Original subtitles

Back up.

Turn around.

THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO LOVE

Crew!

SIowIy.

Go Iower.

CIose in on her.

Don t move, Nadine.

Cut!

What are you doing here?

Put your head down here.

This is very important. He s haIf dead, but he stiII represents Iife for you.

you hoId his head and say, But l Iove you .

We'II just rehearse the cIose-up.

Then you fuck him, take him!

He'II keep his trousers on now...

When we shoot it'II be much easier when he takes them off.

Go ahead,teII him you Iove him.

Go ahead, teII him!

Say it!

-l... l Iove you, l Iove you. -Again!

l... Iove you.

Again!

you feeI him, it turns you on...

Thats why you say: l Iove you!

Try it! Go on!

FeeI him and say: l Iove you .

Again!

-l Iove you. -Again!

-l can t do that, it's... -yes,you can!

No, l can't! lt's too much!

you're getting paid for it.

-But... -No buts , go ahead.

FeeI him!

Put Iife into it, you Iove him.

More!

More, you Iove him!

l Iove you.

More... more!

No photos pIease.

l'm an actress, l do good stuff.

l onIy do this to... to eat. So pIease, no photos.

PIease.

-Cut!

No photographs...

Get off the set!

l said no photographers on set!

Confiscate the fiIm!

Give us the negative.

Come on!

-We're going to shoot it now with his pants off!

And the camera.

Where the heII have you been?

We said 10 o'cIock!

The kid was busy.

or getting too up market?

Why do you say that?

you know what you are?

A dirty bitch!

you exaggerate. After aII we've done for you.

Without us, kid,

what wouId've become of you?

The receipt pIease.

He not taIk?

He's a Iimey.

With the 40 bucks from Thursday, that's it.

TeII Mr. MazeIIi,

l fuIfiIIed my contract.

WeII kids, shaII we get it on?

Does he have to finish his book?

lf it weren't for MazeIIi...

yes l know, l'd be...

There.

Did l wake you?

yes. We were shooting the whoIe night.

l'm sorry.

Do you remember me?

l took some shots of you yesterday on the set.

l soId them for a very good price so l...

l shouId take more.

you shouId?

yes. To hit a cover... a very important magazine.

Photos of you without yesterday's shit.

yeah buddy, it's been a Iong time since l've hit a cover, with or without shit.

That's a good reason.

lt's beautifuI here. ls it yours?

A crazy oId Austrian saw me once in a fiIm and Iends it to us.

As Iong as she's aIive.

lt's great!

Quite a pIace for a photo-shoot, isn't it?

lt's time.

Time? What time?

No idea.

That changes everything!

Sorry to barge in Iike this, but, your teIephone's out of order.

No, it's been cut off.

Coffee everyone?

My husband is good at making coffee.

Coffee?

Ah, yes,thank you.

l'm at your disposaI, sir.

No make-up? Won't you comb your hair?

-Get more... -No.

Why? l have the face l have. l'm 30. you don't Iike it?

lt s not that... l reaIIy want to put you on a cover.

To seII a cover, one needs...

Something more...

raw.

Wait a minute.

Like this?

-More?

Like this? Some ass?

That's it. Let's make use of the Iight.

Come here, yes. Lift your head.

TiIt your head back...

yes, Iike that.

HoId it. yes, that way.

Give me more profiIe.

Great...

Jacques ChevaIier.

Servais Mont.

Do you work for an agency?

SeveraI. l free-Iance.

l'm interested...indirectIy, l'm a coIIector.

of agencies?

of photos... Louise Brooks, BacIanova, MariIyn, MarIene Dietrich.

This kind of stuff.

James Dean.

Excuse me.

Vitruve, the architect, says extended arms equaI one's height

from chin to cranium, one eighth of one's height,

the width of the shouIders represent one quarter of a man,

and from the nippIes to the head, preciseIy one quarter of a woman.

Leonardo da Vinci.

Be gentIe with my wife, she's pregnant.

My husband wiII say anything.

What was your Iast fiIm?

ln ltaIy... nothing good.

l don't agree.

What was the titIe?

lt was first caIIed The Turkish Dog , then...

NymphocuIa , which is a Iot better.

TeII me...

l dreamt you were pouring Coca CoIa in my ear. A nasty death!

Stop it Jacques,we have to work.

So work, kids.

Anyway,

having coffee in my bath is a must.

What's the matter?

Nothing.

Let's stop if you want.

Did you get aII the photos you wanted?

lf l ask to see you again, wiII you throw me out?

lmmediateIy.

When?

Tomorrow, St. Germain, at 4?

Here at 3.

okay?

Good.

lt's you?

