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PROMISE AT DAWN

Romain?

Romain?

Romain?

- Romain? - Allow me.

Romain!

Romain! What's wrong?

I'm dying...

- Is there a doctor in this hotel? - Yes

Help me lift him up.

Stop it!

Take me to Mexico City.

I don't want to die here, Lesley.

Romain, you don't mean it.

It's at least five hours from here.

It doesn't matter, call a taxi.

I want to die in Mexico City, not here.

That's what's going to happen. Just deal with it, Lesley.

After all, you are my wife.

Watch your head, dear.

What are you writing?

A testament, Lesley.

A testament to what?

A book. A book about my mother.

Can you turn the music down, please?

I'm 44, and love France with all my heart,

because France is all that remains of my mother.

VILNIUS, 1924 (then in Poland)

But I suppose it isn't right to have loved a person to such a degree,

Even if that person was your own mother.

Did I scare you?

I knew you'd come past.

- How did it go at school? - So so.

What? They just don't understand you.

Here you are.

One day you'll have a car...

and you'll be a French ambassador.

Give me a hug.

Go home quickly. Aniela is waiting for you.

At that time, my mother and I were living in Wilno, in Poland.

She got by from making hats for ladies at home.

It was freezing cold. Snow was piling up

against the dirty, grey walls of the town.

Romain, give me a kiss.

- How was it at school? - Good.

Come on, I've made a lovely hot chocolate for you.

Are you going to take off your coat? Let's get it off you.

- Blow on it, it's hot. - Okay.

Police! Police!

- Mrs Kacew isn't here. I work with her. - What time will she be back?

She does a lot of door-to-door selling, so she comes and goes.

What's going on?

- What are you doing in my house? - Nina Kacew?

- That's me. - Show us your ID.

I'm coming.

- You've come from Russia? - From Moscow.

- When did you get here? - Three months ago.

- What are these? - Ladies' hats. I sell them.

Start the search.

Check everything.

Your neighbours say you've got stolen equipment here.

What are you doing? No, not that!

Take a bit of care, would you!

- What are you looking for? - Stand back!

So you've come into my home without permission or giving advance notice, right?

We've been told that you have stolen goods here.

Everything here is by the book.

Who told you? Who was it?

Are the machines yours?

I brought them with me. There are invoices for all of them.

Bastards! Bastards!

Do you think doing this will get me to leave?

Go on, search everything!

Keep at it! We're so rich! We have so many things!

Where's the scum hiding that called in the police behind my back?

Where are they?

Come on! Come on!

- Look me in the eyes! - What is it you want?

You do not know who we are.

You don't know to whom you have the honour of speaking.

Look at him!

He's my son!

He's going to be an ambassador for France.

A writer!

A Knight of the Legion of Honour!

A general!

And he'll have his clothes made up by tailors in London!

I can't think of a single event that was as important for me as that instance of laughter.

It was one of the most painful moments of my existence.

But that laughter made me who I am today.

My mother taught me

that people should never be subjected to ridicule.

They don't know who they're dealing with.

We're not going to let them treat us like that.

They don't know what's coming.

My mother was inclined to be vengeful

and was always implacable in her determination to get back at her enemies.

The strategy she came up with was especially daring for a small town like Wilno.

It could have backfired and caused us to be homeless again.

A DAY WITH PAUL POIRET

Come quick! Hurry!

Are you Nina Kacew?

My mother had been an actress when she was younger,

and had known a talentless French actor and singer

called Alex Gubernatis, who was vegetating in Warsaw.

It's great to see you again, Nina.

- It's great... - The money!

Go away! Get out of here!

Oh, no, Nina! Nina!

It's pretty.

Yes it is.

- My mind's a blank. - What do you mean, 'a blank'?

- It's a blank. - We haven't even started,

you can't have forgotten already.

"Silence, ladies, silence."

Silence, ladies, silence.

Make a gesture with your arms.

Silence, ladies, silence.

No, more... more... more solemn.

A gesture! "Silence!" Come on. "Silence, ladies! Silence!"

Silence, ladies, silence!

Why should I say "Silence..."?

Well, because the room is going to be full, you understand?

Full of the richest women in Wilno

who are going to rush to meet up with Paul Poiret in person.

The day came when she could advertise in the newspapers

that Mr Paul Poiret himself had arrived especially from Paris

and would be present at the opening of the 'Maison Nouvelle' showroom

on Tuesday, February 6 at four in the afternoon.

Welcome, come in.

The room's full. They all came.

I have to get a drink.

Do you think Paul Poiret would be stinking of vodka?

No, no, I just need one glass of something...

Then I'll slap on some cologne. That way it won't smell.

Take this.

Thank you.

Dear ladies.

Thank you for coming in such large numbers

to welcome the greatest fashion designer in Paris:

Mr Paul Poiret.

Silence, ladies, silence!

I am happy to be here today

to open the showroom of the person whose talent, taste, and expertise

have earned her the right to be the only representative

of the house of Paul Poiret in Wilno.

Let's join in a hearty round of applause for my ambassador and friend: Nina Kacew.

Today, I know what she was seeing during the opening.

She was seeing the real Paul Poiret

asking for silence so as to sing the praises of her artistic inspiration.

No, but you know the good taste that Nina has.

She told me about Polish women.

That they know how to wear furs with elegance and sophistication.

Mediterranean women aren't like that!

Tell us about Paris.

You know Man Ray, Mistinguett, Maurice Chevalier...

Clotilde of the Moulin Rouge, she loves my hats.

She says that my hats look so good that a woman could go around naked with one on.

To think that the fashion these days is to cover up every trace of the female form...

- It shouldn't be kept hidden! - Sir! What is this?

Silence! ladies, silence!

Silence.

At the dike of the arse, I met a beautiful girl.

At the dike of the arse, I met a beautiful girl.

Asleep with her arse all bare... at the dike, at the dike.

With her arse all bare, at the dike of the arse.

At the dike of the arse, when coming back from Nantes,

At the dike of the arse...

And now, to thank Paul for his visit,

let's listen to a song that surely you will all recognise.

Romain!

Arise, children of the Fatherland...

That's how the 'Maison Nouvelle', great Parisian fashion showroom,

was launched with such flair.

Gubernatis left the same day to go back to Warsaw.

Within a few months, all the well-off customers were coming to us for their clothes

and money was pouring in with them.

My mother harboured an ambition that I should become a virtuoso violinist.

I was willing to become everything she expected of me,

and I loved her too much to understand that her dreams were naive...

and excessive.

So...show us what you can do.

I do not want you to give up! You will not give up!

You told him I had a gift!

You told him he would eat his hat once he heard me!

But you do have a gift, Romain!

You do!

- I want you to go back tomorrow. - No, I'm never going back there.

It was a great disappointment,

but the violin episode was never mentioned again.

No no no. No painting!

- You're not going to be a painter. - But I'm good at it, I like it.

- That's how it is. He won't be a painter. - But he's talented, Nina.

So what?

What was the use of having talent to Van Gogh and Gauguin?

- I do not want you to paint. - But it's something I can do well at, Mum!

Van Gogh committed suicide at 35.

