[ Man Singing In French ]
What is the purpose of your visit to Paris?
To visit my sister. She's having a baby.
She's married to a Frenchman.
I mean, her husband's French. She's a poet.
- Bon journée. - Bon journée.
You want those berries, huh?
- Bonjour. - Bonjour.
Artichokes...
asparagus.
In the 1 7 th century, well-bred women never ate asparagus.
Especially white asparagus.
Really. It was considered bad for reproduction.
The Princess de Clèves would never have had any.
Really? I'll take it anyway.
I love it. So does my husband.
And I'm pregnant.
In any case, it's still a good diuretic.
[ Singing Nursery Rhyme ]
- Papa is home. - Where are you going?
What's wrong?
I'm sorry.
- Where are you going? - I'm sorry, Roxeanne.
I'll call you. I'm sorry.
- I'll call you. No, don't. - Talk to me. Don't--
-Just-- - No, no, don't. Don't.
- Why are you doing this? - Don't, Roxeanne.
Charles-Henri!
-Just tell me where you're going. - I'll call you.
Are you coming back?
- Are you free? Ah, Isabel. - Hey! Hi.
I'm sorry. I am in a hurry. I have got to go.
Okay.
I'll see you later.
- Thank you, mademoiselle. - Good-bye.
Looking for someone?
Roxy de Persand, my sister.
You sound just like her.
Let me help. I'll call her.
Oh. Thank you.
I'll buzz her.
Mrs. de Persand?
It's just up there on the right.
Hey, where was Charles-Henri going?
Uh, he had to go to the country to see about one of his paintings.
- Well? What do you think? - I love the beams in the ceilings.
They look like the ones we have in Santa Barbara. Hi.
Oh, no, no. Those are the fake ones.
These are the real load-bearing ones.
She looks so much better here than she ever did at home.
[ Girl ] Papa did that picture.
- [ Isabel ] He did? - Yeah, and he did that one too.
- Ooh! - And he did this one too.
- Yeah? - And that's the two dog one.
Two dogs? Did Charles-Henri go to the country...
to sell a picture to somebody or to paint one?
I'm not sure.
This is the tricky part.
Here it is.
It was a maid's room, but these days you have no idea...
what a space like this is worth.
And of course it makes a wonderful place to work in.
[ Sighs ] Look at the view.
There's a present for you in the orange purse.
- This one? - Yeah.
I hope you're not gonna feel too cramped up here.
Oh, no.
Oh.
- Oh, it's beautiful. - You like it?
- Yeah. - Let me put it on you.
Thank you.
I think...
Charles-Henri has left me.
What?
Did something happen? Is he having an affair?
I don't know what's going on.
I don't even know where he is.
And what am I gonna tell his family at their Sunday lunch?
You tell them exactly what you told me. That he's in the country.
No, but they're in the country.
[ Man On P.A., In French ]
If I were to tell my French friends that Charles-Henri had walked out...
they'd say, "Of course."
The French always say "of course" to everything.
Like everything is absolutely normal.
C'est normale. Mais bien sûr.
I'll never say, "But of course."
There's my brother-in-law, Antoine.
- Oh, he's kinda cute. - You think?
- Yeah. - Anyway, he's married.
Whatever that means nowadays.
We saw a car on fire!
Really? How dangerous!
Our adorable Isabel, welcome.
- Thank you. - Where's Charles-Henri?
He had to go to the country to see some people about a painting.
Of course. Come inside.
Isabel, right here, next to my brother, Edgar...
called Palou in the family.
He'll take very good care of you.
And my son, Antoine, on the other side.
Charlotte, here. And my darling, Roxeanne, next to me.
Oh, what good fortune to have two such lovely American girls with us today.
Are you also a poet like your sister Roxeanne?
Oh, no. Roxy's always been the smart one.
She inherited all of our father's brains.
I'm just the poor little half sister.
Really? Just like Cinderella.
Where in the country?
To see a buyer about a painting.
Of course.
- [ Silverware Clanging ] - Calmez-vous les enfants.
Lamb raised near Mont St. Michel.
- I went to see Mont St. Michel! - Ah, oui?
What do you think of that senator of yours?
The chap that kept a diary of all his sexual exploits.
I'm sorry?
Oh, perhaps you haven't been following the affair...
with the same eagerness as we have.
