" You said, "I Iove you!" and I said, "Stay!"" "I nearly said, " Take me!" but you said, "Go away!"" "JULES AND JIM" " Circa 1912, jules, a foreigner in Paris, asked..." "Jim, a new pal, to get him a ticket to the Fine Arts bal." "Jim did and took... him to get a costume." "As JuIes chose his slave outfit," "Jim's friendship for jules was born." "And flowered at the ball where JuIes sat with tender, laughing eyes." "Next day, they had a real talk and began to meet daily." "Each taught the other his language and literature... sharing and translating their poems together." "Both were indifferent to money and... neither had everfound such an attentive listener." "jules had no girlfriend but wanted one." "Jim had several." "He introduced him to a musician and... their mutual crush lasted a week." "Then came a pretty thing... who outlasted them in the cafés till 6:00 AM." "Then they made a threesome with a blonde widow." "She thought JuIes was nice but dumb... and found him a quiet girl whom he found to be too quiet." "In spite of Jim's advice, jules visited some pros... but found no satisfaction there." " Get to work!" "DOWN WITH..." "OTHER..." "No more paint!" "They'lI say anarchists can't spell!" " merlin's after me!" "He's big!" "Run!" "Can I sleep at your place?" "I'm Teresa." " Indeed!" "But I have a date elsewhere tonight." " GiIberta?" "So JuIes'" " Who's JuIes?" " Me." "And you?" " Jim." " Jim and jules!" " No!" "jules and Jim!" " What's that?" " Better than a clock!" "Once the sand's run out..." "I'lI be asleep." "You'lI sleep there..." "Me, here." " Sure!" " Got a cigaret?" " Of course!" "You're Jim?" " jules." " You're nice, jules." "I'lI be a steam locomotive!" " It's almost day." " For once, stay and sleep next to me." " No, GiIberta." "If I did, I'd feel I must stay tomorrow too." "That would be as if we'd set up house." "Ws that our agreement?" " You're so logical!" "And Judex hates being left home alone." "The night's over." "It's daybreak." "Pretend I'm a laborer leaving for work." " You'lI go home and sleep till noon, I'm sure!" " Him over there!" " It was Shakespeare!" "I know his phrase." "It's a phrase, I'm telling you." " jules, give me change for the music." " It was Shakespeare." "believe me!" " Thanks." "Got a cigaret?" " Of course!" " Me like you very much." " Thanks." "Can I sleep at your place?" "I'm Teresa." " H'm ..." " Never mind, jules." "Lose one and find ten new ones!" " With Teresa it wasn't love." "She was my young mother and loving daughter at the same time." "I'vee no luck with Parisians." "Thank heavens for the girls back home." "I Iove Lucie." "She refused to marry me." "I'lI go back to see her in six months." "And this is Brigitta." "And there's also HeIga... whom I might love if I didn't love Lucie." "She looks like this." " jules sketched a woman's face on the table." "Jim tried to buy the table but... the owner would sell only all 12 tables or none." "albert!" "Jim... my French friend." " hello." " hello." "please." " Thanks." " My humble respects." " jules." " I think we'vee already met." " Of course." " Jim, a friend." " Do sit down!" " Thanks." " Jim had asked..." ""Who's albert?"" " The friend of some artists." "He knows all those who'lI be famous in ten years." " This one's more exotic... rather like an Inca statue." "This is more in the Roman style." "It's pockmarked by the rain." "I found it in a garden." "It's had a generation of rain on it." "This one's very pathetic." "The face seems to be decaying." "It's odd to see stone given such a flabby treatment." "I Iove this one." "The lips are beautiful... rather disdainful." "The eyes are beautiful." " We'd Iike to see it again." " I have a cIose-up of it." " It was the roughly sculpted face... of a woman whose calm smile startled them." "It was on display in an open-air museum on an Adriatic island." "They decided to see it at once." "They had identical outfits made." "They spent an hour by the statue." "They admired it silently and said nothing till the next day." "Had they ever seen such a smile?" "Never!" "And if they did?" "They'd follow it." "They came home filled with this new revelation." "Paris welcomed them." " You're a gentleman, Jim!" "How's your book coming?" " Pretty well." "It's rather autobiographical." "Our friendship plays a major role." "I'lI read you some pages." " With pleasure." ""Jack and julian were close." ""julian's last novel had been a success." ""He wrote about women..." ""he'd known before meeting Jack and before Lucienne." ""Jack was proud of julian..." "like Don Quixote and Sancho Panza." ""people even thought they were a bit queer." ""They always ate together... and chose the best cigars for each other."" " beautiful!" "I'd Iike to translate it into German." " To the showers!" " My cousin in Munich wrote... to say he's sending me three girls who're studying with him... a BerIiner, a Dutch girl and a French girl." "They're coming to dinner tomorrow." "I'm counting on you!" " Catherine had the statue's smile." "Her nose, mouth, chin and forehead... had a certain provincial pride." "It was like a dream." "As the party organiser I suggest... we abolish once and for all any use of titles... such as Sir, Madame or Miss... and a toast to friendship with my favorite Nussbergerwine." "Let us avoid the traditional linking of arms... by touching toes beneath the table." " Carried away, jules removed his at once." "Jim kept his next to Catherine's ... but she gently pulled hers away." "jules' shy, happy smile told... everyone that they were in his heart." "For a month JuIes disappeared and saw Catherine alone... but the two friends continued to meet at the gym." "(reading in German)" " Very good, jules." " Will you spend the evening with me and Catherine?" " OK." " I told her all about you." "Catherine's anxious to know you better but... not with her, Jim, OK?" "There he is." " hello, Mr. Jim!" " hello." " Say Jim the way the english do." "Not Jeem!" "What do you think of our pal Thomas?" "Can he go out with us?" " Not bad!" "Maybe a mustache..." " Now let's face the streets." " Got a light, sir?" "Thank you, sir." " Catherine's trick pleased her." "jules and Jim... felt confused." " Is it a dream or rain?" " Maybe both!" " So let's go to the sea!" "Tomorrow!" "Let's have a race... to the end of the bridge." " Get set!" "1... 