Original subtitles

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for.

The most sensational act of the century.

Entertainment, emotion,

action, history.

A creature a hundred times more murderous

than any beast in our menagerie.

A bloodthirsty monster with the eyes of an angel...

Ravaged hearts, squandered fortunes,

the saraband of lovers, scepters,

crowns, an authentic revolution.

Triumph and downfall.

Lola Montès,

Countess Maria Dolores of Landsfeld.

In the very flesh!

Here, ladies and gentlemen, the truth, nothing but the truth

on the extraordinary life of Lola Montès,

reenacted by the entire company

in pantomime, acrobatics, tableaux vivants,

with music and dance and with the entire orchestra.

I'll be all right.

The first part of the show! Questions.

Ask your questions, ladies and gentlemen.

Lola Montès will answer the most shocking questions,

the most intimate questions,

the most indiscreet questions,

about her scandalous career as femme fatale.

Don't be shy, ladies and gentlemen, 25 cents per question.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, it's my pleasure to announce that the countess,

in a spirit of humble penitence and mortification...

...benevolence...

...charity...

...will donate the proceeds of her performance

for the relief of fallen women.

Come along now, ladies and gentlemen, no false modesty,

She'll tell all!

Wait, madam, I'll be right there.

Ask your questions.

Going once.

Going twice.

Going three times.

Where did she dance without her costume?

In Paris.

Speak up!

In Paris.

Did the doctor give you something?

Maurice went to the pharmacy.

Is it true that... that in Munich there are men

who drink six or seven liters of beer at once?

Unfortunately, your question is completely irrelevant to our show.

No offense, my dear friend.

Where are your children, Lola?

The countess has no children.

Was her mother like her?

Objection! You may ask about Lola, not her mother.

Refund!

Which does she love best: love or money?

Both!

What are Lola's measurements, please?

Later.

Does Lola wear a bra?

Later.

- How many lovers? - Oh! There's a question there. Repeat!

How many lovers, Lola?

World record. Good question.

We are all going to count together.

So, is it serious?

He said I mustn't drink and smoke anymore.

Easier said than done!

The parade of lovers!

Bring on the lovers!

One, two, three, four,

five, six, seven, eight, nine...

...ten, 11, 12, 13, 14...

Go on, ladies and gentlemen, ask away.

Only 25 cents to ask a question.

For the fallen women. There are many of them.

Why didn't you ever stay with your lovers, countess?

Because a femme fatale never stays.

She stays nowhere.

Does the countess still remember the past?

Remember the past? Remember the past?

Another five leagues, Mr. Liszt.

So keep going, I'm in a hurry.

Fine, sir.

Off you go, quickly!

One more hour.

Does it seem too long?

How about you?

Early tomorrow morning we will leave for Rome.

Oh, there! Wait!

About the battement de pied...

...you should play faster.

I cannot stay on my toes that long.

Up to now,

dancers have danced according to my music

and not I to theirs.

My name is Franz Liszt, my dear.

Are you eager to arrive in Rome?

How about you?

Things are going badly between us, very badly.

I know how it is...

...when...

When a man is attractive...

...and you are terribly attractive...

...it's easy to yield, to hold on,

...to go almost too far...

Now we are embarrassed by all those follies.

We are starting to watch each other...

We are trying to find each other again,

to recognize ourselves...

...and our answers become questions.

When you ask...

Don't you love me anymore?

I answer, "Do you?"

It's not an answer.

That carriage... is an answer.

It's your carriage... isn't it?

Yes.

Is it true that it always follows you when you travel with a lover?

I like to have at hand a means to go away.

Don't you ever dream of an affair with no end?

Oh! Dreaming!

Dreams are private. We can't share them with anybody,

they are sometimes pretty embarrassing.

Embarrassing! Why? Because they don't last?

- Maybe! - Because there's an awakening?

You just have to cling to them, live them before it's too late, right?

Life for me is... a movement.

You are tired from the trip.

No, a little bit sad.

But if the inn is charming...

...a nice dinner, it will pass.

How is it going?

Fine.

So, what about Lola?

- It's a matter of hours. - So much the better.

The food here is not good.

Did you see the Roman citadel in Verona?

Spaghetti al fettuccini...

Ah, they put oil in everything, what a country!

Should I grease your carriage for tomorrow morning, madam?

Perhaps.

Did you hear that? Perhaps, she said!

Thank you for your lie,

thank you for allowing me to believe that I'm the one leaving,

not you.

Here, darling.

Do you hear me?

Don't you want to hear me?

You might at least say good-bye. It would be polite.

I didn't want to wake you.

No need to be that polite.

I think you agree...

...this is the best for both of us.

For the first time in a long time, we totally agree on something.

Come and kiss me.

Better than that.

A farewell kiss is important.

It is something to be cherished.

There... it's over.

It's over... you know... life... love...

I know...

There...

We'll meet again.

I travel a lot.

So do I.

Could such a coincidence be!

All life is coincidence. You'll see.

One night we'll be in the same town.

