Comradeship (1931) - full transcript
An old German mine was split in two after the end of WWI because of where the new border was located. In the French part a fire breaks out; the German miners send a rescue group in, helping their French comrades. Three old German miners, who were not treated friendly at a French inn the night before, start their own private rescue through an old tunnel that separated the two mines. Will the official rescue party realize there are others left behind in time to save them?
Kameradschaft was filmed in 1931
in both French and German versions.
The premiere in Berlin took place
on November 17, 1931,
and in Paris on January 29, 1932.
The film was based on the historic
Courrières mining disaster
of March 10, 1906,
when over 1,200 miners
were buried alive
and German miners rushed
to the aid of their French comrades.
Pabst updated the story
and dedicated the film
to those German miners.
The original negative, opening credits,
and ending of the German version
have not survived.
The original negative
of the slightly different French version,
called La tragédie de la mine,
is preserved in the archives
of the Centre National du Cinéma
et de l'Image Animée (CNC).
The reconstruction of the German version
is based on a dupe positive
from the BFI National Archive.
The CNC negative was used
for the ending of the film,
which was missing in the BFI footage.
- I won!
- No, I won!
Hands off! They're mine.
They're mine!
Sorry, boys, but the French aren't
letting in any more unemployed.
But we have border passes.
Let's try anyway.
Give me back my marbles!
This is the border.
Come get them if you dare.
You think I'm scared?
- Must you always fight?
- Shame on you!
- He took my marbles!
- Make up!
No, the border's closed
if you're unemployed.
If you're out of work,
you're not welcome anywhere.
No work here.
There's not even
enough work for us.
They barely have work
for their own people.
Hear that?
The fatherland's calling.
We'll have to tighten
our belts even more.
Look at all the coal they have.
But they can't sell it.
Until they do,
you won't find any work.
Glück auf!
(miners' expression of solidarity)
Hey, something stinks over there.
They're afraid the fire
on the French side will come this way.
You can really feel the heat here.
Ever since the fire started
on the French side three weeks ago.
Well, as long
as there's no gas leak.
No, there's no gas.
They build wall after wall
over there,
but the fire keeps eating
its way through.
No, this won't hold.
Is today Saturday?
The night shift needs to build
a new wall by Monday.
No dynamite here!
No gas.
Listen!
No blasting until further notice.
Not until the new wall is finished.
- Okay, got it.
Hey, guys!
Guys!
No blasting today
because of the fire.
All I hear about is the fire!
As long as there's no gas,
it's no big deal.
And if there were gas?
What would happen?
Don't worry, kid.
They're building
a new wall on Sunday.
This wall has to be finished
by first thing tomorrow morning.
Get to it, guys.
We're going as fast as we can.
But in this heat...
This is a fine way
to spend a Sunday.
KURSAAL DANCE HALL
Well, boys!
Shall we go in and have a drink?
Go on.
Three tickets.
No, three tickets. No flowers.
- Three tickets.
- You pay over there.
My first conquest in France.
Three tickets.
Here you are, my friend.
Certified free of parasites!
More!
- Look, the musicians are upstairs.
- Nice.
- Waiter!
- Here you say garçon.
Garçon...
What can I get you gentlemen?
One, two, three... Bier.
Don't forget the schnapps.
Three beers and three...
Schnapps. I speak German.
Three beers, three schnapps,
and a head of cabbage
for my rabbit.
A head of cabbage
for Mr. Rabbit.
Everything okay, lovebirds?
Mind your own business.
Hits the spot.
I prefer Dortmunder Union.
Quite a girl, huh?
How do you say in French...
"May I have this dance?"
Excuse, please... you dance?
You're a good dancer, Émile.
Not as good as the Parisians.
Do they dance like this in Paris?
Françoise, you're not really
leaving tomorrow, are you?
My vacation is over.
- You promised.
- I'll be back.
There's no keeping her here.
She's a Parisian now.
Excuse, please... you dance?
- What's he want?
- To dance with you.
No more dancing for me.
Tell him in German if you can.
Mademoiselle no dance.
What was that? German?
I got it. "A German."
She said, "Not with a German."
Germans dance just as well
as Frenchmen, young lady.
- Come along.
- I won't be insulted!
Leave the woman alone.
Back to the rabbit.
Forget it.
Let me go!
Behave yourself.
You're a foreigner here.
Another round?
Three more beers
and three more schnapps?
Why didn't you want to dance?
I'm tired.
I've had enough. I'm going.
- Well, I'm staying.
Good-bye.
Good night.
Germans, drink German beer!
- Good night, Mr. Engineer.
- Good night.
I think the fire problem's been resolved.
- I'm sure of it.
We'll be out of danger
with that new wall.
Let's hope it's finished by morning.
- What did he say?
- Nothing.
- Where were they coming from?
- The mine.
There's a fire in a passage.
- Fire?
They're always talking about fires.
How can you go on being a miner?
It's my work.
- I could never live like that.
- Françoise!
- Morning, Jean.
- Morning, Émile. I'll be right back.
Good morning, Émile.
Did you sleep well?
Thanks, Mom.
Good-bye.
I'm all packed, Mother.
Well...
good-bye, Jean.
- What time is your train?
- In just a few minutes.
I'm already late.
Then good-bye, Françoise.
Good-bye.
No one's forcing you to leave!
Stay here.
It's a crying shame.
It's no use.
Have a good trip.
Émile is a good man.
A hard worker...
and very responsible.
Yes...
- Are you going down, kid?
- Of course, Grandfather.
- Good-bye.
- See you tonight.
Jean, what's going on?
All Sunday long all he talked about
was gas and fire...
We didn't get word not to go down.
Émile, keep an eye on the kid.
Don't worry.
I'll be his nanny.
Thanks.
- Itching to come along, huh?
- Ah, those were the days...
But everyone gets their turn.
Mother, why don't you all come
to Paris with me?
I'm sure Jean
could find work there.
Plenty of others have moved,
but the higher wages
don't cover the rent.
Besides,
we've always been miners.
That's no reason.
We already lost Dad.
Jean is all we have left.
I'll never marry a miner.
No, Mother.
Never.
All done? Good and solid?
- Yeah.
- Good.
Heads up!
Heads up!
Fire!
Fire!
Gas! Clear out!
Hurry!
Fire!
Fire!
Fire!
- Gas!
- Albert!
- Jean!
Don't be scared!
- Fire!
- Gas!
Good-bye, Mother!
The mine!
Let me go! I want to get off!
- Fire in the mine!
- What's going on?
- The big mine is on fire.
- The Thibault mine?
Bertrand works there!
Another fire in the Thibault mine.
- The big Thibault mine?
- Yes.
- Was there an accident?
- Fire in the mine!
My little Georges!
- What's going on?
- Fire in the mine!
- Where's Charles?
- He just came up.
There's Charles!
Look!
The French mine's on fire!
Must be really bad over there.
- The mine!
- Fire!
Our husbands are down there!
Let us in!
Open up!
Let the ambulance through!
You there! What are you doing?
You're not allowed here!
Hurry and get the technician.
Why is no one going down?
The cage isn't working.
What are you doing?
Don't stand in the way!
Be careful.
Hold tight.
It's 2,000 feet down.
- Let us in.
- You're not allowed in here.
At least tell us what's going on!
Calm down!
The cage isn't working.
- The cage!
- It's not working!
The cage isn't working!
They can't get down there!
We want to know what's going on!
Where are our husbands?
Jean, hurry!
Georges!
Georges!
Miss!
Your suitcase!
Did you hear the news?
Bad accident in the French mine.
- I know.
Six hundred men are trapped.
What's your problem?
An accident like that is no one's fault.
That's what you say.
This damned grind
will be the death of us all.
All this damned pressure.
And then what?
We have to go on welfare.
What did you say?
Six hundred?
That's what the head foreman said.
Poor devils.
Think they have
enough rescue gear?
What do I care?
They have more money than us.
We have to go over there.
- Then good luck.
- Don't go just yet.
What is it?
You're on the rescue team.
- What are the French to me?
- Think they'd help us?
- We know the French!
- From the Ruhr occupation!
Boys, what do we care
about generals?
A miner is a miner.
Will the French pay you a pension
if you're hurt over there?
What about the men down there
who can't get out?
Don't they have wives and children?
Think about your own wife.
- Think I'll fawn over the Frenchies?
- Just wait...
till you're trapped down there
with no one to help you.
You'll be crying for your mother.
- I gotta admit...
- Am I right?
- Yeah.
- Of course he is.
- Anton, are you in?
- Yeah.
- You coming too?
- I'm in.
Then let's go, boys.
Rescue team, get ready.
Fritz, are you coming?
- You bet I am.
Then let's go.