You may have the talent, but you will die young.

I want you to be famous, but while you're still alive.

That's how, having ruled out music and painting one after the other,

we settled on writing.

My mother had nothing against it.

Goethe was showered with honours.

Tolstoy had been a count, and Victor Hugo President of France.

I don't know why exactly, but the idea of writing appealed to her.

Show me what you've written.

You can no longer be seen. You are like light.

A piece of plaid cloth, and boom!

There's an explosion.

Goodbye, little dragon, fly high...

So what comes next?

Up in the air, you thought you were so strong,

Oh, you are a chameleon!

You're going to be another Tolstoy, my boy.

Or another Victor Hugo.

Nothing was left out of the training my mother organised

to turn me into a man of the world.

Click your heels louder.

Keep your back straight. Lean forward.

- Would you do me the honour, ma'am? - Don't touch her hand with your lips.

My name is Swerdlowski.

We are going to learn. You must observe and listen.

To your positions.

Fire!

You look so handsome!

- I don't want to wear this. - Why ever not?

- Everyone will make fun of me. - Oh, come on!

It's the nicest coat in the whole town. Do you know who'll make fun of you?

- Only people who envy you. - It's stupid. Look at these things hanging off it!

They're silver squirrel tails.

- They're the the things you mean. - Please, Mum!

Darling, I know what suits you better than anyone else.

I want you to wear it for me.

THE WHITE DEVIL

Whenever a movie with Ivan Mosjoukine was released, we would go to see it.

Ivan Mosjoukine, the great Russian film star,

would play romantic leads and action heroes.

He saved empires, won sword-fights and shoot-outs,

rescued beautiful damsels in distress,

and withstood torture in the service of the Tsar.

Women were swooning under his spell.

But as for me... I would watch, and shudder

at the thought of everything my mother was expecting of me.

THE END

When I was an actress in Russia, I used to perform in theatres.

I acted with Mosjoukine.

He was already famous back then.

Do you know what he told me when you were born?

He told me:

"There's nothing that really interests you apart from your son."

So I stopped acting.

I left the theatre for you.

Here, put this on.

Stare at me.

Harder.

Harder still. Do it like a man.

With that stare, you'll make women suffer, just like he does.

I was nine years old when I fell in love for the first time.

It was a violent, all-consuming passion, one that made me completely miserable.

She was eight, and her name was Walentyna.

Intent on her immediate seduction, I did as my mother had taught me,

and gave her my hardest stare to win her over.

What are you doing?

You're weird.

Are you nuts or something?

Walentyna!

- Walentyna! Come on over! - Quick!

Look, Walentyna!

Come on, kids, get out of here.

We're going to the cemetery, do you want to come?

- Mummy's boy! - Let's go.

- Where are the others? - I told them to leave us alone.

- Why? - I told them to leave us alone,

that's all.

- What are we going to do? - I don't know.

Jan has eaten a lot of things for me. Even soil.

- I can do that too. - I'll give you some.

Here's a flower. Eat it.

And that's how my martyrdom began.

I saw you!

- What are you doing? - What do you care?

What do I care? He's eating dirt for you.

- Hey you! - Leave him alone!

- I didn't touch him. - Why did you bring him here?

- Who do you think you are? - Nobody special.

- That's enough! - Are you the ambassador?

You shut up!

Who do you think you are? I'm going back to the party.

Are you happy now?

Hey, give me that back to me!

Come and get it!

- Here! - Catch!

Give it back to me!

Have you seen what time it is?

And just look at the state you've come back in!

Look at you!

Were you in a fight?

Fighting is worth doing for three reasons:

Women, honour, and France.

- Was it one of those three? - Yes.

Then it's okay.

That's when I grasped that the love surrounding me at home

had nothing in common with the love awaiting me outside the door.

Hello, Walentyna, are you there?

- Do you know why you're here? - Yes.

Each of you will have a turn.

- I'll kiss whoever eats the most. - With the shell and everything?

Yes, of course.

Jan, you start.

Fuck!

You're going to regret doing that!

I'm going to make you pay for it!

You'll regret it, you'll see!

I felt it was not enough.

That I had to go further, much further.

I'm going to eat it for you.

At that time, children were taught nothing about the mystery of sex

and I was convinced that this was how you made love.

Thank you, Doctor.

- Thank you, Doctor. - Thanks, ladies. See you later.

- Seriously? - Seriously.

Romain! Romain!

Tell me it isn't true! Tell me!

Did you eat a shoe for a woman?

- I love her. - What? You love her?

The Bronski girl? You love that little slut?

Did she give you any presents?

When you're an ambassador, you'll have the most beautiful women in the world.

You'll have them all at your feet!

They will want to die for you and you'll make them suffer!

So forget about that little Bronski girl!

- What are you doing here? What do you want? - Can you announce my visit to the ambassador?

Wait here.

What do you want?

Walentyna asked me to get you. Are you coming?

- Is she waiting for me here? - Yes.

- Is it him? - Yes, it's him.

I know what happened with my sister.

- Who's your sister? - Walentyna.

- Well, I've never seen you with her. - I'm the one doing the talking here.

She's my sister and she's your girlfriend.

If you don't leave her alone, I'll rip out your nose and your ears.

- Is that understood? - Yes.

- Say: "I get it"! - I get it.

I know who you are, arsehole.

Your bitch of a mother says she's going to France

with her little genius to sell her hats.

Why are you still here?

The schools don't accept new students in the middle of the year.

It would be better if France didn't accept old Jewish whores!

- Run, Jew, run! - Get out of here!

Don't come back!

Listen to me carefully, Romain.

The next time they insult your mother in front of you,

I want you to be brought back on a stretcher. Do you understand?

Without a single bone left intact!

Otherwise, it won't be worth leaving.

It won't be worth going to France!

Remember what I'm telling you!

Remember!

From now on, you're going to defend me.

I don't care what they do to you with their fists –

it's the rest of what they do that hurts.

Let them kill you if necessary.

Okay, finish your meal.

One moment, please.

Mrs Podowska is in the showroom. She's asking for credit again.

Credit? On top of everything she already owes?

Nina! So you've appeared at last!

I was wondering when I would see you.

Madam, you know that I am never far away.

Nina, could you make some alterations to my dresses for this Friday?

Mrs Podowska, Aniela has suggested I should send the account to your husband.

My dear, I'm counting on your discretion.

I'll come to settle the account next week.

In that case, we'll be able to deliver your dresses and hats

next week.

What do you mean by that?

There's a high amount owing on your account...

and you haven't paid us anything for two months.

Are you implying that I'm not going to pay you?

Do answer. I want to be able to make up my mind about you.

No. Obviously, no. I trust you.

Aniela!

Wrap up the hats and make the alterations to the dresses for Mrs. Podowska.

Put everything on her account.

Although 'Maison Nouvelle' was Wilno's leading fashion house for two years,

its reputation was more impressive than its turnover.

It's just that...the girls don't want to work here any more.

The bailiff said that...

I don't give a damn what he said!

Romain! Come here, my treasure!

- Come, let me kiss you. - Difficulties were piling up...

and Aniela decided to go back home.

Saying goodbye was terrible.

