[Tell] Three days ago, my soul was free
from thoughts of murder.
[faint sounds of battle]
Like moths to the light, we run to war,
our future deeds mapped out before us in blood.
I had balanced my account with heaven
and sought a peaceful life.
My bow rested.
But every road conducts us to our end.
We push onwards, intent on our own business
then are forced to change.
[soldier shouts] Move back now!
Move back now!
[man] The sand is run.
I have killed again.
Now my trade is retribution.
Vengeance my occupation.
[birds sing]
[sighs]
- Morning, Father. - Ready to hunt?
Of course. Can I try the new bow?
Aye.
[goats bleat]
Here. Come here.
[door opens]
[bird tweets]
[exhales]
[soldier shouts] Burn them all!
[sighs]
[soldiers shout indistinctly]
Quickly! Quickly!
[horses neigh]
Hey, Austrians!
The Wolfshot.
His tax is heavy and my purse is light.
Continue. I shall return.
[horses neigh]
Your husband. Where is he?
He's farming.
[grunts]
[coins rattle]
You're a little light.
Oh, it's not enough.
Well?
Ah, it will rain ere long and we need shelter.
Arrange food for my men and prepare me... a bath.
[armour rattles]
[horse whinnies]
[soldiers laugh]
[bird screeches]
[animal groans]
Make it clean, son.
We're huntsmen, not savages.
[animal cries]
[animal cries echo]
We learn our lessons in failure.
[thunder]
A storm is coming in.
Let's move down and take shelter in the village.
[woman screams]
- [screaming continues] - [soldiers laugh]
[screaming continues]
- [pants] - [soldiers chatter and laugh]
[water splashes]
[thunder]
There you go, pig.
[soldiers chatter]
[pants]
[water splashes]
[pants]
[Wolfshot grunts]
[yells]
[they grunt]
[pants]
[soldiers shout]
[horn blares]
[soldiers shout]
[horn blares]
[soldier] He's here somewhere!
Baumgarten!
Search everywhere!
[horse snorts]
[grunts]
[horn blares]
[soldiers shout]
Quick! Let's go!
Take the low road.
Away!
[thunder]
The wind is too strong.
Bring the boats ashore.
Make haste! Protect the catch.
- Bit more. - [strains]
Thank you, my friend. Are you for home?
- Aye. Is all secure? - Aye.
We bid you farewell.
Safe travels.
- Secure the catch. - Let's be gone.
[man] Come on, lads!
Help! Help, they're after me!
I need this boat!
[man] Who on earth are you?
I need this boat! Help me cast off!
The boat! Aid me across!
No man can steer against storm and wave.
Please, I have no other choice.
You will die out there. Why such haste?
I am already dead, should they find me!
Speak, man, who pursues you?
The Wolfshot's horsemen.
[man] Who are you?
[Baumgarten] My name is Baumgarten.
- I am a farmer. - [man] You're bleeding.
- I have settled him. - Who?
The Wolfshot. The tax collector.
You are mad.
He wronged my wife, then he took her life,
so I gave him a bloody benediction!
Now the viceroy's troopers are upon my heels.
Please! I beg of you.
In God's name, aid me across.
[man] I'm not taking you. The Austrians will hunt me down!
- I am a father, with child. - And what of me?
A wife and child at home as well as you!
Hold! No man can steer and row alone in this weather!
I say put trust in God, and help him in his need!
You can steer as well as any man, Tell.
Take the boat. Try you.
I am in your hands. Please.
Don't, Father, the winds are too strong.
[Baumgarten] Please, I beg of you!
[horn blares]
They're close. If they find him here among us, we are all dead.
[horn blares]
[soldier, echoing] Burn it, Tell. Burn it all!
- I'll get him across. - Thank you. Thank you.
Run home to your mother.
We need horses brought to Ingenbohl.
Meet me at the waterfall, and remind her of my love.
Go, go, go!
I will honour thy word, Father. Godspeed.
[horn blares]
Oi, you, stop in the name of the law!
Everyone, get inside, now! Quickly!
Close the doors!
[shouting]
[screaming]
- Where is he? - Who?
We pay our taxes in this village!
The viceroy's taken his pound of...
- [grunts] - [woman screams]
Torch the village!
[man screams]
[screaming]
[screams]
[screams continue in the distance]
Where was he killed? In which canton?
A farm, in Unterwalden, my lord.
To lose such a man is careless.
The tax collector was at fault. He was a fool.
He was our man, collecting our taxes.
No one should have touched him.
Reverse thy doom and secure thy position, Gessler.
Let us move with caution.
Caution? We need revenue and wealth from this land.
- Show them no mercy. - My lord,
numbed earth is barren of all fruit.
Secure the killer and teach the Swiss a lesson.
The Wolfshot's murder is a crime.
But also an opportunity.
Now we have every right to defend ourselves. With force.
And under the guise of justice.
There is no justice in war.
That is where this is leading.
[Gessler] My lord, do we want war?
Switzerland is surrounded by mountains.
Nature is its own defence.
It is hard to attack from without.
We... must control it.
And dominate the Swiss...
from within.
Hyah!
[woman] What shall I do with you?
In the thickest of the storm. Are you insane?
Is that him?
[groans]
'Tis a marvel you escaped.
Had you no thought of wife and child?
I had, and therefore saved a father for his children.
He braved the lake in all its wrath, and I thank him for it.
Yes, he's a kind and helping hand for all.
But when we are in straits, who then will come to our aid?
God grant we never may stand in need of any help.
- You have me. - [scoffs]
[grunts]
Give him the horse and let us be gone.
- Well? - I must see him safe.
A hero and a fool.
You have disturbed our peace.
May God forgive you.
I'll return soon.
Be home in time to feed the goats.
- Go. - [grunts]
I have a friend in this region, a nobleman.
We fought together in the Holy Land.
He'll hide you.
[bell tolls]
[Gessler] My lady Bertha.
Gessler.
The King's valour and pride excel themselves in you.
- He must be proud of his niece. - I hear the whispers.
It seems the King gains money in Switzerland but loses hearts.
There is no progress without loss. Good and bad run together.
There is no triumph in needless bloodshed.
And forget not, I have Swiss blood.
[Gessler] Our countries' fortunes are entwined.
As, I hope, are ours.
Good day, my lord.
He moves me to rage.
The King is keen for your union and you would be wise to listen.
Do not mistake his purpose.
He does not love me, he just needs me.
Cousin, the King requests your time.
[King] You truly are my brother's daughter.
And as wilful as he.
Spend time with Gessler. Hunt, talk, learn.
- Attraction will build. - No, my lord, I beg you.
You are a Habsburg and will marry an Austrian.
- My mother was Swiss. - And your father Austrian.
'Tis a pity you're a woman. You'd be useful in battle.
But we'll use you in marriage.
My lord.
Rudenz!
Belted and plumed...
and all thy bravery on.
Thou art for the Austrians, boy?
Uncle, your will?
Before you depart, share with us the ancient custom of our house.
Come, walk with me.
There was a time I was with them in field and forest
directing all their labours with my own eye.
Just as my banner led them into battle.
Now I am fit only to play the steward.
And so I go,
in ever-narrowing circles, to the narrowest...
and the last
where all life comes to a stop.
I am but my own shadow.
Soon,
I will be but my name.
Come.
Come, Rudenz.
[grunts]
Now...
you know our pledge.
One cup, one heart.
[all] One cup, one heart.
Rudenz.
I must be away.
Wait!
Leave us.
[door closes]
Why do you show such disrespect to thine own people?
You know they suffer under the Austrian banner.
Why do you insult them further by refusing to take the cup?
Do you know what the Austrians call us?
"Peasant nobles."
A wiser course would be to bend in homage.
Only then can we prosper.
No. No. Do not shield thine eyes
and make them blind to your people's needs.
Our people need to secure the favour of the Austrian King.
The world is his, Uncle.
His the markets, his the courts, his, too, the highways.
We cannot protect ourselves against his growing power.
Where do you learn such things? Hmm?
Rudenz, I have no sons!
One day, all this will be yours.
[Rudenz] And what will I become?
The chieftain of a shepherd race?
Settling petty squabbles between the farmers of Schwyz
and the shepherds of Unterwalden?
No.
The tempter's voice has truly caught thy willing ear.
No, no, there is no tempter! Don't you see?
Here I am nothing. But there,
aligned with Austria, I can be something.
[scoffs]
- [birds sing] - [distant church bell]
[people chatter]
[woman] The tax collector was a brute and he deserved to die.
Do not accept this tax.
Be patient, my darling Gertrude.
We will not have to bear this Austrian occupation much longer.
Change will come, as it always does.
Impetuous rulers have the shortest reigns.
Once we are Austria's, we are hers forever.
Yes. But come, my love, drink with me.
I have to feed the horses.
[man] The horses can wait. I cannot.
[people chatter in the street]
[horse snorts]
[Baumgarten] Thank you for the food.
Eat well. You are safe here. We will secure you passage at dawn.
Aye. But am I to be banished and never see my children again?
'Tis better than hung.
[Gertrude] You were brave, and you fought for your wife.
And now we must fight for our country.
Gert, Gertrude.
They are loyal. We can all speak freely.
You speak with a fearless tongue, Gertrude.
[Gertrude] I am no stranger to the cost of war.
We have good men who can wield a weapon as well as them.
Wife, you stir wild and perilous thoughts...
from a time that my friend and I had long since forgotten.
[Gertrude] What choice do we have?
[man] My darling, this house that you love,
my family home that you have made your own.
Unrelenting war
- would burn it to the ground. - [Gertrude] With my own hands,
I would hurl the kindling torch would it set us free.
Let us go with God.
We've seen many men declare that pledge... and die.
So you have retired from battle?
One day,
just outside Jerusalem,
a land as hostile and strange as you can imagine,
I was cut off, alone and desperate.
My horse was powerful,
easily outstripped the Turks who hunted me.
But to escape, I slashed a path through the woods, and thereby
disturbed a nest of bees.
The bees surrounded me
and settled on my mare.
And they so fiercely stung the beast,
it threw me to the ground...
and then writhed and died...
before my eyes.
I sat for a moment
very, very still...
and then saw how the bees began to die...
one...
by one.
So, yes, Gertrude, you can fire the people up.
But be careful what you ask of them.
They will sting for you...
but they will die.
[loud knocking at door]
- [shouting outside] - Wait.
[man] Open the bloody door! Come on, let us in.
[loud knocking at door]
We have visitors. Gessler.
Shh.
What should I do?
- Hide him. - Where?
Plain sight. There.
- Right there. - [loud knocking]
- There! - Right. Remove your apron.
Come on. Quick. Tie this.
[raised voices]
- [grunts] - [Tell] Come.
[Gessler] This is a grand house for a Swiss.
- Who is the owner? - Oh, plate.
[Gertrude's husband] It was given by God, sir.
Free and unfettered as the mountain air.
- What brings you here? - [Gessler] We search for a man
who did heinously slay my governor.
Have you seen a stranger pass through?
No, my lord. Come.
[Gertrude] Praise God, sir.
What an honour.
Search the house.
[sighs]
Hmm! The eagle of weapons. Yours?
[Tell] Aye.
May I?
Of course.
'Tis well crafted.
[mimics bolt shot]
Many men can wield such a weapon,
but few can master it.
Your name?
Wilhelm Tell.
[Gessler] Well, Tell,
like the eagle, I too make my prey.
A soaring bird or a beast to chase...
makes no difference to me. For now...
I hunt a murderer.
With solemn reverence, our King...
has tasted grief.
He mourns not for the death of his governor. Instead,
he asks why?
Do they not love me? Do they not want my allegiance
and the riches I can endow? "Worry not, sir," say I.
"'Tis but the bloated blood of ignorance
that bleeds with such excess."
"There is but one bad apple,
and we must rid it from the barrel."
So, now, I hunt.
[soldier] My lord.
Oh.
My lord,
the house is clear.
[Gessler] Hmm, the house is clear.
Fair Swiss...
do not lose the life you have built for men you do not know.
If there is something you need to say to me,
- I'd say it now. - [Tell] My lord,
your unpleased manner is clear to all.
But you waste your time here.
The man you seek
lies not here.
Sir, you tread upon our hearts. Come.
There is no foulness in this house.
- Only love. - [Tell] Love?
[laughter]
Come, sir, please. Sit. Join us.
King's honour, friends.
[pants]
[door closes]
After everything we have been through, Tell,
the horrors that we have seen,
am I to lose the life that I have built to men like that?
They're lying. Let the pox damn them.
