Did anyone see the killer?
It was him!
He killed him!
Yes, it was him...
Surrounded by cops. What a way to go.
After the life I've led and would lead.
You don't always choose your end,
nor your beginning.
You don't real Iy choose much.
You choose to believe
and that's something.
Hope helps you live.
It can kill you too.
this proves it.
It's me, boys, it's me here.
the scandal-maker.
the loudmouth who saw too much.
Me, Georges Figon, the crook,
the liar and shit-stirrer
wanted throughout France.
Go on, turn the place upside down.
Don't mind me.
I SAW BEN BARKA GET KILLED
Life was more fun back then.
At the UN, this is how
the Soviet president disagreed.
In Cuba, Castro made the people laugh
and terrified the Americans.
In Vietnam
Ho Chi' Mi'nh had his beard pulled.
In Peking,
they waved Mao's little red book
and he looked delighted.
there were uprisings everywhere,
above all in the South
in the third World.
their most legitimate right
is the right to dignity.
Only then
will a new age have dawned in Africa.
American political
and economic domination is at its peak.
This is a tri-continental challenge,
a way for the people of three continents
to band together against imperialism.
the third World.
the former colonies...
the energy came from there,
from the "damned of the earth"
who were getting organised.
At General de Gaulle's press briefing...
France was run by an old general
and, officially, put on a stern face.
But life was great,
times were good, people had friends.
I had just got out of jail
and had become a TV star.
for one night and incognito,
but a star anyway.
You may have met on the street
but that's all you share.
Otherwise
you live in different worlds.
You don't live, think or feel
in the same way.
You and he are on different sides.
You'd only come into contact
if this man shot you to rob you.
He's a hood.
Would you write the screenplay for me?
Why not, if you pay me well.
Of course. We won't haggle over money.
Could it interest someone?
Maybe.
It could be a subject for Franju.
Georges Franju. Eyes Without A Face
with Pierre Brasseur. Great film.
And Thrse Desqueyroux
from Mauriac's novel.
He's a good director.
He's a "regular guy".
That's what hoods call each other.
A good title. The Regular Guys.
What do you think?
Of your car? Perfect.
Good engine, English elegance,
Swiss precision.
What more do you want?
Fewer parking fines.
This car's a magnet for them.
You needn't worry about that soon.
We'll all be rich.
No more parking fine worries.
No more hard times and seedy schemes...
Didn't you get rich in photo novels?
Aren't they outdated now?
I like them.
Marguerite, can I borrow your car
to run some errands?
Bring it back by six.
I promise.
Take good care of it.
And you take care too.
Mr Figon...
Lemarchand, the lawyer, is here.
I'm sorry, Pierre.
I was with Marguerite.
Duras? You're inseparable.
We were discussing a film project.
Getting into movies now?
It's her idea. We'll see.
I hope you do better than in show biz.
- Heard from the Vatican?
- You bet.
His Holiness's lawyers
could clean you out.
This pope is no fun.
Can you imagine kids
splitting their sides
to Hail Mary? Forget it.
I was counting on it.
These are all overdue.
Anything you can do?
You don't do things by halves.
I lost my French distributor
for the Swiss watches.
You can't count on honest people.
Can't you call these guys?
A Gaullist politician should calm them.
Look at this -
unsold, not even unwrapped.
Spiteful show biz gossip.
Wasn't it a good idea?
It could have worked.
A Mr Le Ny called, sir.
Big Dd... What does he want?
- Be careful, Georges.
- I'm nothing but.
Remember my passport.
I'll see to it.
See you at the Pam-Pam.
You don't know the Pam-Pam.
Claude Luther, Sydney Bechett,
New Orleans...
Pop's all that counts now.
Madame Duras. Red wine?
- Beaujolais, as usual.
- Have a seat.
Photos from the set?
What is it, Georges?
Is something wrong?
I have no memory of this photo
and yet that's me there on it.
Reading a poster
to the glory of a dead soldier.
A soldier from the '14-'18 war. Dead.
That's almost a pleonasm.
It's as if this were someone else
in the photo.
My double.
It's a sensation...
A visual sensation. A vision.
A hallucination?
Do you mean I'm mad?
Calm down, Georges.
It's our job to see what others don't see
and to speak about it.
But my films don't interest anyone.
Because you talk about the dead,
not the living.
Take an interest in them
and they'll see your films.
Life is amazing, Georges.
No writer will ever have
as much imagination as life.
Why do I write all these reports
for news magazines?
For the money? Not only.
What can I do?
Make a film with that ex-con of yours?
Figon. You'd get on well with him.
He hates priests and the army too.
You're a documentary filmmaker,
even when you make fiction.
Thrse Desqueyroux is Mauriac
as a news report.
Was this Figon
really jailed in Villejuif?
The Villejuif penal centre, yes,
at the age of 18.
His parents' idea, to spare him
the dishonour of a conviction
and the bad company of prison.
