[music playing]
To celebrate his sixth wedding anniversary,
our illustrious emperor has decided,
in his immeasurable mercy, togrant amnesty to all traitors
to the empire, on one condition.
Return to your family,demand all the rebel leaders
give up this futile rebellion.
[music playing]
His Imperial Highness, andher majesty, the Empress.
Honored friends, onthis, the sixth anniversary
of my blissful union, I would like
you to raise your glasses to theonly source of peace and calm
in my life--
the Empress.
[music playing]
Make this as short andpainless as possible, will you,
General?
Number one is the daughter of the governor
of the eastern province.
I don't care who she is.
She's not right.
Number five, Your Highness.
Show me the next one.
Candidate number six, from the warm province.
Central province.
Where's the last one?
Hm?
Must be seven of them, one for each province.
You know the laws.
Where is she?
Ah yes, the seventh candidate.
I'm afraid she--
She what?
She proved as elusive, asher rebellious countrymen.
Your Highness, my duty isto help you with the choice
you have to make now.
The law states that the candidate must
be selected one year before.
All right, number seven then.
Your Highness, that's impossible.
I mean, you can't.
You haven't even seen her.
And the law also clearlystates that from the moment
you've chosen your new bride, you may
not see her until the wedding.
There'll be no wedding.
So number seven will do.
[music playing]
[knocking]
Yes?
Your Highness.
It will not do for me to check on my duties.
But we must spare the Empress.
I love her dearly.
Nevertheless, the laws are the laws.
Now, I want you to fetch the girl yourself.
You're only one I can trust.
But Your Highness, I made it here.
The secret wing has notbeen used for many years.
And I still have to select the appropriate staff.
Sorry, you still have a year.
My wife could conceive.
You know the fate in store for the candidate
were that to happen.
The laws are very clearon that point, very clear.
Avoid any embarrassingsituation, not even from you.
Thank you, Chamberlain.
That'll be all.
Your Highness.
[music playing]
Hello.
I'm so happy with your choice.
I knew the Emperor wouldn't come himself.
That would be inappropriate, Madam.
We couldn't have that, could we?
I suppose you think a woman drinking alone
is inappropriate.
Not if her intention is to get drunk.
Well, it is.
It definitely is.
Come inside.
You married?
To the Emperor, Madam.
[chuckling]
I do not wish to seem impatient.
But is your daughter here?
Oh, she's out there somewhere.
Looks like you'll be staying the night.
You can sleep in her bed.
I beg your pardon?
Oh, don't worry.
She won't be.
What is wrong?
Nothing.
I am your Empress.
You can trust me.
Always remember how much I love you.
Remind me.
I see you've been doing your homework.
I must protect the Emperor against anything
that could embarrass him.
Then you already know thatmy daughter has a friend.
Thembe is his name.
He's quite a hothead.
My husband was devastated,the daughter of the governor
in love with a rebel.
Where is she?
She went that way.
And do watch out for your shiny shoes.
[rumbling]
[knocking]
Who are you?
[grunting]
You must be Saba.
I knew your father.
You must be deeply hurt.
And you must be lost.
What are you staring at?
Are you one of the Emperor's men?
Is the rebellion over?
Not entirely.
Listen, I am thechamberlain of the emperor.
I've come to fetch you, toprepare you for your wedding.
How does the emperor know me?
Why does he want to do this for us?
You don't understand entirely.
The Emperor needs your help.
A wedding could tighten thebond with your province.
You could stop the war.
I can't see how ourwedding could stop the war.
We're not that important.
You're more important than you know.
I would want to talk with Thembe first.
I'm afraid that's impossible.
I don't know where he is.
Go away, and leave me alone.
Find Thembe if you want to speak with me again.
You met my daughter, then.
There are complications,complications that
could cost us both our heads.
Now, tell me exactly how Thembeis supposed to contact Saba.
Oh, I don't know.
You are asking me to betraymy daughter's confidence.
