Life Is Beautiful (1997)

Horst Buchholz: Dottor Lessing

Quotes 

• Guido : Dr. Lessing!

  Dr. Lessing : Hello!

  [notices the flowers] 

  Dr. Lessing : What are the flowers for?

  Guido : [thinks fast]  Ah... for your departure!

  [hands him the flowers] 

  Dr. Lessing : Thank you!

• Dr. Lessing : I have something important to tell you. Wait for my signal.

• Dr. Lessing : [softly reciting riddle at Nazi concentration camp officers' mess]  Fat, fat, ugly, ugly, all yellow in reality. If you ask me what I am, I reply "Quark quark quark".

  [looks around surreptitiously] 

  Dr. Lessing : Walking along, I go "Por-por". Who am I? Tell me true.

  Guido : [looks at Doctor Lessing in stunned silence] 

  Dr. Lessing : [smiles]  Hmphh... a duckling, no?

  Guido : [nods silently, still flabbergasted] 

  Dr. Lessing : Is it not a duckling?

  [angrily] 

  Dr. Lessing : It's not! A veterinarian friend of mine sent it to me from Vienna. I can't send him mine, until I solve this one. I thought: Duck-billed platypus. But it doesn't go "Quark quark quark quark". A duck-billed platypus goes...

  [pulls at corners of mouth with fingers, making a blowing sound] 

  Dr. Lessing : "Ffrrr ffrrr-ffrrr ffrrr-ffrrr". Duck-billed platypus...

  [steps forward and whispers into Guido's ear] 

  Dr. Lessing : I translated it into Italian for you last night. Well, what do you say? Everything points to a duckling!

  [assumes tragic tone and expression] 

  Dr. Lessing : Help me, Guido. For heaven's sake, help me. I can't even sleep.

  [turns to side counter, talking to self] 

  Dr. Lessing : Fat, fat... ugly, ugly... that's me... quark quark quark... It's the duckling!

  [wails and thumps side counter in frustration] 

  Guido : [slowly and silently walks away, crestfallen at Doctor Lessing's callous, comic-tragic behavior]