Kiss Before the Mirror, The (1933)

[bunniefuu]

why the secret entrance?

I wanted to surprise you.

Oh, spring is here.

Did anyone see you?

Not a soul.

Darling,

Does he suspect anything?

Not a thing.

Your flowers are beautiful tonight.

Flowers are most conceited, you know.

Your beauty must have humiliated them.

I'm so glad you've come.

- It wasn't easy this time.

- Why?

He wanted me to stay with him tonight.

Oh, darling, are you jealous of my husband?

Why shouldn't I be, he has you.

You, too.

Yes, but I know of him.

He has, by far, the better of it.

He doesn't know of me.

- Shall I tell him of you?


- Good heavens, no!

Then kiss me.

I love you so much.

I sometimes wonder if people

suspect that I have a lover.

Did my man see you in the garden?

No, only a few frogs,

and if they croak all night long about me,

no one will understand them.

Oh, and the black cat stared at me.

A black cat?

Are you sure your husband doesn't suspect?

Quite, anyway, he wouldn't believe it.

Kiss me, darling.

Happy?

Very.

Why, are you leading me toward your


boudoir, sir, or am I leading you?

Pardon me, just a minute.

I want to make sure my man has left, and I

shall question the frogs, and put out the cat.

Not sir Walter Raleigh.

No, Casanova.

Shall you be back soon, milord?

Even sooner than that, milady.

Police headquarters.

This is Walter bernsdorf.

Yes, of the university.

I am at number 14 gloriette street.

Will you come and arrest me?

I've just k*lled my wife.

Walter bernsdorf, chief


of the university clinic,

indicted under paragraph 134 criminal code

for the m*rder of his wife, Lucy bernsdorf,

on the night of march the 15th, 1933,

at, or about, 5:31 pm,

number 14 gloriette street.

Mr. Paul held is here, sir.

Well, show him in.

The indictment papers must be in the


chief justice's office within an hour.

Yessir.

Mr. held.

Good morning, sir.

Mr. held, this is a pleasure.

I'm glad you think so.

But unfortunately, I'm

defending Walter bernsdorf.

He's very fortunate.

I shall consider it a


distinction to oppose you.

Thank you.

You know the man who k*lled his wife

is my great friend...

I'm sorry.

And I thought, perhaps, we might have

a friendly, unofficial talk.

The indictment is already prepared.

On what grounds?

Paragraph 134,

m*rder in the first degree.

But he shot the woman


in her lover's bedroom.

The m*rder was not premeditated.

The defendant carried the

revolver for several days.

There'd been robberies in his neighborhood.

Quite so, he planned his crime so carefully

that he even obtained

a permit for the revolver from the police.

Then you might charge the

police as accomplices.

This matter is not a joke.

I'm sorry.

Tell me, how's you wife?

Splendid, thank you.

Give her my kindest regards, won't you?

With pleasure.

The fact that your client took such

precautions establishes premeditation.

- Were you at the opera last night?

- No.

What a pity, splendid performance.

Werner made a superb faust,

- and Hugo's mephisto!

- I don't care for faust.

Oh, I adore it.

I particular like the idea

one could look forward to the years

with such complacency,

if one knew that at the age of 70

a kindly devil would touch

him on the shoulder

and make him young once more

to live and love all over again.

Fascinating thought.

And at your age, should

be especially appealing.

But my two assistants are waiting outside,

may I introduce them now?

Well, certainly.

Hilda, Schultz!

This is Ms. frey, my office manager.

- Here, I've already heard of you.

- This is my first case.

Are you interested in it?

A woman has been k*lled.

That interests me quite a bit.

For some strange reason,

women don't like being k*lled.

Hello, Mr. Schultz.

Are you still a law clerk?

I can understand your surprise.

My whiskers are a little gray,

but as long as I'm still a clerk,

I can feel young.

Mr. Schultz will copy

the papers on the case.

And I'd like to see the defendant

alone in his cell, if that's possible.

I'll see to it at once.

Charming man.

Yes, I had an idea you'd like him.

- Schultz?

- Yessir?

You've been drinking again.

Of course.

Aren't you ashamed of yourself?

No.

If it weren't for the

alcohol, I'd go to the dogs.

Copying these m*rder papers

depresses me, drops me down.

A drink lifts me up.

Your life must be a

series of ups and downs.

I beg your pardon, sir,

I was about to speak of my conscience.

- Mankind is pitiful, and when...

- Yeah, Schultz, you're talking too much again.

Yessir.

'Cause I was going to say...

Oh, but it's hopeless.

Whenever you are ready, Mr. held,

this guard will conduct you

to your client's cell.

Well, thank you, we'll go now.

Highly regret, sir, our first legal clash.

