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[Train screeches softly in the distance]
[Train rattles softly]
[Narrator, male voice, in Burmese] It was almost midnight
when Edward entered Mandalay railway station.
He was wearing a groom's suit,
holding a bunch of tropical flowers,
and was utterly drunk.
[Train continues rattling]
He dreamt all night long
as the train traveled to Rangoon,
the capital of Burma.
[Lively percussion]
[Celebratory, uptempo music joins]
[Music continues]
[Train horn honks]
- [Music stops] - [Train rattles slowly]
[Burmese narrator continues] It was dawn in Rangoon,
and the heavy air announced a tropical storm.
Although Edward couldn't remember what he had dreamt,
the anguish of the dream accompanied him to the port.
[Rails squeal]
[Horns honk]
[Vehicles roar by]
[Vehicle beeps]
[Indistinct chatter]
[Horns honk]
[Birds squawk]
[Squawking continues]
Edward hadn't seen his fiancée Molly
for seven years.
[People chatter]
[Bell rings]
He tried to remember her face,
but couldn't.
He would have liked to disappear through one of the countless holes
that were multiplying along the pier's planking.
He imagined himself floating gently
in the muddy river stream.
[Band plays cheerful music]
The ship from London was already visible in the distance.
[Music volume rises]
- [Music stops] - [Bell rings]
[Edward's voice, in Portuguese] "Arrivals: London, 11.20. Departures: Singapore..."
[Burmese narrator] After discarding the flowers,
Edward sneaked aboard the ship to Singapore.
[Band music resumes]
[Bell continues ringing]
It was January 4th 1917.
[Music fades]
[Uptempo, bright piano music]
[Lively, loud chatter]
[Man] Edward!
[In Portuguese] What a surprise to see you here, old turtle!
[Edward] Hello, Reginald.
What brings you to Singapore?
The Rangoon steamer brought me.
[Reginald cackles]
You're all dressed up.
How are you, old man? You look like you're constipated.
How is my beautiful cousin doing?
Fine, I believe.
Ah!
This is Edward Abbot,
the most illustrious representative of the British crown in Burma!
Also the fiancé of my dear cousin Molly for over seven years,
without the corollary of an engagement ever materializing.
So when is the wedding, you rascal?
[Reginald slurps]
You look strange, Edward!
Is that right?
Good morning, Mr. Singleton.
Yesterday you forgot to pay for your drinks.
A lapse.
Mr. Abbot, here's the tailor at your service.
Your shirts and trousers can be ready within 24 hours,
and the suit in three or four days. Is that amenable?
- Perfect. - Good.
The clothes will be delivered to your room.
What the hell! Haven't you brought any clothes from Burma?
I fell asleep without packing my suitcase.
I came to sort out some deadly boring administrative matters.
[Reginald bangs table]
Tell me all about these administrative matters.
[Hotel manager] A telegram, Mr. Abbot.
Eighteen Singapore Slings?
[Lively piano music continues; Chatter fades]
[Paper rustles]
[No audible dialogue]
ARRIVING - STOP - M
[Chatter rises]
You're a spy, Edward!
I believe you have my measurements now.
- Are you? - Give me a break, Reginald.
Where is the furthest I can reach from Bukit Timah station today?
The Bangkok express leaves in an hour.
Leaving again?
I don't know what you're mixed up in, but I'm proud to be your friend.
I'm so happy to know you're engaged to my cousin.
Let me hug you.
You can count on my discretion.
God save the King!
See you soon, Reginald.
[Train rattles, screeches]
[Narrator, female voice, in Thai] Edward let himself be carried away
by the jungle's night sounds.
He had a violent erection.
He also felt he was stinking, and needed a bath.
He closed his eyes and began to dream.
[Soft train rattle continues]
[Bright, delicate music]
[Horse bells tinkle]
[Thai narrator continues] Edward woke up startled.
He found himself in the most awkward situation.
[Leaves rustle]
[Silence; Insects chirp]
What a beautiful morning.
[Birds sing]
[Birdsong continues]
[Narrator continues]The birds fell silent as someone announced
that a new train would arrive soon.
[People chatter]
[Birds chirp]
[Scraping, tearing]
Edward entered a village.
The inhabitants were not very talkative.
[Birds quack]
[Quaking continues]
[Floaty, tinkling music]
[Music continues]
- [Music stops] - [Puppeteer laughs]
[Puppeteer, in Thai] I've lived a thousand years,
[Puppeteer laughs]
yet I'm still a virgin.
- [Imitates snoring] - [Soft percussion]
These fellows are sleeping and snoring.
[Laughs, imitates snoring]
What a lack of manners!
What a disgrace!
What a contrast to this lovely couple.
Anyway, today is a good day to have a husband.
[Puppeteer chuckles]
So, the giantess takes the prince into the peaks.
[Soft, tinkling music]
She sneaks with such determination into the woods
that, quickly and hidden from view,
she soon withdraws into her gilded cave.
[Music continues; Puppeteer sings]
[Music tempo rises]
[Music stops]
[Birds chirp; Insects trill]
[Thai narrator] Edward hired a guide.
His name was Umar.
He knew the jungle well,
and was able to take Edward safely to Bangkok.
[Cellphone rings]
Umar was accompanied by his three wives.
[Woman] Hello? Hello?
- [Thorn ticks notes] - [Birds whistle]
[Woman speaks indistinctly]
[Birds continue whistling]
[Tree melody continues, faster pace]
[Gasps delicately]
[They converse indistinctly, in dialect]
[Thuds]
[They continue speaking]
[Birds continue whistling]
[Speaks in dialect]
[Conversation continues]
[Bird continues whistling melodically]
[Water burbles]
[In Portuguese] Boy, what a mess!
