Young girl, romantic, attractive, BA degree...
would marry college graduate, 28-38 years old.
Box Number 3645.
Divorced man, 38, modest income, wishes to marry--
Working girl, 25, slender, seeks tall, gentle, young man...
with view to matrimony. Box number 3771.
- Wanted: Smart, youthful woman. - 21-year-old girl, virtuous...
college graduate, wishes to marry Catholic professional...
doctor, pharmacist, dentist. Box number 4817.
...loves the sea. Box number 3671.
- 23-year-old school teacher... - Blind gentleman...
- sensual, wishes to wed... - interested in matrimony...
Technician with good income, wishes to correspond with...
-strong personality, steady job. -good housekeeper, affectionate.
- Letters returned, discreet. - Serious-minded bachelor, 30...
Mature young woman, attractive, good job, wishes to marry--
lmpossible to answer everybody, letters destroyed.
Thanks, best wishes for happiness.
...affectionate, dynamic--
- Bachelor, 36, mature, wishes-- - Dark, 28, 5 feet 10...
-good looking-- - Desirable from all viewpoints.
Would marry woman 28 to 40.
Would accept deafness or other slight handicap.
Box number 4791.
Reunion is a small island situated in the Indian Ocean.
Discovered on February 9, 1507, by Diego Fernandez de Pereira...
it was known successively as Santa Appolania...
Mascarene and the lsle of Bourbon.
Forward!
ln 1848, the National Convention decided to rename...
the lsle of Bourbon the lsland of Reunion...
to commemorate the ''reunion'' which took place...
on the 10th of August, 1792, between the volunteers...
from Marseilles and the National Guard defending the Tuileries.
Brothers, come! Join us!
Long live France!
''This film is dedicated to Jean Renoir''
Good morning. Please, tell Monsieur Mahé that I'm here.
Of course, sir.
Monsieur Mahé, Mister Jardine is here.
He's waiting for you downstairs.
Monsieur Mahé will be right down.
So today's the great day?
Come on, don't be so mysterious. Everybody knows.
Don't people have anything else to do?
- Is what they say true? - I don't know what they say.
They say he's never seen his bride.
That he doesn't even know what she looks like.
Of course he does. They must have exchanged pictures.
Here's his breakfast. He didn't even touch it.
There, you see how excited he is, Monsieur Jardine.
You know, one of my aunts got married by correspondence.
I'm all packed.
I'll send someone to pick up the bags and pay the bill.
- Did you go by the house? - Yes, the blinds came.
We're not going to be late, are we?
I'll go with you as far as Ling Wo's. You can drop me off there.
- Whose? - The jeweller.
Did you know that out of the 14 jewellers in this town...
eleven are Chinese, and three, Creoles?
I almost forgot to give you the bouquet.
- What bouquet? - The bridal bouquet.
I completely forgot about it.
My wife reminded me this morning. It's in here.
Good-bye. I'll come by this evening to pay. Thank you.
Here's the ring.
That's the little string she sent you for the size.
I suppose you'll want to keep it as a souvenir.
I don't keep souvenirs. It's the ring that matters.
Excuse me.
I'm sorry.
Are there any other passengers?
No, Monsieur. There's nobody else on board.
All the passengers are ashore.
Don't you recognize me, Monsieur Mahé?
I'm sorry.
What do you mean by that?
I am Julie. I am Julie Roussel.
Julie Roussel?
I don't understand.
You don't think I'm like my picture?
The picture I sent you wasn't really of me.
It was one of my friends.
It's hard to confide in someone in a letter.
I was pleased with your letters, but--
Well, especially at first I was a bit afraid of you.
That's why.
But then, after you had proposed to--
I mean, when you'd asked me to marry you...
I was too embarrassed to send a real picture of me.
And besides, Berthe, my sister, said...
''When Monsieur Mahé sees you, he will forgive you.''
Your sister's absolutely right.
You're not disappointed?
Look at me. Do I look disappointed? You see...
I thought I'd already come part of the way...
but I'm afraid it's not true.
I'll have to readjust myself to you.
I must learn to know you.
Do you forgive Julie Roussel for lying?
I find it charming.
Your plans? Will this affect them?
- And yours? - I'm here.
It's difficult, isn't it?
What's so difficult?
It's really hard to get to know someone...
even if we told each other a lot of things in our letters.
Exactly because we have told each other a lot...
there will surely be some big silences between us.
But that doesn't bother me.
Me neither.
I hope Reunion won't disappoint you.
I don't know New Caledonia. I've never been to Noumea.
Where you're from is a long strip of land.
Very long.
Whereas Reunion is shaped like an egg.
By the way, do you know how Reunion was populated?
No.
Three hundred years ago, there was hardly anyone.
And Colbert, who'd founded the India Company...
decided to send 1,000 settlers...
and 32 women.
During the voyage there were many storms...
and a scurvy epidemic.
So when the boat docked...
there were many dead bodies and sick people too.
And among the 32 women...
the only five remaining got married within three months.
And one of them was my great-great grandmother.
Who were these women? Did they come here to marry?
I doubt anyone asked their opinion.
Many came from La Rochelle.
They were orphans, like you.
But I'm not sure they were as beautiful.
This is our house. This is where we'll live.
Our house?
Yes, I have a confession to make.
I didn't tell you everything in my letters.
- I'm afraid that I even lied. - What do you mean you lied?
I told you that I was a foreman in a factory making cigarettes.
Yes, you did.
That's not true. I'm the owner of the factory.
I inherited it when my parents died three years ago.
I'm not proud of myself for hiding it...
but I hoped money wouldn't enter into it.
I'm afraid your lie is much nicer than mine.
- I hope you're not angry. - No, Monsieur.
Not Monsieur, Louis.
No, Louis, it's not important at all.
Besides, I don't understand business.
Louis Mahé...
do you take for your lawfully wedded wife, Julie Roussel...
here present, according to the rites...
of our mother, the Holy Church?
I do.
Julie Roussel, do you take for your lawfully wedded husband...
Louis Mahé, here present...
according to the rites of our mother, the Holy Church?
I do.
I now pronounce you man and wife...
in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Amen.
You may kiss the bride.
What's the matter?
