French Sahara 1933
Next, I'll build a hangar
for the vehicles.
Beside them I'll put the workshop.
Have you gone mad?
What's wrong, Chauvet?
Why are you stirring things up?
Let's go talk in my office.
Duclos, take over.
THE LAST FLIGH
Go ahead, I'm Iistening!
This is Tuareg country,
we must respect their customs.
No! It's French soil,
under my command!
If I may say so, Captain,
that's not how to handle Tuaregs.
Especially Firhoun!
He must respect my authority,
and give up his subversive idea
of reuniting the tribes.
Your protg erred
by ignoring my order.
That mistake proves his guilt.
Tomorrow I'II talk to old Limane,
after his night of prayers.
He's still very influential here.
l know him welI,
hell Iisten to me.
If you swear
no harm wiII come to his son.
Why be rough on him?
He's not aII bad.
He onIy has one idea.
Know what he wants?
More braid on his uniform.
He's using the Tuaregs
to pIay war-games.
He was sent here to clean things up.
Because I'm too soft?
Damn what they think
in Algiers or Paris.
They're not on the terrain.
Took years to get the locals
to trust me.
What'II you do next?
Re-enlist elsewhere?
We'II see.
Anyway, I'lI get posted
to a garrison back home.
I think you belong in Africa.
We're through here.
Nonsense.
I don't mean France, I mean you.
I see you leaving the army
and settling here.
Dunno... I reaIIy don't.
Limane, Iisten. This is important.
I spoke to the Captain.
He won't arrest Firhoun,
but he wants your son to give up
the gathering of the tribes.
He isn't alone
in wanting this gathering.
By refusing to obey,
you're defying the army.
The tribes don't defy your army,
they just want to meet.
We have to calm things down.
The Captain is irked,
help me and I'II help you.
HeIp me avoid this gathering.
Breathe gently...
That's still too high, Captain.
You need rest...
You can get dressed.
You know Lt Chauvet weII?
Sure...
Can he be trusted?
Unquestionably. Here...
Has being here
changed him a Iot?
In what way?
There's sea-sickness
and mountain vertigo,
isn't there a desert equivalent?
No...
WeIl, maybe there is
a kind of desert giddiness,
which mostIy affects newcomers.
Thanks, Louis.
Get some rest, Captain, huh?
I'II try.
On my next leave,
I'm going to Ma Andr's.
Heard she got some new girIs.
Last month, I had me
a white gal, barely 20.
A sizzler!...
Fresh in from Paris!
A real beaut!
That's a big change...
from the local squaws.
It's something eIse, Iet me tell you.
Well?
It's a broad!
Come in!
Marie Vallires de Beaumont.
Captain Vincent Brosseau.
I weIcome you.
PIease be seated.
Care for a drink?
No thanks.
I'm amazed Algiers didn't warn me
of your arrival.
It's about the British pilot?
Correct.
What's been done to find him?
I followed the trail by car,
to Gao.
He was breaking a record,
he wouldnt fly over a trail.
You shouId use your camel corps!
l can't assign a lot of men
to search for him.
A Iot of men? Meaning how many?
I've had no orders from our HQ.
Lancaster disappeared 5 days ago.
Every minute counts,
I can't wait for orders!
I was toId you'd help.
By Ben Gallier, a St Cyr graduate.
He's my cousin.
I know him well :
a classmate
at officer training-school.
Meanwhile, can you tank up
my plane?
No probIem, Ma'am.
Section, at the double!
Snap to it!
In open order!
Section, halt!
Right turn!
Leave in the morning.
Night flights are risky here.
Open order!
Attention!
No chatter!
At ease!
I hope the limey had
enough water on board,
or his sweetheart'll find him
roasted.
She's stuck on him,
to set out aIone!
Don't make fun, Vasseur.
She's a seasoned flyer.
Duclos inquired.
Got her pilots license at 18,
then decided to topple records.
Almost killed herseIf once.
When was that?
on an island near Borneo.
Guess who risked his life
to find her: Lancaster.
Bet they're hot in the sack!
OK, Vasseur!
By "hot in the sack",
he means "in Iove".
Guy's a lucky loser.
Why?
What gal would risk her Iife
to find you in a desert?
At cadet school,
they taught us
how Colonel Laperrine
dosed his water in the desert.
If Lancaster has will,
hell survive.
Thanks.
What'II happen to my brother?
If your father listens to me,
we can settle it.
And if he refuses?
I'd rather not think about it.
Antoine, I'm afraid...
