All language subtitles for Les Liaisons Dangereuses Part Two The Play

Well, what treasures do you have in store for me today?

A letter to Madame your aunt, sir

And this one, which Julie managed to get to
before it was sealed up, to Madame's confessor

Ah, very good!

This is excellent

I have a letter for Father Anselme myself:
you may deliver them both when you leave

Yes, sir
- And what news?

No visitors: there still hasn't been a single visitor
since she got back from the country

Kept to her room. Bit of soup last night.
but didn't touch the pheasant

Afterwards a cup of tea. Nothing else to report

Oh, yes, there is

You wanted to know what she was reading.
She has two books by her bed

I don't suppose you found out what they were?
- Course I did, sir, what do you take me for?

Let me think, now.
One was Christian Thoughts, volume two

And the other was a novel
written by some Englishman, Clarissa

See, I was right, wasn't I, sir, there was no need
for me to join her staff, now was there?

I can find out everything you want to know,
no trouble at all

I just thought you might prefer to be paid two salaries.
as at the time of the Duchesse

Oh, well, sir, with Madame the Duchesse.
that was quite different. I didn't mind that at all

But I couldn't wear a magistrate's livery, could I, sir,
now be fair, not after being in your service

Thank you, sir, thank you very mum

One day I'll start saving a bit, like you recommended,
but I do like to do justice to you

After letting Madame de Tourvel leave my aunt's house
without even managing to warn me.

You're lucky to be working for anybody

Now we've been through all that, sir, haven't we?
Not even Julie knew she was going till she went

How is Julie?

Seems a bk keener than she was in the country
- And yourself?

Talk about devotion to duty
- Off you go, Keep it up

Madame... My dear boy

Thank you, Monsieur, for everything

I was afraid I'd been a sad disappointment to you

Of course I'm disappointed
not to have seen Cécile for more than a month

But I believe I have you to thank
for keeping our love alive

Oh. as to love. she thinks of little else

I had so hoped you'd be able to arrange
a meeting between us in the country

Well, so had I, I made all the necessary arrangements,
but she was adamant

I know, she said in her last letter
you'd been trying hard to persuade her

I did all I could. In many respects I've found her
very open to persuasion, but not, alas, on this issue

Yes, she said I couldn't do more myself
than you've been doing on my behalf

She's a most generous girl
- What else did she say?

She said she had seen signs of a mange of heart
in her mother

Perhaps in the end
she'll come round to the idea of our marriage

Wouldn't that be wonderful

Anyway, how is she?
That's what I've really come to ask you, Monsieur

Blooming. I really think the country air
has done her good

I think she's even begun to fill out a little
- Really?

And of course she sends you all her love

She and her mother will be returning to Paris
in about a fortnight.

By which time the situation should be resolved
one way or the other

And either way. she's longing to see you

I don't know how I can bear to go another two weeks
without seeing her

We shall have to do our very best
to provide some distraction for you

Without your friendship and encouragement.
I can't think what would have become of me

My dear. would you be so kind as to wait
in the carriage for a few minutes?

There's a matter I must discuss
with the Vicomte in private

Of course

I don't know how I can ever repay you
- Don't give it another thought, it's been delightful

Poor boy. He's quite harmless

Well, I must say, I thought Cécile's letter
sounded unusually witty

So I should hope: I dictated it myself
- Ah. Vicomte. I do adore you

I have a piece of news that might entertain you

I have reason to believe the next head
of the house of Gercourt might be a Valmont

What do you mean?

Cecile is two weeks late. Aren't you pleased?

I'm not sure. You have rather overstepped your brief

Providing they hold the wedding before the end
of the year, I don't see what harm can come of it

No. you're right. the situation does have possibilities.
It just makes everything a good deal more chancy

You've used no precautions, then?

I've tried to give her a thorough grounding
in all aspects of our subject

But in this one area. I'm afraid.
I may have misled her to some extent

Your aim was to revenge yourself on Gercourt

I've provided him with a wife trained by me
to perform quite naturally...

...services you would hesitate to request
from a professional

And very likely pregnant as well, What more do you want?

All right, Vicomte, I agree,
you've more than done your duty

Shame you let the other one slip through your fingers,
I can only assume that's what happened?

