Original subtitles

This is the prison known as the Conciergerie,

during the French Revolution,

many famous people were imprisoned here before their execution,

Like Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France,

whose actual cell now lies before you eyes.

It is virtually unchanged.

I am your queen. I am Marie Antoinette.

A ghost!

Passengers booked on Flight 324 to Rome,

are requested to proceed to Gate 9 for boarding.

Oh-ho!

Paris has another ghost.

Scotland's Loch Ness Monster will have to look for its laurels.

Hmm...

Ever since old Sir Williamson discovered Marie Antoinette's necklace,

and said he'd donate it to the British Crown,

the French reputation for Cartestian thought has frayed a little.

I must admit, Francis,

that some apparitions still haven't been explained to my satisfaction.

Really, Philip? You Celts are so superstitious.

Move along, please. Move along.

Now, that's going to be some party.

Hey, jewellery pays.

Particularly if your name is Duranton

and you restored the necklace of Marie Antoinette.

Yes, but the man who owns it is English.

He wants to give it to his queen.

How marvellous!

Yes, as I said to my friend, the curator.

So, Sir Williamson,

you are now the fortunate owner of this trinket

that disappeared in the 18th century.

It's true. I'm the one who found it.

But the real hero is Jean Duranton.

Without his inspired work,

the necklace would seem shabby indeed.

It's a masterpiece.

You are too kind, sir.

I think all the guests have arrived.

If you'll excuse me, I'll go and fetch the necklace.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I think we're all eager to see this masterpiece of the jeweller's art.

Vincent, go and see what happened.

Vincent?

Who dares usurp the right to display my necklace?

To leave it naked to the avid gaze of the mob?

You have disturbed my murdered spirit with this infamous act.

I do not believe this.

Hold that, will you?

That necklace affair was the blackest, most sordid betrayal I suffered.

I was humiliated,

dragged in the mud, and, all the time,

I was but an innocent victim.

I would that a accursed necklace had never been made.

At long last let me depart in peace.

Then may that ill-fated jewel vanish without trace.

It's the breaker all right.

My office. It's coming from my office.

Oh, no.

The necklace.

Don't be a fool, professor.

I called the fire department.

How can I thank you, professor?

You risked your life for--

Oh, no.

By the tartan of clan MacGregor!

Move along. Nothing to see here.

I'm afraid that's all that's left of our ghost, comissioner.

A charred ceiling.

And a nasty burn on your hand.

And a diamond necklace that's gone missing.

I don't believe in ghosts,

but this one was uncommonly convincing.

She didn't use any of the usual illusionists tricks.

That's right, Pradier.

No smoke and mirrors, no billowing mist,

no projector, no phoney ectoplasm.

It's inexplicable.

She fooled me completely.

And poor Duranton is still in a dreadful state.

Oh, yeah?

If there's anything to find, my men will find it.

Well, you see, boss,

we've covered all the walls, but no luck.

No two-way mirrors, no projector.

Zip. Nothing.

Hey, boss.

We have prints of the photos the man took tonight.

Well, if there's a trick, I can't spot it.

Boss, we checked Duranton's office from top to bottom.

Not a clue. The short-circuit caused the explosion.

I don't know. Maybe ghosts are bad for the wiring.

Enough with that ghost! Do you hear me?!

You must admit it's odd, though.

Mr. Duranton's office was sealed up like a bank vault.

The windows have bars, and the chimney's bricked up.

No thief could have escaped without us seeing him.

Forgive me, inspector, but...

I assure you, sir, that was a real ghost.

I've never been so terrified in all my life.

It was awful.

If it was a ghost,

I'll have to declare the case closed.

And hope that her ghostly majesty will stand up for me

when my bosses blow their collective tops.

I assure you, Pradier, I do not believe in ghosts.

And I'm not going back to London until we solve this mystery.

Bravo. I knew you'd be too interested to let it go.

So I called my cousin, Margaret.

You know, the expert in the paranormal.

I asked her to come and see us.

Oh, what a brilliant idea.

I knew you'd approve, old chap.

I thought perhaps a hot herbal tea might make you feel better, sir.

Very kind of you, Vincent.

But I doubt if I'll ever recover from the loss of the necklace.

I feel dishonored.

Perhaps you should take your tranquillizers, sir.

I set them out on the tray.

Thank you, Vincent. I shall try to sleep a little.

Oh, by the way, Vincent,

Captain Blake and Professor Mortimer

intend to drop by this evening with a specialist in these matters.

