Original subtitles

BREAK OF DAY

Patty! Don't you understand me?

That's enough! We're going home!

The Muscatel Trellis

VWI this be my last house, the one I'll never leave again?

I weigh it up and listen to it

It's so ordinary it could have no rivals

Rosé with the melon, pale wine with the tomato salad

Remember the onions!

I'm catchin' on!

You ask me to spend a week with you

meaning I 'd be near my daughter

You who live with her know I rarely see her and...

how seeing her thrills me

I'm touched you invite me to see her

yetl can not accept your invitation

at least for now. Here is why

My pink cactus may soon blossom

It's a very rare plant that blooms,

in our climate, only once ever 4 years

Now I'm a very old lady

If I leave when my cactus is about to bloom...

I 'm sure I'll never see it bloom again

"Please accept, Sir, my sincere thanks...

"my regrets and my best regards"

Signed Sidonie Colette, née Landoy, this note was...

sent to my 2nd husband by my mother

The next year she died at the age of 77

Break of Day

When I feel inferior to all about me...

threatened by my mediocrity...

startled if a muscle loses its strength...

or a desire its power, I lift my head and say...

I 'm the daughter of the woman who wrote...

that letter and many more

In a few lines this one tells me that at 73...

she was planning and taking trips...

but a tropical plant's flower stopped it all...

and even her heart made for love was silenced

My mother was a woman who in a tiny, mean town...

opened her home to stray cats...

tramps and pregnant servant girls

Let me not forget I am the child of a woman...

who would lean, trembling,

above cactus blades, her wrinkled face in ecstasy...

over the promise of a flower...

A woman who blossomed tirelessly for 75 years

Nov\/, in the mirror, as I age and...

begin to resemble her...

I wonder, should she return,

would she recognize me as her child?

Recognize the resemblance?

Maybe yes, if she came at break of day...

to find me awake and alert in a sleeping world,

up before everyone, as she often was andl also am

We each had 2 husbands

But whereas both of mine are alive,

my mother was twice a widow

She was faithful out of tenderness, duty and pride

Thus, my 1st divorce upset her greatly...

my 2nd marriage even more so

I don't mind the divorce. It's the marriage

Anything'd be better than marriage...

only that isn't done!

You set the example for me twice!

I had to! After all, I belong to my village

What'll you do with so many husbands?

It's a habit you soon can't do without!

What would you?

Something silly... The proof! I wed your father

Here, help me

The man means a lot to you?

Mama, I love him

Yes, you love him

Of course!... But I'm not pleased

I acted modest, dropped my eyes to retain my image...

of a handsome, intelligent man...

and I gent/y replied...

You're difficult

No, I'm not happy!

I liked the boy you now treat like less than dirt!

He's an idiot!

Yes, an idiot... Exactly!

I recall how she tilted her head...

half-closing her grey eyes...

to dwell on the brilliant image of the 'idiot'

What fine things you'd write with the idiot!

With the other one, you'd spend all your time...

giving him your most precious gifts

And to top it all, what if he makes you unhappy?

Yes, call me Cassandra!

If I said all I foresee, but...

fortunately, you're not in much danger

I didn't understand her then

Now I understand her "not in danger"

For her, I 'd already had what she named...

"the worst event for a woman:

"her 1st man"

He's the only one you die of

Later, married life, or a semblance of it,

becomes 8 career... Of 8 bUTGEUCTBCY

Minet-Chéri, don't worry so much about...

my so-called arteriosclerosis. I 'm better

At 7 this morning, I did the wash in the stream

Splashing in the clear water was such a joy!

And I sawed 6 bundles of firewood too!

Doing my own chores means they're done right.

After all, I 'm only 76

76!

You wrote me that a year before you died

The loops on your capital B's and T's...

with a cap on the backs of their heads...

are radiant with gaiety

How rich you were that day!

Another new morning, a victory over illness,

another task done, yet one more truce...

between you and your ills!

Cat!

Oh, sacred cat!

Comes an age when all a woman may do is enrich herself

After dinner, water the melons and...

by hand, water the balsams, phlox, dahlias and...

- the young tangerine trees. - I'm catchin' on!

Tangerine trees... planted for whom?

I don't know... Perhaps for me

The cats will leap at the moths when, at 10, the air

is morning-glory blue

The dogs will be thinking of the coming dawn

I'll have the choice of a book, bed, or the coast road...

dotted with fluting toads

I'll find the red dawn...

on the salty-dewed tamarisks

Then, a swim, work and a rest

How simple it all could be!

How simple it all is!

Even the 2nd place often set opposite me

Sit!

And try to remember you're well-behaved!

