All language subtitles for A Woman and The Revolution S01E01 1080p WebDl aac h264

A WOMAN AND THE REVOLUTION

Don't get up.

I'm just back from San Domingo.

Here - sugar, from my plantation.

Isn't your daughter eating?

- Not good enough for her?
- She's unwell.

That's why she wasn't working today
at the château.

And yet...

And yet she knew
I was coming back today.

Make sure I see her tomorrow.

Otherwise my intendant might not be
so lenient about your taxes.

She's such a nuisance, my Lord!

She'll be here in the morning,
I promise, my Lord.

She'll be here, I promise!

I promise, my Lord!

Giving yourself airs!
Damned girl, nothing but trouble.

You want us to be evicted?

Never do that again. Ever!

I see you.

Thought you could hide, did you?

No more trouble from you, you hear?

You'll clean yourself up
and go and see him tomorrow,

if I have to drag you by your hair!

You hear me? Damned girl!

M. de Valbreuse is back.
I'm leaving, Father.

My poor child.

Have you thought it through?

I came to say farewell.

How will you manage?
Do you know what you want?

No, I don't know.

But I know what I don't want.

I'll go to Paris.

Do you have money?

Wait.

Here, it's all I can give you.
Really, take it.

Now go. I haven't seen you.

Thank you.

May the Lord protect you, Manon.

You're the only person here I'll miss.

Mail for Le Mans and Paris.

- My sister will collect it at Sablé.
- We have no room!

Here, have a drink on me.

Alright, then.

My ticket.

My luggage.

You've got ten minutes
to have a drink.

It's OK, it's not you they're after.

Are you going to Paris?

My name's Benjamin Lecerf.

I've been elected a deputy
of the Third Estate.

I'm going to Versailles.
And you?

Do you know what's in this register?

My electorate's grievances.

Things that must be changed
to improve society.

Maybe you already have your own list?

It's not too late.

There's no point.

The poor will always be poor
and the privileged, privileged.

Society will never change.

That's why I'm going to Versailles:
to change it.

Hubert de Méricourt.

Deputy of the nobility,
also heading for the Third Estate.

- Without a register of grievances?
- I have one here.

Now what did I do with it?

Ah, here it is.

A slim volume.

You nobles oppose change.

The carriage for Paris

is leaving!

Do you have family in Paris?

No, sir.

Any acquaintances?

Not even.

You have somewhere to go?
A job?

I'll find one.

My cousin has a café
beside Palais-Royal.

Morel, at Café Français.

Tell him I sent you,
maybe he can help.

May I help you?

I'm looking for Mr Morel.

Hello, sir.

Your cousin Benjamin Lecerf,
deputy from the Vendée, sent me.

I'm looking for a job.

My cousin, the deputy,
wastes no time!

- Are you his mistress?
- Oh no, sir.

We met on the coach.

Ever worked in a café?

No.

But I spent 7 years in the service
of a viscount.

So?

Does the viscount run a restaurant?

No.

Then you must be clumsy!
I don't need you.

Are you from the Vendée?

- Yes.
- Me too.

The Bouin region.

I'm smart and a quick learner.

No, I don't need anyone.

Miss, take this.

Thank you, sir.

Jacques-Louis David.

I'm a painter.

Manon Deschaumes.

I'm looking for work.
Maybe you can help.

I hire models but I can only pay
two shillings an hour.

That sounds fine.

Drop by my studio.

Will you paint my portrait?

Not only your portrait.

So for two shillings...

You have to be willing...

Just to shed your clothes.

Then I'm not interested!

I heard everything.
You've just arrived in Paris?

Today, sir. I'm looking for work.

And a hospitable residence
with a little class.

You've come to the right place.

The Palais Royal is perfect

for a pretty girl.

Meaning, sir?

It's where the most elegant houses
are to be found.

Once you've been scrubbed,
your hair fixed, dressed up...

a beautiful creature like you
could find good fortune.

I seek a room to rent
and an honest job, that's all!

You're wild!

Then try the safest place in Paris.

The home of an officer of the law.

He lets out rooms
but can find no tenants.

And yet his reputation
is beyond reproach.

He'll find room for you.

After someone?

I'm looking for Mr Sanson.

This is where we live.

The rooms are upstairs.

It's at the end of the hall.

Four shillings a day.

And per week?

A pound, payable on Saturdays,
two weeks in advance.

I can only pay one.

You'll have the rest next week.

Saturday without fail, or you're out.

I'm a man of my word.

I'll make a fire,
it's been empty for a while.

The family jewels, my father says.
His tools.

As an officer of the law?

With special functions:
he's the Executer.

The city's executioner.

I won't stay.

Don't be alarmed.

You mustn't be afraid of us.

My name's Gabriel.

I'm Manon.

So, did you sleep on it?

Two shillings an hour?

Six hours a day, six days a week.

Come in.

This is Manon, our new model.

Hello, Manon.

- We won't be alone?
- Don't let my pupils bother you.

Come, don't be afraid.

Leave your things behind the screen.
David, give me a hand.

I'll put Aphrodite away.

Unless you'd rather undress
on the platform.

You can leave and I'll put
the statue back if you like.

Well, what's it to be?

Bless this meal, O Lord.

And bless our king, Louis XVI.

Do you like calf's head?

It's nice of you
to invite me to lunch.

Did papa behead it for you?

Don't try to be clever!

Eat well, Manon.

Thank you very much.

Is that the King?

Another head to take care of!

What's got into you?

Trying to impress the young lady?

We're very fond of the King.

His Majesty met with my husband
3 months ago.

Is he really that sad?

I didn't see his face.

His Majesty was gazing
out of the window.

Enjoy your meal.

The Crown hadn't paid me for months.

I wrote to the King, refusing
to carry out his sentences.

The bailiffs tried to seize
my equipment.

- Were you paid?
- No.

But he stopped the bailiffs
from seizing my equipment.

The kingdom's coffers are empty.

Fat Louis is smart. He probably
sent a stout valet in his place.

That's enough, Gabriel!

Stop denigrating His Majesty!

And respect your father!

May I ask a question?
Do you play the harpsichord?

Yes. My husband plays the violin,
and my son, the flute.

You must hear us one evening.

Playing with the family relaxes me.

OK, that's it for today.

Have a pleasant Sunday.

