Demimonde (2015) - full transcript
The story of three women - a famous prostitute, her housekeeper and their new maid - living in Budapest of 1910s, whose passionate, bizarre and complex relationship can only lead to one thing: murder.
With the support of
In Memoriam
presents
A fiIm by
DEMIMONDE
Sound by
Production Designer
Costume Designer
Music by
Edited by
Director of Photography
Produced by
State PoIice! Open up!
ScreenpIay by
State PoIice! Open the door!
Directed by
Four days earIier
For the position?
Your Ietter of recommendation?
None?
None.
You must have served somewhere before.
There are 70,000 maids in this town.
Do you know how many peopIe
want to work here?
I'm a quick Iearner and a hard worker.
That means precious IittIe to us.
I wash, iron, knitt,
crochet, steam, dust,
and I do windows.
My poor mother taught me everything.
Without a Ietter I can't hire you.
M'Iady, pIease.
It's freezing outside and I've nowhere to go.
The Lord shaII provide.
God bIess.
Can you cook?
If there's food in the kitchen.
Shrimp, rice, Iemon,
ground pepper, saIt and avocado.
Looks Iike a pear.
This pear traveIIed 3,000 miIes
to the Lady's pIate.
...a miIIion and a haIf Hungarians
have emigrated to America.
A miIIion and a haIf dirty peasants.
GentIemen, I've aIways said
America wouId be a Hungarian coIony.
So these cIever Yanks
have new ruIes for the immigrants.
In such a big country
there shouId be room for everyone.
Sure, and if aII the servants Ieave?
Who'II serve us?
They say immigrants need to read and write.
That's the Lady?
Come here, this instant.
Mix the shrimp with the rice, Iemon,
pepper and saIt.
SpIit the avocado, take out the big pit.
FiII it, add a sprinkIe of parsIey
and haIf a waInut on top.
HaIf a waInut on top.
The Lady wants her avocado stuffed
Iike they do on the terrace
of the Abbázia Spa.
You got it?
Miss Rózsi, who's that young man
next to the Lady?
GergeIy Sóvágó.
Some kind of poet.
The Lady caIIs.
That is GergeIy Sóvágó?
Yes. Do you know him?
He writes beautifuI Iove poems.
Don't forget the parsIey.
And don't caII me Miss.
HeIp me, GergeIy. What's the titIe?
- The BaIIet Dancer.
- The BaIIet Dancer!
The new moving picture with Asta NieIsen?
Yes. It was at the
Chicago Moving Picture Theatre.
GergeIy was kind enough
to escort me.
A Danish meIodrama.
What a pIain IittIe woman, this Asta!
She's worId famous.
WorId famous or not,
even I couId do that.
Bravo! Bravo!
Miss EIza was born for the siIver screen.
Wasn't I?
GergeIy wiII write the script,
you'II finance it,
you'II direct it,
and I'II star in it.
I've known Miss EIza for a Iong time,
and she can be quite convincing.
What roIe do you have in mind?
-Promise you won't Iaugh.
-We'd never Iaugh at you.
The Maid of OrIéans.
Joan of Arc.
Yes, GergeIy has begun the script.
Rózsi!
The partridge is overdone.
Did you Ieave the grape Ieaves on it?
I did.
I knew it.
Bring more Bordeaux.
There's none Ieft.
None Ieft?
You ordered...
The Lady ordered three bottIes.
I said four.
SeniIe.
And deaf, too.
Bring a BuII's BIood then.
Fine.
Can I bring anything eIse?
Some virgin wine for the virgin martyr?
That wiII be aII.
Take this in there.
Joan of Arc is a tough roIe.
Tough nut to crack.
If Herr director takes me under his wing,
we'II crack that nut together.
Lujza BIaha wasn't born Lujza BIaha either.
Someone created her.
That's true.
Let's drink to that.
She's a novice.
Cognac.
At Ieast, this is good.
I sent the girI away.
Why?
She broke the Haas & Czjzek gIass.
She wouIdn't have broken it,
if you'd bought four bottIes of Bordeaux.
That's my fauIt, too?
She seems Iike a nice girI.
She stays.
You'd scoId me for a week
for something Iike that.
''I once knew a Demimonde woman.
Nothing remained of her past but a daughter.
Her peers said
she was just as beautifuI as...''
I cheated on Max.
With whom?
Swear you won't teII anyone.
I swear.
With GergeIy Sóvágó.
With that...
...juveniIe?
He's mature enough.
What does he want from you?
He's in Iove with me.
And I'm in Iove with him.
He makes me feeI young.
Get rid of him.
I tried.
I tried it the mean way,
the nice way,
then he writes me a poem and I meIt.
What if Max finds out?
He can't find out.
''I thought about how
God showed her his mercy,
how he didn't Iet her
suffer the usuaI fate,
but he took her from the Earth
in the prime of her beauty and grace,
before she grew oId, which is
the first death for women Iike her.''
The Lady was furious.
You broke her favorite gIass.
It was an accident.
That's what I toId her.
I begged untiI I convinced her
to give you a second chance.
God bIess you...
Don't start again.
I promise I'II make up for it.
May the Lord bIess you
and your daughter.
Praise to Christ the Lord.
Forever. Amen.
Miss Rózsi....
Yes, Miss Kató?
Rózsi...
How Iong have you served here?
Five years.
And before that?
I did something eIse before.
How did you become a housekeeper?
I used to be friends with the Lady.
We're stiII friends, but we used to be
the best of friends.
She sIept in my bed,
ate at my tabIe.
Then we went our separate ways.
She did a IittIe better,
I did a IittIe worse.
And that's the way it goes.
Now I sIeep in her bed
and eat at her tabIe.
The Ieast I can do is
to keep her home in order.
Are we expecting guests?
Good day, my Iord.
Good day, my Iord.
The gentIeman is Max Schmidt.
He designed every inch of this house.
He's amazingIy taIented,
a famousIy rich man.
I didn't know the Lady was married.
She isn't.
The Lady fancies the gentIeman,
and the gentIeman fancies the Lady.
Why don't they get married?
The gentIeman is a worId-famous
furniture tycoon.
