Original subtitles

Monsieur Sorel,

Madame, - Monsieur Sorel. Welcome back,

It is a great pleasure to be here.

His Grace, the Archbishop of Rheims. Monsieur Sorel,

Your Grace.

Have you been introduced to Madame de Fervaques?

I had the honour at the Retz's ball in the autumn,

Madame de Fervaques has enlisted me into the Jesuit cause.

We are to engage in raising funds for the orphans,

Indeed?

((A woman of almost unassailable purity,)

If any way, I might,.,

Most kind.

Letter twenty-eight,

My dear Madame de Fervaques,.,

She doesn 't even acknowledge receipt.

You never see a siege is working until the moment of surrender,

England is dominated by two great vices.

And they are, sir?

Cant, in that that they pass a gloss of hypocrisy over everything

and bashfulness, which at first has a certain charm

until one realises it is a cunning play of pride.

And are the women equally marred, sir?

I fear they leave something to be desired. too.

Do they want in physical beauty?

No, more in vitality.

However, this should not be seen as their fault, Their husbands are largely to blame.

The Englishman values modesty as the paramount quality in his wife,

In fact, such a virtue is his very pride.

But such company, devoid of wit and spirituality, can become a little tedious,

Which is why the Englishman, without the solace of true faith

finds it essential to get gloomily drunk each night,

Fifty.

Fifty!

More mystical English mumbo-jumbo.

What kind of woman could be wooed by this?

I can't understand a word of it. - Don't understand, Just copy.

She will never, never reply.

I don't believe this. This Ietter is full of worse cant than mine.

Invited to the ballet, and possible dinner with her uncle the Bishop.

The great fixer of appointments.

If nothing else comes of this, I'll probably end up a Bishop myself.

Letter seventy-one.

A fine ballet, Perhaps not quite as moving as the Abb� Prevost's novel,

If one must succumb to fiction

I suspect Manon Lescaut must be placed at the head of the list.

Napoleon considered it a book for servants.

Which shows his lack of discernment.

Beautiful. So beautiful. Doomed Iove.

Your letters. sir.

One element confuses me.

Why, in today's epistle, are there so many references to London and Richmond?

Distraction, Madame.

Lost in the contemplation of the sublime, I must have lost all sense of time or place,

Mademoiselle de la Mole. How strange.

It is not her customary night.

Perhaps Manon Lescaut is a favourite with her too?

It is such a moving tale.

Madame!

You have killed your wife, sir.

The vanquished can often confuse compassion with weakness, Julien,

Has she offered you the sacrifice to which this fatal passion led me?

You have no right, mademoiselle,

Remember, I too still have my pride. - Don 't look at her.

Do you love her? - That's hardly a,.,

Whatever other sentiment I might feel towards her, I cannot deny that of gratitude,

She has treated me with courtesy, and offered me comfort when others have scorned.,.

What do you want? What proof do you want of my love?

Make her afraid.

It is not proof that I want, but guarantees,

Name them, Ruin me, Disgrace me.

Let us do it now. Let us flee to London. Anywhere.

I must have time to consider.

Accept nothing but total surrender, Julien.

Extraordinary girl.

She has the character for the entire family,

And how about your relationship with the son?

One of disdain.

His or yours?

They have turned you into a fop, haven't they?

A man is more than the clothes he wears.

Is he?

In the Church. he is often much less.

My favourite student.

How many mentors do you have, Julien?

Each world seems to require another,

Do not fear for me, pater optime.

How goes the path of persuasion, Monsieur le Chevalier?

It has achieved its objective,

Diligence brings its just reward. And is the lady here?

Discretion, my good friend.

Ah, So they're both here?

You'll never find them. - Follow the eyes,

The eyes lead you to the heart.

Not mine, sir.

I understand the Marquis has not been too happy of late?

No, the world has not been going quite as he planned.

Well, it very rarely does.

That's what makes it so engaging.

Not for my master.

Madame, - Sir,

Mam'selle. I do not dance.

- Oh, yes, you do, sir,

Mathilde, please. - Oh, you are not supposed to know me,

I am aware of that. - It is my birthday,

You must dance with me. - Later.

Now, Follow me,

Oh, would you fetch my shawl, sir, It suddenly is a little chill,

Well, I was, I wondered if,.,

I recollect I left it in the music room.

And what of your present, master?

Well, I had thought to give you that in private.

I promise you, I will carry it with me at all times,

But you don't know what it is yet, It might not be portable,

But it is, Julien.

At least for the time being,

Is it not beautiful?

Does it not suit me?

Can you see how much I love you?

Soon the whole world will.

Is this not the guarantee?

I am your wife. Forever.

Kiss me,

We cannot hide. Julien,

And nor should we,

No,

Father must be told first,

He is my friend as well as my father, and he has acted as a man of honour towards you.

It would be shameful to deceive him for a moment longer.

He will turn me out of the house.

He would be quite within his rights, We must respect that.

Let us take a little time to reflect.

There can be no delay on this, my love. It is my duty towards him,

You have a duty to your husband,

This is a matter for my own conscience, Julien.

He has already read my letter.