Please take care of them as best you can.

I am too ill to receive them.

These phenomena of high heat or intense cold

occur with most, if not all, manifestations.

Apparently, virtually every ghost was a person who suffered great pain.

Their negative energy accumulates

and eventually it must be released

or they become deeply unstable.

You mean the ghost may have appeared

in answer to all this fuss and kerfuffle around the necklace?

That's right.

Vincent, could I ask you to please...

Oh!

Oh, come on now.

You don't expect to impress us with that.

It's the oldest trick in the book.

A rag soaked in fluorescent paint hidden in the palm of your hand.

- I mean really? - It was a demonstration.

In my line of work, I meet so many gullible people

who are all too ready to believe in ghosts.

Gullible? Oh, that's lovely.

It must be years since anyone's accused you of that.

Help! Help!

Mr. Duranton.

I'm sorry.

It was a pleasure.

There's nothing here.

So where is it?

Now he won't talk.

We'll take him with us.

Freeze or I'll blow you away!

Bravo. That was quite brilliant.

I don't approve of guns. Hm.

Nice work, Margaret. Hey!

Come on. Let's get out of here.

Well, by Jove. Another mystery for Margaret.

We found the car in Place Denfert. It was empty.

No trace of the kidnappers.

Have you no idea what they were after?

They must have said something.

Yes, but... I didn't understand.

I think they talked about the ghost.

Of course. The ghost's at the bottom of this.

It's all insane.

Look at the reporters. They have us under seige.

I had to unplug the phone.

Someone's after me. I don't know why.

All I know is... I'm afraid.

Don't worry, sir. We're keeping an eye on you.

Do you think anything will happen?

Beats me.

But it's become a very popular place lately.

Clear out, can't you? Where do you think you are?

The Eiffel Tower?

All right, we're ready.

Well, if I have to, I have to. But I'm not convinced.

Captain, have you a better idea?

Pradier is a good cop, but he hasn't found a clue.

I think we should look more closely at the ghost,

- don't you? - Come on, Blake.

She's right.

Sit down and stop pretending to be shy.

It's a pleasure to obey a pretty woman.

Give it a rest, captain.

I prefer you when you're not trying to be charming.

We will try to summon the spirit of Marie Antoinette.

Her hair turned white with sorrow

a few days before she mounted the scaffold.

Concentrate on the photographs.

Imagine her in that cell.

They took her children away and she had no idea where.

Close your eyes. Concentrate.

Imagine how she must have felt.

Hello? Hello?

It's the ghost.

No! No!

Duranton!

Jean Duranton!

You should never have restored my necklace!

You have disturbed my soul's rest and defied the spirits!

You're cursed!

We shall meet again

in the Kingdom of the Dead!

Yeah, well, it's no help against ghosts.

Well? Where's the ghost?

Disappeared.

You mean I missed it?

Then please tell us about it.

Sorry, sir. I burned myself on the garbage pale.

- Silly me. - You watch out

or we'll take you in.

Ouch! It's scalding.

All the ghost's psychic energy focused on this one single can.

Hey, boys, is it Halloween?

Margaret, are you all right?

My jacket's torn, but otherwise.

Hmm... I'm sorry to insist on the practical, but...

do ghosts always make garbage cans blow up?

Only if they're carrying an unusually strong psychic charge.

Or someone blew it up by remote control

to stop us finding what was inside.

Well, well. Look at this.

It's a label.

You know, one of those little metal plates they bolt onto TVs and such.

I think its wreckage from the explosion.

Beliès?

Does it mean anything to you?

Of course it does.

This is all Mr. Beliès left behind him.

No one knows where his projectors and all his films are stored though.

The concierge says he hadn't lived here in more than a year.

Look at this.

That's him at the height of his fame.

Some of his special effects still haven't been explained.

He was an amazing inventor.

But his style of film went out of fashion and he was forgotten.

And ended up here.

He died three weeks ago, in fact.

This place is for sale. We won't find anything here.

Oh, yes, we will.

You'll never change, Philip. You're so susceptible to actresses.

Not this time. Read that.

"To Marcel Beliès, with all my love, Carla Otta."

She was one of his favorite performers.

But she hasn't worked in years as far as I know.

Do you think you could you find her, Pradier?

If she's still alive,

she'll be living in a dump like this over at the Pont aux Dames.

The Pont aux Dames?

It's a retirement home for performers.

Mortimer, old chap, I think we're closing in.

I'm sure Beliès' technique is behind our ghost.

You may be right, captain.

Of course, on the other hand...

I'm looking forward to meeting Carla Otta.

We should have called beforehand.

Rule number one, my dear:

Give them no warning.

Could we see the director, please?

Unfortunately, Miss Carla Otta left us only a few days ago.

- She died? - No, no.

A friend of the family came for her.

His name was Lombreggo.

I was glad for her.

So few people care at all about our...

our senior citizens.

Did she leave a forwarding address?

Unfortunately not.

That's quite a setback for us.

Perhaps if you'd called beforehand, I could have saved you the trip.

It was the captain's idea, in fact.

We thank you for your time, sir.

And now we'll let you get on with your work.

Back to the hotel then.

It seems shady to me, Francis.

I'm surprised you agreed to leave.

Right on both counts, old man.

There are several significant details

I'm sure you noted that need investigation.

The ink on Carla's release form was barely dry.

The director's fingers were stained.

And I'm absolutely convinced that Mr. Lombreggo's

a figment of someones imagination.

Hmm. So you think Carla is still back there?

We'll find out tonight when we go back.

It's much safer in the dark.

No one around. Jump for it.

Suite Briar House. Number 13.

That can't be too hard to find.

Good grief.

You can see her, too?

Oh, yes.

Who dares usurp the right to display my necklace?

To leave it naked to the avid gaze of the mob?

You have disturbed my murdered spirit with this infamous act!

All right. That's enough.

Now we'll go quietly back to bed.

Carla.

Now, that's a good girl.

Calm down and we take our sleeping pills, all right?

No!

Don't put me in the jacket.

I'll take my pills. Watch me.

Oh, don't be afraid, ma'am.

We're on your side.

Do you recognise this?

Yes. Of course I do.

Beliès invented the animated holograph.

No one else could have done it.

But he never had enough money to perfect it.

Then he found a sponsor.

Mr. Lombreggo offered him what he'd always dreamed of:

A fully equipped laboratory, in his cellar.

I don't know where.

Hmm.

He sounds like an odd sponsor to me.

He steals a man's invention then uses it to steal a necklace as well.

That was the last part I played for him.

He came here and found me. I hadn't seen him for 20 years.

It was wonderful.

Of course, there were still some problems.

You see, the film had to be projected vertically.

The process created a lot of heat.

After a while, everything would explode.

I think that answers most of our questions, don't you?

And then Beliès died and I had to come back to this awful place.

They tell me I walk in my sleep every night.

Open up!

Hmm.

How in the world do you expect me to sleep?

Who were you talking to?

Me? No one.

You're lying. We heard you.

I was rehearsing. I couldn't get to sleep.

"Fair blows the wind for France.

Blow, gentle gale, till Edmund be arrived for England's good.

Nature yield to my country's cause in this.

A brother? No, a butcher of thy friends.

Proud Edward, dost thou banish me thy presence?"

All right. That's enough Shakespeare for now.

That's Marlowe, you dolt.

Remember: No visitors allowed, Carla.

Miss Otta, that was wonderful. You've still have it all.

A forgotten filmmaker,

an old actress no one will hire anymore and a ghost.

I think it's sad.

We're trying to get her out of there.

Can we? I hope so, but I'm not sure.

Because you see, I have the feeling that

Marie Antoinette is really involved somehow.

And her necklace.

Have you any idea where that might be?

I think it all hinges on Duranton.

Someone tries to kidnap him,

he's threatened by a phoney ghost,

and it's from his house the necklace disappears.

That's a lot for one man.

Then let's go and ask him.

I don't see why he wouldn't tell us the truth?

Don't you?

You believe men tell the truth, but you don't believe in ghosts.

And you say you're not gullible, Francis?

Personally, I think ghosts are easier to deal with.

There's no point in them lying any more.

Carla played her role,

but I'm sure I sensed the presence of the real Marie Antoinette.

But where do I look?

How can I find it?

So, how's Duranton?

He's still unconscious.

The doctor says we can't question him.

Of course not.

And I had to release the director of the home, you know.

He doesn't know anything.

He was just a stooge for Lombreggo.

He was paid to keep you from seeing Carla.

And, of course, there's no way of tracing Lombreggo?

That's right. Forged papers.

Blake, Pradier, see what I've found.

Carla told me what I should look for.

My stars.

I don't wonder they believed it.

I imagine the projector was remote-controlled, don't you think?

And in the panic after the fire,

it would be easy enough to replace the tile.

Watch this: Ghosts on request.