We're fully informed about his secretaries who were so obliging to him.
Very discretely he calls them only "S-One"-- "S"for sex.
- S-Two, S-Three. - S-Four.
- S-Five. S-Six. - No, no.
- Gennie, that's enough. - S-Seven.
And when he asked S-One, or was it S-Four...
to explain the power he had over her, she said it was his hair.
Apparently he blow-dries it not using any gel...
so that it always comes out with the right amount of--
- Uh, bounce? - Yes.
Why? Why are adultery and fornication...
treated as the greatest joke on Earth?
I don't think they're always so comic.
Me too.
Well, many things in this world...
can be treated as tragedy rather than comedy.
Such as old senators who like pretty young women.
[ Woman's Voice ] Also, I'm free to watch Gennie whenever you want.
It's no problem whatsoever.
- [ Phone Rings ] - Hello?
- Can you do me a favor? - Where are you? Tell me.
I forgot my contact lenses. Can we meet at the Flore?
Why? Why can't you come here?
Gennie's asking for you. What am I supposed to tell her?
Tell her... I'm thinking of her all the time.
- And me? - What did you say?
Are you thinking of me?
Sure I am. I'm thinking of all of us.
Do you-- Do you still love me?
So you don't wanna bring them? Okay.
Don't hang up. J'arrive.
I'm going out.
Charles-Henri wants me to meet him.
- I'll go with you. - No, you don't have to.
I want to.
I can't believe I agreed to do this.
Why don't I just let him walk all over me?
- [ Man Whistles ] Hey, hey, les filles! - Did you hear that?
- No. What did he say? - You don't wanna know.
[ In French ]
Did you invite us for a drink?
I think I'll take the-- What's that thing that tastes like licorice?
- Ricard. - Roxy, here you are.
I've been trying to call you.
Mrs. Pace. So nice to see you.
Charles-Henri.
Where is he going? Did I say something?
He's going to the country.
Oh. Well, come on. Let's have a drink.
[ Both Speaking French ]
- And you would like? - A Ricard.
A Ricard for the lady.
Roxy, what are you allowed to drink now? What? Three months?
I'm Isabel.
Oh, I'm sorry, this is my sister. Olivia, Isabel.
- Hello. - Nice to meet you.
Roxy, I need you desperately.
The University ofTulsa, my alma mater...
has bought all my papers and things, which are in a terrible mess...
and I was wondering if you would consider--
I mean, you're the first person I thought of--
helping me put them in some kind of order.
Now is not a good time for you.
Isabel is looking for a job.
Yeah, you are. You can't babysit Gennie and me forever.
She's done all kinds of courses.
Art history, film. What else?
Comparative Literature and Depth Psychology?
Good. That means you can read and write, and you're just the person I need.
- Do you know how to prepare a Ricard? - Not really.
Add a little water.
There you go. Some ice, and you stir.
[ Both Speak French ]
[ Ballet ]
[ Instructing In French ]
Bravo. Bravo.
- Did you have fun? - Yeah.
Excuse me. Are you Gennie's babysitter?
- She's my aunt. - I'm sorry.
This is for Gennie's mom. Last month's bill.
- She must have forgotten. - Okay, d'accord.
Tell her how much I like Gennie. She's talented, lively.
I enjoy having her in my class.
Don't forget your pirouette. Practice!
Merci. Au revoir.
Roxy's taken a wrong turn in life...
and for all we know, Isabel, you may be going the same way.
- Does Roxy have any money? - Does Roxy have any money?
I don't know. She never talks about it.
But she never talks about anything. It's like she's in some sort of denial.
I knew this would happen. I knew the day they got married.
Roger wants to talk to you. Here.
Listen, Is, do not let Roxy...
allow Charles-Henri to take the Saint Ursula painting.
In case he comes to get his stuff, he should not get the idea that it's his.
Right. Saint Ursula's right here. I'm looking right at her.
Hang on.
Darling,just remember, we love you both.
Bye, honey. Talk to you soon.
- So what'd she say? - Roxy's miserable.
What'd she say about the painting? It's not just hers, you know.
It belongs to all of us. You never should have let her take it over there.
You know that woman from the Getty?
She said it could've been painted by a student of Georges de La Tour.