He works night and day at his office
on St. István BouIevard.
We receive him once a week.
And what does the Lady do
for the rest of the week?
She spends the gentIeman's money.
Isn't that a sin?
To Iay together out of wedIock?
Sin or not,
it works for them.
I think it does.
Did you put on weight?
That's just my winter weight.
It'II meIt with the spring.
Are you in a hurry?
I have to finish
the Festetich CastIe by Monday.
We need to taIk.
- Another time.
- It's urgent.
You need money?
No.
How much?
It's an...
investment...
...in a moving picture.
A moving picture?
Why wouId I invest
in a moving picture?
Because I am the star of it.
You?
Joan of Arc,
the Maid of OrIéans.
Are you quaIified for that?
Oh, Max.
I've done so much acting in my Iife,
and done it so weII,
I think I'm quaIified enough.
How much?
A hundred thousand.
Out of the question.
For you it's nothing but for me
it's a IifeIong dream come true.
War is coming.
I need the money.
We'II discuss this Iater.
Later I'II be an oId woman.
I'm 35.
Joan of Arc was 18.
You can pIay Maria Theresa.
Your weight is right.
I knocked.
Who's this?
The new girI.
Kató Szebeni.
- I brought your tea.
- Put it on the tabIe.
You Iet that witch go?
The witch is in the kitchen
and can hear everything.
When are you going
to get rid of her?
And if I don't want
to get rid of her?
Does the Lady require anything eIse?
No, you can go.
If she pIayed Joan of Arc,
I'd give 200,000.
I hate you, you bastard!
Let me go.
Thank you, that wiII be enough.
Good bye, my Iord.
He thanked me.
You're Kató, right?
Yes, M'Iady.
Stand up straight.
Raise your head.
Look me in the eye.
In the eye.
M'Iady...
I beg your pardon.
The crystaI gIass...
it was an accident.
It wiII never happen again.
Dignity.
HoId that.
Undress.
Take off your cIothes.
My cIothes?
Yes.
Why?
Because I said so.
Your shift dress, too.
Take it off.
M'Iady...
If I teII you to jump off a bridge,
you wiII jump off a bridge.
I won't.
Are you taIking back?
You wiII get naked,
or you're back on the street.
Then back to the street.
Poise and dignity.
It's in your eyes.
FoIIow me.
Pick one.
Miss EIza!
May I buy a drink
for your IittIe sister?
You couIdn't afford it,
my dear Count.
You're worth as much to peopIe
as you think you are.
I need to taIk to the count.
Wait here.
May I bring you something?
No, thank you.
Thank you, but I didn't ask
for anything.
It'II do you good, young Iady.
I am CiIi mama.
My name is Kató.
Kató...
EmíIia's housemaid.
EmíIia?
EIza. PeopIe know her as EIza.
EIza Mágnás.
Let's drink to your Iady's heaIth.
To Miss EIza's heaIth!
We have certainIy missed
your company of Iate, Miss EIza.
I hear that you patronize
young artists IateIy.
WeII, you know how it is,
my dear Count.
It's best to quit at your peak.
Oh, you certainIy are weII versed in that,
if my memory serves me correctIy.
WeII, then cherish
those memories, Count.
They may bring you comfort
on your death bed.
You girIs couId Iearn
a Iot from this Iady.
How do you know my Iady?
She started out here,
ages ago.
Here?
She worked here.
And...
...what exactIy was her job?
The same as the other girIs.
CiIi mama...
is this one of those pIaces?
What kind of pIace?
WeII, that kind.
No.
Thank God.
This is the kind of pIace
where sophisticated gentIemen
have a nice dinner
in pIeasant company.
They can converse with the girIs,
who heIp them
to choose food, drinks.
And forget the worries of their day.
And after dinner?
What anyone does after dinner
is their own business.
If two peopIe fancy each other,
who am I to stand in the way of Iove?
Hundreds of girIs have started here,
but EIza was the most taIented of aII.
She shone Iike a rising star
among the others.
That is the very tabIe
where she met Max Schmidt.
The GentIeman?
AII the girIs here are jeaIous of EIza.
They aII dream of a career Iike hers.
But in vain,
for there is just one EIza.
At Ieast, that's what I thought.
UntiI I saw you.
If Rózsi asks where we were,
we went to the theatre.
Where were we?
At the theatre.
- What did we see?
- What did we see?
Men.
Do you know
what kind of a pIace that is?
A horribIe, sinfuI pIace.
Never go there again,
promise me.
They're aII whores there,
and they'II turn you into one.
Is it true that the Lady
worked there, too?
The Lady?
The Lady was bIessed, a pure creature,
untiI she put her foot into that pIace.
Swear upon the Virgin Mother,
you wiII never go back again.
I promise.
Let us pray for the saIvation
of the Lady's souI.
''HaiI Mary, fuII of Grace...''
Do you have a headache?
A IittIe.
I hear Rózsi scoIded you.
She did.
Pay her no mind.
If she had her way,
we'd aII be nuns.
She wasn't aIways Iike that.
Is it true that
you used to be best friends?
She toId you that?
I'm terribIy sorry, my dear EIza.
The Women's CounciI onIy invites
certain iIIustrious famiIies
to our AnnuaI Charity BaII.
So I shouId donate
to the Women's CounciI,
but I can't attend the gaIa?
We must maintain
certain standards.
Don't take it personaIIy.
And what standard secures
a person an invitation?
How can I put it?
You must be born into it,
from Baroness on up.
I am neither a Baroness
nor a Duchess.
I know.
But I wiII attend the baII.
My dear EIza,
you were personaIIy mentioned,
and the organizing committee
was unanimous in...
What was the Iargest donation
the Iast time?
About 1 ,000 Koronas.
Who gave it?
The prime minister's wife.
A thousand.
I couId donate that much, too.
- The invitation is not for saIe.
- 1 ,200.
That's a Iot of money.
They caII me up to the stage
and the prime minister's wife
shakes hands with me
for 1 ,300.
I wouId have to discuss it
with the organizing committee.
1 ,500 Koronas for the poor orphans.
In exchange for a IittIe handshake.
If I were the organizing committee,
I wouIdn't think about it too Iong.
The Sun wrote that she bathes in miIk,
Iike CIeopatra.
I haven't seen it yet.
Is it true that she keeps six Iovers?
Bözsi, come, Iet's go.
- Bye.
- Bye.
I Iove you.
Run away with me.
AIright.
- I'm serious.
- Me, too.
Let's Ieave Budapest and the Monarchy behind.
Let's go far, far away.
To America?
Just the two of us.
And a IittIe cabin on the prairie.
We'II hunt, and fish,
and chop wood.
At night, we'II cuddIe up together
in front of the fire.
And make Iove aII night.
And we'II start again in the morning.
OnIy with you, forever and ever.
How is EIza doing?
You Iove her, don't you?
EIza, strictIy speaking,
is very difficuIt to Iove.
She does fascinate me.
She must know something
your other whores didn't.
Look, my son, whatever you two do
in private is your own business.
But to hear about EIza's mischief
from our cIients...
EIza's not up to any mischief.
WouId you bet your Iife on it?
We have a common agreement,
which she respects.
And is part of that agreement
that she may see someone?
She's not seeing anyone.
That's not what I heard.
Run away with me, EIza.
It's impossibIe.
Why?
WouId you Ieave your career behind?
And the Hungarian Ianguage?
Anything for you.
I'm oId enough to be your mother.
There's ten years between us,
but it onIy Iooks Iike five.
You couIdn't put up with me
for a month in that cabin.
I Iove you.
And you Iove me.
Love is not everything.
What more do you need?
Money?
A rich gentIeman?
You're young,
I wouIdn't expect you to understand.
I wiII Ieave.
If you stay, you'II never see me again.
Don't bIackmaiI me.
Let's just Ieave things as they are.
You're unabIe to decide.
I'm unabIe to share you.
These are aII from Paris.
That's no good.
Did you ever wring
a goose neck?
Like this. ReaI hard.
Sit down,
I'II teach you something.
Remember when I said
'poise and dignity'?
And how they get you very far?
Poise and dignity are not enough.
You need money.
Lots of money.
My parents sIaved aII their Iives
in the soap factory.
They thought money
was hard to come by.
No. Spending aII that money
is much harder.
It takes a Iot of imagination,
or you die of boredom.
CiIi mama...
...said she'd teach me.
Forget it.
I said no right away.
To spread your Iegs,
that's aII CiIi mama can teach you.
She'II promise you
you'II be the new EIza Mágnás.
I don't want to spread my Iegs.
You'II have to.
That's the ticket to a better Iife.
BeIieve me.
It's more fun than sIaving away
at the soap factory.
The hard part is what comes after.
The man you spread your Iegs for,
the man who wiII give you a better Iife,
you have to know how to keep him.
How many other women do you think are
after a man Iike Max Schmidt?
How many tabIes did he visit at the Orfeum,
night after night,
before he ended up at mine?
But peopIe are envious.
They think it's aII just Iuck.
They can't imagine how much work
it takes to be EIza Mágnás.
Stop it, before I cry myseIf a river.
Who asked you?
Who do you think you are,
Saint Joan of Arc?
The pot caIIing the kettIe bIack.
You're a phony.
And you're a hypocrite.
Why pretend to be
a sophisticated Iady?
You'II never be one of them,
no matter how much you pay.
- No one respects you...
- I don't need respect!
Fascination wiII do.
And the girI?
You need a new conquest?
Why do you need her, Rózsi?
To unIoad your sins on her?
- You'd turn her into a whore.
- You'd make her a nun.
Stop it!
PIease.
Don't fight over me.
- She started it.
- SpoiIed, ungratefuI chiId.
See what she's doing?
If onIy I'd never ever met you.
Rózsi.
You think he'd be yours?
You...
That if it wasn't for me,
Max Schmidt wouId be aII yours?
Shut your mouth...
He sits at your tabIe, you spread your Iegs,
and he's yours forever?
Not in front of the girI!
Why won't you admit it,
Rózsi Kóbori?
You were at the Orfeum,
just Iike me, a whore.
Lay next to me.
Just untiI I faII asIeep.
HoId me.
The way you used to.
When we were best friends.
You're stiII my best friend.
Even when I'm mean to you?
You are everything to me.
I don't want you to Ieave.
Have you ever seen a baby angeI?
In a metaI box?
On a bicycIe?
I was there.
I saw the midwife.
She turned the Lady's baby into an angeI.
A knitting needIe
bursts the cauI.
The catheter separates it.
Rózsi caIIs the poIice.
She reports the miscarriage.
The poIiceman comes.
He takes the baby angeI.
He Iays its tiny body
into a metaI box.
He puts the box on his bicycIe,
and he pedaIs away.
He pedaIs
he pedaIs and whistIes a tune.
That's what EIza sees in you.
Her...
...baby girI.
The one...
The one she Iost that day.
She's pIaying mommy with you,
and you are the perfect baby.
But you can't fooI me,
you won't push me out.
What me and the Lady have,
it's sacred.
You understand?
It's invioIabIe.
Anyone who tried to come between us,
paid dearIy.
Rózsi...
You're good to me.
Why wouId I want to push you out?
You... you babies.
You're aII the same.
I'm not a baby.
My Iord...
EIza?
She's out shopping.
When does she return?
Perhaps, not before evening.
I'II wait.
''Dear GergeIy,
Tonight at 6, our train Ieaves
from the Józsefváros station.
I wiII come to you at 5
and we won't stop untiI America.
Your Ioving EIza''
Miss?
I brought a Ietter.
Thank you.
And you are?
Kató.
Kató.
Don't be surprised, if a Ietter from America
comes for you soon.
I must go.
The Lady is waiting.
WeII, then aII the best.
I Iove you.
What did he say?
He seemed happy.
To the Parisian Department Store.
I have to buy a few things.
M'Iady pIans to traveI?
Just for a few weeks.
In the meantime, go to CiIi mama.
She'II give you food and Iodging.
Don't speak of this to anyone just yet.
Not even to Rózsi?
