WINNER, SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
AND ITALIAN CRITICS' PRIZE
AT THE VENICE FILM FESTIVAL
DEDICATED TO B MOVIES
MY LIFE TO LIVE A FILM IN TWELVE TABLEAUX
"Lend yourself to others, but give yourself to yourself" -- Montaigne
A CAFÉ - NANA WANTS TO GIVE UP - PAUL -- THE PINBALL MACHINE
Do you really like the guy?
I don't know
I wonder what I was even thinking
Does he have more money than me?
What do you care?
Something bothering you?
No, I just wanted to deliver that line a specific way
I didn't know the best way to say it
Or I did know, but I don't anymore
Just when I should know, too Doesn't that ever happen to you?
Don't you ever talk about anything but yourself?
You're horrible
I'm not horrible, Nana. I'm sad
I'm not sad, Paul. I'm horrible
Don't talk nonsense. This isn't a stage
You never do as I ask, but you always want me to do what you want
Anyway, I'm fed up. I want to die
- Is that so? - Yes, that's so
More nonsense
It's exhausting loving you I always have to beg
I exist too
You say I'm cruel, but you're the cruel one
Why do you say that? It isn't true. You mean Sunday evening?
You know very well when
I begged you to introduce me to that man
You did it on purpose
Yes, I did
You're pathetic
If we started over, I'd just cheat on you again
Don't say that
It's true
I thought it was important we should meet, but I don't anymore
We might have got together again
But the more we talk, the less the words mean
Anyway, if I make it on the stage, it won't be thanks to you
Acting isn't everything
Not you too! Why do you say that?
If it's what I want, why should you mind?
I might be discovered someday
Yes, you mustn't give up
I haven't given up music
Not like your English lessons You were never really interested
I'm not giving up
In fact, that guy's going to take pictures of me
Maybe I'll get into the movies
That'll be the day
You're horrible, Paul
You really are It's always the same
You say you love me, but you don't consider me special
I hardIy love you anymore, but I still consider you special
Why do you say things like that? I think we're all the same
You don't approve of me looking for work?
It suits you even less than all the rest
Anyway, you're leaving me because I'm poor
When all's said and done, maybe
Have you got the pictures you mentioned on the phone?
I forgot them. They'll be ready at the end of the week
Is he all right? Is he eating well?
He had an earache, but the doctor said it was nothing
What's your job at Pathé-Marconi?
I sell records
Can you lend me 2,000 francs?
Out of the question
Your parents must be glad I'm gone
No, they liked you
I'll bet
What's that look for?
Nothing
Let's not start quarreling again
How about a game?
Sure
Got a coin? I only have one
Yes, I do
You go first
I'm suddenly thinking of those essays my dad's students write
What about them?
He read us some great ones last night over dinner
They're just kids. They had to describe their favorite animals
One little girl of eight chose a bird
How did it go?
"A bird is an animal with an inside and an outside
Take away the outside and the inside is left
Take away the inside and you see its soul"
THE RECORD SHOP -- 2,000 FRANCS -- NANA LIVES HER LIFE
No, we're out of that, sir
What about Judy Garland?
We don't have her either
Do you have a guitar recording by Roméo --
What's his name? Rafael Romero
I'll ask
Rafael Romero on guitar
In the bins in back
Is Rita still sick?
Yes I think she'll be back Thursday
What a drag She owes me 2,000 francs
- Can you lend me 2,000? - You crazy? I'm broke
Why? Anything wrong? - No, nothing
Here it is
I'll take this too
This way, sir
That looks great
The story's stupid, but it's very well written
"He gazed at the turquoise, star-laden sky
and then turned to me
'You live your life intensely, so logically --'
I interrupted him
'You attach too much importance to logic'
For a few seconds I was filled with a bitter sense of triumph
No more broken heart, no more struggle to live again
No probing questions to face while masking one's defeat
Yes, a truly elegant way of breaking this deadlock"
THE CONCIERGE -- PAUL --
THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC -- A JOURNALIST
Please give me my key
All right, then
Arthur! Get her!
Come on, give me the key
Here, honey
Hi
Where are you headed?
Want to see the pictures?
He doesn't look like me at all He looks more like you
Come have dinner?
- Where are you going? - Boulevard Saint-Michel
- Come have dinner - I'm not hungry
I want to see a movie Bye
JOAN OF ARC
We have come to prepare you for death!
Now already?
How am I to die?
At the stake!
How can you still believe you were sent by God?
God knows our path, but we understand it only at the end of the road!
Yes, I am his child!
And the great victory?
It will be my martyrdom!
And your deliverance?
Death!
Death
I said good-bye already
I paid for your movie ticket
Too bad
Evening. How are you?
Evening. How are things?
- Didn't we have a date tonight? - Yes
I wondered if you were coming - Why? Am I late?
Just a bit. But that's not why I wondered
I'm usually very punctuaI
11:00 pm is very late
I thought you'd forgotten too
What will you have?
- Any rolls left? - Sorry, no
A coffee, then
Was that a friend outside?
No, it was my brother
You have lots of brothers and sisters?
Five brothers and three sisters
Surprised? It's true
What's new since Wednesday?
Nothing much
Is that red car outside yours?
What is it? A Jaguar?
No, an Alfa Romeo Are you interested in cars?
No, I don't know a thing about them
When shall we take those pictures?
You tell me I aIready told you I'm ready
But I'm only free on Sundays
I'm off to London on Sunday
Well then, I don't know
How about now? Are you tired?
If I say no, you won't think I'm awful?
Not at all
Do you really think I couId get into films?
I think so
Look, I brought you a composite sheet
I'd like to do something like that
What's this for?
You send it out to people in films,
and a few days later maybe they call you
I'm a bit shy about undressing
Just a little What can it hurt?
CouId you lend me 2,000 francs?
I would, but I haven't got it
I'm tired
What about my pictures?
You'll come with me then?
THE POLICE -- NANA IS QUESTIONED
Nana Klein-what ?
K-L-E-I-N
F-R-A-N-K-E-N
H-E-I-M
Born April 15th, 1940, at Flexburg, Moselle.
No fixed address. Is that right?
Yes
All right. What happened?
Well, I was walking down the street,
and I saw a woman buying a magazine
Then she took some money out of her bag
She didn't notice she'd dropped 1,000 francs
So then I pretended to buy a magazine too,
and I put my foot on her 1,000 francs
She left and --
And she realized it?
She walked back toward me
and stared into my eyes for a long time
So I gave her back her money
Then why did she bring charges?
I don't know I think it was very mean of her
Don't you have anyone you can stay with in Paris?
Friends, sometimes
Boys?
Sometimes
Why not ask for an advance at work?
I aIready have, too many times
What are you going to do?
I don't know
I
I is someone else
THE BOULEVARDS -- THE FIRST MAN -- THE ROOM
How about it?
Is this the place?
You've been here before?
Yes, it is
Anyone there?
You want Room 27 or 28?
Room 27
- Do you smoke? - No, thanks
There's never an ashtray
Here's one
How much do you want?
I don't know It's up to you
I don't know
Four thousand francs?
You owe me 1,000
I have no change
Keep it It doesn't matter
It's true I'm not just trying to get more
But you have to take everything off
Why not on the mouth?
MEETING YVETTE -- A CAFÉ IN THE SUBURBS -
RAOUL -- GUNSHOTS IN THE STREET
Yvette! How are you?
Is that you? You cut your hair! - A long time ago
- How are you? - And you?
- Oh, I'm getting by - Me too
Good for you
- Why? - I thought that --
What are you doing here?
I'm thirsty. Shall we get a drink?
I'd love to
How's Raymond?
Oh, I'll tell you all about it
What happened?
Life is cruel
I'd like to get away, escape to the tropics
- Escape is a pipe dream - Why?
It just is
This is it
Shall we sit over there?