And maybe bits of it could've been done by Georges La Tour himself.
I mean, now he's just this huge star. Of course, we had no idea.
That's it. If it's valuable enough for them to borrow it, we have to get it back.
It would be wonderful to have a painting hanging in a museum.
"From the collection of Professor and Mrs. Chester Walker of Santa Barbara. "
You people are just incapable of concentrating on essentials.
That's right.
Our girls are thousands of miles away and they should be home with us.
That's the essentials.
- Honey. - What?
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
So, Charles-Henri's mother has been very nice.
She calls all the time, takes us to lunch at expensive restaurants.
Roxy thinks Suzanne is just pretending to be on her side...
and that, in reality, her son can do no wrong.
All French mothers are crazy about their sons.
French women are extraordinary.
I'm thinking of writing a little book about them and their native habitat.
All their customs and ceremonials.
I mean, their scarves alone--
an entire chapter.
Knotted in front, one end down, other end thrown over the shoulder.
Or looped around double and the ends tucked in.
Or around the shoulder, over their coat like a shawl.
Or tied in the back. I mean, châle, foulard, écharpe.
Just think of all the words they have for scarf.
And in a language which is very sparse in vocabulary.
- So, do you intend to stay? - In Paris?
- Mm. - Maybe.
If it works out, I'd like to.
- Why not? - I'm thinking of going home soon.
After all this is done.
I bought a house on the coast of Maine.
I dream about it night after night.
The bare rock, the cold sea.
Yves. This is Isabel.
- It's Roxy's sister. This is Yves. - Hi.
- It's okay. Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
Yves is helping me out painting the guest room.
Yves is marvelous and he walks Flaubert.
Doesn't he, darling? Yes.
He doesn't think that Flaubert's just a mere chien.
Well, you're not a mere chien.
Make friends,you two. Show her the real Paris.
[ Woman, In French ]
Wait, wait.
[ Yves ] There are people here who want America to control France.
They want us to watch cartoons...
and they want to paint Donald Duck on everything.
And we are all supposed to drink Coke.
I don't watch cartoons or read comic books.
How come you do? You must like them.
You have an immunity to it from growing up on it.
Here it just sweeps through, like measles through the Amazon.
How weird to be culturally threatened by a cartoon.
I'm not threatened.
It's Uncle Edgar.
It's our relative. He's on TV.
Look, she's in love with him.
Now she's going to sit on his lap.
He does have a lot of sex appeal.
Oh, yeah?
I'll take your word for it. He's really old.
He's not that old. He's only 55.
How do you know that?
Is that what he told you?
[ Isabel ] Don't. I want to watch.
I've never known anybody who's been on TV before, talking about world events.
[ In French ]
You can't understand a word he says.
- So, what is he saying? - Abortion. He's against it.
He's against abortion?
It's all based on some very profound fascist philosophy.
- It's also a lot of crap. - Hey, I wanna watch it.
Isabel, give it to me. Come on. Isabel. All right.
Give it to me.
Ah, yes, sugar, please.
Oh.! Original.
We do have a cousin who uses grains of sugar instead of cubes.
It has happened to other women.
They will all tell you, "Go with life as it unrolls."
Maybe it will be a boy.
- Yes, a boy. - A son and heir.
I can't believe this. I'm in a novel by Balzac.
I'm not sure if I wanna bring a child into a broken home.
You don't want to act hastily in such an important matter.
I'll get some more hot water.
Please refect on this, Roxeanne.
- Roxeanne is not herself. - How can she be?
This is very, very unfortunate.
Deplorable.
So good of you, Isabel, to have come to be with her.
And I hear that you've already found employment.
Yes, I'm working with Olivia Pace, the American writer.
I really must get something ofhers.
Who was she?
Was she German? Flemish?
Saint Ursula was the patron saint of all young girls, whatever their nationality.
How many virgins do they say were martyred with her?
- Eleven thousand. - That's a lot.
But it's a charming legend.
- What are you doing? - Didn't you hear her?
"Sugar grains. Original. " Meaning how bizarre.
Meaning, "Why don't you have sugar cubes like a proper French girl?"
- [ Silverware Clatters ] - It's her fault too.
She's completely spoiled both her sons.
[ Clattering ]
You didn't tell me you were thinking of not having the baby.