You've already done that.
If you do not tell me how to bring her here,
we will both be executed.
Surely, you would make thecorrect choice for her.
Well, I'm sure my husbandwould have agreed with you.
Quite, Madam.
Now, the method of contact?
He said that when he returns, he would
shoot three times into the air.
Do you have a pistol?
[gunshots]
You.
I thought--
You asked me to find out how to contact you.
And I did.
That should make yourealize you can trust me.
And what makes you so trustworthy?
The laws.
They forbid me to lie.
Laws are for idiots.
Do you think everyone wholives in the mountains lives
by the rules?
They treat each other with common decency.
In your palaces, you have no decency.
And so you have to rely on laws.
Darling.
Dr. Al Razi is not only the doctor in the world.
Dr. Al Razi is the finestphysician in the entire empire.
Yes, but--
Please, not now.
Why does the emperor wantThembe and me to get married?
I still don't understand.
Not Saba, my sweet.
It's these silly laws.
The Emperor has chosen you and Thembe
to symbolize the new peace.
I'm sure your dear father wouldhave understood, and approved.
Why would my fathersuddenly approve of something
which drove him to--
Your father was supremelyloyal to the Emperor.
Will I see Thembe at thepalace, before the wedding?
Yes.
Yes, of course.
Promise me.
Promise that I will see him.
I promise.
Now, follow me.
Bye bye, my darling.
I'll be expecting a nice parcelfrom you, dear chamberlain.
[music playing]
Lights behind us.
What are you doing?
Don't be foolish.
Get down.
Give it to me.
It's my father's.
Please.
Last night, I prayed to the stars
that Thembe would come for me.
He promised to bring me ared rose when he came back.
Prayers will keep us from going insane.
So when did you stop praying?
Come.
When am I going to see Thembe?
What happens next is notpleasant, but necessary.
Just keep thinking of your wedding.
It's all about your wedding day, Saba.
Now, please.
Please.
Your Highness.
I'm sorry about this.
But my situation is--
Precarious?
Yes.
I said I was still a virgin.
Didn't I?
I'm afraid the law insists that the fact be
established beyond any doubt.
I promise, from now on,things will be different.
That's two promisesI'm going to hold you to.
Beyond this door, and as of tomorrow,
the best tutors will teach you everything you
need to know for your marriage.
Listen to them.
They have sacrificed a lot tobe here, and will in no way
bother you.
What do you mean by that?
They will not approach inappropriately.
Am I so unattractive?
By no means.
But here, I must say farewell.
I cannot accompany you anyfurther, for your own safety.
The laws state that any manpassing through this door
must be specifically selected.
I want a bath.
Now, I really do feel dirty.
No discomfort I trust, Your Highness?
No.
I will send the samples forexamination to Switzerland.
It will take a little time.
How long?
No more than a week.
A week?
My dear Professor Leopold, I cannot
stress enough theimportance of these results.
We have less than a year left.
Your Highness.
Have you been in a fight?
Can I do anything for you, Your Highness?
Yes, you can.
Tell me, what do the lawssay about an Empress?
The laws, Your Highness?
There are thousands of them.
Yes, but some are secret.
Are they not?
Ah, you're back.
Good.
How did it go?
She put up a fight, by the looks of things.
Who did you fight with?
Darling.
Yes, chamberlain, who did you fight with?
I fought with a wildcat, Your Highness.
Well, everybody needs some kind of wildcat.
Now, listen carefully.
Appreciate it.
Music, music, is the one thingin life you can love wholly
and that asks nothing of you in return.
Why should I love it?
What do you have say about that?
Well.
You must at least be politeenough to pretend you love it.
After the performance, you haveto make the right conversation.
But I never go to the opera.
And neither does Thembe.
You shall, I assure you.
How can you be so sure?
And don't you think the conversation might
be more interesting if I said that it's
a totally ridiculous noise?
Let me see her.
Come on.
