Original subtitles

My King! Your Majesty!

The Lord is making himself very clear to you, Your Majesty.

By throwing chandeliers at me?

By disturbing your sleep, compelling you to ruminate.

I see the crevices in the plaster, Sire.

This accident with the chandelier,

The facade is crumbling from within!

All of us require work inside, Your Majesty.

Some of it, more urgent than others.

I am in no need of refurbishment!

My concern is for you immortal soul.

I'm going to war with that heretic Protestant upstart.

Will that suffice?

Your campaign against Holland, Sire, is just

but it is your moral combat that stirs God to act.

Your church and your God

cannot condone a double adultery.

Your continued relations with a married woman are incurring a debt

and the reckoning is not yet paid.

I do not respond well to threats, Bishop.

Neither does The Almighty.

Sire, the Lord is speaKing to you as he spoke to Elijah

in a still, small voice.

Abandon God, He will abandon you.

And you will fall into eternal darkness.

I am marching 25,000 men to claim Holland from

the unbelievers in the name of the one true Church.

I have no doubt that God is on my side.

As for you, Bishop

sometimes, I wonder.

Yes! Yes!

Good Lord!

Confine her.

If you compel her to lie and you protect both the child and her,

you also remove my daily ritual of public humiliation.

It stings to see her swollen stomach.

That bloated pride paraded.

You are visiting a great cruelty upon me and I'm begging you to stop.

This is highly irregular, Madame.

I talk as your wife! Hear me!

Every night before I retiring, you know my promise...

The promise is empty!

A King must perform his duties, Madame.

Did you not understand what it meant to marry one?

I understand deeply,

but as your wife, I don't like what you've become.

Who would that be, precisely?

You're changing and it scares me.

You may be the Sun King,

but of late, when I look into your eyes, all I see is shadow.

Are you thiKing what I'm thinKing?

No.

Of course you are and I completely agree with you.

It is self-evident!

We need more wine.

Now I'm home.

I missed you.

And I have

mourned

your

absence

every

day.

And while I will admit there were others

who vied for my affection,

I can assure you I was utterly faithful and true.

Those Italians are persistent, though, I grant you.

I hear the King is finished with the building work

and is finally doing something about that interior.

Imagine, new art, better chairs,

clocks that work,

frescoes all over the place

and so much gold, it looks like King Midas went around fondling the entire palace.

Chamber pot!

There were even moments in Rome when I actually missed the old place.

I'm not going back there, you know.

Quite right. Why would you?

He broke my heart and destroyed my life.

My poor Henriette

It's that palace that killed her, believe me.

And poison.

But yes, hardly acceptable behavior,

You must never return even if he is your only brother.

I'm simply saying my own brother once challenged me to a duel.

I had to wound him in the clavicle to prevent him firing upon me.

Honestly, families!

There is a fashion in the salons for recreational powders,

substances to enhance and encourage amorous congress.

I believe that the death of Minister Reynaud is connected to the use of these powders.

He consumed too much, perhaps? Not exactly, Sire.

His widow was seen to be placing a powder dose in the Minister's wine.

She is still under arrest, is she not?

She is and she may have inadvertantly administered the dose to Reynaud

but she is not herself, the poisoner.

That makes no sense!

She was the vessel. Precisely, Sire

The vial she used for the love powders was replaced

with another identical vial containing a very powerful poison.

She could have done this herself. Of course.

However, she attempted to sample the powder to prove her innocence.

If I had not prevented her, she would now be dead.

What do you propose?

My forces have already commenced operations.

I find the source of these powders

by first identifying how they are brought to Versailles.

Good.

So, it is settled.

We shall stay here.

It's perfectly lovely.

Just you and I.

We shall throw a party for all our friends.

All our friends are over there,

the center of the world!

Trust me, the world is really nothing special,

from what I saw of it from prison, anyway.

You're lucky you kept your head on your shoulders.

It's almost as if the King were punishing me for something.

People conspire every day. It's hardly against the law.

It's called treason.

Well,

Versailles can be the center of whatever world it likes.

You are the center of mine, Mignonet.

We shall be just the two of us.

This is what he does, you know.

Piece by piece. God!

First he took my wife and now he's taken all of my friends!

Stop it! And yes, very soon, your freedom.

He will marry you again, won't he?

He can hardly compel me to... He will find a way.

Alright!

We should have the biggest party in the world

to welcome me back to civilization.

Invite most of our best friends

and all of our worst ones too!