Why would any man want to marry three women anyway?
- [He sighs, sings "Eton Boating Song"] - ♪ Jolly boating weather
♪ And a hay harvest breeze
- ♪ Blade on the feather - [Cork pops]
♪ Shade off the trees
♪ Swing swing together
♪ With your bodies between your knees
♪ Swing swing together
♪ With your bodies between your knees
♪ Rugby may be more clever
♪ Harrow may make more row
♪ But we'll row for ever
♪ Steady from stroke to bow
♪ And nothing in life shall sever
♪ The chain that is round us now ♪
[Insects and birds chirp]
[Deep, shaky breaths]
[Sighing, deep breathing continues]
[Soft moan, breathing intensifies]
[Insects chirp]
[Music plays - Eton Boating Song by Eton Choir and Orchestra]
♪ Jolly boating weather
♪ And a hay harvest breeze
♪ Blade on the feather
♪ Shade off the trees
♪ Swing swing together
♪ With your bodies between your knees
♪ Swing swing together
♪ With your bodies between your knees
[Thai narrator] Having just arrived in Bangkok,
Edward met a Welshman he knew,
a British attaché at the embassy.
[Horns honk]
His name was Godfrey, a very loud fellow.
- [Music continues] - [Engine revving]
Godfrey greeted his friend effusively.
He thought Edward had come from Burma to attend the prince's birthday.
Godfrey was with other members of the British diplomatic corps in Asia.
Bobby, who'd come from Beijing, Mrs. Hughes, from Hong Kong,
Johnson and all the Ceylon staff,
Archie from Tokyo, and even Fat Turtle,
who spread syphilis all over the continent.
They dragged Edward to the palace
while singing an old rowing song at the top of their lungs.
- Edward didn't utter a word. - [Horns honk insistently]
He was as white as a sheet and shaking.
[Lively chatter]
♪ Others will fill our places
♪ Dressed in the old light blue
♪ We'll recollect our races
♪ We'll to the flag be true
♪ And youth will be still in our faces
♪ When we cheer for an Eton crew
♪ And youth will be still in our faces
♪ When we cheer for an Eton crew ♪
[In Portuguese] I really appreciate that you've taken the trouble
to come to this occasion.
Thank you. It means a lot to me.
[Man] Edward!
Rice growing and exports are enjoying an unprecedented boom.
Taxes on these activities have been channeled
into improving the provincial administration.
You're different from the others. Where have you come from?
From Mandalay, in Upper Burma. And before that, from London.
Very beautiful cities, which I've heard about,
and which one day I'll have the pleasure of knowing.
I'm still very young.
[Edward chuckles]
I wish you all the best for your reign.
Thank you for your kindness,
although you're greeting me as if it's my coronation.
It's only my birthday, and I'm very happy about that.
[Music plays - The Blue Danube Waltz by Strauss]
Is there a way out of the palace?
Yes. Across the room, at the end of the corridor.
I wish you luck.
[Edward] The same to you. I hope the rest of the day goes well.
[Waltz tempo rises]
[Man speaks indistinctly; Music continues]
[Boat radio chatter; Engine whirs]
[Thai narrator] Edward headed for French territory as a stowaway on a fishing boat.
He crossed the gulf to Saigon.
Inside the cramped hold he lost track of time.
He was feverish,
soaked in sweat.
He would fall asleep and wake up shivering.
The prospect of imminent death
seemed to him to be fitting in the circumstances.
He was delirious, but serene.
- [Engine whirring] - [Music continues]
[Waltz crescendo]
[Waltz tempo decreases]
[Waltz tempo increases]
[Waltz concludes; Uptempo percussion rises]
[Uptempo percussion fades]
[Waltz resumes]
[Horns honk in the background]
[Narrator, male voice, in Vietnamese] Edward walked aimlessly
around the streets of Saigon.
He entered a dingy hostel.
The owners talked for a long time, but eventually let him in.
[Music fades]
It was the Lunar New Year, and Edward was very sick.
[Engines roar, horns honk]
He received a new telegram.
[Music resumes, dramatic crescendo]
ALREADY IN SAIGON - STOP - M
[Music concludes]
[Distant traffic hum]
[Man 1 speaks in Vietnamese]
[Man 2 speaks in Vietnamese]
[Conversation continues]
[In Portuguese] What are they saying?
[In French] They wanted to kick you out.
They don't want you to die tonight.
It's New Year.
[In Portuguese] And what did you say to them?
[In French] You won't die tonight, or in the coming days.
[Overlapping chatter]
[Doctor] They're wishing you a Happy New Year.
[Melancholic music]
[People chatter]
[Narrator, female voice, in Filipino] Between his convalescence in Saigon
and the bohemian lifestyle Edward adopted in Manila,
a few weeks had elapsed.
There didn't seem to be any particular reason for this change in behavior.
[Rooster crows]
Edward increasingly slept during the day,
and lived mainly at night.
He drank a lot.
He would win and lose money gambling.
He would get into fights with sailors, and befriend the night owls
who enlivened the early morning in Manila Bay.
- [All shout] - [Bell rings]
[Ringing stops; Shouting continues]
[Flapping]
[Man in crowd exclaims]
His stint in Manila was a succession of hangovers and euphoric highs.
[Cheerful music on car stereo; All sing along]
[Music changes, mellow song]
[Music changes, melancholic, slow song]
[Melancholic music continues]
He was occasionally swamped by a wave of melancholy.
He would get emotional.
[Man sings Frank Sinatra's My Way]
♪ I did it my way
♪ For what is a man
♪ What has he got?
