I, a Negro (1958) - full transcript

Every day,

young people like
the characters in this film

arrive in the cities of Africa.

They have left school

or work in the family fields

to try to find a place
in the modem world.

Unskilled jacks of all trades,

they are one of the sicknesses
of the new African cities:

Unemployed youth.

These young people
are tom between tradition

and mechanization,



between Islam and alcohol.

They are faithful to their beliefs,

but idolize modern stars
of boxing and cinema.

For six months, I followed a group
of young immigrants from Niger

in Treichville,
on the outskirts of Abidjan.

I suggested we
make a film together.

They would play their own roles,

with no restrictions
on what they wanted to do or say.

And so we improvised this film.

One of them, Eddie Constantine,
was so faithful to his character,

Lemmy Caution,
American FBI agent,

that he was sentenced
to 3 months in prison during filming.

For the other,
Edward G. Robinson,

the film became
a mirror of self-discovery.



An tax-soldier in the Indochina war,
thrown out by his father

for being on the losing side,

he is the hero of the film.
H! hand it over to him.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I give you TREICHVILLE.

This film was produced
with the help of the

Wary Coast information Service
and the Nigerian Brotherhood

of Abidjan
(President Gado Timtim)

Let's go, Treichville!

Let's see what life
in Treichville really is!

The true personality
of Treichville!

The banks of the laguna

Sweet-smelling perfumes

Thousands of roses

Love soothes gently

Abidjan

When we say your name

Abidjan of the laguna,
beautiful place to be

There are
three districts in Abidjan:

The old African quarter of Adjame.

The industrial and business quarter
known as the plateau

and, on the other side
of the laguna,

the new quarter of Treichville.

Edward G. Robinson
lives in Treichville.

Today, he has come across
to the plateau

in the vain hope of finding work.

My name is not really
Edward G. Robinson.

It's a nickname
my friends gave me.

They call me Edward G. Robinson

because I look like
a certain Edward G. Robinson

in films at the cinema.

I don't tell people my real name.
I'm a foreigner.

I come from Niger,
2,000 kilometers from Abidjan.

My hometown is Niamey,
capital of the colony of Niger.

Many of us have come to Abidjan
looking for money.

There are at least a hundred of us,
but we were misinformed

by people who told us

we would make money in Abidjan...

I've got 25 francs.
Others have got millions.

Money...

I don't earn anything,
I'm a day laborer right now.

All I do is wear myself out,
laboring...

If I'd known what Abidjan was like,
I wouldn't have come.

I've had enough.

Laboring, laboring all day long,
nothing but work,

it's a bad life.

My God,
if I'd known I'd be a day laborer,

Goddamn!

Oh yeah! Abidjan is great!

I've got to take the ferry,

which costs 5 francs out of my 25.

I'll have 20 francs left

to buy some avocado to eat.

My God! Life's complicated!
Life is sad!

Some people have good food,
nice homes,

nearer to God
up on the 12th floor.

But me...

I live on the other side,

I live in Treichville.

Our homes are huts,

or houses,

but not houses
like on the other side.

Our lives are different.

I'm getting off the ferry
and going into Treichville.

This is Treichville.

Abidjan,
when we speak your name

Abidjan of the laguna,
beautiful place to be

And the market

The market at eight o'clock

Abidjan of the laguna,
beautiful place to be

And the young girls

And love, aha aha aha

Abidjan of the laguna,
beautiful place to be

My darling

Meet me tonight

For a date

Where a“ the young people go

There are accidents
all the time in Treichville.

It doesn't matter.
We're like the Americans,

our cars don't last longer
than 2 months,

that's why there's all this mess.

Here are the "toutounes.'

Toutounes are women who charge
200 francs to do it with a man

and 100 francs for children.

Good evening, Madam,
I'll be back tonight.

Of course, I don't have money.

What can I do,
as a poor man? Goddamn!

We can't even afford
"toutounes."

Here we are
at the fraternity house.