Here! A bit of melon!

A 2nd place needs little space now

A green plate, a cloudy glass...

set for a friend who comes and goes

On days when the plate and glass aren't there,

I 'm merely alone, not abandoned

Thus is the routine of suffering...

like the routines of clumsy love...

killing a couple's life with duty

Patty, eat! I don't have all day! Hurry up!

Is my endless militant life over at last?

I have only dreams of reviving a dead love...

Love purged of brief, localized pleasure

In dreams, at times, one of my loves begins again...

with a tumult of words and looks that...

can be understood in 2 or 3 conflicting ways

- No one's home. - What time is it?

- It's well past 4. - Siesta time!

- She's at the beach? - Never before 5!

Colette! We were just passing by

My friends Clare and Jeanne... You don't mind?

Well, you're here... so I'll come down

- We woke you! - It's unimportant

What a paradise!

They'd love to have a farmhouse...

or a 'mas' on a cliff above the sea

It's ravishing!

The house as it is suits you perfectly

Yes, I don't want the field next door...

nor a vineyard norto add on a wing

You never change!

Meaning "We don't want you to change"

But I'd like to try once more

Come on! Inside!

Where are they?

Sleep well, Madam!

Goodnight, Pauline!

The rising wind strains the gate on its hinges

Adieu to sleeping outside on the raffia mattress!

The long pause between me and men frightens me

Man, my friend, let us exist side by side!

I've always liked your company

Now you look at me so gent/y

The head is safe, yet the rest is struggling...

its salvation not assured

What you see emerging is your sister...

a comrade escaping the age of being a woman

A great commonplace of life,

called love, is slowly leaving my life

The maternal instinct is another banality

Ignoring them, we find the rest is gay and varied

But you can't ignore them if or when you wish

My 2nd husband was so wise when he said:

"Can't you write a book that's not about adultery,

"semi-incest or separation

"Aren't there other things in life?"

It's chilly!

Again, the best of nights precedes the best of days

Being awake, I enjoy it

Tomorrow may I be equally sweet!

Frankly I no longer want anything...

except what's unattainable

I 'm so sweet! ls my spirit broken?

No, no one in my past ever broke my spirit

Suffering...

True, I learned how to suffer...

But is suffering so serious? I doubt it

It may be childish and undignified

I mean the kind of suffering men and women inflict on each other

I agree it's painful and hardly bearable

I fear such pain deserves no consideration at all

One of Mother's last letters said:

"Love is not a worthy sentiment"

My 2nd husband used to say:

"At 50 please write a handbook for women...

"on how to live in peace with the man they love

"a code for life as a couple"

Maybe I 'm writing it now

Men! My former lovers!

How one gains and learns in your company!

Yet the best of friends must pan'...

and I here do swear...

to take my leave courteous/y

A blue light creeps toward my bed

The sea smell tel/s me the hour is near...

when air is colder than water

Shall I get up?

To sleep is so sweet!

When a man's glance follows...

certain household chores...

his look often shows devotion, boredom and fear

Like cats, men dread brooms, lighted stoves...

and soapy water on a tiled floor

\/ial lives in a pink thimble 300 yards away...

and wasn't happy that morning

Vial will they like my sauce on the chicken?

Who's coming today?

The Carcos, the Villeboeufs...

Segonzac, Borny... The usual crowd!

Look, 4 small chickens split in half...

salted, peppered, anointed with pure oil

Don't they look good!

I may give up meat but not today!

Tie my apron for me

But next year...

What will you do next year?

Be a vegetarian

Dip your finger in the sauce...

That sauce on the chickens?

But next year I'll be a vegetarian

- Why? - Never mind why...

That's not enough for 8 Pour me some oil... slowly

I laid my hand on his chest,

as if I were petting a horse

He looked at my age-marked hand

It looks older than it is

A nice tan little hand with short nails

A thumb that curls like a scorpion

Scars and scratches... I 'm proud of my hand

2 nails from mother, 3 from father

Did you swim your 400 meters?

Yes, like every day

So why do you look like vacation is over?

The slightest upset disturbs

\/ial's rather handsome features

He's never cheerful, never sad

He's handsome because...

after a month here all men are handsome...

from the sun, the sea and going naked

What did you bring?

Melons, an almond tart and peaches

Figs won't be ripe till...

I know I check mine every day

You're an angel. What do I owe you?

Don't you remember?

Let's see the melons...

A 16-franc tart... 2 kilos of peaches...

14...16... plus 15.00 I owe you about 50 francs

- Haven't you had time for a swim? - Of course!

True...

It might be yesterday's salt!

Let's rest. We've plenty of time

They'll be late as usual

Can I do anything useful?