I let her go. Can you imagine? I took pity on her

She was ready, the die was cast and the bill was paid.
And I relented

And, what do you know, she ran away,
like a thief in the night

Why did you let her escape?
- I was... moved

Oh, well, then, no wonder you bungled it

I had no idea she was capable of being so devious
- Poor woman, what else could you expect?

To surrender and not be taken.
It would try the patience of a saint

it won't happen again
- What you mean is, you won't have the chance again

Oh, yes, this time I have a foolproof plan
- What, another one?

Absolutely guaranteed. I have an appointment
to visit her at her house on Thursday

And this time, I shall be merciless.
I'm going to punish her

I'm pleased to hear it

Why do you suppose we only feel compelled to chase
the ones who run away?

Immaturity?

I shan't have a moment's peace until it's over

I love her. I hate her. I'm furious with her,
my life's a misery

I've got to have her so that I can
pass all these feelings on to her and be rid of them

Now tell me what's happening in your life

Belleroche is about to fall by the wayside
- But this is excellent

I have smothered him with so much affection.
the poor man can hardly stand up

He's desperately trying to devise some graceful exit
- Long overdue, in my opinion

And his successor has already been marked out
- Oh? Who's the lucky man?

I'm not sure I care to tell you just at the moment

Oh, well, in that case I shall have to conceal from you
the details of my foolproof plan

That seems an acceptable enough bargain
- What's the matter?

Nothing. I think I may have
kept our young friend waking long enough

I shall call on you some time soon after Thursday

Only if you succeed, Vicomte. I'm not sure I could face
another catalogue of incompetence

Oh, I shall succeed
- I hope so

Once upon a time you were a man to be reckoned with

I understand Father Anselme has explained to you
the reasons for my visit

Yes. He said you wished to be reconciled with me
before beginning instruction with him

That's right
- But I see no need for formal reconciliation. Monsieur

No? When I have. as you said. insulted you.
and when you have treated me with unqualified contempt?

Contempt? What do you mean?

You run away from my aunt's house
in the middle of the night

You refuse to answer or even receive my letters

And all this after I had shown a restraint
of whim I think we are both aware

I would call that. at the very least. contempt

I'm sure you understand me better than you pretend.
Monsieur. it seemed to me by far the most...

Forgive me. I didn't come here to trade reproaches

You mow your virtue has made as deep an impression
on my soul as has your beauty on my heart

I suppose I imagined that made me worthy of you

What has happened is probably
a just punishment for my presumption

My life has had no value
since you refused to make it beautiful

All I wanted from this meeting, Madame, was your
forgiveness for the wrongs you think I've done you,

so I can at least end my days in some peace of mind

But you won't understand, I couldn't do what you wanted,
my duty wouldn't allow me to...

It was me you ran away from, wasn't it?
- I had to leave

And do you have to keep away? For ever?
- I do... I must

Well. I think you'll find your wish that we be separated
will succeed beyond your wildest dreams

Your decision is...

It's a function of my despair.
I'm as unhappy as you could ever have wanted me to be

I've only ever wanted your happiness
- How can I be happy without you?

I must have you or die

Death Ms

I'm sorry. I wanted to live for your happiness
and I destroyed it

Now I want to give you back your peace of mind
and I destroy that too

I'm not used to passion. I can't deal with it

At least this is the last time. So be calm

It's difficult when you are in this state, Monsieur
- Yes: well, don't worry, 'won't last very long

These are the only things which might weaken my courage:
these deceitful pledges of your friendship

They were all that reconciled me to life

I understood you wanted to return them to me...

...and that you now approved of the choice
my duty has compelled me to make

Yes. And your choice has determined mine
- Which is what?

The only choice capable of
putting an end to my suffering

What do you mean?
- Listen...

I love you. You've no idea how mum

Remember I've made far more difficult sacrifices
than the one I'm about to make

Now... goodbye
- No

Let me go
- You must listen to me

Why should you be so upset
by the idea of making me happy?

Yes. you're right.
I can't live either unless I make you happy

So I promise. No more refusals and no more regrets

Success!
- At last

But worth waiting for
- So it worked. your foolproof plan?

Of course it wasn't foolproof.
I was exaggerating to cheer myself up

But I must say. considering these last few weeks
my letters were all returned unopened...

...or rather my letter, since I simply placed it
every other day in a fresh envelope...

...the result has been a genuine triumph
- And the plan?

I discovered, by intercepting her correspondence
in the usual way,

that she had very wisely decided
to change her confidante...