You were not sent to fawn and coax these boors
- into submission. - 'Tis no matter that they lie.
Skulk and hide amongst these peasants.
Find out all you can about that man Tell.
- Let me take him now. - Mark him tight.
Let him think himself safe.
I will bring such a scourge to these...
people.
Then I'll leave them naked and trembling before me.
[Gertrude] Enough of this. We must gather allies.
Few will act for fear of consequence.
Go to Altdorf and meet with Furst, the priest.
There are many who agree with us. Furst connects the cantons.
He's crucial to the cause.
His mind is sharp and alert to all philosophy.
Tell, will you make the introduction?
He is wary of strangers.
What you expect of me is too much.
The town is beset with spies, they follow his every move.
We need you, Tell.
I will take you to him.
But if you meet with Furst, he will inspire you,
and then you will plot.
And from there, my friend...
from there, there will be no return.
[sings mournful melody]
Your Highness, may I present him?
[singer stops]
Prince Rudenz of Attinghausen.
[drum beats regularly]
[drumming stops]
Young prince, it takes courage for you to come before us today
and bond the Attinghausen name to the Habsburg court.
[King] I understand there is
private difference betwixt you and your uncle.
He taught me to know the face of right. In that I trust.
He simply misunderstood my purpose, that is all.
And you trust us?
I trust that it is better that both our houses work together.
I am in love with the man that you are today,
not the man that you think you should become.
I have nothing to offer thee.
Fame hath not stamped me yet.
Nor have I proved myself amidst the courtly throng of knights.
Proved what?
You do not need to sell yourself to Austria.
- Wear your freedom with pride. - And lose you?
[Rudenz] There is no profit in war.
He forfeits his own blood, that spills another.
But do you work with us or for us?
For you.
Caution you do not commit a fault you cannot correct.
Your indiscretion is plain for all to see.
Wait, my lord...
Set aside that you are spoken for.
The more these so-called Swiss nobles pay respect to us,
the easier our task. So, for now,
humour him.
[screaming]
[swords clash]
[dog barks]
[screaming]
Please, let me go!
[shouting echoes]
Stay there, Father.
- That's my bull! - Move back now!
That's my animal. No!
[screams]
[yells]
[screams]
[horses approach]
Father, we need to leave.
You go, before it's too late. They won't care about me.
Go, son, go.
Go, go, go.
Swiss!
- Shh! - Down. Get down.
[sergeant] What in God's name has happened here?
Who did this?
Speak!
Speak up, man!
- I'll kill these pigs myself! - Hold.
Hold.
- [sergeant] Who did this? - Hold still.
Help him.
Who slaughtered my men?
[father screams]
Free him from his pain.
[father continues to scream]
Kill... Kill him.
[screaming continues]
[grunts]
[sergeant] Straight ahead, men!
- Take him to the horses. - No! No!
- Take him! - No!
There's no time for a mad battle, you'll be killed. Come.
Take him!
And now it begins.
There! Go!
Kill them!
[grunts]
[pants]
[birds call]
[grunts]
[echoing sounds of battle]
[woman screams]
[man] I know what worries you, Tell. But listen.
My sword has been resting and I hoped it would remain so.
But this is about our families,
- our freedom. - I violated an oath over there
and I'm stained in blood. It haunts me now
- and it will forever. - But that was over there.
I feel your enthusiasm for the fight,
but hot thoughts beget hot deeds
and hot deeds can destroy us all. Are you ready for that?
- [Baumgarten] We must go. - [horn blows in the distance]
[soldier] Look down, cur! Get out of here.
That's disgusting! Look at you.
[Swiss man] Do they control the town now?
Seems so.
Go with the workers. It will allow you to pass the guards.
Go.
[soldier shouts orders] Do you hear me at the back?
That's right. Bring them all up.
- [shouting] - [soldier] Move!
[woman shouts]
[soldier] Stay where you are.
[yells]
[soldier] You filthy dog!
[Swiss man] I know this man. He worked on my house.
- A true craftsman. - My lord.
I did not expect to see you here.
How fare you, sir?
I am a prisoner in my own land.
Why such haste to prepare the town for war?
I know not. Many have fled, but the town still breathes.
Are they arming the town to keep us in, or keep us out?
They fear rebellion.
If you could see the dungeons that they have built.
[soldier] Swiss! Back to work on the ramparts.
I must return.
Good evening to you.
This is no longer our town.
- No. - Find Furst.
[grunts]
- How many killed? - A dozen.
And where are the... the Swiss corpses?
Just the old man.
[grunts]
First the tax collector and now this!
They neither fear nor respect us.
Until we find the men responsible,
let others pay the price.
- I want arrests! - Yes, sir! Yes, sir!
Tell is mired in this mud.
[officer] Give me licence, sir?
[Gessler] For what?
Make them bend the knee. Make it public.
Aye.
Put a thorn through their soul and see how they break.
Yes, sir.
"Yes, sir."
Well, in the meantime,
I have more country matters to attend to.
[laughs]
The King has requested I teach his niece how to hunt.
Where are you sending God's wealth?
To safety. Dangerous times.
- Greetings, Furst. - Welcome. Thrice welcome.
What seek you here in Altdorf?
The olden times. The olden Switzerland.
Oh. Well, let us hope you bring them with you.
News of Baumgarten precedes you. There was much excitement.
- Tell me, is he safely hid? - He is here in Altdorf.
Along with my old comrade Stauffacher
and another caught up in this. They seek your counsel.
The men of Schwyz and Unterwalden
both seek the counsel of God?
'Tis not the counsel of God they seek, but your subversive mind.
What frightens you so?
We should be stopping a war, not starting one.
And yet you bring me men who seek rebellion.
The Austrian throne is not secure.
The pomp and ceremony of their court
is neither just nor chivalrous. It hides a savage intent
that presents itself in naked violence.
We can outstrip them.
But not if we are divided.
Many have spoken to me. Few have had the courage to act.
But I see before me now men who are ready.
We are more than ready.
Then the time is right.
Unite the cantons, bring the Swiss together. Work as one.
Stauffacher, your task now
is to rouse our leaders from their slumber.
- [Stauffacher] Aye. - [Furst] I will use the church
and rally friends here in Altdorf.
[Baumgarten] I will go back to Unterwalden.
I have comrades there.
[Stauffacher] What of the clan chief,
the Baron of Attinghausen?