We were sure that we were hugging each other for the last time.

Stay here, Romain. I have to sort out something important.

Don't worry. I'll be back soon.

Good morning, I've been doing some work for Mrs. Podowska.

Tell her that her friend Nina has dropped by.

What have you come for?

Excuse me if I'm disturbing you,

but it's been a long time since you've come to my showroom.

You can appreciate that I'd like to know when you were planning on paying me.

To tell the truth, times are tough and bills can't be paid with credit.

I'm tired of the way you're always after me for money.

I shouldn't have trusted you.

My friends warned me, but I told them that,

although you were Jewish, you were a good person.

But I can see that I was wrong. Alright, goodbye.

- You're not getting out of it like that! - Tadek!

You're a thief! Shame on you!

You're lower than scum who get put in chains!

Come on, get out of here.

Everyone in Wilno is going to hear that Mrs. Podowska is a thief!

- Piss off or I'm calling the police! - I hope she rots in hell!

- She's a fat pig! - I'm going to call the police!

Romain...

You've been here...

We're going to leave this town.

You're going to study in France. I promise.

After desperate efforts to revive the business,

the battle was definitively lost and we were declared bankrupt.

Madam, would you do me the honour?

- No, no, darling. - Please, Mum, come on...

- I don't want to, sweetie. - Please!

No.

And so, on that day, I made a vow

to put the world to rights and set it down at her feet,

so as to give meaning to her sacrifice, and to be worthy of her.

I would devote my life to that task.

I can't believe that you're reading it, Lesley!

You are the biggest nuisance I've ever known!

It's wonderful, Romain.

Wonderful, indeed. English irony can be so perverse!

No, I'm not being ironic, Romain. It's the truth.

Please, I beg you, let me finish reading it.

Nice, Nice! Stopping for ten minutes!

- Porter! - Yes, ma'am?

- Could you help us? - I'd be glad to.

Careful!

Come on, help me.

- Please take care, it's very fragile. - Don't worry, I'll be careful.

I've retained from that first experience of France

the memory of a porter at the railway station in Nice.

We entrusted him with the chest that contained the Russian silverware

my mother had saved our creditors

and whose sale was to underwrite our future.

We want to go to Shakespeare Avenue.

Sorry, I can't do that. Go and see Rinaldi and his wreck.

- Are you Rinaldi? - Yes.

We want to go to Shakespeare Avenue.

Sorry, but I can't take you there.

Have you seen the condition your car's in?

It won't get any worse from my trunk.

Go on, sit in the back seat.

There are days when you'd be better off staying in bed.

We're almost there.

Come and have a look.

That first view of the Mediterranean Sea affected me viscerally.

- Ever since that day, just looking at it... - Come on!

...makes me feel as though all my worries have gone away.

Are you taking it in?

This samovar, sir, came to me from my mother,

who was a countess at the court of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.

It's a priceless item that she managed to save when...

You see...I can't talk about it...

without having a lump in my throat.

You know how to highlight the value of the items you're showing me,

You know how to talk them up, but you have a big problem.

- What is it? - May I speak frankly?

These items aren't any good.

What about the service from Tsar Nicholas II?

It's the fifth I've seen in 15 days!

And you're asking for a fortune that nobody around here will pay you.

- You can put it down. - A fortune?

For an authentic object?

You're talking to me about copies, when I've presented you with an original...

that has witnessed a series of bloody crimes!

I have a proposal for you.

I want you to go on playing the role of a ruined Russian countess...

Which I am...

Which you are...

As you go around with items from my shop selling them at hotels along the coast.

- What items? - Rings, watches, small compacts,

all the most attractive things.

And what will my son and I get from doing that?

10% of the sale price.

And to show you that my offer is serious,

I can give you an advance on future sales.

We had been saved – and by a Frenchman.

Here you are.

The years passed.

In addition to the work she did for Mr SéŽrusier,

my mother also set up display windows of luxury items in hotels

and acted as an intermediary in the sale of apartments.

- Are you ready? - Yes.

As well, she had a stake in Rinaldi's new taxi.

We enjoyed a period of peace and tranquillity.

I didn't mean to be rude.

Your mother keeps on saying that you're a literary genius and...

it made me curious.

My name is Mariette.

- Pleased to meet you. - Likewise.

Your mother has made a point of asking me to look after you.

I'll be taking care of everything, you're not to do anything.

Clothes-washing, ironing, cleaning, shoe-polishing, making the bed...

All of it!

I'll be here every morning, you won't have to worry about a thing!

Oops! Sorry.

You're not here to listen to music!

Yes, sorry. Of course, ma'am.

Don't be angry.

I put it on.

Well, put it on again if you want.

Romain, there's one thing I haven't told you!

Yesterday I was at the market and bumped into your mother.

She talks about you as if you were Prince Charming.

"My Romain this, my Romain that."

I know it's because you're her son, but...

even so, it's ended up arousing my curiosity.

Mariette's importance in my life was growing.

It started when I woke up and lasted all day.

Some mornings when my mother went to work and I didn't have any classes,

I would stay in bed until she arrived.

Good morning, Romain.

Romain?

What a woman wants, God wants too.

And at last the miracle came to pass.

Romain! What's going on?

Listen to me!

How dare you lay your hands on my darling son!

- But it was you who... - It was me that what?

Get out before I throw you out the window!

You whore! Get the hell out!

I don't want to see you here again! Go away!

Romain! Romain, come here!

Where are you going?

Come here, Romain!

Open up!

If the bus hadn't broken down, I would never have known!

You would never have told me anything!

She had the gall to do that in front of his own mother, the bitch!

Why don't you lay off me and take care of your own life?

I'm sick of you worrying about everything and deciding everything.

You're smothering me! One day, I'm going to get out of here.

- Come on, Romain, pull! - Up it goes!

My mother's best business venture came from the sale of a property.

The owner appointed her to manage it, and approved her plan to turn it into a hotel.

My mother knew nothing about hospitality, but she quickly got the hang of it.

She would get up at six in the morning and head off to the Buffa market,

- of which she was the unchallenged queen. - I'll take it!

Take it.

- Good morning, Dominique. - Good morning, Nina.

Just have a look at this, doesn't it look great?

- Cut me 10 thick slices. - What else can I get you, Nina?

That's all.

- Madam! - Mum!

Mum! Mum!

Call a doctor! Please do it!

Make way.

Excuse us, ladies.

Mum, are you okay? Mum!

Mum, can you hear me?

Come on, Nina.

What's happened?

- Is she your mother? - Yes.

- Has she been diabetic for a long time? - I don't understand

Look at this.

I am diabetic, and if I have fainted...

Why did you keep this quiet from me?

Because it was none of your business.

You can live to at least 100 even with this shitty illness.

How can I trust you?

You've been ill for two years and haven't told me anything!

Is there anything else I should know? Now's the time to tell me.

I don't want to have to call out every time I need an injection.

Do you have to give yourself injections as well?

You keep that to yourself! Nobody needs to know.

Rinaldi! Do you know how expensive that wine is?

Yes, Nina, but I'm a taxi driver! A taxi driver! Not a delivery man!

Romain! Romain!

