All language subtitles for Tao 1923.en

In 2004 the French Cin�math�que
restored "Tao" from a nitrate negative
in their collection.

This material was incomplete,
intertitles only appeared as flash frames.

So, the restoration has consisted
of expanding the intertitles
and filling in the gaps,

thanks to a copy of the time,
deposited for safety sake,

at the French Cin�math�que
and a tinted nitrate print,
delivered by the

Cin�math�que of Toulouse to the
Cin�math�que Royale of Belgium,

where its safekeeping was assured.

Tao 1923
Cine novel in ten episodes,

by Arnould Galopin.

Film adaptation and
direction by Gaston Ravel.

First episode.
The Bonze's Secret.

In the heart of
mysterious Indochina.

Cambodia is an admirable country.

Nothing can surpass
the splendour of its buildings.

Nothing equals the pomp
of its ritual festivals.

This terrestrial paradise is
under the protectorate of France.

Siem-Reap is a very small town,

where a few, very isolated,
French people live.

The new delegate,
Jacques Chauvry: Gaston Nor�s.

A single street,
where the shops are run by

Chinese, Annamese,
Laotians and Tonkinese.

-- The Spirit of Evil has returned!

"Look" Chauvry needs to be warned.

- Oh, Look! The Damned One is back!
I just saw him.

He hovered like a bird of death
over the waters of the Mekong.

Don't laugh, oh Look.
The Spirit of Evil is dangerous!

Nothing is sacred to
that sinister monster.

-- Not even the lives of our children...

...nor the honour of our daughters.

We are defenceless.
The Spirit of Evil

is the incarnation
of heavenly wrath.

-- Superstitious men!
Don't you understand

that a cunning bandit
makes fun of you?

- Question the bonzes, oh Look,
and you will no longer doubt.

Not far from the small town,

a famous temple
raises its majestic domes.

Krou-M�as, head of the pagoda,

revered among all bonzes
for his great wisdom.

-- No, the Spirit of Evil
is not of this world.

For hundreds of years
it has terrorized our country.

-- Let us pray!

-- I must get to the bottom of this.

And when night has come,
through the deserted streets...

...in the countryside...

...on the banks of the Mekong.

That was not the Spirit of Evil,

but a very much alive
light bronze statuette.

Soun, a humble daughter of Laos.
Mlle Mary Harald.

She had the penetrating
allure of certain wild flowers.

And Jacques Chauvry soon forgets
the reason for his nocturnal excursion.

-- This is the house of old Sva�,
the tea merchant, my master.

-- Oh Look, it's him...
him, the Spirit of Evil.

-- Those are some
very strange ways for a Spirit.

It was one of those pits
hidden under the branches

into which sometimes falls
an animal that comes to drink.

The space beneath the temple
served as a hiding place

for some adventurers,
dangerous men who had got their hands

on an oil company,
the Gypse Bank.

The pseudo-Spirit of Evil
was their boss:

the son of a Tartar bandit and
a Chinese courtesan,
Tao: Joe Hamman.

Baron Markias, Tao's right-hand man,
and his power base in Europe.

...Tony Lekain.

Gr�gor, to whom Tao assigns
special tasks: Paul Hubert.

-- Time is short, Tao.
The Gypse will be completely sunk

and that will be our ruin...
if you don't succeed.

-- Gypse will triumph and
dethrone its rival, Napht-Bank.

-- Krou-Meas, the old bonze,
owns some land

with a naphtha deposit
of enormous importance.

-- But he says that
riches are man's downfall

and does not want to reveal
the treasure's location to anyone.

-- Above... the French Delegate.

When dawn comes...

...by another exit...

Remember... it is unwise
to spy... on the Spirit of Evil.

Far, far away from
mysterious Indochina.

-- Fantastic! Napht on the rise!

-- And Gypse?
-- On the slide!

Once prosperous,
Gypse Bank has become

a firm that no longer
inspires confidence.

We know already the sinister
individuals who have cornered it.

The employees succumb
to the workload.

The Napht Bank is, on the contrary,
a firm of the first order.

M. de Sermaize,
Managing Director.

Paul Hubert.

-- Our fiercest competitor, Gypse Bank,
is on the verge of bankruptcy.

Need I insist on the
importance of this fact?

Raymonde de Sermaize,
daughter of Napht's CEO.

Mlle Andr�e Brabant.