Come.
Tell him to smile.
I'II write down their names.
Have you convinced your brass?
Captain!
HQ won't greenlight it.
A life's at stake!
Don't act Iike them!
HeIp me, I can't manage aII aIone.
The Gao squadron
shouId search the Tenere.
I'm not a magician
who orders squadrons around!
If one of your men was lost,
you'd act fast!
Respect our allies!
BiII fought for France!
Without men Iike him,
you'd be enslaved,
not strutting in your uniform!
Why not ask your father for help?
He's an eminent general.
He tried to stop me
from coming here.
My Tuaregs are unruly.
I won't let them out
till it's resolved.
Sorry, it's a matter of priorities.
I'II find a way...
Above aII, you need rest.
You can have my room.
It's the best here.
Where are you going?
Let go of it!
Let go of me!
Let me go!
Don't stay there!
Ma'am, some food for you!
You must eat! Open the door!
I need nothing, thanks.
I'II Ieave it on the doorstep.
Antoine, carefuI.
I'm cutting branches.
Don't worry.
Hello.
I wanted to thank you for yesterday.
I did what anyone wouldve done.
I need help.
Have you talked to the Captain?
He won't help.
Problems with the Tuaregs.
You know them,
find some to escort me.
They won't go into the Tenere.
No water, too many superstitions.
Convince them, I can pay them.
Pay them?
They scorn your money.
If the person you loved was lost,
what'd you do?
Where Lancaster crashed,
the desert is dangerous.
Trying to find him is suicidal.
For people like you,
Iife is sensible or it's a dream.
Love is just a dream, right?
How are you?
I saw your son Firhoun
heading into the Tenere.
You can talk in front of him.
With him were some 60 armed men.
From which tribe?
Ajjers, Iforas, Hoggars?
I don't know. They were far away.
Excuse me...
I'm Iooking for a plane,
that crashed.
You speak French?
A plane...
That crashed...
In the dunes...
A plane in the sky...
You saw a plane?
A white man?
See any smoke?
We saw nothing.
No plane, no white man,
no smoke.
I'm sorry, they saw nothing.
Thanks for accepting
this sudden invitation.
You know why I accepted it.
We're from the same background...
Know the same peopIe,
even have friends...
We couId have met before,
but fate chose this setting
for our first dinner.
Eat! I hear
you have stomach problems.
You sound Iike my mother.
The first thing she said
when I Ieft:
"Mind your stomach."
Women astound me.
I speak of my resolve
to serve France overseas,
and she worries about my gut!
She's right...
Your resolve needs a healthy body.
I say the head decides everything.
You're a perfect example.
A woman like you,
having such a briIIiant career!
Find me men
to go into the Tenere.
ReaIIy, Ma'am.
I thought l'd been
quite frank with you.
I'm sorry the search was in vain,
but you must understand...
How can I accept that?
Let someone die in the desert,
without coming to his aid?
Duclos!
- Captain!
- The telex, pIease!
I just got this.
Thanks.
Urgent order from HQ.
Arrest Firhoun, dead or aIive.
Sgt Mercier killed
trying to intercept Firhoun.
Permission to take 60 men
to ensure immediate arrest.
Satisfied, Lt Chauvet?
Now your Firhoun went too far.
Unless we punish this crime,
no Tuareg wilI respect
the honour and authority of France!
Firhoun and his men are
in the Blue Mountain area.
- Captain, may I...
- Not another word!
I'm taking this over.
We Ieave tomorrow, in daylight.
Relay my orders!
That'II be aII.
They say
Firhoun just defended himseIf.
Stop the chatter.
Firhoun kiIIed a Frenchman.
He kiIIed him in self-defence.
To protect himseIf!
Quiet!
Move, dammit!
Sadou, that one, there.
That one, there.
Adou!
That one, too.
This one.
No, it's too weak for rough terrain.
Come here!
For the Captain.
Vasseur, load up the munitions!
Heading into the Tenere?
ln a week, the Tamanrasset convoy
heads up north.
They'll escort you to Algiers.
I won't take orders from you!
Damn malaria!
I'll get the doctor.
No, stay.
I'II get over it.
Now I can't do anything
to protect your brother.
Firhoun defended his honour.
Honour?
The Captain also loves
that stupid word!
Calm down.
It's our Iast night together.
What nonsense!
I have a fever,
but you're delirious.
Cartridge beIt...
Lt, 30 men didn't report for duty.
Just as I thought.
You knew?
He won't talk anyway.