I'll be dancing and you'll be giving a concert.

It would have to be a really big town.

But we'll share the same public.

I'll leave my theater in time to hear your encore.

I'll applaud you and come backstage.

Will you be pleased?

Yes.

You'll have a date with another woman,

and I with another man, and we won't go.

No, we won't go.

For one night we'll hide together.

We will be together as we are now.

- Won't it be wonderful? - It will be wonderful.

I'll see to the loading of the luggage.

Yes, go ahead.

Everything is ready, madam.

Yes, I'm coming.

Ravishing.

So, Lola...

Good-bye... Good-bye, Franz.

I see that you are true... to my music!

Good-bye!

- It was to be expected. - Yes. Perhaps it's all for the best.

- So, is it really over? - Do you love me?

Of course.

Lola leaves the ring with her entourage.

A change of scene! A change of costumes!

We'll look back to her early days.

Her extraordinary career took root

in the beautiful and generous soil of a happy family life.

We will re-create, ladies and gentlemen,

her happy youth and her radiant adolescence.

Fetch me a handkerchief, hurry.

Twelve tableaux vivants, ladies and gentlemen.

With the whole company.

The authentic cradle, ladies and gentlemen.

Here's your medicine, madam. 80 cents.

Thank you, Maurice. How many drops?

It's dark in here. Ten or 12.

Yes, ten or 12.

An excellent mother, attentive and devoted.

A model father, strict, affectionate and colonel...

Father of Lola, father to his regiment, the 44th Indian Infantry.

Unforgettable days, carefree, innocent!

She was a pretty little girl who loved red balloons.

Always top of her class.

Hello, madam.

Thank you.

Do you like this?

You still like it the same way?

Oh, yes, madam. I hope it never ends.

You're right. Go...

It's bitter!

Alas!

Death of the colonel in service of the British crown,

- and in 1830... - No, that's enough!

...the inconsolable widow and her beloved daughter

sail back to Europe.

A journey to the old world... to life.

Watch out! Don't fall! Don't look at the water, come on!

You are always dreaming.

Look at the ship.

There, Lieutenant James. He's already there.

Who?

He's really very nice. He's so obliging, sociable and amusing.

I promise you, you are unfair with him, darling.

Good evening, dear friend, how was your trip? Please follow me.

Watch out.

Captain, here's Mrs. Craigie, whom I was talking about.

Delighted, madam! Welcome on board!

Lola!

It is all right. Cabin 11.

It's about the cabins. I have to explain.

I'm in the number 11 and you are in the dormitory.

I will get bored if I'm not with you.

Me too, darling, but... but it can't be helped.

The steward had reserved cabin 11 for me.

There must be cabins with two beds!

They are all taken by couples.

Ah! Here it is!

Will you please show her to the dormitory?

To the right, mademoiselle, to the right.

- See you soon, at dinner, right? - See you soon. At dinner, my dear.

- This way, mademoiselle. - Thank you.

- Straight ahead, mademoiselle. - Thank you.

Oh, I have a cousin that also grew up in Calcutta. But she studied in France.

Are there many single cabins?

Oh, no, mademoiselle, very few... All cabins are for two, three or four.

But my cousin wasn't in Paris, she was in Grenoble.

Everybody is in Gre... Excuse me.

All my family is in Grenoble... I was born in Grenoble too.

- Do you know Grenoble, mademoiselle? - No, not yet.

- What is this dormitory like? - It's here.

Don't stack your cases. They'd fall in a storm.

Allow me, mademoiselle.

Mademoiselle will unpack alone.

She's old enough to look after herself.

Good evening, mademoiselle.

She is crying. Look, Thérèse, she is crying.

And now, ladies and gentlemen,

captain, time for the dance.

Everybody, dance!

- I think it's your bedtime, my dear. - Already?

Good night.

- Good night, my dear. - Good night, Mother.

I think I must speak to Lola tomorrow.

Let's not rush anything.

Go to sleep quickly, my treasure, it's late.

She's ravishing.

Shall we dance?

Good evening, mademoiselle!

Do you already go to bed? Were you naughty?

I hate men who only dance with their wives

and won't let them dance with other men.

- Do you mean me? - No, my poor husband.

If he had prevented me from dancing with other men,

I would have never met you.

Europe at last! Paris.

The high life. Lola finds a husband.

Well, are you sleeping?

It's wonderful... but I'm afraid it will have an unhappy ending.

Come along, hurry! You know we're expected.

Are you coming?

Go and ask for box 21.

Come on, come on, let's go!

And do smile.

There is no need to sulk!

See... see? You'll have all that.

I don't care.

Oh! Yet! The dresses, the jewels, it matters!

I would have doubts, if I didn't know the man,

but the baron was an old friend of your father.

Well, he must be very old.

Old, old... it's a matter of taste.

He's a fine figure of a man, very elegant.

Of course, you married a much older man.

Your father wasn't so old...

Old enough to be my father.

The baron was our banker. Bankers grow old more slowly than clients.

I'm not forcing you, you know, you are always free to refuse...

