In these two scenes, the young Steiner meets his future pupil, Otto, who has a handicap and cannot currently attend school. Otto requires a home tutor, and his mother is desperate to find a good one. These slightly humorous scenes are based on Steiner’s autobiography and the memoirs of the characters involved. As the scenes progress, Steiner continuously comes up with ideas on how to teach the boy (see here).
(Scenes in the movie script begin with INT (interior of a location). The characters’ names are written in capitals, followed by their dialogue. Enjoy reading, and discover the whole story here.)
INT. SPECHT VILLA – DINING ROOM – DAY
In the elegant room a menorah stands atop a cupboard.
The 3 boys (Arthur, Ernst, Richard), the 2 Girls, Young
Steiner and Pauline sit around the table on which candles
are lit.
Two chairs next to Pauline are empty.
The Butler puts a steaming soup tureen on the table.
PAULINE
(to the Butler)
Where is Otto?
BUTLER
I cannot get him down from the
attic, madam.
She swallows then stands.
PAULINE
(to Young Steiner)
Please don’t be surprised when you
see him.
The smaller boys giggle.
Pauline looks strictly at them then they stop.
PAULINE
He has hydrocephalus… If you will
excuse me…
She goes out.
Ernst puts a potato peel on Richard’s plate while Richard
watches his mother go out from the room.
BUTLER
Ernst, behave in front of your
future teacher!
Richard takes the peel from his plate and throws it at
Ernst.
RICHARD
Very funny! You little ass!
Arthur and the girls giggle.
Young Steiner reacts to the prank with a barely perceptible
smile.
After a few moments Pauline leads in OTTO (11) holding his
hand.
The boy follows her with a slight resistance.
Otto has a big deformed head and his clothes and hair have
sawdust and cobwebs on them.
Pauline seats him on the empty chair next to hers.
PAULINE
Uh, I am so sorry… He is Otto.
She dusts off her clothes and hair then sits too.
Young Steiner and Otto for some moments regard each other
with curiosity.
The boy suddenly turns his back on the man and starts
sucking his thumb. Then he slips under the table.
PAULINE
Come out from there, Otto!
Otto is reluctant to come out. After a few moments he gets
out and runs out of the dining room.
Pauline takes a napkin from the table and holds it in front
of her face.
YOUNG STEINER
Excuse me, madam.
The young man stands up and goes after Otto through the open
door.
…
INT. SPECHT KITCHEN – CONTINUOUS
Young Steiner looks around, there are steaming dishes on the
stove.
It seems that Otto isn’t here either.
Next to the stove there is a kitchen table on which are big
platters filled with vegetables and fish waiting to be
served.
Young Steiner ducks down and looks under the table.
Otto is sitting there next to a bucket and is devouring a
potato peel. He looks timidly at the young man.
Young Steiner is surprised to find him there. He slicks back
his strand of hair.
YOUNG STEINER
I’ve always…known…
that…potato…potato peel tastes
delicious.
Otto stops chewing and looks at him open-mouthed.
Then the boy takes out a long peel from the bucket and on
all fours approaches the teacher and hands it to him.
The young man watches alternately Otto and the peel then he
takes it suppressing his disgust and puts it into his
mouth.
He starts chewing it.
Otto smiles and laughs.
Young Steiner hardly manages to overcome his disgust.
In the b.g. Pauline enters the room wiping her eyes.
The boy ceases to laugh.
Young Steiner stops chewing, looks aside at the arriving
woman and stands up.
The Butler comes in behind Pauline.
Otto hurries back to the bucket and stuffs his pocket with
potato and carrot peels from the bucket.
Pauline comes closer to the young man.
PAULINE
(sighing)
Always the same story…
The Butler drags Otto out from under the table and leads him
towards the back door.
Otto looks back to Young Steiner. Potato and carrot peels
hang out from his pockets.
Pauline turns around and goes back to the door.
Young Steiner follows her and tries to chew and swallow the
peel.
Before the door, Pauline stops and turns to him.
Young Steiner stops chewing the peel. He struggles to
swallow without success.
PAULINE
After all that you’ve seen…I
hardly dare to ask whether you
accept this…
(forced smile)
position as a home tutor?
The young man looks at her, struggling to swallow again. He
chuckles then points to the door for them to carry on.
Pauline is confused, turns to the door, opens it and goes
swiftly out of the kitchen.
Young Steiner takes out the remnants of the peel from his
mouth, stuffs it into his pocket then follows Pauline.
EXT. SPECHT VILLA – GARDEN – DAY (1882)
— Young Steiner plays catch with Richard, Arthur and Otto.
Otto catches the ball.
— Now Young Steiner runs after the boys as a catcher.
STEINER (V.O.)
I never played as much as I did at
the Spechts’. I got back everything
I missed in my childhood.
— Otto and the young teacher are playing hide-and-seek;
Otto is the seeker.
Leaning on the stacked logs Otto hides his eyes with his
arms.
He counts out aloud.
OTTO
One, two, three…
Young Steiner is looking for a place to hide. He quickly
jumps behind the logs near Otto.
OTTO
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10… Ready or
not, here I come!
Otto looks for him and finds him very quickly.
YOUNG STEINER
That was very fast!
INT. SPECHT VILLA – STUDY ROOM – DAY
Young Steiner sits with Otto at a table. There are two empty
cups next to a steaming tea can before them.
Otto picks his nose.
The young teacher puts a page in front of Otto that contains
a handwritten text in capitals.
YOUNG STEINER
All right, let’s have a go.
The boy tries to read it running his fingers across the
page.
OTTO
O…Ott…Otto…Otto li…Otto
lo…I don’t know this here…
YOUNG STEINER
…likes…
OTTO
Otto likes the…po…the
pot…neither this…
YOUNG STEINER
…pota…
OTTO
…Otto likes potato…
The boy watches the text. Then he starts laughing at his
young teacher.
INSERT PAGE: “OTTO LIKES POTATO PEELS.”
YOUNG STEINER(O.S.)
I am sure you can even write it
down.
Otto’s smile disappears swiftly.
He reluctantly takes the pencil and starts writing very
slowly in misshapen capitals.
INSERT: “OTT…”
Otto’s face becomes pale. He puts his head on the desk.
Young Steiner pours tea into the cups and watches the boy
with compassion.
STEINER(V.O.)
Otto got tired from the easiest
intellectual effort. We often could
work only for a quarter of an
hour…
