J'ai vu tuer Ben Barka Page #6

---

- It's all right.

- Why didn't you let me know?

It's all right, I said.

Want me to join you?

No.

Where I'm going, I have to be alone.

What ever you say, Mehdi'.

I'll send Azzemouri to meet Franju.

Who's his producer?

this Figon guy is well in

with the intellectuals, on the left

and the right.

Marguerite Duras and Franois Mauriac.

He appears on TV, writes in the papers...

But he's a hood, so be careful.

I know.

But the Havana film

is what matters most.

If you say so.

Busy tonight?

Come to the theatre

with the Tahris.

to see what?

- The Generals' Tea.

- Dinner.

If you say so. Boris Vian, right?

Want to come?

I'll come for the dinner.

All right, be at the Tahris' by eight.

- See you later.

- OK.

Another English one.

French East Africa...

I don't have that one.

Hello.

Mr Chairman...

I didn't see you.

You were getting impatient.

I was wondering why you need me.

Come, I'll explain.

I want you to write a paper

on colonisation around the world.

Like that? Overnight?

An outline for a film on the issue.

You graduated in history, right?

And you've always been fast.

At school in Rabat, you did

algebra problems faster than anyone.

So...

You've heard the rumour.

They say you're going back.

To school in Rabat?

To Rabat but in the government.

That's true. We're discussing it.

I've had offers.

Systematic opposition

is absurd in politics.

There are some obstacles in the way

and Oufkir is still there

but I'm hopeful.

I'm awaiting a sign.

Saint Germain des Prs, please.

Shall we go?

- You're coming too?

- Yes.

My appointment is later.

There he is, in the grey coat.

Could I see your papers, sir?

inspector Louis Souchon.

Mr Ben Barka...

What is the reason

for your visit to Paris?

I'm here to meet a film producer.

There's a more urgent matter.

Some politicians wish to meet you.

I have orders to take you to them.

Please follow me.

Who did he think he'd meet?

the King's envoy?

De Gaulle, instead of the next day?

Did he think

it had been brought forward?

You are with the French police?

- He'll be here soon.

- He knows the place?

He chose to meet here.

This is for your safety, sir.

Please follow me.

Thank you. Gentlemen...

Fontenay-le-Vicomte. Move it.

What?

Head south. I'll guide you.

Who's this Dlimi?

Head of Moroccan security,

loyal to the regime.

The guy's a maniac.

He wanted to waste him right away.

I bury him in the garden?

What if the cops come round?

It wasn't planned.

- There's land next door.

- Where's Lopez?

What's he talking about?

It's wild up there.

An hour already...

God knows what they're yelling about.

Oufkir...

General...

- Where is he?

- Upstairs.

It was a mistake

to let the young man go.

I know but don't expect miracles

with French cops.

In any case,

we've done what we were hired to do.

We feel that we've earned our pay.

Don't worry, General,

we'll do the usual thing.

You were wrong to leave Azzemouri free.

It would be even worse

if you didn't keep quiet.

Any mistake of that kind

would be fatal.

Wow, a real killer!

You're crazy talking to him like that!

What up, sis? Toothache?

I'll smash your teeth, jerk.

Want to show me how?

Cut it out!

Take him away.

He's going to faint.

What's up, Jojo?

I'm OK.

That Ben Barka's a tough one.

You wouldn't think so.

He's not easy to get under control.

Good job I have my right hook.

- Are they slaughtering him?

- What are they after?

He had a head like a pumpkin.

A real massacre.

Maybe I'll go up to Paris with Georges.

Bring back some plonk.

What's up? Aren't you coming?

I want to puke.

Not in the car, please.

Drive. The fresh air will help.

The backward leaning "T"

that looks like a capital "V"

shows incredible aggression.

The crossbar of the "F"

floats above the letter

without touching it.

This person displays

a lot of self-delusion.

The signature

is out of all proportion

and shows a certain aptitude

for falsehood.

the law...

Dogsbodies in court

while the guilty roam free.

the authorities couldn't hush it up

so they staged it

with the necessary solemnity.

And the necessary caution.

An Interior Ministry envoy was there

to step in if need be.

This isn't the one.

It's not the gun he showed me.

He was murdered.

He was murdered.

Guard, take the witness out.

He was murdered!

Georges Figon was murdered!

Georges Figon was murdered!

the red robes, the eloquent gestures,

the raised voices...

Marguerite glowering at the judges...

Did Figon have a job that you knew of?

Did he work?

It's hard for an ex-convict

to find work, Your Honour.

Madame, will you please

just answer the question?

He worked, yes. A lot.

This proves it.

Didn't you suspect that Figon

would turn to crime again one day?

I'd never say such a thing.

And Franju got yelled at

for not listening...

This court has no time for generalities.

Return to your seat, please.

Oufkir, trained by French officers,

cannot see France and Morocco

as two separate countries.

You referred to Lumumba

but Lyautey inspires me.

Former Algerian lawyers

up against the OAS defence.

The same debate, the same men.

It's another stage in decolonisation.

Figon was right when he said

that his film had a future.

His shadow fell over the court earlier.

And the judges were scared.

the Affair was hushed up.

the illusions of the '60s faded.

the man whom many thought

would change the rules was eliminated.

the trial has been held

but the case isn't closed.

It has become a mystery,

one of those tales

told to good people to scare them.

But mysteries get revenge.

It's in their nature to keep resurfacing.

rhami' Azzemouri'

the student who was with Ben Barka

a lecturer at Vincennes University,

was found hanging from a cycle chain

in his Latin Quarter room in 1971.

General Mohammed Oufkir

still a minister for King Hassan II,

was shot after trying to assassinate

the monarch in 1972.

the regular guys

were on borrowed time.

Imprisoned after Oufkir's death,

they didn't last long without him.

Dlimi' didn't make old bones either.

He was found in the early '80s,

blown to bits

when his car exploded near Marrakesh.

Ben Barka's body has never been found.

this crime without a corpse,

this huge lie that I took part in,

is the world's best-kept state secret.

the French government took

nearly 40 years to declassify the case.

When the files were opened,

all they held was dust.

This film tells a true story

of real-life characters.

The story was built up

from the records of the trials

press articles and reports,

and accounts of witnesses

to Ben Barka's kidnapping in Paris

on October 29, 1965.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes