Original subtitles

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Conversations mingled in a crowd

- Mr. President of the Republic.

- So, what do you think?

- Very beautiful.

- I'm happy I hope you like the project.

Isn't the building too tall?

- Not at all, Mr. President.

Congratulations,

The choice is very bold.

- But... who is the architect?

Sir ?

- We need to ask Subilon.

No, Mr. President, it's up to you.

that the honor returns to announce the name of the winner.

- My glasses.

- Yes.

- In any case, I congratulate the jury members

for their proposals.

- Here you are, Mr. President.

- Johan Otto von Spreckelsen.

- Spreckelsen.

- Comment ?

- Unknown to the battalion.

- Subilon? Tell us more about our winner?

- SO...

His name is Johan Otto von Spreckelsen.

He was born in Denmark in 1929.

He presented his project

in his own name,

and not with an agency.

And that's all I have here.

- Call the winner

so that I can congratulate him.

- I only have a postal address.

- Alright.

- Call the Danish embassy.

- It's a small country,

They will be able to give you information.

- Oh!

THANKS.

Hello. The Presidency of the Republic

looking to join one of your compatriots,

who was designated to create the future CICOM.

Centre international communication at the Ministry of Defence.

This is

of the architect Johan Otto von Spreckelsen.

They, yes. Spreckelsen.

GOOD.

All right.

THANKS.

That's incredible. Nobody knows this guy.

Mixed whispers

...

Sir !

Are you Johan Otto von Spreckelsen?

- I am Otto, yes!

(In English)

- You won the competition Head of Defense.

The President of the Republic would like to meet you.

What did he say?

(In Danish)

He says you won.

Won what?

The competition in Paris.

- Yes.

- The Cube?

Applause

Soft music

- Mr. Spreckelsen speaks French.

You can ask him.

* Madame ?

Mixed voices of journalists

- Very simple question. Who are you?

- Good morning.

My name is Otto von Spreckelsen. I am Danish.

I am 53 years old.

In Copenhagen, I teach architecture.

Architecture fascinates me.

That interests me and...

It's very inspiring to participate in a competition

for a project

located in Paris.

- Excuse me !

- Please !

Can you tell us about the genesis?

of this idea?

- Yes.

The idea was very obvious.

I presented my project...

Paris has great monuments,

like the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe,

the Pompidou Centre.

These monuments are not alike.

They don't look like Paris. But they symbolize this city.

I wanted to find a new form for Paris and...

Laughter

Paris has no cube.

- We can learn more about the vocation

of this international center

communication?

- He asks what the building will be used for.

- Ah... It will be a meeting place.

- A meeting place for whom?

- For... for... humanity.

- Sir? You told us

that you are 53 years old.

Respectable age, I'm the same.

Laughter

More seriously,

Let's agree that this is an unusual age.

to enter the light.

Laughter

- Age is just a number.

- What have you built

in your career?

- I built my house and four churches.

Laughter

Applause

THANKS.

Thank you so much.

Do you think they're going to pay for everything?

- Of course.

- Even the minibar?

- Yes, otherwise we'll pay.

That's no longer a problem.

Telephone ringtone

- Hello ?

- Who is it ?

*- Hello, I have an outside call.

*- M. Subilon, the president's advisor.

*- I'll pass it on to you.

- Ah.

- Good morning.

*- Hello, Mr. Spreckelsen.

The president wishes to approve one aspect of the project.

- What aspect?

He called me this morning to to remind me how attached he was

to the perspective designed by Le Nôtre. You know, the road that starts from the Louvre

and which opens towards the west as it passes passing by the Arc de Triomphe counts for him.

This is the historical royal axis.

*- Hmm-hmm, I know.

- You know that you locate your cube

* on this royal axis.

- Of course, This was the location of the competition.

The president doesn't want to spoil the perspective.

- Oh no, no. It won't be damaged.

You can reassure him.

*- That's to say that the president would like to be able to

represent more fully things.

- Can you be clearer?

The president has seen the model, hasn't he?

*- The president wants something else.

- Anything other than the model?

*- Yes.

- Hum.

Alright.

*- Thank you, sir.

I'll take care of it.

- You who come from the north,

what is your perspective? on our Catholic cathedrals

and their splendor often demonstrative?

- I'm sorry, Mr. President, But I find them too high.

You made the right choice in choosing my Cube

rather than a cathedral.

- It was a question

without ulterior motive.

This happens to me again to ask a few questions.

When I am on friendly ground, probably.

I learned that you had built

several chapels.

- Yes, two Catholic chapels

and two Protestant churches.

- Where does this appetite come from?

For places of worship?

- I had a religious upbringing.

- Me too, but I don't have

built four churches.

- Until my marriage,

I used to sing in a choir.

I was often in churches.

I like it.

- Please excuse me.

It would seem that everything is ready.

- Very well, say that we are arriving.

- GOOD.

Squeaking

- Mr. President.

- Ah! Would you have A pair of binoculars?

- Of course.

- I'll take the binoculars.

Here is.

- Of course.

- Let's go this way. It will be more pleasant to walk.

I am the sole accountant of the perspective before the nation.

I need to take precautions that responsibility demands.

- But the Cube is not high.

He will respect the balance...

Horn

You will see in the simulation, Everything is very clear.

Here is the Cube, Mr. President.

What you see, This is the upper part of the building.

I remind you that the Cube will be opened.

- That's very good.

- And the perspective is respected.

- That's really very good.

But it's blue.

- Yes, it's blue.

- I would have preferred it to be pink.

- Ah... when the sun sets,

It will be pink.

- And can I see?

- Yes of course.

Tonight, if you like.

Mr. President!

- I see that there is some commotion. See you tonight, Mr. Architect.

- Nobody knows me here.

- You can't drive around like that.

This is the safest place that is for me.

- Did we do it this morning, and this evening too?

- We can't start over.

We've had all the difficulties in the world to obtain this crane.

- We don't have a model that big.

- We'll find another one.

- Subilon.

It's a German crane.

