My Father’s Shoes
(Treatment)

“A story based on the life of my father, Bela Zelikowics.”- Tibor Zelikowics

LILIAN an American fashion designer of fifty years is sitting at a Viennese café and cannot help but
notice a pair of elegant but well-worn vintage shoes sitting at the table beside her. Curiously she
enquires about the shoes. KARL a somewhat well dressed sixty year old Hungarian is stirred by
Lilian’s curiosity and unravels the dramatic story of his father, BÈLA ZELIKOWICS- a humble
Jewish shoemaker who courageously survives a Pogrom, the Great Depression, two World Wars and
the 1956 Hungarian/Russian Revolution. Nobly persevering against all odds.
Anti-Semitism was in full swing in Eastern Europe and Russia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
and showing no signs of slowing down. Pogroms were a common ethnic “cleansing”.
Brown muscular horse legs run like the wind. A snout neighs and its breath rapidly condenses into the
cold air. Wildly galloping horses follow, carrying saddled COSSACKS on their robust torsos. Five
year old Bèla watches in horror as this entire wave of Cossacks slaughter, torch and murder his village
including his parents. Petrified, Bèla manages to save himself by hiding in the forest, seeking shelter
overnight. The following day, dazed, wandering and exhausted he finds his way to Budapest. Hunger
and exhaustion overcome Bèla as he passes out on ‘Doorstep 102’. Morning comes and the owner of
the house steps out, nearly tripping over Bèla’s little body. The owner viciously kicks him in the face,
splitting Bèla’s upper lip while cursing him. This kick is a crucial turning point in Bèla’s life and
depicts the early formation of his true character. Bèla observing the rich man’s shoes rises up
undefeated and determined to persevere in life, come what may. Thus begins the story of a man who
rises up over and over again through the harrowing experiences of the first half of the 20th century
wrought with war, anti-Semitism and revolution.
Starving, frightened and clueless, Bèla is taken in by a young Jewish family; the ABRAMSKY’S.
Grateful, Bèla remembering the roots of his real father’s trade as the village shoemaker, feels
comfortable becoming MR. ABRAMSKY’S shoemaking apprentice. Although illiterate, Bèla
becomes a master of the trade and includes the signature mark of his father’s on each right shoe- as a
symbol of protection.
Bèla now eighteen falls in love for the first time with an albino Christian violinist. The blond
BIANKA (20) is unlike anything he has ever seen before. She is as pale as the moon, her blue eyes
pierce lovingly into his. In an attempt to lavish her with his affection, Bèla creates a pair of Violin
shaped high heels to present her with. Nevertheless, Bèla sadly makes the conscious decision to end
their relationship, as he cannot marry Bianka because of his Jewish heritage. However it is not before
long that Bèla develops a new passion in life; the Opera. He teaches himself how to read by studying
Librettos. His favourite Opera is Puccini’s Turandot. Bèla sees his own life through the story of
Prince Calàf’s determination and victory over severe obstacles- triumphing in the end, never letting go
of hope or love.
Bèla meets MIRON (20) a waiter at the Budapest Opera, who becomes his best friend in life. Soon
Bèla opens his own little shoe boutique and buys an apartment. He listens to a lot of music in his
kitchen to inspire him in his shoe designs. Through cleverly analyzing how to develop designer shoes
at a low cost- Bèla becomes a very successful businessman. One day, as he picks up a custom tailored
suit in Zagreb, Yugoslavia- Bèla meets the capricious JÚLIA (20), the tailor’s daughter who later
becomes his first wife. Júlia and Bela are separated for six months due to his booming shoemaking
business back in Budapest. When reunited, Bèla secretly plans a romantic proposal in a rowboat off
the coast of Dubrovnik. Before giving him an answer, the unpredictable, impulsive Júlia jumps into