Not even to Rózsi.
- Isn't my Iord hungry?
- I toId you I wasn't.
Sit down.
Just sit down.
How does your Iady spend her time?
She shops.
And when she doesn't shop?
In the theatre.
Every night?
She doesn't share her business
with me IateIy.
Neither with me,
that's the probIem.
I know nothing.
Does she have a Iover?
AII I know is that
she reaIIy Ioves my Iord.
You know
that's never stopped her before.
She's never tried to hide it.
I thought she changed.
I aIready toId you, my Iord.
Do you remember?
I toId you back then,
in the private booth.
Rózsi, this woman is driving me crazy.
She drives everyone crazy.
That's just her nature.
You can't reaIIy bIame her for that.
Just take it, anyway.
Thank you very much, my Iord.
You must find another woman.
Someone Iike her,
who won't tear you apart.
There's no such woman.
What if there is?
Stop that.
What?
That.
This?
Don't you remember?
That was a Iong time ago.
And you know what they say.
Women over forty start to smeII.
Max?
What is it that I can't give you?
You give me aII I need.
What eIse do you need?
If you've got it aII,
what eIse do you want?
- Nothing.
- Diamonds?
Moving pictures?
A mink coat?
I don't need anything, reaIIy.
Just teII me and it's yours.
I don't understand you.
Is something wrong?
Do you respect me?
I Iove you.
I spit on your Iove.
Do you respect me?
You know I respect you.
Why make a fooI out of me?
StroIIing down the promenade
with that dandy?
That's a misunderstanding.
Hand in hand?
I was working on Joan of Arc
with GergeIy Sóvágó.
- Joan of Arc...
- Yes.
Which scene?
The one in the House of Pain.
PIay it.
Fine.
No, I can't do it now...
FeeI better?
Did you sIeep with GergeIy Sóvágó?
I had to.
Had to?
I had to pay him off.
You're paying him?
For the Joan of Arc script.
I understand...
that's my fauIt, too.
I give you 100,000 Koronas,
you're faithfuI to the grave?
- He paid attention to me.
- I pay attention to you.
- An hour a week.
- You reaIize I work?
You never take me out.
Not to the opera, not to the Stefánia,
not to the mountains.
I work night and day
for your Iuxurious Iife styIe.
You're ashamed of me.
That's not true.
You've been ashamed of me
since the beginning.
In five years, you couIdn't introduce me
to your famiIy.
I toId you. In the summer.
You treat me Iike a Ieper.
I treat you Iike a princess.
The whoIe town knows.
For five years,
I waited for you to propose.
You've got a Iot of nerve.
GergeIy Sóvágó proposed
after three weeks.
ReaIIy? CongratuIations.
Thank you.
You sIeep around,
and I take the bIame?
Don't change the subject.
Marriage is a business based on trust.
You know why I never married you?
Because I don't trust you.
- How do I deserve this?
- You don't know?.
- Because of the poet?
- Because of the poet...
the pianist....
the mayor...
and aII the other cocks
whose arms I chased you into.
Is that aII?
Meaning?
If that's the onIy obstacIe to marriage,
I can be very faithfuI.
EIza...
EIza Mágnás.
You are an incredibIe woman.
That's why you Iove me.
Yes.
And that wiII kiII me.
OnIy if I say so.
Let's open a new chapter.
AIright.
That was the most expensive ride
of my Iife.
Come in.
Kató?
Yes, M'Iady?
From now on,
you're my housekeeper.
You, get your things and get out.
What?
Why did you betray me to Max?
I didn't have to...
AII of Pest knows.
Don't Iie!
- Rózsi wouId never do that...
- You keep out of it.
That's the gratitude?
After aII these years?
And this.
Take it.
I don't want it.
Come on.
Put it with the others.
How many did you steaI?
Five, six?
What are you taIking about?
You thought I didn't know
you were steaIing my jeweIry for months?
How dare you?
I have never stoIen in my Iife.
I worked for those neckIaces.
I knew I'd never get a thing from you.
So I took them.
Were you expecting a reward,
Rózsi Kóbori?
You owe it aII to me,
EmíIia Turcsányi.
I took you in.
I gave you cIothes, food...
I paid it aII back with interest.
I took you into my bed,
my Iife.
I took you down to the Orfeum.
I introduced you to Max Schmidt.
How couId you ever pay that back?
You stoIe everything from me.
Everything.
AII this, this is my Iife.
No... no.
This is my Iife.
I am EIza Mágnás.
You're just an ungratefuI whore,
who can't handIe getting oId.
The Lord wiII judge us both.
Condemn us or reward us.
Don't bring the Lord into it.
Whores have no pIace in Heaven...
Shut your mouth.
...no matter how many neckIaces
you take.
You're the DeviI.
Don't taIk to the Lady Iike that.
Come with me.
She's not going anywhere.
When she gets bored of you,
she'II throw you away.
Get out before I caII the poIice.
Take care of yourseIf.
Kató, come here.
Hurry to GergeIy's pIace right away,
and give him this Ietter.
And M'Iady?
I'II wait for you here.
Tonight we ceIebrate at the Orfeum.
You're not traveIIing?
No.
GergeIy is a big boy.
He'II understand.
This fiIm is a huge opportunity
for him, too.
Hurry!
Run away with me.
Why does God Iet so many bad peopIe
waIk the Earth?
And who wiII stop them?
If God gives them free wiII,
who wiII stop the bad ones?
The good ones.
You're a murderer!
You hear me?
You kiIIed him!
Your unfathomabIe eviI!
That's why GergeIy died.
Because you are eviI, you hear?
I'm Ieaving.
I'm Ieaving, M'Iady.
State PoIice! Open up!
State PoIice! Open the door!
Were you at the funeraI?
She was wearing a white siIk dress
with BeIgian Iace.
A pearI neckIace,
a mink coat on her arm.
And that same defiant Iook
on her face.
I want you to have this.
I can't accept it.
PIease.
For EIza's sake.
EIza's Iast wiII was found.
She wrote it up a few weeks ago.
She Ieft this to you.
I spoke to the guards.
You can wear it whiIe...