The advantage will be so

overwhelmingly in my favor.

It will Rob the victory

of all its glory for me.

If you can derive any glory

from sending a man to his death,

I shall do my best to

make you feel entitled to it.

Come, hilda.

Oh, Schultz, after you've copied the

papers, you come straight home.

Straight home!

Yessir!

Of course.

Will you tend to my mail, hilda,

and tell Mrs. held I

won't be home for lunch.

Have you formed any opinion?

Well, I haven't seen Walter yet,

I can't understand if he adored his wife.

He proved that by k*lling her.

He was stunned by her betrayal of him.

Momentary insanity, induced by jealousy.

On that defense, would you acquit him?

I don't know.

As a woman, I would

instinctively find him guilty.

One shouldn't encourage

me to commit m*rder.

Although, it's a great compliment to us

that under the circumstances,

men might even m*rder us.

Then we can depend on the women jurors.

Has the accused a moustache?

Yes, a short, black one.

Then his situation is not hopeless.

Good-bye, hilda.

- Hello, bill.

- Hello, Mr. held.

Well, you'll be outta here soon.

I have been out, I broke out,

k*lled the wife and her boyfriend,

now I'm in for good.

- That's too bad.

- Too bad nothin', I'm happy.

Wonderin' where that woman was

all the time used to drive me crazy.

Yeah, well you know where she is now.

I know where I hope she is.

Well, Walter, we're in

trouble again, aren't we?

Why "we"?

It's not you in this.

That was your story when we got stuck

in that shell hole together.

But we got out of that together, didn't we?

And we'll get out of this, too.

Have you had something to eat?

Have you slept?

- Did you get the linen and pillows I sent you?

- Oh, please don't t*rture me with questions.

Bench, stone, or pillow,

what does it matter, I can't sleep.

Don't be like all the others,

the guards, the magistrate, the prosecutor

they stand and gaze at me all the time

asking me, "why did you do it?"

- "Why, why, why?"

- Well, listen, Walter, I'm your counsel.

- I must know the facts.

- But, Paul, what difference does it make?

It's done, she's gone!

And you stand indicted for m*rder,

and I'm going to defend you.

It isn't simple.

The practice of law must be cold

and uncompromising to be effective.

So tell me, why did you do it?

- What do you want to know?

- Everything.

How did it begin?

With a kiss.

It always does, but what kind of a kiss?

A kiss before the mirror.

I can see it now,

a large,

round mirror with a gold cupid on the top.

When was this?

Half an hour before the m*rder.

My wife was particularly attentive.

We were never so happy as on that day.

- That was march 15th?

- Yes.

I hated to leave her,

but I had to lecture at the university.

She looked up to me and said,

"what a pity you are going, darling”

so tenderly I couldn't

get it out of my mind.

But I went, and suddenly I decided

to cancel the lecture.

I rushed home happily,

and she was in her dressing room

standing before the mirror.

- Alone?

- Yes, yes, quite alone.

What was she doing?

The most important thing in a woman's life,

she was admiring herself.

She was just about to dress.

She penciled a thin line on her eyebrows,

applied lipstick to her lips,

everything as if she was

in love with herself.

And yet, with a certain purpose,

she made herself perfect!

As she lightly powdered her breast,

she smiled knowing she was

particularly beautiful then.

And there, the b*llet

struck which k*lled her.

- Did she know that you were there?

- No.

But she was radiantly happy.

She was humming a tango.

Oh, I can hear it now.

It's driving me mad, Paul!

Catch your nerves, Walter.

Go on, what happened then?

Unspeakable joy overpowered me

that this beautiful woman belonged to me.

I walked over to her,

embraced her suddenly,

and kissed her neck and her shoulders.

Yes, and then?

And here, the tragedy begins.

She shook me up angrily and said

I have ruined her hair dress.

- Was that all?

- No.

I saw her face in the mirror

- as strange, full of hate and dislike.

- But she didn't know it was you, Walter.

- You startled her.

- No!

No, Paul.

That mirror showed me

the whole lie of my existence.

I realized what I pitiful fool I was.

She didn't love me at all.

She covered the traces of my kiss

with her powder puff,

and I knew she was preparing for a lover.

She finished dressing,

and patiently patted my face,

said good-bye, and walked off.

I stared into the empty mirror,

and suddenly I felt I must follow her.

She jumped into a taxi.

I took another, and then we drove,

and drove, and drove.

Taxi stopped before a beautiful house.

My wife went into the garden, and I...

- I...

- Go on, go on.

I can't.

- I can't, Paul.

- But this is the most important thing.

Pull yourself together!

How did you k*ll her?

I can't remember.

I remember nothing.

Leave me alone!

