All language subtitles for Butterfly.Effect.S02E01_English

- [Male Narrator] Chicago,
November 12th, 1955.

It's a big day for the
multi-millionaire businessman.

Not surprising, he has just
been elected head of the state

with more than 75% of the vote.

For Governor Capone,
the question is

who didn't vote for me?

The son of immigrants,
Al Capone has climbed

every rung of the
criminal ladder.

At 45, he was already
the undisputed boss

of the crime syndicate.

Becoming a millionaire through
sales of bootleg liquor,

the gangster is
now a respectable,

and super rich, businessman.

His property empire,

built on the corpses
of his former enemies,

is today 100% legal, but
none of this ever happened.

In 1930, a tiny grain of sand
will change the course of

an investigation and toss Al
Capone behind bars on Alcatraz.

Our history is no more than a
serious of incredible events.

Every one of us can
influence its course.

(exciting rock music)

The most infinitesimal
of our decisions

can influence the
future of humanity.

To know the past is
to foresee the future.

(ominous music)

December 18th, 1917.

Under pressure from the
influential Wayne Wheeler,

the U.S. Congress adopts
the 18th Amendment.

February 14th, 1929,
St. Valentine's Day.

Al Capone's henchmen execute
seven members of a rival gang.

October 24th, 1931,
the gangster Al Capone

is sentenced to 11 years
in jail for tax fraud.

These three events are
key moments in the rise,

and then the fall, of the
most
notorious American gangster,

Al Capone.

England, 1620.

The Mayflower has just set
sail for the new world.

Aboard, 200 puritans
determined to flee
persecution.

They are driven by the
conviction they need to found

a new society in America.

A purer, and strictly
Christian, society.

For them, all
pleasure is suspect.

Temptation is too
great, sin is never far.

Two centuries later,
the United States,

made rich by wave after
wave of immigrants,

remains profoundly
steeped in the ideal

of those first pioneers.

Rigid discipline in life and
unshakeable faith in God.

And yet, right in the
heart of the Republic,

alcohol flows freely.

In 1830, the average citizen
drinks the equivalent of

88 bottles of whiskey per year.

Alcohol is everywhere.

When not working,
men go to the saloon.

There they talk
business, politics,

but they also drink their fill.

And at that time, there
is no form of protection

against conjugal violence.

The impact on family
life is devastating.

All levels of
society are effected.

From workers to judges,
as well, of the preacher.

However, in the mid 19 century,

more and more voices are raised

to denounce the
evils of alcohol.

This movement, born of
Protestant ceremonies,

will spread and grow.

Its objective?

Cleanse the country
by abolishing

the consumption of alcohol.

This is the beginning of the
long march towards
prohibition.

(glass shattering)

Across the country, women
will emerge from their homes

to mount an assault
on drunkenness.

Blockade of saloons,
demonstrations,
political pressure,

wrecking of establishments,
all methods are good

to make their voice heard.

And they succeed.

At the beginning of
the 20th century,

some 10 American states have
gone dry with no alcohol.

But for Wayne Wheeler, the
most influential politician

in the United States,
this is not enough.

At the head of the
Anti-Saloon League,

he wants more than a simple law,

he wants to carve prohibition
into the marble slab

of the constitution.

On December 18, 1917, after
a century of struggle,

Congress adopts the 18th
Amendment to the Constitution,

banning the production,
the sale, and the transport

of spirits within the
territory of the United
States.

So at this point,

the restriction only
applies to hard liquor,

but just before the
amendment comes into effect,

the Volstead Act completes,
and extends, the ban

to all drinks containing more
than 0.5 degrees of alcohol.

For Americans, it's take
to take a last drink.

- [Woman Narrator] Welcome
to the memory of humanity.

Here we can control time,
analyze, and compare

billions of events
and alter them

to rewrite history, endlessly.

All the events in our history,

however minute they might be,

are memorized and
interconnected.

It only requires
one to be changed

for all the others to
be shaken to the core.

For example, let's try to
understand the effect of
alcohol

on the human body.

Alcoholic fermentation
is a chemical process,

during which sugars are
turned into ethanol.