I hear he shares our views and will be crucial.
[Melchtal] His nephew, Rudenz, bends the knee.
[Furst] But Attinghausen does not.
He is old Swiss.
His name alone will rally thousands to our cause.
What of you, Tell?
Each man shall have the post that fits his power.
And I'm nothing but a humble huntsman.
A dozen dead Austrians would disagree.
[laughter]
[soldiers march]
[hammering]
Forward!
[fanfare]
Aye! In the King's name, give ear.
People of Altdorf,
it is the Lord Viceroy Gessler's good will
that the helm shall be given honour
- as the King himself. - [people jeer]
Hear ye!
All those who pass by
shall give it reverence, with bended knee.
Down to a helm on bended knee?
- [crier] Only then... - This is madness.
...will the King know who are his true and loyal subjects.
'Tis not safe here to be seen together.
- [soldier] Back to work. - [people jeer]
Gessler's man.
Come. Speak with your brothers.
We shall meet on the morrow's night.
At Ruetli, on the left bank of the lake,
a hidden cave lies. If we want peace,
- prepare for war. - Aye.
Aye.
There's a tide in the affairs of men,
which, taken at the flood, can lead to victory.
But I know not where this current leads us.
Whether we will swim... or drown.
Father.
- Is the farmer safe? - For now.
My fool is back.
[laughs]
Go feed the goats.
Pleasure to see you, too.
Come here.
[goats bleat]
Come on.
[water splashes]
You're home but your thoughts are not.
You think we are safe here?
We are damned if we fight and damned if we don't.
Violence is such a fearful thing, my love,
even in a righteous cause.
[Tell's wife] I know better than most
the scars that invaders can inflict.
[he sighs]
Our boy will know danger either way.
What is it you propose?
I can hold a sword as well as any man.
- No! No. - We will go together.
I have such slaughterous thoughts that tear my soul.
I have done more than I should.
Look at me.
Our very love was spawned from murder.
A very different time.
Do you want to relive that?
What you did back then was noble and just.
Look at me. What you do now will be the same,
but we will do it as one.
Your beauty conquered me...
the first moment I saw you.
My life with you is my sole joy.
Without it, I am nothing.
The faith and trust I place in you is sacred.
You will never be without.
[they grunt]
[dogs bark]
[they grunt]
Oh! [laughs]
[dog barks] - [Gessler mimics dog]
- [they grunt] - [dogs bark]
[punches thud]
- [roars] - [applause]
I kiss your health, my lady.
You exert yourself for your own pleasure.
Not yours?
You think that fighting like a dog in the mud, cur to cur,
is a display that will melt my heart?
I have other ways.
[Bertha] You promised me a hunt.
'Tis past dawn, the boar will slip away.
- How shall we proceed? - There are other things to hunt.
You seem upset, my dear.
I am, and I wish to return.
Then let me persuade you to stay.
The King has proposed our union...
for good reason.
We should embrace his blessing.
To present harsh rage does not greatness show.
You will never win my heart like that.
And you will lose the hearts of the Swiss
- if such governance continues. - [chuckles]
Emotion...
clouds your judgement. How sweet... you are.
[officer] My lord!
A moment, my lady.
[sighs]
My blood is boiling. God, I want to rut with her.
- Is it done? - Aye, sir.
Firmly in place in the square.
- How formed is their plan? - Hard to say,
but I can find out. Furst is easily apprehended.
The cleric? His death is long overdue,
but he's too prominent to arrest without cause.
Torture is unreliable. They confess to anything.
Tell is at the heart of this.
He was brazen about his friendship with Furst and...
they plotted openly.
Aye.
That toad Gessler fouls you with his touch.
You're clearly more familiar with him than I thought.
I do not choose to be the wife of that parasite!
You seem happy to let the King
dictate the disposal of your hand!
The same lust of conquest
that would rob you of your liberty endangers mine.
- Your love cannot rescue me. - Well, then what can?
Fight for thy land.
Do not make this about me or us.
This is about our country's soul.
Apart from you, my country's welfare is all I wish for.
Round your head, a tangling net is wound.
How can I hope to win you if I take up arms against the King?
The King would have me deceive thee.
He believes it would hold thee closer to the court.
I must pretend a love for thee that is no pretence,
whilst pretending an affection for a man I loathe.
So the King plays me?
And has me for a fool.
And you,
- do you play me? - I have no play.
Only love.
Fill the position you were born to fill.
And stand by your people.
[sighs]
Burn it, Tell! Burn it all!
[distant echoing scream]
Go! Go, run!
[woman] Hassan!
Tell, this way.
[blow thuds]
[man yells]
No. No. No.
[speaks Arabic]
[she speaks Arabic]
[doors slam]
Safe. Safe.
- Stay. Stay here. - Tell, we must leave.
- [soldiers shout outside] - [Tell grunts]
[soldier] Kill them! Kill them all!
Kill them! Kill them!
[shouting]
Kill them!
Keep them there!
Burn it! Burn them all!
The boy! The boy!
- [boy yells] - [soldier grunts]
No! No!
[she screams]
[grunts]
Take it!
We have to leave, now. We have to leave now! Move, move!
[shouting]
[battle sounds fade]
[breathes deeply]
[bell tolls]
Your orders are clear.
Arrest all those who pass without bending the knee.
[Furst laughs] Well, this cannot be Walter.
Furst.
- How you've grown. Are you well? - Yes. You?
Listen.
I must speak with your parents. Here is some coin.
Skimble-skamble, young man. Make yourself busy.
- Salaam alaikum. - Greetings, Suna.
- Have the others returned? - Yes.
Everyone we need is in the chapel.
- Then we have much to discuss. - But not here.
- Shall we join them? - Yes.
Hey.
Come along, children. Come now.
Watch the boy.
- Are we to arrest the child? - The father.
[woman] It is not safe here. Out of the way. It is not safe.
I'll go.
Walter, come. Let's be gone.
Father, why is there a helm upon this pole?
It's no matter to us, come.
[commander] Stand.
I command you, in the King's name.
You've broken the mandate. You must kneel before the helm.
Uh, kneel, you say?
Kneel. Your child, too. Or you will be arrested.
Go to the chapel. Tell the men to come here. Make haste.
Be calm. Let's go.
Kneel, or to prison you shall go!
- Prison? Father! - No.
Don't move.