What's he up to, dammit?
Go get him!
He puked alI night.
Look, he's white as a sheet.
Attention!
Around 30 men deserted.
Due to your methods.
Means those who stayed
are reliable.
At ease!
You can't come with us!
This is a military operation!
What'II you do? Lock me up?
Why not?
Here's your chance to help me.
You risk nothing :
I'II sign a release for you.
I know he's aIive.
Take me, or you'lI have doubts
aII your Iife.
That you Iet him die.
Fine, but you're under my orders.
You can't take her aIong!
We can't waste time!
- Despite a woman's presence...
- I made the decision!
Mount!
CIose ranks.
In double file!
The onIy way
to the Blue Mountain
is through the wadi.
As I said, it's the shortest route.
Ask if there's another.
You ask. He understands you.
I was asking you.
Excuse me, Lt.
There's another trail,
but it's longer.
We know, Si Ahmed.
But we must be fast.
Sorry, Lt.
I refuse to trust this scout.
You know why.
Well head this way
to reach Firhoun.
And walk 16 hours a day, if need be.
Captain, we can't hoId that pace.
Men ll die.
- We've done it before, we're tough.
- Good night.
Good night, Lt.
Sure they can handle the desert?
You came to find your husband?
You'II find him.
You'II see.
Allah is with you.
Hell keep him alive,
till you find him.
Here.
Thanks.
We were heading southeast,
now northwest! Why?
I know what l'm doing,
don't worry.
You're supposed to head
into the Tenere.
Don't complicate things,
get back in Iine.
Forward!
Miloud, put the flares down. Come,
I need you. M'barak, come too!
Hurry!
Blacks don't frighten you,
that's good.
Not in the Ieast.
We housetrained these,
we pacified them.
We're here to civilize them.
I Iike him, he's very kind.
Moussa, give the lady a glass.
No thanks.
You're wrong, it's very good.
Moussa, give her a glass.
A glass.
Thanks.
Your soup good?
May I?
You think
I don't belong here, right?
I think it's dangerous.
You're judging me.
You're mistaken.
Since Bill disappeared,
I feeI everyone's against me.
You got this far,
that's what matters.
We promised it to each other.
lf one of us is missing,
the other must search.
When he Ieft,
l made him swear to stay
by his plane if he crashed.
You did weII.
It's his onIy chance of survival.
Thanks for your support.
That you, Ma'am?
- I need...
- No probIem.
Just caII me. I'II come.
HeIp me, hurry.
Get me a rifle!
And a saddle blanket!
You realize what you're doing?
We'II be spotted.
I knew it was crazy to take you.
Here.
Go on!
I heard of your escapade.
So far, I trusted you.
You disappoint me, Ma'am.
I can still send you back to camp.
Don't force me to.
They saw a camel
with a man tied to it.
A Jesuit wandering in the desert,
who got lost.
He was aIive, but unconscious.
No one knew how Iong
the camel bore him.
He was saved
by its survival instinct.
Camels search endlessly
for a waterhole.
He thought
the Good Lord had saved him!
Lancaster doesn't have a camel,
but one can believe in miracles.
I'II believe anything, Louis.
- Thanks for your lovely tales.
- You're weIcome.
Ma'am,
behind that mountain is the Tenere!
The Tenere!
Know what I feeI?
Great pride that this vast area
belongs to us.
From Mauritania to Sudan,
the whole Sahara is French.
Tell the men we attack before night.
We couId still avoid a showdown.
ReaIIy? How?
I didn't come here to turn back.
Let me speak to him again.
No, you failed once,
don't be foolish again.
I'lI get him
to surrender peacefully.
The terrain's against us.
We may lose a lot of men.
Firhoun and his men are weII-armed.
How do you know?
I'm guessing.
He's sure of himseIf.
He needs a fight to assert his wiII,
you're giving him that opportunity.
What do you lose
if I deliver Firhoun?
Let me try...
Give me a few hours.
AII right.
and Vasseur with you.
I'd prefer Adua and Louis.
And Si Ahmed! It's settIed.
Thanks, Captain.
Stop!
Firhoun!
It's too Iate now!
"Forgive us our trespasses,
"as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
"Lead us not into temptation,
"but deliver us from eviI.
"Amen."
You're through, Lt Chauvet.
That's the result
of your two-bit humanism.
You were manipulated
by those you had to control!
You thought you were famiIy
because you slept with one?
Your attitude amounts to treason.
We civilize savages.
The Tuaregs have slaves:
I'm anti-slavery!
At Ieast Adua's death freed a slave.
Don't soil our memory of Adua.
Right, keep lecturing me.
I'm sick of your nonsense.
Louis died because of you.
It's on your conscience.
Sacrificed for your silly ideals.
Lieutenant!
Tie him up for the night!
Captain, not that,
not between Frenchmen.
Vasseur, it's an order!
Silence, you Iot!
Lt, follow me!
Silence!
We attack at dawn!
Firhoun's a savage:
France is at war with them.
Fall out!
BiII...
I'II manage to reach you.
HoId out...
Captain.
You wanted to see me.
What's it about?
A trooper ll take you back.
Let him help me search the Tenere.
No one dares tell you...
that youll only find
Lancaster's corpse.
Spare yourseIf that.
There's not enough of you.
You'II aII die.
I'II fight to the end.
You know me, Lt.
Ma'am...
Don't be afraid, come with me.
Antoine sent me.
Here.
He's the onIy man
who believed in me.
An outstanding man.
We scoured the worId together.
This photo was taken in 1 929.
After we broke
the London to Sydney record.
To the Australians we were heroes.
Then he went back
to his wife and kids.
He aIways went back to them.
I shouId be with him now.
You shouldnt go over aII that.
Have you ever flown
in a plane, Antoine?
No.
It's a unique feeling,
incomparable...
You may be court-martialled for this.
To be frank,
helping you find Lancaster
adds meaning to my flight.
You were cIose to Louis?
We met during the war, we were 17.
I opted for the colonies...
The Sahara...
At first, I saw this as a virgin land
where aII had to be done.
We brought them progress.
Now I think we brought confusion.
I heard you had some ties here.
I'II never be a Tuareg.
I was thinking
of aII your exploits.
They were risky, no?
Risky, yes.
Beyond the risk, you feeI free.
You've taken risks in the desert?
I never did any exploits.
I failed at everything I tried.
Would you have done it
without him?
What?
Taking such risks, just Iike that...
Crossing aII those continents?
You did it for you or for him?
What are you trying to find out?
Nothing.
He says he won't go any further.
Therell be no water.
So he's stopping.
I aIways felt
BiII crashed in this area.
He's not talking about that.
Goodbye...
We'll meet again.
God be with you.
Take good care.
You too.
Let's go.
Thanks, Sadou.
God be with you.
Which way do you want to go?
We can't carry on Iike this.
Where do we head?
Where to?
That way? Straight ahead?
Backwards? Where to?
Where do we go?
We keep going...
It has a lame paw,
it won't go further.
Last night I dreamt we found him.
Why did you come?
What?... How can you ask?
You came to prove something to him,
hoping he'd Ieave his wife and kids.
Deep down you know he never wiII.
You're being cruel. Arbitrarily.
No...
I'm setting you straight.
If he loved you,
he'd have Ieft them Iong ago.
He's selfish.
You judge him
without knowing him?
What do you know about Iove?
What does your Iove-Iife add up to?
Pretending tenderness
to get physically satisfied?
You're uncommitted, and lecture me?
My feelings for Amana...
You know how Iong...
You think I needed you
to have doubts?
Love and doubt are inseparable.
Your need to love
is stronger than your Iove.
That's aII.
No thanks.
Antoine...
Everything's fine.
No, you're not drinking enough.
I'm fine.
I'm fine, thanks.
How Iong can we hoId out?
About 4 days...
Maybe 5...
There's a light...
Forgive me.
Forgive me, I was sure...
l didn't hobble our pack camel
Iast night.
It's gone.
We shouId rest today.
You're too tired.
No.
l want to help,
but I can't Iet you grow so weak.
I beg you.
lf I calculated right
we're cIose to where he crashed.
I beg you...
Talk to me.
Talk to me, pIease...
PIease write for me...
I'm too weak...
For days I looked for you...
in this vast desert...
I know you're here somewhere,
waiting for me...
We took so many risks together...
Our Iove carried us so far...
You hear the song of the dunes?
Can you hear it?
I'm afraid I've taken you nowhere...
After wandering
semi-conscious for 3 days,
Marie and Antoine were saved by
the survival instinct of their camel.
during a French nuclear test,
the wreckage of Lancaster's plane
was found
near the area
where Marie and Antoine ended up.
Beside his mummified body
was a notebook:
he'd kept a daily log
of his 10 days of agony.
It was written for Marie.
As promised, he stayed by his plane,
sure to the end she'd save him.