He met all of today's leading crooks there.
It was the only way for them
to escape the guillotine.
But it was worse than death there.
Everything was permitted -
shots of apomorphine,
wet sheets bound around the chest
straitjackets for no reason...
He went through that?
That was when he sealed
his pact with the devil.
THE GROUNDWORK
Times are hard, lads.
It's impossible
to set up a business now.
Whether it's honest or not.
I see that every day.
And do you know why?
Because the French are happy.
Life is cushy.
They have what they need
and they're content with that.
They're all spineless wimps.
Belt up, Jojo, you'll jinx us.
Forget Buck John, Dubail.
The war, the black market
rationing... That's over.
Use your head now.
I'll use it. To head-butt you!
Calm down, Pierrot.
This guy's a maniac!
Cut it out.
See to the car.
Look at the state of it.
Go on, Dubail, bail out.
He's a jerk.
And dangerous with it.
He'll go off the road one day
and you'll be news.
"Boucheseiche meets tree. "
You want that?
What's up? Tired?
Tired? Why do you say that?
We've got a job.
You've got what it takes at least.
I've got what it takes all right
and I need dough.
What's the deal?
Do your Left Bank pals
include a Philippe Bernier?
A hack.
Bernier? Yes.
But I know better hacks.
He's the one
our Moroccan friends are interested in.
The Casablanca deal... Going well?
- You bet!
- It's booming.
He's opened two new knocking shops.
The cops aren't too tough?
We work things out.
The Interior Minister's his pal.
General Oufkir.
No need for names.
We just get along well.
Where does the hack fit in?
Our friend the minister
wants us to contact Bernier.
You know how I work.
I prefer to be covered by people here.
I'm not giving up life in Paris.
Forget that shit, Jojo.
Boucheseiche will treat you right.
Oufkir and Frey are thick as thieves.
Their families holiday together.
Roger Frey.
The Interior Minister.
For France!
OK, I understand.
I never said I wasn't interested.
Their guy will come to see you.
His name's Chtouki.
What is it exactly?
import-export. He'll explain.
Chtouki. That's a fake name.
"Rome, the one cause
of all my bitterness!
"Rome, for whose sake
you sacrificed my love!
"Rome, which you worship,
and which saw you born!
"Rome which I hate
because she honours you. "
What's so funny?
I'm that bad?
Come on, it's really moving.
- Why did you laugh?
- A name I thought of.
All right, carry on.
"May heaven's wrath... "
Tell me who you thought of.
Anne-Marie...
A woman.
I could tell from your smile.
No! A guy called Chtouki.
The name makes me laugh.
You think I'm stupid...
Not at all.
I have to meet this Chtouki soon.
A Moroccan businessman.
He could change a lot for us.
I wish.
It's true. I'm writing a screenplay.
- On your own?
- With Marguerite Duras.
I could do worse.
I don't trust her an inch, that one.
Spare me the jealous fit.
Maybe I have my reasons.
There'll be all kinds of roles
in our story. Women's roles too.
Know who's producing it?
No one's getting rich with my ideas.
The producer picks the star.
And my star... is you!
The director needs to agree.
Why wouldn't he?
You think you're condemned
to bit parts? Maids, cooks,
pump attendants, waitresses...
You deserve better and I'll prove it.
What does Chtouki do?
Chtouki is just money.
Money I'll make with him
and stake on you.
- Will it shoot in Morocco?
- All over. It's an international film.
Time to practice.
The future's at our door. Seize it now.
"May her neighbours band together... "
"May her neighbours band together
to undermine her weak foundations.
"And should Italy not suffice,
may East and West unite against her.
"May a hundred peoples of all the world
cross land and sea to destroy her. "
You're never serious.
Ten minutes is your limit.
Ten minutes?
Watch out for trouble today.
Dubail...
Stay with us. Keep an eye open too.
Jacques Donadieu
was not only a soldier
and an officer
in the noblest sense
in other words
an officer in the French' army...
Aren't you sick of all this praise
for our dead and our killers?
How do you put up with it?
You're too fond of that shit -
order, hierarchy, honours.
We can't all be cowboys.
Cowboys?
I don't give a toss about it.
The Liberation. What a joke!
It wasn't a game, that's true.
You're right, it was war.
To take your mind off praise...
A passport in my name.
I'd nearly given up hoping.
You had to go high to get this.
After all my years inside...
I can really work now.
No more secret trips.
Business can pick up. Seriously.
You know what?
My name is Chtouki.
Georges Boucheseiche sent me.
Chtouki... Of course.
Mr Boucheseiche spoke about you.
You're close?
Yes, we work in different fields
him in hotels, me in the press,
but our interests converge.
You're interested in movies.
As a producer.
As a producer? Yes, of course.
I've come to ask you to produce a film.
Tell me all about it.
It's a historical film of interest
to recently independent countries.
A film with archive footage
and interviews.
A documentary?