What's wrong with you?
What's wrong?
Julie, answer me!
What is it?
There.
Any better?
Yes.
Yes, I'm much better.
It seemed you were having trouble breathing.
Yes.
- Has this happened before? - Yes.
I was embarrassed to tell you...
I'm unable to sleep without a lamp on.
I can't sleep in the dark!
You should've said so. It's simple.
We'll leave the lamp on the table lit.
No, it's too bright. It might keep you awake.
Shall I leave the light in the bathroom on?
Yes, would you, please?
There we are.
- Is that better? - Yes.
You're like those little children who can't sleep...
without a door open or a light on.
And who say, ''Leave the door open a little wider...
a little more, more.
There, like that.''
You've had enough of this little cage, haven't you?
You'll be happier in here.
Look, no, come on.
That one's better.
Come here, come here. Come on.
It's bigger than this one.
Here we go. That's right. Get on your perch.
That's better, huh?
I'd like you to meet my wife.
Do you already know my wife?
Please allow me to introduce my wife.
I believe you know my wife.
You've met my charming wife?
Here she is now.
Please allow me to introduce her.
- She's charming, ravishing-- - Louis, you are crazy!
Thank you, Sarah. Don't forget my canary.
Louis, breakfast.
Why are you having coffee?
It'll only take a minute for Sarah to make tea.
No, no, I love coffee.
Oh, really. I remember that in one of your letters...
you told me that you preferred tea.
I wrote a lot of things.
Are you still planning to show me the factory tomorrow?
Absolutely. You must meet all the personnel.
I am so proud of you.
But I have nothing to wear.
What about the trunk that just came?
My trunk? Oh, it's only old things.
Well, you must open it sometime.
I've lost the key.
Call a locksmith.
But it's Sunday.
That's right. It's Sunday. I'd forgotten all about it.
When my grandfather owned this plantation, it was much bigger.
But it has been divided among his heirs.
Aren't they pretty? I didn't know that tobacco had flowers.
Oh, yes. When they're in bloom, they're no good anymore.
There, you see? They are uprooting them now.
Do you make your cigarettes out of this tobacco?
It's mixed with five other tobaccos...
which come from Madagascar and the West Indies.
Look, Monsieur Louis, Madame Julie's bird is dead.
Julie, are you there?
Yes, I'm taking a bath.
- I have bad news. - What is it?
Your canary's dead.
That doesn't surprise me a bit. He hasn't been himself for days.
Louis, can you help me button up my dress?
I can never manage it.
I wonder why I wear this dress, I can never button it up.
There.
It's my favourite, do you like it?
Yes. The lace is nice.
It's embroidery, it's not lace.
You seem very far away today.
Oh, no, even if I wanted to, I couldn't be far away.
You are adorable.
Wait, wait. Come over here under the Wishing Tree.
- The Wishing Tree? - Yes.
What's that?
I'll tell you all about it.
Sit down.
There.
It's a very old family tradition.
Whenever we make a wish under this tree, it's granted.
Really? I'm going to make a wish here too, then.
So will I.
- Well, I already made mine. - So did I.
- Wouldn't it be funny if we-- - If we made the same wish?
Here, take this note in.
Let me go, you bastard!
- Good morning. - Good morning.
- This is a huge bank. - Yes. There are 164 employees.
Of the 47 banks on the island, this is the biggest one.
I'd better ask the cashier.
Monsieur Hoareau, please?
- Who shall I say is calling? - Monsieur Mahé.
I'm sorry if I kept you waiting.
Madame.
How are you, sir?
I was trimming the Christmas tree for the staff.
And how can I help you?
I would like my wife to have complete access to my account.
Nothing could be easier. All we have to do is...
change your present account to a joint account.
To do that I shall need both your signatures.
Yours on the bottom of this form...
giving us the authorization.
And yours, Madame, on this signature card...
so that we will have it on file.
My wife and money don't get along at all.
She's too shy to keep asking me when she needs it.
So we thought--
That is, I thought, it would be easier like this.
Absolutely. But I'd like to clarify one other thing.
Will these conditions apply to your personal account or to both accounts?
- I think the personal one. - Yes, yes, of course.
No, both.
In that case, will you sign this second power of attorney?
I've heard a lot about how beautiful you are, Madame...
but I see they were understatements.
I hope you and Madame Hoareau will join us for dinner at home.
You too, Monsieur Jardine, with Madame.
- What day is it today? - Friday.
I was hoping it was Sunday.
Before I met you, I didn't like holidays...
and now I'm beginning to hate the days when I have to work.
Julie, you are adorable.
You know what that means? ''Adorable.''
It means ''worthy of adoration.''
Adorable.
I have a registered letter for you.
- There you are. - Thank you, sir.
Monsieur Mahé, Since my sister Julie left...
l have written four times without any reply.
Something must have happened to her.
I demand an explanation.
I must know where my sister is.
I'm writing to you as a last resort.
Let me know immediately where she is.
Prove to me that nothing's the matter.
I want you to see that she gets in touch with me at once.
If not, I'll go to the police. Berthe Roussel.
Get me Madame Mahé.
Monsieur Berber is wanted in Accounting.
Madame Mahé is on the phone.
That's fine. Leave me alone.
-Julie? - Yes.
There's something you must tell me.
I've just received a letter from your sister.
She complains that you haven't written since you left.
Ah yes, that's true. She's perfectly right.
I’ve been about to write a dozen times...
but something always comes up.
Getting everything running smoothly--
But after all, Julie, she's your sister.
And besides, the tone of her letter is extremely violent.
That doesn't surprise me. I’ll write her tomorrow.
But why tomorrow? You must write now.
Yes. That's right. That's what I’ll do.
- Good-bye, Julie. - Wait.
Wait. I’m thinking about you.
Me too.
- l miss you. - Me too.
- Very much. - Me too.
Julie.
- Sarah, have you seen Madame? - No, Monsieur.
l would like my wife to have complete access to my account.
Nothing could be easier.
l must speak to Monsieur Hoareau.
it’s very important, l absolutely must speak to him.
The bank is closed.
it’s me, Louis Mahé. l must speak to you.
