01x02 - Das reinste Vergnügen

[bunniefuu]

PART 2
THE PUREST PLEASURE

Hungry?

At least it looks real now.

If someone finds out,
I'll lose my job.

-Your father always trusted me.
-That's why you're making an effort.

Mücke, get dressed. I need to go.

Mücke.

Come on, get ready.

What's this?

Cherry jam.

Mücke, who gave you this?

-It's a gift.
-Who gave it to you?

Mücke. Who gave it to you?

Tell me right now
where you got it from!

Hedi.

Time to go, Hedi.

Hedi, time to go.

Stay in this room until I get back.

We borrow against
the flats in Belle-Alliance-Strasse.

And against the entire KaDeWe fleet.

It's not a bad time for a loan.

Inflation is on the rise

and only growth can prevent us
from bankruptcy.

We put an end to mediocrity.
Not like Tietz, "good and cheap."

We bet on w*r profiteers,
entrepreneurs, aristocrats.

-And if they don't come to Berlin?
-They'll come.

Well, it's a daring bet
we're making here.

I hope it pays off.

Unusual growth for these times.

KaDeWe is a subtle indicator
of the economic recovery.

It's possible, but...

I know the other
department stores' figures.

They speak another language.

You're reviewing our books,
not our competitors'.

Based on this balance sheet,

we would be able to expand
your credit line, in normal times.

But in view of the economic crisis,
we're cutting back on loans.

It's the biggest run on bankruptcies
we've ever seen.

We're struggling
with high credit defaults.

-Due to the economic situation?
-Yes.

How can it improve if you
don't lend to healthy businesses?

What did the German banks
do during the w*r?

How much money did you give the
Reichswehr and those on the front?

More than French and English banks
gave their armies?

Where was this bank
when we were in the trenches?

Or now, when we need
to boost the economy?

How dare you!

What good
does my Iron Cross 1st Class do me?

What good are the bravest soldiers
if they run out of ammunition?

And what does your bank do today?

Where does it send its money?
To France, England, America.

Millions in gold mark reparations,
month after month.

So they can build new battleships?

-Mr. Jandorf...
-You're in cahoots with the victors.

There's not even two million
for a German retail company?

3,000 people work for us.

They feed 3,000 Berlin families.

JUST A QUARTER OF AN HOUR

I sold one million of these
25 years ago.

And opened
your first department store.

Yeah, a junk shop.

And then a second and a third,
always reinvesting. Then a fourth.

-Until I opened KaDeWe.
-Impressive.

If someone gave me this pillow
and told me to do it again today,

I don't think I'd succeed.

That was good, Harry.

You really told the bank manager.
He could barely breathe.

And I never knew you were awarded
the Iron Cross 1st Class.

-Nor did I.
-Well...

rescue of comrades in enemy fire.

-There were 12 of us--
-That's all in the past.

Now we need to look ahead.

This is our photographer, Fanny.

-Welcome.
-Thank you.

She'll do the sh**t on Saturday.

Come over here.
Stand next to one another.

Could you try this on?

This is your dress.

Wonderful, isn't it?

Something for the front page.

You look pretty.

The pants
will go best with it, right?

I've never seen pants
like this before.

Well, it's about time.

Stand next to each other.

What do you think? Good, right?

To Saturday.

It's going to be fantastic.

-Rüdiger.
-Have a seat, Hedi.

I got a promotion.
Head of Personnel.

Double the salary.
KaDeWe's doing well.

Plus another third on top
when we marry.

-That's... great.
-Now we can find an apartment.

I'll be the proudest husband
in all of Berlin.

I'm excited.

When father's gone,
we'll look after Mücke.

I gave Rudolf my word.

Hedi!

Mücke, go in
and change your clothes.

-Come on, get changed.
-I have a stomachache.

-Come with me.
-No.

I'm staying outside.

You come with me now.

-Are you crazy?
-Come, Mücke.

I'll show you how to make a dove
out of paper, okay? Come on.

Must be quite in demand,
the little one.

Know who she's doing it with?

What do you get for it, huh?
A beer, a schnapps?

She's an easy target for any man.

Your best option
is to empty her out.

That's the first thing they do
in the nuthouse anyway.

She's not going to an asylum.

-I have to do an ab*rtion.
-What?

I recommend anesthesia.

How long will it take?

She can walk again by noon.

It's not possible. Not today.

All right. But if you come again,
you pay again.

Good,
then let's get it over quickly.

No!

