towards his shoulder, which made him look like a licentious uncle bent on the seduction of an adorable niece — seamy didn’t describe him. ‘I’m honoured to meet you, Monsieur Stahl,’ he said. ‘You stand far above your colleagues in America.’
‘You are too kind.’
Lustig seemed amused. Of course I’m being too kind, do you not understand the art of flattery?
‘I expect the UFA is doing quite well at the moment,’ Stahl said, trying to expedite the conversation to the point where he could run away.
‘We are, sir. We Germans are a movie-loving people — what better after a hard day’s work at the factory?’
‘True everywhere,’ Stahl said.
‘I’m so pleased you could be here,’ Lustig said. ‘I’ve been wanting to discuss a project, yes, a certain project. A film, naturally. With quite a grand budget — we spend money when we see a good thing.’
And what good thing was this?
‘It’s a story from today’s papers, may I tell you what I have in mind?’
Stahl nodded. His physical aversion to Lustig was growing stronger, it was like sitting next to the wrong person on the Metro and being unable to get away.
‘It’s called Harvest of Destiny, a romantic tragedy. The time is now, the place is the border between Poland and Germany, the eastern side of the Polish Corridor. The hero is a handsome young fellow called Franz, simple, honest, who works on the family farm — we see him gathering hay, feeding the cow, at home in the evening, reading by lamplight. One day, a wagon stops at the farm, the draught horse has pulled up lame. So far, so good?’
‘I think I follow it,’ Stahl said.
‘It’s a Polish farmer who’s driving the wagon, which is full of potatoes or whatever it is, and he is that day accompanied by his daughter, Wanda. Need I say his beautiful daughter? I think not.’ Lustig’s eyes twinkled and he placed a warm hand on Stahl’s arm. ‘So now we have Franz and Wanda falling in love. He walks across the fields at night to see his girl but he’s caught by Polish border guards, who give him a hard time. The plot moves along, Franz and Wanda come hand in hand out of the forest and we know what’s happened. And next we learn that he has proposed marriage and she has accepted him.
‘But all is not well. When Franz seeks permission from his father, he is warned: “Things have not always gone well between our two nations,” the father says. “This is sorrowful but it is a fact and we would do nothing but worry about the two of you.” Of course, we need a strong, sympathetic actor for the father…’ Lustig let the sentence hang, waiting for Stahl to react.
‘And that would be me?’ said Stahl, a hardened veteran of producers’ pitches.
‘It’s the perfect part for you,’ Lustig said. ‘Anyhow, the star-crossed lovers decide to run away together. We thought about having her pregnant, but the idea of a German fathering a child with a Polish woman is not acceptable. So they elope, and here they have adventures — swim a fast river, escape the brutish Poles who guard the border, whatever we can think up. In time they reach their destination, a city, which is, of course…’ He waited for Stahl to take the bait, then said, ‘Danzig.’
At this point, Lustig winked. Danzig was a disputed city — in Polish territory but with a majority German population, and the name had lately been in the news. So it was a significant wink. It meant that Lustig presumed Stahl was on his side, was complicit, was sympathetic to the Nazi version of the Polish problem. Hitler’s phrase.
Lustig, having made his point, said, ‘Franz and Wanda try to make a life in Danzig — he gets a job as a stevedore, but the Poles who work on the docks don’t like Germans, and he is attacked by a Polish gang and beaten up. He fights back — fiercely, he fights — but when they cannot subdue him with their fists, they stab him, and he dies. It is left for the father, for you, to spell out the film’s moral: that the European powers have stirred up conflict, and here is the tragedy that results when they won’t make things right.’ He paused and searched Stahl’s face, then said, ‘So? What do you think?’
‘ Harvest of Destiny you said. And what is the destiny?’
Lustig was surprised by the question. ‘The destiny is war between Germany and Poland, unless Europe prevails on the Poles to see the light and agree to the Reich’s demands.’
To this, Stahl did not respond. He was at the party to see what Lustig wanted with him, not to start a fight, not to throw bad champagne in his face, though the thought did cross his mind. ‘Of course I appreciate your thinking of me for the role, Herr Lustig, but my contract with Warner Bros. would never allow me to take on a project for UFA.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘I am.’
‘Well, not all the foreign actors remain in Hollywood. Emil Jannings, who you’ll remember from The Blue Angel, has come back to Germany and is quite thoroughly happy and successful. And Maurice Chevalier, after some success in America, is now working in his native France. Have you ever considered something like this? A return to the homeland?’
‘I haven’t, Herr Lustig.’
‘Perhaps you ought to think about it. Whatever you earn at Warner Bros. would be exceeded at UFA, you would be acting in your native language, and the choice of roles would be yours.’
‘Again, thank you, but I will likely remain in Hollywood.’
Lustig shrugged. ‘It’s up to you, naturally. Perhaps events in the future will make the possibility… more appealing.’ He waited, Stahl just stood there. ‘Very well, I’m off to the buffet table. I will be in Paris for another day, meetings and more meetings, then I’ll be going to Poland to scout locations for Harvest. That looks to be an interesting visit, have you ever been in Poland?’
‘I haven’t, Herr Lustig.’
‘Come along, if you like, everything first class,’ he said. ‘Though what that means to the Poles I can’t be sure.’ He laughed at that, a snicker, and said, ‘Who knows, a look at what goes on over there might change your mind.’ Then he said goodbye, his soft hand found Stahl’s and held it, and he was away.
Stahl breathed a sigh of relief and turned towards the door, only to find Kiki de Saint-Ange standing at his side. ‘Remember me?’ she said.
‘Kiki, hello! What are you doing here?’
‘Waiting for you. No, not really, I was invited, and it was such a boring afternoon…’
‘Well, it’s good to see you.’
That was true. Kiki looked her best — a black Chanel suit, chiffon blouse, a knotted rope of pearls, and tight black gloves. Her chestnut hair was cut short, with a swathe brushed across her forehead. She held a cigarette by her ear, her other hand cupping her elbow, and her eyes met his as she flirted with him. ‘I think you’re avoiding me, you know, you are very silent lately.’
‘Not on purpose,’ he said. ‘It’s just…’
‘Or maybe you think I’ve exhausted my, my, umm, repertoire. Well, don’t. I am the most adventurous girl.’
‘You are, and I know it.’
‘So where are you going after this?’
Stahl was severely tempted. Kiki held nothing back — unlike others he could name who held everything back. And he found himself wondering just what sort of wickedness she had in mind. Oh, what the hell, why not. As she took a puff on her cigarette and blew smoke from her nostrils, her eyes stayed fixed on his. With, now, pure enquiry.
‘I have to meet my producer,’ he said, and immediately regretted it. Why had he done this? He thought he knew — there was someone else he really wanted — but he’d surprised himself. Not like me, he thought.
‘I see,’ she said, an edge of anger in her voice. ‘Your producer. Well, don’t leave it too long, good things don’t last forever.’ She reached up and stroked his cheek with two gloved fingers.
‘I will telephone you, Kiki,’ he said. He kissed her lightly, left and right, inhaling the perfume in her hair.
19 November.
The Paris Herald was brought to Stahl’s room every morning with his coffee and croissants. He had, like many