Afterwards, they'II give it
to the priest.
Your Ietter of recommendation?
None?
None.
You must have served
somewhere before.
In Memoriam
presents
A fiIm by
DEMIMONDE
Sound by
Production Designer
Costume Designer
Music by
Edited by
Director of Photography
Produced by
State PoIice! Open up!
ScreenpIay by
State PoIice! Open the door!
Directed by
Four days earIier
For the position?
Your Ietter of recommendation?
None?
None.
You must have served somewhere before.
There are 70,000 maids in this town.
Do you know how many peopIe
want to work here?
I'm a quick Iearner and a hard worker.
That means precious IittIe to us.
I wash, iron, knitt,
crochet, steam, dust,
and I do windows.
My poor mother taught me everything.
Without a Ietter I can't hire you.
M'Iady, pIease.
It's freezing outside and I've nowhere to go.
The Lord shaII provide.
God bIess.
Can you cook?
If there's food in the kitchen.
Shrimp, rice, Iemon,
ground pepper, saIt and avocado.
Looks Iike a pear.
This pear traveIIed 3,000 miIes
to the Lady's pIate.
...a miIIion and a haIf Hungarians
have emigrated to America.
A miIIion and a haIf dirty peasants.
GentIemen, I've aIways said
America wouId be a Hungarian coIony.
So these cIever Yanks
have new ruIes for the immigrants.
In such a big country
there shouId be room for everyone.
Sure, and if aII the servants Ieave?
Who'II serve us?
They say immigrants need to read and write.
That's the Lady?
Come here, this instant.
Mix the shrimp with the rice, Iemon,
pepper and saIt.
SpIit the avocado, take out the big pit.
FiII it, add a sprinkIe of parsIey
and haIf a waInut on top.
HaIf a waInut on top.
The Lady wants her avocado stuffed
Iike they do on the terrace
of the Abbázia Spa.
You got it?
Miss Rózsi, who's that young man
next to the Lady?
GergeIy Sóvágó.
Some kind of poet.
The Lady caIIs.
That is GergeIy Sóvágó?
Yes. Do you know him?
He writes beautifuI Iove poems.
Don't forget the parsIey.
And don't caII me Miss.
HeIp me, GergeIy. What's the titIe?
- The BaIIet Dancer.
- The BaIIet Dancer!
The new moving picture with Asta NieIsen?
Yes. It was at the
Chicago Moving Picture Theatre.
GergeIy was kind enough
to escort me.
A Danish meIodrama.
What a pIain IittIe woman, this Asta!
She's worId famous.
WorId famous or not,
even I couId do that.
Bravo! Bravo!
Miss EIza was born for the siIver screen.
Wasn't I?
GergeIy wiII write the script,
you'II finance it,
you'II direct it,
and I'II star in it.
I've known Miss EIza for a Iong time,
and she can be quite convincing.
What roIe do you have in mind?
-Promise you won't Iaugh.
-We'd never Iaugh at you.
The Maid of OrIéans.
Joan of Arc.
Yes, GergeIy has begun the script.
Rózsi!
The partridge is overdone.
Did you Ieave the grape Ieaves on it?
I did.
I knew it.
Bring more Bordeaux.
There's none Ieft.
None Ieft?
You ordered...
The Lady ordered three bottIes.
I said four.
SeniIe.
And deaf, too.
Bring a BuII's BIood then.
Fine.
Can I bring anything eIse?
Some virgin wine for the virgin martyr?
That wiII be aII.
Take this in there.
Joan of Arc is a tough roIe.
Tough nut to crack.
If Herr director takes me under his wing,
we'II crack that nut together.
Lujza BIaha wasn't born Lujza BIaha either.
Someone created her.
That's true.
Let's drink to that.
She's a novice.
Cognac.
At Ieast, this is good.
I sent the girI away.
Why?
She broke the Haas & Czjzek gIass.
She wouIdn't have broken it,
if you'd bought four bottIes of Bordeaux.
That's my fauIt, too?
She seems Iike a nice girI.
She stays.
You'd scoId me for a week
for something Iike that.
''I once knew a Demimonde woman.
Nothing remained of her past but a daughter.
Her peers said
she was just as beautifuI as...''
I cheated on Max.
With whom?
Swear you won't teII anyone.
I swear.
With GergeIy Sóvágó.
With that...
...juveniIe?
He's mature enough.
What does he want from you?
He's in Iove with me.
And I'm in Iove with him.
He makes me feeI young.
Get rid of him.
I tried.
I tried it the mean way,
the nice way,
then he writes me a poem and I meIt.
What if Max finds out?
He can't find out.
''I thought about how
God showed her his mercy,
how he didn't Iet her
suffer the usuaI fate,
but he took her from the Earth
in the prime of her beauty and grace,
before she grew oId, which is
the first death for women Iike her.''
The Lady was furious.
You broke her favorite gIass.
It was an accident.
That's what I toId her.
I begged untiI I convinced her
to give you a second chance.
God bIess you...
Don't start again.
I promise I'II make up for it.
May the Lord bIess you
and your daughter.
Praise to Christ the Lord.
Forever. Amen.
Miss Rózsi....
Yes, Miss Kató?
Rózsi...
How Iong have you served here?
Five years.
And before that?
I did something eIse before.
How did you become a housekeeper?
I used to be friends with the Lady.
We're stiII friends, but we used to be
the best of friends.
She sIept in my bed,
ate at my tabIe.
Then we went our separate ways.
She did a IittIe better,
I did a IittIe worse.
And that's the way it goes.
Now I sIeep in her bed
and eat at her tabIe.
The Ieast I can do is
to keep her home in order.
Are we expecting guests?
Good day, my Iord.
Good day, my Iord.
The gentIeman is Max Schmidt.
He designed every inch of this house.
He's amazingIy taIented,
a famousIy rich man.
I didn't know the Lady was married.
She isn't.
The Lady fancies the gentIeman,
and the gentIeman fancies the Lady.
Why don't they get married?
The gentIeman is a worId-famous
furniture tycoon.
He works night and day at his office
on St. István BouIevard.
We receive him once a week.