♪ If not himself
♪ Then he has naught
♪ To say the things
♪ He truly feels
♪ And not the words
♪ Of one who kneels
♪ The record shows
♪ I took the blows
♪ And did it my way
[In English] Thank you so much. Thank you so much.
[Music subsides; People chatter]
[Slow clap]
[Song concludes]
[Person speaks indistinctly on mic]
[Filipina narrator continues] On a night of utter folly,
Edward boarded an American warship
in the company of some sailors and four Filipina prostitutes.
[Narrator, male voice, in Japanese] He awoke as the ship was sailing to Japan.
The captain took a shine to the intruders.
They drank and sang for three days.
They were then put ashore in great secrecy in Osaka.
[Soft chatter]
[Japanese narrator continues] Edward sat down beside the Japanese
aligned at the counter.
They slurped their noodles in unison.
A soldier appeared,
asking the Western customers for their passports.
Edward wasted no time,
and took off.
[Delicate, intriguing music]
With the Komuso monks, Edward felt he was keeping a low profile.
They wandered from town to town, begging.
[Cowbell chimes; Insects chirr]
[Man, in Portuguese] You haven't even asked us
where we're going now.
Don't you care about your destination?
I'll go wherever you take me.
My dear sir,
strange as it may seem, I feel at home!
[Japanese narrator] When the monks decided to head north,
to a temple in the mountains,
Edward stayed with them.
[Liquid burbles]
[Distant, soft music]
But he was unable to sleep in the temple.
He heard voices, heard footsteps,
and heard whispers,
telling him about horrors in a language he didn't know.
[Wood rattles]
[In Portuguese] A shadow does not obscure. It reveals.
The Japanese know this.
They don't run from the shadow, they look for it.
[Rain patters outside]
The shadows I refer to are of a different order.
I don't like phenomena that I can't explain.
I like the healthy observance of natural laws.
And where did you learn about the laws of nature, Mr. Abbot?
Maybe you don't know them that well.
Damn it, Keita!
I see the shadows of invisible people.
It's enough to put any normal person's nerves on edge.
Maybe you see shadows because your nerves are on edge.
Keita, your conversation is starting to tire me.
If you walk around with a basket on your head,
you should be more restrained about judging others!
[Distant thunder rumbles]
Climb the mountain.
Watch the monkeys.
Walk under the treetops.
Abandon yourself to the world, Mr. Abbot.
You'll see how generous it is to you.
Does correspondence ever reach this monastery?
- Is there a post office in the village? - A post office?
[Keita laughs]
[Melancholic flute]
- [Thunder rumbles] - [Bells chime softly]
[Music continues; Bird squawks in the distance]
[Music fades]
[Music resumes]
- [Knocks on door] - [Music stops]
[Rain patters]
[In Portuguese] We know who you are,
and how you entered our country, Mr. Abbot.
Perhaps you can enlighten us about what you have come here to do.
I'm drawn to this life.
[Door slides open, rain patters]
[Man speaks in Japanese]
[Woman, in Portuguese] What did you come to Japan for?
[Edward] Nothing.
I ended up here by accident.
What is your connection to the U.S. Navy?
[Sputters]
I'm running from a woman who's following me.
Not even the most cowardly of Western men
would sneak into Japan
to run away from a woman.
What you say is pathetic.
Who do you work for, Sir?
[Man speaks in Japanese]
[Man 2 speaks in Japanese]
[Conversation continues]
Did you draw that?
[Edward] Yes.
Mr. Abbot,
I don't understand you.
But we don't want you here.
Tomorrow we will escort you to the ship leaving for Shanghai.
[Engine purrs softly]
[Birds call, distant]
[Distant bell rings]
[Band plays cheerful music]
[Music continues]
[Narrator, female voice, in Mandarin] Edward didn't have to wait an hour
before receiving a new telegram.
ARRIVING - STOP - MISS YOU SO MUCH - STOP - M
Edward smiled.
[Machine whirs]
[Mellow piano]
He left the hotel, booked a ticket at the theater,
bought new clothes and had his hair cut.
[Mellow saxophone joins]
The show didn't arouse his interest.
[No audible dialogue; Mellow music continues]
He thought about Molly, and her face came very clearly to him.
Back in the hotel, he stood in front of the mirror and drew a self-portrait.
He wasn't faithful to his reflection. He drew himself ugly and decrepit.
He went to the lobby, and asked when the boat going upriver would leave.
It was the last boat to go up the Yangtze
before the long months when this journey became impossible.
He paid his bill, and left his self-portrait at reception,
asking that it be given to the lady who would come looking for him.
- [Music continues] - [Engine purrs]
[Animals squeaking]
[Mellow music continues]
[Music stops]
[Indistinct chatter]
[Man plays mellow song]
- [Guitar continues in the background] - [Boat engine rumbles]
[Chinese narrator continues] A Chinese family
was playing mahjong on the boat deck.
Edward thought he understood the rules.
He took the place of an old man, and made some preposterous moves.
The old man laughed.
[Woman speaks Mandarin]
[Chatter, laughter]
Edward was very serious, totally focused.
He was pleased.
[Indistinct chatter on speakers]
[Foghorn blares]
[Indistinct chatter on speakers]
[Indistinct chatter on speakers continues]
Edward left the river at Chongqing.
He hired some coolies to take him into the mountains.
The coolies were surly types,
but he found them experienced and trustworthy.
If they kept a good pace, they'd arrive in under two weeks.
They would have to cross a vast bamboo forest.
Edward thought it would be a wonderful journey.
[Woman sobs]
[Sobbing continues]
[Sobbing stops]
[Men chatter in Mandarin]
[Men continue talking]
[Speaks Mandarin]
[She laughs]
[Sobbing resumes]
[Chinese narrator] Edward would've understood
if he spoke Mandarin:
"She's a bride going from her parents' house
"to the house of her husband-to-be."
