1
Be careful, it's cow's milk
and it's precious.
Haute-Savoie
SUMMER 1951
Time for dinner,
but first let's have a drink!
Well, that's nice!
If we had her with us in the woods,
we'd be more motivated!
What a pretty girl!
It's a pity she ran away.
She comes from the village.
- She's our mascot.
- Don't tease me!
She likes everyone,
especially strongmen and loggers...
She's a complete idiot!
She can't hear you,
the poor girl's a deaf mute.
Fabrice! They've not come for you?
Mom's expecting the one o'clock train.
I wanted to surprise her.
Have you seen my brother
since he's back in St-Laurent?
You know, Monsieur Julien...
- He didn't leave at least?
- No, no...
My dear! I expected you
at one o'clock!
- But you see, I'm here already.
- My dear!
How beautiful you are!
Let me look at you.
- Your new driven?
- No, it's a friend.
- A friend of Julien?
- No, a friend from Annecy.
Frangois de Marset. My son Fabrice.
- Good afternoon sir.
- Hi.
- It still runs as well?
- Very well.
- I sold it to Frangois.
- Oh yeah?
Yes, for my little trips to Annecy
the Simca is much more practical.
And Julien?
Julien,you know...
Okay, let's look for him.
Wait for me.
- You don't recognize your older brother?
- Of course I do.
It looks like my little brother
is not very happy to see me...
You're drunk again.
You'll kill the fatted calf
for the prodigal son?
I don't want to miss that.
Back home with music!
I saw a poor boy dying.
He was barely 18.
It was freezing like hell and he fell
straight in front of me.
I closed his eyes and watched
his last smile.
And then I wrote to his poor mother
to tell her how he died.
But in the end, who gives
a shit about him?
Hello, Monsieur Fabrice,
we're very happy to see you again.
- Where's he going with my bag?
- The main building's being restored.
You've a room in the wing.
We have lunch in half an hour.
- You'll have dinner with us?
- No, I told you I couldn't.
Come on, bro,
the hell's about to ring.
Go wash your hands and pee.
Do you still want to be a doctor?
Yes.
He's like me but he's less stupid.
Family son of a German sympathizer...
I went to fight to try to keep
the rice fields French.
Still, it's not me who signed
your dispatch to Indochina!
That's true. Quite the contrary.
" If something happened to you, Julien... "
Oh, you were very well organized...
...after such an effort
we were fetuses again.
It's true, my dear mother,
we always come back to your wombs to die.
Josephine! Josephine!
Josephine, who was right?
The Germans or the French?
The French, of course.
You see!
And Dad didn't know!
However, he liked Stendhal.
But that didn't stop him
from loving the Germans.
That's culture probably.
When you don't know who's right.
Shut up! Shut up or l'm gone!
But Why?
I'm sorry, brother.
These pathetic, worn out war stories,
conscientiousness and legless soldiers.
The hero that I am
asks for your forgiveness.
Considering that his stay in Indochina
awarded him with an endless diarrhea.
Not even respect for his government.
Behave yourself.
This is a not a woman!
How much did she sell it
to you in the end?
You really regret it?
No, I'm just asking.
She gave it to me.
But seriously, how much?
You know, I am in business with her
for the furniture of the chalets.
Chalets! What chalets?
- My mother's chalet business in Megeve.
- Really.
Real estate, it's the only way to go!
You didn't learn that in school?
Want to try it? Come on.
Ready?
- You're scared?
- I nearly died of fright.
When I was 14, after the bombings,
I went along the highway to
look at the bodies.
To see if I was a man.
And you were?
Stop it, you fool.
I'm sorry.
So were you a man?
I also traded in the black market.
I sold cigarettes in the Latin Quarter.
Oh yes, and ham.
I forgot about ham.
I thought you
had been in the Resistance.
Yes, in the area, with Pupu
the carrier. We saved Jews.
How did you meet with my mother?
- On the street.
- On the street?
I was in love with her car.
- You like money?
- Yep.
I have to admit, I hate to work.
So how do you make a living?
It's so much better to earn
your way without working.
Come on.
Slowly.
Slowly.
- If you want, I can call the doctor.
- No, forget that bloody fool.
In time, call your priest.
Just to leave in good standing.
What did you do with Frangois?
Nothing, he stopped to change clothes,
to go to Geneva.
To Geneva?
Who do you hold
most dearly on earth?
You, of course, my darling.
What does he intend
to do in Geneva?
Poor Julien.
