Original subtitles

The scream.

From Paris to all the Basques of the world.

From Paris to the Basque people in the world.

From Paris to the Basque people in the world.

Otis Redding is dead.

The American singer, known as "The King of Soul",

and four musicians in his band have died in a plane accident.

Eight people were on board the plane and there was only one survivor,

Ben Cauley, the trumpet player in Otis Redding's band.

1967, DECEMBER 11

BORDER BETWEEN SARE AND ZUGARRAMURDI

Did you see that?

What?

But what...?

Guardia Civil Police, stop!

Come out with your hands up!

-Look out! -Hold on!

Careful, Manex!

Quickly, quickly!

Go on, that way!

Hold on tight!

Get out right now!

Hands up, damn it!

1965, OCTOBER 10

Manex, don't you dare...

Manex! Manex, fuck!

Manex!

Without us, this is a fucking parody.

Out of the way, Manex!

We can't be their accomplices.

Don't you realize?

We won't have a chance like this again in our lives!

Everyone or no one!

Fuck off, they're just effigies.

They're giants, not effigies.

Sure, Unanue: Liberty, equality, fraternity.

That's your motto.

You're as racist as they are!

Stop it, Manex. It's not worth it.

You're as racist as they are!

Let's go.

Banning the black giants from parading is beyond understanding!

Can you imagine if they came to life?

Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and all that guff,

but the Ku Klux Klan still rules in the USA.

Look, Manex, they still want to dance.

It looks more like they're being hanged.

Wasn't that our station?

They said not to go to Harlem.

Relax, it won't be a big deal.

Fuck off, Manex, let's get out of here.

Hang on, let's see what happens.

Fuck! Run, they're charging!

-What the hell does he want? -Follow me!

What did he ask you, Manex?

If we like to dance.

Tell him we only dance to traditional music.

What a spin-out! And really early tomorrow...

Manex, we should get back to the hotel.

Keep calm...

It's our last night, Xebero...

And this is a blast!

Manex, it's late.

Fucking hell!

One minute more and we were leaving without you.

Thanks for waiting.

This is like a fucking joke:

"A Frenchman, a Basque and a black guy from tropical Africa..."

Fucking Frog.

You deserve to be left here!

We agree on that. You can go now.

What are you talking about, Manex?

I'm staying.

I'm sick of going with the flock.

Have you gone mad? What about work?

And what do I tell your mother?

You'll sort out work.

And my mother will understand.

Like father, like son.

What about the struggle?

The struggle...

With these people, Franco will die in bed.

Go, seriously.

You've always been this way.

"Priest, if we have to go to hell, we go,

but don't fucking scare us".

I'll miss you too, Xebero.

Dad!

Dad!

Is that you?

Careful, Dad!

Dad! Dad!

No!

Then I won't invite you to the movies.

Oh, no? I thought you were tough.

I heard they call you Black Giant.

Fuck, Rudy too...

They say it's better than death,

but though I understand the transgression of the Velvet Underground,

there is a strategic use of heroin

by the FBI to deactivate the political threat

of the protest vanguards.

Besides, I prefer la petite mort, the little death,

as the French say, you know?

You seem to be the one who knows a lot around here.

What a speech!

Fidel-style.

I hope that Che doesn't hold this against me.

I'm not accountable to Che or any man, honey.

Say something pretty to me in Basque.

I love you.

That's sweet, baby! Maite zaitut.

Oh, honey, if we'd only met before...

In the times of Maceo?

But do you know who I really am?

Che's best friend in Manhattan?

Apart from that?

Cuba's most beautiful flower.

I'm withering here. I have to go back to Havana.

If you go back to Cuba, I'll go with you.

Cut the crap, you groveler.

I'd go to hell itself with you.

1965, NOVEMBER 22

Let's see what we've got here.

We're only carrying spare parts for cars.

Nobody runs from the Guardia Civil if they've only got spare parts.

We got scared.

We work in a garage in Pamplona.

A garage? What garage?

San Fermín Garage.

Passports!

Search the van!

You're the one that disappeared with the giants.

They say you were in Cuba.

Answer, asshole!

I don't understand.

Unanue,

talk to me in Spanish, even if you are a fucking Frog.

I've never been to Cuba.

