But did you know that Dostoyevsky
came to Spa to gamble, not to write?
A mad life.
A mad voice.
And in the peat moors of Wallonia
we hear another voice.
The even more famed voice of Apollinaire
whose words ring in our memory :
'Overwhelming grief'
"Strangled my heart
in the desolate fens"
"Life twists itself around strong trees"
"Life takes bites of death by degrees"
Thank you for your attention.
Thank you very much.
Will you be publishing those poems?
No, they're by Apollinaire.
- Shame.
Bravo, Mathieu, it was wonderful.
Victor is taking me home.
- See you tomorrow.
Why your interest in the fens?
- My father was from the fens.
Have you written much about them?
- Yes, all my life.
Where will it be published?
- I have a publisher in Liege.
You're miles away.
I wonder if I ran over an animal
this evening.
On the Grande Fagne moors.
What were you doing there?
I felt like driving around.
Did Victor take you home?
He found your examples remarkable.
When we drove through Verviers,
he asked me if I'd like a drink.
Redcurrants or raspberries?
- Cherries, Marie.
He drives on the left
when he's been drinking so I said :
"Let's have a drink at home
and wait for Mathieu."
Why do you always wear brown stockings?
- Because you like them.
It's the other guy who likes them.
I prefer light stockings.
- That's news to me.
Brown stockings are aggressive
and common.
Light stockings are distinguished.
Everyone knows that.
Some more brown bread?
It's not brown bread.
It's sourdough bread from Stoumont.
White bread is distinguished.
Sourdough bread is common.
Everyone knows that.
Did the other guy teach you that?
- Bread and stockings, it's the same.
Mad. She's out of her mind.
It's dripping, Jeanne.
- OK, it's dripping...
I'll finish this first.
Otherwise I can't control
the sugar to milk ratio.
I've been saying this for twenty years.
Mind the drip.
What did Victor want?
I asked him in. As you know...
- Yes, he drives on the left.
So you let him in.
Yes, he wanted to show me his module.
- His module?
Did Victor show you his module?
Quiet, or she'll never finish the story.
Milk?
He wanted to show me the new module
for the Town Council.
Are you listening?
- Of course.
Will you take me or can I have the car?
Here.
What a night, eh?
There. Now eat. Eat.
I feel very well.
We're meeting at eleven, remember?
We're meeting at eleven.
- Go and choose furniture.
You won't lose everything.
I'm leaving my cat behind.
You can keep your cat,
because you don't have another one.
Okay, okay.
Can I have the car for 10 minutes?
- When we get to the museum.
Could it have been a dream?
- Tell me, Marie...
Yes?
You could wear long skirts. You don't
have to show your thighs to the world.
John likes it.
- "John likes it".
Are you going to find the animal?
Do you know where it is?
It can't have gone far.
Come along, they're waiting for me.
Good morning, Vincent.
- Mr Victor is here.
Where is he?
- In the archive.
He's lost in the archive.
I'm not in for anyone, Vincent.
I've a problem with my anthology
of legends from the Ardennes.
I'd like your opinion.
In the archive of Verviers
I found an original act from 1813.
It's so extraordinary
that I wonder if I should include it
in the historical section.
I know.
What do you know?
Jeanne told me everything.
- Everything?
That you are awful
and that you drive on the left.
She's confused.
She's mixing things up.
Listen, this is my problem.
"ln memory of the late brothers
Henri and Renard,
wretchedly murdered at the
unspeakable place that is Pont Noir,
I, Martin le Podestat, their father,
have had written, in their memory..."
However, Henri had the reputation
of being unspeakable himself
because of the evil eye.
He died when he drowned
in a pool at Pont Noir.
But then... do you follow me?
Why does their father say
"wretchedly murdered"?
It's contradictory, you see?
I've never liked modern art.
Is this dog yours?
Don't be afraid.
I am sorry about last night.
I didn't see him.
It was a sharp bend.
I thought I had hit a deer.
You're not from around here?
No, wait, I want to help you.
You can't leave the dog like that.
If you're scared...
Damn.
Look, here...
How did it go in Liege?
Extraordinary. Yes.
Extraordinary.
"Gales and gusts
Trapped in the hollows of the dead fens"
"And undone in..."
"Gales and gusts", superb alliteration.