I'll be back in a minute
So tell me
One evening, Raymond
came home with train tickets to Brest
He said he had a job, so we took the kids and moved
and went to live in a hotel by the harbor
He'd disappear for the entire day
He was "working"
I'd take the children out, buy them ice cream
I was worried,
because I couldn't figure out how he earned his money
One evening, after three weeks of that,
he just never came back
I had to manage on my own
with the children that my mother-in-law wouldn't look after
because she didn't like me
I gradually became a prostitute It was the easiest way
Then, two years later, I went to the movies one night
and saw him acting in an American movie
And things are fine now?
Everything's fine
What would you like?
- White wine - Rosé
Still, it doesn't sound like much fun
No, it's depressing, but it's not my fault
I think we're always responsible for our actions. We're free
I raise my hand -- I'm responsible
I turn my head to the right -- I'm responsible
I'm unhappy -- I'm responsible
I smoke a cigarette -- I'm responsible
I shut my eyes -- I'm responsible
I forget that I'm responsible, but I am
I told you escape is a pipe dream
After all, everything is beautiful
You only have to take an interest in things, see their beauty
It's true
After all, things are just what they are
A face is a face
Plates are plates
Men are men
And life is life
The guy I said hello to by the door wants to meet you
Would you mind?
Not at all
My girl's not the kind to be seen
In a chic magazine
That's plain to see
No starlet's sunglasses or gowns
She works across town
In a factory
Some plain furnished rooms are our home
We live there alone
She and I
A warehouse and rooftops below
From our little window
Meet the eye
Vacations we spend close at hand
The Riviera's too grand
For our pay
Loved ones are distant and few
I've a godmother who
Lives far away
But my girl, though just 25
Is the sweetest that I've
Ever seen
No saint in any church you couId find
Is as sweet or as kind
At least to me
When the town dozes off in the blaze
Of the sun's summer rays
Burning bright
With my baby girl wrapped in my arms
I drink in her charms
And hold her tight
We whisper our thoughts, she and I
As light fades from the sky
Up above
In the secrecy of our four walls
As night slowly falls
We make love
Is she a lady or a tramp?
Insult her. If she's a tramp, she'll get angry.
If she smiles, she's a lady.
Raoul.
A hot toddy
We'll find out
You're a friend of Yvette's?
That's right
I know you very well
- You're lying - I saw you three months ago
You're lying
A guy was showing you pictures on Boulevard Saint-Germain
That's true
Then why did you deny it? You say any old nonsense
You're pathetic
Why do you look at me like that?
You look stupid, and your hair looks awful
Wait here. I need to talk to you
You okay?
My eyes!
THE LETTER -- RAOUL AGAIN -- THE CHAMPS-ELYSÉES
Dear Madame, a friend who worked for you gave me your address
I wouId like to come and work for you
I am 22 years old
I think I am pretty
My height is
5'6"
I have short hair
but it grows very quickly
Enclosed is a picture and
Oh, it's you
The classic letter
Yes, it's me
How did you know I was here?
I followed you
I was in my car, and I saw you come in here
You've got some nerve
No, you're very beautiful
You really skipped out quickly the other day
When?
When that crook was shot outside the café
You just vanished
I don't think they were crooks It was some political stuff
Really? I didn't know
In any case, I didn't mean you aren't brave
I was just making conversation
What do you think of me?
Me?
Yes, you
I think there's a lot of goodness inside you
What? A lot of what?
There's a lot of goodness in your eyes
Really? I didn't understand
Anyway, that's an odd thing to say
Why?
I wasn't expecting a Catholic response What I meant was:
Do you place me in a special category of women?
You like being special?
Why?
No reason
For me, there are three types of girls:
those with one expression, those with two, and those with three
Did Yvette give you this address?
Are you really serious about it?
Why?
I'd like to earn more money
I can help you earn even more here in Paris
Really? Fine with me
Why not try to get into movies? You're a pretty girl
I did try
Two years ago, I wanted to make it on the stage
I was in Pacifico at the Châtelet
And I was in a film once with Eddie Constantine
I'm telling you my life story. How awful
No, it's not I'm a friend
Give me a smile
No, I don't feel like it
Shall I come with you?
When do I start?
