Open up!
This is the governor, Hudson Lowe.
Well, knock again, for God's sake!
Open up!
I order you to open the door, General Bonaparte!
He won't open if you call him General, sir.
He insists on being called by his title.
Title?
Emperor?
Majesty?
Poppycock! He's Bony the Ogre, and always will be.
Knock again! Yes, sir.
Sire. Should I?
If you won't come out,
I'm going to revoke all your privileges!
I'll cut off your wine supply!
Damn it, Napoléon! Open the door at once!
What are these shutters doing here?
They're specifically forbidden! You are under 24-hour watch!
Well, if you want to imprison yourself in this house,
it's perfectly fine with me.
My men are tired of chasing you all over the island.
I'll cordon off the grounds,
and you won't even be able to take a walk!
Good day, Your Excellency.
You have no business here, Miss Balcombe.
Let me through, please.
Thank you.
You're wasting your time, young lady.
His Imperial Majesty is hiding.
From you, of course.
From me, never.
General Bonaparte.
Ah. Come back another day. Madame Tallien is engaged.
Today is her at-home day.
It's like fashion nowadays.
It changes as easily as politicians.
I've just spent a fortune on a golden wig,
only to be told it's no longer in fashion.
Now I have to cut it, and have it restyled!
It's better to cut your wig than lose your head.
Believe me, I know what I'm talking about.
A General Bon-Appetit, or something like that,
is here to see Madame.
Bonaparte. Yes. Show him in.
A General! Which General?
One without a post. On half-pay.
But it's easier for him to conceal his pride
than to conceal his ass.
Truly, his britches are riddled with holes.
And cloth for uniforms is reserved for officers
in active service.
Oh, please, General.
Come, let me introduce you.
Madame Récamier.
Madame.
Strange-looking bird.
With the eyes of an eagle.
Madame de Staël.
Madame de Beauharnais.
And Madame de Coigny.
I am the young captive, General.
The famous poem. You know,
by Chenier?
The General must have been far too busy during the Revolution
to take an interest in poetry.
I know what it is, a soldier's life.
I was married to an officer.
Yes, General Le Borne.
Charged with the surrender of the city of Maience,
and guillotined.
Yes. That was my husband.
Who was nearly followed to the scaffold by his wife,
but for the grace of God.
I would say more the caprice of politics.
Is it true, dear Rose,
that you cut off your lovely curls
rather than let the executioner mangle them?
You make me appear vain and absurd to the general.
On the contrary.
To face death with pride takes courage, Madame.
It takes courage to face life alone, with 2 children.
General?
I have some good news for you.
I've managed to obtain a length of cloth.
Enough for not just one pair of britches, but two.
Well, I thank you twice.
I thank all of you.
Do you want a cup of chocolate, General?
It's hot.
It's delicious.
We drank lots of it in the West Indies.
- In the West Indies? - I was born there.
My father owned a plantation, with more than 200 slaves.
It was a paradise of sunshine and sugar.
Imagine, when I was a little girl I used to bathe in a river,
among irises and orchids.
I loved to swim in it naked.
I come from an island too, Madame.
But the women there rarely bathe.
And when they do, it's fully dressed, all in black.
Thank you again.
General.
General!
General, I've shocked you.
A soldier shocked by a lady's words.
It was not the words, Madame.
It was the image they evoked.
The image of a little girl frolicking in the sun?
No. Of a woman naked.
A beautiful image of you.
Now I'm the one who's shocked.
You shouldn't have taken the risk.
The risk?
Of being alone with me and the feelings you've aroused.
You wouldn't dare.
No, no. Not here, not now. But tomorrow, when I see you again.
Because you presume you'll see me again.
Yes, I will.
Won't I?
Well, what time tomorrow?
Message, sir.
And this is the area that concerns me most.
The Rue Saint-Honoré and the Palais Egalite.
If the rebels descend on us from...
Another good reason to act!
Believe me, Barras.
We cannot let a simple riot...
A simple riot?
Is that what you call 25,000 royalists storming the Assembly
to seize the deputies and destroy the Republic?
What forces do you have?
Your name again.
General Bonaparte, currently without a command.
Ah, Bonaparte.
Artillery, wasn't it?
Right, then.
We have 4,000 men, from the camp at Sablons, and General Menou.
4,000 against 25,000.
No cannons?
General Menou left them in Sablons,
with the excuse that they would slow him down.
We need that artillery.
Tell Squadron Leader Murat to retrieve those cannons.
He's a human tidal wave. Nothing can stand in his way.
At the moment we have the artillery,
we will position it like this.
One battery here, another here.
Another one on this bridge in line, and another one here.
If the cannons come through, you'll take command of them.
I warn you, citizen,
that I follow a pledge to its end or mine.
Don't ask me to answer for any blood that's shed.
If I draw my sword, it will remain drawn
until the order of the Republic is restored.
What is the date?
It's midnight, so it's now the 13th of Vendémiaire.
Your appointment as Chief of Staff.
