THE IMAGE
Adapted from the novel Jean de Berg (Catherine Robbe-Grillet)
I. An Evening at the X...'s
When I saw Claire again for the first time next summer...
it was at a party given by, oh let's say, the X's near the Place de la Concorde.
The entire summer had been lovely, but that evening was particularly beautiful.
I was late as usual.
Normally, I detest Literary Cocktail parties...
- Jean - Hello! - As anyone who attends them regularly should.
If he has any self-respect at all.
I had just come out of a long siege with a short story.
A short story that in enormous resistance to be completed.
And I will be totally honest ....
I would confess that I was genuinely pleased to be once more among the living.
- How are you? - And you? - Fine. Good.
Excuse me.
What strucked me most about seeing Claire again was that she hadn't changed at all.
I felt as if I had just left her the night before.
Although in reality I hadn't seen her for at least two or three years.
Maybe more.
- Are you alone? - Could be
I said hello to other people but I meticulously avoided getting involved...
in the peculiar kind of pointless argument which is so typical at that kind of party.
I remembered that I noticed something then in which I wouldn't have mind of getting involved...
and it was dressed all in white.
As I think back, she had made more of an impression on me than...
the usual pretty girl one sees at parties.
The young girl in the white dress and Claire were friends obviously.
But beyond that, I sense the strange link between them.
A kind of electricity. Although I had never heard it said that Claire was particularly interested in girls.
Still, there was a conspiracy between them that one could feel quite clearly.
Hi!
What are you doing hiding out there?
Oh thinking of clever things to say to your delightful guests.
That shouldn't be too difficult for you.
- What about the young girl in the white dress? - I know nothing about it.
She came with Claire. I suppose she's a friend of hers.
Funny thing is I haven't been able to get two words out of her all night.
I remembered clearly the look Claire had given her.
It was the look of one viewing of rerun of a successful film one had directed oneself...
whose plot couldn't possibly have any surprises.
- Lovely to have had you. - Later as I was getting ready to leave ...
- All right. I might call you later... - Jean ...
- Yes - If you like perhaps ...
we can have a drink somewhere and forget about this dreadful party.
- Nice - You can get to know Anne.
- Anne? - Anne! You'll see.
She's very nice.
- Who is she anyway? - Oh, just a young model!
- And? - Well, she belongs to me.
Three menus, please.
She's pretty, isn't she?
- Yes, very - She is very pretty.
You can touch her if you like. And she has a beautiful mouth.
Lovely soft lips.
And very deep. Let's have a look at them.
Stay like that! Someday I'll show you some photographs I took her.
II. The Roses in the Bagatelle Gardens
Claire had arranged to meet me the following day.
I know enough by now not to ask whether we'll be alone...
or with her young friend.
We were supposed to spend the afternoon together in the Bagatelle Gardens.
The most beautiful rose garden in the world.
She had insisted that she wanted to show it to me herself.
Claire was an stunning woman and probably even more interesting than her friend.
But unlike her friend, she had never aroused me at all.
At first this had bothered me,
but then I told myself that it was her impeccable manners...
and the precise way in which she did everything that made it...
impossible to think about her as a potential conquest.
I probably needed to feel that at least some little thing was vulnerable...
in order to arouse a desire in me to win her.
Claire was waiting for us in the car.
Anne's manners reminded me of a well-behaved young school girl.
I had time to ask the girl several casual questions.
but all I could get out of her was "Yes, sir" "No, sir" ...
... or "I don't know, sir," as though she were a child.
RESERVED PARKING FOR BAGATELLE PARK VISITORS
Instead of letting us wander from flower to flower...
Claire made us look at the varieties that she admired most.
Knowing exactly where each one was.
After the grand tour we wandered off to a more deserted part of the garden.
Keep off the grass
Go over to it!
Go on, hurry up!
Now, go ahead.
Watch this.
She has pretty hands. - Yes
She likes doing that, you know? It's excited.
I can prove it to you if you like.
At the slightest provocation she gets all wet. Isn't that right, little one?
All right. That's enough!
Pick the flower and bring it over here!
Well, what are you waiting for?
- It's not allowed. - Nothing that I like is allowed, Anne.
- You know that. - There are too many thorns.
You simply have to get scratched.
Very good. And it wasn't too difficult, was it?
Of course you will be punished for having hesitated just a second too long.
- What are you planning to do? - I don't know, but she'll be punished in front of you.
- Somebody's coming! - All right. Bring the flower.
- Excuse me, what time is it, please? - 10:30.
We continued our walk.