To threaten me is one thing. To scare my child is another.
He said kneel!
You hear that, Swiss? You kneel.
Sir? Sir, please.
- No, Mother... - Just...
Just let me take my son. He is but a boy.
This man is an enemy to the King!
- You're a traitor. - [people gasp]
Will.
Wilhelm! No!
Tell, no!
- A traitor? - Stop!
This is Wilhelm Tell.
An honest man and a worthy citizen.
- Let go of me, Tell. - [soldier] Stand back!
Or you and your family will be put to death.
[soldier] Stay back, or I swear to God you'll regret it!
- Take him away to prison. - [people exclaim]
- No! - Back!
Back away or face the sword!
Why do you take this man?
He challenged the King's sovereign power.
- And for this to prison? - Have God's mercy, let him go.
Hence with you. Take him away to prison!
Try, if you dare, to take this man away from us!
How dare you challenge the governor's command?
- [horn blows] - Come on!
[angry shouting]
Make way for the viceroy!
[soldier] Stay back! Move back now!
Move back!
My lord, this man was apprehended
for passing the helm without obedience.
[people shout angrily]
We need to take him in quickly. The crowd is growing hostile.
And waste a show?
Fortune has smiled upon us. If he bows, they will all bow.
Guards.
This does not bode well.
Infantry, keep those people under control!
Keep them in order!
- [armour clanks] - [soldiers shout]
Move back!
- Weapons at the ready! - Tell.
Do you so lightly hold our King
that you refuse the greetings to the helm?
No, sir, the action sprung from inadvertence,
not from disrespect.
If you forgive me now, as is in your gift,
I will go and not offend again.
Then kneel.
I bend the knee to no man.
[cheering]
'Tis dangerous to carry deadly weapons, and yet...
you flaunt yours before us.
I hear you are a master with that bow.
Do you deny...
that this...
is yours?
Or do you deny you are the archer they say you are?
- He is a master archer, my lord! - Shh!
Is that boy thine, Tell?
Aye.
A mongrel boy.
[laughs]
- Come here. - No.
No, sir, please! No, sir, please!
Walter! No! Walter!
[booing]
[man] Not the boy!
How good an archer is he?
- At a hundred yards... - Louder!
At a hundred yards, he'll shoot an apple off a tree.
[chuckles]
Right.
Then you shall prove thy skill.
Take the bow that thou wears so proudly
and make thee ready to shoot an apple from...
your son's head.
- What? - No!
Tell!
Look well to thine aim, for should you miss,
thy head, and thy wife's, shall pay the ultimate forfeit.
What monstrous thing is this you ask?
How can you play with a child's existence?
Your challenging tongue tests my patience.
Know your place, woman.
I am my mother's son and my father's too.
- I will wear the apple. - No! No!
Walter, you know not what you do.
I command you to shoot an apple from his head!
I would rather die.
Thou must shoot, or with thee dies the boy.
Enough of this.
Do not jest, my lord, with these poor souls!
Who says that I jest, my lady? Huh?
Get on your knees, I ask you,
and beg the viceroy to spare your life
and the life of your family.
- Do it for your son. - My lord...
How dare you speak before your counsel is asked?
In the name of God, let me pass! I am a man of God.
Let this suffice, sir. Let justice yield to mercy here.
Sir, I beg you, in the name of God...
Don't.
...spare a father this unnatural doom.
Do not kneel to him.
Come here. Come here!
[man] Leave him alone, Gessler!
- Put him against that pole! - [Furst] He is but a child.
- [Suna] Please! - [man] Leave him be!
[people shout]
Here.
Here is the apple.
Commander, pace out the distance from that pole to the mark.
Twenty paces as the custom is. Off you go.
Clear the way!
One,
two,
three,
four,
five,
six,
seven...
- [man] Don't do it. - ...eight...
I cannot raise my bow to my son.
Gessler, release me from this shot.
Here.
Here is my heart.
Summon thy troopers and have them strike me down.
Shh! No.
I do not want thy life.
I want... [mimics bolt whooshing]
Gessler, you outstep your powers!
I owe reverence to the King. He sanctions not this cruelty.
Thou growest bold!
To be silent longer is to be a traitor
to my King and country both.
Friends, I have been dumb to the oppressions I was doomed to see.
- Silence! - The King is my lord, not you!
Let him go.
[grunts]
Halt!
You peasant churl.
The King will hear of your treachery. Seize him.
Here is the spot!
Tell, I apologise.
Yes, you helped the wretch
Baumgarten across the lake and...
- you slayed my men in Schwyz. - [Baumgarten] This is madness!
It is I you seek!
I killed the Wolfshot. I alone shall bear the guilt.
Release Tell. Let this bloody business be done.
- Hold him. - [people protest]
You...
You are Baumgarten. I should have known.
Well, you shall not make poor of our power again.
Wear your guilt in blood.
- [screaming] - No!
No!
Hold! No more blood!
Take the shot or more will die!
I will take the shot!
No.
I will take the shot.
Thou has shaken me from any hope of peace.
Turned the milk of human kindness
to rankling poison in my breast.
Whatever the outcome of this day, it is on you.
Load thy bow.
Forgive me, son.
[sighs]
The apple.
[hushed chatter]
[man] Come, this is an abomination.
Fetch me a seat.
[whimpers]
[grunts]
Tell? Tell?
Please.
Take the knee, please.
[in Arabic]
[breathes shakily]
Oh, yes.
Here we are, Tell.
Don't disappoint us.
[breathes deeply]
[fly buzzes]
[breathes shakily]
- [bowstring creaks] - [exhales]
[cheering]
His shot was good.
Woe to him who drove a man to tempt God by such a feat.
[Gessler] Look to yourself, Bertha, and learn obedience.
- Take her away! - I am the King's niece!
You have no authority over me!
- Tell! - Get off me!
- I never doubted you, Father. - Tell, wow, what a shot, indeed!
Wow. Tell.
Thou didst place a second arrow in thy belt.
I saw it well, I see it now. What was thy purpose with it?
Whatever it may be,
I promise thee thy life, wherefore the second arrow?
If you promise not to take my life,
I will take you at your word and speak the truth.
Had my child been struck down, the second arrow was... for you.
- Arrest him. - How dare you? How dare you?
Take him away.
You can't do that! Stop!
How dare you?
[people shout angrily]
How dare you?
[grunts]
I will never forget how fearless you were today.
