Original subtitles

He's particular. He's just young, that's all. As he's Cajun,

you'd have to speak French. Not for long.

What her name is? Polly Marie.

Waited so long, I knew you would come.

You're shy, my Gabrielle.

Well, no, no, not shy. Not Gabrielle either. The name's gray.

Oh, gray is a color that is not a color. Do

not tease your Marie. I've waited too long.

You call me Gabrielle, anything you like. I like it.

We go now.

Yeah, sure, we go now.

Yeah, not that I'm objecting in any way, but just where do we go now?

I'll take you home.

Yeah?

Your home is very, very far away, Marie.

Everything seems far away now, except you.

I don't mind.

You know, we don't have to go home at all.

You tease me, Gabrielle.

You like to call me Gabrielle.

Haven't I always called you Gabrielle?

Yeah, yeah, for as long as I can remember.

And haven't you always called me Marie?

Always.

That's how it is with us.

We are for always.

We are forever.

Mama!

He's come back! My prayers have been answered. Gabrielle has returned.

We are so happy for you, my child. Ulisse, our hearts are full of joy, no?

Welcome home, Gabriel Roger.

Well, now, just a minute now.

We, uh... Well, what I mean is that I, uh... Your heart is full.

We know, my Therese and I.

We understand the heart so full that the words do not come right.

Come.

We go inside.

He looks wonderful, my Gabriel. He never changes. He's always the same.

We are very glad you are home, Gabriel Roger.

Oh, Marie, he is very handsome, as always.

You know, I don't know what this is all about,

but don't you think this joke has gone far enough? Now,

you know as well as I do that I'm not this Gabrielle you keep talking about.

Oh, he's always teasing.

Grandma Jo, Louis, Rosette, look who's come home.

Crickets sing all night by the house. Their luck is good.

No?

Good.

Three hairs from his head, child, before comes the night.

There, with the cricket, she's fine for you.

When first I opened my eyes with the dawn, I knew it was a day for Gabriel.

Little buggy of my papa, the wheels rattled, I drove so fast to New Orleans.

And that fine old horse is tired.

But we rest him on the way back.

Gabriel and I are not in such a hurry, huh?

Sebastian!

Sebastian!

Sebastian, look who's here.

My prayers have been answered. Gabriel has returned.

It is good you have come, Gabriel.

Maria has waited a long time.

Now, now, now, Marie, now. I want to talk to your mother and your father.

Oh, you talked to my father a long time ago.

I did?

Well, I won't be long.

Well, now, Mama, Gabrielle has come home.

Our daughter Marie is happy. We are all happy.

Put this work away. This is a night for a feast, yes? Just a minute now.

I met a girl in the docks in New Orleans. She asked me to come with her, and I did.

Now, maybe it wasn't very wise, but at least it's no crime.

You go and have your feast. I'm going back to my riverboat.

No, monsieur.

Gabrielle!

Now you will stay, please, monsieur.

It would be a kindness only for a little while. Oh, merci.

Merci, Gabrielle.

I go now. I prepare for the feast.

Well, now, Justin, what's this all about? I have saved this wine for this day.

Yeah, you saved it for somebody named Gabrielle, not for me.

You know I'm not Gabrielle.

Your wife knows I'm not. The whole village does. But Marie does not know.

Well, why doesn't she? What's the matter with her?

She is a beautiful girl, yes?

Yeah, she's beautiful. What's that got to do with it?

Everyone loves Marie, the whole village.

Everyone wants for Marie to have her happiness.

But her happiness lies with somebody named Gabrielle. I'm

not Gabrielle. But she calls you so.

The whole world may call you by any other name, but Marie calls you Gabrielle.

And that is good enough for all of us.

Gabrielle! Gabrielle!

You see?

She calls you so even now.

I don't know what's going on around here. I don't know why you're doing all this,

but I'll tell you one thing. This is either going to be stopped,

and either you're going to do it, or I am.

Gabrielle, you must come.

You will go to her.

You will go to her at once.

I was surprised for you. Come.

I would like to talk to you, Julius Tourette. You have talked to me before,

Sebastian. I cannot give you the answer you want.

Is the man from the river the answer you want? He is the answer Marie wants.

How long do you think you can keep him here?

As long as I have to.

Oh, you're a fool.

And you are a jealous man, Sebastian.

Perhaps I am, but this is not the way to cure Marie's sickness.

And how would you cure it, Sebastian?

With love and kindness.

And time.

And have we not given up all this?

Yes, you have, but I have not given her this. You have tried, but it has not worked.

And it's not going to work as long as this man stays in the village.