His Lordship would like to see you, sir.

Immediately.

It wasn't there.

It wasn't there, - Then try another room.

He is raging, Beware,

You have betrayed me, sir,

My only daughter.,.

I curse you, sir, you are a monster, a monster I took to my own breast

whom I fed,., and who has fed off my very.,.

You have been very generous to me, sire but equally you have served me well.

Indeed you have, sir.,.

In all of Paris, only two people offered me affection

you, sire, when you had the time to grace me and the other, that obliging angel -

Obliging?

The moment she became obliging, boy, you should have fled this place.

I tried, sir.

When? - When I begged to go to the Languedoc,

What are you, sir?

What manner of man are you?

My daughter mere Madame Sorel, Not even a Comtesse.

My grandson not even a,.,

It is unacceptable, it is impossible,

Was this your plan all along?

No, never, - I trusted you, sir.

You have deliberately and wantonly betrayed me.

You consider I have betrayed your trust, Then kill me if you so desire.

Get out of my house, sir.

Father?

I put your case to the Marquis with all the eloquence I possess.

There are other priests with more persuasive powers.

But they lack your sincerity,

Did you hope that might move him?

What of Mathilde?

She might as well be a prisoner in the Bastille,

He is the father of our child.

What am I to do. Lord?

What would you do, sir?

Tear down the prison? Release the maiden from her dark enchantment?

She carries my child. There must be something I can do.

There is nothing.

When her father stole back my empress and son, I tried to raise all Europe into arms.

Impotent and hopeless fury,

Did he break her spirit?

And mine,

Master.

My father has arranged a commission for you in the fifteenth regiment of Hussars

under the name of Monsieur Sorel de la Vernaye.

You are to report to their quarters immediately, - lmmediately?

And then, after three months of separation, if we still desire to wed, he will not prevent it.

Three months? - Patience, my love.

In three months.

I will marry you in your red uniform,

This is the sword of my noble ancestor, Boniface de la Mole,

Well done, - Thank you, sir.

Monsieur de la Vernaye. - You will join us for dinner?

It will be my privilege, sir, - No, sir, It will be ours,

My love, does this mean we are granted a remission of the last few weeks?

All is lost,

He will never let us marry now.

He has received a letter,

What letter? Show me.

I have learnt it by heart, Julien.

'What I owe to the sacred cause of religion compels me, my Lord

to the painful step I take in addressing you.

The grief I bear must be overweighed by a sense of duty

to prevent even a greater scandal,

I am a woman, sir, who has already suffered at the hands of Monsieur Sorel.

His behaviour has been extremely reprehensible, and more than I can say.

Poor but avaricious, it is his strategy to employ the most consummate hypocrisy

in the seduction of weak and lonely women, to build a position for himself.

He leaves in his wake only misery and undying regret,

Yours in sorrow

Madame de R�nal,'

,.,dimittimus debitoribus nostris,

Et ne nos inducas in tentationem: sed libera nos a malo.

Per omnia saecula saeculorum, Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum,

Et cum spirito tuo.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: miserere nobis.

Honour is served,

I 've killed her,

Kill me.

Where am l?

St H�l�ne,

We are finished.

Then let me die,

If only it were that easy,

Ah. The sleeper awakes,

Am I in Baron le Valenod's prison?

No. sir. You're in Besan�on, . � One of the best views in the city.

I always think a man in your philosophical position can profit from a perspective on the world,

How long have I been here? - Three days.

I can't remember anything. - The human mind. sir.

I find I can only recall the good things, Now, my wife's quite the reverse,

Still, you haven't missed much,

All you've said for the last three days is 'l killed her, Kill me,'

It got quite boring for them that had to question you,

Well, it's the truth, There's nothing else to say. - Truth. sir?

Tricky for any man to know when he's got hold of that slippery customer,

What do you mean?

If only money could give my wife happy memories.

Still, one can but try,

Word is, she's coming on a treat. - Who? - Madame de Renard.

Your bullet went right through her shoulder, hit a pillar

and its ricochet narrowly missed our illustrious Abb� de Frilair.

More's the pity.

She's still alive?

What is life. sir? It is but a -

- You swear this?

Get out.

Now. Now I believe in God.

It doesn't change the crime.

Or the punishment,

Husband.

I cannot be saved. I am guilty of murder.

But she is not dead,

The crime is the same and so's the punishment.

Do you want to die?

We will not let it happen.

She has come to weaken your resolve,

Are you cold?

No,

I am.

I would hate my intervention to cause distress to your father, mademoiselle.

I fear it may have that effect, Monsieur l'Abb� de Frilair,

But such matters must be outweighed by the demands of justice.

Justice. Yes,

And Monsieur Sorel de la Vernaye is not without his own friends,

It was in fact the Archbishop of Paris himself

not I may say a frequent guest at my father's table

who suggested I sought out your support.

He holds you pre-eminent in the region.

That is most gracious of him,

I understand he intends to be more than merely gracious,

Your Monsieur Sorel de la Vernaye is clearly a most gifted young man to inspire such devotion.

What is his defence?

Is he in love with this woman?