...and was now pouring out
all her inmost thoughts to my aunt

So very subtly, and aided by the fad...

...that I looked terminally exhausted
as a result of my exertions with Cecile.

I began to hint to my aunt
that I was losing the will to live,

mowing that this would be passed on

At the same time. I began corresponding with
her confessor. an amiably dim-witted Cistercian...

...whom I more or less forced to arrange
the meeting with her...

...in return for the privilege
of being allowed to save my soul,

a privilege he will now, poor man, be obliged to forgo

So. the threat of my suicide. the promise of reform

I'm afraid I can't say I find that very original
- Effective though

Tell me about it
- Well, I arrived about

Yes. I think you may omit the details of the seduction.
they're never very enlivening

Just describe the event itself

It was... unprecedented

Really?

It had a kind of warm
I don't think I've ever experienced before

Once she'd surrendered.
she behaved with perfect candour

Total mutual delirium...

...which for the first time ever for me
outlasted the pleasure itself. She was astonishing

So much so that I ended by falling on my knees
and pledging my eternal love

And do you mow. at the time.
and for several hours afterwards. I actually meant it

I see
- It's extraordinary. isn't it?

Is it? It sounds to me perfectly commonplace
- No, no, I assure you

But of course the best thing about it is that
I am now in a position to be able to claim my reward

You mean to say you persuaded her
to write you a letter as well...

...in the course of this awesome encounter?

No. I didn't necessarily think you were going to be
a stickler for formalities

Do you know, Vicomte, even if you had arrived
with a letter up your sleeve,

I'm not sure I wouldn't have had to declare
our arrangement null and void

What do you mean?
- I'm not accustomed to being taken for granted

But there's no question of that, my dear.
You mustn't misunderstand me

What in another case might be taken for presumption...

...between us can surely be accepted as a sign of our
friendship and confidence in each other. Can't it?

I've no wish to tear you away
from the arms of someone so astonishing

We've always been frank with one another

And. as a matter of fact. I have also taken a new lover.
who at the moment is proving more than satisfactory

Oh? And who is that?

I am not in the mood for confidences this evening.
Don't let me keep you

You can't seriously imagine there's a woman in the world
I could ever prefer to you?

I'm sure you're quite willing to accept me
as an addition to your harem

No, no, you've misinterpreted

What you think is vanity. taking you for granted:
it's really only eagerness

I'd sacrifice anything or anybody to you.
you mow that

All right, Vicomte, let's try to discuss this calmly,
shall we, like friends?

By all means

There's a strange thing about pleasure,
haven't you noticed?

It's the only thing that brings the sexes together,

and yet it's not sufficient in itself
to form the basis of a relationship

You see, unless there's some element of love involved,
pleasure must lead directly to disgust

I'm not sure I agree with that

Now. fortunately. it's only necessary
for this love to exist on one side

The partner who feels it is naturally the happier,

while the partner who doesn't
is to some extent compensated by the pleasures of deceit

I don't think I see your point

My point. Vicomte. is that you and I
can in no way conform to this essential pattern.

And we may as well admit it

Cardsharps sit at separate tables

Yes, and then they compare notes

Maybe: but without. I think. dealing a new hand

I can't entirely accept the analogy

Don't worry: I shan't go back on our agreement

I have to go away for a couple of weeks
- What for?

A private matter
- There was a time you kept no secrets from me

Don't you want me to finish what I was saying?
- Of course, I'm sorry

When I've returned.
and on receipt of this famous letter.

You and I will spend one single night together.
I'm sure we shall find it quite sufficient

We shall enjoy it enough
to regret that it's to be our last

But then we shall remember that regret
is an essential component of happiness.

And part the best of friends

I think we should take it one step at a time, don't you?

No. I think we should be under no illusions

You see. I don't think I've ever been unfaithful to you

You know, Vicomte, instead of trying to work on me
in this. let's be frank. mechanical fashion...

...you should be thanking me
- What for?

My courage. My stout resistance. My dear-sightedness.
I understand, you see, what's going on

Well. that's more than I can claim
- I mow

You may be genuinely unaware of this: but I can see
quite plainly that you're in love with this woman

No. You're wrong. Not at all

Have you forgotten what it's like to make a woman happy,
and to be made happy yourself?

I... of course not
- We loved each other once. didn't we?