For Marie's sake, send him away.

For Marie's sake, I have him stay.

In this case, don't count for my help.

Oh, Sebastian, you will help.

Why, don't you think I say what I mean?

Yes, I do.

But I know that you love Marie.

You would not have her unhappy even though your own heart is sad.

It is not my heart that counts. I'm thinking for Marie's now.

Papeete!

Papeete!

Marie, ma petite, let me look at you.

There is such joy in your face. What has happened?

Papeete Roger, you should not have eyes for me on this day. Look.

I must be blind.

The years and the salt of the sea must have dimmed my vision.

That man is no vision.

Ah, you are right, Marie.

This man is no vision.

This is a man, bald man.

I am happy for you at last.

What kind of talk is that? I am happy for you at last.

Weren't you happy for me before?

Do not push my personal sorrow, Marie.

Of course I was happy for you before.

But that was before Gabriel went away.

But he has returned, Papit.

Gabriel is home with us for always.

Your own brother.

If you'll just tell her.

Welcome home.

Oh, please.

Many times I tell you, might be now back, off from the fire, in the shadows.

I saw a man once, over on Bayou Gulab.

He was man before he was wolf, right before these eyes.

Big red eyes, pointed nose, hair all over, and long nails.

I'll go back now, you.

Go back now, you.

And if you want wolves keep out of your house, say your prayers,

and listen for the cricket call.

All is well.

All is well.

What is this, Grand Major?

Last week it was. A green lizard died.

I dried him long in the sun and ground him with a fine powder.

Oh, merci, Grand Major, merci.

Marie, what are you doing here?

What are you doing? What are you doing, Marie?

The lizard dust and I make you mine forever.

Marie, now, just, just a minute. Now, now, wait a minute now.

We've got to do some talking, you and I. Oh, there's no need for words.

You are here.

I touch you, I feel you, I kiss you.

For too long this isn't true, and now it is so. What words are there for this?

No, no, now listen to me.

Listen to me very close.

No, no.

Now you look at me.

You look at me very closely and tell me that I'm the only one that you waited for.

You tease me, Gabrielle.

No, no, no, I'm not making games. Now listen to me.

Look at me closely and tell me, tell me that I'm the one you love.

This is the ear of my Gabrielle, the forehead, and the nose, and the mouth.

If I could forget like you've forgotten, I could stay here forever.

I can't do that to you or to myself.

Nobody in the village believed you would return as you promised.

Poor Papite.

He wore the band of mourning.

And all to me are so kind and so gentle.

But no one believed.

Until today.

Today they believe.

Marie, if I can't wake you from your dream, then I must take myself from it.

She sleeps.

It is good. None of this is good.

She sleeps now, but one day she'll wake up. I mean really wake up.

And when she does, she'll see things and people as they really are.

And that'll be a sad day for your daughter.

I see my Maria as she is now.

She sleeps the happy sleep.

No father could ask more than that.

You go to Papit's house.

Your bed is there.

It's late, Gabriel.

Up to bed.

There's lots of work to do tomorrow. Is there trouble, Papeete?

There is no trouble, Sebastian. Bonne nuit.

Bonne nuit, Papeete.

Inside.

Your journey back has been a long one, Sid, if you are tired.

You know about my journey. The journey back from death is always long.

Look.

You don't have to go through the motions with me.

Now let's just talk straight with each other.

There was much joy in the village tonight.

They danced.

They sang. It's been a long time.

I don't understand any of this.

Least of all do I understand you. Why should you call me your brother?

Gabriel Roger is my brother.

I do not forget that.

I drink to his return.

Why did you take the band of mourning off when Marie called me Gabriel?

If she has found him, I no longer mourn my brother.

I think it is you who forgot. I do not forget.

I got nothing to remember. I don't remember you, or Marie, or this village.

How can I forget? I have heard about things like that.

Something big comes along to blot out a man's past.

Sometimes he doesn't even know his own name.

But never fear, I will try to help you remember.

There's nothing wrong with my memory.

If you remember what I tell you this night,

Stop me.

I will tell you no more.

You were the pride of the village.

At everything, you were the best.

The best fisherman, the best with the boats, wine, love.

And when you were only this high, you were the lover of Marie Tourette.

Good you were to everyone.

There was no one like you in the whole village, my brother Gabriel.

You remember none of this?

Of course not. You know I don't.

You are not yourself, Gabriel.

The wine, the glasses not even touched your lips.

It was not that way the day you left to go to Acadia. Acadia?

That, too, was such a feast day, such joy.