Oh youth, springtime of life!

She was still at the age when
women are content with dolls.

The very same day in Siem-Reap,
on the only street of shops...

Buddha calls upon
his bonzes to despise

earthly riches and
beg for their daily bread.

The little Laotian Soun and the old
Cambodian like each other very much.

The humble shop had only
begging bonzes as regulars.

The Delegate honoured it as a client
after a certain interrupted bathing.

-- Only you know the place where
the precious oil hides underground.

Old man,
I want to know your secret.

-- You know not the secrets
of the earth and of men.

Therefore, you are not a Spirit!

In the temple, a terrible cry,
the cry of death.

-- Speak!

-- Bandit! Impostor!
Sacrilege!

That same night, the bonze died.

-- Go and rejoice, since the
righteous will be reborn to a new life.

-- You have been good
to the old beggar, Soun.

He does not wish to leave this world
without returning his obligations.

-- Listen...

-- It is a terrible gift, a great
weight... for your little hands.

Now it is she who
possesses the coveted secret.

In Paris.

She was adored by everyone
around her. By her father...

... By Claire-de-Lune,
her faithful Oranaise maid.
A�cha.

... and Bilboquet,
former street hawker,

who was her wartime pen pal.
...Andr� Deed.

Cambodian mourning.

- Buddha has taken a friend from you,
little Soun, but he gives you another.

-- The old man had no secrets
from her. We will make her talk.

-- This time, I have you!

-- The Spirit!
The Spirit of Evil!

-- That guy had a great idea.
With these cowards,

he is sure never
to be caught in his dirty work.

Soun!

-- You won't always get away from me.

-- Missed the target!

-- I know a secret
and those bandits want it.

But it won't be them
I will reveal it to.

The next day, at dawn,

Soun tells Chauvry
about the bonze's discovery.

-- This land belonged to the good
Krou-M�as. He bequeathed it to me.

From this soil
can spring a royal fortune.

-- It is yours, oh Look.

-- All I can accept, little Soun,

is to help you
exploit this treasure.

- That Frenchman wants war...
and he shall have it!

End of the first episode.

Read it in "Le journal"
and come see next week

the second episode:
"A Subtle Plot".

Second episode.
A subtle plot.

Summary of the first episode.
Tao, mixed race, from Asia,

is the guiding force behind
a dubious company, the "Gypse-Bank".

To save it from bankruptcy, he wants
to seize certain Cambodian oilfields.

His accomplices are Baron Markias
and Gr�gor, a former actor.

Only Krou-Meas,
a venerated bonze from Cambodia,

knew the place of the oilfield.

In vain does Tao use violence
to extract his secret.

The old bonze feels a fatherly
affection towards little Laotian, Soun.

When he dies he leaves her
the land he owns.

And in this land
is the oil, so coveted by Tao.

Tao will not give in and knowing
that Soun now has the bonze's secret

sends Gr�gor to kidnap her.

But Jacques Chauvry, Chief
Administrator of the French government,

rescues little Soun.

And Soun, in love with her saviour,
spontaneously offers him

the colossal fortune hidden in
the land that she has inherited.

The young man rejects this offer,
but agrees to exploit the deposit

on behalf of his little prot�g�.

With a leave of absence,
the Delegate, Jacques Chauvry...

In Paris, Raymonde de Sermaize,
carefree, given to her pleasures...

She does not suspect that the great liner
approaching will change her life forever.

-- You will wait for me prudently
in Marseille, little Soun,

while I attend to
your interests in Paris.

Tao, Markias, and Gr�gor were
not men to let their prey escape.

Marseille...

...at the house of the
respectable Madame Gaillasse

who had a boarding house
for young girls.

At the Napht-Bank.

-- These oilfields are as important

as those of the Caucasus
or Transylvania.

-- I have some friends
coming to dinner tonight.

Would you do me the honour
of joining us?

At the Gypse Bank.

Closed for inventory

-- The guv'ner!

This office served as an official
front for the gang of swindlers,

but they had
another more secret retreat.

-- This is going badly.

If the Cambodia business fails,
it means complete collapse.

-- I saw Dad's Cambodian from here.
Some respectable old man, what a bore!

A charming table guest!

The other one was lovely, but
this one was the same race as him.

Abandoned, the poor
dollies shed all their tears.

A man has passed.

In a private room
at the Hotel Majestic.

