"Ladies and gentlemen, place your bets." "Insurance?" "No insurance." "Blackjack." "1500 for 1000." "Thanks." "Good night." "Thank you, sir!" "LOSER TAKES ALL" "Shall I get your car, sir?" "No thanks, Raymond, I need a stroll." " See you tomorrow, sir." " Yes, Raymond." "Gentlemen?" "Insurance?" "No insurance." "Who does Lady Luck favor?" "Watch TV tonight." "TEN YEARS LATER" "Now an excerpt from the amazing press-conference of Serge Vaudier, the eccentric winner of last night's jackpot." "is he a mystifying genius or just mystified?" "You decide." "Mr Vaudier, why face the press?" "Most lottery-winners want anonymity." "I want recognition, sir." "With my equation I showed that one could harness chance." "Mathematicians studied quantities and their order of appearance, but never bothered to relate their work to the passing of time." "Like Einstein with physics?" "Einstein had merit, for sure." "But he didn't go far enough." "By treating time as a system that can be modified, I discovered the formula for "temporal recurrents"." "Now, I can tell when a set of numbers will come up." "No one had before you?" "The field is as uncharted as America before Oolumbus." "So you'll reveal your formula to us?" "Oertainly not, sir." "Some discoveries don't belong in all hands." "My V.T.R.'s could be used to other ends beside winning the lottery." ""Vaudier's Temporal Recurrents"!" "Then how can you prove to us that it works?" "I proved it to you." "Last night." "I won more than eight million Euros." "Maybe it was luck." "Just do it again." "Oolumbus didn't have to set sail again:" "a new continent had been discovered." " Yes...yes..." " No, wait." "Not yet." " l can't hold out." " Pull out!" " lt's too good." " lt's the 12th day!" "There's no danger." "Don't gamble on this!" "You're an idiot." "Don't you trust Vatican roulette?" "You always lose at roulette." " l have an infallible martingale." " Really?" "That is momentarily out of action." "An inside bet, doubled up with a straddle." "Yes, Albert." "Oount me out." "No, it's that... even if vacations aren't sacred they're programmed..." "The earth will keep spinning if I'm not with you on this one." "That's all." "Right, Albert." "Keep me posted." "Bye, Albert." " What was it?" " Guy won the lottery twice in a row." "Angèle?" "Oould you drop everything some day for me?" "Only if I was sure you now play fair." "Time for the 8.30 AM news." "Shit." "This morning the Osaka conference or the Gaza strip aren't in the headlines.: all France is riveted on one man's exploit." "Serge Vaudier, a math teacher, who in the few seconds of a lottery drawing, has become a legend." "Unique in the history of the lottery.:" "a same player won twice in a row, raising his winnings to over 1 1 million Euros in a week..." "Angèle?" "What are the odds of winning the jackpot twice in a row?" "Zero!" "Taxi phone numbers!" "We're late." "01 47 39 twice, G7 OABS, 82 94 via SFR, 0800 613 24 priority line." " 43 79 00 00 is the local stand." " Thanks." "Republic Square is 01 47 53 22 47." "The airport shuttle is 01 41 27 66 66." "Thank you so much!" "One in two hundred thousand billion.:" "Vaudier's luck" "Oan't you read that later?" "If they're paging us, they haven't taken off." "This thing looks serious." "We're cutting it close." "Our bags are aboard." "They have to wait." "This did it." " So we're a threesome?" " Threesome?" "You putting me on?" "We said no Uncle Scrooge on this vacation!" "Hurry." "Everyone's waiting." "I know what it means." " What?" " The usual." "Why did I agree to go with you?" " You don't want to visit the U.S.?" " Yes." " What's got into you?" " l'm not an idiot!" "Welcome aboard. 32 E and F." "Oenter, use the right aisle." "I can't go on vacation with a liar." " Who's a liar?" " About money and gambling!" "Be truthful." "After 2 days, you'll say L.A. is boring." ""Let's head for Las Vegas!"" "Admit that's the truth." "Thanks for your patience." "Our last two passengers are here." "We can leave now." "How much you got on you?" "Dunno... 3 thousand." "If you think I'll stake you!" " You're just in a foul mood." " Sure." "I'm not known over there, so I can count the cards." "I see." "Things will never change." "Sorry." "Her, again!" "A passenger wants to get off." "Same one, yes." "We'll open the door." "I'm sorry." "Sorry, take-off is delayed again." "Our captain will keep you posted." "This is ridiculous, do you have to?" "Even at a million to one, we can't take a risk." "Especially with lives at stake." "If a passenger disembarks, so do his bags." "What would you do?" "At a million to one, I'd risk it." "Pick a number between 1 and 36." "Any number?" "16." "Oan you open 16?" "The red one's her bag." "That's mine." "Oongratulations." "Never fails." "Beginner's luck!" "Please, grab mine, too." "I think I'll pass on this flight." " May I?" " Go ahead." "For security reasons, any untended item or baggage will be systematically destroyed." "To the Deauville Oasino." "Not a word, Albert." "No questions, OK?" "Yes, but weren't you leaving with your..." "One more word, and you're fired." "What else is new?" "25% fewer players in 2 days!" "Why should people play if Vaudier wins every time?" "The National Lottery is losing millions, France is tottering, all else is fine." "1000, 2000, 3000... 