- Hey, what do you want?
- Good morning!
What do you want?
Good morning, Haber.
Who are you?
Don't you recognize me?
I'm Fabrice Fournier.
Wow, the kid Fabrice!
My god! Little Fabrice!
What a surprise!
Little Fabrice!
Come in, have a drink.
Look at that!
Little Fabrice!
- He told me we'd have guests today.
- Who told you that?
M. Douglas.
M. Douglas died 12 years ago.
Why, don't you know?
Every evening at 7:00
he speaks to us.
Here, read it.
The little spirit.
It's thanks to me that
the table started to speak.
Madame Smollett tried for years
to get in contact with spirits.
But she wasn't a medium.
So one day, to entertain her,
I tried.
Then, blam! It started
to shake in all directions.
I predicted everything.
Thorez's disease.
And the marriage of Antonio's son.
- What is it?
- Nothing.
Is she sick? - No she wants sympathy,
but I'm not buying it anymore.
- And if she's really bad?
- If so she wouldn't scream like that.
The doctor, quick!
A great actress.
Our place isn't here,
but at La 'Cala in Milan.
Help me!
I'm choking!
The doctor, quick!
What do you want?
Nothing, I just heard...
It's Kleber. I thought you needed...
I'm sorry.
Sorry is a hypocrite's word.
Where do you come from, boy?
Come closer.
Why don't you come closer?
Touch my feet.
Already cold, right?
It's a bad sign.
Feet are often cold.
But not in the summer.
Tell me then...
From the terrace,
did you hear me?
Yes, ma'am.
So why does he never come?
He's not deaf, him.
Maybe a little.
She'll kill me
making that racket.
Where is she going again?
I wonder why I kept her.
Yes, I know. To annoy the priest.
He wanted to take her from me.
Probably to teach her
how to distinguish good from evil.
Sin . .. is their favorite trick.
They hear voices,
they hand out sweets,
they moan, they take care of the lepers,
they see the invisible,
then they see nothing,
they sleep in the belly of the whale,
they walk on water. Nonsense!
The lame walk,
the blind see,
the lepers are healed,
the deaf hear,
and the dead are raised.
Tell me...
What will they do with
all these people in good health?
Where's the girl?
Who, Hell? She's there.
Ah, yes, Hell.
I forgot her name.
You were still a baby.
Her mother served us as a maid.
She died immediately after
the birth of her daughter. - Hell...
- lsn't that a mythological name?
- Of course. Her mother was Greek.
Tell me, are you interested in the girl?
Is that why you came to the castle?
Why does no one take care of hen'?
The deaf and dumb can learn
in special schools.
They can learn how to read lips.
You see her in a such a prison,
trying to speak,
learning words without meaning,
making a fool of herself?
Believe me, she's happier than we are.
I knew you could talk!
What's going wrong with
my little Fabrice?
He is late to the table.
You'll see,
my chanterelles will spoil again.
Chanterelles don't spoil.
That's nonsense, Josephine.
At home we say: "Chanterelles
of the day, Chanterelles of love,
Chanterelles not eaten,
chanterelles spoiled."
- And can I say "thunderbolt"?
- No.
"Lightning"?
You can say "fucking".
- "Idolater", can I?
- No.
What can I say'?
You can say:
"Brothel, whorehouse, fuck."
You can even say it in English.
Brothel, whorehouse, fuck, scum!
You're not feeling great, huh?
I bet you ate rat poison again.
Neither of us will last long.
Listen to this.
I was met with open arms.
I asked his forgiveness for
always being bad.
I hugged him with all my heart,
but I stank so much
that he started to sniff.
"Ah, Clmence! " he said
and he pushed me away.
"What a dirty pig, this bastard.
He's covered with shit."
"Oh, Clmence!
Get him upstairs, please."
"I'm still getting angry,
but he's disgusting!"
It was the end of
the warm welcome.
No, not yet.
No!
I'm cold.
I'm cold.
I'm cold.
I'm... cold.
I'm cold.
Flower.
Flower.
Flower.
Flower.
Crown! Crown.
Crown.
Mom on starboard!
Oh, my dress is ruined.
Naughty me.
No, Fabrice, no!
I'm in love with Madame Fournier,
but since I've known her,
she never deigned to
throw a glance at me.
You're talking nonsense, doctor.
Confidence for confidence,
allow me to make this confession...
I chose to be a doctor
only to look at naked women.
You see, he's dead.
But you don't know
what it means, "dead."
