Mon père, Francis le Belge (2010) - full transcript
Since the last time
he got out of jail...
...my father's life was as ordered
as a sheet of music paper.
He always left his apartment
in Lord Byron St around noon.
He lunched at Fulci's, in d'Artois St
or at The Boudoir, in Charon St.
He spends the afternoon
at the tote in Artois St
...where a certain Hubert
placed the bets for him.
He took his evening aperitif
at Fouquet's...
or at the bar
in the Elysee Ponthieu hotel.
His professional meetings
were usually held in a bar...
in Presbourg St,
right next to the Etoile.
Thanks, Michel.
He spent his evenings
in 8th-district nightclubs.
He felt at home there.
His well-regulated life ended up
discouraging the anti-gang squad.
They'd been tracking him
for months.
They'd lifted their surveillance
1 week earlier.
My father died
September 27, 2000 at 3.15 pm.
He was 54 years old.
My father, Francis the Belgian.
Francis Vanverberghe "The Belgian"
was a regular at this bar.
I only learned of his death
that evening on TV.
Around 320 pm,
2 helmeted men...
I'd invited Mum.
A stray bullet
hit another customer.
4 or 5 hit the former
Marseilles crime-boss.
We'd been concealing my
paternal family for a long time.
We never mentioned it to anyone.
It was our secret.
It was in prison that
I really got to know him.
From one point in time...
...I had to go and see him
every fortnight.
It was what he wanted.
Each time,
Irene accompanied me.
Irene is my father's sister,
2 years his senior.
It was due to her
that my parents met.
She was Mum's best friend.
They were in class together.
My father, despite his small size,
had already made a reputation.
He was called "The Belgian",
because in Marseilles...
...nobody was able
to pronounce his name.
Well I have to go.
See you tomorrow.
Yeah.
- Aren't you coming home?
- None of your business?
Won't you come with me
to the dance tonight?
Francis, I like you, but what
do we look like if we dance?
I'd have you in my arms
but not see you!
His first stay in prison
was for burglary.
He was 17 years old.
At 20, he'd grown 40cm
and had been imprisoned 3 times.
Marseilles, April 1965
Francis?
Oh, Marion!
How are you?
Come along!
I didn't know
you were out.
When were you released?
Just now.
You've changed.
You're as pretty as ever.
With him it was that thing
about growing up suddenly.
Are you doing anything on Sunday?
My father was full of surprises.
No.
You'd leave him one day, and
find him different the next.
And not just different.
A thousand times better.
My mother thought
it was wonderful.
Congratulations!
That's enough!
Keep some for tomorrow!
All the best
for both of you!
He didn't waste any time!
Up til then, my mother
had not had much luck.
Deep down maybe she was waiting
for a life that surprised her...
...and that was something
that he understood very well.
Totally pissed!
What?
I want it to be good for you.
You'll see, I swear
you're going to be happy.
It's good for me now.
I don't need anything else.
No, but you'll have
more than that!
You'll have everything.
- Everything?
- Everything.
My father continued with
his petty-crime activities.
He'd never stopped.
He was out all night every night.
What was she expecting?
I really don't know.
Surely not how it was.
But she was crazy about him.
No, I don't think so.
- Oh no?
- No.
Where are you going?
You're pissing me off.
Gambling was my father's passion.
He made his money
playing cards.
That's how he explained to Mum
the money he had in his pocket.
He was a very pretty boy,
and he knew it.
It was part of his game.
What the hell
are you doing here?
Your game of cards
is going nicely!
How does it make me look?
You want to humiliate me?
You fuck whores
and I'm humiliating you?
I'm working!
Why do you think I'm doing it?
Tell me! Look at me!
I'm doing this for you.
For the kids
you're going to give me.
I want the best for you
and them. You understand?
You think I like doing this?
You think I'll be doing this
all my life?
Go to work, your colleagues
are waiting for you.
Go home.
Go home.
- Come on, go home.
- You leave me alone!
You're hopeless!
My father quickly proved himself.
Girls liked him,
and he liked girls.
They only wanted
to work for him.
Very quickly, his small business
became very profitable.
To the point where the law
loses interest in him.
At that point in time,
it was still possible to leave.
But my mother held on.
She still wanted to believe.
What did you do
to your hair?
I bet on OM...
They lost 2-nil.
The shmucks!
Suits you!
You look good.
Look like a boy.
What's the matter?
I'm pregnant, Francis.
What's on your mind?
Do you think this is the time?
You'll have to see The Greek.
He'll take you to the doctor
who'll fix it.
- I don't want an abortion.
- You do as I say, OK?
Or I'll take care of it myself.
Get moving!
Mum never went
to see The Greek.
She decided
to leave my father.
But a good means
of resistance occurred.
Police. Your papers.
- What are you doing?
- Complicity in procuring.
What? It's nothing
to do with me!
Your papers!
Don't take us
for idiots.
A girl who works for him
testified. Get moving!
I've no idea what
you're talking about.
Come on, move it!
Let go of me!
I was almost born in prison.
But Mum got out early,
for good behaviour.
I was born on July 26, 1967,
in La Belle de Mai
Hospital in Marseilles.
My mother didn't want anything
to do with my father again.
She needed a change
of scenery.
Go show him his daughter.
Have you been out long?
Two weeks.
Want to hold her?
Careful!
He wanted to see his daughter.
He thinks she looks like him.
That's it...
You're hooked again!
He wants us
to get back together.
He's changed!
While my mother
clung to her dreams...
...my father
was on the way up.
A great Marseilles godfather
had just died...
...opening the opportunity
to rise in status.
Hey!
- It was OK with Zampa?
- Fuck Zampa!
We do the dirty work
and he gets all the kudos!
He may run Marseilles,
but the world's a big place.
That leaves us room.
Zampa wants to
lay down the law...?
This is nothing.
It's just a down payment.
The money just jumps into the bag.
You just have to count it.
What's the secret?
My charm...
That's the secret.
A Turkish freighter is bringing
a big shipment of morphine.
2 days to process it...
...into a carload of heroin...
...ready for shipment
to New York.
The east-coast way
has become too complicated.
Now the junk is going in
through Mexico.
Quieter.
Just weaken it a little.
I'd like to meet your Mexicans.
I have a farm in Spain,
near Girona.
Our Mexican friends
are going to visit us.
You can join us.
Spain, Casablanca, Paris.
My father was on the move.
He forged ties.
He was developing his networks.
The 'French connection' was
enjoying its last beautiful years..
...and he was in the forefront.
He could have
anything he wanted.
And that wasn't
about to change.
You never knew where he was going
or where he'd been.
And you didn't ask.
That was the rule.
Hi.
- Howdy.
- All OK?
We're redoing the interiors here.
We'll have a marble staircase.
The Italian stuff...
Carrare marble.
Cut into slabs.
You'll need a ferry
to cross the swimming pool.
1, 2, 3, sun!
1, 2, 3, sun!
You moved!
- You playing, Mum?
- Just a sec.
1, 2, 3, sun!
1, 2, 3, sun!
1, 2, 3, sun!
You moved!
It'd be hard for a woman
to run a cafe on her own.
It's a restaurant.
It's only a small place.
The customers are regulars.
It's pretty easy.
That's true.
What are you doing?!
Who's looking after you?
You can't keep them quiet
if you're somewhere else!
What are you doing, sweeties?
Come along.
Is he often like that?
When he's here,
it has to be peaceful.
Can you play in here, girls?
No noise, OK?
You guys are sensible, right?
And 2 days after?
The cops hit the hideout.
Luckily, I wasn't there.
I can't stand being locked up!
It's Zampa
who tossed Gino to the cops.
And what does he do?
He says it was me...
He's looking for me.
He wants to force me
into making a mistake.
He won't get me.
The Yanks now,
when they want some dope...
...they know who to turn to.
He's not going to leave us
the crumbs any longer.
But a big slice
of the cake.
And Montani doesn't like that!
What are you doing there?
The little girl.
Are you making fun of me?
What did I tell you?
You'll frighten her.
So what?
Hey, do you love your daddy?
Kiss my feet.
Go on!
Go on, kiss daddy's feet.
- Francis!
- What?
Kiss my feet.
Do it!
My father saw me as someone
who had no place in his life.
- Staying long in Paris?
- I didn't exist.
I don't know, 2 or 3 months.
He looked straight at my mother.
- I have business.
- Once.
- It's happening down there.
- Enough to tie them up.
I do what I can.
But in the end,
the same result.
Why do we have
a house here then?
We ended up
on the sidelines.
It's to keep you safe.
A man like my father can't cope
with a woman's genuine love.
It totally restricts him.
So he has to look elsewhere,
it has no end.
However, Mum understood.
He was said to have an affair
with a pop singer, Maria Vincent.
He's come!
- Daddy?
- No! Santa Claus!
The two of us were certainly
on the sidelines.
But it wasn't such
a bad position to be.
Go and open them.
With the money coming in
from drugs and girls...
...my father was investing.
In Paris and Marseilles,
bars and nightclubs...
...payed protection money.
If a boss could no longer pay...
...his establishment
changed owners.
Leave us.
Oh!
What are you doing here?
How much?
50 grand. I did all the joints
in Saint-Denis.
Get down to Marseilles.
The girls are not puling cash.
There's work to be had
in the city center.
It's had it, there!
The action's on the highway!
Get moving!
With the dope ready to go,
it's no time to play the fool.
- How much?
- Same as last time.
It's in the keel of a shrimp boat,
cemented, and off to Miami.
The first time,
it got through fine.
This time we're going for broke.
That's why I suggest
you be part of it.
I'm talking about 400 kilos.
Are there many in on it?
Are you kidding?
All Marseilles.
Even Zampa's in.
Things aren't at all good
between us at the moment.
So I've heard.
I have to think about it.
Think fast.
I'm hungry.
Don't you have a kiss
for me, Cathy?
My name's not Cathy.
Who are you?
She's my friend Sophie!
Who are you?
Muriel.
We're Colette's daughters.
Your wife helps my mother
at the restaurant...
...so I'm minding the kids.
What is there to eat?
- Ham and pasta-shells.
- Any eggs?
Fry me some eggs.
- Keep the cartoon!
- I'm watching the news.
Seriously, is the skirt OK?
It's rather short.
Don't worry.
They're well-behaved engineers.
I'm so glad you're here.
How else would I have coped?
Who's for the Margaritas?
Careful, it's hot.
The other one....
So upset...
...he promised he'd be
a good boy in future.
Hey!
There's no water!
There's no water!
Nor in the kitchen.
A break.
Bring some bottles.
- None left.
- Buy some!
Take some money
out of my wallet.
Hurry up!
Take the girls!
Come on.
Thank you all...
see you again!
- Everything OK?
- Yes, fine.
Hi. Like to dance?
No, I'm tired.
- I'd be glad to.
- My pleasure.
Do you often work here?
I come almost every day.
This is the first time I've see you.
I'd love to invite you
to dinner.
But I'd be the waiter!
I can even cook. I do
an incredible lasagna.
Do you like lasagna?
Denis is the name.
Marion.
I'm not suggesting
a dance.
I'm no dancer, so...
The customs centre
at Marseilles, the old port.
This is where we discovered...
...425kg of pure heroin,
the biggest seizure...
...ever carried out.
March 1, 1972...
...customs boarded a boat
full of heroin.
You're home?
Know what time it is?
Customs officers had been
watching the boat for months.
- The girls in bed?
- Wait.
Over-confident,
the traffickers...
...had skipped
even basic precautions.
The boat hadn't fished
for a long time...
...while running up expenses...
...of several tens of millions
old francs on each trip.
It therefore seemed suspicious
that a fishing boat doesn't fish...
...while running up huge costs.
The 'Caprice des Temps' crew,
including a notorious smuggler...
...are being questioned
by the police.
Certain leaders in the drug trade...
My father was not implicated.
His Paris-Marseilles journeys
started again.
He was just a little more careful.
Marion!
So where were you?
I've been looking for you everywhere!
Your boss didn't want
to give me your number.
I've tried everything.
What are you doing for lunch?
- I really don't have time.
- How about fish?
My mother had finally accepted
the life forced on her by my father.
She no longer believed
in miracles.
Madam...
I'm Jean Calasso,
the manager.
- Everything to your liking?
- Very nice, thank you.
Can I offer you a liqueur?
A cigar for the gentleman?
Er... Yes.
Thank you.
Perfect.
The bill please.
This is on me.
Mrs Vanverberghe, it was my pleasure
to have you in my establishment.
That's like "Francis Vanverberghe"?
Like "Francis The Belgian"...
Marseilles godfather, pimp
and drug dealer.
- I'll take you home.
- No thanks, you don't have to.
- I still don't have your number.
- It's better that way.
I'm not free.
Is that a good reason?
I love you.
You were told "no".
But I love you
and I want to live with you.
We can't go on like this.
Why not?
It's dangerous.
Well, I don't care.
Just leave him.
A bit of a laugh!
Leave him.
I've seen Eddy.
He asked what you
might call a favour.
What's he want now?
He's in deep shit.
His lab, at Villa Madeleine...
The cops are all over him.
He can no longer produce.
He'd need 50kg quick smart.
50kg of dope?!
He knows his boss
already owes me 2 million.
What's he take me for?
A bank?
What'll I tell him?
Tell him yes.
50 fucking kilos!
Occasionally, my mother
still joined my father in Paris.
But down in Marseilles
she was organising her life.
Pass me the foie gras, please.
You could wait!
I'm hungry!
That boy only had
to be on time.
Let's eat.
She was lunching with Denis's family...
as Michelle Mariani, from Corsica.
Look who's here!
You know the time?
We couldn't wait
any longer.
- Hi, Mum.
- Hi, darling.
Hi, Dad.
So... the future sister-in-law!
Michelle, Paul.
Tell me... where are you from,
exactly, Michelle?
From the Olmeta region.
You hid that from us!
What paese?
Dad's asking
what village you come from.
My grandma
was from Sartene.
What do you do exactly?
- I'm...
- The accountant at my club!
Let her talk for herself!
That's incredible, Michelle.
Don't let that go.
My mother could play Corsican
as long as she wanted.
My father had other things
on his mind.
One of Zampa's men, Eddy Caruso,
was giving him a hard time.
There's something
I don't quite understand, Eddy.
What?
How can anyone be so stupid
as to lose 50kg of heroin?
Do you know?
We've never seen your 50kg,
Belgian.
So where are they?
Just disappeared?
You think I seem
to be an idiot?
Look at me.
You think I seem
to be an idiot?
We were never delivered anything.
You know how much
your boss already owes me?
The son of a bitch
owes me 2 million.
You liked fucking me before...
...you looking to do it again?
But I'm not
one of your whores, Edouard!
Go and tell Zampa that.
Tell him that The Belgian
is not one of his whores.
And if he doesn't pay, I'll smash him
so badly that he'll stutter.
Got it?
You going to tell him,
or do I smash your face in, first?
The angry flea
Caught the louse!
Threw it down
Twisted its neck!
Mrs Flea,
what have you done?
I committed a crime
An assassination!
ass-ass-in-a-tion
How awful!!
How awful!
My mother had always struggled
to confide in anyone.
She and Denis had to be creative
in finding ways to see each other.
Hello.
Who are you?
Well... actually...
I'm Auntie Paulette!
That's her?
Yes, this is Auntie Paulette.
Your mum's best girlfriend.
Why've I never seen you before?
That's because
I don't go out often.
Auntie Paulette
looked funny.
But we got on right away.
It's beautiful, really nice.
Do you have a husband?
Yes, and he has even
hairier legs than me!
Come on... in with the chickens!
That looks good!
It's my specialty...
Just for you, Madam!
Mummy!
Where's your husband?
He's at work.
What's his work?
Driving nails in.
In what?
Go and play on the swing.
I'll finish making the snack
and I'll come and push you.
What's that?
- How beautiful! Thanks!
- You're welcome.
Me too...
Well tomorrow, I don't know,
I can't say.
He's here.
Got to hang up.
Was that Auntie Paulette?
Well, don't we say hello?
Give me a little kiss.
Go and play.
Who's Auntie Paulette?
A childhood friend.
We've just found each other.
Have you changed something?
Your hairstyle...
This is new too...
I bought it the other day.
Do you like it?
- How much was it?
- It was cheap.
Mummy!
You're right,
dad's republic!
In this house it was
as if we weren't at home.
Too much space, too much light,
too much air.
And your feet always cool.
Marble is good in summer.
It's especially good when you like it.
It wasn't her taste.
Hello?
I'm pregnant.
No, it's not funny, Denis.
Dunno...
The very simple things
that my father did well...
...I never got the chance
to check.
Like getting people in his pocket
in minutes...
...or bending them.
That he did well.
Nobody followed you?
Sure?
- A Mercedes with 2 guys?
- No, I checked.
Take me to the station.
Start the car and wait out front.
Leave me here with her.
Since threatening Zampa,
my father avoided the streets.
Mum and I were useful.
That's all we meant to him.
Drive home.
Move!
Can I talk to you?
Drive.
I'm pregnant, Francis.
An abortion's dangerous.
I have a note from a doctor.
We haven't done it in months.
Weird, right?
