Original subtitles

1783. Six years before the French Revolution, Loius XVI still ruled - but wit was king.

"In this country, vices are without consequence, but ridicile can kill". -Duke of Guines

Sir, do you remember me? Think hard.

Have I changed so much?

Remember... the "Marquis of Stumblebum"?

You dubbed me that when I fell at a ball.

Stumblebum. So very wounding!

I never lived it down.

Where is your fine wit now?

What a loss for society.

Since my exile...

I've seen many lands...

with far ruder manners,...

yet I've never forgotten yours.

Sir, am I tiring you?

I will wait on Madame and let him rest.

She is expecting you.

I fear that in his joy, Monsieur forgot himself.

Name of movie: Ridicule

- Go home. - But, Monsieur...

Your teeth are chattering. You're sick.

Don't move

We are short of workers.

His father has a fever.

They say the king can cure the sick.

All men can work miracles.

Don't you believe me. I promise.

We'll rid this swamp of evil.

By having masses sung?

No masses...

we'll build dikes and canals,...

plant trees, grow crops.

This region will become beautiful.

You're home

When you meet with the king, ask him to bless my medallion?

I will, Leonard.

Let me bless you.

Your mother worries about you going to Versailles.

You must have hope

I preach hope on Sundays - in God.

At Versailles, one man's will turned swamps into gardens.

The will of a king!

I'll knock on every door...

right up to the king.

Kneel down.

Take off your hat

God bless you...Amen

Farewell

He is the finest wit of our age.

How funny !

Milletail!

Back from America

I missed the stench of Versailles.

I'm surprised you're here.

I would rather bury him alive...

but God is our master.

We are praying, gentlemen.

Have dinner with me...

A roasted chicken would be better company!

Madame de Blayac will grieve for days!

Is this Blayac house?

Yes. Are you the related?

I have an introduction to Monsieur.

You come at the right moment. he is receiving guests

You can recognize him by his widow.

His wit was a shining light.

My husband valued your opinion.

The Academy grieves for him.

He cared for it deeply.

What a loss.

Lord, what a loss.

Your husband was a friend of my father.

And of mine.

I come from the Dombes.

Do you know Versailles?

I was born here, as it happens.

A courtier by birth.

Not everyone born in a stable thinks he's a horse.

God is our judge.

What, friend?

God will forgive the burglar...

if his children are hungry

We meet again.

What a pleasure!

Whom do I have the honour to bleed?

Gregoire Ponceludon de Malavoy.

Marquis of Bellegarde.

Charlotte, my housekeeper, and her son Paul.

Paul is both death and mute but he is an idiot, not evil.

Travellers should be better warned...

about the robbers round Versailles.

A good doctor must judge blood...

the way a gourmet judges wine.

A nice hearty red. Fluid but with plenty of body!

You live in fresh air...

and eat lean meat.

I live foul swamp air, and eat mostly fish!

My God, my plans.

- Are you a water engineer? - I am.

I come to Versailles to seek aid for a drainage project.

It's easier to be seen than heard.

I will appeal to reason and compassion.

Are you so ignorant of the ways of Versailles?

Come

I have bled you white.

You need rest

You must stay in the bed for two days, eat light food, and a glass of wine each night.

Night is for sleeping. You are exhausting yourself.

Thank you

"Study Addressed to the Regent...

Concerning Epidemics in the Dombes and Suggested Remedies"

Written by the Marquis de Gora.

It was not even opened.

Will your study fare any better?

Thank you for sparing me disappointment.

I have seen so many gentlemen from the country.

I shall plead my case orally.

And here I'll build a sluice to create a storage pool.

His majesty would be interested in this project perhaps.

The king is interested in technical things.

Tell him that the high fever makes many Dombes residents die. I know he is compassionate.

This is his weakness

This is the reason that I can't tell his majesty of your plan.

I will keep it from him, along with schemes...

to dig a tunnel to England, to drain the Landes and to make a map of India.

Your plan is all fine, no doubt...

but expensive.

Drain the marshes at least.

You mean drain France's treasury!

I administer the accounts.