3000 for your 3000." "Sorry, could you lend me 10 Euros?" "I played all day, same number, same table. lt never came up." " Which table?" " The center one." " Which number?" " 25." "Oome with me." "This one?" " What's the max on a single number?" " 300 Euros." "1000 to change." "100, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 1000." "300 on 25." "300 on 25." "No more bets!" "25 red, odd and high." "Thanks." "Without you, I'd have bet on 1 7." "10,500 Euros for the 25 straight up." "Here, sir." " For the staff," " Thank you, sir." "Here, thanks again." "Two thousand!" " Same again." " Yes, sir." "We haven't seen you here in ages." " l was in love." " No more bets." "Everybody wants to believe it:" "it's a fairy tale." "But the jackpot twice in a row is impossible." "Albert's car was towed to the pound twice, 2 hours apart." "No one believes it, but it happened." "But Vaudier said in advance that he'd do it." "When was his "press conference"?" " Thursday." " Then by Friday, he knew he'd win again." "Albert?" "He wrote the OEO of a big ad agency, François Brinchet, and gave him the six numbers in advance." " So his solution is mathematical." " You know it can't be!" "The Ohaos Theory:" "trendy data for lnternauts!" "What if it can predict things?" "It tries to predict the weather, and does a lousy job." "No, if this guy's a genius, it's at manipulation!" "Excuse me a moment." "Wasn't she off on vacation?" "Bad weather report." "Flight canceled." "It's my 10th message." "The airport said you weren't on the plane." "So you're in Paris." "Oall me." "I need my suitcase." "Aside from that... I didn't want to leave you." "What I want... is for you to quit!" "It's true..." "Next, will you be found in the gutter with your head smashed?" "You who count so well, you can count on me." "No more bets." "4, black, even and low." "Nothing on it." "25." " 21 ." " No more bets." "25, red, odd and high." "Nothing on the number." "Sorry, no tip." "Ministry of the lnterior" "Gambling division" "Hello. I want to get banned." "1 year?" "5?" "10?" "Forever." "The maximum is 10 years." "But you can renew it." "Then 10 years." "For 10 years, you have to see our psychologist." "Was this your decision, or did someone ask you to?" "I decided it." "Anyway, it doesn't matter." " Are you angry at casinos?" " Angry?" "You want to get even with them?" "Not at all." "That's a silly question." "Not really." "An applicant machine-gunned a school-bus last week, because the license plate ended with a 7." " People are frail." " Yes, indeed." " Any suicide attempts?" " No." " Are you on tranquilizers?" " No." " You have a girlfriend?" " Yes... I mean..." "What's herjob?" " ls that important?" " Yes." "If, say, your girlfriend's a jockey or a casino dealer, like many British girls, it matters." "I had a patient whose wife was a harpist." "See the link?" "She played." "Not cards, but an instrument." "Oards or the harp:" "deep down, same thing." "Mine's in pizzas." "You mean a pizzeria?" "I'll show you some ink blots." "Tell me what you see." "A duck with an umbrella." "Two pots of mustard." "Stack of chips and a rake." " Are you sure?" " Just kidding." "A corkscrew and a thermometer." ""l, Jacques Loriot, born May 1 4, 1959," ""declare that I wish to be banned from all casinos in France" ""for an irrevocable period of 10 years." ""From now on, my name will be in a computer file." Fine." "I'll make a date for you to sign it." "A date?" "Tell me where l sign." "I'll do it now." "No." "Now that you're suitable, you go home and think it over." "For at least 3 days." "Then you come back." "I can't sign now?" "Scared of losing me?" "They never realize:" "once they've signed... lt's like the Foreign Legion, you can't get out of it." "What are you doing here?" "I came to get banned from gambling, to take the exam." "Inspiration, or a big loss?" "A bit of both." "You got my messages?" "Where's mine?" "I didn't think I'd see you." "I'll come pick it up." "About your bag... you can kiss it goodbye." "What do you mean?" "A careless moment." "Airport bomb-squads are so itchy." "It got blown up?" "I left it unattended." "You creep!" "You're a vile creep, and a loser." "Oiao!" "Sorry, men. I was delayed." "That's OK, Ohief." "Albert showed us some hot boccie balls." "Wonderful." "Show the Ohief your balls, Albert!" "With these you can sucker anyone." "A small hole is bored in the ball, filled with mercury, so it's like a gyroscope." "With practice, you can place it anywhere." "Did you bust the guy?" "We let him go." "But we grabbed the 10,000 Euros on him." "Good timing, we need cash for our sting on that gambling-den." " And Vaudier?" " Nothing." "No wife or kids, and he's not gay." "Teaches at a school in the sticks." "Promotion via seniority, not merit." "Nothing fishy." " OK with the taxman?" " Olean." "3000 Euros in a Mutual Fund, and his salary." "Plus the 1 1 million he won!" "Bank account movements?" "He bought a small farm, and haggled over the commission!" "He's our biggest fish ever." "He must have a scam with a lottery employee." "And the best way to get away with it, is to flaunt it on TV." "He's become a star." "The National Guard has to keep away his fans." "We'll nab him!" "We studied both draws image by image." "Nothing abnormal." "Resistance, weight, elasticity parameters are in line with government norms." "Moisture-absorption within the sphere was normal, room temperature and atmospheric pressure were constant." "The bailiff didn't even have a cold." " The play-slips?" " Authentic." "With the fingerprints of their validators." "The first in the suburbs, the second in central Paris." "And Vaudier's, of course." "Second draw on September 10:" "41-15-37-24-46-8." "One Level 1 winner:" "Serge Vaudier: 8,040,000 Euros." "Second draw on September 13: 42-15 49-6-4-21 ." "Two Level 1 winners." "Serge Vaudier and Roseline Bricourt:" "3,066,000 Euros each." "What about Roseline Bricourt?" "No ties to Vaudier." "She's 56, lives in Reims." "No record." " Oomputer piracy?" " lmpossible." "The system wasn't hacked." "Access is sectorized." "The French Lottery is foolproof, many countries have adopted it." "I say the guy didn't cheat." "He really won twice in a row." "What do you read there?" "VARE..." "PROUT..." " TATlT." " Precisely." "The odds of it coming up as on the door were better than 2 lottery wins in a row." "Seen that way..." "And if, beforehand, I predicted how they'd come up, and it happened, you'd say it was a trick." "Yes, maybe." "I say it's a trick!" "MORONS" "You can make any permissible move." " Even this pawn?" " Or your king, whatever." "Or flip a coin for your move." "Whatever you do, I'll be mate in 5 moves." "You're in a winning position." "Even an ape could win." "They're called "forced moves"." "Very impressive." "Are there any others?" "Watch." "This is pretty good, too." "This time, black seems to be winning but will be mate in 5 moves." "Look." "Oheck." "Oheck." "Oheck." "Oheck." "Mate." "It's as if fate was carved into the chessboard." "Jacques..." "Do you really believe in fate?" "Not the kind that is forced, like on your chessboard, but real fate?" "Do you believe that in life, some people have all the luck, and others have none?" "I believe the wheel turns." "His name is Jacques Loriot." "10 years ago, his scheme broke every blackjack table from Deauville to Monte-Oarlo, via Biarritz, Oannes," "Divonne, Enghien, the Ruhl Oasino." " He counts the cards, right?" " He's a genius." "Watch carefully." "The game has just begun." "He watches every card drawn, how the croupier picks them up and stacks them." "So far he's found the only way not to lose: not playing!" "Now, the cards are shuffled." "In sections, then they'll be cut." "It's the table's death warrant." " How?" " Until the end of the game, for 10 or 20 shoes, our man knows where the cards are." "He makes surefire bets." "It's sheer talent." "He's a hypermnesiac, a medical case." "He has total recall, all of the time, an instantaneous visual memory, it's quasi-photographic." "His real problem is how to forget." "Must be a nutcase, right?" "At times he has unwanted bursts of memory." "He can't stop his brain from recalling things." "Worse than migraine!" "Without his medication, he goes beserk." "People like him verge on psychosis." "Life with total recall is hard." "But he has something more:" "he can classify information, and access it." "He's also an ace chess-player, who has stored thousands of games in his head." "The casinos tried to scare him off, then banned him." " "Scare him off"?" " Broken bones, and a lifelong limp." "Things got very hard for him." "Every casino in Europe got his description." "They only let him play roulette, where his memory is no help:" "he always loses." "Why did you bring him up?" "is he on the warpath?" "Has he got a new scam?" "He's joining us on the Vaudier affair." "One thousand." "One thousand and a billion more, and a Peugeot sedan." "A hundred thousand billions to see your fridge." "Don't raise so much, or you kill the game." "OK?" "Once more?" "A thousand billion billions." "I hope they're not fleecing you." "The stakes are high, but interesting." "Oan I see you for a second?" " Are they improving?" " They talk to each other." "They don't listen yet, but I have hopes." "Are you doing OK?" "I'm still on Neurophan and Angilax." "I quit Pluropen, it gave me cramps, I couldn't sleep." "You seem more stable now." "I'm doing what you suggested." "I write down what I want to forget, then burn the paper." "Like emptying trash from my computer, I dump what's useless." "We've got a kid here like you:" "Joseph." "He remembers every word he said during the day, how many steps he took, or all his heartbeats, he remembers everything he's seen." "Question n1..." "What color is Casimir, the kids'favorite monster?" "is he a.: pink, B.: blue, C.: orange, D.: green?" "Vaudier, the numbers!" "I'm in the building's lobby." "Outside, people wait for Serge Vaudier to appear, as if he were the Messiah." "They want tips for the Daily Double, or a miracle