I thought it was love. And you made me very happy

And I could again. We just untied the knot.
It was never broken

It was nothing but a temporary failure of imagination

No. no. There would have to be sacrifices
you couldn't make and I wouldn't deserve

But I told you: any sacrifice you ask
- Illusions. of course. are by their nature sweet

I have no illusions. I lost them on my travels.
Now I want to come home

As for this present infatuation, 'won't last.
But, for the moment, it's... beyond my control

You'll be the first to know when I return

Make it soon. I want 'Mo be very soon

Goodbye

He's gone

I thought he'd be here all night

Time has no logic when I'm not with you:
an hour seems like a century

We shall get on a good deal better if you make
a concerted effort not to sound like the latest novel

I'm sorry, I...
- Never mind

Take me upstairs

Drink up
- What is it?

Someone who might well not appreciate your presence here
- You mean a woman

A lady, we might even say
- Oh, well, then

Not the woman you wrote that letter to?
- The very one

I enjoyed that
- And you proved a most talented desk

I'd love to see what she looks like
- Well, you can't

On second thoughts, I don't see why you shouldn't

As long as there's no bad behaviour
- Never... unless required

Where's your Dutchman?

Safe in Holland, far as I know
- And do you have an appointment for tonight?

Few friends for dinner
- And after dinner?

Nothing firm

Then perhaps I shall call round on you later

I'll be there

This is an unexpected pleasure

Evidently

Take not notice of Émilie: she's notoriously eccentric

I know that woman
- Do you? I'd be surprised

She's been pointed out to me at the Opera
- Ah. well. yes. she is striking

She's a courtesan... isn't she?

I suppose, in a manner of speaking

Let me go
- But what's got into you?

I'm sorry I've disturbed you

Of course you haven't disturbed me.
I'm overjoyed to see you

Please let me go now
- No, no, I can't, this is absurd

Let go!
- No. wait. wait a minute

it never occurred to me you'd assume...
you must let me explain...

No!
- Let's sit down calmly

And you will never be received at my house again
- Now. Now listen

I don't want your lies and excuses

Just hear me out. that's all I ask. then you can judge
- I don't want to

Have a glass of champagne
- No!

Unfortunately, I cannot unlive
the years I lived before I met you

And as I've explained to you before,
during those years, I had a wide acquaintance,

the majority of whom were no doubt undesirable
in one respect or another

Now it may surprise you to know that Emilie. in common
with many others of her profession and character.

Is kind-hearted enough to take an interest
in those less fortunate than herself

She has. in short. the free time and inclination
to do a great deal of charity work

Donations to hospitals. soup for the poor.
protection for animals.

Anything which touches her sentimental heart

From time to time,
I make small contributions to her purse. That's all

Is that true?

My relations with Emilie have for some years now
been quite blameless

She's even done a little secretarial work
for me on occasion

Since I now mow your feelings on the matter.

I shall of course take steps to make sure
she is never received here again

Why did she laugh?
- I've no idea. Malice perhaps? Jealousy?

Girls of that class are often unpredictable.
I'm at a loss to explain it

Well, does she know about me?

No doubt she made what. in view of my past.
must be accepted as a fair assumption

I want to believe you

I knew you were coming up, you were announced

Do you seriously imagine,
if I'd felt the slightest guilt about Emilie...

...I would have allowed you to see her here?

I suppose not
- No

I'm sorry

No. no. it's I who must apologize.
It was most insensitive of me

Some relics of my old persona remain. That was
the thoughtless action of a man who had never met you

I didn't think it was possible for me to love you more.
but your jealousy...

I love you so mum

Your porter appears to be under the impression
that you are still out of town

I have in fact only just returned

Without attracting the attention of your porter?

I think it may be time
to review your domestic arrangements

I'm exhausted from the journey

Naturally I instructed my porter
to inform casual callers that I was out

And you here as well, my dear young friend

The porter would appear to be having
a somewhat erratic evening

Oh, well, I, er... yes

I'm glad to find you.
I've been trying to contact you for some days

Have you?

Mademoiselle Cecile returns to Paris
after an absence of over two months

What do you suppose is uppermost in her mind?

Answer. of course. the longed-for reunion
with her beloved Chevalier

Vicomte. this is no time to make mischief

Nothing could be further from my mind, Madame
- Go on

Imagine her distress and alarm
when her loved one is apparently nowhere to be found

I've had to do more improvising than an Italian actor

But how is she? Is she all right?