Yes, a documentary.
On decolonization.
Decolonization! A crucial subject.
Very topical.
News programmes are a big hit on TV.
These new countries interest people.
But as for the financing...
We provide the financing.
Let's move on
to the practical details, then.
One of our compatriots
will be your historical adviser.
A Moroccan adviser.
Why not, if he knows the subject?
I'm a professional, see.
Efficiency matters.
He knows the subject -
colonialism, imperialism, capitalism...
It's his stock in trade.
His name is Mehdi Ben Barka.
Bernier has known him for years.
And I know Bernier.
Always working, always broke.
Easy to hire.
Ben Barka works internationally.
One day in Peking, then Moscow,
then Havana...
He's like an eel, always on the move.
So you want to keep him in one place?
He'll be glad
to work on a film with you,
however long it takes. You'll see.
Let's really go to town.
I'll ask Duras to write the narration
and get Franju to direct.
A great writer, a good director.
I know them well
and the subject will hook them.
Ben Barka will "hook" them too.
So tell me, what do I get in return?
The production money.
You know, a film like this
shot by a gentleman like Franju,
written by a lady like Duras,
plus archive material,
Bernier's salary, other contributions,
insurance, expenses, travel,
the advances
for your compatriot who travels...
it'll cost around...
100 mil. 100 million francs. Old francs, that is.
That sounds reasonable.
I hope you have many enemies -
it's a pleasure dealing with you.
See you, Mr Figon.
You're leaving already?
I'll be in touch.
I'll never be far away.
I'll follow you at a distance.
Discreetly.
My lucky day...
Really.
In the month prior to the meeting,
hundreds of students and children
who demonstrated in Casablanca
were shot down
by General Oufkir's police.
We now know that the King
sent Ben Barka a message
asking him to return to Morocco
in a position of responsibility.
At the same time, the secret services
were making a film on decolonisation
with Ben Barka
as its historical adviser!
I kept this for some reason.
They make good souvenirs.
I tend to keep all my articles too.
It's a sort of kaleidoscope of my life.
But this is much more coherent -
the mirror of a life's work.
He watches you.
He keeps an eye on me.
Did you see it recently?
My cellmate
would whistle it every night.
It stopped him having nightmares.
It's the music from Mr Franju's
Eyes Without A Face.
A very complex film to make.
Because of the star?
No, the subject. A fantasy film
with a scientist
as the main character.
Science takes realism
to its very extreme.
You can't cheat with a scientist.
Even to scare people.
Marguerite mentioned a screenplay...
The blackmail story?
I have better now.
That's why I've brought Bernier.
I'm warning you,
I'm not right for all subjects.
I'm sick of fake cop stories.
They're rubbish, right?
Lads who never close doors after them...
That really gets my back up.
A hood is cautious by nature.
No one takes him unawares.
The film I intend to offer you
is nothing like those films.
It's a film...
on politics.
A political film?
I've never made one. I hate politics.
It's not about politics.
It goes beyond politics.
It's a film about an evil that spread
over the world in the last century
in the name of God and civilization -
the North getting rich in the South.
You see what I mean -
Algeria, Vietnam, Black Africa...
South America too.
You want me to make a film on colonization?
Better, on decolonisation.
Think of the energy
of millions of rebels
after the war, in the colonies.
Truly fantastic images -
men ready to die to change the rules.
See, it is a film for you.
Can this kind of film interest people?
Backers, I mean.
It interests the whole world.
So it will interest backers.
I have some serious contacts.
Especially with...
With?
Ben Barka as historical adviser.
Ben Barka? The Moroccan opponent?
The Third World's leader.
The only one to bring together
dissenting forces around the world.
He knows that.
The conference is set for January in Cuba
with the film to inaugurate it.
In January?
It's already August.
We don't have a minute to lose, Georges.
That's not much time.
I knew Ben Barka in '55
when I was with Radio Morocco.
The French had just deported
Mohammed V to Madagascar.
The French were arresting,
killing and torturing all the time.
Mauriac ended up founding
an intellectuals' committee in Paris.
Mauriac? That reeks of holy water.
He wasn't alone. There were left-wingers,
anarchists, Gurin...
I prefer that.
I can't abide nuns, it's physical.
The prisons are full of them
trying to make you feel remorse.
As if the Christians
hadn't invented remorse.
I was stupid enough to say that
one evening on TV.
Mauriac wrote to Le Figaro
to say that a man who said that
had to be a true Christian.
the guy's incorrigible.
Believe me, Mohammed V
recovered his throne in '56
thanks to men like Ben Barka
and his incredible energy.
He got his nickname, Dynamo,
at that time.
He can't be ignored.
They want him dead.
Ben Barka gave a progressive impulse
to North African independence.
- Progressive!
- Yes, against colonialism
and those who try
to define the anti-colonial struggle
as a war of religion
against Christianity.
Here are your tickets.
Flight T221 to Cairo.