Do you understand the problem?

How much is a life worth?

Less than the destiny of France...

except to philosophers.

Goodbye, Sir. I have work to do.

I will open the king's eyes!

Please do!

Those right wing men are leading the kingdom to bankruptcy

I am busy on the work of the military defence.

Mr Maurepas is old and careful.

You are young and courageous

My duties are too great to permit me to listen to flattery.

In the Left Wing

we do not deal in favours. Goodbye, Sir!

But, I give you a suggestion

Write a report, and I will circulate it.

The Left Wing is for ministers who serve the kingdom's needs.

The right wing is for courtiers...

who serve their own needs.

I only want to see the king.

"Only"? You jest.

We call you people 'suitors'.

There are thousands of you.

Some succeed!

Help me

Introduce me at the palace

You would be more useful at home.

Versailles Palace is my last hope

You suitors are all the same.

Your head is full of dreams of titles and grants.

The court! The court!

The phrase intoxicates you!

But I doubt you have what it takes to be heard.

Go back home...

and thank me.

I'm sorry I troubled you.

Double three... or I'll tell the secret of the church.

Ah, secret. Do tell.

Well, there is no purgatory basically

Isn't that your patient?

Fresh from the country, you must find our courtly ways ridiculous.

"Judge not, that ye be not judged."

Were the Gospels of any use at Versailles, I would have heard.

Join us if you wish

we play 10 sols a point.

All I left is my shoe buckles.

You can even admire them by bending lower from the waist.

What do you want here?

A grant to drain the Dombes swamps and get rid of the mosquitos.

Our peasants die young - around 35.

Poor people!

They are not only dying - they are boring.

Remember - besides those mosquitos...

the peasnts also feed the aristocrats.

He's smarter than he looks.

That is where we differ, Monsieur!

Her Majesty the Queen!

Ah Blayac! Can I borrow the Abbot?

At your service, Ma'am.

I am playing piquet with such dull people.

I need some witty company.

Thank you. I will return him to you soon.

But were you busy?

Nothing important.

Your patient has recovered quickly from the "attack"

Is it thanks to you?

Please allow me to believe so.

His tongue is certainly agile.

You never come to my suppers.

I await the pleasure.

Do I have to invite you

Bring your protege.

Double six!

Your first skirmishes went well.

That should bring you hope.

The abbot is close to the Queen, and he dislikes me

Wit opens every door...

and you have plenty of it.

Who cares about the Dombes?

You, of course, but it needs patience

If the palace is interested in you

your Dombes will be taken care of.

I have spent a year's money in just days.

If you do not mind discomfort...

you can stay with me.

I tried to dissuade you, but now I will help.

Why?

Honesty and intellect rarely live together.

Too much powder makes the teeth look yellow.

Just keep your original complexion.

With a little rouge to add colour.

Does the countess know the king?

Serious topic

Best avoided!

I will restrain myself.

You should be more witty, sharp

and malicious...

and your region will be developed

No puns. People say puns are "the death of wit".

Voltaire! My bible.

One last thing:

Never laugh at your own jokes.

Redcurrants!

I adore redcurrants!

I could eat as many as Samson killed Philistines!

We all adore redcurrents.

If Samson had...

If Samson hadn't...

- Where are your estates? - The Dombes.

A land of swamps and disease.

This is why I came here

What an unpleasant topic!

Give some champagne to

Mr. Ponceludon

What do you think of the English?

Droll. They have a way of speaking they call "hew-mah."

This makes them laugh enormously.

Is it like wit?

A kind of mental state?

No really, no.

What is it in French?

It's untranslatable.

Oh come on. Tell us!

Any talk that causes laughter is a form of wit.

No, it's not exactly wit.

There is no French word for it.

Give us an example.

I asked Twickenham how many mistresses he had.

he answered me without any expression

"How many constitute several?"

This is the only example that comes to mind.

That comes to mouth!

How did Samson kill the Philistines?

Samson! The Philistines!

With the jawbone of an ass.

With the jawbone of an ass!

"With the same jawbone, Abbot?"

The jawbone of an ass.

