The majority of events related in this film are true.
However, the authors are not trying to do the work of historians.
They have allowed their imaginations some liberty.
They apologise to those who may share the same names
as those used for certain characters in this film.
There is, naturally, no relationship involved.
There they are!
July 1933... CASSIS, FRANCE
I’m Chief-Inspector Gardet of the Sûreté Générale
Mr Lev Davidovich Bronstein, known as Leon Trotsky...
For humanitarian reasons, and as an exceptional measure...
the government of France hereby grants you asylum
There is one condition...
You may not intervene in the internal affairs of France
We had you disembark here at Cassis...
to avoid demonstrations
The Press is waiting in Marseilles
We want to keep your itinerary a secret
Here is a copy of the decree authorizing you to reside in France
And so a page of history is turned...
He led the October Revolution at Lenin’s side
He created the Red Army... now he is in exile again!
MEANWHILE IN PARIS
Your car, Mr Alexandre?
Yes... I’ll be right there
Baron Raoul is waiting, sir
Find out who Bonny is working for
Inspector Bonny often works on his own
I want the answer today, Boussaud!
If it’s money, I’ll pay. Just one more palm to grease!
9 tonight, Place St Georges... the back door
Thanks for coming back, Baron
I need your advice
I don’t trust Gaston to run the Empire alone
Always delighted to be of service...
Tell me about Biarritz, Baron. Is Arlette still beautiful?
Still the most beautiful, Sacha
Yesterday, in Juan Montalvo’s Hispano...
she was ravishing: a queen!
The jury was simply...
Later, Baron! Don’t spoil it for me
I’ll want all the details
I’m keeping you with me all day
What’s in the news?
Hollywood’s on strike. Wall Street’s reeling
Speicher won the Tour de France
Have you read Kessel’s article in Le Matin?
"The Call of the Blood" is the melodramatic title
And what blood does he mean? Jewish blood!
To protest against...
racial persecution in Germany...
Lord Melchett, president of the Chemical Industries Trust...
has abjured Christianity
He has returned to the faith of his forefathers
And he, Joseph Kessel, approves...
of this gesture by a rich and powerful man
Melchett reacts to adversity...
by renewing bonds from which he was otherwise liberated
We’re supposed to think: How noble!
I’m not struck by the nobility but by the stupidity!
Calling attention to one’s Jewish origins...
is a sure way to arouse animosity
Ever read leftist papers?
Never... I haven’t the strength. They’re so badly written?
"The Council Presidents and most Ministers..."
"are swine, bastards and gangsters"
"The traitors! Shove dynamite up their behinds..."
Is that well-written?
But that’s a polemic, Sacha!
The language is purposely excessive
But you’re well-bred...
How can you frequent those Radical-Socialists?
You don’t understand...
I frequent those in power!
What can I do? The Left Coalition won the elections!
If your friends win next time...
we’ll celebrate with champagne
Don’t wait till then, Sacha
I’ll introduce you to my friends whenever you like
In power or not, they have power!
Checks ready, Borelli?
Draw 50,000 cash from the La Foncière account
Have Laloy take 25,000 to Mr Véricourt
Bring me the rest at the Empire
Draw 200,000 from the C.I.C. account
Deposit it to my account at the Crédit Lyonnais
Transfer 45,000 to Biarritz and draw 100,000...
Put it in the office safe
Can I talk to you, Bonny?
Why hound Serge Alexandre?
Alexandre? Oh yes, that’s his name now...
Am I hounding him?
You’ve turned in three reports on him since May
And La Bonne Guerre keeps attacking him...
The editor’s your man
Drop it! Do I bother your informers?
That’s just it! Too much so...
I see... So Alexandre still works for you?
Put yourself in his place!
Do you want your past dug up?
Would you like anyone digging into the Volberg case?
I guess I’ll fill you in on this, after all
You see? That’s all money is...
Bits of paper for Borelli to handle
Off we go, Baron... to the Empire
Alexander’s Empire!
Now describe Arlette’s triumph for me
It was glorious, Sacha... an apotheosis!
Everything was perfect, even the weather
You would have loved the blue hydrangeas...
A nightmare? What nightmare?
She dreamed that you were both falling
It’s a very common dream, Sacha
You were in a car that had no brakes
She’s had that same dream often, lately
I must tell Dr Mezy...
Is Montalvo still courting my wife?
Nothing can discourage our Don Juan!
He put his car at her disposal again yesterday
What about his other plot?
To overthrow the Spanish Republic...
I wouldn’t know...
He’s preparing to go to Italy
To Italy? They’re contacting Mussolini...
Of course... Mussolini!
Hello, Doc
I have to see Alex for a few minutes...
I must examine him!
He’s nervous, depressed and can’t sleep
I don’t like that one bit!
Should I have told Sacha?
To say nothing is a kind of betrayal
But it wouldn’t be gallant to tell him about it...
Yesterday, after Arlette’s triumph...
Montalvo launched his final assault...
against her resistances
"All or nothing," he told me
"She’s mine tonight, or I disappear"
What’s he saying...?
Arlette seems fascinated
What can they be saying?
Something has upset them
My ancestors defeated the Arabs...
3000 acres of olive trees, vineyards...
Mine, by blood-right!
And so I raised my hand...