The whole village was there at the dock to see

you off when you said goodbye on the riverboat.

The riverboat?

You remember the riverboat?

Well, I know a river boat, yeah.

Did Gabrielle go to Acadia alone?

Yes. Why didn't he take Marie with him?

You have forgotten. It was only money enough for one.

You did not want to leave without Marie.

But when you decided to go to the land of our

fathers to do business there for our village, you asked Marie to wait.

She waited.

What did Gabriel do? Did he stay in Acadia?

You marry another girl there? What?

You saw for yourself.

I was mourning the death of my brother.

What riverboat did he take?

The Comet.

The Comet.

Now, Pete, the Comet exploded and burned to the

waterline somewhere upriver about a year ago. All hands were lost.

All but you, my brother. Oh, Papit.

It must have been the shock of something terrible that made you forget everything.

Papit, why are you doing this to yourself?

You're still mourning your brother.

Marie has waited too long.

I don't want her to wait anymore.

You know I can't stay in this village.

You know that the village will never let you go again, Gabriel.

The village knows that I'm not Gabriel. All right,

if they truly think that I'm Gabriel,

why don't they ask me about what happened up in Acadia, huh? Or don't they care?

Why should they ask?

You didn't remember the name of Marie.

You didn't remember that your name was Gabrielle.

You didn't even remember the trip.

Think about Marie. She's living in an illusion that can't possibly last.

I have seen her face.

She is happy.

Happy?

You don't even know what you're doing.

You and this whole village here sent Gabrielle away, and then when he was killed,

you felt that you'd cheated Marie out of a husband that she loves.

So now you're keeping this myth alive, not to help that poor troubled girl,

but to ease your own conscience.

She calls you Gabrielle?

We call you Gabriela.

She is happy.

We can be at peace.

He's quiet, Sebastian.

He's not too quiet? He's quiet, but he's not dead now.

Open the door before we see him.

I had just missed him.

He was running away, no?

You should have known better, Papik.

I know.

In the night, as long as my eyes could look, I watch him.

And then I sleep hard.

Last night it was not the time for you to fell asleep.

You heard him go?

No, I saw him go.

Then why you not call me? Why you let him get far off?

Because I want him go.

Why did you bring him back?

Why?

It's not for me I bring him back.

Poor Sebastian.

No, Papit.

Poor Marie.

He breathes well.

I did not hit to kill him.

Gabriel?

Sebastian?

Why are you up so early, Marie?

Oh, my sleep was troubled by bad dreams of Gabriel.

Gabriel.

Gabriel.

His head hurt him enough already.

Why does he sleep like this?

What's happened to him?

It was a fall from too much wine, Marie. He is not to worry.

Soon he will awake and call your name.

Is that not so, Sebastian?

It does not do good to be such a woman, Marie.

What do you know of women, Sebastian?

You got no woman.

It's not my fault.

Gabriel, do not be hurt.

You cannot be hurt.

Marie, I promise you he is all right.

I will not leave him.

When he wakes, you'll want his Marie with him.

When he awake, I will bring him to Marie.

Come, I walk you now to Grandma Jo. You and her prepare a fine dish for Gabriel.

He is all right?

How many time I lied to you ever.

You watch for him now.

Sebastian, when you get a woman, see she loves you as I love Gabriel.

Oh!

Your head hurts.

Drink this. No, I don't want to.

What drink?

I've seen you before.

I'm called Sebastian.

Sebastian, huh?

Is this Papeete's cabin?

Yes, it is. You try to run away, I don't, so I stop you.

Oh, you... Go away.

Does the head hurt?

Yeah, the head hurts.

Well, good, then you stay here in this village, Laurent.

You do not try to run away if you don't like the head. Is that all you have to say?

No, there is more.

It doesn't make any difference to me if you say you're Gabriel or not.

It doesn't make any difference to anyone.

But to Marie, you be Gabriel. It matters to me who I am.

Well, I will say this once and no more.

You will sing to her because Gabriel sing to her.

You will take her on the boat and you gentle her.

And you love her well.

And then soon Father Paul will come.

Father Paul? Yeah, what's Father Paul?

Father Paul will marry you and Marie.

You've thought this all out, haven't you?

Why does it mean so much to you?

Because one year now, she go down to the river boats, and she wait and she watch,

and she wait and she watch.

Fifty times or more she goes.

How do you know? You go with her? No, I don't.

Sometimes I follow her.

You know, I think you're in love with her. It doesn't matter what you think.

She's 22 years old, and soon she'll be too old to get married.

What's the matter with you Cajun men?

Afraid to fight for the woman you love?

