Merry-Go-Round (1981)

Sofitel, Good Afternoon.
Excuse me, They told me
that you're waiting for Elisabeth Hoffman.
Yes, I have a meeting with her.
I also have a meeting with her.
Ah, yes
Do you know where she is?
No, I've just arrrived.
My name is Benjamin Phillips.
Follow me please
Excuse me
- Sir...
- Thank you.
Miss...
Elisabeth...
Elisabeth...
You call me,
You need me, you're not here
Elisabeth...
You call me,
You need me, you're not here
What's going on?
- Please, I got locked out.
- Miss?
- OK
- Can you open it?
- Sure.
- Thanks.
- There.
- Thank you.
...I followed...
Hello, Bar Franais. Good evening.
Good evening, Madam.
A vodka? Yes
What room are you in Madam?
723?
Very well Madam, I will bring it to you
At Abreuvoir Street,
Clamart (Suburb SW of Paris)
Tell me, do you object
to getting out on the corner there?
Because Abreuvoir Street is a dead end
and I can't go there.
- Excuse me Madam, have you been here awhile?
- Around a quarter of an hour.
- Have you seen anyone?
- Yes, there was a young lady about 10 minutes ago.
- Did you see where she went?
- She went that way.
Yeah but that goes nowhere,
except the old train station.
- HIS PLANE EXPLODED IN FLIGHT -
I know that address.
There they are. We will continue soon
Lo, my baby!
You haven't changed.
Always so beautiful!
I thought you sold the house.
Yes, I did.
They are here
They are doing the inventory
I know its a little sad,
You understand...
It was too much trouble to keep it
- I am never here.
- What is that?
I will explain
- I'm never here.
- Yeah, I know.
I'm here only 3 days a month
and you aren't around either.
You know that...
Do you remember the old times we had here
Do you remember?
Also, Mom's room.
I hope they don't destroy it all
Do you remember? When lightning
struck down the tree over there.
No, I remember nothing at all.
Basically, I don't give a fuck.
You are right, it's all bullshit
All these trees...
They take them down for newspapers.
Then they build a freeway.
You know, I sold the house for very little
To stop thinking about all these old things
All the shitty past
It's strange!
I don't even feel anything.
- Still it's sad
- Why did you ask me to come here?
Hey tell me!
- You don't want to tell me?
- It's a surprise my baby.
Miss Hoffman,
excuse me for interrupting you
We need you for a moment
Silence, the sick are sleeping
Now that he's occupied,
I can speak to you.
But if you're afraid of him,
why did you ask him to come?
It's not that.
I'm not afraid of him
I asked him to come, because
I need his help. And yours too.
But I must speak to you first
Lo, you must swear
that you will not abandon me
Moreover, this concerns not only me
- He's not dead
- What did you say? Are you crazy?
Perhaps.
Maybe i'm completely mistaken
I'd like that to be true
- Listen, in two minutes I'm going up stairs
- He's here?
No, he's not.
There is someone here
who claims to have seen him,
and claims to know him.
- I'll come with you.
- No, you must stay here.
- I'm going too. - No. Listen,
I have never seen this guy.
He contacted me two months ago.
He will split the loot in two
because you don't even exist
So you want to blackmail David, right?
Listen, it's not for the money.
I want that bastard to pay for everything he did to us.
- Do you understand?
- No, get lost, forget it
Soon, we will know everything
Don't worry.
Miss Lopoldine,
it's a pleasure to meet you
Your sister has told me a lot about you
We have many plans for the house.
Come, I will introduce you to Mr. Sampieri.
He has some fascinating and exquisite ideas
Pardon, here.
Who are you?
Me, I am the consultant
for the new owner.
- Here is Mr. Sampieri, the celebrated
Roman decorator. - Good day.
Mr. Sampieri, as I've told you
has many ideas for this house.
In particular the fireplace, if I'm not mistaken, Mr. Sampieri?
Yes, the house is very good,
however we must change it a bit...
The fireplace, the moldings,
the little things that...
- Yeah you want to remove them right?
- Yes.
- And also what about the furnishings?
- They will be changed
- And the Corot?
- We will change it all.
We will remove it all and also
something amusing...
Take the old tables
and put on shiny plastic
- Well, I'll leave you to your work.
- With many reflections...
- And the curtains? - At this time,
I think also the curtains, certainly.
- But I think most of all the floor.
- Yes, the floor, the boards.
- We will put concrete.
- We must remove the boards.
- And you, what part do you play?
- Me I'm not playing.
- No? No role?
- I'm just here to help you out.
Lo, help!
Help! Help!
Help!
Could you inform me when the guests in room 5 wake up?
- Certainly.
- Thank you.
- Sir what would you like?
- A cognac, please. - Sure.
Please, I need to place another call
Could you give me the line again?
- Thank you
- There you go.