- [Sob turns into a reverberating cry] - [Thunder rumbles]
She was dramatizing the heartache
of leaving her parents' house to start anew.
[Reverberating cry continues]
[Thunder rumbles]
During the night the coolies robbed Edward and fled.
Edward woke up with only the clothes he had on and his sketchbook.
Nothing else.
[Roosters crow in the distance]
Perhaps he was walking in circles.
When the sun went down,
Edward felt he would never find a way out.
He slept deeply.
[Hacking]
[Distant rooster crows]
[Birds tweet]
[Rooster crows]
[Bird chirps]
[Chinese narrator] Edward was taken to Horace Seagrave's house,
in the small village of Wangyu.
It was a large but decrepit house,
with a few ruined pieces of furniture and broken windows.
Seagrave was the consul in Chengdu,
but he rarely set foot in the consulate.
When Edward awoke,
Seagrave was playing a strange stringed instrument,
a guqin.
The consul introduced himself and explained
that in this village the tune was called "Endless Passion,"
but that the next village called it "Infinite Sadness."
[Wood rattles]
Wangyu was surrounded by a bamboo forest.
On clear days you could see the mountains of Tibet.
[Snipping]
Edward, Seagrave, and his old Tibetan maid
left behind Wangyu's alleys and entered the forest,
carrying a picnic basket.
[Horace Seagrave, in Portuguese] They're lovely beasts, don't you think?
There.
There! Are you blind? Can't you see the panda?
[Rooster crows]
[Horace exclaims]
[Horace] Will you take an opium pipe?
The old woman prepares it excellently.
[Edward] Thank you.
But I don't have the courage for it.
The end of the empire is inevitable.
It's a matter of years, maybe months.
We will leave without having understood a thing.
The white man is totally unable to understand Oriental culture.
It transcends him.
But I don't see myself returning to London.
I couldn't stand it for more than three days.
[Pipe clicks]
But the prospect of continuing in my duties here
is very painful to me.
I hate my job but I love this country, Mr. Abbot.
[Inhaling]
[Horace] I know people who smoke over forty pipes a day.
That's too much. They're doomed.
I rarely smoke more than seven or eight per day.
[Inhaling continues]
In the last few days...
in recent months...
I've been receiving telegrams from a friend.
Or, rather, from my fiancée.
Molly.
She came from London to marry me.
But I lost my nerve and ran away.
I traveled to Singapore.
I've been running away from her like a coward.
She's been following me,
guessing my route,
sending me telegrams...
The stubbornest woman in the world!
She's a very determined girl.
[Chuckles] She's incredible, Molly is!
It's a mystery to me how someone can be so tenacious.
I imagine it'd be difficult to find anyone else like that, like Molly.
But I haven't heard anything from her for a while.
I have no idea what's become of Molly.
I hope she's all right.
Molly.
[Horace] This story of yours is one of the saddest I've ever heard.
[Seagulls squawk]
[Squawking continues]
[Edward's voice] "Dear Molly, unexpected business has forced me to leave Rangoon.
"It's an unpleasant setback beyond my control.
"You should return to London on the next ship.
"I'm so sorry. Much love, Edward."
[Drumming]
- [Molly sputters] - [Uptempo music]
[Music continues]
[Music fades]
[Soft chatter]
[Burmese narrator] Molly entered the Port Authority building,
and asked to see the passengers' registrations for that same day.
She found out that Edward had boarded a ship to Singapore
only minutes earlier.
She bought a passage
on the Singapore ship leaving the following day.
She also asked to send a telegram, but hesitated.
Where should she send it?
"To the Raffles Hotel, of course!" a middle-aged Indian man told her
as he cleared a camera from customs.
[Very faint, distant chatter]
[Burmese narrator continues] His name was T. H. Kapoor,
and he was a camera operator for the Warwick Trading Company.
[Faint, distant bird chirps]
[People exclaiming, faint]
Everything Molly saw in Rangoon seemed amazing to her.
[Birds caw]
She hardly noticed the time ticking by.
She stopped thinking about Edward,
and by late afternoon she was feeling exhausted but happy.
[Cheerful, soft music]
In the evening Molly went to the club.
She sat at a table and had some fish soup.
It was hot, sour and delicious.
[Applause]
Molly devoured it greedily.
Molly laughed uncontrollably at the elephant dance.
She was laughing so hard that everyone was looking at her.
[Molly sputters]
- [Ship horn honks] - [Cowbells ring]
[Whistle]
[Children exclaim happily]
[Cow moos]
- [Knocks on door] - [Cows moo, distant]
[Engine purrs softly]
[In Portuguese] Welcome, Miss Singleton.
- Please meet Mr. and Mrs. Cooper. - [Cows continue mooing]
Mr. Cooper is vice president of the Rubber Growers Association.
Facing Mrs. Cooper are Major Brown
and his daughter, Miss Lucy.
Mr. Sanders, opposite you,
is a successful cattle trader,
who comes from one of those American regions
with a proven track record for cattle breeding.
Finally, I introduce you to a Neapolitan artist,
Signor Farnese,
a talented operatic tenor touring the region.
He is destined for a bright future.
Miss Singleton has just arrived from London.
My dear lady, you must be suffering terribly from the heat.
I like the heat.
And I thought Rangoon was great!
So much the better.
Rangoon makes a certain impression in the early days.
Then you feel, especially the ladies, the inconveniences of the climate.
And of the natives.
[Major Brown] They're controllable, Mrs. Cooper.
Nothing can be done about the weather.
There's a stink that produces asthma.