Oh, yes. Well, no, to be quite frank with you,
I'm sorry to tell you she's been ill

Ill?

Whether it was brought on by her anxieties
it's impossible to say

But it seems about a week ago they were compelled
to send for the surgeon in the middle of the night,

and for a while he was very concerned

But this is terrible!
- Calm yourself, my friend

She has been declared well on the road to recovery
and she is convalescing now

But you can well imagine
how desperate I've been to find you

Of course. My God, how could I have not been here
at such a time?

How can I ever forgive myself?

But look, I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings

All is well now with Cecile. I assure you.
I have it from the surgeon himself

And I shan't disturb you further

It's just that I have a letter. the contents of which
I thought might be of interest to the Marquise

I think perhaps I should spend a few minutes
with the Vicomte on a private matter

Why don't you go upstairs, I shan't be long

But I'm worried about Cécile

I don't think there's anything to be done
at this hour of the evening

You can send to enquire after her tomorrow

Well, all right, if you say so
- I do

I'm sorry, Vicomte, I...

Don't upset yourself, dear boy,
everything is as it should be

Thank you. Thank you

I see she writes as badly as she dresses

I think I'm right in saying that in this case
it's the content not the style which is essential

But perhaps there's something else
we should discuss first

I do hope you're not going to be difficult
about Danceny

it was a complete coincidence he arrived at the gates
at the same moment as my carriage

Really, my dear, this is hardly worthy of you

Given the uncharacteristic mystery you made
about the identity of your new lover...

...and Danceny's and your
simultaneous disappearance from Paris,

I would have to have been a good deal stupider
even than you seem to assume I am...

...not to have drawn the obvious conclusion

if Danceny and your carriage
arrived at the gates at the same moment.

I imagine the main reason was because he was in it

You're quite right. of course

And furthermore. I happen to know that
this moment of which we speak occurred two days ago

Your spies are efficient

So much for my being the first to know when you
returned. A lesser man might allow himself to get angry

Such a man might risk losing his ability to charm.
without necessarily enhancing his power to persuade

I must say. I'm not surprised you chose to be reticent
about so manifestly unsuitable a lover

My motive had nothing whatever
to do with his suitability

I mean I know Belleroche was pretty limp,

but I think you could have found
a livelier replacement than that mawkish schoolboy

Mawkish or not, he's completely devoted to me,

and. I suspect. better equipped to provide me with
happiness and pleasure than you in your present mood

I see

So it is really true the little one has been ill?

Not so much as an illness, more a... refurbishment
- What do you mean?

Once she'd returned to Paris. some money for the porter
and a few flowers for his wife...

...were enough to enable me
to resume my nocturnal visits:

which. incidentally. don't you agree.
shows up Danceny's initiative in a very poor light

However, the ease of it no doubt made us over-confident,

and one night last week,
as we were resting after our exertions,

the door. which we'd forgotten to lock.
suddenly blew open. The most dreadful shock

Cecile threw herself out of bed
and tried to jam herself between it and the wall

A sudden severe backache
gave way to some unmistakeable symptoms

After that. it was a real test of ingenuity
to get the surgeon round without giving ourselves away

But you evidently succeeded?

Can you imagine. my dear. it turned out Cecile
wasn't even aware of being pregnant in the first place

She certainly doesn't devote any undue energy
to thinking

Well, Vicomte, I'm sorry about the loss of your son
and Gercourt's heir

Oh, I thought you'd be pleased, you seemed
notably disgruntled about it when I first told you

Once I got used to the idea, I began to enjoy it.
I think you should make another attempt, don't you?

No. I rather think the time has come
to pass her on to young Danceny

No, I don't think that would be advisable just now
- Oh, you don't?

If I thought you would be your old charming self.
I might invite you to visit me one evening next week

Really

I still love you. you see.
In spite of all your faults and my complaints

I'm touched

What else will you exam
before honouring your obligations?

I have a friend. who became involved.
as sometimes happens. with an entirely unsuitable woman

Whenever any of us pointed this out to him,
he invariably made the same feeble reply

'It's beyond my control', he would say.
He was on the verge of becoming a laughing-stow

At which point. another friend of mine. a woman.
decided to speak to him seriously...

...and, most importantly,
drew his attention to this linguistic foible...