Yes... Get married

Too late! I'm 35!

It'll give you the youth you need!

Labiche said it comes with age,

You met your girlfriend at the port?

Miss Clément's sketching at Le Lavandou

You dislike my calling her your girlfriend

Yes,

it may lead people to think she's my mistress...

...and she's not!

I barely know this type of quiet living boy

He's of the generation of Carcopeo, Segonzac,

Marchand, Pierre Benoit, Mac-Or/an and Cocteau...

whom I knew as "little boys" during the war

Vial fought in the war too

Before the war he was an upholsterer

Aften/vards he became a decorator

He has a modest shop...

half books, half knick-knacks

Liking painters, \/ial now likes their paintings

Exactly!

You're a mystic!

Segonzac? You're joking!

Son of a bitch!

Your head's screwed on better than your butt!

And Carco, you should only publish poetry!

He takes the time to read...

and design furniture and criticize us!

If a professional said that, call him a fool

But to an upholsterer?

Sir Decorator, you're too much!

Do I know \/ial more than I know other friends?

Friendship is a cry for sanctuary

That cry is what's best

in us

and shouldn't be used too soon

Large numbers of humans are tiring to plants

My garden was weary after my friends left

Are flowers sensitive to voices?

Mine like parties no more than I do

VWI animals always amaze me?

This one is exceptional...

like an irreplaceable friend or perfect lo ver

What's the source of her love for me?

Then comes the tomcat, her magnificent husband...

with the beauty and power of a Hercules

But I 'm tired of writing about animals

You can't love both them and men

My 2nd husband said he felt like an intruder...

when I was alone with my animals,

and that one day I 'd retire to a jungle

Retire to a jungle... I mustn't wait too long

I now wish to wed no man...

but/ still dream of marrying a big cat

Montherlant would love to hear that

My morning guests were pleasant

The 2 men brought 2 pretty and polite girls...

who seemed to have been warned...

"You're going to Colette's...

"who dislikes chirping and literary showiness"

"Wear the blue dress and pour the coffee"

They know I prefer rather reserved women

Hé/éne Clément came alone and...

was by no means the plainest

She's not like a model...

nor like those submissive to men

True, I don't know her well

Sugaf?

Cream?

No, thank you, Madam

Yes I paint... in an obstinate way

I swim, drive a car and live in a family hotel

So everyone knows you're serious-minded

Yes, very serious-minded

30 years ago, her type sat by the sea embroidering

Now she paints the sea and tans with coconut oil

I like her for having left the embroidery that,

for her, took the place of mystery

Maybe I don't pay enough attention to Hé/éne

Maybe the transparency of her body and soul...

let me too easily see the sad vagueness...

typical of so-called free women

By the shore road the narrow marsh is in flower...

with hemp, statice and scabious...

contributing 3 shades of mauve

The reeds wear clusters of brown edible seeds

The myrtle's bitter-white scent hits the tonsils...

to the point of nausea and ecstasy

The place teems with life at dawn and sunset

The evening cool gives me a shiver...

like a cloak of fresh air on my bars skin

A note of pity clutches me as night darkens

lfl trusted that gentleness, I could then grov\/...

and learn to face, to dare and to die

But I avoid it every time

To grow... For whom?

To dare?...What more could I dare?

Death doesn't interest me...

Net even my own

How near dawn is!

Night gives herself to Earth like a lover...

quickly and a bit at a time

300 meters away \/ial's lamp, in his house

shaped like a thimble, looks at mine

What's the boy up to...

instead of scuffling off to the port or dancing

He dances so well!

He's too quiet

One day I must marry him to Héléne Clément

That other quiet one

She changed when she spoke to him today

Vial surely noticed it

Normally, I'm not a matchmaker...

but I feel responsible for this agitation...

this setting in motion of idle forces

that could engulf 2 persons...

who till now lived in personal privacy

or not

Driving to market yesterday about 9,

I picked up Héléne Clément

Héléne! Where are you going?

To the carpenter... the frame-maker

Get in.

We haven't seen you for 2 days!

What's this armchah'?

You won't get this one!

I went all the way to Moustier for it

- So that's it! - What?

Give us a morning glass of white vine and water

AJuan Gris.

Dignimonts...

A color print by Linder...

Do they suit the walls ofa house here?

- Like them? - Yes

How much was the armchair?

190 francs... It's walnut underthe paint

Look at the arm I stripped

Vial, sell it to me!

Are you in business, yes or no?

Have you no heart?

I'll swap your armchair for...

For I don't know what...

For Héléne!

Is she yours?

Then it's settled! You got a bargain!

