Original subtitles

(eerie music)

(fire crackling)

- Good evening.

Tonight, I'm going to tell you another strange

and unusual story of the unexplainable,

which lies behind the Veil.

Under powerful emotional stress, the mind and body

are capable of strange, almost unbelievable feats.

Tonight's story is one such case.

Taken from a true and documented incident.

Edmond Vallier was not a man who loved lightly.

When he gave his heart, it was with a deep

and abiding passion meant to last for all time.

(gentle orchestra music)

- Marie, what would 1 do without you?

- Edmond dear, I'm very much afraid

you'll have to learn to do just that.

- Never.

- You see, I'm going to be married.

- You're joking.

- Oh! You ought to know me better than that by now.

l have no sense of humor when it comes to love or money.

- But I thought you loved me.

- Well of course ! did, but what is that to do with it?

- 1 don't understand.

- Edmond, you are sweet and I'm still very fond of you.

But you've become a luxury I simply can't afford.

- Who are you going to marry?

- Darling, you'll never guess.

Notina million years.

1 shall soon be the wife of your publisher

and employer Charles Montcour.

- Montcour? Mais pourquoi?

- Ach darling, you know why.

He Is rich.

He can afford to give me all the things I want.

- No!

No, that I will not allow.

- Please don't be tiresome, darling.

You know I detest a scene.

Besides, I see no reasons why we can't go on being friends.

- Friends?

- Well of course.

See, I have brought you a...

One might call it a going away present.

You writers are so symbolic.

! thought you'd appreciate this.

A symbol of the future to commemorate our past.

It's a genuine crystal ball.

Au revoir, Edmond.

Charles will be waiting for me.

Darling, as soon as we are settled,

you must come and have dinner with us.

(door opens and closes)

(ball thuds)

- One should not destroy a thing of beauty.

Because one despises the giver.

No, my friend.

I shall find a place for you.

(tense orchestra music)

(birds chirping)

Symbol of the future, eh?

Perhaps she's right.

Perhaps in the future I will learn to love not as well.

But much more wisely.

(knocker thuds)

(knocking on door)

- [Andre] Edmond!

- [Edmond] Uncle Andre!

- Ah, there you are, my boy.

1 knocked and knocked and knocked

and no one came, so I walked in myself.

Well, what is this?

Anew acquisition?

- A gitt, Uncle Andre.

- Agift, aha.

Do not tell me who it was from.

Let me see If l can guess.

Cannot tell the time by it.

Birds cannot build their nests on it.

(snaps fingers) Marie.

- How did you know that?

- Well it is so like her.

Lovely, but quite useless.

- Oui.

- Ah, I see that you still love her.

- ! don't know, Uncle Andre.

1 don't know whether 1 love her or hate her.

- Oh that is a very bad sign.

Let us go indoors and I will attend

to this matter myself personally.

(chuckles)

Come, come, come!

(Somber music)

Alors, let me have Marie's letters.

- How do you know I have any?

(Andre laughs)

- Oh mon cher, as a Vallier and my nephew,

you could not possibly fall in love with a woman

who did not write long, passionate love letters.

And as a writer of sentimental nonsense

undoubtedly you kept them.

Now let me have them.

(letters tap)

- What are you going to do with them, Uncle?

- This!

- Uncle Andre!

- Edmond.

(chuckles) (fire crackles)

As a seasoned campaigner in the game of love,

1 am going to give you some very sound advice.

And as a well brought up young man

you will do me the courtesy of listening.

- Very well, manant.

- First of all, you must know

that a love affair is gay, joyous.

When it is over it is over!

Finish!

One does not cling to it as a miser to his gold.

- Perhaps you're right. - Perhaps?

But it is of a certainty.

This advice I give you is the most valuable.

Furthermore, the only cure for a love affair

is still another love affair.

- Oh Uncle Andre.

- Ah-ha-ha, in this matter

how lucky you are to have me as your uncle.

You have heard no doubt of my little black book.

(chuckles) Oh you should have.

It is well known in Paris.

(chuckles)

Perhaps as famous as the Arc de Triomphe

and the Champs-Elysses.

- Uncle Andre--

- lhave an engagement this evening

with a most enchanting creature.

A dancer at the Moulin Rouge.

You will dine with us and we will see if she has a friend.

- Uncle Andre.

1 know that you're trying to be helpful, and I thank you,

but I must try to get some work done.

- It goes hard, eh?

- Itdoes not go at all.

- Ah well perhaps work may be the answer, but ! doubt it.

But remember in any case

your Uncle Andre has the right solution.

- I will remember.

- 1go now, my engagement begins at 8 o'clock.

I will drop in to see you again

and I hope to see an entirely different attitude.

- Au revolr, manant.

(door opens and closes)

(tense orchestra music)

- My dear Edmond, my presses cannot remain idle

while I wait for my writers to write, you know.