As for the baron, I danced with him when I was a girl.

Then you should marry him.

What insolence!

Come along! Come along now!

He doesn't know me. He'll be disappointed.

I sent him your portrait. He won't be disappointed.

You're not bad looking.

If he asks if you play the piano, say yes.

As a matter of fact, say "yes" to everything.

This way.

Opera always overwhelmed me,

but if I don't spend an hour there, I won't sleep.

The king must be obeyed.

Otherwise, the monarchy makes no sense.

I'm delighted to see you.

- Allow me. - Please.

The baron asked me to apologize for his absence.

Lieutenant James.

He was obliged to leave suddenly to Baden-Baden.

This is my daughter.

His gout... you know...

My compliments, mademoiselle.

I had seen your portrait, but really... sincerely, I am...

And well, you will, of course, join the baron in Baden-Baden.

Allow me please, gentlemen.

In the meantime, we'll discuss certain important matters.

But come on! No! No! Prussia... Prussia... is no danger!

You are really sure about it! It's England!

I tell you it is always England!

Tell me, that young man... is he...?

Oh, no! He's travelling with me.

My husband liked him very much. He was his adjutant.

He's no longer in the army.

Would you like Friday morning? Ten o'clock at the solicitor's?

Everything will be settled for the best... including the will.

Oh! We've got to anticipate everything...

With pleasure. But I must explain.

You see, there's no fortune on our side.

On the contrary, it's...

It's very hard to explain...

She's gone.

What do you mean, gone? She must be mad!

Go and find her! Come on, hurry!

- What is wrong, my dear friend? - Oh, nothing! Nothing at all!

Lola!

Go away, I hate you.

All this is your fault!

How can you say such a thing? You know very well

that I didn't influence your mother. I played no part in this matter.

I will be given to a rich old man.

I don't want to... I don't want...

Your fan...

You know very well that...

You know very well that I'd do anything for... you.

Are you really my friend?

Do you like me a little?

Very much.

- Very much? - Very much!

When I first saw you with your mother, I was...

Well, do something, I don't know...

Marry me!

Isn't that what usually happens?

- Well, are you coming? - Yes, I...

Second act, ladies and gentlemen...

Lola, virginal and pure,

crowned with love and tenderness, blossoms into a woman.

I don't know what's wrong with me tonight,

but my life is whirling in my head.

- Don't think about it, madam. - There are too many things...

Courage, madam!

She marries for love.

Lola marries Lieutenant James, her father's adjutant.

In Scotland, marital life, full of bliss,

in spite of the unhealthy weather.

Go on.

Scenes of married life portrayed with the assistance

of the Mammoth Circus midgets!

First Christmas together,

horseback riding,

the boudoir!

Sunday in the little village church.

Rainy evenings... one hour at the harpsichord!

The traditional grouse hunt!

The eternal victim!

What did I do again? Has one of my girlfriends called to complain?

You want to prevent me from drinking...

What's wrong?

Are you going to leave me yet again?

You forget, my dear, that ours was a love match.

You can't escape a love match...

Where are your shoes?

Come on, Lola, don't go, please, be reasonable. Think of the scandal!

You know that he isn't mean. But I know my brother...

I can't stand it anymore.

He has his moods. I know he won't harm you.

I can't stand it anymore!

Anything but this!

Leave us alone.

It's true, I cheated on you... I ran after girls...

It won't happen again, I promise.

I'll never let you go.

I'd sooner kill you!

That peaceful life couldn't last forever.

The countess destined for fame and glory

had to make an exit before making... an entrance!

The countess could easily have lived off men,

but she had other ambitions, she longed to realize her childhood dream

to become a ballerina.

But it takes hard work to become a great dancer. Maestro...

Thank you, maestro.

After many years of study,

she made her debut on November 18th, 1841, in Madrid.

An overwhelming success!

Go, Lola, go!

Rome! Great box office!

More!

Warsaw! Ah!

On the 7th of January 1842,

a political scandal explodes in Warsaw.

The Russian viceroy, General Paskievitch,

falls madly in love with Lola.

She spurns the tyrant,

but tyrants have other means of... of seduction.

The general sends his Cossacks,

the Cossacks attack, the Cossacks carry her off.

At dawn the French embassy intervenes.

Here you see... ladies and gentlemen,

the ambassador at the gates of his palace receiving the countess.

In his capacity as an official representative

of the great nation's ideals,

he offers her his protection.

For a whole day, for a whole night, the ambassador... protects her!

Now listen to the report

of that gallant diplomat.

...for the woman, 12 perfections.

It's Lola that he created.

Twelve perfect things, count them with us.

Listen to the song.

Three sweet ones The heart, the wrists and the hand

Three mad ones The eyes, the hair, the feet

Three soft ones The arms, the ears and the nose

Three curved ones The shoulder, the mouth and the breasts

You give your body but you keep your soul

Men damn themselves to offer you treasures

Your look is so tender and your knee so white

When you dance and you waltz passing so near us...