This procedure has been know
to man for thousands of years.

When swallowed, the alcohol
arrives in the stomach,

and then, in the
small intestine.

It passes into the blood,
from which it spreads

to all the organs,
in particular, the
liver and the brain.

The first effects
are slight euphoria,

a partial lifting
of inhibitions,

and an increase
in reaction time.

But, in high doses, motor
functions are effected,

leading to possible vomiting
loss of consciousness,

or even death.

Over the long term, excessive
consumption may trigger

numerous diseases,
sometimes fatal ones.

As often the case, it's all
a question of moderation.

- [Male Narrator] A total ban
on consumption of alcohol.

For a large number of
Americans,
it's something of a joke.

One law, amongst others
that, in any case,

will never be applied.

(glasses clinking)

But, the saloons start to
close one after the another,

distilleries fire their workers,

stocks are impounded
or even destroyed.

A special target?

The breweries, generally
run by German immigrants.

(upbeat blues music)

Clearly, this is for good.

The law's applied to the
letter, and zealously.

The first positive
effects are quickly felt.

Fewer deaths, no more
drunks in the streets,

less brawls outside bars.

For the saloon owners, there
are only two options left.

Respect the law or turn their
cellar into an illegal bar.

(rat squeaking)

It's the birth of
the speakeasys.

The hangout of those
who scoff at the laws.

Scofflaws, where you can order
your bourbon from the barman,

but only if you whisper.

To supply them, the
bootleggers, or smugglers,

dream up increasingly
ingenious strategies.

Out in the country, they start
instilling their own alcohol,

often at night, in the woods,
by the light of the moon.

To drink and flout the law,

soon becomes, not only a
desire, but a duty too.

People think the
government has no right

to dictate how they behave.

Even the President
of the United States

has his own personal
stock at the White House.

The speakeasys become
the new temples

of fashionable society.

Places of worship
in an amazing age

when women have won
their place next to men,

at the same time as
their right to vote.

A time when jazz and the blues
are almost more intoxicating

than bootleg whiskey.

A time when the cities
are sprouting skyscrapers.

A time outside of
time, the roaring 20s.

In the first 20 months of the
application of prohibition,

100 million liters of
bootleg alcohol are consumed,

right under the
nose of the State.

To fight the
recalcitrant element,

the Feds disposed of a budget

of a mere three million dollars.

On the ground,
they have one agent

per 70 thousand population.

For the city of New York alone,

it is estimated they
would need 250,000,

and the same number to
watch over those very agents

because the
administration is no fool.

Corruption is rife.

From neighborhood cops
who turn a blind eye,

to the federal agents who hold
the secret dives to ransom,

the house is rotten
from basement to attic.

Then, the gang robbed the train.

- [Female Narrator]
The power to ban.

Passing a law is one thing,

being able to apply
it is another.

The 18th Amendment ran against
the majority of opinion.

It was all about an
influential group

imposing its vision of things

and its morality on
an entire country.

By choosing to defy this
law, considered to be unjust,

a large part of the
population
stepped outside the law.

What would happen in
France if a pressure group

banned cheese, or wine?

What if tobacco
were made illegal?

How many people
would cross the line?

The whole question, a
difficult one to decide,

is to determine if a
ban if just or not.

Should we legalize
cannabis, heroin, firearms?

In every case,
it's as much about

the removal of
individual freedom,

as a problem of health
or of public safety.

The question is made even
more complex when we know

that any ban is immediately
met with the emergence of

an illegal smuggling network.

Doesn't the result risk
being worse than the cause?

- [Male Narrator]
1917, New York.

In the fog of
alcohol and tobacco,

a jazz concert can quickly
turn into a settling of
scores.

The man slashed with a razor

won't easily forget
what just happened.

Of Italian origin, he is a
member of the New York mafia.

His name is Alphonse, soon
he's quite simply, Al.

Al Capone.

The son of immigrants,
Al Capone starts

right at the bottom
of the ladder.

Spotted for his special talents,

he becomes right-hand man
to gangster Johnny Torrio.

Of a violent character,

he leaves New York
for Chicago in 1918.