It's up to you now.
Murat! Take your position.
Follow me, men!
Position!
Ah!
Aim!
Fire!
Ah!
Left, forward!
Volley shot, fire!
Argh!
Grenadiers!
Fire!
First row!
Aim! Fire!
Second row!
Aim! Fire!
Argh!
Stand up!
Forward!
Over here, I need some help!
It's a slaughterhouse!
No, Murat, it's a battlefield. This is war.
War? In the streets of Paris? Against Frenchmen?
Against royalists,
who are in league with the enemies of the nation.
There are 40 English vessels off the coast of Brest,
and 40,000 Austrians at the gates of Strasbourg.
They are waiting for the Republic to be overthrown.
They are waiting to invade France.
It will not happen.
I'm a general of the Republic, and I will not let it.
General Bonaparte for Madame de Beauharnais.
Very good, General.
Hello.
Good morning, General.
I see you've been taken captive by my children.
Captivated, Madame, not captive.
I'm no longer a child, mama.
Oh, I'm sorry, you're right.
I found him a position with General Hosch.
I would say Hosch got the better part of the bargain.
What a splendid uniform, General.
Can I touch it?
It's pure wool, excellent quality!
Are you turning into a fashion peacock?
Ah, the new general of the army of Italy
can't command in rags.
The army of Italy?
Is this your reward for saving the Republic?
Yes. A gift from Barras.
Shall we go?
Yes.
Eugène is a very serious young man.
He has a sense of discipline.
If he were under my command, I'd make a fine soldier out of him.
Hortense, on the other hand, obviously needs a father.
She's only 14.
She looks older, doesn't she?
Yes, but she's 14. I made inquiries.
About my daughter?
About the world around you.
I know nearly everything about you, Joséphine.
But my name, apparently, is Rose.
Your lovers call you Rose.
Your husband has decided to call you Joséphine.
But my husband, General...
ls dead, yes. The prior one.
I'm talking about your new husband.
My new husband?
Yes, come now.
There is nothing extraordinary
about a widow remarrying.
Not at all!
Only that I don't have any prospect in sight.
You are looking at him, Madame.
Excellent foundry work.
These monsters must have a range of over well over 2,000 metres.
Wouldn't you say so, Muiron?
Yes, General.
Except that these cannons are not for us.
They're for the army of the Rhine.
What's been provided for the army of Italy?
Nothing.
What do you mean, nothing?
I mean just that.
How do they expect me
to push the Austrians back with nothing?
Most of our men don't even have shoes, let alone cannons.
No shoes, no cannons.
We have cavalry, don't we?
A whole regiment, General.
Thank you for that.
Unfortunately, there are no horses.
The cavalry men have eaten them.
Sorry?
It was that, or starve to death.
He should have been here over an hour ago.
What can he be doing, Barras?
After all, getting married was his idea!
You don't love him?
I love his love for me.
No one, not even you,
has ever loved me like this.
Do you know what passion is?
Of course! It's, uh, it's...
Look no further. It's him.
Forgive me, mi dolce amore.
I'm sorry I'm late,
but there's been so much to do!
I have only a few days before going to join my army.
Where is he?
Wake up back there!
We want to get married!
Happy?
I am.
Let's go celebrate!
General, wait! There is something I must tell you.
Yes, what?
You're not married.
What do you mean?
I'm just standing in for the official.
He got tired of waiting and left.
What's up?
But you married us.
Yes, you were yelling, with so much authority,
I could not refuse.
Well, fix it, you fool!
Tonight I have a woman to love,
and tomorrow I must take Italy back from Austria.
Uh...
Why don't you come with me?
To Italy?
Yes.
Do you see me following an army?
Ruining my shoes in the mud,
wearing wrinkled dresses,
sleeping on straw...
Sleeping, sleeping.
There are other things to do besides sleeping.
What's so funny?
You're funny.
Because I'm mad about you?
No, because you're just mad. And I love that.
Argh!
How can the Austrians see us?
They can hear us, Muiron.
We're an entire army on the march,
while they're hidden away, silent,
and concealed by this filthy mist.
Stay back!
We have to take that bridge.
We can't go around it.
What about the cannons?
They're holding it under fire. We'll be massacred.
Not if we charge.
We won't stay in the line of fire for long.
We must impress them, make them doubt.
Sorry, General, but I myself doubt.
I don't.
The charge, beat the charge.
The charge, General?
Go on, boy. And put your heart in it.
Charge!
Take your positions!
Afraid, Muiron?
Yes, General!
Then you're a brave fellow!
Charge! Onward!
Don't stop! Don't stop!
Onward!
Argh!
Yeah!
Oh...
ls it bad, my friend?
No, I'm all right.
The first 15 or 20 were harder.
What really hurts is that the bridge is still Austrian.
Well, they can keep their damn bridge!
Find boats! Beams, planks of wood.
Anything you can lay your hands on,
to build another bridge further on.
As soon as it's ready,
Pogerot will cross to the other side,
take the enemy from the rear, and drive them to Masséna.