Oh, yes, we fight.

We fight a good fight. Only who can fight with a ghost?

Ghost?

My name is Grey Holden.

Captain Grey Holden.

And I'm no ghost.

Good luck, Mr. Blake.

What's luck, Carney? Well, I meant that you're fine, Captain. Hold it.

You like New Orleans.

Yes, yes, I like it. Yeah, I like New Orleans,

too. I like the food. I like the women.

I like the wine. Not necessarily in that order. I know what you mean.

Well, if you know what I mean,

what the devil are you asking me about Captain Holden for?

Well, he's been gone two days. I just thought, look.

I don't know where he is.

I don't care where he is. I never even looked for him.

All right, Mr. Blake, so you didn't look for him. Carney,

do you know what a riverboat captain's supposed to do when he's in a big port?

Well... All right, all right.

Do you know what he's supposed to do?

Does something about getting business. Does something about getting business.

He does everything about getting business. Cargo, about 200 tons of cargo.

That's what puts wood in our boiler and food in your belly.

That's the business he's got here, cargo.

Well, Captain Holden's the man for the job,

because we sure carry cargo up the river and down. Yeah,

you bet your neck he's the man for the job. Then why isn't he doing it?

You saw for yourself, Mr. Blake. She was a real pretty little thing.

Oh, you call that little old Cajun gal pretty?

Yes.

Yes, I would say she was real pretty. Well, she wasn't.

I'd stop them if I could. The girls are making flowers for Marie's wedding.

Cajun women make the dresses. This is how it happens.

Everyone works.

Everyone is happy. Take a good look. Nobody's happy.

And while you're at it, take a look at yourself.

This day I am not important.

This day, you are important, Gabriel.

Come, we have work to do. What are the flags for? I'll show you.

This boat is for honeymoon.

For you and Marie.

This is how you plan, Gabriel.

Sail away, stay long time, catch no fish. This is wrong, Tapit.

You can't let this happen.

The flags tell the other fishing boats, stay away, don't bother us.

This boat is not for fishing. This is for honeymoon.

Come, I show you how to put the flags. It's not hard.

Makes the boat look pretty, no? Very well, Papi, very well.

Marie and I will get on that boat, and we'll sail our way out of here.

And maybe someday, we may find a way back here. Maybe. But I'll

tell you one thing, I'll never be back.

You would leave her?

In a minute.

Now.

You would not be so cruel, monsieur.

You would not leave my Marie. I know you would not.

It's not me who's being cruel to Marie.

It's you and her father and Pepit here and Sebastian, the whole village.

Pepit, you go on with the boat, huh?

Let her mother talk.

Monsieur, a man could have no more of a wife.

My Marie, she cook better than me. She keep house clean.

Grand major talk to her right now about how to keep a man happy.

You see, Monsieur, someday you will love her.

Marie wouldn't be difficult to love.

She doesn't love me. She loves a ghost.

A mother wants for her child only happiness.

Since Gabriel go away, Marie has seen many men.

She go to the boat, she look, she wait, and then she see you.

Never once till you, Monsieur, did she ever see her, Gabrielle.

Yeah, and someday, tomorrow, next month, a year,

she's gonna wake up and find that I'm not Gabrielle.

Now, you know that's going to happen.

I know it will happen.

What do you know? What do I know? Ask, monsieur. We do not count.

Marie know.

This count. This count for sure.

Oh, monsieur. I look on your face.

And I feel from you, you are a good man.

And you will make my Mary happy.

And she will be a good wife to you.

Oh, that's some cargo. Yeah, it's a beginning.

About 100 tons. Mr. Blake, you hustle up that business?

You going ashore, Carney?

Yes, I am. Well, look, don't try the Bucaray,

and don't try any of the commission offices

or the port office, because he isn't there.

But you said yourself, Mr. Blake, food, wine, women,

maybe not in that order. Next time, Carney.

Next time for both of us.

You honestly don't think that Cajun girl's pretty?

Ah, she was pretty.

She was pretty.

Well, how much longer are we going to wait? That depends. On what?

On which gets here first, the other 100 ton of cargo or the good Captain Holden.

Look at you.

Gabrielle!

How's your head? Is it better?

Much better. Much better.

Now you go in to give thanks. I was in before.

Oh, Marie.

Will you see Father Paul?

I hope so.

It's good you see Father Paul before the wedding. You'll have a lot to talk about.

Yes, many things.

Do you have much to confess?

Many things.

But not to you, Marie.

I think you should kiss me before you see Father Paul.

I think it's a good sign. Gabriel, I don't understand.