What's wrong?

It's your fault!

- I said nothing! - You went "No, no"?

"Yes, yes" would've been bettef?

You bore me. I'm going

I'll see you tomorrow

Oh, you know...

Do you like this, Madam Colette?

It's an honest study

I like it

Did Vial hurt you? I hope not

You wouldn't want that.

Please don't confuse humiliation with pain

Accidents like that happen to me in this milieu

What milieu?

I only say this milieu...

'cause it's not the one where I was raised

I'm often an outsider among the painters but...

I'm intelligent enough to...

To understand life

Don't treat me like a little 'bourgeoise'...

who's playing at being a bohemian

I understand a lot

Like that Vial is not of this milieu, either

Some of his jokes or manners don't go down well

He lacks the right gaiety

What's funny coming from Segonzac or Carco...

is shocking coming from him

But he said nothing

Let's say no more about it

I don't want this story to drag on forever...

even for the joy of hearing Vial's defense

above all coming from you!

Coming from you.

She fled, looking a bit too big for such chi/dish misery

Because of silly Héléne I absentmindedly put up...

with \/ial next day not enjoying it as usual

Reid brought some nougat...

and carob tree branches that stay fresh for ages...

if stuck into earthen jars of wet sand

He sprawled on the terrace after the 5:00 swim

Is it less blue than yesterday?

Is what less blue?

I like it when he hides his face

He's not ugly but his face looks sleepy...

above such a clear-cut, expressive body

I once told him he could be guillotined...

and no one would notice

Everything is less blue

Or it's me... A mental blueness

Blue doesn't make you hungry or voluptuous

A blue room is uninhabitable

- Since when? - Since I said so!

If you lose all hope, live in a blue room

Why me?

By you I mean anyone!

Thank you

What's the blood on your leg?

It's mine...

A beach plant called a "broken bottle"

Why's your left ankle swollen?

And why were you nasty to the Clément girl?

I wasn't nasty... to Miss Clément

But if you have marriage in mind...

I beg you not to mention her to me anymore

How romantic you are! Can't we laugh a bit?

Move! You're taking all the room!

Listen, you don't know everything

Yesterday she refused to let me defend you

Like in a tragedy she left, saying:

"Not from you!" Can you believe it?

She dared say that to you?

His look was so wide-eyed...

so comically unlike him that...

I couldn't remain serious

\/ial's silences, lowered looks and...

firm attitudes gave him a respectable air that...

now disintegrated and he wasn't pretty

Poor little thing

- Sorry for hel'? - And you?

Don't answer a question by a question

I barely know the girl

- Neither do I! - Oh, I thought you did...

She's not hard to know

She avoids mystery as if it were a germ

Is it Géraldy coming back from Les Salins?

I think so

- Why didn't he stop? - He didn't see you

He did, but you scared him away

Now about the Clément girl...

I want to get my sweater

Northerners say Provence is hot...

I can't believe he is at all calculating

True, I've never learned to be suspicious

What I fear, for him, is some sort

of amorous attachment

Some form of amorous attachment...

I write that without laughing

No fear of any kind keeps me from writing...

even the risk of being published

Why are men writers or so-called writers...

still surprised that a woman...

can tell her amorous secrets, lies and half-truths?

She thus hides other obscure ones...

she doesn't understand very well herself

\/ial's known me only 2 or 3 summers

He tries to find me in my no vels

Young girls still write me they've read Claudine in secret

and ask me to reply by general delivery...

or want to meet me secret/y in a tea room

Do they imagine me in a school girl's uniform?

How nice Vial was yesterday!

Today he's already less so!

Yet nothing threatened my happy summer...

of blue salt and crystal...

my summer of open windows and swinging doors

\/ial's amorous attachment...

and Hélene's no less amorous resentment...

I 'm caught between them in spite of myself

Here's the dawn

From the shadows emerges the "thimble" where lies...

a solitary young man ripening one secret too many

Solitary...

a lovely-looking word...

with its S rearing like a protective serpent

I can't isolate it from the fierce glitter

of the solitaire diamond...

The fierce glitter of \/ial!

Poor guy!... Poor Héléne Clément!

I daren't offer you such a tiny thing

Yet you came to offer it?

Because it's blue and you love various blues

But one mustn't offer you tiny things

You see big things in my house?

It isn't good

What's wrong with it?

It's by me! Anyone else could do better

- Painting's difficult. - So is writing!

- Really? - I assure you!

In the afternoon's half-light...

that! arranged as carefully as a bouquet.

Her eyes became dark green

Beneath her no longer blonde hair...

I admired her perfect, earthenware neck..