The splendid halls
of the Sermaize mansion,
closed for many years,

will open tomorrow
for a grand costume ball

that the Managing Director
of the Napht Bank
will give on the occasion

of the twentieth birthday
of his daughter,
Mlle Raymonde de Sermaize.

Cats of all breeds...

The splendid halls
of the Sermaize mansion,
closed for many years,

-- We must be at the party!

Baron Markias has cleverly
secured an in-situ partner in crime.

Gr�gor, admirably camouflaged.

-- To which of you, ladies,
does this Pekinese belong?

That same day, M. de Sermaize

pays the obligatory visit
to Baron Markias.

-- Until tomorrow night,
my dear sir,

and thank you again
for your kind invitation.

Preparations.

-- I am well regarded by the Sermaizes.
Their house is open to me.

And now, what do you plan to do?

-- You'll find out soon enough.

End of the second episode.

Third episode.
Under the mask.

Summary of the preceding episodes.

A young Indochinese, Soun,
owns in Cambodia immense lands
containing an oilfield.

Jacques Chauvry has promised
to help her exploit this fortune
and brings her to France.

Two adventurers, Gr�gor and
Markias, want Soun's inheritance.

They act on behalf of
the mixed race Asian, Tao,

who is the guiding force behind
a dubious company, the Gypse-Bank.

Jacques Chauvry proposes
the exploitation of the oilfields

to an honourable financier,
M. de Sermaize,

Managing Director
of the Napht-Bank.

The virginal charm of
Raymonde de Sermaize

makes a deep impression
on Jacques Chauvry.

The ball given in honour of Raymonde
is the most brilliant of the season.

Such sensational entrances.

All of Paris is there:
celebrity socialites...

...artistic...

...financial...

The exhilaration of the dance...

-- He's a great guy,
that Monsieur Chauvry.

Emotions of the game...

...the sweetness of flirtation...

...attractions of intrigue.

-- He's the gentleman
from the Bois de Boulogne.

-- I don't like the look of him.

A splendid Japanese warrior
arouses everyone's curiosity.

Not even the Swan
can see through his incognito.

-- That young lady, who is he?

Gr�gor, in the guise
of Robert Macaire.

-- Tomorrow, at three, there will
be a meeting of the board of directors

and I will tell you
all about this oil business.

The land belongs to
a young Indochinese woman.

Drop the Cambodian oil business

or the worse it will be for you!

-- At masked balls
jokes are quite common.

And this is a good one!

-- Divert their attention.

M. de Sermaize's mansion
was adjoining the Napht-Bank.

During all these shadowy manoeuvrers,
a pure idyll is born.

They feel deliciously "alone",

despite the deafening jazz...

...Despite the immense hubbub
that surrounds them...

...Despite the disturbing eyes
that lie in wait.

Five in the morning.

Nailed to the door,
a sinister Japanese mask.

-- Is this one of Bilboquet's jokes?

If you persists in your plans,
you are a dead man.

The day after the party.

-- What happened
to dad's photograph?

-- Ah, miss...
Sir is a handsome man!

Some lady will have
swiped his portrait during the dance.

Moments before the meeting
of the board of directors,

Baron Markias arrives.

-- May I pay my respects to
Mademoiselle de Sermaize?

-- Mademoiselle is out.
She will be so disappointed.

The microphone that Markias
had hidden under the Directors' table

was connected to
the telephone box in the office.

-- In my opinion, our distinguished
Director should go to Marseille,

in the company of Mr. Jacques
Chauvry and conclude the purchase

of land ownership.

Secret information.

-- If he travels with Chauvry,
the whole thing misfires.

In Marseille, where little Soun
lives waiting for her beloved.

-- Mr. Chauvry tells you that
he will arrive on Tuesday morning,

accompanied by M. de Sermaize.

The telepathy of love.

If you believe I'll tell
with whom I'm in love...
[Alfred de Musset]

-- If you knew how good he is...
And sweet, and tender...

-- She's exquisite.
She will be the dream partner...

Dear sir, an unforeseen matter
compels me to postpone to another day
our journey to Marseille.

Please accept my apologies and
the assurance of my best regards.
H. de Sermaize.

I have been called to the bedside
of my gravely ill mother.

Please go alone to Marseille.
I have informed the landowner.

Respectfully, Chauvry."

P.L.M. Station.
Departure of the Express at 9:30 p.m.

Gr�gor, in the uniform
of a sleeping car employee...

And two long hours pass.

Throughout the night
the Express advances at full speed.

How many mysteries the closed doors
of a sleeping car can hide!

End of the third episode.

Fourth episode.
Story of a robbery.

Summary of the preceding episodes

Soun, a young Indochinese woman
possesses vast tracts of land
concealing an oilfield.

Jacques Chauvry has promised
to help her exploit her fortune
and brings her to Marseille.

In Paris, Napht-Bank's
board of directors

decides to delegate
M. de Sermaize to purchase these lands.

Tao, Markias and Gr�gor,
directors of a fraudulent company, Gypse,
are coveting the same exploitation.

With the help of an ingenious apparatus,
they have discovered the Napht plans.

Gr�gor, disguised as a sleeping
car attendant, enters at night

the compartment where
M. de Sermaize sleeps.

However, the next day,
in Marseille...

- I have been informed of your visit,
M. de Sermaize.

The funds are ready.

The boarding house is having a party,
since Soun is awaiting her great friend.

My dear Soun, my mother is
gravely ill and I cannot leave her.

M. de Sermaize will discuss with you
the conditions which you already know.

With my warmest greetings,
Jacques Chauvry.

Duplicated in Marseille
on February 15, 1923
H. de Sermaize

-- Here is a cheque
for fifteen thousand francs

as an advance on
your share of the profits.

In exchange you will give me
the map of the deposits,
drawn up by M. Chauvry.

Thus, an hour later,

a man boards
the first outbound steamer.

A scandal at Soci�t� Generale.

-- This cheque is perfectly in order,
but M. de Sermaize

has withdrawn this morning
all the funds he had here.

-- You have been robbed, poor thing!
That Sermaize is a swindler.

A body, horribly
mutilated, has been found

on the railway track
in the vicinity of Dijon.

-- Without the uniform of
the sleeping car company,

we will not be able
to identify him.

And over this unknown corpse,

only the prayers
and compassion of a stranger.

In Paris. Jacques Chauvry
intended to leave for Marseille

that very night with
Monsieur de Sermaize, when...

Your Sermaize is an abominable thief.
He has stolen the map and money from Soun.

Come quickly.
Rose Gaillasse.

Chauvry's first thought
is for Raymonde.

-- Don't you know that Mr. de Sermaize
left last night for Marseille?

-- May I see Mlle Raymonde?

-- I hope your mother is well again?

At that very hour,
in his secret retreat,

the driving force behind
all these dark intrigues, Tao.

Among other talents,
Baron Markias

had acquired that
of perfect forgery.

Papa!

-- A false letter,
a false telegram...

It is the machination
of that bandit!

Without wasting a second,
Chauvry leaves for Marseille.

At the Gypse Bank.

Two little books, of little appearance,
but worth more than a million.

-- The money and the map,
it's a job well done.

Mme Gaillasse's
indignation knew no bounds.

-- A man of such respectable appearance!
You can't trust anyone. Good heavens!

An unprecedented scandal.

The director of a major bank

sought for fraud,
forgery, theft and murder.

The name of de Sermaize has been
obtained from the passenger list
of the Duc d'Aumale.

Instructions have been given by radio

for his arrest at
the first stop, Dakar.

-- Finally... you!

The name of de Sermaize has been
obtained from the passenger list
of the Duc d'Aumale.

Not able to believe in
the guilt of Raymonde's father,

Jacques Chauvry wants
to identify the thief himself.

Authorization for M. Jacques
Chauvry, colonial administrator
in Siem-Reap (Cambodia)

to board the 'Escaut',
bound for Dakar.

PS. Mr. Chauvry will be
accompanied by an Annamite servant

She has found this subterfuge
to accompany the man she loves.

The other victim.

A terrible despair
without tears, or cries...

The name of de Sermaize has been
obtained from the passenger list
of the Duc d'Aumale.

-- Turn off the taps
or you'll fade.

Those journalists are batty.

To accuse such a fine man
as M. de Sermaize of such horrors.

What unspeakable purpose
has led Tao to the bed of this innocent?

End of the fourth episode.

Fifth episode.
The vice tightens.

Summary of the preceding chapters.

Path� Consortium Cinema
draws the audience's attention

to the fact that that most of
the exotic scenes in this film

have been filmed during the construction
of the Colonial Exhibition in Marseille.