2..." "Oh..." "(panting)" " Yeah!" "(laughing)" " You cheated." " But I won!" " Thomas always wins, speaks three languages and swims like a fish." "And stands on his head?" "You'lI teach him!" "Mr. Jim, tomorrow will you help me... take my bags to the station?" " What a mixture!" " Herfather's a noble, her mother's a commoner." "He's from an old Burgundy family." "Mama was english." "So she's not average... and she teaches." " What?" " Shakespeare!" " Jim felt she was JuIes' and didn't think about her." "The calm smile returned to Catherine's lips... naturally, expressing everything." " hello, Catherine." " I need only to put on my dress!" "Never put a hat on a bed." " Taking his bike?" "Yes." "And this bag?" "Yes." " What're you doing?" " I'm burning some lies." "Give me a match." " Oh, Jim!" "Oh, my God!" " Don't move, don't move." "Ah!" " Don't move." "It's over." "Are you hurt?" " No." "Hand me my dress." " OK." " Got a broom?" " In front of you!" "Will you help me?" " Sure." "There." " Thanks." "That goes too." " What is it?" " sulfuric acid for the eyes of men who lie." " The bottle'lI break in your bag." "You can buy more acid anywhere." " Is it true?" "Yes." " Not in that bottle!" "I swore to use only that bottle." "My hat..." "Your hat!" " Thanks!" " They rented a house on the coast, too big but isolated... a bit solemn, white outside and unfurnished." " jules?" "Yes!" " sleep well?" " Very!" " Is Jim awake?" " I don't know." " Jim?" " Jim?" " How's everyone?" " Everyone's fine!" "AbeautifuI day!" "Let's go to the beach!" "Come on, Jim." "Let's look for traces of civilisation!" "A piece of tree..." "A bottle!" "A shoe!" "A can." "A can!" "Watch out!" "Catherine, look!" "wonderful!" " Be careful!" " Matches." "Apostcard!" "A piece of china!" "A cup... a cigaret butt!" "A cigaret pack!" " I think we're lost!" " Then we must climb a tree." " Come on... climb up." " The house... there it is." "would you mind if I marry Catherine?" "Answer me frankly." " Is she made for a husband and children?" "I'm afraid she'lI never be happy here on earth." "She's an apparition, not a woman... for one man." "We must continue." " Not this time!" " Yes..." " I quit!" "Come on, boys!" "help me!" "Let's go, boys!" "I'vee read a book I Iike." "AGerman dares to say aloud what I think inside." "The sky we see... is a bubble no bigger than this." "We walk with our heads pointed at the centre." "(translating in French)" " What's beyond the crust?" " Who knows?" "That's not a question for gentlemen to ask." " Give me your answer tomorrow." "If it's no, I'lI ask you again... each year on your birthday." " You'vee known few women, I'vee known lots of men." "With our averages, maybe we'd make a good couple." " Catherine's almost said yes." "At 15 I was in love with napoleon." "I dreamt of meeting him in an elevator." "He'd make me pregnant and I'd never see him again." "Poor napoleon!" "As a baby I Iearned Our Fatherwho art in Heaven... but I said, Our Father's go-cart in Heaven." "So I imagined my daddy with a beard, riding in a go-cart in Paradise." "I thought I'd told a funny story... at Ieast amusing enough to make you smile." "Oh..." "would someone mind scratching my back?" " Scratch and Heaven'lI scratch you." " What?" " Scratch and..." " Take this!" "(laughing)" "Before I met you I never laughed." "I Iooked like this..." "But that's over!" "Never again!" " Is it true?" "Yes!" "It's raining!" "Look!" "I miss Paris." "Let's go back!" "Tomorrow we'lI be in Paris." " Catherine, jules..." " hello." " I'vee signed with my publisher!" "Ah!" " For Catherine!" " Thanks." " For you both!" " Very nice." " wonderful!" " There's a box." " What is it?" "alittle hand for scratching your back!" "I have three seats for the theater tonight." " What'lI we see?" "A new Swedish play." "Ah well." " Curtain's at 9:00." "Once the sand runs out, time to get dressed!" " Jim enjoyed seeing his friends often." "jules' great bed was officially inaugurated... with two pillows side by side and the bed smelled good." "Catherine began to find her roots in life." " nevertheless, I Iike that girl!" "She wants to be free and live each moment of her life." " Jim doesn't seem to agree." " The play's vague and complacent, showing vice to illustrate virtue." " We don't know when orwhere it takes place." "He doesn't say if the heroine's a virgin or not." " That's unimportant!" "Yes, if the story was only sentimental, but he says the hero's impotent... plus a homo brother and a nympho!" "We need more details on the heroine." " That's all you think about!" " Right, Madam, and because of you!" " No psychology tonight!" " No, it's metaphysics!" "Awife's fidelity is important... a husband's is secondary." "Who wrote: "Woman is natural, therefore abominable" ?" " BaudeIaire, on certain women of a certain world." " Not at all!" "He meant women in general!" "He described a young girl..." ""Monstrous scarecrow, assassin of Art..." ""little fool, little bitch... the greatest idiocy linked to the greatest depravation!"" "Wit!" "He said more." ""It's amazing that they allow women in churches." "What have they to discuss with God?"" " You're idiots!" " I said nothing!" "I don't have to agree with jules at 2:00 AM." " Then protest!" " I protest!" " Jim fixed Catherine's leap in his mind... and made a sketch of it although he'd never drawn before." "He felt a burst of admiration... and in his thoughts sent her an invisible kiss." "He mentally swam with her and held his breath... to scare JuIes." " Catherine!" "Why?" " Catherine, over here." " You're crazy!" " Over here, Catherine." "Take my hand." " Catherine." " You're crazy!" " Catherine's hat floated away." "jules was pale, uncertain, quiet and more handsome." "Catherine smiled like a modest general after a victory in italy." "No one mentioned her jump." " I'm home." " please, Mr. Jim..." " Just Jim!" " Just Jim..." "I'd Iike to ask you for some advice." "Will you meet me at our café tomorrow at 7:00?" " Catherine wants to talk to you." " I'lI be there at 7:00." " Thanks." " Sir." "You're joking!" " I never joke." "I have no sense of humor." " No?" " I know people who do... my wife's friends, people at work but personally I don't ." "I'm not funny." " OK, AIphonse, Iet's go." " Jim arrived late, as usual... optimisticaIIy." "He was afraid of not being the first to arrive." "He thought