The Statement Page #2

Synopsis: Tale of a former Nazi executioner who becomes a target of hit men and Police investigators.
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Director(s): Norman Jewison
Production: Sony Pictures Classics
  4 wins.
 
IMDB:
6.2
Metacritic:
45
Rotten Tomatoes:
24%
R
Year:
2003
120 min
$537,875
Website
97 Views


for Dombey.

Shh, Pierre.

If, as you say, you have proof,

make it public.

No, no.

The people will see that the

Jews are persecuting you.

This may be the perfect moment

for you to give yourself up.

Never! I don't want to be locked up

in a cell for the rest of my life.

Just give me absolution, Father.

God's pardon is all that matters to me.

God will forgive you.

And I know

that you are truly penitent.

I will give you absolution.

Thank you, Father.

Thank you.

I got a message this morning from

a Colonel Roux. He wants to see me.

-This must be concerning you.

-Of course it's concerning me.

They're everywhere.

I'll leave now. Pray for me, Father.

Pierre, where will you go?

Pray that we meet again...

...in this world.

Annemarie.

Patrice.

My dear, it has been too long.

You haven't changed. You look

the same as when we were students.

You fool, that was 1 50

years ago. Talk sense.

Well, for all I know...

...you might have had a little

nip and tuck under the gills.

You haven't changed either.

-I'm so excited to see you again.

-You know why I'm here?

It's all over the papers.

You're a celebrity now.

Pierre Brossard.

-Why come to me?

-I need help.

I've none to give.

How can a man survive on the run

for 40 years?

See the Cardinal of Lyon.

Hasn't he a commission...

-...to investigate this man?

-Come on, Father.

I have no idea, my sweet.

Then who or what

are the Chevaliers de Sainte Marie?

The Church, contrary to popular

belief, is not a monolithic organization.

True, the pope is at the head

of it all...

...but the Dominicans, Cistercians...

...Benedictines, Jesuits, et cetera.

Each a law unto themselves.

And the abbots, priors...

...and mothers superior have much

autonomy in their own monasteries.

Could they protect someone

like Brossard?

I mean, could they help him

without asking permission?

Of course.

And the Chevaliers de Sainte Marie?

Where are they on your chart?

My dear, there are thousands of

Catholic groups, societies, and guilds.

-They're too small for any chart.

-Where can I find their member lists?

I have no idea.

But I will make a guess about them.

-They're rather right wing.

-No, really?

-They believe the pope isn't Catholic.

-What are you hiding?

I always thought you were interested

in justice and fought for what was right.

-"The truth," you were always saying.

-That is enough.

I'm a Jesuit priest,

a curator of a theological library.

Disappointing.

Annemarie.

A monk died last year. He bequeathed

all his papers to our library.

He left this in one of his files.

It seems clear

that he was a Chevalier.

Please, keep my name

out of all this.

God bless you, Annemarie.

And don't leave it another

hundred and fifty years.

-Colonel.

-Thank you.

Monsignor.

Colonel Roux? Oh, dear,

in full-dress uniform.

This is obviously going

to be very serious.

Yes.

I'm afraid it is.

I'm heading a new investigation

into the case of Pierre Brossard.

Yes, yes, of course,

and you've come to question me.

They all come to question me.

When did you last see Brossard?

Oh, about two hours ago.

You've just missed him.

Brossard, like many young men

of his generation...

...made a serious mistake.

But I also believe

he acted in good faith.

In good faith, you understand?

So even if I could help you,

I would refuse to do so.

Do you want to play?

Of course I want to play.

This man is accused of killing...

...seven Jews in Dombey.

Not proven.

And of stealing property.

Jewish property. That's proven.

Colonel, you know

that the requisitioning...

...of Jewish property was routine

under Vichy during the war.

Brossard was merely

carrying out orders.

And, monsignor, some of the money

and property he requisitioned...

...found its way into his own pocket.

That's not the work of a soldier.

-That's a good shot.

-That's the work of a thief.

Brossard was pardoned...

...by the president of the republic.

And this new charge against him,

this crimes against humanity law...

...is simply another way

to persecute him.

-You're too young to remember--

-ls he on the run?

Not now, Father. Thank you.

-We're having a private conversation.

-ls he confessing?

Don't worry, the monsignor

will give you absolution.

That's what he does, he gives

absolution to people on the run.

It's nearly dinnertime, Leo.

Better go then, before they eat

all the creme caramel.

Monsignor, when you have a moment,

give me absolution too.

I'm on the run...

...and I haven't much time.

Dear man.

Not well, but then we're all

a little senile in this house.

Not you, monsignor.

You said I was too young

to remember something.

What?

During the occupation by the Nazis,

the Communists led the Resistance.

They wanted to deliver this country

into the hand of Joseph Stalin.

No wonder Brossard opposed them.

The Communists are antichrists,

colonel...

...and Brossard is a devout

and practicing Christian.

He's led a blameless life

ever since.

Blameless.

Tell me about the

Chevaliers de Sainte Marie.

Dinner. We must stop now.

Are you a Chevalier?

Is Brossard?

Maurice le Moyne?

-Yes?

-I have to get in touch with our friend.

-Why?

-A Colonel Roux, he came to see me.

-He asked me about us.

-About us?

The Chevaliers.

So...

...what do you want?

I thought you might be able

to help him get out of France.

I mean, if our friend is caught,

everything will come out.

He's been charged with crimes

against humanity.

We can't be involved.

-Yes?

-Colonel? Livi.

Turn on your television.

Police report the discovery

of a body in a car at--

Turn on your television now.

Channel Two.

--speaking to Inspector Cholet, who

leads the investigation of the incident.

We're treating this death

as suspicious.

The road leads to the Abbey,

the Abbey of St. Cros.

So he was either coming or going.

Who was he? Was he a tourist?

We haven't examined the body.

We'll lift the car tomorrow morning.

And in sports, 1 992 European Cup

championships, nothing less than....

He was shot three times.

He was shot three times.

Twice in the chest, and once

at the base of the skull...

...Iike a coup de grace.

-Talked to the abbey yet?

-My sergeant did.

They haven't had visitors recently.

And they weren't expecting anyone.

What was his nationality?

Hard to tell.

So far we've found no money, no

papers, no identification, nothing.

-Well, not quite nothing.

-Could he have just been a tourist...

-...who was shot and robbed?

-Could be.

-But if so, the killer missed something.

-What?

This gun. A silencer. It's been

worked on, serial numbers removed.

Doesn't seem quite

like a tourist, does it?

How long has he been dead?

A week. Ten days.

Keep me informed.

Use the private number.

I want to keep this confidential.

Understood.

Yes?

Judge Livi, minister.

-Annemarie.

-Minister.

This is a private meeting,

so you can call me Armand.

Or, as your dear father

used to insist, Uncle Armand.

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Ronald Harwood

Sir Ronald Harwood, CBE, FRSL (born Ronald Horwitz; 9 November 1934) is an author, playwright and screenwriter. He is most noted for his plays for the British stage as well as the screenplays for The Dresser (for which he was nominated for an Oscar) and The Pianist, for which he won the 2003 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He was nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007). more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "The Statement" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 18 Jan. 2025. <https://www.scripts.com/script/the_statement_21383>.

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