The comparison of these scenes
with those filmed in
the countries themselves,

will highlight the admirable
effort of the city of Marseille
and the perfection with which

administrators, architects,
designers and workers

have been able to reconstruct the
monuments of our beautiful colonial domain.

A young Indochinese woman,
Soun, owns huge oilfields.

The director of the Napht-Bank signs
a deed of purchase for that property.

Jacques Chauvry, who handles
Soun's affairs, discovers that
the young woman has been swindled.

He reports this to Mlle de Sermaize,
who cannot believe that her
father could be guilty of such a crime.

Chauvry wanting to clarify the mystery
and accompanied by Soun

embarks on a sea voyage
to catch up with the thief.

That same evening,
a mysterious adventurer, Tao,
breaks into de Sermaize's house.

She sleeps, exhausted
by fatigue and sorrow.

More concerned than he might seem,

Bilboquet can't bring himself
to go to bed.

An unusual noise...

...a strange sight...

-- To work, Bilboquet!

Now's the chance
to prove what an ace you are.

In the neighbouring street,

Baron Markias waits,
ready for anything.

Like a dislocated puppet,
poor Bilboquet lies stunned.

Meanwhile, mid-ocean,
the Escaut sights the Duc d'Aumale.

-- We shall arrive in Dakar
a few hours before them.

You will be able to help
the police identify your man.

In Paris, a testing new day
begins for Raymonde...

...and for Bilboquet.

-- Miss, Miss! It's the police!

-- I have a warrant
to search the house.

Nothing suspicious has been found
in Raymonde's drawing room,

nor in that of the banker.

-- My dream has come true.
I have my Rolls!

M. de Sermaize's office
is searched without results.

The hour when hundreds
of garbage trucks return
to empty their morning harvest.

-- Fancy place,
all modern comforts,
mains drainage...

The police officers
searched the girl's bedroom.

-- So you have received
a letter from your father...

-- Get dressed.
You are coming with us.

-- This is the
Palace of Perfumes!

Assigned by Tao,
Baron Markias arrives to make sure
of the results of his intrigue.

-- I know what trials
you are going through, miss,

and I beg you to put yourself
entirely at my disposal.

-- She is in cahoots with her father!
Let justice take its course.

-- Ah, my good lady!
What an adventure!

I, Bilboquet, in pajamas
and in a garbage truck!

-- Ticket, please.

-- And Bilboquet? Where is he?
Have they arrested him too?

Mademoiselle Raymonde...
accused, arrested...

With the examining magistrate.

-- This letter is easily reassembled.

I have the map
and have cashed the cheque.

I will wait for you at
the landing stage in Dakar.
Do what is necessary in Paris.

Raymonde was loved by all...

and there was great sorrow
in the de Sermaize house.

-- To the courthouse!

[Ticket for the sleeping car
from Paris to Marseille.]

-- This ticket,
in the name of her father,

has been found on the corpse.

-- Why should my father steal?
He is rich.

And why would he kill that man?

-- These letter fragments
condemn your father
and prove your complicity.

I am placing you under arrest.

End of the fifth episode.

Sixth episode.
The misadventures of Bilboquet.

Summary of previous episodes.

A young Indochinese woman,
Soun, owner of immense oilfields,

has been swindled by M. de Sermaize,
director of the Napht Bank.

While Soun and her great friend
Jacques Chauvry cross the ocean
in pursuit of the thief,

de Sermaize's daughter, Raymonde,
protests her father's innocence
before the judge.

Two adventurers, Tao and Markias,
who have played
a mysterious role in the affair,

prepare for new operations.

-- Now it is the young blonde
that I want.

She will not escape me.

At the same time I will rid myself
of her last defence.

-- There's Bilboquet with his Black.
Play your role well.

-- He is stronger than me!

I can't bear to see someone
hitting a woman, even with a brick.

-- It's okay, Mr. Policeman.
We're just shooting a film.

-- Misfortune to
whoever gets in my way!

In the port of Dakar,
aboard the Duc d'Aumale.

The captain brings
Chauvry up to date

on a surprising
and unexpected event.

Banker Sermaize
wanted for robbery and murder

has embarked from Marseille
on the Duc d'Aumale.

Watch him closely and prevent
his disembarkation in Dakar

before the arrival
of the colonial police.

The cabin was empty...

-- In vain did we search
the whole ship,

from the first class cabins to
the deck, where the emigrants are.