A sturdy, supple column,

like those of people of limited intelligence

yet also revealing strength and...

the desire to succeed

Were you working?

Never at this hour, especially in summer

Then I'm disturbing you less?

Ifyou disturbed me, I'd send you away

Shall I make lemonade?

No... unless you're thirsty?

I'm a very bad hostess!

I waited patiently for Héléne to go

She smoothed her hair...

Vlfithout seeing her... I 'd have known

from this gesture she was blonde, biting/y blonde...

upset and on edge. There was no doubting it

You have lovely arms

She smiled and thanked me...

by looking confused

Women calmly accept men's compliments...

concerning their bodies but...

praise from a woman flatters them more

and embarrasses them with profound pleasure

How does that help me, with my luck?

It'd help you, without your luck?

Madam Colette, last summer and this one

you've kindly treated me as...

really... as a...

A buddy?

2 days ago I'd have said 'buddy'...

and also said I'm sick of it and all the pals

Today I can't think of any slang

I rarely think of slang with you, Madam

I can do without it

She was warming the room and thickening the air

She annoyed me and was shortening my day

Besides, I knew her secret...

and was afraid I 'd be bored

I came to show you I'm worthy of confidence

and the welcome you've given me

I don't want you to think me a liar nor...

It's true I live very independently and I work

Yes, I know that

You know things aren't always easy

I'm a woman like any other

One can't escape certain hopes and...

a certain hope has disappointed me

Forl had reasons to believe...

What are you getting at?

Last year he spoke to me in very clear terms

- Who? - Vial, Madam!

I know it's Vial! What can we do about it?

She emanated a rage of sincerity

and the aroma of an exasperated blonde

Please understand, don't force me to speak

On one hand, I feel ashamed

My duty should be to go away

Yet I blame myself for coming to see you today

But I promise I'll never come again...

since...

since...

you're...

Vial's friend

She hedged at concluding with...

the 4 or 5 horrible, barbed words...

"since you're \/ial's friend"

She didn't dare say "mistress"

Say just one word, even if it's to throw me out

Madam I swear I've nothing against you

I've nothing at all against you!

And then the tears!

Oh, those horsy girls who drive alone...

smoke cheap tobacco and ye/I at their parents

Come now, Héléne, calm down...

I still feel repulsed by this morning

Only now dare I admit the cause...

of my c/umsiness over a few simple words

It is called "timidity"

Why was it so hard to speak to the weeping girl?

Childs what you imagine is silly!

No one is robbing anyone

I forgive you and if I can help...

Don't say 'vous' to me

Thank you

At the door the setting sun enveloped her...

with her wrinkled dress and swollen eyes...

laughing a little...

moist, perhaps a bit touching

My day hasn't been pleasant

I suppose I've many days left to me...

but/ don't like spoiling them

Once I finish these daylight pages in the dark...

I'll go sleep on the raffia mattress outside

At times the night is so cold that the dev\/...

traces teary paths on the leaves...

and the hairs of my Angora blanket turn silver

I was timid!

But had I spoken of love,

I could've cleared myself of suspicion

Yet my fear of ridicule is a constraint

And what of Vial in all this?

He lies low and remains silent. What a relief!

But the man didn't remain silent for long

I'm with Luc-Albert Moreau!

Do you need references?

Come in! Both of you, Luc-Albert!

No, I must get my wife and some new canvases!

There's not a canvas left at home nor in town!

Acres of canvas ruined by the Americans and the Czechs!

I'm forced to paint on cardboard!

They say it's the train station's fault

Lifting, penetrating and...

tearing the soil apan' is a pleasant labor...

that no exercising can ever provide

I was so absorbed that! forgot Vial

If it were spring, the soil'd be more fragrant

If it were spring, We'd be far from here...

and the smell of the earth

Soon I'll be coming here in the spring and in the fall...

and in February or... the 1st half of November

Doesn't that tangerine tree have a certain style?

Round as an apple! I'll try to keep it that way

- And in 10years... - 10 years?

The tanned, well-built young man in white

made a dark spot in my garden

In 10 years it'll bear fine fruit

You'll pick them!

Or someone else! Who cares?

Don't tire yourself!

Leave it! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.

A man's slender hand is rather pretty

But you don't like it

Quick! I need a swim

My arms are peeling! And my nose!

Just think! Since 7:30 today!

- I must look awful! - Yes

His reply was totally unexpected

His tone made any joke impossible

You don't mince words! So I look awful?

For 3 hours you've slaved at this useless work...

roasting in the sun

Your hands are like a laborer's

You haven't even powdered your nose!

Why do you do it?

There are other joys ofthe same sort...

Picking flowers!

Walking on the beach!