He's not only the boss, he is also doing a show in the first part...

The clown, you know...

He's marvelous,

and during the intermission he's counting the takings.

This way.

But, when I told him that you were the doctor, he agreed to see you.

Please, doctor, go in.

I'm Paul Muller Schulze Spuvelino. Excuse me...

Sit down, doctor.

So, what is this all about?

- It's about Madame Montès. - Oh, yes, I know that.

She came to visit you today. She has a little sore throat.

That's not unusual for her... but it's nothing...

But... I examined her...

She has a weak heart

and the sore throat may indicate something more serious.

That woman is worn out before her time. She must be careful.

Be careful? Have you seen the show?

Yes... yesterday... It's insanely dangerous.

- Yes. - Especially the finale.

She has to earn a living.

Wanting to make a name for herself, Lola understood

that keeping a good reputation was out of question.

Rumor, scandals, passion,

that's what she chose in order to create a sensation.

In Turkey, at the Sultan's request, she bathed in the nude...

The guests were delighted,

and so were the fish.

Are you all right?

In Saint-Petersburg, she was the toast of an entire regiment

and to prove his love,

the Czar decided to serve his soldiers champagne

from her slipper.

She achieved her aim with a fresh scandal.

Every newspaper devoted two pages exclusively to her.

At Ragusa...

Chinese shadow show...

Dalmatian architecture.

At Ragusa, exquisite dress,

she is denied entry to the church.

Come, Lola, come!

This is the actual dress.

She becomes more and more irresistible.

In Budapest, the strongest man in the world,

the famous international wrestler Bulgakov,

falls in love with her.

She ignores him.

So, he cannot sleep,

he cannot eat, he cannot drink.

He is defeated and abandons his career.

Ever since,

Lola doesn't go anywhere without Bulgakov...

who has become her bodyguard.

On his back, ladies and gentlemen,

you can see all the most notorious scandals.

Lola will tell you herself. She will tell you the whole truth.

Mammoth Circus owns the exclusive rights of this story.

Copyright is strictly reserved!

At that time, I was working in Tivoli. I was in love with...

With...? With whom Lola? With? The musical... the musical conductor?

Claudio Pirotto.

I didn't know that he was married.

That's his wife, on the 4th balcony on the left, the big one...

You'll see, he won't get away with it.

What is wrong with her? Is she mad?

Madam...

A stool...

Madam, madam, don't go away. I have something to tell you.

- But I don't know you. - Excuse me.

He told me he was divorced, but this is not true.

I don't appreciate married women much, but I hate cowardly men.

Here, madam, by rights this belongs to you. Anyway, it's probably junk.

Next morning...

Next morning... thank you, Lola. A cigar for the countess.

It is interesting

that the countess is the first woman in Europe to smoke cigars.

Of course, like most of the Cuban aristocracy,

she smokes El Caballero Dorado.

Which comes in 10 varieties

and is on sale in this arena!

Delightful! Continue, Lola.

Next morning, I was the most famous woman on the French Riviera.

The international elite would come and visit.

Who, Lola? The...? The great...? French?

Aristocrats.

The English...?

Bankers!

All of high society.

The Foreign Office does not get as many visits from brilliant diplomats

as the small hotel where Lola stayed.

And I, myself, ladies and gentlemen, didn't omit to pay my respects.

Send him in.

He is strange. He frightens me.

No one frightens me.

I am a man of the circus.

It is I who found the three-headed woman for Barnum

and the only elephant who can play "Sur le pont d'Avignon" on the piano.

In New York, we packed houses for weeks

with the two anarchists who killed the Sultan of Egypt.

And in San Francisco, five and a half weeks.

Mere examples, but you'll get a better picture of what we do.

- What do you want? - I want to book you.

I was at the theater yesterday.

- You liked my dancing? - Not at all. You can't dance.

But you know how to trigger a scandal. Excite the audience.

That's obvious, isn't it?

In the entire world, scandal means money.

And in America it has no limits.

Come with me,

I'll get you top fees, with Barnum, Buffalo Bill, everywhere.

The world's most scandalous woman. The most scandalous act.

You will reenact your scandals... you...

You will even dance them if you must.

And if there aren't enough to fill the bill, we'll invent some more.

We'll show everything that women dream of doing,

but lack the courage to do.

And stop pacing about like that.

Stand still.

Talent... doesn't interest me...

Allow me.

Only power...

...and efficiency.

The crowds run every night to the theater not to see you dance...

...but to wait for you at the exit!

You are beautiful.

Terribly beautiful!

You seem to mean what you say.

You smoke too much.

Nonetheless, whatever you may think, I'm not a machine for scandal.

I always do as I please. That's all!

That's what the elephant thought too,

but in the end, he learned to play the piano.

Now he loves music.

I'm not a fairground freak.

I'm not interested in your offer.

Very well.

But the offer stands.

Here's the contract.

I'll leave it to you.

You know where to find me, for better...

...or for worse.

If you see me again, it'll be for worse.

So, don't hope for it.