Take this.
Rudenz, go back to your uncle, raise an army.
Meet us at Ruetli.
Go, Rudenz, to the horses. Go!
Sir, we must move him hence.
What was 50 is now 100 and will soon be more.
We cannot control this crowd, my lord.
Then take him. Entomb him in the dungeons.
By road?
If we parade him through the towns and villages,
it will do nothing but encourage revolt.
Take him by boat. Stussi, he is in your charge.
[chanting] Tell, Tell, Tell, Tell...
Why not kneel? Huh?
Such a small gesture.
You hear my brethren roar?
You think the people will kneel now?
[chanting] Tell, Tell, Tell, Tell...
When you die,
these people, they will not be shouting for you then.
There will be no martyr's grave.
Your history will never be written.
Go on.
Go on!
[laughs]
- Take him! - [Tell laughs]
[chanting] Tell, Tell, Tell, Tell...
Why?
You betray me
and you betray your King.
[Bertha] The King whom you have failed?
What will he say when he learns of today?
Your heavy hand has created a hero.
[he grunts]
He will congratulate me
for killing... the Wolfshot's murderer
and arresting the rebellion's leader. All that is left...
is to decide your fate.
So I'm your prisoner?
Or my bride.
- Obedience is not in my nature. - Hmm! [chuckles]
Well...
there is no dark mystery to being a wife. But...
you will learn that.
Touch me again and see where this blade ends up!
[they grunt]
A prisoner it is, you sanctimonious *****.
[bell rings]
[horse snorts]
Oh, I fear I am too late.
[weakly] Rudenz.
[grunts]
My boy.
Uncle...
Forgive me.
I am here.
Chastened, but wiser.
Ready to proclaim my loyalty to our house
and fight for what is ours.
A heart that sees and owns its error
claims my trust.
Henceforth...
this castle shall bear your name.
Oh, it is not just your lands that I inherit.
Your heart and your spirit live on in me.
[Attinghausen wheezes]
[Rudenz] My friends,
in shame, I offered service to the Austrian King.
No more!
With this cup, in the name of Attinghausen,
I vow to strike at the throat of our enemy.
One cup, one heart!
[chanting fades out slowly]
These priests of my order will stand the watch
and let us know if anyone approaches.
Follow me.
Give them your hands. You are all welcome.
You, sir. Is there not a suit between us
about a piece of land of ancient heritage?
We are enemies at court, but here we can be one.
Reconcile your differences in peace.
I regret we are forced to meet here in secret
to plot crime and black conspiracy.
[Stauffacher] What is woven in the gloom of night
shall free and boldly meet the morning light.
Halt! Who goes there?
- Friend or foe? - Hold.
Hold your swords, my friends.
I am a Swiss and I will act as one
with my whole heart and soul.
- You bent the knee. - No more!
He is ancient Swiss. We must respect his title.
The Baron of Attinghausen is dead.
What?
He now bears his name.
I was deaf to my uncle's voice,
as I was blind to my country's need.
But if you cannot accept my presence here, I shall leave.
If the new Baron of Attinghausen wants to join our fight,
then we should welcome him.
Our work tonight is to make partnership,
to bring our tribes together.
[thunder]
[wind whistles]
Sir! We must turn back!
Gessler's orders were clear!
[pants]
[wood creaks]
[grunts]
[grunts] Sail on!
[Tell] Rage on, winds!
Lightnings, flash your fires!
This is nature's revenge
for making me raise my bow against my son!
Gessler will summon an army from the King.
If that happens, we are finished. We must strike.
We must surprise them before they realise we are united.
Then who shall lead? There are three cantons here.
Let Uri take the sword.
Unterwalden will not take orders from Uri!
- [angry shouts] - Enough!
Enough!
I will not have petty squabbles break our resolve.
My husband is in chains,
and while we argue, he suffers,
and they win!
Friends, we are born of one blood.
Our children of one common home.
We're all one heart.
Brothers.
Sisters.
Form a ring of steel.
Draw.
Plant your swords of power within the ground.
The nations around us have yielded to a foreign conqueror.
But we here alone, we have kept our freedom.
So tonight,
we form a bond.
[thunder]
[Bertha grunts]
Port side!
[Bertha strains]
[captain] Fasten that rope!
Come on, faster! Move!
- [sailor] Captain! - Brace!
[men shout]
[Bertha yelps]
[grunts]
The key!
There!
[grunts]
[roars]
[soldier screams]
- Tell! - [roars]
[all] With his own good sword.
True brothers and sisters, never to part, in danger...
[they yell]
...or in death!
[all] In danger or in death.
Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Rest. Rest.
- Are you well? - Yes, yes.
[pants]
[man in the distance] Tell!
Come. Come.
- Tell, it's Kuoni. - Calm.
The Lord has manifestly wrought a miracle on thy behalf.
We can scarce credit our own eyes.
What are you doing out on such a night?
Saw the shipwreck and came to aid.
And aid I need.
I must track Gessler.
We spotted his troops earlier on the road to Küsnacht.
He must pass the gorge at Küsnacht. Take him there.
There's only one way in, one way out.
It is too treacherous to travel on the public road.
It's patrolled by soldiers.
There's another way through the mountains.
Few know it, but I can show you.
- I hunt best alone. - I know these woods!
I stayed here as a child. They were my castles and playgrounds.
Very well, you guide me.
We are all with you, Tell. We are confederates all.
My friends, I need your bows.
[Gessler] It is clear Tell is not a man of... empty words.
Now I pay the price for not having killed him
when I had the chance.
Misfortune favours my every move.
[Stussi] My lord.
Sir.
- My lord. - Hold your tongue.
You have damned me!
Listen, sir. He will strike you in the gorge outside Küsnacht.
[Gessler] No, you listen!
How can I trust this not to be false?
These men. They met him last night after the storm.
[chuckles] Oh.
The princess was present.
To lose Tell is bad.
But to lose her too?
Now I am messenger to the King,
and we all know
what happens to messengers, don't we, Stussi?
That does not have to be the message, sir.
If you bring him Tell's head, it will save your own.
Now we must be cautious, but we can trap him.
When he takes a shot at you, sir, we will have him.
- So now I'm bait. - 'Tis only you he wants.
Then a target he shall have. See it done.
Stussi.
Go to the castle at Sarnen and take command.
Hold it.
