From the Life of the Marionettes (1980 TV Movie)

Karl-Heinz Pelser: The Interrogator

Quotes 

• The Interrogator : Peter and Katarina never consulted with you?

  Professor Mogens Jensen : It was never serious. Nothing Valium couldn't cure.

• The Interrogator : You introduced Peter to Ms. Krafft... or 'Ka,' as she was called?

  Tim Mandelbaum : Yes.

  The Interrogator : How did it happen?

  Tim Mandelbaum : It happened one Sunday last fall. At the train station.

  The Interrogator : You were taking a trip?

  Tim Mandelbaum : There are foreign men at the station who go there to earn a bit of money. Suddenly I ran into Peter Egermann. He'd brought some foreign papers... at the international newsstand. We had a cup... of coffee together. For some reason... I told him why I was at the station. Peter was interested somehow. Suddenly he told me... that he'd never gone to a prostitute before. I recommended Katarina Krafft, gave him her address... and promised to talk to her about it. That's the whole story. That's the reality. But actually it's not even half of it. I was furious at Katarina Egermann. Fact is, I've always been furious with her, even though I liked her. I liked the idea that Peter was cheating on her with a prostitute. But that's only part of the truth. Weak people choose strange paths. You should know that, Inspector. It torments me that I was the one who introduced the killer to the victim. Please excuse my dramatic turns of phrase. I just have a bad conscience. I blame my homosexuality. That too is just part of the truth. This is starting to become interesting, don't you think? The truth is of course that I wanted Peter all to myself. But that wasn't clear to me. We were to have a mutual secret. I slowly wanted to take him away from his wife and make him mine. I saw that terrible coldness in his marriage... and was somewhat obsessed with the idea that he would turn to me. That he would discover me at long last. That he would realize that I secretly loved him. Emotionally, Peter was a dying man. The way one can die of hunger, thirst or loss of blood. I knew that I could save him. And I wished I was the one he was seeking. Seeking to be close to me. I don't think I'm wrong. People like me have a feeling for such things. Perhaps everything I've told you isn't the truth either. There are certain clever people who say we're blind. That our movements are preordained. That we've been pledged... or violated since birth. But that doesn't make the slightest difference. Don't you agree?

• The Interrogator : Why were you friends with a whore?

  Tim Mandelbaum : What kind of question is that, Inspector? It's either malicious, underhanded or naive. So I'm answering your question by saying I don't like it.

  The Interrogator : I didn't mean to insult you.

  Tim Mandelbaum : I'll try to believe that.