Isn't Life Wonderful?

1   
This simple story shows:
That LOVE makes beautiful
 all that it touches;
That when we LOVE, no trials
 are ever grim;
No disappointments make us 
 morbid;
Our struggles, however tense,
 are never depressing;
For where there is LOVE
 there is HOPE and TRIUMPH
       - which is what
MAKES LIFE WONDERFUL.

2
Time: From the Armistice
       - until 1923

The story is laid in Germany
 only because conditions 
 there were most favorable
 for showing the triumph of
 love over hardship. It con-
 cerns a family of Polish
 refugees.

3
The conditions shown are
the reproduction of actual
facts. An average of fifty
people were killed daily
during starvation riots, most-
 ly over potatoes, - their
     principal food.

4
In the telling, no wild action
no far-fetched melodrama -
yet the N.Y. Eve. Post says:
"It rises to such heights
of truth, and beauty, and
power, that it far surpasses
all the make-believe trage-
dies and brainstorms which 
have so far appeared on
the screen."

5
Berlin.

6
War.

7
Behind these are the 
 directing generals;
still further back, the
autocratic rulers seek-
ing power, and profit-
eers gaining wealth -
to these, perhaps, war
may seem glorious.

8
But what about 
 these men -

9
War's harvest!

10
The homeless ones
 - refugees from 
Poland.

11
The barracks give 
 shelter to some.

12
Waiting for shelter.

13
In Copenick, a
suburb of Berlin.

14
Among the refugees
 driven from Poland
is the family of a harm-
less old Professor.

15
The Grandmother -
and Inga, an orphan
who has been brought 
up by the Professor's 
family.

16
Even here Inga finds
 a moment of hap-
piness in the thought
that they will have
rooms tomorrow, and
that Paul, her sweet-
heart, will soon be 
home.

17
Theodor, one of the
   Professor's sons.
Paul, the other son, has
not yet returned from 
the hospital.

18
The Aunt.

19
The Professor, absent-
 minded, eccentric -
the bewildered one.

20
Rudolph - formerly a
strolling player - who
has fallen in with the 
family in their flight 
from Poland.

21
The scanty repast -
 one potato each.

22
Two that shall be-
 come thieves, and
shall rob Inga of her 
  greatest earthly 
    possession.

23
Rudolph's ill-timed
 attempt to cheer
things up.

24
"Please, don't!"

25
 Two rooms: one for
the men; another for
the women. All rooms
must hold the full num-
ber required by law.

26
 The Professor is re-
duced to correcting
the examination pa-
pers of the local school.

27
 Theodor works as a
waiter at a Night Club,
that he may finish his 
   studies at the 
     University.

28
     Room-mates - but
      they do not un-
derstand each other's
language.

29
"ETO MOR KPOBATb - -
   AepXNTeCb noAaRbWe"

[dissolves to:]

"This is my bed
 - stay off."

30
News that Paul - the
Professor's other son -
is coming home. He
had been drafted as
a schoolboy to the war,
which he at any rate
had had no part in
making.

31
The great occasion -
 Paul comes home.

32
  Between Paul and
Inga there had existed
since childhood a great
love simple and true.

33
A new tack!

34
With courage and 
  hope they start
to work.

35
Paul - though still 
weak from privation
- must find work.

36
Inga already has
 found work -

37
The Macy's of
 Copenick.

38
Paul secures work
  in a shipyard some
distance from home.

39
Even Rudolph
 must work!

40
"Any chance of a 
 job at your Night 
Club?"

41
"In Poland I was 
considered some 
dancer."

42
"One of our latest 
  models: it's made
of genuine rubber."

43
"Perhaps this one."

44
Hunger-haunted -

45
 Sunday - Paul and 
  Inga in the country.
Love, which makes all
things beautiful, went
with them.

46
Before their eyes,
   the homeward
going sails.

47
About them the apple
 harvest winds from
the Baltic shore.

48
Into this sweet sunlit 
       holiday comes a
troubling sorrow, for
Inga, sensing the con-
dition of Paul's health,
becomes fearful of the 
future.

49
  The Wages of War!

Poison gas has left its
mark. Paul has strug-
gled on - but in vain!

50
"His condition is 
  very serious."

51
All bewildered, Inga
  watched - as if
she herself were fight-
ing the same bitter
fight for life.

52
"He is now in God's 
  hands - we can 
only wait."

53
"If he dies, she 
  will go too."

54
"The crisis is past -
 with good care he 
will pull through."

55
Later -

56
 Only potatoes! The
best one, and part of
her own, goes to Paul.

57
The woman's part.

58
"You must get 
fat - like me."

59
"I have been thinking,
 dear, now that I am
improving so - when
things get better, don't
you think we can get 
married?"

60
"Oh, Paul, you are
  getting well -
and you - and, oh,
isn't life wonderful!"

61
While across the 
hall, Rudolph -

62
But Gloomy Russ
 didn't like music.

63
With the convalescence
 of Paul, the family take
 heart again.

64
In the city,
 Theodor -

65
The Night Club, fre-
 quented mostly by
profiteers and visiting
foreigners.

66
Theodor as a
 waiter.

67
Costumes of paper.

68
No food goes home 
 in pockets!

69
Even here, the none 
  too good food is 
highly treasured.

70
Ground was allotted 
in the suburb, where
the poor grew vege-
tables to save them-
selves from starvation.

71
Building homes out
of ammunition boxes.

72
 Paul secures an 
  allotment inside
the shipyard grounds.

73
"You can grow your 
 potatoes here."

74
At the second-hand
  shop, after her re-
gular working hours
Inga labors to earn a 
       dowry.

75
 Working with 
happy dreams -

76
Meanwhile, Paul
spends his spare
time -

77
Her wages - paid
  in second-hand
furniture.

78
To save the precious 
 stockings.

79
Their dinner.

80
 Their daily food
consisted mostly of 
horse turnips.

81
"Isn't there anything
 but turnips?"

82
 The Wonder of Life:
WANT paraded by with
sorrowful banners, but
LOVE gilded their eyes
   and they saw -
   ONLY BEAUTY!

83
"No! No! Not now!"

84
"Inga and I - we
  - we - "

85
"What's the matter -
 lost your job?"

86
"Paul and I - 
  we - we - "

87
"We want to get 
  married."

88
"What on - turnips?"

89
 "You know very well
  there are no rooms 
to be had anywhere."

90
"Where are you 
going to live?"

91
"And what about 
  the babies?"

92
 "Paul, we - we can't
   marry without the 
family's consent."

93
Then came the greatest 
financial disaster in all 
history. When a billion
dollars in printed mon-
ey - the wealth of a 
Rockefeller - fell to
the buying power of one
dollar.

94
Precious food!

95
 Two million men 
thrown out of work 
in one week.

96
Waiting to buy food!

97
"No more today."

98
The indigestible
  turnips bring
the Grandmother to
a dangerous pass.

99
"Nothing."

100
Pay day.

101
 Three with whom
  Inga's fate is to be
strangely interwoven.

102
The line at the 
 butcher shop.

103
A cut of beef - only
 Nine Million Marks!

104
Inga must hurry, for
 wages paid today in
the inflated currency
may be worthless to-
morrow, owing to the
decline of the Mark
in value.

105
 "Twelve Million Marks
  - we've got more 
than enough!"

106
After a weary wait!

107
"Before my turn came,
my money would only
buy a loaf of bread."

108
Still undaunted,
Paul and Inga -

109
The wonderful
 dowry.

110
Near their home,
Paul finds a spot -

111
"No food; nowhere to
live - IMPOSSIBLE!"

112
Afterwards - Paul,
     wanting to be 
sure of results, had
kept his plans secret.

113
 Paul shows Inga the
 allotment garden at
the distant shipyard.

114
"How lucky some
  people are!"

115
"Paul, DON'T - if
the owner should 
see you -"

116
"These potatoes will
   be ready in three 
weeks - and they are
all ours."

117
"See - clear to
  the wall."

118
Food scouts!

119
Grandmother's secret.

120
Two hours later.

121
Another surprise.

122
A lucky day!

123
A neighbor called 
  away leaves her
hens with Inga.

124
American visitors -

125
"You mean this junk 
   would be a treat 
to your family?"

126
"All the liverwurst
     sausage in the
house - bring it!"

127
A billion Marks!

128
"This to the family,
    with a kiss all
'round."

129
To the usual pasturing 
  grounds Inga takes
her pet hens.

130
But another menace
 brewing!

131
"Not now!"

132
"Where's Inga?"

133
"Liverwurst!"

134
"An American -"

135
"Then we will ask 
  them again."

136
"More turnips!"

137
"Wait."

138
"Liverwurst!"

139
"Oh, isn't Life
   WONDERFUL!"

140
Rudolph also
  in luck.

141
An old tune for
Granny - a memo-
ry of Polish days.

142
"Let's tell them 
  now!"

143
"Paul has - has built 
  a house for us."

144
  "We have enough po-
   tatoes to last you
all winter, and enough
to keep us too - now,
can't we get married?"

145
"My own wedding 
 dress - I've made
it over for you."

146
    But outside -
starvation threatens -

147
A giant, whose
  clothes now
fit loosely.

148
Unfit to eat!

149
"I'll get something!"

150
So now everything
 is settled!

151
For where love is -

152
The next day.

153
Desperate for food,
 they determine on
strong measures.

154
"There is food hidden
 in the country. The
profiteers get it - why
not we?"

155
 Paul and Inga go to
gather the little harvest
upon which their mar-
riage depends.

156
Food profiteers could
  get a fabulous price
for meat or potatoes,
by dealing secretly
with the rich.

157
"Don't laugh - people
  could hear you a 
mile off."

158
"No cheating - what-
  ever we get we'll
divide here."

159
"Look!"

160
"It's empty - look
 for yourself."

161
 "But, Inga, any other 
  time will be just as
bad; besides, it will be
late at night when we 
return."

162
The giant finds real 
  food profiteers.

163
 Cheated by his
   confederates -
a futile killing.

164
They take a different
 route home.

165
"The rest is easy
  - downhill all
the way."

166
Friendly clouds lend
 them darkness.

167
"Profiteers!"

168
"No, he isn't a profiteer;
  he's a working man, 
like you."

169
"Wait - wait - we
  can prove it."

170
The Union Card.

171
"They're all we've
 got to - to get
married on."

172
"Of course, we
    understand
your mistake."

173
"You beasts!"

174
"Yes, beasts we 
are; beasts they
have made us."

175
 "Years of war and
  hell; beasts they
have made us!"

176
"Oh, Paul, I -
I thought they
had killed you."

177
"Did they take
  them all?"

178
 "Do you mind -
very much, Paul?"

179
"Nothing is of
   any use."

180
"After all, I've still
  got you -"

181
"- and you've got me
- and that's what mat-
ters most, isn't it?"

182
"The moon - look!"

183
 "Oh, Paul, you've
escaped them -
I've still got you -
 Oh, Isn't Life
   Wonderful!"

184
"WONDERFUL!"

185
A year later -
 the Aftermath.

186
The family escort
them to their new
home.

187
And this time
enough potatoes
for all!

THE
 END