I've tried, Charles.

If it doesn't come it doesn't come.

(chuckles) - Nonsense.

You have written many love stories before

and written them well.

Surely you must have been in love.

- Of course he was.

Edmond was in love with me.

(Charles laughs)

- You see Edmond, what man has not envied me?

lam sure you must have been in love with Marie.

But she not with you.

That is the great difference.

Every man would like to believe that he has won for himself,

the one woman that every other man

would be proud to call his wife.

See?

There is a subject for another great love story.

It is so simple.

- I'll try, Charles.

- Good.

Tomorrow morning I leave for London and then Amsterdam.

There shall be English and Dutch editions

of your last two books.

And while lam gone, you will visit Marie.

- But uh--

- Don't you wish to visit me, Edmond?

- Oh Ido.

But there's my new book.

- You have always been entertaining for our Marie.

She is fond of you and I don't want her to be lonesome.

- It will be such fun having you over for tea, Edmond.

- You will visit Marie.

That also is part of our agreement.

- Edmond is a very sensible and agreeable young man.

He will do exactly as he is told.

- Splendid.

Two weeks and I shall return with contracts.

And money, Edmond. Money.

(chair scrapes)

- Madame.

(dramatic orchestra music)

(birds chirping)

(tense orchestra music)

(paper crinkling)

- Shall we lie here tonight

or is it the gay life for you?

- The gay life always.

But tomorrow, Philippe.

- Why not tonight?

- You'd tire of me if I make my visit too long.

Besides, you know I have to be at home.

- I'll never tire of you, Marie.

What's wrong?

-lhavea strange feeling.

As if someone were staring at me.

-lam staring at you.

You're very beautiful, Marie.

- I'm serious, Philippe.

-Soam l.

There is nothing to fear, my darling.

Except the swiftness of time until he returns.

May that day never come.

(tense orchestra music)

(Suspenseful music)

(dramatic orchestra music)

- Edmond, my boy!

But you look terrible!

l presume this means you have been working?

- I've been trying to work if that means anything.

- And what have you accomplished?

- Frankly, very little.

- Ahh.

l see you have not forgotten her.

- [ think about her, Uncle.

In fact I've been ordered to think about her.

Montcour has gone out of town on business.

He asks me, me mind you, If 1 wouldn't mind

dropping in on her occasionally

so she would not be lonesome.

That fool!

He knows I was once in love with Marie!

- Ahh, then he Is not a fool.

On the contrary, he is very intelligent.

- Well.

If 1 can find the time, I'll drop by.

- disapprove.

But I'm afraid you will find the time.

Edmond my boy, you must forget this woman.

Let me get rid of this silly thing.

- No!

I'm sorry, Uncle Andre.

I didn't mean to shout at you.

- It is nothing, my boy.

Here.

Sit down.

Edmond, this is not good.

Never have I seen you in such a state.

Over work, unrequited love.

These reasons are not good enough to explain it.

Now what is the real reason?

- [ cannot tell you.

- Ha! Cannot tell me.

Since when have there been things we cannot tell each other?

You and 1I?

Out with it, boy.

- Uncle Andre.

Uncle Andre, I fear I'm going out of my mind!

(Andre laughs)

- A Vallier may gamble too much, drink too much,

chase too many women, if that is possible.

But to go insane?

Ha! Never.

- Uncle Andre, listen to me!

see things!

- What sort of things? Where?

- In that crystal ball.

I can see Marie.

Wherever she is.

- Do you really think you are going out of your mind?

- It's so clear.

l can see wherever she goes.

l can even see whom she's with.

- Whom she's with?

Not her husband?

- No, he's not back yet.

- Oh Edmond, I am disappointed.

You are jealous!

You sit here clutching the ashes of a burned-out love

tormenting yourself with this jealousy.

- Uncle Andre, it's nothing like that at all!

- Then I say to you the rest of it is nonsense!

Oh Edmond, I have the solution.

Come with me tonight.

Let the perfume of Paris sweep away

these cobwebs from your brain.

- thank you, Uncle Andre, but I cannot.

- Bah!

Now I lose my patience.

And why is it you cannot?

- [ have...

There are so many things to do!

- Then do one thing for me, I ask you.

You say you know where Marie is?

Then go there and see if she is there

or go to her house and see if she is not there!

If you are going out of your mind at least let us find out

in time to do something about it!

(tense orchestra music)

(door opens and closes)

(dramatic orchestra music)

- Thank you very much.

(knocking on door)

- [Charles] Good morning, good morning.

- [Edmond] Charles! - Edmond.

Well, this time I can see you have truly been working.

- Yes, yes, but you've come back early.

- Almost a week.

And with wonderful news, Edmond.

Contracts in London and Amsterdam were signed.

And I have promised them at least two more new books by you.