remedy, or for advice on a desperate family problem." "The National Guard had to step in at dawn to keep the crowds at bay." "François Brinchet, as CEO of the FBP agency, you're merchandising the Vaudier brand-name." "You believed in him at once?" "Our ad agency gets crazy propositions daily." "Not at first when I got his letter." "A guy who predicts he'll win the lottery jackpot!" "Except that on Saturday when I saw the results, I realized I was dealing with a genius." "He gave you his equations?" "It's Angèle, am I intruding?" "I was asleep." "I need your help in this Vaudier business." "Conventional methods are no help." "I need a specialist's opinion." "Someone who can enter his mind, a real gambler." "Not a chance." "I won't side with the cops." "On principle." "Doesn't bother you when you want to get laid." "How could a loser help you?" "I'll take your refusal as a personal insult." "For once you'd be right." "You know our agency's motto.:" ""We'll turn your idea into a product," ""your product into a brand name, your brand name into a legend."" ""Then we'll make your legend come true."" "Sorry, I can't let you in." "You're banned." "I'm not." "I didn't go through with it." "The computer says you have a 10-year ban." "There are no exceptions, Mr Loriot." " You had no right!" " You had my bag blown up!" "Never sleep with a cop!" "They're finks!" "How about living with a psycho, a compulsive gambler!" "I was born a psycho!" "You weren't born a cop!" "You chose to pry into people's lives!" "Ohief, I gotta go." "A tip on forged "Scratch'ems"." "Sure, go ahead." "Albert..." "OK, Ohief, I heard nothing." "Welcome to the force, Mr Loriot." "In Atlanta, in 1959, some guys were playing bridge." "The cards were shuffled and dealt." "13 spades for the first guy, 13 hearts for the next, 13 diamonds and 13 clubs for the others." "They played 3 no-trump." "There was no investigation." "Nobody asked Interpol to step in!" "No one banned me from casinos!" "This is different." "This guy cheated!" "You know it as well as I do!" "If you don't help me, I'll make life hell for you, wherever there's gambling." "You'll even be banned from hopscotch!" "I love you." "You like my work?" "Sorry for entering your home this way." "I'm a reporter for Financial News ." "We want to interview you." "You're so hard to reach." "No one believed me, now they all want to listen." "You saw the crowd in Paris under my windows?" "I left to get away from the harassment." "You didn't dodge fame, Mr Vaudier." "I made an important discovery!" "Ever played roulette?" "On and off." "Roulette: 36 numbers on a green felt table, 37 with zero." "37 slots of around 4 square inches." "If you think of the lottery as a roulette table, you wind up with..." " 13,983,816 slots." " You count fast." " So they say." "Nearly 1 4 million possibilities." "Which means that with slots of 4X4 inches we get?" " A surface of over 2 million sq. feet." " Very good." "Playing the lottery, is like playing on a roulette table of 52 acres." "The vast territory of chance." "I stroll on it in a haze of cigarette smoke, like a landowner pacing his estates." "I know every corner of it." "I've explored it inch by inch." "Then I hit pay dirt." "It took me years..." "For 27 years I analyzed the 3915 draws of the lottery." "Every one of them." "Only the lottery interested you?" "Oertainly not." "Was Freud only interested in extreme neuroses?" "Absolutely not, but by studying them he found the unconscious, which no one questions now." "It's the same for Vaudier's "recurrent temporals"." " l'll see you out." " One last question." "Go ahead." "is that it?" "Partly." "An equation on a blackboard." "Seems mundane." "Once you know it, yes." "Train, car, iron, vase, picture, door, vase, car, car, glasses, phone, vase, picture, iron, train." "Perfect." "Hello, Jacques." "I'll leave you." "He's here." "Hi." "How are you?" "Oan't complain." "Tests boring?" "No, easy." "Those with numbers are more fun." "34, 456, 7892, 3, 98, 75, 6321 , 1 1 1 , 789, 1 , 42, 23." "Not bad." " You saw it coming in?" " No." "30 years ago." "I was like you." "I stayed here a long time." "Some things I try not to erase." "I'm sentimental." "Tell me what you think of this." "I hear you prefer math books to comic books." "I saw this at a friend's farm." "That's out of Max Planck." " But that's more like Takens." " Keep going." "Max Planck, German physicist, Nobel prize in 1918, for originating quantum physics." "Takens, more recent, a pioneer who detected logical structures in systems formerly considered random." "Do those equations look valid?" "I can consult some books." "You got 4 hearts to the jack, and anotherjack?" "I try for a flush." "You're a champ. I'll be in touch." "Careful.: geniuses!" "Queen to E6." " Things going well with Vaudier?" " Yes." "But it's madness, we're swamped." " Should I castle?" " No, you lose your edge." "I even had an offer from a Nevada prostitutes' pension fund to invest in him." "They want to promote Vaudier in the US." "With a press-junket to Las Vegas." "50 reporters will tail him for a week, day and night, in every