I know it's cruel to press you for it now,

- but I must know, you must remember!

- I k*lled her, I k*lled her!

I am ready to pay for it.

I must know everything, tell me, Walter.

Oh, why can't you leave me alone?

Leisll?

Yes, madame?

Hasn't your master come in, yet?

Not yet, madame.

Ms. frey and Mr. Schultz are back.

- Ask Ms. frey to come in.

- Yes, madame.

You wanted to see me, madame?

Yes, hilda, where's Mr. held?

He's still in court

talking to the m*rder*r, I think.

Please, don't mention that word!

It's horrible!

I can't believe that Walter

could k*ll his wife.

Well, only a few days ago,

she sat in this chair

listening to that tango.

And she was so happy over the new dress

she'd ordered from dreckle's.

Did she get the dress, madame?

She wore it for the first time

on the day she was m*rder*d.

Well, that's something.

She did wear it.

It's an original idea,

women buying dresses to be shot in.

But if one's going to be m*rder*d,

it's nice to be dressed for it.

The poor thing.

She was such a darling.

You knew, madame, didn't you,

that she was having an affair?

Well, I sensed it, we always

sense it before the husbands.

I wonder.

Why do you look at me like that?

No, I was admiring your frock, madame,

it's charming.

Oh, thank you, hilda.

You're a funny creature.

What are you, a lawyer,

or a new kind of woman?

By day, I'm a lawyer.

At night, well you might be surprised.

Why don't you get married?

Well, being single has its points,

at least no one will ever m*rder me.

Come in.

Coroner's report.

How are you, Schultz?

- How is your wife?

- She's still alive,

but I can't guarantee anything.

As I've often tried to tell your husband,

there is m*rder in the heart of everybody.

I've received the papers, sir.

Hello, darling.

- You look tired.

- I was just saying to Mrs. held

- that in every hu...

- Yes, thank you, Schultz, you may go.

Very well, sir, I won't say it.

For years, I have wanted

to say something to mankind,

but I never get to it.

Good day.

You may take the afternoon off, hilda.

Oh, thank you.

I'll make the most of it.

Doing what, hilda”?

I'm curious to know what a lady lawyer

does with her spare time.

Probably forgets that she is a lawyer,

and sometimes forgets that she's a lady.

Come now, have a whiskey and soda.

Did you have any lunch?

No, I have no appetite.

Poor Walter's confession

has upset me terribly.

- Oh, tell me about it.

- Maria, I can't get it out of my mind.

I can always see the scene

right before my very eyes.

What scene?

When he discovered that

his wife was betraying him.

Why do you stare so into the mirror?

To see if I looked as badly as I feel.

Oh, I'm worried about you.

Why don't you give up this terrible case?

Darling, Walter's my best friend.

Nobody can save him but me.

I'm the only one that can

get the truth out of him.

Is the truth necessary?

I'm basing my whole defense on it.

I shall prove that he was insane

with love and jealousy

when he shot his wife, as she

undressed herself in her lover's bedroom.

- Oh, Paul.

- What is it, dear?

It's so dreadful to hear

such things about poor Lucy.

Honey, I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to discus it with you.

Oh, come and lie down on my sofa,

and we'll forget all about it.

I'll arrange the pillows for you.

There.

Maria, come here.

You big baby.

You hold me as if you're

afraid of losing me.

I am.

Life would be dreadful without you.

You have nothing to worry about, darling.

Do you love me?

A little.

Just enough to last a lifetime.

Even if I grow older than methuselah?

Even then.

And now I rest for a bit,

and after supper, we'll go somewhere.

Let's make a night of it.

I'll be g*y, and you'll be beautiful,

and we'll have champagne.

Lots of it!

Come in.

The blue dress you wanted, madame.

Oh, thank you, leisl.

By the way, the master

is at home to no one.

Yes, madame.

Are you going out this afternoon?

Yes, to Helen's for bridge.

I won't be long.

I'll be home at 7:00.

You're spoiling me.

- A little music?

- No thank you, dear, nothing.

I feel wonderful.

I can't understand how Walter lived so happily

with Lucy right up till the last minute.

Catastrophe always comes suddenly.

Did you know that Lucy had a lover?

I had no idea of it.

Poor Lucy.

The day of her m*rder was probably

the first time she'd every been unfaithful.

No, you're mistaken.

For months she went to see this man,

from 5:00 in the afternoon until 7:00.

If Lucy was so clever,

how did Walter find out?

That's the part of his confession

that interests me particularly.

I remember it word for word.

Just think of it, he

enters his wife's room...

And his wife is standing there.

Yes, go on.

My Maria...

What are you doing before the mirror?

Don't be silly, I'm dressing.