One of my colleagues in Verviers
said to me only last night :
"Of all the poets of the fen,
Mathieu Gregoire has the finest pen."
That's nice, eh?
And then : "Creature of the moors
Girl as dark as night"
So simple, so sublime.
Allow me to tell you, Jeanne...
- Don't hold back, Victor.
Without you, this source
would be less bountiful.
That's beautifully put.
Just one more. Here.
The more so since the book is dedicated
to Marie, and without me, Marie...
We chose the furniture this morning.
- She's still not back.
Victor, you must have thought
of something for your presentation.
I was talking to Jeanne about it.
If I may...
You may, Victor.
He was thinking of something modern.
Russian writers. Tolstoy and so on.
Solzhe... Solzhenitsyn. His traditional
side, his revolutionary side...
Our audience...
- Jeanne, the plum liqueur?
Our audience is a fairly mixed one.
We have to find the modulus.
And it's a good thing that...
Drenched.
I am drenched.
"ln bitter gall and deadly poison."
Sorry?
"The sweetness of love is drenched
in bitter gall and deadly poison."
Maurice Sceve, sixteenth century.
I'm going to discuss Louise Labe.
Labe?
The Beautiful Rope Maker
lover of ice and fire.
Sixteenth-century sonnets.
"l live, I die, I burn and I drown."
"Labbe", did you say?
- One "B".
Aren't you afraid that's too obscure
for most people?
Physical love is their bread and butter.
This is delicious.
Sour plums from our own garden.
Distilled in the abbey.
- No, no more.
You're on foot today.
- That's true.
Well, I'm going to say goodbye,
dear friends.
They can wait a little longer.
- I have no one waiting for me.
I was suddenly thinking...
Who will be reading
Louise Labe's poems? An actress?
You could find an actress, Victor.
I'll get an actress from Liege then,
to prevent local jealousy.
Goodnight, dear Jeanne.
"Gales and gusts"
"Trapped in the hollows of dead forests"
Mathieu...
Sometimes I miss teaching.
Don't forget the actress.
She's still not back.
- She'll come.
Can't they just take the last train?
- You know they like to take the road.
We can't sit and wait for her all night.
She has her key.
I have to wait and lock up.
I've done that for fifteen years.
In my own house.
And it's over with Victor.
Victor?
Do you think I'm blind?
"May I say, my dear Jeanne..."
To your hands and your eyes
I hold no surprise
Marie knows what she's doing.
And John is not a bad young man.
Don't look so worried.
Go to sleep. I'll join you later.
Good night, Mathieu.
Good night, Jeanne.
I'm not going to wait till daybreak.
I won't wait all night
until madam comes home.
It's always the same.
In the past it was girl friends
and now...
I'll bolt the door and switch off
the lights. I'm going up to Jeanne.
Keep your cat.
You don't have another.
I'm cross. Very cross.
She's not too old for a beating.
Incredible.
Juliette... Come here, come.
Come, Juliette.
See you tomorrow.
- Yes, tomorrow.
Don't forget to bolt the door.
Can I borrow the Volvo?
- Yes, of course.
Don't forget.
Lock the door. Lock it.
Lock the door. She no longer
has a dog. She's lost it.
She doesn't have her dog any more.
Her dog is dead. She's lost her dog.
Cat and dog... no.
No, it's a foreigner.
She's lost her dog.
You see?
She hasn't got her dog now.
A dog and a cat. No, no.
He's a foreigner, you see?
A foreigner.
Hello?
Hello?
I couldn't just leave you here.
No, there's no need to be afraid.
I didn't know what to do.
Maybe you need my help?
Why are you here?
It's going to get very cold.
But that's none of my business.
It's your business.
Do you understand me?
No?
That cape isn't going to keep you warm.
You're running a temperature.
Your feet must be freezing.
I'll be back with medication.
Medication.
My name is Mathieu Gregoire.
Go on then.
That's better, isn't it?
Hello, Mr Gregoire.
We'd given up waiting for you.
Will you take my place?
We don't see you very often now,
Mathieu.
I expect that suits you, doesn't it?
I found a young, charming actress.
She's very cultured.
We talked about Louise Labe
and she knows her work.
What a terrific choice :
"Kiss me again and kiss me more"
"A luscious kiss
alive with your love"
Wonderful, isn't it?
Ask the Deputy.
Victor, you've lost.