Jeremy, let Monsieur Mahé in.
it’s very important. l must know how much is in my account.
l don't understand, Monsieur Mahé.
No one can touch your money, except you and your wife.
The cashier can give you this information tomorrow morning.
l can't wait. Look in the files yourself.
This morning you had 28 million in your account.
l know that. l knew it already. Tell me how much is in it now!
Your wife came in this afternoon 15 minutes before closing time.
She withdrew 27,850,000 francs.
You have therefore 150,000 francs.
To close out the account...
we would have required your signature, too.
- Monsieur Mahé? - Yes.
I am Berthe Roussel, Julie's sister.
I don't know anything. You see, I've just closed the house.
You won't need your taxi. We can go into town in my car.
No, that's not my sister. It's incredible.
As soon as l opened that trunk...
l realized that the things that were in it...
could have never belonged to the woman I had married.
I rushed to the bank, the Bank of Reunion...
and as I expected, she had disappeared during the day.
She took everything.
She cleaned out both my accounts.
The company's account and my personal account.
Naturally, I assume you went straight to the police.
I did. But the police, I'm afraid, are powerless...
to act against her because I'm married to the woman.
Unless we can prove she is not the real Julie Roussel.
I can prove it.
The woman who married Monsieur Mahé is not my sister.
I took my sister to the boat. I saw her off on the Mississippi.
When the boat arrived here, she was not on board.
It is clear she never came ashore.
She would never have gone so long without writing me.
I'm afraid that there is no hope of finding her alive.
What do you expect me to do?
Forgive me for speaking brutally.
We want you to find the proof that there was a murder.
We want you to find the criminal and to arrest her.
- We want her brought to trial. - I accept.
This case interests me very much.
It's not run-of-the-mill like the ones I usually get.
I must warn you, however, that I can't tell you...
how much time it will take me to solve this case.
I can promise you that I only accept one case at a time...
and I'll keep working on it until I have solved it.
To begin with...
I shall take the same trip that Julie Roussel took.
I shall book passage on the Mississippi...
and inquire everybody...
about a woman passenger who made the trip with a canary.
Of course I must be able to contact one of you.
I'm going to be away for a while.
I think somewhere in the South of France.
My partner, Monsieur Jardine, will always know where I am.
I'm leaving for Noumea today. Here is my address.
I'll write you a check. How much will you need?
Make it out for whatever you wish.
- If it isn't enough-- -Just a second.
Oh no, you mustn't, Mademoiselle Roussel.
It's up to me to pay for this.
Please, this is no time to be polite. She was my sister...
and it's my right to share the expenses with you.
You can't take that away from me.
If you don't mind, I will have to cut up this picture.
I'll need it for my investigation.
We will see each other again, Monsieur Mahé.
We'll see each other again one of these days, I'm sure.
There's no point in having people gossip.
At the end of every week...
I'll send you all the news of the factory.
General Delivery in Marseilles, until you have an address.
A Boeing. Out of the six flights every week...
there are four Boeings and two D.C. 8's.
Have a good rest.
What am I doing here?
You're in a hospital, Monsieur Mahé. In Nice.
- Have you been to Nice before? - But why am I here?
You were exhausted. You've been having a sleeping cure.
If I'm having a sleeping cure, why do you wake me all the time?
- We've got to feed you. - I'm not hungry.
Let me help you walk a bit. If we don't, you'll get too weak.
I don't feel very rested...
because I have these dreams all the time.
That's because of the shots we have to give you.
What do you dream?
It's always the same dream.
I'm driving my car and I see all the these women in white...
very tall, and they're in the middle of the road...
waving their arms, not frightened.
No. It's more like-- more like they are doing a slow dance.
And I'm afraid I'm going to hit them.
That's enough for now. You're walking better than yesterday.
You'll be able to go out in the garden soon.
Come and lie down.
- Would you like a newspaper? - No newspaper, thank you.
Are you expecting a visitor?
No, I don't know anybody in France.
And that is all the political news for now.
Next, a few items of local interest.
A new night club has just opened on the Riviera...
where the people from Antibes can spend a happy evening.
The Phoenix recently opened to the public...
on the lovely Jacques Audiberti Square.
Charming hostesses are on hand to dance...
with those unlucky gentlemen who may be feeling lonely.
Here then is the swinging atmosphere at the Phoenix.
Good evening, sir. Care to take a little look inside?
That's enough. Go home now.
- Oh no, you said ''to the door.'' - No, no, to the stairs.
Why can't I come to the door?
All right, but I don't want you to--
Better than that. Come on, better than that.
- You'll ruin my stockings. - I'll buy you a dozen pairs.
- Go on. - I just want to come in.
- No, no, some other time. - Some other time?
- Tomorrow night, then. - Maybe, we'll see.
It's you, Louis?
You've found me.
Yes.
Why didn't you let that man come in with you?
Not enough money for you?
Do you remember what I told you about Reunion?
About how it was populated at first?
I told you about all those women who'd come from France by boat.
Orphans, just like you.
Except that's only what the guide books say.
For the tourists.
If you take a look at the records, you'll find out...
they weren't orphans, but prostitutes.
Did you come all the way here to tell me that?
I came here to kill you.
Turn around.
You can kill me. I'm willing to die.
I'm waiting.
I don't mind if you kill me.
Put this on. You're almost naked.
Ever since you left, I've dreamt of coming face to face with you.
I've never asked myself whether it would be easy to kill you.
I'm finding out it's not.
A pistol doesn't work by magic.
There is a trigger.
I'm incapable of pulling it.
You're going to turn me over to the police?
- Yes. - No.
I'd have let you kill me, but I'm not going to prison.
I won't go back to prison. Now you're going to listen to me.
Will you sit there and not interrupt me?
Yes, Julie.
No, don't call me Julie. It's not my name.
My name is Marion Vergano.
Remember. One day you were angry with me...
because I wouldn't read a book you wanted me to read.
You said I wasted my time on trash like True Confessions.
But my life was just like the lives in those cheap magazines.
Marion was the name somebody gave me at the state orphanage.
Vergano I found on an Italian postcard.
It's the name of a village.
When you get out of the orphanage...
you are either brainwashed, or completely rebellious.
I threw myself into life.
At fourteen, I got my first high heels. A man bought them for me.
I got a job as a maid, so I'd check the shoes in a bar...
and pick them up on my next day off.
As soon as I got a new job...
I'd begin by lifting the change from my boss's pocket.
Then I'd go on to the bills in his wallet...
and finally wind up by leaving with the wallet itself.
They sent me to reform schools, each one tougher than the last.
We had to undress before going into the dormitory...
and leave our clothes in the hall.
They locked the dormitory doors.
Even the windows were sealed.
Between the guard's rounds, we'd have a masturbation contest.
But the hardest part at first, was to get used...
to sleeping with the light on all night.
I've never been able to sleep in the dark since.
I was pretty, I could manage boys well.
I got what I wanted...
until the day that I met Richard.
I was with him on the Mississippi...
at the same time as Julie Roussel.
Richard loved big boats.
There's always some con game you can pull on them.
So we met Julie Roussel, your fiancée...
and she confided in me.
She told me everything, the exchange of letters...
your future marriage, she even showed me your picture.
At that moment, she said...
''He wants me to believe he is a foreman in a cigarette factory.
But I've done some investigating.
And I've found out the factory belongs to him.''
She wasn't exactly a plaster saint...
your Julie Roussel with her canary.
At first, Richard planned to use her to get at your money...
but it seemed too complicated.
He decided to get rid of her.
So one night he pushed her overboard.
That was two days before we got to Reunion.
Richard made me do the craziest things imaginable.
But he overdid himself when he asked me...
to take the place of Julie Roussel.
The first time when I saw you when I got off the Mississippi...
I should have been in agony or paralysed by fright.
Actually I felt nothing. I was like a sleepwalker.
The rest I know.
You put on your act with me from morning till night.
Right up till you cleaned out the accounts at the bank.
No, that's not true. You don't have the right to say that.
When I became your wife I tried to be just like any other wife.
I tried to push out of my mind what Richard wanted me to do.
When Richard came on shore I didn't get in touch with him.
But of course it was easy for him to find your address.
He bothered me constantly.
Remember once you came home and found me with a swollen face?
I made you believe that I had fallen in the bathroom.
He blackmailed me and finally I gave in.
I didn't want him to turn me over to the police.
I thought he might kill us, both, because he's mad.
Where's the money? What have you done with it?
Richard took it and dropped me afterward.
You don't believe me?
Do you think I'd be a dance hall hostess at the Phoenix...
if I still had the 27 million?
I have no money at all, Louis. That's the truth.
I was just waiting to make enough money at the Phoenix...
to get my ticket to Paris.
I've always thought that I'd be lucky in Paris.
And besides I'm fed up here.
I went to see you at the Phoenix one night.
I hid in a corner and watched you.
I watched you dancing with those other guys.
And your face had such an expression of joy...
it was incredible.
An expression that I'd never seen before.
I knew then I had given you nothing. That I had no place in your life.
You're absolutely wrong, Louis.
I loved you from the first minute we met.
A hundred times I started to tell you.
I always stopped at the last moment because I'm a coward.
You do whatever you want, but I did love you...
I'm not really bad--
Wait.
I'm waiting.
I still love you.
I believe you.
No, it's not true. You don't believe me.
Yes, I believe you...
and I love you.
Look, Marion, the grey one. That wouldn't be bad.
Look at the red convertible. It's super.
No, the red one would be too conspicuous.
We'd better get the grey.
Isn't there anything else?
Too bad. I prefer the red one.
No, Marion, we'll take the grey.
Will they be upset at the club when I don't up show tonight?
Paris is 813 kilometers. That's not very far.
No. If we drove all day, we could be there tonight.
What's stopping us from going? You promised to show me Paris.
No, it's not possible, Marion.
You mustn't forget Comolli, that detective from Reunion.
He must still be on the case.
And even in a city like Paris...
you're forced to fill out a registration at all the hotels.
I bet it was Jardine who told you to go to that detective.
It was Julie's sister, Berthe Roussel.
It's true. Anyway, Jardine never gives anybody advice.
He just hands out the figures.
Know what he said to me the day we got married?
He told me, ''Out of 89 religious establishments in Reunion...
there are 62 Catholic parishes, twenty pagodas...
three mosques, and four Adventist temples.''
If we can't go to a hotel, we'll rent a house.
But it's so much work. You need servants.
I can keep a house on my own, you know.
I can do the housework, the cooking, and the--
And the dishes, and the washing.
Of course! You'll see, I'll surprise you.
That's right. Surprise me.
There, that's the house.
- Are you sure? - Yes.
There. The woman from the agency is waiting.
You know who she looks like? Olive, Popeye's girl.
Madame and Monsieur Mahé, I presume.
Follow me, please, I'll show you the house.
I'm sure it will suit you very well.
You're lucky. You got here just in time for the sunset.
It's marvellous from the terrace.
I think you'll be very happy here. The house is charming.
It's not very big but it'll be fine for the two of you.
You'll see. It's a little ''home, sweet home.''
Here the owner had started to put in a bar, but he never finished it.
There you have a chimney that works remarkably well.
There's plenty of wood. You'll need it with this weather.
There's a very practical little piece of furniture with a lamp...
and there's the library with lots of books.
The owner will unfortunately have to come for them soon.
I think I've told you everything.
I'll give you the inventory.
- Good-bye, Madame. - Good-bye.
Good-bye, Monsieur.
If you need anything, just call me at the agency. I'm there every afternoon.
Just ask for Madame Doyle.
So, what do you think of our little ''home, sweet home''?
Yeah, what a character! What was her name again?
Madame Dahl?
- No. Madame Doyle. - Oh, right.
Doyle sounds kind of like Oyl!
Maybe it's ''d'Oyl,'' like nobility.
Madame d'Oyl. Madame Olive d'Oyl.
Tonight, Madame Olive d'Oyl will speak to her fans, live from our studios.
Hey, why did you brush me off in front of her?
I didn't see any reason why she should look at you.
I didn't want her to see your thighs.
Did that annoy you?
No, no. I rather liked it.
I really wanted you, right at that moment.
And I've been thinking about it ever since.
Would you like more coffee? Even if I make you some toast?
