Original subtitles

But I could cite one case among a thousand other frauds,

of old bank notes unpaid from savings

then resold at three or four percent of their face value

reassigned to good funds and reimbursed in full.

In another case, I know from a good source

that he had Belle-Île and Nantes fortified.

Mr. Fouquet's heart is with the Fronde.

We must not act too quickly.

Besides, my mother is very friendly with the superintendent.

Mr. Fouquet often has bags of gold brought to Her Majesty the Queen Mother

intended for her good works.

I don't want to jeopardize the returns from this year's taxes

by scaring off the farmers-general too soon.

So until further notice, Mr. Fouquet remains part of the council.

And Her Majesty the Queen Mother?

My mother?

His Eminence removed her from the council.

Will you bring her back in?

No.

Your debauched behavior is unworthy of a Christian king.

I'm not against pleasure,

but you don't take precautions anymore.

When you stay at Fontainebleau,

you bathe naked in the river with your mistress every day.

And you've asked Mignard to paint you both.

You as Apollo and she as a shepherdess at your side,

as if the queen didn't exist.

I understand why you don't want me in your council.

You're afraid I'll condemn your behavior.

Have you lost all respect for yourself,

all affection for your spouse and for me?

You cannot imagine the grief you cause me.

Pushed away by Mazarin, a man whose fortune I made,

and now by my own son.

Since you're acting as if you had no mother,

I'll withdraw to the convent in Val-de-Grâce.

Val-de-Grâce, you understand?

Forgive me, Mother.

Forgive me.

Sire, please forgive me,

but I must remind Your Majesty that a decision must be taken

regarding membership in the high council.

What decision?

What has Your Majesty decided?

- I believe the Queen Mother - - Nothing has changed.

Neither my brother nor my mother will attend the council.

It's started. The dogs are calling.

Do you like hunting?

Yes. It makes private meetings easier.

The king is quite an enthusiast.

It will be easy to control him

as long as he has something to keep him entertained,

just as I predicted.

All of your speeches begin or end with "just as I predicted"

or "wasn't I right?"

Do you never tire of always being right?

Besides, you may be letting your imagination run away with you.

As far as I know, the king diligently presides over the council

as he'd declared he would.

He takes interest in all matters.

This fine zeal is merely a flash in the pan.

Within a month, I'll be prime minister.

If that's how it is, you should get rid of Colbert.

He's a man to be feared.

You really think I should be worried about that petit bourgeois from Reims?

It's this young woman, Mlle. De la Vallière, who is going to be important.

Really?

You don't know her?

Yes, I know her.

Madame calls her "the little dressmaker from Tours."

She's the daughter of a poor gentleman.

She was raised at the court of Mr. Gaston, brother of the late king.

Evidently, she's not used to money.

We'll easily win her over.

How beautiful, madame.

- Louise, aren't you playing? - No, Sire.

I'll put in 10 pistoles for you.

Seventeen. You lose.

How are you faring, madame?

I don't care about the game.

- When will you stop torturing me? - 102.

What do you mean? I don't understand.

- You understand very well. - Not so loud.

Aren’t you interested in the game?

No, I always lose.

I have a word for you from Mr. Fouquet.

The superintendent is struck with your beauty and your modesty.

You can count on his support.

While awaiting a pledge of his friendship,

Mr. Fouquet would ask you to accept a gift.

- A gift? - Yes.

Twenty thousand pistoles.

Tell Mr. Fouquet I won't make a false step for 20,000 pistoles.

Why are you shaking?

I'm shaking with rage.

Madame du Plessis just offered me money.

Money?

Twenty thousand pistoles from Mr. Fouquet.

I've noticed that my first impressions are usually correct.

And this step forces me not to postpone any further

what I both want and fear to do.

You've done very well to advise me, Louise.

Madame, I've decided that the next Council of Ministers will take place in Nantes.

I want the whole court to depart within three days.

I'll see you there.

Good night, madame.

Nantes? The king is quite sure of himself.

Why this sudden decision?

At the last council, the king didn't utter a word of this.

I'm afraid this may conceal some kind of plot.

- Your spies haven't said anything? - About what?

If I were you, I'd start fearing the worst.

You're dreaming.

I saw the king smile at you as he left the room.

No. His Majesty is young

and the temptation to display his new power is too strong.

You amuse me, always imagining the worst catastrophes.

If the king has decided to visit my estate,

it must be to pay homage to the foremost servant of the crown.

Don't lose your head.

I'm happy to see you.

Sire, when I learned that Your Majesty

deigned to honor our city of Nantes with your presence,

I could not fail to pay my respects to you.

You must rest to recover your health.

I'd like to take the opportunity while you're alone, Sire,

to submit a petition to you.

I'll read it later.

Here comes my mother.

I have to tell you something.

What?

I wanted you to be informed.

I've decided to have Mr. Fouquet arrested by my captain of the guard.

I've brought the council to Nantes to give this action greater impact.

But Louis...

have you lost your mind?