Ah!

Carla was right.

There are still a few minor technical problems to solve.

If we hadn't discovered how the hoax was worked,

the whole world would believe the ghost stole the necklace.

The story has spread like wildfire.

That kind of planning always brings one name to my mind:

Olrik!

That's impossible.

He's been under surveillance ever since he got out of prison.

He stays home all day and writes.

You wouldn't believe how he's changed.

You aren't proposing him as a role model, are you?

No, but I think he's seen the error of his ways.

He hasn't broken a single condition of his parole.

He even paid me a visit once. He did.

So I imagine you're going to his book launch this evening, aren't you?

Absolutely. I wouldn't miss it.

You should come. Come and see for yourself.

There's nothing we can do here until Duranton wakes up.

And he's under close guard.

Poor guys already met a ghost. What worse can happen to him?

He's definitely messing up my social life.

I'm so bored it's making me real hungry.

I might have learned more if I had gone with Mortimer and Pradier.

Police! Open up!

Um, I'm sorry if I alarmed you, officers.

I had a minor problem with the stove.

So everything's under control?

Yes, I was just making myself some coffee to stay awake.

Oh, hot coffee. Mmm.

If you'd care for some, please come in.

Now that's an offer I can't refuse.

Oh, the fraud.

Great Scott! The man's insane.

You didn't think you'd get away that easily, did you?

What do you want?

Oh, Caracas...

But that's not where you're supposed to be going.

Head for Denfert or else.

Where are you taking me?

Pull up at the fence.

He's on our tail.

We'll lose him and go in the back way.

No!

- We're clear. - Drive round the park.

Where the hell did he go?

What did you do with him? Talk, you scum.

Be nice... I'm your fellow man.

And I haven't done anything wrong.

Oh, no, I've been trailing you, and meanwhile...

You've been trailing me?

You need your head examined, my lad.

I beg your pardon, sir.

Might you be looking for a couple of thugs carrying a body?

I don't talk to just anybody, but I do like to help when I can.

This used to be a good place for peace and quiet.

But these days something rotten is going on.

They went that way, my friend.

Of course.

Arrows.

Why didn't I think of that?

Wait, lad. You'll never find your way without me.

Utterly remarkable.

And it's a best seller.

I clarified some of the details of our police procedure.

Commissioner? Telephone.

You'll excuse me.

I simply couldn't put it down.

And your whole spiritual renewal was so moving.

So true. My dear man, you are a genius.

No, no, please, ma'am, you're much too kind.

Dear friends,

like the famous Vidocq,

Olrik has abandoned the life of crime

to follow the straight and narrow path.

Let's wish him well with his bestseller.

I wish to remind you that he has assigned

his share of the profits to the Police Benevolent Fund.

- Duranton's taken off. - What?

Thank you.

Believe me. I'm most grateful for your support for a... criminal.

Now I would like to propose a toast

to Commissioner Pradier, without whom

this book would never have seen the light of day.

Commissioner? Commissioner Pradier?

This is the best place in the world to store red wine.

If you let it mature, the rot gut gets better

and the good stuff just blossoms.

That way.

Are you crazy, lad?

A stone means danger.

Didn't you know?

It means that the roof can come down.

Or the water can rise or you're headed straight for the cemetery

with no guardian angel.

"O dismal fate, all that's strife to reach.

This lamentable death, all too far from home."

Will you shut up.

They'll hear you.

"The gentle dark, the endless night..."

Watch out!

That was close.

I hope you didn't want to swim.

Not in the least. Thank you, laddie.

My mother always said that I was born to be hanged.

A dead end?

But I followed the arrows.

Blast this thing!

Look, laddie. What a beautiful sunset.

The light at the end of the tunnel?

It was terrifying.

Mr. Duranton gagged me and tied me to a chair.

There was nothing I could do.

He's stronger than I am.

Incredible.

Vincent, how could you be a party to such a thing?

I wanted to help Mr. Duranton. I thought there was no harm in it.

All this mess for a cup of coffee.

Next time, bring a Thermos, will ya.

Shh!

Pradier.

Blake has disappeared and he left no word at the hotel.

He must be hot on Duranton's trail.

The roofs going to fall in on us. I can tell.

Want me to tell you your fortune?

Rats. Here comes the boss.

Hey, boss.

Get on with it.

Delightful to see you again, Mr. Duranton.

But I'm hurt.

You were leaving for Caracas without saying goodbye.

What do you want from me?

You know perfectly well, you silly man.