We will chop them to pieces.
We shall make them pay dearly for Muiron's death.
Go, start, gentlemen!
Want out?
Worried about the battle?
No, no. No, Joséphine.
She hasn't written to me for 2 weeks.
But I'm bound to have a letter tomorrow or the day after.
I'm so sorry, General.
It arrived this morning.
Did you open it?
Not at all. It's been through the battle.
I don't write to you as often as I would like,
dear Napoléon,
because I have so little time.
At the dinner party...
You can do it!
Easy...
My men say you risked your life like an ordinary soldier.
They call you "The Little Corporal".
Said with affection, General.
Bonaparte!
Long live Bonaparte!
Vive...
Put it down there.
Napoléon!
How handsome you are as a great general!
Great general and great victor.
Oh!
Look what I've brought you from Italy.
If there is too much, you can give some to the poor.
There won't be too much.
Feeding your 7 brothers and sisters is not always easy.
In Corsica, people knew us.
Here, we're strangers.
You have nothing to worry about.
I'll look after you from now on.
You'll never want for anything ever again.
You must get ready to leave Marseilles.
I want you to meet my wife at last.
When you get to know her...
I don't need to meet her to know what she is.
You made a bad marriage, Napoléon. You deserve better.
Then, at the very least,
you could write congratulations to her.
Me?
I wouldn't know how.
I've prepared a letter for you.
All you have to do is copy the words and sign it.
Please.
I'll try to find the time.
I don't want that woman
coming between us.
I wish you had not even mentioned her.
I have to leave now.
Be well, mama. Goodbye.
Goodbye.
Napoléon?
Do you love her?
Yes.
She's taking nothing away from you.
The day you leave me,
I'll be in a world of inferior beings.
Whoa...
Oh! Bonaparte!
Did you receive him in this?
Receive who?
The man who has just left!
A man just left?
An officer. Judging by his uniform, he's a dragoon.
Ah, yes. Captain Hippolyte Charles. He's a charming boy.
He's sometimes my escort. He brought me some theatre tickets.
Ah, you're going to the theatre?
Yes, yes I am.
What's wrong with it?
I mean, you left for so long.
You don't want me to lock myself up in here, do you?
And you received him half-naked?
But Bonaparte!
But the poor boy just came and left.
Show me the tickets.
I don't have them.
Where are they?
I don't know. Go ask Constant.
He must have left them with him.
Go interrogate him!
Honestly, I think you're jealous!
Why didn't you write to me?
I wrote!
No. A few scribbled lines.
Those cold, polite words people write to each other
after decades of marriage.
Because I don't know how to caress with words.
I need to touch.
Flesh to flesh.
I missed you so much.
You were gone for so long.
But now you're back.
Oh, I'm so happy you're back!
I thought about this moment almost every day.
I understood that from your letters!
They were shocking. I had to keep them under lock and key.
That is why, also, I didn't write to you.
Because I was afraid I would drive you mad with desire,
and then, you would throw yourself
on the first Italian woman.
How should I address you?
Monsignor, since you were a bishop?
Your Excellency,
because the Revolution made you ambassador to England?
Or Minister,
because you are in charge of France's foreign relations?
Most people call me Talleyrand. Just Talleyrand.
Ah, yes.
Like just God?
Or Satan.
They like seeing me as the devil,
but I shouldn't think that would scare you,
because people tell me that you're not afraid of anything.
Of one thing.
Stupidity.
Then you must tremble every day of your life!
I've heard rumblings about your proposal
for a new constitution.
I must say, I expected something more revolutionary from you.
I like order.
I fought for the Republic. I'm not a revolutionary.
I share your fondness for order.
But when you speak of a concentrated government,
you don't perchance mean concentrated
in the hands of one man, do you?
You ask questions that sound like answers.
Yes, well, because it's always difficult
to find someone who would wield that kind of power
who would not become a dictator.
What about you?
Are you interested in political power?
Me?
The glory I won in Italy is all I could possibly wish for.
Yes, of course there's glory,
but then there's money, too.
In that regard, I was very well paid by the enemy.
I have other plans.
Oh, do tell me!
I'll be as silent as the grave.
Mathematics.
I became an artilleryman thanks to mathematics.
My one dream is to return to my former vocation.
To mathematics?
Yes, I hope to be elected to the Institute
in the domain of physical science and mathematics.
Hmm.
Hmm...
And that's all?
For the moment.
Hmm.
I see.
To your modest ambitions.
Salut.
What is this place called?
Malmaison, General. The bad house.
In memory of the barbaric Normans
who raided the place many years ago.
Committed infamous crimes here.
I'll open up.
I can turn it into a happy house.
I know it doesn't look like much now,
but let me take care of everything.
Where did you learn to run a house?
In the West Indies, when you were a little savage?
A little savage who always appreciated beauty.
Expensive things, too.
Over 300,000 francs for a country house.
You're not paying for it.
Certainly not.
But it's so much less for your family.
Oh please, Joseph.
You can't accuse me of neglecting my family.
I've always placed your welfare above my own.
And, my dear brother-in-law,
the family Bonaparte includes me.
I'll wait for you outside.
Probably smells musty in there.
I'll wait for you out front.
It does smell a bit musty.
Soon, it will smell of joy, of life, of love.
Do you know that when I was a child,
a fortune teller predicted that one day,
I was going to be greater than a queen?
Today, I have the feeling she saw right.
This is my palace.
And you will be the king.
Husband is good enough. I don't like kings.
You think we would be mad to buy it, don't you?
I think 300,000 francs is a lot of money
for a general living on his pay.
Yes, but you're worth much more, because if you wanted...
You don't have to say it. Talleyrand already did.
The French have had enough
of being governed by men who are corrupt.
But they are not ready to rise up.
Perhaps for now, your interest is to avoid anything
that could tarnish the glory you won in Italy.
Ideally, I should go somewhere far away,
pursuing new military triumphs.
You say that as if you already have a glimmer of an idea.
No, not a glimmer. A revelation, Joséphine.
Egypt.
Egypt? Why Egypt?
Because holding Egypt
means cutting off England's route to India,
and giving us access to all the goods from the East.
What's more, our ambassador in Cairo
said that Egypt is a country of incredible wealth.
When I come back, I'll be able to buy you Malmaison.
That's how you'll make history.
General Bonaparte, first to have fought a war
so that he could buy his wife a house.
Gentlemen, the Pyramids.
4,000 years of history are contemplating us.
Well, Roustam, the tea!
Admire the work of my cartographers, St. Hilaire.
This is Egypt in the days of the Pharaohs.
Everything is in here, even the canal.
The canal, General?
Didn't you know that the Pharaohs built a canal
joining the Nile to the Red Sea?
No!
Initiated under King Necho
and completed under the Ptolemies,
this prodigious work stood the test of time
for almost 1,000 years, until it disappeared,
swallowed up by the sands.
Do you believe one could find vestiges of this canal?
Hmm, without any doubt.
If we started excavating in this area,
we'd unearth marvels that would reveal to the world
the extraordinary splendour of the Egyptian civilization.
Yet a better idea would be to dig another canal.
One that would connect the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.
Starting from Suez, for example. What do you think?
The thing is, General, my interest is in zoology,
so as far as I'm concerned, these stories about canals...
My dear St. Hilaire.
A scholar must be curious about everything.
I, for instance, had the Koran translated for me.
And this has been translated from English.
I'm under no illusion.
In Paris, they will say that Egypt is a political failure
and financial disaster.
I will need you and your colleagues
to silence my detractors.
Let everybody know that our saga
will have countless effects upon civilization.
This will be our way of thanking you
for this incredible journey, General.
The English are calling on my men to desert
by flooding our lines with this drivel.
It will have no effect on them.
I'm not so sure.
The men have had enough.
Most of the time,
we have to force them to obey.
Have the officers discipline them again.
That's why they are here.
The officers, they say that you torture your soldiers.
And that you will never be able to seize Egypt.
I have, Murat.
Egypt is ours, almost ours.
Cairo is a French city.
The Nile Delta has been pacified,
and all there is left to subdue is a few Turkish regiments and...
Turks and Arabs,
supported by the English.
Be realistic, Bonaparte.
You can't go on.
Especially with the plague on our heels.
The doctors assure me that the epidemic can be contained.
Doctors can do nothing against fear.
I can.
Let me do this. I need you.
But General...
I can't do anything more for you.
I'm dying.
Precisely.
The first one to walk away will be considered a deserter,
and will be shot!
Does any one of you know this man?
I believe this is Caroubert, General.
Is he one of your friends?
Well, actually, we come from the same town.
In the Jura, General.
In that case, tell him about the Jura.
Let him die with some happiness.
Come, mama.
Let's go in. It's getting chilly.
But it's still light enough to see.
I want to stay until dark.
You'll wear out your eyes. And catch your death of cold.
And it still won't bring him back any sooner.
What if he doesn't come back at all?
Of course he'll come back.
How?
They say the English have sunk the French ships.
How can he come back without ships?
Come on, come on!
Pourquoi? Pourquoi?
Did you teach him to say that?
No, it's my husband.
He's showering me with souvenirs.
He's afraid I'll forget him.
I want to make you forget him.
I don't think so. I don't think so, Hippolyte.
Barras, you're hardly in a position to criticize Bonaparte.
You are the one who commissioned him!
To put down a riot, not conquer a country.
This Egyptian adventure of his is costing us a fortune,
and he hasn't made a single important conquest.
Conquest? He can't even hold on to his ships!
Admiral Nelson sank them like toys.
His biggest problem
is that the army's being devastated by the plague.
All these disasters are extremely tiresome.
It's going to make him want to come back.
His return will be overshadowed by another.
You mean, the return of the King?
Don't you realize
the government of the Directoire is doomed?