a girl like her could arrive at 7:00... and not seeing me, leave at 7:01." "She might walk through the room... and not seeing me with my paper, leave immediately." "A girl like her..." "But what was she like?" "Jim truly thought of Catherine for the first time." "Witer!" "Another coffee!" " Witer!" " Sir?" "Another drink!" "(phone ringing)" "allo?" " Jim, did I wake you?" "We're going home to my country to get married!" " Bravo, jules!" "My apologies to Catherine." "I arrived late." "I waited till 7:50." " Catherine's more optimistic about time." "She was at the hairdresser's and arrived... at 8:00 to have dinner with you." " If I'd known, I'd have waited till midnight." " Catherine wants to talk to you." " Jim, I'm very happy." "jules is going to teach me French boxing." "With an Austrian accent?" " I don't have an accent anymore!" "My pronunciation is excellent." "Listen!" ""children of the nation, our victory day has come!" ""Against tyranny we'vee raised the bloody flag of freedom!" ""Can you hear in the land the enemy's fierce guns?" ""They'vee come to take the blood of our sons!" ""To arms, citizens." "Form your battalions." ""March, march." "Let impure blood" ""water ourfurrows." "We too shall enlist." "When our elders' time has come..."" "War then broke out shortly after." "The two men were mobilised in their respective armies... and didn't hearfrom each other." "(artillery fire)" "The war dragged on and became a daily routine... patterned after the seasons... a normal life with its pauses... and even its distractions." "Jim received packages from GiIberta." "Each time he expected a furlough... it was canceled." "But in the spring of 1916 he had a week in Paris." " Don't marry me to thank me for a package!" "We're fine this way!" "OK, but I'm sure we'lI grow old together." " How's JuIes?" " No news since he married Catherine." "I'm afraid of killing him in the trenches." ""Catherine..." ""My love..." ""I think of you constantly but..." ""not of your soul, for I don't believe in that..." ""but of your body, thighs, and hips..." ""and of your belly, and our son inside it." ""I'vee no envelope and don't know how to send you this letter." ""I'm being sent to the Russian front." ""It'lI be rough but..." ""I prefer it that way." "I'm so afraid of killing Jim." ""My love..." "I kiss you very hard."" "(artillery fire)" " jules's country had lost, Jim's had won." "But the real victory was they were alive." "They made contact via a neutral country and began writing." "Catherine and jules lived near the Rhine." "Sabine had been born." "Jim wrote to jules," ""should I too get married and have children?"" "jules replied," ""Come judge for yourself."" "Catherine asked him also." "Jim left but delayed the event of his arrival." "He visited several towns on the Rhine." "A Paris paper published his articles on postwar Germany." "He wanted to see his own major battlefields." "In some spots the fields... contained so much iron from the shelling that they were untiIIabIe." "Jim looked for the names of his lost comrades... in the cemeteries that already the schoolchildren were visiting." "Catherine was... at the station with her daughter and a look of restrained audacity and whim." " hello, Jim." " hello, Catherine." " This is Sabine." " hello, Sabine." " hello, Mr. Jim!" " jules is anxious to see you." " Jim felt like she'd come to the café very late, dressed especially for him." "She took him to their chalet amid some pines by a sloping meadow." " How are the others?" " Oh, the others..." " You haven't changed." " You haven't changed." " So no one's changed!" "(clock ticking)" " Have a seat." " Come here, Sabine." " No, thanks..." " Wnt some?" "alittle." " Cigaret?" " No, thanks." " I'vee quit smoking now that I'm in love with plants." "An angel is passing over." " naturally!" "It's 1:20." " So..." " They always pass over at 20 minutes past." " Oh?" " So it seems." " I didn't know that." " Neither did I." " Indeed." "At 20 past and at 20 to." " So you won the war, you devil!" " I'd rather have won this." "(Sabine laughing)" " You must be hungry." "Let's eat." "After lunch I'lI show you the house." "Jim here..." "jules there... and Sabine next to me." "And your new novel?" " Unfinished due to my damn articles." "I have to think about them all week... then write them Friday night and send them by air mail." "And you?" " I have a commission for a book on dragonflies." "I'm doing the text and photos." "Catherine's doing the drawings and graphics." "Even Sabine helps by going with me to the marshes." "I'm going to build an artificial pond in the garden." "Maybe one day..." "I'lI write a love story... where the characters will be insects." "I have a bad tendency to overspeciaIise." "I envy you your broad scope, Jim." " Me?" "I'm a failure." "Prof albert SoreI taught me the little I know." "He said, "You want to be what?" "AdipIomat."" ""Are you rich?" "No."" ""Can you legitimately add a famous name to your own surname?"" ""No."" ""Then forget diplomacy."" ""But what'lI I become?" "Curious" ." ""That's not a profession, not yet." ""travel, write, translate." ""Learn to live everywhere." "Begin at once." ""The future belongs to the curious." ""The French have stayed behind their borders too long." "Newspapers'lI pay for your escapades."" " jules says a great career lies before you." "I agree but not necessarily a spectacular one." "Here's where JuIes works and sleeps." "Our life is organised like life in a convent." "jules writes his books... hunts for his insects and little things." "MathiIda, the nearby farmer's girl... helps me with the house and Sabine." "My room..." " It's JuIes!" " His father adored..." "Mozart so much that one day he dressed JuIes like him." "The balcony... (birds chirping)" "Your inn is over there." "jules'lI take you there later." "jules?" "Ah-ah!" " My tum!" "Come on." "(Sabine laughing)" " jules and Jim continued talking as before." "They discussed the war." "jules avoided mentioning his family." "Catherine was severe and kind to him, but Jim felt all was not going very well." " Time for bed!" "The fleas need to be fed!" "Once upon a time there was a flea... a very nice flea..." " Good night, Sabine." " See you tomorrow!" " Good night." "Good night, jules." " I need to talk to you." "How do you find Catherine?" " Marriage and motherhood agree