You board in 30 minutes.
Your bags are registered.
Tell me, Mr Lopez, that ruddy fellow...
Is he a cop?
indeed he is. With the Drugs Squad.
I sniff them out, I can't help it.
We often cooperate, to our benefit.
And the honour of France.
Exactly. Drugs are a true plague.
Unpleasant chap, with his innuendos.
You leave from Le Bourget in two hours.
I'll get you a cab.
Don't bother, I'll do it.
As you wish.
Don Pedro to Thomas...
They have the tickets,
they're on their way.
You've finished this?
You need an "S" here.
There. Very good.
What can you say
about lines D1 and D2?
They're parallel lines.
Good girl. Draw the figure now.
Open the compass.
You've arrived.
Yes, I'll put him on.
Mehdi, the Cubans...
You've met the African delegates?
Very good.
No, the most urgent point
is the third one.
Mr Chairman...
This is Georges Figon,
the film's producer.
Mr Franju didn't come?
He had a last-minute problem
and missed the flight.
- That's a pity.
- He was very sorry too.
He is very motivated about the film.
Not to mention Marguerite.
Marguerite Duras.
It's all she talks about.
You know her?
Only by reputation.
The authorities gave her mother
some useless land in Indochina.
It ruined the family.
Colonialism inspires her.
Take my word on that.
Is the Havana conference coming along?
100 countries and movements will attend.
Vital issues will be raised.
From the Third World's angle for once.
I hear the Americans are worried.
All these leaders will attend
because you'll be there.
It will be a major first.
A conference launched by a film.
Highly unusual.
The film will also be a first -
the first major overview
of decolonisation.
With interviews with Third World leaders
and unseen footage on decolonisation
and the anti-colonial struggle.
Can you help us get it?
Some of it is virtually newsreel stock.
Cameramen managed to film
the massacres in Casablanca.
You see former Moroccan officers
in the French army hard at work.
Is it true that Oufkir himself
fired on the crowd from a helicopter?
- Hot, isn't it?
- Paris is chillier.
My jaw brings back memories
in this heat.
I took a German bullet
as Paris was freed.
- You're busy?
- Indeed
I'm afraid I am.
You'll see to the details
with Mr Franju directly
but you obviously have a say
in the final cut.
You'll see a first print in December
and the final one in January,
just before the conference.
This is Mr Franju's project outline.
- I'll send you the contracts.
- Very good.
Thank you.
That went well.
He's interested.
the dance begins.
All the Haoukas must be possessed.
Those who are possessed
all wear colonial uniforms -
the military,
government agents, the governor...
They make a mockery of them
as they rave.
The law of the strongest -
that explains
the colonised peoples' rage.
Mr Franju? Mehdi Ben Barka speaking.
I'm in Cairo. Am I disturbing you?
Not at all. It's good to hear you.
A pity you missed our meeting.
I'm very sorry
but I'm terrified of flying.
You still want to make the film?
Yes, my mind is made up.
I keep thinking about it.
I'm watching a Jean Rouch film
on the colonial period as we speak.
Can you hear it?
Very well.
Your producer told you everything?
I also had your reply
with your suggested title.
"Basta!"
Castro said that to the Americans
in one of his speeches.
It's clear and precise.
The film will be imbued
with years of rage.
We have to meet. I'll be in Paris
in October. I'll call you.
I'll be honoured.
Mr Franju, I'm honoured
to work with a man like you.
I'll see you soon. Good-bye.
Tomorrow at 12.. 30
at the Brasserie Lipp.
It's all ready.
Lopez has hired two policemen
to intercept Ben Barka there.
Two French Connection heroes
he works with.
I see who you mean.
Be there, Mr Figon.
When do I get the money?
As planned.
As planned...
I could do with an advance.
No advances in this deal.
If it fails, we start again.
If it works, you're rich.
He'll soon be here.
That guy is never late.
Let's go.
A bottle of wine?
Ben Barka doesn't drink.
- A Pouilly and mineral water.
- We're expecting someone.
Well, Georges my boy,
are things going well?
Nice and easy.
There's interest abroad.
Ben Barka's involvement
is good for the South.
They are not rich but, like the poor,
there are a lot of them.
- Has Marguerite signed on?
- As good as.
She can't back out
she's in the contract.
We just need Ben Barka to sign.
I have to make a quick call.
What is Phantoms?
A hooded face, fine.
But the most frightening thing
is Phantoms without his mask
when he walks in the crowd
with nothing to set him apart.
- He'll be here soon.
- He knows the place?
He chose to meet here.
Ben Barka will receive two per cent
of the film's gross.
A wound on the left parietal lobe
that is the source
of two heavy flows of blood.
The anterior thorax and the abdomen
are against the floor.
The lower members are bent slightly
with the two feet turning to the right
of the supine body
and the right arm under the abdomen.
Hard to explain
how I ended up like chi's
after shooting myself
in the back of my head.
