Queen Margot

QUEEN MARGO:

France is torn apart

by the Wars of Religion.

Catholics and Protestants

have been fighting for years.

King Charles IX always let his mother,

Catherine de Medici, rule.

But today the Protestant leader,

Admiral Coligny, has the King's trust:

the entire country might

switch over to the new religion.

To quench the hatred, Catherine

sets up an alliance for peace:

she marries her daughter Margot

to Henri of Navarre,

her Protestant cousin.

A political scheme

that everybody sees through.

But Coligny wants war with

Catholic Spain. He must be stopped.

August 1 8. A heat wave

has fallen over Paris.

Thousands of Protestants

have come for the wedding.

They are invading the inns

and the streets.

Their dark clothes and looks

provoke the Parisians,

already on the verge of rebellion.

Margot's wedding,

a symbol of peace and reconciliation,

will be used to set off the greatest

massacre in the history of France.

It's up there.

Ten coins for the room

and two for the horse.

Ten coins for that!

Find someplace else.

Paris is full. With the wedding,

the Protestants fell on us like the plague.

Who's that!

Who are you?

I'll kill him! Let me kill him!

Who are you?

- He just wants to sleep. Put it away.

- To sleep?

- Well?

- With me?

You'd rather sleep in the street

with your Protestant friends?

What? He's Protestant?

The dust bothers you?

You bother me.

I don't sleep with my brethren,

even less a Catholic!

There's more of us than you.

Get used to it!

There we go! Everybody in the same bed!

We're all friends now!

Unity is what they want,

so set the example!

- You came for the wedding?

- No.

That Margot is an evil whore.

The wedding shames us all.

Henri, King of Navarre, do you

take Marguerite de Valois

as your wife?

l do.

Marguerite de Valois,

do you take Henri de Bourbon

as your husband?

Marguerite,

do you take...

In the name of God, of the Son,

and his Holy Church,

I join you in holy matrimony.

By giving you my sister,

I give my heart to your faith.

Welcome to the family.

It's a peculiar one, but not that bad.

- Why not tonight?

- On his wedding night?

Precisely!

- He's a smelly goat.

- A wild boar!

I know it's a bad day

for you, but look:

My Catholics and my Protestants,

together in God's house!

Look, this wedding

will fix everything.

A wedding and a war!

That'll fix the French.

War?

Who talks of war today?

Look at him!

Coligny wants war. Look!

The King's against the war.

What do you know?

The King is Coligny's puppet.

Your power is finished!

Do not hate me yet.

They all hate me:

Your brothers, Guise...

Your mother dislikes me.

Yours hated me.

Yours killed mine.

There was no proof.

- Go on, talk, but you're as scared as me.

- Scared of what?

Who hates you, loves me.

Then why make you marry me?

For peace!

I don't have to sleep with you!

Do not come to my room tonight.

Charlotte!

I got you some red blush. A gift!

Who is he?

Armagnac.

He is 26. I heard he's a real fanatic.

A bit dark and skinny. Nice smile!

And this one?

Du Bartas. He came with Henri.

He's 1 9.

He lives with his sister!

Promising.

Nice eyes... But short legs.

Short legs?

Toss him away!

Cond. Royal prince. Which one is he?

That one.

He's a pervert.

He despises me.

- And hem?

- Henri?

What is he doing?

Still drinking? Laughing? What?

They're lining up to see him.

We'll have a haven in Navarre,

freedom of faith in the south,

the right to bear arms...

What can the King guarantee

when Catherine rules?

She doesn't rule any more. I do.

In three days you lead the army,

with me.

Will I still be alive in three days?

How could you marry that scarecrow?

It'll never work!

You did it with Protestants?

You will, though!

I'll stick to Catholics.

Look!

The tall one's Armagnac.

The short one, Du Bartas.

- I'll go.

- Go on!

Where were you?

They'll make you convert.

No!

They will! She will!

Margot will convert you!

Who is she?

Charlotte de Sauves.

A Baroness. She's after you.

Baroness?

Do you always stare?

I fancy you, milord!

Can you prove it?

You must do the proving.

Whenever you want.

Choose me over tonight's pleasure.

Tonight?

What pleasure awaits me?

A knife?

Poison? Or a slap,

if God's kind!

My room is above yours.

So it's tonight, or never!

Tonight, as usual...

Anjou won!

And in April, Coligny,

how many men did you lose?

It's not a war!

How many Protestants fought?

But it's not a war.

What is it, then? Answer me. 4,000?

This is a crusade, not a war!

They were ready to die!

But not to fight!

Spain crushed them!

Won't you help Flanders?

Maybe not!

We are willing to help, but...

But what?

It's Spain!

We would be fighting the King of Spain!

And we're just not ready!

Not to fight Europe's greatest army!

Attack Spain, and France takes sides

with the Protestant countries!

But if Spain wins Flanders,

we'll be besieged.

You mean besieged by Catholics!

Nurse!

How long to prepare?

We're ready!

Why did we accept this wedding,

if not to bring peace?

- Peace? You liar!

- We want peace inside France,

so Catholics and Protestants

may fight together outside!

Never!

You've 6,000 men here.

And they want to fight.

They're hungry! Beware!

Beware they do not start a revolt

that no one can stop!

l want this war!

The King wants it too.

We'll be ready.

Come feed the dog, Coligny.

White meat is better.

Hand me the vegetables.

You dominate me.

You influence me too much.

You always cut me off.

You noticed?

He's a good eater.

They all say so.

Everyone:

my family,

and all the others.

But what I see is that

you freed me from myself.

Yes, Coligny,

freed me of my mother.

She's Queen no more. Im King!

Good dog, eat!

Im King, now that you're my father.

I never trusted anyone before you.

Only my nurse!

She's a Protestant too.

So, go over our battle plans.

Ill see you in the morning.

At ten, as usual.

So it's war?

Yes.

Who is he?

Ren, Catherine's perfume-maker.

And her poison-maker!

That's good to know.

- No perfume!

- You prefer poison?

I like you Protestants!

You've not lost faith in God

like we have.

Oh, I like you Catholics too.

Are you really 2,000 here?

Go on, count them!

They're my wedding guests.

They say it's good for France,

but for me...

your wedding day

is a day of mourning!

I feel shame!

You had my mother killed,

and now I marry your whore.

In Orlans, three years ago,

Guise paid you to kill Coligny.

Was it 10,000?

I know.

A man saved him.

One of his old captains,

who took the bullet.

What was his name?

De la Mle.

Leyrac de la Mle.

You were in his service?

You were a son to him.

He gave you room and board.

You called him father?

He was a father to you!

And you shot him in the back...

They want your head.

Shall I give it?

Sell it...

Or else, use me.

Tomorrow, at ten,

a man will walk down

St Germain Street,

to the Louvre.

How do I spot him?

He'll have a red portfolio.

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