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the ocean. Shocked and afraid not knowing if Júlia could swim, Bèla jumps in after her and stands on
a submerged rock. He pulls her in towards him, they passionately kiss and laughing hysterically she
ecstatically agrees to marry him. A year later their beautiful daughter; MARIAM is born.
But the years following the depression of 1929, Bèla’s shoemaking business drops. Seizing
opportunity through Júlia’s UNCLE, an entrepreneur in the booming scrap metal business Bèla goes
into partnership, oblivious of what their metal is being used for.
World War II has begun and the Yugoslavian government aligns with the Nazis. Unaware of the
dangers that lie ahead, Bèla has bought Turandot tickets for his family and his best friend and
neighbor Miron’s family. Bèla being away on a business trip from Zagreb has no idea that Júlia,
Mariam, Miron and his family are taken in a raid. Bèla is waiting at the Opera house unaware of the
Nazi raid, waiting for his and Miron’s family to arrive. The Opera has started and Bèla goes in and
sits down, believing they are just late. Nervously, he notices many seats are empty in the great Hall.
With a feeling of foreboding, Bèla apprehensively heads home. He walks past the burned out
synagogue of his neighbourhood. One dead body lies here, another dead body lies there. The shock
begins to conceptualize as well as blur his vision of reality. Bèla stops in front of his apartment door
and drops his bags, upon seeing the front door kicked in, hanging on one hinge. He darts in to find his
NEIGHBOR still in shock mumbling “they took them all” as she is pointing toward the street. Bèla
overcome with fear and grief finds the body of his daughter and wife across the street in front of their
home.
Overcome with heartache, Bèla wakes to the realization of how he grossly underestimated the horrific
intentions of the Nazi overthrow of Europe. Disgusted and sickened he quits the scrap metal business,
understanding that it was supporting the vicious Nazi movement and moves back to Hungary.
Mourning, Bèla goes back to doing what he knows best...making shoes. He takes his product display
case into the SCHWARZ family shoe store, where he meets the lively, fun loving blonde pianist PIA
(23), the shoemaker’s daughter. At this time in our history people made fast, life changing decisions
with the thought always in the back of the head how precarious life is. Bèla recognizes life must go on
and in a poignant prayer to his beloved Júlia and Mariam he seeks forgiveness and to be set free.
Bela asks Pia for her hand in marriage.
Early evening, Rosh Hashanah 1943, Bèla, Pia and her sister RACHEL have to do an errand. While
they are gone, the Nazi’s raid the Schwarz’s flat and everyone is taken. When Bèla, Pia and Rachel
return they find the all the rest of the family gone. Remembering the recent horror of the loss of Júlia
and Miriam, Bèla is visibly shaken. He makes a plan for them to split up to survive the war. Pia and
her sister seek shelter in a country farmhouse. Bèla on the other hand, takes another route, gets
arrested and blinded in his eye by a rifle butt before being taken into a “labor camp”. Late into the war
a troop of tired, exhausted and bedraggled German soldiers arrive at the shelter farmhouse where Pia
and Rachael have been hiding. In an intensive near rape/murder moment the lead SOLDIER decides
to leave the girls untouched. In labor camp Bèla is reunited with the hollow shell of his lost friend
Miron. Sacrificing himself to save all the others Miron gets murdered by the soldiers. Skillfully, Bèla
escapes camp.
World War II has finally come to an end. Bèla and Pia miraculously are reunited. They now own a
fabric warehouse with an entire basement filled with leather, which he inherited through a dying labor
camp inmate. Bèla reinstates the shoe making business and buys ‘House 102’ in Budapest, where he
landed as an orphan on the doorstep and had his epiphany of survival. He has finally risen. Pia and
Bèla give birth to two children, Karl and MIRIAM. When the Russian/Hungarian revolution strikes,
the entire family goes through a harrowing escape to Austria.
As Hungarian refugees they seek asylum in the United States, the paperwork comes through to Los
Angeles, where Bèla reinstates an orthopaedic shoe business as he has grown older. The children are
grown into young adults. Karl is in University of California Berkley and studying philosophy. He

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makes a confession to his father that he has become a Christian. Thus ensues a deeply moving, heated
discussion about sacrifice and religion.
Bèla and Pia, in their early eighties are vacationing with another couple in Palm Springs. On their way
home from a play, Bèla crosses the highway. Suddenly, a white dove flutters into Bèla’s face. A white
SUV drives toward them at a relatively high speed. Through his good eye, Bèla catches a glimpse of
his first wife and daughter Julia and Mariam, who smile at him from the other side of the road. Tires
screech. Bela is fatally hit by the SUV. The dove flies off.
(Nessun Dorma fades in.)
CLOSE UP: Bèla’s shiny black shoe is flying slowly, slowly, slowly through the cold night air.
Ext. Zagreb. Opera House. Evening.
(Nessun Dorma continues.)
CLOSE UP: Bèla’s, Júlia’s and Mariam’s shoes walking up the building staircase.

Performer
(Italian Voice Over)
Vincerá! Vincerá! [I will be victorious!]

CLOSE UP: Bèla’s left hand closes in on Júlia’s right hand while Bèla’s right hand closes in on
Mariam’s left.

Fade out.

“IN MEMORY OF PERSEVERANCE, TOLERANCE AND LOVE.”

Credits roll.