We want it to be fun, after all!

They won't come.

You know, I feared this would happen.

In my absence, you've become pathetic.

Does it really take me to tell you this?

Does your brother control you so strongly that you cannot see it for yourself?

The King has filled that palace with every single one of your admirers.

Louis might be their King but the man they truly worship?

Why, that would be you.

He might be the sun, my dear,

but you are the star,

and it is time you showed your brother how brightly you can sparkle.

I don't know if you've ever noticed but while the sun rules the day,

it is the stars that rule the night.

I did miss you a great deal.

I know, tell me again.

You must sit. I prefer to walk.

The child will benefit from your repose.

The child is running a country mile no matter what I do.

In any case, it will soon be out and then we should hear no more about it.

I saw Gaston de Foix doing some pacing of his own, earlier.

He was despondent.

You know, I think he has still not overcome his disappointment.

I think he truly thought he had a chance of succeeding this Minister.

He did have a chance but he was not the choice.

Still, I do wonder if he might perform more energetically.

Cassel is, after all, rather decrepit. Is he not?

You must know that I have been asked my opinion on him in his postion

and I must tell you, Sire...

The Duke of Cassel like a savage dog

with a nose for danger.

Better to have him sniffing at my feet than out there in the woods with my enemies.

Nevertheless, if his name or his face appears to me

I must tell you it will be impossible for me to feign gallant.

I understand that it is hard

but not impossible.

Madame de Reynaud is guilty, of course.

What a tragedy for one so young!

What will the King do?

Have her executed and rightly so.

Murder will always receive it's just reward.

You sure you're ready? Yes.

What happens now?

He says to come back in an hour.

Do I pay you?

No, the first one's on me, my dear.

Crowded.

More nobles' families arrived last night, Sire.

Twenty-two in all.

Can we accommodate them? We will make room.

The new lodgings on the approach should be completed by the spring.

Congratulations, Sire!

Your dream of Versailles is made flesh.

I had thought it standard to confine a woman in the final weeks of pregnancy.

Are you trying to pay me a compliment, Gaston?

For I fear, you need a spot of practice.

My apologies!

It appears my son is drunk.

And you appear to be frustrated.

Pains me to say, I am, Madame.

since you, in the past, assured me so clearly of your desire

to help my family.

The desire was never lacKing, Madame.

In any case, I helped you as far as I was able.

I spoke highly of your son to the King.

It's not my fault your son cannot walk through an open door.

Very simple, you know, one foot in front of the other.

Perhaps you can give him a lesson.

Good night.

Are you completely without quality?

If you go on like this, there's no future for you in politics.

Make an enemy of the most powerful woman in France

and I doubt you'll have any future at all!

You see him over there, Beauregard?

He fell foul of her and he's been sliding down the ranks ever since.

Three weeks ago, he was holding the King's shoe

and now look at him!

Removed from the palace.

You do what I tell you to do,

say what I tell you to say and we will triumph!

But you must trust that I know what I'm doing.

Only if we work together will we prevail.

You have no idea how this place works, mother.

I know a sight more than you do, let me tell you!

Did you make note of who delivered it?

A friend of a friend.

I do not know him yet.

One step at a time.

They make it with a fly from Spain.

There's one called "Desire", which is wonderful.

I don't believe I've had the pleasure.

Oh, and if you mix it with one called "Tranquility", it works very well.

It has willow bark and valerian.

I put it in our drink when

we play Madame de Scuderi's stupid game.

I would love to try it.

Oh well, you have to!

You simply must. Come on!

It's just there.

Hello! Good evening!

The King!

Sire!

I hope you're settling in.

Yes, your Majesty.

Is it poison?

No.

This is the effect of the love potion

in a larger dose.

The blistering is nearly instantaneous.

It's what causes the blood to rush to the organs.

The effect is that strong?

And very common.

You once cured me of certain ill effects.

I know their symptoms and how best to heal them.

And how to improve them, perhaps?

You're concerned I might use my knowledge to create a more powerful poison?

The thought had crossed my mind.

That would make me a witch, would it not?

In my opinion, it would only make you useful.

You're not eating.

I can see it very clearly.

Stay for supper.

My soup is fresh

and untainted by any tonic

His Excellency, Envoy Zweibrucken, from the Palatinate, Sire.

What are your terms?

The initial meeting shall take place on...

On sovereign territory within the Ile-de-France.

Acceptable but not ideal. You see,

on the side of the Palatinate, we must insist on adherence to our protocol.