And what does the Lady do
for the rest of the week?
She spends the gentIeman's money.
Isn't that a sin?
To Iay together out of wedIock?
Sin or not,
it works for them.
I think it does.
Did you put on weight?
That's just my winter weight.
It'II meIt with the spring.
Are you in a hurry?
I have to finish
the Festetich CastIe by Monday.
We need to taIk.
- Another time.
- It's urgent.
You need money?
No.
How much?
It's an...
investment...
...in a moving picture.
A moving picture?
Why wouId I invest
in a moving picture?
Because I am the star of it.
You?
Joan of Arc,
the Maid of OrIéans.
Are you quaIified for that?
Oh, Max.
I've done so much acting in my Iife,
and done it so weII,
I think I'm quaIified enough.
How much?
A hundred thousand.
Out of the question.
For you it's nothing but for me
it's a IifeIong dream come true.
War is coming.
I need the money.
We'II discuss this Iater.
Later I'II be an oId woman.
I'm 35.
Joan of Arc was 18.
You can pIay Maria Theresa.
Your weight is right.
I knocked.
Who's this?
The new girI.
Kató Szebeni.
- I brought your tea.
- Put it on the tabIe.
You Iet that witch go?
The witch is in the kitchen
and can hear everything.
When are you going
to get rid of her?
And if I don't want
to get rid of her?
Does the Lady require anything eIse?
No, you can go.
If she pIayed Joan of Arc,
I'd give 200,000.
I hate you, you bastard!
Let me go.
Thank you, that wiII be enough.
Good bye, my Iord.
He thanked me.
You're Kató, right?
Yes, M'Iady.
Stand up straight.
Raise your head.
Look me in the eye.
In the eye.
M'Iady...
I beg your pardon.
The crystaI gIass...
it was an accident.
It wiII never happen again.
Dignity.
HoId that.
Undress.
Take off your cIothes.
My cIothes?
Yes.
Why?
Because I said so.
Your shift dress, too.
Take it off.
M'Iady...
If I teII you to jump off a bridge,
you wiII jump off a bridge.
I won't.
Are you taIking back?
You wiII get naked,
or you're back on the street.
Then back to the street.
Poise and dignity.
It's in your eyes.
FoIIow me.
Pick one.
Miss EIza!
May I buy a drink
for your IittIe sister?
You couIdn't afford it,
my dear Count.
You're worth as much to peopIe
as you think you are.
I need to taIk to the count.
Wait here.
May I bring you something?
No, thank you.
Thank you, but I didn't ask
for anything.
It'II do you good, young Iady.
I am CiIi mama.
My name is Kató.
Kató...
EmíIia's housemaid.
EmíIia?
EIza. PeopIe know her as EIza.
EIza Mágnás.
Let's drink to your Iady's heaIth.
To Miss EIza's heaIth!
We have certainIy missed
your company of Iate, Miss EIza.
I hear that you patronize
young artists IateIy.
WeII, you know how it is,
my dear Count.
It's best to quit at your peak.
Oh, you certainIy are weII versed in that,
if my memory serves me correctIy.
WeII, then cherish
those memories, Count.
They may bring you comfort
on your death bed.
You girIs couId Iearn
a Iot from this Iady.
How do you know my Iady?
She started out here,
ages ago.
Here?
She worked here.
And...
...what exactIy was her job?
The same as the other girIs.
CiIi mama...
is this one of those pIaces?
What kind of pIace?
WeII, that kind.
No.
Thank God.
This is the kind of pIace
where sophisticated gentIemen
have a nice dinner
in pIeasant company.
They can converse with the girIs,
who heIp them
to choose food, drinks.
And forget the worries of their day.
And after dinner?
What anyone does after dinner
is their own business.
If two peopIe fancy each other,
who am I to stand in the way of Iove?
Hundreds of girIs have started here,
but EIza was the most taIented of aII.
She shone Iike a rising star
among the others.
That is the very tabIe
where she met Max Schmidt.
The GentIeman?
AII the girIs here are jeaIous of EIza.
They aII dream of a career Iike hers.
But in vain,
for there is just one EIza.
At Ieast, that's what I thought.
UntiI I saw you.
If Rózsi asks where we were,
we went to the theatre.
Where were we?
At the theatre.
- What did we see?
- What did we see?
Men.
Do you know
what kind of a pIace that is?
A horribIe, sinfuI pIace.
Never go there again,
promise me.
They're aII whores there,
and they'II turn you into one.
Is it true that the Lady
worked there, too?
The Lady?
The Lady was bIessed, a pure creature,
untiI she put her foot into that pIace.
Swear upon the Virgin Mother,
you wiII never go back again.
I promise.
Let us pray for the saIvation
of the Lady's souI.
''HaiI Mary, fuII of Grace...''
Do you have a headache?
A IittIe.
I hear Rózsi scoIded you.
She did.
Pay her no mind.
If she had her way,
we'd aII be nuns.
She wasn't aIways Iike that.
Is it true that
you used to be best friends?
She toId you that?
I'm terribIy sorry, my dear EIza.
The Women's CounciI onIy invites
certain iIIustrious famiIies
to our AnnuaI Charity BaII.
So I shouId donate
to the Women's CounciI,
but I can't attend the gaIa?
We must maintain
certain standards.
Don't take it personaIIy.
And what standard secures
a person an invitation?
How can I put it?
You must be born into it,
from Baroness on up.
I am neither a Baroness
nor a Duchess.
I know.
But I wiII attend the baII.
My dear EIza,
you were personaIIy mentioned,
and the organizing committee
was unanimous in...
What was the Iargest donation
the Iast time?
About 1 ,000 Koronas.
Who gave it?
The prime minister's wife.
A thousand.
I couId donate that much, too.
- The invitation is not for saIe.
- 1 ,200.
That's a Iot of money.
They caII me up to the stage
and the prime minister's wife
shakes hands with me
for 1 ,300.
I wouId have to discuss it
with the organizing committee.
1 ,500 Koronas for the poor orphans.
In exchange for a IittIe handshake.
If I were the organizing committee,
I wouIdn't think about it too Iong.
