It's at the perfume counter of the Galeries. Ask for Miss Yolande.
She'll let you have "Gone With the Wind" for 80 Frs.
I wouldn't spend that much on a black market book...
but if Marion wants it...
Yes, she does.
Then, I'll get it.
Would you help me rehearse in my dressing room?
I've never done it.
It's simple: you just read the text.
I say a line and you answer me.
Alright.
It's a nice room!
Yes, it is.
Essentially, they're profiteers. Very few come here to work.
The problem is that there's no way for most Frenchmen...
to recognize a Jew.
If we could spot them, we could protect ourselves.
Some have typical racial features, but not all of them!
If only all Jews had blue skin, but as it is...
we need a foolproof way to detect them...
They say: "It's better to hear that than to be deaf,"
but at times, I'd rather be stone-deaf!
How was our rehearsal?
Great... I mean it was much better...
The whispering improves the scene...
but you could add to the intimacy by dimming the lights.
The faces could be illuminated from the rear... as silhouettes.
Don't move... Remember, you're silhouettes!
Raymond... if you don't mind!
You're a genius, Jean-Loup.
I'll shift the backdrop to sharpen the silhouettes.
What the hell, Raymond? We're in the dark!
I know! The whole area's in the dark!
A light failure.
Perfect for a shadow play!
The whole neighbourhood's blacked out.
You'd think they'd warn us.
Marc, let's get some lamps.
I know where we can get candles... for cash, of course!
Nadine, we're waiting for you.
Let me explain.
No need to.
Don't judge me.
I'm not judging you...
but try to keep your love life outside the theatre.
Marion's heartless.
She's too tough...
She's not interested in anyone.
She has no sympathy for anyone.
She doesn't know I'm alive.
She's worse since Lucas' gone. I can't stand it!
Calm down, child... calm down...
It's not the end of the world.
She opened a door that should have been locked.
You see it as a tragedy, but...
in two weeks, it will have been forgotten.
I hope you're right.
I want to go home.
Run along.
Can I help?
No, drop it. You're the last thing she needs.
She'll be alright.
I hate to see her so upset.
Christ! I really was on the wrong track with her.
That's for sure!
She's no playmate for you... she's more like a competitor.
Were you really stuck on her?
I just wanted to sleep with her...
it was like a craving for a warm croissant!
I wanted to warn you to drop her, but I figured...
it was none of my business.
You're all going to the Joconde tonight? It's a cabaret.
You know what the BBC says? They say all those...
who go to night clubs will be held to account after the war.
Jean-Loup wants to boost our morale.
You... you had the right to be moody...
to throw a party, or be by yourself.
Why am I expected to be charming and smiling at all time?
Even Jean-Loup picks on me.
He's right. And he doesn't know half of it!
I don't mind that you neglect me...
but for the others, the play comes first.
You must pay more attention to them.
Why don't you answer?
I'd rather not.
The coffee's ready. I've got to run.
Marion!
Yes?
I heard you and Bernard rehearsing the love scene.
So what?
It seems to me... I feel...
it might be improved.
What do you mean?
It's the only love scene in the play. Try to be...
more sincere...
No, this seat's for Bernard.
I can't stay. I've got to meet the producer of "Angels of Mercy."
I'm not sure... it's between me and two other girls.
I hope you get the role.
We'll pray for you.
I'm off.
She'll be good...
but they may feel she's too young.
She'd be better
in "School for Wives."
Nadine in the role of Agn??
When she announces: "The little kitten is dead"...
the whole audience will think: "She's the one who killed it! "
Enjoying yourselves?
Sit here!
Well, I'm not alone. I brought a friend. Simone...
Sit down.
Take care of her while I check our things.
Arlette, sit next to me.
Just a minute.
Give those back. I've changed my mind.
Sorry, Mrs Steiner. I can't stay.
Come on, let's go.
I forgot... I've got a date.
You're free. We're all free.
I apologize. I'll see you tomorrow.
That man's staring at us. Don't look. He's coming over.