Twenty of us live here

in this shed.
This is where we live,

in the Nigerien fraternity.

Every day of the week,

Robinson and his friends
struggle to find work.

Porters,
carrying anything for any price.

Hassling around
the travelers at the bus station.

Door to door sales,
selling fabrics from Ghana.

Tumblers, dockers,
tropical wood handlers.

Or, like Robinson and Elite,

day laborers, "bozzcris"

at the mercy of the bosses.

Whatever the day brings,
in the evening, the day's wages

will be won or lost at cards.

It's the same every day.

A new story going up in Adjame.

There's always something
new and marvelous,

but nothing new or marvelous
for me, just the same sad life.

These are my friends, my buddies.

My dear friend, what a life!

It's always the same for us.

Tiring work, roadwork...

We're nearly all
from the same country,

it's always guys from Niger.

Hi, Petit Jules! How are you?

Alright? That's good.

My buddy, Petit Jules,
works the buses.

Hello, Tarzan.

My buddy Tarzan

is a taxi driver.

That's really something,
especially in Treichville,

the Chicago of Africa.

Hello, Eddie Constantine.

As for my buddy, Eddie
Constantine,

he's a salesman, he sells fabrics.

Apparently,
negroes have it hard in Paris.

That doesn't matter.

With Eddie Constantine,
the women here don't care.

He's a crafty one,
always on top form.

Have you seen Adele“...

Ah! Dorothy Lamour!

Do you want some
lovely fabric from Kumasi?

It's not from the Ivory Coast.

If you want to be in fashion,
you need it,

- it's lovely cloth.
- No money.

These are 2,000 francs
for half a length,

but you're so pretty,
you can have it

for just 1,500.

Look at that,

this cloth is the fashion
this year, in 1957.

If you want to be in fashion
when you go dancing,

if you want the boys
to worship you,

to admire you,
just buy this Kumasi cloth.

Dorothy Lamour,
you are so beautiful!

Dorothy Lamour, I've got
something to tell you later.

What I want to tell you...

it's the truth,
I love you.

Tender melody
winging its way to you

My darling
Spreading around you

My love

Abidjan,
when we speak your name

Abidjan of the laguna

beautiful place to be

That's the end...
Now, let's do some business,

Dorothy Lamour,
let's go into the house...

we'll do our business in the house
and I'll give you free cloth.

Eddie Constantine
gets any woman he wants,

but, for my friend Facteur,
it's another story.

Oh! My friend!

Too much work! No rest!

Always dragging around in the sea,

on the logs,
we get injured, we bleed.

I just do day labor
in the port

That's my job.

Day laborers
are called "bozzoris."

Elite, how are you, my dear friend?

I'm not too well, my dear Elite.

I tried to get work on the trucks,

but I didn't manage to get any.

Nothing at all, my dear friend.

Let's go, he's a pain in the ass.

People like that
are a real pain in the ass.

Even if we didn't get any work,
our friends will share their food.

Even so,

we do get work some days.

Unloading sacks of coffee
for shipping to France.

Take it! Here! There you go!
That's all we're good for.

Look at all that!

That's all we're good for!

Sacks, sacks and more sacks.

Even if they fall on your head,
it doesn't matter!

It's like our life,
like those sacks.

Life is sacks.

At lunch-time,

we go down to the bozzoris' hotel.

It's a special hotel
for us bozzoris.

A special hotel for poor people,
with a meal for 15 francs.

We have to wash our hands first,

we wash our hands and our feet.

We don't want to frighten the lady
who sells rice at the market.

Hurry up, Elite, let's get
going.

Because the others...
you know the woman I mean...

Maryam, who sells the good rice.

If we don't hurry up, some other
guys will get there first.

They hassle us on the way in,
why not on the way out?

Because
we're leaving.

Let's go!

Come on! People smell around here.

Before we go,

we're going to get 5 francs worth
of cigarettes, that's enough.

We have 40 francs altogether.

Hurry up with the change!
Let's go!

Rich people

go home by bicycle or scooter.

Some people go home
by car or motorbike or scooter.

But we're bozzoris,

we don't go home,
we go to the bozzoris' hotel

to get 20 francs worth of rice.
It's enough for us.

Two spoons, I'm not alone,

I'm with a friend, Madam.

There are two of us,
we keep ourselves to ourselves.

We're fine with
20 francs worth of rice.

Other people who are rich,

they get a piece of bread
for 10 francs and a sardine for 25.

A mint drink for 5 francs.

Or if they're really rich,

a bottle of OK Tip Top
for 15 francs.

Eddie Constantine,
American FBI agent, isn't like us.

FBI agents don't eat
at the bozzori's hotel.

They eat in a restaurant
with great food and service.

They pay 75 francs a meal.
We paid 20 francs for both of us.

When we've finished eating,
we need to get

kola nuts for dessert

3 kola nuts cost 5 francs.

Now we need to get some rest.

We don't want
to waste time going home,

so we just lie down on the pavement,
on the edge here,

in the shade of the mango trees.

It's not too hot here,
we'll lie down here.

A couple of hours
will get our strength back up.

We have to sleep.

I'm going to dream that one day

I'll be like other men.

Like everyone else,
like the rich people.

I want a wife and a house
and a car, like them.

It's 2 o'clock, Elite.

Time for work.

The ferry is here,
it's back to work,

but slowly, we go back slowly,
not quickly.

Don't rush, Elite, don't rush back
to our buddies, the sacks.

The sacks are our friends,
always the sacks.

Sacks are our friends, Elite.

If I tell you something,
you won't believe me.

I've seen everything in life.
I've seen

nearly all the towns in Europe.

I've been to Rouen,
I've been there.

I've done it all
and I've seen it all.

I've seen Rochefon,
a beautiful town, and Hamburg.

I've been to all these towns,
and I can tell you,

with the women...
I did everything!

In Oslo, for example,
I did everything.

I don't have to tell you
what I mean,

you know what I mean,
it worked every time.

Really,
it worked every time for me!

Every time, my dear Elite!

I'm a day laborer now,

but I was an escort then.
A real gentleman!

I was eighteen then.

Let me explain something to you.
You see those flowers?

That's what white women like...
Flowers.

Believe me, Elite, those kinds
of flowers, they love them.

You don't need money,
just flowers!

I'm telling you!
Let's go, my friend!

Hello, you lot!

Here I am!

What are you doing?

Playing cards?
That's what I call work!

I haven't got any work either,
so let's play, maybe I'll win

something to eat.

800 francs in the pot!

How many days work is that?

Four days work, my friend...
it would be great.

You won, Elite?
That's good, that's very good.

Go on, don't listen to him,
don't listen to his pitch.

Don't buy anything, Elite!

Get away from here!
Don't listen to that hustler.

I'm fed up!
I never have any luck.

I'll say hello
to the young girls now.

How are you all?
I'm going to marry all of you!

Doesn't matter how many,

I'll marry you all!

Tomorrow, if I'm at the pom,

I'll find some little things

to give you as presents.

I'll bring you some...

I'll give you money.

Right! Now I'm going to see Maman.
I wonder if she'll ignore me today.

Maman!

Guess what? I've got no money!
Oh! Expensive!

How much for 5 francs?
Just 5 francs.

Oh, well! Bravo!

At six o'clock, we go to street 12,

to a bar called "Ambiance."

I don't go there to dance,

I'm no dancer.

Dancing is for happy people,

guys who want to play
at being cowboys and all that.

I don't go to street 12
to dance.

I come here for something else,
not dancing...

I come here because
I'm learning how to box.

How to be a boxer,

a famous boxer.

I'm really feeling
on top form here.

Pretty soon,

I'll be able to fight for a title.

I'm good to go now.

Tarzan!

Tarzan is my very good buddy.
He's a professional boxer.