...of which he'd previously been unaware.
and told him his name was in danger...

...of becoming ludicrously associated with this phrase
for the rest of his life

So do you know what he did?
- I feel sure you're about to tell me

He went round to see his mistress
and bluntly announced he was leaving her

As you might expect. she protested vociferously

But to everything she said. to every objection she made.
he simply replied: 'It's beyond my control'

I must leave you to your lessons

You're only five minutes late. but I get so frightened.
I become convinced I'm never going to see you again

My angel
- Is it like that for you?

Oh. yes. At the moment. for example.
I'm quite convinced I'm never going to see you again

What?

I'm so bored, you see

It's beyond my control

What do you mean?

After all. it's been four months.
So. what I said: it's beyond my control

Do you mean...
Do you mean you don't love me any more?

My love had great difficulty outlasting your virtue.
It's beyond my control

It's that woman. isn't it

You're quite right.
I have been deceiving you with Emilie... among others

It's beyond my control
- Why are you doing this?

Perhaps your merciless vulnerability has driven me to it

Anyway, it's beyond my control
- I can't believe this is happening

There's a woman. Not Emilie, another woman.
A woman I adore

And I'm afraid she's insisting I give you up

It's beyond my control

Liar!
- You're right, I am a liar

It's like your fidelity, a fad of life,
no more nor less irritating

Certainly, it's beyond my control
- Stop it, don't keep saying that

Sony. It's beyond my control

Why don't you take another lover?

Just as you like, of course. It's beyond my control

Do you want to kill me?

Listen. Listen to me. You've given me great pleasure.
But I just can't bring myself to regret leaving you

It's the way of the world. Quite beyond my control

Is that you? You're early
- Am I?

I wanted to ask you:
that story you told me, how did it end?

I'm not sure I know what you mean

Well. once this friend of yours had taken
the advice of his lady-friend. did she take him back?

Am I to understand...?

The day after our last meeting. I broke with Madame
de Tourvel...

...on the grounds that it was beyond my control
- You didn't!

I certainly did
- Seriously?

On my honour
- Oh. that's wonderful. I never thought you'd do it

it seemed pointless to delay
- With the anticipated results?

She was prostrate when I left

I called bad! the following day

You went back?

Yes. but she declined to receive me
- You don't say

Subsequent enquiries I made
established that she had withdrawn to a convent

Indeed
- And she's still there

A very fitting conclusion. really.
It's as if she'd been widowed

You kept telling me my reputation was in danger,

but I think this may well turn out to be
my most famous exploit

I believe it sets a new standard

I think I could confidently offer it as a challenge
to any potential rival for my position

Only one thing could possibly bring me greater glory
- What's that?

To win her bad!
- You think you could?

I don't see why not
- I'll tell you why not

Because when one woman strikes at the heart of another,
she seldom misses: and the wound is invariably fatal

Is that so?

I'm so convinced it's so. I'm prepared to offer
any odds you care to suggest against your success

You see. I'm also inclined to see this
as one of my greatest triumphs

There's nothing a woman enjoys as much
as a victory over another woman

Except. you see. my dear Vicomte.
my victory wasn't over her

Of course it was. what do you mean?

It was over you

That's what's so amusing.
That's what's so genuinely delicious

You don't know what you're talking about

You loved that woman. Vicomte. Quite desperately.
What's more. you still do

if you hadn't been so ashamed of it.
how could you possibly have treated her so viciously?

You couldn't bear even the vague possibility
of being laughed at

And this has proved something I've always suspected:
that vanity and happiness are incompatible

Whatever may or may not be the truth
of these philosophical speculations.

The fact is it's now your turn to make a sacrifice
- Is that so?

Danceny must go
- Where?

I've been more than patient with this
little whim of yours. but enough is enough

And I really must insist you call a halt to it

One of the reasons I never remarried.
despite a quite bewildering range of offers...

...was the determination
never again to be ordered around

I decided if I felt like telling a lie. I'd rather
do it for fun than because I had no alternative

So I must ask you to adopt a less marital tone of voice

She's ill. I've made her ill, for your sake

So the least you can do
is gel rid of that colourless youth

I should have thought you'd have had enough
of bullying women for the time being

Right. I see I shall have to make myself very plain

I've come to spend the night.
I shall not take at all kindly to being turned away

I am sorry. I'm afraid I've made other arrangements

Ah. I knew there was something,
something I had to tell you

What with one thing and another. it had slipped my mind
- What?