Go and help Rinaldi and his undersized arms...

No, it's alright, I'll take care of that.

It's alright.

- Can I help you? - Good morning, madam.

- You must be Mrs Kacew. - Indeed.

Delighted to make your acquaintance. I am Mr Zaremba –

- I booked a room. - Yes, Mr Zaremba.

- Are you Polish? - Just like you, it seems.

Yes, well, I...

May I introduce my son, Romain. He writes books.

Good morning, sir and welcome.

You're a writer at such a young age? That's impressive.

I myself am an artist – a painter in fact.

If you would sign the register, please...

And I'm going to ask you to pay the week in advance.

Oh, of course, that's not a problem.

Mr. Zaremba refuted my mother's notion

that painters were doomed to alcoholism and dissolution.

There could only be one explanation: he must be totally lacking in talent.

We serve breakfast every day between seven and nine.

If you need anything, just go down to reception.

There's usually someone there.

Here you are, young man.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

He took a room for a few days and stayed a year.

Please, Romain...

Could you stop moving for just a moment? That's good, that's good.

Move your right leg back... onto the chair.

Let the chair give you some support.

Extend your arm...Look at me!

That's it, you're ready for take-off. Good.

Look at me.

- I'm getting a cramp. - Hang in there, Romain!

I have something to confess.

I would like to set up a meeting with your mother.

I know just how dear you are to her

but I'm not expecting too much:

I'd be perfectly happy to come second.

I hope that what I've said hasn't shocked you.

Not at all.

Because if your mother agreed to share with me

some of the affection she always lavishes on you,

you could become more self-reliant.

It's never good to be an only child.

Thank you, I'll let you go now.

As a token of my appreciation, here's a little gift.

- It's just a simple painting of mine. - Thank you.

Why don't you go for a walk tonight by the Hotel Royal?

I'll be there with my mother.

Madam...

Good evening.

I've ordered a bottle of champagne,

and I would be honoured if I could share it with you.

Certainly, with pleasure.

Do you like champagne?

Yes.

An angel passing by must have caused the lull in our conversation.

Yes, I'm a great believer in the presence of angels.

Romain, aren't you going to ask your mother to dance?

Madam, I hope I'm not offending you...

Having Zaremba as a stepfather would have allowed me to breathe freely at last.

I could have thrown myself into a life of adventure

without feeling guilty for having abandoned my mother.

Mum!

Oh! You didn't have to!

- Oh, thanks! - I have to talk to you.

What's the matter?

Listen, he's a very good man.

- Who is? - Zaremba.

Is that why you're sitting here? To tell me about Zaremba?

Come on! He owns a property in Florida!

Mum! Mum!

Get out of here! Out!

I can't help you right now. He can.

- I don't need help! - Oh, no? You don't need help?

You're ill, and you'll have to wait for me to finish high school.

Then my degree will take three years, with two more for military service.

But I'm actually in good shape – better than you think!

Oh, my God! Zaremba can help you now!

Stop talking about Zaremba!

He respects you and always will. He'll put you on a pedestal.

I know I'm old. It's been one time only, Romain...

It's only happened to me once...

I've felt passionate love for a man only the once.

And he never respected me. He never behaved like a gentleman.

But he was a man, not a little boy.

As far as I'm concerned, the painter can go to hell!

After the failure of the match with Zaremba,

the idea that my mother might die before I had fulfilled

her expectations became unbearable.

I just had to become a French literary genius

and write an enduring masterpiece.

I started working in earnest.

I was finishing my fourth novel, under the pseudonym François Mermonts.

Like its predecessors, the publishers I submitted it to would reject it.

I had just graduated from high school,

and my mother decided I should go to Paris to study, so as to meet the right people.

Romain! Romain, hurry! I can't stay away long.

Eight days before I left for Paris, my mother underwent a religious crisis.

Where do you want to go?

To the Russian church.

But I thought we were more or less Jewish.

That doesn't matter. I know the priest.

Come on. Come here.

Swear to me that you'll be careful.

Promise me you won't catch anything.

I promise you.

And swear to me that you'll never accept money from a woman.

I swear I won't.

- No, Mom, it's fine, I'll manage. - I'm telling you to take it. Take it!

This is going to be the last time.

Be brave, my son, be brave!

You're going to be gallant. You're going to come home covered in glory.

I can see it now!

Keep away from stupidity and prejudice.

You'll come across examples everywhere, but don't let them catch hold.

And don't wear socks with holes in them.

If a woman ever sees you without shoes on, you must always look elegant.

You must.

- Would you like me to help you? - Oh, yes, thank you.

He's my son. He's leaving to study law in Paris.

He's going to be a diplomat, a writer, and an Air Force officer.

How impressive!

Well, goodbye, Mum.

- May I help you? - Thank you.

- Do you want me to put it up the top? - Yes, thanks.

Mum?

This is something for the trip.

Hang on, hang on a minute!

Wait, please! Stop the train! Sorry, sorry.

This is my mother. She's not a passenger!

She's not taking the train! It has to be stopped.

- It can't be done, we've already left. - Please, mister...

No, no, no, no. I'll just have to get off. It will be his fault if I fall.

- Be careful! - Help us!

Oh, sir, sir! Help my mother, please!

Help my mother get off! Help her get down, help her!

May I offer you a pickle?

No, thanks.

I can see that your mother loves you, alright.

My name is Brigitte.

You have a...very nice accent.

Thank you. I'm Swedish.

Brigitte was the kind of Swedish girl men elsewhere have dreamed of

ever since Swedish men arrived on the scene.

I'm Romain.

- Delighted to meet you. - And you.

I love you. Yes, yes, Romain!

I'm coming! I'm coming!

I arrived in Paris in September, 1934

to enrol in the Law Faculty in Rue St Jacques.

Hello?

Kacew!

It's your mother on the phone!

Oh, oh! I love you, I love you!

Yes, yes, I'm coming!

Oh, oh, I'm coming!

Hello?

Yes.

No, don't worry, Mum, I don't need any money, truly.

No, no, relax, I won't take on any casual work.

Brigitte was good-looking, cheerful, and intelligent.

For several weeks we had a passionate affair.

- Wait, no, no, I'm coming with you! - I'll be back tonight!

I love you!

Yes.

No, wait, Brigitte!

Brigitte!

Brigitte!

In my disappointment and disgust, I found I couldn't stop writing,

in the process neglecting my law studies.

THE STORM

A short story

Hi.

A Gringoire, please.

At a point when I was completely broke, I opened the 'Gringoire' literary weekly

to find it had published my short story 'The Storm'

with my name appearing prominently just where it ought to.

Hey, hey, sir!

Here you are.

Is this some kind of joke? Who closed the shutters?

Miss Jacobi! Lucien! What will the customers think?

Bravo!

- Congratulations, Nina! - Romain has got in the paper.

You're famous now!

I knew it would happen! I knew it!

- It's yours. - But...

- This is for you. - You're crazy! You're just crazy!

Oh, no...

Thank you. Thank you, my son.

I'd never earned so much money before

and believed I would be free from want for the rest of my days.

I'm so happy.

If you could please...

- Good evening. - Good evening.

