The Rose of Versailles

Episode 23

"Cunning and Tough"

translated by GinRei

 [] = description of the scenes
 () = alternative translations (feel free to put them or drop them), and
      sometimes my comments or explanations
 {} = translation of what it says on the screen

**********************************************************************
 notes on names:
 Andre should be spelled with "/" accent acute over the "e"
 Francois should be spelled with a cedilla (like "5") under the "c".
 Boehmer can be spelled Bohmer with an umlat (2 dots) over the o.
 Bernard Chatelet should be spelled with a carret "^" over the "a".
**********************************************************************


BOEHMER
I beg you! I'm Boehmer the jeweler.
When will the Queen make her payments?
I mean the money for the necklace she has purchased from me!
I can't wait any more. Please make the payment as soon as possible!
I'm on the verge of bankruptcy!
Please pay 1,600,000 Livres for the necklace!
(Your Majesty,) Queen Marie Antoinette!

LOUIS
Something with the Queen? What's wrong?

MESSENGER
Your Majesty!
The King is asking you to come to Versailles Palace immediately!

SOLDIER
Cardinal Rohan!
You're ordered to appear at Versailles Palace.

NARRATION
August 15th, 1785, that was the beginning of the (in)famous "Necklace
Affair" in French criminal history.

[opening title]

{Episode 23 "Cunning and Tough"}

ANTOINETTE
Cardinal Rohan!

ROHAN
Y-yes(, Your Majesty)...

ANTOINETTE
Are you saying that I asked a lady called Jeanne Valois to make you my
surety, and bought that necklace?!

ROHAN
Let me humbly say, that is true.

ANTOINETTE
Be quiet! Be quiet, Rohan!
On top of that, you're saying that I saw you secretly in the Garden of
Venus at midnight?!

ANTOINETTE
How can you blatantly lie without any proof?!
What is that?

ROHAN
I humbly present the l-love letters from Your Majesty, and
the signed sales contract.

LOUIS
Cardinal, this signature is not the Queen's. And everyone knows that she
doesn't sign her name as "Marie Antoinette de France".

ROHAN
It's a forgery then?!

LOUIS
Yes, a forgery.

ROHAN
Your Majesties! I beg you!
I'll pay 1,600,000 Livres for the necklace no matter what!
S-so, please forgive me!
I was tricked by Jeanne Valois and her husband Nicolas!
Please forgive me!

LOUIS
My Queen?
He seems to be only deceived, so why don't you forgive him?

ANTOINETTE
No, this man probably plotted with Jeanne and Nicolas to trap me!

LOUIS
But he's apologizing like this, so...

ANTOINETTE
No! My mother Maria Theresa and I hated and ignored him.
He was trying to take revenge...

LOUIS
My Queen.

ANTOINETTE
No, no, I can't forgive him!
It's an insult against me! I'll put him on a trial and make everything
clear!!

[Nicole's room]

NICOLE
Welcome. Only 10 sous for a night, advance payment (please).
Only 10 sous for a night, advance payment (please).
Monsieur? (she actually says something like "Dear customer")
Advance payment please.

JEANNE
It's me, Nicole. Not a customer.

NICOLE
Ah, that voice (is)...Mme. Jeanne Valois!
It's been a while. Thank you very much for (giving me) so much money!

JEANNE
I've come to warn you that it's getting a bit dangerous around me.
That means, they won't let you get away if they find out you
impersonated the Queen.
Take this and get away from Paris (for a while). This is
about 100 Livres.

NICOLE
But...
[not really a direct translation]

JEANNE
As soon as possible, all right?

POLICE?
Jeanne Valois de la Motte!
You're under arrest on charges of forgery, theft, and fraud!

NARRATION
People involved in the Necklace Affair, except for Nicolas, were all
arrested to be tried on charges of forging official document, theft,
fraud, and contempt of the royal family.
[The narration actually lists the charges first in Japanese.]

[at Jarjeyes']

OSCAR
What are you doing in my room, Rosalie?
That's all right. (or, Go ahead.) You can play (the piano) anytime you
want to.

ROSALIE
I was waiting for your return to ask you a question.

OSCAR
A question?

ROSALIE
Is the punishment for "contempt of the royal family" really heavy?"
(Something like) life in prison or death penalty?
Jeanne...
Jeanne Valois is my elder sister that I grew up with in a slum in Paris.
Jeanne Valois is my elder sister, who I grew up with in the slums of Paris.

ROSALIE
I didn't meant to hide it from you, but I... didn't have a chance to tell you.
You know what kind of person she is.
[she's saying that she didn't really want to tell Oscar about Jeanne
unnecessarily, since she was embarrassed about her sister.]

OSCAR
I see.
But the trial hasn't started yet. It's not yet clear whether your sister
did it (/committed the crime) or not.

ROSALIE
No, it's not that!
I'm not (even) thinking about asking you to help her out!
Knowing my sister... she might have done it.
But if...if Lady Oscar have a chance to see my sister, I'd like you to hand
this ring to her.
This is Ma's... a keepsake (memento) of our Mom'. I'm living (entirely)
in happiness (right) now, so I want Jeanne to have (/keep) it.

OSCAR
I will. I'll be sure to hand it to her.

ROSALIE
Thank you very much!

[bar]

ROBESPIERRE
Everyone, do not take this trial as an ordinary fraud case.
We should pay attention to what will be told (/revealed) in the trial
about the royal family and the upper nobility!
What's unimaginable for us commoners--1,600,000 Livres--is the price for
just one necklace!
It's no surprise to have such things come and go at Versailles Palace.
They squander the tax money they wring from us at Versailles Palace.
Well, everyone! Hostility against Versailles is already beginning to grow
among the judges (/Justices?) of Paris High Court. We should have high
expectations (for them?). What should be judged is not the crime, but
Versailles itself!  We shall trust (/believe in) the wisdom (/good sense)
of Paris High Court!

AUDIENCE
Dr. Robespierre is right!
Hell with contempt of the royal family!
To Hell with "contempt of the royal family!"
Right! We shouldn't let Versailles have its way!
That's right!

[prison]

OSCAR
This is from Rosalie. It's your mother's keepsake.

JEANNE
I don't know anyone named Rosalie.
And I don't wear cheap trinkets, sorry.

OSCAR
How do you know it's cheap? Without even looking at it.

OSCAR
I promised Rosalie that I'd hand you this.

{Paris High Court}

NARRATION
Paris High Court...even the royal family could not interfere inside.

JUDGE
Silence, silence!
Let me ask you once again, Jeanne Valois de la Motte.

JEANNE
The answer is the same no matter how many times you ask me. It's Cardinal
Rohan who stole the necklace. I was simply ordered to do so.

JUDGE
So you're saying that you don't know where the necklace is now?

JEANNE
Maybe Cardinal Rohan (already) took care of it somewhere.

ROHAN
Jeanne! You villain!!

JEANNE
Please be quiet, Cardinal Rohan! Where do you think this is? We're in a
Court!

JUDGE
Then, if Cardinal Rohan ordered everything, what about the letters with
forged signature of the Queen? Didn't you hire Retaux de Villette, a
forger in Paris, to write them? Retaux has already confessed so.
[Literally, the judge called Retaux a "fraudulent judicial
scrivener".]

JEANNE
Oh, I've never seen such a boor before.

RETAUX
Lady Jeanne...

JUDGE
So you (try to) pretend you know nothing.

OSCAR
Rosalie, look.
The ring.
Your sister is wearing the ring that you sent her.

ROSALIE
Sister...

JEANNE in her mind
Help me, even a bit, Mom.
I don't want to be a loser only with something like this.
I want to find a way out of this somehow.
Because I can't permit anyone to judge me, not even God Himself!

JUDGE
Summon the witness.
Nicole D'Oliva.

AUDIENCE
It's the Queen!
It's Marie Antoinette!
Idiot, look carefully!

VOICE
Go. (or, Step forward?)

JUDGE
Well, Nicole D'Oliva?
Is this the woman who took you to the Garden of Venus and made you
impersonate the Queen?

NICOLE
There's no mistake about it. It's Mme. Jeanne Valois.

JEANNE
Touche  (accent / acute over last e)

JUDGE
Well, Jeanne Valois.
Would you tell me why you disguised this prostitute from Paris as a fake
Queen and took her to the Garden of Venus?

JEANNE
That's...

JUDGE?
Yes?

JEANNE
That's...

JUDGE
Reply promptly!
The more you lie, the heavier your sentence shall be!

JEANNE
All right, Your Honor.  I will tell you everything.

JEANNE
I truly regret that I caused Cardinal Rohan so much trouble.
The Cardinal was merely manipulated by my husband and me.
But that was only because I was asked to do so
by someone of such high nobility that even Cardinal Rohan ranks far below.
We had no choice but to plot this.
Someone who wanted to get that necklace no matter what.
Someone who's perfectly suited to wear a necklace worth 1,600,000 Livre .
The Queen of France, Her Majesty Marie Antoinette!

JUDGE
Mme. Jeanne Valois de la Motte!
Her Majesty said she doesn't know you or (about) the necklace.
That's the very reason why she decided to have this trial.
Wouldn't you think so?! (or, Don't you understand?!)
Stop telling irresponsible lies! (or, Stop talking off the top of your head!)
If you keep on making accusations that are not supported by solid evidence,
I'll apply contempt of court on top of contempt of the royal family!

JEANNE
Perhaps Her Majesty thought she was getting into a bad situation now that
the jeweler is clamoring (/making a big fuss).
She called for this trial in order to put all the blame on me.

JUDGE
Show me the evidence first.

JEANNE
I heard that Her Majesty burned the bill from the jeweler Boehmer. That's
because Her Majesty tried to eliminate (/destroy) the evidence. Wouldn't
you think so, Chief Justice?

AUDIENCE
Right! If she's innocent, she wouldn't have burned the bill!
The Queen did it!
Queen probably has the necklace!
Yeah, the real suspect is that Austrian woman!

JUDGE
The audience shall remain quiet!
If I hear any more noises, I'll order all of you to leave the court!
Mme. la Motte.

JEANNE
Yes, Your Honor.

JUDGE
The Queen says she doesn't know you at all.
Are you saying she's lying?

JEANNE
That's correct.

JUDGE
Then tell your relationship with the Queen so that the court will be
convinced.

JEANNE
Yes, Your Honor.
Her Majesty loved me, Sir.

JUDGE
Huh?

JEANNE
I mean, in a lesbian fashion...
The truth is, the Queen has a taste for women.
(And) I was her lover.

ROSALIE
Sister!!

JUDGE
I've never heard of such thing before.
Do you have any firm basis (ground) for that (claim), Mme. la Motte?

JEANNE
I do.
Chief Justice might already know that Her Majesty's favorite lady is that
famous Mme. Polignac. She's actually someone dear to the Queen. And the
most decisive evidence is the Royal Guard Regiment Commander Oscar
Francois. She's the commanding officer of my husband Nicolas. Though she's
wearing men's clothes, she's a genuine woman. Her Majesty made her lover
dress like a man and kept her close as a playing partner.
Her Majesty Marie Antoinette is a great queen.
She monopolizes all the luxury and pleasures in this world.

OSCAR
That bitc...
(lit. I can't forgive...)

ANDRE
Hold, Oscar!
Calm down. This is a Court.

JEANNE
Sir Chief Justice! I was only a puppet!
Judge the Queen before you judge me!
You should judge Marie Antoinette!

AUDIENCE
The Queen is the one behind it!
It's that loose woman from Austria who's flirtatious and lesbian, of course!
Jeanne Valois! I'm on your side!!

JUDGE
The court is dismissed! (repeated.)
The court will be adjourned for a while!

ST. JUST
I see, it's a wonderful trial, Dr. Robespierre.

ROBESPIERRE
Yeah, the royal family couldn't have been more disgraced.
Let's leave here, Monsieur St. Just.

ST. JUST
Yes, Sir.

NARRATION
This very young man was St. Just, when he was still in a law school.
The young revolutionist later became the right-hand man for Robespierre.
And a newspaper reporter who follows Robespierre like a shadow, Bernard
Chatelet. He's also a young man with burning passion for the new age.
The Necklace Affair implanted anger toward the old regime (/"ancient
regime") among the people and younger generation. It (/The incident)
triggered the French Revolution.


ROSALIE
How could she make an insult like that...I'm sorry, Lady Oscar!
She did it just because she thinks she can get away with it.

OSCAR
She's tough. A tough vitality.
Though she keeps standing on the edge of a cliff, she's bold instead of
flinching. She even has confidence as well.
Jeanne...I've never seen such a woman before.

NARRATION
May 31st, 1786,
The Paris High Court handed down the sentences for the Necklace Affair.

JUDGE
Captain Nicolas de la Motte:
In absentia, he is sentenced to life in the galleys.
Arrest him as soon as he's found.

Retaux de Villette:
35 years of exile after 50 lashes in flogging.

Nicole d'Oliva:
found not guilty.

Mme. Jeanne Valois de la Motte:
life in prison after branding the letter "V" on both shoulders with a
hot iron.

Cardinal Louis de Rohan:
found not guilty in both cases of the Necklace Affair and contempt of the
royal family.

JEANNE
Sir Chief Justice, I'd like to ask one thing!
What about the REAL criminal (/ mastermind)?! The one who manipulated me?!
Do you only punish me and pretend as if nothing else is wrong?!

JUDGE
We don't judge people only with assumptions.
Even if there is a mastermind (behind this) by any chance, the court
cannot interfere with the royal family, just as (well as) the royal family
cannot interfere with the court.

ANTOINETTE
It sounds as if I were the real suspect!
I'm called a lesbian, the mastermind. Furthermore, Rohan was found not guilty!
What was the point of having this trial at all?!

POLIGNAC
My poor Queen...

ANTOINETTE
Mme. Polignac...
What on heaven's sake did I do (wrong to deserve something like this)?!
This is too cruel!

POLIGNAC
Your Majesty...
But it's a strange case.
That a member of the Royal Guard Regiment had a misconduct like this. And
the Regiment Commander didn't notice that the member was plotting to escape.
No, it's nothing, Your Majesty.

NARRATION
A month later, Jeanne's sentence was carried out.
V-shaped hot iron...that was the initial of the French word "thief". [Voleur]

JEANNE
Damn it!

JEANNE
Let me go, I'm innocent!
The Queen plotted everything!
She blamed everything on me, yet that bitch remains cool and indifferent!
Go to Hell, Marie Antoinette!
I'M INNOCENT!!

EXECUTIONER
Shit, what a bitch. She bit off flesh from my arm.
Look, she fainted with her eyes open.
Carry her to the prison in Sarpetrier immediately!
Yes, Sir!

NARRATION
Jeanne's ingenious lies gathered sympathy from the
whole country. People rushed to have a glimpse of her everyday.

ANTOINETTE
How can it be?
I heard that not only commoners but even nobles are going there to see Jeanne.

OSCAR
Yes, Your Majesty.

ANTOINETTE
Why even the nobles who have social status?
I don't understand it.

OSCAR
Your Majesty, those nobles were the ones who left the Court because they
were denied access to Your Majesty's villa.

ANTOINETTE
For just something small like that?

JEANNE
It was fun... I hadn't been thrilled like that for a long time.
I always wanted to play a prank like that when I was a kid
...with everyone.

[ending title]

NEXT EPISODE:
Oscar was suspected of lending a hand for Jeanne's escape from the prison.
"I must help her"... Rosalie suffers. Then, her mother she despises offered
a hand. In exchange for her return to the Polignac family. 
Next Episode on The Rose of Versailles: 
"Adieu, My Youth" 

["Seishun" once used to be a fashionable word in Japan. In kanji, it writes
"blue spring", but it's usually one's youth or adolescence. ]

END


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  Bruce Carlson     carlson@indirect.com     Phoenix, AZ