Danceny isn't coming. Not tonight
- What do you mean? How do you know?

I mow because I've arranged for him
to spend the night with Cecile

Now I come to think of it.
he did mention he was expected here

But when I put it to him
that he really would have to make a choice.

I must say he didn't hesitate for a second

He knew his mind
- And now I know yours

He's coming to see you tomorrow to explain
and to offer you -

do I have this right. yes. I think so -
his eternal friendship

As you said, he's completely devoted to you
- That's enough, Vicomte

You're absolutely right. Shall we go up?
- Shall we what?

Go up. Unless you prefer this, if memory serves,
rather purgatorial sofa

I think it's time you were going

Oh no. No. We have an arrangement

I really don't think I can allow myself
to be taken advantage of a moment longer

Remember I'm better at this than you are

Perhaps. But it's the best swimmers who drown

Now. Yes or no?

It's up to you, of course.
I wouldn't dream of trying to influence you

I therefore confine myself to remarking that
a 'no' will be regarded as a declaration of war

So. One single word is all that's required

All right

War!

I mow it was easy for you to make a fool of me
when I trusted you

But out here I think you'll find
there's very little room for trickery

I recommend you conserve your energy
for the business in hand

Fetch the surgeon

No, no
- Do as I say

I'm cold

A moment of your time

Two things: a word of advice. which of course
you may ignore. but it is honestly intended...

...and a request
- Go on

The advice is: be careful of the Marquise de Merteuil

You must allow me to treat with scepticism
anything you have to say about her

Nevertheless. I must tell you:
in this affair. both of us are her creatures

And the request?

I want you to get somehow to see Madame de Tourvel

I understand she's very ill
- That's why this is most important to me

I want you to tell her I can't explain
why I broke with her as I did.

But that since then. my life has been worth nothing

I pushed the blade in deeper than you just have.
my boy. and I want you to help me withdraw it

Tell her it's lucky for her that I've gone.
and I'm glad not to have to live without her

Tell her her love was the only real happiness
I've ever known

I will
- Thank you

It's all very well doing that now
- Let him be

He had good cause

That's something I don't believe
anyone's ever been able to say about me

Madame

Forgive me. At my age, it seems reasonable
to hope to be spared any further personal tragedies

But two in the space of a few days...
- Of course, Madame

And I was just thinking:

When you were last in Paris. a year ago.
do you remember the conversation we had?

We were trying to decide who was the happiest
and most enviable person we knew...

...and we both agreed it was Madame de Tourvel

You were with her. were you not. when she died?

I was with her
from the day after she ran away to the convent

I shall never forget those terrible sights

When she kept ripping away the bandages
after they bled her

The delirium and the convulsions. How she wasted away

All the same, I think she might have recovered...

...if that unfortunate young man hadn't somehow
managed to let her know your nephew was dead

After that, she simply lost the will to live

Apparently. as he was dying.
the Vicomte managed to convince Danceny...

...that Madame de Tourvel
was the only woman he had ever loved

That's enough!

I think perhaps we should
respect the sensibilities of our friend

Oh, no, I firmly believe that was the truth

Well. perhaps. I can't see how we shall ever mow...

And your daughter?

She seems quite adamant. I've appealed to her
and pleaded with her. but she won't budge

I did want to ask your advice about this. both of you

Monsieur de Gercourt is expected back any day now

ls there nothing to be done?
Must I really break off such an advantageous match?

Oh, surely not
- I'm afraid you must

But why?
- I'd rather you didn't ask

I think you must provide a reason, Madame,
if you ask our friend to sacrifice so glorious a future

To be honest with you. Madame.
and in spite of his crime.

I'd rather marry Cécile to Danceny
than see my only child become a nun

As a matter of fad, I've heard from Danceny

He sent me a very strange letter, from Malta

Oh, is that where he's run away to?

On second thoughts, my dear, I suppose it might be best
to defer to Madame's wisdom and experience

Perhaps you should leave Cecile in the convent

But there must be a reason?

This has been a terrible few weeks.
But time passes so quickly

I used to be afraid of growing old.
but now I trust in God and accept

I dare say we would not be wrong
to look forward to whatever the future may bring

But in the meantime. I suggest our best course
is to continue with the game