You're all out of your minds.
Cowards needn't come along.
We're lucky
the tunnels to the French pits
are sealed off so well,
or the gas would have
reached us in no time.
This is a heavy blow
for the French.
They'll have their hands full.
Come on, foreman.
Hand over the rescue gear.
Be reasonable. I can'tjust -
- You know the situation.
- Miners are trapped down there.
- I have to ask management.
- They won't object.
Give us the key.
There's no time to lose.
What's going on here?
I have to speak to the director first.
The off-duty rescue team
wants to help the French miners.
- Glück auf, men.
- Glück auf.
What do you want?
The rescue gear.
- Who is this man?
- Wittkopp, from Area 7.
We're volunteering.
You think they need you?
There are never enough rescuers.
I was just thinking
that we're actually closest to them.
Our men could get there
much more quickly
than the French rescue crews.
And if something happens here
in the meantime?
We still have
the midday shift rescue team.
That's true.
How do you plan to get
across the border?
Let us worry about that.
Pit foreman.
Give them the gear.
And you're in charge.
Get ready, boys.
We got the gear.
Hey, the guys from the early shift
are going over to the French side.
What? The same Frenchmen
who threw us out yesterday?
What's that got to do with it?
Move it!
Are we going in or not?
Yes, Sergeant!
- Ready?
- Ready.
Let's go!
Glück auf!
Please get Director Berteux
on the line for me.
I have the French mine
on the line, sir.
Mr. Berteux?
Good day, sir.
Our rescue crew just left.
Not at all. It's only natural.
We're very happy to help.
Glück auf!
Come back quickly!
Gustav, you haven't eaten yet!
- Thanks, Mother.
- See that nothing happens to you.
We'll be back.
Anna, half the miners
over there are trapped.
We have to go.
They have wives and children too.
Don't cry.
You have to understand.
Sister, please take me
to the Thibault mine.
Do you have
a family member in the mine?
Your husband?
No.
My brother and...
his friend.
Georges!
So long, and good luck.
Georges!
There was an accident like this
nearby when I was little.
The cage got stuck,
and it took half a day to fix it
before the miners could get out.
German rescue team!
You think the French
will let them cross?
Girard, the phone!
FRENCH CUSTOMS
If they start
with the passport business,
we'll lose precious time.
Don't stop!
Step on it! Keep going!
That idiot is shooting!
Hey!
Hey, don't shoot!
Let them go.
It's a German rescue team.
Yes, two trucks
with German rescuers.
Good. Thanks.
Inform me immediately
of any news from the rescue teams.
Look! The flag!
The flag!
- Mother!
- Françoise!
What about Jean?
Our rescue team is down there.
There's still hope.
Who is it?
- It's Albert!
- He's alive!
It's Albert.
He's still alive.
Rose, it's your husband.
Albert!
Ma'am, come around.
Albert, speak to me!
Can you hear me?
You were with Jean and Émile.
Please!
Answer me!
They're all...
They're all down below.
Nothing but bodies.
It's not true!
If he's alive,
then the others are too!
We have to save them.
Let's storm the gates!
Open this gate and lower that flag!
They're not dead!
Please be patient.
The rescue team is still working.
- Liar! You're letting them die.
- No, I assure you.
- They want to save the mine.
- What about our husbands?
Lower that flag!
They're not dead!
Open up!
Open the gates!
Call the supervisor.
We have to notify the troops.
You hear that?
They want to call in the troops.
They want to shoot at us!
Here they come!
Here they come!
German rescue team.
Open the gate!
- Open up.
Open up!
German rescue team.
What? Germans?
A German rescue team!
They've come to help us.
Open the gates!
Let them through.
The Germans! I can't believe it!
The German rescue team
is at your disposal.
We thank you
and your brave men
for coming to help us
rescue our comrades.
We hope none of you are hurt
in your efforts.
- Good luck!
- Glück auf!
Think they made it across?
Don't worry.
Wittkopp will get the job done.
- If we didn't have to work...
- What a shame!
...we could have met them halfway.
Just what we need!
That's it!
Go on enjoying your lunch.
He's leaving.
Say something, man!
I'm sick and tired of your secrets.
Glück auf.
He's crazy. Where's he going?
No idea.
Kasper!
We can't let him go by himself.
Slow down, man.
We can't keep up.
See this here?
This leads to the French side.
We broke through here
during the war.
It's all one pit. You follow?