The Guardia Civil were ordered to fire
The peasants were shot down point-blank
In Spain... we have a long history of knowing how to die
Why won’t you ever see me alone?
Afraid you’ll weaken?
No, I’m not afraid of that, my dear Juan
I’m not virtuous and I don’t consider marriage sacred
But I belong to a man
I am his
He alone can release me from my vows
And that’s the only thing I’m afraid of...
That he might do it!
Can we stage Deux sous de fleurs modestly?
Use the decors from Katinka, for example...
The public wants new things... everything new!
Gaston’s right! With a Depression on...
people want to see extravaganzas!
They want to see all the things they haven’t got
"Life can be beautiful..."
And life can be beautiful! Right, Alex?
It’s two against one... Deux sous de fleurs it is!
How much will Deux sous de fleurs cost me?
Go on, start the auditions without me
I need Mr Grammont’s legal counsel
I’ll be needing you, too!
Sorry to keep you waiting
Here’s what I found...
It dates from 1926
Our next issue will carry the picture with the caption...
"The owner of the newspaper La Volonté
"and of the Empire Theater...
"during a surprise party"
How do you like it, Bonny?
I’ve changed my mind... Alexandre is on his guard
What’ll I do?
Go see him anyway
I have a report here, from Biarritz...
Say it’s a gossip item... just for openers
See how he reacts to a direct contact
La Bonne Guerre doesn’t worry me, Doc
I can handle scandal sheets
But Inspector Bonny is behind it
He filed reports on me May 23rd, June 17th...
and July 1st! That’s this month...
You’re well-informed
I pay enough...
The Police Fund is an expensive mistress!
Grammont, attack the root of the problem...
And the root is the Laforcade file
Get it over with, lawyer!
It’s dragged on for seven years
It’s been postponed 12 times... fine!
Now get the case dismissed and the civil suit withdrawn
Try the statute of limitations
We know judges and Ministers... find a solution!
I’ve talked to Véricourt, we have a plan
We’ll settle the civil suit out of court
I can do it with two million...
But I have to ask some questions...
Ask Dr Mezy! That’s why I had him come today
I’ve forgotten
I’ve decided to forget!
I am Serge Alexandre, financier and impresario
Newspaper and stable owner
Soon I’ll head C.A.G.T.R.I., an international trust...
Quoted shares worth 500 million, government-backed
So why ask me about that poor jerk out on bail?
That small-time con man...
Don’t mention him to me again!
Get him out of my life, Grammont!
Oh, he’s perfectly sincere
It’s a typical case of a split personality
The person that he was... is someone else!
A phantom that he despises... and fears
Well, the arrest at Marly in July 1926 is no dream
It’s rather naive...
It was a routine police operation...
Alex had been hiding for three months
A warrant was out for his arrest...
Fraud, receiving stolen goods, bad checks...
And Alex had been warned
He’s always had "friends" in the police
He had time to escape
But he wanted to give a farewell party
Alex likes parties...
I arrested him at Marly...
Two years later, I ran into him at a café
He was out of prison
Case dismissed, he said
He agreed to become one of my informers
He gave me some good tips on swindlers...
forgers and addicts
It was his world
The day after Alex’s arrest...
his father, a reputable dentist...
committed suicide
And then there were the women...
This is a police report dated April 1926...
"His means of support are vague"
"Lazy and immoral..."
"he takes advantage of women"
One episode was a determining factor, I think
You won’t find it in his file
To understand Alex, sometimes you must forget files
You have to dream about him
And imagine his dreams...
Alex was 16 years old and still in school
A woman of 30, a semi-professional...
found him attractive and took him away
She took him to Deauville... and initiated him
Alex discovered...
the worlds of luxury, gambling and pleasure
That initiation was decisive
Not at all, Doc...
Not at all!
That woman didn’t initiate me...
My grandfather had seen to that!
My father was serious and fearful...
always worrying about respectability
But not my grandfather!
When I was singing in a musical...
he came to hear me! He taught me everything...
I came to invite you to join us...
The auditions are great fun!
Miss Zambaux...
Miss Edith Boreal, please!
What have you prepared for us?
Je t’aime by Sacha Guitry... Act 5
The scene between him and her
Where is "him"?
At the last minute, he stood me up
You wouldn’t like to cue me...?
Am I the type for it?
If the young lady has a copy of the play, I’ll try
Excellent idea, Baron
"There! Like magic... you have a house"
"Oh! May I look around...?"
"What is it?"
"There’s linen in the closets... and everything!"
"May I see the dining room?"
"Make yourself at home"
"It’s so pretty..."
"Tablecloths and silverware..."
"glasses and dishes! It’s beautiful..."
"I forgot to look in the bathroom"
I’ll give you five minutes!
This item will appear in next week’s issue...
It may interest you, Mr Alexandre
You wrote it...
Read it!
"In Biarritz the other day, baccarat was played for high stakes"
"Up to 300,000 francs bet by the professional gamblers..."
"Henriet, Garcia, Serge Alexandre"
"Alexandre is Stovosky of the phony Hungarian bond issue"
Excuse the misspelling
Typographers are hopeless about foreign names
That’s enough!
Casino gossip leaves me cold! I’m covered there...
Ask your friends on the Vice Squad
And the rest is a lie!