I was good at gymnastics
but this is absurd.
Your Honour...
Your Honour!
Pierre Auric in person!
the prosecutor at my trial in '55.
20 years for firing while wounded.
He asked the jury for my head.
Simply because
I insulted the scoundrel.
My insults
were still ringing in his ears.
But he was still around anyway.
It's all eyewash,
dishonesty, play-acting
and cheap theatricals.
THINGS TAKE A NASTY TURN
Mr Franju, please.
He isn't here. Who's calling?
His producer.
He was summoned to Police HQ.
Where?
- Dd...
- What?
- Mr Le Ny, please.
- Just a second.
- Is that Georges?
- What's going on?
- It's bad, that's all I know.
- We're covered, right?
Get over here, OK.
- What is it?
- The family filed a complaint.
Family? What family?
Ben Barka had a family.
I imagine so but how did they know?
The student with him.
There'll be an investigation.
Why didn't those dumb cops
pick him up too?
- Let's go to Fontenay.
- You're crazy. They've all split.
I'm off too. They already got Lopez.
The airport guy?
He was in with the secret services
here and over there.
He was covered better than anyone.
Only markets are covered now, Jojo.
What about the money?
it'll be paid into a Swiss account
next month.
Why not right away?
The Moroccans are here.
Oufkir and his pals are hosting
a party at the embassy.
They won't be taking root.
You shouldn't either.
Why not come to Morocco?
Morocco? No, I'll sort something out
with Lemarchand.
BEN BARKA KIDNAPPED
CLAIMS LOPEZ
What is this, Pierre?
intelligence has dumped Lopez.
For Boucheseiche and his lads
that was their French cover.
I hope your lads are far away.
Shit, Mauriac's at it again!
What?
"Committee for the truth
in the Ben Barka affair. "
The old anti-torture committee
from the days of the protectorate.
Mauriac is the chairman.
Can't he stop pissing me off?
I'll be right there.
I have to go. The General will announce
he's running for president tonight.
He's already president.
He's standing
for another seven-year term.
That's democracy.
Sure... And what do I do?
Just wait until it all blows over.
Behave until the election, please.
Behave?
With all this fuss in the papers?
You've come.
It's good to see you.
That was your brilliant plan?
How are you involved exactly?
I brought a guy to an appointment.
With the blessing of the secret service.
And the French cops.
Why did they want him?
To kill him?
Not kill him, just kidnap him.
Like Colonel Argoud in Munich.
The OAS leader two years ago.
As far as I know, Argoud isn't dead.
He was picked up in the cathedral garden.
Boucheseiche set it all up.
Boucheseiche!
You know some odd people!
What? The OAS had to be stopped.
Thanks to former Gestapo agents?
People can change.
You realise who Ben Barka was?
I read the papers too.
He looks like a decent man.
I'm sad for him.
Looks can be deceiving.
I mean
I look like a provincial solicitor.
He's not the kind we come across.
He's an idealist. You can tell.
Sure. An idealist in politics!
Exactly.
He's popular in Morocco
and not just with the poor.
The friend in Paris who put him up
was a Moroccan businessman.
He had too many friends.
That's why he was kidnapped.
These last two weeks were tough.
Can I spend the night at your place?
Of course you can.
- You're not scared?
- Of what?
This will soon be hushed up.
Too many people are concerned.
Officially,
no French cops are involved.
But two Drugs Squad guys arrested him.
Where are they now? Vanished.
Believe me
things will soon settle down.
I'll be in Paris in late October.
It's high time we met, Mr Franju.
Late October, don't forget.
I'll be in Paris in late October.
It's high time we met, Mr Franju.
Late October
don't forget.
I'll be in Paris in late October.
It's high time we met, Mr Franju.
Come in.
What are you up to?
I was on the phone.
You've heard?
The cops who arrested Ben Barka
have confessed.
The cops?
Two cops from the Vice Squad.
The French police
kidnapped Ben Barka in Paris.
It was easy enough.
The secret services had watched him
since the Algerian War
because he was close to the FLN.
I don't understand a word of this
Marguerite.
You don't understand? Are you drunk?
Of course. Can you stay sober
with all this going on?
The Interior Minister covered his men.
The Chief of Police lied...
Everyone's lying in this affair.
Figon isn't alone.
It's an affair of State now
understand?
I understand.
I understand
we allowed a crime to happen.
That's what I understand.
And we'll never discuss it
with the victim.
Figon is us.
Don't say that. It's not all lost.
You don't eliminate
a man like Ben Barka that easily.
What he represents
is too important to vanish.
Who can stop him from being killed now?
You?
If they killed a man like him,
all hope would be lost this time.
Others would be responsible,
not just you, me
and those who supported his struggle.
Why did he follow those two policemen?
He had his reasons.
Why would he be wary
of the French police?
I'll never forget his look
when they arrested him.
His look?
You were upstairs at Lipp.
Ben Barka couldn't see you.