You're dressing?

Yes, is there anything

remarkable about that?

Go on, tell me, where was she standing?

Pencil for the eyebrows.

Have you just noticed that?

I've never seen you like

that before the mirror.

Oh, that's lovely of you, darling.

A man should never

disturb a woman while she's dressing.

Am I disturbing you?

Oh, no, no.

Only it seems strange that all of a sudden

you're surprised about everything.

Perhaps you didn't know I used lipstick.

I knew it,

but I've never paid much attention to it.

Cream jars, bottles, perfumes.

What's that you have in your hand now?

Tweezers.

And that thing?

A brush for my eyelashes.

And all that for me?

Don't flatter yourself.

I do it to please myself.

All women do.

And all mirrors are alike.

- Itisn't true.

- What do you mean?

All mirrors are not alike,

and you're good.

You've just found that out?

And yet, you seem so strange

before this mirror.

Do I please you?

I love you.

It's just as it should be.

Why do you sing that song?

Well, the whole town sings it.

It's the latest hit.

It was poor Lucy's favorite tango.

Let me go!

Are you mad?

You've ruined my hair dress!

Now I must begin all over again.

Maria.

What a disgusting custom of husbands.

Excuse me, I'm sorry.

Dressing is a nuisance.

I always hate it.

Anyway, after five years of married life,

it's disgusting to steal up

on one so unsuspectingly.

Well, don't look so tragic, darling.

I didn't mean to hurt you.

Now I must put on my new dress.

Do you like it?

And now, my hat.

There we are.

Are you still angry?

Oh, forget it.

You ought to know a woman's

nervous when she's dressing.

Good-bye darling, by tonight,

I'll be sweet again.

Have a nice rest.

I don't believe it.

I'm so glad you're here.

I never could have waited alone.

Why, is someone following you?

No, but I'm so nervous.

What's wrong, darling?

Well, you're trembling

like a frightened kitten.

Tell me, why did you ask

me to meet you here?

I must talk with you.

Well, why not at my apartment?

No, I can't come there anymore.

Not for a long time, at least.

Maria, does your husband suspect anything?

How can you say that, no, of course not.

That's what makes it all so horrible.

- Horrible?

- I mean the deception of it.

- I'm so ashamed...

- Ah, darling.

And so frightened.

Be careful, I hear someone.

Just the wind in the trees.

But didn't that car just stop over there,

and turn off the lights?

We're not the only lovers here, you know.

I must never see you again after tonight.

But why, Maria, tell me,

please, what is the matter?

You know that my husband has taken

over the defense of Walter bernsdorf.

That shouldn't upset you.

He's working day and night on the case.

Tears it to pieces.

Discovers every little incident.

Engrosses himself in the love affair.

- Reconstructs each scene!

- You poor darling, don't be so nervous.

Be careful.

Then let's go to my place for a while.

No, we mustn't, please don't ask me to.

Not even to say good-bye?

Well, can't we say it here now?

No, not here, nor now, or ever.

I love you, Maria.

Oh, please come with me.

No one will see you, silly.

Just for an hour?

I shouldn't.

But you will.

Must be for the last time, though.

Promise me that.

I promise.

Maria, Maria!

Pardon me sir, can you let me have a light?

Thank you, good night.

The question is, is there or is there not

freedom of the will?

If there is not, then you are innocent.

- If the will...

- Some other time, perhaps, it's very late.

I felt it my duty to talk to you.

It's Mr. held, sir.

- Beg your pardon, sir, but I was...

- You may go, Schultz.

Yessir.

I've come for the rest of

your confession, Walter.

Not tonight, Paul.

Please, don't ask me to talk tonight.

I must know just how you k*lled Lucy.

You are more merciless than the prosecutor.

I want every detail,

every thought, every action...

- From the moment you discovered her until you...

- Oh, stop it.

I cannot live the terrible

story all over again.

I can't tell you anything tonight,

I can't, I can't!

Very well, I'll tell you.

I know just how you did it.

After the kiss before the mirror,

- you followed her, didn't you?

- Yes.

Close, you saw her with her lover.

You heard every whispered word, didn't you?

- Thought I asked you...

- Didn't you?

- Yes.

- Every word, like the blow of a hammer.

"I love you, I belong to you."

They spoke of their secret hours

of how they yearned for each other.

- How you, poor fool, had no suspicion!

- Stop, stop!

Then he took her in his arms,

and they kissed long, passionate kisses

while the blood pounded in your temples,

and a thousand serpents

crawled through your heart.

- Don't talk of it.

- Then your hand suddenly found your revolver.

Your fingers catch compulsively

- around the trigger.

- Stop it, please!

And in that moment, your whole life

passed before you eyes.