"When the city lights go on, the streetwalkers' desperate rounds begin. "
AFTERNOONS -- MONEY -- SINKS -- PLEASURE -- HOTELS
What exactly do I do?
The prostitute earns all she can by trading on her charms
to build up a good clientele and establish the best working conditions.
Does she have to be beautiful?
No, aIthough beauty is an important factor in a prostitute's career.
It establishes her place in the hierarchy and attracts the attention of the pimp,
since her physical allure can be a source of great profit.
Does she have to register somewhere?
Before the law of ApriI 13th, 1946,
prostitutes were subject to medical and police surveillance.
Under the new law, only medical surveillance
is now required.
The 1946 law and Decree 2253 of November 5th, 1947,
established the National Sanitary Register for all women
shown by conclusive evidence
to be engaged in prostitution.
But what do I do?
Regardless of the neighborhood, the procedure is the same.
By her dress, attitude, and makeup,
the prostitute indicates her trade.
Sometimes, in defiance of the law,
she gestures to the client or propositions him outright.
What do I charge?
It can vary greatly,
from 300 to 15,000 francs
for an encounter lasting from a few minutes to an hour
called a "trick."
An "overnight" ranges from 5,000 to 50,000 francs.
Can I go anywhere I like?
Controls have been attempted. In Paris, for instance
a police regulation of August 25th, 1958,
forbids loitering with intent to solicit
during certain hours in the Bois de Boulogne
and around the Champs-Elysées.
Do I keep a percentage?
A daily "quota" is agreed upon in advance.
Around the Champs-Elysées and the Madeleine,
it's 20,000 to 30,000 francs a day,
paid at the end of the week.
Do I have my own room?
Usually only the towels are changed between tricks, not the sheets.
Some hotels provide no blankets, only a bottom sheet.
What about the police?
They conduct raids and interrogations.
Any woman in violation of regulations
can be detained in a clinic as long as necessary
for extensive testing.
Can I have a drink in a café?
A prostitute who drinks heavily earns very little.
She's undesirable because she creates a scene.
What if I get pregnant?
One might think a prostitute would seek an abortion at any cost.
That's not the case.
They do try to avoid pregnancy, by chemical means or any other.
But once pregnancy is confirmed, abortions are rare.
Must I accept anyone?
The prostitute must always be at the client's disposal.
She must accept anyone who pays.
That man...
that man...
Are there clients every day?
Lower-grade prostitutes
average five to eight clients a day,
earning 4,000 to 8,000 a day.
However, some manage exceptional turnover.
Sixty clients is not unheard of on Saturdays or holidays.
A YOUNG MAN -- LUIGI -- NANA WONDERS WHETHER SHE'S HAPPY
Do I get days off?
Usually after the medical check.
Her man usually takes her out,
often to see her child in the country.
Afterwards, they go out to a restaurant or a movie.
- Is Luigi here? - Upstairs
I'll be five minutes
The movie already started anyway
A white wine
Got any Gauloises?
- You have cigarettes? - Yes What kind?
I was just wondering
- Got any cigarettes? - They've got some downstairs
- How are you? - So-so
What's wrong with her?
We were supposed to see a movie
I'll cheer you up
I'll do the kid blowing up a balloon
He's got a balloon, and he blows it up
You ought to be my man
Happy now? Will you let us talk?
THE STREETS -- A GUY -- HAPPINESS IS NO FUN
Did you see Inspector Fleytoux? He bought a BMW
They could have provided chairs
It's always like that
How much?
3,000 5,000 if I undress
Can't you give me one more? - I have to keep some
- One of these, then? - It's all I've got
A little one It would be so nice
You come here often?
But I've seen you before, haven't I?
Maybe
What's your name?
Dimitri
Nice name
Yes, I'm fond of it
What line of work are you in?
I shoot pictures for ads
You mean like in the movies?
No, still pictures
I was in a movie with Eddie Constantine two months ago
No Pity. Did you see it?
You don't say much Are you the romantic type?
If you give me more, you can stay
That's what you want?