I'd have been the talk of the court.

Two hours too late

Age is the enemy, Ponceludon. A few years ago, I'd have had him.

Wit eludes us all sometimes.

Not everyone.

No, Ponceludon.

Anyway, Bravo!

You scored a point with "Comes to mouth."

what a pity you laughed,

A tortoise

a bottle of ink

An amethyst

a chinaware trolley

a starfish

a book.

Let me see...

A snuffbox!

Wrong

Oh, an apple

How could I forget it

You have odd pastimes.

Children's brains are moist and fluid.

When we become old,

our brain will becomes dry

and the memory declines.

I store every witty remark in here

Double entendres, repartees, quips...

wordplays, retorts, paradoxes.

Your "Comes to mouth" is a repartee.

I had a strange dream. My head was on the guillotine and the executioner said

"One quip, and you can be released."

Everyone at court has that dream.

Do not laugh with your mouth open, it is vulgar

Is Mr. De Montalieri dissatisfied?

Your letter made me anxious.

It's a good post, Mathilde.

Being a governess will aid your ambitions.

Monsieur is pleased with my work.

but...

it'd be indecent to remain in his wife's home.

"Monsieur de Montalieri...

shall have access to his wife's bed twice a month.

Her refusal will invalidate this contract.

Any breach of the contract

will terminate the income...

that Mr DeMontalieri bestows on his future wife.

- Are you sure? - There's no mention of the workshop I need for my research

It is stiplulated in the appendix.

My future bride defends her interests.

I approve of that...

but I have one more condition:

My bride shall not

before our wedding or after...

for any reason...

appear in Court.

If she does, I shall be freed of my commitments.

Mademoisell Bellegarde, do you accept this term?

My daughter dislikes the corruption of the palace

Don't you, Mathilde?

I won't fix a wedding date...

as Madame de Montalieri is still... with us.

How is she how?

Yesterday, she could not recognize me.

Help me

It is not sealed completely

You know

How much water pressure at 100ft?

Exactly 3 ounces per sq. inch. I've studied Pascal.

Nature puts crabs under water and girls at home.

Nature gives your peasants fever.

- What oil is that? - Otter oil. Why?

Seal the joints with tar.

And then observe..

how well it reacts to movement.

Please turn around

Do you love Montalieri?

Love? I don't believe in love.

Why do you choose to get married with him?

It's either that, stay poor, or be a nun.

My father cannot pay for my research.

One day, you will have a lover - like all noblewomen.

You can look.

Do not look at your feet

Now, spin.

Spin.

If only the tyranny of wit had done away with genealogists!

For a few months, I've been trying to see the king

to plead that my family be restored its historic title.

The Bishop of Caen is helping me.

I think my summons will come soon

very good

It's very important

I'm in line for a post at the Academy.

It's a very high paid job

But for now, I am a little short of funds.

I'm sorry.

But I could give you an I.O.U.

I need money too. Sorry.

May I ask what you seek at Versailles?

A grant to drain the marsh

Do you have a sponsor?

None

What about wit?

I know how to speak my mind.

Your best hope is to see the king...

But for this, you must prove your pedigree since 1399.

We belong to the House of Savoy

I see. But I need proof of your family title.

We've always had it.

Perhaps. But I am a geneologist. I need proof of your family title.

I need to see a birth certificate of the Marquis,

deceased in 1507.

Our castle was destroyed by fire in 1680. Papers...

Castles have a habit of burning down.

Write to his parish of birth.

They may have baptismal records.

Watch this. Galvani was right.

The electricity affects to the wits of the animal.

You know, I have a theory.

Electricity and wit are one and the same.

The skin is so smooth.

Like the legs of...

You admire...

my masterpiece.

That diving suit is madness.

Mathilde was born in the age of Rousseau.

I let her choose freely.

But, did she choose this marriage?

Her will is her own, no one forces her.

Thank you.

Excuse me.

Excellent news!

The Duke de Guines invites us to dine.

I told you wit opens doors.

Thank you Paul.

Excuse me, Sir. That boy is both death and mute?