[Captain] There's been progress in recent years.
[Mrs. Cooper] Poppycock!
And speaking of stink, Captain,
I must say that the smell of the gases from Mr. Sanders' cows
is extremely unpleasant,
and it rises disgustingly to our cabin.
Nothing your husband isn't used to.
This man is revolting! Donald, do something!
[Mr. Cooper stutters]
[Captain] Miss Singleton, tell us why you came.
For the Grand Tour? Rangoon, Singapore, Bangkok, Saigon...
I came to get married.
My fiancé is an official in Mandalay.
We've been engaged for seven years.
But he ran away.
[Molly sputters]
He abandoned me on the pier and embarked for Singapore.
[Molly clears throat]
I'm going after him,
to see if I can grab him by the throat. [Sputters]
[Cows moo]
You're quite the joker, aren't you?
In fact, he left me a message,
saying that he had urgent professional commitments,
and that I should go back to London. [Scoffs]
Absolutely not!
I'll hunt him down, whatever it takes.
[Sputters]
[Major Brown] My dear girl, have you considered the possibility
that what you're describing so nonchalantly could be seen as...
a human disgrace?
[Brown continues] Don't you think that your fiancé may be telling you
that he has no desire to marry you?
No.
[Intense mooing continues]
[Major Brown] How can you be so sure?
Because I know Edward.
I trust him.
[Mrs. Cooper] My dear,
men are a tragedy.
Pig!
Come on, Donald!
We want to return to Rangoon immediately!
Have the decency to supervise the operation
from the engine room!
But, Mrs. Cooper... the engine room...
Excuse me.
She's being a real bitch today.
But, frankly, you were out of line.
[Mooing continues]
[Footsteps]
Yes?
Miss Singleton...
I will speak to you frankly and bluntly.
I believe there's something rare in you.
Your unshakable certainty in your fiancé's moral rectitude,
when all indications are to the contrary,
advises me against launching this approach.
However, it is your blind faith
that leads me to tell you that we were made for each other.
Are you mad?
I too see quite clearly how to do things and judge others.
Nothing shakes my conviction.
Until today I had never met a like-minded woman.
Miss Singleton...
right now you are in no condition
to consider my proposal,
but I still want to tell you
that I would like to marry you.
You odious man!
[Footsteps recede]
[Molly] Creep!
[Farnese sings opera]
[Thunder rumbles, roars]
[Singing intensifies]
[Cows moo intensely]
[Thunder continues rumbling]
[Orchestra, singer and chorus enter; Uptempo epic operatic music]
[Opera singer concludes]
[Music ends]
[People chatter]
Hello there, Reggie!
Cousin? What the hell are you doing here?
I came to get married, cousin.
But Edward embarked to come here just before I arrived in Rangoon.
Uh, give me my glasses.
Reginald Singleton, where are your manners?
He said he had to travel for professional reasons.
He advised me to return to London [sputters], the fool!
I advise you to do the same.
Reggie!
Molly Singleton, listen to me.
We both have the idea that Edward's job is quiet and boring,
an administrative posting in a remote Burmese city.
But you know what?
We might have a false perception of things.
Maybe Edward is too busy.
Furthermore, he may need to be alone in order to do his job.
The last thing he needs now is a woman chasing him.
Even if he loves you dearly.
[Molly sputters]
Okay, Reggie, what you're saying is absurd.
Tell me what you know or I'll have you committed.
Damn it, Molly! You can't know everything.
It's a pity you came here for nothing, but...
go back to London!
For your sake and for Edward's too.
[He stutters] A Singapore Sling!
Reggie, you're going to tell me what's going on with Edward!
[Reginald slurps]
Sit down.
[He exhales deeply]
I saw Edward... Don't interrupt me!
He was evasive about what he was doing in Singapore,
but he gave enough clues for me to come to the obvious conclusion.
[Whispers] I believe your future husband is involved in top-secret activities
for the good of England.
[Molly sputters]
Oh, dear Reggie, you're still a fantasist.
Uncle Eli's inheritance has done you harm.
You have too much time for bar-room ravings.
And you're as pigheaded as ever.
Wake up, Molly!
Do you think that spies announce that they're spies?
Reggie, where's Edward?
You have to help me.
I swear I won't stand in his way, but I need to talk to him.
I think I'm in my right, for heaven's sake!
Molly.
Could Edward have decided he doesn't want to get married?
Reginald Singleton, how dare you?
How could you think that Edward could behave so cowardly?
You know him. You introduced us.
"Coward"...
is too strong a word.
Marriage must be a really scary thing for any healthy man,
now that I think about it.
He wouldn't be capable of such wickedness.
I perfectly understand
that a man may dread a moment that could ruin his life.
Where's Edward?
[Molly] Was Edward on that train?
[Reginald] How terrible!
[Clattering]
[Molly, voice fading] Check all my luggage to Bangkok!
[Actor, in Thai] In her prayers, summoning spirits and angels,
[Bell rings]
the princess with the giant lady now battles.
[Cymbal joins]
[Laughter]
[Uptempo music joins]
[Actor exclaims, music stops]
[Actor] My prince!
The giantess is dead.
Really? Why did you kill her?
It was an accident, it wasn't my intention.
Let's continue our journey.
I pity the giantess, such a sad life. Let's go.
[Train rumbles, squeals]
[Insects chirr]
- [People chatter] - [Insects chirp]
[In Portuguese] Are you looking for someone, girl?
You'll hardly find him here.
They all got on the next train.
[Woman continues] I know how unpleasant it is to be on such a crowded train,
but it hardly justifies breaking down in tears.
Living through the last 30 hours was much worse, I assure you.
I'd certainly have preferred to have spent them alone.