with her." "She's not so grasshopper, more like an ant." " Beware!" "True, she maintains order and harmony in our home." "But when all goes too well, she becomes discontented." "Her attitude changes and she whips out her words." " I always thought she was like napoleon." " She claims the world is rich and... one can sometimes cheat a bit... but she first asks God for forgiveness, sure that she'lI get it." "Jim, I'm afraid she'lI leave us." " impossible!" " No." "She's already gone off." "For six months I thought she wouldn't come back." "I can feel she's ready to leave again." "She's no Ionger completely my wife." "She's had lovers." "I know of three." "One on the eve of ourwedding as a farewell to bachelorhood... one as revenge for something I did... but I don't know what." "I'm not the man for her... and she can't bear that." "I'm used to her infidelities but..." "I couldn't bear for her to leave." "Now there's albert..." " The singer who found the statue..." " He's the one who showed it to us." "He was hurt in the war." "He's convaIescing in a nearby town." "Catherine's encouraged him and given him hope." "He's a good man." "He was frank with me." "He wants to marry her and raise the child." "I'm not mad at him." "I'm not mad at her norAIbert." "I'm slowly giving her up... and all I'd hoped for on earth." " She won't leave." "She loves your Buddhist monk aspect." " She's usually sweet and generous... but when she feels unappreciated... she becomes terrible... and violently goes from one extreme to the other." "Listen to the moIe-cricket singing." "It's a kind of mole." " From his room Jim could see the chalet." "Queen of the hearth, Catherine was ready to fly away." "Jim wasn't surprised." "He recalled JuIes' errors with other women." "He knew Catherine was terribly precise." "He felt sad for jules but couldn't judge Catherine." "She leapt into men as she'd leapt into the Seine." "A threat hung over the house." "The second week began." " Sabine..." "You'd best say goodnight now." "Yes, Mama." " Good night, Jim." " Jim, I'd Iike to talk to you later." "Are you free?" " Sure." " Good." " please note that words can't have the same value... when they don't have the same gender." "In German, war, death and moon are masculine... whereas sun and love are feminine." "Life is neuter." " That's very pretty and above all very logical." "As the war dragged on, skirts got shorter." "It caused quarrels on each furIough." "soldiers felt they were being laughed at... but actually cloth had become rarer and rarer." "And women had to cut their hair... to work in factories because of the machines." " Jim, it's time you learned to enjoy German beer." " Jim's French like me." "He doesn't give a damn." " Not true!" " What?" "France has the widest variety of wines in Europe." "In the world!" "Bordeaux like Château Laffitte..." "Château Margaux, Château Yquem, Château Frontenac..." "St-EmiIion, St-JuIien, Entre-Deux-Mers, and I'm forgetting some of the best." "Clos Vougeot, the Burgundies, Romanée, Chambertin..." "Beaune, Pommard, ChabIis, Montrachet, VoInay, BeaujoIais..." "PouiIIy-Fuissé, PouiIIy-Loché, moulin â Vent..." "FIeurie, Morgon, BrouiIIy, St-Amour..." " We stared at the shell rolling slowly down the stairs." "only three more steps, two more..." "all of us flat on our bellies." " Catch me!" "You want to know what?" " Nothing." "Just listen to you." " To judge me?" " Good God, no!" " I won't say a thing but I have a question." "And it's tell me about Jim." " Sure." "What?" "Anything." "Just plow ahead." "Without naming JuIes or himself he described... two young men, theirfriendship in Paris... before a certain girl came and what happened afterwards..." "And even "Not with her, Jim!" unable to avoid using his own name." "Their threesomes, the stay by the sea." "Catherine watched Jim relive it as if he were still there." "She corrected a few details and added others." "He described missing her at the café and how he saw the three of them..." "jules' hidden qualities and how he'd felt from the start that..." "jules couldn't hold on to Catherine." " You'd have said it at the café?" "Yes." " Go on." " There's no more to say." "The war came." "I was glad to find JuIes again, see you." "I'vee enjoyed the time I'vee spent with you... and what I'vee seen, learned and figured out." "The approaching cloud..." "I mean albert." "Are you with jules against me?" " No more so than he is." " I'lI reteII the story as I lived it." "jules' generosity, innocence... and vulnerability amazed and won me over." "He was such a contrast to other men." "I hoped to heal him of his crises with cheerfulness... but I realised his crises are a part of him." "We were happy a while but happiness didn't become a part of us." "We ended up face to face, not together." "His family was really a torture." "At a party on the eve of our marriage... his mother did something that hurt me deeply." "I punished JuIes for being passive about it... by spending a few hours with an ex-Iover, harold." "Yes, a lover." "So I married JuIes and we were quits... and got off on an even start." "luckily his family moved away up north somewhere." "Then came the war." "jules was sent east." "He wrote me wonderful, fiery..." "Iove letters." "From afar I Ioved him more and rebumished his halo." "Our last argument and true break-up was on his first leave." "I felt like I was in a stranger's arms." "He left." "Nine months later Sabine was born." " She doesn't resemble him." " believe what you will, she's his." "I told him, " I'vee given you a daughter, that's enough." "That ends it." "Now it's separate rooms." "I want my freedom."" "Remember your young friend Fortunio?" "Yes." " He was there, free as a bird." "So was I." "He was a nice partner." "What a vacation!" "But he was too young and it wasn't serious." "One day, to my surprise..." "I missed JuIes' Ieniency and IeisureIiness." "My daughter attracted me like a magnet." "So I Ieft." "I'vee only been back here three months." "As a husband to me, jules is finished." "Don't feel sorry for him." "I still allow him enough distractions." "Now there's albert who told me of the statue... the three of you liked and which I resemble." "I flirted with him." "He may be odd but he has a natural authority JuIes lacks." "He wants me to marry him." "He wants both mother and daughter." "I