She is marrying my brother.

It is a pairing, Sire, of two sides

united in allegiance against the Dutch Republic in the north

The initial meeting must proceed as follows:

"The princess will be accompanied by a retinue of

3 ladies in waiting, 4 horse guard,

8 outriders, plus 2, in addition, of her personal guards.

The prince will arrive first at the meeting place.

The very best of luck with that! Stop it! Oh, please!

As if you've ever been early to anything in your life!

Blah, blah, blah! Protocol, protocol, protocol!

with the introductions effected by the 2 retinues.

at which point, the Princess and the Prince

It should be the other way around, surely,

will strip to the waist

and wrestle in the filth and detritus of the forest floor.

It doesn't say that.

No, it doesn't.

What about the end?

At the end, you say, "Greetings", she says, "Good day".

You both agree this is a ludicrous idea and make a plan never see each other

and you and I get drunk for 3 days!

But look at her face!

She seems handsome.

I hear she's fond of bratwurst.

Important for any married couple to share a common interest.

German food is very tasty.

At the end,

you ride together into Versailles.

It sounds nice.

Sire.

What are you doing?

Spreading manure, Sire.

It's what gives the plants and flowers their strength and color.

Back to work!

Do you ever feel that no part of this life is worth the struggle

since we all return to the same place?

Your father would say much the same thing, Sire.

In truth, I have not thought about my father for a very long time.

May I ask a delicate question, Sire?

Your father's hunting lodge once stood on these grounds.

To build your palace, you could have destroyed it.

Why, Sire? Do you wish to preserve his memory?

He loved to come here.

Now, should his spirit seek to return,

all he will see will belong to me.

Who is that, Your Majesty?

Don't you know Father Pascal from Paris?

Only by reputation,

though from what I hear, quite a zealous...

He's a good friend.

I understand he is a passionate man of God

I invited him here to deliver the sermon on Sunday.

I was not aware I required reinforcements, Majesty.

Now you are.

To fight the devil requires not just a man but an army.

Sin!

We all know why we are here.

But where exactly are we going?

He that is without sin among you, let him first cast the stone at her.

That's what the Gospel of John has told us.

When Jesus saw none but woman, He said unto her:

Woman, hath no man condemned thee?

She said, "No man."

And Jesus said unto her: Neither do I condemn thee.

"Go, but sin no more."

We live under Almighty God

and under his eternal gaze.

He may be our judge.

He's very good, isn't he?

Father Pascal speaks from the heart.

A suitable choice of Gospel.

Spoken with a fresh voice means it's heard with fresh ears

A fine sermon,

very subtle.

Such a shame you didn't deliver it yourself, Bishop.

Father Pascal is visiting us from Paris.

How convenient.

Don't you think?

It's so much easier to get to town now that they're improving the road.

I would welcome your confession, Madame, if you have time.

I always have time for a man in a dress.

Very well, let's get this over with.

You must end this affair with His Majesty at once.

And there we have it.

You expected a different subject?

You know the world would run so much more smoothly

if people like you weren't so uptight.

If only you didn't have this tiresome vow of chastity.

My vows are bonded to my soul.

I would suggest the holy pledges of your own Spousal Contract

might be treated with the same reverence.

My higher purpose lies with our King,

My greater calling is to lie with him and to grow his seed.

Perhaps it takes a man who has tasted temptation

to know whether the God would smile upon it or not.

If we are all in His image, does He not sharing our inclinations?

Father Pascal must be beating Him off with a pole.

You are vexed, Madame. I am not vexed!

I just have a growing slug of a baby inside my belly

and it's pressing down on my bladder with considerable force.

Madame, if you please, I'm attempting to help you.

You can try, Bishop. You are attempting to coerce me!

And before I leak all over your cassock,

I suggest you take a minute to consider

quite how appalling your life will become

if you continue in this manner.

Consider yourself warned!

Fetch me a chamberpot! Hurry!

I saw you in the salon. I thought you looked full of poise.

Turns out you were full of piss.

You're in my way. The King is waiting for me.

Hmm, I wonder what he'd think if he knew that his kitten

likes to urinate in the corners?

I'd imagine he couldn't care less.

Oh, I remember this game.

Tha game has changed, dear heart or have you not noticed?

When he discards you like a bad oyster and he will,

I shall be waiting for you, my dear!

One has to have lived through martyrdom to become a saint.

I notice you've recently acquired a new piece of furniture.

What was your intention in bringing it to court?