Send him the documentation on the Hungarian bonds
And the study made by Judge Vannier...
on behalf of the government
No, your gossip column doesn’t interest me!
But your little publication does...
I have a new company, S.A.P.E.P.
My friend Borelli is in charge
The idea is to group certain publications...
around a central advertising organization
I’ve already signed up Cyrano and Le Cri du Jour...
and I’m negotiating with Le Charivari and D’Artagnan
And La Bonne Guerre?
I’m at war with La Bonne Guerre!
Your project interests me, of course
Borelli will give you the details
Give him something on account!
"Ours will be a love without any story"
"No one else will understand"
"And if a playwright were to decide..."
"to write about our love, the critics would say..."
"it’s not a play! Nothing happens..."
Miss Erna Wolfgang, please
I can sing, dance and act
I’m also a trapeze artist...
and I can walk a high-wire
But I have an accent, as you can hear
I’m Jewish
I’ve just come from Germany
Since the Nazis took power this year...
it’s hard for us to live in Germany
It has never been easy for us to live anywhere
My last role in Germany was in a play called Die Maßnahme
The police closed the theater
So, here I am!
I had prepared a monologue but after seeing that gentleman...
Would you please cue me?
If it’s not an insult to French genius...
I’d like to do a scene from Giraudoux’s Intermezzo
But I need a Specter
Let me do it, Baron!
Playing a specter should suit me
Come on, I have a copy for you
I’ve made some cuts... It starts here
What do I do?
You float behind me
Try to read your role with feeling, Alex
I’m on a bench
It’s night...
May we have some night, please?
Make it night
"No... the dead are remarkably agile"
"No, the dead are remarkably agile..."
"They never stumble into the void"
"They never trip over shadows"
"They never stub their toes on nothingness"
"And nothing ever lights up their faces..."
The simplest answer is that he was insane
Mr Chairman, an ex-convict should be invisible...
"to understand and enjoy being immortal"
"They aren’t!"
"What do you mean?"
"They die, too"
"Strange how races don’t know themselves"
"Indians think they are red, Negroes think they are white"
"The dead think they are mortal"
There... it’s finished
Why broadcast that you’re Jewish?
Because I am
Not much of an answer, Miss Wolf-track
Wolfgang means wolf-track
Would you like a more theatrical answer?
Because when I look at trees, roses, sky...
I know I’m Jewish
I hate races that don’t know themselves...
Jews who think they’re happy...
have equal rights and are safe
Where does it get you?
I can be myself... I can be different
Know what my father said?
Be average, Sacha
Being first makes enemies. Being last looks bad.
Be average so they forget you
But they don’t forget us
- You’re from...? - I’m from Russia
I’d like you to be happy
30 seconds to reach the street...
Only 30 seconds to offer you happiness
Not pleasure... pleasure takes a lifetime
Not vice-versa?
That’s a common error
Happiness is a single moment...
Sunlight on water...
At best, a long series of moments
Pleasure requires much thought
You need time, leisure... inventiveness
Pleasure is for the rich!
Who are you...?
All this is mine... my Empire!
I can offer you Paris
Thanks anyway...
I like happiness
You made me lose my head
Did I make too much noise?
"The dear was naked and, knowing my desire..."
"Wore only her jewels, to set my heart afire"
"She seemed the victor, wearing such rich attire..."
"With the secret smile slaves sometimes acquire"
Another little housewife looking for a great love
A cultivated provincial... the worst!
Just to be rude, I started with...
"Strip except for the jewel! I want to look..."
She began gurgling and quoting Baudelaire
That did it!
Luckily she adores mystery stories
I had a topic of conversation to hide my lack of desire
The little idiot sold it to me for a pittance
Her husband is a miser...
She needs money for her escapades
Alex! I’ve gone over the accounts...
It’s a disaster!
Let me speak, just this once
Then you can do what you want
We’ll compare figures...
Ready
Racing stables... 3 million francs net loss
You agree?
Empire Theater losses for one season...
6,237,378 francs... We’ll skip the centimes
I never count centimes!
600,000 distributed to scandal sheets
3,500,000 sunk into S.A.P.E.P.
Two million in "fees" to lawyers, politicians...
ex-generals, ex-police chiefs, etc.
Almost finished!
Gambling losses: 2,250,000 at Biarritz...
Five million at Cannes
22 million francs squandered in less than two years
Squandered?
No, not squandered... invested!
Money attracts money...
I operate entirely on credit!
Why do I have that credit?
Because I throw money around... as you call it
If I stop now, people will get suspicious
They’ll smell trouble and tear me apart!
But you are in trouble, Alex!
In 60 days you have to go to court
Véricourt can make a deal... We’ll settle out of court
Make a deal...!
Where will you get the money to make a deal?
Cover the Bayonne vouchers
You can’t re-pay the 3 million due last week
Five million more come due in a month
Fake vouchers! What if they audit?
I know, I need 100 million!
But in October, CAGTRI will be incorporated
500 million! I’ll cover all the Bayonne vouchers...
And we’ll be solvent!
And till then? The emeralds again?
Something much better...
The Spanish connection! "Love is blind..."
Montalvo? That polo-playing parlor conspirator!
The polo player is preparing a coup d’état
He’s buying arms from Mussolini. He must have lots of money...
I’ll offer my Swiss company as intermediary for the funds
Your excellency, gentlemen, friends...
Allow me to welcome you to the first Board meeting...
of CAGTRI, the International Construction and Finance Corp.
One question...
One big question haunts the world
How can we end the Depression?
The world’s most civilized countries...
are on the horns of a dilemma
On the one hand, stockpiles of unsold merchandise...
on the other, masses of unemployed workers
What is the cause of this situation?
Let me explain, Mr Chairman...
I wasn’t his trusted friend, as you’ve called me...
I was his trusted employee
We always knew who was boss
That’s too much!
I was promised that no one would have access to my file
And yet I saw it on Bonny’s desk
Anyway, he’s done his worst...
He informed La Bonne Guerre
He’ll try something else... unofficially
I know his plan...
He’s going to Biarritz on vacation. He’ll go to Bayonne for a loan
He’ll pawn fake jewels at the Municipal Loan Office
Did you see Boussaud go out?
Nothing suspicious?
You weren’t followed?
The Sûreté Générale is a snake pit...
As bad as Police Headquarters!
Véricourt’s in the legislature...
He ought to get a Police Reform bill passed!
Know where Bonny’s vacationing?
In Biarritz... 5 miles from Bayonne
He’s setting a trap for me...
Using fake jewels as collateral at the Municipal Loan Office
Then he can investigate officially
He’s not stupid
Let’s go wake Arlette...
in Biarritz!
Aren’t we dining with the Baron?
We’ll all go! Ready to roll all night?
Let’s buy flowers
Flowers... at 6 AM?
No matter what time it is!
I want a mountain of white flowers for Arlette
We’ll drag the florists out of bed...
Lilies, orchids, camelias, roses...
White roses are very pretty
I dreamt it again
I know
The car was rolling on grass
We were together...
Yes... I was in your arms
I heard your voice in my ear
Saying the same words?
The same words... the ermine, the orchids...
Your voice in my ear...
The car was picking up speed?
Going faster and faster... plunging down the hill
We went over a cliff
The car took off in a cloud of white feathers
No... they were snowflakes
My mouth was filled with snow
I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see your face
Snow everywhere...
There’s no snow, Arlette
There’s a July sun shining
We’re happy...
It’s lovely... Where’s it from?
Yesterday at 10 AM a lady from Angoulême was wearing it...
in the lobby of the Claridge
At 5 PM, I was in her bed
Plump, smooth-skinned, wicked... brainless!
At 7 PM, the necklace was in my pocket
You made her pay you...?
Never! But I got it for a tenth of its value
The maids will be coming in... I don’t care!
MUNICIPAL LOAN OFFICE OF BAYONNE
Three million in unpaid vouchers, Alex...
If a Tax Inspector notices that the numbers...
don’t match my accounts, I’m through!
You must reimburse, Alex
The inspector won’t notice anything!
Has he noticed anything before?
Relax, I’ll send you the money next week
Watch out for Inspector Bonny! That’s important...
How does it feel to have squandered such a fortune?
I feel quite contented, Sacha
It’s the only real contentment!
After conquering Europe for Napoleon...
my family went on to conquer a financial empire
I dissipated those ill-gotten gains in one long celebration!
Of course, it took me 40 years to do it
I envy you
I have to invent the money I squander
I had nothing
Bank is 10,000 francs, gentlemen...
9 to the bank... Baccarat!
It’s time to leave Biarritz
How’s your coup d’état coming along, Montalvo?
Will Mussolini sell you the arms?
Don’t worry, I’m silent as a tomb!
Who told you?
No one... You went to Italy so I guessed why
You’re very quick
Such a huge financial manipulation requires discretion
Funds safely blocked while you negotiate...
I happen to have a Swiss company...
and Swiss bank accounts
What a timely offer!
I’ve been trying to solve that problem...
Do you recall that American, Mrs Winters?
The one who had her face enamelled...
Surely you met her at Monte Carlo
Mirror always in hand, even in the street!
The other day, it all went to pieces
She couldn’t stand the sight
The truth of her age spilling out of the mask
She slit her wrists...
Please don’t tell Sacha about it!
Not today
It’s an anniversary
You’re his friend, I can tell you...
Seven years ago...
Sacha’s father committed suicide
A family matter...
Sacha was away... on a trip
I didn’t know! Count on me...
Baron...?
Glad you’re here... Tonight, we celebrate!
Oscar Wilde was right. Prison is the worst thing in life
No, the worst thing in life... is death!
Prison is worse than death
How can we judge?
We haven’t experienced either one
I’ve been to prison
You forget I was Chief of Police
I would know, my friend...
You don’t know!
No one knows who I am or what I’m capable of!
He caught me stealing gold fillings from his dental clinic
And he said to me...
"If you dishonor our name, I’ll kill myself’
Honor and work... that’s all he ever talked about
Did they honor his name during the Ukraine pogroms?
But he wanted to forget that
He wanted to be a nice, respected dentist
If grandfather hadn’t laughed he’d have gone to Mass!
What’s worse than a craven father?
But he had the courage to shoot himself
You must leave, I’ve let you stay too long...
Everything all right? No trouble?
Don’t you ever get any mail?
