Ah, you are here.
-Good. -Who are you?
Watercolours are here.
Charcoals there.
The entrance exam was last week.
The results have been posted.
And there has been a mistake.
I was omitted from the selection,
so you will now kindly look again at my work.
No, no, that's quite impossible. You may begin.
Oh, yes.
Yes, I remember these.
As I recall, we considered them to be technically adequate,
but lacking in creative flair.
-What? -Well, your style needs to be
looser, particularly the watercolours.
-Looser?! -Mm-hm.
And more empathy with your subject.
At present, your style is too rigid.
And you seem to favour buildings over people!
Perhaps you'd be better suited as a, er, an architect?
I am an artist!
Then I suggest you improve on those things and apply again next year.
Adolf!
Gustl, my dear friend, it is good to see you.
Sorry. I forgot.
Your clothes are wonderful! The cravat is a triumph!
Yes, it is. Come.
I trust your journey was satisfactory?
It was, though I must confess to some considerable exhaustion!
No!
You must be full of energy and vigour!
How else can I show you the delights of my Vienna?
I apologise.
I'm full of energy.
-And vigour? -And vigour!
I cannot believe I'm in such a wonderful city!
Home of great artists, like Moser!
-Degenerative! -And Hoffman!
-Alcoholic! -Klimt?
A whore monger! Do not be deceived, my friend.
There are bourgeois snakes in this cultural Eden!
-I've much to learn. -You have!
But fear not, you have an excellent teacher.
Faster, Gustl, faster!
Yes! We shall achieve many great things in this room.
Over here,
I shall create my new portfolio to show those fools at the academy!
Whilst over here, you shall practise your viola,
gain entrance to the music school and take Vienna by storm!
And here...
-Here, we shall sleep. -You think I can take Vienna by storm?
You have had great potential, Gustl!
I believe in you, despite your limitations.
Well, gentlemen? I do hope the room is to your satisfaction?
It's most agreeable. Thank you.
Then may I trouble you -for a signature? -Oh...
Oh!
Allow me.
We cannot live there! Why? What was wrong?
The room was too small, too dark, too damp!
Oh, you seemed to like it... It was corrupt, trust me!
Yes, much better.
We will take it.
-We are staying? -We are!
No time to rest. There is work to be done.
You will practise the viola and I shall paint!
It begins, my friend.
It begins!
You'll have not been in an establishment like this before.
It is very likely you will embarrass yourself,
so do as I do and you will not stick out.
Over there?
No. Never there.
Here.
LAUGHTER
Who are they?
They are part of the Vienna Secession!
-Artists?! -Always, they are here,
driving this place into the gutter!
Well, then, perhaps we should try another establishment?
There. Do you see?
A vision of grace and beauty.
An oasis of virtue in a desert of filth!
Good morning, gentlemen, what may I get for you?
Coffee. Black, please.
Two coffees. Thank you.
There. You see?
-What? -The look in her eyes.
The deep bond between us.
Between you and the waitress?
I knew you'd see it too!
Our wedding will be small, but classical.
We shall live in the country. She will teach and I will paint...
Gustl, you must keep -your arms raised! -Sorry.
It has been several hours.
There is no concept of time when one is in love.
Adolf... I'm sure that this girl shares your feelings...
-Arms! -But you have, I believe, never actually spoken to her.
When love arises between extraordinary people,
there is no need for words.
I shall secure an income and a house
and I will introduce myself as Adolf Hitler, academic painter!
Might you not be advised to attempt some form of conversation first?
Er, perhaps ask her to a dance?
She does not care for dancing! How do you know this?!
-Dancing is ridiculous! -Well... Klara knows that as well as I.
And yet again, you are moving your arms!
I am attempting a looser style and you are making it most difficult.
-Looser? -It is a term we use in art!
I will master it and show that IDIOT at the Academy!
Adolf?
If, and of course this will not happen...
but if you do not gain entrance...
Why would I not gain entrance?
Why would you even ask this?
Well, if I do not become a musician...
Are you calling me a liar?!
When I looked my dying mother in the eye and promised her
that I would not fail, are you saying that I was deliberately lying?!
Adolf! You will not fail!
You have a wonderful gift!
I mean, look at the way you've captured me holding this...