He's not called Tarzan for nothing!
He's a boxer!

Look at him hitting the bag!

He gets through
a new bag every week.

Tarzan is strong.

He really is!

I want to be like Tarzan,
but I never will be.

No way!

On Saturday afternoons,
Treichville comes to life.

Today's the day when anything goes.

The beach, the boxing ring,

the dancing club,
it's a waking dream!

But today is Saturday,

even laborers
don't work on Saturdays.

How are you, dear friends?

I'll bet you're fine today,

no working tonight, it's Saturday.

Roll up your sleeves,
get ready for tonight!

Sparks are going to fly!

Just you wait and see.

Hang on! Who's this?

It's Tarzan, the taxi-man!

He's the taxi-man.

How's it going, Tarzan?
Wait for me!

I'll get dressed, Tarzan.

I need to turn my collar up
before we go.

Goodbye, I'm off now.
Don't get into any trouble,

You're always in trouble.
Keep out of trouble. Goodbye.

Miss Dorothy Lamour,
how are you?

Very well, thank you...
Jane!

Jane and Tarzan.

Tarzan must be happy,
he's off to the beach with Jane.

No accidents today,
it's Saturday!

We're free today,
it's Saturday.

You mustn't go 120 kph!
Slow down!

I know you're happy
because Jane is in the car.

Don't overtake, Tarzan.
He's always breaking the law.

It's because of Jane.

It's not surprising.

Don't try to overtake the jeep!

There's the sea!

Thousands of times...

probably millions of times
bigger than the Niger.

Oops! Tarzan is not happy!

That's Tarzan!
That's typical Tarzan...

Tarzan, the ape-man.

We're dangerous.

The sea is too rough,
it makes too much noise.

The other side,
by the river, is better.

The water is calm, it's great.

It's better.
It reminds me of the Niger,

it's beautiful, like the Niger.

Everyone's happy, but I'm sad.

I know why. It's because
every day can't be like this.

I'm only ever happy

on Saturday evenings.
Apart from Saturdays,

my whole life is troubled.

My life isn't like this every day.
What I need,

Dorothy Lamour,

what I need is a woman

and later on, children.

To be a happy man,
like everyone else.

Maybe soon, I'll be a boxer.

I'll call myself
Ray Sugar Robinson.

I'll have a manager,

Tarzan Johnny Weissmuller.

I'll fight Hogan Kid Bassey,
the world champion,

and we'll fight...

a featherweight fight
in fifteen minutes and three seconds.

Hit him with a right,
then a left...

Breathe properly, breathe deeply.

Come on!

The world featherweight
championship title is mine.

Bravo, Robinson,
bravo world champion.

That's my dream,
world featherweight champion.

Ray Sugar Robinson.

But it's pitiful,

it's just a dream.
Here are the real boxers.

After boxing, on Saturdays,

we go dancing.
Thank goodness for Tarzan,

he pays our way in.

Eddie Constantine, FBI agent!

Lemmy Caution!
What a happy life that guy has!

But not me. I'm sad.

Give me some beer. Give me
something to drink, so I can be...

I need a drink.
Where's my beer?

Beer! Beer!

Give me a drink!
Sidibe, give me a drink!

Hey, a drink for me!

In this place,

for 100 francs,
you get a beautiful African

with a great figure,

for 1,000, a beautiful white woman.

Come with me! No?

Just for tonight!

What's the matter?

Money? What about money?

It's always about money with you!

Money, money...

Abidjan,
when we speak your name

To the sounds of the rumba

Lots of pretty girls

You can keep your bar!

I'm leaving!
I'm sick of this shit.

It's always about money.
Why is it all about money?

I'm sick of it!

I'm alone again tonight,

always alone, all by myself.

So what? I don't care!
I'll be alone!

Sunday is the day to make
last night's dreams come true.

If you're looking for luck,
like Constantine,

or invoking God's help,
like Robinson,

come evening, you make
your way to I. Goumbe.