Anne, in the middle, held the rose against her breast.
So no one will detect her crime.
We soon came to a sort of growth or thicket more or less...
closed off from the rest of the gardens and completely deserted.
Since there weren't any flowers, we reasoned that here we could find some privacy.
This will be all right.
No, you'll have to stand.
She has to think about where to hide what she'd stolen. The rose must be hidden.
- All she has to do is throw it over there. - But it would be a shame to lose such a beautiful flower.
Yes .. No. .. I don't know.
It's very simple, you'll have to hide it somewhere on your person.
Come over here! Lift your skirt!
You'll have to lift it higher than that. Hurry up!
Higher. Higher.
Well, what do you think of it?
The design of the top of the stocking is... particularly charming touch.
What we will do is slip the stem up between the garter belt...
and the skin about there close to the crotch.
The thorn should be strong enough to hold the flower in place.
Only when she's standing still.
See how nice I am.
I'm taking off all the little thorns...
so as not to hurt you.
Oh, but I forgot she's supposed to be punished, isn't she?
Spread your legs apart and then don't move. I'm going to hurt you.
Come close to me.
Please. Please don't. I beg you.
Please! No!
Now hold still.
No, please!
Please, no, no!
There. That's pretty, isn't it?
A great success.
Oh perhaps rather overburdened with symbols in... I would say the Surrealist tradition.
You may lower your dress.
III. Too Much Water and Its Consequences
Can you still feel the petals between your thighs?
Does it feel nice? Oh can't you answer?
Yes, it feels nice. I have...
- I need to stop a minute. - No, you can't go now.
You didn't have to drink so much water in the first place.
I didn't know yet what Claire was leading us up to.
At last we came to an area that seemed more wild and natural...
where very large trees had blanketed the sparse unkempt grass with fallen leaves.
- This is the perfect place, don't you think so? - Depends on what you want to use it for.
For the girl, of course. She was looking for a bathroom.
No, I don't need to go.
Why? Did you lie to us? I thought you were going to give us a little moment...
No, I was mistaken.
Don't try to fool with us. You know it won't get you anywhere, Anne.
Anne!
You'll do it now!
Bend down lower!
Now then, is our little girl going to do peepee?
Be sure your legs are spread far enough apart.
That's fine.
Now lean forward a little.
You are very nice like that, you know?
Well, are you going to piss or not, you little bitch?
IV. False Starts
More than a week went by without my seeing Claire or Anne again.
On the eighth day, quite by chance, I was driving on the Quai Malaquai,
and I ran into little Anne at the bookstalls.
She was alone and that pleased me.
She pretended not to recognize me, which hardly suprised me I must say.
I thought of that last image I had of our afternoon in the Bagatelle Gardens.
The girl was now speaking to the salesman.
No, we haven't got anymore.
Look, I know you have what I want and I'm going to stand here until I get it.
- I don't have that type of book. - All right, then...
I was struck by the positive tone she used in dealing with the bookseller.
She wanted a rare book sold only under the counter...
which she asked for with confidence.
Obviously sure that this was the place to find it.
- How much? - 100 (Francs)
Thank you.
- Hi, remember Me? - Yes, I remember you.
Hey, wait a minute.
Look. No offense. Actually I didn't mean anything in particular.
- What do you want? - Nothing.
Just to talk to you a little.
I don't feel like talking. I have to bring this back right away.
- Claire? - I bring things back to whomever I please.
- It's none of your business. - But I have...
Have a nice day!
This encounter left me highly dissatisfied.
I spent the following days unproductively.
The weather was good and I spent most of my time trying to focus my attention on an article...
which will be due the following month.
But my thoughts always returned to Claire ... eh ... and Anne.
I hadn't imagined that I personally would have any power over this girl.
But it had seemed only natural that I should enjoy certain privileges...
outside of Claire's presence since they had already been granted to me so liberally.
And without my even having asked for anything.
Then, upon further reflection,
I began to wonder if I've been granted so much after all the other day.
I was obliged to come to a negative conclusion.
Then I could see how wrong I have been.
I could even make fun of my own stupidity.
For the recent conduct of little Anne suddenly appeared quite normal and obvious...
to the extent that for her to have behaved any differently now seemed impossible.
The situation, in short, had not been what I thought it was.
I felt annoyed and deceived.
I decided not to think about those two girls anymore.
Or about the whole absurd story.
I waited for three more days, but on the fourth...
- Hello - Hello - How've you been feeling since the last time?
- Fine. And you? - Fine.
