We Shall Overcome
The summer of 1969
Dad, Stuttering Anders is here for the scrap metal.
Come here.
What are you doing down there?
Come here. Come.
ls anybo-bo-bo-dy home?
Why are you sitting here?
l can't be bothered talking to him. lt takes hours to get rid of him.
lsn't anybo-bo-body home?
Dad...
What's wrong, dad?
What's happening to you, dad?
Dad ...!
Dad...
What is it, Frits? What's happened?
Frits?
Frits ...?
Shouldn't you get some sleep?
l know it's tough for you right now, but everything will work out.
We'll manage -
- you, me and the girls... until Dad gets home.
lt's used, but it works just fine.
lt'll help pass the time while it's just the four of us...
Confrontations often arise between the police -
- and the young people, who gather in the centre of Copenhagen.
The socalled ''flower children'' wear bright clothes and their hair is long.
Another demonstration against the Vietnam war ended in violence.
The police had to fight the demonstration with their truncheons.
The civil rights movement is very active despite set backs.
Dr. King paid the highest price for the fight for justice.
He was killed by a white assassin -
- as he was standing on a balcony in Memphis, Tennessee.
Despite his death dr. Martin Luther King...
We only went to school for three and a half years, my brother and l.
Seven years every other day! We only had one bike -
- so l passed three telephone poles, dropped the bike and ran.
My brother took it and passed me.
He dropped the bike three telephone poles along and l overtook him.
And then l let go of it.
Dear Lindum-Svendsen.
Your importance to this school -
- words cannot describe.
On behalf of the School Board and the staff -
- l would like to present you with this gift -
- as a token our thanks for your 25 years as Headmaster.
Your first 25 years, that is.
Thank you very much.
Welcome back from your summer vacation.
l promise not to rest on my laurels.
For every new school year there is a new fight.
For every school day is a new battle to be won.
lt has rained and blessed the earth.
lt has stormed and the storm makes us strong.
Lindum-Svendsen once broke a violin bow over my big brother's head.
And he slapped a boy so hard he had five finger marks on his face -
- the whole autumm.
And the fallen soldiers will rise again when called to battle.
Jens Nielsen 6B.
lnger Lassen 6A.
J§ærgen Pedersen 6A.
S§æren Bak 6B.
Lars Frederiksen 6B.
Lene S§ærensen 6A.
And Frits Johansen... uh 6B.
Perhaps you should have visited the barber first, Frits.
Village idiots sit at the back. Look at you! You look like a girl.
Make way for the General!
Sit down and write your names.
Welcome back and welcome to the new students from the village school.
A new teacher will arrive shortly.
Until then you'll have to do with me -
- which will give me a chance to put you in line.
Miss lben. Tell us what you did in your vacation.
My family and l were in Norway in our new car.
The fjords and wooden cottages were very impressive.
The nature of Norway has greatness.
Please sit down.
Troels, what can you tell us?
- Me and my family... - lt's my family and l .
My family and l were at our cottage. We should have gone to Mallorca.
ln Spanish, two L's make a Y sound. Mallorca.
- Mallorca. - Correct.
Frits, how about you?
- We got a television. - You got a television?
Yeah.
So you watched television all summer?
Yes.
That truly sounds educational.
Ellen and Hanne, come here.
Dad called. He misses you so much.
He has to stay a while but wanted to know how it's going at the new school.
Fine.
You have a note home on the first day.
They write Beatles hair isn't permitted. l told you so.
lt's in fashion, Mom.
Beating, beating, beating, beating...
- Where's he going? - To the headmaster.
He broke a window.
ls he crying?
ls he getting hit?
- Do you see anything? - ls he crying?
What are you staring at? You should be ashamed.
What a sissy!
Slaves were sold at markets on the Virgin lslands.
Quiet!
The trading was stopped in the 1 840's.
Denmark was the first country to make the brave decision to stop slavery -
- despite strong efforts...
Mr Olsen, you are free to take a break. We no longer need you.
He has longer hair than you, Frits.
Children, this is your new Danish and song teacher, Mr Svale.
He was kind enough to take the job -
- as we couldn't find a fully-educated teacher.
l've taught them until now. Let us show Mr Svale what we've learned.
Lift your head, good fellow.
As one hope is lost, another shines in your eye.
Lift your head and look about, hear the voices singing...
Welcome to our school, Mr Svale.
- What's your name? - Linda.
You can just call me Freddie.
You can all sit down.
Where are you going?
How about your place?
So, your name is lben?
Yes. lben Severinsen.
Grandpa has been lying there since before l was born.
Grandma takes care of him. Nothing's wrong. He just doesn't want to get up.
But at night, when she's sleeping, he sneaks down to have a bite to eat.
lt's always the best who die first, little Frits...
Maybe that's why you're still around.
My mom doesn't believe that Grandma is psychic.
But my dad says that she knows when somebody is going to die.
ln her dream a hearse turns down the road to where the person lives.
lt's a black carriage with a casket on.
lt always arrives at the same time. Just before dawn.