Iike him a Iot but not enough till now." "He's coming to lunch tomorrow." "You'vee listened well." "I talked more than you." "But I didn't tell all, no more than you did." "I had other lovers?" "Never mind." "I only talked about what you talked about." " I understand you." " I don't want to be understood." "It's almost daybreak." " Jim wanted Catherine but stifled his desire more than ever." "She mustn't leave." "Was he reacting on JuIes behalf... or on his own?" "He'd never know." "Jim was farfrom sure whether or not..." "Catherine was trying to seduce him." "She never revealed her goal until she'd scored." " hello, Sabine." " hello, albert." " How're you and your mama?" " Fine." " hello, albert." " hello." " hello." "You shaved your mustache?" " Like everyone else!" "But I feel naked." "I'm going to let it grow back." "albert was wounded in the trenches." " I'm OK now but when I woke up... and found a surgeon digging in my skull..." "I thought of Oscar Wide:" ""God, spare me physical pain!" "I can cope with moral suffering!"" " The disgusting part of war is... it deprives a man of his own individual battle." " Yes, but I think he can still wage it at the same time." "I remember a gunner I met in the hospital." "while on leave he met a girl on a train... and they talked between Nice and MarseiIIes." "As she left she gave him her address." "For two years he frantically wrote her daily from the trenches... on wrapping paper by candlelight." "As the shells fell, his tone became more intimate." "At first he wrote, " Dear Miss." And ended with, " My sincerest respects."" "In the third one he called her, "My little fairy and..."" "Then it was, " My adorable fairy..."" "And then, " I kiss your hands..." Then, " I kiss yourforehead."" "Then he spoke of the photo she'd sent... and of the breasts he imagined under her housecoat." "Soon he said, " I Iove you terribly."" "One day he wrote her mother, asking for the girl's hand." "He became officially engaged without ever seeing her again." "The warwent on and the letters became more and more intimate." ""I clutch you to me, my love."" ""I hold your adorable breasts."" ""I clasp you to me naked."" "When she replied a bit coldly he begged her not to be coy... because he might die any moment." "It was true." "To understand this extraordinary defIowering by mail.." "you need to know the violence of trench warfare... the collective madness and the presence of death each second." "Here's a man who fought in the war... and yet he also waged his own personal battle... and completely conquered a woman from afar." "He was hospitalized with a head wound like you, but wasn't as lucky as you." "He died after a trepanation on the eve of the armistice." "In his last letter to his unknown fiancée he wrote..." ""Your breasts are the only grenades I Iove."" "I'lI show you some photos I have of him." "He almost seems alive." " It's a beautiful story." "jules wrote me lovely letters during the war." "hello, albert!" "Have you finished my song?" "Let's work on it." "albert, albert, albert." "albert." "There." " Thanks, Sabine." ""The movement of a rocking-chair Makes fIeshIy joys seem so fair"" "And the song?" " It's coming along!" " Yes, shall we do it?" " Let's do it." " It's much too good for them but we can't choose our audience!" "elle avait des bagues à chaque doigt" "Des tas de bracelets autour des poignets" "Et puis elle chantait avec une voix" "Qui sitôt m'enjoIa" "elle avait des yeux des yeux d'opaIe" "Qui me fascinaient qui me fascinaient" "II y avait I'ovaIe de son visage pâIe de femme fatale qui me fut fataIe" "De femme fatale qui me fut fataIe" "On s'est connus on s'est reconnus" "On s'est perdus de vue on s'est reperdus de vue" "On s'est retrouvés on s'est réchauffés" "Puis on s'est séparés" "Chacun pour soi est reparti" "Dans Ie tourbiIIon de Ia vie" "Je I'ai revue un soir ayaye ayaye" "Ça fait déjà un fameux ball" "Ça fait déjà un fameux ball" "Aux sons des banjos je I'ai reconnu" "Ce curieux sourire qui m'avait tant piu" "Sa voix si fataIe son beau visage pâIe" "M'émurent plus que jamais" "Je me suis soûIé en I'écoutant" "L'aIcooI fait oublier Ie temps" "Je me suis réveiIIé en sentant" "Les baisers sur mon front brûIant" "Les baisers sur mon front brûIant" "On s'est connus on s'est reconnus" "On s'est perdus de vue on s'est reperdus de vue" "On s'est retrouvés On s'est séparés" "Puis on s'est réchauffés" "Chacun pour soi est reparti" "Dans Ie tourbiIIon de Ia vie" "Je I'ai revue un soir ah Ià Ià" "elle est retombée dans mes bras" "elle est retombée dans mes bras" "Quand on s'est connus quand on s'est reconnus" "Pourquoi se perdre de vue se reperdre de vue" "Quand on s'est retrouvés quand on s'est réchauffés" "Pourquoi se séparer" "alors tous deux on est repartis" "Dans Ie tourbiIIon de Ia vie" "On a continué à tourner tous les deux enIacés" "Tous les deux enIacés" "Tous les deux enIacés" " Catherine was different to each one and with all three at the same time." "Jim felt like a fifth wheel." "He could admire her only in private... and was distant with her in public." " Good night." " Good night." "Our affection needs to be left in peace like a new-born baby." "I can tell you were truly in love once." " Why didn't you marry her?" " It didn't work out." " What's she like?" " reasonable and patient." "She says she'lI wait forever." "Her name's GiIberta." "You both still love each other?" "Don't cause any suffering, Jim." " I Iike adventure and taking risks." "And there's something new." "I admire you." "I enjoy seeing you." "I'm afraid I'lI forget JuIes." " Don't ." "He must be told." "(German)" "translation!" "" Hearts that love in vain..." "My God, how they cause pain"" " Not bad... but the " My God" isn't necessary." "Good night!" "If you see the others, give them... my regards." " I want to read Affinities." "May I borrow it tonight?" " I loaned it to Jim." " Never mind!" "Good night, Jim." " Good night." " You'lI have it tomorrow." "(telephone)" " hello?" "(German)" " Danke." "hello?" "You must return Affinities to me." "Catherine wants to read it tonight." "Jim, Catherine wants nothing to do with me." "I'm terrified she'lI walk out of my Iife completely." "The last time I saw you two together... you were like a married couple." "Jim, love her!" "Marry her and let me see her." "I mean, if you love her, stop thinking