PINAR DEL RÍO, CUBA 1967, JUNE 3

Holy cow, the Frenchman can shoot!

Don't tell him he's French, he says he's Basque

and he gets mad.

Sergeant Bravo, looks like the Basque is up to scratch.

You can tell he knows mechanics.

He's better than any of your men.

Amanda shouldn't have brought him.

We're lucky to have Amanda, dickhead.

Antonovich sees the son he lost in you,

a little orphan, but you don't fool me.

Don't push that button, Bravo.

Put that away, man.

There'll be time for a shoot-out.

Manex!

Amanda!

That woman's mine, you bastard.

Manex Unanue, fall in!

These are the best men we have.

Well, to me they look like a bunch of cocksuckers.

What the hell...?

That laugh... That's Che's laugh.

Man, that's Che's laugh!

That's Che, coming from the Congo!

From the Congo, my ass!

-Long live Che! -Hurrah!

Grab your "trombones", we've got a serenade to play.

I'm in, comrade.

That's the Basque.

No, not you. For you we've got another tune.

Unanue,

are you French Basque or Spanish Basque?

Basque.

But you speak Spanish and you have a French passport.

Yes, I speak French and English too, but my language is Euskera.

I was told that Guevara is a Basque surname.

Do you know anything about that?

Yes, it means "the plain".

The plain.

Do you think the name suits me?

I'd say rugged suits me better, don't you think?

That's what they say.

Your French passport and languages can be a big help to us.

Bravo!

Speaking of your tune...

Bravo, I leave you the Basque so you can hum it to him.

What a pair of troublemakers.

Come here, man.

You know the Black Panthers?

Something about the States rings a bell.

Followers of Malcolm X?

It's an organization created for the self-defense

of the black community in the USA.

The panther's nature is not to attack first,

but when it's attacked or cornered, it responds ferociously to its aggressor.

Did it get it right?

Yeah, yeah, more or less. You should go there and bring back one.

The journey will be long, the CIA's lying in fucking wait

and they can't know that we're involved.

That's why you and your passport suits us down to the ground.

How does that sound?

Black.

Shit, a chatterbox too.

Watch the dog, he bites before he barks.

Don't pick a fight with me.

Fuck! I'll leave you with the smart-ass,

he'll twist you around his little finger.

You two are like chalk and cheese.

Do you know what COINTELPRO is?

It's a secret war against citizens considered a threat to the establishment.

They investigate all kinds of dissident organizations.

They infiltrate them, harass the members,

smear them, tap their phones...

PUERTO RICO IS IN MY HEART

The FBI leads the counterintelligence program in the U.S.,

but they're all around the world.

What people do you have left in Europe?

My mother and my buddy Xebero.

That's important, they'll be your cover. Call them now and then, and chew the fat.

As for her,...

you can't speak to her until you get back to Havana.

Hello?

Xebero, it's for you, an international call.

For me?

Who's this?

Black Giant here.

Manex! This is great!

Why didn't you call me before, you bastard?

I'm in Cuba, it's not so easy to get a telephone.

In Cuba?

Long live free Cuba!

How are you coping without me in the garage?

Getting by. I'm fixing a Renault Torino.

Guess who's the boss.

-Juampe! -Juampe!

And the say I'm Frenchified!

What are you doing there so long?

I'm working for France-Presse.

Taking photos of the revolution and sharpening my aim.

Your aim?

You know, a photographer has to know how to shoot.

Now they're sending me to Mexico,

to do a job on the muralists.

Beautiful, beloved Mexico!

Back to the grind, Xebero.

And talk lower in Basque, or people will hear.

I have to get back to work. Take care of yourself, Manex.

You too, dickhead.

And tell my mother I'm alright.

She thinks you're never coming back, like your father.

I can barely hear you, Xebero. The line cutting out.

You're good at lying.

This is from Che. He said you'd understand.

"THE PLAIN IN FLAMES"

I'm leaving too, Manex.

Leaving? For where?

Where I'm going, distances are measured "by chewing".

That sounds far away.

My next mission is peace.

Mine too and everyone's,

after the class struggle, right, comrade?

Here, try this.

What is it?

Coca leaf.

How much "chewing" before we meet again?

I don't know. Here.

Why?

Take it, it's a gift.

It'll always show you the time of the revolution.