Why, madame? When the treasury is empty,

revenue is consumed two years in advance,

the harvest is bad and the people are menaced with a new famine,

the superintendent is rich enough

to spend in one day more money than I possess

and to corrupt my close associates.

This represents years of plundering, extortion and trafficking

at the kingdom's expense.

And Mr. Fouquet is not even afraid to give me proof of it.

Mr. Fouquet is completely devoted to you.

My decision has been made.

Arresting Mr. Fouquet in his own province.

Be careful, my son.

You might reawaken the troubles of the Fronde.

Then I will know who is for me and who is against me.

And I will know where to carry out justice.

You scare me.

I've never seen a more wretched place.

You're always complaining. It's not bad to be in the field.

Against whom? As far as I know, the Spanish aren't in Nantes.

You can ask Mr. D'Artagnan.

- Bread, musketeers? Fresh bread. - Ask for my cured ham. Fresh sausage.

Gentlemen.

In Paris, we have barracks at each of the king's castles.

- You see the king every day? - Every day we ride before his carriage.

Mr. D'Artagnan!

His Majesty would see you right away.

Do you know why?

His Majesty would like to discuss the role of your musketeers.

I'll follow you.

Water bearer!

Water bearer!

Sire, Mr. D'Artagnan is here.

Let him in.

Mr. D'Artagnan, the mission I'm assigning you

must be kept secret until you have carried it out.

Following that, I want to call as much attention to it as possible.

I'm greatly honored by the confidence Your Majesty has placed in me.

- I can assure you that I'm - - You will arrest Mr. Fouquet

when he comes out of the council.

Mr. Colbert will give you the details of my instructions.

Farewell, Mr. D'Artagnan.

Here are written orders signed by His Majesty.

Do not let Mr. Fouquet out of your sight from the moment he's arrested

so he's not able to conceal any documents.

The prisoner will be transported to Angers via Oudon and Ingrandes.

At Oudon, you will ask him for a letter with his signature

ordering the commander at Belle-Île to return the site to the king's hands.

You will read the rest.

Very well, sir.

You may assure the king that his orders will be carried out diligently.

The next council will take place in Vincennes.

You are excused.

Mr. Fouquet.

I have something to say to you.

No.

It will wait for another time.

I do not know what Mr. Fouquet's fate will be.

It's up to my courts to decide.

In any case, I don't want another superintendent.

The king, Mr. Colbert,

should be the unique soul of the state.

To prevent the Fronde from returning to power,

it's not enough to rely on those who are more loyal than others.

Everyone in the kingdom must derive all things from the monarch,

as nature derives all things from the sun.

The people must be assured work and bread,

so that poverty will not drive them into the arms of new rebels.

We'll see to it that taxes are lowered.

As for the nobility, they as well shall derive all things from the king:

Privileges, honors, money.

Therefore, we will have them continually in our presence,

separated from the bourgeoisie.

We'll make sure that being far from us will be worse than exile for them.

Be careful, Sire, that expenses do not become great.

Expenses, Mr. Colbert, will be sources of activity and profit.

The merchants, artisans and the bourgeois

will see that it's in their interest to build ties to the king,

the animator of all enterprises.

All of our decisions - great works,

the establishment of industries, the conquest of new lands -

will provide opportunities for immense profit.

This is the outline of my policy. Are you prepared to serve it?

With all my heart, Sire.

In your view, what are the means to this end?

Your Majesty has said it.

France must be endowed with the industries it lacks.

It must produce arms, mirrors, tapestries.

France must be given a fleet and an empire beyond the sea,

to liberate us from Holland, which has a monopoly on maritime traffic.

Domestically, charity must be replaced by work,

for the idle are easy prey for troublemakers.

We must dig canals, open roads, develop stables for military service,

take measures to avoid famine and develop agriculture.

We must reduce the taxes that are crushing the peasants

and offset this loss of revenue

by raising indirect taxes which will affect all classes -

financing, granting, salt, tobacco and stamped paper.

This system will allow, as His Majesty wishes,

a reduction in charges on the lower classes.

However, to increase income,

it's best to reduce the remittances and profits of tax collectors

and have them closely watched,

to investigate sharply the traders

and to reduce and refinance allowances.

That's all very well.

We will be certain to take these measures.

In addition, Mr. Colbert,

upon my return to the Louvre, I want you to summon the master tailor.

Do not neglect this order. It's of the highest importance.

We have scrupulously followed Your Majesty's commands.

There isn't enough ribbon and lace.

Does Your Majesty prefer it like this?

That's better.

Mr. Fouquet had adopted those German fashions.

We'll take the most luxurious part from it.

Mr. Fouquet saw in it no more than an instrument of glory.

We'll make political use of it

so that the nobles won't be able to think of anything but their doublet.

A suit like this one, Mr. Colbert,

should represent a year's income for a gentleman of the court.

Mr. Binet, try the wig on him.

My scissors.

With that dark wig, the mustache needs to match.

Add ribbons to the shoes and lengthen the lace at the heel.

Mr. Fouquet understood that minds are governed more by appearances

than by the true nature of things.