of me as an obstacle." " Jim awaited Catherine all day." "She was in his arms with her low voice." "Theirfirst kiss lasted all night." "They said nothing and became closer." "At dawn the light went out." "She had a look of incredible curiosity and joy." "Enchained, Jim arose." "For him, other women no Ionger existed." "Your turn!" " jules?" "I'vee asked Jim to live with us." "He can have the small room." " well." "Beware, Jim!" "Beware of her and of you!" "(German)" " Here's your make-shift bedroom." "Some German books but you'lI find more in my room." "Acupboard..." "I'lI unpack your bag." "I guess that's about it." "That part is a mess but it can't be helped." " What's beyond the wall?" " Sabine and MathiIda's room." "The bed's not too bad." "Sit next to me." " I Iove the nape of your neck." "I can look at it without being seen." " There." "And JuIes?" " He loves us both." "He won't be surprised and so he'lI suffer less." "We'lI Iove and respect him." " In the village they were well liked but were called the Mad Trio." "Hearing this, Catherine invented the village Idiot game." "At table they took turns, playing the Idiot." "Sabine made them giggle the most." "Catherine has said, "You only truly love once"... but for her that moment kept returning." "Life was really a holiday." "jules and Jim had never worn such big masks." "Time passed." "Even happiness can wear away imperceptibly." "One Sunday Catherine decided to seduce JuIes." "while Jim read downstairs, she took JuIes up to her room." ""No, no!", said JuIes." ""Yes!", said Catherine." "(laughing)" "(laughing)" "Jim tried not to feel jealous but nevertheless he was." "Catherine noticed it and never renewed the experience." "They all went for a walk... around a misty lake hidden in a valley." "They were in perfect harmony." "Catherine had a brief headaches." "After major fatigue, Jim had worse ones and... thought "If we have kids, they'lI be tall and thin with headaches"." "They went down to the lake to throw stones." "Catherine and jules learned how to make them skip." "The sky was low." "Jim's newspaper called him back to Paris." "Their goodbyes weren't painful- they were sure... they'd soon be together again, as before." "Their month had been filled with tiny perfect moments together." "When the train left, they waved for a Iong time." "jules sort of blessed them and kissed Jim... who told Catherine he wanted to marry her and have children." " jules is willing to get a divorce." "I'm going to marry Catherine." "I want to have children with her." "jules will find me a job in his country." "I'm translating a Viennese play that's to be staged here." " Where are you going?" " Home." " I'lI go with you." " I'd rather you didn't ." " hello, Jim!" " Teresa!" "The locomotive!" " Teresa!" "How are you?" "How's ...?" " Two weeks of love!" "But I cheated on him to buy him... a sculpted pipe!" "He found out, got jealous and locked me away for three weeks!" "I went wild!" "I escaped on the ladder of a painter and moved in with him." "Then a man promised me a fortune in Cairo as a virgin in a house..." " Hi, Jim!" " How're you?" "And your pal?" " He's fine." " Then an englishman saved me and... we lived in a villa by the Red Sea with a tennis court." "Then I heard from home..." " Jim, how are you?" " Gaby, how're you?" " Is JuIes in Paris?" " No." " I went home to stop the wedding and married him!" " Jim, how's your pal?" " He's good." " still with the same girl?" "I'd Iike to see her again." "Afine man!" "I went after him but he ignored me." "I divorced my husband." "My undertakerfinaIIy married me!" "We're a perfect couple!" "No kids!" "I can't cheat!" "He doesn't leave me the time nor the energy!" "I'm writing my memoirs for the Sunday Times!" "My husband!" " Sir." "And you?" " I'm getting married." " No?" "Yes." " Bye, Teresa!" " Bye, Jim!" " Goodbye, sir." " hello." " Hi, Jim, how's JuIes?" " Fine." " Interesting, huh?" "Her name's Denise." "Don't talk to her." "She won't answer." "She never talks." "She's not dumb, just empty." "It's empty in there." "She's a thing." "Apretty thing!" "A lovely object." "Sex..." "Pure sex!" " Goodbye." " Say goodbye to the man." " Sir..." " Goodbye, Miss." " Catherine spent the winter at the chalet... as Jim's fiancée left in JuIes' care." "Each day she asked him "Do you think Jim loves me?"" " Listen, GiIberta..." "When Catherine wants to do something and... to the extent it won't hurt anyone, and she's not always right... she does it for pleasure and to Iearn something from it." "She hopes to attain wisdom that way." " That could go on quite a while!" "You're being petty, GiIberta." " I'm not!" "I'm jealous." "I'vee always known it wouId end this way." "Jim, don't leave tomorrow!" "She'lI have you for a lifetime." "Give me another week!" " Jim could no more leave GiIberta than Catherine leave JuIes." "jules mustn't suffer, nor should GiIberta." "They were fruits of the past, counterbalancing each other." ""tell Jim I saw Teresa, now married and an authoress." ""I'vee had to delay my return, but soon I'lI be free and ready for you." "I must say a few little fareweIIs."" "Afew little fareweIIs?" "Do you think Jim loves me?" " hello, jules." " Good evening." " What's wrong?" "Why didn't Catherine come to meet me?" "In your letters you wrote too much about yourwork and farewells." "Catherine hates absences." "Yours was too long." "She imagines you'vee done more than you possibly could." " She's waiting at the chalet?" " I think so." "Sure!" "Catherine!" "Catherine!" "Catherine!" "I didn't want to tell you." "She left yesterday morning without a word." "I hoped she'd be back before you arrived." "Aren't you worried?" " That something's happened to her?" "No." "I think she's making an irreparable error." "Your letter didn't make a good impression." ""I saw Teresa, now married and an authoress." "I must say a few little fareweIIs."" "Catherine does things, one by one and goes all the way." "She's a force of nature and expresses herself by cataclysms." "She lives each moment with lucidity and harmony... guided by herfeeIing of innocence." " You make her sound like a queen." " She is a queen!" "To be frank with you... she's not especially beautiful, intelligent nor sincere... but she's a real woman." "And she... is the woman we love..." "and all men desire." "Why did Catherine, so