The president wants to see.

And meanwhile,

CICOM is the one paying.

- CICOM is created by the president.

He is the customer.

We must do

That's what the customer wants, right?

You knock and you enter.

- Mr. Tavelli, the crane operator.

- Yes, Mr. Tavelli.

Please come in.

I'm delighted to see you.

That's exactly what we were wondering.

if it would be possible

to renew

this amazing experience

This evening.

- When the sun sets,

Please.

Sigh

- It's complicated here.

I have my niece's wedding

and the crane is going to Marseille.

- I am well aware of that,

But we need to repeat the test.

I can increase your salary

of 7,500 francs.

- I can help you,

But it's 50,000.

- 50 000 ?

- Tonight, it's weekend time.

- Yes.

- He's asking for 50,000 francs?

- Besides, it's my niece's wedding.

I would prefer to go there.

- Let's not discuss it.

Understood, your rate will be mine.

- Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Tavelli.

- Thank you for your availability.

- Bye.

- Alright.

*- I told you so.

- It's pink.

- It's good.

It's completely pink. That's very, very good.

* I have decided to inaugurate your Cube for the bicentenary of the Revolution.

In the name of the French people, I congratulate you and thank you.

* - It's an honor, sir.

Come whenever you want to talk to me about the construction site.

- Certainly, Mr. President. Bye.

- Good...

Can we lower this plate?

And most importantly, free that crane?

The prefect asks me what we're manufacturing.

- Oh!

- Yes, we're finished.

Wonderful.

We're finished!

Thanks to you.

Sweet France (Charles Trenet)

Otto !

Excuse me.

Laughter

- The Cube!

Very impressive.

- We are building a new world.

- No, I can't.

We must know how to celebrate it. Over to you.

I'm too... superstitious.

- Very well. Let's go!

I can't. Sorry.

Whose responsibility lies? To cut it?

- Ah, sir!

At your niece's wedding.

- No, but there are no more weddings What a load of butter up the ass.

- How so ?

- There was never a marriage.

- I don't have a niece.

- Nor a niece.

- I was raising the stakes.

- Otto !

- Excuse me.

Come on, Otto.

Laughter

- No, thank you.

- I'll take care of it.

This time, it's really starting.

Have you had the opportunity to reflect? to your design team?

Not yet. Not yet.

- It must be done. The president wants that Let us be ready for the bicentenary.

I prepared

an initial list.

These are trustworthy companies.

"Sweet France" on the piano

They hum.

...

Otto ?

- She is very beautiful.

- Yes, but we're going to be late.

- We are in the first district of Tours

filmed in Paris and along the riverbanks of the Seine.

There were constraints

urban and technical.

Especially, the problem of networks.

- Saint-Germain is the company who completed the entire slab.

- That's correct. We also completed several laps.

The most recent one is this one.

Construction began at the end of 1981.

- That's the one we're going to visit.

- My pleasure.

...

- Otto ?

Otto, are you not feeling well?

- Did they make the floor?

- It was them... they made the slab.

- And this... what do you say?

- A snail?

- No, no. That. That.

- The joints?

- Are they the joints?

- We can ask,

But it has to be them.

- But the joints are not regular.

- Yes, but don't trust to that detail.

- Subilon, that's not a detail.

Look. Look.

That.

There is grass between the joints and here...

Nothing. The rhythms are not being respected.

This is important.

- Very important.

- Otto...

- Otto, these are not

than the joints of the slab.

Come visit the building. Do

acquaintance with Mr. Saint-Germain.

He is a lover of construction.

Your Cube fascinates him.

He will listen to you.

- Non.

I can't.

- You can't do what?

- I can't see anything else.

I'm talking to you, but I only see the joints.

- But... they're waiting for us, Otto.

- It's possible To postpone this meeting?

- Subilon.

- Otto...

Listen to me carefully.

Very important.

This is the foundation of the building.

The foundation.

Very important.

Say that I fainted.

Say what you want.

There is an error. It says 25 instead of 2.5.

- That's not a mistake. I asked for 25 million.

- As a fee?

They're going to find that excessive. especially without an agency.

- Anyone can have an agency.

You have a vision.

They're going to take it

for a provocation.

In my opinion.

- There will be a negotiation.

You know them, They love to chat.

We need a margin, and I prefer to negotiate from the top.

- But 25 million francs,

This is madness.

- Listen to me carefully.

The Cube is estimated

to 1.3 billion francs.

He acquiesces.

Less than 10% is required.

That's very reasonable.

Look at.

You must not give them your rights.

- What does that mean?

- Copyright must belong to you.

If someone photographs the Cube,

He owes you royalties.

But the Cube will be part of it

of the urban landscape.

- Yes.

But that doesn't change anything.

that it is an original work.

With copyright.

Why would it be any different?

of a sculptor or a visual artist?

- Is that legal?

- There is a legal ambiguity.

Listen, you drew the Cube.

You created it.

It's your work.

Why you should give in

Your copyright?

- Nobody should have asked that.

Never.

No one has ever won before.

such a competition.

- On the manufacturer's side, where are you at?

And Bergeron? Did you see him this morning?

- My husband is not convinced.

He only speaks

concrete technique.

- Yes, but don't lose sight

that he executes commands.

- The Cube requires a very precise approach.

I don't see that in his work.

- We will need to find

a French manufacturer

which will find favor in your eyes.

An offer?

- I'm afraid that's impossible.

- Impossible.

- It's a relationship that needs to be built

with a partner.

- Subilon...

Our project needs to be very precise.

It's like a fugue, but on a larger scale.

Monumental.

- Yes, I understand the analogy, but...

- No, no, wait.

A runaway is a subject,

a response and the repetition of the pattern.

That's exactly what we offer.

We have the big cube

and the small cube.

Subject and answer. Full.

And look.

- You are meeting with GSC this afternoon. It's a very good design office.

Sigh

I want to go to Denmark

to meet with builders.

- There are competent people there.

- Excuse me, it must be found here.

The regulations the tender stipulated

that the winner would work with a French company.