La Goumbe is like family
for these foreigners,

everything is shared!

Dreams of the Far West
and traditional tunes,

it's a time to be yourself,
among your peers.

If you are elected king and queen,
like Constantine and Nathalie,

you get to be the heroes
of Treichville

and too bad for the others.

The day after Saturday is Sunday.

I am Eddie Constantine,
an American federal agent.

I come to the mission
to see the girls.

My mother and father are Catholic,

but I'm not a Catholic, in fact,

I'm Muslim.

I come to the mission
for the women.

To see them, worship them.

I'm always in love,

I love women.

I know, for example,
that at the mission,

there are lots of women

and I love looking at them.

This one in front of me,

no, she's old,

but I like her anyway.

There's a young one,
but she's too small.

There's one! She's just right.

Can I see you tonight?

I'm not sleeping alone tonight!
No way!

What are you doing later?

Shall we go to my place?

Shall we make love?
You choose how you want to do it.

How do you want to do it?

When it's time for making love,

Eddie Constantine is always fit.

Hairdresser:
”Dieu Merci”

Fashion hairdressing

Ah! A hairdresser.
Mode Casino...

Santiago, Azazou, Ordinaire...

There's a cretin asleep
in the doorway.

Ah! That's it!

What's that fashion?

Cha cha cha fashion.
That's what I'm going to have.

It's the fashion
in Ivory Coast.

As I'm a ladies' man
and this is the fashion,

I need a cha cha cha cut.

Eddie Constantine
has had a haircut.

I haven't.

But in spite of all the poverty,

we still manage to dress properly

for prayers at the mosque.

There are a lot of mosques
in Treichville,

but they're too small.

We have to pray out on the street.

Especially on a day like today,

a holiday.

Even if you don't have a rug,
there's always

Dorothy Lamour
who will give you her headscarf

to kneel on for prayers.

God is great.

God the creator.

Let me have money
like everyone else.

I'm praying for money, for luck,

for happiness.

God is great.
That's what life is about,

that's what life is...

I haven't got nice clothes
like them,

they're well dressed,

they've got their best caftans.

They've got umbrellas, or turbans.
I haven't got anything.

God is great.

That's the way life is.

Some are into politics,

wage increases and such.

I'm still a laborer
at just 200 francs a day.

Some of them vote, I never vote
for anything or anyone.

I don't vote.

I'm all alone
and I don't care about anything,

God has decided I should be alone.

God wants it,
so I'll always be alone.

As for me, Eddie Constantine,
Lemmy Caution,

FBI agent,
I don't care about voting.

I prefer to go
to football matches on Sundays.

I only care about sport and love.

What a match!

7 a side...

we're ahead.

Assanes,
pass the ball to him over there.

Assanes, pass it on...

A goal! Out of the way,
Roustico!

Careful! Watch out, Laggia...

Who's that?

Number 7

passing to number 6.

Careful, the goalie's got it...

What's that? Offside! Offside!

It's half-time,

one goal each,

anyone could win.

Second half.
Africa are playing well.

Assanes passes to Saintes,

Saintes passes to Roustico
who gets the ball away.

And I'm so elegant, I'm looking

at those nice young girls.

Three nice young girls.

Mademoiselle, tonight, you come
to my place, for sure.

Today, I win, I get a girl.

Sweetheart, the match isn't over,

and I'm with the girls.
If Africa wins, I get a woman.

They're praying.

Praying, praying all the time.

Prayers first, then love.

Get a woman before you pray!
You keep praying!

We need to go
to I. Goumbe.

Tarzan, just forget
those poor fellows.

It's time for dancing.
That's what we enjoy...

How can I put it...

Goddamn, my old friend...

Long live the youth
of I. Goumbe and Treichville

La Goumbe is a kind of club,

it's more like a band
with dancers who are specialized

in this dance.

The girls all dress the same
and so do the boys.

You pay a monthly membership,

50 francs a month.