Yes, and a half-wit.

I can help him.

I run a home for such children.

They have a kind of language

He is just fine at our house.

Charles Michel de I'Epee.

I am delighted.

Excuse me!

Age and rank first.

My heritage is clear. We are cousins.

My father's sister is a Ballencourt.

Ballencourt de Merignac?

Ballencourt du Tilleul.

The same family

Look at our grandfather

See the resemblance?

Our grandfather?

His is the one with four legs!

Sir, answer...

with the wit that befits Academy membership.

It never befat one worthier than I.

"Befat"?

Funny language for...

a would-be Academician.

Don't be surprised.

Every harem has its eunuch

That guard is watching us.

No wonder

This is a lovers' walk.

We look out of place.

Play the lover, then.

Why waste your best years...

With a lecherous old man.

He is a learned person.

Discussing the facts of life may bring children!

I have more important things to do. Don't you?

I am trying to save lives.

You are misguided.

Versailles doesn't save lives.

A rotten tree cannot produce good fruit

Is your harvest in?

Almost.

You think me cold.

You are young

You think you do not need anyone.

I have enough. Let's go.

Hurry

The bee will spread pollen

Pollinate these.

Do you oppose my getting married?

What is this variety called?

You did not answer.

You judge me.

The flame of your vital instincts draws you to me.

Nothing else.

The portrait session!

Enough for today. Tomorrow we go on.

It's dark

I will supply the key words, you write a rhyming epigram.

A dull epigram will count against you.

Quips depend on luck, epigrams need work.

work strangles inspiration

Be bold, but circumspect.

Don't trust the Abbot. He's a snake.

If he is silent, he is keeping watch on you

If he talks, it is too late

"Eyes, wise."

"Missed, Eucharist."

Verse form?

Iambic couplets.

The one joy here that I have missed...

has been to see our king so wise.

Like Jesus at the Eucharist

Our mouths he feeds but not our eyes.

Ah. Very clever.

It's your turn baron

"Skill, will."

"Newcomer, summer"

Permit me, Countess?

Is it Flemish?

Beautiful workmanship.

Verse form?

Octosyllables.

The abbot's quick wit has such skill

It inspires every newcomer

He can be so entertaining at will

Two ideas follow one another

One in winter

The other in the summer

The Count of Artois invited me to chocolate.

You are leaving us?

On with the game!

Madame.

- I see the abbot trusts his memory more than his wit.

- What is the price of your silence?

Fear not. I will not fan the winds of gossip.

You should use sealskin.

I will order some.

They come from Canada - they cost a lot

I will soon be wealthy.

- I used to to swim here. - You can swim?

I'll teach you.

Have you seen a person who drowned? It's terrible

- Water harms only the fearful. - Nonsense.

- There are boats and bridges. Why swim? - For fun!

There must be carp here.

What are the court ladies like?

I hear they bathe in powder.

Many catch rich old goats, but few can swim.

Perhaps they had no choice.

Is it also true that suitors fish for favours?

You changed

You enjoy it. You're becoming like them.

What are you doing?

According to Archimedes' law, I will float...

but how do I move forward?

Push ayour arms back, and move your legs like a frog.

I stand by what I said. This isn't natural!

I waited more than an hour yet others see him before me!

Your patience is a sign of aristocracy.

The problem in your case has been solved.

All settled.

But...

how about the birth certificate?

Were proof always required, most nobles would be commoners.

This is your title.

Signed and sealed.

Good luck

I am deeply grateful.

This is Countess Blayac's doing.

You should reserve your gratitude for her.

A child's godliness is the kingdom's strength.

Your parish will be cared for.

Now please excuse me, Father.

Christ be with you.

How can I thank you?

Please don't. I'm sorry you caught me dispensing charity.

Your heart is good.

So many give for show.

My wit is greater renown than my heart...

but you decide.

Are you interested in engineering?

Since I met you, Mr. Engineer.

Tell me about your project.

Beneath my homeland is a layer of clay that traps rain. The drainage -

A muddy subject. It is hard to think of silt in my living room.

I want to hear about new inventions.