Sorry, what is this I'm holding?
A torch!
Really? It looks like a...
It is a torch!
And how dare you - a man with weak posture and clumsy syntax -
pass judgment on my work!
I am not myself.
This city pollutes the mind.
Do you know that there is a doctor here in Vienna who believes
that all men wish to lay with their mothers? A doctor!
This is the filth that we live amongst!
Do you understand?!
Yes.
I think so.
What is it that made Rome fall to the Visigoths?
Arrogance? Complacency?
Yes! But above all, it was decadence, avarice and lust!
Vices that plague this city
like a boil on the skin of a pox-ridden whore!
There is a cancer here that corrupts the souls of men!
Yes, I understand now.
We should go.
No, we must look again.
There.
What do you see?
Er... I see trees...
..grass...a lady with an ill-fitting bonnet.
You see a space waiting to be filled with...
..a museum! A palace dedicated to the myths of Nordic legend!
Wieland, the Ring Cycle of Wagner!
The detail is exquisite!
The marble lions... They are horses!
Why do I even discuss these things with you?
Yet again, you have failed to read my work!
Gentleman, a moment of your time to settle a dispute?
Er, if it is to be on the subject of art,
then perhaps you should consult my friend?
If you could erect a statue in the Karlsplatz
and dedicate it to someone in the arts, who would it be?
Er... Now, there is no right or wrong answer,
so speak from the heart.
-Beethoven? -Beethoven!
I told you! You have won me 50 kroner!
Come, you will take coffee with us?
'So you're a musician?'
I knew it! What do you play?
Er, piano, violin and viola,
sometimes the cornet, I do not wish to boast.
Max?
Max!
Fetch your violin! No, no, no, I-I couldn't.
Ah, no, you are too humble, sir. You will play us a tune!
Er, my friend Adolf is quite the artist.
Really? What do you paint?
I paint the eternal struggle between truth and pretension.
Hmm.
He's...he's got quite a wonderful technique.
Self-taught.
Ah, like Van Gogh?
I despise Van Gogh!
Anyone who paints the sky green and the grass blue should be sterilised!
Come! August...
Play us a tune.
RUNNING FOOTSTEPS
My dear Gustl. How was your day?
Good, thank you.
-What's this? -It is a gift for you.
From me.
How could you afford this?
I have some savings.
Or rather had.
-Does it please you? -Very much!
Thank you, my dear... If you are to become a great conductor,
you must master more than just the viola.
Gustl, there is another reason for this gift.
I felt it made soften the blow I'm about to land.
You have of late been spending
some considerable time with your new friends.
OUR new friends, Adolf.
And whilst I do not wish to cause you distress,
I must tell you that they have been mocking you.
What?
They find your provincial ways to be comical.
I heard them mimicking you, laughing at your limited vocabulary.
When did you hear this?
Yesterday.
And in fact the day before.
Several times.
You would rather I told you this, as your dearest and oldest friend?
Yes.
We live in a city of vipers.
Trust is in short supply.
Though...not, of course, in this room.
You have a talent, Gustl.
You may one day lead the Vienna Philharmonic.
But for now, I suggest you avoid the distractions of other people
and dedicate yourself to your music.
Come.
Play.
Good day, Gustl. Did you buy any food?
We're running very low.
No matter! We are dining out.
Do you own a dinner suit?
-No. -Then we shall have to hire you one!
Today, I met a kindred spirit.
I was sketching in the part when he complimented my work.
We conversed on a variety of subjects,
from art to social housing and birth control!
You will warm to him. He is exactly like us.
Of course, hospitals are important, but so are museums.
No man can ever go sick with culture in his soul.
Absolutely. I couldn't agree more.
How is your dinner, August? May I get you anything else?
It's delicious. Thank you, sir.
Er, though since you ask, some wine, perhaps?
I do not drink. I find it, um...
-Dulls the senses. -Indeed.
For our main course,
Chef has prepared a mouthwatering seitan roulade!
Is that a beef dish?
Chestnut. I do not eat meat.
Neither do I. It inhibits the bowel.
Hmm.
Adolf...
All young artists need a patron
and I would be delighted to be yours.
Perhaps we could begin with a portrait of myself?
A paid commission, of course.
