THE SECRET OF EASTER ISLAND
- Let him pass, Marcel. - Very good, sir.
Hi, sweetie!
Good grief!
The secret missile launch sites.
Magnificent, eh, General Cambon?
They look nice, hung with my works of art.
Olrik, how did you lay hands on those plans?
Your colleagues were a great help to me.
But I still need one piece of information.
Where's the seventh base and what is its access code?
I'll never tell. No matter what you do to me.
Don't worry.
I have other means of making you talk.
Soon you'll tell me everything you know.
Three generals have been murdered.
They found Cambon last night in Ostend.
Before he died,
he left us an indisputable clue as to his assassin.
Olrik!
We thought he was gone for good.
Sorry, no. We were able to track him down.
He's living as an international businessman
in Brussels.
I need the Belgian police's collaboration.
Rest assured, we'll do the very best we can.
Go for it.
That fool Cambon
didn't even know the base's secret code.
Blast him!
With that code,
I could have ruled the entire planet.
The cops!
Move!
We'll never get through that.
This calls for stealth. Come on.
Nice work, boss.
The helmet! The helmet!
Thief!
Give that back.
Hands up!
Freeze.
Lost them.
Don't move. Help's on the way.
Take it back. To Maurata.
Who are you?
For Maurata! Rapa Nui!
His pulse is weak but still beating.
Rapa Nui. That's Easter Island.
Where does the helmet fit in?
What on earth is it for?
Come in.
I've brought you your orange juice.
Thank you. Put it on the bedside table.
Take off your hat
when you speak to me.
What a lout!
What's he staring at?
I've never seen anything like him in 25 years in the business.
Well, I'll be...
Good to see you.
Come right in.
Why did I disturb your dinner?
The turkey was overdone but that Château Margaux!
Good Lord, how did you know all that?
Put this on.
Now look at me.
I can read your mind.
I know what you're thinking.
Exactly. A telepathic helmet.
But don't ask me how it works.
Great Scot!
What's it made of?
And who invented it?
No idea. But I took it from Olrik.
- Olrik? - That's right.
What a terrifying weapon.
That's why I haven't mentioned it to anyone.
Would you do me a favour?
I was going to suggest we go out.
Come on, Blake.
One problem.
They're watching my car.
I think...
Sharkey.
Over here, boss.
Freddy?
What are you doing?
That was them.
Look!
Not on our trail yet, but we have to change cars.
This one's too visible.
Tea for two and two for tea
Me for you and you for me...
That'll do nicely.
Perfect.
We'll be on time.
Do we have an appointment?
I forgot to tell you.
I wanted to ask if you'd like a trip to Easter Island.
Easter Island?
It's thousands of miles away.
The man who gave me the helmet implored me to take it there.
Well,
I'd have liked some warning.
Come now, don't be coy.
I know you're dying to come.
I booked two tickets for Santiago.
We leave tonight.
Look at that car!
Watch this.
Hey, Polo.
There aren't many birds to pull around here.
Cool it, I've got a plan.
Are you sure they came this way?
We wasted time getting you loose.
Yeah, OK.
There they are!
Flight 657 for Santiago, Chile, is now boarding
at gate number two.
Polo!
Hey, sweethearts.
Want a ride
in a really sexy car?
What are your names?
Where did they go?
Where are they?
I don't know what you're talking about?
Go on.
There!
Passports, please.
My friend there,
he forgot...
He forgot his hat.
It's too late. I'm sorry.
Yeah, boss, they caught a plane for Santiago, Chile.
Santiago!
Yeah, I checked it out real careful.
You idiot!
They got away with the helmet?
Well, boss...
Blazes! Santiago.
They know where it came from.
I must beat them to it.
The giant statues of Easter Island
have never been explained.
The true story of the island has yet to be written.
Welcome to Rapa Nui.
You wish a nice hotel? You want to rent a car?
How about a friendly guide?
All we want is to find a person called Maurata.
The archaeologist.
So you're scientists, too?
I didn't think you looked like tourists.
I'll take you.
My jeep is very comfortable.
Shall we go?