Humanity is a tragedy.
My fiancé was on this train,
but I can't find him anywhere.
Don't worry, girl.
No one was badly hurt in the derailment.
Although certain people deserved it.
If your fiancé isn't here, then he found other means to go on his way.
I'd have done the same if I could have.
My name's Molly Singleton.
I recently arrived from London.
I came to get married.
I'm Elizabeth Smith, but everyone knows me as Lady Dragon.
Because of my smoking, I assume.
Fortunately, I never got married.
I find men-- [Beep]
Well, women are-- [Beep]
[Molly sputters]
[Person burps]
Be quiet, you-- [Beep]
These Chinese are-- [Beep]
I ran away from London, and I have no intention of going back.
Not that this is much better most of the time.
But still...
Edward is stationed in Burma.
I went through Rangoon and loved it.
I'm very excited about the idea of living in Asia.
Yes?
And if you find that you don't like it after all, you can always move away.
[People chatter]
You have character.
Do you find everything unpleasant?
No, girl.
I like flowers.
Siam has some of the most beautiful flowers in the world.
Bougainvillea.
- [Metal bangs, clatters] - Heliconia... Heliconia rostrata.
Mimosa and impatiens.
Etlingera.
One of the most beautiful is the porcelain rose.
Or torch ginger.
Canna indica, better known as Indian shot.
- That venerated flower, the orchid. - [Horn blows]
Frangipani, of the Plumeria genus.
And, of course, the lotus.
[Horn blows]
I was asked to supervise the floral arrangements
for the prince's birthday party in Bangkok.
I'm late because of the incompetence of the Siamese railways. [Chatter fades]
[Horn blows]
[Bird whistles softly]
[Insects chirr]
[Engine roars by]
[Thai narrator] Molly followed Lady Dragon to the prince's palace in Bangkok,
but she soon lost sight of her.
[Traffic hum]
[Lively music in the distance]
A competition was being held in the courtyard,
involving teams of British, German, French, and Japanese contestants.
The participants wore masks,
and were tied to each other by the ankles.
The Siamese just watched the games, laughing in amazement.
As the British team had lost a member,
Molly's arrival was heartily welcomed.
They asked her to enter the race.
As she was being tied to her teammates,
Molly asked insistently about Edward.
Just before the starting signal, someone answered:
"You mean Edward, that old ape from Mandalay?
"I saw that jolly monkey leaving less than half an hour ago!"
- [Uptempo music] - [Bang]
[Music continues]
[Thai narrator] Molly scouted Bangkok for two days and two nights.
She found no signs of Edward's presence in the city.
She wasn't discouraged.
She went to inquire in the port
and found out that Edward had traveled to Saigon aboard a fishing boat.
Molly wasted no time and bought a ticket for a ship
of the company Les Messageries Fluviales de Cochinchine.
[Vietnamese narrator] When she arrived at the Saigon post office,
her heart was racing.
[Post officer, in French] You want to send a telegram
to every hotel and hostel in Saigon?
[In Portuguese] Yes.
[In French] Sorry, Madame,
but the recipient is a Western gentleman, correct?
There are only two hotels in the city where Westerners stay.
It would be very unusual to...
To all of them, I said!
Certainly.
[People exclaim]
[Molly thuds, people gasp]
[Man, in Portuguese] Get out of the way!
[Delicate, chiming music]
[Vietnamese narrator] Timothy Sanders' house was in the Mekong Delta.
At first Molly didn't go near the river
or see the house's owner.
She'd walk from the bedroom to the salon,
and after that short distance she would be out of breath.
[Rooster crows]
[Music stops]
One day Sanders paid her a visit.
You have been very generous.
[Bird tweets in the distance]
I'll never be able to repay you.
I probably owe you my life.
I know I'm in no condition to continue my journey.
But this doesn't change my mind about what I came here to do.
Miss Singleton...
I have no intention of accepting your proposal.
It wasn't the first time you've had such an attack, right?
No.
Did you see a doctor before leaving London?
Weren't you told that it's serious?
Yes.
[Rooster crows]
Look...
the doctor was very clear about the need for complete rest.
He said you're lucky to be alive.
Your convalescence will be long,
but you'll never hear me make that proposal again.
You have my word.
Here you will have all the conditions needed for rest.
Please let me know if you need anything.
As long as you need it,
this house is yours.
And I'm your guest. If you don't want to see me, you won't.
Mr. Sanders...
I'm constantly traveling.
Tonight I'll be in the city, in Saigon.
I just came to see how you were, and if you needed anything.
Maybe I should try to find your fiancé and inform him of your condition.
No.
He mustn't know.
[In French] You're very beautiful. Mr. Sanders likes you a lot.
[In Portuguese] But I do not like him.
[In French] Oh! He'll make a very good husband.
[In Portuguese] Did he say we're getting married?
[In French] No, but it's obvious.
Otherwise he wouldn't treat you like this.
[They continue alternating languages] What's your name?
Ngoc, Miss.
Listen, Ngoc,
I'm engaged to another man.
Oh! I like men a lot too.
But if someone like Mr. Sanders wanted to marry me,
I wouldn't think twice.
He's very rich and likes you very much.
He asked me to take you for a walk in the garden when you feel better.
In a few weeks there'll be even more flowers
and huge fruit on the trees.
It looks beautiful.
Then, when you have more strength,
we can go see the river. And the market.
As soon as I'm back on my feet I'll be leaving.
[Ngoc chuckles] You're very funny.
It's time for the "little souls," Miss Molly.
They always arrive at this hour. Come and see.
The souls of the dead of this house. They're very dear.
I like them very much.
[Insects chirp; Birds tweet]
[Vietnamese narrator] Time went by.