- Did you receive

Our contract proposal?

My husband is working, and he's happy about it.

but there isn't really a framework.

In the long run,

This might be uncomfortable

for you and for us.

*- Yes ?

- Louise ?

- Where are we with the contract? of M. Spreckelsen ?

He's here. He's at the signing.

- Take him to me, let's move on.

- The signing folder is here.

- The president has given us a direction. We will inaugurate

CICOM... Thank you, Louise.

...at the same time as the bicentenary.

It forces us to go fast.

So let's go quickly. And let's do it right.

- Generally, when I lose, I'm a sore loser

because I think my proposal was the best.

In the case of La Défense,

I bowed before your drawing.

You've got everyone on board.

I am delighted to meet him which brought the profession into agreement.

- That's very kind.

Thank you.

I would like to see your glass tubes,

Please.

- Of course. I wanted to show you This is the point of view I like.

It allows us to understand the logic of this airport

to the innovative layout.

We are surveying activists.

You have designed a cube,

I thought of Roissy as a circle.

- It's beautiful. I understand the principle of the circle.

But for my job...

I would like to see your glass tubes.

- Let's go.

Here is a tube specimen. Right here.

Some compare the terminal to a bicycle wheel.

Concrete is a magnificent material,

But he is harsh.

- It's not just made of glass.

and the glass adds lightness.

- It's true,

There's aluminum too.

I want a structure

which is only made of glass. Only.

- So explain to me the exact object

of your search.

- SO...

you know...

The main cube, like this?

There's also the small cube

Right next door. Like that. I want...

Clouds to connect the elements.

- These clouds,

Would you like them in glass?

- I want them to be light.

Like crystal.

- I want them to float.

- Crystalline.

- In that case, it could be fiberglass.

Or canvas, too.

- That's another possibility.

- Would you fix them to pylons?

- Non.

No, I want the cloud to float.

- So we need to suspend them.

- And I want two types of clouds

to create the variation.

- Yes, I understand.

Like that.

At any rate,

We need a point of attachment.

- Hum-hum.

May I?

- So, it could be... We take it from the top.

Here. And here.

Soft music

You need an office design. I have the teams for that.

I can't stand it when people say

that no French manufacturer

may not be up to the standard of your arch.

I am French.

I claim to be able to

to be able to implement its realization.

- But you have many projects.

Why would you want to build the Cube?

- I suggest

this collaboration because...

I think like you

that the Ark is the appropriate answer.

- Is that all?

- That's already a lot.

I'm used to large construction projects,

more...

it is not frequent

to encounter such a powerful project.

- This way.

After you.

- It's very beautiful.

All the proportions are correct.

- Thank you.

I drew everything.

I followed the manufacturing process

of each accessory.

The organ,

the beams, the handles,

the altar.

All !

I created everything.

In the same way, I drew the Cube

and I want to be its project manager to the very end.

More...

But I suppose you,

you don't want to be

a simple manufacturer.

- I am an architect.

I have designed several airports of international stature.

- Exactly.

What status do you want to have?

For the Cube?

- I was considering a shared project management approach.

One project, two architects.

- Please excuse me,

(In English)

but despite the admiration that I have for your work,

what you are proposing is impossible for me.

The Cube is my life's work.

It is...

my life's work.

All my work, my research, my very life,

led me to this drawing.

I say this modestly. But if we collaborate,

there must be a hierarchy between us.

- I understand.

Soft music

The Ark is an important work.

I suggest you be your project manager.

- That's to say ?

- There will be two architects. I will be your executor.

You design.

I work for the production operational of the Ark.

- I noticed that you said

Arch, not cube.

- That's because Your Cube is open, but...

I can definitely say cube if you prefer.

- That works for me.

- Should I say ark?

- Yes. And that you are

my project manager.

THANKS.

- I would need to see your plans.

- Here is.

- It's very beautiful, But you have nothing else?

- There's that too.

- I need the floor plans.

Since the competition,

You have no plan?

- I drew the balance

between the large and the small cubes.

As you know,

I'm thinking about the clouds.

I'm still trying to figure out what form they are.

I also have this drawing

which I like very much.

Here, the clouds are lower.

But the tests need to be done on site.

I believe.

- I suggest we begin

by the general shape.

The plan, the foundations.

Before considering the rest of the program.

When the time comes, we will be able to do

Computer simulations for that.

- Very well, as you wish.

More Andreu...

I only work by hand.

I hate...

- Computers.

- Computers.

I fear they will imprison thought.

So, the construction.

- No, but the gesture is yours.

The devices will only be used for the installation

in the work of whatever you choose.

- Very well, but...

I prefer work

Without computers. Please.

- The unique features of your Cube,

it's about being a building

with its exhibition halls,

his offices,

and a work of art.

It's a bridge

which will have to cross all these networks.

If the bridges move, The offices must be stable.

That's the technical challenge of the Cube.

To address this, we must do calculations in a short amount of time.

Without computers, it's impossible.

We must embrace modernity, resorting to all

to calculate as accurately as possible

possible forces at work.

So I'm going to compile your sketches.

We will convert them into a plan.

Liv speaks Danish.

(In English)

- My wife needs to modify the model.

- Rest assured, I am not intervening

than on the models.

- The glass facades

must be absolutely smooth.

- Okay, but we'll never have

a perfectly smooth surface.

- We'll have to find a way.

- There will always be discrepancies, It's inevitable.

- In my church in Stavnsholt,

The altar is monumental.

For each face, I created a plate

4m² of perfectly smooth surface,

from four samples

distinct.

- Is your altar 4m²?

- Per side, yes.

We need to fill two hectares vertically.

- Of course.

- I know, I drew it.

- If it's possible in a laboratory setting,

It's possible on a large scale.

That's the principle of experimentation.

It is up to us to find the solutions.

Let's not give up

before it had even begun.

- It will be complicated.

- Yes, but I like a challenge.

- This wedding is very beautiful between matte and glossy.

- We are still looking for a solution

for the glass.