I don't hope for it...

Lola... Lola...

Can I call you Lola?

After all, we are fellow professionals.

Why not?

Don't be foolish, not like the others.

Thus, ladies and gentlemen, Lola Montès declined our offer

and the countess of Landsfeld

embarked on her dizzying ascent,

presented here for the first time in the world

as an acrobatic and trapeze act.

Lola!

Just as every single action in her life has been,

every single movement of her act is fraught with danger.

She risks her pretty neck!

One false movement at these dizzy heights,

and she plunges to her death.

Paris!

Destiny sends her from the famous journalist Dujarrier

to the journalist Beauvallon

whose newspaper has a larger circulation.

The great and celebrated Richard Wagner.

The even greater and very famous Frederic Chopin

falls on his knees for her.

Higher, Lola, higher.

With dance and music,

Lola rises from the world of art to that of politics.

Ladies and gentlemen,

just one of the hazards of our profession...

The count of Lichtenfeld, harsh ruler upon 78,000 souls,

pays her 300 silver ducats per month...

Higher, Lola, higher!

The Grand Duke of Hesse...

...500 golden ducats income per month!

Even higher, Lola, even higher!

There!

Lola reaches the summit.

Lola comes to power!

It's the most fantastic episode

of her story.

Lola in Bavaria.

- I think we're lost. - Perhaps.

Maurice, stop.

To Munich? To Munich?

Thank you.

Are you sure?

Yes, madam.

What a handsome boy...

- Absolutely sure? - Yes, madam.

How come you speak French that well?

I am a student.

Would you like to accompany us for a while?

No, I'm going the other way.

You can do that later... come in.

All right, I'll show you the way.

Drive on, Maurice, this young man will be our guide.

Yes... Go!

Latin, Greek, philosophy,

modern languages and theology.

Very interesting.

This is my fraternity cap. Allemania. A wonderful fraternity.

I'm sure...

And this is our scarf. It's red, green, black.

Nice colors!

Our badge.

Our motto is: "Learning, progress, faith".

Very nice.

Oh, pardon me! Good morning, sir.

Come here.

Here?

Maurice!

Maurice?

Good night!

Wrap up well.

Oh! It's not worth it.

Just five minutes for a breath of fresh air.

But wrap up anyway. Don't catch cold!

When I think that, at this very moment, in Paris the chestnuts are in blossom...

What would you like, madam? Please...

Do you have a room?

All the luggage is here?

Plenty of fresh air.

Here, another room... another room...

Here connecting rooms.

One could be a music room...

Thirty florins.

- And how much upstairs? - How much is it in French francs?

That's the best we have!

No, I mean, upstairs.

Ah! On the second floor?

Even on the third.

Of course. But that would be simpler. Simpler.

That's right.

Another room on the second floor. Come this way, please. Another room.

Many more rooms... We have many more rooms! Follow me!

- Back already? - I forgot something...

- A nice view. - Yes... five florins.

Well, we can put the piano there, in that corner.

And Josephine's bed here. With the little nice curtains.

Actress! A letter from the Royal Theater.

Thank you!

It's the answer to your letter from Geneva.

And?

Your audition is for tomorrow.

In that case I'll take the big apartment downstairs.

But treacherous schemes prevent her from being hired.

They know nothing about Spanish dances here. I think you were wonderful.

Well?

As always, they didn't like the bolero.

Will you be getting in, madam?

No, go without me. I'll walk.

All right, madam. Come on, you, get in!

I was always against this trip. We spent money...

Move over!

- May I help you, madam? - No one can help me, unfortunately.

It's a pity.

Here...

Ferdinand von Freiberg.

Of... the king's regiment?

- You see the flag over there? - Yes.

The first one... under the cupola...

I see.

The black uniform... with white plumes.

There, all by himself, it's him.

But, Ferdinand, you told me that you know him well...

that you were close to him...

Darling, I'm with him every day. But it takes more than six weeks

to present a dancer to the king.

My hotel bill is six weeks old too.

Believe me, I'm working wonders of diplomacy.

Just yesterday... Count Senzheim assured me...

- ...in about a month. - It's too long for me!

Lola!

You attacked a lieutenant of the gendarmerie.

- That's serious. - Yes, sire.

I should have demoted him and expelled you.

Yes, sire.

Instead, I've granted you an audience and promoted him to captain.

Yes, sire.

You must excuse my indifferent French.

Yes, sire. Oh! Not at all, your French is very good!

Thank you.

Well, what do you wish to ask of me?

Well, sire...

You must speak up

because my hearing sometimes fails me.

Sire, I...

Yes...

It seems you have been given...

Magnifying glass... an audition.

An audition!

And you were turned down.

And just what is an audition? Perform on command?

Laugh, cry on command? Play, dance on command?

No one auditioned you to be a king.

To be what?

To be a king.

These committees, bureaucracies, chancellors,

counselors, they choke me!

Really!

Always restraining, prohibiting. It's not in my nature.

Your subjects must choke too, with all these laws, these regulations.

You can't abolish all laws and regulations.

That's too bad.

The report says, "No classical training".

What is this classical training? Classical? Classical?

The pirouettes? The ronds de jambe? Dead and buried!

But the fandango, sire! The bolero, the seguidilla!

These are... These Spanish dances, sire, are alive!

Oh, pardon me, oh!

Go on, go on!

Classical or not, they can't deny I've got a good figure,

so they make up just anything.

Ah, forgive me, forgive me.

It is precisely on that point...

that their report casts...

How shall I put it?

Their report casts doubts.

What?! It's not true!

It is.

They've got a nerve! Am I expected to walk around naked?

I, who dress so modestly!

They're against me just because I do have a good figure!

We'll settle this right now.

Bring a needle and thread.

Are you finished?

Gloves...

...handkerchief...

...handbag...

All these dance steps...

It's very complicated.

No, it's quite clear... I'm going to take a little trip.

When?

It's a real triumph.

It's me, Maurice.

The manager! It's the manager.

His Majesty is asking for you. He's waiting in the royal box.

He's most enthusiastic.

- My red scarf. - Wait, wait a minute!

Hurry! And my eyes!

Hurry up, madame!

- Is it all right? - Yes, yes! Fine, fine!

Please mind the step. It's a little bit narrow.

They've been promising us renovations for years. Be careful!

This is the quickest way to the royal box. His Majesty is waiting for you.

- His Majesty! - Your handkerchief! Your ring!

I was coming to see you, madam.

Oh, no, that won't do.

I wished to do you the courtesy of coming to see you, madam.

I must congratulate you.

Your invigorating presence

has accomplished a small revolution!

And I must tell you that you have won...

Thank you.

That you have won your place in this theater.

We all hope that you'll stay.

Thanks to you, Your Majesty, I could prove that I can dance.

That's all I wanted.

I find your ambitions a little... limited.

- My work is done. - Surely not!

Thanks to you, I was initiated to a new art.

I have watched you at rehearsals... discreetly.

I was very far, in the back, hidden,

and you, you looked so tiny on that vast empty stage.

I know almost all the steps by now. But I shall have to study some more.

Now, if I tell my aides, "This is an entrechat", "This is a chassé",

they'll always answer, "Yes, sire", even if I'm wrong.

But with you, it's different.

I would like to discuss dancing with you...

...or even politics.

You have such original ideas.

Other topics too.

We could talk...

...about ourselves.

Have you never thought of staying?

Of resting?

Of settling down for a while?

You are so lonely, sire!

That makes 42... with the affair in St. Petersburg.

Sir, you are exaggerating!

When such a woman spends more than 5 minutes alone with a man...

...that's enough to start rumors.

Seven minutes!

I must congratulate you on your discovery. She is quite remarkable!

Thank you, Your Majesty!

As I was saying, my dear friend,

I think we are doing so much for the theater,

but too little for the fine arts.

Painting, for instance.

Her Majesty the queen and I were discussing it not long ago

and she totally agrees with me.

She wants a portrait by a master for the National Gallery.

A portrait of Her Majesty the queen, it's a great idea.

What?

A portrait of Her Majesty, it's a lovely idea.

Thank you, thank you, but don't hurry, we have 20 already.

We'll have the time to discuss it

when the queen returns from her cure in Wiesbaden.

No, I would like a portrait of that dancer. What's her name again?

- Lola Montès, Majesty. - What?

- Lola Montès. - Oh, yes, Lola Montès.

It's odd! I can never remember that name. A portrait of Miss Montès.

Make sure she doesn't leave Munich. That's an order.

Thank you. It was wonderful.

Sorry, I think I've thanked you already.

- Where is my coach? - Over there, Your Majesty.

Summon any painters of talent to the Academy.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Gentlemen, the king is coming to choose a portrait painter.

I warn you that the painting must be done very quickly.

The model in question will be leaving us shortly.

Put on your top hat! Speak French and be quick.

- Good morning. - Good morning.

- How long? - Seventeen days, Your Majesty.

- Seventy-seven days? - No, only 17.

Actually, only 16 and a half days, Your Majesty.

- How long? - Six weeks.

- Six days? - No, Your Majesty. Six weeks.

Oh thank you, thank you!

Very nice!

Eleven days, Your Majesty.

Only seven days, Your Majesty!

Three months and ten days, I fear.

- What? - I'm sorry, Your Majesty.

I started it in January and the holidays delayed my work.

Then, we celebrated a birth in the family.

How long?

- Three months and ten days. - You are the one!

Very nice.

Now don't move. Don't move...

Excellent.

- Do you like it? - Oh, no.

No, it's not quite right yet.

- What is it? - Too formal.

- Yes, of course! Too formal! - I find it stiff.

Stiff, yes, too stiff. Well, that...

Perhaps without the cloak, the portrait would look more natural.

What are you whispering about?

Hush, hush! Don't move, stay as you are!

How long to remove the cloak?

Two months...

Maybe two and a half months...

...three months...

The painter takes his time.