Yes, yes
Yes, as I said I will pass it on to Counselor Novick.
However, we shall remain in contact.
I will call you back.
- Hello.
- Hello. Counselor Novick.
- You are the one who called me?
- Yes.
Lopoldine Hoffman. Lo.
You don't remember me, but I do
- Hello.
- Hello.
Lo, come, sit there.
- Let me present my secretary.
- Hello.
Please...
So?
I called you because Elisabeth
asked me to call you
if i didn't hear from her
after an very important appointment she had last night.
I did not hear any news last night,
so I have asked you to come,
and Lo, because she has
given me an envelope for Lo.
- An envelope for Lo?
- Yes.
But she wanted for you to be
present when it was delivered.
This is Elizabeth's envelope
You know what this is?
Its a bank safety deposit key
Uh, Elisabeth hasn't dissapeared,
she was kidnapped.
I found this in the house last night
In the house where she dissapeared?
You know what this is?
Its for asthmatics.
- Your father had asthma?
- Yes.
- He took her because he wants the money.
- So he's not dead.
No, she told me just before she was taken
What's this?
I received a postcard identical
to this three years ago.
I can't see. Read it.
'Cadet Rousselle has three houses
they have not beams or rafters".
'They give lodging to the swallows.
What do you say about Cadet Rousselle?'
Thats true.
This key has something to do
with the 4 million dollars.
But, you would have to know what bank,
the safe combination...
- Elisabeth didn't tell you anything?
- No.
But,
When Elisabeth gave me the envelope,
she said: "I need Lo".
As if she were the only
one able to save her
But... Lo...
When I received the same postcard,
there wasnt a red cross like this.
Elisabeth put it there.
- When you were a kid, you had three houses?
- Yes.
There are still two
Two houses.
Typical of him:
To throw a message in
a bottle into the sea.
and punish those who would decipher it.
Arms trafficing is amusing. How the money goes from
one continent to the other.
When he was bankrupt,
he said to me:
"You know, Rene, I'm like a child".
Yeah, a child who may be killing my sister.
Cadet Rousselle has three houses,
Cadet Rousselle has three outfits.
Cadet Rousselle has three dollars.
The key, the address, the number.
The address I may be able to find
But you must find the number.
In the two houses?
Be careful, Lo.
- I would like my secretary to accompany you.
- What for?
I'll go with Ben.. Ben and Elisabeth.
Thats enough.
Jrme, show Ben
how to operate the motorcycle.
Watch...
- Good luck, Lo.
- Thank you.
- We've been fooled
- What did you say?
Sardines. I feel sick!
Diabetes.
- Hi.
- How are you?
All in all, pretty shitty.
Any news from Elizabeth?
No. But I have an idea about her
Don't worry,
I'm working on it.
Do you have a cigarette for me?
Because I...
Thank you
- So?
- Regarding Elisabeth...
I have opened a case,
because it has been 2 years
since the dissapearance.
Here is what I have discovered
This is the report of what happened
in the 2 or 3 months
before the dissapearance
Here is information taken
from the international press,
American press,
French press, etc.
Nothing new there
But, I have found something else
Here, take a look
This is interesting
The last photograph of
David Hoffman
accompanied by a
close friend. Look.
- Shirley? - Shirley.
- She is Ben's sister.
Shirley? She's Ben's sister?
But I have my doubts
And Ben has left to find her.
So they are all tied together.
Elisabeth, Ben, Shirley...
In any case, Ben, Shirley and David.
Elisabeth i'm not sure.
She has disappeared,
and we don't know anything.
It's possible.
Can you help me?
- For Elisabeth?
- Yes, can you do something?
Sure, I've got an idea
I must contact someone
I know who...
But before I start,
I need to ask you something, Lo.
- Do you trust me?
- I don't have to money, so...
It's not that
Lo, do you truly trust me?
Ah... too bad.
My things are at the hotel.
Yes, I will send a driver to get them.
Theres something else:
You have the
same hands as your father.
Well, lets go.
Sorry, I was a little behind schedule
Well. Good, 24.
Counselor Novick is indisposed
and asked me to assist you.
Who told you that Elisabeth is here?
We recieived an anonymous
telephone call.
A disguised voice, a woman's
voice, that said:
"She's being held at 24 St Marc Street".
Don't worry
I am prepared, in case there are complications
Eli?
She's here.
Wait for me.
Yes.
Stop!
There. Hold her still,
Miss Hoffman.
Ah, it opens in reverse
Are you alright?
When I entered the room,
there was a man, seated behind a desk, alone.
and he watched me with a fixed gaze
I approached
and then I sat in front of him.
Not a word was spoken
And then Shirley entered
Because in fact, it was Shirley
who organized it all
Because, when I had a suspicion,
I confided to her about it
She had... a little after I called her...
then I lent the house, and then...