Oooh. Spooky.
Frits.
Frits!
You're going to be late for school!
Frits...!
Frits, you're late.
Am l to see the headmaster then?
No. Nobody has seen you. Hurry along.
Hi, Frits.
Come here.
Shh. You have to be quiet.
Come.
Crawl up and look through the crack. Be really quiet.
You'll never have a chance like this again...
Relax, Frits. They just want to see if there's grass on the pitch.
Off with his trousers.
What are you doing in the girls' changing room? Answer me!
Nothing.
Beating, beating, beating...
Mr Svale... hurry. lt's Frits. He's locked himself in the toilet.
Frits.
Open up. lt's me, Freddy.
What's happened?
Who the hell did this? Who did this?
l have to go to class. Or they'll send me to the headmaster.
Who did this?
He was in Lindum-Svendsen's office.
lf this is Lindum-Svendsen's work, he's stepped over the line this time.
There, there, darling.
His ear is torn at the top and bottom. He'll need stitches.
And his left cheek is swollen.
Are you Frits' mother? You're from the school, right?
l'm Frits' new teacher...
Frits, l should be sewing your ears so they didn't stick out -
- not to stop them from falling off.
Frits! Wait. Stay here!
Frits ...?
Frits?
Don't ever leave us again, Dad. Never.
l'm better now.
As strong as an oxe.
ln my day we took a beating at school, Frits.
The cane on the ass -
- and slaps in the face rang in your ears for days.
And they locked you in the cupboard in the staff room.
One boy had scars on his fingers from being hit with a ruler.
Another lost the hearing in one ear.
But getting an ear ripped off... that's just out of hand.
lf l wasn't lying here, l'd show that bastard headmaster -
- where he gets off. l can tell you that!
So you want to drive in there and beat him up and get arrested for assault.
The school is in my district. l have to work with these people.
- l will teach him fear. - l'm furious, too.
But is this the way to deal with it after everything you've been through?
Frits.
Let go! Let go of my arm.
Come here!
Sit down.
Tomorrow you will go to school with the same haircut as everyone else.
- No, l won't. - Sit still.
lf we did as l said we would have avoided all this.
We wouldn't have avoided a thing. Damnit! My ear!
- Don't swear at me. - Then don't cut my hair.
Would you sit still.
Your ears should have been sewed ages ago. Dr. Laust said so.
Frits was at the doctor's to have his ear sewed back on.
Mr Svale drove him. l demand an explanation!
l demand to know what happened.
Demand that of your son. He knows what he did.
Never mind what he did. l mean what happened in here.
l demand an apology for what you did.
Dear little Mrs Johansen. Mind your job and l'll mind my school.
lf you're not capable of raising your son properly -
- we'll do it for you.
You can't be serious. This isn't right.
l'm sorry, Mrs Johansen. This is between you and the school.
The police can't do anything about it.
Like a joyous child in the crib, this evening is joyous, joyous.
Let us pray. Lord ...
l thank you with all my heart for letting me do your work.
Help me now, my Lord...
Hello again. What a surprise.
lt's rare to have guests this early.
lt was unfortunate the way we met last time.
Peder, say hello to Mr Svale.
Did Lindum-Svendsen send you?
lf he wants to apologise, he'll have to come himself!
No one has sent me. l just wanted to see how Frits was.
We have to do something about that hair, Frits.
And a bit off the top, too.
No, this is fine.
lt's not that bad. You look a bit like an lndian.
Frits don't hear a thing, his ear's hanging by a string.
l'm glad you enjoy singing, Troels. You'll get the chance in a minute.
Listen up. We're going to the music room.
Come in, everyone.
Take your songbooks and throw them on the floor over there.
Like this.
- Where did that come from? - lt's all mine.
Listen. All rock music comes from a blues melody -
- which has 1 2 beats.
Okay. Can anyone play the piano?
Come on, lben.
Good!
Now switch...
... and back.
Here you go.
You're on, Frits. Come and sing.
Don't worry. The dirtier the better.
l was drunken and broke...
l was broken and drunk, going down...
Okay, one, two, three, four...
The Headmaster wants to see Mr Svale in his office. Now.
These children won't amount to much if they don't learn to follow rules.
They have to know their place in society, Mr Svale.
No more negro music.
This school embraces tradition and as a young teacher on a trial basis -
- l'd suggest you follow our example.
Of course.
Von Scholten was a courageous Dane.
He dared to disobey the absolute monarchy and use his own judgement.
Because of him, Denmark was the first country to free it's slaves.
Frits, please repeat the last part.
Frits don't hear a thing, his ear's hanging from...
Frits, what will it be?
- l can't repeat it. - Because you weren't listening!
No, because it's wrong.
Denmark wasn't the first country to free the slaves.
We were the first country to stop shipping the slaves across the Atlantic.
But that was only because the English threatened us.
We still kept slaves in the West lndies.
We even built special farms where we bred them like cattle.
Come in.
Make yourself at home.
Coke?
Yes, please.
- Were you in a demonstration? - Yes.
You were listening by the window.
Sit down.
Wasn't that sneaky of me?
Now Lindum-Svendsen thinks he has won.
That the music will stop. But it won't.
l want to change the school system. To rid it of people like him.
- Then why are you afraid of him? - l'm on a trial period.
Before you get to be a real teacher you have to pass the trial.
lf l don't pass, l can't change a thing. You understand?
- Cheers. - Cheers.
l've never seen so many records.
What do you want to hear? You can borrow some, if you want.
There's a bit of everything. Beatles -
- Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis -
- and Elvis Presley.
That wasn't what l expected. Do you have anything to play it on?
Here... You can borrow this one. lt's a travel gramophone.
How come you have such a weird name?
l lived with some friends in Aarhus.
We thought the names our parents gave us were too middle-class.
So we all changed our names.
- You took a new name? - Yes.
What were you called before?
Gunnar. Gunnar Jensen.
Dad, see what l borrowed!
- What the heck is that? - lt's a record player.
What happened here?
Where did you get that hairdo?
He just wants to impress the girls.
- No thanks. - What do you suggest that we do?
lt isn't that easy with someone like Lindum-Svendsen.
He insulted Stine and the police wouldn't help.
This is a family discussion.
Mom, you're the school nurse.
Why haven't you done anything about kids who were beaten?
l'll tell you why. There was a couple whose child Lindum didn't like.
They tried to do something but it only made things worse. They had to move.
Should we just let him rip our boy's ear off without any consequences?
We have to do what is best for Frits.
What would you do if it was your son?
l'd report it to the School Board and force them to tackle the case.
- Bye! Bye! - Take care.
- We're going to be late. - Where's Frits?
l don't know.
l have something important to say.
From now on my name isn't Frits Johansen.
lt's Martin Johansen.
- How did you get that idea? - l should be able to choose my name.
After all, l have to live with it.
Your grandpa won't be pleased at all.
One and two and one and two...
Thank you. That's enough for today.
Are you finished?
More juice?
Thank you.
- She certainly is making progress. - She's a good girl.
- lsn't she a lovely little angel? - Yes.
Frits, will you come in here?
Did Lindum-Svendsen do this?
ln his office?
What did you do to make him so angry?
lt doesn't matter what Frits did.
Even breaking every window at school isn't a reason to rip off his ear.
We've come here for your help.
l have to discuss it with the Board.
There is nothing to discuss! He has to go!
The School Board must either fire him or, at least, punish him.
lf l were you, l wouldn't do it. Nothing good comes from fighting him.
Cry-baby Frits, Cry-baby Frits...
Chicken! lf you can't take a beating then you're a chicken.
And kids shouldn't accuse grown-ups of assault.
We are forced to when all the grown-ups are afraid of him.
Even lben's dad is afraid.
He sat in my dad's office and held his mummy's hand while he cried.
- You cried holding mummy's hand? - That's a lie. She full of lies.
- Are you calling lben a liar? - Go to hell. You don't know anything.
- lt's just because your dad is crazy. - No, he isn't.
- He was at the insane asylum. - That's a lie.
He was locked up. They only do that when you're wacko.
l heard he kept hitting people in there.
They had to put him in a strait-jacket.
Cry-baby Frits, Cry-baby Frits...
- Yes, Miss Birk. - lt's true.
Frits' parents have filed a complaint with the School Board.
They want to make a case out of it.
Frits.
Go away!
l'm sorry about what l said.
Get out of here, you liar!
Lindum-Svendsen hit Mr Olsen once.
He hit a teacher?
The Board told Lindum-Svendsen to apologise to Olsen -
- but he refused.
My dad couldn't make him either.
What happened?
Nothing.
l have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia -
- the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners -
- will sit together at the table of brotherhood. l have a dream ...
Can we hear the ending again?
lsn't it just great?
lt's always the best that die first.
So we have to call you Martin now?
Will you really do that? lt's a horrible shame for Grandpa.
You're named after him.
lt was his grandfather's name, too.
l've always hated that German name.
You just call yourself Martin, my boy.
This is how modern music started. Soul and rock'n'roll.
lt's roots are in African tribal music.
lt was carried forth in the shouts for freedom.
l thought we were finished with that kind of noise.
This is the black people's music.
Exactly. We agreed it doesn't belong here at the school.
Mr Olsen and l agreed that if we are teaching about slavery -
- then the music is important too.
Frits, come out into the hallway.
Now.
- l'm afraid l can't do without Frits. - Mind your negro music, Mr Svale.
- Frits has to sing an important part. - That's quite enough.
Can't you get rid of that stupid hair? Everybody thinks you're an idiot.
Even lben. Don't you get it?
We don't recite speeches by some murdered American negro.
Why do you have to be so weird?
One time l found you in the hay loft -
- shouting about something you dreamt.
l thought you had gone insane.
Was it... ''l have a dream. A dream of freedom. l have a dream today.''?
You're crazy.