sought after, offer us both... the gift of her presence?" "Because we gave her ourfuII attention, as if to a queen." " I must admit I almost didn't come back from Paris." "I knew it could never be so good between us." "It's hurt ourfriendship." "At times I'm jealous of you and... your years with her." "I even hate you for not being jealous of me." " Do you believe that?" "I'd do anything not to lose Catherine completely... and you'lI be like me when she returns, and she always does!" "jules, help me." "I'm leaving." "tell her you didn't find me at the station." "My mind's made up." "It's the only answer." "Yes..." "I went to the station, you weren't there." " hello." "What's wrong with you?" "Did you just arrive?" "You're my Jim, I'm your Catherine." "That's fine!" "You wrote me a Iot about your affairs." "I have my own." "You said goodbye to your loves." "I went to say goodbye to mine." "You can hold me in your arms all night but nothing more." "We want a child together, right?" "If we do it now..." "I won't be sure if it's yours." "Understand?" "I had to." " You love albert?" " No." " He loves you?" "Yes." "It's the only way to create something good between us." "albert equals GiIberta." "You'vee nothing to say?" "We must start from scratch." " Catherine's creed was to start from scratch and to pay cash." "They lay there, trembling and chaste." "She fell asleep and Jim lay awake, knowing she loved him as he loved her." "A unique force attracted them to each other." "Once again they soared high like great birds of prey." "They remained chaste until she was sure... she wasn't pregnant." "This restraint exalted them." "They didn't cheat on each other." "The Promised Land was in view." "THE PROMISED LAND DROPPED OUT OF SIGHT" "When it came time to have a baby, they realized she wasn't pregnant" "They saw a specialist... who said many couples waited for months to become productive." " What's wrong?" " I want to sleep alone tonight." " Why?" " Because!" " explain it!" " There's nothing to explain!" " I'lI be good and sleep next to you." " It's not true!" "I don't care about your goodness." "I'm disgusted." "This child we'lI never have is a nightmare!" "It's like taking a test." "I can't stand it!" " But our love is what counts." " No, I count too." "And I Iove you less." "Let's try not to need each other." "If we break up and I later realize I Iove you, that's my risk." "GiIberta still writes to you, so go back to her." " You're being unfair." " No doubt." "But I'm heartless." "That's why I don't love you and will never love anyone." "I'm 32, you're 29." "At 40 you'lI want a woman and I'lI be 43." "You'lI find a 25-year-oId and I'lI be left alone like a fool." " Maybe." "I'lI leave tomorrow." "A three-month separation!" "Are you in pain?" "Not me, not anymore." "Because we mustn't suffer... not at the same time." "Once you stop suffering, I'lI suffer." "jules!" "Am I interrupting?" "I can't bear it." "Did you hear us arguing?" " No, I was working." " I can't stand him." "I'm going crazy." "But he's leaving." "Good riddance!" " Don't be unfair." "You know he loves you." " I really don't know anymore." "He lied to me." "He didn't break up with GiIberta." "He doesn't know what he feels." "You love, you don't love and you end up falling in love." "It's not my fault we don't have a child." " Got a cigaret?" " really?" " Thanks." "Wnt me to talk to him?" "absolutely not." "I'm half for him, half against him... but I want him to go." "We'vee decided to separate for three months." "What do you think?" " I don't know." "Maybe it's a good idea." " Won't you tell me what you think?" "You despise me." " No, Catherine." "I never will!" "I'lI always love you... no matterwhat you do or may happen." " really?" "I Iove you too!" "We were truly happy." " We still are." "At least, I am." " really?" "We'lI always stay together..." "like an old couple... with Sabine and Sabine's children." "hold me close to you!" "I don't want to go back to him before he goes." " Then stay here." "I'lI sleep downstairs." "My little Catherine... you often remind me... of a Chinese play I saw before the war." "As the curtain rose, the emperor..." "Ieaned toward the audience and said..." ""You see before you the unhappiest of men..." ""because I have two wives... a first wife and a second wife."" " To JuIes their love was relative but his was absolute." "The next day Jim left." "Catherine walked him to the station." "A fog had invaded the fields during the night." "The others in the hive felt Jim was at odds with the queen... so his departure was normal." "already we can't see the house." " The train schedule had changed for the fall." "No train was due till the next day." " hotel rooms always make me feel guilty." "I'm not very moral but I dislike secret trysts." "You love them, don't deny it." "I won't believe you." " Jim thought of the children he could've had with Catherine... a whole houseful." "He also thought that without children, she'd start having affairs again." "In the grim hotel, without a word... they had each other, perhaps as if ending things once and for all." "It was like a burial, as if they were already dead." "She took him to the train but they didn't wave goodbye." "They parted without being forced to." "Again Jim thought it was all over." " Here's your inhaler..." "and a letter too." " Thanks." ""I think I'm pregnant." "Come at once!" "Catherine."" "GiIberta, please hand me some paper." ""Catherine, I'm too sick in bed to get up." ""I don't want to see you pregnant probably by someone else." "surely our pathetic farewell didn't do what our love couldn't ."" "" ...what our love couldn't ."" "Yes, I don't believe he's sick." "I'lI write to him that you want to see him." ""Dear Imaginary invalid, come as soon as possible." ""Catherine awaits your letter." ""Write big because her eyes are tired... and she can only read big letters."" ""Catherine thinks I'm not ill." ""I wonder if she's pregnant." ""I doubt that I couId be the father because... of our past, albert and all the rest."" "could you mail this?" " Of course." " Thanks." "AIetterfor you!" "I'm going now." "I'lI be late." " Thanks." " See you later." " I Iove you, Jim." "There's a Iot we don't understand and many truths are incredible." "I'm pregnant at last." "We must thank God." "Bow to Him!" "I'm positive you're