How? To Mr Leon Trotsky, c/o General Delivery...
St Palais sur Mer? Very discreet!
But Mr Trotsky has many visitors...
English and Belgian politicians...
German refugees, extreme leftists
Naturally... who else would come here?
I mean they’re active leftists
I’m sure you know...
that a condition accepted by Mr Trotsky...
when he was granted asylum...
was that he not get involved in French politics
German refugees deal with German politics
Yes, but they’re doing it in France
They need a German secretary for a few days
I mentioned you... You’ll get it
I’ll take you there later
Do you go to the villa often?
What’s it like?
Have you read Dostoyevsky?
It’s just like a Dostoyevsky novel!
Trotsky and Natalia...
lead an austere, rich, fascinating life!
And Malraux came for a visit
I wish I could have been there!
According to Rudolph...
they only discussed art, movies, Poland...
the Red Army and Christianity!
Will Trotsky succeed?
Can he influence the Party?
That’s the question...
All his activity is aimed at the Party
To influence the Party, transform it...
restructure it
Trotsky claims that Stalin has betrayed the Revolution
But the Party is behind Stalin
So how can Trotsky have any influence on it?
The Party opposes him
A contradiction...
Then why go on fighting?
Because nothing’s settled yet
No vacation, Bonny?
And you?
An appointment with the Director
at a beach... on a delicate mission!
I leave for Biarritz tomorrow
I’ll mix business and pleasure, too
Chief-Inspector Gardet... my respects
Chief-Inspector Bonny... my regards
Borelli? Gauthier here...
Tell Alex the guy came to see me
I recognized him right away, from the picture
He tried to unload the fake stones on me
No, of course not
I got rid of him without letting on I’d noticed
I simply said that the Bayonne Loan Office...
couldn’t accept any more jewels
Because we’d reached the limit set by regulation
Doctor, someone wants to come in...
Says he’s the patient’s lawyer
Tell him to wait!
Anyway, we’ve finished
What does this mean? You don’t need a lawyer here!
Yes I do... I don’t trust your diagnosis!
I know what they do...
Lock up a competitor! Best way to get rid of him
Naturally I have enemies!
I’m trying to reform the European monetary system
Are they the same enemies who stole the Eiffel Tower from you?
See? You’re trying to make me think I’m crazy...
I never said they stole the tower from me!
They stole rights I had paid a lot for...
The Eiffel Tower radio station advertising!
But I’ll get the Eiffel Tower back
Get dressed, we’ve finished
I saw your patient in April 1931...
Yes, and your first diagnosis has certainly been confirmed
Yes, a slowly evolving general paralysis...
with possible remissions
Hence the persecution complex...
Megalomania...
We’ll continue your patented malaria-therapy
If you’ll step into the waiting room...
with Mr Stavisky’s lawyer...
I’ll prepare the necessary certification
Mysterious deaths interest you?
Only the death of Loewenstein, the banker
He had a financial empire like mine
Does his suicide bother you?
You believe that fantastic suicide story?
Or that it was accidental?
Disappearing out of a plane window...
over the Channel! So easy to do...
No, it was murder
His competitors got rid of him
You scare me, Alex
I’m your doctor and your friend...
You need to take a rest
Leave Borelli and Grammont in charge
Go away with Arlette
Go away... now?
I’ve got CAGTRI all set!
SIMA, S.A.P.E.P., la Foncière, Bayonne...
all in hand!
Isn’t it too much for one man? Véricourt is worried...
Is he? Just like Dr Pierre...
It worked, lawyer!
I’m mad...
so I can’t appear in court tomorrow
But the case isn’t dismissed!
No, it isn’t
You didn’t get me the two million you promised
Véricourt could have made the deal
You’ve had since July to get the money
You know it’s been rough, Pierre
You’ve spent six million in Deauville since July!
You just throw your money away, Sacha
Deliver the envelopes, Laloy
The Board of CAGTRI is waiting, sir
It’s true, I do throw my money away!
Well...?
He won’t listen. He’s sick, Grammont
I don’t give a damn if he’s sick!
We must neutralize him! Or we’ll go under with him!
Is it that bad?
He hasn’t a cent!
Gentlemen, what is madness?
It’s not my place to define it for you
But there’s no doubt that Alexandre was sick
Very sick...
Your idea for absorbing unemployment is brilliant
Congratulations!
Mayor, we’ll set the wheels of economic expansion in motion!
When will the stock go on the market?
Our basic fund, the Hungarian bond issue...
is guaranteed by treaty
So the government decides when. A matter of days...
says the secretary-general of Foreign Affairs
I congratulate you, too, but I confess...
I know nothing about international credit
The Hungarian bonds are a mystery to me!
No need to understand, Baron. Just trust me!
But I do trust you, Sacha!
I can only give you five minutes, I’m very busy...
His madness took this form...
He wanted the world to talk about him...
he should have wanted it to forget him
I can’t buy, Van Straaten...
I should be selling
Just keep them in a safe place for me
Make the best deal you can for us both
Let’s see the merchandise
No doubt their origin...
is a secret?
Maximum discretion, yes!
A royal Oriental family...
They don’t want any publicity
The Rosenkrantz necklace!
It vanished when the seals were removed...