It sounds like a good deal to me.
I'm sorry.
Allow me.
Taboo! Taboo!
Did he do that on purpose?
I don't know. He was very afraid.
He ran off quick.
Gentlemen.
Let's go.
She said it was comfortable.
Is it far?
On the island nothing is far.
Just long.
It's over there.
Near the top of the volcano, Rano Raraku.
Look at that!
Those huge Moai . Breathtaking.
Backs to the sea, eyes on the sky,
standing guard over the old families of the island.
You can't believe everything you read.
This is a serious text book.
Did you know they underestimated
the weight of these statues?
They couldn't have been winched on mere logs.
Now just follow the path.
You'll pass the old Moai quarries.
From there you'll see the camp.
You can't miss it.
Look at the half-finished statues.
As if time had stood still.
Here we are.
There he is, the desecrating infidel!
The profaner! Shoot them!
I think I know why they're upset.
I hope they have a reason for such a welcome.
Stop! I have profaned no one's sacred places.
I did not steal the helmet. I bring it back
to Maurata.
Don't listen to him. He lies. Kill him.
He's the profaner.
Put on the helmet.
No, don't touch it.
It's taboo.
Put it on. It will tell the truth.
We must know the truth.
No, you have no right.
Look out! Get down.
Take that!
Go on.
I am Maurata,
in charge of an archaeological dig.
I don't need this
to know you speak the truth.
All ready, boss. We can go.
The crate's as good as new.
Forget it.
We stay.
This time we'll get it right.
Here, catch.
Olrik deceived you twice.
He said he was an archaeologist,
trespassed in your sacred place and stole the helmet.
Then he told you we were guilty.
It was all lies.
We can trust Blake and Mortimer.
Together we'll put the helmet back.
Be vigilant.
Let no one cross the line.
This is the entrance to the sacred place.
You can't get in alone.
It's always guarded, as you see.
Let's go.
By the tartan of clan MacGregor.
The real mystery of Easter Island!
The best part is inside. Come on.
What is this stuff?
Olrik expected a great treasure. But this is all there was.
The helmet and these tablets of carved wood,
typical of our culture. They record our people's memory.
Is that a rongo rongo ?
Writing no one knows how to read any more?
Yes. There were ten of them, but Olrik stole nine.
And... I was deciphering them.
Are you serious?
So many scientists have struggled to translate them.
But I was born here.
All my life I've only had one ambition:
translate the rongo rongo.
It's too bad.
I only had time to record the start of the story.
Listen...
When the first Easter Islanders arrived here,
they discovered a virgin land.
The Great Moai was already there.
But the people had their own gods.
And they were fighting to survive.
But one day
a man was curious.
He put on the helmet
and a voice flooded his whole body. It said,
We of Markab salute thee, earthling.
We hear what thy soul says.
We read thy thoughts as thou canst read ours.
What do you want of me?
To share our knowledge with thee.
Our people will come down from the stars.
Be ready to welcome us.
Prepare thy people to welcome us.
The man told all the islanders what had happened.
While they waited for the Markabians,
each family
erected its own statues.
That's as far as I got.
And the Markabians?
I think they came, bringing death and destruction.
Warlike extraterrestrials?
Without the missing rongo rongo I can't be sure.
The helmet became a pawn in a power game
until it was declared taboo.
And the Great Moai was hidden away.
Has anyone had contact with Markab since?
No one. It's taboo.
So the Moai is a cosmic transmitter,
and so...
Olrik!
Sorry to interrupt your philosophical discussions,
but give me the helmet.
My men?
They hankered for the bright lights of the city.
What? No!
Another silly idealist. Archaeology doesn't pay the rent.
All it took was a few dollars.
Except for him, the fool.
Olrik, you're despicable!
The helmet.
No, don't give it to him.
Thank you.
You won't get far.
On the contrary, it's lovely weather for flying.
Quick, Blake, stop that maniac!
The boss.
That's trouble.
This can't be too hard to fly.
Get me out of here!
Patience is a virtue.
Mortimer's gone for help. He'll only be a few hours.
Sharkey dumped your plane. Don't count on him.