Hello, Cottins.
Still in show business... a real trooper!
Introduce me.
I forget your name.
Ren?Bernardini.
Bernardini... Arlette Guillaume... Marion Steiner.
I'll be right back.
You promise!
This joint is tacky. Let's go to the Monseigneur.
No, Marion's exhausted.
Speak for yourself. I feel like going there!
Wait for Arlette.
No, you two are kill-joys.
I'm not sleepy. It's sinister here. Let's go.
What's up?
Tonight, I'm on my own.
What's going on?
That's Marion:
the party fizzles, so she opts for an all-night disaster.
I see Daxiat has two seats...
in the 7th row.
Remember: 20 seats for the Propagandastaffel!
Why look at me that way? It's mandatory:
20 seats every night. It's a rule.
At the Odeon, they put them in the side boxes.
We'll do the same!
It's too much!
We give good seats to those who pan us...
and we turn down genuine fans.
Lucas would say: "We give our best seats to our enemies."
My purse was in my dressing room. It's missing.
Oh, great!
What a mess! Somebody searched this room.
Well?
They took my travel clock.
I think that's all they swiped.
And you?
They left my wallet, but it's empty.
It's worse for you.
I don't mind the money, but my ration cards, my I.D. Card,
my work permit and my pass were in my purse.
I'm glad I locked your door, Marion.
I'll get the police.
No, we'll do the searching.
Just like at Radio-Paris:
some "moving men" came for the piano. They never returned it.
They were moving men like I am!
That's fine, but I need my papers. I wonder who did it.
Well, I know who did it... I'm almost sure of it.
Raymond, you know who I mean. I guess you don't agree...
Yes, I do! It could only be her.
I guessed it at once...
Martine...
Raymond, you know where she lives. Run over there...
No, I don't know!
Come on, she's your sweetie!
She's not: she turned me down.
She peddles her black market stuff around theatres. That's how we met.
I took her out once. That's all. I don't even know her address.
I've never been to her place...
but she's a looker...
I let people think we slept together.
Let's call the police.
I don't want the police to seet foot in this theatre.
This way, please...
Clear the aisle. Thank you.
Any seats tonight?
No, it's opening night.
That's Marion Steiner.
Where is Mrs Steiner's office?
It's on the landing.
Her dressing room is there.
No. Leave the flowers here.
They'll poison the air in there.
I hear them, Marion.
I don't see how you can eat. I couldn't.
Sure you can. Here.
No, I swear I can't.
What if tonight's a disaster?
We'll do a new play.
With what money?
Have you seen our accounts? I have.
If it's a flop, we lose the theatre.
I'm terrified. How can you be so calm?
Lucas, you picked the play, you staged it...
we followed your advice.
It's your creation. If it doesn't work...
I'm to blame, it's my fault... my own fault...
but we'll all be up shit creek!
Have a drink.
I don't know how you do it...
I feel faint...
I'm sick to my stomach.
Just relax...
Wait, put this over your stomach... sit down.
Thanks.
I must go now.
We'll talk later.
Sure.
So long.
I should be reassuring you.
There's no need to. I feel gay as a lark.
"Isn't Eric here? "
"He was restless this morning.
He's probably at the gate, watching the road."
"Dr Sanders wouldn't allow him to go to the station."
"My godfather knows best.
I suppose he wanted to speak to the new tutor in private.
But if I'd been consulted, I'd say...
Eric has no need for a tutor.
He's too young and I enjoy teaching him the little I know."
"You are right, Mrs...
but this big house is too quiet for Eric.
My mother says that when she worked here...
she often served 20 dinner guests."
There are 25 of us in Paris: we're "public utilities."
"On my birthday...
when Dr Sanders told me I could eat with the grown-ups...
I cried."
How come she's going in?
My son is acting in this play!
"Shall I prepare Eric's room now? "
You alright?
As the boss used to say: "When you gotta go, you gotta go! "
"Tell Eric to finish his homework."
"This is Mr Carl, our new tutor.
I should have warned you...
The resemblance is striking...
It's truly amazing! "
"I don't know what you mean.
But I expected an older man."
"I'm an experienced teacher."
"I don't doubt it.
But so far, my son has been raised solely by us.
I had hoped he might be guided by someone who...
Still, since my godfather trusts you...
Eric, meet your new tutor."
"Helena, be wary of your faulty memory.
Here are his credentials.
I showed them to you a month ago."
What a bastard!
"You're surely right, I was confused..."
"Certainly by the resemblance."
"Every new face upsets me...
But I'll get used to him. Besides...
Eric seems happy."
"Can I take Mr Carl around the estate? "
"Of course, child."
"Listen, Gregory."
"When will you learn to trust me?
Don't you realize how I cherish you?
Besides..."
"I don't want to lose you."
Hurry up!
Germaine, we've only got five minutes!
Don't turn around!
How did it go?
We'll know when it's over.
Watch it...
Easy...
What's going on?
We're 5 minutes late.
Can't we go in quietly?
"I must tell you about Dr Sanders."
"You've no right! "
"I must tell you, Helena:
Dr Sanders didn't come back after Charles-Henri's death,
but before it."
"Since I came here, I've heard nothing but lies...
lies and contradictions."
"They weren't lies, but blanks.
I've spent years trying to learn the truth.
It's terrifying not to know who I am, or what I did.
Worse yet, is the fear that it may occur again.
At times, I feel I don't really exist."
"But when I told you I love you...
Why didn't you listen? "
"I had no right to love, don't you see?
No right to love, or be loved."
"And now? "
"Now, I'm coming to love and it hurts.
Is love painful? "
"Yes, love is painful.
Like a bird of prey, it hovers over us...
as if to threaten us.
But it is also a promise of happiness.
You're lovely, Helena...
so lovely that it's painful to look at you."
"Yesterday, you said it was a joy."
"It is a joy and it's painful."
We won!
I'm sorry, but Marion's exhausted.
You understand... She's got to rest.
You can come in.
Send her a note. She'll appreciate it.
I didn't know you were here. Come in.
My husband's with me.
So he is!
Put them there.
- You were wonderful. - Thanks.
I knew the torn dress would be effective.
Sorry, but they insist on it.
Captain Wiedekind and his wife.
My husband doesn't speak French.
Cheer up! You look grim.
I'm not. Here's to you.
It went smoothly.
Except for that louse, Daxiat.
What are you brooding about?
I'm not. I was thinking about the play.
I enjoyed playing with you. I was really moved.
You gave a great performance.
I'll do better in a few days.
See that man over there?
The one who's by himself?
Yes. Please get him out of here.
Leave it to me.
Remember me?
Yes. You can't stay here...
This is a private gathering... A working session.
She's expecting me.
She's not expecting anyone. She's exhausted...
That way out!
Did she get my flowers?
Were those your roses?
They were so full of thorns her hands were all bloody!
If I were you, I'd go home real fast!
So long!
Thank you very much.
You were excellent!
Bravo, you were great!
I was? Thanks.
Looking for someone?
No, never mind.
Are you pleased?
I'm happy for Marion.
I don't understand you. You heard the applause! It's a hit!
A hit... a hit...
Maybe so, but it's far from perfect.
From down here, you can tell all the weak spots.
I made notes. I'll read them to you.
Sit down.
In the first place...
Are you crazy? We can't do that now.
They're waiting for me. I can't stay.
Come back later on.
How can I?
We're all together up there. You know what it's like...
Then, spend the night here.
That's impossible. Be sensible.
I'll come down tomorrow morning.
Then take my notes. Study them.
Alright.
Wait... look at me!
Where can I put them? Keep them till tomorrow.
Kiss me...
Goodbye.
Daxiat liked it. He'll give us a rave...
Here's Marion!
Where were you?
Some champagne for Marion...
I want the "Petit Parisien"...
"Aujourd'hui," "La Gerbe"...