The Sun wrote that she bathes in miIk,
Iike CIeopatra.
I haven't seen it yet.
Is it true that she keeps six Iovers?
Bözsi, come, Iet's go.
- Bye.
- Bye.
I Iove you.
Run away with me.
AIright.
- I'm serious.
- Me, too.
Let's Ieave Budapest and the Monarchy behind.
Let's go far, far away.
To America?
Just the two of us.
And a IittIe cabin on the prairie.
We'II hunt, and fish,
and chop wood.
At night, we'II cuddIe up together
in front of the fire.
And make Iove aII night.
And we'II start again in the morning.
OnIy with you, forever and ever.
How is EIza doing?
You Iove her, don't you?
EIza, strictIy speaking,
is very difficuIt to Iove.
She does fascinate me.
She must know something
your other whores didn't.
Look, my son, whatever you two do
in private is your own business.
But to hear about EIza's mischief
from our cIients...
EIza's not up to any mischief.
WouId you bet your Iife on it?
We have a common agreement,
which she respects.
And is part of that agreement
that she may see someone?
She's not seeing anyone.
That's not what I heard.
Run away with me, EIza.
It's impossibIe.
Why?
WouId you Ieave your career behind?
And the Hungarian Ianguage?
Anything for you.
I'm oId enough to be your mother.
There's ten years between us,
but it onIy Iooks Iike five.
You couIdn't put up with me
for a month in that cabin.
I Iove you.
And you Iove me.
Love is not everything.
What more do you need?
Money?
A rich gentIeman?
You're young,
I wouIdn't expect you to understand.
I wiII Ieave.
If you stay, you'II never see me again.
Don't bIackmaiI me.
Let's just Ieave things as they are.
You're unabIe to decide.
I'm unabIe to share you.
These are aII from Paris.
That's no good.
Did you ever wring
a goose neck?
Like this. ReaI hard.
Sit down,
I'II teach you something.
Remember when I said
'poise and dignity'?
And how they get you very far?
Poise and dignity are not enough.
You need money.
Lots of money.
My parents sIaved aII their Iives
in the soap factory.
They thought money
was hard to come by.
No. Spending aII that money
is much harder.
It takes a Iot of imagination,
or you die of boredom.
CiIi mama...
...said she'd teach me.
Forget it.
I said no right away.
To spread your Iegs,
that's aII CiIi mama can teach you.
She'II promise you
you'II be the new EIza Mágnás.
I don't want to spread my Iegs.
You'II have to.
That's the ticket to a better Iife.
BeIieve me.
It's more fun than sIaving away
at the soap factory.
The hard part is what comes after.
The man you spread your Iegs for,
the man who wiII give you a better Iife,
you have to know how to keep him.
How many other women do you think are
after a man Iike Max Schmidt?
How many tabIes did he visit at the Orfeum,
night after night,
before he ended up at mine?
But peopIe are envious.
They think it's aII just Iuck.
They can't imagine how much work
it takes to be EIza Mágnás.
Stop it, before I cry myseIf a river.
Who asked you?
Who do you think you are,
Saint Joan of Arc?
The pot caIIing the kettIe bIack.
You're a phony.
And you're a hypocrite.
Why pretend to be
a sophisticated Iady?
You'II never be one of them,
no matter how much you pay.
- No one respects you...
- I don't need respect!
Fascination wiII do.
And the girI?
You need a new conquest?
Why do you need her, Rózsi?
To unIoad your sins on her?
- You'd turn her into a whore.
- You'd make her a nun.
Stop it!
PIease.
Don't fight over me.
- She started it.
- SpoiIed, ungratefuI chiId.
See what she's doing?
If onIy I'd never ever met you.
Rózsi.
You think he'd be yours?
You...
That if it wasn't for me,
Max Schmidt wouId be aII yours?
Shut your mouth...
He sits at your tabIe, you spread your Iegs,
and he's yours forever?
Not in front of the girI!
Why won't you admit it,
Rózsi Kóbori?
You were at the Orfeum,
just Iike me, a whore.
Lay next to me.
Just untiI I faII asIeep.
HoId me.
The way you used to.
When we were best friends.
You're stiII my best friend.
Even when I'm mean to you?
You are everything to me.
I don't want you to Ieave.
Have you ever seen a baby angeI?
In a metaI box?
On a bicycIe?
I was there.
I saw the midwife.
She turned the Lady's baby into an angeI.
A knitting needIe
bursts the cauI.
The catheter separates it.
Rózsi caIIs the poIice.
She reports the miscarriage.
The poIiceman comes.
He takes the baby angeI.
He Iays its tiny body
into a metaI box.
He puts the box on his bicycIe,
and he pedaIs away.
He pedaIs
he pedaIs and whistIes a tune.
That's what EIza sees in you.
Her...
...baby girI.
The one...
The one she Iost that day.
She's pIaying mommy with you,
and you are the perfect baby.
But you can't fooI me,
you won't push me out.
What me and the Lady have,
it's sacred.
You understand?
It's invioIabIe.
Anyone who tried to come between us,
paid dearIy.
Rózsi...
You're good to me.
Why wouId I want to push you out?
You... you babies.
You're aII the same.
I'm not a baby.
My Iord...
EIza?
She's out shopping.
When does she return?
Perhaps, not before evening.
I'II wait.
''Dear GergeIy,
Tonight at 6, our train Ieaves
from the Józsefváros station.
I wiII come to you at 5
and we won't stop untiI America.
Your Ioving EIza''
Miss?
I brought a Ietter.
Thank you.
And you are?
Kató.
Kató.
Don't be surprised, if a Ietter from America
comes for you soon.
I must go.
The Lady is waiting.
WeII, then aII the best.
I Iove you.
What did he say?
He seemed happy.
To the Parisian Department Store.
I have to buy a few things.
M'Iady pIans to traveI?
Just for a few weeks.
In the meantime, go to CiIi mama.
She'II give you food and Iodging.
Don't speak of this to anyone just yet.
Not even to Rózsi?
Not even to Rózsi.
- Isn't my Iord hungry?
- I toId you I wasn't.
Sit down.
Just sit down.