It's time for my little cigar.
Don't take the paper, I haven't read it.
- There's nothing in it. - Doesn't matter, let me see.
- No, no. There's nothing. - Come on now, let me see.
What's bothering you?
Oh, that's it.
Dangerous criminal captured after shooting at police.
Is it Richard? The same one?
That's right. It's him. I didn't want to upset you.
I'm glad he shot at the cops. Now he'll get at least ten years.
You shouldn't wish ten years in prison on anyone...
even someone you don't like.
But I don't dislike him, I hate him.
I'm sorry. Excuse me, I want my brush.
Yeah, yeah, just a pretext, a pretext.
I wish you'd hurry up and lose your hair.
I've always been attracted by men who are going bald.
That's because you never met your father.
You always have such complicated explanations.
It's not complicated. It's simple. It's pure logic.
I know what you're looking for.
I've hidden it.
You gotta find it. Go on.
Oh no. You're cold, cold, you're cold.
Still very cold.
Absolutely freezing!
That's right in the middle of Iceland.
You're not helping a bit.
Ah, it might be there, but it isn't.
Oh no, no. Very cold.
Lukewarm.
You're getting a little warmer.
Yes. You're getting hot. Cold again!
- And here? - Burning.
- Burning, burning. - There it is! I found it!
- Right, you owe me a penalty. - You owe me. I found it.
I practically told you where it was.
But that's the game. You lost, you pay.
- In any case there's a penalty. - Yes, and you pay now.
Stay here. I have an idea for the penalty.
First the ribbon. There we are. Then the curtain.
Here.
- What are you doing? - I'm putting my sweater on.
You might've told me. Everybody can see you.
- But nobody's around. - Nobody! There's a car coming.
- That's too bad. - So it's too bad, eh?
The poor guy panicked.
Did you see him?
Anyway, it's your fault. You stopped here.
Your grandfather was really a wonderful man.
Ah, yes, that's right. Why did you say that?
You're always saying that your grandfather was a wonderful man.
Yeah, that's right, he was a wonderful man.
- What are you doing? - I'm closing the shutters.
You're crazy. It's only four o'clock.
I know it's four o'clock.
Do you have anything against love in the afternoon?
- Against what? - Against love in the afternoon.
Well, no, but--
Listen to this one. ''Farmer, man of few words...
seeks to wed Roman Catholic, even if physically handicapped.
Will answer all.'' Ah, well.
You shouldn't make fun of them.
Obviously, I have my reasons for feeling this way...
but I think that people who use these classified ads...
are idealists.
In five lines they try to transform their lives...
and on those five lines...
they spend hours writing and rewriting.
They try to put everything in a few words--
their hopes and their dreams...
their ideas about what life should be.
You know, I never told you this.
Julie Roussel's letters were very beautiful.
Beautiful because they were so full of hope.
In that correspondence between us...
we were trying to create something permanent...
but you came instead...
and brought the ephemeral.
Before I met you, I thought life was so simple...
but now, I realize it's not simple.
You mixed everything up.
In a way, it's too bad.
No, I can't.
Really?
No, please.
I've got to tell you something.
We can't make love for the time being. At least, I can't.
Even the idea is unbearable to me.
You asked me what was wrong. That's what it was.
It's been agony for me when it was time to go to bed.
So, I just had to tell you.
I can't tell you what it is because I don't know myself.
I've been through times like this before.
And I assure you it isn't any simpler for me.
Maybe it won't last much longer.
You must be patient.
Can you?
Yes.
But I want to be close to you.
If I ask you some questions, will you answer them?
Yes.
Were you in love with many guys?
- Yes. - How did things end?
Sometimes I would leave, other times, they would.
- Do you have any children? - No, but--
- You almost did? - Yes.
But I didn't want any, so--
Several times?
Yes.
Was it sad?
Sad and awful.
Things don't always turn out well.
And sometimes I told myself I'd never make love again--
that I'd never let anyone touch me.
And then I'd forget...
fortunately!
Ask me some other questions.
No.
You're more serious than I am, but you haven't suffered...
not like I have.
- Were you in love with any girls? - Only one.
Only one?
It must have been important, then. How old was she?
Twenty-three. I was twenty-six.
Why didn't it work out?
You must have wanted to marry her. She didn't want to?
No. Let's talk about something else. She's dead.
It's why after that I couldn't date any girls.
So I got this idea to look for a woman by correspondence.
The girl that you loved-- I can easily imagine that she was better than I.
No, she was far more--
We were going to talk about something else.
Come on. Don't be sad.
Tomorrow we must go pick up your dress from the seamstress.
No, I don't want that dress anymore.
Oh, don't be like that. You did want it.
And anyway, it's ready. We're going.
No. I was dressing for you--
to please you so you'd want me all the time.
And then now, right now--
But I told you it doesn't matter. What I want for you is to be pretty--
even prettier.
Yes, I know you don't like it when I tell you that you're beautiful.
You think I'm exaggerating.
Wait.
I'll explain. Wait.
I'm waiting.
I won't talk about your beauty anymore.
I'll even tell you you're ugly, if you want.
I'll try to describe you as if you were a photograph...
or a painting.
Be quiet.
Your face--
Your face is a landscape.
You see? I'm neutral and impartial.
There are two eyes...
two small, brown lakes.
Brown-green.
Two small brownish-green lakes.
Your forehead is a plain.
Your nose--
a very little mountain.
Your mouth-- a volcano.
Open it a little. I love to see your teeth.
No, no. Not too much.
There. Like that.
You know what comes out of your mouth when you're bad?
Toads.
Yes, yes. Toads.
And pearl necklaces, when you're nice.
Wait.
I am waiting.
Let's talk a bit about your smile now.
No, not that one.
That's the one you make on the street at shopkeepers.
No. Give me the other one, the real one.
The happy one. There you go.
That's it. Great!
No, that's too much. It hurts my eyes.
I don't want to look at you anymore.
Wait.
I am waiting.
My eyes are closed, but I still see you.
I'm visualizing.
If I were blind, I would while my time caressing your face.
Your body too.
And if I were deaf...
I would learn to read your lips with my fingers...
like that.
Even if it all has to end badly...