Of course I'm having it.
I just wanted to shake her up, that's all.
[ Roxeanne ] My husband no longer lives at home.
[ Man ] You're the innocent party. You can fiile a suit.
I don't want to. It's all my husband's idea.
If Mr. de Persand took you to court...
he'd need to make a case.
Violence, cruelty, adultery.
He couldn't possibly say any of those things.
No, of course not.
The offense is totally mine.
The injured party asks for divorce.
I keep telling you, I don't want a divorce.
I oppose divorce on principle, entirely and utterly.
There is also the question of division of property.
Unfortunately, you have signed a prenuptial agreement.
That complicates matters.
You are entitled to half of your wife's property...
and Madame de Persand has the same claim on yours.
I don't want anything from the apartment.
Things that came from my family, perhaps.
I'll let my mother and brother decide...
if there's anything that shouldn't go out of the family.
Your children are your family.
Things going to your children are not going out of your family.
- I was thinking of things going to the U.S. - I'm not going to the U.S.
I am staying right here.
When would remarriage be permitted?
Once divorce is granted...
you're perfectly free to remarry.
But your wife must wait until she gives birth.
That's unbelievable. In California, I could remarry as soon as I wanted.
Do you mean to tell me that in France the law is different for men and women?
- For obvious reasons. - No, it isn't obvious to me. I don't want to listen to this.
It's not me who's asked for a divorce. I don't want a divorce.
And I really don't wanna see you...
or speak to you or sit in the same room with you ever again.
Bastard!
[ Woman Singing, In French ]
[ In French ]
During my research for an exhibition catalogue...
I ran across a piece in the inventory of the estate of a Dr. William Walker.
- Our father's uncle. - Exactly.
Your uncle bought it in the 1930s in the Rue du Bac in Paris from a dealer...
and it was still in the inventory of his estate...
at the time of his death in 1979.
It then passed into the possession...
of a Dr. Chester Walker of Santa Barbara, your father.
- I tracked it down in the court records. - Did I hear you say...
the insurance value, when we ship it to the Getty, is $40,000?
- Yes, at least that. Yeah. - And to think, all these years...
it's been hanging in total obscurity in our house in Santa Barbara.
God, Roxy, would you ever believe this would've happened?
See, what's so incredible to us at the Getty...
is that no one here saw that it had any resemblance to La Tour.
The French are always so very quick to claim anything good as their own.
Hmm. Sounds like my husband and his lawyer.
Can you believe they're talking about division of property?
Oh, I'm usually the cautious museum curator...
but I have a fair hunch...
that this may be by La Tour himself.
Well, there are a lot of little things and they all add up.
If you see, there's his palette, his color.
See especially-- See how the light from the candle...
shows through the servant's sleeve.
You see that, Roxy?
You see the light?
[ In French ]
My wonderful friends, thank you so much for being here today.
- You seem to be having a good time. - [ All Chuckle ]
Yes, but that is not why you're here.
This is a fund-raiser. I repeat:
[ In French ]
Now, as you all know, Action Alert is in its first year.
We've made wonderful progress...
helping women in besieged countries the world over.
Today they're the victims. Tomorrow, who knows.
Because the world is ruled by hawks and arms dealers and minority phobias.
So, I hope you brought your checkbooks. [ In French ]
And if you didn't, please, empty your pockets of all your cash...
- [ Piano ] - because you can always go home on the métro.
[ Singing ]
There's someone I want you to meet.
He is a lawyer who specializes in divorce.
- Oh, no, please. - His firm has connections with America.
I couldn't stand to hear another lawyer talk about divorce.
By consent, by mutual consent, by action.
Maître Bertram, Madame de Persand.
- Her sister, Isabel. - Hi. Nice to meet you.
Now, I have talked with Maître Bertram about your Saint Ursula...
and he does not think it's a good idea that you send her to California.
Could I advise you?
If you were to send your picture to the Getty Museum...
it might seem a trick to get it out of France...
and that might jeopardize the rest of the divorce.
It could be interpreted as an act of bad faith.
What if I just rolled it up and took it in my suitcase?
You could invite charges that might lead to imprisonment.
- That's out then. - It would be an experience.
I don't think you'd like to experience a French jail, mademoiselle.
Nice to meet you.
If you need anything.