Soun and Chauvry
had to face the facts:

that the thief was not
among the paying passengers...

...nor among the lowly
steerage travellers.

The old tramp was very different from

the elegant financier
they were looking for.

For his part,
Bilboquet faced new trials.

At a wharf in Bercy.

That same day,
Markias, Tao's right hand man...

- I agree to provisionally
release your client,

with bail of 50,000 francs.

The barrel in which
Bilboquet was enclosed.

And Bilboquet, in his wooden
prison, embarks on a new journey.

-- And Bilboquet?
Where is he?

Dad's handwriting!

My dear child,
I still cannot respond to the slanders
that have been heaped upon me,

but never doubt me.
I want to see you, alone.

I will wait for you
at the International Palace.
Go straight up to room 21.

At Melun station,
Bilboquet finally comes to his senses

after his prolonged fainting fit.

A miracle!
Bilboquet is safe and sound!

At the International Palace.

-- Dad, it's me, open up.

Instead of her father, she sees a
strange and disturbing-looking stranger.

End of the sixth episode.

Seventh episode.
From Paris to Dakar.

Summary of the preceding episodes

Soun, a young Indochinese woman,
owner of immense oilfields,

has been swindled by M. de Sermaize,
director of the Napht-Bank.

Across the sea, Soun and
her great friend Jacques Chauvry

set off in pursuit of the thief,
who has slipped through their fingers.

Raymonde de Sermaize who
had been arrested and accused
of complicity with her father,

has been set free thanks
to the intervention of Baron Markias,

delegated by Tao,
a dangerous adventurer.

Returning home, the young woman
receives a letter bearing
the signature of her father,

asking for a rendez-vous
in a hotel room.

-- I must have entered the wrong room...
Excuse me, sir.

-- Do not be afraid. You have nothing
to fear from me... because I love you.

Bilboquet has come to the
end of his various pilgrimages.

-- End this game, sir!

I don't know you
nor have I ever seen you.

- You are wrong.

And once again I found myself
close to you... So very close!

-- At this moment
Miss Raymonde is with the master.

-- You are ruined, disgraced,
alone in the world...

My dear child...

-- It smells fishy to me.
Let's get going... and fast.

-- With me you will be
rich, envied, adored...

Prudent and shrewd,
Tao has set up a means of retreat,

not disdaining
the discomfort of a trunk.

Chauvry and Soun have searched
for the banker de Sermaize,

the elusive bandit, in all
the villages of the African coast.

-- It's him... it's him.
My thief from Marseille!

-- Where is he going?

-- Speak!

-- To Kita.

It was the hour of siesta.
In Kita everyone slept.

...From the brave
Senegalese riflemen...

...to the strange clientele
of the passenger lounge.

Alone, two men watch.

Hersen, the proprietor of this hole.

-- The two birds fall into the trap
of their own accord.

-- We would like to rest.
Have you any rooms?

-- Beware, oh Look.
That man scares me.

-- I will barricade myself in.
For your part, you do the same.

Like a faithful dog that watches
whilst its master sleeps...

-- Now is the time!

-- Wake up! Flee!

--Soun, Soun, where are you?

End of the seventh episode.

Eighth episode.
Hates and loves.

Summary of previous episodes.

Soun, a young woman from Indochina,
owner of huge oilfields,

has been swindled by M. de
Sermaize, director of the Napht-Bank.

Across the sea, Soun and
her great friend Jacques Chauvry

set off in pursuit of the thief
who has slipped through their fingers.

Raymonde de Sermaize
who has been arrested and accused
of complicity with her father,

has been set free thanks to
the intervention of Baron Markias,
under orders from Tao.

Tao is in love with the young woman.

He lures Raymonde to a hotel room,
but she is saved thanks to the intervention
of Claire-de-Lune and the faithful Bilboquet.

In Kita, West Africa, Soun and Chauvry
find the trail of de Sermaize.

The banker, luring them into an ambush,
tries to kill them both in cold blood.

- On behalf of your daughter,
I ask you to at least save this girl.

He's an old acquaintance.
I haven't laid eyes on him for ages.

The banker had been able to flee,

but his papers
remained in the hands of Chauvry.

Two unsigned letters
in an unknown handwriting.

...Tao has received the oilfield map
that you sent from Marseille,
so the funds...