You'll be cellmates.
Where are the rongo rongo?
Those stupid pieces of wood.
They were worthless. I dumped them in the sea.
That's a lie.
He sold them to a collector,
Domingo Perez, in Santiago.
He should be easy to find.
Yes but I read something else in his mind.
Before he stole the helmet,
he contacted the Markabians.
They told him they'd soon be coming to earth.
Listen to this.
"Spectacular arrest of Olrik
"among the statues of Easter Island.
"Captain Blake is now on a well-deserved holiday."
We're lucky that journalists always ignore the essentials.
Ever since I learnt that Olrik contacted the Markabians,
I've feared the worst.
They could invade at any moment.
Relax, Maurata.
What makes you think they'll be hostile this time?
I feel it.
I didn't translate all the rongo rongo,
but I remember one section
about "the land of our ancestors".
It talked about "destruction".
Come now. In a few moments you'll have the rongo rongo back,
then we'll go back to the island
and you can work on them.
Then you'll know what to expect if they invade.
I hope it'll be as simple as that.
The rongo rongo? Of course I'll show them to you.
Feast your eyes on these statuettes. Aren't they glorious?
From the 5th century.
They're carved from toromiro .
We don't care. We called you about the rongo rongo.
You don't like the statuettes?
I'll show you some of my real treasures, then.
We're pressed for time.
We're not tourists.
If you only want the tablets,
I haven't got them any more.
I sold them.
I don't like the sound of this.
Incredible. It must be tougher than diamond.
Acids have no effect on it.
It's new to me.
Why not try explosives?
We have some at the camp.
"Professor Mortimer, care of Maurata's dig".
The walk will do me good.
Oh, dear me! It's going to pour soon.
No!
Drop that right now.
Maria!
Roberto?
Where's he disappeared to?
By the tartan of clan MacGregor!
"Perez doesn't have the rongo rongo.
"He's sold them to a Paris museum.
"Francis." That's all we need!
Let me go, you monsters!
That's the guide.
We've been waiting for an hour.
Oh, well. That's bureaucracy.
I've never seen such a thing.
Frozen humanoids.
Another of those helmets.
Brain functions are slowed.
Immersed in cryogen that keeps their temperature constant,
fed by a nutritional serum
and kept in a state of artificial hibernation.
These must be pressure and temperature gauges.
Their technology doesn't seem all that different from ours.
Roberto! And our guide!
Good grief!
There must be a way I can reverse the hibernation process.
Our comrades Le and Deki
are ready to awaken.
Arise, Le and Deki.
Markab has assigned us a new mission.
At your command.
We are on Earth, 1500 light-years
from our own solar system.
Markab has told us
that another invading force came here
900 years ago.
Impossible.
I know. That's why we must find out what happened.
We have questioned these two Earthlings.
Like other non-Markabians,
their intelligence is limited.
They buried our transmitter.
They call it the Great Moai and say it's taboo.
Their thought processes are primitive,
but they have invented motor vehicles and rockets.
Nothing comparable to our inventions.
I'm receiving interference.
There's someone here.
There!
Professor Mortimer.
I couldn't help overhearing your conversation,
and I wish to assure you that we're ready to welcome you...
- He doesn't trust us. - Let me explain.
We'll question him.
The Earthling! After him.
Don't try to disguise your thoughts.
You won't hold out for long.
Pieces of wood.
Ridiculous.
These Earthlings are stupid.
They call them rongo rongo.
I can read it in his mind.
The writing tells what happened to the ancient Markabians.
The Earthlings are seeking them.
They haven't found them yet.
We must have them. Find them!
Sorry for the delay.
Let me show you our rongo rongo.
We're very proud of them.
I bet you are.
Here we are.
South Pacific.
Third case on the left.
There they are.
Would you open the case, please?
Open the case? I can't do that.
What?
I'm sorry, it's completely out of the question.
I must have them!
The fate of the world depends on it.
That's quite possible.
Nevertheless, they cannot be touched.
I'd need clearance.
I'm an officer of the Intelligence Service.
It's essential that he be given access to the rongo rongo.