- Are you crazy?
- You're gonna break through?
If anyone finds out,
we'll be fired tomorrow.
You can stay here, sweetheart.
The French aren't fans
of yours anyway.
The French!
I really shouldn't go over.
France insulted me.
They're gonna hear from me.
I'll tell 'em off in German!
German rescue team.
Thank you for your help.
Huh?
What kind of monkey cage is that?
"Border"?
"Border 1919"?
Ever seen anything like that?
To think it extends 2,500 feet up.
You just can't see it up there.
I've always said the French
have something against me.
They don't want to let us in.
- To hell with 'em!
- We'll show 'em!
Let 'em have it!
Jean, tell me:
How many...
how many wagonloads today?
Émile, my boy.
Did Françoise leave?
One, two...
There we go.
- You still know the way?
- Don't worry.
This leads home to mommy.
Holy cow!
What a mess!
Hey, here's one.
And another one over there.
He's dead.
It's Bijou!
Straight ahead here, my friend!
I'm following the horse.
He knows better.
Hurry up! We're not getting
any air down here.
Move it!
Well, boy?
Let's see where you've led us.
- He doesn't understand German.
- Don't say that.
Sometimes horses like this
are smarter than people.
Let's see what he likes
so much around here.
Good lord!
It's the ghost of the mine!
It's just an old miner, you idiot.
- You're right.
- You see?
This is Georges, my grandson.
I found him.
- What?
- Yes.
- What's wrong with the boy?
- The little tyke!
Get back!
Damn it all to hell!
Now we can't get out.
We're done for now.
Buckle it tight.
Come right back.
Hello?
Is someone there?
Is someone there?
The Germans!
The Germans!
Shoot 'em all down!
Two more up that way...
Pass the kid through.
The air's much better in here.
Don't worry, buddy.
It's not too bad.
We need an ambulance right way.
Did you find any men?
Any rescuers missing?
No, everyone's here.
Are all your men above ground?
- Any of our men still down there?
- No, everyone's come up.
Everyone's above ground.
Well? Blocked?
Can't... get out?
Then we'll just ride
this trolley to heaven.
I can keep up the search,
but it's only bodies down there now.
Check down there.
Nothing over here.
Maybe over in the corner.
There it is!
Who? Yes! Yes!
Five men trapped...
in railcar room.
What? Germans? Where?
What's that?
Five men trapped in railcar room.
Yes! Yes!
Five men.
The railcar room. Yes!
Five more men!
Hey, there are five more men
in the railcar room
by the stables.
They just called.
- Hear that? Five more men.
On your feet, boys!
There are five men down there.
Let's go find 'em!
What's going on?
What are they doing?
There are still men down there.
Let's go!
Hello, gentlemen.
Sorry you had to wait.
I've been told there are five men
trapped alive in the railcar room.
A rescue team
has gone down to get them.
They're in there.
Yes, that's them.
Georges, you hear that?
They're coming for us!
That's right! They're coming!
They're coming!
There's an insert missing
at this point in the surviving footage:
a front page from the Berliner Tagesblatt
with an article about the mining disaster
and the release of wounded German
rescue workers from the hospital...
What can I say?
We were as good as dead.
Right, Kasper?
And Kasper said...
"Some chewing tobacco
would be great right about now."
What do you think I did then?
I got on the phone
and told the director...
"Sir, at least send some
chewing tobacco to our burial!"
Here they come!
Climb down, my boy!
Where's our sworn enemy?
Where's our sworn enemy?
There he is!
There you are, grandpa!
Jean, say something!
Comrades!
We're all united as miners.
That's why you brought me up
from down below.
And it's because we're all united
that our comrade Kasper
tore open the bars in Area 1315.
And because
there are only two enemies
on our side of the border:
gas and war!
I tell you:
We must never forget that.
We're all united as miners!
Thank you, comrades!
We won't say "farewell,"
just "until we meet again."
Au revoir!
Auf Wiedersehen!
Auf Wiedersehen!
Comrades!
I couldn't understand
what our French comrade just said.
But we all understood
what he meant.
Because it doesn't matter
if you're German or French.
We're all workers,
and a miner is a miner.
But why do we only stick together
when we're in trouble?
Are we to sit idly by
till they fill us with so much hatred
that we shoot each other down
in another war?
The coal belongs to us all...
whether we shovel it
on this side or the other.
And if those above us
can't come to an agreement,
we'll stick together,
because we belong together!