I'm pleased with you,
you've done well.

Here's your pay.

I didn't think I could do it.

That's what I liked!

Really, you liked it?

I'm no torturer but the emotion
and fear in your face

makes for better,
more interesting work.

Until Monday?

I'm not coming.

How so?

I dropped by the Café Français.
Morel has a job for me.

I'd rather work there.

Sorry.

Everything alright, gentlemen?

Are you mad?
You'll have me fired!

I'm so glad I found you.

- So, is my cousin bearable?
- I manage.

The States General have kept me
from coming to Paris.

- Things are moving.
- What's moving?

You heard about the Tennis Court Oath?

The King refused to hear
the Third Estate's grievances.

So we invaded the tennis court

and declared ourselves
a National Assembly,

vowing to establish
a national constitution.

- By some miracle...
- I don't believe in miracles.

The army refused to evict us.

Let me take your hats.
There's a table right here.

They refused to fire on
the people at the Bastille too.

That's a revolution!
See? Things can change.

All I see is famine.

It's worse here than in the country.

Now I've got work to do.

No guns, leave them outside.

Go on! No guns here.

So what do you think of my protégée?

She's doing well. She has
the authority of a Vendée girl.

Meaning?

Brittany girls are submissive,
Vendée girls are bossy.

It's quiet today.

The women are in Versailles.

What about the men?
They're the ones who drink!

Where are the men?

They've brought the King to Paris!

Come in, come in!

You can keep your tools!

Come in, all of you,
and pop some corks!

The representatives
of the French people...

The representatives
of the French people

that constitute the National Assembly

have resolved to articulate
in a solemn declaration

the natural, inalienable
and sacred rights of man.

Article One.

The aim of political association
is the common good.

Government is instituted to guarantee

the preservation of the natural
and inalienable rights of man.

Article Two.
These rights are equality...

liberty...

security...

and property!

Article Three.

All men are equal before the law.

Desmoulins is all talk.

The lawyer speaks well
but he'll make trouble.

So, are changes afoot or not?

I don't believe in your politics.
It's the women who change things.

OK...

The men took the Bastille,
the women brought the King back.

But you cannot pass.

I've missed you, Manon.

This is the most exciting time
of my life.

I'd like to spend every day...
every night with you.

Mostly every night.

Especially August 4,

when the nobles and prelates
renounced their privileges.

I wish you'd been there.

- To the health of the people.
- What are you doing?

Now the King is in Paris,
the Assembly will be too.

I can see you every day.

Come on, love birds, time to go!

Stay awhile.

I love you, Manon.

You don't know me.

What happened, happened.
That's all.

I was wrong.

On the contrary.
You were very right.

I want to see you again.

Well, I don't. Leave me alone.

I'm no good for you.

Were you waiting for me?

You're back late.

I was worried.

There was a party at the café.

Here.

It means...

that I have feelings for you.

Oh no.

Not you as well!

I know, when girls hear
I'm an executioner....

You're young.
You can find another job.

You don't know my family.

Both my uncles are executioners,
in Provins and in Tours.

I could get a posting
near your home.

Absolutely not!
I came here to get away from them.

I must return to the Assembly.

Think about it.

I really want to see you again.

Maximilien is exhausted,
he's at the Assembly day and night.

I know, Mme Duplay,
but I must see him.

Let him rest... Let him rest!

I want to see Robespierre!

You dozed off over your homework,
like at Louis le Grand

when we were boarders.

We finished late again
at the Assembly.

Mme Duplay, would you
bring us coffee, please?

Tell me, what do you think
of Talleyrand's idea?

The Church should focus
on its spiritual mission.

Civilian life and education
are jobs for the nation.

The Church needs no worldly goods,
they should belong to the nation.

I'm wary of this deputy.

A bishop, advocating the sale
of the Church's property.

I believe it is a provocation that
will be used against the Revolution.

You're as wary as ever, Maximilien.

And just as perceptive.

We must tread carefully
with religion.

Ah, it's you.
Haven't seen you in ages.

It's been hectic at the Assembly
this past month.

We are changing the world, cousin.
Changing it!

Waiting tables now?

My, you don't miss a trick!

Isn't Manon here?

She vanished a month ago,
and I can't find a replacement.

- I'd like to pay.
- Right away, sir.

What happened?

Don't ask me.
She may still be at Sanson's.

Perhaps he hired her
to sharpen his knives!

If you find her, tell her if she isn't
here tomorrow, she's fired!

Honestly.

Manon?

What's wrong? Are you sick?

You're frozen.

You haven't eaten a thing. Wait.

Manon, tell me what happened.

Manon.

I'm pregnant

and I don't want to be.

Is it mine?

Of course.

Is that why you don't want it?

That's not it at all.

I'm not sorry to hear
you're pregnant.

I can't raise a child.

I can't even imagine it.

What do you intend to do?
Abandon it?

Leave it at the Vaugirard home?

I care about you, Manon.
I don't want to lose you.

Neither you nor the child.

You don't know me.

You'd be unhappy with me.

How do you know?

Leave me alone, please.

You didn't believe in the Revolution

but within a few weeks,
the world has changed.

I'm not afraid of the future with you.

I love you.

Here.
For the rental of an extra room.

Two weeks in advance, right?

I hear you're a deputy.

Indeed.

A fine thing, your Assembly!

So we executors
are not worthy to be citizens.

Not only you.
Actors can't vote either.

And servants would only vote
like their masters.

I campaign for equal rights.
Even for executioners!

I forbid you to call me that
in my home, you hear?

Call me Monsieur the Executor,
or Sanson, or Charles-Henri

but never "executioner"!

So, how goes the Vendée?

Mr Mirabeau, the master of us all.

Manon, my fiancée.

Excuse me.

If you're at the National Assembly,
you must be interested in politics.

Not at all, sir.

Quite right too. Me neither.

Don't tell anyone
but only two things interest me:

flowers... and women.

But let me show you anyway

those who claim to be
the great figures of the Revolution.

You know Camille Desmoulins,

the best writer of his generation?

A friend of Benjamin's.

He's my penholder.

And that man speaking loudly
is Danton.

Beware of him, he's a womanizer.

And like all great womanizers,
he hides his hand.

I know him too.
He's a regular at the Café Français.

