Original subtitles

(soft music)

Spring 1792,

in the Saint-Marcel district of Paris.

Life seems for an instant, more important

than the political events

that have been shaking the country violently since 1789.

On Athanase and Gabrielle's wedding day,

we want to believe in a better tomorrow.

To bride and groom

I would like it, if you would block your ears

to the roar of discord.

And if you'd open your eyes

before this young man and this woman

who have just joined together before us,

Athanase Lamoureux and Gabrielle Pecheloche.

(crowd applauding)

Bravo, wonderful.

But in reality, the course

of the French Revolution has just changed.

Come and look, the soldiers are marching out.

The French are about to experience

both the miracle of democracy

and one of the bloodiest periods in their history.

(gentle music)

April 1792.

France has just embarked on a war

with the Austro-Hungarian Empire that will last many years.

(tense classical music)

Louis XVI, has pushed to have France declare war,

on France as a second of Austria,

nephew of Queen Mary Antoinette.

In actual fact, the king hopes that

revolutionary France will be beaten

and his power as absolute monarch of the country restored.

Deputies are aware of the kings double dealing,

but in a calculation that would prove devastating,

the members of parliament still vote for war,

naively convinced that a victory against Austria and Prussia

would strengthen the revolution.

The country is suddenly frozen by fear.

Ah, that works the cock

Only Jean-Jean, a carefree youth

dreams of heroism.

Gabrielle's son, is a child of this revolution

that he can only imagine winning.

Hey look at Ferdinand.

You know he's got five kids for now.

Hey look what they gave me.

You like it. Yeah.

You want me to put it on.

They're leaving now?

(dramatic music)

(gun bangs)

(horse neighs)

Right from the first weeks of combat,

hopes of victory are dashed and replaced by panic.

The French army racks up defeats,

destabilized by the exile of officers from the aristocracy.

The Prussian armies cross borders,

and advance on Lille

and soon Paris.

(gun bangs)

In these troubled hours,

the cartoonists have a field day.

Producing scores of humiliating caricatures

of the king and queen.

And the spring of 1792, mistrust of the king

would reach a startling level

that could only lead to further insurrection.

(gun bangs)

The first warning shot comes on June 20 1792,

when the sections from

St. Antoine and St. Marcel band together,

to peacefully invade the National Assembly

convening in the Tuileries Palace.

The 20th of June

will always be one of the greatest memories ever.

With the folks from Faubourg St. Antoine,

we invaded the Ser de Manage,

there were the assembly sits.

It was a real founder like with drums

and we issued

an ultimatum to these deputies who chickened out.

What we wanted was very clear.

We just demanded the destitution of the king,

who was a traitor,

to allow into the National Guard

those citizens they call passive in their jargon,

and the election of a convention

that would replace the assembly of fools.

But the deputies didn't care what we wanted, of course.

So then we just occupied the palace.

We even forced Louis to wear a liberty cap.