It'll be my compass, skinny.

No!

HOUSTON 1967, JUNE 5

Papers? Papers?

Mexican press, international press...

ISRAEL SURPRISE ATTACK ON AIR BASES IN EGYPT AND JORDAN

MEXICO CITY 1967, JUNE 6

Christophe, that's me.

That's me.

Nice to meet you. My name's Esperanza.

Do you mind waiting?

We have to pick up someone else.

I think I'm that someone.

Hello!

Esperancita, it's been a long time.

I see we have company. Who's the whitey?

Christophe Moulin, from France-Presse.

Welcome to Mexico.

Hey, "The Plain in Flames",

what a fucking book.

And the movie, don't get me started.

Have you read this book?

No.

Nor do I need to.

Ignore Mr. Rulfo, he's a joker.

You're Rulfo, the writer?

No, I'm Rulfo the photographer.

There are lots of Rulfos.

It's because of the Games next year.

You know, an Olympic waste of money.

Look who's here.

Now we know who's going to pay the bill.

Hey, here I am!

Laia Sabaté,

editor of Goodrich Euzkadi, it makes tyres as well.

Laia? Euzkadi?

What a coincidence. I spent some time in Biarritz,

and I know that "laia" in Basque means a farming tool.

Well, I'm Catalan and you're the Frenchman, right?

Christophe.

How's the Situationist International going?

Well... Socialism or barbarity.

That deflates pretty fast.

Euzkadi tyres "last longer".

The company was started by some Basques,

and our friend Rulfo was a salesman.

Now we have a magazine where we publish his photos.

Yes, Basques leave their mark here.

Like Pancho Villa, here on the ceiling.

They say that was his shot.

First he met Zapata in the Presidential Palace

and then headed here.

Waiter!

Food, a bit of everything!

To drink, tequila and mezcal.

Villa's name was Doroteo Arango,

another name from Euskadi.

He could even sing lullabies in Basque

that his mother taught him, her name was Micaela Aramburu.

I don't believe it.

My second surname is Vizcaíno,

so it's from there, from the Basque Country.

Time for a toast.

Long live Villa! Long live Mexico!

So far from God and so close to the USA.

The Roads of Mexico.

Here's the latest issue of our magazine.

Travel a lot, it broadens the mind.

But the time for taking potshots is over.

Now war is waged in the sky.

Just look at the Israeli Army, you'll see,

one week will be enough to win the war.

Faced with war in the sky, cultural resistance on the ground.

I'll soon be going back to Barcelona clandestinely

to join the anti-Franco struggle.

You need a lot of faith for that, and I'm a real atheist.

Now we're up against the divine French Left.

I've been sheltering in Mexico for 30 years, young man,

and if we wait for their help, I'll die in this beloved land.

More mezcal! Oaxacan, right?

Yes, of course.

That's enough chit-chat

and give us your Zapotecan wisdom.

Hey, hey! I've got some little angels here,

because I'm a woman who flies through the air,

because I can enter and exit the kingdom of death.

And you, whitey, with the abandoned faith,

try the "little saints",

I already swallowed the red worm.

Esperancita, you look like Malinche.

Are you telling me that with scorn or admiration?

Who's Malinche?

You, with all your Sartre and Camus... You never found out?

Hernán Cortés was victorious thanks to Malinche.

She was a powerful woman who instructed him out of spite.

She sold him all of the secrets of the Aztecs.

They believed that the gods would arrive on winged horses.

Malinche told Cortés that if he wanted to subdue them

to adorn his horses with feathers.

You live in a country full of magic.

Mexico is a scar always on the point of opening up.

Frenchman, be careful of Montezuma's revenge.

Laia, tell them not to kill me.

Juan, I'll help you,

in case you start falling apart.

Which was your house?

There's not just one house,

but many.

I'll go with you, whitey,

you're not falling apart too.

Everything's spinning.

Don't worry, man,

I have the key to this maze.

Take it easy.

We always support the Cuban Revolution!

And now it's our turn!

Sleep, sleep, on the green hill.

My mother used to sing lullabies in Basque to me,

did you know that, Spaniard?

Say it out loud: I'm Basque and I'm proud!

Goddamn Malinche, take this watch,

it'll always show you the time of the Revolution.

Don't you believe it, whitey,

this is magic surrealism.