The eIectrics are fried in my bIock, the eIevator has been bust for ten days.

Seven flights when l was your age was peanuts, but now...

So, you want to stay, right?

Hey, l just don'twant to get under your feet!

Just say the word and...

l'II cIimb my seven flights!

Drop it. l'm reaIIy tired today.

WeII, l got a caII from Mr. MazeIIi.

So MazeIIi wouIdn't be the name of your eIevator, by any chance?

See, as soon as l open my mouth, you Iose it.

He just taIked to me. He's offended.

He's got a point.

l paid him back, so fuck him.

Mr. MazeIIi can go fuck himseIf!

Life's not onIy about money.

you prefer to see me scrabbIing in shit as Iong as MazeIIi buys your beers.

ls that what you want?

Who do you think you're taIking to? Don't Iecture me!

Same to you!

Take the couch.

There are sheets in the cIoset.

l have to unpack my shirts.

l don't owe you anything anymore.

l'm saying...

oh, shit!

you're here?

yes.

No, not anymore. l'm going back.

Good night. Just sIam the door when you Ieave.

Today...

l met a girI.

She works next door,

at Wimpy's.

She makes french fries.

She's a Negro, weII... she's a mix.

She's nice.

She has a IittIe boy.

The father waIked out on him.

And you know what? His name is Gerard... Iike me.

WeII?

-What kind of roIe do you...in the fiIm? -3 days, kind of.

Am l bitter?

lt comes with age.

From where l'm standing you'II be 50 tomorrow.

l'm 30.

That's the second time you've toId me.

l'm reaIIy sorry l screwed up the photos because

you are...beautifuI.

Here we go.

l've made myseIf up, l've combed my hair.

l've dusted the room

and my husband's at the movies.

That's it.

WeII since we're here, Iet's do things properIy.

ProperIy?

yes, this shouId be the moment you bring out your medievaI Iiqueur?

TeII me where the bar is, l'II serve you a drink.

Why? you're not okay?

l'm fine.

Listen, l haven't much time and we're not here for that.

We're here for what?

To be together, no?

So?

Now you're wondering what you're going to say?

yes, and...

you're not making things easy.

on the contrary.

lsn't it now you drag me to bed?

yes.

More or Iess.

lt's rather Iess than more, no?

you're used to this sort of thing, no?

you too.

you've been married Iong?

-Six years. -What does he do?

you reaIIy want me to taIk about him?

No but...lt's better than taIking about something eIse and thinking about him, no?

l wonder.

WeII, what do we do?

l wouIdn't know.

lf we don't make Iove and if you don't go,

we have to do something, no?

Such as?

TaIk.

TaIk?

About what?

About... ourseIves.

And you think it'II heIp us?

What?

To be together

since being together is why we're here.

you start.

WeII,

l can start by teIIing you...

about myseIf.

What do you want me to teII you? About what l saw in AIgiers and Vietnam?

Are you reaIIy interested?

you see!

Too bad!

you know what time it is?

l'm sorry to disturb, but l've got to see Nadine.

-What is it with you?, it's 5a.m. -lt's urgent.

-No, l'm sorry, it's a no-go. She's asIeep. -No, sorry!

Fuck off.

Fuck off.

How s Iife?

Life's shit!

Kind of earIy, no?

lt's 8 o'cIock.

Then l'm gIad you came.

cause l don't usuaIIy get up tiI noon.

l don't feeI so good!

lt's 8 AM, not PM.

ls Luce sick?

lt's not about her.

Another woman?

And it's me you've come to taIk to?

yes, l've reaIized you're the onIy person l can taIk to at aII.

Funny, no?

Not at aII.

lt's extremeIy interesting.

ls she an inteIIectuaI?

No. An actress.

lf she's an actress then you're right,

this is the way one shouId act in reaI Iife.

ln fact you want me to heIp you to betray my wife?

-l never Ioved your wife. -That's not myfauIt!

oh weII, everything is my fauIt!

okay, Iet's not be fussy.

your so-caIIed actress,what's her probIem?

The probIem? Shit...

l barge in here at 8, act Iike a jerk,

where's the probIem ?

l don t know what, but l've got to do something for her.

Why shouId l be part of it?

lt's because you fuck my wife... l get it.

Lets think then, we're in the Western WorId, so the soIution wiII be capitaIistic.

How much do you Iove her?

What?

When l was smaII, a century ago,

my mother used to say, in her sickening way: you Iove your Mom?

And me, aIready a whore, l'd answer, oh, l Iove Mom a Iot .

But that wasn't enough for her.

So she'd insist: How much do you Iove her?

10 cents... 100 cents?

So, l am asking you: how much do you Iove her?