Well it was the last time!
Yeah?
Will I have little brother?
As it turned out,
it was a little sister.
She was named Mathilde.
You have to go.
It will be visiting time.
I'll be back soon.
Quickly! Go!
My father was making himself scarce
more and more.
In town, the settling of scores
multiplied.
With 4 of us now, Mum and Denis
had to adjust their clandestine life.
We'd have to play a tight game.
You coming?
I want to see Auntie Paulette!
What are you talking about?
Can't you understand
that Auntie Paulette is fed up?
How can you stay with him?
You just have to go.
Yeah... that's just it!
Why are you arguing?
We're not arguing, sweetheart.
She's my daughter.
Dump him, or I'll leave...
...with her.
You no longer have your Porsche?
It's being serviced.
September 5, 1972,
my father sends 2 of his men...
...to recover the 3 million
that Zampa owes him.
I'll go.
That night, the war between my father
and Zampa is officially declared.
They killed my cousin
at the end of the Champs Elysees.
It was me they wanted.
Will you give that
to his wife?
I can't do that anymore.
It can't go on like this.
- We'll discuss that later.
- I want us to separate.
I can't take it anymore.
Get out.
Get out!
The girl wanted
a change of scenery.
She wanted to work the street
for Zampa.
No one quits on me!
You're all I have.
You're not to leave me.
Get rid of the bitch...
Dump her at that motherfucker Zampa's.
Fuck it!
The dice are rolling for you.
- What's the matter?
- I'm pissed off.
The settling of accounts
followed one another.
On March 31, 1973, 2 of Zampa's men
were shot at the Tanagra...
...a bar in the old port,
in the heart of Marseilles.
There you go, gentlemen.
Thanks, Carmen.
- Shall I change the calibre?
- It's good.
Come on.
You disappeared.
Take care of yourself.
What's going on?
Nothing.
You'll get rid of that.
Go get me a clean shirt.
Give me an envelope.
Give that to El Cid's wife.
Ask one of your flunkies.
Not the time.
Fuck you!
Police!
- Search warrant!
- What do you want?
You alone?
Turn the place upside down, guys.
What are you doing here?
It was under the bathtub.
This yours?
Come along.
I have to go with the policemen, angel.
Why?
What did you do?
Nothing at all, sweetie.
Do we have to
go to jail, too?
No, darling.
You're not going to jail.
I'll be back soon. Alright?
I love you.
The police had soon suspected Dad
was behind the Tanagra massacre.
They located him in Paris.
Police! Don't move!
But there was no proof...
no clue that led to him.
Watch out, men,
there's a gun next to the bed.
Put on your bathrobe.
But investigators found
other grounds for charges.
Procuring...
...violation of the law
regarding weapons...
...and falsification of documents.
Is that all?
Doesn't it tell you?
Let's go.
He was sentenced
to 3 years in prison.
Good morning, Counsellor.
Your husband refuses
to take responsibility...
...for the weapons
found in your home.
It's to punish you.
You disobeyed his orders.
His orders?
What does that change for him?
He's going to jail, isn't he?
Is it my fault he was found
with a whore?
Spare me your marital affairs.
I just wanted to warn you.
I had nothing to do
with the guns...
Either way, it doesn't change much.
You are charged with
complicity to procuring.
It makes no sense!
I have nothing to do with him!
You still had 2 daughters
together.
The youngest is just
a few months old.
She's not his daughter.
Whose child is it?
Someone I met.
2 years ago.
I want to remake
my life with him.
What's his name?
He's a good man.
I don't want him in trouble.
Does he have a profession?
Engineer.
He's Mathilde's father.
I've stayed with Francis
only through fear.
You are my last chance.
I need to have his name.
I can do nothing
until I've spoken with him.
Denis Santini.
I've good news for you,
Miss Morel. I saw the judge.
You'll be released
tomorrow at 5pm.
You don't seem happy about that.
Don't you understand
what's going to happen?
The lawyer will tell Francis,
who will kill me.
He'll take my girls
and then he'll kill me.
But he won't be out of prison
for 3 years.
He'll have someone else
do it for him.
He wants his daughter.
After consideration, my mother
was released 2 hours earlier.
2 hours that will change our life.
Nothing had been explained to me,
just that it had to be done quickly.
Mum had kept her promise.
She'd come back.
That's all I needed to know.
Mummy!
It was just that the man there
looked familiar.
Thank you!
Come on, Marion...
We can go.
Take care of yourself.
Everyone in the car?
We've been fooled!
Yeah. She hasn't come out.
The police come...
in a big van...
...caught the flea...
...and put it in jail
Mrs Flea, what have you done?
I committed a crime...
an assassination!
Ass-ass-in-a-tion!
How awful!
I went to her girlfriend's house,
you know, the one who had Cathy.
She wasn't there anymore.
I promise you, Francis,
we scoured Marseilles.
I had his family watched.
The moment they show themselves,
we'll know.
I want you to find her.
I want her...
...to come here.
So she can ask to be forgiven.
I can forgive her.
I know.
Don't worry.
She'll be found.
Bring me my daughter as well.
It's nothing.
Come to bed.
People like Denis don't usually
roam the streets..
He arrived,
and he never left again.
He saved my mother,
and me as well.
We lived in hiding for months.
After a while, Denis
wanted to take us to Canada.
But he'd quit his job.
We had no more money.
We had to go back to Marseilles.
We stayed 2 years
with a friend of his.
Mum refused to let me go to school.
She was afraid all the time.
It was Denis' father
who ended it all.
He threatened my father to reveal all
that Mum knew about his trafficking.
Overnight, my father
stopped the intimidation.
In return, he demanded that I come
see him in prison every fortnight.
What's up, honey?
It was that deal.
My meeting with my father
came to this...
A piece of paper.
Here. Promise not
to be scared anymore?
- What are those spots on your hand?
- They're from old age.
A long time from now,
you'll be old too..
And you'll have spots
like me.
Does that mean
you'll die soon?
Not for a while yet, though.
See you soon.
Hello, Auntie Irene.
Have a nice trip
in the car?
What's the name of the place
where you live?
I brought you your laundry
and your cigarettes, too.
OK?
I'm changing prisons.
They're trying to knock me off.
How?
From outside...
with a sniper rifle.
Where are you moving to?
I don't know.
Fresnes or Poissy... we'll see.
Will you take a plane
to see me?
Stop scowling!
Leave us.
Aren't you happy?
It's Irene.
What about her?
She asks questions
about where we live.
She won't bother you anymore.
Alright?
How are you going at school?
The teacher asks
what job your father has.
You can just say that I'm
a businessman, if you like.
What sort of business?
Otherwise, what do you
learn at school?
"The Right Time".
What's that?
A recitation.
You know it?
"The Right Time"...by Verhaeren.
"It's the right time
when the lamp lights up
"Everything is so calm
and consoling, tonight
"And the silence is such,
you'd hear a feather drop
"This is the right time when,
softly, your beloved arrives
"Very softly, very slowly..."
We go now?
Can't you see she's not finished?
"She doesn't say anything at first
and I wait, listening
"And her soul, where I hear all
"I catch her glow and gush
And I kiss her on her eyes."
That's it?
Emile Verhaeren.
1855-1916.
At the end of his 3 years,
he was grassed up
...by a trafficker who'd been
arrested by the Americans.
He's given another 12 years,
of which he'll do 7.
Two deaths in 24 hours,
2 executions...
...in the heart of Marseille,
and on the north highway.
Revenge at the hands
of the Mob...
The French Connection
of the 70s has collapsed...
An arsenal discovered
by the Marseilles police...
...during their roundup
of the underworld...
Zampa, a mystery man, unseen.
Settling of accounts, heists,
the murder of judge Michel.
...in collaboration with
the Italian judiciary...
...which ended in September
with the arrest of a chemist...
...from a Sicilian drug network
sponsored by the mafia.
Judge Michel and
3 magistrates in Marseilles...
Cathy, open up! That's enough.
You can't stay like this.
Cathy, open up!
There's a letter for you.
Hello, Cathy.
Just a quick note to tell you
that you're right for David Hamilton.
I found a book at the library,
it's poetic.
Why don't you come
to see me anymore?
I hope you're not ill,
because I miss you.
I can't wait for your visit.
See you soon.
Your dad Francis.
This is when my dad really starts
to be interested in me.
He feels that I reject him,
so he hangs on.
Bit by bit, our relationship
is changing.
I'm no longer afraid of him.
I'm no longer stuck for words
when talking to him.
I even admire him sometimes.
Mum doesn't tell me anything,
so I pick things up where I can.
We're starting to get along.
He tells me about films he sees,
He loves Apocalypse Now...