You put up an excellent front,

but you're ruined, in debt up to your neck.

Your house is mortgaged to the hilt.

I'm your only possible way out.

So I'm asking you for the last time:

Where is that necklace?

I gave it to you.

Of course you gave it to me.

But it's a forgery.

A vulgar copy!

I paid you in real banknotes, though, didn't I?

You're unworthy to touch such a work of art, bumpkin.

Hold your tongue. We've dallied long enough, Duranton.

Give me that necklace or you die.

Go ahead.

I'll never tell you, do you understand? Never!

Take this note to Commissioner Pradier.

Me?

You'll need the lantern.

Follow the arrows back the way we came.

Fast as you can.

Right away, laddie.

I mean, yes, general.

Help! Someone help!

Be reasonable, old man.

Where is the necklace?

No, I'll never tell you.

The man's a fool.

Blake!

Risking your neck to save that silly little man?

It seems a pity.

Of course, I'm always glad to see you, Blake.

Then I shall come and visit you when you are back in jail.

Oh, no, your pathetic efforts couldn't possibly spoil my new-found fame.

Those ridiculous snobs simply adore me.

You are evil incarnate.

You mustn't flatter me.

I've enjoyed our conversation, but now I must leave you.

Freddy, we'll move to our summer quarters among the stiffs.

If Blake is here, Mortimer won't be far behind.

Are you out of your mind?

No, I'm sorry, but I have a vital dispatch from General Blake.

Oh, sure, and I'm the Queen of England.

Here. Let me see that.

Good grief, it looks real.

Hurry up, boys.

Are you ready?

Uh, just a second, boss. My tarot cards.

Get a move on.

Block all the exits.

Olrik's at home all right.

We should know. We've been watching him for days.

What?

A decoy?

I fell for the oldest trick in the book.

Commissioner.

Commissioner.

We've found the way into the blockhouse.

And I fell for it.

Ah, here's the other detachment.

- Well? - We didn't see anyone, boss.

- And Blake? - No sign of him.

Looks as though they captured him.

And by now, Olrik could have taken him anywhere.

I'm not so sure.

He may have left us a clue.

Remember the ghost telling Duranton

they'd meet in the Kingdom of the Dead.

The quarries of Paris were once used as catacombs, weren't they?

Yes. That's right.

In the revolution, they took the bones out of the cemeteries

and put them in the quarry.

The main entrance is in Place Denfert.

Ohh, my aching head.

Sharkey went overboard.

The catacombs...

About as festive as I expected.

To be or not to be... imprisoned.

That is the question.

You fellows don't care, do you?

But it matters to me.

I see you're already getting acquainted.

How touching.

And how is my friend Duranton feeling now?

I hope the somewhat melancholy atmosphere

will induce him to tell me where he hid the necklace.

I sense the real ghost is there.

I'm picking up vibrations and vibrations never lie.

Duranton, you donkey, answer my question.

Or neither of you will ever get out of here.

It's coming. I can feel it.

At last.

I've found you at last, you wretch.

Villain, where is my necklace?

I-- I-- Oh, please.

Listen, I'll tell you everything.

In the old carousel. The park at Montsouris.

In the red car. It was his idea.

It was Olrik. It's all his fault.

How very peculiar.

Oh, no! No! Look out!

Stop! You can't go in there. We had a cave-in.

Two men are trapped down there.

Don't be a fool! The whole thing could collapse!

Heel, Fifi!

You're hot on a trail, aren't you boy?

Great Scott!

Over here. We're locked in.

- Blake! - Mortimer!

By Jove, the roof is coming down.

Out of the way. There's no time to lose.

At last.

I'm disappointed in you, Olrik.

Dreadfully disappointed.

Yes, Olrik deceived the whole country,

as he played the reformed sinner,

he was planning this coup.

A massive manhunt is underway,

but so far this contemptable character

continues to elude the police.

Sir Williamson is in the studio with me now.

Sir Williamson will explain how the criminal was duped.

It's a fitting comeuppance for a thieving rascal.

Indeed it is.

The necklace that Olrik fled with was planted

by Captain Blake and Commissioner Pradier

in the carousel. It's a fake.

No!

No!

As for the real necklace,

I offer it to the French nation as had been my intention all along.

Oh, by the way, old chap,

Margaret says she's finally located the ghost of Marie Antoinette.

She wants to talk to you about it.

I'd like to.

Now that I think of it, I could give her some inside information.

What?

I've always believed in ghosts, old chap. You know that.