The heirs are searching for it
Anyone else will have to wait to dump it
And one stone at a time, even then...
But I can pawn it in London
It’s risky, Mr Van Straaten
So I’ll keep the proceeds
You won’t get a commission this time
Go to London tomorrow
My birthday...
Will I get much?
With a million, I can hold out
See? I’m still lucky...
I must see you, Mr Alexandre!
On business...
I’ve invented a revolutionary medical apparatus...
for examining pregnant women
The child’s sex and health can be determined
I call it a Matriscope
It works... it’s ready to go!
I thought you might like the exclusive distribution rights
How much do you need to start?
Maybe 10,000 francs...
10,000 francs? That’s ridiculous!
How do you expect to inspire confidence?
If the Matriscope works, it’s worth millions!
If not, your story still has to be credible
10,000 francs is... incredible!
Stop bothering Mr Alexandre
Nice name, Matriscope... I accept!
I’ll teach you how to start a business...
A charming place...
Is Sacha thinking of buying it?
It was here that Sacha’s father...
Shouldn’t I go find him?
Let him be alone...
That’s what he wants
I’m glad you’re back from Rome, Montalvo
I wanted you here for my husband’s birthday
We’re going for a little walk
The funds will be in your Swiss account by Christmas
May I ask how much of your money...
I’ll be holding?
One million pounds sterling
For a coup d’état? That’s enough for a civil war!
Why not?
I’m getting old, Baron
What a party we had at the Empire for my last birthday...
Remember?
I have no zest for anything...
Don’t I look like a shopkeeper, taking his wife out...?
Not you, Sacha... Never!
Yes, yes! Like a little shopkeeper...
I’d have a jewelry store...
at a posh resort
Why not?
At dusk, I’d stand in my doorway...
and no one would guess that I once was Alexander the Great!
Am I wrong?
Sacha, it’s that little German actress...
Don’t you remember? You read with her...
You were the Specter in Giraudoux’s Intermezzo
He’s allowed to reside in Barbizon...
so Trotsky’s feeling better. He’s working again
Know what he says?
With the forest so close...
and working with Communist League groups...
reminds him of Russia when he was young
When everything seemed possible...
you had only to invent it
But sometimes he gets discouraged
The other day he suddenly said...
"Old age is the most unexpected thing..."
"that ever happens to man"
That’s a happy thought!
Exile is never happy!
Whenever I think about this sad story...
it’s as though everyone wore masks
Like Sacha: Alexandre-of-the-thousand-names...
And I always think of that day in November 1933
Why does it haunt me?
Perhaps because on that day...
I had a premonition of Alexandre’s end
And yet, you had to know us in those years...
to know the real joy of living!
We were all Alexandre’s age...
we basked in Arlette’s beauty
It’s so painful to imagine her today...
in the sordid world of a prison
Her beauty warmed our hearts
There is a store in Biarritz, gentlemen...
whose name symbolizes that period for me...
Biarritz-Bonheur... Biarritz happiness
I must remind the witness of where he is!
This Parliamentary Committee is investigating...
a scandal that resulted in rioting and death on Feb. 6th...
leading France to the brink of civil war
Your testimony has certainly been colorful...
but what about the sordid aspects?
This is the truth as I know it
You say you are telling the truth
I remind you that you have sworn to do so
Now permit us to ask you some questions
You first met Alexandre at the Biarritz Casino in April 1931...
You met him at the Casino...
Hadn’t you ever heard that he was indexed?
Banned from every Casino in France at the time?
Never, sir!
And I find it hard to believe, even today
Because for over two years I saw him...
in Cannes, Biarritz, Deauville...
The Casino inspectors all greeted him cordially
I saw Alexandre play baccarat...
with well-known businessmen and politicians
They treated him as an equal!
That’s why it’s hard to believe!
That was in April 1931...
Exactly when he started...
the Bayonne Loan Office operation...
flooding France with fake vouchers
Did you know about it?
Nothing at all
I first heard about it three months ago...
when the scandal erupted
Try to understand, gentlemen
Life isn’t like the theater
On stage, we see everything
But I’m like Fabrice at Waterloo in Stendhal’s novel...
I only know one small piece of this Chinese puzzle
Mr Raoul, we can’t finish with your testimony today
We will notify you when to appear again
Inspector Gardet
TROTSKY SHOULD NOT BE SENT TO CORSICA
The agitator Trotsky resides only 40 miles from Paris
Staviskian crooks have a free hand
Bolshevik rabble do as they please
It is time for the Government...
to mop up this international scum
What was the date?
The end of November 1933
I was summoned by the Director of the Bureau of Investigation
I had been an another case
He handed me a note...
"Serge Alexandre, 28 Place St Georges..."
"C.A.G.T.R.I."
"Urgent that you investigate this individual..."
"per request of Foreign Affairs Minister"
I started with the Files section of our division
I established that Serge Alexandre was Stavisky
Yes, Handsome Sacha!
He’s called Serge Alexandre now?
"Alexandre, Serge... see Stavisky"
"Alexandre-Sacha, also known as Alex,
Jean Sacha, Doisy de Monty..."
"and Victor Boitel, born November 20, 1886 at Sobodka..."
"State of Kiev, Russia"
Which section has his file?
No section! It’s a very special file...