Anyways, back inside the room,
He started to speak
He had a muffled voice, very strange,
I didn't understand what he said.
It was indecipherable
Then I looked at his hands,
he had his hands resting on the desk.
- Then he was doing this. You know?
- David.
So I watched
and he gave me a sardonic smile.
Then he said to me:
'My little dear...'.
It was exactly like papa's voice,
I recognized it immediately.
But with another face.
Do you understand?
I was afraid.
I wanted to call out, to scream.
But someone put their
hands over my mouth
- Shirley? - No I don't believe so.
I didn't see Shirley.
Then they dragged me,
and loaded me into the van
and they gave me cloroform
and I fell asleep.
Then I woke up here
in this strange place.
Now I know what you were talking about.
I want revenge too.
Not you, us.
- Do you have the number?
- Yes.
Who are you?
My daughter has always
kept strange company.
Have a seat.
I don't know where Elisabeth is
I don't know where Elisabeth is!
What's going on?
- But I don't know where Elisabeth is.
- Stop, stop the act.
Did you do the
same thing for Mr. Hoffman
when you were his secretary?
Thank you, miss.
It's a shame you are so inept
- But for Mr. Phillips I thought...
- You are out of line miss
Lets not waste time
The correspondence
The prefecture sends his thanks.
- How much?
- 5,000.
Pass me the map.
Miss I need the geological survey map
- Where are we?
- Snart.
Snart...
In my opinion,
The young bride has escaped.
We will find her with a travelling salesman.
We'll try Chantilly.
We've already done, Chantilly.
Ah, I've done Chantilly
Well. Let's see...
Ermenonville
Ermenonville
Are you feeling better Elisabeth?
- I'm well.
- We could take the car.
- Is it in Lucerne, the bank?
- Yes, The First National.
However, it's only after receiving the
letter from the bank that I understood.
We need the real key now
Therefore, we need to have a meeting.
Jrme...
Jrme?
So everything has worked?
Perfect
The address of the bank.
Lucerne?
Then, dear Elisabeth has finished playing her part, eh?
Okay...
Exactly
When I am away from those two,
I'll make her pay.
Rendezvous as planned
- Where is the house?
- At the edge of the golf course.
But the rendezvous is on the course.
I fear that Shirley may be followed.
And here we can see whos arriving better.
You see? That's the house there.
Counselor Novick asks you to wait here, She will be here any minute
Well, I will be back soon.
- Why here?
- Because this is where the meeting is
It's an open space,
so we won't be taken by surprise.
Well, there is nothing else
except to wait for Shirley.
We are a little early.
- Yes?
- Was that Shirley on the phone
Yes, I am sure.
I recognized her voice.
- Did she sound normal?
- Actually, I got the impression
that she was somewhat uncomfortable,
as if there were people nearby.
Ah, there's Shirley.
Well, I'm going. I'll be waiting in the house.
Relax, young man, relax.
Would you like to know
what our friend is doing outside?
I told him, there is no need to leave.
Yeah that's what i said.
I see
Green.
Green.
A figure moving away from us.
Shirley.
Another figure, dark...
she is coming towards us.
They are going to cross.
They hesitate, and exchange a look.
In that look, I see it all.
There's the key.
They have crossed.
Shirley reaches a group
Three people?
Two people.
Blue. White. Beige.
Three people.
Someone approaches.
Another woman. She is here.
Counselor Novick, I presume
Julius Danvers.
Pardon me,
for making you wait
I see.
Shirley has stopped.
The figure in white
comes towards her.
She speaks
'Now I have what we were missing '.
Be careful, she's a bitch.
I'll explain.
There is nothing to fear.
So?
Now I have what we were missing.
Then are we ready to go?
- Do you have the real key?
- Yes.
and I believe you have the real number.
Are you sure?
Good, well everything is perfect.
Where do we meet?
at Lucerne, the day after tomorrow
at 2:00pm, at the airport.
Okay.
But before, I want to know everything.
All right,
we have all the time in the world.
Shirley has a bad feeling. Wait!
A man.
In behind, all in black.
He hides. In his hand...
Lo, I'm sorry for this drama
but you had to follow me
- I have lied too.
- It was for you too.
Elisabeth...
It's David isn't it? Where is he?
I have not seen anyone!
I don't see anything
I don't see anything
Something has happened...
- Something's happened.
- Calm down.
Something's happened!
Elisabeth!
I'm not David Hoffman!
I'm not... your father.
What a jam.
Lo, can you hear me?
Now, I'll tell you a story.
Once upon a time
David Hoffman and me.
I believe you understand what I mean?
He was so strong, your father.
Shirley only cared about the money
and me? I only cared about you two.
The Hoffman daughters
Now I've killed Elisabeth.
And you, Lo...
What have you done?
Lo, do you hear me?
What have you done?
Oh, stop calling David! Stop!
Lo, stop.