It's inevitable that Louis XVIII will rise to the throne.
Your voice trembles as though you can't wait!
But you are a member of the Directoire.
And if it falls...
If the monarchy is restored,
I've been promised the title of Duke.
And the governorship of Bourbon Island.
Well played, Barras!
I urge you all to do the same.
Take precautions, my friends,
and guarantee your futures.
Louis XVIII is willing to promise anything to anyone
who will help him wear the crown.
Madame?
Bad news?
He's returned.
What?
He's returned.
Who?
Bonaparte!
Bonaparte is in France.
General Bonaparte, we will follow you anywhere!
Listen to them!
Just say the word,
and you'll have 25 million French citizens behind you.
Right now, I'm hungry.
The best thing to eat here in Lyon is hot sausage.
Two, please.
Yes, sir.
What is he doing?
He's responsible for my safety.
Every night, he sleeps lying against my door.
The Sultan thought he was giving me a slave.
In fact, he's a guardian angel.
Very good, Roustam. You can go now.
Do you hear that?
Is it making sense to you now?
Is what making sense?
The way they cheered you.
And that's nothing compared to the welcome you'll get in Paris.
Power is a ripe fruit,
and it's yours for the picking!
I've come back to give, not to take, Joseph.
No one can imagine what marvels I've brought back from Egypt.
Please, Napoléon.
I am your brother, not your public.
Let's at least be honest with each other.
Egypt was a disaster!
Don't say that.
The discoveries our scientists have made there,
the knowledge they've gained,
justify all the sacrifices of the expedition.
Yes, yes, fine! But there are urgent matters to deal with.
The most urgent one for me is my divorce.
Joséphine has barely written at all.
Just to inform me she's bought Malmaison.
With my money, of course.
Or rather, with the money she hopes I'll find.
She had hardly moved in before she sent for her lover.
Captain Hippolyte Charles.
Destroy him.
That won't end it! There are others!
Your wife has taken up again with Barras.
And she keeps company with Goyer,
president of the Directoire.
Our poor mother.
Scandalized.
Vindicated.
You will be able to hold your heads high again.
I'm finished with that woman. That...
You can barely bring yourself to say her name.
Because it's a curse.
I hate her name!
I hate the sound of her voice!
Her perfume. Everything. It's over.
Finished!
That is what lies ahead of you.
My dear brother, she has no place in it.
You take care of France,
and I'll take care of your divorce.
Good evening, Constant.
Good evening, Madame. Madame cannot come in.
The General's orders.
I packed everything very carefully.
I hope I haven't forgotten anything.
You can't leave me outside, Constant.
It's raining!
Yes.
My children, where are my children?
Mademoiselle Hortense is in her room, Madame.
So is Monsieur Eugène.
The General has allowed them to stay.
The General has allowed them.
The General has no right to allow them,
or to refuse them anything.
What a vile man.
Even when I was brought in front of the court
during the Revolution,
and God knows it, these people were without pity,
I was allowed to explain myself.
But him, my own husband, condemns me
without hearing me!
Do you find that right, Constant?
Well, no... Not... very.
Let me in!
"It is obvious
"that General Bonaparte's hasty departure from Egypt
"was to avoid a mass insurrection of his army."
Roustam, see who is there.
They've used anything they can to discredit me.
Even lies.
Woman for General. She want to come in, I say no!
My shirt, quickly.
Bonaparte!
Bonaparte! Let me in!
Bonaparte!
I know you're there.
Be reasonable.
I want to talk to you. Open the door!
Did people tell you something about me?
You know that they're lies, calumnies!
You know people when they want to defile someone.
It's you who defiled everything!
So go away, Joséphine!
I never want to see you again!
No! Let me in!
What have I done? Come on, open the door.
I can explain everything.
Explain what?
Your cooing with Captain Charles?
Your behaviour is sickening.
It's all over between us.
No!
Forever.
Oh, please, Bonaparte!
I know I can explain everything!
Oh, please!
If you want me to leave, I will leave.
Her perfume.
What do you accuse me of?
Going out into society?
Giving parties at the Malmaison?
Yes, I did.
And I did it for you.
Because you want power, and for that you need allies.
I believe in you, Napoléon!
Lucien and I need to talk to you.
Mama has agreed to let us meet at her house,
and it would be advisable...
Oh Joseph, you're here! Good morning.
But...
But she...
Let's discuss politics.
What about your divorce?
Do you think it's necessary to close the windows?
As if we were conspirators plotting?
I'm sure the house is being watched.
When a government is at bay, they'll stop at nothing.
For God's sake, Joseph. It's just a family meal.
This is your house, mama. You can stay if you like.
I'd rather my sisters weren't mixed up in this.
If things go badly,
they'll be able to swear they knew nothing about it.
Come on, girls.
Our mother asked you to leave the room, Caroline.
I know what Lucien and Joseph are going to propose.
You need support. I'm here to bring you Murat's support.
Murat?
Who authorized you to speak for Murat?
He and I love each other.