Long live our French comrades!
Glück auf!
BORDER 1919
Everything's in order once again.
Everything must be in order.
That should hold.
You have the paperwork ready?
- Yes.
Here you are.
in both French and German versions.
The premiere in Berlin took place
on November 17, 1931,
and in Paris on January 29, 1932.
The film was based on the historic
Courrières mining disaster
of March 10, 1906,
when over 1,200 miners
were buried alive
and German miners rushed
to the aid of their French comrades.
Pabst updated the story
and dedicated the film
to those German miners.
The original negative, opening credits,
and ending of the German version
have not survived.
The original negative
of the slightly different French version,
called La tragédie de la mine,
is preserved in the archives
of the Centre National du Cinéma
et de l'Image Animée (CNC).
The reconstruction of the German version
is based on a dupe positive
from the BFI National Archive.
The CNC negative was used
for the ending of the film,
which was missing in the BFI footage.
- I won!
- No, I won!
Hands off! They're mine.
They're mine!
Sorry, boys, but the French aren't
letting in any more unemployed.
But we have border passes.
Let's try anyway.
Give me back my marbles!
This is the border.
Come get them if you dare.
You think I'm scared?
- Must you always fight?
- Shame on you!
- He took my marbles!
- Make up!
No, the border's closed
if you're unemployed.
If you're out of work,
you're not welcome anywhere.
No work here.
There's not even
enough work for us.
They barely have work
for their own people.
Hear that?
The fatherland's calling.
We'll have to tighten
our belts even more.
Look at all the coal they have.
But they can't sell it.
Until they do,
you won't find any work.
Glück auf!
(miners' expression of solidarity)
Hey, something stinks over there.
They're afraid the fire
on the French side will come this way.
You can really feel the heat here.
Ever since the fire started
on the French side three weeks ago.
Well, as long
as there's no gas leak.
No, there's no gas.
They build wall after wall
over there,
but the fire keeps eating
its way through.
No, this won't hold.
Is today Saturday?
The night shift needs to build
a new wall by Monday.
No dynamite here!
No gas.
Listen!
No blasting until further notice.
Not until the new wall is finished.
- Okay, got it.
Hey, guys!
Guys!
No blasting today
because of the fire.
All I hear about is the fire!
As long as there's no gas,
it's no big deal.
And if there were gas?
What would happen?
Don't worry, kid.
They're building
a new wall on Sunday.
This wall has to be finished
by first thing tomorrow morning.
Get to it, guys.
We're going as fast as we can.
But in this heat...
This is a fine way
to spend a Sunday.
KURSAAL DANCE HALL
Well, boys!
Shall we go in and have a drink?
Go on.
Three tickets.
No, three tickets. No flowers.
- Three tickets.
- You pay over there.
My first conquest in France.
Three tickets.
Here you are, my friend.
Certified free of parasites!
More!
- Look, the musicians are upstairs.
- Nice.
- Waiter!
- Here you say garçon.
Garçon...
What can I get you gentlemen?
One, two, three... Bier.
Don't forget the schnapps.
Three beers and three...
Schnapps. I speak German.
Three beers, three schnapps,
and a head of cabbage
for my rabbit.
A head of cabbage
for Mr. Rabbit.
Everything okay, lovebirds?
Mind your own business.
Hits the spot.
I prefer Dortmunder Union.
Quite a girl, huh?
How do you say in French...
"May I have this dance?"
Excuse, please... you dance?
You're a good dancer, Émile.
Not as good as the Parisians.
Do they dance like this in Paris?
Françoise, you're not really
leaving tomorrow, are you?
My vacation is over.
- You promised.
- I'll be back.
There's no keeping her here.
She's a Parisian now.
Excuse, please... you dance?
- What's he want?
- To dance with you.
No more dancing for me.
Tell him in German if you can.
Mademoiselle no dance.
What was that? German?
I got it. "A German."
She said, "Not with a German."
Germans dance just as well
as Frenchmen, young lady.
- Come along.
- I won't be insulted!
Leave the woman alone.
Back to the rabbit.
Forget it.
Let me go!
Behave yourself.
You're a foreigner here.
Another round?
Three more beers
and three more schnapps?
Why didn't you want to dance?
I'm tired.
I've had enough. I'm going.
- Well, I'm staying.
Good-bye.
Good night.
Germans, drink German beer!
- Good night, Mr. Engineer.
- Good night.