Ideally, one room.

- Subilon told me that you work with Andreu.

- Yes, but he's busy

of construction.

- We created the title of project manager for implementation.

- Why not.

What do you think? French architects?

I'm not talking about Andreu. In general.

Your outside perspective interests me.

They work quite well, but...

I sometimes find them...

inhibited.

- That's absolutely right.

They can't build than outside of France.

This situation will also need to change.

- Please.

This is the view of the Champs Elysées.

You have to get down to street level.

Yes, that's it, but a little lower down.

Can you see better now?

The perspective.

- That's very good.

You know, for your glass facades, I know who you should talk to.

- Yes, but he's not French.

- An architect?

You should meet Pei.

He built A glass tower in Boston. I saw it.

Not a single pane of glass that doesn't protrude. It's striking.

- We can organize a meeting.

- You should have done it already.

I saw him yesterday, he's still in Paris. Enjoy it.

- So it is possible.

- Of course.

I did a lot of tests

And there is only one solution,

It's glued glass.

with silicone glue.

There is no fixing,

nor any visible seam.

- That's exactly what I want.

My builder told me that it's impossible.

- Who is it ?

- Paul Andrew.

I appreciate it, but I feel

that he takes refuge behind technology.

- We know each other very well. Tell him to call me.

I would be delighted to invite you to Boston see the tower.

- It's going to be complicated.

- For what ?

Because Subilon wants to start the construction As soon as possible.

The Cube will be around for centuries.

But we need to start right away.

- We have a Chinese saying.

He speaks Chinese.

- If it's urgent, take your time.

- What does that mean?

That's very true.

- Otherwise, what do you think? of my Pyramid?

- I think she'll be great.

- We are very familiar with glued glass.

- I don't understand.

You didn't tell me anything. Why?

- THANKS.

- It is indeed a successful technique.

- You will not be able to use it for the Cube.

- For what ?

This technique is perfect.

- Glued glass is not approved.

- Americans use it

for 10 years.

Pei showed me some photographs from his tower.

- Yes, but this technique

is not allowed in France.

The CEP invalidated it.

- The CEP.

- The what?

The Centre for Studies and Prevention.

This has been confirmed by the Centre scientific expertise in building techniques.

Sigh

Mr. President told me to talk to Pei.

- But if Pei recommends a technique

prohibited by regulations

The problem remains the same.

- But it is possible to ask

A change to this law?

No. The security committees are independent.

How do I do it? to create a smooth facade?

How do I do it? To respect the customer?

He will not blame you to respect the law.

Sigh

- And you ?

What are you saying?

- There's nothing to say.

I told you it was impossible. a smooth facade.

We will do our best.

But we cannot ignore security.

Sigh

...

- The service is finished, sir.

- I have an appointment with Mr. Leloup.

- Yes, he's waiting for you.

- THANKS.

- I have an outsider's perspective

while knowing the neighborhood.

I know you're stumbling

on several problems.

There are no details.

Especially in such a radical project.

I prefer to say it directly.

At this rate, in two years,

You will always be at the foundation stage.

I know Subilon by heart.

He is a technocrat.

- I don't know.

- It's not a matter

of personal enmity.

This is based on the fact. Subilon

is a symptom of a French problem.

- That's very paradoxical.

He wants to go fast, but he's stuck.

- He is out of touch with reality.

Its logic is bureaucratic.

And he doesn't know it well

the construction.

- That he doesn't take care of it

of the project owner.

Andreu is not a bad choice.

To meet your deadlines,

your project management

lack of know-how.

And perseverance.

- Mr. Laloup...

- Leloup.

- Mister Leloup...

You wanted to meet me.

And on the phone, You told me about solutions.

They interest me more

than the problems I already know about.

- You have a problem with the glass glued on?

- Yes, indeed.

News travels fast.

- Today, it's glass.

Tomorrow will be something else.

The elevators, security access points.

Not to mention the marble.

- No, the marble is too important.

I identified some varieties in Tuscany.

- Never mind. If you keep your current team,

you will be trapped in a power struggle

which will always be to your disadvantage,

whatever the subject.

- So what?

What do you suggest?

- With Subilon, you won't achieve anything.

Do I have a choice?

- Of course.

You could argue a clash of personalities.

And I'll take care of the rest.

I have some financial proposals to make.

and support among elected officials.

I built all the towers

of the Ministry of Defence.

I want to make it the biggest

business district of Europe.

Larger than the City of London.

And your Cube

It will be the cornerstone.

His manifesto.

If you entrust me with your project,

I will help you build your Cube

exactly as you imagined it.

- Subilon is Mitterrand's man.

- You can say that again. He is his valet.

- Mitterrand is my client.

And I always respect my client.

And Subilon has the confidence of Mitterrand.

So he has my trust.

- I didn't go

at the end of my proposal.

- I understand your proposal.

You want to seize power

But your strategies, your petty calculations

They don't interest me.

I am an architect. Good evening.

- We have a glazing bead system for the facades.

- They're a kind of discreet clamp. which will allow you to hold the glass.

It will work regardless of the medium.

For the interior, We received the first templates.

which we can verify.

- When will we be able to test them?

- Quickly, but we need to think.

to maintenance access points.

- There will be no opening window.

- I want the interior windows open.

- I don't understand.

- The interior windows

must be opened for ventilation.

- Ventilation?

- Yes.

Ventilation.

Like Le Corbusier.

Do you see who it is?

I imagine so.

- You designed the facade

and the interior windows attached to the structure?

- Quite.

That's what I want.

- A little silence!

Laughter

We are in a meeting.

THANKS.

You demanded a gap of 90 cm between the two walls.

- Exactly.

To create breathing,

an opening in the inside

closed offices.

- That's impossible to open the windows.

- And why?

- Because it will be too hot.

- That's wrong.

Paris is not Kuala Lumpur.

You have built too many airports. in the countries of the Global South.

- It will be 70°C between the two walls in summer.

That's a low estimate.

All our calculations are based on your drawings

are adamant.

