(5 Nov 2009)
1. Fortunat Mackiewicz and Elvira Profe sitting on the porch of their home, pull focus to flowers
2. Close-up of knees as couple sit on bench, tilt up to Profe's face
3. Couple sitting together outside their home
4. Mackiewicz and Profe in the kitchen of their home
5. Couple seated with photograph in foreground
6. SOUNDBITE: (Polish) Fortunat Mackiewicz-Profe, Reunited husband:
"How could she be a beautiful woman when her weight was only 30 kilo? She was skinny like my finger. Skinny, thin. She was so poor. I said I kissed her on her forehead, that was not out of love, that was out of pity..."
7. Mid of Mackiewicz and Profe looking at his old passport photo, Mackiewicz takes the photo and shows it to the camera
8. Close-up of photo
9. SOUNDBITE: (German) Elvira Profe-Mackiewicz, Reunited wife:
"It developed gradually and he went to the town hall to ask if he can marry me. They asked who that is and then, a German, no way, and who is the German? A daughter of the factory owner? That is a capitalist, an enemy of state who needs to go away."
10. Wide of street in Mieszkowice
11. Close up of street signs
12. Wide exterior of former factory owned by Profe family before the WWII
13. Mid of Fortunat Mackiewicz in front of the factory, pan to Elvira Profe
14. Mid of factory windows
15. Profe talking in front of factory, pull out to couple
16. Couple looking through fence of factory
17. Wide exterior of Mackiewicz's and Profe's house
18. SOUNDBITE: (German) Elvira Profe-Mackiewicz, Reunited wife:
"Fotek told me please don't write because they'll arrest me for being a spy. You can't imagine that situation after the war, the war was practically not finished yet."
19. Various of river Oder, at the border between Germany and Poland
20. Wide of Elvira Profe walking towards the ferry on the river
21. Sign reading: "Welcome to Poland"
22. SOUNDBITE: (German) Elvira Profe-Mackiewicz, Reunited wife:
"We were five metres apart, he said 'Elvira', I said 'Fotek' and than we hugged and it was as if fifty years dropped away."
23. STILLS of the couple together in years after being reunited
24. SOUNDBITE (Polish) Fortunat Mackiewicz-Profe, Reunited husband:
"Fifty years have gone. It's like we lived all our life together. It's like that for her and for me as well. It's like since we met, we are together, there were no breaks. That's the feeling, very strange."
25. Reunited couple sitting outside their homes
STORYLINE:
An elderly couple, whose love survived despite being separated for 50 years by the 'Iron Curtain', remembered the moment that changed their lives - the day the Berlin Wall fell 20 years ago.
The love story of Elvira Profe and Fortunat Mackiewicz began in the chaotic aftermath of World War II, as Poland's borders were redrawn by the Allies and millions of Germans were expelled from what used to be their country.
In January 1946, Elvira was one of the few Germans left in the town of Baerwalde, renamed Mieszkowice when it became part of Poland after the Nazi defeat. Fortunat resettled there after his home was handed to the Soviets.
The once privileged daughter of a factory owner, returned to the town from a labour camp in Siberia weighing just 33 kilograms (75 pounds).
Her back was damaged from heavy work and at only 20 years old she already had grey hairs.
She first met Fortunat, whom she affectionately calls Fortek, begging at his home for food.
He emotionally recalls that it wasn't love at first sight but pity.
The pair became close when she spent entire days with his family, helping to do chores and he would walk her home.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