He loves cafés so much,
he married a café owner's daughter.

Her name is Gabrielle.

She's standing beside him,
devouring him with her eyes.

He's often here too.

Robespierre,
deputy of the Third Estate.

He's from Arras.

He always wears the same coat.

It was ever thus.

He's a solitary man
without a shred of humour.

Mirabeau, come, I must talk to you.

See you again sometime.

You've seen those
who would change the world...

Just remember the main one:

Honoré Gabriel Riquetti,
Count of Mirabeau,

nobleman elected by the Third Estate.
At your service.

And he hopes to see you again.

Regretfully, I must take my leave.

Shall I get us a drink?

Camille Desmoulins.

We've met.

Yes, you used to stand on the tables
to address the people.

I cleaned them afterwards.

So that's it!

This is Lucile, my fiancée.

When is it due?

Early July.

May I?

You're lucky.

I adore Camille.

I'm very much in love.

But my parents
won't allow us to marry.

They're right.

I'm a good-for-nothing,
with no fortune.

Nobody wants their daughter
to marry some poor lawyer!

So you live at the executioner's?

Never utter that word
in his presence.

Sanson demands you call him
"the Executor".

Monsieur the Executor.

How funny. I'll remember that.

Well... here's to
Monsieur the Executor.

Old Mrs Sanson isn't too fond of me.

She barely acknowledges me.

She's very devout,
she says we are "living in sin".

I love you too much
to take you to a priest.

Where I come from,
you marry the person you love.

That's all there is to it.
Especially when a baby is due.

They're enemies of the Revolution.

I refuse to declare my love
before a priest.

Once civil marriage
has been instituted,

then I shall marry you.

I'm not asking you to.

Another poor soul has been hanged.

He's back from an execution?

Father Benoît is there.
He administers the last rites.

Then they have lunch together
to recover.

Hello, Father.
So, was there a crowd?

Half the Place de Grève!

Not bad for a weekday.
Did it go well?

Al least there was no riot.

Let's eat.
I've cooked beef bourguignon.

I love your bourguignon!

- I'm off to work.
- Good day to you.

So it's Revolutionary Lobster?

Certainly not! They're all royalists.

For them, it has to be Royal Lobster.

And the Bastille Soufflé?

Today it's Versailles Soufflé.

So the sans-culotte potatoes,
are pommes dauphine?

Whatever you like, just adapt!

- All this for the private function?
- Of course. Royalists pay better.

And don't fall down the stairs!

Clumsy oaf.

Manon!

Feeling better?

What got you into such a state?

I had an unpleasant encounter.

The owner of my parents' farm,
the Viscount de Valbreuse.

His club organised a lunch
at the café.

- Seeing him again...
- What club?

"Massiac Club," it said.

They're pro-slavery.

Does this viscount own plantations?

In San Domingo.

And a ship that carries
sugar and coffee to Nantes.

Would you fetch me a glass of water?

The Massiac Club is powerful.

Planters are desperate to prevent
the abolition of slavery

and maintain free labour
in the colonies.

Colonial trade accounts for
a quarter of all France's finances.

Half is in Haiti and San Domingo.

Even the Friends of the Blacks
are powerless to intervene.

They were hardly heard on August 4.

You were saying?

Nothing... Anyway,
all you think about is politics.

You still don't believe in it?

I want to change things for him.

Now the Assembly
wants to sell our churches.

They claim to represent the people
but the people are Christians.

Shameful!

Calm down, Father.

Two, three..

Anne-Marie! Anne-Marie!

My waters have broken!

Benjamin is at the Assembly!

Gabriel, fetch the midwife.

- In Rue aux Ours?
- Of course!

Clear the table.

Come and sit down.

Charles-Henri, fetch me
some cushions and linen.

Come on, girl.

Easy does it.

There... now sit down.

Charles-Henri!

Put the cushions there.

Best leave, Father,
this isn't for your eyes.

Well, don't just stand there!

Fetch the forceps,
they might be needed.

I've never done a birth before.

You're a surgeon of sorts,
aren't you?

Anne-Marie!

You'll be just fine.

It's a boy.

A lovely boy!

He weighs at least 7 pounds.

We managed without a midwife.

She was at another birth.

My husband managed fine.
Without forceps!

- So it was you who...
- Yes.

It felt good to give life for once.

We'll call you Denis.

Like Diderot... What do you think?

Denis is a good name... Very good.

Little Denis, whom I saw born.
Well, almost.

Our Lord has given you
a beautiful baby.

You want him christened?

I'd like his birth to be registered.

And the christening?

No christening.

Would you risk the child's place
in Heaven?

No, let's have him christened.

It's a matter of equality.

In the past, only Catholic births
could be registered.

Protestants, Jews, Mohammedans,
those with no religion...

No date, no record of them.

They should get themselves
christened.

You don't get it.

You don't get it!

From now on, all citizens
are born with equal rights.

You are obliged to record
all children in the register,

whether you christen them or not.

The new law, I know.

Go and fetch your register.
And write!

Denis Lecerf, son of Benjamin Lecerf
and Manon Deschaumes.

Born July 1st...

I'd love to, my son, but I cannot.

I've mislaid my register.

You haven't heard
the last of this, Father!

Registering births
is no job for a priest!

Really!

Is there any service here?
I ordered two punches!

They're coming, my Lord.

What are you up to? Go and serve!

I can't. Not him.

Never mind your mood swings.
Hurry up!

Impossible.

So are these punches coming?

Yes, they're on their way, my Lord.

I shall mix them myself.

Funny, this used to be
a royalist café.

There were standards. Now it's in
the hands of the Third Estate.

It's frightful!

Excuse me, my pretty. My cousin,
the Marquis de Varengeville.

My dear Viscount.
Bad news from San Domingo.

We have another revolt.

Not the mixed races this time.
The slaves.

Revolution has filled
their nigger heads with ideas.

They must be subdued.
I'll see to it.

I have a ship sailing in three days...

Manon.

I can't find the rum.

The nanny isn't there.
I can't take Denis to the Assembly.

Not the baby, not now.
On the buffet as well!

- Where's the rum?
- In the cupboard.

What am I to do?
I can't leave!

She refuses to serve!

I've changed him,
bathed him, rocked him...

I need to be at the Assembly.

Why won't you serve?

Come and see.