The garden changed.
A wave of sensuality engulfed the world.
[Woman sings soft, blissful song]
Molly regained her energy.
She'd whistle like the birds.
She'd utter words in Vietnamese that she'd never learnt.
[Singing continues]
She'd wake up wet from dreams she couldn't recall.
[Singing stops]
[Cheerful, mellow music on gramophone]
[Woman sings]
[Molly sputters]
[Ngoc chuckles]
[Music continues]
[Chorus joins]
[Applause]
[Music ends]
[By the Light of the Silvery Moon plays on gramophone]
♪ Place park, scene dark,
♪ Silvery moon is shining through the trees
I don't know where Ngoc is.
- ♪ Cast two, me, you - I'd like to teach her to dance.
♪ Sound of kisses floating on the breeze
♪ Act one, begun
♪ Dialog, "Where would ya like to spoon?"
♪ My cue, with you,
♪ Underneath the silvery moon
♪ By the light of the silvery moon
♪ I want to spoon
♪ To my honey I'll croon love's tune,
♪ Honeymoon, keep a shining in June
[Molly] Where's everyone going?
♪ Your silvery beams will bring love dreams
[Timothy] Do you want me to make them come back?
♪ We'll be cuddling soon By the silvery moon.
That would be absurd, wouldn't it?
♪ Act two, scene new
♪ Roses blooming all around the place
♪ Cast three, you, me
♪ Preacher with a solemn looking face.
♪ Choir sings, bell rings
♪ Preacher says "You are wed for evermore"
♪ Act two, all through
♪ Every night the same encore
♪ By the light ♪
[Song continues in the background; Vehicles roar by]
[People chatter]
[Horns honk]
[Song ends]
[In French] Back home they organize cricket fights around this time.
Men and women sing the Quan Ho for days on end.
[In Portuguese] Things of love!
[Switches to French] And during the harvest festival
all the boys in the village seem more attractive.
Ngoc...
[In Portuguese] you like everything.
But, especially, everyone.
Not everyone.
Several... many.
[Switches to Portuguese] I have a lot of love to give.
Giving only to one would be selfish.
Miss Molly?
How is your love?
Is he handsome?
To me... yes, of course.
Silly!
Does he have fair hair?
Dark.
Well...
maybe he's going bald by now.
I haven't seen him in so long.
Ngoc,
why did you leave your family and your village?
Oh, Miss Molly!
[In French] I consulted the Bà Dong.
She told me I should come south to find a good life.
So I did.
Who is she?
The priestess of the three worlds.
The spirits speak through her.
They advise us on what is best for us.
There are many Bà Dong in the north.
Here too?
There are some. But fewer.
Ngoc,
will you take me to one?
[Bà Dong speaks indistinctly]
[Vietnamese narrator] Molly asked the Bà Dong if she'd ever be cured.
[Bà Dong continues]
Her reply brought tears to Ngoc's eyes.
Molly would die soon.
[Bà Dong speaks indistinctly]
After another pronouncement by the Bà Dong, Ngoc got angry.
She accused the Bà Dong of not being clear.
"Now she's saying, Miss Molly, that there's a spirit at your side,
"that protects you from danger."
[Bà Dong continues]
Molly was pale but not crying.
She asked the Bà Dong to talk about Edward.
The Bà Dong explained that Molly had not one but two men.
"One is rich and likes you very much.
"The other is in China, in a big city by the river."
[Melancholic music, man sings on mic]
Molly started to cry.
[Melancholic music continues]
[Music continues]
[Molly's voice] "Dear Mr. Sanders,
the time has come for me to continue my journey.
"It is an untimely departure, with no goodbye,
"which you certainly do not deserve.
"I apologize to you.
"PS: I've taken Ngoc with me."
[Man sings passionately]
[Soft instrumental music]
[Chinese narrator] At the hotel in Shanghai,
Molly was given Edward's decrepit self-portrait.
[Soft music continues]
Seeing Molly's distress, the receptionist explained
that the subject was in much better shape.
Molly inquired about Edward's movements.
"He went upriver," the receptionist said,
adding that it was no use for Molly to follow him.
"No boat will go upriver in the next four months because of the currents."
Molly burst out:
"Nothing is impossible, my dear sir!"
[Man chants]
[Others join in chant]
[Thunder rumbles, crackles]
[Chant continues]
- [Water splashes] - [Distant man chants in response]
[Others follow]
[Thunder continues roaring]
[Man speaks indistinctly]
[In Portuguese] Someone's coming.
[Ngoc, in French] It's a pastor.
[In Portuguese] Good evening.
It's surprising and pleasant
to find a Western lady in these remote parts.
I'm Reverend Carpenter.
Molly Singleton.
- Are you going downriver? - Up.
Really? I thought it was impossible at this time of year.
Almost impossible.
I see.
Impressive!
"I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed,
"ye shall move this mountain, and nothing shall be impossible to you."
Matthew 17:20.
[Pastor] And what is the reason for such an unusual trip?
I'm going to meet my fiancé.
[Pastor] Ah!
And where is he?
I don't know. [Chuckles softly]
[She sputters]
Oh,
very interesting.
[Molly] And you?
I'm going to Chengdu.
It's a long journey by land.
Maybe I lack your faith to get there any faster.
Or simply the means to travel this way.
[He chuckles]
Isn't it dangerous?
The road is too, isn't it?
I was about to ask you if you'd like to come with us.
Shorten your journey.
You seem very determined.
I'd entrusted my soul to the Lord,
but now that I've met you, I transfer the responsibility to you.
What will you do in Chengdu?
Talk to the bishop.
I wrote him a letter announcing that I'm renouncing my diocese.