Close the door! Close it!

What we have too much of
in Berlin is young girls.

Just breathe in deeply.

-We must put that on someone else.
-She'll come.

Are you awake? Let's go.

Mücke, can you walk?

Please.

Come on. Get up.

Let her wake up in peace.
It'll take a while.

Exactly like that.

Gudrun, Gerti. Ready?

Okay.

Smoke.

Very pretty.

-Like that?
-Looks fantastic.

What if the customers don't like it?

We're not an auto repair shop.

If KaDeWe goes bankrupt,
I'll lose everything.

Who wouldn't like this, my friend?
Relax.

Yes! Beautiful.
You look great in the back.

Could you take her hand?

If you could all please
go back to work. Thank you.

Thank you.

It's a wrap.

Let's go out for a night
on the town.

The Eldorado is opening tonight.

-Am I late?
-I thought something had happened.

I missed it all.
I hurried as fast as I could.

This won't be the last catalog.

You'll be on the cover
of the next one.

Now come with me. Let's celebrate.

On y va!

Miss Kron?

Wait a second.

Mr. Karg, time to call it a day.

THE PLACE TO BE!

I have a tomcat who'll be a dad soon

I'm pleased as kisses
Much more than his old missus

My dearest tomcat will be a dad soon

Then all the tiny ones
I'm already crying

Oh, I'm so excited
I can hardly wait

Oh, I'm so excited
I can just see myself as godmother

I have a tomcat who'll be a dad soon

I'm pleased as kisses
Much more than his old missus

My dearest tomcat will be a dad soon

Then all the tiny ones
I'm already crying

Maybe they'd rather
have a drink or two

I would've liked
to have photographed you too.

Anytime. Do you often do
photo fashion shoots?

Sure.

Oh, I'm so excited
I can just see myself as godmother

Drop by anytime.

Together we can do it.

We'll restore KaDeWe
to its former glory.

Just take a look!
This is a new era!

KaDeWe is my home.

Mine too. It's my home too.

Let's drink to that.

Hello, sister!

Two schnapps.

I need some fresh air.

I think your ideas are wonderful.

And also your thoughts
about fashion.

I'm good at thinking.

What aren't you good at,
if you don't mind me asking.

Don't you like to amuse yourself?

Is it pure pleasure?

What else?

Hey, sweetie. Interested?

-It's half-price for you.
-No.

Not tonight, thanks.

I think I'm abnormal, Mücke.

No big deal.

I'm in love.

No big deal, either.

With my mind and mouth
and everything below it.

I can't think of anything else.

Mücke...

How often have I heard men
are carnal and only after one thing?

I tell you,
women are much more carnal.

They're after one thing too.

Come back!

Would you come back?

Preface to the KaDeWe catalog.

Pretty lady of Berlin,
you work all day

and want to dance in the evening.

You have an athletic body.

And your magnificent skin
is illuminated by the makeup.

As quickly as your city

is transforming from a rinky-dink
little town into a metropolis,

you have acquired
hardworking, beautiful legs

and the necessary mix
of reliability and recklessness,

of kindness and coolness.

Miss Kron!

Hedwig Kron.

"Even if one liked
to visit its terrace restaurant

or beauty salon once,

today one can only call
for a boycott."

"A world turned upside down

that wants to abolish
the German man."

"Home-made crisis
in Berlin's KaDeWe.

Jandorf lets tomboys
design his latest catalog,

in which women change car tires.

All this is supposed
to make one want to shop?"

Maybe bad press
is better than no press at all.

Go back to the daily ads, Mr. Karg.

Spare me your big ideas
in the future.

"Tomboys."

Am I one of those too,
because I feel attracted to you?

Maybe I'm a tomboy myself.

I think
I've only ever desired women.

And now there are all these clubs,
new magazines...

I'm looking forward to you
being on the cover of one.

It's a nice dream.

It's a pity for all the effort.

We won't let it get us down.

Others have already tried.

What's it really like? w*r...

sh*t.

I no longer find my way back.

I don't want to go back
to the world I came from.

You sleep at KaDeWe.

No. I only do that
if I've worked late.

It's nothing to be ashamed of.

Where do your parents live?

Brandenburg.

My father had a cloth dyeing
factory, long since bankrupt.

I only ever saw him laugh
when he thrashed us.

We Jews were considered
cowardly dogs.

My comrade
and I always went back out,

to prove we were worth something.

A sharpened spade was our weapon.

You can strike a man under the chin
or use it as a club.

It has more force.

Especially when you hit at an angle,
between the shoulder and neck.

Then you simply split the body
through the chest. It's soft.

Until Karl was torn apart himself.

Then I was the only cowardly dog
in the unit.

-But you survived.
-A coincidence.

Also a coincidence
that Karl was k*lled and I wasn't.

I only trust coincidences.

I trust hard work and diligence.

Oh yeah. We put in some hard work.

Now pray this catalog
will be a success.

And you can call me Harry.

No one has ever noticed me.

That I could be a model.

-I notice you, Hedi, because I...
-Please.

Don't say it.

I do too.

Here. I have to get out here.

Drop me off here.

-Thanks.
-Goodbye.

Wait just a moment.

It is reported
that the number of insane people

in Berlin is declining.

Insane asylums
are registering fewer admissions.

Can one assume that these hard times
strengthen the mind?

If we soon have to calculate
millions and billions in trillions,

-will the insane simply disappear?
-Rüdiger came by twice.

-Rüdiger won't run away from me.
-Don't turn up your nose too high.

I might become a model for KaDeWe.

Sure. And Mücke
will be President of the Reichstag.

None of this makes sense anymore.

And if you did get
your driver's license? You could...

A car has three pedals, Hedi.
I only have one foot.

This stump. A useless stump.

Mücke... Mücke.

Mücke.

We have to look after Father.

Okay? He mustn't harm himself.

That's it.

Can you hold this together?

THE PLACE TO BE!

What can I do?
I'm too big to be a mannequin.

Somehow, I'll land somewhere.

We just can't get old.

I'm already 19.

Hedi. Come with me.

And you too.

Take off your clothes.

What? Nude photos?

That's right.

Who will see them?
I mean, what are they for?

For our erotic city guide.
"Lavender nights."

We'll only be sending it abroad.

Women in Italy and France...

America...
They all want to come to Berlin!

What will I be paid?

Head down.

Maria, closer.

That's it.

Just like that.

We need it a bit livelier.

Stop.

Did you get enough?

Sure. You can go. Maria, you stay.

Can you send in the next girl?

What about my pay?

I see...

the ribbons have been working.

Your ears are closer
to your head now.

Funny, I didn't even wear them.

This here...

is a new remedy against freckles,
young lady.

Freckles are another symptom of
today's women letting themselves go.

No, thank you.

Friederike...

Maybe there are too few men for whom
being pretty is worth the effort.

This is a new institute.

I'm sure you've heard of it,
Mrs. Jandorf.

This woman might be...

an interesting person
for your Friederike to talk to.

Thank you.

You didn't choose
any of my girls today.

They bore you already?

-I don't know.
-You don't know?

Get down on the floor!

Undress!

Know how to save a department store?

No.

50 BILLION MARKS

I should put this
into foreign currency.

We have a great exchange office
at KaDeWe.

Are all your clients foreigners?

Well, in Paris
a wh*re costs five dollars a night.

In Berlin, you can screw
for a whole month for that.

Excuse me. Can I pay?

Word has gotten round

that you can go far here
with modest travel funds.

They arrive at Anhalter Station
and turn into millionaires.

Of course!

You goddess.

Why didn't I think of it before?

Come, come, come.

-Harry...
-Come on!

Fritzi, I've got it. I've got it.

What have you got?

Hold on to your hat.

Let's send the catalogs
internationally.

We focus entirely
on foreign clientele.

Russians, Turks, Japanese,
the King of Egypt.

If they're not millionaires at home,
they are when they're here.

These customers
bring in their currencies.

Who cares
about the stingy German aristocracy?

What if your pharaoh
doesn't come to Berlin?

He will.

Make a list
of all the world's royal houses.

Every European millionaire's wife
will be mailed this catalog.

And the foreign press too.

And we'll buy you a new suit.

You called for me?

Hedi, look.
The reviews of our new catalog.

-Translation, please.
-"Berlin is the new Paris".

With KaDeWe as the focal point
of the development.

"Loda alla moda."

"In praise of fashion."

"Les temps modernes."
"Modern times."

-"Fearless woman."
-They meant you.

Oh, thank you.

-Merci.
-Bonjour, Madame. C'est la vie.

Bonjour, Madame. C'est la vie.

Nous tenons à nous excuser
d'avoir bombardé Paris.

Nous tenons à d'excuser Madame
de bombarder Paris.

You choose.

-I like you even better this way.
-Me too.