The queen is elected
on dance-day,

they put her in a car
with a loudspeaker

and she sings.

In I. Goumbe,
there is strict discipline.

The girls must be
strictly disciplined.

They have to be supple too,

for the dancing.

Never mind supple,

look how disciplined the girls are.

When she talks to a gentleman,
she has to get on her knees.

Look at that!

He's a club member
and he has to greet everyone

otherwise he has to pay 100 francs,
instead of 50

for his monthly membership.

They are the top dancers,

those guys there,

so they wear cowboy clothes
to stand out from the rest.

They are the bicycle champions.

It's called bicycle dancing.

Ah! Cycle sports!

It's the bicycle dancing now,

for the cowboys of I. Goumbe,
their bike

is their horse.

Their bicycle
is really their horse.

Look at him!

Exactly like cowboys
in Texas with their horses,

it's exactly the same,

I swear it.

That is so good!

I give him 10 out of 10.
What about you?

Or maybe 8 out of 10.

He's done a good job.

Oh, yeah!

That's good.

500 francs for a gift.
Thank you, Sir, he deserved it.

And 400 for the other one.

It's evening now.

Now it's time

for boys and girls, not bikes.

Mr Eddie Constantine,
American federal agent,

I think you are expected
on the dance floor.

I want to see you.

Long live Royale Goumbe.

It's my turn now,
Edward G. Robinson.

That's her.

That's how I dance.

Nathalie, Nathalie,
a young girl from Adjame.

I love this girl!
We're dancing!

What shall we do? Rock 'n roll?
That's great...

Or... cha cha cha?
That's good.

Look at me, Nathalie.

Cha cha cha. Rock n' roll.

How are you feeling, Nathalie?
Right at this moment?

How are you feeling?
Everything's alright!

Boom, boom, boom,
play, play, play...

What's he saying?

Grand Goumbe competition

with Eddie Constantine and Nathalie

against Amadou Sidibe
and Mademoiselle Maryam.

I'm going to win with Nathalie.

She's so beautiful!

I don't like ugly women,

I'm handsome,
I like beautiful women.

Look at her spin,

she's dancing, she's supple.

With me, like that,
like that, that's it!

Then straight back
to my place.

Bravo, Constantine!
Well done, Eddie!

I'm telling you, I'm winning.

I always win with women.

I win and I win.

Look how she loves me

and I love her, this girl.

She dances just like I do.

That's it! Down you go!

Now, Eddie Constantine
is the king of I. Goumbe.

Long live Niger!

Eddie Constantine won

the I. Goumbe competition,

and poor old Edward G. is going
home to his buddies from Niger

who are all as poor as I am.

They dance
by the light of an oil lamp.

I'm going to the "Desert" club
to celebrate

Eddie Constantine's victory.
He invited me to the celebration.

To the Desert club!

To Eddie Constantine's victory
at I. Goumbe!

Mademoiselle,

last night, walking by your house,

I was struck by a revelation
so momentous it scared me!

The truth is...
I love you!

It's the truth.
I love you.

And love lasts forever,
you know that.

Love is a malady no doctor can cure!
You know that!

Love me as I love you!

Love me and let's drink
to our great victory.

A man's beauty
is found in his pocket!

Let's dance, Mademoiselle.

Look at the way she shakes it!

Like a snake!
She's a fantastic girl!

To your health, Dorothy Lamour.

Down the hatch!

Thirsty in the desert

You know, Dorothy Lamour,
frankly speaking, I love you.

I've been around the world,
but I never saw a girl like you.

I love you, I swear it.

Don't look at the other two.

You know,
we could be just like them.

I mean it, Dorothy, really,
I mean what I said.

Come on, make up your mind...

Are you alright?
Yes, you're alright.

I love you, you're the light
of my life, I mean it!

In France and Indochina,
I've never seen a beauty like you.

Never in the whole world!

I'm not lying, it's the truth,
I swear it's the truth.

I really do love you.

