Monsieur Verdoux Page #2

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That's why I must give up this house,

get away from the memory of it.

You will pardon me, I trust.

We'll get it for nothing.

Call again. I'm very busy.

This way, please.

The dining room

and to the left, the library.

Cozy, hm?

Yes.

Uh, this way please, upstairs.

It's small

and requires very little to keep up.

We never had a servant,

but there's a maid's room.

I have a maid and a cook.

An extra bed in the maid's room

if they're females

or one of the rooms upstairs,

unless you want it for your family.

- No family.

- Just you and your husband?

No, my husband has been dead

for many years.

Indeed?

This way, please.

- M. Varnay?

- Yes?

Telephone for M. Nutal

from his office.

- Will you excuse me?

- Plaisir.

This was my wife's bedroom.

We called - uh, pardon me.

Yes, we called it our Sans-Souci.

Ah, she loved this room.

- She spent most of her time here.

- Very sunny.

We loved sun.

Some don't like it in the bedroom.

- Oh, I do.

- Scorpio.

- I beg your pardon?

- Your astrological sign.

- No, Aries.

- Ah, yes, of course.

Sky and sun - a dreamer.

It's in your eyes.

Deep pools of desire that can never

be fulfilled or understood.

- Very interesting.

- You are very interesting.

I'm also Aries. I know all about us.

We are old souls.

Strange you should come on this day.

I feel it's destiny.

- Indeed.

- If I knew you better, I'd explain.

Please do.

- However, you never married again?

- No.

Singular.

A woman of your temperament.

Why?

Because companionship

is so essential to Aries.

Oh, it's too late for that now.

Nonsense. You're on life's threshold.

One never begins to live

until one is past...

What difference does age make?

A great deal to a woman.

I venture that you were never

as attractive as now.

- You're very kind.

- No, I'm frank.

No doubt, you were extremely

beautiful as a young girl,

but your youth

could not compete with your age.

Your ripeness, your luxuriousness.

Besides, you have more character now,

more experience, more...

More everything.

- You flatter me.

- Why not?

Why shouldn't I respond to beauty

as you did to the flowers?

"What lovely roses," and impulsively

drew them near to your lips.

Lucky roses.

I wish I had the courage

to act upon my impulses.

However, life is that way. We can't.

You are divine. You are lovely.

Words are so futile.

I feel I've known you all my life.

- You must -

- This is ridiculous.

No, it's inevitable.

We can't help ourselves.

Your loveliness inspired it.

Blame your loveliness for it.

- Don't be silly.

- Try to understand.

Don't embarrass me.

Silly conventions.

This is more than a convention.

I hate to be obvious, really.

Oh, yes, there it goes. It's a bee!

Hold still, I'll get it!

Isn't that silly?

Are you hurt?

- I must have slipped.

- No doubt.

- I think we'd better go.

- I think we had.

- Will you see the other rooms?

- No, thank you. We've seen enough.

That is, unless Madame

would like to see more.

- No, thank you.

- Very well.

When Mme Grosnay decides,

we'll be in touch.

Yes, I'd like to send you a book

on astrology, if you're interested.

Don't bother.

No bother

if I know how to get in touch.

- Through our office.

- As you wish.

Ah, your roses!

Don't forget your roses.

Thank you. I'd rather not.

Madame, I shall be deeply grieved

if you don't accept them.

Thank you.

- Au revoir, Madame.

- Oh. Au revoir.

- 'Voir.

- 'Voir.

Flowers? Boutonnires?

Mme Yvonne. So nice to see you.

- Flower, Monsieur?

- Give me that one.

- Well, well, M. Verdoux!

- How do you do, sir?

It's been ages. What do you know?

- I don't even suspect anything.

- Merci.

- You are finished?

- Sit down.

Merci. M. Lavine, M. Verdoux -

an old friend of mine.

- How do you do?

- We worked together.

He was a bank cashier.

- In the good old days.

- Not so long ago.

- About three years ago.

- What do you do now?

A bit of everything -

real estate, stock market.

You must have made a killing.

- Yes.

- The market's low now, isn't it?

Buy now when everybody's selling.

- Can I offer you something?

- No, merci.

- Then if you'll pardon me.

- Of course.

- Good day, gentlemen.

- Good day.

Oh, Monsieur, don't forget this.

Merci. Merci.

Poor old Verdoux.

Seems to be doing well.

- He got a pretty raw deal.

- What do you mean?

Was with us for over 30 years.

Along came the Depression

and he was one of the first to go.

Yes, after 30 years.

Well, well, there you are.

Let's see what we have for you.

Henri Verdoux, Furniture Dealer.

Balong & Company.

We've been trying you for an hour.

The market's dropped.

We need 50,000 francs.

- When?

- In the morning, at market opening.

50,000 francs by tomorrow morning?

If not, you'll be wiped out.

I'll see what I can do.

Oh, dear.

Oh, me. Oh, me.

Ah, Lydia, the City of Corbell.

Let's see,

in Corbell the banks close at four.

C, C, C.

Corbell.

If I leave now, I can catch the 2: 15

and be there by 3:30.

That gives me half an hour.

The banks close at four.

Lydia!

I thought you were in Indochina.

- I was, my dear, I was.

- Don't "dear" me.

Three months you've been away

and not a word.

Didn't you get my letters?

I wrote you almost every day.

I got a telegram three months ago.

Running off and leaving me alone.

I have to travel for business.

I'm an engineer.

Too bad I didn't know that

before I met you.

Lydia.

Well, what do you want?

- Nothing, my dear.

- That's unusual.

I thought you might be pleased

to see me, that's all.

Is that all?

I only see you

when you want something.

Lydia... I refuse to quarrel

with you, it's too ugly.

Life can so easily degenerate

into something sordid and vulgar.

Let us try to keep it

beautiful and dignified.

We are not young anymore.

In the sunset of our lives,

we need companionship,

love, tenderness.

Most of all we need each other.

Ah, Lydia.

We've had such beautiful,

inspiring moments together...

and we can have many more.

I'm getting too old

for that nonsense.

There you go - age again. I thought

I'd cured you of that complex.

I'm cured of you,

running off like you did.

- Lydia -

- Sit down.

What were you doing in Indochina?

Building bridges, my dear.

We ran into a lot of trouble.

The super-structure was all wrong.

We had to draw up new plans.

Then they cancelled our contract

due to the crisis.

What crisis?

- The financial crisis.

- What do you mean?

The worst catastrophe in years.

Banks will collapse everywhere.

It isn't in the newspapers.

They're trying to keep it quiet,

but we were tipped off.

Bah! I don't believe it.

Don't bother your little head

about such matters.

What do you mean, a financial crisis?

Tomorrow there'll be a run

on every bank.

Fiddlesticks. It's all nonsense.

It's of no consequence to you, but

I'm vitally interested, that's all.

- So am I.

- You have nothing to worry about.

Every penny I have

is in ready cash in the bank.

- You know that, you fool.

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