What's it like in a French prison?
At Fresne, they have uniforms designed by Yves Saint Laurent.
- No. You're serious? - Yeah.
They also have a full-time coiffeur.
- How do you know all this? - I visit a friend there. Kelly.
She's American too.
- What is she in for? Drugs? - No, currency.
But if you're really looking for a new experience...
come to Action Alert on Thursday.
Every Thursday we ship supplies to the refugees your...
sexy uncle Edgar wants to blow up.
How is Gennie? I miss her so much.
She misses you. She asks about you all the time.
I love her. And I love Roxy too.
I'm helpless, Isabel.
I know I am absolutely in the wrong, but there's nothing I can do about it.
Roxy should understand that. She's a poet.
Another artist with so much imagination.
I know this sounds romantic in the wrong sort of way.
It's just that it's inevitable.
I met the woman of my life and I want to be only with her.
[ Gibberish ]
Her name is Magda Tellman.
She's Russian, but she's married to an American.
I'm painting better than I've ever done in my life, Isabel.
I feel like for the first time I've arrived at certainty.
- Not certainty. Certitude? - Either one.
Aren't you going to make the introduction, chéri?
- I'm Magda. - Isabel Walker.
Roxeanne? Are you Roxeanne?
No, I'm Isabel.
Oh, you're the sister.
Yeah.
Are you a friend of Roxy's?
Yeah,you could say that. You could say we have something in common.
I thought I'd like to meet her, you see?
I don't think she's home.
I'm her husband.
I'm Magda Tellman's husband. The husband.
Tell your sister this message for me, will ya?
Tell her that I will never give Magda a divorce.
Never! Never.
Your sister can make her plans accordingly.
- What? Excuse me? - I've made mine.
That's her umbrella.
My umbrella.!
I've seen him lurking about before.
I can smell guys like that a mile away.
- [ Door Closes ] - Hi.
Hi.
"We thank you for your submission, but regret that--"
- Blah, blah, blah, blah. - Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Roxy. Rox. Your poems are beautiful, okay?
- And so are you. - Oh, yeah. Beautiful.
I was never like this with Gennie.
Of course, I was in love then and we were gonna get married.
To hell with Charles-Henri.
Roxy, go out and get yourself a boyfriend.
Five months' pregnant. Have you lost your mind?
It will pass.
Anyway, you should get out of here now.
Mom and Dad want you to come home. I want you to come home.
And listen to all the I-told-you-sos? No.
Besides, my children belong here, and I belong with them.
It's Palou.
- What's he saying? - He's sort of a warmonger.
He's always got some moral reason for sending French planes out...
to bomb places he doesn't like.
Ow!
- Oh, I'm sorry, honey. - I'm all right.
Does he have a wife?
Edgar? Yeah, sure. Aunt Amélie.
Why do we never see her?
She's mostly down in the country with her horses.
They stay out of each other's way. I'm told they get along all right.
I like her. Mother would like her too.
- What about kids? - Twins.
[ Roxeanne ] Two boys. One at the Sorbonne, and one at Harvard Business School.
That's where Edgar went too. Come on.
- Have a good time. - Don't forget your hat.
- See you later. - Bye.
Everyone forgets the suffering of this people.
- [ Man On TV] Mr. Rabourdin doesn't agree. - [ Chattering ]
[ Cell Phone Ringing ]
- Oh, hi. Hello? Edgar? - Yes.
Monsieur Cosset, it's Isabel.
- Ah, the other American. - I saw you on television.
I just thought it was so--
so great, the way you stood up to those guys.
Well, I feel very passionate about the situation.
It's time someone spoke out.
But your French must be good if you can follow all that.
Well, I had a little help from Roxy.
Well, then why don't we get together so you can polish your French even more?
What about Thursday? Are you taken for lunch?
- No. - Do you know the Pompidou Center?
1:00. Up on the roof. Café Georges.
- Bonjour, madame. - Mr. Cosset. Yeah.
Bonjour. Hi.
[ Men Speaking French ]
- Thank you. - He might be a little jealous.
Say, "Bonjour, Edgar, " not just "Bonjour. "
Bonjour, Edgar.
- That's a beautiful haircut. - Thank you.
Is-- Is that Notre Dame over there? Right down there?
- No, this is Sainte-Marie. - Sainte-Marie.