I want to go back to Yorkshire,
to read the newspaper, to eat toast with blueberry jam...
It may seem a little futile as a life project,
but I'm convinced that it won't be any less useless than what I do here.
It's not for me to judge you, but...
I find it very disheartening to hear you speak like that.
It must be very sad to abandon the convictions of a lifetime.
Not at all, my girl.
It's very liberating.
[Birds and crickets chirp]
[Chinese narrator] The crew made preparations during the night
to accommodate the reverend and his donkey in the sampan.
The donkey, however, never got to embark.
Before dawn it broke its tethers and ran away.
The journey went steadily, but the crew was showing signs of exhaustion.
[Engine purrs softly]
Molly seemed indifferent to this.
She was in a hurry.
She hardly slept and had nightmares.
She coughed a lot and was getting paler every day.
[Distant chatter]
The dullness of the river banks
was broken by the unexpected vision of a giant Buddha.
Reverend Carpenter was silent,
but looked moved by this apparition.
Molly thought that all was not lost for the pastor.
She smiled at him.
[Molly coughs deeply]
[Wood creaks softly; Water splashes]
Tell me, Reverend, are you sure about what you'll to say to the bishop?
Aren't you afraid you'll regret it?
I'm slow, my child.
It took three years from thinking about the letter to acting on it.
So, if I regret it, it won't be for a while.
[Thunder roars]
But life is full of surprises,
unexpected comings and goings.
[In Portuguese] It's true.
[Man speaks in Mandarin]
[In French] He says they'll tie up here.
It's night and the next section is full of currents.
It's bad for ten miles.
We've wasted too much time.
Ask him if they can pull the boat at night.
[Man responds in Mandarin]
- [Both in Portuguese] So? Can they go on? - Not at night.
It's very dangerous. They need to go into the water often.
[Molly mocks Ngoc's accent] Into the water...
Tell him we must continue! I say so!
- [Coughs deeply] - [Thunder rumbles]
Reverend, if you want, we can stop to let you get off.
If you keep going, I'll go with you.
But maybe we should go on in the morning.
We'll go on now. Tell him, Ngoc!
- But, Miss Molly... - Do you want to get out, Ngoc?
[Thunder crackles]
God willing, everything will be fine.
[Woman speaks excitedly in Mandarin]
[Man replies]
[In French] There are riots in the region. It's too dangerous to stay here.
We must go on.
[In Portuguese] That's solved, then!
[Thunder rumbles loudly; Heavy rainfall]
[Chinese narrator] That stretch of river never gave up the bodies.
The bodies of the boatmen and Reverend Carpenter never washed ashore.
Molly didn't drown because Ngoc rescued her.
[Thunder rumble fades]
In the morning, cold and shivering, Ngoc couldn't stop sobbing.
[Pandas chewing]
Molly put up with the sobbing as long as she could.
But she finally lost patience.
She grabbed her violently and pushed her away from the bank.
[Chewing continues]
[Chinese narrator continues] They walked in silence through the forest.
They entered a tiny village.
[Man sings melancholic song]
In the center of the village
some men had been sentenced to death and were shackled to a post.
They were in Western attire.
They were accused of robbing a Westerner
whom they had probably murdered.
[Singing continues]
Molly and Ngoc were informed that they'd be executed that day.
"So much the better!" Molly said.
Molly left the village, followed by Ngoc.
[Singing stops]
Both were exhausted,
but Molly had fallen into a trance that was all her own.
She didn't even blink.
She walked slowly, in silence.
She only spoke once.
She asked Ngoc:
"Sing, Ngoc.
"So I know you're walking beside me even if the fog thickens further."
Ngoc started to sing, but Molly was no longer listening.
She stopped walking.
She closed her eyes.
[Woman sings melancholic song]
[Singing continues]
When Molly was found, she was frozen.
She was blue.
[Singing continues]
She had been dead for several hours.
[Speaks indistinctly]
[Muted music plays - Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin]
♪ Somewhere beyond the sea
♪ Somewhere waiting for me
♪ My lover stands on golden sands
♪ And watches the ships that go sailing
[Music volume rises]
♪ Somewhere beyond the sea
♪ She's there watching for me
♪ If I could fly like birds on high
♪ Then straight to her arms
♪ I'd go sailing
♪ It's far beyond the stars
♪ It's near beyond the moon
♪ I know beyond a doubt
♪ My heart will lead me there soon
♪ We'll meet beyond the shore
♪ We'll kiss just as before
♪ Happy we'll be beyond the sea
♪ And never again I'll go sailing
♪ Ah!
FOR MAUREEN
[Song continues]
♪ I know beyond a doubt, ow!
♪ My heart will lead me there soon
♪ We'll meet (I know we'll meet) beyond the shore
♪ We'll kiss just as before
♪ Happy we'll be beyond the sea
♪ And never again I'll go sailing
♪ No more sailing
♪ So long sailing ♪
- [Music fades] - [Man on set chats in Portuguese]
[People chatter]
[Birds sing]
[Chatter fades]
[Birdsong]
[Man chats in English]
[Beep]
[Horns honk]
[Howling]
[Lively chatter]
[Train rattles, horn honks]
[Animals squeaking]
[Chatter continues, distant]
[Man chats in Portuguese]
[Train squeals, rattles]
[Soft, slow flute music starts]
[Train continues rattling]
[Narrator, male voice, in Burmese] It was almost midnight
when Edward entered Mandalay railway station.
He was wearing a groom's suit,
holding a bunch of tropical flowers,
and was utterly drunk.
- [Music continues] - [Train continues rattling and squealing]
[Chinese narrator] When Molly was found, she was frozen.
She was blue.
She had been dead for several hours.