-l don't get you. -Do you want to screw her or not?

Cause if you do, you have to pay. That's the way it goes with a young Iecher Iike you.

you want a quick fix? l've got one for you.

l know this crazy guy who's trying to put on a pIay nobody cares about.

And he's seriousIy broke.

A pIay... get it?

The theater!

The three strokes!

The Curtain!

o despair! o cursed oId age!

So then...you buy it?

Are you stiII drunk, or compIeteIy nuts?

She's an actress, right?

Actors have to act.

Since you are a dumbass who don't Iove my wife,you have to pay.

l'II caII the guy and get you an appointment.

Sure you're not taking me for a ride?

l'm not sure of anything and it kiIIs me - put it in the back of your head.

Excuse me.

-lt's beautifuI. -Lapade caII you about me coming?

Ah yes, he did. KarI Heinz Zimmer.

Servais Mont.

May l dry my hair whiIe Iistening?

-you're an actor, right? -No, not at aII.

Too bad.

l came about an actress...

Nadine ChevaIier.

-lsn't it beautifuI? -yes, very.

l brought photographs of her.

Superb!

BeautifuI!

Lapade toId me...

He wiII soon die Iike my brother.

you know what he died of?

of disgust.

yes, but we do have probIems.

l know.

He knows.

l invested in the production.

The director got a city subvention.

You see...

we are reduced to the exigencies of cinema.

No stars, no money.

And the IittIe fame l had in Germany hasn't foIIowed me here!

KarI Heinz Zimmer!

Does my name mean anything to you? Shit!

lsn't he a bore?

your girIfriend...it's the director with whom you shouId taIk.

I' m onIy an actor.

Where can l see the director?

Why, right here!

He moved here. His heating system broke down.

lt's not about ambition, you see,

it's about power, the machinations of power.

Shakespeare's machiaveIic virtues are astonishing.

Providing you're not drowning his pIay in incoherency.

l just want to know if you have a part for Nadine ChevaIier?

The onIy important part in Richard the Third is...

Lady Ann, one of the greatest femaIe roIes.

ls she skiIIed?

What does that mean?

WeII, has she pIayed anywhere?

ls she cIassicaI?

She was in a fiIm caIIed NymphocuIa .

But of course! Two dykes in a castIe with a dwarf!

That was a Pontoni! SubIime!

How was she?

She was good... l mean great.

So that changes everything.

But we've stiII got the financiaI probIem.

-How much is missing? -$20,000.

What's the production cost?

lncIuding us? $100,000.

okay, but on one condition:

She must never know l've got my finger in the pie.

Got it?

Listen!

Don't judge by appearances, MessaIa is one heII of a director.

Ask around in Paris. He's the best.

Here you are, my boy!

How are you?

you're asking me? lt's me who's been asking about you everywhere.

My boy!

We'II settIe this probIem in Geneva!

Hector caIIed.

He says you've gone up market.

When he thinks up market, he means ungratefuI.

l said: No Hector,

he's just a nice kid, stiII a IittIe young,that's aII.

you need me?

A IittIe party at my pIace on the 31st.

A few important friends. We want to keep souvenirs.

okay. l need money.

AII l want is to be generous.

No probIem, boy.

The girIs can't come before Friday.

l said Wednesday.

They're stuck in Munich. Customs.

-Serious? -No.

Then kiss the kid and scoot.

you've Iost weight... you don't eat.

l eat.

Come to eat when you want.

okay.

you won't come.

How much?

$20,000.

That's a Iot of dough. you're in troubIe?

l'm sick.

you'II have to work weII,

not Iike before.

Money's expensive nowadays,

you'II have to take more risks.

you'II have to forget your up market stuff.

you accept?

Don't bug me.

There we go!

By the way, your dad cheated me out of...

Does he know you saved his hide?

Let's open a new account.

- How much did you say? - 20.

AIright for $ 20,000.

And your dad, how's he?

... and her father, not aII so much for Iove

As for another secret intent by marrying her

which l must reach unto. But yet l run before my horse to market,

CIarence stiII breathes; Edward stiII Iives and reigns:

When they are gone, then l must count my gains.

Set down,

set down your honorabIe Ioad,

lf honor may be...

shrouded in a hearse,

Poor key-coId figure

of a hoIy king!

Thou bIoodIess remnant of that royaI bIood!

Be it IawfuI that l invocate thy ghost...

Just a minute! Excuse me!

WouId you mind, darIing chiIdren, if l said we're going head first into disaster?

l say that because l'm happy you're here.

What we II do wiII be good.

We'II be among ourseIves for a few weeks.

one day we'II face the audience.

The audience!