This isn't play-acting.

So, how about it?
Shall we dance?

Better drink than dance.

Bloody Italians, historians,
they're always around!

Don't take any notice of him.

Don't touch that beer,
I paid for that.

Are you with that monkey?

She's not going to go
with him, is she?

Bloody nuisance Italians!

You can't stop me drinking my beer!

All Italians are bloody
nuisances.

You might have Dorothy,
but you can't take my beer!

Goddamn you.

Arrivederci.

Yeah! You get out!

Go to hell.

Dance Club
Dancing, fun atmosphere

The Desert Club

To you!
To my dear Elite.

And Dorothy Lamour.

I don't know... It doesn't matter.

That's why everything's
so messed up.

Our job is laboring,
clearing the roads,

tidying up the roads.

The cinema isn't for us!
It's not for poor people.

It's alright for rich people,

they go around on a bike
or a scooter.

Life is fine if you're a gangster.

That's life.

I'm off, I'm going.

Take my jacket,
I haven't got any money!

Take my jacket.

I spilled my beer,

I don't care.

You can throw me out, I'm going,

but you can't stop me

going to the Mexico Saloon.

She thinks she's better
than Dorothy.

She's got no chance

with that body.

I don't want any trouble,
leave me in peace to drink my beer.

Who's she?
You can sod off.

Look at you!

Lovely tits.

You're pretty.

Just sit there,

that's right.

You might be prettier than Dorothy.

What do you mean, pay?

Pay for the beer again?

I haven't got anything.

There are other bars
in Treichville.

Leave me alone, are you crazy?

What's wrong with you?

You can throw me out if you like,

but you can't stop me
going to see my Dorothy Lamour.

I'll be married
to Dorothy Lamour soon.

Dorothy Lamour will be my wife

and I'll be an actor
like Marlon Brando.

Dorothy Lamour will be waiting
at the door for me,

because it will be my house

and I'll be the master
of the household.

With Dorothy Lamour for my wife.

She'll be waiting and waiting

and at night-time,

she'll close the door

because we won't want
to be disturbed.

In our house,
she'll be there in person,

my Dorothy Lamour
and I'll have a radio, too.

She'll be sweet-talking me.

She'll take off her dress
because I like to see her tits.

She'll be needing some love

and what we do in bed
will be our own business.

Yesterday's dreams
have a sour taste on Monday.

Robinson is not a boxing champion.

Constantine is not Lemmy Caution,
FBI agent,

at least,
not to the Abidjan police.

And for Edward G. Robinson,
it's the moment of truth.

Ah, Mademoiselle

Young people of Abidjan

Young girls of Abidjan

Ah, the whores

That's the way! like it

Ah, the whorehouses

That's the way! like it

Ah, my memories

Aren't you up yet, my Dorothy?

Dorothy Lamour, open your door!

What's going on in there?
Open the door.

Son of a bitch!

I'll break this on your head,
that'll shut you up!

You think you're up to fighting me?

My name is Ray Sugar Robinson!

Yeah! You can wipe your mouth!

I'm not the only one
you'll have to fight.

I don't have to fight
a loser like you!

You're just trying
because you know I'm drunk today.

I don't give a damn.

Good morning, Elite!

How are you, Facteur?

I'm OK, I just had a fight
with an Italian,

I forgot to get
the din out of my hair.

- Poor Constantine is in prison.
- What?

Eddie Constantine had a fight
with the police?

Where did they take him?
To prison?

It may go to court
to the prosecutor.

Who should we see?
Where should we go?

We should try to get some money.

I've got some savings,
I could give 200 francs.

Go and get it, we'll see
if we can find some money, too.

It's been raining all day.

I've been thinking about my buddy

who's in prison.

It has rained all day.

The sun only came out
in late afternoon.

After work,

me and Tarzan and Petit Jules
went to the prison,

to see Eddie Constantine.

Our pal got three months in prison.

Three months just for fighting
with the forces of law and order.