Let me see her.
Your Highness.
The laws.
You know that you cannot look at her
until the day of the wedding.
Yes, yes, article 21.
Of course, if you werereally intent on seeing her,
you can't go straight in.
Of course, you would have to be a eunuch.
I apologize, sir.
But it is the law thatseparates us from wildcats.
Is she a wildcat?
I bet she is.
She is, isn't she?
She is, indeed, a wildcat.
So I am to love someone I've never seen.
She has never seen you, either.
Don't be absurd.
Of course she's seen me.
I am the emperor.
I'm on coins and postage stamps everywhere.
She's even licked me.
I hadn't really thought of it like that, sir.
Anyway, my wife has a wholeyear to give me a successor.
10 months, sir.
Yes.
Why won't the woman conceive?
I shall talk to her doctor again.
Doctors, doctors, doctorshave been inside her more times
than me.
Chamberlain, if necessary, Iwant you to make this wildcat
fall deeply in love with me.
Do you understand?
Yes, Your Highness.
Good.
Carry on.
[choral singing]
Here you are, Chamberlain.
I order you to execute this traitor at once.
For six years, this quack hastold me that the chances of me
having a child are almost nil.
And now, I hear from ProfessorLeopold, the authority
on fertility, after extensive examination
that everything is perfectly all right.
I can have a child.
That is very good news.
But you can't just execute the poor man.
Feed him to my dogs.
Guards!
Is the Empress capable of safeguarding
the imperial lineage or not?
With the right husband, yes.
No!
Excellence?
You heard her.
[knocking]
Come in.
I think the Chamberlain is hiding
something, maybe a lover.
What makes you think he has a lover?
He has this guilty look on his face.
And he's never there when I need him.
Well, he's very busy.
The rebellion puts a great dealof stress on every one of us.
I'm telling you.
He has a lover.
Nonsense.
The laws forbid it.
Anyway, he's never beenwith a woman in his life.
I shall prove it to you.
I promise, I'll find her.
[gasping]
Now, imagine that your honoredguest starts a conversation.
What do you say?
Oh, how fluently you speak our language.
No, not like that.
You have to be much more restrained.
Otherwise, the guest might thinkyou're trying to seduce him.
OK, then, what do youthink of, your accent reminds
me of a toilet being flushed?
Where is Thembe?
He doesn't care how I dance, eat, speak, walk.
And why don't I get to see the Emperor?
At least he could send hischamberlain around again.
I'm not playing your insulting games anymore.
I shall see you tomorrow.
Perhaps a wedding with the 7thprovince isn't such a bad idea.
They kill their dogs.
Poison them.
Your Highness, I think I've made a grave error.
The candidate, number seven, sheis not the right girl for you.
What do you mean?
I don't think weshould progress the girl.
Should we release her, likeyour little bird, chamberlain?
Yes, if you like, sir.
So, my wife is right.
Sir?
She thinks you're in love.
It is not my place to fall in love.
And, of course, itwould cost you your head.
Don't concern yourself withnumber seven's suitability.
Especially now, as mywife's consulted a doctor
who says she can bear a child.
We can't be sure of that.
Is not possible he has made a mistake?
My wife's dogs have been poisoned.
You say the doctor is incompetent.
And to cap it all, you'resuggesting we flaunt the laws.
Sir.
You suggested releasing the candidate.
Impertinence has an ugly head.
Lower it.
My loyalty is always to you.
Morning.
Breakfast.
Today, we're going to workon your bowling skills.
And then I want you to discover the secret--
charmed-- of Monte Verde.
Tell Monte Verde I'm not in the mood.
I want to see the chamberlain.
And I'm not moving until I do.
She's a savage.
I am a teacher, not a stable hand!
Maybe we should tell herthat if she doesn't cooperate,
we'll all be executed.
If we say anything, wewill certainly be executed.
We can't keep the truth from her much longer.
Where is she?
She is hiding herself inher room, your excellence.