Notre Dame is there. They are cleaning it again.
- It's huge. - One of the specialties is Salade de crabe.
I always order it. What about you?
I guess I'll have the rôti D'Agn--
- D'Agneau. - D'Agneau.
- That's roast lamb, isn't it? - Yes.
Hungry for red meat at all times.
That is not true.
Only once in a while, and not raw and dripping with blood...
and butter and cream.
Just a good steak.
Parfait.
- I really like this haircut. - You do?
What happened to you? You said you'd be there on Thursday.
I should've called you. I had to take Gennie to her ballet class.
- Yves. - Yeah.
When you meet somebody, do you say, "Bonjour, Monsieur whatever"?
Or, "Bonjour, monsieur"? Or just "Bonjour"?
What sort of a stupid question is that?
There's another meeting next Tuesday.
- Same time, same place. - I'll be there. Tuesday.
125 Rue des Écoles.
Isabel, action! Are you alert?
Tuesday, remember? Action Alert. I told you.
Where are you? Are you lost?
Merci.
You didn't mind my changing our rendezvous to Tuesday?
Oh, no, no. I wasn't doing anything special.
Now...
we must decide if you will become my mistress.
I've long since given up trying to lure young women to my rooms...
on other pretexts.
I don't have any etchings.
What do you mean become your mistress?
It means we become lovers...
and spend a certain amount of time together, like today...
amusing ourselves.
I know you amuse me, and I think I can amuse you.
And there is the fact that I desire you.
You're a beautiful young woman.
Well, when do we begin? Or I begin, I guess I should say.
Whenever you wish. Very soon, I would wish.
We have to be awfully careful. We can't tell our families about any of this.
It would not have occurred to me to mention this to our families, my dear.
On the contrary.
- Why did you do that to your hair? - What?
Your hair. It makes you look like someone who reads Marie Claire.
Do you have any idea how much this cost? A cut and a color?
[ Dance:In Spanish ]
[ Woman ] Is there something you like?
- Um-- - Ah.!
It's silk. Charming, sexy.
Men love it. [ Chuckles ]
We also have it in black, red and purple.
Which would you prefer?
Um, I don't know. Blue?
Blue. And the bra, with support?
With no support?
- Sandrine. - Bonjour.
- This is without armature.
- Do you like that? - Oh. Je ne sais pas. Both.
- What's your bra size? - I'm a 34.
34B.
It's, uh, very small.
- Small. - You're a French 85.
[ In French ]
[ Continues In French ]
- What do you like best? [ In French ] - [ In French ]
- What size do you like? - Uh, small.
[ Continues In French ]
- [ Doorbell Rings ] - Why should anyone appraise our property?
You heard what he said about division of property.
I'm not gonna have people come trampling all over my home...
- which used to be your home too. - [ Doorbell Rings ]
Anyway, what property is there?
There's the bureau, some china, my grandmother's plates.
And the leather sofa and your pictures and my Saint Ursula...
which doesn't belong to me.
It belongs to my parents, who are lending it to the Getty Museum.
- You mean you're sending it to California? - Yes, of course.
- Why shouldn't I? - I thought it belonged to us.
- [ Doorbell Rings ] - I have to go. There's someone at the door.
Bye.
I'll get it.
[ Buttons Clicking ]
Antoine.
[ Footsteps Approaching ]
- [ Knocking ] - Yeah?
It's for you.
I spoke to Charles-Henri.
He says Antoine's sending appraisers to come look at our property.
Coming here? How awful.
And no one's even filed any papers yet.
It's like he just can't wait to get rid of me.
Just don't let them in, that's all.
That must have been expensive.
It was on sale.
They said it was last year's model.
It's called a Kelly, after Grace Kelly.
It was the sort of zillion dollar purse she owned.
You didn't buy that for yourself, did you?
It was a gift, and I did someone a favor.
Didn't anyone ever tell you not to accept expensive gifts from men?
Anyway, you should give it back.
Anyway, he wouldn't take it back.
And anyway, why shouldn't one accept an expensive gift from a man if he wants to give it?
Because it puts you in the position of having to do what he wants.
I'd do it anyway.
It's a present, Rox, not a payment or a bribe.
Then I suppose you can accept it.
[ Door Closes ]
Slow down. Slow down.