I knew those eyes well.
They dimmed when he was arrested.
Rubbish, Georges.
You're drunk.
You couldn't see his eyes.
You were upstairs.
That's it.
Fourth window from the left.
inspector Bouvier's office.
inspector Bouvier
who swore me to secrecy.
So you see,
I won't talk about cops,
secret agents, Oufkir and so on.
I can't tell you.
There.
That's it.
- All right?
- Yes.
Over to Police HQ now?
- Want me to walk past the building?
- Yes.
- Past a cop bus?
- Yes.
- It'll cost you.
- How much?
5,OOO, say.
- I only have 3,OOO left.
- That'll do.
You scared me.
- I've seen cosier places.
- I won't take root here.
Your mum went to your old pad.
Shit...
she forgot my pyjamas.
My razor...
She forgot everything.
You made that up
about being sworn to secrecy.
I made it up but it made me money.
I have to live.
Money, money, always money.
It's all you talk about.
Who needs money anyway?
If the plan had worked,
you'd be a star and I'd be rich.
Stop it. You think it's that easy?
A few cheques and things are fine?
Money's not everything.
You need luck too.
It's more important.
Why did I do photo novels?
For the love of Art?
You travel in that line.
While the crew clown around
on location
the secret service clowns
were doing their scouting.
- You, in the secret service?
- I put on a show as usual.
A diversion, it's called.
What I tell the press, s
is a diversion too
to make money and cloud the issue.
We'll see about luck later.
You never told me about that.
You hid it from me.
It's an ugly world.
And the bullets are for real.
You're an actress.
You live in dreams
with storybook characters.
Reality is worse than you think.
Reality! It keeps changing with you.
I've got you under my skin
and that's real, believe me.
You believe me?
- Think they killed him?
- I have no idea.
He didn't enter Lipp.
I keep my nose out of their business.
Want me to swear?
I swear.
You sweetheart...
This place is too grim.
We'll find somewhere else.
Lemarchand can get me a blank passport.
I'm making a new start.
I'll travel a bit, make myself scarce.
I'll vanish, like the Negus.
"In the three bars open all night,
"along the empty avenue,
"sits the Negus
of the Iberian Anarchist Federation
"and the Transport Union
handed out guns to his pals. "
Guns for all! That guy has guts.
I have things to do.
You shouldn't be seen with me.
The cops don't scare me.
I know.
But you needn't get involved.
My poor Georges...
Pierre Lemarchand, please.
All right, I'll call back.
Hello? Georges?
- Who is this?
- Franju?
It's me, Georges. Big surprise, huh?
I spoke to Nedjar, the producer.
He'll produce that screenplay.
The one about the boy
blackmailing Marcel Dassault.
it'll be a big hit.
Mr Franju...
Answer, Pierre, answer...
Mr Lemarchand?
He's already gone?
You told him I had called?
All right.
DE GAULLE RE-ELECTED
- Lock everything!
- What?
Lock the doors and drive!
Where to?
Down the Champs-Elyses.
Got the cash?
Ready when you are.
One, two... One, two, three.
OK, it's working.
It was about 2.. 30
when I left Lipp last October 29.
I jumped into a cab
and went to Fontenay,
to Boucheseiche's.
Out there, Jo was fuming.
Upstairs,
the Moroccans were going wild.
One guy wanted to send the package
to the next world.
Fine, but what about the body?
I SAW BEN BARKA GET KILLED
Only one thing works with guys like you!
Only one. A bullet in the head!
I have what I need so lay low.
Shut up, I never ratted on anyone!
I'm no grass. Let people know that.
Put out a radio news-flash.
Print a disclaimer in your rag.
Look at the shit I'm in, you jerk!
A disclaimer
or I'll blow your brains out.
I never told L'Express that.
The journalist made it up.
- Are you scared?
- Scared? I have the jitters, yes.
He's made me enemies.
I didn't need that.
You acted like scum.
It's all made up, OK!
Never mind what you make up now.
You acted like scum.
It's me.
I called you yesterday.
The move for sixty grand, OK?
Exclusive photos, comments, the lot.
No, not 30,OOO.
Paris Match pays 60,OOO.
You're so handsome. What happened?
A photo shoot for France-Soir.
I sold my move.
You're moving house?
There's money in photos.
I see why girls want to be models.
You'll be a great Lysistrata.
The part was written for you.
That's just like you,
withholding sex to attain your goal.
She does it to stop the war.
The war...
Look at this gun, honey.
It's a MAB T.65.
It's brand-new.
I told people I carry a Ruby.
If you hear I killed myself,
they'll say I used a Ruby.
But this is mine.
It's never fired. Look.
Why tell me this?
I don't understand any of it.
These endless lies
and shady deals of yours...
What is all this for?
What is it against? Who?
- To hurt the bastards who hurt you.
- Stop it.
I bumped into Duras earlier.
My new film project interests her.