He doesn't like her dress... he doesn't like her gloves...

One day he asks her if she dares pose for him

all in pink...

She dares!

And the king, enraptured by her pose, offers her a palace!

Rather grandiose!

- Oh! Now there'll be more trouble. - Why?

Well, I wanted to give it to the National Museum.

But the Minister of Fine Arts objected.

I wanted to put it in the National Library,

but the chancellor of the university objected.

He claims its educational value is not very high.

I wanted to hang it in the National Theater,

but the director and the archbishop protested.

Well, I don't know what to do anymore.

Really, I don't know what to do anymore.

Dismiss the Minister of Fine Arts.

Close the university.

Suspend the manager,

forget the archbishop and do as you like.

It must go somewhere.

I can't very well keep it!

That's the fourth today.

I can't hang it in my salon either.

It would look like advertising!

- Like what? - Advertising.

What?

Your hearing, you know... it can't go on like this...

If Professor Jeppner's too old to visit you,

we'll visit him!

Oh! Marvelous! What beautiful ears!

Majestic ears! Indisputable ears!

May I have a light, please?

Quickly, Anna, a light for the lady!

- Yes, yes! - She's waiting...

There... there...

I'm coming... I'm coming... There's a light!

Thank you.

Nothing serious, Your Majesty, rest assured.

Everything is wonderful! Wonderful.

Now, prepare yourself, Anna, I will dictate my prescription.

Yes.

His Majesty will take 11 pills upon retiring and only...

...five pills upon rising.

The mental state is really more important than the physical.

The will to hear, that is the main thing. The will, isn't it, Your Majesty?

Yes... There are things I would like to hear again.

Things that would be a pleasure to hear... Music, for instance.

Music. Yes, but not Wagner.

You could hear him from the bottom of a whale.

I was thinking of Mozart.

Oh, yes, Mozart, he's all tenderness and light...

And then... There's the voice. Madam's wonderful voice...

Oh, I don't need to hear it.

I read her lips. Don't I, my dear?

Yes, Your Majesty, but you should also hear certain things

that concern you.

Misfortune can strike so swiftly, Your Majesty.

Yes, read this, Your Majesty, it's...

...the butcher who gave it to me.

Well... There it is!

The entire town read it. It's a sort of... of pamphlet.

There are things I wish neither to hear nor see.

The woman is an insult to the nation!

An insult to dignity, morality, religion.

We demand that her titles and estate are rescinded.

That the university is reopened!

That the ministers are reinstated.

The king must expel her from Bavaria immediately.

Hamlet.

"O God! How weary..."

No, thank you, not now...

"O God!

How weary, stale, flat

and unprofitable.

Seem to me all the uses of this world.

Fie on't! O fie!

'Tis an unweeded garden that grows to seed.

Things rank and gross in nature possess it merely.

That it should come to this!"

Attention wandering?

I know I'm not a professional actor but...

But I'm doing my best!

Now where was I? Yes!

"That it should come to this!"

Can't one be left in peace for once?

I'll go see.

"O God! How weary..."

I'll be back in a moment.

- What's happening? - It's nothing, madam...

Oh... or almost nothing...

Some students... yes... some shopkeepers...

...professors and suchlike... a mob, you know.

They're having their little revolution.

It's nothing. These poor Bavarians are far behind the times!

I don't think it's too alarming.

I don't know what's the matter with them.

A revolution?

If they stop, it's a riot. If they continue, it's a revolution.

If they continue... they'll spoil all the flowers in the greenhouses.

Oh, my dear! I'm frightened... I'm frightened for you.

Nothing will happen to you, don't worry!

I'm not afraid for myself, but for you.

Please listen! You mustn't stay here, you mustn't!

If they're determined to make a historic occasion,

they must find you in your place, playing your part.

- In my what? - In your part as king!

With your books...

...your wife and your children...

There is a time for everything,

even revolutions!

Anyhow, on my next birthday, in March,

I would have been 62 years old.

I gather that all this is fairly serious, isn't it?

Your Majesty, the carriage is waiting for you behind the stables.

Time is urgent.

There are barricades on the Maximiliansplatz.

It's a state of emergency.

Your Majesty, you must decide immediately.

May I, at least, take leave of her first?

Please hurry, Your Majesty.

Every moment counts...

unfortunately.

Be quiet!

Josephine!

Don't be afraid, countess.

You have nothing to fear from me, from us.

Watch all the exits!

The main entrance.

We want to save you. They will surely come for you.

This revolt... this revolt is a work of reactionaries.

You represent love, freedom, everything they detest.

They want to imprison you, perhaps kill you...

But we are for love and the pursuit of happiness.

We want to help you escape the country.

We want to come with you... defend you.

What have I to do with revolutions,

whether they come from the right or the left?

Ours is of the left.

Really?

Well, we'll cut through the black forest.

We'll change horses after you, won't we? Oh! My red wine, where is it?

Josephine, you haven't forgotten my red wine?

I hadn't time to get the chocolates.

What... What is the matter with you? Are you crying? Don't cry.