The king can tell you more than I.

He does often talk of them.

You know tales of woe.

I must go. I am imposing.

Thanks are no imposition.

Sit down.

Let's chat.

There is a word that Miss Bellegarde is very attractive...

but nobody sees her.

Does our intimacy embarrass you?

You think me clumsy for...

I am torn between respect for you...

and desire.

How convoluted...

for a man of wit!

Must you dine to shine?

Countess, do not be cruel

I would be flattered were it not for the fact...

that my bedroom is known to lead to the king.

You misjudge me.

Swallow your pride. Let people help you.

Learn to hide your insincerity...

so that I can yield without dishonor.

Remember only that...

and you've profited here.

Hurry,Paul.

The record is 14 minutes. We can beat it.

Not me. You almost drowned!

I forbade you to do it!

"Forbade?"

Who give you this right?

Not even my father dares.

If I died, is it important to you?

It would finish off your fiance.

His wife finally died.

You will marry soon.

Of course, but after the funeral.

He is kind and patient and his children love me very much.

I'm keeping this. Ask me for it next time.

I dread this marriage!

I doubt it, You are cold-blooded.

You belong with the fish.

Give me back the helmet.

I shall miss her.

Don't you have a sweetheart yourself?

I have no property

What can I give her but swamps and fever?

Fine life for a lady.

To be happy, we need women.

To them, a man's fears are never ridiculous.

Watch the hat on the grey horse's rider.

The king is choosing.

Do we have any chance?

Not so loud.

Some have waited months,...

for example Baron de Gueret.

I prefer the swamps to this.

The king heard about your horse quip.

Will it work?

Alas...

the 'eunuch' joke is also on everyone's lips.

...

Mr Ponceludon

Do not a mistake

What an angel!

Baron De Gueret!

Lend me your shoes!

I'd be ridiculed!

I beg you! I was called!

Get up, people are staring.

Remember, the nobles made you king -

those whom you now humiliate.

You abase us...

yet give a savage the cross of St. Louis!

Come, this isn't our place

The Sioux are our friends.

Half naked, with a necklace of bones, and the name 'Stinking Bear'.

Yet he almost makes us look riduculous.

Ah, Madame Blayac.

We so seldom see you recently

Sire, the Abbot of Vilecourt.

"Every harem has its eunuch!"

Baron Ponceludon.

I have heard of you.

It's nothing. Only de Bellegarde's idiot.

She's here, Madame.

Let her come in

Miss Bellegarde

Your father speaks well of you in front of us...

But, he hides you.

Will we see you at court one day?

You ordered my father to send Paul away.

Please forgive him.

Alas, the harm is done.

He is just a poor deaf and dumb boy.

He would be better with his own kind.

He has always been with us.

You are not here about the boy.

I am well disposed to you.

I like your father very much...

and I help my friends.

One day you will see.

Madame, Paul!

You are still a child.

Forget that half wit.

How is our Mr. Ponceludon de Malavoy?

Such a pretty wit!

He is very well.

Goodbye, madam

I had heard of your learning...

but not of your beauty. Perhaps you also have much wit.

No, madam

Paul

He'll be fine.

You once said that that place is a jail

The Abbot of I'Epee runs a very good home.

More straw? Less whip?

Mathilda. I had no choice. Courtesy demanded it.

Courtesy!

What makes you so gloomy?

Ponceludon de Malavoy!

He saw us cheat at epigrams.

He needs only say a word and he could shame me in front of the king

Don't worry.

He'll never sit at the king's table. Leave it to me.

Do you think I've lost my claws?

I'll have a dinner...

and serve Ponceludon de Malavoy a dish of ridicule.

Good

Is this yours?

The countess won't make your rendezvous.

She's playing piquet with Madame de Lamballe.

Love's course is never a straight line...

Mr. Engineer

I will remember your geometry.

There will have a dinner in her house tomorrow for wits.

You're invited.

Alone.

I don't pretend to inspire passion...

But when she is 30 years old...

Mathilde will be a wealthy widow.

Very wealthy.

With her whole life before her.