It's about a woman
who hides a fugitive in WWII.
But he's not in the Resistance
he's a German spy.
Or the opposite. We'll see.
It's the perfect part for you.
You're my favourite actress.
I'll start work on it tomorrow.
It's true this time.
I called his mother
the day after he died.
She didn't believe it was suicide.
I don't either.
Figon, Ben Barka...
Ben Barka the militant
Figon the rogue.
Two lives brought into contact
by trivial circumstances.
The production of a, political film
for one
an iniquitous way of getting rich
for the other.
They shared nothing,
except their death.
Both died
victims of the same secret networks.
THE KILLERS
If you please...
Your Honour...
Yes?
I knew Georges Figon.
I saw his gun.
He showed me before coming here.
Georges Figon committed suicide.
He preferred death to jail.
Whether it was the gun you saw
or another doesn't matter.
It certainly does matter!
He loved to cause trouble
for the law and society.
You knew him.
The gun he showed you was
his final contribution to that cause.
Forget Figon, mademoiselle,
like the rest of us will.
Forget him? I doubt it.
I doubt you'll be able
to forget Georges Figon.
You can't hide anything anymore.
He gave it all away.
All the details and names.
You're trapped.
And the truth will come to light
in spite of you all.
the truth will come to light!
Good girl.
What happened on the French side?
What happened here
had nothing coarse or base about it.
It was an operation
that consisted in taking Ben Barka
to meet Oufkir and his assistants
in a place suited
to settling matters between them.
But nothing, absolutely nothing,
indicates that counter-intelligence
and the police
in any capacity whatsoever
were involved in the operation
or condoned it. On the contrary.
Too many newspapers
have soiled the honour of the ship.
the ship was sinking
as the captain covered his men.
An all-out stampede.
In heaven's name, no one wanted that.
But who gave the order
to eliminate this poor man?
Who were our employers
and why did they hate him?
I understand.
Yes.
No, but... But...
Listen. I need more time, yes.
OK. See you soon.
Chtouki' called him an eel.
the hell he was!
this Ben Barka was a huge catch.
His reputation
and anti-American stance
were a source of concern
for the agents of the CIA.
the CIA that trained
Moroccan intelligence,
thus getting a hold on Africa.
What was in that case at his feet?
What future secrets did it contain?
Plans and operations around the world,
names of leaders
places where guns could be found...
I should have seen
who the man I'd met was.
But I was too excited
about how I'd blow the money
with Anne-Marie
Boucheseiche and his lads...
Chtouki' had been dreaming too.
He thought he could bump the man o Ff
when we met.
He had had to face it.
In Cairo
Ben Barka was too well protected.
What happened?
The operation was impossible.
His bodyguards and Egyptian agents
were protecting him.
How could you expect the Egyptians
to scale down surveillance
at a time when Castro's men
are in Cairo
to meet Ben Barka?
Don't say you didn't know.
I told your superiors myself.
It's true, sir.
You did warn us.
But that's not the main problem.
The main problem...
Do I need to remind you
what's happening in Cuba in January?
We don't have much time.
the next attempt would work.
Chtouki' realised it that night
and his CIA friend's worries
would soon be over.
For the first time
he has taken our bait.
Don't you understand?
This film idea is going to work.
May heaven hear you.
You're heaven, sir.
Look...
These cloudless heavens
around the world
that's you.
Abdelkader, it's me.
- Mehdi'?
- Yes.
I'm in Paris, at Jo's.
- Who?
- Joseph Ohana, from Meknes.
You're in Paris?
Isn't anyone with you?
- It's all right.
- Why didn't you let me know?
It's all right, I said.
Want me to join you?
No.
Where I'm going, I have to be alone.
What ever you say, Mehdi'.
I'll send Azzemouri to meet Franju.
Who's his producer?
this Figon guy is well in
with the intellectuals, on the left
and the right.
Marguerite Duras and Franois Mauriac.
He appears on TV, writes in the papers...
But he's a hood, so be careful.
I know.
But the Havana film
is what matters most.
If you say so.
Busy tonight?
Come to the theatre
with the Tahris.
to see what?
- The Generals' Tea.
- Dinner.
If you say so. Boris Vian, right?
Want to come?
I'll come for the dinner.
All right, be at the Tahris' by eight.
- See you later.
- OK.
Another English one.
French East Africa...
I don't have that one.
Hello.
Mr Chairman...
I didn't see you.
You were getting impatient.
I was wondering why you need me.
Come, I'll explain.
I want you to write a paper
on colonisation around the world.
Like that? Overnight?
An outline for a film on the issue.
You graduated in history, right?
And you've always been fast.
At school in Rabat, you did
algebra problems faster than anyone.
So...
You've heard the rumour.
They say you're going back.
To school in Rabat?
To Rabat but in the government.
That's true. We're discussing it.
I've had offers.
Systematic opposition
is absurd in politics.