It is hopeless.
She wants to see that Thembe first, or--
Or what?
Or you, excellence.
So she wants me to come in?
But you can't.
I mean, the laws.
I know the laws!
The Emperor is infertile, isn't he?
Who said that?
Your predecessor makequite clear allusions to it
before killing himself.
Never lie, never embarrass.
Then all Empress's will meet the same fate.
Well, they get seven years of luxury first.
Can't have it all, can we?
Move.
Chamberlain!
In my room, now.
I'm so sorry, chamberlain.
And I'm sorry for your friend the doctor too.
I'd like to have given him a trial.
That's very kind of you, Your Highness.
But he was a traitor.
Wasn't he?
And that brings me to you.
You vowed your allegianceto the Emperor.
And, yet, you have taken a lover.
You are mistaken, Your Highness.
Am I?
Or is it my husbandwho is having the affair?
Not at all, Your Highness.
I can assure you that.
Chamberlain, is he having an affair?
Does the Emperor sleep with her?
Answer me.
I do not sleep with anyone, other than you.
Then who is this?
It's true.
I must confess.
It is I. I'm seeing her.
You?
I have fallen in love.
Yes.
Then, prove it.
Introduce her to us.
She is not here.
So when can we see her?
Soon, Your Highness.
Tomorrow.
I want you to leave him alone.
Why do you have secrets from me?
Please, leave him alone.
Sir?
What is this?
I must speak with you, sir.
Not now, chamberlain.
I must insist, sir.
Do I have to lock you up?
As a matter of fact, thatwould suit me very well.
She wants me to introduce myso-called lover to her today.
Stay away from her.
She's in a foul mood.
She'd have you executed for nothing.
Now, I'm busy.
Disappear.
Disappear?
Yes, that's exactly what I'll do.
This is most unusual, chamberlain.
I can assure you, it's absolutely necessary.
May I inquire as to why?
The laws are clear.
[choral singing]
I'm sorry, excellence.
We have to be sure.
Thank you, sir.
Nothing will threaten herladyship's purity now.
Sit down, please.
I'll bring you some food.
Don't go to any trouble.
But you must.
You haven't eaten all day.
You don't understand.
I just feel a little dizzy.
It's OK.
I'll take care of her.
Put this on.
The night has come.
The night?
Thank you.
Listen, artillery, a long way away.
So the rebellion isn't over yet.
No.
Does Thembe know about this?
Not yet.
And what about yourpromise that I'd see him?
You don't feel well.
You wanted to see him so badly.
Didn't you?
But you didn't think what it would cost him.
Cost him?
He's been spayed.
Gilded.
Good morning.
I've just been told whatyou did to get in here.
If you were prepared to do that, I have
to believe you mean me no harm.
Saba.
Your Highness.
You treat me like royalty, don't you?
Last night, I dreamedthat Thembe had been shot.
Is Thembe dead?
I don't know.
Your Highness, we have searched high and low,
and can find no sign of him.
I'm sure he's still in the palace.
He's too loyal to flee.
I want him found immediately.
I'm not sure you can cope with this.
I shall let you knowwhether I can cope or not.
Tell me everything.
Very well.
Your mother married you off to--
Go on.
To the man who has everything.
In fact, he possesses this whole empire.
You mean?
Yes, you will be the new Empress.
What do you mean by new Empress?
And the old one?
According to the secret laws of our land,
any Empress which fails toconceive of an heir within--
Secret laws, that's easy.
The Emperor gets bored with his wife,
and makes up a law to get rid of her.
It's not like that at all.
I guard laws against such abuse.
Just see it this way.
It's not what the Emperor can do for you,
but what you can do for the Empire.
Another of your laws?
When the first wife of thegrandfather of the Emperor
died, the laws insisted that he marry
another woman within one year.
There was no time for him tocome to terms with his sorrow
and fall in love again.
A new Empress was chosen, agirl from the cold province.