He needs to disappear,

With Johnny Torrio,
he orders the murder

of the local godfather and
immediately takes his place.

Bootlegging, dives,
prostitution, racketeering,

Capone dips his toe
into everything crooked.

He's violent and dangerous,
acts fast and strikes hard.

The authorities are no
threat,
they are easily bribed.

His real enemies?

The Irish gangs from the
Northern neighborhoods.

This is no time for compromise,

but for conquering territory.

(guns firing)

Under pressure
from Irish bullets,

Torrio flees Chicago
and returns to Italy.

Alone, Capone wages a merciless
war with his sworn enemies.

The authorities,
corrupt, look away

and allow him to clean up.

Whoever controls the liquor
traffic, contrChicago.

And yet, in the eyes
of the general public,

Capone enjoys a
Robin Hood image.

The Prince of Thieves
flouting an unfair law.

Colorful, and a media darling,

the crook doesn't
bother to hide.

Opera, fur coats, dog
races, and armored Cadillac.

He taunts the authorities,
defies his opponents,

and even makes the
front page of Time.

At barely 30, he is
all-powerful in Chicago.

The state of Illinois,
corrupt from top to bottom,

can no longer stop him.

February 14th, 1929,
St. Valentine's Day,

seven members of the
Irish, North side gang

have a meeting in a warehouse
to take delivery of a load.

Suddenly, cops appear.

Nobody resists.

The Irish mobsters
know perfectly well

that they'll soon be free.

They are told to put
down their weapons

and line up against a wall.

(rapid gun fire)

Capone's men, disguised as cops,

riddle the mobsters with lead,

then calmly leave under the
cover of their uniforms.

Behind them, a pool of blood
and still smoking shells.

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre

will deeply shock
public opinion.

For the authorities,
it's the last straw.

- [Female Narrator] Always more.

The gangsters who
defy prohibition,
will wage a real war.

At first, armed with
le revolvers,

they equip themselves
with automatic weapons

and evermore powerful vehicles.

The famous Tommy gun,
designed by General Thompson,

can fire 700 rounds per minute.

This high rate of fire,

and its intensive
use by the gangsters,

earn it the nicknames
Chicago Typewriter, or Piano.

At sea, Coast Guard vessels,
now faster and faster,

disrupt the smugglers,
who respond by converting

airplane engines to
drive their launches.

At high speeds, these engines,
running on aviation fuel,

risk overheating and explosion.

For each new weapon,
a fresh response,

always more effective.

It's a race to violence.

- [Male Narrator]
Atlantic City, May 1929.

The entire underworld
is gathered today

that is harming businessput ane

and splitting up territories.

This gangster conference
is to lay the foundations

of a crime syndicate
for the United States.

United, they will be able
to bribe whomever they wish.

Capone, richer than ever,

is a leading figure
at the meeting.

However, this hard-to-control
Italian, starts to irritate.

Fearing he'll be murdered,
Capone gets himself arrested

and finds temporary
refuge in jail.

However, other people
are out hunting

for public enemy number one.

On the shores of Lake Michigan,

more and more voices
are raised against

the mob's strangle hold
on the city of Chicago.

Financed by a mystery committee,
dubbed the Secret Six,

Special Agent Elliot Ness,
reputedly incorruptible,

is given the mission of
putting Capone behind bars.

President's orders.

The investigator surrounds
himself with a reduced squad

of reliable policeman, hand
picked, experts in their
field.

Weapons handling, offensive
driving, phone tapping,

hand-to-hand combat.

Rather than attack the bars,
the visible tip of the
iceberg,

Ness decides to
target the source.

He tells the delivery trucks,

working back up to the
breweries and distilleries.

A series of spectacular
raids ensues.

One after another,
Capone's wells dry up.

But the gangster has
to face another danger.

Ness and his squad
are merely the muscle

of a wider operation.

While Capone was fighting tooth
and nail for his breweries,

Special Tax Agent
Frank J. Wilson,

was sifting through his life,
his accounts, his assets.

Strangely enough, his mission
is not to prove that Capone

was in breach of prohibition.

His weapon is a
recently passed law.