The Last Metro, Daniel Balavoine
and Francois Mitterrand.
He is interested in
my first boyfriends.
He talks about Caroline,
a social worker he fancies.
He asks me for advice on the look
that he should have, coming out.
But we never talk
of his business.
- What do the girls say?
- They want to take us over.
We can punish people
if we start to love them.
Without Denis, I wouldn't have succeeded
in loving my father.
Denis showed me that...
...loving was not a defeat,
but a force.
A law has just abolished...
...the plexiglass window that
separated for almost 10 years.
This is our first free visiting room.
You have beautiful hands.
You got your mother's hands.
When you get out,
are you still going to hurt him?
If you do, I'll never
speak to you again.
No, no.
That's all done with.
Come on.
I entered prison aged 8,
and came out at 17.
One month after the release
of my father for good behavior...
...in June 1984...
...Gaetan Zampa committed suicide
in his cell at Les Baumettes.
Is that you?
No kiss for your uncle?
- How are you?
- You?
- Are you in line?
- I'm with girlfriends.
Don't stand in line!
You're at home here.
But I'm with...
Miss!
Let these young ladies in.
And you don't argue.
When he got out, my father
resumed business in Paris.
In a bar on the Champs Elysees
that he had an interest in...
...he met a woman not much older
than me, who he was going to marry.
Thank you.
What do you fancy, darling?
Hyeres, July 1987
They live in Belgium, Majorca,
and the south of France.
I see my father even less
than when he was in prison.
He is banned from staying
in 13 counties...
...and is under police surveillance
everywhere.
So he manages his affairs remotely,
relying on men he can trust.
Zampa's empire
is divided up...
...by fair means or foul.
Bars, clubs, illegal gambling,
drugs, racketeering, prostitution...
There is plenty to do.
But, once again,
justice catches up with my father.
A big trafficker is arrested
after the discovery...
...of a heroin lab
in Switzerland.
The trafficker grassed up my father,
who senses trouble and disappears.
He's arrested in Belgium
with false papers...
...ready to leave
for the West Indies.
He's extradited to France
on August 24, 1988.
Vehicle broken down
below at the next crossroads.
Roger.
What are you charged with?
How would I know?
I do business,
I employ people.
- Do you like your job?
- Why?
What if I offered you a job?
What kind?
The kind where you don't have
too much to worry about.
I am not sure that
my bosses would appreciate it.
A friend of yours?
Why?
We check all
overtaking vehicles.
Roger.
There's a problem?
Not at all.
We slow down. 3rd stop
at the next gas station.
You must burn a lot of petrol.
- You have to go to the toilet?
- No.
- Are you hungry, thirsty?
- No, I'm okay.
I'm going for a piss.
Get a bottle of water.
You alright?
In Marbella, we met
at the "Sausalito" bar.
He arrived in an orange
Citroen jeep.
He was staying with Victoria,
a good friend of mine.
He was just out of prison,
wanted to get started.
We sold the heroin
at 140,000 dollars a kilo.
110,000 for him,
30,000 for me.
I've never been
in Marbella.
I haven't seen that gentleman
since 1980...
...nor made a single transaction
involving heroin with the USA.
What's happening
is absurd!
How could you think that?
That I'm doing business
with a guy like that?
5 years ago,
he betrayed my friends.
At the border, he hid from them
that he was trafficking dollars...
They were done for
as a result.
I'd have nothing to do
with that guy!
Nice Prison, April 1991
Don't move.
Hi.
It's only been 3 months,
you know.
A boy or a girl?
We don't know yet.
It's only been 3 months.
Well, we never know, eh!
I hope it's a girl.
Well, I'll do what I can,
but I can't promise you.
So how are you going?
It's that judge...
He's stringing me along.
He just wants to put me back inside.
But it doesn't matter.
Tell me a little
about yourself, instead.
- Things are good
- Really?
- Does your husband treat you well?
- Yes he does.
- Really?
- Yeah.
- You'd tell me if he didn't?
- Sure.
You swear?
I swear!
Have you told him
who I was?
While awaiting trial,
my father is tossed
from prison to prison for 4 years.
He's scared!
He fights, writing more
and more open letters.
He accuses the judge of persecution,
of manipulating his witness.
He hangs on.
He's finally released
on a bond.
He appeared free at his trial.
I've said everything...
...about how the investigation
was conducted....
..and on my detention.
I have nothing to add.
So what will you do?-
It's relaxing time.
I'm fine, quite calm.
I'm happy. I've waited for this
for so many years.
My father settled in the smartest
part of Paris with his new wife.
This is where he conducts his business.
On the phone, he tells me
he wants to settle down.
He comes down to see me
sometimes.
It's forbidden for him to stay,
so he comes in secret.
He doesn't often see
his little daughters.
Hurry up!
Calm down, girls...
Last one in clears the table!
Shoes off!
Are you answering the phone?
Me too, Francis.
Yes, we're lucky, yeah.
I'm happy to hear you.
No, they can't be separated
from us, that's for sure.
Me too.
Yes of course,
I'll give her to you.
Your father.
Yes, Dad?
How are you?
Well yes, I imagine so.
After she left him, my mother
and father never saw each other again.
Alright.
Well I'll tell him.
Can you show me the x-ray?
Looks like it's recovered well.
Still in pain?
Almost more.
Sit down, we'll have a look.
Yes, where are you?
Yes, I'm done soon,
I'll be there in an hour.
Take off your shoe?
When did you arrive?
I have a 500 bill.
500, 1,000, 500, 2,000, 500...
3,000 francs.
500, 1,000. 2,000, 3,000.
Think what I could buy
with that!
It's there to play with.
A bit there?
And there.
Place your bets
No more bets.
19, red, odd and pass.
Nothing bet.
You look beautiful.
Place your bets.
You didn't always say that.
Yes...
I was stupid.
What about your bank?
They still refuse me credit.
But it's a no-risk situation.
How much would you need?
For instruments and the surgery,
I'm short 80,000.
And I have the patients...
I have to knock them back!
I'd be happy to help...
...but I'd want to be able
to keep an eye on my investment.
So we'd have to see each other
a little more often.
Your wife would be okay?
She won't even know
that I'm there.
If I mention you,
she goes nuts.
I said I was seeing some guys
about opening a hotel in St Martin.
Are you changing trades?
Do you see me registering
for the dole!
- Why not?
- Don't be silly.
Anyway, I'm going
to leave the country.
It's not very safe
for me here.
Who are they?
Friends.
During his last trial...
...my father explained his lifestyle
by his amazing luck on the tote.
He kept photocopies
of his winning tickets.
This is how he justified the income
from his new activities.
He was sitting in his usual place
when it happened.
No gun, no bodyguard.
By dint of getting out,
we end up feeling untouchable...
Thanks, Michel.
...until something comes along
to prove us wrong.
Come and set the table.
Coming.
Move over, I can't see.
- Idiot!
- That's enough, girls!
It's not fair!
She never sets the table!
We said in the introduction...
...Francis Vanverberghe,
"Francis The Belgian"...
Cathy!
...was shot dead in front
a tote in Paris. Former godfather...
...of the Marseilles underworld,
being investigated for procuring.
But that wasn't his main business...
..as we hear from Denis Brunetti
and Denis Boucher.
The killers were informed.
Francis The Belgian was a regular
at the bar of the tote...
...in d'Artois St,
near the Champs Elysees.
At 3.20, 2 helmeted men fired 9 shots
and fled on a motorcycle.
A stray bullet
injured a customer.
4 or 5 bullets brought down
the former Marseilles boss.
A violent end to a violent life.
Is this part of a wider settling
of accounts in the underworld?
We'll tell you more
in the coming days.
Francis The Belgian was part
of a particular environment.
We can now see
the outcome of that.
At 54, he had accumulated
convictions for procuring...
...theft, gun-possession and trafficking
of drugs in the French Connection.
His name is mixed up
in the Marseilles gangland wars...
...even if recently,
he had retired from business.
Marseilles, April 2001
Happy birthday, sweetheart!
- Have you thought of a wish?
- Yes.
Come on...
One... two...
three.
Bravo!
Happy birthday!
- Thank you.
- Who made this nice cake?
- Both of us.
- Really?
Where's the champagne?
- Yes, where is it?
- I'll go get it.
Can I cut the cake?
It's my birthday,
so I'll cut it
You looking for someone?
Are you Francis The Belgian's daughter?
What do you want?
Listen, I don't want to
bother you, it's just that...
I know it's not to do with you,
but...
10 years ago I met a man
and we fell in love.
His name was Thierry.
He said he was working
for your father...
...that it was his driver.
In fact, he was his nephew.
Mum!
Who is it?
I'm coming!