After her selection, he was notallowed to see her or meet her,
but only permitted to write a letter,
in the hope that eventuallythey would have more in common
than their names on an imperial pronouncement.
And did it work?
My promise to you aboutyour Thembe is not yet a lie.
But at least while theprovinces are still rebellious,
could you not find it in your heart to cooperate?
If not for the Emperor'ssake, and for your own, then
for mine?
You want a truce?
Is that it?
I've appointed you a new teacher.
You may just learn something from him.
You didn't find the longtrain journey to our country
tiring, Your Highness?
Now, I passed the time reading.
You did not enjoy the landscape.
I read as far as the mountains,
where your beautiful distractedmy attention from the book.
If you love literature, you may
be familiar with acompatriot of mine, Zola.
Alas, not enough to judge it.
I think he doesn't getthe attention he deserves.
You share his opinions?
I especially like his choice of style.
Very diplomatic.
You are beginning to understand.
You will make a beautiful Empress.
My Darling Saba--
no, my dear Saba.
It is no simple matter forme to declare my love for you
through a letter, comma, ina language and an alphabet
that I use every day, but I have never
used to describe what happened to me
the first time that I saw you.
Full stop.
But I haven't even seen her.
She doesn't know that.
Oh, good.
Now, I must leave for the cold province.
It seems the rebellion has come to a head.
[music playing]
As the day approaches when nothing will stand
in the way of our union, and we will
share all that I have to give.
I should like a glass of giraffe's milk.
Giraffe's milk?
Yes.
If I'm going to be the Empress,I can ask for anything,
can't I?
I'd like to hate him.
But he seems much gentlerand more human than--
I have such foolish thoughts.
If only he could hear me now.
But he can't.
Would you love me, if I were your Empress?
Everyone would love you.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I must feed my bird.
Your Highness.
I gave you an imperial order.
And you didn't obey.
The Emperor is not here to help you now.
What's the punishment for one who
doesn't obey the imperial low?
Pull out the tray.
Are you in love with a man in a cage?
Follow me.
I wish you could tell mewhat your intentions are,
Your Highness.
Well, what do you think they are?
If I do not conceive, quickly, very quickly,
the best I can hope for is banishment.
Why?
Does the Emperor know about his shortcoming?
No, I thought not.
Chamberlain, I need your help.
My help, Your Highness?
You are verybeautiful, Your Highness.
I am the Emperor's wife.
And I shall be executed.
Give me an heir, and you will not.
Would you object if Iasked to turn off the light?
[clapping]
Giraffe's milk, remember?
I had to arrange it myself,since you seem to forget
all the promises you make me.
Most unusual.
Goodnight.
Why do you hide from me?
What did I do wrong?
You've done nothing wrong.
But I must have.
You promised to help me.
I do everything I can to bethe perfect Empress in waiting.
And what do you do for me in return?
Sit up here and rot.
[explosions]
The shelter is ready for you, Your Highness.
Nonsense, I am staying.
The Emperor isn't here.
And I'm in charge.
Thembe-- you--
we thought you were dead.
You sell her to somebody else?
[gunshot]
Congratulations, Your Highness.
There are complications.
The mother of the futureEmpress is dead, murdered.
That is most unfortunate.
Very inconvenient.
A man was arrested leaving the premises,
a rebel, the youngest of them.
That mean anything to you?
It is not entirely unfamiliar to me, sir.
He's given a full confession.
Did you know their engagement?
Yes.
But you had already made your choice.
He will be executed.
I have nothing else to say.
Why aren't you wearing your mask?
There's been a gas attack.
Please identify yourself.
Satisfied?
Sir.
Remember, I can only give you two hours.
You're aiming too high.
I shall be watching you two.
Hello, Saba.
Hello.
Thank you.
You do keep your promises after all.
But I wish you hadn't.
Why?
He said that I will never see him again.
That is so, I'm afraid.
But, the thing is, whenhe said that I felt relief.