And we'II say: We worked for them.

We'II have to ask ourseIves:

WiII they Iike us?

l want to warn you, as they are not yet here...

Don't give them what they want. They don't know what they want.

Don't seek them out, you II get Iost trying to find them.

l am expecting you, never, never, never

never to be satisfied with yourseIves.

Reach the most demanding depth

you can find in yourseIves.

you wiII then have a chance

to be accepted. PIease, my IittIe one.

Let's continue.

More...direfuI hap betide...

That makes us wretched by the death of thee,

Than l can wish to adders,

spiders, toads, orany creeping venomed thing that Iives!

lf ever he have chiId,

abortive be it, Prodigious,

and untimeIy brought to Iight

Whose ugIy and unnaturaI aspect may fright the hopefuI mother...

lf ever he have wife,

Iet herbe made

As miserabIe by the death of him as l am made...

l can t...any more...

Stay here! l'II go.

Keep caIm.

GentIemen, pIease!

Let's take scene lll.

CaIm down!

lt's happened to aII of us.

He wasn't taIking about you.

We;re aII puppets with screwed up Iives and dead end careers.

Why do you think we're aII here?

We're aII Iike you, when the right stuff comes aIong, we just faII apart!

l m Iost!

-Do you understand? -No, l don't.

l feeI oId... l m tired.

No one tried harder.

No one tried harder.

No one tried to give more...

That's aII l can do for you.

l m not joking.

Me, l don t choose.

l m not Iooking.

l don't foIIow any direction.

l accept myseIf.

Look at yourseIf. you're beautifuI.

l'd give anything to be Iike you.

Understand?

Come.

Come on...

The fat one on the right. She needs to be recognizabIe.

See her? Go ahead.

Now the oId one with the two guys.

Wait,wait... lt's coming.

Look at the brunette with the trannies...

Make sure you get her!

-Don't get upset. -Look! lsn't that a disgrace.

CaIm down, you II burst a bIood vesseI again.

Can t heIp it. lt makes me sick.

lt's dough... but it's disgusting.

oh, Iook at that bitch.

ls the music keeping you awake?

l m out of sIeeping piIIs.

l have to go near my pIace... they know me at the pharmacy.

There's some chicken in the fridge.

l'm not hungry at aII.

l m gIad,with MazeIIi, it worked out.

one never has too many friends in Iife.

What happened with your Wimpy girI?

Down the drain.

She's now with the cook. A fat ltaIian.

She trusts me with her kid from time to time.

l took him to the park this afternoon, and you know what?

He's in Iove -with a bitch his age.

She refuses to pIay with him.

He just stares at her with his big eyes Iike an idiot.

And he suffers...5 years oId. you hear?

you know, with your mother... it wasn't aIways bad.

To heII with my mother!

Sorry.

At the beginning, when l worked for MazeIIi and aII.

before you were born,

we were happy...not for Iong, but stiII.

She was beautifuI.

Time fucks up everything.

lt's when we don't know where we're going...

Be wary of how time flies...

Don't become an oId schmuck Iike me.

Sweet saint, forcharity, be not so curst.

Fare deviI for God's sake,

Get out of here

and troubIe us not.

For thou has made the happy worId thy heII,

FiIIed with cursing cries and deep excIaims.

lf thou deIight to view thy heinous deeds,

BehoId this pattern of thy butcheries.

- oh gentIemen, see, see! -one moment.

Excuse me.

Jacques, wouId you mind stepping into the coffin?

lt wouId heIp your wife in this scene.

WeII darIing, what are you waiting for? Continue.

Thou Iump of fouI deformity

For tis thy presence

that exhaIes this bIood from coId and empty veins,

o God, which this bIood mad is, revenge his death!

Lady,you know no ruIes of mercy, which renders good for bad?

BIessings for curses.

ViIIain,thou knowest no Iaw, nor of God nor of man.

FouIer than heart can thin thee, thou can't but hang thyseIf!

Very good!

But be forcefuI!

you don't carry it enough. Not enough!

oh shit, what more do you need?

But there wiII be stagehands buiIding an iron cage around you!

They II be using a bIow-torch!

-A what? -A bIow-torch.

He's sick.

l'm working for a sick man.

Let's continue.

l need to recuperate!

l m recuperating!

Take 5 minutes.

l have to go now.

l was good, no?

l said: 5 minutes.

Go to heII.

The ghost has returned.

This time l'II taIk to him.

Good morning, mister, did you Iike it?

Hi.

So it;s you who comes here every day.

yes, l m a friend of MessaIa,the director.

l see...

Maybe an army buddy?

So, you re here for him?

yes. WeII, no... it's....

lt's what?

l'm coId.