See that man outside?

That's Valbreuse!

That's why you're hiding?

He looks like a slaver.

See you later.

Hello, my name's Sylva.

He's so cute!

May I hold him?

No, certainly not.

I'm used to it, you know.

Known Valbreuse long?

Why?
Is he an acquaintance of yours?

Beware, he's a dangerous man.

Your punch, my Lord.

About time too!

- I'll be completely drunk!
- Good.

I saw Morcillo outside the Tuileries.
He told me about Valbreuse.

He's very skilful.

Don't wake him up.

When the peasants tried to
burn down his château,

do you know what he did?

He gave them fake land title deeds

and some casks of wine.

He made a big bonfire
and off they went, dead drunk.

No "abolition of privileges"
for him.

See? How am I to believe
in a new world?

There's still no justice.

Be patient.

You look beautiful.

I want you.

Must I be patient?

Thank you.

Your table awaits.

We haven't seen you in ages.

I work!

Help yourself.

I'm just finishing a sketch
for the Salon.

The Salon has been reformed,
thanks to me.

Nearly 300 painters will be there.

It'll help youngsters
find commissions.

- Will there be any women?
- Yes, even a score of women!

Miss, did you want to see me
about posing? Keep still.

- It wasn't you I wanted to see.
- Pity.

Here, for Denis.
I embroidered it myself.

- Who taught you?
- I work at the Tuileries.

- For the Royal Family?
- A lady's maid to the Queen.

It's gorgeous! You shouldn't have.

Did you meet Valbreuse
at the Tuileries?

Yes.

He doesn't come to Paris often.

At least you're safe
when he's not here.

Safe!
That's your second warning.

What do you have against him?

Is that why you're here?

I'd better get back before
the governess notices I'm gone.

I don't know how to thank you
for the gift.

Will you be walking Denis on Sunday?

There's Manon.

Come with us, Manon.

It's not every day you can
set fire to a pope!

But why?

Because Fat Louis is his lapdog.

Hang all the aristocrats
and burn the Pope at the stake!

Come, friends!

Long live the Revolution!

My parents have given us permission
to marry.

Congratulations!

Guess who will be Camille's best man.

Robespierre!

- I can't wait to have a baby.
- Enjoy your Sunday.

Watching a pope burn
is better than attending mass!

Is it true that the queen
has many lovers?

I cannot say.

But you know.

Of course.

Then she does.

You'd tell me if we were friends.

She has one.

Only one?

The only one she's ever had.

She and Louis were both 15
when they married.

It took him 5 years to make
love to her. Just think.

I'd have gone mad!

Is he handsome?

Extremely!

He's Swedish. Count Fersen.

What do Swedes look like?

Tall... blond... smouldering...

She's mad about him.

Do they make love?

Of course. They don't just gaze
into each other's eyes.

Such things pass me by.

Oh?
You mean with Benjamin, you...

Let's talk about something else,
shall we?

You're not in love with Valbreuse...

You still haven't told me
what you have against him.

Let's talk about something else,
shall we?

Before the Revolution,

France was divided by taxes and tolls.

To go from one end of the Loire
to the other

meant paying 27 tolls in all.

So we eliminated them all
and created départements.

You have a funny way
with bedtime stories.

Come here, my baby...

Good night, Denis.

To administrate all this,
a million citizens were elected:

mayors, town councillors, judges...

A million taking part in public life.

We'll never go back, Denis.

The King came to the Assembly
to applaud our reforms.

You believed him.

Not only me. We cheered him.

He takes orders from the Pope
yet you cheer him.

Hey, you're well informed!

Been eavesdropping
on your customers?

Sylva told me.
But I can think for myself.

So much love, since the Revolution.
But not between us.

- What have I done wrong?
- Nothing.

It isn't your fault.

Whose is it, then?

Tell me.

Talk.

I was 11...

when Valbreuse started.

What he put me through...

It was unbearable.

He threatened to evict my parents
from the farm

if I resisted his advances
or told them.

Then one day...

I realised...

that they'd known all along

but preferred to turn a blind eye.

It suited them.

It won them favour.

They were even worried
I'd cause them trouble.

I ran away.

Before I met you,

I didn't think
I could ever love anyone.

You gave me back my hope, Benjamin.

But it isn't easy.

I need time...

lots of time.

I wouldn't blame you
if you left me for another.

I'll never leave you, Manon.

I love you too much.

Excuse me, I'm looking
for the Valbreuse manor.

Is Mr de Valbreuse here?

Is it about the loading?

Stop... Stop, I tell you!

Valbreuse!

What's going on?

Sorry, sir, I couldn't stop him.

And who might you be?

Benjamin Lecerf,
deputy of the Third Estate.

The companion of Manon Deschaumes.
Ring any bells?

Manon Deschaumes...

Oh yes, that young tart
who escaped me in the Vendée.

She's one that got away.

You sullied her as a child

and now you dare insult her!

You've ruined her life!

Never again will you exercise power
over a defenceless child.

She was eleven years old. Eleven!

Funny, I don't have a clue
what you're talking about.

You'll have to explain yourself.

In a court of law!

You dare threaten me?

Take him outside!

Deputy or not, I don't give much
for your chances.

What's happening with Benjamin?

Then you know the good-for-nothing?

An eleven-year-old.
It's monstrous!

Get out of my sight!

Who do you think you are? Slut!

You see now what Valbreuse is?

He has minions helping him
with his trafficking.

I overheard them planning
to break someone's arm.

A boatman, I think.

What trafficking?

His ships carry
the aristocrats' wealth abroad.

I wasn't sure who to tell.

Come... come with me.

Where are you off to now?

How am I meant to manage?

Your turn.

Are you sure about this?

He's doubled his fortune.

He's transported lots of gold
for the Comte d'Artois.

And for the Polignacs.

Valbreuse helps aristocrats
export their wealth.

Even members of the royal family
use him.

You should publish this
in your journal!

People need to be told.

You're sure but you have no evidence.

I can't publish unfounded accusations.

Valbreuse doesn't share your scruples.

No, ask someone else.

It's perfect for Marat's journal
L'Ami du Peuple.

Look!

Marat did it.

Everything Sylva said is true.

"The blackguard Valbreuse,
the ci-devant viscount,

"an alleged sugar trafficker,
has done worse.