A drummer boy at the battle of Fontenoy...

who had half his head shot off by a cannonball...

managed to shout out...

"I fear I'm losing my mind!"

Now that took wit!

A carriage at this hour?

It's for me.

A lover's tryst?

I'll leave a lantern out for you. Good night.

How unlucky! There is 13 of us!

We must ask a footman to sit with us.

A killing cure! Sit with a footman?

We would look ridiculous.

Then one of us must leave.

The one with the lowest title should go.

I suggest a contest.

He who has shown the least wit when the soup arrives must go.

A tournament of wit!

So be it.

Let the contest begin.

How is your wife, Monsieur?

Asking a man about his wife...

is like asking about last year's fashions.

I pray to the Virgin once a month...

to avoid talk if my wife gets pregnant.

A wife who sleeps with her husband...

is in labor.

Why not go to a brothel?

The good company there isn't bad...

and the bad company is excellent.

Personally...

I no longer consort with whores.

They're as depraved as gentlewomen.

It's easier to die for a woman than to find one worth dying for.

I marry only virgins. I pay dearly for what any man can steal.

Why do women's confessors always end up archbishops?

Women are wittier.

If the sinner lacks wit, the confessor atones for it.

What good is wit?

Without it, one is never bored.

A man of wit who says less...

isn't thought less of.

A silent fool is none the wiser.

Ah, don't denounce the dull.

Without plains, there would be no peaks.

Wait! Ponceludon must speak.

Wit is like money. The less we have, the better.

"Wit is the opposite of money".

The less we have, the better." Voltaire.

Robbers should know whom they rob.

The contest is over.

I'm starved.

Serve me with the footmen.

We're judged by the company we keep.

A misjudgment.Judas kept excellent company.

I'm sorry to miss your wedding.

You're rushing to leave me?

Yes.

A woman who throws herself at a man always loses him.

Give up your water-flowers and you'll be ordinary.

Why give them up? We can share them.

Being married to an estate in debt...

will wilt your dreams.

If only I'd never met you!

I could still pretend I'm not selling myself.

The painter is waiting for you

When he's done, can we take a last walk?

I must reach an inn before dark.

Is admitting love so hard?

You and I are alike.

Our plans come first.

Is admitting love so hard?

How convoluted, for a man of wit!

You've changed. You're becoming like them.

You'll be more useful at home.

Poor people! They're not only dying, they're boring.

Drain France's treasury!

I dread this marriage!

I've seen so many country gentlemen.

Wit debonair

in the age of Voltaire

Was seen as a heaven-sent treasure

Wit opened doors to the company of Lords

And the tasting of noble pleasure

In the past it was able to put food on the table

But those days are gone forever

A witty rebuff or a verse off the cuff

Are no more the coin of the clever

What are you doing?

You're giving up 2,000! Are you mad?

I want to terminate the contract

On a whim?

Beg Montalieri's pardon.

No, Father. I've decided.

I can't bear to marry him.

Is it Ponceludon?

- No income from our woods? - I sold the five acres...

to buy a horse and repair the bridge.

Poor Gregoire.

You'll inherit only ruins.

How was Versailles?

- You saw the king? - He's very busy, but...

he listens to everyone.

Leonard is sick.

Since when?

Two weeks ago. He drank swamp water.

From the pond?

Here, Leonard.

The king blessed it for you.

He wants me to tell you

He loves all children in France

Now, the priest will pray

God will hear him.

Why has God sent us this curse?

It's those damned swamps!

Don't blame yourself.

Versailles took everything you had.

Is our cause progressing?

Yes...

but don't stop praying.

"I am everything that is, was, and ever shall be."

The Egyptians who carved those words in stone...

believed in only one effect...

and only one cause.

They viewed the universe...

as one giant cause...

- Show-off!

- Who says we have no great preachers?

The prime cause of everything is absolute and perfect!

There can never be two perfect beings...

or they'd be One.

The perfect Being...

is indivisible.

What is in itself...

does not change.

Time measures change.

Perfection cannot change!

One, unchanging and eternal...

It is He! God!

Causa sui. He's His own cause!