Does the suit meet Your Majesty's wishes now?

No, it's too cheap.

It's better to start over.

You see, Mr. Colbert, I'll be the first to dress this way.

For the nobility must follow the king in every regard.

I've decided to keep them far away from Paris

and far away from the parliament who was their ally during the Fronde.

To that end, I'll move into the castle that my father built at Versailles.

Until the present, leaders have paid their own expenses while staying at court.

Henceforth, the crown will pay the expense of furnishing and lodging them year round.

Nevertheless, Sire,

Your Majesty's generosity will not prevent the nobles from going into debt.

Far from their land, solicited by a thousand opportunities to spend,

they'll take out loans.

Let them.

I'll cover their worst debts to bind them more closely to me.

As for those nobles who wish to have lodgings built at Versailles,

I will declare their lodgings privileged from seizure

and not to be sold by the courts.

That will not fail to attract them to the court.

They will no longer be indebted to the bourgeois for their finances,

but to myself alone.

My father's castle will become the temple of the monarchy.

All the artists in the kingdom will work on its embellishment.

Well, Mr. Le Vau, how are things progressing?

Sire, I had to address the most urgent matters first.

Where do the works stand?

The masonry of the middle wing is complete,

the plumbing and the roofing will soon be done

and shortly, Your Majesty will see the woodwork under way.

On the other hand, Your Majesty can already judge the effect produced

by the balusters, vases and trophies.

Have you seen, Mr. Le Vau,

the paintings which will adorn the seven rooms of the large apartment?

Yes, Sire.

Nothing signals more clearly a prince's greatness of spirit than his buildings.

Posterity judges him by the measure of the structures he's built.

After me, Versailles will remain the palace of my dynasty.

Keep this in your mind and spare no embellishment that might enrich it.

Mr. Colbert, based on these plans,

have you estimated how many people the palace could house?

Yes, Sire. 13,000 people.

I would like the plans enlarged to 15,000.

When foreign lords and sovereigns come to visit us,

the immensity and novelty of the palace's layout

will show them the extent of France's power.

Mr. Le Vau, you must continue those open archways

that you have erected to support the terrace.

We will plant here, with the good exposure to the sun,

the largest and most beautiful orangery in the world.

The king!

Mr. De Vardes.

I greet you, madame.

I am quite well.

Mr. De Vardes, I've summoned you.

I am pleased to see you.

My Lord, Sire, by summoning me, you've brought me back to life.

This is Mr. De la Motte, who's just returned from the country.

I salute you, sir.

Another foolish remark.

Aren't you aware that you mustn't salute anyone in my presence?

Sire, I'd completely forgotten.

Your Majesty will have to forgive me 30 foolish remarks.

I will. Twenty-nine remain.

But tell me, Vardes, what's this doublet you're wearing?

Have you just returned from China or the Americas?

Sire, when we're so unfortunate as to be distant from you,

we're not only unhappy, but ridiculous as well.

Stand up, Mr. De Vardes, and remain in my friendship.

Are they cooked perfectly?

Careful. His Majesty hates hard-boiled eggs that aren't perfectly cooked.

His Majesty has begun the eighth setting.

Garnish the chicken.

Prepare the fruit baskets.

Garnish it with spinach.

Don't forget to stud it with roast bread

and to sprinkle the edge of the plate with grated bread.

And the peas.

Peas.

Master of greens.

Did you remember the lettuce?

Go, go, go.

The suckling pig.

Very good.

Very good.

Garnish the fruit baskets.

The lids.

A little more sauce.

A bit more generous with the garnish.

Did you let the crepe batter rest?

Prepare 12 marmalade crepes, 24 chocolate and 24 vanilla.

The napkin, please, brother.

The bread.

Music, please, brother.

The king's music.

The king's music.

The king isn't familiar with the use of a fork?

Yes, but he disapproves of them.

The other day, His Majesty went into a terrible rage

when he learned that his highness the Dauphin had used one.

I'm thirsty.

Drink for the king.

Mr. De Lorraine.

I would like you to come with me after I've dined.

We will go to the kennel and feed the dogs.

I will be there, Sire.

I'll be pleased to see you tomorrow for the hunt in the Marly forest.

Go to the kitchen for the other plates.

The king has begun the 14th setting.

The king has begun the 14th setting.

The king has begun the 14th setting.

Form the procession.

Meat for the king.

Meat for the king.

I formally advise Your Majesty against the pork.

Fine.

Bring hard-boiled eggs.

Hard-boiled eggs.

Have a seat, my brother.

Mr. De Gesvres, I wish to remain alone and at rest.

"There is a loftiness that does not come from fortune.

It's a certain air of superiority which seems to destine us for greatness.

It's a prize that we give to ourselves imperceptibly.

It's by virtue of this quality that we usurp the deference of other men,

and it is this quality which places us above them

more than birth, dignity or even merit."

More than birth, dignity or even merit.

"Neither the sun nor death can be gazed upon fixedly."

Neither the sun nor death can be gazed upon fixedly.