"This foul traitor and vile renegade
sucks the blood from the people,

"transporting the nobility's wealth
from Nantes to England."

Read all about it in Marat's gazette!

The scheming ci-devant Valbreuse!

The latest revelations!

That's it, go on.

I liked Mirabeau.

At the bar in the Assembly,

he pointed out everyone to me

and said he only liked
flowers and women.

"The funeral lasted for 5 hours,
from his home in St Geneviève.

"Over 300,000 people
paid their respects."

Rest in peace.

I remarked to him that you always
wear the same green jacket.

It's funny to see you in black.

I was never a great friend
of Mirabeau's.

The Assembly voted for 3 days
of mourning, and I complied.

I borrowed the jacket.

You look different.

I'm not wealthy, I own only one.

At least you defend the poor.

Isn't the Declaration of
the Rights of Man beautiful?

All men born free, with equal rights.

Whether it can be put into practice
is another battle.

And women's rights?

You never talk about them.

I supported Maillard at Versailles.

They now call him
the "women's speaker".

We've never been so mocked.

The deputies are not yet ready.

I'm sure that wouldn't stop you.

There's a time for everything.

- Do you think the King is sincere?
- Of course not.

He's a traitor.

You're the only one not in mourning
for Mirabeau.

Sylva, are you listening?

I had no idea about Valbreuse.

You opened my eyes.

I don't know Mirabeau.

No matter.

Tell me what's happening
at the palace.

The handsome Swede was
caught by the national guard

leaving the Queen's chamber
in the night.

They released him
but everyone knows.

The two of them are up to something.

How so?

For example, when Her Highness
asks for jewels,

she doesn't return them to the box.

Her Swede takes them away?

I don't know but I found servants'
clothes in the Queen's cupboard.

Who brought them?

Not us.

They plan to run away together?

She'd never abandon her children.

But she'd abandon the King?

Poor man!

Does he have no mistress?

He's not very interested in women.

You're a curious soul, though!

Why are deputies "left" or "right"?

It's like you and me in bed.

You're teasing me.

Not at all.

You always sleep on the same side.

- Go on, then.
- No, stop it!

Deputies are the same.
They always gather in the same spot.

Those nearest to the people
on the left, the rest, on the right.

Where does Robespierre sit?

On the left.

And Danton?

A little less to the left.
Well, if he was a deputy...

Is he crying?

Shift!

And where did Mirabeau sit?

Mirabeau...

And Lafayette?

Him? Very much to the right.

He's gone back to sleep.

- What about you?
- Guess... On the left, like in bed!

Unless we make love,
then it's different.

I'm sure the King's planning to flee.

Sylva agrees.

Impossible!
He's under surveillance.

Robespierre thinks the King
is a traitor.

Stop talking about Robespierre.

He sees enemies everywhere.

Amazing.
Now you talk politics to me.

Oh? Maybe I'm starting to believe
that things can change.

Coffee and wine are up a penny.
Punch and spirits, two.

Chocolate's going up too.
I need to alter my prices.

They won't like it.

That's change!

I have to adjust my prices
or I'll never manage.

For a new picture?

No, my first official ceremony:

transferring Voltaire's ashes
to the Panthéon.

He didn't live to see the Revolution
but his ideas came to fruition.

I'm organising it.

The King has fled, with his family.

They think he may be hiding
in the sewers, or underground.

I'd be surprised.

They were being watched by
the National Guard under Lafayette,

hero of the American War
of Independence.

He's either a conspirator or a fool.

Both, if you ask me.

Shame we didn't have a bet.

That's funny, you didn't understand
a thing about the Revolution,

now your political nous
may be better than mine.

Who knows?

Long Live the King!

He'll be in Koblenz.

With Prussian help,
he'll counter the Revolution!

Our sovereign will return
to reclaim his throne in Versailles.

Manager! Champagne!

Let us drink to the King!

The King has left.
Long Live the King!

Fetch the vintage stuff.
They'll spare no expense.

Enemies of the Revolution drinking to
Fat Louis's escape... It disgusts me!

Never mind your scruples.
We adapt. Now get to the cellar!

Well, Morel, where's this champagne?

Coming up, gentlemen.
Let me clear this away.

- We want the best stuff!
- Indeed. Coming right up!

Going out?

To Champ de Mars, to sign
the petition to depose the King.

I won't suggest you join us.

- The Guard with the Parisians!
- No more Fat Louis!

Fat Louis made a run for it
but our women caught him.

Sign the petition to put an end
to the monarchy!

Sign the petition to get rid
of Louis XVI!

Benjamin... Camille...

- How are you?
- Well, and you?

Hello, Camille.

Are women allowed to sign?

Of course.

If we have the chance
to express ourselves for once...

Did you read my gazette?

Write your name and status,
then sign.

And you can add comments.

What kind of comments?

Such as: "Let us not allow liberty
to be stabbed in its cradle."

But you can write whatever you like.

- A drink?
- With pleasure.

I'll fetch you a biscuit
when you wake up.

Long Live the King!

Long Live Marie-Antoinette!

It's provocation.
Don't respond to it.

Charge!

Denis!

Spare the children!

"Taking the Church's property
leads straight to Hell."

Good. Put it away.

Manon, how lovely to see you again.

I've never forgotten you.
You're my first port of call.

Father Frédéric, this is Benjamin.

My... fiancé.

We'd like to speak with you.

In private.

Thank you.

You can finish later.

It's all done.

Our son Denis was just one year old.

He was killed during a rally
at Champ de Mars.

How awful, Manon.

We brought him here to rest in peace.

In our Vendée earth

and in the Catholic religion.

Had your son been christened?

And you're not married?

No.

Then it's impossible.

This is vital for Manon, Father.

That's why we've made
this long and arduous journey.

She's pinning her hopes on you.

We live in such troubled,
violent times.

I sympathize with your distress.

I'll take it upon myself to help you

and ensure your son rests in peace
here, in Christian soil.

Thank you, Father.

Leave him here and pray for him.

Come at 2 o'clock tomorrow
to the presbytery.

I'll tell you what I can do.

Manon, come and see.

Look.

Mme de Valbreuse with her son,
Alexandre. Remember them?

Dignified as ever in adversity.

The Viscount must have emigrated,
the land here is untended.

They are in need.

They call it a revolution.

Hello.

There.

Madame de Valbreuse.
She always made an impression on me.

Does she know what her swine
of a husband put you through?

I'm sure she doesn't.

I've had a message
from my husband.

He's in Koblenz,
with the Comte d'Artois.

Resistance is being organised.

I hope the royalists
reclaim France soon.

Our situation is worsening by the day.

The counter-revolution is gathering
pace in the Vendée too.

I've given Alexandre a new opuscule.
Can you pass it on to your friends?

Of course.

Father, God will be grateful
for your devotion and courage,

everything you do for the King.

Let us pray for His Majesty.

In nomine Patris et Filii
et Spiritus Sancti, amen.

Here it is.

I left my parents without a word.

They'd have locked me up.

I've written but they never reply
to my letters.

So it's you!

You've changed.

No longer a slut.

Your father might not be pleased
to see you.

Six eggs today.

I wrote to you.

To say you had a grandson.

He's dead.

I came back to bury him.

Here.

To buy your land.

Where did you get the money?

By working.

I earned it honestly.
It's all my savings.

We don't want your money.
Take it back.

- We don't buy Church property here.
- Wait...

The priests never did us
any favours.

Squeezing us for taxes from
the harvest. It was humiliating.

Why would they stop now?

I don't want to go to Hell.

You still believe that tripe?

All your life you've dreamed
of owning your own land.

Ma'am, the land belongs
to the people, not the Church.

It was given to them over time.

The priests were only meant
to manage it but they forgot.

The opportunity to buy YOUR land is
the greatest aspect of the Revolution.

We don't want your Revolution here.
Or you!

Now go!

Go!

Take back your devil's money.

We don't want it!

What are you doing here?

If not for Father Frédéric,
I'd only speak patois.

I wouldn't be able to read or write.

He held classes here,
in the presbytery,

for both the children of peasants
and of the château.

Girls as well as boys.

I know everything, Manon.

If you insist on buying Church land,
I won't bury your son.

I only wanted them to be able
to farm their own land.

I didn't put Church land up for sale.

Find something else to buy them!

Plenty of aristocrats need cash.
Or find another priest!

No one here will help you
and I won't bury your son.

Look into your heart.

Refusing to bury a child...

And you claim to be a man of God.

You're a monster.

Prelates clinging to their palaces
and mistresses is one thing.

But you, a poor, unselfish priest,

better paid by the Nation
than he was by the Church.

Why?

Why this blind obedience
to corrupt rulers?

Look at me.

Look at me!

You serve your bishop,
perhaps you serve the Pope.

But you don't serve God.

Not only will I not bury your son,

I shall refuse your parents
even the last rites.

Now clear off.

Out... get out!

Those Holy Joes strangle
the Revolution,

blocking the sale
of national property.

With no taxes,
it's the State's only income.

They bleed the Revolution
with their network of fanatics.

It's blackmail!

You're a fanatic too!

Why this hatred for the Church?

No religion should dictate the law,
Catholics,

Protestants or Jews.

In reality, life in a village is
impossible outside the Church.

The grocer won't sell you oil,
the miller won't grind your grain,

nuns won't care for you
when you're sick or old.

Hence the need for a strong nation,

to free people
from beliefs and opinions.

That's politics. This is about Denis.

In the name of your principles,
our son died, unchristened!

I won't refuse him a burial.

O Lord, welcome into Thy kingdom
this child,

victim of the brutality of men
and non-believers.

In the name of the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit, amen.

You did the right thing, Manon.

See? I invited your parents.

If you want to buy them land,
ask Mme de Valbreuse.

She's having financial problems.

- Hello, Manon.
- Hello, Laurine.

Hello, sir.

We'd like to see Madame de Valbreuse.

I'll tell Madame you're here.

Please wait here.

Madame awaits you.

Manon.

How lovely you've become.

I heard about your child.

I've prayed for him.

Thank you, Viscountess.

Thank you.

You knew this place in better days.

My husband was forced into exile
so I had to let the staff go.

Fortunately I still have
my son Alexandre.

He's very keen to serve
his country and God.

Alexandre, do you recognise Manon?

Of course.

It's most thoughtful of you to call.

In truth, Viscountess,

I'd like to buy some land
for my parents.

I was wondering if you'd be prepared
to release

some of yours.

I'm not that desperate, Manon.
Thank God!

Our friends will soon
liberate France.

My husband will return and
Louis XVI will be back on the throne.

Mother... think about it.

It could help us in our plans.

Excuse me,
I have business to attend to.

I won't be back for supper.

If I may say so, ma'am,
you've known Manon for many years.

You know what this purchase
means to her.

You might lose everything.

Thank you, sir, for your fine advice

but I shall make no decision
till my husband returns.

I won't keep you, Manon... Farewell.

See? Nothing has changed.

I wanted to show you.

This is where I used to come
when I was sad.

If Denis hadn't died...

I think I'd be completely happy.

- Plenty of action tonight.
- Is that Alexandre?

Yes, it is.

Those cases are full of guns.

Where are they from?

England, probably.
There must be a ship out at sea.

Might they be royalists?

Open your eyes!

The counter revolution is upon us.

We can't sit here and not do anything.
We need to alert people.

How? I'm no longer a deputy,
the Assembly has dissolved.

There are other ways.

How? Unless Desmoulins
still has his journal.

Yes, that's what we must do.
Start a journal.

I have money,
my parents don't want it.

Look.

They've finished unloading,
they're going back to the ship.

You have no rosettes or caps,
citizens.

We'll take a rosette.

Read the journal of Marat,
friend of the people!

I fraternally salute you, citizens.

No rosette, ma'am?

Why this fashion for red caps
and rosettes?

The Phrygian cap?
It's the sans-culottes.

That's what they call themselves.

Let me help.

They often wear striped trousers.

No more silks and culottes.

Not even black, as worn by
the Third Estate deputies.

And they carry pikes,
to defend the Nation.

There's an upsurge in patriotism.

Sans-culottes work all day then go to
their section to serve their country.

The lifeblood of the people!

But to what do I owe your visit?

We want to start a journal.

Robespierre has told deputies
not to stand in these elections.

I don't want to work in law,
I'm too immersed in politics.

I want to rebuild a new country.

You've done wonderful work
in the States General.

The Assembly gave France
a constitution.

3,000 laws, for all citizens.

But writing a journal
is another way to be heard.

I need your advice.

I've given up my gazette,
Revolutions in France and in Brabant.

It isn't hard to start a journal,

but then you have to keep it up.

I can give you paper
and introduce you to my printer.

But the most important thing
is the words...

Write from the heart.

"The Champ de Mars Gazette.

"Today a new journal is born.

"I, former deputy Benjamin Lecerf,

"shall speak every day on a subject
that stirs me:

"anger, indignation, scandal,
sadness and joy.

"I shall adhere to only one rule:
to express myself freely."

I've called it:

"The Champ de Mars Gazette"

in memory of the victims,
and of our son.

Sell them for ten pence,
keep tuppence for yourselves.

It's the first edition
and you shout out...

"Read the Champ de Mars Gazette!"

Make sure you're heard.
You have competition.

Now run along.

Now that's progress.

Thanks to this, beheading isn't
the privilege of the aristocracy.

Citizens will now be equal in death.

It's the end of an era.

Killing someone
used to require know-how.

Working cleanly and humanely
was an art.

Take the wheel,
the worst form of torture.

I'd cut short the suffering
by strangling the victim.

Dr Guillotin's machine
makes execution child's play.

See the guillotine in the yard?

- Great subject for the journal.
- You think so?

Justice has changed.

Before the Revolution,
the guilty were made to suffer.

Condemned to infamy for generations.

Execution will now be quick.

Rather than pay for
their parents' crimes,

children will be educated
by the Nation.

Men used to be guilty for life.
Now they can pay for their mistakes.

Even those who killed our son?

Gabriel invited me to visit
the sans-culottes in his section.

I'll go with him.

Royalist emigrés are at our borders
with their foreign accomplices.

They say the English
are sending arms.

They may soon be in Paris.

We need weapons!

We have urgent need
of pikes for our men.

Why not for women?

How are we to defend ourselves?
We need pikes too!

In the Vendée,
the royalists are taking up arms.

I've seen their gun smuggling,
backed by the clergy.

Give us pikes!

Women are too weak
to handle pikes.

Then give us pistols. Rifles!

That'd be a fine thing.
Women with rifles!

Do women scare you so much, citizen?

Silence!

What's your name?

Manon Deschaumes, citizen.

We lack arms for our soldiers.

We must equip them
before arming our women.

But I'll remember your suggestion.

And I'll remember you,
Manon Deschaumes.

The session is closed.

For your first time,
you made quite a splash.

I'm not sure what you'd do
with a gun.

Sometimes you scare me, Manon.

We hardly sold any.

The others sell well.

"Father Duchesne's anger
at the Austrians!"

"Our nation betrayed!"

We've got:
"Guillotine - progress for justice!"

It doesn't matter.

You know what the difference is?
Anger.

The people are angry.
Understandably.

Anger sells, but it isn't my style.

I'm not Marat.

A good thing too.

But we need to find another idea.

Hello... Benjamin Lecerf,
Champ de Mars Gazette,

to interview Robespierre.

Robespierre gives no interviews.

He told me to come. Ask him.

Wait here.

France is about to go to war
with the Austrians and Prussians.

- Are you for or against?
- Against.

Exporting our revolution
is a dangerous illusion.

Sending our soldiers to fight
is attacking the people

we claim to want to set free.

You are alone in opposing war.

People forget.

Two years ago, France declared
peace on the whole world.

- The Austrians are at our borders.
- They shall not enter.

They're waiting for us to fail,
to pick up the pieces.

We must not strike first.

It would be a grave mistake.

But a crusade for liberty.

A crusade? For liberty?

The King will be the only winner.

If we lose, he recovers his throne.

If we win, he emerges stronger.

I'm thinking of the people.

I refuse to see them fall into
the trap of a long war.

Thank you, Robespierre.

I want to see your article
before publication.

I can't promise.

- I always re-read my texts...
- I know.

I know.

Your speeches to the Jacobins
are printed under your control

and pored over, like the gospels,
in the clubs around France.

But this is my journal.

It's my decision.

Very well. Then face the consequences,
Benjamin Lecerf.

- What's going on?
- This gazette is banned.

Get rid of all this.

It's appalling.

Why ban MY journal?

Robespierre couldn't
re-read your piece

so he had it stopped.
He's afraid of betrayal.

Robespierre hates
freedom of the press.

He's a tyrant who bans
what he doesn't like.

You exaggerate.

The people are hungry,
that's what I wrote.

And my journal is banned!

Money is short,
the war is turning against us.

We should have avoided this war.
Defeat follows defeat.

Of course.

Our officers, all former noblemen,
our only weaponry experts,

are deserting in droves or emigrating.

They reject any barracks
where red caps are worn.

Meanwhile...

the King tries to keep
the people sweet

while plotting with the Austrian
emperor, the Queen's brother.

We should send her home,
then we'd have peace.

It's serious.

The people will want an explanation.

Looks like Robespierre was right.

He didn't want this war.

The mood at the palace is grim.

They want to send the Queen
to Austria to end the war.

What do you expect?
Women always get the blame.

As Benjamin's journal is banned,
I'm going to publish one,

addressed to the citizens.

"Manon's Gazette".

What do you think?

It's a good title!

"Fersen returned to France
with a fake passport.

"The Queen spent 24 hours
locked up with her lover

"then she summoned the King

"but he refused the escape plan
suggested by the Swede."

You think people want to read this?

- We sold them all.
- Are there any more?

For crying out loud!

That scoundrel. Gabriel!

What's the matter?

Did you put this
on His Majesty's head?

- No, he did.
- He did?

Last night, at the Tuileries, with
all the sections of sans-culottes.

We're planting a tree of peace.

More of your nonsense!

- You insult the homeland.
- Yes, nonsense!

Your tree is dead before it starts,
never mind your liberty!

Baptiste.

Reinforcements are coming
to defend Paris!

The Swiss Guard fired on the crowd
in the Tuileries.

Over 1,000 of us are dead.

But we managed to get in!

The King has asked for
the National Assembly to be protected.

The Assembly will be dissolved.

The King has been deposed!

The people have taken him and
his family to the Temple prison.

The Fédérés have avenged us!

The People have taken a hard blow!

The People see no improvements.