... We were due to sail to Cambodia,
but love keeps Tao in Paris.

He has allowed himself to be
seduced by Raymonde's blonde charms

and wants to take her away,
by hook or by crook.

Cry for your daughter,
'oh, tender father'.

-- My little Raymonde!

The hateful failed attempt
upon Raymonde's person,

finally opens the eyes
of the examining magistrate.

-- Without my brave Bilboquet,
I would have been lost.

The day before,
a sleeping car employee

had made a statement showing
another side to this enigmatic affair.

-- Repeat to these people
what it is you know.

-- Twenty thousand francs for you,
but nobody must know that

I will replace you tonight
on the 9:30 p.m. train.

-- When I heard about the
crime in Marseille, I was scared...

and I preferred to confess everything.

At Tao's house.

-- Everything worked perfectly.
The Sermaize scandal

has sunk the Napht Bank
and given us a free hand.

Indeed, the board of directors
of the Napht Bank

were in a literal panic.

-- But it is time to act,
not sigh for that girl.

We need a leader, not a lover!

That day, a little hope had
blossomed in Raymonde's heart.

-- Chauvry has just
arrived in Paris with Soun.

All these interfering
busybodies are gathering.
They could become dangerous.

-- You say that
love is a weakness...

I will show you what a force it is.

-- Welcome and love,
my faithful little Soun.

Like you, she is surrounded
by traps and pitfalls.

-- In skilful hands,
the heart of a jealous woman

can become a terrible weapon.

That same evening,
in Bilboquet's room...

and wants to take her away,
by hook or by crook.

Cry for your daughter,
'oh, tender father'.

-- This letter is overwhelming proof,

but what I saw myself
is even worse!

-- Mlle Raymonde has never believed
in the guilt of her father.

Think of her pain if
he is brought to justice.

A break in the storm.

-- If I please him like this...

-- M. Chauvry will get
a surprise when he sees

his little Soun turned into a Parisian.

I'm awfully sorry, but
M. Chauvry is expecting us.

Someone who tends the
threads of his dark intrigues...

-- They are going to meet him
in the gardens of Versailles.

The Palace of Versailles.

- Not bad, but I prefer her with
her "sampot" and Cambodian scarves.

Previously, far from
this melancholy Versailles,

she had believed herself loved...

-- Are you afraid of me,
I that am of your race?

Is it not the whites
who make you suffer?

The father stole a fortune from you
and the daughter steals the man you love.

When you're sick of being their dupe,
come to me.

I will avenge you!

End of the eighth episode.

Ninth episode
Raymonde's wedding.

Summary of the preceding episodes.

After having swindled Soun, a young
Indochinese woman who owns huge oilfields,

M. de Sermaize, director of
the Napht-Bank, goes on the run.

Soun and her great friend,
Jacques Chauvry, chase him
and find him in Kita, West Africa.

Miraculously they escape an ambush
set up by the banker and return to Paris.

During a stroll at Versailles
Soun realises that Chauvry

has forsaken her and prefers Raymonde
de Sermaize, the banker's daughter.

And the little Indochinese
has cruelly suffered,
while Tao, the Asian adventurer

has stirred up poor Soun's jealousy
to use as a weapon against Chauvry,

whom he hates and against
Raymonde who has rejected him.

Like a poisonous snake...

...encircling its victim
between its icy coils...

...Tao had forever
poisoned Soun's heart.

The same night as
the stroll at Versailles.

-- This little hand
should be left in mine

all along the path of life.

-- I do not have the right to accept.

And for the poor jealous heart,
the words of love and tender confessions

pierced like swords.

-- I will immediately announce
our betrothal to Soun.
She will be so very happy!

Have you seen Miss Soun?

She was already far away, fleeing
from her unconscious tormentors.

-- There is a woman
asking about the master.

-- I have been nothing to him,
just a worthless toy
thrown aside after a single day.

A man for whom
I have sacrificed everything:

my country, my fortune, my life...

A savage jealousy had made
this sweet young woman

a fearsome adversary.

He will marry her.
I have heard it. I know the place,

the day, the hour...

Marriage.

In a little village in Provence
they would be united.

Without pomp,
almost clandestinely.

In the town hall square,
a small cafe.

-- Come have a drink,
no strings attached.

-- This looks suspicious.
Let's keep our eyes open.

Close on the heels of the limo,
Markias' tourer.

And at that very moment,
in the small village church...