- If your computers have taken all the decisions are made for us.

My presence here is no longer required.

- Stay for the marble. You wanted it on the agenda.

- It is no longer on the agenda.

I'm in charge of the marble.

If they do it again, The damage will be irreversible.

I want you to go back and attend attend and monitor the meetings.

They are trying to confuse us.

- Yes, might as well.

- Do you want to go to Italy now?

- Yes.

- On ?

- All right.

- I will attend the meeting.

You can make room to the architect's wife?

Dark music

They speak Italian.

...

Peaceful music

(In English)

I'm looking for a marble which turns pink at sunset.

- Then the one from Carrara is perfect.

(An Italian)

The more nitrates a stone contains,

the more she reacts in warm colors.

Our Carrara marble it is naturally rich in it.

She translates.

- The more nitrates there are

in the stone,

The more she reacts to warm colors.

This is the case with Carrara marble.

- I didn't know that was due

to nitrates.

I would like to cover this facade.

As well as the one on the other side.

- What is the height here?

- From here to there, it's 111 meters.

Like the pyramids of Giza.

And I also want to cover the floors.

(An Italian)

- It's going to be 1000 m², right?

- 1000 m² for each side, That's 2000 m².

- Plus the soils?

- It'll be almost the same.

(In English)

You would therefore need

Between 3 and 4 hectares of marble?

- Yes, absolutely.

It's a lot, I know.

(An Italian)

- That's 5000 tons of marble.

- At a minimum.

- Could you extract them?

- Of course.

We do it often.

Our career is immense.

I'll show you.

Rumble of machines

The marble for the Pietà comes from exactly from the career

that we visited this morning.

Michelangelo himself stood in the very spot where you were.

- 600 years earlier,

Michelangelo was here.

The marble of his Pietà

comes from Carrara.

Specifically, from our career.

- Yes.

- From here?

- Well...

- You could have crossed paths.

We wish the Cube the same posterity than that of the Pietà.

- Look.

From here you can see very well

that the summit of this mountain

in the form of Piety.

- You can recognize the form of Piety.

Michelangelo was not Such a great artist.

Everything was right there.

He didn't invent anything.

- To Michelangelo.

- Cubed.

- Your turn.

(An Italian)

He hums.

Otto ?

We received this.

I believe this is for you.

- THANKS. It could have waited until tomorrow.

- That made me happy

to bring it to you.

She speaks in Italian.

Are you going to work?

- No, I'm going to sleep. I'll look at it tomorrow.

Would you like to have one last drink?

In honor of your marble?

- That's very kind But I need rest.

- Good night.

Ringtone

Sigh

There's a knock at the door.

I'm sorry But I really need to sleep.

- It's for you.

- In my opinion ?

- The telephone.

He's the man who sent you the fax.

So.

- Yes ?

- Yes.

*- Do you have the plans for the pillars?

*- Can you sign them?

Have you seen the time?

We need to start manufacturing starting tomorrow.

- No, I'm not signing anything.

*- For what ? You have approved the sketches.

- You have changed the shape of the pillars.

- The shape of the pillars?

*- You have broadened the base. This is not my drawing.

- But the pillars will be buried. Underground.

I'm not changing the shape of the pillars.

- I don't understand, No one will see them.

God will see them.

- Listen, old man...

Sign and let's get this over with.

It's an aesthete's whim.

*- I'm not old. I'm not signing anything.

And today, I say no.

* - I don't know. The right marble,

- When are you coming back?

That's the most important thing.

*- Otto, jump on a plane.

- Now I'm going to sleep. Tomorrow, I'm driving home.

*- You're going to take forever.

- I don't like airports.

Get to work and stop harassing me. with your pillars, please.

Sigh

- This one is very beautiful.

- This piece comes from Carrara.

He has a sensuality which belongs only to Italy.

It's pink, isn't it?

No, it's as white as snow.

but in the evening light,

It will be pink.

- It's very beautiful.

These are nitrates.

The veins are perfect.

- It's the same marble

que La Pietà de Michel-Ange.

- I had noticed.

- He comes from the same career.

- Yes, of course, I suspected as much.

- The ribs are close together.

- That's the beauty of this marble.

- The other piece has less nitrates.

He comes from Rance, in Flanders.

- Let's take this one.

It is of great purity.

This is the shade we wanted.

From one career to another,

The nuances are subtle.

There's a knock.

- Very good, that's the best choice.

- The Rwandan president and his wife

They are waiting for you.

- Thank you.

- If you'll allow me, Mr. President,

I'm giving it to you as a gift.

- Hard to resist to the charms of Italy.

Don't you think so?

- You put us in an untenable situation!

- That's the president's choice.

And Subilon?

This marble is a marvel.

- It doesn't work like that.

We issue calls for tenders. for public procurement.

Your marble worker is asking for 3 times more!

I don't know what happened. But he smelled a good deal.

- Ask the president.

- No, but stop taking refuge behind the president.

That's too easy.

You are putting at risk the balance of the project.

- Excuse me.

I can't work with so much noise.

- Of course, sorry.

Sigh

- The architect chooses the material.

The discussion is closed.

- I'm sorry, it's far from over!

3.5 hectares of marble are needed.

- Listen to me.

Are you aware of the additional cost?

The Cube is made of glass and marble. You have corrupted the glass.

No one touches my marble. No one.

All right ?

- We need to find a compromise.

Not to mention the adhesion problems.

- What problems?

Your marble is too slippery for the forecourt.

Users cannot

slip, get hurt.

- This marble is excellent

And it's easy to verify.

- Okay, that's enough, stop watering. It's becoming dangerous.

- You know Rome's Olympic Stadium?

- Uh... no, I don't think so.

- Go ahead and see. All the paths are made of marble.

Nobody slips. even when it's raining.

- They may have treated the marble to make it abrasive.

- No, that's not it.

This marble...

does not need treatment.

- Perhaps Italian shoes

are performing well.

Like yours.

- Who's going first? I'd like to go.

- Wait.