Your whole world went up in flames,

the fire crackling in your brain,

the burning embers dropping

into your throat, your lungs, your heart.

And then the shot, and she was dead.

Dead?

Yes, that's exactly why I k*lled her.

How did you know all this?

Because I almost did it myself,

only I had no revolver.

Oh, what do you mean?

Because my wife Maria had a lover!

I saw them less than an hour ago.

She's with him now, lying in his arms.

- Are you sure?

- I saw them!

- Did they see you?

- No.

She doesn't know I saw her,

and she won't know until the very last.

Four paces, five, six paces long.

Your cell isn't so very small.

Table, bed, pitcher of water.

A window, barred.

One could get used to it.

Oh, I'm sorry, Paul.

Forgive me.

After all, I'm here to

discuss your defense.

Walter, did you ever suspect

Lucy before that night?

Tell me the absolute truth.

- Never.

- That isn't the truth.

I know for myself.

I realize now I've always suspected Maria,

but I've kept it a secret to myself.

All men suspect their wives.

Perhaps I did a little,

then she seemed cool.

And said she had a headache.

Yes.

Yes, sometimes I did think

she might love someone else.

There are no fleeting thoughts.

Did you know you'd k*ll her?

No, no, I didn't.

But you imagined it.

- Sometimes.

- There you are.

Why aren't you honest with me, Walter?

You knew the same as I did that your wife was

betraying you and you were afraid to admit it.

Yes, I think that's true.

Why did you buy the revolver?

I meant to k*ll her if

I ever found her out.

Did you call the police

right after the m*rder?

Yes.

Did you find the number

in the telephone book?

- No.

- You knew the number by heart?

Yes.

Then you knew what you

were going to find out.

Walter bernsdorf, the m*rder of your wife

was a premeditated crime.

- How can you say that?

- Listen.

Only the man can m*rder who wants to

m*rder, who is prepared for m*rder.

I et's confess the truth to each other.

You are a m*rder*r,

and I am a m*rder*r.

Are you insane?

I want you to know what's in my mind.

I shall get you out of

this cell a free man.

I shall conduct your defense with skill,

with cunning, and with lies.

And the moment the jury acquits you, then,

I shall k*ll my wife.

Schultz?

- Mr. Schultz.

- Yes, madame?

What is the news?

How does the case look?

Court is adjourned for lunch.

The jury is having boiled beef and beer

to make them see the truth more clearly.

And my husband?

He begins his plea this afternoon.

- Where is he now?

- In his room, madame.

- He's home?

- Yes, madame.

He wants to be alone.

That's strange.

He didn't even come to greet me.

- Is he upset?

- Unusually calm.

I have never seen him so silent,

so determined to win.

Oh, I wish it were all over.

Hello?

Yes.

Who?

Just a minute.

Mr. Schultz, I would like

to be alone, please.

Yes, madame.

You're crazy to call me up here.

My husband is home.

No, no, no, I beg you not

to telephone me here.

Impossible, tomorrow perhaps.

Stop, no, someone is coming.

Who was that, Maria?

Only Helen.

She wants a pass to court.

I told her I wasn't even going myself.

But you are.

You'd better dress, you'll be late.

I don't want to go, Paul.

Why?

It always makes me so

nervous, Walter and Lucy.

I know I'd only be upset.

But just because of them,

you must hear my plea.

I want to see your face when I speak.

Why?

Because your beautiful eyes looking at me

with so much love will give me strength,

and I must win.

I do hope you free Walter.

So dol.

I'll get ready now, Paul.

Hide, would you, run away?

No, no.

Hilda.

Sit down, hilda.

Tell me, how do you think the case looks?

Not too good.

So many wife murderers have been acquitted

on the same defense I fear reaction.

The jury is liable to doubt the existence

of enough lovers to go around.

No, you're wrong, hilda.

No matter how low a woman might fall,

there's always a man waiting for her.

Then there's still hope for me.

Can't you keep away from

the mirror either, hilda?

This is important.

I want to make sure as many

of the jurors vote as possible.

Incidentally, you haven't much time.

Oh, will you tell Mrs. held, hilda?

Is Mrs. held going to court?

Yes.

Oh.

Hilda, have you a mirror at home?

Of course, several.

Smash them, you'll be happier.

- Schultz.

- Yes, sir?

Are you ready?

I have all the papers, sir.

Good.

Schultz, immediately after the trial,

I may be going away for a long while.

Where to, if I may ask?

I shall want you to look

after my personal affairs.

You can depend on me,

but isn't this rather a sudden decision?

All my papers are in the safe.

My birth certificate,

my bank accounts, my g*n permit.

Have you a revolver?

Yes.

- Loaded?

