Vatel Page #3

Vatel:
Colin?

MAN:
They were badly packed and the roads were bad...

MAN:
Monsieur Vatel.

I am the valet of the Marquis de Lauzun.

My commiserations.

Thank you.

Good.

Now a real flower. Give me the blue one.

Harmony and contrast.

All beauty comes from those two things.

You see, Colin, few objects are beautiful or ugly in themselves.

To know that is the beginning of being an artist.

Now, I'll show you a real masterpiece.

VALET:
For your mistress.

LOUISE:
Just a moment.

LOUISE:
It's from the Marquis de Lauzun.

Send it back.

She doesn't want it.

Will you keep me with you when you are a Duchess?

Let's wait and see if I am to be a Duchess...

or just a night's divertissement to keep Mme de Montespan on her toes.

Or on her knees.

Know Phedre then, and all her wild desires.

MAN:
I'm in love.

SECOND MAN:
With a fish?

Monsieur le Marquis.

Monsieur le Marquis.

What?

She refused it. Monsieur le Marquis.

That's rather beautiful.

Send it to...

the Duchesse de Longueville.

VALET:
With the note?

Of course!

There's far too much waste in this country.

Madame.

Do not suppose that loving you, I think myself innocent...

or approve myself.

I am the victim of Celestium Vengeance...

and hate myself still more than you detest me.

Civilize, Madame, civilize...

There still won't be enough meat. Not with the extra guests.

Monsieur, I'm worried about the meat.

We have scarcely enough.

Monsieur Vatel.

MAN:
Monsieur Vatel.

Monsieur Vatel.

Monsieur, the King's brother has got the whale!

This is, lover, death...

The frightful monster must not get away!

Here is my heart.

It is there your hand should strike.

Already I cannot face that I may prick it.

Strike now!

Or if you think me not worth a blow...

Your men are so careless. They've quite spoiled our pleasure.

My men had orders to wait for me.

The whale was intended for the King's pleasure.

The King! That's a shame. We, Bourbons, are...

unpredictable when deprived of our...

pleasure.

You are a stubborn man, Master Steward.

Admirable!

Horse racing!

Get that carcass out of the water.

MAN:
Ha!

For your mistress.

It must be from the King! There's a note.

It's sugar.

ANNE:
It's all right, Louise.

It's all right.

VATEL:
Madame,

you were kind to one who turned aside kindness.

Such gifts as I have, I employ for your forgiveness.

Franois Vatel.

Gourville, help me.

The table lanterns I orderd were all smashed on the journey.

If the wind gets up, it will blow out the candles.

Torches would be dangerous.

Fires of Bengal burn better then tallow,

but the scent will ruin the taste of the food.

The banquet will be a failure.

It's just a hot meal on its way to the commode.

No, no, Gourville.

It's the future of the House of Cond.

Well, if you were a gambler,

you'd appreciate a whole new human pleasure.

The risk of losing everything.

My advice is:
Enjoy your disasters.

But don't ever stake your soul.

I'd sell it today for the weather to hold, Gourville.

Master Steward, do you promise us sport?

Yes, Princess, there will be sport.

I smell blood.

I promise you blood.

Montausier's stock is rising.

She spent the night in his Majesty's bed.

Does everybody know who sleeps with the King?

Every footman knows.

Sometimes, you can be quite ridiculous, my dear Vatel.

You find the day more exciting than the night, Madame?

You sent back my gift and my note.

Do you think the King intends to keep you?

Perhaps not, Lauzun,

but from the King's bed to yours is a long fall.

I am not contemplating it in this life.

Madame de Longueville.

Monsieur Vatel.

They're waiting for the sauces!

Pick this up. Someone help him!

M. Vatel, the pies!

There is really not enough meat! We're two tables short.

They gave us the wrong numbers.

Give me this. Bring me some mushrooms!

Antoine, Antoine, mushrooms!

Are you all right?

It's nothing!

Monsieur.

GO! Go!

Cond has won 40,000 pistols from the King.

Colbert must be furious.

By losing a little, you might have won more.

By winning a little, you might lose everything.

Is the Prince losing his chteau?

Not if he plays his cards wrong.

Your Majesty.

He'd better lose, Cond.

Look, Madame Montausier.

Cond's demands are excessive.

Outrageous.

You mean he knows his price.

Of course, if there were to be a war...

I'm sure my good friend M. De Turenne...

would forgive the monies he loaned his Majesty last year.

Condis a better leader. As yet, there is no war.

Our envoys from Holland may well bring acceptable terms.

I would prefer that.

It is not rational for two rich countries...

to make war.

My dear Colbert,

our destinies are not ruled by reason.

Lust for power, like any lust, is seated,

according to latest medical knowledge, in the liver.

LAUZUN:
Although personally,

it hasn't been my experience.

Madame?

Madame?

Madame, please.

VATEL:
Are you ill, Madame?

VATEL:
If you make an infusion of this, it will restore you.

I wanted the wind to stop blowing.

I made it stop.

I thought it was God.

Then perhaps God provided me.

Is it so important?

It is no small thing to please a King, Madame.

To please a King is easily clone...

and of no importance.

But as a steward, I have it in my power...

to save the house of the Prince of Cond.

What power do you have?

To create.

To astonish.

The visit of his Majesty is the supreme test.

If I please him,

his benevolence will restore my master to his position...

in the destiny of France.

So the destiny of France is in your hands, Monsieur.

That will be a great surprise to the King's minister Colbert.

I must go back.

You really believe Lauzun has enough influence...

Trust me, my dearest.

I've never let you down... have I?

I will stay late after dinner. I'll need the room.

I don't feel like ruining my gown in the corner of some stable.

Is this what the Court has brought us to?

DEMAURY:
Laurent! Laurent!

What kind of meat is this?

Unicorn. Laurent!

Monsieur Demaury.

Hurry up! Hurry up!

For God's sake.

There's no news about the lanterns.

More than half the eggs are addled. We can't make the custard.

Watch.

Come.

The sugar will come up like beaten egg whites.

- Don't forget the apricot!

- No, monsieur.

- No, monsieur.

If they ask you what it is,

tell them it's an old recipe from Chantilly.

- Don't cut any more melons.

- Yes, Monsieur.

LOUISE:
Monsieur.

Who is it?

Louise. Monsieur Vatel.

Don't be afraid. Come on.

My mistress...

She asked me to stay until I have seen you read it.

This is so pretty!

What a strange idea!

- A custom from India.

- India?

Please thank your mistress.

My clock has stopped.

Does it matter?

All the other clocks in this chteau are working perfectly.

By the way,

the King stopped to examine the sun clock and admired it.

It means something.

I stink from head to toe.

This is good. I don't know it.

VATEL:
It's made from walnuts.

What did you want?

Monsieur sent me... uh,

It's not an easy embassy.

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