About my shoes?

- I'm not criticizing them.

But perhaps they have

an extraordinary level of adhesion.

Do you accept? Would you lend me your shoes?

Give me your shoes. I'll show you that it doesn't slip.

Please.

- I doubt it's the same size.

- Please.

- I'll ask one of my colleagues.

Vandenbergh ?

- I don't know.

You have bigger feet.

- From the 41st.

- What size shoe do you wear?

- No... And you, Forestier?

- It depends on the shoes.

- Oh!

- Remove them.

Mr. President.

- THANKS.

- Mr. President, welcome.

- Mr. President.

- The support rods.

There are 12 of them, elliptical in shape.

- I drew the foot so that the Cube

the question arises very naturally.

- Each foot

can withstand up to three times the weight of the Eiffel Tower.

- A little more. 30,000 tonnes per foot.

It was the necessary charge to support the Ark.

- Very beautiful.

- We are in the future

underground area of ​​the building.

- These are the foundations.

- I'm sorry, Mr. President. It's a construction site.

Mr. President?

- I recognize your Carrara marble.

- Exactly.

I asked that we put it here a few plaques.

- 34,000 plates will be needed

to cover the non-glazed parts

and the entire forecourt.

- At the first downpour, It will be an ice rink, Mr. President.

- No, I don't think so.

- We need to do the test.

- Exactly. We need to do the test.

Mr. President, Do you want me to go?

Before you, a first time?

- This marble is admirable.

And its shade will bring a new brilliance to the site.

Paris has no marble

and we will fix a historical anomaly.

- Excellent news, isn't it?

- Yes.

It's a very beautiful marble, but...

- And you, Andreu? What do you think?

- It's an excellent Carrara,

But I think it needs to be treated.

- No, I don't think so.

Otherwise it will deteriorate quickly.

- The air is too acidic in Paris.

Air pollution

will act on the marble.

Technically, we won't have a choice.

- We always have a choice.

That's the difference between us.

You prioritize technique over the artwork.

For me, it's the opposite.

- That's completely conclusive.

- I agree.

We ask ourselves a question.

Does the marble need to be treated? I don't think so.

- This would be to ensure its sustainability.

The goal is to close the pores

stone to protect it.

- Stone is stone.

If you change its nature, It will no longer have the evolution we expect.

As for whether marble

withstands the ravages of time...

There are enough examples.

to consider that this has been proven.

- Thank you very much, Mr. President.

THANKS.

- Andreu is satisfied with your marble.

Subilon consentira à le payer.

That's the most important thing.

You can let them handle it.

- Non.

This marble is perfect.

I don't want them to touch it.

- You're putting too much emotion into this marble.

- Yes.

- Non.

You are in love.

You're in love with your marble So you're overreacting.

- I'm not overreacting.

And I'm not in love

from my marble.

I am in love with you.

Cars are approaching.

...

- Enjoy your food.

Thank you, sir.

- THANKS.

My wife doesn't like it that I eat pizza.

- Yes, thank you.

- Café ?

Sigh

The foundations are laid.

The main points have been approved.

I'm going away for a while.

- At your convenience.

- We've had conflicts, Andreu.

But I trust you

to build my Cube.

- Thank you Thank you for your trust.

Soft music

- It's a 1/100th reduction.

Telephone ringtone

- Hello ?

- That's very good.

- Not now.

- Subilon on the phone.

He has already called several times. This morning.

- Is this a work stage?

- This is a first proposal.

- May I draw on it?

- If you wish.

The reduction is in accordance with the proportions of the Cube.

- Yes I know.

Each line represents a floor.

- The painting will be inside the Cube?

He acquiesces.

No one will ever see My painting as a whole?

- Person.

More...

floor by floor,

They will discover the entire painting.

- I hadn't imagined things in this way.

I had believed to an outdoor mural.

Telephone ringtone

Think of it as a musical score...

Think of it like a musical score.

We hear the notes one by one and we discover them gradually.

The mural will be a symphony of colors which cannot be grasped all at once

but in successive stages,

creating a perception, a gradual sensation.

- I could call him "Symphony for a Cube"

or "Symphonic Arc".

- Excellent idea.

- I am going to write a text

to lay the foundations of the concept

and we could co-sign it.

- Look at.

It's fabulous.

- Yes ?

- Otto.

- You have to call him back.

- We need concentration.

- Tell him I'm working on his Cube.

- It seems urgent.

And we need to let the ideas...

Telephone ringtone

I cannot be disturbed like this.

Do you fax?

The roar of an airplane

- We have an appointment with Juppé. He hinted

that CICOM would be dissolved.

- Who is Juppé?

- The new Minister of the Budget.

- He can't say anything anymore.

- What does the president say?

- He no longer decides anything.

- He's no longer president?

He must deal with an Assembly

who has changed political affiliation.

It's cohabitation.

- I don't understand.

Who is in charge?

- The president is left-wing.

His right-wing government.

More Subilon?

The Cube is neither right nor left.

The Cube is for everyone.

- But the Cube is expensive.

The right wing is talking about budget cuts.

- And the bicentenary

of the French Revolution?

And what about the future of humanity?

We have a contract.

He cannot stop CICOM.

What are they going to do with our Cube?

...

- Please remain seated, I have very little time.

...

The President's Cube...

Let's call it the Arc of Humanity, Mr. Minister.

- According to experts, It's a great project. Congratulations.

- Mr. Minister,

- Thank you so much.

apparently, You plan to dissolve CICOM...

- This will be published in the Official Journal...

- Within the week.

- If CICOM is dissolved...

what project is the government

What is his intended use for this building?

- It's up to you to decide.

To you or to those who will buy it.

The situation is simple.

You dug...

Finally, the previous socialist government

dug an abyssal chasm in record time.

We inherit of a critical situation.

And we have to save 400 million francs urgently needed.

The state cannot undertake all projects.

Who will hire

What are the next expenses?

We have contracts that have been awarded,

more than 150 skilled workers

daily on the site.

- I don't know.