- Yes.

Whom do you want to k*ll?

Are you crazy?

Every weapon goes off once.

If Walter bernsdorf hadn't carried a

revolver, his wife would still be living.

Schultz, you're drunk again.

You may go now.

We'll meet in court.

Here I am, Paul.

Good, we must leave in a few minutes.

Paul.

Promise me that you won't hurt Lucy today.

Lucy is dead.

I mean her memory.

Remember, she was my friend.

And Walter is my friend.

I must convince the jury that he k*lled her

in justifiable rage.

- Because she loved someone?

- Because she lied.

That's no reason why she should've

been shot down like a mad dog.

That, my dear, is a matter of taste.

It's a beautiful dress.

I put it on for you, darling.

I got it at dreckle's.

This is the first time I've worn it.

It's very becoming, and that ornament right

over your heart, it glitters beautifully.

- Do you like it?

- Very much.

Now, we'd better go.

Paul, you look so sinister standing there

with the fate of a human being in your hands.

Promise me that when all of this is over

you'll go away on a vacation.

Go away?

That's not a bad idea.

Will you come with me?

It would be best if I stayed here.

- Alone?

- Naturally.

And will you remain true and in love?

Yes.

Hello?

Hello, who is it?

Who was that?

Someone hung up, it's

been that way for weeks.

Somebody calls and the minute he hears my

voice, he puts up the receiver without a word.

I wonder who it can be.

Probably the chambermaid has a lover.

Maria.

I want to ask you something

I've never asked you before.

- Paul.

- You still love me?

- Yes.

- You've never loved anyone else?

- Never.

- I'm the only man in your life?

- Absolutely.

- You swear to that?

I swear by all that's holy to me.

Thank you.

Maria.

After the verdict, I'll go away.

You'll remain alone, quite alone.

You'd better go now, I'll follow you.

Kiss me.

Not now.

Goodbye.

Goodbye, and good luck.

Have you a card, madame?

- I have.

- Where is it?

Can't you take my word for it?

Yes, madame, but I must see your card.

- Come on, what's the idea?

- Get back.

You can't hold up the line this way.

- I'm getting my card.

- Well, where is it?

None of your business.

If you get this person off of my chest,

I'll get you the card.

Madame, you can't hold the line up.

If you have no card, get back, get back!

- Now, I'll get you the card.

- Here it is.

It's turning into a riot,

call the city editors.

"Courtroom rushed by

public, windows broken,

panic, people seriously wounded."

But nobody's been wounded.

There must be or the public

won't read about it.

They want blood, they

want to see the m*rder*r.

Oh, so do I.

Look, some of the women even

try to bring in flowers.

- I wonder why.

- Guilty conscience.

Doing the same thing and getting away with it

makes them feel so sorry for their own husband,

they bring this fella flowers.

Say, come on inside,

there may be some more fun.

Get your passes out.

Take it easy.

Hold it there, take it easy.

Hey, you, have you got a pass?

- No.

- Then get out.

- I'm the accused.

- What?

Sure, look.

I've known this woman for 20 years.

For 20 years, we have been sweethearts

and now she sues me for breach of promise.

- Here's the summons.

- Can't you read?

Second floor, room 21,

that's what you want.

- What's going on here?

- A m*rder trial.

Very good idea.

No one admitted without a pass.

This way.

Who is the beautiful lady

in the lovely Russian sable?

That's Mrs. held, darling.

Get a sketch of her and write under it,

"wife of counsel for the defense"

appeared wearing one

of the smartest gowns of the season.

A frock with... "Wait a minute, I'm getting

this mixed up with the charity ball tonight.

Just say, "Mrs. held wept bitterly while

listening to her husband's magnificent plea."

- Has Mr. held spoken?

- No, but he'll be magnificent.

- Is that the m*rder*r?

- Sit down.

- No, that's the editor of the news.

- But where's the m*rder*r?

Right behind you if you don't sit down.

Shut it.

They haven't brought him in yet.

That's the m*rder*r!

Walter.

Maria, don't stay.

Go away, far away.

Isn't he good-looking?

Will you sit down?

- Do I annoy you?

- Oh no, you're all right.

It's the crowd standing

with you that I object to.

Does the atmosphere strike you

as being particularly ominous?

Are you accustomed to

hilarity at m*rder trials?

No, no, I mean Mr. held.

Haven't you noticed a change in him?

I know he's terribly anxious.

You know, he carries a revolver.

What for?

Indigestion, perhaps.

Every time his stomach becomes bloated he

fires a b*llet into it to let out the gas.

You look pale, madame.

- Shall I get you some water?

- No, thank you, hilda.

- I'm quite all right.

- It'll be over soon.