Could you get us a good table and serve us your best bottle of champagne?

Certainly, sir.

After returning to Paris, I took up my pen and wrote three short stories in a row.

Kacew, your mother!

- Yes, Mum? - My darling,

I've bought the paper again and there's nothing,

- nothing at all! - Mum, it's to be expected.

How is it to be expected?

People are asking questions.

Everyone expects to be reading what you've written.

- I'm telling you it's to be expected. - Stop saying that!

Do you think that Pantaloni, who put on a drink for the whole market

in honour of your first short story, thinks it's to be expected?

So tell Pantaloni that I don't want them to publish me. There you have it.

The paper wanted me to write such mediocre, thin stuff

- that I told them to go away. - What?

So, does that mean you don't have any work?

I'm making enough money, Mum. Don't worry.

- How? - What do you mean, how? From my writing.

- I'm writing under other names. - Other names?

Yes. Other names, with... with pseudonyms, if you prefer.

- Which ones? - What do you mean, which ones?

Which names are you using when you write?

Well, I... I've signed two short stories this month...

under the name of...Corthis.

AndréŽ Corthis.

- Corthis? - Yes.

It's scandalous you're supposed to take pieces you don't want to do.

I'm going to write to the publisher to tell him what I think.

No, no, no, no, Mum, it's not worth it.

Well, then...

All the same, I'm going to talk to the people at the market.

I'll explain what's going on.

Okay, that's good. You take care of the market and I'll...

I'll take care of the rest.

I love you.

For six months, they didn't publish any of my short stories.

They considered them too literary, and sent them all back.

NICE, AUGUST 1938

Nice, Nice! Stopping seven minutes!

Next stops: Nice-Riquier, Villefranche...

My darling!

You look so handsome!

You must do it. You have to go, darling.

Tomorrow, we'll go and buy your tickets. I've already bought the bullets.

Wait, Mum, I don't understand what you're saying.

Go to where?

To Berlin...

To Berlin?

You have to kill this Adolf Hitler.

Believe me, there is no other solution.

I've thought about it a lot.

You're an excellent shot, you'll hit the target first try.

But...But...I can't head off to kill Hitler just like that.

If they catch you,

I assure you that France will demand your release.

I had not paid much attention to events in Europe

and it was hard to believe that there would be a war.

It was the height of summer, I wanted to stay by the seaside,

I would have preferred to go and kill Hitler in October.

In short, I lacked motivation.

But I could see no way out.

Hello, a ticket for Germany, please.

Berlin, the day after tomorrow.

The Germans offer a discount of 30% for holiday trips.

Is it a round trip you want?

One way, please.

Romain!

Romain! Romain!

Romain!

Romain!

- Oh, Romain! - What's up?

Please, I beg you, don't do it. Give up your heroic project.

They have no right to demand something like this of an only child.

I've fought so hard to make a man of you.

Mum, Mum...

And now...Oh, my God!

And that's how I ended up not killing Hitler.

I joined up on November 4, 1938. My mother was ecstatic.

Clean the engine cover and propellers before lunch.

Yes, Captain.

Kacew, you did well up there, not bad at all.

Let's go!

Go, go, go!

Dear Romain, when you are a lieutenant, with embroidered chevrons on your sleeve,

Remember it's just the first step towards fame.

- All my love, Mum. - Kacew!

Hey, Kacew! Look at this!

See, it looks like your father!

Good evening, Kacew.

THE JEWISH DANGER

After several months of training, the long-awaited day arrived,

when I was to receive my second-lieutenant's stripes.

Officer candidate Jacques Leroux:

You came first, with the rank of second lieutenant

and have been assigned to Marrakesh.

At ease! LéŽon Duval

came second, with the rank of second-lieutenant, and has been assigned...

Officer candidate GuŽrin, you came 27th,

with the rank of sergeant-major...

Jean Galy.

You came 63rd, with the rank of second-lieutenant

and you have been assigned to Bangui.

Rank of cadet...

Maurice Roger: you have been assigned to Versailles.

122nd...

At ease...231st...At ease...

244th...the rank of second-lieutenant...

At ease...

At ease...Officers, non-commissioned officers, dismissed!

Of nearly 300 officer candidates, I was the only one,

The only one who wasn't named as an officer.

Officer candidate Kacew.

You are to stay here for supplementary training. At ease!

In defiance of all precedents and regulations,

I wasn't named a second-lieutenant, nor a sergeant, nor even a corporal.

I wanted to die.

My mother...

My mother could never endure such a disappointment.

Do you want to know why you were held back?

You're Jewish, and you were naturalised only very recently.

In theory, you need to have a French father or be naturalised for 10 years

to serve in the forces.

So you can imagine what that meant for you becoming an officer...

- But I'm French. - Your case has been looked into.

They talked about sending you to the infantry or keeping you here.

The Ministry asked that you stay

but they didn't that here.

Consider yourself fortunate. It's not like the Dreyfus Affair.

There he is, Nina! Romain has turned up!

He's here! He's here!

My son has arrived!

What's happened? Where are your chevrons?

I'll explain in a minute, just come with me.

I have to talk to my mother.

He must have been promoted to second-lieutenant.

As much as I told myself that my mother was used to getting kicked in the face,

still, I was trying to break the news to her gently.

So, I haven't been made a second-lieutenant, and that's that.

Why not, Romain?

The only one out of 300! Out of 300!

As an interim disciplinary measure I have to wait six months.

- The only one out of 300! - I don't understand.

I seduced the wife of the school's commander.

That's it. That's what happened. There was nothing I could do about it.

You see, the orderly informed on us and the husband insisted I be punished.

No!

No!

Was she beautiful?

- Sorry? - Was she beautiful?

You can't imagine how much.

You Don Juan! You Casanova!

As I always said you'd be.

He could have killed you!

300! The only one out of 300!

You are exceptional.

Dear friends!

I can't explain why, out of respect for some very important people...

I really can't. But I'd like you to raise your glasses for Romain,

who is not a second-lieutenant,

for a reason that means a lot to the two of us.

To Romain, the only one out of 300!

I know that among you are some who were waiting for this moment.

I also know that others feared it.

But today it's France, your country, that you should be thinking of first.

Because thanks to you...

The war caught me unawares on my return to the base.

A general mobilisation was ordered.

The idea that France could lose this war never crossed my mind.

My mother would never countenance such a defeat.

Romain!

Romain!

Romain, there's a parcel for you!

Mummy has come to kiss her little rat.

My boy!

No son has ever hated his mother as much as I did at that moment.

- Hey Kacew, aren't you going to introduce us? - Get in the car.

- Don't let it worry you. - Are you ashamed of your mother?

Are you?

Oh, how sweet can you be!

Oh yeah.

You have to attack right away. You have to go straight to Berlin.

You should tell your officers.

- Captain! - Kacew.

Is he your commander?

Romain, answer me!

Yes, he's Captain De Gache, the commander of my unit.

Captain! Captain!

I told him that you have a sensitive throat.

All the planes are exposed to the open air.

Take it.

Did you tell him that? You did well.

When you're up in the sky, what worries you most is catching a cold.

- Nothing will happen to you. - How do you know?

Fewer than one airman in ten is going to survive this war.

It's not going to happen to you, do you hear me?

Stop talking like that! You always think you know everything. Leave it alone.

Promise me.

Nothing is going to happen to me.

The war isn't going to last long.

It just won't.

And France will win.

France will win because it is France.

SPEECH BY MARSHAL PăTAIN, - It is with a heavy heart,

JUNE 17, 1940 - that I tell you today we must

stop fighting.

I contacted our opponent last night

to ask if he is ready to seek with me,

as soldiers, after the fight and with honour,

- the means to put an end... - Kacew!

...to hostilities.

May all Frenchmen rally to the government over which I preside

- during these hours... - Captain?

Come with me. The Germans are in Paris.

In two days' time, anyone taking off for England or North Africa

will be considered a deserter.

- And what do you plan to do? - Join up with de Gaulle in England.

I have a plane for tonight. There's one seat left. Are you coming?

Yes, I will, Captain. I'll come.

It's not 'Captain' any more between you and me, Kacew.

We take off at nightfall.

Okay, we're good.

Get down, get down!

Keep going!

- There's a plane waiting once we're past. - Kacew! Kacew! Kacew!

- What the hell are you doing here? - The switchboard is calling for you.

They're insisting, it seems to be important.

Go on, check it out.

I'll give it a trial run and then come back for you.

But get a move on.

- Be quick. - Thank you.

- Hello? - Hello? Romain, are you there?

The fact that, in the middle of a shipwreck,

with communications in chaos,

my mother's voice could reach me seemed supernatural to me.

We got cut off.

You can call from here.

- Here you are. - Thank you.

Miss Jacobi? It's Romain here. I'd like to talk to my mother.

What? She's not there? I just talked to her.

Which hospital? I don't care...!

I don't give a damn if she doesn't want me to be bothered!

I watched the plane on fire.

De Gache had just crashed while doing his trial run.

My mother had saved me... yet again.

Romain!

Romain!

Here you are.

Oh, thank you, they're beautiful.

You know, I have a confession to make.

I haven't told you the whole truth.

The truth about what?

I was not... The truth is that I was not... Can you pass me the ashtray?

I was never a great actress or performer in tragedies...

I... It's not entirely accurate to say that.

I acted in the theatre, it's true, but I never got very far.

France is the most beautiful thing there is.

That's why I wanted you to be French.

So that's everything you wanted to tell me, right?

The Marshal is no more than a doddering, spineless old fool.

I've told everyone at the market.

I told them that my son will teach those cowards a lesson.

Don't you worry about a thing. I'm going to fight.

Excuse me, will she have to be here for a long time?

I'll talk to you in a few minutes, but I have to see some patients first.

But you can tell me something, right?

Sort of. There's not a lot I can say.

But you must know if you're going to keep her here?

That depends on how her condition develops.

- Can I talk to a specialist? - You're talking to one already.

- I'd rather you used a different tone with me. - I'll use whatever tone I want to.

You're the only person who can protect my mother while I'm protecting this country.

So your 'that depends' doesn't cut it for me.

You're protecting us, are you? So what's the armistice about?

It's all bullshit!

That poor crazy woman causes us such grief with your supposed feats while you...

Don't you ever call my mother a 'poor crazy woman' again. Have you got that?

Not ever!

- Do you have a mother? - No, not any more.

Well, now you have one.

That woman you were insulting over there, she's your mother. Say it!

- Listen, I'm sorry... - Say it! "She's my mother." Say it!

She's my mother.

I like the sound of that.

Now you're obliged to treat her with the greatest of respect.

You need to take care of her and protect her as if she were a member of your family.

Have you got that?

My leave was about to run out.

So...it's goodbye, then.

There are no words to describe our parting.

- Wait a minute. She had been living without a man for 26 years

and I wanted her to remember me more like a man than a son.

Don't forget your work.

You have to keep writing your books.

I'll do what you say, but you have to give me some time, okay?

You have to take good care of yourself and go to the doctor regularly.

I'll see what I can do to send you insulin, okay?

Don't worry about me. I'm like an old horse.

I've managed to survive until now, and I can keep going a bit longer.

I have to go.

Come on.

You know what? I've heard that there are some Frenchmen

who have kept on fighting from England.

- You ought to join them. - Yes, I know.

What that smile cost me she alone knew, because she smiled as well.

Some of her courage passed across to me,

and and has stayed with me forever.

What are you doing here, Kacew?

I'm going for a piss.

- Don't move! - Go ahead and shoot, you dirty Yid!

Go on, shoot!

You'll be put in front of a firing squad like the rat you are!

Hurry up!

It's not full.

- What? - It's not full!

- How much is there? - Half a tank.

We'll never get there.

Come on, get the propeller going.

- What the fuck are you doing? - I'm not coming. I can't swim.

I'd finally broken free – uncompromisingly, and for real.

The war was starting again for me, and there was no going back.

I felt the wonderstruck gaze of my mother looking on at what I'd done.

It was the beginning of my adventures.

After a few days, I was transferred to Olympia Hall

where the first French volunteers were gathered.

There, I got my mother's first letters.

My beloved Romain,

I bless you, and I swear that your departure hasn't upset me.

Be strong and resolute.

I am strong and resolute, but we spend the days waiting,

exasperated by the delay in sending us to fight.

I'll tell you what happened to me the other night.

I was with a young female poet from Chelsea at the Wellington,

a bar where all the Allied airmen get together.

You're looking at the suit, right? My mother wanted me to be well-dressed in London.

You know what the National Vigilance Association said

when it was asked who Joyce was:

that he was an Irishman...bye-bye...

who had written a pornographic text called 'Ulysses'.

Well, of course, that's why Ezra Pound is such an inspiration to me.

Darling, are you listening to me?

- You're not listening to me. - I'm listening.

What I was trying to tell you is that Ezra Pound is...

You see, it's what I've written. You have to read what I've written.

It's like a wave...

She talked and talked non-stop and she looked at me at regular intervals

with her beautiful blue eyes that literally sparkled with stupidity.

I couldn't put up with it any more.

Yesterday I wrote: "The fire of life swirls within me,

And I must set it ablaze." Isn't it terrific?

Wherever I go, I always have those moments of inspiration.

Because that's the thing, really.

Inspiration can hit you at any time and you must be ready to grab it.

- Would you like to dance with me? - I'd love to dance with you.

Aren't you looking lovely tonight?

It's a lovely uniform you chaps get to wear...

Do you speak Russian? Could I ask you to give me some Russian lessons, in fact?

I have quite a penchant for acting.

I really am quite the actress, you know.

So I'm really trying to get back to the sparsity of language.

I mean that's the thing I try to achieve...Absolutely, let's dance!

So, right now, I'm just all about my poetry.

Which is fine. Oh my God! Absolutely stunning work!

...simple words like 'closet' and 'table' and things like that...

I was in the absurd situation of having to fight

to keep a girl whom I had been trying to get rid of for hours.

Oh darling! Oh, my God!

Just wonderful!

Keep going! Keep going! Don't return!

After the brawl, I thought I'd got rid of my poet.

