contempt!
There seems to be a discrepancy...
...in regard to your name.
Do you use a stage name?
May I see your papers, please?
A czech citizen. Named...
...Herschel Steinschneider.
Jew.
Is Herschel Steinschneider your real name?
It's one of many.
In Istambul... I once...
...borrowed the identity of Franz Lehárs. The...
...Operetta Composer.
And using this alias...
...i obtained a large amount of money...
...from enthusiastic theatre lovers.
I then purloined a first class ticket aboard the luxury liner SUEZ...
...for my return voyage to England...
...by posing as Enrico Caruso.
The famous italian tenor.
Thus allowing a french countess...
...to fall in love with me.
I even escaped the Great Patriotic War...
...by using the name of a...
...dead playmate from my youth.
You see, I have nothing but contempt for...
...the so-called glory of "dying on the field of honour".
With regards to my little "Inventions"...
...my so-called "fraud"...
I am of the opinion that even God must have...
...bluffed at His creation.
Otherwise, how could he have come this far?
Come in.
What do you want here?
I wanted to say goodbye.
Actually, I wanted... I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry.
I didn't want this.
What kind of choice do we have?
We can be kicked around like dogs or else readapt.
Dress up. Simulate completely.
I passed myself off as a danish aristocrat.
And i, a little czech jew, live like a sovereign.
Selling the occult to the perplex.
No trouble. We don't want you.
I'm sorry.
Zishe, i wish we could have been friends.
One moment, gentlemen.
My cape.
I want to look elegant for this excursion.
- Zishe! - Rabbi! Please, excuse me.
All at once it came over me, like a great light.
Everything became clear.
It was as if, as if the Allmighty spoke to me directly.
You have found your faith. You have found God.
It's been clear since the day i first saw you, that He...
...had long ago found you.
And, how can i say it...?
My faith, my destiny, has finally been made known to me.
And... What is it, my friend?
I see something terrible coming.
So terrible that i don't have words to describe it. A danger.
A horrible danger for us jews.
How am i supposed to understand this?
I don't understand it myself. It's like, as if...
...as if i had now become Hanussen. The clairvoyant. I mean:
- I can see it all before me. - What will you do? What do you intend?
I have a mission. I've been called.
Yes?
I must be the new Samson for my people.
You know Zishe... you sound as if you...
...might be one of the Unknown Just.
What do you mean? Who are they?
Well, Zishe, you see: In every generation...
...there are born among the jews, 36 men whom God has chosen...
...to bear the burden of the world suffering.
And to whom he has granted the privilege...
...of martyrdom.
The world reposes upon 36 Just Men...
...indistinguishable from simple mortals.
Often, they do not recognize themselves.
And the most pitiable are the Just Men...
...who remain unknown to themselves.
When an Unknown Just rises to Heaven...
...he's so frozen, that God must warm him...
...a thousand years between his fingers...
...before his soul can open itself to paradise.
And it is known, that some remain forever incosolable...
...at human woe, so that even God...
...Himself can not warm them.
So... from time to time...
The Creator, blessed be His name...
...sets the clock of the Last Judgement forward...
...by one minute.
- You wanted me to wear this dress? - Yes.
I think i know why.
I'm going to miss you very very much.
But i know you must go.
Zishe, dear, please be careful, you're breaking me in two.
I'm a woman, you must be very tender.
I don't think you know why i asked you to wear this dress.
There is--
I have something for you.
- You didn't... did you? - Yes, yes i did.
Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto. Second Movement.
But, in Heaven's name...
...we've never rehearsed together.
Don't worry madame, the important thing is...
...that we have rehearsed. We shall follow you.
CANCELLED
CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS
Zishe Breitbart? Unmistakable.
Thank you for being at our disposal.
- I want to see it for myself. - Get in!
Prepare yourself, it won't be a pleasant sight.
Due identification was made very difficult by the fact...
- Can you take this? - Yes.
By the fact that the corpse shows at least 20 bullet...