I am your father.

I don't like appearing in photos.

Take this watch, you traitorous coward,

fucking Malinche, fucking Malinche!

Father!

Don't leave me!

Help me!

I am Laia, who works the land.

We are Buñuel's "forgotten ones".

Land and freedom!

Chauvinist Frenchie.

Fucking sweet.

Nothing can heal the bite of this snake!

Do you need a light?

LIGHTHOUSE MEXICAN TOBACCO

Where am I? Where am I?

In Hell.

Relax, gringo, where there's life

there's hope, right?

Why do you call me "gringo"? I'm not a gringo.

That's what we all say when we cross the line.

Right, my honey-lambs?

Finish your drink, L.A. awaits us.

Los Angeles?

Though it may not seem so, it's easily reached from Hell.

But where are we?

At the end of the world.

Tijuana.

My bag, where's my bag?

Relax, it's already loaded up.

Watch out, you fucks.

What did that bastard say?

Forget it, that gringo is bad dude,

from Immigration, at least.

Look for the bare necessities,

the simple bare necessities,

forget about your worries and your strife.

Can you give me an autograph, Mr. Tin-Tan?

No, I'm in a big hurry.

Mickey Mouse awaits us!

Have a good time!

But who are you, really?

The king of the 'hood, at your service.

MONTEREY 1967, JUNE 16

We're here.

This is for you.

And don't forget,

being a criminal means a lot of work.

Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?

1967, JUNE 17

How much "chewing" before we see each other again?

Respect, respect.

Hello!

Black giant here.

Have you fixed my Cadillac?

Manex!

About to enter the mouth of a "Shark Fin" carburettor.

Sharks, there are more and more of them, right?

Where are you calling from now, from Peking?

Have you finished the job on the Mexican muralists?

I just got into San Francisco.

In California?

That's quite a trip!

You have no idea.

There's been commotion here too.

In April a state of siege was declared.

And at the weekend I was at the Improvisators Championship.

I was at the Monterey Festival.

Xalbador was booed,

but he sang such a farewell

that the people whistling at him ended up applauding him.

At Monterey the people were amazed when Jimi Hendrix set fire to his guitar

and the Who destroyed all their instruments.

You whistled at me, but...

I still love you.

And I got an earring too!

Like the pirates of old?

Yeah, man, all the people who refuse to jump through hoops get them.

Are you sure you didn't get a bump on the head?

That was my last coin, Xebero.

I'm going to get cut off.

Be careful, buddy!

You too.

But what the fuck are you up to?

MONTREAL 1967, JULY 24

This "coffee and cream" couple you're playing is conspicuous.

This white ass had no trouble with his French passport.

That's a cool southern French accent!

Welcome to Quebec!

And I can tell you it will be better.

Long live Montreal! Long live Quebec!

Long live Free Quebec!

Long live Free Quebec! Long live De Gaulle!

De Gaulle?

What's wrong with De Gaulle?

You can't trust his word, Laurent.

Why do you say that?

The Gernika Batallion took part in the Liberation

and De Gaulle made a promise...

France will not forget the effort and sacrifice

of the Basques for the liberation of our land.

That was in 1945.

The Basques and the Republicans hoped that the Allies

would enter Spain to defeat Franco,

who'd been an ally of Hitler and Mussolini...

But you know how all that ended.

Yes, but in Quebec it'll be different,

we speak French here.

Fucking hell.

You again?

Did you see this?

Che is in the Bolivian highlands!

Bolivia? I thought he was in Africa.

He was also here with us,

and then in Algeria and fighting in the Congo.

But he's in Bolivia now.

Bolivia?

Bolivia, La Paz!

No, not in La Paz, in Cochabamba.

Let's go, I think it's around here.

Excuse us.

Long live Free Palestine!

Two seconds.

You've got all you need here.

My part ends here. Now you must go.

Good luck, comrades!

Goodbye, girls!

THEY'RE ON YOUR HEELS. WE HAVE TO PROTECT YOU.

ALGIERS

Just spare parts, Lieutenant.

Tear the roof off.

ALGIERS 1967, OCTOBER 8

Good idea to meet up in the movies

after two months apart and stay indoors.

And with people who only speak Arabic.

My greetings to the Algerian Intelligence Service.

Delighted to meet you too.

My name is Amira.

After what you did in San Francisco and Montreal,

I had to get you under the radar for a while.

By the way, my name's Yassim.

Now the introductions are done,

what did you think of the film?

A knockout, the whole world ought to see it.

In France, for now, it's banned.

And in Spain, of course.

"The Battle of Algiers" was shot on these very streets.

I don't know what you think,

but we're living in a historic time.

Historic is what happened in Jordan to the Red Army Fraction.

What happened?

Guys and girls from the RAF stripped in the training camps

to the cry of "one bullet, one shag",

and were expelled for not respecting discipline.

"Make Love Not War" was also transgressive in the U.S.

And here in Algeria?

We're getting by here...

We're trying to combine Marxism with the defense of our culture.

In cities like Oran and Algiers

Arabic was on the point of disappearing.

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen,

we wish you a beautiful night.

A little more tea?

Yes, please, it's exquisite.

It's Algerian in origin,

with mint,

the way Che liked it.

He didn't order mate, perhaps?

He had to get accustomed here.

It was important for him to visit us here.

He put us in contact with the FLQ in Quebec.

The anti-imperialist struggle is contradictory,

you free yourselves from French colonialism

and the FLQ wants a socialist republic...

that's French!

Paradoxes of praxis, as Marx would say.

And you? You're Basque, right?

How did you get involved in this dance?

It's a long story.

There are more Basques around here.

Here? What are they doing?

Learning.

Arabic?

A little of everything.

It's strange that we're telling you and you're not telling us.

Although the Basques we know here

are more formal than the RAF people.

-Right, Yassim? -Without a doubt.

Listen up...

This guy was in the fun park.

He gave me the trumpet from the polar bear's cage.

Sergei Titov, from the KGB.

We all know each other here. Don't worry.

The Russians want us to fall into their orbit

and meanwhile, they get drunk at the cabaret.

And that woman?

We don't know her.

She looks a lot like the woman we saw in the Israeli pavilion.

Mossad in Algeria?

Too risky.

It can't be!

Is something wrong?

Do you know him too?

They've sold us out!

While you're with us, you have nothing to fear.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for.

Introducing...

Cheikha Rimitti!

Are you Berber?

No. Why?

When a Berber mother loses a son, she puts an earring on the next,

to protect him....

so that he stays alive.

What's your name?

Iman, but everyone calls me Beirut.

She's Lebanese.

Things there are terrible after the 6-day war.

Beirut,

the Paris of the Mediterranean, is a dangerous wasps nest.

On the other hand, in Cuba the debate is if the Soviet or Chinese route is better,

the revolutionary peasant class or the proletariat.

Nor can you reduce everything to class struggle, my friend.

The Algerian peasants are revolutionary,

but they want to maintain the traditional structures

because they protect them from the unknown.

But let's not do what the bourgeoisie do, navel-gazing all the time.

They're only interested in material things,

they listen to the sound of coins jingling...

And abuse the sweat of the workers to line their own pockets.

Excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom.

Stop, not that way.

Why?

You're only here in passing.

Excellent! Bravo! You're fantastic!

Beirut... made me lose my mind.

Beirut?

That's my city.

Long live revolutionary love!

Yassim, what's wrong? Weren't you going to bed?

Amira, the apartment's been blown up! Hurry, let's go!

What?

A bomb. We're in danger.

Snipers! Let's go!

Quickly! In the car!

Are you all okay?

It was a miracle.

Where were they shooting from? Did anyone see anything?

From a building or maybe a boat in the bay...

Who knows? From anywhere.

You have to leave Algeria at once.

But... Beirut?

I'll tell her you'll be back.

So be it.

ALGIERS / ORAN / ALMERÍA

ALMERÍA 1967, OCTOBER 9

Here we have the Frenchman and the big black guy.

Eliseo, from the Cuban Embassy.

The Cuban Embassy where?

Madrid, where else?

-What? -Didn't they tell you?

They just landed in Almería.

No way. You brought us to Spain?

You're putting us in the hands of the Franco regime?

Hang in there, comrade, it's all under control here.

I'll explain in Madrid.

You're putting us in the belly of the beast!

Better the belly of the beast than a chimp's tea party.

What?

Easy, easy, don't get nervous.

They're here to lend a hand,

right, Ramiro?

Or two, if need be.

Let's go.

The Yankees are shooting a film about Mexico.

Villa Rides.

Pancho Villa has arrived!

Yes, very Hollywood, but they come to film

in Spain.

I don't know what happened, the watch has stopped.

Well, I've brought the latest time...

In '59 I escorted him here,

on a stopover on the way to the summit

of non-aligned countries, in Cairo.

We had breakfast in this very café.

It was a great loss.

Che's been killed in Bolivia.

Live by the sword, die by the sword.

Fucking fascist.

What other news do you have about Bolivia?

We lost the embassy people.

The worst of it was the girl, comrade Tamayo...

A car killed her as she was leaving the embassy in La Paz...

She was pregnant.

Did you think it'd be that easy?

It's never that easy.

Latest news from the Basque Country and Navarra.

Over 300 arrested on Easter Sunday.

Yesterday another six people were arrested in Pamplona,

accused of sedition and affray,

among them, Pedro Berro and Severo Sagarzazu,

suspected of having thrown pyrotechnic objects

that simulated the Basque flag as they fell.

More rockets were seized in the garage in Pamplona

where the latter worked.

Xebero!

Here comes Ramiro.

He's giving us the visas and I'll take you to the airport.

Good Lord, look at your long faces.

Aren't you happy to go?

By the way, have you spoken to them, Eliseo?

Did you tell them that one good turn deserves another?

Comrades, there's one final detail.

The trumpet.

What?

You have to leave it.

You're kidding, right?

Yes, look what a joke it is.

Come on, nigger,

give me the trumpet, in this station

they say there's a lot of living dead,

and I don't want to enhance the legend.

Go, Wilson, escape now!

Relax, Frenchman,

don't make wrinkles you can't iron out.

Hell is full of music fans.

Take care of it for me.

It goes out of tune easily.

Do you know why gorillas don't play the trumpet?

Because they're too sensitive!

Let the Frenchman go fuck himself!

Come on, Clever.

Let's go!

Beltza.

Black is "beltza".

Beltza power!

Franco names as vice-president of the government

Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco.

His promotion,

coupled with the ability to reconcile tendencies within the regime

and his fidelity to the head of state and the movement,

make him the most likely candidate to succeed Franco.

It's a shame you didn't come last week,

they were showing John Wayne's Cast a Giant Shadow.

My favorite is The Alamo.

Well, this film is ours

and the title suits us down to a tee.

Yes, but it's incredible how bad

the films here in Spain are.

Sure, but the trumpet movie has a happy ending...

for this Spaniard.

What the hell's inside it?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

We've already deposited the money.

Goodbye, my friend.

Follow the band, with the band everything's alright.

Gringo faggot.

Bad movies...

BIARRITZ 1967, DECEMBER 11

Let's break the chain

Let's sing together

"Dear Samuel Antonovich: I accomplished my mission.

There are many things that link me to Cuba,

but going back to Havana without Amanda...

is too painful for me.

OTIS REDDING HAS DIED

I honestly appreciate Clever's greeting,

although for a trumpet player

the most important thing is his teeth...

I just don't get it.

HAVANA ONE MONTH BEFORE

I still find it hard to believe she's my daughter...

though I must tell you I was thrilled to find out

that you called her Ainhoa.

I do hope to see her soon.

But after traveling half the world,

I realized that I barely know my own land.

The revolution is at home

and I feel I have to be a part of this.

As we say here: adiorik ez. So long.

I picked up the packages.

I hope they don't stop us at the border.

And you, are you done?

Yes, I've finished...

In a way I died with Otis.

Now a new life begins.

ALGIERS

What's this fucking shit?

They're records. Just records, singles....

Let me see!

And just for some fucking shitty banned records

you did all this shit?

Lieutenant, shall we take them to the barracks

and make them sing by beating the shit out of them?

Let's wait for instructions from Irun, the giant’s got a French passport,

we don't want to screw it up.

This guy, when he wants to be, is a Basque son of a bitch

or a French fairy.

Melitón says to let them go.

He wants them, but for now

we're not up to diplomatic conflicts with the Frogs.

Keep your shitty music,

but don't bust our balls,

because we're watching you.

-Let's go! -Yes, let's go!