It’s kept locked up
Takes an OK from the Assistant Director to look at it
You’re in for a lot of surprises, Inspector!
I went in search of the file...
Finally I was told: "Bonny has it"
I went to see Chief-Inspector Bonny
He had the file
I told him Foreign Affairs wanted a report
Bonny knew the file well
He showed me a 1926 police report
Alexandre was already described as a crook...
a typical confidence man
Did Inspector Bonny tell you why he had the file?
Didn’t you ask him?
No, I had no particular reason to be interested
Why are you so interested in this file, Bonny?
Or rather... against whom do you want to use the information?
That depends on the next elections...
If the Right wins, this files implicates the Radical-Socialists
But if the Radicals stay in office...
two Chiefs, Sûreté and Police, are mine!
I can sink them... They’re in it up to their necks
Like Alexandre, I’m hedging my bets
Watch out, Bonny... you’re not invulnerable
Bonny must have made a report, too
But I never heard about it. I went...
to 28 Place St Georges...
I learned that Borelli was probably...
the director of C.A.G.T.R.I.
I also found out who the Board members were
Was Baron Raoul...
on the Board of Directors?
Yes he was
Then I went to the Claridge...
to see if Stavisky still lived there
I returned to the Sûreté...
I turned in my report there
I took a copy to Mr de la Salle...
at Foreign Affairs
And my mission ended there
So on November 22, 1933, the Foreign Affairs office...
was fully informed as to Alexandre’s character?
That’s right, sir
Was any action taken on your report?
I don’t know... No legal action, at any rate
That’s the last I heard of it
La Salle! What a surprise...
Let’s say that I’m here... unofficially
May I come in?
It’s Sunday... the servants are off
And the furnace has broken down
So it would be best if you quit the Board
The Government isn’t going to guarantee...
the Hungarian bonds for CAGTRI
Please don’t explain it to me...
I won’t understand. I only accepted out of friendship
You should choose your friends more wisely!
I repeat: Alexandre is not respectable
He’s not even French... He has no fixed abode
So I’m not even French!
No fixed abode!
If you don’t live in a century-old family mansion...
you’re a gypsy!
My voter’s registration...
Army discharge...
I want you to look at them!
Then tell Mr de la Salle...
Do you want to check my police record?
I’m embarrassed, Sacha...
But don’t you need the Government guarantee?
I’ll see the Minister!
Véricourt’s a friend of his...
These voucher numbers are missing... Why?
Because the vouchers are fakes!
So you must have faked them!
If I were you, Mr Tax Inspector, I’d forget it
The scandal’s too big, it’ll crush you...
Today’s Friday, Sunday is Christmas...
Think it over... Go see the Deputy-Mayor
Look at the elections in Spain!
We need a National Bloc to rule without parliament...
supported by professional people
Men of integrity, veteran soldiers, in all the key posts!
That’s what the play we’re seeing tonight is about
Did Shakespeare support the National Bloc?
Is he one of your Rightist friends?
All right, Sacha, have your fun
But Coriolanus really is a violent attack...
on parliamentary government
Arlette, that white ermine is ravishing!
You herald winter’s immaculate snows...
I go to Madrid tomorrow, the deal is closed
The million pounds will be deposited by next week
"No, take more! There where worship is double..."
"There where gentry, title, wisdom..."
"cannot conclude..."
"but by the Yea and No of general ignorance..."
"There, necessities give way to slightness"
"There... disorder reigns!"
"The multitudinous tongue mangles true judgment"
"The State is bereaved of integrity"
"Nothing is done to purpose"
"The State must needs collapse"
"You patricians and senators who love Rome..."
Bayonne is finished...
Gauthier’s in jail
He talked?
He’ll name you sooner or later
Meet Grammont and Véricourt at the Empire later
Avoid the Claridge
Burn the papers at the office
I’ll try to find Inspector Boussaud
"Abolish the people’s Tribunes!"
You have 3 days...
thanks to the Christmas Holidays
He must go!
If we keep the lid on, he’s had a vacation
If not... it’s safer
Here, he might be indiscreet... I’ll get him out of Paris
Where to?
An employee’s place near Chamonix
His name’s Laloy, Alexandre’s office messenger
He can be convinced... He’s had trouble with the law
You’ve known Alexandre longest...
What will he do?
I hardly know Serge Alexandre
I know Stavisky...
A small-time crook, a charming con man...
one of my informers
Good at laundering money...
Stavisky would leave with Arlette
He’d start all over
But Alexandre? I just don’t know...
This is mostly your own fault
I warned you...
Lately you’ve mismanaged everything
You threw money away!
I threw it away on all of you!
Where’s Véricourt? The honorable Deputy!
I financed his whole campaign last year...
He’s my deputy!
Is he letting me down?
We’re all going to let you down, Alex
We won’t know you any more
We’ll say we saw you once, in a restaurant...
Know what else we’ll say?
That it’s really not very surprising...
You should never trust foreigners...
refugees...
Jews
Isn’t that right, Baron?
I’m your friend, Sacha, no matter what happens
But you lied to me
A pity!
Anyone here?
Over here, Mr Véricourt
It’s finished, Alexandre
The show’s over...
Be in Chamonix in three days
Wait for instructions
If I stay here, I can turn the tide in a week...