-Every time l act, there is a ghost.

A man who sits in the Iast row,

who watches...

And no one knows why he's there.

This time l know the ghost.

Do you Iike theater?

Listen to me,

l'm neither a victim nor a prisoner.

My Iife is what it is

even if you don't think it adds up to much.

About the ghost in my Iast pIay, six years ago.

l married him and l Iove him.

Look! lt's the man who breaks down doors at 5 in the morning.

HeIIo, you read Le Figaro , right?

lt's the onIy paper that mentions that Nadine's in the pIay.

He's a friend of MessaIa's.

A friend of MessaIa's,

it's obvious...

just Iook at him.

Look at what l found...

A South American record, Georgio Cassati...fantastic!

l have to go.

Nice, isn't it?

TeII me...why don't you come and have dinner at our pIace?

No thank you.

But l'm doing the cooking.

Wait, Nadine...

Come here.

TeII him...teII him to come.

He's right.

Come tomorrow evening pIease.

Why not?

Fuck me.

Fuck me,fuck me, fuck me!

Jacques, pIease.

you're nuts, l haven taken the piII.

Love me.

What's the matter?

We've eaten cat food

and it hasn't agreed with us.

The can said that there were good things in it.

What's that?

My oId bats...

lf you want my opinion, they're going to croak soon.

They snore aII night and stare at me aII day.

How can l sIeep under such conditions?

CouId you take the dog, l'm afraid to drop her.

That's nice of you.

Can you waIk?

yes... l'm aIright.

SoIitude is the food of the souI.

How are things with your stage girI?

We're together.

So l bIew it totaIIy, right?

Luce wiII never forgive me.

DeIirium tremens. Nothing to do with what he ate.

His Iiver is this big.

l guess he knew what he was doing.

l came as soon as you caIIed.

Can l see him?

He's just come out of coma.

l've done for, man! lt happens to the best peopIe.

Parasites wind up in coIIectives.

Look at that.

l don't want to go to the hospitaI! They give you shit to eat!

TeII them!

you're not sorry for me.

you're perfectIy right.

PeopIe have no more destiny because they have no moraIs

and they have no moraIs because they have no iIIusions.

And my best time was this!

And you...

you don't exist.

you think you're king of the earth

but you're nothing but a dead man and l curse you!

you'II take care of Doriot? She's with the concierge.

yes, don't worry.

l couId ve Ieft her with Luce,

but l don't want my two bitches together.

And since you got the first one

l can croak in peace.

lt's Iong.

l hate to teII you this...

but l think l'm gonna barf.

Be carefuI, you're among Ioons here.

We started a fiIm magazine Iast year. Just four issues - but they were good.

Then, l was switchboard operator and driver for tea-tasters.

l studied medicine before to be Iike my uncIe,

who's an ambuIance driver. lt didn't work.

Then l met Nadine, and took care of her.

Actresses are fragiIe, they break easiIy.

She was on a downhiII sIope at the time.

Debauchery, fornication...fooIing around...

And then, Zorro came to the rescue.

you see.

She was sure you wouIdn't come.

CIear the tabIe for dinner.

What is this... Seventh heaven?

We were just winding up our IittIe swap shop.

Servais Mont,this is Roger Beninge...

Raymond ManueI RosenthaI.

He's dreaming. My best de CarIos

against Iousy CoIumbia Studio re-prints.

-you caII these re-prints. -They're crap!

you caII that a re-print?

Look cIoser.

Be carefuI with those pIates! Are you crazy?

This is Miriam Hopkins.

-ln what fiIm? - She Loves Me Not .

Who with?

With... BingCrosby.

And Kitty CarIisIe.

oK, l got it...

lt'II cost a Iot, no?

Yvonne de C.?

AII of them?

What did you think?

Seen anything more beautifuI?

lt's beautifuI, isn't it?

BeautifuI... sepia print.

This goes directIy into the safe.

He's the onIy one who's stiII into Bing Crosby.

Bastard.AII Yvonne de CarIo.

SaIome is enough for him...

Forgive me, Yvonne.

Shit, the food's burning!

Do you remember?

-What? -Rue de VerneuiI.

A tiny room with a tiny thing to cook on.

Everything was tiny.

The bed was so narrow, we both had to turn over together.

Now we have a Iarge one and we stiII turn over together.

That's marriage.

Right, darIing?

The IittIe Austrian sticks to her routines.

Don't you find her provinciaI?

you don't know her.

HeIp yourseIves!

Take some of this!

-l don't feeI Iike it. -you're too much.

No wonder your breasts are faIIing down. you never eat.

Look at her,when l met her it was three packs a day.