I'll go see
Never mind
- Are you leaving? - Yes
- Can you spare five minutes? - Ask Monique. She's in 41
- What's up? - Nothing
The elevators never work
See you Tuesday at the Olympia
- What are you doing? - Going downstairs
- Can you spare a moment? - How much?
I don't know We can discuss it
All right
Room 45
Work it out with her
- All right? - Yes
- What's your name? - Elizabeth. Like the Queen of England
Shall I strip too?
Actually, don't bother
So you don't need me anymore?
I don't know
Like that
PLACE DU CHÂTELET - A STRANGER - NANA, THE UNWITTING PHILOSOPHER
Do you mind me looking?
You look bored
Not at all.
- What are you doing? - Reading.
Will you buy me a drink?
If you like.
Do you come here often?
Occasionally. Today I just happened by
Why are you reading?
It's my job
It's funny
Suddenly I don't know what to say
It happens to me a lot
I know what I want to say
I think first about whether they're the right words
But when the moment comes to speak, I can't say it
Yes, of course
Have you read The Three Musketeers?
No, but I saw the movie. Why?
Because in it, Porthos --
Actually, this is from Twenty Years Later.
Porthos is tall, strong, and a little dense
He's never had a thought in his life
He has to place a bomb in a cellar to blow it up
He does it
He places the bomb, lights the fuse, and starts to run away
But just then he begins to think
About what?
How it's possible to put one foot in front of the other
I'm sure that's happened to you
So he stops running. He can't move forward
The bomb explodes, and the cellar caves in around him
He holds it up with his strong shoulders
But after a day or two, he's crushed to death
So the first time he thought, it killed him
Why do you tell me things like that?
No reason. Just to talk
Why must one aIways talk?
I think one should often just keep quiet, live in silence
The more one talks, the less the words mean
Perhaps, but can one do that?
I don't know
It's always struck me, the fact we can't live without speaking
But it would be nice
Yes, it would be nice, wouldn't it?
Sort of like we loved one another more
But it's impossible. No one's been able to
But why?
Words should express just what one wants to say
Do they betray us?
Yes, but we betray them too
One should be able to express oneself
We manage to write things quite well
It's extraordinary that someone like Plato
can still be understood. People really do understand him
Yet he wrote in Greek 2,500 years ago
No one really knows the language, not exactly
Yet something gets through, so we should be able to express ourselves
And we have to
Why do we have to? To understand each other?
We must think,
and for thought we need words
There's no other way to think
To communicate, one must speak. That's our life
Yes, but at the same time, it's very hard
Whereas I think life shouId be easy
Your tale about the Three Musketeers may be a very nice story,
but it's terrible
Yes, but it's a pointer
I believe
one learns to speak well only when one has renounced life for a while
That's the price. - So to speak is fatal?
Speaking is almost a resurrection in relation to life
Speaking is a different life from when one does not speak
So to live speaking,
one must pass through the death of life without speaking
I don't know if I'm being cIear
but there's a kind of ascetic rule that stops one from speaking well
until one sees life with detachment
But one can't live everyday life with, I don't know --
Detachment?
We go back and forth. That's why we pass from silence to words
We swing between the two, because it's the movement of life
From everyday life one rises to a life --
Let's call it superior -- why not? It's the thinking life
But the thinking life presupposes that one has killed off
a life that's too mundane, too rudimentary
Then thinking and speaking are the same thing?
I believe so
It's in Plato, you know It's an old idea
I don't think one can distinguish a thought
from the words that express it
A moment of thought can only be grasped through words
So to speak is to risk lying?
Lies too are part of our quest
There's little difference between an error and a lie
I don't mean ordinary lies, like promising,
"I'll be here tomorrow at 5:00," and then not showing up
Those are just ploys
But a subtle lie often differs little from an error
One's searching for something and can't find the right word
That's why you didn't know what to say before
I think you were afraid of not finding the right word
How can one be sure of having found the right word?