The forces of law and order!

Why did we ever
come to Ivory Coast?

We were wrong to come,
we haven't even got a house.

We walk and sleep in the
streets.

They're alright!
Look how they live!

And for us, it's prison!

For three months,
Eddie Constantine will be in there,

in that big white house.
I hate it!

It's not so bad,
but all the same...

Goodbye, Tarzan.
Get back to your taxi.

We're going to stay here
and think a bit longer,

just a little while...
We'll see.

Petit Jules, look at that!

What does that remind you of?

The laguna, there.

Where does it look like?

Doesn't it remind you of Niamey?

In our country?

Where we were born.
Where our fathers were born.

Look, the Niger!

Oh, it's wonderful to be in Niger!

When we were children,
back home,

where we used to go swimming.

All the children,
everyone swimming together.

The boys, the girls, everyone.

In those days, Petit Jules,

there was Dorothy Lamour,
a little girl.

And I was a little boy,
I was always cheerful.

Just because I'm always sad now,
doesn't mean I wasn't happy.

I used to play with Dorothy Lamour.

Swimming, diving,
playing in the water...

Here's Eddie Constantine.

He was already
learning to be elegant.

We were naked, but not him.

He wanted to be elegant,

so he were his trunks.

There's Tarzan.

Much bigger than the rest of us.

He has been big since he was a boy,

it took three or four of us
to throw him in.

Whatever you try,
Tarzan holds out.

Those were the times!
Those were the days!

You know, Petit Jules,
life is complicated

for people like us.

But we're not back home now,
my dear friend,

we're in a mess, in a shit-hole!

I've done it all in my life.

I've been to war,
I was in Indochina,

I killed Vietnamese
with machine guns,

with knives, with hand grenades.

You throw your grenade,
then you fall on the ground.

None of it did me any good,
Petit Jules.

I've done it all,
but none of it did me any good.

I've done everything
a man should do,

but none of it means anything,
I'm still the same.

Flat on your belly, crawling,
throwing grenades, everything.

Don't be scared,
I'm telling it like it is.

When you kill people,
1,000 or 5,000 people,

you hide behind a tree
or anything else,

in the bushes,
and you lay ambushes.

That's nothing, Petit Jules.
We killed people.

To kill a Vietnamese, get out your knife,
get him on the ground.

I told my Captain
I wanted to see blood flowing,

and I did. I saw blood flowing.

Blood flowing

and friends dying 2 metres away.

Friends I had just had a cup
of coffee with, then they're dead.

All that for what?

For nothing, my friend.

It was as if I were walking with you,
and I then I fell,

I fell down dead.

A hand grenade

or a shell.

Don't be scared,
I'm just telling you about Indochina.

You'd be walking,
then you'd be dead.

All for nothing, that's life,
it doesn't matter.

All that's nothing!
Look at them, they're happy.

Riding along on whatever
those things are called.

They can sod off!

They're probably cowards.

I fought for France.

I'm brave, I'm a man,

I'm poor, I've got nothing,
but I'm brave.

It doesn't mean anything,
Petit Jules, I'm not ashamed.

Let's go home,
none of that matters.

It all depends on God.
God is everything.

When something happens,
you have to say it's God's will.

Look, they're building a new pom,
perhaps it will bring us luck.

None of it matters.

Look at what it says here.
It says "Danger".

I'm a famous lord,

they call me "Billy Joe,
parachute airman and cowboy chief".

D - 18495

At just seventeen years old,
2nd class soldier. D for Danger.

D for Dangerous man.

I'm Billy Joe,
parachute airman and cowboy chief.

Let's go, none of it matters,
it's just life.

Maybe life can change,

it may be complicated,

but we're friends
and we always will be.

Life is good, life is beautiful,
I can tell you, Petit Jules,

none of it matters,
maybe we'll be happy soon.

Life is so complicated.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

so ends the story of
Treichville.

Goodbye, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Goodbye, Treichville.