casino on the Strip." "At roulette, craps, blackjack, slot-machines." "Vaudier will win a fortune in front of them, as the world watches." "Most people come back from Vegas broke." "Why won't Vaudier?" "The local Mafia will fix that." "It's no problem." "Mr Vaudier is here." "Show him up." "Now you'll meet him." " What's wrong?" " One of my fits." "I've skipped my medication." "Should I call a doctor?" "No, I'll be OK at home." "I have to go." "But Vaudier's coming!" "I'm in too much pain." "Some other time." "Pal, the Krispachup campaign is a disaster!" "What?" "That's not one of mine." "Sorry, I'm swamped by this Vaudier business." "So far I've signed most things you came up with." "But I won't stoop to old hookers." "The answer is a firm no." "If you can rattle Las Vegas, you'll become a global celebrity." "You want to turn me into a magic act?" "That wasn't our agreement." "The Vaudier method is very precise." "You win by calculating." "Not by complicity with the Mafia, or such ploys." "You liked the ploy I found to make you a celebrity!" "I won't sign it now." "I'll take it home and sleep on it." "I'll call you back." "OK, since you're so smart, when's your next performance?" "In half a century." "On September 16, 2051 ." "It will be a Saturday, and on the second draw." "The result will be 8, 19, 24, 31 , 44 and 47." "Meanwhile, it's all guesswork." "On your marks!" "Get set!" "Go!" " What's all this?" " l think we've got him." "It's simple as pie." "Vaudier fooled us all." "He put his first win on every combination for the 2nd draw." "Explain his first win?" " Maybe he was financed." " Your idea won't hold up." "That's what I'm checking now." "Oareful, we're close to one minute." "Three, two, one." "Stop!" "An average of 6 play-slips a minute." "We have to fill 1 4 million." "That'll take 1504 days." "Over 4 years!" "It's silly." "Not if he hired people." "Like in that Spanish Bingo fraud." "Using 1000 people 8 hours a day, it'd still take a week." "And forget about secrecy!" "If so many people knew about the scam... lt'd be all over town, and those play-slips have to be validated." "You thought about how much 1 4 million play-slips weigh?" "One play-slip must weigh around 3 grams." "It adds up to several tons..." "Oould a tobacconist validate several trailer-trucks full of play-slips?" "Your idea won't stand up." "OK, let's run him in, and work him over till he comes clean." "For what do you arrest him?" "Repeated lucky breaks?" " How are things?" " Not good." "The Ohief found out that I hired Jacques." "To him, Jacques is just a crook." "So?" "None of us have any leads." "You and I are in the hot seat." "We have to start all over." "We missed something." "OK." "What about Jacques?" "We have to trust him." "I'd rather people here didn't know the truth about my relationship with him." "I haven't told anyone." "I'd just made detective." "My turf was bank robbers and pimps." "I did a fill-in on the gambling squad." "To follow Jacques for 3 weeks, day and night." "I watched him fleece the casinos, one by one, methodically..." "He always acted alone." "He intrigued me... and soon fascinated me." "That's it." "I realized that to keep on seeing him..." "You had to stay on the squad." "That's what I did, then realized he'd made a fool of me." "You smoke too much." "It's your 21 rst tonight." "Have we met?" "At the Ruhl you smoked 32, at the Palm Beach, 35." "Here it's worse." "41 yesterday in Arcachon." "Over two packs, a first!" "Why do you care?" "Usually I get fat, bald cops." "I don't want to lose you." " When did you spot me?" " The first day." " You never gamble." " l hate chance." "So do I." "It's my worst enemy." " We share that." " And nothing else." "Join me for dinner, we'll find out." "How many words have I said?" "37." "And you breathed 6 times." "There are 187 camelias on your outfit, you use 3 different lipsticks," "and at each hotel, you asked Reception if I was alone." "To see if I was with a woman." "I hid that from you, when there was one." "Amazing." "But I won'tjoin you for dinner." "Why?" "You're too much like other men." "We're living in rotten times." "Vaudier left us as soon as he'd won." "But you paid him for his tutoring up to Saturday." "Yes, if his resignation only reached us Monday." "He may have tutored the rugby morons on Saturday." "We'll check the records." "The rugby morons?" "Playing rugby, they can beat up their fellow students." "They're encouraged to!" "My students delight in that." "They win us at least one trophy a year." "Tutoring these thugs for 15 years is deserving." "But then you win millions." "You're famous not because you taught these wretches to count, but because you won big in some bingo game!" "You see here, Saturday, September 13," "Gomez and Froutillon were absent, but Vaudier signed in." "So he was here." "Why's it so important?" "If he was here, he wasn't in central Paris validating his play-slip." "All I ever won in a game of chance was a live duck, at a carnival." "We braised it, with turnips." "A far cry from Vaudier's 1 1 million!" "As Ohief of the Security Branch, I've known them all:" "Tic-tac-toe, Millionaire, Green Baize, Keno." "But no success equaled the Lottery's." "It outlasted Giscard and Mitterrand, it'll bury Ohirac." "But now nobody's playing." "The Government's revenues are plummeting." "The Finance Ministry is on my back ten times a day." "We have a serious lead now, sir." "The man has an accomplice." "He didn't validate his 2nd play-slip himself." "We'll prove that Vaudier cheated." "No one had the right to take on the Lottery." "We create over one new millionaire per week!" "Did this shady character you hired unearth it?" "Our department did." "Loriot works best as a loner." " He's not on time." " Sorry, he should be here." "I don't understand." "How odd of you to hire this guy." "Make sure he delivers!" "Sure." " Jacques Loriot..." "The Security Ohief." " Delighted." " Angèle told me a lot about you." " Did she say I was punctual?" "No, she used your lateness to fill me in on a lead she's finally found." "Really?" "Seems our cheater has an accomplice." "One can't really say that he cheated." "Not in the usual sense of the word." "I didn't cheat counting blackjack cards." "What's the connection?" "The play-slips were correctly filled in and validated, twice in a row, as was the draw." "So he won correctly twice in a row." " That's impossible." " l agree." " So he cheated." " Not necessarily." "Who's raking it in?" "From Vaudier's contracts?" "The FBP ad agency." "Vaudier and Brinchet knew each other." "Why do you say that?" "Vaudier was Brinchet's son's math teacher. I saw the class photos." " And Vaudier's letter saying he'd win?" " Phony." "Antedated by Brinchet." "That's not a crime." "They did nothing illegal." "But I can make them goof." "In the Friday the 13th lottery." "With a 15 million Euro jackpot!" "If we forge a winning ticket, you'll nab Vaudier." "No way!" "No forged tickets!" "I want to hear out Mr Loriot." "No, this won't do at all!" "Forged passports or paychecks land us in the scandal sheets!" "They damage us!" "How will you use this forgery?" "That's not for all ears." "But your Minister need not fear:" "his popularity will surge." "Oan you guarantee this won't get out of hand?" "I'm a gambler." "We work without guarantees, but we like to win." "The State, by developing games of chance was responding to the demands of our citizens." "Some people don't buy flowers anymore, only play-slips." "Others get inner peace from scratch cards." "You amass wealth by guessing six numbers." "Education isn't the only way up the social ladder:" "it can be a sphere with little balls in it." "Ourjob is to ensure the sphere never stops turning." "What are you getting at?" "You hired Mr Loriot, do what he wants!" "If this sours, I won't cover you, I knew nothing!" "I'll inform the Lottery's OEO myself." "Get going!" "Let's make peace." "Your place or mine?" "You were a big help!" "You ridiculed me in front of him." "You can't go it alone." "Let's not go anywhere." "Save your luck for Friday the 13th!" "We're all behind you tonight, at 8.51 PM on Channel 2." "How much is there... 15?" "15 million Euros to win." "Who'll it be?" "Good luck." "Tell me what the fake ticket's for?" "It's starting." "20." "The first number is 20." "18." "19." "What's it for?" "I'll call this off!" "Then you'll be alone to explain why it flopped." "If it does, I'll forget you easily." "Your face and your name will fade from my memory." "Things won't be so simple for you." "I'm doing the job you hired me for." "46." "The bonus number is 3." "The ticket will be validated at the newsstand in Brignancourt." "I've got it." "The code is 234-TEA-60." "OK, go ahead." "Holy shit." "18-19-20-33-46-49." "Validated at Brignancourt." "It's perfect." "How many winners?" "Security Department here..." "Thanks." "One Level 1 winner." "Now there's two." "It could be worth 7.5 million." "In a week, announce that the 2nd winner still hasn't come forward." " By the way, Albert." " Yes?" "What did you major in?" "Prof. Traup, Dean of Mathematics at Paris University," "Doctoral degrees from Florence, Boston and Manilla, winner of the Tubingen Award, member of the Academy of Sciences." "Ladies and gentlemen, I decided to address you via this camera connected to the Internet site of a prestigious college," "so I'd be connected to the entire world." "In a week, I'll reveal here, in this university's main aula, the truth about the so-called Vaudier affair." "I have seen those notorious equations." "They're a fraud, and we'll prove it." "Access to the main aula will be restricted to members of the international scientific community but the proof will be broadcast live on the Internet, so everyone can follow it, and end a farce that has ridiculed science with impunity." ""Science without conscience is the death of the soul."" "Rabelais." "Thank you for your interest." "End of broadcast." "Perfect!" "Thank you." "By helping us, your school will get the research funds it requested for next year." "Sorry I added the Malraux quote." "I thought it'd add credibility." "It was perfect, Albert." "As if we were there." "You're through, Vaudier!" "In a week, we'll be all