One day, men came who kidnapped me,
beat me and drugged me.
They were working
for your father.
Your father threatened to kill me
if I saw Thierry again.
He didn't find me
good enough for him.
He put me on the streets.
I had nothing to do with all that.
Why are you coming to my place?
A little while ago,
my pimp got shot, and...
Since then, no one's tried
to get any of my takings.
So I'm wondering,
since your father is dead...
...do you think I'm safe
to stop doing it?
Of course you can stop.
You're sure?
You really think I can stop?
No danger?
I can pay you,
if I have to.
Not necessary.
Just go away.
Just go away!
Within 2 years of
the death of my father...
...all the men of his clan were
slaughtered, one after the other.
All my life I've done what I could
to not be like him.
To escape his shadow,
and stay on the right path.
I don't smoke, I don't drink,
I never stole anything.
I wait for the green light
before crossing.
But whatever I do,
I'll never really like others.
Like Mum, I had 2 daughters
with 2 different men.
Like Mum,
I never had a boy.
Subtitles by FatPlank for KG
he got out of jail...
...my father's life was as ordered
as a sheet of music paper.
He always left his apartment
in Lord Byron St around noon.
He lunched at Fulci's, in d'Artois St
or at The Boudoir, in Charon St.
He spends the afternoon
at the tote in Artois St
...where a certain Hubert
placed the bets for him.
He took his evening aperitif
at Fouquet's...
or at the bar
in the Elysee Ponthieu hotel.
His professional meetings
were usually held in a bar...
in Presbourg St,
right next to the Etoile.
Thanks, Michel.
He spent his evenings
in 8th-district nightclubs.
He felt at home there.
His well-regulated life ended up
discouraging the anti-gang squad.
They'd been tracking him
for months.
They'd lifted their surveillance
1 week earlier.
My father died
September 27, 2000 at 3.15 pm.
He was 54 years old.
My father, Francis the Belgian.
Francis Vanverberghe "The Belgian"
was a regular at this bar.
I only learned of his death
that evening on TV.
Around 320 pm,
2 helmeted men...
I'd invited Mum.
A stray bullet
hit another customer.
4 or 5 hit the former
Marseilles crime-boss.
We'd been concealing my
paternal family for a long time.
We never mentioned it to anyone.
It was our secret.
It was in prison that
I really got to know him.
From one point in time...
...I had to go and see him
every fortnight.
It was what he wanted.
Each time,
Irene accompanied me.
Irene is my father's sister,
2 years his senior.
It was due to her
that my parents met.
She was Mum's best friend.
They were in class together.
My father, despite his small size,
had already made a reputation.
He was called "The Belgian",
because in Marseilles...
...nobody was able
to pronounce his name.
Well I have to go.
See you tomorrow.
Yeah.
- Aren't you coming home?
- None of your business?
Won't you come with me
to the dance tonight?
Francis, I like you, but what
do we look like if we dance?
I'd have you in my arms
but not see you!
His first stay in prison
was for burglary.
He was 17 years old.
At 20, he'd grown 40cm
and had been imprisoned 3 times.
Marseilles, April 1965
Francis?
Oh, Marion!
How are you?
Come along!
I didn't know
you were out.
When were you released?
Just now.
You've changed.
You're as pretty as ever.
With him it was that thing
about growing up suddenly.
Are you doing anything on Sunday?
My father was full of surprises.
No.
You'd leave him one day, and
find him different the next.
And not just different.
A thousand times better.
My mother thought
it was wonderful.
Congratulations!
That's enough!
Keep some for tomorrow!
All the best
for both of you!
He didn't waste any time!
Up til then, my mother
had not had much luck.
Deep down maybe she was waiting
for a life that surprised her...
...and that was something
that he understood very well.
Totally pissed!
What?
I want it to be good for you.
You'll see, I swear
you're going to be happy.
It's good for me now.
I don't need anything else.
No, but you'll have
more than that!
You'll have everything.
- Everything?
- Everything.
My father continued with
his petty-crime activities.
He'd never stopped.
He was out all night every night.
What was she expecting?
I really don't know.
Surely not how it was.
But she was crazy about him.
No, I don't think so.
- Oh no?
- No.
Where are you going?
You're pissing me off.
Gambling was my father's passion.
He made his money
playing cards.
That's how he explained to Mum
the money he had in his pocket.
He was a very pretty boy,
and he knew it.
It was part of his game.
What the hell
are you doing here?
Your game of cards
is going nicely!
How does it make me look?
You want to humiliate me?
You fuck whores
and I'm humiliating you?
I'm working!
Why do you think I'm doing it?
Tell me! Look at me!
I'm doing this for you.
For the kids
you're going to give me.
I want the best for you
and them. You understand?
You think I like doing this?
You think I'll be doing this
all my life?
Go to work, your colleagues
are waiting for you.
Go home.
Go home.
- Come on, go home.
- You leave me alone!
You're hopeless!
My father quickly proved himself.
Girls liked him,
and he liked girls.
They only wanted
to work for him.
Very quickly, his small business
became very profitable.
To the point where the law
loses interest in him.
At that point in time,
it was still possible to leave.
But my mother held on.
She still wanted to believe.
What did you do
to your hair?
I bet on OM...
They lost 2-nil.
The shmucks!
Suits you!
You look good.
Look like a boy.
What's the matter?
I'm pregnant, Francis.
What's on your mind?
Do you think this is the time?
You'll have to see The Greek.
He'll take you to the doctor
who'll fix it.
- I don't want an abortion.
- You do as I say, OK?
Or I'll take care of it myself.
Get moving!
Mum never went
to see The Greek.
She decided
to leave my father.
But a good means
of resistance occurred.
Police. Your papers.
- What are you doing?
- Complicity in procuring.
What? It's nothing
to do with me!
Your papers!
Don't take us
for idiots.
A girl who works for him
testified. Get moving!
I've no idea what
you're talking about.
Come on, move it!
Let go of me!
I was almost born in prison.
But Mum got out early,
for good behaviour.
I was born on July 26, 1967,
in La Belle de Mai
Hospital in Marseilles.
My mother didn't want anything
to do with my father again.
She needed a change
of scenery.
Go show him his daughter.
Have you been out long?
Two weeks.
Want to hold her?
Careful!
He wanted to see his daughter.
He thinks she looks like him.
That's it...
You're hooked again!
He wants us
to get back together.
He's changed!
While my mother
clung to her dreams...
...my father
was on the way up.
A great Marseilles godfather
had just died...
...opening the opportunity
to rise in status.
Hey!
- It was OK with Zampa?
- Fuck Zampa!
We do the dirty work
and he gets all the kudos!
He may run Marseilles,
but the world's a big place.
That leaves us room.
Zampa wants to
lay down the law...?
This is nothing.
It's just a down payment.
The money just jumps into the bag.
You just have to count it.
What's the secret?
My charm...
That's the secret.
A Turkish freighter is bringing
a big shipment of morphine.
2 days to process it...
...into a carload of heroin...
...ready for shipment
to New York.
The east-coast way
has become too complicated.
Now the junk is going in
through Mexico.
Quieter.
Just weaken it a little.
I'd like to meet your Mexicans.
I have a farm in Spain,
near Girona.
Our Mexican friends
are going to visit us.
You can join us.
Spain, Casablanca, Paris.
My father was on the move.
He forged ties.
He was developing his networks.
The 'French connection' was
enjoying its last beautiful years..
...and he was in the forefront.
He could have
anything he wanted.
And that wasn't
about to change.
You never knew where he was going
or where he'd been.
And you didn't ask.
That was the rule.
Hi.
- Howdy.
- All OK?
We're redoing the interiors here.
We'll have a marble staircase.
The Italian stuff...
Carrare marble.
Cut into slabs.
You'll need a ferry
to cross the swimming pool.
1, 2, 3, sun!
1, 2, 3, sun!
You moved!
- You playing, Mum?
- Just a sec.
1, 2, 3, sun!
1, 2, 3, sun!
1, 2, 3, sun!
You moved!
It'd be hard for a woman
to run a cafe on her own.
It's a restaurant.
It's only a small place.
The customers are regulars.
It's pretty easy.
That's true.
What are you doing?!
Who's looking after you?
You can't keep them quiet
if you're somewhere else!
What are you doing, sweeties?
Come along.
Is he often like that?
When he's here,
it has to be peaceful.
Can you play in here, girls?
No noise, OK?
You guys are sensible, right?
And 2 days after?
The cops hit the hideout.
Luckily, I wasn't there.
I can't stand being locked up!
It's Zampa
who tossed Gino to the cops.
And what does he do?
He says it was me...
He's looking for me.
He wants to force me
into making a mistake.
He won't get me.