Dead!
Look.
Here comes the favorite
cabinetmaker of our mother!
What did you do in Geneva?
Walking on the lake.
You said one night,
but you stayed for six days.
- You could have called.
- You know that I never phone.
When I don't see you,
I become mean.
That's your problem.
Hey Francois, please make me a
beautiful coffin between two tables.
Then maybe mom will enjoy
a little more her visits to me.
- Already leaving?
- Only to return sooner, my dear.
When?
You swear?
Shall we try to flirt?
Will you take us? We're late.
My sister is staying alone at the hotel.
Fabrice, may I introduce Nicole.
A poor man's Mata Han.
Good afternoon.
So you're acquainted
with this two cent Adonis?
- He's lucky that way.
- Well, your ride's not so bad.
My name is Greta.
Hi, Greta.
You're ready?
And if I was Fabrice?
Take it.
Thank you.
In return you give me
your name for ten minutes.
As you wish.
Thank you.
It won't work.
You lost your money.
Oh, you've no panties?
I know that.
Cute.
But you can't see anything.
But I can guess.
I imagine, I extrapolate.
It's a naughty thing?
- To extrapolate?
- Yes.
It means considering the maximum
of possibilities from an event.
In general, by analogy.
Or by exploration.
Leave me alone.
What? Why not now?
Leave me alone.
If it's because of Fabrice,
you're wrong.
Leave me alone.
When I start something
I follow it through.
Not here, you wouldn't dare.
You're leaving, sh'?
What?
Come.
This is your room?
No, it's Mademoiselle's room.
What is your name?
Fabrice.
They're playing
"the loser wins" upstairs.
I'm beginning to feel alone.
You're going to tear everything'?
I like it when you look at me.
I'm not like them.
You know, when I
really like someone...
You've never fondled a woman yet?
You have nothing to be ashamed of.
I'm not much older than you. I'm 19.
Don't be afraid, I understand.
- I'm not afraid.
- Then what?
I don't know. I don't like this hotel.
I don't like today.
You're lovely.
Josephine!
- Sing to me.
- Not now, I've chores to do. Later.
Sing to me, Josephine.
You know my stomach is less
painful when you sing.
Come on, "La lavandire du Portugal".
He's coming, he's coming.
Douglas, are you there?
He's there.
- Douglas.
- Well, come on, come on...
Do you think about me?
Are you suffering?
He suffers? - No...
Are you happy without me?
- Yes.
- No.
Come again, another one!
What's wrong with these
needles always moving?
Douglas, will I join you soon?
Yes.
I knew it.
Why are you coming back so late?
You're going too far,
Politeness is the most
important thing in life.
If you think you're funny, you're wrong.
If you keep on like that,
I'll take a lover.
I have proposals in abundance, you know.
If you don't want to see me anymore,
just say so!
In fact, I came here
to say goodbye.
I'm going on a long trip,
maybe around the world.
It may be very, very long.
Now, your punishment.
What punishment?
You're going to take off
your clothes saying...
"I'm a pain in the ass bourgeois,
a bitch,
jealous, bigoted and debauched."
I'm a pain in the ass bourgeois,
a bitch, jealous...
- Bigoted.
- Bigoted.
And debauched.
And debauched.
Well, repeat.
I'm a pain in the ass bourgeois,
a bitch, jealous, bigoted and...
debauched.
Nicole, Nicole!
Hi, Fabrice.
You make errands now?
We left the hotel.
Dad rented a chalet.
Really? Which one?
"The Snowdrop".
"The Snowdrop". Yes, I know it.
- It's more fun than the hotel, right?
- Yes, but you have to cook.
- Greta is with you?
- Yes.
Why don't we wake him up?
Just to peeve him for the day?
Alright?
The bastard! He brought a whore!
He's late for all to hear
the creak of his shoes.
Me, I enrolled
in the 2nd airborne regiment.
He enrolled in turning tables.
Smart guy.
When old Smollett dies
Kleber will inherit 300 million.
A genius!
The Lord is with you
and with your spirit.
Amen.
"Soldiers came and broke the
legs of the first one
and then of the second one
that was crucified with Him.
Turning to Jesus,
when they saw he wasn't dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one of the soldiers
pierced his side with his spear,
and right away trickled down
blood and water."
You see...
The army again.
Fabrice was always moody.
As early as 9 years old, he went
alone for a walk in the mountains.
He returned two days later.
It was during the war
and a German soldier brought him.
He found him in a chalet
in the pastures.
Say what you like
but the Germans were very polite.
That's right.
I don't know, yes, I'd like to go there
with you. Wait, I haven't paid.
Yes, it might be fun.
You want to go there today?
Wait a second, I told you.
I haven't paid.
I'll wait at home then?
Well, you know, I think
it will be difficult tonight.
Maybe I'll call you instead.
In case I'm coming.
You don't mind?
- Thank you, sir.
- Maybe tomorrow night.
- Tomorrow? I don't know, we'll see.
- Sir, please.
There's enough to
help us survive a siege.
Bread, cheese, sausages,
Oedipus complex, olives...
They talk and they talk...
You're right,
the two of us are better here.
This is a joke in very bad taste.
But, mom, good people
always have bad taste.
Only this time I'm not kidding,
I salute the dead.
Ladies and gentlemen, friends,
Marchal Petain has died.
Julien!
Yeah, I heard it on the radio
with Josephine.
Suddenly, as Montand was singing...
Tell me, chaplain,
d 'you know my favorite poem?
I am sure you'll like it.
This is a poem by Prvert.
"Our Father, who art
in heaven, stay there.
And we will stay on earth,
which is sometimes so beautiful. "
Hot.
Hot.
Hot.
Hot.
Fabrice.
Fa...
...brice.
...brice.
...brice.
Fa... brice.
Julien.
I'm worried about Fabrice.
Where can he be?
I think he went to the mountains
with his little "talker".
How do you know?
Who told you that?
The water and forests secret police.
They need to be bribed, but
I know everything. - Go find him.
He'll send me packing.
I'm afraid that he might do
something stupid. Go on, I beg you.
Come on, tell me who sent you.
I was in the war,
I have nine injuries.
I can go up the pasture
without being told to.
You look like a romantic fool.
You could have warned us.
Mother is worried.
She threw her lover?
You're really a bloody idiot, you know.
You go crazy because your mother,
I a widow, who never loved our father,
has a lover. While you treat your
little deaf mute as the the Holy Virgin.
Never mind about mom, alright?
Tell me, Hell.
How many lovers have you have?
15 lumberjacks,
our gardener, the postman,
old Douglas, the grocer...
I'm not making anything up. You're a real
traveling brothel all by yourself, right?
Our favorite church.
You're a common bond
for the entire village.
Still, it ends up doing quite a lot.
Come on, tell me how many.
That's right, I forgot.
You don't know how to count.
It must be innocence.
She is pure, Julien.
Pure and untouched.
But you're a jerk,
you just cannot understand it.
I love her.
She slept with everybody but if
you love her... she's a virgin, alright.
It's not me who'll blame you.
For the first time in a long
time I think you're a nice guy.
Well, I think I can still
do something for you.
There's not even wine in this shack.
Look carefully, Fabrice.
This is my last lesson.
Don't be afraid, little girl.
When she was 13 it was the Germans.
Now it's the others.
She's all the forest.
She is only capable of opening up.
Like a flower.
Look.
All these gardeners are pigs...
but pureness is not there.
It's somewhere else.
Soldier, you fell at Fontenoy!
But you didn't fall
in the ear of a deaf mute.
Shit... I can't find the final words.
Monfort L'Amaury, at Plenenikof's,
during the Liberation...
If this is true,
it's a beautiful memory.
She's going to make a scene.
It's funny, I slept
with her 8 years ago.
It was great, but
I can't remember anything.
How dare you say such a thing?
How could you forget?
We forget, we forget...
It's when she said Plenenikof
that I remembered.
You've changed.
We always change overtime.
He always changes overtime...
He always changes overtime...
Do you remember your
school teachers?
Changes overtime...
It's a silly question.
What a silly question!
Totally stupid.
Totally stupid.
You're disgusting.
Disgusting, but hilarious.
I will never forget you.
We'll part before it becomes
pathetic between us.
- You're in love with someone else?
- No.
It's you women who need to love
someone else before ditching us.
- Me, I leave when it's finished, that's all.
- Oh no, you can't, this isn't possible.
With Julien you always
talk about dignity.
So let's try to be worthy.
Dignity is in my ass.
When I met you, you were polite.
Boring, but polite.
- You know Fernand... - Who?
- Fernand, Astruc's assistant.
- Girls say he's fantastic and big.
- How do you know that?
- You want me to introduce you?
- No, you know me, I'm a sentimental girl.
I'm sorry.
I love you.