I would be honoured.
In which case, I propose a toast
and, August, you will forgive us if it is with water.
To the success of the young artist.
-ALL: -To success!
Mmm! Oh!
You have a rare vision, my friend.
Tell me again of this museum you have designed.
Adolf, you could draw it for us.
Perhaps, sir, you'd be kind enough to fetch, er, some paper and a...
No, no! Describe it to me!
I really do think it'd be best if he drew it.
Nonsense!
I love to hear him talk!
Don't I, Adolf, hmm?
Don't I?
A patron would have been useful, Adolf.
Not that one! He genuinely loved your art!
He was a homosexual!
You don't know that! YOU don't know that!
I think you've made a mistake.
Is that the church on Volkstrasse?
I don't remember a lamppost outside.
Oh!
It is a person.
Still, the detail on the building's very good.
Are you a student?
I am Adolf Hitler, academic painter.
Nice to meet you. I shall bring you some coffee.
Gustl!
How was your exam?
It went well.
At least I think it did.
Er, they say we'll find out tomorrow.
As will I.
There is a production of Wagner's Rienzi at the Opera House.
-We leave at eight. -I am afraid I have already made plans.
Plans?
You remember Josef?
The artist from the cafe?
Ah! Him!
I was in the cafe today and he invited me to join him.
He was very friendly.
No hint of scorn or mockery.
I believe you were wrong about him.
An exhibition of his work begins tomorrow.
He invited me to a preview.
You should come too!
-Adolf! -I think I will stay here on my own, thank you!
You'd prefer that, I'm sure.
Er, many of our friends from the coffee houses will be attending.
Even Clara.
Very well, then. I shall come.
If only to help you with your crippling social ineptitude!
Adolf, I imagine there will be people here that we find agreeable
and others we may not.
I find, when somebody is disagreeable,
the best way to deal with them...
I am not a child!
August!
Excuse me!
So good to see you! And you, Josef!
You remember my good friend Adolf?
Of course.
I'm glad you came.
We have the most marvellous Van Goghs to show you.
I'm joking! I remember your feelings about Vincent!
Come, August!
There is someone I want you to meet.
What do you think of this?
I'm not sure.
It looks familiar, but I can't think why.
It is a homage to Millet's Angelus.
Yes, of course.
In truth, I do not care for it.
Neither do I.
It is a vision of peasant labour
that only exists in the mind of the bourgeois.
Franz Schultz.
Adolf Hitler, academic painter.
LAUGHTER
It is not the music I am criticising, but the production!
There was no scale, no grandeur!
But the orchestra were...
Irrelevant! A good opera should work without music.
Next, you'll be telling us that a painting can work without paint.
No, that would be impossible.
Although, in the case of Gustav Klimt, I would like to see him try.
LAUGHTER
Oh, we are also huge fans of Klimt.
He is an imbecile swimming in a sea of his own excrement
and I despise anyone who thinks otherwise!
It is most apt that you are here.
I believe the time has now come for me to introduce myself to your father.
I shall explain to him... Excuse me.
Darling! I'm so glad you came. Look at you!
You look extraordinary! Thank you.
We are leaving.
What? Why?
I cannot suffer these idiots any longer!
I wish to stay. I have said we are leaving!
Well, you may be, I am not.
Why are you behaving like this?
-Like what? -Like one of THEM!
Keep your voice down!
You are unrecognisable when you're with these turgid fools!
GASPS
Yes! I got in!
You did not come home last night.
I was a friend's house.
Friend?
Am I not your friend?
Of course!
I've just seen my results.
I passed!
Did you pass?
Yes.
Well, then, we must celebrate!
Er, is the Rienzi still showing?
We could go this evening. I'm not in the mood.
Surely we must mark the occasion?
We are underway on a great journey... Shut up!
Why must you always provoke me with these banal requests?!
-Adolf! -Time after time,
you bombard me with a mediocrity that affects my soul and my work!
That is not fair or true!
You pathetic little country boy
climbing up the greasy pole in your cheap suit!
Go and live with your artist friends and wallow in the decadent filth!
Goodbye, Adolf.
Come back here! You will come back
and listen to what I have to say, Kubizek!
August!
Gustl!
Please!
Subtitles by Ericsson
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