The Yanks now,
when they want some dope...
...they know who to turn to.
He's not going to leave us
the crumbs any longer.
But a big slice
of the cake.
And Montani doesn't like that!
What are you doing there?
The little girl.
Are you making fun of me?
What did I tell you?
You'll frighten her.
So what?
Hey, do you love your daddy?
Kiss my feet.
Go on!
Go on, kiss daddy's feet.
- Francis!
- What?
Kiss my feet.
Do it!
My father saw me as someone
who had no place in his life.
- Staying long in Paris?
- I didn't exist.
I don't know, 2 or 3 months.
He looked straight at my mother.
- I have business.
- Once.
- It's happening down there.
- Enough to tie them up.
I do what I can.
But in the end,
the same result.
Why do we have
a house here then?
We ended up
on the sidelines.
It's to keep you safe.
A man like my father can't cope
with a woman's genuine love.
It totally restricts him.
So he has to look elsewhere,
it has no end.
However, Mum understood.
He was said to have an affair
with a pop singer, Maria Vincent.
He's come!
- Daddy?
- No! Santa Claus!
The two of us were certainly
on the sidelines.
But it wasn't such
a bad position to be.
Go and open them.
With the money coming in
from drugs and girls...
...my father was investing.
In Paris and Marseilles,
bars and nightclubs...
...payed protection money.
If a boss could no longer pay...
...his establishment
changed owners.
Leave us.
Oh!
What are you doing here?
How much?
50 grand. I did all the joints
in Saint-Denis.
Get down to Marseilles.
The girls are not puling cash.
There's work to be had
in the city center.
It's had it, there!
The action's on the highway!
Get moving!
With the dope ready to go,
it's no time to play the fool.
- How much?
- Same as last time.
It's in the keel of a shrimp boat,
cemented, and off to Miami.
The first time,
it got through fine.
This time we're going for broke.
That's why I suggest
you be part of it.
I'm talking about 400 kilos.
Are there many in on it?
Are you kidding?
All Marseilles.
Even Zampa's in.
Things aren't at all good
between us at the moment.
So I've heard.
I have to think about it.
Think fast.
I'm hungry.
Don't you have a kiss
for me, Cathy?
My name's not Cathy.
Who are you?
She's my friend Sophie!
Who are you?
Muriel.
We're Colette's daughters.
Your wife helps my mother
at the restaurant...
...so I'm minding the kids.
What is there to eat?
- Ham and pasta-shells.
- Any eggs?
Fry me some eggs.
- Keep the cartoon!
- I'm watching the news.
Seriously, is the skirt OK?
It's rather short.
Don't worry.
They're well-behaved engineers.
I'm so glad you're here.
How else would I have coped?
Who's for the Margaritas?
Careful, it's hot.
The other one....
So upset...
...he promised he'd be
a good boy in future.
Hey!
There's no water!
There's no water!
Nor in the kitchen.
A break.
Bring some bottles.
- None left.
- Buy some!
Take some money
out of my wallet.
Hurry up!
Take the girls!
Come on.
Thank you all...
see you again!
- Everything OK?
- Yes, fine.
Hi. Like to dance?
No, I'm tired.
- I'd be glad to.
- My pleasure.
Do you often work here?
I come almost every day.
This is the first time I've see you.
I'd love to invite you
to dinner.
But I'd be the waiter!
I can even cook. I do
an incredible lasagna.
Do you like lasagna?
Denis is the name.
Marion.
I'm not suggesting
a dance.
I'm no dancer, so...
The customs centre
at Marseilles, the old port.
This is where we discovered...
...425kg of pure heroin,
the biggest seizure...
...ever carried out.
March 1, 1972...
...customs boarded a boat
full of heroin.
You're home?
Know what time it is?
Customs officers had been
watching the boat for months.
- The girls in bed?
- Wait.
Over-confident,
the traffickers...
...had skipped
even basic precautions.
The boat hadn't fished
for a long time...
...while running up expenses...
...of several tens of millions
old francs on each trip.
It therefore seemed suspicious
that a fishing boat doesn't fish...
...while running up huge costs.
The 'Caprice des Temps' crew,
including a notorious smuggler...
...are being questioned
by the police.
Certain leaders in the drug trade...
My father was not implicated.
His Paris-Marseilles journeys
started again.
He was just a little more careful.
Marion!
So where were you?
I've been looking for you everywhere!
Your boss didn't want
to give me your number.
I've tried everything.
What are you doing for lunch?
- I really don't have time.
- How about fish?
My mother had finally accepted
the life forced on her by my father.
She no longer believed
in miracles.
Madam...
I'm Jean Calasso,
the manager.
- Everything to your liking?
- Very nice, thank you.
Can I offer you a liqueur?
A cigar for the gentleman?
Er... Yes.
Thank you.
Perfect.
The bill please.
This is on me.
Mrs Vanverberghe, it was my pleasure
to have you in my establishment.
That's like "Francis Vanverberghe"?
Like "Francis The Belgian"...
Marseilles godfather, pimp
and drug dealer.
- I'll take you home.
- No thanks, you don't have to.
- I still don't have your number.
- It's better that way.
I'm not free.
Is that a good reason?
I love you.
You were told "no".
But I love you
and I want to live with you.
We can't go on like this.
Why not?
It's dangerous.
Well, I don't care.
Just leave him.
A bit of a laugh!
Leave him.
I've seen Eddy.
He asked what you
might call a favour.
What's he want now?
He's in deep shit.
His lab, at Villa Madeleine...
The cops are all over him.
He can no longer produce.
He'd need 50kg quick smart.
50kg of dope?!
He knows his boss
already owes me 2 million.
What's he take me for?
A bank?
What'll I tell him?
Tell him yes.
50 fucking kilos!
Occasionally, my mother
still joined my father in Paris.
But down in Marseilles
she was organising her life.
Pass me the foie gras, please.
You could wait!
I'm hungry!
That boy only had
to be on time.
Let's eat.
She was lunching with Denis's family...
as Michelle Mariani, from Corsica.
Look who's here!
You know the time?
We couldn't wait
any longer.
- Hi, Mum.
- Hi, darling.
Hi, Dad.
So... the future sister-in-law!
Michelle, Paul.
Tell me... where are you from,
exactly, Michelle?
From the Olmeta region.
You hid that from us!
What paese?
Dad's asking
what village you come from.
My grandma
was from Sartene.
What do you do exactly?
- I'm...
- The accountant at my club!
Let her talk for herself!
That's incredible, Michelle.
Don't let that go.
My mother could play Corsican
as long as she wanted.
My father had other things
on his mind.
One of Zampa's men, Eddy Caruso,
was giving him a hard time.
There's something
I don't quite understand, Eddy.
What?
How can anyone be so stupid
as to lose 50kg of heroin?
Do you know?
We've never seen your 50kg,
Belgian.
So where are they?
Just disappeared?
You think I seem
to be an idiot?
Look at me.
You think I seem
to be an idiot?
We were never delivered anything.
You know how much
your boss already owes me?
The son of a bitch
owes me 2 million.
You liked fucking me before...
...you looking to do it again?
But I'm not
one of your whores, Edouard!
Go and tell Zampa that.
Tell him that The Belgian
is not one of his whores.
And if he doesn't pay, I'll smash him
so badly that he'll stutter.
Got it?
You going to tell him,
or do I smash your face in, first?
The angry flea
Caught the louse!
Threw it down
Twisted its neck!
Mrs Flea,
what have you done?
I committed a crime
An assassination!
ass-ass-in-a-tion
How awful!!
How awful!
My mother had always struggled
to confide in anyone.
She and Denis had to be creative
in finding ways to see each other.
Hello.
Who are you?
Well... actually...
I'm Auntie Paulette!
That's her?
Yes, this is Auntie Paulette.
Your mum's best girlfriend.
Why've I never seen you before?
That's because
I don't go out often.
Auntie Paulette
looked funny.
But we got on right away.
It's beautiful, really nice.
Do you have a husband?
Yes, and he has even
hairier legs than me!
Come on... in with the chickens!
That looks good!
It's my specialty...
Just for you, Madam!
Mummy!
Where's your husband?
He's at work.
What's his work?
Driving nails in.
In what?
Go and play on the swing.
I'll finish making the snack
and I'll come and push you.
What's that?
- How beautiful! Thanks!
- You're welcome.
Me too...
Well tomorrow, I don't know,
I can't say.
He's here.
Got to hang up.
Was that Auntie Paulette?
Well, don't we say hello?
Give me a little kiss.
Go and play.
Who's Auntie Paulette?
A childhood friend.
We've just found each other.
Have you changed something?
Your hairstyle...
This is new too...
I bought it the other day.