There are some obstacles in the way
and Oufkir is still there
but I'm hopeful.
I'm awaiting a sign.
Saint Germain des Prs, please.
Shall we go?
- You're coming too?
- Yes.
My appointment is later.
There he is, in the grey coat.
Could I see your papers, sir?
inspector Louis Souchon.
Mr Ben Barka...
What is the reason
for your visit to Paris?
I'm here to meet a film producer.
There's a more urgent matter.
Some politicians wish to meet you.
I have orders to take you to them.
Please follow me.
Who did he think he'd meet?
the King's envoy?
De Gaulle, instead of the next day?
Did he think
it had been brought forward?
You are with the French police?
- He'll be here soon.
- He knows the place?
He chose to meet here.
This is for your safety, sir.
Please follow me.
Thank you. Gentlemen...
Fontenay-le-Vicomte. Move it.
What?
Head south. I'll guide you.
Who's this Dlimi?
Head of Moroccan security,
loyal to the regime.
The guy's a maniac.
He wanted to waste him right away.
I bury him in the garden?
What if the cops come round?
It wasn't planned.
- There's land next door.
- Where's Lopez?
What's he talking about?
It's wild up there.
An hour already...
God knows what they're yelling about.
Oufkir...
General...
- Where is he?
- Upstairs.
It was a mistake
to let the young man go.
I know but don't expect miracles
with French cops.
In any case,
we've done what we were hired to do.
We feel that we've earned our pay.
Don't worry, General,
we'll do the usual thing.
You were wrong to leave Azzemouri free.
It would be even worse
if you didn't keep quiet.
Any mistake of that kind
would be fatal.
Wow, a real killer!
You're crazy talking to him like that!
What up, sis? Toothache?
I'll smash your teeth, jerk.
Want to show me how?
Cut it out!
Take him away.
He's going to faint.
What's up, Jojo?
I'm OK.
That Ben Barka's a tough one.
You wouldn't think so.
He's not easy to get under control.
Good job I have my right hook.
- Are they slaughtering him?
- What are they after?
He had a head like a pumpkin.
A real massacre.
Maybe I'll go up to Paris with Georges.
Bring back some plonk.
What's up? Aren't you coming?
I want to puke.
Not in the car, please.
Drive. The fresh air will help.
The backward leaning "T"
that looks like a capital "V"
shows incredible aggression.
The crossbar of the "F"
floats above the letter
without touching it.
This person displays
a lot of self-delusion.
The signature
is out of all proportion
and shows a certain aptitude
for falsehood.
the law...
Dogsbodies in court
while the guilty roam free.
the authorities couldn't hush it up
so they staged it
with the necessary solemnity.
And the necessary caution.
An Interior Ministry envoy was there
to step in if need be.
This isn't the one.
It's not the gun he showed me.
He was murdered.
He was murdered.
Guard, take the witness out.
He was murdered!
Georges Figon was murdered!
Georges Figon was murdered!
the red robes, the eloquent gestures,
the raised voices...
Marguerite glowering at the judges...
Did Figon have a job that you knew of?
Did he work?
It's hard for an ex-convict
to find work, Your Honour.
Madame, will you please
just answer the question?
He worked, yes. A lot.
This proves it.
Didn't you suspect that Figon
would turn to crime again one day?
I'd never say such a thing.
And Franju got yelled at
for not listening...
This court has no time for generalities.
Return to your seat, please.
Oufkir, trained by French officers,
cannot see France and Morocco
as two separate countries.
You referred to Lumumba
but Lyautey inspires me.
Former Algerian lawyers
up against the OAS defence.
The same debate, the same men.
It's another stage in decolonisation.
Figon was right when he said
that his film had a future.
His shadow fell over the court earlier.
And the judges were scared.
the Affair was hushed up.
the illusions of the '60s faded.
the man whom many thought
would change the rules was eliminated.
the trial has been held
but the case isn't closed.
It has become a mystery,
one of those tales
told to good people to scare them.
But mysteries get revenge.
It's in their nature to keep resurfacing.
rhami' Azzemouri'
the student who was with Ben Barka
a lecturer at Vincennes University,
was found hanging from a cycle chain
in his Latin Quarter room in 1971.
General Mohammed Oufkir
still a minister for King Hassan II,
was shot after trying to assassinate
the monarch in 1972.
the regular guys
were on borrowed time.
Imprisoned after Oufkir's death,
they didn't last long without him.
Dlimi' didn't make old bones either.
He was found in the early '80s,
blown to bits
when his car exploded near Marrakesh.
Ben Barka's body has never been found.
this crime without a corpse,
this huge lie that I took part in,
is the world's best-kept state secret.
the French government took
nearly 40 years to declassify the case.
When the files were opened,
all they held was dust.
This film tells a true story
of real-life characters.
The story was built up
from the records of the trials
press articles and reports,
and accounts of witnesses
to Ben Barka's kidnapping in Paris
on October 29, 1965.