"Comedia" and "Je Suis Partout."
Listen to Daxiat:
"The Montmartre Theatre has changed its management,
but not its spirit. Its new play is a hazy vignette."
"Hazy! " Sure... he missed the beginning.
"Colorless...
and apolitical, it deliberately ignores our real problems."
Naturally!
"Mrs Steiner maintains...
the tradition of Jewish nihilism...
which has always polluted that theatre.
The play says nothing about Jews. Yet, it reeks of Jewishness.
As to the staging by Jean-Loup Cottins...
it is merely an effeminate version of Lucas Steiner's style."
Hear, hear!
"What can I say about Marion Steiner's performance?
It's all-pathos, but unfit for the stage.
Back to the movies, Mrs! "
See?
"The only revelation is Bernard Granger..."
"He creates a totally convincing character.
A star is born."
At last!
It's not funny.
No, but the other reviews are good.
With the booking we've got, the play's a winner.
Thanks to you, Marion.
Your film fans come to see you in the play.
"...the Jewish nihilism which polluted that theatre."
He signed it, but it reads like an anonymous letter!
You're right.
Daxiat and company have the same poisonous motives.
Before, they were nobodies...
Now, they rule the country, but for how long?
Look at this passage...
It's about you.
Me?
Yes...
Look here...
"Not content to monopolize our stage and screen...
the Jews steal our most beautiful women."
They sound cheerful.
It's a private party.
The director of the "Hebertot" wants to meet you.
Miss Bataille...
Mr Daxiat...
Bravo! Congratulations. You were fantastic!
Your article was outrageous!
Apologize to Mrs Steiner!
Certainly not!
You'll apologize to the whole cast!
I won't fight.
Let's go outside.
You're insane!
This is absurd!
You're ridiculous!
Apologize to Mrs Steiner.
Apologize!
I won't apologize for doing my job!
I won't fight!
Yes, you will!
I refuse to fight!
I'm not a prize-fighter: I'm a journalist!
You're irresponsible! How could you do this to us?
What about my theatre?
What about our play?
All you care about is your theatre!
"How are the bookings? "
"Will we do a matinee at Xmas? "
Yes, the theatres are full now, but so are the jails!
Listen, we'll go on playing together.
But offstage, don't you dare speak to me!
"You're lovely...
so lovely it's painful to look at you."
"You said it was a joy."
"It is a joy...
yet it's painful."
Look at this...
It's crazy!
Now that the play's working out...
you can relax.
Why look at me that way...
At times, I feel you hate me.
Not at all...
I'd be crazy to hate you!
You are a little crazy! I know you by heart.
I know you too.
For me, that play belongs to the past.
I've got a new project:
"The Magic Mountain"...
with a great role for you. Are you listening?
Yes.
It's about a cruel woman...
Me... cruel?
No, the character!
She's gentle, tender, in love, and yet...
she's cruel. She doesn't mean to be...
She's cruel despite herself.
Cruel!
It'll be wonderful!
No literature! We'll use everyday language.
I'll use your own words, you see?
I see that from now on, everything I say may be held against me.
Mr Daxiat?
Over there.
I was reluctant to come, but with you, one doesn't know...
whether it's an appointment, or a summons.
Apparently, you misread my review...
Was that a review?
I'd say it was a vicious attack.
Assuming it was, it wasn't aimed at you. On the contrary...
Across all the columns...
And don't forget the exclamation mark.
I went to the theatre expecting to see a play...
directed by Jean-Loup Cottins.
Instead, I saw a nondescript show...
with no style.
I felt you were merely a front... and worse yet...
a mouth-piece for a fugitive.
Normally, I'd answer in kind.
But as it is, I'll just go.
Wait... I've got a proposition for you.
Whatever it is, my answer is no!
I want you to help me save the "Montmartre".
Steiner turned it over to his wife before running away...
I found out the transaction is illegal...
because the transfer was ante-dated.
This kind of transaction is labelled a "fictitious aryanization."
Meaning what?
It means that legally, the theatre doesn't belong to anyone...
and the Germans can requisition it. Unless...
Unless what?
Unless it is taken over by someone they approve of.
Daxiat didn't beat about the bush.
He proposed that they share the management...
He'd select the plays. Jean-Loup would direct.
I assume Jean-Loup refused.
No, he didn't. He couldn't.
All he could do was to stall for time.
The only way to fight Daxiat is to appeal to a higher-up
like Dr Dietrich.
But Jean-Loup refuses to do it.
Dr Dietrich, please.
On the first floor.
You'll have to wait.
Dr Dietrich, please.
That's impossible.
I called him. He's expecting me.
What's your name?
Marion Steiner.
I see you've got a 5 p.m. appointment...
but it's impossible.
I don't mind waiting.
I'm sorry. It's useless to wait:
Dr Dietrich left for the Eastern front.
He was recalled for active duty.
Then, that's that.
Mrs Steiner, I'd like a word with you.
I'm an admirer of yours...
I am Lieutenant Berger.
About Dr Dietrich...
He's not on the Eastern front: he shot himself last night.
It's tragic...
He admired you enormously...
and so do I.
It's an honor to shake your hand.
I must speak to you.
I'm sorry, but it's absolutely necessary.
I'm leaving the theatre.
But I'll give you time to find another actor.
I should have expected this.
No, it's not what you think...
You can't forgive my row with Daxiat...
and I understand your reaction.
But even if you won't speak to me,
we are a good acting-team.
I love the play and I love my role. So it's not that.
There's no need to justify yourself.
I'm not even sure we'll replace you...
The theatre may soon be shut down.
I suppose you got a better offer from Hebertot.
No, it's not for Hebertot or any other theatre.
I'm temporarily giving up acting...
to join the Resistance.
"Helena, I wish to speak to Mr Carl in private."
"If it's about my son...
I have the right to listen."
Civil Defense!
Cellar inspection!
"Mr Carl, isn't it unfair?
As Eric's mother, I have the right to know."
"Frankly, Dr Sanders...
this is embarrassing."
"Never mind, Mr Carl.
Helena, please do as I say."
"Since you insist, I'll leave."
"This is what happened:
last October, she went for a walk...
and simply disappeared."
It's for the cellar.
- The cellar? - Yes.
Out of the question!
"When she came back, she was unable...
to tell us where she'd been."
"Was she amnesic? "
"I suppose so."
Put them in a side box.
Follow me.
"You're right...
Helena's dependency on me may seem peculiar.
She behaves like a child.
Her gratitude is excessive."
"At times, she seems too humble."
"Why she feels guilty, I don't know.
But whatever it is, it leads her...
to seek the affection of her inferiors:
Charles-Henri was bewildered by it.
And then the tragedy occured."
"What tragedy? "
"I know Dr Sanders...
came back before Charles-Henri's death! "
D'you know them?
Civil Defense.
No, they're Gestapo men. I know one of them.
Gestapo?
- Will you help me? - Yes.
But no questions!
"Love is painful.
Like a bird of prey, it hovers over us...
as if to threaten us.
But it is also a promise of happiness.
You're so lovely, Helena...
that it's painful to look at you."
"You said it was a joy."
"It is a joy and it's painful."
No curtain calls tonight.
What's up?
It's Civil Defense... to inspect the cellar.
This is Bernard Granger.
Bernard... my husband.
Don't just stand there! You've got to conceal all this and hide!
Take us to the cellar!
No... wait for Mrs Steiner.
I'm going in.
No, she's not dressed.
Let's be gentlemanly.
So I made a mistake!
Be patient.
I'll be right out.
I never go down there. It's probably full of rats.
Have you got the key?
Watch your heads!
Seems to me it's not deep enough for a shelter.
There's about 8" between the ceiling and the yard.
What's this?
We used it in "The Cherry Orchard."
There's only room for 40 people.
In any case, it's been condemned since '39.