Wear your big white hat!

Tie a blue scarf around your neck!

Your eyes can be so blue

Think of the ones who love you!

We're as worthy of you as those little trees!

Isn't that rue?

His audacity faded away

The sun poured down his well-shaven cheek

\/ial's old age will be bearable

People 'l/ say: "He musfve been handsome"

He'll reply: "You should've seen me at 30!"

That's what! was thinking of when he said to me,

for the 1st time since we'd met,

words full of hidden meaning

Vial let's go swimming. Then we'll have a talk

There're stuffed sardines for lunch

I didn't see your shark!

They say bambinos in the Pacific play with them...

kick their snouts...

and swim under water like this!

The Pacific has no bambinos!

Stop the demonstration and come ashore at once!

Leave him alone!

12:30! I'm going. Whoever loves me can follow me!

Wait for us!

No one said: "Vial, are you coming?"

They knew he'd lunch with me

Days when I'm not sure about it...

they already know

He gloomily watched them leave

Some days their presence made him glum

But Hé/éne had ended the peace

I want to tell you something after coffee

But before coffee, the gardener came

I showed him through the vines to where...

the weakened hedge needed new plants

- Vial left? - He was just here

- Did he say anything? - He nevertells me secrets!

My afternoon nap asserted itself

Let he who needs no siesta cast the 1st stone!

\/ial? Gone!

Dissolved by the flamboyant torpor, absorbed by the shadow of a pine

He came back at night,

like an overdue bi/I

Vial...

- Some homemade walnut Iiqueuf? - Yes

Those lamps are comforting

Cigarettes are in the blue pot

Seen today's papers?

Yes, do you want them?

It was mainly to know about the forest fires

- Forest fires? - Always in August

I hate jobs requiring patience

Writing a book requires patience...

as does winning over a man who's skittish,

or mending clothes, or sorting raisins for a plum cake

I have never been a good cook or a good wife

I cut strings without untying the knots

The pine-nuts annoy you?

Not at all

She doesn't like me

I'd stoop to anything to win her

If she knew, would she like me?

Rest assured, she knows

Weren't the Moreaus or Segonzac...

due to stop by after dinner?

The painters are asleep!

Maybe the Carcos?

Do I entertain at night? They're in Toulon

Good... I thought...

How to get rid of this derelict!

Plus the awkwardness of our respective ages!

Our age difference!

We over 45 don 't even think of it!

Less than does a mature man...

who can show his fondness for very young girls!

What's a difference of 15 years to us?

When I say us I don't mean Sido who...

taught me to bear the years as a tree bears flowers

At 75, Sido wrote to me:

"Must! give up being young so soon?"

"Must one ever give up being young?"

I don't see the point nor the propriety

Asleep, Vial?

Just a bit hazy

His nose was long and his face looked pinched...

as if caught between swinging doors...

that look of those hiding an upset

Vial, I told you I had something to tell you

It's rainy in Paris... Biarritz and Deauville

Brittany's wet and the Dauphiné has mushrooms

As I spoke his eyes narrowed, his face hardened

A human being is an endless occupation

This one gave me only a wary glimpse of himself

Do yet understand me?

Do you understand, Vial?

It's a lovely time ofthe year I spend here

A lovely moment in my life

D'you like the months here?

No, I don't like them...

But I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world

I don't do a lick ofwork and I'm not happy

Aren't you designing for 4 Quarters

Yes, the models are ready. It's a big job

I might become their head of modern furniture

You nevertold me so much before!

You don't care for modern furniture

I care about what my friends like

I never felt I was your friend

You've so many fair-weather friends...

you can't even count them

- No, Madam... Please! - Yesterday you said Colette!

In public, yes, to fade into the crowd

Ifyou paid attention you'd notice...

I never call you by your name when we're alone...

And we've been alone often since July

Yes, I know it

So now for what concerns us

For what concerns you!

Yes, what upsets you concerns me

Madam, what do you want of me?

Rather, what don't you want?

I know you'll ask what's hardest...

and I'll do whatever you ask

Good... Then it'll be easy

- Héléne Clément... - No, not Héléne Clément

- Not Héléne Clément? - Just as I said

No Héléne Clément! Enough of her! Something else!

Try to understand me!

She came yesterday and I learned for sure...

Bravo! A credit to your perspicacity!

You're sure? Fine! Not one more word!

You say Helene loves me, my indifference hurts her...

and I should pity the girl and marry her

- It's over! Not another word! - Ifyou take it like that...

I do and even more so!

I don't see why you mentioned her name

Did you have a reason?

Tell me?

You're interested in hel'? Her happiness concerns you?

