MIDSUMMER NIGHT
Script translation from German to English.
(Translation of the brief “teaser” on the original video packaging)
Arne
Arndahl, a Norwegian farmer and sawmill owner lives with his two daughters of
marriageable age, Astrid and Christina, as well as his housekeeper, Karin, on
the isolated Svytelma farm.
His
hired hand, Eric, tries to rape Astrid while Arne is out hunting, but he is
chased away by the women.
When
Arne hears about it he decides in his rage to go to the Inn at Faalsund, and on
meeting his hired hand Eric, he almost kills him. A stranger who suddenly
appears (and disappears) stops the attack on Eric.
During
the night some wolves break into the barn at Svytelma farm and makes off with a
young calf.
A
snowstorm takes Arne by surprise and suddenly the wolves are upon him. Arne
slips and loses his weapon. Now he has only a branch with which to defend
himself when one of the wolves manages to overpower him, and the rest of the
pack is on him.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
(In order of appearance)
Robert Fuller -
Tore Haugstad The mysterious stranger (RF)
Carl
Lange - Arne
Arndahl The one armed man, owner of the sawmill and the farm called
“Svytelma”
Walter
Kohut - Eric
The hired hand
Liane
Heilsher - Astrid
Arne’s oldest daughter (brunette)
Ruth-Maria
Kubitschek - Karin
Arne’s housekeeper, who has designs on marrying him and taking over the
sawmill and the farm
Marianne
Hoffman - Christina
Arne’s youngest daughter (blond)
Unknown
- Mr.
Isberg
A local business man (bald guy w/beard)
Edith
Hancke - Ms.
Nielsen
The innkeeper’s spinsterish, ditsy accountant
Unknown
- Waitress
(no name – but she’s the one with the baby)
Unknown
- Customer
Unknown
- Fransen
Owner of the inn and general store
Otto
Ambros - A
policeman
No name given
Unknown
- Old
guy at Svytelma
Not
explained – so I’m going with Grandpa
Sieghardt
Rupp - Aslak
Brodersen The villain
At the sawmill the peeling bells signal
the end of the work day. (“Feuerabend!” – directly translated it is
“fire evening”, and it means something like the “five o’clock
whistle”).
Eric (the hired hand):
“Warm out today – we should go swimming.”
Astrid:
“So go!”
Eric:
“Yes, but with you – I dream about this every night!”
They struggle.
Eric:
“Damn you, bitch!”
Astrid:
“Get out!”
Eric:
“You’re all bitches!”
Stalks off.
Karin:
“What’s eating him?”
Astrid:
“If you absolutely must know, ask him yourself.”
Karin:
“Has he tried to seduce you? In your place I would be flattered that
someone takes an interest.”
Astrid:
“Then you go for him.”
Eric
(getting on his bike):
“I’ll damn well make it without you.”
Karin:
“Eric, don’t be an idiot!”
Eric:
“Like I said, without you!”
Karin:
“That’s the third one who’s quit on us!”
Astrid:
“Maybe I should sleep with him in order for him to stay?”
Karin:
“It might do you some good, getting rid of that superiority complex you
have. Whatever you’re waiting for will never come.”
Astrid:
“...and so he ran away.”
Karin:
“It’s the third hired hand that’s quit on us.”
Arne
Arndahl:
“Don’t meddle.” (drinking) “Christina, don’t you get riled up
too.”
Christina:
“Father!”
Arne:
“Go!”
Karin:
“Don’t go after him. It’s her fault, running around in her too
tight jeans, and after she’s driven him crazy she’s sorry!”
(Arne
gets up, she runs after him)
Astrid:
“Don’t, father! Like you, I would have killed him had I been able
to.”
(Arne
walks away)
Karin:
“Don’t go after him! You mean too much to me.”
Arne
shrugs her off, gets his coat and walks out.
Karin:
“You will ruin the farm.”
Astrid:
“Is it your farm?”
Karin (closes the door, mumbling):
“It would be better if it were.”
-----
Eric
drives up in front of the inn.
Mr.
Isberg:
“But, Miss Nielsen, 3 times 8 is not 28!”
Miss
Nielsen:
“Did I have that down ... where does it say?”
Mr.
Isberg:
“I don’t understand, you as an acknowledged professional should
really know that!”
Miss
Nielsen:
“24! How can you say that I have miscalculated?”
Mr.
Isberg:
“Did I say that?”
Miss
Nielsen:
“You just declared that...”
Mr.
Isberg interrupts:
“3 times 8 is 28 – that’s correct, isn’t it?” (He winks)
Miss
Nielsen:
“You are confusing me completely!”
Mr.
Isberg:
“Oh, many thanks.”
Miss
Nielsen:
“I mean, lately I’ve been sleeping too little...”
Mr.
Isberg:
“Ah-ha, is that a suggestion??”
Miss
Nielsen:
“No, shame on you. Do you know, since that waitress...?”
Waitress
(no name):
“I worry about my own affairs, so I suggest you do the same.”
Mr.
Isberg to the waitress:
“Is this the child of your sister, who passed away?”
Miss
Nielsen:
“Yes, one can hardly tell them apart, and I find it sweet the way she
cares about the little one.”
Mr.
Isberg:
“Can you wish for anything sweeter?”
Customer
sits down:
“Yes, for example one should not spurn Miss Nielsen, otherwise who will
do my accounting? That’s not good.”
Mr.
Isberg to innkeeper:
“So, what’s new, Fransen?
Fransen:
“You have to ask? Out of the whole wide world you walk into our
midst.”
Eric
enters:
“Schnapps, please. Make it a big one!”
Waitress:
“Do you have something to celebrate?”
Eric:
“I’ve just quit my job at the sawmill.”
Waitress:
“What happened?”
Eric:
“I just couldn’t take working for those crazy people anymore.”
He
drinks.
Eric:
“They’re all crazy up there – the old guy is something else!”
Fransen:
“Yes, since Arne lost his arm at the sawmill he has become even more of
a perfectionist.”
Eric:
“Perfect, yeah, he has a huge ego – but when one even lays eyes on
one of his daughters he goes bonkers (for
want of a better word), yet he sleeps with the female help judging by the
creaking noises ...”
Miss
Nielsen:
“Please, mind your ...”
Mr.
Isberg:
“Does your bed creak like that?”
Door
bell rings.
Miss
Nielsen:
“Mr. Isberg!”
Mr.
Isberg to Fransen:
“You have customers.”
Fransen:
“It’s a shame what’s going on up there.”
Eric:
“Yeah, yeah, shame, shame. They’re all so damned...”
Waitress
sitting down:
“Yes, you just said that earlier, yet earlier you were so thrilled to
be up there with the beautiful daughters.”
Eric:
“Dammit, I tell you, they would have thrown me straight into the
sawmill (machinery).”
Mr.
Isberg:
“You better watch out.”