Not sad.

Thoughtful. There's a difference.

You look for Father Paul?

He is not here. We are expecting him.

I'll wait.

You do not remember Father Paul?

You know very well I don't remember him.

And he will not remember you. Father Paul came to us after you went away, Gabriel.

He does not know the face of Gabriel Roger, but

he does know the man very well, from Marie.

What about the marriage bans? They still have to be posted.

So much you have forgotten, Gabriel.

The bans were posted before you left for Acadia.

You wanted it so.

He will be married tomorrow.

Father Paul, I've been waiting for your return. You are new here, my son. Yes.

Father?

You have not told me who you are. If you ask your friends in the village,

they'll tell you who I am.

And if I were to ask them? What would they tell me?

Well, you'd ask them. I mean, ask any of them.

I'd tell you my name is Gabriel Rouget.

Welcome home, Gabriel.

In here, if you will.

I hope you've got a few minutes to spare, Father,

because I've got a very interesting story to tell you. Now then.

Father, what are you going to do?

There comes a time in the affairs of men when they must be treated as children.

Yeah?

I'm going to call the village together and put an end to this godless charade.

What's in for? Yeah, well, how will this help Marie?

Save her from the shame of a loveless marriage. Well, Father, Father,

if you'll wait just a minute.

I think I have a plan where she can save herself from herself, if you'll trust me.

If God, in his inestimable wisdom, has seen fit to bring you here,

who am I not to trust you?

Good.

Well, then we'll let them proceed with their plans for the wedding.

And, uh... And what?

And maybe God will work a miracle.

He's the only one who can.

Yes, but I wish you well.

Thank you, Ma'am.

Sebastian!

Oh, Sebastian!

Sebastian!

Gabriel. Well, you have, right?

Yeah, the clothes belong to Gabriel Rouget, but...

Down there somewhere, there's just plain old me, Gray Holden.

What are you gonna get him?

What Pete gave him to me.

If I'm gonna marry Marie today, why,

I'd better be dressed properly for a big church wedding, don't you think?

Yeah, but what do you still say if?

I'm sorry when I marry Marie. That's better.

Ah, come on now.

Sebastian, you're not gonna be sore just because you lost your girl, are you?

I did not lose a girl, and I'm not sore about it.

Good, well then get dressed and come to the wedding. What for? To be my best man.

It's impossible.

Sebastian, nothing is impossible.

Oh, do not cry, Mother. Today is a happy day. A mother cries,

nobody asks why it's part of being a mother. Now, hold still.

I want to fix your veil. Did Grandma Jo cry at your wedding?

Everybody cried, especially Ulysses, your father.

I tell you who will not cry at my wedding?

Gabrielle and I. We will not cry because we are happy.

Oh, Mary.

Oh, my petite.

I only want for you to be happy.

Please, Holy Mother, keep her happy.

Now let me see you smile.

Let me see the smile on your face that I know is in your heart.

When I make you a grandmother, you'll smile like you did before, huh?

Who is it?

Where's Ulysse?

I sent him to the church. This is no place for a man.

You're right, I'll go.

Those are from Gabriel.

That's very sweet.

Thank you for me.

Oh, look at the lovely bride. Gabriel, this is bad luck.

You should not see the bride before you go to church. Give me an old woman's talk.

Gabriel, what happens to you? What's the matter? I want to see Marie.

Gabriel, you must not.

She looks pretty good to me.

I don't see enough of her.

Gabriel!

Let me go.

Go quickly.

Where are you going?

Yeah, go on. Get out of here. It's a good idea. Go on, Bea.

You too, old woman. Get out of here. We don't need anybody to do anything.

You're doing such a bad thing.

We don't need them to do it, Marie.

We're going to get married. We'll do it our way, right?

No.

Yeah, we're getting married, huh?

No.

We're getting married our way.

You let me go.

There will be no wedding.

You and I, sure.

You are not my Gabrielle.

Of course I'm your Gabrielle. I'm the only one you ever loved.

My Gabrielle was gentle.

You are not.

You are different.

My Gabriel is dead.

Well, neither of us will forget you.

Well, I could stand a little forgetting.

But there are a few things I'd like to remember.

And nothing for that.

That was the girl. Yeah, yeah, that was the girl.

Runs off with a Cajun girl.

Three days later, he comes back with the girl and her fella.

And what's wrong with that?

What's wrong with that? Yeah, what's wrong with that?

Well, I just don't understand it.

You know, he has a point there.

Yeah, a little one.

You, uh, care to tell me about it?

Maybe I will. Someday.