Are you fond of her? She's your friend?

Answer me! Why don't you answer me?

I'll tell you! You don't like Héléne...

and you don't give a damn for her happiness!

Don't be angry... It's over and settled

I'd like some lemonade. I'll fix it

Don't move

But as I said, I'll do whatever you ask

Vial, let's get back to what concerns us

Nothing concerns us both and that makes me sad

You've put a 3rd person between us

Send her away and we'll be alone

- But I promised her... - So that's it!

You promised her! Promised what?

Not so loud! The Clément girl said that...

last year you used words that made herthink...

Perhaps. But this year's different, that's all!

That's not gallant.

Would it be gallant of me...

not to tell her I've changed?

She's an adult. I didn't sleep with her

Was it for Héléne's happiness...

that you decided to banish me?

Why send away he who cares for you the most?

Was that your promise to Héléne?

Did she force you in the name of morality?

Or due to our age difference?

Poor Vial! What a confession!

So he had thought of our ages

Must I confess it?

I neverthink of age differences

Never? How is that?

No more than I do of the opinions of idiots

That's not my promise to Héléne

You're truly fond of me?

In spite of, as you say, our age difference?

Itold Héléne, vaguely I admit,

I'm not and never will be an obstacle between you

What? Putting you on the same level as her!

Playing the kind rival! Of whom?

Acting like an ordinary woman!

You whom I'd like to see...!

I enjoy life among the living

Even the ashes ofthese arms...

would be warmer than any living flesh!

35... 36... neither ugly...

nor unwholesome, nor wicked...

I slid into the airless night filled with...

a sleeping world

From this boy came an odor of amorous midnight which...

little by little saddened me

What keeps you going aside from me?

Very little... Very little and you

That's not a great deal

That's for me to judge

At times when I couldn't see you in Paris...

I'd say... So much the better!

My wish to see her will pass by not seeing her

When I see her again she'll suddenly be 60 or 70

Then life'll be bearable again!

And then?

When I saw you again...

it was a day when all your demons were awake

You had on make-up and a new dress,

and talked only of travel, taking Chéri on tour...

planting vines and peaches, buying a car...

I had to start all over again

And here it's the same thing

Madame I've little else to say

Besides, I've never had much to say

It's late!

You wanted to discuss Héléne and not seeing me

Don't imagine I need to be treated gently

I'd rather admit I'm not even unhappy. Truly not!

\/ial hoped his passivity would work

It's not at all a rare tactic men use

Vial belongs to a class of lovers...

which in my amorous life I've only glimpsed...

from a distance by my own choosing

He must be dull all day long...

but at dusk he glows,

ready for love and pleasing during lo ve-making

I saw him as ifl were there

It'll soon be day

I never hoped to see dawn here, alone with you

Let me be proud of that, if not happy

Wanting and being aware of everything...

is a great misery for a man condemned to mediocrity...

for a man who never knew you'd one day listen to him

I'd like to speak as an affectionate human being

I said I spend a beautiful part of my life here

Making a clean sweep, rebuilding or being reborn,

has never been too much for me

But today I'm starting something I've never done

It's the 1st time since Iwas 16...

that I'm going to live... or die...

without life or death depending on love

From now on, my sadness, if I'm sad...

or my gaiety, if I'm gay, must exist without...

the motive they've needed for 30 years... Love!

I'm almost there... And it's so marvelous!

No one, Vial, no one ever again!

But I'm not dead nor insensitive!

I can be hurt. You could hurt me

But that wouldn't satisfy you.

I could make do with that

What would we come to if I listened to you?

What would you come to? What would I?

At times your death wouldn't have displeased me

This traditional wish left me speechless

Time to hurry Day was dawning

Swallows were circling the roof

So goodbye, Madam

Goodbye, Vial

Will I see you at lunch-time?

No, nor tomorrow. I must go to Moustier...

for counterpanes for my Paris shop

It's not adieu! We'll see each other again?

As soon as I can, Madam

Up already, Madam?

Surprised? You're an early bird too

Don't put the butter by the melons!

Now it'll taste like squash

I'll water the Portulacas now

I was shivering and urgent/y needed...

to soak in a very hot tub...

an aromatic, lemony bath...

like those one takes on dark, winter mornings in Paris

It's getting cool and I'm hungry

What's to eat at La Lyonnaise?

Nothing... Tomatoes and the local ham

We haven't enough mortadella and gorgonzola

I suppose my soup made with my onions

is just goat dung?

Good gents... Kind ladies...

Would a run to my house scare you?

I'm a hick

and I have what I have. But my heart's in my hand

And my hand is everywhere!