Do you like it?
- How much was it?
- It was cheap.
Mummy!
You're right,
dad's republic!
In this house it was
as if we weren't at home.
Too much space, too much light,
too much air.
And your feet always cool.
Marble is good in summer.
It's especially good when you like it.
It wasn't her taste.
Hello?
I'm pregnant.
No, it's not funny, Denis.
Dunno...
The very simple things
that my father did well...
...I never got the chance
to check.
Like getting people in his pocket
in minutes...
...or bending them.
That he did well.
Nobody followed you?
Sure?
- A Mercedes with 2 guys?
- No, I checked.
Take me to the station.
Start the car and wait out front.
Leave me here with her.
Since threatening Zampa,
my father avoided the streets.
Mum and I were useful.
That's all we meant to him.
Drive home.
Move!
Can I talk to you?
Drive.
I'm pregnant, Francis.
An abortion's dangerous.
I have a note from a doctor.
We haven't done it in months.
Weird, right?
Well it was the last time!
Yeah?
Will I have little brother?
As it turned out,
it was a little sister.
She was named Mathilde.
You have to go.
It will be visiting time.
I'll be back soon.
Quickly! Go!
My father was making himself scarce
more and more.
In town, the settling of scores
multiplied.
With 4 of us now, Mum and Denis
had to adjust their clandestine life.
We'd have to play a tight game.
You coming?
I want to see Auntie Paulette!
What are you talking about?
Can't you understand
that Auntie Paulette is fed up?
How can you stay with him?
You just have to go.
Yeah... that's just it!
Why are you arguing?
We're not arguing, sweetheart.
She's my daughter.
Dump him, or I'll leave...
...with her.
You no longer have your Porsche?
It's being serviced.
September 5, 1972,
my father sends 2 of his men...
...to recover the 3 million
that Zampa owes him.
I'll go.
That night, the war between my father
and Zampa is officially declared.
They killed my cousin
at the end of the Champs Elysees.
It was me they wanted.
Will you give that
to his wife?
I can't do that anymore.
It can't go on like this.
- We'll discuss that later.
- I want us to separate.
I can't take it anymore.
Get out.
Get out!
The girl wanted
a change of scenery.
She wanted to work the street
for Zampa.
No one quits on me!
You're all I have.
You're not to leave me.
Get rid of the bitch...
Dump her at that motherfucker Zampa's.
Fuck it!
The dice are rolling for you.
- What's the matter?
- I'm pissed off.
The settling of accounts
followed one another.
On March 31, 1973, 2 of Zampa's men
were shot at the Tanagra...
...a bar in the old port,
in the heart of Marseilles.
There you go, gentlemen.
Thanks, Carmen.
- Shall I change the calibre?
- It's good.
Come on.
You disappeared.
Take care of yourself.
What's going on?
Nothing.
You'll get rid of that.
Go get me a clean shirt.
Give me an envelope.
Give that to El Cid's wife.
Ask one of your flunkies.
Not the time.
Fuck you!
Police!
- Search warrant!
- What do you want?
You alone?
Turn the place upside down, guys.
What are you doing here?
It was under the bathtub.
This yours?
Come along.
I have to go with the policemen, angel.
Why?
What did you do?
Nothing at all, sweetie.
Do we have to
go to jail, too?
No, darling.
You're not going to jail.
I'll be back soon. Alright?
I love you.
The police had soon suspected Dad
was behind the Tanagra massacre.
They located him in Paris.
Police! Don't move!
But there was no proof...
no clue that led to him.
Watch out, men,
there's a gun next to the bed.
Put on your bathrobe.
But investigators found
other grounds for charges.
Procuring...
...violation of the law
regarding weapons...
...and falsification of documents.
Is that all?
Doesn't it tell you?
Let's go.
He was sentenced
to 3 years in prison.
Good morning, Counsellor.
Your husband refuses
to take responsibility...
...for the weapons
found in your home.
It's to punish you.
You disobeyed his orders.
His orders?
What does that change for him?
He's going to jail, isn't he?
Is it my fault he was found
with a whore?
Spare me your marital affairs.
I just wanted to warn you.
I had nothing to do
with the guns...
Either way, it doesn't change much.
You are charged with
complicity to procuring.
It makes no sense!
I have nothing to do with him!
You still had 2 daughters
together.
The youngest is just
a few months old.
She's not his daughter.
Whose child is it?
Someone I met.
2 years ago.
I want to remake
my life with him.
What's his name?
He's a good man.
I don't want him in trouble.
Does he have a profession?
Engineer.
He's Mathilde's father.
I've stayed with Francis
only through fear.
You are my last chance.
I need to have his name.
I can do nothing
until I've spoken with him.
Denis Santini.
I've good news for you,
Miss Morel. I saw the judge.
You'll be released
tomorrow at 5pm.
You don't seem happy about that.
Don't you understand
what's going to happen?
The lawyer will tell Francis,
who will kill me.
He'll take my girls
and then he'll kill me.
But he won't be out of prison
for 3 years.
He'll have someone else
do it for him.
He wants his daughter.
After consideration, my mother
was released 2 hours earlier.
2 hours that will change our life.
Nothing had been explained to me,
just that it had to be done quickly.
Mum had kept her promise.
She'd come back.
That's all I needed to know.
Mummy!
It was just that the man there
looked familiar.
Thank you!
Come on, Marion...
We can go.
Take care of yourself.
Everyone in the car?
We've been fooled!
Yeah. She hasn't come out.
The police come...
in a big van...
...caught the flea...
...and put it in jail
Mrs Flea, what have you done?
I committed a crime...
an assassination!
Ass-ass-in-a-tion!
How awful!
I went to her girlfriend's house,
you know, the one who had Cathy.
She wasn't there anymore.
I promise you, Francis,
we scoured Marseilles.
I had his family watched.
The moment they show themselves,
we'll know.
I want you to find her.
I want her...
...to come here.
So she can ask to be forgiven.
I can forgive her.
I know.
Don't worry.
She'll be found.
Bring me my daughter as well.
It's nothing.
Come to bed.
People like Denis don't usually
roam the streets..
He arrived,
and he never left again.
He saved my mother,
and me as well.
We lived in hiding for months.
After a while, Denis
wanted to take us to Canada.
But he'd quit his job.
We had no more money.
We had to go back to Marseilles.
We stayed 2 years
with a friend of his.
Mum refused to let me go to school.
She was afraid all the time.
It was Denis' father
who ended it all.
He threatened my father to reveal all
that Mum knew about his trafficking.
Overnight, my father
stopped the intimidation.
In return, he demanded that I come
see him in prison every fortnight.
What's up, honey?
It was that deal.
My meeting with my father
came to this...
A piece of paper.
Here. Promise not
to be scared anymore?
- What are those spots on your hand?
- They're from old age.
A long time from now,
you'll be old too..
And you'll have spots
like me.
Does that mean
you'll die soon?
Not for a while yet, though.
See you soon.
Hello, Auntie Irene.
Have a nice trip
in the car?
What's the name of the place
where you live?
I brought you your laundry
and your cigarettes, too.
OK?
I'm changing prisons.
They're trying to knock me off.
How?
From outside...
with a sniper rifle.
Where are you moving to?
I don't know.
Fresnes or Poissy... we'll see.
Will you take a plane
to see me?
Stop scowling!
Leave us.
Aren't you happy?
It's Irene.
What about her?
She asks questions
about where we live.
She won't bother you anymore.
Alright?
How are you going at school?
The teacher asks
what job your father has.
You can just say that I'm
a businessman, if you like.
What sort of business?
Otherwise, what do you
learn at school?
"The Right Time".
What's that?
A recitation.
You know it?
"The Right Time"...by Verhaeren.
"It's the right time
when the lamp lights up
"Everything is so calm
and consoling, tonight
"And the silence is such,
you'd hear a feather drop
"This is the right time when,
softly, your beloved arrives
"Very softly, very slowly..."
We go now?
Can't you see she's not finished?
"She doesn't say anything at first
and I wait, listening
"And her soul, where I hear all
"I catch her glow and gush
And I kiss her on her eyes."
That's it?
Emile Verhaeren.
1855-1916.
At the end of his 3 years,
he was grassed up
...by a trafficker who'd been
arrested by the Americans.
He's given another 12 years,
of which he'll do 7.
Two deaths in 24 hours,
2 executions...
...in the heart of Marseille,
and on the north highway.
Revenge at the hands
of the Mob...
The French Connection
of the 70s has collapsed...
An arsenal discovered
by the Marseilles police...
...during their roundup
of the underworld...
Zampa, a mystery man, unseen.
Settling of accounts, heists,
the murder of judge Michel.
...in collaboration with
the Italian judiciary...