- Mr. held won't speak for long.

- I hope not.

How do you know he carries a revolver?

He told me so.

He was probably just warning you

against future vocal outbursts.

Yes, among other things,

he did suggest that.

Paul.

We'll soon be out of it, Walter.

- You think so?

- I'm sure of it.

The jury doesn't look very sympathetic.

That's why I'm hopeful.

I never trust soft-looking people.

- Maria is here.

- Yes, I know.

What about her, Paul,

you are not going to...

Quiet, Walter, we're still on your case.

But you must promise that you won't

do anything rash, you must, Paul.

- Quiet.

- If you don't, I'll prevent you doing it.

I'll plead guilty.

I mean it, Paul.

Unless you promise me you won't harm Maria,

I'll plead guilty.

Now you can all stand up.

Proceedings will please come to order.

The counsel for the defense has the floor.

Your honor, ladies and

gentlemen of the jury.

It is now five o'clock in the afternoon.

A few weeks ago at this very hour,

five o'clock, a woman met her lover.

At exactly 5:31, she met her death,

k*lled by this man.

Walter bernsdorf, stand up.

Stand up.

- Did you love your wife?

- Yes.

- Did you k*ll your wife?

- Yes.

- You admit that you shot her?

- Yes.

And when she fell, you fired two

more b*ll*ts into her helpless body?

- Yes.

- You admit that you k*lled her

while she was disrobing

at the bedside of her lover?

- Yes.

- Then, Walter bernsdorf,

without equivocation, without fear, you admit that

you are guilty of the m*rder of Lucy bernsdorf?

- Yes, yes!

- That's all.

- You may sit down.

- If the court please,

I object to this form of procedure.

But since counsel for the defense

takes on the role of prosecutor,

and the defendant admits his guilt,

it leaves nothing for your honor to do

but instruct the jury to find him guilty.

If the defendant's mere admission of guilt justifies

an immediate sentence of death by the court,

then did he not give his wife a fair trial,

since her presence in the bedroom of

her lover was her confession of guilt?

However, it's not the business of a court of

justice to pass judgment on a faithless wife.

A betrayed husband under the law

may calmly leave a faithless woman,

for his faculty's distorted

by a great and shattered love.

He may try her under a personal law

and sentence her according to

his own conception of justice.

I observe the irritation of the public prosecutor,

but I'm not defending the unwritten law.

I'm not condemning the woman

who betrayed this man.

It is not she who is on trial here.

Her case has gone before

the highest tribunal.

Infinite justice, conscious of human

frailty will probably be merciful.

Let us bow our heads and pray so.

And now that you've asked favor

of the court above for the dead,

be careful of the sentence you yourselves

impose upon the living.

You can only intercede for the woman,

you're trying the man.

Not the death, but the quivering,

suffering life is in your hands.

The life of this man.

He k*lled his wife.

Therefore, it is your legal right to k*ll

him if what he has done can stir within you

the same wild desire to m*rder

as must have possessed him.

But that is not likely.

Sitting in calm deliberation of his crime, you

cannot possibly appreciate the motive of it.

You cannot, while merely judging him, experience

the t*rture that he must have suffered,

unless you can understand the soul of

this man by looking into your own,

unless you're prepared to say

what you would do in his situation.

Most of you, probably all

of you, are married.

Most of you, perhaps all of you, believe you know

at this moment where you wife or husband is,

for faith is the greatest element in love,

and exclusiveness of possession

is all that makes marriage worthwhile.

Therefore, ask yourself what you would do

if both of these were destroyed,

and if upon leaving here you found the one you loved

and trusted disrobing at the bedside of a lover.

What would you do, what would I do?

The greater the love, the greater the hate.

The bitterer the illusion,

the more serious the wound.

The shrewder the woman,

the more lustful the revenge.

The more we love, the more we want

to destroy the woman we've loved.

- I'm sorry.

- Your gloves, miss.

Did the defendant love his wife so much that

the m*rder can be explained by such love?

Whoever saw this broken man weeping,

whoever sees him now as he sits there,

his head buried in his hands will say,

"this man loved the woman he k*lled."

More than that, he k*lled her

because he loved her.

And this brings me to the question

of premeditated m*rder.

The accused lived on the best terms with his

wife and was without the slightest suspicion.

He even kissed her before the mirror.

We do not kiss a woman we intend to k*ll.

We do not shower upon her tender attentions

up to the last minute.

And yet, on the very day of the m*rder,

this devoted husband had given his wife

a new dress from dreckle's,

the dress she wore for the first and the

last time on the day of the m*rder.

Sit down!

Silence, please!

Five o'clock in the afternoon.

With this sentence, I began my plea,

because I wanted to bring home to you

that the misdeed was the

product of one single hour.