-- And let no one separate
what God has joined together.

In Siem-Reap, a few weeks later...

-- After so many trials,
it has been a sweet respite for us.

And for the devoted beings
who have followed them...

And the old residence,
once gloomy,

now resounds with laughter and song.

In Tao's secret lair.

In their hands, this is
what has become of her.

-- Justice orders
investigation after investigation.

There are suspicions.
de Sermaize's guilt
is now said to be in doubt.

And light will be shone
on this mysterious affair.

However, we advise our colonial
police to keep their eyes open

when the oilfield
begins to be exploited.

As the old adage goes,
'Look for those who benefit
from the crime'.

-- If that fortune is not ours,
then it will belong to no one.

Each one has their dream.

-- Wealth is a terrible gift.

Someday maybe you will curse
the one who gives it you.

Since possession of the oilfields
has slipped away, Tao...

End of the ninth episode.

Tenth episode
In the shadow of the temple.

Summary of the preceding chapters.

After swindling Soun, a young
Indochinese woman, owner of vast oilfields,

M. de Sermaize, director of
the Napht-bank, flees.

Soun and her great friend
Jacques Chauvry pursue him
and find him in Kita, West Africa.

Miraculously they escape an ambush
devised by the banker and return to Paris.

Soun discovers that Chauvry prefers
Raymonde de Sermaize,
the banker's daughter.

Tao, an adventurer who covets Soun's fortune,
has been rejected by Raymonde.

Devoured by her jealousy, Soun
becomes the unconscious instrument
of the Asian's plans for revenge.

When he realizes that he can
no longer seize Soun's oilfield

in order that they should belong to no one,
he wishes to set them ablaze.

That night, Raymonde Chauvry was pensive,
prey to dark forebodings.

-- I think of Soun, of her
inexplicable disappearance.

Will we never discover any trace of her?

-- What a calamity!

- It's a fire like you've never seen!

Whirlwinds of grey smoke
rising out of the bowels of the earth
and into the sky!

Oh Look, we're lost.

They have seen the Spirit of Evil
among the cursed vapours.

In Tao's hideout.

-- Remember, little Soun.
Chauvry used to liked you.

He seemed to love you.

This greasy earth,
impregnated with naphtha,

seemed in places
to burn in a strange way.

Chauvry immediately understands
that this fire was the work of
of the implacable mixed-race Tao.

-- If you obey me,
I will rid you of your rival.

There will be a free place
in Chauvry home.

Markias watched the progress
of the disaster with wicked glee.

The wait.

-- You, Soun, here!
Can it be?

-- I have not come
to talk about myself,

but about someone else
who is very dear to you.

Your father.

-- That man over there
is not one of us.

Finally, I have one!

You will lead me to your
accomplices, you wretch. Or else...

-- She comes.
Into your role, Gr�gor!

-- Wait.

-- The mistress disappeared
in the middle of the night.

Tao is behind this.

A peculiar noise,
a kind of muffled groan.

-- Dad!

-- His life depends on you.

-- Cry all you want!
I have cried so much because of you!

-- Shoot... if you dare.

-- My father!

It's not him!

-- M. de Sermaize died
on the Marseille express.

And the wretch confesses
everything: the cowardly murder,

the clever substitution...

Courageously, Bilboquet
continues his nightly rounds,

searching for Raymonde.

-- Tao! If he sees me,
I'm done for.

The swine is dead!

The injured woman.

-- You must forgive me.
The pain turned me bad.

Some time later.

-- We owe this mark of respect
to the memory of M. de Sermaize,

that man of integrity
who was unjustly suspected.

Gr�gor atones for his crime...

...and the elegant Baron Markias,
strangely metamorphosed,

learns a very useful new job.

In Siem-Reap, Bilboquet
has become a revered character:

the man who vanquished
the Spirit of Evil.

One day, Chauvry and his
wife attend a ritual ceremony

which has brought together
at the Temple
a large number of people...

High dignitaries...

...the Princesses of Sang...

...and the Sovereign himself.

The royal "Lokkhonn" performed
their sacred dances with unequalled grace.

-- Look, it's her!
Soun!

She had finally found peace...

...far from that world
so cruel to primitive souls.

Little priestess of Asia,
she will live and die

in the service of her God...

...in the shadow of the Temple.

Subtitles: corvusalbus & Eddie Constanti.
February 2024.