[music playing]
You manage to get some sleep?
You know, in my whole life, I've
never had to decide anything.
I think I'm pregnant.
And I'm going to keep it.
We shall see.
I've been willing to doeverything you asked of me.
I shall do my very best to be a good Empress,
and try to love someone I have never even seen.
But this baby is mine.
The only thing that is yours is your life.
If you choose to keep thischild, we will be executed.
What you are asking is inhumane.
It is the law.
Just for once, forget those damn laws.
I've already done that, once.
She was just as listless as the others.
But the injection helped himfind his lust for life again.
The blood flows through his common lobes,
and he keeps trying to jump on the others.
He is fully charged.
What did you give him?
Oh, an extract of your testicles.
Finally someone is using me.
I shall soon have run out of raw materials.
They say the rebellion is over.
All the leaders have been killed.
I can still remember.
I had just graduated, in the depths of the night
they brought in the corpse of a young woman,
beautiful creature.
She was still warm.
I listened to her heart,didn't hear a single sound,
couldn't find a pulse.
I shined a light in her eye,saw no reaction from the pupils.
Took my hammer to her joints,couldn't find a reflex.
Blackened the sole of herfoot with a candle, nothing.
I grabbed a nipple, turned it90 degrees to the left, bang!
She hit me on the head with a metal basin.
They don't like that, do they?
Anyway, I always say, neverturn your back on a warm corpse.
What are you saying?
I spoke to some soldiers.
At the time of the assault on the palace,
the rebels were nowhere near.
One of them was wearing purple.
I didn't know any of therebels from the warm province.
There aren't.
The Empress is from thewarm province, is she not?
Anyway, that's not why I came down here.
I want you to perform an abortion.
An abortion?
You are a constant sourceof surprises, excellence.
Shut up.
And follow me.
Damn.
Excellence, I'm beginning to become
concerned about the legality--
Shut up, or I'll do to you what you did to me.
Don't come near me.
Please, Saba.
You will be executed, and so will I.
If you hold her down, I'llsend her off to dreamland.
No.
Oh!
So, this is where your law brings you.
That will be all, doctor.
Do you still want a trialbefore I have you executed?
That is what the law requires, Your Highness.
May I ask how you found the entrance?
A little bird told me.
Your insults to me are unforgivable.
I only obey the law.
Hypocrite, you have not obeyed the laws.
You bend them to suityourself, just like my husband.
When a guest enters the room with the Empress,
those present will greether with a simple reverence.
I am the Empress.
She is the Empress?
I had imagined her verydifferent, more civilized.
Prettier.
She is still a child.
I must admit it.
It took a little longer than I had planned.
But did you really think you could hide
her from me for the whole year?
I think you knew what was happening all along.
And I think you plannedthe attack on the palace.
That's high treason, Your Highness.
It's eat or be eaten, my dear chamberlain.
You go on.
I can't.
Listen to me.
I have never said this to anyone.
But--
But what?
My life has always been dependent on the law.
Without it, I'm nothing.
I must serve it to the end.
The law has made you mad.
No, it is the law that keeps me sane.
Go.
I will never forgetyou, my dear chamberlain.
Your Highness.
After you.
Amnesty for all, to honor the happy couple!
I can't grant you amnesty.
You betrayed me in the most embarrassing way,
and brought great sorrow to the Empress in high.
But where would we be without you?
Look, an imperial adoption.
It's a boy.
Just a temporarymeasure until the empress
provides me with a real heir.
Where is she?
After giving up the baby, shereturned to the cold province.
I'm sorry, old friend.
This is most unfortunate.
Dismissed for life?
Brilliant.
You've saved the emperor by betraying him.
But you could use this.
I extracted the seed fromyour unwanted testes.
It's perfectly healthy.
I thought maybe you mightwant to start a family,
now that you're a free man.
[chuckling]
Come and visit me.
Thank you.
[gunshots]
[music playing]