Nicotine was coming out herears.

But then, Zorro came to rescue the oId girI, no?

you think MessaIa wants to Iay her?

-Who? -Nadine.

He gotaII his actors, the pIay was cast. SuddenIy he fires the girI for Nadine.

Don't you think that's strange?

He's gay.

So what? l'm gay too,

with your IittIe boy's ass.

SmaII, round and juveniIe.

-l saw NymphocuIa six times.

-A few good shots...

-Did you see NymphocuIa? -No.

you don't Iike porn fiIms?

l Iike them.

Nadine does them but doesn't Iike them because she's a puritan. Understand that?

She's done everything and showed everything and is getting more and more puritanicaI.

She discovered she had principIes.

Now, you can strip her of her pants, but not her principIes.

She couIdn't expIain her principIes.

They're just there...Iike raiIs

and Nadine sticks to them

even if they burn her feet

Iike right now.

Are you scared so much?

lt's embarrassing and useIess.

I'm so sorry, l forgot l had an appointment at the agency.

PIease excuse me, but l have to go.

Thank you.

-Did you speak to him? -yes.

Can l buy you a coffee?

No, l'lI stay here.

l didn't Ieave him for you.

yes, l know that.

TeII me something.

Are we through?

What is it?

l don't know. l don't know.

Somethings happened.

l don't reaIIy understand...

l'm frightened of doing harm.

l'm in a bind.

Because l feeI that...

if l go further,

l'II do some harm

and if l stop,

l'II do even more.

Now is the winter of our discontent

made gIorious summer by this sun of york

Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths

our bruised arms hung up for monuments

our stern aIarms changed to merry meetings,

our marches to deIightfuI measures.

Grim-visaged war

hath smoothed his front

And now, instead of mounting barbed steeds

He capers nimbIy

in a Iady's chamber

To the Iascivious charm of a Iute.

But l,

that am not shaped for sportive tricks,

l...

cheated of feature by dissembIing nature,

Sent into this breathing worId

Scarce, haIf made up

And that so IameIy and unfashionabIe

That dog's bark at me as l haIt by them.

And then, one hears a rooster back stage.

As usuaI Antoine shouts: TerribIe!

The stage manager runs to him, hoIding a reaI rooster by the neck.

This is a reaI one, Mr. Antoine, a reaI one!

And Antoine answers:

He's terribIe, we must repIace him.

What is she doing?

She shouId be here by now.

l'm in no hurry.

-l had to wait, it came Iate. -Give me that!

Do you know everyone here?

My wife. Sit down.

What can one say for such a fiasco?

That others did weII where MessaIa got Iost.

Excessive, dark, over the top,

Expressionistic without reason,

his directing is a mishmash

of contradicting intentions and random ideas to the point of which

the onIy point is chaos.

l first discard Nadine ChevaIier,

who deserted a certain type of fiIms

about which, out of charity, l wiII remain siIent.

As for Zimmer:

he gave the poorest performance

l have ever been given to see.

Stop directing, MessaIa. you Iike it... but it doesn't Iike you.

Trash!

The verdict of the oracIe!

That's BiIimerIe. The others wiII have to admit that...

Shut up!

Back to the job ads.

My overcoat, sir.

Pardon?

My overcoat, sir. You touched it.

So what?

So what ?

l paid a Iot for this overcoat!

Since l'm a weII-bred homosexuaI,

l care a Iot for my things.

SiIence.

l don t Iike your type.

you touched me with your proIetarian fingers.

lf that's what you want...

you touched me again.

So what?

Let go of me.

-KarI, watch out!

lf you're as vuIgar as he...

it wiII be perfect.

Good night!

Poor KarI, he never couId take a bad notice.

l reaIIy Iiked it.

you couIdn't care Iess, right?

of course l mostIy Iooked at my wife.

lt's amazing what you got out of the oId girI.

Those screams, howIs... aII of that.

lt must be what you peopIe caII Iife.

l'd aIways wondered, what it is,

now l know.

And him... the photographer.

What's he doing here anyway?

AII l can say

is that aII of you are reaIIy

starting to piss me off.

DarIings...

l might as weII say it now: it's a flop.

AII the reviews wiII be more or Iess Iike this one.

With Iuck we'II do the 30 compuIsory performances.

Maybe we won't.

SeIIing the costumes,

l may manage to repay the peopIe who trusted me.

That saII l had to teII you.

l'm sorry.

Did he say anything?

yes, a few verses from Rimbaud.

TurmoiI originated your Poetry

lmmense forces served you

your entraiIs burst, death menaces

Chosen City!

Consume your shrieks in the Deaf Trumpet.

Weird, isn't it?

yes.

Where's Raymond Lapade?

ln the eIevator.

She Ieft immediateIy.

There he is.

A man opened the door for me.

He toId me to wait inside.

l preferred waiting here.

He said he wouIdn't be back

and that he had toId you aII he had to say.

This is Doriot,the second wife of the pIay's transIator.

l'II give her to some dog Iover.

She deserves better than me.

Coffee? That's aII l have.

l came to pay my debt.

l have one toward Jacques,

a very big one.

l'd be reaI troubIe if l hadn't met him.

l'd be... l don't know.

A whore.

Do you understand?

you see,

you were right.

A woman can aIways be bought. Whatever they say.

And then you'II Ieave, right?

yes.

Does he know you're here?

you'II never teII him?

No.

Then, its better you Ieave now.

l went to Servais ...

to sIeep with him. He refused.

How's his pIace?

Rented; sinister.

you must give me a reprieve.

lt's been six years we've been having breakfast together,

so you must give me a reprieve.

AII l ask you for is a IittIe time, a month or two.

l was just trying to breathe.

one mustn't breathe.

So, you agree?

Nadine toId me everything.

Why are you here then?

Are you a compIete bIockhead?

l'm giving you the good friend one .

l'II teII you my whoIe sordid Iife story.

The more l'II cry in your Iap, the more you'II pity me

and the Iess tricks you'II puII.

Don't make a mountain out of pity.

And l don't want to puII tricks.

Don't you understand that this is just as crappy for me?

Nadine promised she won't try to see you again.

WeII then,

there's no probIem.

What do you mean, no probIem ?

CongratuIations! Hats off!

Refusing to go to bed with my wife,

how impressive!

you want to know? l Iove it. l Iove it, honest to God l do.

lt drives me crazy.

okay, tit for tat.

l'II ask you a favor.

Go to heII!

HeIp me.

HeIp me, shit! Do something!

you're a move

and l'm not.

you see, Nadine owes me a reprieve.

Do l owe you anything?

yes...

because you didn't sIeep with her.

l'm bushed.

l went to see a Maciste fiIm l had missed.

Any good?

Some interesting things.

SpeciaI effects mostIy.

Did you get a crowd?

45 peopIe. 20 paid.

The big hit!

yes,

the big hit.

you shouId have seen those CycIops

fighting Titans,

chucking whoIe mountains at them!

The Titans were retaIiating with whoIe countries.

AII of this bIended niceIy in juicy music, Mines trone.

Great camera work, you get the idea.

Strange. l'm tired.

l work and l'm tired.

Do you understand that?

The reprieve is stiII on?

Don't forget to say your prayers.

My God,

l'm fed up.

Thanks forcoming.

How are you doing?

What's the matter with you?

Why do you hide your breasts?

Hey you! you won't stay here doing nothing aII day Iong!

-She was getting on his nerves.

He got her under controI.

But why does she hide her breasts?

He must've cut some off

to be more convincing.

lnteresting.

l came to say goodbye.

l'm Ieavingfor Manaos.

The Sarah Bernhardt theater.

l'm pIaying VIadimir in Godot.

lt's aII over then?

A kir, pIease.

Listen, l'm rich. FamiIy money.

PIease accept this.

For me it's nothing.

l think it's a Iot for you.

l don't want your dough.

l'm very fond of Nadine.

you're mad.

No.

Rich.

PhiIosophicaIIy speaking, if you don't count St. Thomas Aquinas

the medievaI period was a catastrophe

but we owe it a certain conception

of woman's dignity.

This caIIs for a drink.

Get Iost!

l took care of him.

Listen,you shouId have caIIed. We couId've met eIsewhere.

l tried. your phone is stiII cut off.

Shit, no wonder it doesn't ring often.

Can l taIk to you both?

Are you oK?

l'm here for Jacques.

Coffee,tea,wine, cognac,whisky?

Fernet, ham, butter, my briefcase?

No thanks, Jacques.

We're Iistening.

Watch what you're doing.

you don't get it.

He's doing this for me.

For me, no?

lt's for me.

That's him!

Saint Francis of Assisi in person!

Strong...

and handsome.

l'II be abIe to keep my coIIection.

MariIyn, Louise Brooks.

Nadine, you must thank the man.

you have to thank him.

Thank him, go ahead!

Go on!

Won't you kiss me?

I'm here! l'm here!

Can you be at Petit Louis tomorrow at 4?

Where?

Of course, she forgot.

The cafe, rue de VerneuiI.

you remember?

l remember.

l'II have things to teII you.

Another five minutes, and l'd have caIIed the fire brigade.

l'm Iate.

A guy kiIIed himseIf on the subway, l was stuck for haIf an hour.

Nothing's changed here.

What have you done today?

l've managed to get a job.

l'm dubbing Jane Fonda.

Fantastic!

Jane Fonda? BarbareIIa.

When do you start?

on the 14th.

-Coffee with... -With rum.

yes and with... but without.

you know what the Iousiest thing is?

The most disgusting?

No.

Pity.

Why?

Because it's terminaI.

l know what you think of me.

of aII my buIIshit.

There's a word for it.

l found it in my Ieather bound and giIded dictionary.

Contempt.

l don't have contempt for you, Jacques.

oh shit...

What's happening to us?

l don't know anymore.

l'm aIways here...

waiting.

l want you so much. l need you so much.

There is no one, no one in the worId l Iove more. No one.

So,

you mustn't Ieave me aIone. you mustn't.

l can't be aIone.

Where are you? Where? Here?

l don't know where you are.

l can stiII give you a Iot. Everything.

But l don't want to feeI...

to feeI that Iife is eIsewhere.

l can't.

l can do anything for you.

Anything.

Anything except...

Except what?

Live.

Can l say l Iove you.

l Iove you means nothing!

Nothing, nothing, nothing, you understand?

lt means nothing!

you understood everything.

Everything.

ls that aII?

What do you mean by aII ?

Many women wouId find it a Iot. EspeciaIIy in yemen.

May the gods

scatter roseson your path.

l have to make a phone caII.

See you at home?

Where do you think you are?

Look at aII that shit!

UnbeIievabIe!

ls this the agency?

Servais Mont, pIease.

That's it.

Come with me.

What a jerk!

What a jerk!

Why did he do it? Why?

He shouId have done it before!

Before he met you!

Why did he do it?

He shouId have done it before knowing you!

Do you understand?

HeIp me.

Come.

He soId aII his photographs

except these.

No one wanted them.

He put the money in the bank in my name.

They gave me a shot to make me sIeep.

l want to be aIone.

l'II go when you sIeep.

lt's fucked for us, don't you know?

lt's the shot. lt won't Iast.

l hope not, it gets on my nerves.

Now remember, my face must not be seen.

oh shit!

lt happens, it's nothing , we'II start soon.

She'II be aIright.

He'II do a good job?

you can trust him, he's a speciaIist.

Hey, my boy!

We haven't taIked about our next meeting.

l've arranged something for Friday.

Enough. you'II have to make do without me. your grandma dyke makes me puke.

Don't you think it makes me puke too?

But they're aII aIike. High time you get used to it...

Do l need to teII you what man is Iike?

He's Iike the ugIiest things he can do . He's Iike when he sits on the can .

Force yourseIf to Iook at what disgusts you.

When you see yourseIf in a mirror, do Iike me: think about something eIse.

l'm done!

l've had enough.

Not so fast...

When l met you, you were that smaII.

l couId have crushed you Iike a tadpoIe.

lt's a pity you didn't.

Maybe, but remember your father, to say the Ieast, hasn't got much of a spine.

Therefore, if you're now big and strong, it's thanks to me.

ln a way, l'm a father to you, no?

Think about it...

l'm Iike a father to aII of them.

They teII me their miseries.

l Iisten.

They disgust me but l Iike them enough.

So, Iike God, l'II say: you're free.

Nobody was ever forced to work with MazeIIi.

you forgot to taIk about the day you saved my Iife during the war,

and risked yours steaIing a bottIe of miIk from the Germans.

Go to heII!

you owe me a Iot of dough, kid.

lf you quit working for me, you'II have to pay me back.

l'II give you ten days because l Iike you.

you know, God...

onIy took six days to create the worId.

As you see, l'm not a mean shit!

lt's us.

So kid,

pIaying hide and seek with MazeIIi?

l said, ten days.

Do you know how many it's been?

EIeven days, kid. EIeven days of anxiety for good oId MazeIIi.

l can pay you back.

The money is on the manteI.

What did l teII you?

Look at his IittIe face.

l knew you weren't eating. Do you sIeep at Ieast?

When you don't eat,you must get yoursIeep.

We aIways have a bed for you.

you'II never get your head around it.

lt's not a matter of money but of principIe.

l was wrong aboutyou

and Hector was right.

you've gone up market.

you know what's coming to you? What was due to your dad three years ago.

you know kid, normaIIy peopIe Iike us don't exist.

l know it but l'm the onIy one.

Each morning when l see myseIf, l say: this is not reaI .

So, since we don't exist

we must find a way to be accepted, right?

That's what you're doing now.

you're accepting.

So Iong kid.

l reaIIy Iiked you.

l Iove you.