I’ll have a million pounds
In a week every cop in France...
will be after you!
How can they come after me?
I’ve wined, dined and bribed them
Had them on Boards of Directors...
They wouldn’t dare!
My name’s Alexandre...
I’m not a mute, I can tell what I know!
I’m terribly sorry, Arlette
It’s Christmas... the potential customers are away
In Monte Carlo, St Moritz...
I’ll bring you the balance in a few days
So Alexander the Great ends the way little Sacha began...
Letting women get him out of trouble
He’s just getting even with me
I stung him on the Rosenkrantz jewels
Don’t leave me, Sacha!
Let’s go away together. Venezuela... anywhere!
Sure, Venezuela! We’ll open a French restaurant...
Or a dress shop: Au Chic Parisien
Or I’ll peddle your charms...
If we stay together, we’re safe
We’ll be together soon, Véricourt promised to fix it
The car’s ready, Alex
What’s that?
Mr Alexandre’s carnations
If he ever comes back here, he’ll wear handcuffs, not carnations!
Happy? Your time has finally come
But remember, Bonny...
For your own sake, proceed with caution
You know the rules...
The Stavisky scandal only incriminates the Republic
The comrades’ Republic is corrupt
You can smear the Deputies, the Cabinet members...
the Left Coalition Ministers...
But leave us out of it!
But the Chief of Police is part of it
So what can I do?
Whatever you want, Bonny!
But if you involve the Police or the Sûreté, we’ll break you!
On January 18th, the Assistant Director sent for me
By order of the Director, I was to drop the case
January 24th, I was suspended
So January 12th you report...
Police Chief Chiappe’s connection with Stavisky
The 18th, you are warned... The 24th, you are suspended
That’s right, sir
So the Police Chief s name in a Sûreté report...
is cause for suspension
No comment...
You’ll have to wait, Baron...
Ex-Inspector Bonny is testifying
WAITING FOR MR TROTSKY TO LEAVE
Until another country grants Mr Trotsky a visa...
he is ordered to move at least 200 miles from Paris
In view of the Feb. 6th riots...
the Government wishes to reduce tensions
Your proximity to Paris...
goads both Right and Left extremists
I am to accompany you
They’re going to deport Trotsky
Just when France must fight against fascism
Trotsky won’t be here...
The Left will splinter without him
And to think that it’s all Stavisky’s fault!
I don’t see that
No Stavisky... no February 6th
No fascist riots forcing Daladier to resign...
no National Union government
No National Union... no deportation of Trotsky
Therefore, without Stavisky...
You knew your husband’s psychology well...
Was he likely to commit suicide?
He had periods of depression
Long periods, sometimes...
So you did not find the idea of suicide incredible?
It was a possibility?
When I went to Chamonix, I was sure it was suicide
Now, there have been so many rumors...
I’m not sure any more
But they separated us...
They destroyed his will to live!
It’s me, boss
Got a cake... Who’ll be King?
It’s Twelfth-night
Those pious hypocrites!
La Liberté...
That "liberty" cost me plenty!
My checks didn’t hurt their scruples
That’s life, Mr Alexandre... not very pretty
Go and get tickets to Paris
Paris means prison, Mr Alexandre!
Isn’t this a prison?
We’ll take the night train
Tomorrow morning, I’ll hold a press conference
I’m going to blow the whole mess wide open!
I’ll broadcast from the Eiffel Tower! All France will be listening
But Mr Véricourt...
We’ll see what Mr Véricourt has to say!
The Minister’s office?
Ah, it’s you! Véricourt here...
Yes, I have the information... It’s Chamonix
The telephone number is 319
If he thinks it’s hopeless, he just might shoot himself
Yes... it runs in the family, as you say!
Yes, he’s armed, of course
Goodbye... My respects to the Minister
I was in a worse spot than this...
when I invented the Bayonne vouchers!
I never have understood how that worked...
Nothing to it
We duplicated vouchers...
Say there’s a real one for 100 francs...
We’d use the duplicate... same number, signed and stamped
But with a higher figure...
20,000 francs... 100,000... a million!
We were minting money...
I was the State!
I have to go down to the Village...
To get the train tickets
BAYONNE MUNICIPAL LOAN OFFICE SCANDAL
DOMINATED BY STAVISKY CASE
STAVISKY TRACKED DOWN IN CHAMONIX, SHOOTS HIMSELF
GOVERNMENT GETS RID OF STAVISKY,
HAS HIM SHOT IN CHAMONIX
STAVISKY SUICIDE... SHOT POINT-BLANK
STAVISKY’S MYSTERIOUS SUICIDE ADDS TO SCANDAL
Arlette in prison...
So many guilty ones free... That’s the real scandal!
They’ll hold her till the trial...
to keep her from talking
They think she knows Alexandre’s secrets
Alexandre’s only real secret was her
Arlette...
What I like about death...
is the lethargy
That dense and sluggish fluidity of death...
which means that there are no dead...
only the drowned
What are you saying?
It’s the Specter, in Giraudoux’s Intermezzo
Alexandre’s finest role...
Imagine how he’d laugh to see...
the passions, deaths and hatreds he’s unleashed
I understood too late...
Stavisky was the herald of death
Not only his own...
Not only those in February...
But the death of an era!