If we take Sarnen, we cut off their supply lines.
Then we can take Altdorf.
We hold our honour higher than ourselves
and we seek no praise for this peril we suggest.
But the best way to take Sarnen is by stealth.
- By stealth? - Impossible.
The harvest feast is fast upon us.
'Tis custom for the serfs to bring gifts to the governor.
Some ten or 12 women can easily hide amongst them,
their weapons concealed.
Once inside, they can secure the gates.
The men can wait in the nearby woods and, once we are in
and the gates are secured, you can launch the attack.
Are we agreed?
Aye.
The rest of the army will camp at Altdorf.
We pray for your success in taking Sarnen.
Once it's ours,
Altdorf is next.
May God's grace be with us.
[Suna] It is an honour to fight beside you.
[Gertrude] The honour is mine.
[band plays festive music]
[man sings in Latin]
[music stops]
Our duty is served, my lord. Accept our gifts.
Kill them all!
- [women scream] - We need to go.
[soldier] Down in the gully there, see?
[Tell] We're expected. They know we're here.
Take it.
[soldiers shout]
- [Bertha] Where is he? - Well, he's there somewhere.
You find me a way out.
I have to get closer.
[soldiers shout]
Pull up.
Hold. Hold!
- Wait for the second carriage. - [soldier] Yes, sir!
[Gessler groans]
[yells] You *******!
[soldiers shout]
You *******, Tell!
Tighter!
- Where is he? - Fall in!
You missed, Tell!
[soldier] Keep together, men.
We split the troops and surround him.
[bolt whooshes]
[yells]
- Move! - Yes, sir!
All of you! In line.
- [groans] - [growls]
- [bolt whooshes] - [soldier grunts]
Start fleeing, Tell.
- [bolt whooshes] - He is one man. You find him.
[groans]
[soldier grunts]
- Find him! - Where is he?
Move!
- Up there! - Fire! Take aim!
Fire!
Yes!
- After him! - Come on!
- Get over here now! - Come on!
Keep in line. Keep in order.
[horse whinnies]
Keep them in order. Charge!
Forwards! Keep pressing forwards!
[soldier grunts]
[Tell grunts]
[commander] Keep charging, men!
- [grunts] - Tell!
Tell!
[groans]
[grunts]
[arrow clatters]
[groans]
[grunts]
[Bertha] Take this.
Nothing shall content me till I am evened with him.
Too much blood,
too little brain.
Revenge might drive you, but it also blinds you.
What know you of such things?
[Bertha] I know that anger blunts your power.
He missed you by how much?
By a breath of air.
Feel the pain.
[groans]
It dwarfs what you will feel if you fail us.
Your ignorant abuses have increased resistance,
allowed them to organise.
- And you lost my niece! - [wound squelches]
[groans]
Kneel.
God...
arm this man with the thunder of Your Church
and lead him to victory.
So where do we go from here?
We must move forward.
I face exile.
I have nothing to lose.
Then bring proportion to your thoughts.
Go to the King. Use all your wit and grace
to dissuade him from helping Gessler, hmm?
I will try.
But do something for me. Return to your people.
This is no longer about our hate for one man.
Plan. Organise.
Fight for our country.
[Gessler] God, grant me purpose and will
to secure the force of the Lord.
[King] I hope he listens to you.
Return to Altdorf. Hold it until I can raise an army.
[door closes]
[chanting] Tell, Tell, Tell, Tell, Tell, Tell...
[chanting continues]
[chanting fades]
Father.
I feared I'd never see you again.
What's wrong?
- Tell. - My love.
My heart.
The attack failed. We were betrayed.
They were waiting for us.
Open the gates!
[Suna] One of our own told Gessler's men our plan.
We stood no chance.
Kill them all!
[women scream]
[yells]
No!
Hurry.
I'm here.
[grunts]
Shield! Shield cover!
Cover!
[Suna cries]
No!
[cries]
[Suna] We are broken.
Bring us together. Make us believe again.
What was over there is now here.
There is a law in each well-ordered nation
that curbs us from our savage appetite.
And that law is God's law.
But God has long forgotten us, and that law is no more.
Fight for her.
Fight for us.
With my own breath,
I will keep that faith.
With my own hands, I will avenge,
but I need you strong.
Today we are neither farmer nor peasant
nor gentleman or noble.
Today we are...
Swiss.
[all] Yes!
But, friends, we are in hell.
We need to claw our way out.
We need to show the men of grosser blood
that we are ready to fight.
[all] Yes!
For many years, I hunted and killed alone.
I never wanted part of any group.
I now know this course leads to nothing but despair.
I failed!
I failed.
I failed to kill the man
who made me raise my bow against my son.
And I failed to understand that true brotherhood bonds us.
Makes us stronger.
But, friends, in war,
there's no margin for error.
One false whisper, one late fist,
one missed arrow, and you are... dead.
Tomorrow there will be no error.
Tomorrow we will take back our homes, our town and our country.
And how will we do this? Yes, we will summon up our rage.
[all] Yes.
We will summon up our skills in battle!
- [all] Yes! - And we will teach our enemy
how we war!
[cheering]
But most importantly,
we will be willing to die.
Yes.
Whoever is willing to die
wins any fight.
So I want you to look at the person next to you.
Look that person in the eye
and ask that person, "Are you willing to die for me?"
Do it. Do it.
Ask that person, "Are you willing
to die for me?" Do it.
Do it, everybody. Do it. Do it.
Do it. I wanna see everybody do it. Do it! Do it!
Look that person in the eye and ask them,
"Are you willing to die for me?"
"Are you willing to kill for me?"
I say yes. Yes.
- Yes, they are. - Yes, they are.
Yes, they are.
Now raise your weapons to the sky!
[cheering]
[yelling]
Climb out of hell
and claim back
God!
[cheering]
[chanting] King, King, King, King, King, King,
King, King, King, King, King...
Stain the virtue of your enterprise with blood
and melt the spirit of their people
with the hot sword of vengeance.
Their youth shall die in the field
victim to your serried lances.
- Let your will, mass... - [Bertha] Stop!
...and might carry the Habsburg name!
[Bertha] Halt! This must stop now!
I beg you, please stop this madness.
The Habsburg house is not united in this cause.
Grant me a moment of your time, my lord.
Silence! What mean you by this disruption?
You cannot rule like this!
You are feared more than loved!
Good men die in your name and each morn, new widows howl.
I will hear no more of this.
She's unwell,
and embarrasses herself.
Dispatch her!
- Go forth and march to Altdorf! - [horn blares]
[Bertha] No!
[chanting] King, King, King, King...
Should we attack, the town will burn.
- And our people? - Gessler. He will kill them all.
A frontal attack will mean their certain death.
Well, then we must get men inside and attack from within.
How?
You!
Did you help the Austrians fortify the town?
Aye, sirs, but not out of choice.
The town is sealed. How did you get out?
There is a small tunnel, sir.
[door creaks]
[door creaks and slams]
Leave.
On the morrow, you will be dead.
By your own hand.
They will discover you in this room
bled out from the wrists.
And your shame will then be complete.
- Either you do it, or... - You will?
- I must protect my future. - [Bertha] Your future?
[laughs]
Know that he mocks you in private.
And your inheritance is dust.
From you... from you, I expected more.
Are you happy to watch him take my life?
I know you.
- We played together as children. - Then take it.
Take it and do it yourself!
- [Duke grunts] - [muffled screams]
[Bertha] Where is he?
- [Bertha grunts] - [King groans]
[King groans]
[grunts]
[Gessler] Ah, you chant and cry war, yet,
you have not the troops to take the town.
Neither you to defend it. You steal our air, Gessler.
Your air? [laughs]
Should one arrow fall upon these walls,
I will burn this town to the ground and all within it!
And you will burn with it.
Yes, I am a ******* in mind and deed.
Born the very worst of men.
What may you have within that you kill with such ease?
For all who take the sword shall die by the sword.
I, too, am prepared to die!
But...
I just might live.
[Tell] You're a coward, Gessler.
To abuse the innocent. Use them as a shield.
Let them go.
No, no, no, no. The King's troops will be here soon.
You can't get into the town.
If you try, you will kill your own good people.
[Tell] Those good people are camped out here in full view,
and grow in number every day. Why not take us?
[Gessler] Best to keep distance from the acrid smell of Swiss.
It's disgusting!
Tell, enough of this.
These peasants, their passion...
- Hide until first light. - ...does not match their skill...
- And then we take the gates. - ...in battle.
My army will not attack the town.
By sunrise, you will let my people leave
and I will let you...
live.
That's it.
They'll be in by now.
[bird cries]
[birds sing]
[horse whinnies]
- They're inside, sir. - Well observed.
I should cut you now and wash you in blood,
you servile little shit!
Who are you? Who sent you? You're not meant to be up here.
[soldier yells]
Sir!
They're dressed as priests.
Archers, take aim!
Man the gates, both of you. Now!
Sir! Man the gates.
And kill all the priests!
Now!
[yelling]
Fire!
Look out!
[officer] Take cover! Protect yourselves!
[swords clash]
Get that gate open. Hurry.
I'm trying!
Stay tight!
Fire!
- Get back in line! Stay there! - [horn blares]
- Formation! - Formation!
Formation!
Forward! We need that gate open!
[grunts]
[soldiers grunt rhythmically]
Come on!
[strains]
Forward!
[soldiers grunt rhythmically]
[officer] Get back in line. Stay there.
Keep in formation.
Charge!
[shouting]
Easy.
Forward!
[yelling]
Rudenz!
[yells]
[strains]
[grunts]
[strains]
[soldiers yell]
Gessler!
[grunts] Finally.
[Rudenz screams]
[dagger clatters]
[yells]
[grunts]
[blade pierces flesh]
[Stussi grunts]
[Rudenz pants]
Let him bleed.
Come here.
[Rudenz pants]
[soldier yells]
Help me!
Stauffacher, help me!
Help me!
Stauffacher!
[soldier screams]
[gurgles]
- Tell! - Walter?
- Keep moving forward. - Walter!
[soldier] Keep charging, men!
Forward!
Keep pressing forward!
Walter! Walt!
[woman screams]
Wait!
Take one more step and they will all burn.
Guards!
[screaming]
Tell, your life is intact and your son's too.
And if you want him...
and these people to live, you will let us leave.
Lay down your bow and order your men to do the same.
Shoot him.
I cannot raise my bow to my son again.
Do it!
[horn blares]
Look. Yes.
See that, Tell?
An army comes for you.
King!
Lay down your weapons!
Lay them down, you Swiss dogs! Lay them down!
- Hold. - Down!
- Hold. - You are lost! You're finished!
Your heads will be on pikes.
[Gessler] Surrender now! Now!
Retreat!
The King is dead!
Look!
[laughs]
The army is retreating!
- [Swiss men cheer] - [Gessler] No, no, no, no. No!
No!
Stussi, stay. Stay with me.
Stussi, wait. Wait!
Pick up your weapons now. Do not surrender.
Stay with me!
Hold strong.
Do not lower your weapons. Do not drop your weapons.
Stay with me!
Take them!
[Gessler grunts]
[he yells]
Walter, come here, come here.
[panicked shouting]
[Gessler] You...
[grunts]
You live a deadly lie, Tell.
You promised your flock freedom and redemption,
yet you've given them nothing but blood.
Go on, kill me. There will be another Gessler.
And you will never... [groans]
...outgrow your hunger for rage.
You are a poison.
And you will leave this world...
unsaluted.
[growls]
And one... less Gessler...
is a victory...
I'll take for now.
[sighs]
Move away, son.
We are huntsmen, not savages.
[pants]
What is this? Is this pity, huh?
Mercy?
Huh?
Tell?
Huh?
No!
Tell!
[priest recites Requiem Mass]
Amen.
[Tell] Farewell, my friends.
The graves of war have yawned
and yielded up their dead.
My heart...
is broken.
You refused to let tyranny rage
and you made steel of our valour.
Now you are...
no more.
But, God,
answer me this.
When will this bleeding business of war
be done?
And I vow before You, God, to kill
all those who rallied against him.
Their servants, their children
and children's children.
I vow to slaughter whole generations upon his tomb
and bathe in their blood as in the dew of May.
[horse approaches]
[Bertha grunts]
- [Suna] We feared you dead. - Many want it so.
Is it true?
I could think of no other option
that would make his army turn around.
Our country owes you.
Come, join us.
But you must know this.
Even now, the cruel Queen Agnes comes.
She is protected by the foul righteousness of the cross...
and seeks your head, Tell.
And all you know.
Queen!