- And how is the health of your friend? - And which friend are you talking about?
Anne! Who do you think I meant?
Anne! Of course I had completely forgotten.
If it's Anne you want to see you should have said so right away.
I can lend her to you my dear with no trouble at all. You can make love to her if you are in that mood.
What day would you like me to send her over?
- You're joking. - I never joked about my friends.
Thanks, but I wouldn't know how to reciprocate.
You mentioned you have some photographs to show me.
That's true. You can come by tomorrow around five.
- Come, Princess! - All right!
V. The Photographs
- How nice of you to come. - Thank you.
- I have a gift for you. - Thanks. Drink?
Brandy, please.
Isn't this what you came to see?
In the first photo, Anne is wearing a short black slip with nothing underneath but her stockings.
And the simple garter belt like the one I already admired in the Bagatelle Gardens.
The second photo was a delicious detail of the first.
In the next photo, the girl is in the same costume but lying down...
with her shapely rear exposed.
In the next one the girl is profile, entirely naked, with her hands chained behind her back...
kneeling on a black and white checkerboard floor.
The next was a close-up, showing the scale with which Anne was placed in bondage.
In the next photo, Anne is handcuffed in such a way...
as to keep her arms suspended over her head.
Her ankles were chained tightly...
giving an excellent view of her rear.
The position must have been extremely uncomfortable, even for a short period of time.
The next picture, extremely fascinating in its horror, despite the somewhat romantic exaggeration...
could only be the result of a trick.
But it was done so well that one could easily be fooled...
especially since the contortions of the victim was so convincing.
The stomach is marked in every direction by deep lines...
very clear and distinct...
more or less accented according to how hard the whip fell.
In the next one, Anne's face is even more contorted in agony...
presumably from the pain being inflicted upon her.
The next photograph was a logical conclusion:
the tortured body of the girl apparently lifeless...
is stretched out on a black and white checkerboard floor.
She is wearing nothing but a black band across her eyes.
Claire's skill as a photographer is apparent in her loving attention to detail.
The last photo was very different from the others.
For one thing, the body was completely cut off by the camera.
For another, the pubic hair seemed darker.
It was obvious to me that the model was no longer Anne, but someone else.
What gave me the final proof were the dark polished finger nails of those two hands.
I remembered that Anne left her finger nails natural.
And this last photograph here, is this still Anne?
Claire became nervous, which was unlike her.
She got hold of herself immediately.
Who else could it be?
VI. An Expiatory Sacrifice
Oh! By the way you ran into Anne the other day, didn't you?
- At the bookstalls. - She didn't show any lack of respect, did she?
I didn't know she owe me any respect.
She does it by so desire.
I understand that you were rude the other day at the bookstalls.
Get undressed.
You're going to be whipped.
Get up, you little whore! Go and get me the whip.
She loves it when we put her on her knees so we can whip her, doesn't she?
It gets her all excited. She's wet already, isn't she?
You see how well she's been broken in? It's a question of training.
Just like with a dog.
I only have to fondle her off enough in this position...
and now she can no longer keep herself from wanting to be satisfied.
Isn't that so, you little whore?
When was it about to be her? She gets all set for her orgasm.
You're going to a moist paradise.
Kiss!
Look at ya! It's here you request to being punished.
Very quietly, the girl began to cry.
The tears formed in the corners of her eyes and rolled down her flesh cheeks.
From time to time, a shudder ran through her body.
Kneeling on the wool rug, perfectly straight, thighs well apart, hands held in the air...
she didn't even dare wipe away the tears which ran slowly down her face.
We sat there for a long time, looking at her.
- It might be better to tie her up. - Yes, if you like.
Go and get the chains!
Forgive me!
For I know what I do.
Go to Jean!
Go on!
Are you enjoying?
You know what happens to little girls who don't do exactly as are told.
Go on with the punishment!
You better behave better than that.
She's soaking wet, the little darling.
It's a real lake.
You're about to rip the fruits of your labor.
That's it! That's it! Now!
Whip her! Whip...whip her!
Whip her!
I was informed that in the future I could have Anne whenever I wanted her...
and could have amused myself with her however I pleased.
May I take your order?
I'm full!
Keep going!
Get him off!
Someone's coming. Don't stop!
VII. The Fitting Room
One afternoon that week her mistress even let me have her all to myself.
I was to take her shopping for various items of lingerie.
- May I help you, sir? - Yes, we're interested in some lingerie.
Fine. Come this way please.
This is in a sense the most amusing but it's down a little too far.
I'm afraid it won't completely show the triangle.