[ French ]
Thank you.
Wow.
The famous "V." This is what we call mettre en valeur.
It means to highlight.
To show to advantage.
- Very nice. Mm! - [ Giggles ]
You don't keep a diary, do you?
Why? Are you afraid that it might be...
read on television like the American senator's?
I have no fear of what you might write.
I only hope your literary style will be up to the French public's expectations.
You're not, are you?
There is a certain kind of tisane...
made up of a mixture of, uh, orange...
rosewater and mint.
It's to be drunk before making love.
What does it do?
It perfumes the juices.
[ Isabel Chuckles ]
That's something you would never have found out in Santa Barbara.
There are many things you would never have found out in Santa Barbara.
How much of the tisane do you have to drink?
A cup or just a tablespoon?
A whole teapot full is recommended.
[ Chattering ]
Shh!
- Come back for the reading. About a half an hour. - Okay, I will.
- Thank you. - Good.
Oh, a Kelly.
You must have an admirer.
And he must be French and of a certain age.
[ Woman ] Such an honor to meet you. To Anne, please.
- [ Olivia ] Anne? - That's not yours. You didn't buy that.
You snatched it from some rich old lady.
- [ Olivia ] There you are. - So, what if I did?
I've read every word you have ever written.
Oh, my. To whom?
- Mary-Louise. - To Mary-Louise.
- Thank you so much. - You're welcome.
[ Man ] Do you use a computer?
No, I feel a computer intrudes between me and the naked experience.
- There you are. - Thank you.
You're welcome.
I think I've heard you make that remark before in a different context.
Ah. And you're still giving Kelly bags.
Do you still have yours?
Oh, I lost it long ago.
Years ago.
- To whom? - [ Man ] To my mother, Monica.
- Hey. - Hi. Aren't you staying for Roxy's reading?
No, I have to be at the Luxembourg at 8:00.
Is a purse of this kind really suitable to carry around a bookshop?
[ Isabel ] But it's so perfectly convenient.
It's so beautiful, why wouldn't I wanna wear it?
- See you later. - Okay. Bye.
[ Olivia ] Fine. Thank you very much.
- [ Olivia ] Do you live in Paris? - [ Woman ] Yes.
I'm still committed, but not to the point that I'd say--
[ Olivia ] Something like that.
- [ Olivia ] Are you staying for the reading? - [ Woman ] Oh,yes.
[ Clears Throat ] Is this where the poetry reading is?
Yes, my sister's reading from a new anthology of American women poets.
You don't remember me.
I'm Tellman. We met.
Oh, you're Magda's husband.
Thank you. Are you an admirer of American poetry?
No, I'm an entertainment lawyer.
- Excuse me. - You're a very beautiful woman.
Are you married?
- No. - Are you in love?
Have you ever had a puppy?
- Yes. - Did you love your puppy?
- Yeah. - What would you do if someone...
tried to take your puppy away from you?
You know, I have a lot of things I have to take care of.
And thank you for your help. It was great.
What would you do?
- Oh, my God. - What was he saying to you? Who is he?
He's somehow connected to Roxy and Charles-Henri in a weird way.
He's weird.
You are smiling too much. Don't do that.
Too much smiling gets a girl in trouble.
But most of all, let me thank Olivia Pace, who is here tonight.
Ladies and gentlemen, bienvenue, welcome. Thank you for coming tonight.
We are very, very lucky to have as our reader...
Roxeanne de Persand, who, as you know...
is a very fine poet in her own right.
And of course it takes a poet to do justice to the work of other poets.
You also probably know, and if you don't, you can read it in my introduction...
Buy the book!
that for these last decades, our women poets have really come into their own.
But they have been always with us.
Right from Anne Bradstreet in the 17th century, whose beautiful poem of marital love...
is one of those that Roxeanne is going to read today.
I have a question.
I think it's probably better to have questions after the poetry reading.
- Come on. Let's go outside. - We are planning to do that.
It's very important that I speak to her. It's urgent!
I have as much right to be here as anyone else.
- Come on. - More of a right.
This one's by Anne Bradstreet...
and it's called...
"To My Dear and Loving Husband."
"If ever two were one, then surely we.
"If ever man were loved by wife...
"then thee.
"If ever wife was happy in a man...