Well, I can't.
If you want them,
you must apply
to the director.
The application will...
Get those rongo rongo out now!
He's had a long, hard journey.
Never mind.
We'll work something out.
Vertical section, frontal lobes.
Horizontal section, frontal lobes.
Is that my brain you're slicing up?
Vertical section number one.
Number two.
You claim to be a master race
of great intelligence.
Number three.
You look more like civil servants to me.
Stop fidgeting!
Ah, we're starting to communicate.
Why communicate with inferior creatures?
Try to understand us, Myia.
Who said you could call me Myia?
I'm trying to make you realise
we're sentient, too.
You compare yourself to us?
Leave it.
I'll teach him who we are.
Watch and listen.
You will understand the might of Markab.
Seven million years ago,
Markabians learnt how to travel at the speed of light
and how to hibernate and travel further
throughout the universe.
We erected giant relay transmitters
that allowed us to communicate with Markab.
They also give us warning
when other civilisations appear.
They alert the closest craft,
which may be a few days
or several light-years away.
These inferior races,
which may spawn anywhere,
are sources of disturbance for the Universal Balance.
In 28,000 years
we'll return to Markab,
our ship full of specimens,
and we'll have accomplished our mission:
controlling space and cleansing it of any new civilisation
wherever it may be.
There, miserable Earthling.
That is Markab.
Markab rules the universe.
Now do you understand?
Can't I take them with me now?
We'd never get them out of France.
We'll sort it out later.
Hurry. I'll keep watch.
Who are you?
Hold it right there!
Let go of me!
Where are the rongo rongo?
The Markabians!
Third gallery, fourth case on the left.
Maurata.
Put this on.
These tablets relate how your people got rid of the first invasion force.
Translate them for us.
"Those who came from the stars greeted the high priest
"and spoke in thought
"as is their custom.
"They entered into the hut that flies.
"The others sat in a circle
"before the metal door
"and began to sing to the god Make."
That's nonsense.
But he speaks the truth.
Shall I go on?
Stay here. I'll deal with it.
This way, quick!
Le and Deki aren't answering.
Yet the spacemobile is coming back.
What if they arrived too late
to get the rongo rongo
and the Earthlings know how to destroy us?
That's impossible.
It's what happened to the previous mission.
If there's any doubt,
we must initiate procedures to exterminate the species.
The device is ready.
In that case, let's deal with the Earthling first.
I'm worried about Mortimer and Roberto.
Have you almost finished the translation?
I'll summarise the main points.
The high priest announced that the Markabians
wanted to destroy the world.
Destroy the world?
As you've noticed,
we're experts on the brain.
We'll irradiate yours
then leave your corpse.
Your brain will emit psychic waves that will spread,
destroying every member of your species.
It'll never work.
Something always goes wrong.
As you noticed yourself,
the first mission failed.
Don't listen. He's playing for time.
Earthling, I will shut your mouth for good!
No.
Credulous fool. Our weapons have no effect on us.
Sorry it took us so long.
Don't apologise. Your timing's perfect.
We must go. Quickly!
Shut the main hatch.
"The volcano vented its fury
"and those who came from the stars dropped their weapons.
"They writhed on the ground.
"Their faces turned white and crumbled like sand.
"Rano Raraku vanquished those who came from the stars."
Do we have to wait for an earthquake
to get rid of the Markabians?
Blake, did you do it?
I'm delighted to find you safe and sound.
I can't explain but we must be quick.
Did you find out how they defeated the Markabians?
Yes. It took an earthquake.
An earthquake?
OK.
Are those explosives still back at the camp?
You can't recreate an earthquake
with a few sticks of dynamite.
I've noticed that the Markabians
are particularly sensitive to low-frequency noises.
Our guinea-pig is ready.
You monsters!
She's no brighter than the last one.
The site will remain taboo.
It'll become a secret research station.
Maurata will be in charge, with Roberto as assistant.
Now we must think of the future.
Other worlds are threatened by Markab's destructive madness.
Soon, we hope,
we'll be able to warn them of this danger.
Subtitling by TVS - TITRA FILM