I was mistaken.

She had just been through an intense experience, and wanted to hang on to me.

I've never been involved in a fight before! Oh golly, they're back!

- Oh gosh, they are such brutes! - Wait a minute, wait!

He's asking for a duel!

What duel? There's a blackout, no-one's around, no-one gives a damn. You're crazy!

You will understand, Mum, that I couldn't let them insult France

Nor could I ignore the Polish codes of honour.

Alright, prepare the weapons. A duel with pistols from 10 metres.

I get the feeling you're going to kill him.

Let's be clear: if I kill him, the rest of you will back off.

We agree. It will be between you and him.

Tell him I'll kill him and shove the Polish flag up his arse.

Anyway, it's him who's going to kill you.

It's between the two of you and nobody else.

Take your positions!

Engage.

Fire!

Oh, my goodness! Oh, my goodness gracious me!

You're a bunch of idiots!

France and Poland are allies.

You really have to be morons to want us to kill each other.

But if he speaks Polish...

My poet had to call an ambulance...

which got me arrested by the military police.

The Pole you wounded said that it was an accident.

We do stupid things because we can't take it anymore.

We're not doing anything and London is being destroyed. We just want to fight.

Is that all you have to say to explain what happened?

We need pilots in Africa.

If you want to avoid a court martial, you'll sail tomorrow.

I told you.

Pushkin died in a duel with pistols, but he didn't have your luck.

What luck?

The course you took with Swerdlowski.

Oh, those Poles!

They never knew I sent you to those shooting classes with Swerdlowski.

No...No, they didn't know, no.

It's been months since you wrote anything.

- You know what that means? - Stop it, it doesn't mean anything!

It means there's a war on. It means that...

there's nothing else I can possibly do. I'm doing what you asked me to.

That's no excuse. You have to write.

If you don't, if you do nothing, how will you ever become a great writer?

Yes.

You're right.

- I will become a great writer. - Yes.

I'm going to win the war and become a diplomat.

- Yes. - An ambassador for France.

A diplomat and an ambassador for France. That's what will happen.

It will be like that, it will be, I promise you.

It will be like that. I promise...

Did you receive the insulin that I sent you?

I arrived in Africa, and they posted me in Bangui.

The war was far away, and it was our job to defend

a territory threatened only by mosquitoes.

It was there, while waiting to go to the front,

that I started writing my novel 'A European Education'.

Why aren't you dancing? Are you doing homework?

Leave that now. Come and dance with us.

Do you want to have some fun?

Come on, what's wrong with you?

- I can't any more, I just can't. - Of course you can.

I can't any more.

I can't any more. Get up. Just get up.

Who are you? Do you think it's okay to come in without asking?

- Is this bungalow 17? - Have you been assigned to here?

Why wasn't I told you were coming? I can't believe it!

Those are my things! Go on, get up!

Give me my money.

- What? - It's not my fault you couldn't keep it up.

- But I did keep it up! - You didn't. Hurry up and get me my money.

Look what your bullshit has cost me! There it is.

Good night, mate.

I...I'm just having a look...

Do you want some water?

This is jam. Are you hungry?

It's good.

That woman's face was the aged and tired face of my mother.

Now you'll have to tell me where you live.

She was lost, abandoned.

I found her, She has a leg injury.

She has a leg injury.

Where did you find her?

It was an hour from here. She has an injury to her leg.

We've been looking for her for two days. Thanks for bringing her back.

Thank you very much.

I got it! I got it, damn it!

PUNISHMENT CELLS

My darling boy, above all else try to write a good book

because afterwards you'll be able to cope with everything more easily.

Give me time!

Give me time, Mum!

I beg you not to think about me,

nor to fear for me, and instead to be a brave man.

You've always been an artist.

All my love, Mum.

Come on, let's go.

We had to wait several more weeks before leaving for Libya

for the second campaign against Rommel.

Don't drink that shit!

Kacew? Kacew?

What's wrong?

How are you going?

- Do you want us to notify your mother? - No, you mustn't tell my mother anything.

Don't tell her anything! I can't die here, Captain.

We'll do everything we can, but you should notify your family.

Keep an eye on his temperature.

I had contracted typhoid fever

and the doctors thought my odds of recovering were less than one in 1,000.

Fucking hell! You can't let my mother die here so stupidly,

in the infectious diseases ward of this shitty hospital.

- You can't! - Your mother isn't here, Romain.

Yes she is! She's here! She's there! She's here!

Don't you understand? She's here!

She's there!

You should write to her.

I told them not to bother you.

I came because you've made me look like an imbecile.

I promised everyone that you would save France

and that you would come back to Nice with a novel.

Yet I find you here looking like a good-for-nothing!

I have started a book: A European Education.

It's called A European Education.

It's about the Resistance. I'm writing, Mum.

Is there love in it?

Yes...of course.

You must finish that book.

Believe me, it will be read the whole world over.

- But I'm not well. - So what?

Did Maupassant stop writing because he had syphilis?

Did Napoleon end his conquests because of malaria? No!

Do you believe everything these doctors are telling you?

- I say there's nothing wrong with you. - I don't have any strength left.

Maybe so.

But you're going to keep up the fight until you win.

- And I forbid you to die! - They're not letting me fight.

You will fight...

And when you get back to Nice, we'll walk together along the Promenade des Anglais,

and everyone will call out:

"Make sure you say hello to that lady!"

"Her son has come back from the war

after covering himself in glory in the Air Force."

Men will take off their hats in front of me while singing La Marseillaise.

Amen.

What are you doing? Romain! Come back, Romain!

Romain! Come and lie down!

Lie down yourself, why don't you?

Second-Lieutenant Kacew, General!

I see that you've struck my name from the list of the living!

NCOs don't salute me any more. No-one seems to notice me.

Even the men in my troop are ignoring me.

I'm a second-lieutenant in the Air Force, General,

the son of Nina Kacew and of France!

And I'm making this strenuous protest to all Europe!

You're taking advantage of your position, aren't you? You are indeed.

And why? Because you're called de Gaulle!

So I'm going to be very clear with you.

I demand to be immediately readmitted to the army of the living!

Romain, wake up.

Doctor!

Doctor! Please, my husband...

- I speak French... - So you do.

What's the matter?

A tumour... A brain tumour.

Have you had any tests done?

I'm going to die, Lesley. I want you to have the house in Roquebrune.

Stop talking nonsense!

He's in pain from his head and ears...

- What's your name? - Romain Gary.

- Romain Gary? The French writer? - Yes.

Mr Gary, you're going to have to describe the symptoms exactly.

How did it start?

I was working, and my head and ears began to hurt more and more.

- What have you put into your ears? - There was a ruckus going on outside.

What did you put in?

Eh? Bread. Breadcrumbs.

- Breadcrumbs? - You've got breadcrumbs in your ears?

Hang on, don't move.

- Look at this! - What is it?

It's guacamole...

The bread was too hard, so I added some guacamole.

He has an acute ear infection that won't get better just yet

because there's still something lodged in the ear canal.

I'm going to remove that, and prescribe antibiotics...

Wait a minute, you need to have a look at my brain.

