Fort Saganne

What are you doing here?

Beat it!

Go!

Charles. Charles.

Come this way.

It's not polite

to peek into people's homes.

July 1911

Charles!

Charles.

Dad's waiting for us.

Mom would be proud.

It's ours now.

Not just yet.

Tired already?

Dad, I've done some thinking.

Your "tropical" farming...

- Electrical!

- Right, electrical.

You'll spend all your money

and go into debt

for a risky venture.

Risky?

Yes, risky.

Nonsense.

It's the future, I'm telling you.

Stop it, Dad!

I want Lucien to graduate

from the military academy.

And the house's

not fully paid for yet.

It will be our house.

End your contract in Madagascar

and come back.

Charles, you're a pain.

I'm not ready to retire.

Am I stopping you from going

to the freaking Sahara?

Go bury your career in the sand!

You're free!

You tell me that?

After ending my studies to put me

in stupid military schools?

If you two keep arguing,

I'll take the next train back!

We hardly spend any time

together.

When are you going?

I'm sailing out from Marseille

in three days.

You're just like me.

You need space.

Ahmed! The pivots!

Easy, easy!

Keep in line!

Look to the left!

Boot to boot, damn it!

Sorry I kept you waiting.

My respects, Mr. Minister.

So, your Bedouins are rebelling?

What's the word again?

Dissidence?

- I'm leaving this morning.

- I know.

That's why the President

requested my presence.

The President?

He's interested in nomads now.

Maybe the Republic has finally realized

my Bedouins are also hers...

The Republic has been good to you.

The Sahara is all yours.

Your powers are limitless.

You can't complain because the Republic

has given you carte blanche.

Come this way.

You'll do our President a favor

for a lady cousin of his.

Beware, Saganne.

Her father is a De Saint-Ilette.

Her mother's a cousin

of the President's.

She's stupid but also cruel.

You're scaring them, Saganne.

But you have nothing to lose.

They won't accept you

unless you die for them.

Then they make you a hero.

They allowed you to be an officer,

you, with your big paws.

Ever wondered why, peasant boy?

- Only to use you.

- Let them use me!

I don't care about their daughter.

I don't care about anything.

I've been buried

in this hole for six months.

I see..."The call of the Sahara"

and all that...

Speaking of which,

"His majesty" Dubreuilh

- is coming for a visit.

- Colonel Dubreuilh?

- I thought he was in France.

- He's rushing back.

The once friendly tribes have fled.

Things are heating up.

- When is he coming?

- Next Wednesday.

We're in for a big barbecue

at the chief's

with everyone all dressed up!

Let me show him

my men and my horses.

I want him

to take me with him.

You're some guy.

When I see you like this...

I almost want to live.

Saber in hand!

Forward!

In a single line!

So that's him?

Sabers...

down!

The French girl!

Get off this horse.

- Let me be.

- Madeleine, get off the horse.

Are you happy now?

Let go of my daughter!

Fine specimens.

If they have kids, keep one for me.

Colonel, a family's fate

is in your hands.

Father, humanity's fate

is in God's hands. Excuse me.

Keep spreading God's word.

The world needs it.

Lieutenant Saganne, Sir!

Lieutenant,

I dislike masquerades.

The army is not a circus.

It's time you learned

and I mean to teach you.

You're leaving

tomorrow at 5:
00 a.m.

I'm taking you with me,

south to Hodh.

That'll be it.

Dismiss.

I made this for you.

I don't want to eat.

I don't want to sleep.

He'll be back.

I don't want to live

without him.

He'll be back.

"Dear Lucien,

did you get

my money order?

It takes work

to climb the ranks.

Study hard!

Graduate as a warrant officer

and then only will you be able

to relax if you want to.

We're heading south,

with half the Sahara to cover!

Things are bad there.

Mekalla, our former ally,

fled with his tribes.

What's worse, beyond the border

is another powerful chief:

Sultan Omar.

Sultan Omar has one objective:

holy war against France.

Dubreuilh is a model leader,

even though I haven't seen him

in three weeks.

He keeps sending me

on missions...

reconnaissance,

provision, training.

He saves the chores for me.

He's testing me,

but he won't break my spirit.

I enjoy the long,

Ionely treks with Embarek.

I'm discovering the desert.

Here, everything stands still.

We'll make sure

to put things in motion..."

The Colonel's going too fast!

In three days,

the camels will drop dead.

He won't slow down.

He's in a hurry.

Here's our master

of ceremonies... with orders.

The Colonel said to be

ready for dinner at 7:00 p.m.

That goes for you too.

Isn't that grand? It's like a walk

in his castle's gardens.

I heard you were working

on a book on Muslim sects.

- You find that odd, don't you?

- Why would I?

Because I'm Jewish!

A Jew interested in Islam!

- Didn't you know?

- I'd never thought of it.

Why did Emir Mekalla's

tribe desert?

Wattignie, the man

in command there, is no good.

Dubreuilh and Mekalla

are good men.

I was their interpreter.

They're like two medieval lords,

lost in their dreams.

With the nomads,

we need to make allies

of the noble tribes.

- Allow me to say...

- One moment.

Calon-Sgur, 1904.

Will that do?

Please, continue,

Mr. Hazan.

Nobles don't work,

they plunder.

They live by raising

oases and caravans.

Our mission to end insecurity

will threaten their livelihood.

For the nobles,

law and order means starvation.

This is all fascinating.

Listening to you, one wonders

what France is doing here...

Mr. Hazan.

What's Lieutenant

Saganne's opinion?

Our Lieutenant's peasant stock

is keeping him from having an opinion.

Unlike you.

Gentlemen...

I have work to do.

Have a good night.

You must think

all we do is criticize.

Are you anti-Semitic,

Mr. Saganne?

What's going on?

Lieutenant, he's my brother.

He wants to desert.

He says we're worn out.

He says we're going too fast.

So I cut his leg a little to calm him

down, so he won't lose his pay.

Put a tourniquet on his leg.

I'll talk to the Colonel.

The Colonel's working!

He won't see anybody.

He won't be disturbed!

I'm not sleeping!

What are you doing here? Out!

Lieutenant!

We're going too slow.

Starting tomorrow,

we'll cover 40 miles a day.

Instruct your men.

Scurvy.

He'll die today.

Only God abides

in His house forever.

Many of us are dying

now, everywhere.

We were here.

He didn't die alone.

Our men are far now.

You're wearing yourself out.

Colonel?

We'll soon arrive

at Wattignie's fort.

Try to look presentable!

Hurry, hurry.

The welcome committee!

It's nothing!

Don't let them scare you!

They're not nobles.

Just a small vassal tribe.

Present arms!

Meet the biggest jackass

in the Sahara!

Major Wattignie!

Saganne, get that fool

out of here!

Sergeant Vulpi, that's me!

demoted twice,

and I'm not ashamed to say so!

Sorry, sir.

Dubreuilh's here,

so no more crap!

- Wattignie's out!

- Enough!

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes