Vatel Page #2

that you have offered your daughter in marriage to William of Orange?

An invasion would not look well following a betrothal.

LOUIS:
My daughter can't even talk yet. Colbert.

No, we must secure our eastern frontier.

Four days ride from Paris, we have a country of Republicans, Protestants...

and printers of seditious pamphlets.

We have no better soldier than Cond...

If there is a war, we'll need him.

He's expensive.

But if there's peace...

What do I say in the meantime?

Why Say anything?

Your Majesty was invited here to enjoy yourself.

Not for business.

MAN:
Your Highness.

COND:
Are the musicians ready?

Yes, my Prince.

The king didn't utter one civil word to me during council.

He kept muttering to Lauzun.

Bastard!

My son has died...

working your machines at Versailles!

He died so you can have fountains at Versailles!

Have you no control over your people?

His Majesty wants her flogged at once.

See to it, Master Steward.

I'm not your Master of flogging madwomen, Prince.

A hundred lashes.

You know what's at stake. Don't weaken!

WOMAN:
But he died! My son died...

so the King can have his fountains!

Monsieur Vatel.

I am short of a page at my household at Saint Cloud.

You have a boy who might do apparently.

Send him to my apartement and I'll have a look at him.

Come, Lauzun, we have been promised music.

DUKE:
Music is my weakness.

The madwoman has been flogged, your Majesty.

I ask your pardon.

Madwoman?

Don't concern yourself, Prince. I recall no madwoman.

There's no sign of them. How long are they going to be?

You can't hurry a King.

Well, you can't slow down a sunset!

Madame...

Monsieur le Marquis?

The King sends you his compliments...

and he begs the favour of taking a cup of chocolate with you...

in your room at midnight.

With me?

May I offer you my congratulations?

Although, as you can imagine,

this came as a great blow to me.

After tonight, I cannot hope for deliverance...

from the pain of my own desires.

May I Suggest...

my rooms at ten?

Alas, Monsieur,

at ten o'clock I have an even more attractive offer.

Her Majesty has asked me to de-louse her spaniel.

[Whispering] Madame.

BOY:
Here, Marcel. And the rope.

GIRL:
Monsieur Vatel.

He's coming! Thank God.

MAN:
He's here!

Quicker!

Table one.

Shh!

With your King, eat, drink...

and enjoy yourselves!

We have to be perfect. Go, go. Go, go!

The Prince's gout is bad. Tell Dr. Bourdelot.

Madame de Courbe needs a new napkin.

Le Marquis d'Effiat wants his dish without coriander.

MONTESPAN:
Isn't it to your taste, your Majesty?

Change Montespan for Montausier.

You look pale, Prince. Are you ill?

Your Majesty is gracious to enquire...

Yes, indeed.

I see we share the same taste.

Taste?

In women.

There is a lady who has been rejecting my advances...

in a way which I find quite stimulating.

Her world is about to change.

The King has asked for her tonight.

I suggest we mark the event.

I want you to make a masterpiece.

Spun sugar, almond paste...

fruit, flowers. I'll leave it to you.

I'm not a patissier, Marquis.

You were apprenticed at Eberhardt's on the Ile Saint Louis.

I'll be too busy.

Ask someone else, Marquis.

Fruit and flowers in the colour of flesh and blood.

LAUZUN:
Flesh...

and blood.

I'll send my valet in the morning.

Ha ha ha ha! [Glass breaking]

VATEL:
Young sires, I ask you to behave yourselves!

- BOY:
Don't you know who I am?

- I do not have the honor.

I am the Vicomte d'Amboise.

And when I grow up, I'll be the Duc de la Tremoille!

ANNE:
In that case, it is not too soon to learn how to behave...

like the Duc de la Tremoille.

In truth, the Duc de la Tremoille behaves like a pig.

I thank you, Madame.

The poorest of the poor picked those flowers,

just for a few sous,

to make the trees pretty for his Majesty...

and those sous were on credit.

But the poor are happy to be the King's creditors.

It's an honor they never dreamed of.

Of course.

Both my parents were so honored they died of it.

DOCTOR:
The Prince's birds!

Oh, God! I cannot believe this.

Where are my birds?

MAN:
The Vicomte ordered to let them go.

DOCTOR:
The Vicomte? What Vicomte?

MAN:
The Vicomte d'Amboise and his sister. They ordered me.

DOCTOR:
But they're children. Little children!

MAN:
He is still a Vicomte.

DOCTOR:
But these are the birds of the Prince!

What am I going to do?

I mean, it's a disaster!

I specially ordered those thrushes and larks for the Prince's gout.

His gout is giving him agony today! What will I do?

Use something else.

DOCTOR:
Ah, ha ha ha.

Use something else? Ha-ha!

Use something else!

The heart torn from the living bird is the only treatment for gout.

Everyone knows that!

- Why not chickens?

- DOCTOR:
Chickens!

He's a Prince!

Chicken hearts wouldn't even cure a peasant!

Monsieur Vatel. Monsieur Vatel.

The King is bored.

It's a disaster for Cond.

Are you trying to ruin me?

Your Highness?

First that madwoman.

Now Marquis de Lauzun tells me you have been insolent.

Insolent?

You refused to be of service to him.

I refused to be his patissier.

What is the matter with you? Lauzun has the King's ear.

For the next few clays, do what he asks.

LOUIS:
Bravo, Prince! Bravo!

Gourville! Have they put you to spy on me?

If they had, you'd be in the Bastille by now.

You despise them, don't you?

I don't despise anyone who does his duty.

Tell me, Gourville, who is Anne de Montausier?

Why?

How many times have I bitten my tongue?

Now I snap at the only one who is humane to me.

She's the tastiest morceau at court many have tasted, or so they say.

Where are we going?

Good.

Yes, it'd better be perfect.

Colbert is not in our camp.

He's hostile to our Prince gaining influence at Court.

The Prince made a remark tonight about war...

Well, there are rumours.

- VATEL:
Yes, but he is...

- GOURVlLLE:
Sick of war?

So he is.

But he's equally sick of being in debt.

ANNE:
Your Majesty.

Madame de Montausier.

I'm concerned about the fish.

I've sent to Dieppe for an extra cartload,

in case of storms off Le Havre.

You are my general.

The battle plan is yours to decide.

What else?

Nothing, unless it rains.

The carving squires will have to sleep in a stable,

but they're Germans.

The lanterns arrive in the morning.

COND:
Very good.

Well, I'll leave it to you.

Go to bed, my friend.

Vatel.

You did well.

The second day.

COLIN:
Can you tell me where Vatel is?

Over there.

You sent for me, Monsieur Vatel?

Food for cattle.

VATEL:
Now we can feed cattle through the winter...

instead of slaughtering them every year.

How many varieties of pear are there?

COLIN:
There are 500 different kinds of pear.

This is the best one.

Its name is?

Bon Chrtien d'Hiver.

VATEL:
And?

COLIN:
It was known to the Romans.

VATEL:
Good.

COLIN:
When I am rich, I'd like a garden like yours.

VATEL:
Ha ha. I hope so, Colin. I hope so.

Bravo, Colin. You made a good choice.

The King will be pleased.

Colin, don't leave the kitchen without my order.

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