But the state is withdrawing.

It's up to you to find the synergies.

Our intention, now, It's about promoting private initiative.

Your building will easily attract investors.

This is your mission: to create the right financial arrangements.

Someone like Leloup would make a good buyer.

- Leloup ?

- Him or someone else. But Leloup,

This is the roof of your building. which interests him.

- Wait.

It needs to be opened, it should be okay...

Do you want to open the roof?

- I don't want anything.

If not to stop paying for the work.

- If we sell the roof to a private company,

she will want to put her name on it in huge letters.

Every time we go under the Arc de Triomphe

to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, The name OLIDA will be displayed in illuminated letters.

Is that what you want?

- Forgive me, Subilon, I don't understand.

What do you have? against private enterprise?

- No one can talk about the Cube

like that.

- I completely agree.

- Juppé talks about it

like a carpet salesman.

- It's true, But he is the Minister of the Budget.

- More...

I'm not talking to the minister.

Minister comes from the word "minus".

A minister is a servant. I do not serve the servant.

- Perhaps.

But if we don't listen,

They are going to stop the construction.

- Non.

I disagree.

No one can stop the president's project.

Person !

- Otto, please.

Otto.

- M. Spreckelsen.

The president will not be returning tonight.

- I need to speak with the President.

This is an emergency.

- But the president is not here.

- I can wait for him.

- He will not come.

You must leave the premises.

- Where is he?

- They have Venezuela. There's no point in waiting for it.

- I don't believe you.

- Sir. Sir.

He knocks on the door.

Sir, we are closing the premises for visitors.

- I am not a visitor.

He strikes.

I am an architect. Can I call him?

What time is it there?

- The president cannot be reached.

I'm sorry.

- How do I do it?

- Shall I call you a car?

There is a taxi rank on Rue St Honoré.

- How do I do it for my Cube?

What would you do in my place?

Sigh

- Come on, sir. We have to leave.

- Come on, let's get up.

Melancholic music

(In English)

I thought you had abandoned me.

- They're waiting for us to give up. They know it's impossible.

You cannot pass from one building to another.

public to profitability without adjustment.

If we adjust intelligently,

we can take them

into their own trap.

- What trap? That...

I wanted to see the President

And I was told he wasn't there.

Do you think this is also a trap?

- Non.

Juppé is forcing us to sell.

But even if all the spaces are sold,

We would be far from reaching 3.5 billion.

And he knows it.

That is why Subilon is so desperate.

He quickly did his calculations.

- Andrew...

The Cube was not designed to be profitable.

That was never the idea.

- But it can become so.

We need to build more offices.

- Which offices?

There were only the CICOM offices.

- CICOM no longer exists.

But if we add 15 floors,

the spaces created

will be able to finance the operation.

- Do you want to change the shape?

- Non !

- Paradoxically, by enlarging it...

No, that's impossible.

We must not modify the geometry of the Cube.

That would call into question

the entire urban harmony of the project.

- Are its dimensions final?

- But of course!

What kind of question is that?

The Cube is a cube, Andreu.

If you change it, It's no longer a cube.

- SO...

if we don't touch the main cube,

we need to subdivide the space

small cubes on the forecourt

and replace them with buildings

higher, denser.

- Uh... you want to delete

The small cubes?

- To save the main cube, yes.

Without hesitation.

By building four sets

that you would draw,

We are financing the large cube, the forecourt,

Gardens and clouds.

The essentials.

But the president chose

the project with the small cubes.

- The president no longer has control.

Without marketable square meters, The Cube is in danger.

- Non.

- You're playing into their hands.

I'm beating them at their own game.

They invoke the principle of reality.

The construction, That's pragmatism.

So, let's adapt. Otherwise, the Ark is dead.

- You are disfiguring the project to make it your own.

- No, I'm trying to save him...

You're stealing my Cube.

- That's wrong!

You want to damage it by all means.

- A project is never set in stone,

You know that.

It is evolving and we must move forward with it.

- Your double game is despicable. You are a thief.

You take my Cube.

But that's my idea!

The Cube is my life's work!

Sigh

Life?

Life?

- What time is it?

They must be put on trial.

- Who ?

- We must attack them.

- They want to disfigure the Cube.

Andreu wanted to add 15 floors.

He's completely delusional.

- It's 1 a.m. We...

- We have a contract.

We'll attack them tomorrow.

- Who?

- All.

Even Mitterrand is leading us on.

He is no longer responsible for anything.

It's as if I don't exist.

But we have a contract.

The Cube is inalienable.

- Do you want to attack a state?

- France is being put on trial.

- They've already paid you.

They will pay.

They will compensate us

if they do not keep their promises.

Tomorrow, you sue them.

- It's the same.

- Non !

You do it tomorrow morning.

If we don't attack,

They will eat us alive.

They are cannibals, savages...

- I know, but it's complicated to attack a state.

We need to sleep and we'll find the best one...

- Andreu and Subilon are attacked.

They need to understand that their actions have consequences.

They think they can get away with anything. And they despise me.

But now, we're fighting back.

We have the right on our side. We have all the drawings.

All the competition entries are public

They cannot contest them.

So the Cube, the little cubes,

and the clouds must be built.

It must be built as planned.

Otherwise, it's an obstacle to my work.

an impediment to my integrity, to my artistic integrity,

to me.

Soft music

Andrew?

I'm looking for Andreu.

- No, the project manager.

- The architect?

- He is on the footbridge.

...

Elevator creaking

- What is it?

- This is not my marble.

- Speak to Subilon.

I have completed the technical validations.

- You didn't tell me anything. Why?

Because you weren't there,

probably.

We make budgetary trade-offs.

each day.

- That's not my marble!

- Look, we have deadlines to meet. The urgent thing is to move forward and...

We talked about marble yesterday.

but never change it!

It's not white, it's grey!

Stop! We're working!

What were you saying?

- We were talking about Martinelli.

Call him. Arrange this meeting.

- Why didn't you say anything? on marble?

*- What ?

What happened?