A wonder we got him
out of his old shell.

You deserve a bonus for that.

There will be no bonuses.

-Of course not.
-Of course not.

And he goes in your pocket.

Welcome to the family.

Have you gone crazy?

Would you rather
greet the gentlemen yourself?

You can't speak English.

Saydati.

Ahlan wa sahlan. Ya hala.

Masa' al khir. Ma'a as-salamah.

Please greet His Royal Highness
King Fuad of Egypt and Sudan

and his lovely wife, Nazli Sabri,
Queen of Egypt and Sudan.

It's a huge pleasure.

Welcome to KaDeWe.

-Perfect.
-Now it's your turn.

-My turn.
-Let me take a picture of you.

-Yeah.
-It would be an honor.

Fritzi, a photo.

One, two...

My apologies, my apologies.

Miss Kron.

What's the word
for vacuum cleaner in Arabic?

-What is this?
-It's the bestest, the strongest,

the newest... and it's yours.

-Oh, really?
-Yes. Take it home as a present.

Are you starting to drink now too?

No.

But I just sold 100 vacuum cleaners,

paid for in foreign currency.

Now they can vacuum the pyramids
every Friday.

They spent a total
of 182,431 dollars and 60 cents.

Can you handle this?

That was a compliment, right?

I want her to come again.

She was so...

so elegant.

And so graceful.

So you like her, huh?

More than me?

No.

What's wrong?

Nothing.

I never want to have to kiss or...

touch someone I don't desire again.

Wait.

We still have time for that.

Undress.

Now like the moonlight let us stray

And wake the quiet
spring night through

Now like two children let us play
Your warming life about me lay

And teach me how to laugh like you

I long had yearned
for a mother's love

A father's word

And springtimes merry

The curse that me forever drove

As it wouldn't leave,
I learned to love

With time, like a true adversary

Now silken trees are blossoming

Twigs pour out
love's fragrance sweetly

You'll do my mother-and-fathering

Be lovey-dove and games of spring

And mine completely

And mine completely

There you are.

Good morning.

Where are you coming from?

Upstairs. Night shift.
Because of the Egyptians.

Not everyone is as hardworking
as your fiancée, Mr. Hartmann.

Miss Jandorf.

We did it for you.
Of course, everybody's welcome.

Bring them with you.
It will be a big pleasure.

I hope to see you soon.
Have a lovely day.

Bye.

I wish I were you.

You have no idea.

Harry Jandorf.

In two months, cash in circulation
has increased 286-fold.

The postage for a standard letter
now costs 700 Reichsmarks.

If the currency decline
isn't stopped,

stamps will cost
100,000 Reichsmarks soon.

The cash accounting workload
is so high

that I had to hire
15 assistant bookkeepers last week.

Suppliers are adjusting prices
twice a day.

How much time do we have?

Until the Reichsmark collapses?

A few short weeks.

Then these young women
will soon lose their jobs.

Adolf?

No, Mother. It's me.

Where were you?

Harry and I were in the office late.

What's this?

What's wrong with you, Friederike?

Just look at what you're wearing.

What if your father had found it,
not me?

I'll throw it away.

And you...

will meet Dr. Funke.

Understood?

-Yes.
-Good.

You're very...

beautiful, Mother.

I hope you know
how beautiful you are.

What are you reading at the moment?

Victor Margueritte, "La Garçonne."

Oh, of course.

Domestication and domination
or untamability.

Femme fragile or femme fatale.
A wonderful book.

But isn't the fate
she chooses irksome?

Yes, I think so too!

Frankly, I was disappointed.

I'd hoped that Monique
would've managed without men.

Or at least done it differently.

Would you like to manage
without the help of men?

It's enough for me
if men let me join in.

I know so much about KaDeWe.

Ever since I was a child,

I've dreamt of running it
with my brother, but...

only he is considered suitable.

Visions are important.

I'm glad you see it that way.

You should write, Miss Jandorf.

Get it all off your chest.
Write in your diary.

How you will lead your father's
department store into the future.

It will do you good, you'll see.

You know, Miss Jandorf...

not all deviations that nature
produces are worth living.

If they don't lead to anything.

There's nothing better

than connecting with the alert mind
of another woman.

Mrs. Jandorf.
It was a pleasure chatting with you.

Goodbye.

-Goodbye.
-Goodbye.

You have a wonderful daughter.

I look forward
to our next appointment.

And rest assured, it is curable.

h*m* IS CURABLE