There's always a revolution somewhere! Now it's their turn.

Come on, hurry!

Don't worry. With the stagecoach, you'll be in Paris before us.

You're safe. You're not a known personality.

- Give me all your money. - What?

Well, almost all.

When you reach Strasbourg, go to bed early.

Don't hang around all night... Oh, yes, I know you...

Good-bye.

Don't cry.

Good luck, madam. We may not meet again.

Don't fret... we'll meet again.

Good-bye, madam.

She's saved the Royal House.

She's saved Bavaria from a dreadful civil war, at any rate.

Best of all, she saved herself with a young man who's barely 20.

All's well so far, thank God!

Don't be afraid. We'll fight for you.

I hope it won't come to that.

Alas! Nothing ever happens here.

Out with that gypsy!

Say something!

First of all, you didn't bring any luggage.

Nothing to spend the night.

Anyway, you're much too young for all this.

No, no, no, no! Don't say that.

At 20, I'm not too young.

- You are... - No, let me explain.

It's not true. I know one thing.

I'm not old but the king was old... and you see how that ended...

Moreover, you didn't love him.

Whereas you?

You can't help but love me.

I'm young enough to offer you

a new start... a... a new life.

I would fear nothing, no obstacles, no conflicts.

There would be no more fame,

no more fortune, of course.

What I have to offer is something else.

A simple life, love in a new land...

You might be happy as just another woman.

With children.

- Why not? - Let's do it!

We're reaching the border.

I'll pass my final exams.

I'll soon be teaching Latin. Latin is wonderful.

It's always in demand.

Not in everyday life, of course,

but we'd have our choice of universities.

Listen to me...

There is such a thing as coincidence.

I'm the first man you met in Bavaria... and the last.

Do you remember?

You had invited me, I answered, "I'm going the other way."

"You'll do that later", you said. And here, I am again with you...

We've set out together. It's fate.

It was written...

It's destiny.

One mustn't fight destiny!

Or mistake one's destiny.

- But... - Listen to me.

I've kept quiet and let you have your say.

You said it well,

so don't blame yourself.

It's not because you're 20, don't think that.

Then what is it?

First of all, you're wrong, I did love your king, very much.

That surprises you?

Someday you'll learn that people can keep hoping for miracles.

That's when you'll find happiness.

Don't be sad.

Listen to me, try to understand.

I've lived too much, had too many adventures.

Bavaria was my last chance.

My last hope of a haven.

It's all over... all over.

You see, if this warmth you offer me,

if this face which I find not unpleasing

leaves me without hope,

then something is broken.

Yes, it's over.

She was alone again.

So it was, ladies and gentlemen, that the countess of Landsfeld,

relinquishing power and glory,

remembered our offer

and took the incredible leap over the ocean.

She landed in the middle of your life, among her real friends...

Is she to jump?

Tonight? Of course, as every night.

Haven't you noticed a certain loss of agility lately?

I mean, has she ever nearly missed?

No...

She has managed very well, every night, for four months now.

Then will you...?

This is the real reason I'm here.

Will you leave the safety net there tonight?

Please do as I ask.

Eddy...

Tell the ringmaster to leave the net tonight.

- Yes, sir. - Hurry.

The sensational dive you are about to see

is all the more dangerous since Lola performs without a safety net.

- What's going on? - I don't know.

...or I call the police!

Ladies and gentlemen, unforeseen circumstances.

I have just been informed that the management,

for reasons concerning the health of the countess of Landsfeld,

wishes to take every possible precaution.

I am forbidden to remove the net.

Bobby!

But kindly remain seated, ladies and gentlemen!

A whiskey!

- Give me the money. - No, I'll pay you later.

I now ask you,

Lola Montès,

whether you will accept the net.

Yes or no?

Say yes, or you'll end up breaking your neck.

After the jump, gentlemen,

and now I address the gentlemen only,

being sure of the countess' answer,

after the jump, the countess will bestow a particular favor on you.

A remarkable favor

whose generosity and piquancy you will appreciate.

Gentlemen above the age of 16

will be able to approach her.

She will be in our menagerie, among the wild beasts.

You will be able to approach her,

touch her, kiss her hand!

Kings, princes, millionaires have sacrificed all for that:

Their countries, their power, their millions.

- It's 50 cents. - I don't care.

- But I paid for it. You owe me, sir! - Go away, go away!

But for you, gentlemen,

there's no question of millions.

It won't cost a hundred thousand...

Not a thousand or hundred dollars!

Not ten dollars.

Just one dollar!

Think of it, gentlemen, one dollar!

The countess has decided, ladies and gentlemen.

Remove the net.

I was terrified, you know. I couldn't live without you.

- Thank you. - I'll be all right.

Treat yourself to a good time, gentlemen.

Come and see Lola!

Only one dollar!

Mind your cigar, sir!

Roll up, gentlemen! An unforgettable souvenir for a dollar!

Step right up!

Only one dollar. It's next to nothing.

You won't regret your money, gentlemen!