I think the fire problem's been resolved.
- I'm sure of it.
We'll be out of danger
with that new wall.
Let's hope it's finished by morning.
- What did he say?
- Nothing.
- Where were they coming from?
- The mine.
There's a fire in a passage.
- Fire?
They're always talking about fires.
How can you go on being a miner?
It's my work.
- I could never live like that.
- Françoise!
- Morning, Jean.
- Morning, Émile. I'll be right back.
Good morning, Émile.
Did you sleep well?
Thanks, Mom.
Good-bye.
I'm all packed, Mother.
Well...
good-bye, Jean.
- What time is your train?
- In just a few minutes.
I'm already late.
Then good-bye, Françoise.
Good-bye.
No one's forcing you to leave!
Stay here.
It's a crying shame.
It's no use.
Have a good trip.
Émile is a good man.
A hard worker...
and very responsible.
Yes...
- Are you going down, kid?
- Of course, Grandfather.
- Good-bye.
- See you tonight.
Jean, what's going on?
All Sunday long all he talked about
was gas and fire...
We didn't get word not to go down.
Émile, keep an eye on the kid.
Don't worry.
I'll be his nanny.
Thanks.
- Itching to come along, huh?
- Ah, those were the days...
But everyone gets their turn.
Mother, why don't you all come
to Paris with me?
I'm sure Jean
could find work there.
Plenty of others have moved,
but the higher wages
don't cover the rent.
Besides,
we've always been miners.
That's no reason.
We already lost Dad.
Jean is all we have left.
I'll never marry a miner.
No, Mother.
Never.
All done? Good and solid?
- Yeah.
- Good.
Heads up!
Heads up!
Fire!
Fire!
Gas! Clear out!
Hurry!
Fire!
Fire!
Fire!
- Gas!
- Albert!
- Jean!
Don't be scared!
- Fire!
- Gas!
Good-bye, Mother!
The mine!
Let me go! I want to get off!
- Fire in the mine!
- What's going on?
- The big mine is on fire.
- The Thibault mine?
Bertrand works there!
Another fire in the Thibault mine.
- The big Thibault mine?
- Yes.
- Was there an accident?
- Fire in the mine!
My little Georges!
- What's going on?
- Fire in the mine!
- Where's Charles?
- He just came up.
There's Charles!
Look!
The French mine's on fire!
Must be really bad over there.
- The mine!
- Fire!
Our husbands are down there!
Let us in!
Open up!
Let the ambulance through!
You there! What are you doing?
You're not allowed here!
Hurry and get the technician.
Why is no one going down?
The cage isn't working.
What are you doing?
Don't stand in the way!
Be careful.
Hold tight.
It's 2,000 feet down.
- Let us in.
- You're not allowed in here.
At least tell us what's going on!
Calm down!
The cage isn't working.
- The cage!
- It's not working!
The cage isn't working!
They can't get down there!
We want to know what's going on!
Where are our husbands?
Jean, hurry!
Georges!
Georges!
Miss!
Your suitcase!
Did you hear the news?
Bad accident in the French mine.
- I know.
Six hundred men are trapped.
What's your problem?
An accident like that is no one's fault.
That's what you say.
This damned grind
will be the death of us all.
All this damned pressure.
And then what?
We have to go on welfare.
What did you say?
Six hundred?
That's what the head foreman said.
Poor devils.
Think they have
enough rescue gear?
What do I care?
They have more money than us.
We have to go over there.
- Then good luck.
- Don't go just yet.
What is it?
You're on the rescue team.
- What are the French to me?
- Think they'd help us?
- We know the French!
- From the Ruhr occupation!
Boys, what do we care
about generals?
A miner is a miner.
Will the French pay you a pension
if you're hurt over there?
What about the men down there
who can't get out?
Don't they have wives and children?
Think about your own wife.
- Think I'll fawn over the Frenchies?
- Just wait...
till you're trapped down there
with no one to help you.
You'll be crying for your mother.
- I gotta admit...
- Am I right?
- Yeah.
- Of course he is.
- Anton, are you in?
- Yeah.
- You coming too?
- I'm in.
Then let's go, boys.
Rescue team, get ready.
Fritz, are you coming?
- You bet I am.
Then let's go.
You're all out of your minds.
Cowards needn't come along.
We're lucky
the tunnels to the French pits
are sealed off so well,
or the gas would have
reached us in no time.
This is a heavy blow
for the French.