It seemed to me we needed to make an important addition to our chapel.

Better to praise God.

I do not care for it. It clashes

Any additions should be approved by me and me alone!

Perhaps you should not judge it so harshly, my King. Perhaps...

I advise you to get rid of it.

It is valued very highly in Rome.

What on earth are you wearing?

What am I wearing? It's a little dull.

This is not.

Do you like? I designed it myself.

The Italians love silk and color.

We have colors in France, nice ones.

I was thinking,

every year, every change of season,

We impose a new rule.

A new color! An accent, something fun.

If enough people join in,

other people will feel left out if they do not belong.

We could rule by color!

This winter will be blue!

No blue. Why not?

It's the King's color.

Red, then. A rich crimson!

Fashion will be our standard, darling,

and the people will walk behind you

and me.

I understand why you want your friend to attend you, but why here?

Madame Scarron is very fond of children and she's extremely quiet.

Bontemps, do we have room in the nursery?

It might be feasible, Sire,

but Versailles is hardly a place for young children.

Then that will change when they get here.

Only royal children may have a nurse or governess at Versailles.

My children are royal! Or has their paternity escaped you?

I am merely saying, Madame, we must follow protocol.

It is the bedrock of our life here.

My children will be safe,

and there is no safer place in France than Versailles!

Or would you not agree?

Is there space for Scarron?

If it pleases your Majesty.

See that it is done. At once, Sire.

How big you are getting!

My goodness, look at you!

Have you seen a ghost?

When a woman has a child, her body changes.

I have seen women who were butchered by birth.

So much so that they never recover.

You are exhausted, dear.

The King is surrounded by beauty, all day, every day.

I am still his favorite

but one day that will change.

This baby will only hasten the inevitable.

The mandrake.

Keep it with you always.

She is kicking you at night

in the left rib with her heel.

So close to your heart

that sometimes it feels like it could break.

She's compounding the hurt you already feel.

But the man you fear

is not the one who's going to harm you.

He is far away, no matter how close he gets.

The one you must truly fear

is the one who is closest.

Which is there, inside your guard.

that you lay yourself wide open.

But then, my dear,

you already know that.

That is why you are still here.

Good morning!

Must be so easy to pee on the road for a man.

You don't even have to stop the coachman,

you can just shove it out the window and water the weeds!

You must be Philippe.

I'm Liselotte, Princess Palatine. Nice to meet you!

You're late.

Delighted to make your acquaintance.

What happens now?

I'm not sure.

What page are you on?

Umm...one.

How about: "Good Morning"?

I brought some gifts for you and your children.

I hope that's acceptable. I wasn't going to come all this way empty handed.

My children?

Are they there? Where are they?

They are in St. Germain with their governess.

Then when do you see them?

See them?

Well then, anyway,

that is for Marie Louise.

I hear she enjoys writing letters and I hope she might write one to me one day.

And the pony is for Anne Marie.

I hope it'll make her happy.

I used to love horses as a little girl. I hope she will too.

You are very kind.

I cannot hide a desire for children.

Talking of which, we should probably get going.

Shouldn't we...?

What?

Oh, no! Oh, goodness, no!

I meant that your girls must be missing you and you, them.

coming all the way out here with a strange woman.

We could visit them, if you like.

Please bring them down to the country, let them climb a few trees.

Good for girls to get their knees dirty!

Anyway, you're the Prince of my life now. You make the rules!

Shall we go? I'm so excited to meet your brother!

Good day!

I'm not here.

Yes, you are.

I can assure you, I am not, however...

I thought you were in Italy. I was.

But now I am here. Or rather, I am not here.

Since my friend is meeting his new bride at Versailles,

I thought I would press my advantage and not be here with you,

which I am currently doing.

I hope I'm making myself clear.

I am not here because I wish to speak with you urgently

concerning a confidential medical matter.

You're sick.

It's hard to explain.

So, don't!

Perhaps

perhaps, I might allude to it.

Certain bodily functions carry with them certain expectations..

Inasmuch as, when one opens one's eyes during the day,

one expects to see.

Similarly, when one releases one's bladder, one expects to urinate.

Or rather, one is accustomed to the idea

that the act of pissing offers much in the way of relief

and well being,

as opposed to excruciating torrents of unbearable pain.

It hurts when you piss.

Like a cascade of jagged tadpoles thrashing downstream to spawn.

I hope I am making myself clear.

May I see?

You may.

Does it hurt? Cold hands! Cold hands!