washed up!" "Why did you show your damn equations?" "I didn't." "It's a campaign of slander!" "To no one?" "You're sure?" "Vaudier!" "A reporter from the Financial News came one night and..." "You poor sap!" "You'd do anything for fame." "Now you'll look like an idiot in both hemispheres." "They can't prove a thing, my equations are valid." "That bespectacled idiot is denying it!" "Get ready for the worst, Vaudier." "Twist your equations every which way, and try to win the jackpot again before 2051 ." "If we can't shut them up once and for all, pray that we don't end up in the same jail cell!" "Mr Brinchet, sorry to bother you.:" "an envelope was delivered." "It says.: urgent and confidential." "Bring it in." "Thanks." ""l won the Friday the 13th jumbojackpot." ""Meet me at the cafeteria of the Passey institution" ""in Brignancourt."" " Sophie?" " Yes, Mr Brinchet?" "Get me last Saturday's newspaper..." "The 1 4th." " Right away, Mr Brinchet." " Bring it in." "Hurry!" "Move it!" "One coffee, please." "Look, there's a 7." " And the guy who's begging?" " He's a 2." "There's an 8." "Here's the 1 ." "Look at the guy cleaning the clock." "He's a 6." "A 5." "* A 9." "Oome on." " We've got to get going." " No." "You're due back at the institution." "They said one hour." "Now the game's really starting." "Mr Brinchet?" "I wrote you that note." "Thanks for coming." "Every bit helps." "I understand your surprise." " You know the HMl syndrome?" " No." "High Maladjusted lntelligence." "This place has a section that specializes in kids like me." "Some periods we're fine, others we're not." "Except I won the lottery jackpot." "My parents are dead." "I'm a ward of this institution, a minor forbidden to gamble." "If I tell the truth, the doctors'll get the millions." "You can solve it." " l don't see how." " lt's very simple." "I trade you my play-slip for cash, or 90% of the sum." "You get 10% for your expenses." "Then you give Vaudier the ticket." "So he has won again." "My supervisor mustn't see us together." "Think it over and let me know." "I wrote my floor's phone number on the matchbox." "Oall, say it's you." "I'll call you back." "The odds of winning the jackpot 3 times is close to 1 to two thousand billion billions." "Greater than the ratio between a carbon atom and the entire solar system." "Your proposition doesn't appeal to me." "Enough of your bullshit, Vaudier." "Don't pretend you believe in it!" "You invented nothing." "Like any winner, you're just a lucky bastard." "That bespectacled college creep will prove it in 2 days!" "Don't talk to me like that!" "Your scientific career will end in a law court, when you're exposed as a fraud." "I'm not afraid of going to jail." "In his dungeon, Paganini played on one string!" "Stop breaking the dynamics of the product!" "The product is Vaudier!" "The more he's seen, the more we sell!" "If I say you win 3 times, you do it." "And if I say 10 times, you do it, too!" "With luck, all the bozos who win the jackpot will do what that idiot kid who brought you his ticket did." "You'll win every week!" "Like it or not!" "The gold rush enriched 2 kinds of people:" "the few who found gold, who came back from the Klondike worn out, and those who sold shovels and pans." "They sold to those who found gold, and to those who didn't." "That's my style:" "I'm a salesman, I sell dreams to everyone, some will come back rich, but they all will have coughed up!" "But I announced I'd quit winning." "I made you a star, Vaudier." "Like all stars you said you were quitting." "Par for the course." "Now you can make your come-back." "You got my message?" " l was waiting for you." " Still got you-know-what?" "Here." "I'm happy to do you this favor." "I'll be off now." " Blame it on my youth!" " Quoth the raven." "Sure..." "Well, goodbye kids." " What's in that suitcase?" " About 7 million." " And no raven?" " No." "Too bad." " Did it go OK?" " No problem. ls it all set?" " Fine, it's all set." " You sure?" "Sure." " Hand it over." " What?" "Go on." "I'd forgotten." "Sure." "Did you check Vaudier's equations?" "It's mumbo-jumbo:" "some quantum physics, mathematical models for hot air masses and pendulum swings, but unconnected." "is that him?" "Yes." "Ever had German measles?" "Toxoplasmosis?" "You feel OK?" "Take these tests." "Was the father tested?" "He can get a free check-up, too." "Make the most of it." "The father?" "Yes, the father." "Your child must have a father." "You know who he is?" "Yes." "So what did the doc say?" "That I hit the jackpot." "He won't let you down." "Oh yeah?" "Then where the hell is he?" "We've had no news for a week." " The press conference?" " Follow the cables." "They went for the fake?" "He said he'd explain here how." "You told him, about you two?" "Don't make me regret telling you a secret." "Members of the press, thanks for coming so numerous to participate in what can be called an unprecedented exploit." "There you are, at last!" "Isn't Mr Loriot with you?" "He'll be here any minute." "...For the 3rd time, Vaudier has harnessed chance." "Does this feat defy classic probability theory, as internauts and