the father." "please believe me!" "Your love is alive in me!" "believe me, Jim!" "This paper is your skin, the ink's my blood." "Answer me at once!" "GiIberta!" ""My love, I believe you!" "I'm coming to you!" "Whatever is good in me comes from you."" " They'd sworn never to talk by phone and be unable to touch each other." "Their letters took three days and crossed each other." "" I doubt it because of our past, albert and all the rest." ""I'lI never think of you again." "Don't think of me." "You disgust me and I'm wrong because nothing should be disgusting."" ""Jim, your letter changes everything." ""In two days you'lI arrive instead of a plain letter." ""We try to recall our harsh words but they're forgotten." "Come as soon as you can, even late at night."" " Then Jim heard from JuIes." ""Your baby died after a third of its prenatal life." "Catherine wants total silence between you."" " So they'd created nothing." "Jim said rediscovering the laws of Iife is great... but it's best to stick to the existent laws." "We played with the seed of Iife and lost." " Oh no!" " This isn't true!" " This is incredible!" " You gave up the chalet?" " We prefer to live in France now." "We'vee rented a mill on the banks of the Seine." " We must get together." "Come to my place tomorrow." "tell me about Catherine." " For a Iong time I feared she'd commit suicide." "She bought a revolver." "She'd say "So and-so committed suicide..."" "The way we say So and-so died of cholera." "She was hunched up like a widow." "She was like a convalescent... and moved slowly with the smile of a corpse." " GiIberta, this is my friend JuIes." " hello." " hello, sir." "Jim's talked so much about you I feel I know you very well." " Catherine knows you came?" " Yes, she'd Iike you to come for a drive." "I wish you and yourwife would come." " She won't but I will." " I must go now." " You can't wear a hat like that!" "Not in France!" "Take mine." " well." "hello." " hello." " Come this way!" "She's in a good mood today." "Don't upset her." " Me?" "It's magnificent!" " Look at Catherine's car!" "Come in." "Catherine!" " hello." " It's Jim." " hello." " Catherine smiled but seemed to be plotting something." "She wrapped her white pyjamas in a package and tied it with a ribbon." "Jim wondered about it and then forgot." "They went for their ride." "(starting engine)" " I'm hungry." "Let's eat here!" "albert!" "What're you doing here?" " Getting some air." " hello." " hello, albert." " Besides, I Iive here." " Care to eat with us?" " GIadIy!" " Maybe you have a date?" " Maybe." " Goodbye." " Give me my package." "Good night!" " well done!" "Second time for the pyjama routine!" "I didn't expect it." "I'm amazed she didn't re-cast the man's part." "She's used albert often." " Why?" "He was perfect for tonight." "Leave her the car." "Catherine's motto is that for a couple... at Ieast one of them has to be faithful." " I have to go home." "You saw I don't live alone." "I'm going to marry GiIberta." " You're smarter than I am, Jim." "You know when it's over with Catherine, it's over." "GiIberta will be a good wife." "She's lovely." "(honking)" " Jim recognized Catherine's horn and at first... he saw nothing." "Then he spotted the car driving around the square... skirting the benches and trees, Iike a riderless horse..." "like a ghost ship." "(honking)" "(telephone)" "(telephone)" " Jim..." "What a night I had!" "I wasn't in my place there." "That life's dead for me." "It was a desert!" "I talked about you and looked for you." "Come at once!" "Come lie next to me." "Kiss me!" " I'vee something to tell you." " tell me." " In a novel you loaned me I found a passage you'd marked." "Awoman on a ship... gives herself mentally to an unknown passenger." "It struck me as a confession... of how you explore the world." "I have flashes of curiosity too." "Maybe everyone does." "I control mine for you, but I'm not sure you control yours for me." "I agree with you." "For love a couple isn't the ideal." "Just look around us!" "You tried to make it better by refusing hypocrisy and resignation." "You wanted to invent love." "But pioneers must be humble and not egocentric." "No, we must look at things frankly." "We'vee failed." "We'vee missed everything." "You tried to adapt me to you." "I'vee caused distress around me by trying to give you joy." "My promise to GiIberta for growing old together... means nothing." "I can put it off forever." "It's counterfeit." "I'vee no hope of marriage with you." "I want you to know I'm going to marry GiIberta." "We can still have children." "Afine story, Jim!" "And me, Jim!" "And me?" "And the children I wanted?" "You didn't want them!" " I did!" " They'd have been beautiful!" "You're going to die!" "You make me sick!" "I'lI kill you!" "Coward!" "You're scared!" "A FEW MONTHS LATER..." " I'm very happy to present for Pathé journal the two football teams..." " Jim was glad to see JuIes but his heart didn't pound for Catherine." "She wouldn't leave them together... and suggested a drive." "Jim agreed." "Catherine drove rapidly and... took some risks." "The air was electric as during their forest outing... before meeting albert." "They stopped at a dancehall near the river." " Now they'vee begun to bum books!" " It's incredible." " For Catherine you were easy to catch... but hard to keep." "Your love went from zero... up to 100 with Catherine's ." "I'vee never known your zeros nor your hundreds." " Mr. Jim, I have something to tell you." "Will you come with me?" "jules, watch us!" " jules would never again fear that she would cheat on him... or die... because it was over." "The bodies were found in the reeds." "Jim's coffin was bigger than life." "Catherine's was a jeweI-box." "They left nothing." "jules had his daughter." "Had Catherine enjoyed the battle?" "No." "She'd dazed JuIes to the point of nausea." "He felt a surge of relief." "The men's friendship had no equal in love." "They'd totally enjoyed little details and tenderly noted their differences." "From the start they'd been called Don Quixote and Sancho Panza." "The ashes were put in urns and sealed away." "jules would have mixed them together." "Catherine had wanted to be strewn from a hilltop... but that wasn't permitted." "DVD subtitling:" "CNST, montreal" "english Adaptation:" "Jaib Wrner Processed by :" "O.M.O." " Paris"