One must work at it It only comes with effort
To say what must be said in the appropriate way,
that is, that doesn't hurt,
that says what must be said, does what must be done,
without hurting or wounding anyone
One must try to act in good faith
Someone once told me,
"There's truth in everything, even in error"
It's true
That's what France didn't see in the 17th century
They thought one could avoid errors and lies,
that one couId live directly in the truth
I don't think it's possible
Hence Kant, Hegel, German philosophy:
to bring us back to life
and make us see that we must pass through error to arrive at truth
What do you think about love?
The body had to come into it,
and indeed, Leibniz introduced the contingent
Contingent truths and necessary truths make up life
German philosophy showed us that in life,
one thinks with the constraints and errors of life
One must manage with that It's true
Shouldn't love be the only truth?
But for that, love wouId always have to be true
Do you know anyone who knows right off what he loves?
No. When you're 20, you don't know
All you know are bits and pieces. You grasp at experience
At that age, "I love" is a mixture of many things
To be completely at one with what you love takes maturity
That means searching
That's the truth of life
That's why love is a solution,
but on the condition that it be true
THE YOUNG MAN AGAIN -- THE OVAL PORTRAIT -- RAOUL TRADES NANA
What shall we do today?
I don't know
Shall we go to the Luxembourg Garden?
I think it's going to rain
"I thus saw in vivid light a picture all unnoticed before.
It was the portrait of a young girl just ripening into womanhood
I glanced at the painting hurriedly, and then closed my eyes
It was an impulsive movement to gain time for thought,
to make sure that my vision had not deceived me,
to calm and subdue my fancy for a more sober and more certain gaze
In a very few moments I again looked fixedly at the painting
The portrait, I have already said, was that of a young girl
It was a mere head and shoulders,
done in what is technically termed a vignette manner,
much in the style of the favorite heads of Sully
The arms, the bosom, and even the ends of the radiant hair
melted imperceptibly into the vague yet deep shadow
which formed the background of the whole
As a thing of art, nothing could be more admirable
than the painting itself
But it could have been neither the execution of the work,
nor the immortal beauty of the countenance,
which had so suddenly and so vehemently moved me
Least of all could it have been that my fancy, shaken from its half slumber,
had mistaken the head for that of a living person
At length, satisfied with the true secret of its effect,
I fell back within the bed
I had found the spell of the picture
in an absolute life-likeliness of expression"
Is that your book?
No, I found it here
Can I have one?
It's our story: a painter portraying his love
Shall I go on?
"And in sooth some who beheld the portrait
spoke of its resemblance in low words as of a mighty marvel,
and a proof not less of the power of the painter
than of his deep love for her whom he depicted so surpassingly well
But at length, as the labor drew nearer to its conclusion,
there were admitted none into the turret
For the painter had grown wild with the ardor of his work,
and turned his eyes from the canvas rarely, even to regard his wife
And he would not see that the tints which he spread upon the canvas
were drawn from the cheeks of her who sat beside him
And when many weeks had passed, and but little remained to do,
save one brush upon the mouth and one tint upon the eye,
the spirit of the lady again flickered up as the flame within a lamp
And then the brush was given, and then the tint was placed
And, for one moment, the painter stood entranced
before the work he had wrought
But in the next, while he yet gazed,
he grew tremulous and aghast,
and crying with a loud voice, "This is indeed Life itself!"
turned suddenly to regard his beloved:
She was dead!"
I'd like to go to the Louvre
No, I don't like looking at paintings
Why? Art and beauty are life!
I adore you
And I Iove you
Why not come and live with me?
Yes I'll tell Raoul it's all over
Let me at least put my coat on or I'll catch cold!
Stop acting hysterical
No, Raoul, not now!
Stop acting hysterical!
You know each other?
What did I do wrong?
You must take anyone who pays
Not anyone Sometimes it's degrading
See? That's where you're wrong
The movies are a drag Weekdays we're too busy,
and on Sundays there's always a line
- Where are you going? - Taking them back to their car
Why did you make me come?
You're going with them
HADES AND SONS
Well, are you going?
First the girl
First the money
Get the money
There's 100,000 missing
Don't move
Don't think I won't shoot just because of the girl
No, don't shoot me!
You shoot I forgot to load