They'll have their hands full.
Come on, foreman.
Hand over the rescue gear.
Be reasonable. I can'tjust -
- You know the situation.
- Miners are trapped down there.
- I have to ask management.
- They won't object.
Give us the key.
There's no time to lose.
What's going on here?
I have to speak to the director first.
The off-duty rescue team
wants to help the French miners.
- Glück auf, men.
- Glück auf.
What do you want?
The rescue gear.
- Who is this man?
- Wittkopp, from Area 7.
We're volunteering.
You think they need you?
There are never enough rescuers.
I was just thinking
that we're actually closest to them.
Our men could get there
much more quickly
than the French rescue crews.
And if something happens here
in the meantime?
We still have
the midday shift rescue team.
That's true.
How do you plan to get
across the border?
Let us worry about that.
Pit foreman.
Give them the gear.
And you're in charge.
Get ready, boys.
We got the gear.
Hey, the guys from the early shift
are going over to the French side.
What? The same Frenchmen
who threw us out yesterday?
What's that got to do with it?
Move it!
Are we going in or not?
Yes, Sergeant!
- Ready?
- Ready.
Let's go!
Glück auf!
Please get Director Berteux
on the line for me.
I have the French mine
on the line, sir.
Mr. Berteux?
Good day, sir.
Our rescue crew just left.
Not at all. It's only natural.
We're very happy to help.
Glück auf!
Come back quickly!
Gustav, you haven't eaten yet!
- Thanks, Mother.
- See that nothing happens to you.
We'll be back.
Anna, half the miners
over there are trapped.
We have to go.
They have wives and children too.
Don't cry.
You have to understand.
Sister, please take me
to the Thibault mine.
Do you have
a family member in the mine?
Your husband?
No.
My brother and...
his friend.
Georges!
So long, and good luck.
Georges!
There was an accident like this
nearby when I was little.
The cage got stuck,
and it took half a day to fix it
before the miners could get out.
German rescue team!
You think the French
will let them cross?
Girard, the phone!
FRENCH CUSTOMS
If they start
with the passport business,
we'll lose precious time.
Don't stop!
Step on it! Keep going!
That idiot is shooting!
Hey!
Hey, don't shoot!
Let them go.
It's a German rescue team.
Yes, two trucks
with German rescuers.
Good. Thanks.
Inform me immediately
of any news from the rescue teams.
Look! The flag!
The flag!
- Mother!
- Françoise!
What about Jean?
Our rescue team is down there.
There's still hope.
Who is it?
- It's Albert!
- He's alive!
It's Albert.
He's still alive.
Rose, it's your husband.
Albert!
Ma'am, come around.
Albert, speak to me!
Can you hear me?
You were with Jean and Émile.
Please!
Answer me!
They're all...
They're all down below.
Nothing but bodies.
It's not true!
If he's alive,
then the others are too!
We have to save them.
Let's storm the gates!
Open this gate and lower that flag!
They're not dead!
Please be patient.
The rescue team is still working.
- Liar! You're letting them die.
- No, I assure you.
- They want to save the mine.
- What about our husbands?
Lower that flag!
They're not dead!
Open up!
Open the gates!
Call the supervisor.
We have to notify the troops.
You hear that?
They want to call in the troops.
They want to shoot at us!
Here they come!
Here they come!
German rescue team.
Open the gate!
- Open up.
Open up!
German rescue team.
What? Germans?
A German rescue team!
They've come to help us.
Open the gates!
Let them through.
The Germans! I can't believe it!
The German rescue team
is at your disposal.
We thank you
and your brave men
for coming to help us
rescue our comrades.
We hope none of you are hurt
in your efforts.
- Good luck!
- Glück auf!
Think they made it across?
Don't worry.
Wittkopp will get the job done.
- If we didn't have to work...
- What a shame!
...we could have met them halfway.
Just what we need!
That's it!
Go on enjoying your lunch.
He's leaving.
Say something, man!
I'm sick and tired of your secrets.
Glück auf.
He's crazy. Where's he going?
No idea.
Kasper!
We can't let him go by himself.
Slow down, man.
We can't keep up.
See this here?
This leads to the French side.
We broke through here
during the war.
It's all one pit. You follow?
- Are you crazy?
- You're gonna break through?
If anyone finds out,
we'll be fired tomorrow.
You can stay here, sweetheart.
The French aren't fans
of yours anyway.
The French!
I really shouldn't go over.