During air-raids, we use the subway.
The local station is open all night.
Can we use that staircase for firewood?
There are so many air-raids now...
nobody bothers to go down.
Well, they cleared out... till the next time.
This is a hell of a life!
It's a life... it's my life.
Can't you find a better hiding place?
I don't want one. This is my place...
and this is where I stay!
My wife is beautiful, isn't she?
Let me ask you a question:
she's in love with you, but do you love her?
"I'm coming to love and it hurts.
Is love painful? "
"Yes, love is painful.
Like birds of prey, it hovers over us...
as if to threaten us.
But it is a promise of happiness.
You're so lovely...
that it's painful to look at you."
"You said it was a joy."
"It is a joy and it's painful."
Bernard, may I ask you something?
Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?
Of course not...
I was waiting for the rehearsal to end.
Well, it's over now. It was sad...
I watched it.
Well?
He was good.
It's a lesson in humility: we're all expendable.
Well, goodbye Bernard...
I felt you were interested in all women...
except for me.
First, it's not all women...
and you intimidated me.
You seemed to disapprove of me.
At times, you were downright hostile.
Hostile?
Yes, I felt you were judging me.
It's just the opposite!
I was so attracted to you...
that I covered up so nobody would notice...
and I made you hate me.
That's not true. I never hated you.
But why did you act so distant after you'd kissed me?
All actors kiss each other.
But not on the mouth!
I kissed you on the mouth?
Yes...
on opening night.
I couldn't have!
You kissed me on the mouth!
I know: you see two women in me.
I do:
I see two women in you:
one who no longer loves her husband...
No, don't...
You wouldn't understand.
Don't forget your make-up.
I won't need it.
I'll leave it for my successor.
I won't be using any make-up.
But you may need a disguise.
Forgive me...
And so, Lucien Ballard took over the part of Carl.
Nadine Marsac, now famous,
rushes off right after her final lines.
A chauffeur drives her to the studios...
where they're shooting "Angels of Mercy" at night.
Arlette Guillaume is the art director of the film.
In June '44, the Allies land in Normandy.
Despite the daily hardships...
Parisians keep on crowding the theatres.
One night...
ignoring the sirens...
the audience stood outside...
to watch the ballet of the RAF planes in the sky.
Many theatres are shut down for lack of electricity.
Thanks to Raymond's ingenuity, the "Montmartre" remains open.
He's replaced the footlights by auto headlights
Germany's defeat is now inevitable.
After 813 days and nights in his dark cellar...
Lucas Steiner is impatient to see daylight.
The street...
is a scene of confusion and sporadic shooting.
No...
Not there!
It's a hectic period for Jean-Loup.
Arrested by the F.F.I.,
he is released thanks to his connections...
but re-arrested the next day because of his connections.
As for Daxiat, he is a man on the run.
The one-time press lord is now a pariah.
He's survived the bombing of Hamburg.
After following Petain to Germany...
he reaches Spain via a series of monasteries.
Sentenced to death in absentia,
he will die of a cancer in the '60's.
But let us go back to the summer of '44...
and to our story.
I tried to forget you. I couldn't.
If not for your pride, I'd have come sooner.
You'd have had to make up a lie each time you came.
Why should I lie? And to whom? He's dead now.
But you've got your career...
No. I realized I didn't care about it anymore...
I gave it all up.
The only thing that matters to me...
is to be with you, to get you out of here.
We can start all over again.
No we can't.
There was never anything...
anything real...
between us.
I toyed with the idea...
but I never really loved you.
It was an abstract notion.
You believed in it because I believed it myself.
I never stopped thinking of you... not even for a day.
I thought of you too...
but less and less often.
And now, I don't know what you're doing here.
I've almost forgotten your name...
I barely remember the way you look.
Go away!
Listen to me. Listen carefully.
It takes two to love...
as it takes two to hate. And I'll go on loving you.
You make my heart beat faster. Nothing else matters to me.
Goodbye.
There's Steiner!
He's back!