It all happened in less time

than it's taken me to describe it.

It all came as unexpected

as an April shower.

Remember, five o'clock in the afternoon,

a woman stands in the bedroom of her lover,

she undresses.

The counsel for the defense will please

refrain from going into details here.

I shall dismiss the scene with a few words.

She disrobes, she hums a song.

A man watches the scene.

That man is the woman's husband,

an honorable gentleman who's given

her name, rank, and social position.

This man happened to

have a revolver in his pocket.

The woman continued to disrobe,

one garment after another...

I must warn the counsel

for the defense again.

Yes, the husband watches all of this.

What would you do, what would any man do?

Where is there a man who at this moment

wouldn't put his hand in his pocket

as he did and drawing the

revolver, k*ll the...

Paull

silence, please!

The lady's anguished.

Will you take Mrs. held around to the counselor's

room and don't leave her for a moment.

Silence!

You may continue.

Your honor, I regret that my speech

caused any confusion.

May I suggest, your honor,

if counsel for the defense

intends more melodrama,

the courtroom be cleared.

The counsel will proceed.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

frankly, fairly, like human beings,

listen to the law within

you and ask yourselves

if this very fact doesn't prove the truth

of my argument.

I also carry a revolver.

L, too, have a permit to do so,

as the defendant had.

And while picturing to you the frightful situation

that confronted him, I forgot for a moment

the sanctity of the courtroom

and involuntarily grasped the weapon.

Can you wonder them at him,

living the picture I was merely drawing,

suffering the t*rture I

was only describing?

I've asked you what you would've done.

I've shown you what I would do.

And were I on trial instead of him,

I would expect acquittal of you.

A man has a right to avenge his honor.

A husband his home, a lover his love.

You couldn't condemn me for it!

You'd dare not find me guilty!

Guilt, atonement, mercy!

Silence!

Begging the court's pardon, I,

I've somewhat broken

under the stress of this case.

I leave the defendant entirely to you.

And with the court's

permission, I have finished.

- Do you feel better, madame?

- I'll be all right, hilda.

It was just nerves.

The room is so stuffy, madame.

Yes, and Mr. held's speech carried me away so

completely that when he drew the revolver,

- I just... well I...

- Yes, madame, you fainted.

I'm so sorry.

Is he still speaking?

Mr. held is finished, madame,

the jury's filing out.

He's coming, madame.

Is it an acquittal?

What do you think, hilda?

As a lawyer, I congratulate you.

You probably won.

As a woman, I didn't believe

a word of your argument.

You may go, hilda.

- Goodbye, madame.

- Goodbye, hilda.

Thank you.

Are you going to k*ll me now, Paul?

Then you know that I know.

I only know that ever

since Walter k*lled Lucy,

you've tormented yourself and me

with this terrible jealously.

Nothing could survive it,

it's k*lled everything.

Maria, you have a lover.

I saw you in his arms.

I saw him hold you close and kiss you.

I heard him tell you that he loved you,

and I watched you go with him.

I worshipped you, and all the time

you've been deceiving me,

just like Lucy did Walter.

That's why you cried out in the courtroom

when I drew the revolver,

because you knew that I'd make you pay

for what you've done to me.

Why don't you do it, Paul?

Why keep on tormenting me this way?

I don't want to die,

I don't think I deserve to die.

I love you.

Yes, in spite of everything I've done, I love

you, but if you're going to do it, get it over!

I can't bear this any longer!

In a moment, it'll pass sentence on you.

On me?

Didn't you realize that

we were on trial today?

That all the time I was defending myself?

You wanted to make sure you wouldn't suffer

before you avenged your love.

Oh, Paul, why didn't you do it without waiting

for the assurance of Walter's freedom?

You don't love me as he loved Lucy.

The verdict will soon be announced.

The jury finds the defendant not guilty,

therefore, the court acquits the defendant

and orders his immediate release.

Well, go on, Paul.

Walter's free.

I'm so glad, Walter.

Thank you, Maria.

I wish I could thank you for it,

Paul, but I can't.

You have given me my life,

and from my heart I wish you hadn't.

Time is a great healer, Walter.

Don't depend on it.

Don't do anything with

the hope of forgetting.

I won't, Walter.

- That's your promise?

- I give you my word.

I'm sorry, Paul.

Won't you forgive me?

I have forgiven you.

Won't you say goodbye?

No, please, go.

Will I never see you again?

Oh, I don't know, sometime perhaps,

when all this has become unimportant.

Goodbye.

Maria.

Mr. held, just a minute.

Gone, they're all gone.

What a pity, I would've loved

to have said something.

Ah, what's the use?

Maria,

Maria.