I can see no chancres. The discomfort will pass you.

And the pain?

I can give you rosemary balm.

Am I to roast a spadgecock? What am I to do with that?

Rub it on the affected area.

Rubbing is what got me into this in the first place.

I can also give you a mercury tincture, that should tackle the problem.

And if the itch were to remain

You have something stronger?

I do not.

Fine.

Just hurry it up, will you?

Was this the powder?

Mine came in silver vials,

for which I paid a premium, no doubt

Tell me again how you came by it.

As I told you before,

I would speak to my friends, they would speak to theirs,

I would settle my account and the powders would arrive.

When will you release me?

I fear that giving you freedom now may place you at risk.

War is imminent and yet, Sire, I must report once again

there are obstacles to a free and full assault on the Dutch.

Several of our key staging posts are refusing to garrison our men

or feed or water them.

In the Spanish Netherlands, I presume?

In France, Sire.

France, is that so?

What is the nature of these staging posts?

Are they hamlets, towns?

Friaries and monasteries, Sire.

And what is happening to the men when they are turned away?

They sleep rough, forage,

go hungry.

An army marches on it's stomach!

Bishop!

Here I am.

Have I not helped you gain power and keep it?

You have, Sire.

Why then do you defy my will?

I do not defy Your Majesty.

Does the Abbey of Nivelles stand in my Kingdom?

It does, Sire.

And do the Friars there take their Holy Directions from you, Bishop?

Through the Church, Sire. In Rome.

Running first, it through you, Bishop!

It was not my decision, Sire, but Rome's.

Then Rome must be made aware

that they must keep their Roman noses out of our business!

Tighter.

Tighter.

I do not think that would be beneficial, Madame, to the child.

I do not recall asking your opinion on the matter.

Perhaps you should rest in bed for a while.

How precisely am I supposed to attend one of the most important celebrations of the year

if I am confined to my room?

It is not advisable at this stage.

It could be very tiring for you.

For you, perhaps!

Consider your health, Madame.

I understand it must seem like simple common sense

but this is far too tight.

For example, you may be constricting blood flow to your child.

Oh, there is a reason our finest medical minds treat only the noble families.

They understand what is expected of a person, what is required

and what is to be done to achieve it.

Now, until you understand that, you are no help to me whatsoever.

Princess Elisabeth-Charlotte,

The Princess Palatine,

Welcome to Versailles.

Thank you, Majesty.

I was beginning to think you would never return.

You were correct.

What changed your mind?

I was spoken to

on high.

So, you are here out of duty.

A blind obedience to a higher power,

just like everyone else.

They're here because you want them to be.

There is no other reason.

What you want, you get.

You must have realized that by now.

Tell me, are your jurisdictions

able to take full advantage of the current increase in the price of cereal crops?

Umm, yes.

You know she has wooden teeth?

It's true.

Careful, Your Highness, it could be poisoned.

You're not eating?

Not like that.

You you come here often?

Not in this room, no.

Oh, I saw some stains on the floor. I assumed one of them was you.

Do you dance? You'll have to learn.

What for?

You shall look ridiculous if you do not participate.

I am standing here talking to my new husband's lover.

I am well aware of how ridiculous I look.

I wouldn't do that if I were you.

Who's that? After you, young man.

My name is Pierre Dubois.

And you?

Jacques.

Is that your family name?

I have no family. I work for the King.

What, as a tree guard?

As a gardener.

What on earth are you doing all the way out here?

Wild boar are eating my bulbs in the gardens.

I followed the tracks from the garden to here.

How about you?

I must confess, I'm a little lost.

Is that your initials you're carving in the King's tree?

To speak truthfully, Jacques, I...

I was supposed to meet a young lady out here.

I confess, for a moment, I thought you might be her husband

I suppose I should be flattered.

Don't worry.

Your secret's safe with me. Thank you.

Not long now.

You will never win.

So far, so good.

I see new trees

marching in formation.

Well, you will be food for them now.

I'll make a very fine

tree.

What a surprise to see you!

Alive, I mean.

Much water has passed under the bridge.

Careful you don't drown in it.

What's the matter?

Nothing! Nothing, I'm fine.

Get away from me!

I'm fine. A small slip is all.

Help her!

Hurry up!

Is it always like this here?

I'm afraid so.

Push!

Yes, it's opening bear down!

Yes, yes, push!

Push!

Keep breathing, keep breathing!

Push! Push!

Keep pushing! It's almost out!

Yes! One last push!