I am delighted to have known you, Madame.
Where are you going?
I'm not going the same way you are.
You mean you're not coming to the fitting?
I'm going to the movies.
You're going to the movies alone?
- What are you going to see? - Arizona Jim.
Well, in that case, I'll see you at home. I'll take a cab.
Okay.
Louis, try to be good, huh?
- Excuse me. - Sorry.
- Monsieur Mahé. How are you? - I'm fine, thank you.
But don't you remember me? Comolli, the private detective.
Yes, yes, of course.
Good. I had the impression that you didn't really recognize me.
It's true, it was 12,000 kilometers away.
Which way are you going? This way or that way?
- Nowhere in particular. - Oh, fine.
Then we could spend a few minutes together maybe.
Shall we sit down?
I wanted to talk to you...
to bring you up to date on my investigation.
By the way, what are you doing here?
I'm on vacation.
That's quite a coincidence.
Because I'm here working on the investigation you hired me for.
I'm even wondering if your wife--
I'm afraid I must call her your wife--
I'm wondering if she's not in the vicinity.
I'm on the trail of a blonde who was working as a hostess...
in a nightclub in the Antibes and then...
she disappeared.
I only know your wife from the picture you gave me in Reunion.
In terms of a police identification...
she has no distinguishing marks at all.
Surprisingly, whenever I describe her...
the symmetry of her features...
the transparency of her skin and her hair.
People who've met her always remember her.
Gentlemen really do prefer blondes.
In any case, she doesn't pass unnoticed.
Since you got here, you haven't heard anything about her?
I've been cured of blondes.
Sometimes one has a relapse, you know.
How about having dinner together?
Which hotel are you staying at?
Hotel?
Aren't you in a hotel? Are you staying with friends?
- Would you like something? - A beer.
Waiter.
Two beers.
Excuse me.
Hurry up, Marion. We've got to get out of here.
We've got to leave this place.
It's me, Monsieur Mahé.
Comolli.
Were you expecting someone else?
No, no. I thought it was the maid, that's all.
And these dresses, these shoes, these stockings...
do they belong to your maid?
Monsieur Comolli, I don't want you to look for my wife anymore.
You can drop your investigation. Just tell me how much I owe you.
I see. You certainly have the right to change your mind.
But I'd like to remind you of one thing.
You aren't my only client in this affair.
There is also Madame Berthe Roussel, remember?
She's paid half the fee and it wouldn't be fair at all to her.
I'll take care of Berthe Roussel. I'll write to her.
No, no, Monsieur Mahé. I'm afraid you're out of luck.
You've picked the only detective who's incapable...
of dropping an investigation once he's started it.
- Excuse me, I have things to do. - Then I'll walk along with you.
Behind you, if you prefer.
No, look, Monsieur Comolli, I'm not getting through to you.
Let's forget about fees.
I'll pay what you want, as much as you like.
Just name a figure.
Only leave us alone.
I don't want any money.
I must arrest the person who lives here with you.
It no longer concerns you.
It's in the hands of the police.
The body of the real Julie Roussel...
was found in the port of Djibouti.
If your wife wasn't directly responsible...
she was an accomplice in this murder.
I'm not leaving here without her.
You're wrong, Monsieur Comolli.
My wife is not leaving this house, and neither are you.
What are you doing there?
I thought you hadn't come home yet. I didn't see any lights.
You're mad because I'm late.
Here, I got you the plain cotton socks that you like so much.
Look.
What happened? Who is it?
Comolli, the private detective.
- Did you do it? - Yes.
He'd traced you here. He wanted to turn you over to the police.
That makes one less bastard.
What are we going to do?
To begin with, let's have something to drink.
I'll go and get it.
- We must leave. - Yes, that's right.
But not right away. We've got to cover up our tracks carefully.
First we've got to bury him.
In the garden?
No, the cellar.
There is one, but I've never been down there.
I'll have to go see what kind of a floor it is...
whether it's cement or just a dirt floor.
Are you going to bed like that?
Why do you talk to me like that?
What do you mean?
Come here.
Come.
Come here.
No, no, not like this.
Yes, yes, yes.
Are you hungry too?
I'll peel you an orange.
Our only problem is to find out if that idiot cop--
Comolli was not a cop. He was a private detective.
Anyway, we've got to find out if anyone else knew...
about the investigation, especially here in France.
Maybe he told someone he'd traced us to Aix-en-Provence.
Maybe he's the kind of man who tells everything to his wife.
He wasn't a married man.
He was the kind of person who kept to himself.
All wrapped up in his work.
Let's hope nobody will notice his disappearance for a long time to come.
And by then we'll be settled in Paris.
I've already told you to forget that. We mustn't go to Paris.
I think we'd better go to some city like Lyon.
I don't understand. Why Lyon and not Paris?
Because that's what I think is best. Don't bother me anymore!
You were nicer to me when you called me Julie.
Was I?
You think so?
- What are you thinking about? - About you.
Yes, but what about me?
I'm worried. You've been spending an awful lot of money.
- Here we go again. - Yep.
I don't understand it. It just slips through my fingers.
I heard they are starting a cigarette factory near Grenoble.
I think I'll go and see if I can get a job.
Work! I don't believe in it.
And besides, I hate men who work.
Doesn't Jardine send you money anymore?
He used to send the money orders to General Delivery, Marseilles.
I could write him and tell him that I'm in Lyon.
But that wouldn't be very safe.
To cash money orders, you have to be known...
you have to show identification.
It's risky, isn't it? What do you think about it?
Here we go. You're sulking. I knew it.
Now you're just pretending to be mad because inside you're not really mad.
You put on that cold look...
but inside you're smiling.
Come on. Show me your smile.
I'm fed up with all that smile crap! It doesn't work anymore!
Don't speak to me. For Christ's sake, leave me alone!
All right. Okay. That's fine with me.
It's not difficult to know what you're thinking of me.
And you're asking yourself...
''Why the hell am I with this guy who's broke...
and can't even knock over an old lady in the street to steal her purse?''
You only think of yourself.
You're not a selfish girl.
You're selfishness personified.
You think that you're a real person, that you're unique.
But you're not.