- You thought it would be better to tell me nothing?

What do you imagine?

* - What are you talking about?

- They replaced the marble.

Stop acting like an idiot.

- I wasn't aware of that.

How could I have known?

*- I told you to keep an eye on them.

I told you they're plotting behind my back.

You need to keep an eye on them But you let them do it.

- That was your role!

*- That's wrong.

You were the one who should have done that!

How do I do it? If I can no longer trust you?

*- Don't yell at me, Otto.

I refuse that you speak to me like that.

You need to calm down.

How do I do it? What if I can't trust you?

- Apparently not.

- Of course you can trust me.

Clearly not.

- You can't say that.

This is unacceptable.

*- Did you file a complaint?

- Non.

*- You see?

You're no longer on my side.

If you are no longer on my side, There's nobody left

And I am completely alone.

*- Otto.

- There's nobody left.

I find myself alone, surrounded of fools, gangsters and thugs.

What's going on?

- You can see, I'm leaving.

- Pardon.

I beg your pardon, Liv.

- Yes.

But that doesn't change anything.

the way you spoke to me.

- It won't happen again.

- Of course it won't happen again.

But it hurts me when people yell at me.

It breaks something inside me.

Do you understand?

- Yes.

Non, Liv, attends.

- You ask for forgiveness and I hear you.

But I'm still damaged.

- Please wait a moment.

Just a moment.

- I cannot live like this.

The door slams.

- I refused to confirm the order Carrara because of the price.

Moreover, Andreu did not want to change it.

but he helped us when I confirmed that Carrara would be abandoned.

I didn't do it willingly.

but in the interest of the Cube economy.

When I see the way things are going

that things take,

That reinforces my idea.

that there was no other solution.

Our relationship has experienced some ups and downs, That's undeniable.

We will find a way of more virtuous operation.

- You do what you want.

That's no longer my concern.

Mr. President...

I came I am submitting my resignation.

- That's impossible.

- For what ?

You both have your own ideas.

And now you are free.

- But you are the architect.

And then... we have a contract.

- You are not respecting the contract.

It no longer means anything.

- Otto.

We need you.

- No. That's wrong.

The small cubes have disappeared.

The clouds have disappeared.

The glued glass...

is prohibited in France and...

Now you have changed Beautiful marble for ugly marble.

The Cube was supposed to be white and smooth

And now it is grey and sad.

This is no longer my cube.

I won't be able to watch it.

- May I speak with you? Alone with the architect?

- Of course.

The door closes.

- Mr. Architect, you confirm this to me Is your decision irrevocable?

- Yes, Mr. President.

I was very proud to be invited by France,

to serve your ambition to change lives.

But lately...

I felt very alone.

I encountered too many obstacles.

- I appreciate your honesty.

She doesn't surprise me.

Your Cube is a straightforward work,

And you designed it in your own image.

- But it's not just that.

This cube takes up too much space.

It takes me away from my own life.

I want to find my wife.

I forgot the most important thing.

What does she like?

What book? What music?

I don't know how she sleeps, what is her skin like?

I want to find that again.

I want to go to the opera with her. I want us to go fishing together.

I don't want the Cube everywhere.

Between her and me.

- You are probably making the right choice.

Obviously...

I fully respect your decision.

I will give instructions

so that this separation

to be done elegantly

and that your salary remains unchanged.

- Thank you for everything, Mr. President.

- That's perfectly normal,

given the quality of the exchanges

that I had the honor

to share with you.

In return,

given the political context

which weakens the project,

do we understand each other

to avoid announcing this resignation

to the press or to the profession.

The contract stipulates it.

Let's maintain a certain level of confidentiality.

in order not to tarnish the image of the Cube,

nor yours, naturally.

- Naturally.

- I disagree

with your decision.

- It's not the first time.

- When I designed Roissy,

I was 29 years old.

More than once, I've asked myself

if I were an imposter,

I wondered what I was doing there.

I often experienced dizziness.

But I held on.

Because it would have been too easy to give up.

- You are mistaken.

You have to believe in your ideas to do that.

- You are not defending your ideas.

You are giving it up.

You put your ego

before your work.

- If it were a matter of ego,

I wouldn't have stopped.

This order is too prestigious.

You know that.

- Be aware that your radicalism

impresses me.

- You have learned something from me.

It's a source of inspiration.

Better late than never.

- Andreu is right.

You are abandoning your project and those who believed in your Cube.

All those who believed in you.

We all did our best.

so that the Cube could come to fruition.

I am part of it.

I took all my time,

All my energy. All my faith.

Melancholic music

- A project is a single idea.

(In Danish)

But a powerful idea.

Here, the arrangement of the beams changes depending on the floor.

In this direction and in that direction

to open onto a very beautiful staircase

which passes through the building.

It's beautiful, it works well.

That's very good.

Um...

You didn't understand the program.

That's the wrong scale.

And you did not respect

the choice of materials.

Are you ready?

to work in France.

I gave you a good rating

despite everything

because I feel a great passion

in the project.

That remains the most important thing.

I congratulate you on your projects

because they each have their own identity.

And that's essential.

The next step,

it will be about integrating

the client's requests.

- Sir, may I speak with you?

- Yes.

- You don't want to

to talk about Paris,

but we want to start a petition

against the black bars.

- Which black bars?

- Those who will be in place

of your little cubes.

When I saw that they were black,

I was very surprised.

- Uh...

Don't even think about it.

I signed a document which records the end of my collaboration.

This is no longer my project.

- But they are betraying your idea.

These bars will be very close of your Cube.

Sigh

- This is no longer my Cube.

I've put that behind me.

Soft music

- Sir ?

We are looking for Johan Otto von Spreckelsen.

His grave should be to the east of the cemetery.

Where is it?

- I think it's this way.

- We just came from But we found nothing.

- He may be

in the square for the poor?

- Square ?

- The paupers' square.

- Destitute.

- That's not possible.

- THANKS.

- Who was it?

- He was an architect.

- A great architect.

Melancholic music

Rain runoff