Murat is over 30, and you're not yet 20.
I don't think our mother will approve.
I don't think I approve.
You can state your objections
when Murat comes to ask you for my hand.
Until then, I entreat you to accept his help!
Caroline is right.
We can't refuse any offer of help.
Come on, girls.
The plan is audacious, Napoléon. But it can work.
We've based it on two factors.
First, the people hate the current government.
And two, they see you as a hero.
You want to overthrow the Directoire?
It wouldn't take much of a push.
And in its place, Napoléon Bonaparte?
You've always kept your distance from politics.
You have managed to keep your hands clean!
You are the godsend the whole country is waiting for!
France is so weak now.
She won't be able to stand another revolution.
The royalists would make the most of it!
Who said anything about a revolution?
Everything will be done perfectly legally!
We just have to persuade the deputies
to elect a new government, and get rid of the Directory,
and elect in its place a new government,
composed of three irreproachable men.
Sieyès, Roger Ducos, and you.
It's possible.
If you were to assemble all the deputies for a special session,
somewhere isolated
where the army could bring pressure to bear,
if needed, without triggering a riot in the city.
That's perfect.
And with Murat at the head of the troops,
we can't fail.
I suggest Chateau de St. Cloud.
It's far enough from Paris, and easy to control.
I agree.
Can we assume that you approve of our little project?
Your little project,
as you call it so discreetly, my dear Joseph,
is nothing less than a coup d'état.
If it fails, we will end up in prison, at best,
and more likely under the blade.
Are you still so sure that Murat will follow us?
I can speak for him as I do for myself.
He'll only want to know in what name
he's risking his liberty and life.
In what name?
In the name of reality.
Louis XVIII is ready to enter Paris.
If we delay, the Republic will be lost,
and with it all the benefits of the Revolution.
That's reason enough to risk everything.
I'm counting on you to control the gates of Paris
on the 18th of Brumaire.
No government official can be allowed
to enter or leave the city.
I also want your censor to check everything
that's announced in the press.
The newspapers will only be allowed to print
what my associates and I decide on.
In other words, you're asking me to support a plot?
I don't consider ridding the country
of a bunch of rogues and swindlers to be a plot.
Even though I may not always approve
of the government's policies, I'm a member of it.
You'll be a member of the next one.
You'll be my minister of police.
That's generous of you,
but I am already minister of police.
So if you have no other arguments...
I do have one, yes.
I'm sure the royalists haven't forgotten
how you slaughtered hundreds of their followers
during the Reign of Terror.
I heard you had them shot point-blank
after forcing them to dig their own graves.
Who is with you?
Everyone.
Generals such as Murat and Lefebvre,
and politicians such as Sieyès, Roger Ducos,
Talleyrand...
You've taken Talleyrand into your confidence?
He betrays everybody.
No, he won't betray himself.
He understands perfectly well where his interest lies.
He's expecting a lot from me, and he's right.
If he doesn't fail me, I won't fail him.
And that proposition goes for everyone.
Very well.
You've made yourself clear.
I'll think it over.
No, right now, Fouché.
With me,
or against me?
All right, with you.
But if your plan fails?
Then, instead of being executed in the King's name
for barbarous crimes,
you'll be executed by the Directoire for conspiracy.
I am your only hope.
What a rotten job, being a deputy.
Jabbering away for hours, all locked up.
How long have they been in there?
20 hours. They've been talking for more than 20 hours.
Don't you think it's a bad sign, Sieyès?
My dear fellow, politics isn't war.
It takes much longer to say something meaningless
than to fire a gun.
Back to your seats, gentlemen!
I won't tolerate this insolence much longer!
No one will ever be able...
We're shut up in here
without being able to see or hear anything!
Try to stay calm, General.
Calm? When the future of France is at stake?
What is it, Murat?
For God's sake, say something!
Is it over? Have they voted?
No. Talleyrand has just arrived.
He wants to see you.
I've just come back from the Orangerie.
Things don't seem to be going exactly as you'd hoped.
Now, if my brother can't make those people obey him,
what good is he to me as the President?
Sire, he is their President, not their general.
Deputies cannot be ordered around as easily as a regiment!
We'll see about that. Soldiers!
I'll sit down if you agree that Bonaparte...
Listen to me!
I'm here to serve the Republic!
Gentlemen deputies!
Silence!
The Republic is in danger!
Protect the General! They want to kill him!
They... they tried to stab me!
We failed. All is lost.
We mustn't stay here!
They've just declared you an outlaw!
And us?
You don't exist for them.
The only person who counts in their eyes is my brother.
Are you all right? You're not wounded?
What about you? Did they strike you?
No, they didn't dare. I have enough supporters.
I don't know how it started to unravel.
Look, President.
What's done is done!
The most important thing now is to find a safe place!
You've nothing to fear. Murat is outside with troops.
Murat!
Good God, Murat! I nearly forgot!
Bonaparte!
What are you going to do?
I'm going back in there!
I have an army outside!
And me with an army...