Your brain is fine, Mr Gary. You can continue writing.

No, I'm not satisfied! I want to talk to a specialist!

- Don't start this! - You will remain under observation

and we will check everything. You'll be getting a room.

Guacamole!

I rejoined my squadron, which in August 1943 was transferred

to the airforce base at Hartford Bridge in England.

At last I was going into combat!

I'm Bauden, the gunner.

- Are you the new navigator? - Yeah, Kacew, Romain Kacew.

But...what are you doing here? I thought you were dead.

Do you two know each other?

Why did I have to end up alongside this nutcase again!

Mum,

the working conditions at the Hartford Bridge base aren't good.

It's cold and I have to write at night with my flight jacket and boots on.

Half of 'A European Education' is already finished,

but there are days when it's hard to work.

Last week, over Charleroi, we lost seven planes.

I think of you.

I love you. Romain.

My son, nothing is going to happen to you and you are going to write your book.

You're going to succeed. You're going to win.

Because I haven't taught you to do anything else.

How are you able to write at night?

We have to get up in four hours, and here you are writing

as if all this shit didn't exist.

I work every night until dawn.

I've nearly finished 'A European Education'.

I'm making progress. I'm making progress.

My glorious son!

We've been reading the stories of your prowess with admiration.

I went to see your old teachers to let them know what you've been up to.

Above all, don't stop working on your book.

I know it will be finished soon, and the world will recognise your talent.

I'm proud of you.

Long live the Republic! Long live France!

There he is!

Kacew! Kacew!

Kacew, look at me!

- This one is for General de Gaulle! - What's going on?

Romain!

- What's happened? - They want to publish your novel!

- The Brits! - Kacew! How about smiling for the press!

Come on, smile!

I hurriedly sent a telegram to my mother with the news.

My book was going to be published in England under the title 'Forest of Anger'.

I had finally succeeded at something for her.

I had been reborn!

Kacew, a letter's come for you today.

Remember that you don't need me any more, that you're a man now, not a child.

My little one, marry soon, as you'll need to have a woman at your side always.

Perhaps it's in this way that I have wronged you.

Don't think about me too much. I'm in good health.

Dr Rosanoff is very happy with me.

He sends you his regards.

I read and reread her letter looking for a reference to my book.

There was nothing. She seemed to have ignored it completely.

Mum, I understand that you're expecting feats of war and not of literature from me,

but I thought that my first published book, 'A European Education',

would be your triumph as much as mine.

I have an appointment in the sky every day

and my plane often returns riddled with shrapnel.

I know you want me to be a hero. I'm trying to be one.

It's getting too hot, Kacew. We're heading lower.

Received.

Langer, can you hear me?

I've been hit in the eyes! I can't see!

Straighten out!

Straighten out!

Langer! Langer!

- Bauden, how are you doing? - I'm fine. We have to jump now.

Shit!

I can't! The door's stuck! I can't get out of the cabin!

You have to jump, I can't pilot the plane any more.

- You can save yourselves. - No, no-one's jumping.

We're close to the target. We'll drop the bombs and go back together.

It can't be done! Kacew, I can't see!

We drop the bombs and we go back together! Is that understood?

Stay on course, we're closing on the target.

Opening the bomb bay door.

Three, two, one...

Bombs gone.

Now we have to climb, Langer! We have to climb!

Come on, up, up, up! Now listen to my voice, I'll guide you.

- Stay on course. - Boston C to control tower.

Boston H is approaching with a blinded pilot and an injured navigator.

Take it slowly. Go lower, go lower.

You're missing the runway, go left.

Reduce power, easy does it.

Get ready!

Touching down...Now!

All fire trucks on the runway.

I think it was the first time in the history of the RAF

that a blinded pilot managed to get his plane down.

For this feat, General de Gaulle awarded me the Cross of Liberation.

I could finally go home with my head held high.

My book had conferred on my mother a little of the artistic glory she had dreamed of

and I was also going to present her with the highest military distinctions.

A EUROPEAN EDUCATION

The Normandy landing had just taken place. The war would end soon.

A martyred Paris, but... a Paris liberated!

My darling son, we've been apart for many years.

I hope you will forgive me when you come back home.

I could not have done otherwise.

Everything I ever did was done because you needed me.

I'm well, and I'm waiting for you.

Her words made me wonder what foolishness she could have got herself into.

Had she remarried?

I arranged to return to Nice at the earliest opportunity.

It took rides in many Jeeps for me to get to Toulon and then to Nice.

As I stood in the last Jeep, I strained my body towards the city, towards the house,

towards the figure who would be waiting for me at that moment with open arms.

- Who is it? - Good evening.

It's me, Romain, I'm Nina's son.

- There's no Nina here, and we're closed. - Just wait a minute, please!

- Kacew. Nina Kacew. - I heard you the first time.

Who is this? What does he want?

I'm Romain, the son of Nina Kacew. Is she here?

There's no Nina Kacew here.

- This was her guesthouse. - You've got the wrong address, sir.

Miss! Excuse me, miss!

I'm looking for my mother, Nina Kacew,

- Can you tell me if she's here? - When was she admitted?

I don't know. She's diabetic.

It was...Rosanoff, Dr Rosanoff. He was treating her.

Dr Rosanoff is seeing patients in his rooms. I'll call him.

Wait!

Where's Dr Rosanoff?

He's in there.

I'm looking for my mother, Do you know where she is?

Go on without me.

- Come with me. - What's going on? Where is she?

Your mother is dead.

No.

No, why are you saying that?

- She died a little over three years ago. - No, she...she's been writing to me.

She writes to me, I had a letter from her a few days ago.

She writes to me.

No!

No!

During her final days, she wrote 250 letters.

Night and day, lying in bed, she kept on writing.

One morning she asked me to send them to a friend of hers in Switzerland,

who was to send them on to you in England after her death

at regular intervals...

once or twice a week.

She was sure that you wouldn't survive the war if you knew she had died.

I LIVED. THE END.

Yes...The most important thing...

I did everything she asked of me, Lesley.

I did everything...

and nothing.

I've been a writer, won the Goncourt prize,

been a consul and ambassador for France. It means nothing.

The kings, the actresses, the dough. Even this...

This jacket, Lesley, did she know how hard it would be to get it from London?

No.

No, she's not here. She's gone away.

She died without ever knowing any of it.

No.

She will never know that I kept my promise.

This book...

It's the only thing you could have done for her.

With a mother's love,

life makes you a promise at dawn that it never keeps.

Afterwards, the disappointment will haunt you until the end of your days.

Afterwards, every time a woman takes you in her arms

and holds you to her breast, it's by way of consolation.

The loveliest arms may enfold your neck,

the sweetest lips may speak to you of love,

but none of it will be new to you.

You have gone to the spring very early and drunk all there was.

Romain Kacew became Romain Gary.

He wrote 34 novels and directed two movies.

He is the only writer to have won the Prix Goncourt twice,

once under the pseudonym Ƀmile Ajar.

After Lesley Blanch, he married Jean Seberg.

They had a son, Diego.

Romain Gary committed suicide aged 66.

His ashes were scattered in the Mediterranean Sea,

in accord with his wishes.