So what are you complaining about?
Are they getting married soon?
- There's no rush.
We were 1 9 when we got married.
"Time flies by", as Marot said.
Or was it Ronsard?
Alas, time may freeze
But we never cease
You were out a long time.
We thought you might be here.
I was copying documents for Vincent.
What are you writing now?
One only knows
when it's finished, Marie.
We'd like to get married at the end
of November. A civil wedding.
All right.
When is the contract signed?
A week before the wedding?
The day before.
Belle?
Come here. Come on.
You are Belle. Yes, Belle.
I won't ask anything more of you.
Never speak to me.
I don't want to know who you are.
Come on.
Everything's all right.
Listen, Belle.
Listen, Belle.
Gales and gusts
Trapped in the hollows of dead forests
And undone in your hair
I don't know why.
A poet reciting his own work,
that's ridiculous.
I can tell you everything because you
understand nothing and say nothing.
It's settled for November 28th.
On November 24th
we sign at the notary's office.
Bring the wood in.
The wood.
Where have you been all this time?
I forgot the salt.
Can I use the Volvo for a few hours?
Can I use the Volvo?
I have to be in Liege at eleven.
- I'll be back at ten.
You're always late.
- Ten sharp at the kiosk, OK?
Where have you been all this time?
I didn't see you at the museum.
I wanted to let you know that I think,
if I may say so
I've found a new classification method
for the fen legends.
For my volume of legends, remember?
Are you listening, Mathieu?
I wanted to ask you
if I could use the same method
for the library filing cards.
I'm in a hurry, I'm waiting for my car.
But couldn't we...
Yes. An important appointment in Liege.
My publisher is very punctual.
You're having a lot of success in Liege.
Right, Mathieu?
Don't you know what time it is?
What will they say in Liege?
Could you give me a lift to Liege?
I have to go somewhere else first.
Belle?
You mustn't worry so much when I'm late.
What...?
Here.
Belle.
Thank you.
I will ask Thomart to do the catering.
Does he do catering?
- Yes.
He did the wedding
at the Collignon's.
And then I went to the bank.
The money seems to be going fast.
I bought some reference books
on the 16th century.
And the repairs on the Volvo
also cost a pretty penny.
You know, Mathieu,
I never ask anything of you.
Is your talk progressing well?
Yes and no.
Are you worrying about Marie?
I will introduce you to the audience
at six o'clock.
And at eight there's a discussion.
Can you give me a lift?
Who is that man?
Why did you run away?
Where did he come from?
How did he find you again?
I asked Thomart what it would cost,
but he hasn't replied yet.
If it's more than 25,000, I'll say no.
Refurbishing the living room
will also cost a packet.
Are you listening, Mathieu?
I don't want to take
all the responsibility on my own.
It concerns you too!
Mathieu, are you listening?
Mathieu, listen to me!
What's got into you? Why don't you
answer? I'm not just an animal, am l?
No, don't touch me. No.
Do you want to leave?
Do you want us to leave?
Belle?
Tell me...
Is that man your husband?
Your boyfriend? An accomplice?
Or is he a rebel?
Tell me.
It can't go on like this.
We have to put an end to it.
We have a few minutes to decide.
I have to give a talk at six o'clock.
At six.
It's no use running away.
He will find us.
Or we'd have to leave the country.
Go very far away.
We'd need money.
It's ridiculous.
You have to break with that guy.
Make it clear to him.
I'm going to talk to him.
Where is he?
Oh, God, no! Damn!
Belle, he's gone, with my car!
All my papers are in it!
My talk...
They're already waiting for me!
Wait till I get hold of him!
Sort this out once and for all!
We've got to kill him! Kill him!
Presents.
Tinned food.
Wine.
Pineapple.
Trinkets from Spa.
Mathieu Gregoire. Present.
It's madness. He's been driving
through my town in my Volvo!
He's gone to shops where they know me!
Now everybody knows!
He's going to ruin us!
You base creature!
See what I do with your present!
What happened?
- Car broke down. Nothing serious.
I'm sorry. It was nothing, really.
May I introduce Mariette Mirmont?
Mathieu?
I haven't seen your paper.
What am I to read?
And in what style?
The love sonnets of Louise Labe,
the Beautiful Rope Maker.
We are less familiar with her Debate
between Folly and Love or her elegies
in which she admits having been
struck early by the darts of love.