France insulted me.
They're gonna hear from me.
I'll tell 'em off in German!
German rescue team.
Thank you for your help.
Huh?
What kind of monkey cage is that?
"Border"?
"Border 1919"?
Ever seen anything like that?
To think it extends 2,500 feet up.
You just can't see it up there.
I've always said the French
have something against me.
They don't want to let us in.
- To hell with 'em!
- We'll show 'em!
Let 'em have it!
Jean, tell me:
How many...
how many wagonloads today?
Émile, my boy.
Did Françoise leave?
One, two...
There we go.
- You still know the way?
- Don't worry.
This leads home to mommy.
Holy cow!
What a mess!
Hey, here's one.
And another one over there.
He's dead.
It's Bijou!
Straight ahead here, my friend!
I'm following the horse.
He knows better.
Hurry up! We're not getting
any air down here.
Move it!
Well, boy?
Let's see where you've led us.
- He doesn't understand German.
- Don't say that.
Sometimes horses like this
are smarter than people.
Let's see what he likes
so much around here.
Good lord!
It's the ghost of the mine!
It's just an old miner, you idiot.
- You're right.
- You see?
This is Georges, my grandson.
I found him.
- What?
- Yes.
- What's wrong with the boy?
- The little tyke!
Get back!
Damn it all to hell!
Now we can't get out.
We're done for now.
Buckle it tight.
Come right back.
Hello?
Is someone there?
Is someone there?
The Germans!
The Germans!
Shoot 'em all down!
Two more up that way...
Pass the kid through.
The air's much better in here.
Don't worry, buddy.
It's not too bad.
We need an ambulance right way.
Did you find any men?
Any rescuers missing?
No, everyone's here.
Are all your men above ground?
- Any of our men still down there?
- No, everyone's come up.
Everyone's above ground.
Well? Blocked?
Can't... get out?
Then we'll just ride
this trolley to heaven.
I can keep up the search,
but it's only bodies down there now.
Check down there.
Nothing over here.
Maybe over in the corner.
There it is!
Who? Yes! Yes!
Five men trapped...
in railcar room.
What? Germans? Where?
What's that?
Five men trapped in railcar room.
Yes! Yes!
Five men.
The railcar room. Yes!
Five more men!
Hey, there are five more men
in the railcar room
by the stables.
They just called.
- Hear that? Five more men.
On your feet, boys!
There are five men down there.
Let's go find 'em!
What's going on?
What are they doing?
There are still men down there.
Let's go!
Hello, gentlemen.
Sorry you had to wait.
I've been told there are five men
trapped alive in the railcar room.
A rescue team
has gone down to get them.
They're in there.
Yes, that's them.
Georges, you hear that?
They're coming for us!
That's right! They're coming!
They're coming!
There's an insert missing
at this point in the surviving footage:
a front page from the Berliner Tagesblatt
with an article about the mining disaster
and the release of wounded German
rescue workers from the hospital...
What can I say?
We were as good as dead.
Right, Kasper?
And Kasper said...
"Some chewing tobacco
would be great right about now."
What do you think I did then?
I got on the phone
and told the director...
"Sir, at least send some
chewing tobacco to our burial!"
Here they come!
Climb down, my boy!
Where's our sworn enemy?
Where's our sworn enemy?
There he is!
There you are, grandpa!
Jean, say something!
Comrades!
We're all united as miners.
That's why you brought me up
from down below.
And it's because we're all united
that our comrade Kasper
tore open the bars in Area 1315.
And because
there are only two enemies
on our side of the border:
gas and war!
I tell you:
We must never forget that.
We're all united as miners!
Thank you, comrades!
We won't say "farewell,"
just "until we meet again."
Au revoir!
Auf Wiedersehen!
Auf Wiedersehen!
Comrades!
I couldn't understand
what our French comrade just said.
But we all understood
what he meant.
Because it doesn't matter
if you're German or French.
We're all workers,
and a miner is a miner.
But why do we only stick together
when we're in trouble?
Are we to sit idly by
till they fill us with so much hatred
that we shoot each other down
in another war?
The coal belongs to us all...
whether we shovel it
on this side or the other.
And if those above us
can't come to an agreement,
we'll stick together,
because we belong together!
Long live our French comrades!
Glück auf!
BORDER 1919
Everything's in order once again.
Everything must be in order.
That should hold.
You have the paperwork ready?
- Yes.
Here you are.