The sense of injustice is powerful.

We no longer have the King
as a scapegoat. We must act!

It starts with the vote
that each citizen must cast.

You must vote and get others to vote.

The Convention elections
will be the first universal suffrage.

Regardless of his fortune,
any man over 21 may vote.

Bravo, citizen Minister of Justice!

I hope the King's arrest
will save the Revolution

but frankly, we control nothing.

To break free, the People must drown
their oppressors in blood.

Put them to the sword.

Torture them.

The only way is through insurrection
and mass executions!

For a thousand years, these men
have plundered and oppressed us.

If we don't massacre them,
they will massacre us.

We must crush the vipers' nest
and clean up the cesspit!

Massacres are being prepared.

Robespierre has even had
his old confessor released.

Beaumarchais has been transferred.

My best friend is in jail.

Help me find her, please!

Her name is Sylva Marescaux.

She served the royal family
but vanished on August 10.

Please, Charles-Henri!

I can't help you, Manon.

I'm known to be a royal sympathizer.

Ask Gabriel, he hangs around
with a gang of fanatics.

Gabriel! You have to help me
get Sylva out, please.

We beg for protection.

Save our souls,
and the soul of our king.

Our Father who art in Heaven,
hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,
in Earth as it is in Heaven

Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses...

Open up.

Open!

Come on!

You priests will be sent to Guyana

unless you swear allegiance
to the constitution.

Ci-devant Count de La Perrière.

Get up.

Ci-devant Marquis de la Mothe.

Ci-devant Duchess de Lamballe.

Come on!

You... why are you hiding
your pretty little face?

Let's have a look, don't be shy.

Right, set up the tribunal.

Guignard, you'll be the accuser.

Fourchaud is the lawyer
and I'm the judge.

I need assessors.

Barnabé, Octave...

Gabriel, your talents will be
more useful outside.

Citizen, bring in the first defendant!

Duchess de Lamballe,
former friend to the Queen.

You are accused of conspiring
against the People,

of plotting and causing the death
of numerous patriots

in the Tuileries
and last year in Champ de Mars.

The accuser may now speak.

Duchess de Lamballe.

Vile, corrupt and perfidious
courtesan!

Miserable accomplice to the crimes
of Louis XVI.

Depraved woman!
You are a known swindler.

Villain!

An acknowledged traitor!
I have proof of your treachery.

You have spilled the blood
of our innocent brothers.

But I shall expose your machinations!

You won't betray the People for long!

- I demand justice.
- Silence!

The defence may now speak.

I have nothing to add.

The tribunal will deliberate.

Take out the guilty defendant
by the door on the left.

Sanson, do your duty as a patriot.

Some executioner!

Next! Sylva Marescaux!

You plotted to help your mistress,
the Queen, escape.

It's a lie!
I knew nothing about it.

You conspired with the enemy!

No, I embroidered, ironed, and
took care of the sovereign's children.

Antoinette's valets are traitors.

The perfidious deserve no pity.

Don't be taken in by the cynicism
of a liar who served the Austrian!

I had no choice!

I entered service when I was 12
and followed a ci-devant to Court.

You were wrong to betray the People.

I was wrong to be born poor,

to work 18 hours a day
from an early age,

sending my wages to my family.

Can any of you afford to refuse work?

She's hiding her crimes
against the Nation.

The wretch deserves to lose her head!

Citizen Landreau,
everything she says is true.

You have no right to speak here.

I recognise you, citizen.
Manon Deschaumes.

Let's be done with it.
Take out the defendant...

by the door on the right.

Next!

Count de la Perrière!

I was scared, Manon.

So scared.

You were amazingly courageous.

It's over now.

I'll let you sleep.

"Yesterday, my heart quaked
with horror.

"Within a few hours, the Revolution
became tainted and went mad.

"This justice upheld by some in
the name of the people is barbarity."

I came to say goodbye, Manon.

I'm ashamed of this massacre.

I'm off to join the army.

Thanks for your help with Sylva.

You're a good man, Gabriel.
Really.

Excuse me!

The drinks are on the house
for the newly elected!

Particularly Citizen Robespierre,

for his triumphant election in Paris!

- A Robespierre supporter now?
- I always was.

I never noticed.

Danton defends property,
but Robespierre keeps law and order,

protecting honest traders
from looters.

A toast to Robespierre!

Speech! Speech!

Thank you.

I raise my glass to the Nation.

To you... my friends...

who have just been elected with me.

Danton.

My dear Camille.

The talented David.

And Saint-Just... who is so young.

To you all!

I express the hope

that we are up to the virtuous tasks
that await us.

To the homeland.

You look pensive.

All this joy just two weeks after
the September massacres is indecent.

You're right, my dear.

Fortunately we carried off
a credible victory yesterday at Valmy.

It blinds people to
the lack of control.

Tonight I give up
my Oath of the Tennis Court.

Give up a painting
you've worked so hard on?

It cannot be done.
Look, the heroes keep changing.

Mirabeau was at the centre.
Yesterday, he was revered.

Today, he's a traitor.
He's not alone!

I can't keep changing the faces
to fit the whims of history.

Why do you celebrate?

Barely 10% of the electorate
came out to vote.

We fought so hard for this freedom.

Our first elections under universal
suffrage, and barely 10% turn out.

It's hogwash!

I'm no longer a deputy...

my journal is dead...
and the woman I love rejects me.

Maximilien,
your life is on the line.

You're accused of being behind
the September massacres.

Condemn them and you condemn
your sans-culottes supporters.

As a pacifist,
how can you justify this violence?

Camille, do you want revolution
without a revolution?

The King and his family
are still in the Temple prison.

Will he be tried?

Are we to charge the King?

Let's hear Saint-Just.

Citizens...

Should we try the King?

I say no.

We should not try him,
rather dispense with him.

For royalty is a crime
and a usurpation.

One does not reign in innocence.

Was Caesar tried?

No!

He was stabbed 23 times in the Senate

to save Rome's freedom.

To absolve the King
is to betray the people.

To forgive a tyrant
is to accept tyranny.

Democracy cannot begin until
we are forever free of royalty.

Tomorrow the Convention shall
reach a verdict on the King's death.

I say that the tyrant must die!

Death to the King!

Subtitles by Kevin Smith
for IMAGINE