some of the faculty assert?" "If this fouls up, I'll drop you all!" " What will you do with this sum?" " Spread it around!" "I'll take one last question." "That lady perhaps?" "Helen Stuart of Science magazine." "Do you plan to use your method again a number of times to win at this game, or is this it?" "You're penalizing other players." "Quite." "Science must contribute to man's happiness, not to strip him of wealth, joy, and knowledge." "That's why I solemnly state that this win is my last." "With nothing left to prove, further gain is senseless." "Fine..." "Now we just have to proceed with the exchange of this play-slip for a check of 7.5 million Euros." " What do I do now?" " Go on up." "He needs you!" "And if I sign this check?" "Go on. lt's all set." "Where's Loriot?" "Are we going to screw up now?" "You want to wind up a traffic cop?" "FAKE" "NON-EXlSTENT PLAY-SLlP" "Oall the Ministry." "Hands on the table!" "You're under arrest for forgery, fraud and theft!" "Vaudier!" "What about the first wins?" "Forgeries, too?" "Brinchet did it!" "He put me up to it!" "I'm not a cheater." "My method is valid!" "I'm a scientist!" "How long have you known Vaudier?" "Hold the door!" "The suitcase." "Sorry I doubted Loriot." "He came through." "Loriot?" "Jacques Loriot?" "You know him?" "He helped us to nab you." "I don't know how he did it." "He's coming, I'll introduce you." "Don't bother." "And I doubt he'll show up." "Really?" ""Forced moves"!" "He made us all play forced moves." "From the start." "I met him about 10 years ago." "At the time, I hung around casinos, I did them a few favors." "I was in charge of security." "When we met up again, later, I'd just recycled myself buying shares in an ad agency." "He offered to give me chess lessons." "Do you really believe in fate?" "Not the kind that is forced, like on your chessboard, but real fate?" "Do you believe that some people have all the luck, and others none?" "I believe the wheel turns." "Then look at this." "I played the lottery yesterday." "Like all idiots, I used my birth date." "I just watched the draw on TV." "I won, imagine that!" "All 6 numbers." "The jackpot!" " You shown it to anyone?" " No, you're the first." "Oome with me." "I want to show you something." "Yesterday I was going to tape a movie, and before it, there was this." "Who does Lady Luck favor?" "Watch TV tonight." "Now an excerpt from the amazing press-conference of Serge Vaudier, the eccentric winner of last night's jackpot." "is he a mystifying genius or just mystified?" "You decide." "Why show me that?" "Should I have a press-conference like him?" "You may be lucky, but you're a lousy businessman." "What?" "What's your lottery ticket worth?" "Dunno, 3 or 4 million." "Wrong." "3 or 4 hundred million, at least!" "Oontact that egomaniac, and give him your ticket." "Then he can say he won twice in a row." "His theory will look believable." "The egomaniac becomes a star." "And I become his manager." "You're a genius." "How much do you want?" "20% of everything, deposited twice a month at East Paris train station." "I met Vaudier because Jacques recorded his press-conference." "I'd never heard of that idiot." "He taught your son math?" "I have no son, only a bookish daughter." " Did you pay him?" " On the dot." "7 million, twice." "And as much from the forged ticket." "He knew I'd be the cop on the case and he'd be involved." "And that he'd ditch me in the end." "But why?" "You're the goose that laid the golden eggs?" "I underestimated his vindictiveness." "I thought we'd become friends when he offered me chess lessons." "It's common with guys like him." "You rough 'em up, then they want to be pals." "Insurance?" "No insurance." "In fact, he was biding his time." "You forgot he had total recall:" "he couldn't forget!" "Thanks." "Hello, officer." " You're Angèle Berstein?" " Yes." "That's yours." "And this is mine." "These bags stand up to anything." " Who are you?" " His accomplice." " Gonna arrest me?" " l'm through with that." "But you'll travel alone." "You're not a big help." "But I knew that." "It was tricky from the start:" "a cop and a cheater." "One of them had to yield." "Or that kid won't have a dad." " And?" " l know all about that." "Oheck out that bag." "How did you know I'm pregnant?" "I didn't. I was bluffing." "And if I'd said: "What kid?"" "I'd say: "The one he wants with you."" "I'll be on that plane." "Do what you want." "Hurry!" "It's about to happen!" "Hurry, you'll miss it all!" "Oome on!" "Shit!" "Deal with that." " lt's a girl." " The odds were 50-50." " My loser..." " No, I was the big winner!" "You lost at Vatican roulette." "Loser takes all." "She has your eyes." " Think so?" " Just like yours." " She's all wrinkled." " Like a tortoise." " She's cold." " Such tiny hands." " Lucky she has two." " She has two of most things." " l'm tired." " What about me!" "It won't stop." "We won't stay long." "I've figured it out." "What's to figure out?" "It will happen on September 16, 2051." "On a Saturday." "On the second draw." "Subtitles:" "A.Whitelaw" "Subtitling:" "VDM-Paris" "Meanwhile it's all guesswork."