From now on, all income,

even that derived
from illegal activity,

must be declared for tax.

The gangsters are
caught in the trap.

If they don't declare,
they are charged.

If they do declare, it's an
admission of their smuggling.

However, for the moment, it's
impossible to link Capone

to his vast fortune.

The wiley villain only
ever pays in cash,

and keeps no written
evidence of his dealings.

Then, one day in 1930,
inspector Wilson happens across

a forgotten item in the file.

In this account book, a
note mentions a certain Al.

- [Female Narrator] We have
just reached a turning point.

A turning point is a
key event, a crossroads,

in our history where the world
swings one way, or the other.

Special Tax Agent Wilson has
just unearthed an old file

seized during an earlier search.

In the file is a
hand-written note.

Seemingly ordinary,
incriminating a certain Al.

When subject to expert analysis,

it will provide a trail
back to Al Capone.

What would've happened if
this document had remained

under a stack of files?

Unable to link the mafia
man to his activities,

the investigation would've
gone on for years.

Years in which Capone
would've continued his

relentless progression.

At the head of a
powerful crime syndicate,

he would've had the
financial,
and political, means

to bend any judge to his will,

and any senior civil servant.

He might even had been
tempted by a political
career.

After rigged elections, the
biggest gangster of all time

could've found himself at the
head of the state of Illinois.

A gangster at the
head of a state.

- [Narrator] Al Capone.

Undisputed boss of the
Chicago underworld.

Asked to face 23 charges
before a federal court,

the legal machine is in motion,

and its aim is to put
the crook behind bars

once and far all.

that the wind has turned.

True to himself,
he bribes the jury.

But to general surprise,
the implacable judge

has the jury replaced.

Clearly more talented at
handling out a beating,

than with tax matters,

Capone makes a poor
choice of lawyers.

His defense makes
several mistakes.

On October 24th, 1931,
the verdict is announced.

Capone is found
guilty of tax evasion,

and is sentenced to
11 years in jail.

The villain was beaten
by an accountant.

Handcuffed, escorted
by Elliot Ness,

Capone has lost his
permanent smirk,

and the comedy is over.

The infamous Al Capone
will rot away for years,

Alcatraz prison.in ,

The agents of prohibition
won that round,

but they are soon
to be disenchanted,

because in the meantime,
on October 29th, 1929,

the American economy suffered
one of the worst days

in its history: Black Thursday.

The day when 13 million
shares sold at rock bottom.

When the stock
exchange collapsed,

when America was
brought to its knees.

This unprecedented financial
crisis goes global.

Soon, faced with economic
chaos, the restrictive,
Puritan

prohibition laws no
longer seem relevant.

The state needs money,

and wants to bring
back taxes on alcohol.

Despite the millions
of bottles seized,

and the more than
53,000 sentences,

prohibition is finally
defeated from the inside.

On February 20th, 1933, Congress
adopts the 21st Amendment,

which repeals the 18th.

(exciting guitar music)

Each state remains free to
manage the alcohol question

as it sees fit,

but the Federal state decides
it is no longer its problem.

Gangsters are the biggest
losers in the change.

Legal alcohol is sold
much more cheaply.

They turn to other interests
because, luckily for them,

the United States has no
shortage of laws to break,

restrictions to get
around, vices to pander to,

but that is another story.

- [Female Narrator] The
history of the United States

is written to the
rhythm of its crusades

against slavery,
alcohol, communism,

and today, Islamist terrorism.

On each occasion, laws were
passed to restrict, by force,

and establish a
virtuous America.

Prohibition was a rearguard
action led by Americans

of the old Protestant stock,

against the new
American immigrants.

The 18th Amendment was
the last great victory

of these defenders of the past.

Taking advantage
of the windfall,

gangsters, like Al Capone,
where able to convert

that formidable American
spirit of enterprise,

to create a real
crime syndicate.

Ironically, prohibition
opened the country's doors

to the mafia.

(intense booming music)

In the United States,
individual freedom

is a founding value,

in a country where
everyone has the right

to do what you want,

and live life as
they understand it.

Eduction is often more
effective than imposition.

(intense music)