"Not sixteen winters had I seen
When first love's perils took me in"
But the young soldier
who seduced her went to war.
And then she had other lovers.
The 1 6th century seems
far removed from us.
You will find that Louise Labe,
just like Maurice Sceve
at first sight seems to drown us
in unusual language.
Simple thoughts, which we all know well
but which we do not recognize
at first sight.
Knowledge and recognition.
Allow me to make a musical comparison.
This is the national interpretation
by a distant people
of a tune well-known
to our southern neighbours.
I wonder if you will recognize it.
So you recognized it.
Who did you, O Diana, meet on the way
Who took your bow and arrows away?
I teased, says she, a passer-by
At whom I cast my shafts in vain
And last my bow. He took them up
And shooting, broke my heart in twain
Bravo.
Louise confidently opposes
the folly of love with everyday life.
But is lost in the arms
of her lover in Sonnet Xlll.
If I hold him close to me
The way the ivy clasps the tree
Death comes, in envy of my bliss
Of kiss upon still sweeter kiss
Then will I die, in ecstasy
No, not "lf I hold him, death comes".
It's "lf as I hold him, death comes".
If death came
while he gave me kiss upon sweeter kiss
I would die in ecstasy.
Isn't that it? I would die happy.
"Never without love"
could have been her motto.
But also "never without pain".
Because in the 1 6th century
there are few more moving words :
I live, I die, I burn and drown
I quake with cold and perish with heat
My life so hard and yet so sweet
At once I shrivel and l...
Who has a question for the speaker?
What's so special
about that 1 6th-century author?
It is a timeless expression of love.
Why are you speaking on a subject
that doesn't interest us?
Bravo, Mr Gregoire, it went very well.
Are you mad?
You will pay for this.
I'm calling the police.
I was mistaken. I am truly sorry.
I want the police.
I'm going to lodge a complaint.
I am from Robertville.
"lf I were clutched unto his chest"
lf.
"lf his arms would grasp me tight
And if he said : Let us delight"
You see why I stress the "if"?
Jeanne, we must try to persuade
the man to drop the charges.
"lf I hold him close to me"
It's very subtle.
Those people upset him.
It's unbelievable.
I will make sure Mathieu explains.
Congratulations, Mr Gregoire,
I enjoyed your talk very much.
A pity today's youngsters are so rude.
I tried explaining it
to that charming foreigner in your car.
He didn't understand me.
Didn't speak German or French.
Thank you, Mrs Jolite.
- For a foreigner he was very friendly.
Again, congratulations and thank you.
If you should ever need me,
I am at your service.
It's a promise, I'll call you.
I was saying to Mr Gregoire,
today's youngsters are so rude.
But I did enjoy the evening
and wanted to congratulate him.
I did like your presentation,
Mr Gregoire.
And I wonder and so does Marie
whether your approach to the aspect...
the poetic aspect as seen
through the biography of the poet
reveals the essence of her work.
I mean to say,
what you wished to demonstrate.
That's why I brought you
a small present.
A collection of articles by Genette.
Gerard Genette. Do you know him?
And a collection of texts by Barthes.
I thought...
- Of course, thank you.
Right.
Everybody here wants to think for me.
Let it be, Mathieu.
Let's go. Come.
What's she like, the woman in Liege?
Brunette? Blonde?
A pert behind?
Is she naughty?
Does she bite?
She's great, good friend. A horse.
- A horse?
Yes, shaped like this. And that.
She scratches. And she has
a wonderful curve to her waist.
Like the finest Rubens.
- Rubens?
Mathieu, my friend.
Welcome back, brother.
The whole city lies at my feet.
I want to meet her. Take me along.
What? You idiot.
Scum! Bastards!
Let us sleep.
I will prove to you that I love women.
To you alone.
Come along to my house.
- What?
My collection.
Come.
Coarse, dark hair.
For the hollow in the hips
and the curve of the buttocks.
Supple hairs
tightly packed
for in between.
Soft, blonde hairs.
Perfect
for the gentle stimulation
of the tender inner thigh.
My Belle.
It doesn't work
with that man here.
Either he goes or we go.
We cannot go, so he has to go
whether he likes it or not.
I won't leave without you,
that's certain.
This is unbearable.
Nobody in the area knows him.
And no one has seen him.
Except in Spa perhaps.
Did he go into town again?
Into town?
Then there's no risk.
We must force him to go.
He will come back.
We can't stop him from coming back.
And compromising us.
There's no point talking to him.
If it has to be done...
Belle, at the firebreak. There.
Tomorrow four o'clock sharp.
The edge of the forest. The firebreak.
You will come with him.
Understood?
Why did you do that?
Volvo.
Keep out of sight.
We must go far away.
But not now.
Most of all we must be careful.
We mustn't arouse suspicion.
We mustn't meet for a few days.
You'll have food.
Monday, after the wedding,
I'll get money from the bank.
We will cross the border at night
through the forest.
Four o'clock. If I'm not there,
you hide and wait for me.
But don't act suspicious.
She'll be back, you'll see.
She'll come and see us soon.
At first life will be difficult
for her and then...
She'll manage all right.
She's happy.
And you?
I'm not unhappy.
I love you, Jeanne. I love you.
I have never stopped loving you.
I have never loved you so much.
I have to go.
Leave this place.
Stop writing.
Life is passing me by.
It has no purpose.
Excuse me.
Excuse me, don't take any notice.
Annie. How beautiful you look.
Hello, Marcel.
Thank you for the flowers.
They're wonderful.
I'm so glad to see you.
You look so radiant.
- Thank you.
How is Mathieu?
- Shouldn't you be asking after Marie?
Yes, that's true. Where is she?
She's busy packing suitcases.
Thank you.
I'm going to publish Folly and Love
with a new preface.
It will be interesting in connection
with what they're doing in Verviers.
May I congratulate you?
- You may, Victor.
Very beautiful, the...
I shall go and say hello to Jeanne.
I didn't notice you, I'm sorry.
Good afternoon.
Don't worry. I'll call him.
Marcel wishes to speak to you.
- Only for a moment. I apologize.
I shouldn't disturb you on a day
like this but I have to talk to you.
It's an insignificant thing.
I'm sure you know what I mean.
I'll come and see you in the museum
on Monday afternoon.
In Belgium, you can only publish poetry
at your own expense or in magazines.
Up to the age of six she was
very quiet, like her father.
But once she went to school
she changed.
She had such good teachers.
She really flourished then.
Very delicate.
Must be a good year.
It's a Chateau La Conseillante from '38.
We also drank it at Marie's
First Communion.
Well, have a good journey.
- Do you have some money?
I'd like to buy something
on the way.
Come on, Belle, we're going away.
Right now.
Right now.
Money, Mathieu. Money.
That's true.
What was I thinking?
Money.
Will you play for us, Jeanne?
- No, it's too long since I've played.
Please.
- Jeanne, don't make us beg.
Just play something.
I was on the way to the museum
and now I bump into you.
We're always chasing behind
and time flies by.
Or we never cease, as you put it.
Everything all right with Jeanne?
Yes, thank you.
It's not serious.
Just a matter of routine.
The man from Robertville that you hit
did lodge a complaint.
Now I have to ask you some questions.
I didn't want to spoil the fun
at the wedding.
Of course.
Perhaps we could go
to Robertville together?
I have to take those gentlemen there
too, for a different case.
Do you mean now?
As you wish.
To avoid any unpleasantness.
All right. Thanks, Marcel. But quickly
because I have other commitments.
I'll come in your car.
Would you rather I'd been on my own?
No, no.
Which road do you want
to take to Robertville?
Doesn't matter.
Take the road you know best.
Over there.
The body is in a hole.
Since when, Mathieu?
Thursday.
But it's a dog.
I must be mistaken.
Idiot.
Wait for me in the car.
What does this mean?
I received a note
from the German authorities.
A young smuggler was found
near the border.
For our friendship's sake
I tried to keep you out of it.
You've been tricked somehow.
You're not making it easy for me.
What kind ofgame is this?
Ifhe's still alive
why is she still waiting for me?
They robbed me,
tricked me from the start.
Thoroughly.
They're already long gone.
She couldn't do it.
She didn't trick me.
She killed him for me,
together with me.
We carried him together.
Drowned him together.
In one of the pools at Pont Noir.
A pool
at Pont Noir.
She really did it for me.
It's all true.
It's all true.
She didn't deceive me.
As long as she comes back.
As long as she comes back.