He doesn't have the right!
Officers and soldiers of the Republic!
Come, listen! Come, come!
A faction of desperate men, armed with daggers,
is threatening the Assembly!
They even attempted to assassinate your General!
On your horses!
They dared to accuse Bonaparte of staging a coup d'état,
to bring him into power!
A vile lie!
Do you see this blade?
I would plunge it in my brother's heart
without a moment's hesitation,
if I suspected him of violating rights.
Soldiers!
I declare to you that the representatives of our nation
are in mortal danger!
Consequently, I order you to invade this assembly.
Immediately!
We know what to do. Come on!
Open the doors!
Citizen representatives!
Your safety is no longer guaranteed within these walls!
I order you to leave under the protection of the army!
Grenadiers, forward!
Get them out!
Come on!
Get out, get out!
Get out, all of them!
Do you think your brother
will retain enough deputies to go ahead with the vote?
Yes, he has enough supporters.
Whatever the result is, it will be perfectly legal.
The deputies have dissolved the Directory.
In its place,
they have created an executive consular commission,
composed of General Bonaparte,
and citizens Sieyès and Roger Ducos,
who will bear the titles of Citizens and Consuls
of the French Republic.
This decree takes effect immediately.
Officers, present arms to the Consuls of the Republic!
Present arms!
Long live Bonaparte!
Bonaparte! Bonaparte!
What time is it?
About 4:00.
It took longer than we expected.
It almost didn't happen.
Splendid! Magnificent!
Dazzling!
Incomparable!
Sturdy and resistant, I hope?
Oh, that suit of clothes is going to last a lifetime!
Hmm. I've only been appointed First Consul for 10 years.
What a pity there isn't a bigger mirror,
so you could see how well it suits you.
Here's my mirror.
Well, what do you think?
Oh, but you look... you look...
Well, I must be very well turned out,
for my pretty mirror to cloud over.
Is you-know-who still here?
You-know-who is waiting for you, next room,
in front of the fire.
I think in another life, he must have been a cat.
A cat, huh? I'd say a cobra.
Shh! Bonaparte, he supports you without hesitation.
You mean, I support him, which is only normal for a cripple.
Shh!
No, don't say anything, Talleyrand.
I've already been showered
with all the compliments you can imagine.
But I have no illusion that this fine suit of clothes
won't be enough to reassure our neighbours
that France has finally put the revolution behind her.
True, the European courts fear the strength of our army
less than the strength of our ideas.
Therefore, we must demonstrate
that we are civilized people once more.
An aristocrat, a real aristocrat
who knows how to behave insolently,
yet with princely grace, would give us prestige.
You were the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Directoire.
The First Consul reappoints you
to that office.
I suppose I should feel flattered
that you consider me to have princely grace.
But I would display more of it
if your choice was based on my skill at negotiating.
Negotiating what?
Austria recaptured Italy from France while I was in Egypt.
And we either accept the loss of Italy, or...
Or wage war on Austria.
I usually believe the worst can be avoided.
War is not the worst, Talleyrand.
The worst would be allowing them
to treat France like the village idiot of Europe.
The one who is slapped and then says thank you.
What do you know about war? You've never been to war.
Alas.
A soldier who can neither attack
nor, more especially, flee in sufficient haste,
is a liability.
Otherwise, I might have pursued a military career.
You? A general?
General Talleyrand?
Perhaps you envy my glory.
You can share it, it you're loyal to me.
Sire, I wish only to serve you.
You bow as you say that,
so one can't see whether your eyes support your words.
Man was given speech to disguise his thoughts,
and words to disguise his eyes.
Don't trust anything, or anyone.
Present arms!
Monsieur Pierre-Louis Roederer,
who I have appointed Councillor of State
because he served me well, and will continue to do so.
I'm delighted to meet you, sir.
Welcome to the Tuileries, Madame.
I hope you will like it here.
Are you coming?
Here we are in the waiting room.
Please...
And here are Queen Marie Antoinette's apartments.
Not very cheerful, I'm afraid.
The price of power.
I hope they've changed the sheets.
Don't be silly.
It's morbid.
If you must live in the Tuileries,
can't we take a different apartment?
This one feels haunted.
Superstitious nonsense.
Once it's refurnished to your taste, you'll be happy.
And whenever you need a change, we can go to Malmaison.
I need a change right now. Let's go.
No, don't be childish.
Maybe tomorrow.
When we got married, I could ask you anything.
And you always said yes right away.
Now it's always "maybe tomorrow".
You love me less, Bonaparte.
I am sorry.
Maybe we should have thought of redecorating the rooms before...
She'll get used to it.
It would be a sorry state of affairs
if my wife were the one person in France
to contest my authority.
Show me where my study is.
Please.
Have an article published in the newspapers
saying I'm against powdered wigs
coming back into fashion for men.
It's ludicrous!
Have they finished an exact account
of what's left in the state coffers?
167,000 francs.
Scandalous.
I'm sure there's 10 times that amount
in the pockets of each former member of the Directoire.