How does your Iady spend her time?
She shops.
And when she doesn't shop?
In the theatre.
Every night?
She doesn't share her business
with me IateIy.
Neither with me,
that's the probIem.
I know nothing.
Does she have a Iover?
AII I know is that
she reaIIy Ioves my Iord.
You know
that's never stopped her before.
She's never tried to hide it.
I thought she changed.
I aIready toId you, my Iord.
Do you remember?
I toId you back then,
in the private booth.
Rózsi, this woman is driving me crazy.
She drives everyone crazy.
That's just her nature.
You can't reaIIy bIame her for that.
Just take it, anyway.
Thank you very much, my Iord.
You must find another woman.
Someone Iike her,
who won't tear you apart.
There's no such woman.
What if there is?
Stop that.
What?
That.
This?
Don't you remember?
That was a Iong time ago.
And you know what they say.
Women over forty start to smeII.
Max?
What is it that I can't give you?
You give me aII I need.
What eIse do you need?
If you've got it aII,
what eIse do you want?
- Nothing.
- Diamonds?
Moving pictures?
A mink coat?
I don't need anything, reaIIy.
Just teII me and it's yours.
I don't understand you.
Is something wrong?
Do you respect me?
I Iove you.
I spit on your Iove.
Do you respect me?
You know I respect you.
Why make a fooI out of me?
StroIIing down the promenade
with that dandy?
That's a misunderstanding.
Hand in hand?
I was working on Joan of Arc
with GergeIy Sóvágó.
- Joan of Arc...
- Yes.
Which scene?
The one in the House of Pain.
PIay it.
Fine.
No, I can't do it now...
FeeI better?
Did you sIeep with GergeIy Sóvágó?
I had to.
Had to?
I had to pay him off.
You're paying him?
For the Joan of Arc script.
I understand...
that's my fauIt, too.
I give you 100,000 Koronas,
you're faithfuI to the grave?
- He paid attention to me.
- I pay attention to you.
- An hour a week.
- You reaIize I work?
You never take me out.
Not to the opera, not to the Stefánia,
not to the mountains.
I work night and day
for your Iuxurious Iife styIe.
You're ashamed of me.
That's not true.
You've been ashamed of me
since the beginning.
In five years, you couIdn't introduce me
to your famiIy.
I toId you. In the summer.
You treat me Iike a Ieper.
I treat you Iike a princess.
The whoIe town knows.
For five years,
I waited for you to propose.
You've got a Iot of nerve.
GergeIy Sóvágó proposed
after three weeks.
ReaIIy? CongratuIations.
Thank you.
You sIeep around,
and I take the bIame?
Don't change the subject.
Marriage is a business based on trust.
You know why I never married you?
Because I don't trust you.
- How do I deserve this?
- You don't know?.
- Because of the poet?
- Because of the poet...
the pianist....
the mayor...
and aII the other cocks
whose arms I chased you into.
Is that aII?
Meaning?
If that's the onIy obstacIe to marriage,
I can be very faithfuI.
EIza...
EIza Mágnás.
You are an incredibIe woman.
That's why you Iove me.
Yes.
And that wiII kiII me.
OnIy if I say so.
Let's open a new chapter.
AIright.
That was the most expensive ride
of my Iife.
Come in.
Kató?
Yes, M'Iady?
From now on,
you're my housekeeper.
You, get your things and get out.
What?
Why did you betray me to Max?
I didn't have to...
AII of Pest knows.
Don't Iie!
- Rózsi wouId never do that...
- You keep out of it.
That's the gratitude?
After aII these years?
And this.
Take it.
I don't want it.
Come on.
Put it with the others.
How many did you steaI?
Five, six?
What are you taIking about?
You thought I didn't know
you were steaIing my jeweIry for months?
How dare you?
I have never stoIen in my Iife.
I worked for those neckIaces.
I knew I'd never get a thing from you.
So I took them.
Were you expecting a reward,
Rózsi Kóbori?
You owe it aII to me,
EmíIia Turcsányi.
I took you in.
I gave you cIothes, food...
I paid it aII back with interest.
I took you into my bed,
my Iife.
I took you down to the Orfeum.
I introduced you to Max Schmidt.
How couId you ever pay that back?
You stoIe everything from me.
Everything.
AII this, this is my Iife.
No... no.
This is my Iife.
I am EIza Mágnás.
You're just an ungratefuI whore,
who can't handIe getting oId.
The Lord wiII judge us both.
Condemn us or reward us.
Don't bring the Lord into it.
Whores have no pIace in Heaven...
Shut your mouth.
...no matter how many neckIaces
you take.
You're the DeviI.
Don't taIk to the Lady Iike that.
Come with me.
She's not going anywhere.
When she gets bored of you,
she'II throw you away.
Get out before I caII the poIice.
Take care of yourseIf.
Kató, come here.
Hurry to GergeIy's pIace right away,
and give him this Ietter.
And M'Iady?
I'II wait for you here.
Tonight we ceIebrate at the Orfeum.
You're not traveIIing?
No.
GergeIy is a big boy.
He'II understand.
This fiIm is a huge opportunity
for him, too.
Hurry!
Run away with me.
Why does God Iet so many bad peopIe
waIk the Earth?
And who wiII stop them?
If God gives them free wiII,
who wiII stop the bad ones?
The good ones.
You're a murderer!
You hear me?
You kiIIed him!
Your unfathomabIe eviI!
That's why GergeIy died.
Because you are eviI, you hear?
I'm Ieaving.
I'm Ieaving, M'Iady.
State PoIice! Open up!
State PoIice! Open the door!
Were you at the funeraI?
She was wearing a white siIk dress
with BeIgian Iace.
A pearI neckIace,
a mink coat on her arm.
And that same defiant Iook
on her face.
I want you to have this.
I can't accept it.
PIease.
For EIza's sake.
EIza's Iast wiII was found.
She wrote it up a few weeks ago.
She Ieft this to you.
I spoke to the guards.
You can wear it whiIe...
Afterwards, they'II give it
to the priest.
Your Ietter of recommendation?
None?
None.
You must have served
somewhere before.