You're just one in a growing multitude of girls now--
not really bitches, not really adventuresses or whores, no--
But some kind of parasite...
who live outside normal society.
You're not women or girls.
You're chicks.
What else you are doesn't have an exact name.
Mindless, with your heads full of garbage or air.
You're in love with your own bodies.
You're always going out in the sun, always tanning.
You spend hours fixing your face.
You can't pass by a car without looking at your reflection in the windshield.
But you know where to find most of these girls?
In airports. Yes!
Everywhere planes are taking off for faraway spots.
Because you are beautiful girls, and beautiful girls get fought over.
They're invited from one big city to another.
And they go there. They stroll around everywhere...
with their little purses in hand, all made up.
Now you're really mad.
That makes me happy.
Because when you're mad, your mouth gets twisted-- it gets crooked.
And you turn ugly. Really ugly.
So dreadfully ugly.
You sold the bracelet I gave you, huh?
Well, here are other things to sell. Here!
My cuff links.
My watch also. There you go!
Just wait. That's not all.
I've got change. You want the change, don't you?
You were right. It was really very good.
It wasn't just another Western.
Ah no. It was a love story, with lots of feeling in it.
They're wonderful, aren't they? Both of them.
Great.
Wasn't this the street, Marion-- Julie-- where you saw that coat?
Yes. Somewhere around here.
But it doesn't matter, I've given up that idea.
We can go by and take a look anyway. Is that it?
Yes, it's there.
No, not this window.
I think it's further on.
There. There it is. The one with the feathers.
Do you like it, darling? Do you like it?
Yes, it's quite a coat!
It's quite a coat. But actually it's really more for Paris.
It may be a little far out.
Nothing's too far out for Paris.
Besides, it doesn't matter.
Listen, Marion.
I'm going to Reunion.
I'll be gone for five days, or four anyway.
When I come back, I'll have money.
I'll go see Jardine and ask him to--
I'll see if he--
if he buys the factory from me, my part.
Don't go back. They're looking for us. You'll be arrested.
It doesn't matter. I'll take my chances.
That's what I wanted to hear.
It's you. You've come back. I'm glad.
No, I'm just passing through. I'm leaving tomorrow.
- I've got to talk to you. - Why, of course. Come on inside.
No, I'd rather talk to you out here.
- We can be alone in my study. - Out here is just fine.
I want to know how much you estimate the business is worth?
Why? Do you want to sell?
That's something to look into. We'll have to talk about it.
On the island there are seven or eight men...
who are in a position to buy it.
No, that's not what I mean. I only want to sell it to you.
I want to-- I want you to buy me out.
I'm willing to sell at half value.
We've got to wind up the whole deal by tomorrow. I need cash.
But this is insane. You can't do this, for Heaven's sake.
- Wait two or three days. - No, listen to me. I can't.
As soon as I spend more than a day somewhere, it's dangerous.
I'm not like other men anymore. I've become an outcast.
I've even committed murder.
You've killed her?
Then go and see the authorities.
If you explain the situation, you'll get off.
Out of ten crimes of passion, they acquit eight of them.
But I didn't murder her. I killed for her.
To save her from the police. You see now?
All right, I'll do what you want, but I think it's a shame.
I know you must be unhappy this way.
I can't say that I'm happy with her...
but I know that I'm unable to live without her.
- If I were in your place, I'd-- - You could never be in my place.
This kind of thing couldn't happen to you.
It's not your nature, it's mine.
It's happened to me, and nobody else, and I've got to face it.
My dear Louis, you're far away...
more than 6,000 miles...
and I'm taking advantage of that to tell you that I love you.
''Record Your Own Voice''
When you're near me, I don't dare speak to you this way.
You overwhelm me. It's true. Even when you're tender, you overwhelm me.
So I'm afraid to tell you silly little things.
In Reunion, especially at first, things were so-so between us.
But for a while now-- I know you can feel it--
I can't do with you anymore.
Only three nights without you-- it's too much.
Last night I couldn't get to sleep.
I looked for you.
I couldn't get to sleep until early morning...
and as soon as I woke up, I thought of you.
Even when I got dressed I thought of you.
I put on my little brown blouse, the one you like.
Wait, wait. What was it I still wanted to tell you?
I wrote it down so I wouldn't forget. Yes, here it is.
I wasn't always nice to you.
I brood, but if you notice, it's not always about money.
You know, when I had my first job...
my bosses were always arguing about money.
The manager would say: ''Watch, Marion. Watch out.
When there's more hay in the stable, the horses will fight.''
Do you understand?
That's why I can't stand to be poor.
Because poverty is mediocrity.
And that I can't take.
I hope that Jardine will buy back all the shares in the factory...
and then we can be happy together.
I think the space on the record is almost up.
I'm going to end now, and I'll have you listen to it as soon as you get back.
Good-bye, Louis. I love you.
- Yes? - lt's me. Were you sleeping?
No, I'm still awake.
But I thought you were coming tomorrow.
l was able to get an earlier plane.
- Did everything go all right? - Yes. Everything went fine.
Come up quickly.
Are you sleeping?
Yes, yes, yes.
We can have a ball in Paris with all this.
For the time being, there's no question of going to Paris.
What are you doing? Are you crazy?
I'm straightening it, and smoothing it, and arranging it.
You really love it, don't you?
It's not that I love it, but I respect it.
You can have whatever you want with money.
You can have consideration...
and if you get in trouble, you can afford a good lawyer.
And money can even help you get the Legion of Honor.
You want the Legion of Honor now?
Yes, I'm serious.
If you're in prison and you've got the Legion of Honor...
you can have your own guard standing outside your cell.
Where did you hear that?
It's true, I swear. I know.
Let's see how much you're taking.
You sure that'll be enough? Better take some more.
We shouldn't leave the bag out.
Yes, that's fine.
Do you think the maid looks honest?
You see evil everywhere.
I don't see evil everywhere. It is everywhere.
Just look how beautiful my coat is.
It gets bored all alone. It's sad.
I should have kept it by me.
It seems to me that you're looking at a lot of girls.
Me? Oh no, no, I'm not.
Yes, Monsieur Mahé. You've taken to looking at women...
and you look at them well.
- Two coffees, waiter. - And make them strong.