The grape harvest'll be early but scanty

My farmer says 28 bushels... And you, Colette?

Athird of a crop. It hasn't rained and my vines are old.

Maybe 400 or 500

500 what?

Gallons. But only half is mine

You'll become a wine merchant!

A shooting star!

It fell on St-Raphael

Well, it's only a quarter to 10

So waltz, my pretties!

If Carco were here...

He doesn't dance. What we need is Vial

True, we need Vial. But if he's not here...

He's not, that's all!

He's preparing his household goods sale

He's at Vaison

Let's go to Pastecchi's!

Fine! But we'll go home early

I felt Héléne's arm against mine

I hadn't seen her since Vial had left

Madam Colette, I only know it by a postcard...

from Mama who's with Papa at Vaison

I thought it best I not mention it earlier

I admired her knowing what's best or not

I admired her face, full of plans...

and hopes of arrivals and embarkations

A guy enters an antique shop and says: "What's new?"

- Care for a drink? - Sure, I'm thirsty!

May I ask an indiscreet question?

Indiscretion don't scare me!

Why do you dance together?

'Cause the girls don't dance good

Thanks for the drink

I was content to barely think...

waiting ti/I satiety gave me the strength to rise...

and return to my realm of cats and vines

A minute more... and I'll go

We really needed Vial tonight

Take me home, Héléne

She drove very slow/y...

avoiding the familiar rocks and holes

She was full of good intentions...

as if she felt on me a painless bruise and...

spilt blood I didn't feel myself

You were superb, better than last month

Yes, and it's not over! Only beginning!

Really?

It's crazy and stupid but I have a great hope

Afeeling!... I'm so devoted to you, Madam

You understand and know everything

I've been sorting papers in dear Papa's desk

I found my letters to him from the Maison Dubois...

after my operation and all your telegrams to him...

during the time I couldn't write to him

He kept everything

How moved I was!

You'll say it's natural he kept them

Not so natural! You'll see

When I returned from my 2 or 3 trips to see you...

in Paris before he died, I found him to be...

a shadow of himself, barely eating

What a child!

What a pity he loved me so much!

His love for me destroyed, one after another,

all his splendid abilities...

for literature and the sciences

He preferred thinking and worrying about me

I find that inexcusable

So great a love! What frivolity!

As for me, how can I get over the loss...

of so loving a friend?

As a girl, when I rose at 7, the sun still lov\/,

I 'd hear my mother shout:

"Seven! Lord, how late it is!"

Will I ever catch up to her, flying high...

she who says of constant, exclusive love:

"What frivolity!"

A week of not writing, my hand forgets how to!

For 8 or 10 days, since \/ial left,

I've had a lot to do

It'd be truer to say I've done a lot

Héléne didn't stay long today She came to say...

she was leaving with a friend...

who'd help drive and who could change a tire

Vial never leaves Paris. He's working like a dog...

for 4 Quarters. I have spies!

Not too many spies Héléne!

My Spy is Papa!

He helps Vial find his way around

Vial'll need Papa, if the Ministry doesn't fall...

'cause the Minister is Papa's pal

But Vial must become head of the workshop...

at 4 Quarters before the Ministry falls!

Madame Colette, I'd so like to help him!

She will get Vial

I tried to urge prudence on her in her chase

No, dignity, not prudence

She waved my advice away

I realized I knew nothing about it!

She says "Don't be afraid' in a way...

that's tender and proud

I thought she might add:

"Once you're not his neighbor, I can handle him"

Héléne will get \/ial and that will be right

I may think: "l've had better. I've had Vial"

I'll think of him and say I let him go...

I gave Vial to a young woman, in a way...

that had a wonderfully reckless air

I've thought of him often lately

Today I think more of me, since I regret him

In a last letter, Mother told me...

of her granddaughtefls visit:

"Eight years old, her hair tangled from running to bring me a rose...

"She was as alarmed by my waking as by my sleep

"Before I die, I'll see nothing as beautiful as...

"that shy child ready to cry, holding out a rose"

Of the two of us, who is the better writer?

Isn't it blindingly clear that she is?

Flowers, Madam

Who brought them?

They were by the gate with no card

- What's the date? - The 27th or the 28th

I thought I smelled luggage in the air...

Asmell of going home

My mother's last letter was to assure me she no longer...

needed to use our language

The two penciled pages have nothing...

but joyful symbols, arrows from a vague word...

plus "yes, yes" and "she danced" clearly written

At the bottom she wrote "My /ove"

She said that...

when we'd been separated for a long time,

and she was longing to see me

Go on! Go take a walk!

This film was shot at The Muscatel Trellis

where Colette wrote Break of Day