"compare with me...
"ye women if you can.
"Thy love is such...
"I can no way repay.
"The heavens reward the manifold...
- [ Mouthing Words ] - "I pray.
"Then while we live, in love let's so persevere.
"That when we live no more...
we may live ever."
[ Applause ]
I have something to bring up that is a little delicate.
My son Antoine has surprised us all...
by suggesting that it would be improper...
to send the painting of Saint Ursula to that Getty Museum in California.
Not until the lawyers have decided on its ownership.
Its ownership?
Saint Ursula belongs to our family. We inherited her.
My dear, we shouldn't even be discussing this.
It's entirely up to the lawyers.
But it is a French painting after all.
Poor Charles. Oh, my son has a league of troubles of his own.
Roxeanne's lawyer is very determined.
And the husband of his petite amie is very unpleasant.
Well, shall we say, these are the wages of sin.
[ Clock Chiming ]
She had a Hermès bag. Red crocodile.
- A Kelly bag? - It's obvious where it came from.
I know my brother. Faithful only to Hermès.
If ever he was faithful. And I know his type.
Permanent smile, little white suit, fancy undergarments.
- He adores that. - Your imagination is carrying you away.
At his age! Doesn't he get tired of this?
Charlotte, honey, call Amélie, for once.
No, Mother. Call Aunt Amélie yourself.
- She'll think I'm angry. - Mother? It's me.
We'll both call her, as representatives of the family.
But we should call Edgar first, shouldn't we?
Remind him that a member of our family has acted--
- Badly. - Towards a member of her family.
With this divorce on our hands...
- if he gets involved, we all suffer. - I'll tell him.
[ Horns Honking ]
[ Arguing In French ]
[ Phone Ringing ]
- Oui? - Edgar?
- Are you alone? - Yes, I am. Why?
- Is the American there? - You mean Roxy?
- You must mean the other American. - Yes, Isabel.
Mother said she's showing off an expensive Hermès bag.
Uh, a bag you gave her. You know, with Charles-Henri's divorce--
- What are you getting at? - It's unseemly. That's what Mother says.
Tell your mother to call me herself.
If you prefer.
- Are you alone? - Yes. Why?
- Is the American with you? - I said I'm alone.
Good, then listen to me.
Seducing the daughter-in-law's sister now.
Why not now?
Your nephew has acted like a lout with her sister.
- How is that my fault? - I'm thinking of the family.
Custody, division of property, alimony payments.
Consider what you're doing.
We'll see you on Sunday, I trust. Good-bye.
Voilâ.
Saint Ursula belonged to our great-uncle...
who left it to our father, and your family has absolutely no say in it.
Who is Saint Ursula? The patron saint of schoolgirls.
The painting doesn't mean a thing to your family...
except to be split 50-50 in a divorce.
We're not going to quarrel, you and I, about Roxeanne's ugly saint.
I've told you a purse of this kind is not suitable for every occasion.
I'd suggest a small, black evening bag.
You can talk about everything else. My evening bag?
Then go on TV, talk about religion...
- morality, sex. - [ Applause ]
Why not about money?
Is money an unmentionable subject with you?
Shh.
[ Man Singing Opera ]
No, it's not a La Tour. It's obvious.
"In the manner of" at the very best.
Of no interest to us.
I may not be a specialist, but it's not obvious to me.
If the Getty Museum sees the resemblance to La Tour, how can you be so sure?
Why would we supplement our collection of French paintings...
with family heirlooms from an American attic?
It's of no interest to the Louvre... at all.
It's just so tacky. Charles-Henri taking Roxy's painting.
I would never try to take something from him that he grew up with.
Oh, sorry. I'm very sorry.
- I didn't mean it. - I'll get it.
Why are you doing this now?
Couldn't you have at least waited till her baby's born?
Well, there has to be a valuation before there can be a division and sale.
You'd think Charles-Henri would wanna have his kids...
have the furniture and the painting, not some strangers buying them.
He's just being a terrible shit.
Or he's getting bad advice.
Charles-Henri has left this up to me.
You then are being a terrible shit.
And if it really were a La Tour?
That would be a different matter.
But you have a nice commode, Louis XV-XVI.
- How much is it worth? - About 50,000.
- More if it's stamped. - Let's pull it out and check.