...holes and has been disfigured by wild animals.
In other words: wild bears have eaten the face...
...and half of the body.
I know this man.
Western Poland, December 1932
Zishe... Zishe!
It is Zishe!
- Welcome! Welcome! - Zishe!
Zishe, you've become a famous man!
- Your brother will be so pleased. - Who? Benjamin?
- Yes. Didn't your mother ever write to you? - Yes. Is Benjamin ill?
No. But don't you know that every day since you gone away...
...he's been sitting on the steps of your house...
Every day.
...looking in the direction you went?
For hours.
I have to see him.
Zishe, my son!
Come closer! Come closer!
- Come here! Come closer, please! - Please.
Come closer! Come here!
Come closer!
We have to get strong. We shall need a thousand Samsons.
We must be strong. We... we have to defend.
What i mean to say is... I mean...
I shall need thousands of strong young men, to protect and defend...
...our people.
I foresee something terrible happening to our people.
Something horrific. The Nazis in Germany...
Because we need thousands of Samsons. I will show you how to get strong.
All right, Zishe! You know we admire you.
We are proud of you.
But how, i ask, could the Nazis...
...pose any threat to us?
The Nazis, yes the Nazis in Germany!
Germany is no danger for Poland.
Since they've lost the Great War they are not...
...even allowed to have an army anymore.
That is not quite true. They are allowed...
...100.000 men. No heavy arms...
...no aeroplanes, no battle ships.
Yes, but professor, Poland's borders are secure, are they not?
I think so, yes. If there's a danger, it'll come from Russia.
Listen, listen to me! I see it! I see it!
What is it?
The horror! It's... it's...
The horror! It's real.
Please stay! You must listen to me!
- Benjamin's missing. Where is he? - He's in the workshop.
- He stays in the workshop. - I'm going to get him.
I'm not coming. I've to get strong.
Even if nobody else believes you.
If you want to get strong, you have to eat properly too.
There's no muscle there.
It's better for you to study. Study at studies.
I am the new Samson! I want to be your protector.
But i can't do this alone.
You have to become strong, like me! All of you.
And i'm a woodcutter. I can handle an axe. But are you really..
...so strong? If you want to tell us something...
...you have to show us something first.
Did you never hear about Zishe, the Aryan King?
The new Samson.
- That's what he called himself in Berlin. - But we want to see something.
Some real good stuff. You know, strong.
Impressive! But these are polish nails, probably greased.
I bet you can't do it with this one.
Of course he can.
He can do much more.
Look at this! It went all the way through.
It doesn't look too deep, but it could get infected.
The village barber can stitch it up.
Vodka!
- We'll put some vodka on it. - Ridiculous!
- The thing was rusty. - Vodka, we'll drink the vodka!
And then we'll go on talking.
Cheers!
Yes!
You should let the doctor look at that.
Under the table. The prince.
- There's a rooster! - Zishe, you have a fever.
There's no rooster.
JEWISH HOSPITAL
Mr. Breitbart? Mr. Breitbart?
Can you hear me? Zishe, can you hear me?
We have to operate at once. And we'll have to amputate the leg.
It's the only way to save his life.
I'm sorry, but we have no choice.
- Will it grow again? - Yes, of course!
- It'll take only one or two months. - Hannele, come down from the bed.
Why don't you let her stay? It makes me happy when she's with me.
Zishe, my son, we're leaving.
Would you like us to push you over to the window again?
That would be nice.
Visiting hours are tomorrow morning, from 11 o' clock.
I'm staying.
- The doctors agreed. - Benjamin!
We would like you have you with us as well sometime. For a whole week now...
- ...you've come home only to sleep. - He stays. He can stay.
Zishe, my son.
Zishe...
There's a ringing in my ears.
Someone must be thinking of me.
Father...
Father, Benjamin is flying!
In spite of his invincible strenght, Zishe Breitbart...
...died after eleven consecutive operations.
He passed away on January 28, 1933, two days before Hitler rose to power.
He lives in leyends and ballads