It might interfere with the view...
...and with the hands as well. I think you better try it on.
- If you like ... - Very well, sir.
Come!
Get up.
This is what I had in mind.
Do you think it's going to rain ... like in the movies.
It's very possible.
Well, everything is possible.
Are you ready yet?
Miss! Would you mind coming here for a moment, please.
That'll do, but ...
I think you should take in the belt ... just a little.
Anne, turn around.
Anne ...!
It's nothing.
She was whipped over there, because she wasn't a good girl. That's all.
Anne? Say thank you.
You look fine.
We joined our friend again at five o'clock in a rather dignified tea room...
where people talked in hushed voices.
Claire was waiting for us.
She had chosen a table in the most propitious corner of the room.
Claire expected a full report of our afternoon's activities.
and what did we do today?
Complete with all the delicate details...
Anne listened with delight as I recounted the episode with the salesgirl.
She seemed happy that her complete obedience gave such pleasure to her mistress.
Claire had as much satisfaction in hearing the story as if she had been there herself.
You don't say!
Presently, Claire's mood changed.
You must have been very happy, weren't you?
To have everyone know what a little whore you are.
Answer me.
Yes, I was happy.
Happy about what?
I was happy ...
... to show how I had been whipped. - You like being whipped?
- Yes! - Stand up!
Lean forward. Put your hands on the table.
Spread your legs.
Bend your knees.
She's wet already the little bitch.
You only have to promise to whip her.
Would you like to see for yourself?
We're ready to order now.
There are so many delectable things to choose from. Would you like a salad, Claire?
- I love salad. - Yes, I thought you'd agreed with me.
Can we have a mixed green salad please with endive, watercress and tomato.
Err.. however I don't want the tomato sliced. The tomato must be wedged.
Not sliced. And I like garlic dressing ...
The dressing of oil and vinegar with just a kiss of garlic.
- That sounds delectable. - Dry mustard and a pinch of oregano at the very last moment.
Very delicate.
- That'll be all for the moment. - Thank you.
- Does it feel nice? - Let me go.
Please! Please!
What do you like better: when I embarass you ...
... or when I hurt you?
Let's see Jean, didn't you say she wasn't good this afternoon?
Well, the salesgirl didn't complain.
- Faster - Then we'll have to make her cry.
Don't think I'm going to let you off so easily.
When would you like to come over to my place?
- Tomorrow evening, after dinner. - Tomorrow evening, after dinner!
You can sit down!
Smell! See how good you smell?
Kiss it!
VIII. In The Bathroom
It's getting hotter and hotter outside. You might think it was the middle of August.
I regret my idea that we're obliged to keep our clothes on...
but in our roads, you understand, it's indispensable.
- To you especially? - Yes!
- Don't you ever get too hot? - No, never.
The little girl must be ready. Follow me!
The entire body was gone over meticulously.
You're very attractive honestly!
Would you like me to turn the little fountain on?
Why not?
All right. Watch.
Show the gentleman the pretty fountain.
IX. The Gothic Chamber
I felt at home in the Gothic chamber...
because it was exactly as I had remembered it in the photos.
Supposing we made her play with herself.
First, get the whip and the blindfold.
- That whip isn't the same one we used the other day. - It's a new one. She went and bought it herself this morning.
All right. Show us what you can do.
Play with yourself.
Better than that.
You need some help.
See how beautiful she is when she's coming.
You little cunt.
Go ahead!
Play with your little asshole ... at the same time.
No, I want to see her eyes.
I'm tired.
Damn you! Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!
What are you doing? Stop it!
Stop it!
Are you crazy?
Cut it out! Quit! Quit! Stop it! Stop it!
Stop it!
Control yourself Claire!
Put it down!
Claire!
I'm leaving.
What will I do?
X. Everything Resolves Itself
Good morning.
- How was your friend feeling? - Anne's fine.
You didn't ask me this time which friend I meant.
- She's still sleeping. She'll be fine. - No marks?
No, except perhaps one on the breast where it went very deep.
- That would be a shame - Oh no. It will be very pretty.
- Yesterday's? - I didn't have a chance to make a fresh part. I was up all night.
And you?
Get undressed.
Look at me! You like being on your knees?
I'm yours. You can do whatever you want with me.
Good! Come here!
Have you ever been beaten, huh?
Open your mouth!
Do whatever you want with me!
Lick it! Lick it!
- Jean! - I love you.
I love you! I love you!
- What's my name? - Jean...Jean.
- What's my name? - Jean!
I love you!