Was this a crime of passion?

My husband intends to offer no defence,

It is therefore necessary for others to come to his aid,

Will you, sir?

Look.

Do you see?

The jury sits there,

There is no doubt. Julien,

Monsieur de Frilair didn't really need tempting with the possibility of becoming a bishop,

He would have done it just for the pleasure of spiting my father,

How was this achieved?

He controls the choice of the jury.

The foreman is a man he's just made into a local mayor,

His name? - Baron le Valenod,

You still will not speak in your defence?

Well. now there is no need.

We're with you, sir, Nothing stirs the young heart more than the folly of love.

Madame de R�nal's cousin.

no doubt come to gloat.

She's the only one who has, Julien,

So, the issue could not be more straightforward,

A soldier,.,

He enters the House of God, his spurs jingling

his hands resting on two primed pistols.

He seeks out a woman, his old benefactoress

a mother of three children.

who is kneeling in prayer

waiting for the holy mystery of Communion,

He aims directly at her, and fires twice,

That he failed to achieve his murderous intent modifies neither charge nor sentence.

For the implication in law is the same.

Those that strive, by cold premeditation, to take a life

must themselves sacrifice their own.

Your friend. Baron le Valenod.

does not seem convinced,

No fine words. - I understand none are needed,

Gentlemen of the jury

it is by no means true that intent to murder automatically dictates the death penalty,

If that were the case.

your presence here would be merely show,

No, you are here to transform the cold mechanics of law into justice,

and for that we require a different kind of judgement

a judgement based on the heart as well as the brain

tempered by insight, by compassion, and above all, by your common humanity,

I intend to prove that love caused this atrocity, that love itself can visit as a madness

a sickness that can steal away the will of any of us

who wake to find ourselves caught within its fever and its fury,

Monsieur Sorel,

Monsieur Sorel, We have heard the submission of both attorneys for the prosecution and the defence,

Do you have anything you wish to say to the jury?

Monsieur Sorel. Do you have anything you wish to say?

Yes.

I ask for no mercy, Suffer no illusion,

I attempted to take the life of one of the most noble of women,

My crime is terrible, made doubly so because it was premeditated,

I am guilty. I therefore deserve death, It is just.

However, the judgement you will make upon me will not arise from the spirit of justice

of our common humanity

but it will be born from the dead heart of corruption and oppression.

It is a sentence on a peasant

who, in the eyes of your our masters, committed only one crime

that of attempting to rise against the lowliness of his station,

And it has one purpose only - to discourage the others,

To discourage hope and aspiration, or what those of your class call audacity and anarchy,

Have you reached a verdict, Baron le Valenod?

We have. Monsieur le Pr�sident,

We find Julien Sorel.,.

guilty,

What has happened?

It is quite simple, Monsieur Valenod has changed allegience again.

He clearly believes the Marquis de la Mole has more power than the Abb� de Frilair,

He is, of course, quite wrong,

We must appeal immediately. - No,

Enough of this charade,

Forgive me.

Your shoulder. - Forgive me, Julien,

The priests wrote the letter, but I copied it in my own hand.

In the name of God, they said...

I believe sincerely in God

I believe even now that the crime I am committing is dreadful

and yet, as soon as I see you, even through the smoke of pistols,.,

I feel for your what I ought only to feel for God,

Ask me to stab the gaoler and it is done before I've had time to think, Ask.

Then let me die with you. - No,

Swear to me you will not take your own life. I could not bear it.

On my heart,

I would have lived and died without knowing bliss, had you not entered my prison.

You love her,

Forget me, - l.,. - No, don't say anything,

You were born to live amongst the heroines of forgotten ages,

Take their courage, their heart.

A year after my death, marry the Comte de Croisenois,

De Croisenois is dead.

He fought a duel over my honour,

He loved me.

I love you,

I wish it could be otherwise.

Why am I so cold?

Why can't I face the final night with courage?

A priest for confession, sir, - I have no need,

Julien.

Father!

My boy.

Do you wish to die, my son?

Then let me save you,

The Church has great powers, a reprieve even now is not impossible.

All it needs is a sign. From you, - From me?

Your trial, your speech, your whole manner had a remarkable effect on people

especially the young.

I fear you possess their very dreams.

What has this to do with me?

Our Jesuit masters consider your free thinking a dangerous influence,

Now, if the word were to spread of your heartfelt return to the faith,.,

My life could be bought at the cost of my sincerity?

I accept your love, father.

But you should not have consented to this. It was cruel,

Please leave me now, There is another with whom I wish to confide.

Where is the truth to be found?

In religion?

In the God of the Bible.

that petty despot

the revengeful mayor of a small town,.,

in the mouths of his modern servants.,.

Where is it?

In the hypocrisy of the salon, or the corruptions of justice?

Is there such a thing as a natural law

or only the power of vested interest, of necessity?

I am twenty-two, and about to die,

All I desire is to be in the arms of my love,

Unlike you, I have done nothing with my life but play Tartuffe, the hypocrite,

A shallow part to play from morning till night.

I would have followed you to the end of the world,

Would that have had any greater meaning?

To arms.