- How strong? - As strong as your arm.
Really?
France-Soir. Get your France-Soir.
Do you see what I see?
I'll be damned. Here, please.
Thanks.
What does it say?
It took a flood last night in Aix-en-Provence...
to uncover the body of an unknown man in a cellar.
Continued on page five.
It took a flood.
The autopsy revealed a bullet from a revolver...
in the body of the victim...
which would seem to justify the theory of some criminal action.
The police are looking for all the former tenants.
Let's get out of here.
We've got to leave as if nothing happened.
- Never mind those coffees. The check. - I'm going to pick up my coat.
I'll leave the place first and wait in the car.
- Look. Be careful. - Don't worry.
They're for us all right. Let's get out of here.
You're out of your mind. What about all the money up there?
- Forget it! - No. I'll try to go alone.
They're less suspicious of a woman.
No, no, listen, I have an idea. Let's try the back.
Marion, come back here!
What's the matter?
You can't go like that. They'll pick you up right away.
Are you out of your mind? What's wrong with this coat?
I know what I'm talking about. Wait. I'll turn the car around.
If there's any problem, we can get out fast.
You'll make it.
It's for us all right. The stairs are crawling with cops.
-And the money? -You can forget about the money.
It's impossible to get into our apartment. They're inside.
I hid in that little apartment they're repainting.
I couldn't get any further.
Act naturally.
Let's get out of Lyon and head for Switzerland.
And how? With no money?
We're better off without the money, and free.
I told you to take more! I told you!
- I was sure this would happen. - Yeah, yeah, sure. As usual.
I'm not always sure, but I was sure of that.
I told you to take more money.
In fact, we should never have left that bag.
It's easy to say afterwards what should've been done.
When Richard drove, he used to yell at the other drivers.
He'd say those that passed him were bastards...
and those that he passed were suckers.
He would say, ''I'd rather be thought a bastard then taken for a fool.''
I think that's pretty disgusting.
I'd prefer to be taken for a fool than for a bastard.
But Richard would've never left the money in that apartment.
Well, baby, you listen.
You know the prison where he's locked up.
There's always a miserable hotel opposite every prison.
Take a room on the top floor and you can wave from your window.
You can bring him oranges on Sunday and in five years...
you'll be right there when he comes out. Beat it. Go on.
Get back in the car.
Come on.
Look. Over there.
Do you think anybody lives there?
Surely not. There would be smoke.
It must be a lodge for skiers or something like that.
It's wonderful.
I'd never expect to find this here.
It's a series that's impossible to find anymore.
And besides being rare...
it's the first book that my grandfather ever gave me.
I'll read parts of it to you every night.
I prefer this old cookbook. It's more fun.
- Did you look at the map? - I sure did.
In order to get across this border here...
we should be able to go through this forest.
It's almost unwatched, especially during the weekend.
We can make it across this weekend...
and once we're on the other side, we'll be out of trouble.
What about cash?
You're not going to begin that again.
We've still got a little bit, then we can sell the car.
Yes, but that's just small change.
I've got an idea, but you'll just get mad.
Of course I won't. Tell me.
Jardine made a pretty good deal when he bought your shares.
If you explained things, he'd be glad to help you.
Oh no, the last time I went was bad enough.
I could never bring myself to face him again.
- If I went in your place? - You're out of your mind!
That man hates you.
What?
Well, it's normal.
Put yourself in his place. It's unimportant anyway.
He hates me, your Monsieur Jardine.
I must say he's got some nerve.
I didn't look for you. I didn't kill the detective.
He hates me, does he? Well, that's pretty good.
Come back. Listen.
You listen. We'll never make it together.
Give me the keys to the car and I'll manage.
I am still your husband. You won't be going anywhere.
- And who'll stop me, you? - Yes.
A rat. I saw a rat over there, by the door. I couldn't sleep.
I'll see about it in the morning. Come to bed.
The man said to spread it around every two or three days.
In three days I hope we won't be here.
- The broth? - Coming up.
Did you read the back of the box?
You'd better wash your hands.
- What time is it? - The sun's up already.
I threw up last night for the first time in my life.
I've been sick as a dog.
I vomited all over.
Did it disgust you?
No, nothing disgusts me.
Don't you think it would be best if a doctor came out?
Have a doctor come here? It's not safe.
I'd rather go into the village. It's not far.
I'll ask the pharmacist what to do.
He should know.
Here, drink this before I go.
You want anything else?
Give me my book.
No, the-- the second volume.
I won't be long.
''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs''
Thank you. That's him all right. That's my husband.
Louis, darling, what are you doing out here?
You shouldn't be out in the cold.
When I didn't see you at home...
I knew you were doing something foolish.
Come on. I'll take you home.
I'm the only one who can take care of you.
Yes, take me back. I'm tired.
Drink that, my darling. You'll feel better.
You'd better fill it all the way.
I know what you're up to.
I accept it.
And I am not sorry to have known you.
I am not sorry to have killed a man for you.
I am not sorry I love you.
I'm not sorry for anything, except there's this terrible pain. It's awful.
It's burning inside. So let's get it over with.
Quickly! Fill it up!
You knew and you did nothing about it!
I'm ashamed! I'm ashamed!
I'm ashamed!
No woman deserves to be loved like this. I'm not worth it.
But it's not too late. I'll take care of you. You're going to live.
We'll go far away from here together.
I'm strong enough for both of us. You'll live.
Do you hear me? You're going to live!
Nobody can take you away from me.
I love you, Louis.
I love you.
Maybe you don't believe me, but lots of incredible things are true.
You must be strong, my love.
We'll go far from here, and we'll be together...
if you still want me.
But you are all I want.
Only you.
Just as you are, absolutely.
You mustn't cry, my dear.
It's your happiness I want, not your tears.
I'm learning what love is, Louis.
It's painful.
It hurts me.
Is that what love is?
Is it always so painful?
Yes, it hurts.
I think it's that way.
No, I'm sure it's that way.
It was kind of nice, that little cabin.
You are beautiful.
When I look at you, it hurts.
Really? Yesterday you said it was a joy.
It is a joy and yet it hurts.
I love you.
I believe you, Julie.