- Thank you, Charles.

- You don't sound very enthusiastic.

- Oh I'm, I'm very grateful.

- Oh, but I stopped here to tell you

the good news even before I went home.

- I've been working very hard.

- No time for frivolity, an?

- No.

- But you did have time to visit Marie.

- I tried to, but I've been very busy.

- Busy?

But too busy for a friend?

- You can see for yourself, Charles.

I've hardly had time to leave this study.

- Oh, but I asked you to.

- I'm sure Marie did not miss my visits.

- Now what do you mean by that?

- Nothing.

It's just that I've been working very hard.

Now you approve of that, don't you?

- Yes, but one visit you might have made.

- All right. I did.

- Then why do you say you did not?

- She was not home.

- Not home? Where would she go?

- In Heaven's name, Montcour, how do I know

what your wife does when she's not home?

I told you, I stopped by and she was out.

- Oh, fora ride perhaps.

- Perhaps.

- Edmond, is there something wrong?

- No.

It's just that I've been working very hard.

- But you said that before.

There is something on your mind.

What is it?

- Nothing, Charles.

Can we discuss London or Amsterdam?

- Is there something ! ought to know?

lam an old friend, Edmond, ! deserve an answer.

- You know all there is, Charles.

- No.

There is something about Marie that you won't tell me.

- She hasn't left you, if that's what you mean.

She's been home every day.

- First you say you did not visit her.

Then you say you did.

Now you say you know she is home every day.

How do you know?

- Leave me alone, Charles.

Stop asking me questions I cannot answer!

- It becomes clearer.

There was time for frivolity.

And what you cannot bring yourself to say,

is that Marie has found another man.

And that man is you.

- No!

It's not me.

- l give you fair warning, Vallier.

I shall ask Marie.

And if what I suspect is true, I will kill you.

(dramatic music)

(gentle orchestra music)

- Good morning, my love.

! thought you'd never get here.

- I'm running out of lies to the maid.

- Surely no one suspects.

And that feeling of yours, does it still haunt you?

- Philippe, I don't know.

l just don't know.

After today, I don't think I should you again.

- But darling, we have an entire week!

- Even this morning, on my way from the station.

As if eyes were following me.

- Yes, of course.

You are very beautiful, Marie.

Why should not all the eyes of Paris be staring at you?

Darling.

(knocker thuds)

- Vallier!

(knocks)

Vallier!

Vallier!

Where is she?

l warned you, Vallier. Where is she?

- Charles, she's not here.

- You lie.

First you besmirch my name,

then you make a fool out of me.

Where is she?

- Charles, I have not talked to Marie

since the day you left.

You and I were friends.

Long before either of us ever met Marie.

Will you not take my word that ! am not involved with her?

-Nol will not.

You know more than you will admit.

If you were my friend you would tell me what you know.

Where does she go?

- Very well, Charles.

1 would spare you If l could, but.

Every day Marie goes to Paris and meets a man.

- Who is this man?

- 1 do not know his name.

] know where he lives.

He's an artist.

A painter of beautiful women.

- How do you know all this?

- l have watched them.

Every day since you left.

- You area vicious liar!

! was a fool to think that I could trust you.

! met your uncle Andre in Paris and he told me

that you have not left this house in days.

- That is true.

Nevertheless, I have seen them.

- You are not even a good liar, Vallier.

Do you think I would believe anything you say?

- This has gone far enough.

Charles, you want proof?

- Yes.

- Very well.

I'll give you proof.

There!

- There what?

- Your proof!

(whimsical orchestra music)

- [Charles] What am I supposed to see?

- Marie and that painter. Are you blind?

She has on a gray dress.

With a lace at her throat and on the cufts.

Don't you see her?

- Edmond.

There is nothing but a crystal ball.

Or is this another one of your tricks?

- Charles.

What's happening to me?

- ! don't know.

Either you are a very good actor or...

1 don't know.

- Very well.

We'll find out which.

- Where are you going?

- To Paris.

Either Marie is with this man right now.

Or you'd better have me committed to an asylum.

(knocking on door)

Oh, forgive us, mademoiselle.

We've come to the wrong place.

- Edmond, let me take you home.

You are not well. I should have realized.

(Marie laughs)

- They're here. 1 know they're here!

(knocking on door)

(dramatic music)

(door thuds) (dramatic orchestra music)

(dramatic music) (crystal shatters)

- One final chapter remained

after the door closed behind Charles Montcour.

Based on Edmond Vallier's testimony

of what he had seen in the crystal ball,

Montcour was granted a divorce.

The only time that evidence of this kind

has ever been accepted in a court of law.

But although his testimony was accepted,

there has never been an explanation

as to how happenings of this kind occur.

Please join me again for another journey

into the world of the unexplainable

which lies behind the Veil.

Good night.

(eerie music)

(dramatic music)