This means France is bankrupt.
We will need to bring in several million francs this year.
The Minister of Police!
Ah. Fouché.
Come in, Fouché.
You're not an ordinary minister anymore. You're my minister.
So I expect from you a flawless efficiency.
And yet I hear you dislike ruthless measures.
How do you define ruthless?
Arresting, imprisoning.
When we imprison a man,
it's usually because he has broken the law.
In order words, when it's too late.
Personally, I'd rather prevent him from committing a crime.
But you have to know how to prevent it.
Yes. Know everything about everyone.
Oh, so you claim to keep watch on the whole of France?
I have my informers.
This system has saved your life many times over.
And you didn't inform me?
The bombs were all found in time.
Bombs. Who planted them?
The royalists, with England acting as their banker.
A bomb is more expensive than a vial of poison, or a dagger.
So...
this is what politics is like.
No, this is what hatred is like,
Monsieur Le Premier Consul.
Hatred.
You're not dressed!
But the carriage is awaiting in the courtyard.
Have you forgotten we're going to the opera?
No, but Bonaparte is working.
And when he locks himself up in his studies,
God knows when he'll reappear.
No, but you go ahead! Go ahead to the opera.
Ask Murat and Caroline to chaperone you.
Thank you very much, but I don't need any chaperoning.
But you're only 17, Hortense.
And at your age, a girl can easily have her head turned.
And men you know...
And what if my head is turned?
Bonaparte has other plans for you.
Nothing is settled, of course, but...
he's wishing for you to marry his brother, Louis.
Louis?
But have you ever looked at him?
Or spoken with him?
He's ugly and miserable!
But my child,
if the First Consul is asking for you to marry him...
The First Consul should look after the affairs of state
and leave me alone!
And what's more important, he should look after you.
But he loves me, as much as he loved me the first day we've met.
Then let's hope that what everyone is waiting for
will finally happen.
And what do you mean by that?
You know very well.
People are surprised you haven't borne him a child.
Oh.
But I will, soon.
Who knows? I might be pregnant now.
This morning, I got dizzy.
Don't fool yourself. You're not pregnant.
And you may never be.
But what is the matter with all of you?
Why is it that you all think that I'm barren?
You, and your brother Eugène.
I gave you birth, didn't I?
Forgive me, mama, but that was a long time ago.
6,000 Frenchmen fell at Marengo,
and transformed what everyone predicted as a defeat
into a victory.
Thanks to Marengo, a part of Italy regained her freedom.
I intend to turn this victory into a splendid victory,
which is why we must have a monument
commemorating the battle.
This calls for a triumphal arch!
No, gentlemen. A fountain.
A fountain? But it's so ordinary!
There's nothing splendid about a fountain.
Paris lacks water.
Paris is dirty. Paris is dying of thirst.
Every time Parisians draw water from this fountain,
they will feel a moment of gratitude
toward the men who fell at Marengo.
Percil, you'll do the drawing.
And Fortin, you will carry out with the sculpture.
I'm in conference, my dear.
Gentlemen, the First Consul will see you tomorrow.
Tonight is Christmas Eve.
No one discusses profane matters on Christmas Eve.
Just who do you think you are?
Your wife.
We've planned to go to the opera,
and that's what we're going to do.
Certainly not. Go on your own, I have work to do.
I want us to be seen together.
Paris is buzzing with rumours that are very painful for me,
and your presence at my side will quell them.
What rumours?
They say that you reproach me for not having a child.
And that you intend to get another woman pregnant,
whom we would pay to give up the baby at birth.
Preposterous.
Come. I'm longing for some music.
No, music will do nothing for me tonight.
Well then, don't listen.
I will bend close to your ear,
and whisper little exciting things.
You devil!
Shh! Don't tell anyone.
It's Christmas Eve.
Oh, you stubborn animal!
What are you trying to do, girl?
They told me to move my cart.
There's a procession coming this way.
Not anymore. They've taken a different route.
Nice horse.
Oh, we're going by Rue Saint-Nicaise?
Fouché wants us to keep changing our itinerary,
as a security measure.
Even on Christmas Eve? It's a holy night!
And anyway, you have fewer enemies now.
Even the press is unanimously singing your praises.
I had to close down 60 newspapers to achieve that.
What's happening?
We're just moving a cart out of the way,
Citizen First Consul.
It's all my fault.
They told me to go away, then said not to bother.
How could I know?
It doesn't matter. My soldiers will help you.
What is happening?
I don't know.
Hey, you! Move! Move it!
Bring it around!
Coming through!
What's your name?
Isabelle.
In Christmas tales,
princesses are often called Isabelle.
Oh, I'm not a princess, sir.
Perhaps not tonight, but maybe tomorrow.
You must believe in the future.
Merry Christmas, sir.
Poor child. What's the point of filling her head with dreams?
You know she'll never be anything else than a guttersnipe.
That's how you think, my dear.
As for me, I want France to be a country
where nothing is impossible for anyone.