Bravo, Vilecourt! Dazzling!

Well done

It's nothing. This evening I proved the existence of God.

But...

I can prove the reverse if it pleases Your Majesty!

I'll see you jailed, Philosopher!

Your Majesty! It was only a jest!

A blaspheming fool!

Sophistic braggart!

So near yet so far.

Ah, madam

The king seems ill-humored.

Will you plead for me?

- I can't help you. - It was a jest!

Where did I go wrong?

The soul of wit is to know one's place.

Baron...

Many women would blush at the endearments I gave you...

yet you left with no word of farewell.

For you have I forsaken the Abbot of Vilecourt...

my confessor...

I will forgive you for jeopardizing my soul...

in exchange for some news of you.

A woman's advantage...

lies in the influence

she is able to wield at court.

I have wielded mine...

to make you the most-favored absentee of Versailles. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Who rings at this hour?

Mr Ponceludon wishes to see you.

Let him in, quick!

I have, Madame.

The boy died in my arms.

How dreadful.

To your canals!

To your locks.

What are you doing?

You sent for me?

I had a fit of palpitations.

I'm sorry to call you so early. I was so afraid.

It is important is to set your heart at rest

Do you often get them?

Old friends meet again.

I'll take my leave.

Monitor Madame's heart. Her palpitations worry me.

What are you staring at? Have you seen a ghost?

Madame Montalieri is here.

Miss Bellegarde?

When you were not here

She broke her engagement.

Your guile has no equal.

Be patient, and you'll be thankful.

Why are deaf-mutes isolated...

Do they not perceive objects as we do?

Why do they remain stupid?

Why do they become intelligent?

In the beginning was the Word!

Socrates said...

"If we could not speak and wanted to communicate...

would we not copy the dumb...

and talk with our hands, heads...

and bodies?"

This is Simon...

the son of a businessman,25 years old,

born deaf and dumb.

He came here when 15 years old

Thanks to sign language, he can read...

By hand language, he can read, write and count.

He has an artist's talent

This is Antony Pierre...

and |Therese, 19 years old

After 3 years, she can do 4-figure sums in her head.

She is very devout

This is Paul, 17 years old

and very gifted

He learned my language...

In two months! He can already converse.

Next spring...

I will marry Therese and Paul, before God

You mock the holy state of matrimony!

I once saw Romeo and Juliet...

played by an ape and a poodle!

Can the groom even read that clock?

It's 3 minutes fast.

Good, Paul

Louder, Miss. He didn't hear you!

Ask him what use a violin serves.

Watteau preferred seeing one to hearing it.

One question, Father.

Are their lives endurable?

What does he say?

It's untranslatable. It's a "play on signs."

How do you say, "Bravo"?

Like this.

Out of bed!

This is Signor Panella.

You need a court suit.

But I need nothing!

At 11:00 tomorrow morning, you will be at the Diana steps.

You will see the king and his courtiers

The rest is up to you.

I'll leave him to you, Signor.

Good.

Is this the man you spoke of?

Mr Ponceludon.

They say you have great wit.

- Sire? - Indeed, yes!

The countess sings its praises

Come. Show us.

Be witty this minute!

For example, describe me.

Sire, the king is not a subject.

" the king is not a subject

Admirable.

Not a pun, I hope?

No, Sire. A play on words.

Most memorable.

De Malavoy may join us.

Come here, de Malavoy.

You are an engineer.

Handsome design, Sire.

However, if I may be so bold...

a sprocket here...

would maintain the elevation.

What a good idea!

Didn't you think of it?

I hear you have a hydrographic project.

To drain the Dombes swamps, Sire.

Come to talk with me

Talk to my secretary

Gentlemen.

The "Ponceludon" gun: The butt is wider than the mouth.

What?

Your butt is wider than your mouth.

I demand satisfaction.

Forgive me. I had to see you again.

I am listening

No matter what happens...

we will stay friends.

Is my friendship important to you?

You made the suit watertight?

Promise to be careful.

I was unaware of your decision about Montalieri.

Did you come running when you heard?

To tell you I bedded the countess to get to the king?

For your peasants' sake, I'd have approved.

Your logic is impregnable.

From now on, I'll be true.

Why these instruments?

I'm attending a duel.

Ponceludon...

and Colonel de Chevernoy..

If you come to any harm, I will die.

Escape

Go to my house at St. Bauzile.

I will meet you there

Not for me but for your peasants.

You must live for them.

Have my bags packed.

Victor will drive you.

Come back only for the king.

Madame...

If I die, send my hat and spurs to my mother.

Give the rest to the poor...

except my new suit, an insult to their plight.

I'm to drive you to St. Bauzile

I know, I know!

Don't worry. Go home.

Go

Will the barb-tongued lover die, a bullet in the head?

It will be over with the sound of the gun

Where's the moral in that?

Maybe I was wrong to seek fruit from a rotten tree.

The lover has no regrets.

I am thankful to have met you.

You expended some credit on my behalf...

and my memory has no bitterness.

No apology has been tendered.

We shall now draw lots.

Mr. De Chevernoy shoots first.

We embraced without love and will part...

without regret.

But I venture to believe...

our passion leaves room for friendship.

Ponceludon has killed de Chevernoy.

Is he with you?

He left with Miss de Bellegarde.

He will pay for it!

Who comes?

Baroness Boisjoli, Baron Malenval and de Milletail.

Already?

They come to see me suffer.

Tell them I don't feel well.

Not well?

- Could it be Smallpox? - No Madame.

The honor of a lady jilted by an oaf.

An oaf dear to the king.

Soon we'll pay court to him.

The countess will be avenged.

At home, when a mad dog is loose, we sound the alarm.

You've done it! You broke the record!

It will start leaking. Come up!

I love you, Gregoire!

The king cannot meet in private with a man...

who killed one of his officers.

Not immediately, anyway.

A gentleman defends his honor.

You did your duty.

You're too good.

Versailles won't help you. Your land needs you... us.

Give up? After stooping so low?

We'll work the land and make it healthy.

I'll see the king.

It's only a matter of time.

You're not one of them.

I'm still welcome at court. You think not?

"Lovers of the fall, come to the mystery ball.

Welcome to the clever-witted.

Dullards will not be admitted."

We're invited.

And if a countess invites you to bed?

Mathilde.

You will be my dancing partner tomorrow.

It's the red beak.

The red beak

May I borrow him?

Do you wear my colors in memory of my pleasure?

Trip him now.

Who is this nimble dancer?

Accept...

the title of...

"Marquis des Antipodes."

An honour justly earned!

Like the Antipodeans...

He dances with the head downward

Marquis des Antipodes. How clever!

Worthy of Voltaire!

- We'll find out who you are. - The costume renter knows.

Don't bother.

Children will die tomorrow because you ridicule me today.

You envy Voltaire's wit.

He would have wept.

He was ridiculously compassionate.

Whose turn is next?

Who gets lashed with wit so sharp...

his whole family reels?

You?

Perhaps you?

Unless you get the chance to lash your neighbor first.

Monsieur

Take off your mask

We all want to know who coined "Marquis des Antipodes."

I'm going back to my swamps where I belong.

I can repair bridges, make canals.

my bare hands

1794. The nobility of France flee to England to escape the revolution.

Wit was the very air we breathed!

Now the bloated rhetoric of Danton...

rules in place of wit.

You'll like it here.

On a clear day you can see France

Mathilde and Gregoire stayed behind.

She's helping him drain the Landes. Or is it the Dombes?

I can't remember.

May the turmoil spare them.

What talent do you have?

I can teach children French...

science, physics, physiology.

My hat! I've lost my hat!

Better your hat than your head.

Ah, humor!

Ah, it is a humor

It's wonderful

I used to keep a list of witty remarks.

I divided them into: "humor and wit", " attack by insinuation" ...

I filed them by category: Repartees, Quips, Paradoxes...

The first attempts to drain the Dombes began, ordered by the government.

At the initiative of Citizen Gregory Ponceludon.

Hydrographer and Civil Engineer.