...which ended in September
with the arrest of a chemist...
...from a Sicilian drug network
sponsored by the mafia.
Judge Michel and
3 magistrates in Marseilles...
Cathy, open up! That's enough.
You can't stay like this.
Cathy, open up!
There's a letter for you.
Hello, Cathy.
Just a quick note to tell you
that you're right for David Hamilton.
I found a book at the library,
it's poetic.
Why don't you come
to see me anymore?
I hope you're not ill,
because I miss you.
I can't wait for your visit.
See you soon.
Your dad Francis.
This is when my dad really starts
to be interested in me.
He feels that I reject him,
so he hangs on.
Bit by bit, our relationship
is changing.
I'm no longer afraid of him.
I'm no longer stuck for words
when talking to him.
I even admire him sometimes.
Mum doesn't tell me anything,
so I pick things up where I can.
We're starting to get along.
He tells me about films he sees,
He loves Apocalypse Now...
The Last Metro, Daniel Balavoine
and Francois Mitterrand.
He is interested in
my first boyfriends.
He talks about Caroline,
a social worker he fancies.
He asks me for advice on the look
that he should have, coming out.
But we never talk
of his business.
- What do the girls say?
- They want to take us over.
We can punish people
if we start to love them.
Without Denis, I wouldn't have succeeded
in loving my father.
Denis showed me that...
...loving was not a defeat,
but a force.
A law has just abolished...
...the plexiglass window that
separated for almost 10 years.
This is our first free visiting room.
You have beautiful hands.
You got your mother's hands.
When you get out,
are you still going to hurt him?
If you do, I'll never
speak to you again.
No, no.
That's all done with.
Come on.
I entered prison aged 8,
and came out at 17.
One month after the release
of my father for good behavior...
...in June 1984...
...Gaetan Zampa committed suicide
in his cell at Les Baumettes.
Is that you?
No kiss for your uncle?
- How are you?
- You?
- Are you in line?
- I'm with girlfriends.
Don't stand in line!
You're at home here.
But I'm with...
Miss!
Let these young ladies in.
And you don't argue.
When he got out, my father
resumed business in Paris.
In a bar on the Champs Elysees
that he had an interest in...
...he met a woman not much older
than me, who he was going to marry.
Thank you.
What do you fancy, darling?
Hyeres, July 1987
They live in Belgium, Majorca,
and the south of France.
I see my father even less
than when he was in prison.
He is banned from staying
in 13 counties...
...and is under police surveillance
everywhere.
So he manages his affairs remotely,
relying on men he can trust.
Zampa's empire
is divided up...
...by fair means or foul.
Bars, clubs, illegal gambling,
drugs, racketeering, prostitution...
There is plenty to do.
But, once again,
justice catches up with my father.
A big trafficker is arrested
after the discovery...
...of a heroin lab
in Switzerland.
The trafficker grassed up my father,
who senses trouble and disappears.
He's arrested in Belgium
with false papers...
...ready to leave
for the West Indies.
He's extradited to France
on August 24, 1988.
Vehicle broken down
below at the next crossroads.
Roger.
What are you charged with?
How would I know?
I do business,
I employ people.
- Do you like your job?
- Why?
What if I offered you a job?
What kind?
The kind where you don't have
too much to worry about.
I am not sure that
my bosses would appreciate it.
A friend of yours?
Why?
We check all
overtaking vehicles.
Roger.
There's a problem?
Not at all.
We slow down. 3rd stop
at the next gas station.
You must burn a lot of petrol.
- You have to go to the toilet?
- No.
- Are you hungry, thirsty?
- No, I'm okay.
I'm going for a piss.
Get a bottle of water.
You alright?
In Marbella, we met
at the "Sausalito" bar.
He arrived in an orange
Citroen jeep.
He was staying with Victoria,
a good friend of mine.
He was just out of prison,
wanted to get started.
We sold the heroin
at 140,000 dollars a kilo.
110,000 for him,
30,000 for me.
I've never been
in Marbella.
I haven't seen that gentleman
since 1980...
...nor made a single transaction
involving heroin with the USA.
What's happening
is absurd!
How could you think that?
That I'm doing business
with a guy like that?
5 years ago,
he betrayed my friends.
At the border, he hid from them
that he was trafficking dollars...
They were done for
as a result.
I'd have nothing to do
with that guy!
Nice Prison, April 1991
Don't move.
Hi.
It's only been 3 months,
you know.
A boy or a girl?
We don't know yet.
It's only been 3 months.
Well, we never know, eh!
I hope it's a girl.
Well, I'll do what I can,
but I can't promise you.
So how are you going?
It's that judge...
He's stringing me along.
He just wants to put me back inside.
But it doesn't matter.
Tell me a little
about yourself, instead.
- Things are good
- Really?
- Does your husband treat you well?
- Yes he does.
- Really?
- Yeah.
- You'd tell me if he didn't?
- Sure.
You swear?
I swear!
Have you told him
who I was?
While awaiting trial,
my father is tossed
from prison to prison for 4 years.
He's scared!
He fights, writing more
and more open letters.
He accuses the judge of persecution,
of manipulating his witness.
He hangs on.
He's finally released
on a bond.
He appeared free at his trial.
I've said everything...
...about how the investigation
was conducted....
..and on my detention.
I have nothing to add.
So what will you do?-
It's relaxing time.
I'm fine, quite calm.
I'm happy. I've waited for this
for so many years.
My father settled in the smartest
part of Paris with his new wife.
This is where he conducts his business.
On the phone, he tells me
he wants to settle down.
He comes down to see me
sometimes.
It's forbidden for him to stay,
so he comes in secret.
He doesn't often see
his little daughters.
Hurry up!
Calm down, girls...
Last one in clears the table!
Shoes off!
Are you answering the phone?
Me too, Francis.
Yes, we're lucky, yeah.
I'm happy to hear you.
No, they can't be separated
from us, that's for sure.
Me too.
Yes of course,
I'll give her to you.
Your father.
Yes, Dad?
How are you?
Well yes, I imagine so.
After she left him, my mother
and father never saw each other again.
Alright.
Well I'll tell him.
Can you show me the x-ray?
Looks like it's recovered well.
Still in pain?
Almost more.
Sit down, we'll have a look.
Yes, where are you?
Yes, I'm done soon,
I'll be there in an hour.
Take off your shoe?
When did you arrive?
I have a 500 bill.
500, 1,000, 500, 2,000, 500...
3,000 francs.
500, 1,000. 2,000, 3,000.
Think what I could buy
with that!
It's there to play with.
A bit there?
And there.
Place your bets
No more bets.
19, red, odd and pass.
Nothing bet.
You look beautiful.
Place your bets.
You didn't always say that.
Yes...
I was stupid.
What about your bank?
They still refuse me credit.
But it's a no-risk situation.
How much would you need?
For instruments and the surgery,
I'm short 80,000.
And I have the patients...
I have to knock them back!
I'd be happy to help...
...but I'd want to be able
to keep an eye on my investment.
So we'd have to see each other
a little more often.
Your wife would be okay?
She won't even know
that I'm there.
If I mention you,
she goes nuts.
I said I was seeing some guys
about opening a hotel in St Martin.
Are you changing trades?
Do you see me registering
for the dole!
- Why not?
- Don't be silly.
Anyway, I'm going
to leave the country.
It's not very safe
for me here.
Who are they?
Friends.
During his last trial...
...my father explained his lifestyle
by his amazing luck on the tote.
He kept photocopies
of his winning tickets.
This is how he justified the income
from his new activities.
He was sitting in his usual place
when it happened.
No gun, no bodyguard.
By dint of getting out,
we end up feeling untouchable...
Thanks, Michel.
...until something comes along
to prove us wrong.
Come and set the table.
Coming.
Move over, I can't see.
- Idiot!
- That's enough, girls!
It's not fair!
She never sets the table!
We said in the introduction...
...Francis Vanverberghe,
"Francis The Belgian"...
Cathy!
...was shot dead in front
a tote in Paris. Former godfather...
...of the Marseilles underworld,
being investigated for procuring.
But that wasn't his main business...
..as we hear from Denis Brunetti
and Denis Boucher.
The killers were informed.
Francis The Belgian was a regular
at the bar of the tote...
...in d'Artois St,
near the Champs Elysees.
At 3.20, 2 helmeted men fired 9 shots
and fled on a motorcycle.
A stray bullet
injured a customer.
4 or 5 bullets brought down
the former Marseilles boss.
A violent end to a violent life.
Is this part of a wider settling
of accounts in the underworld?
We'll tell you more
in the coming days.
Francis The Belgian was part
of a particular environment.
We can now see
the outcome of that.
At 54, he had accumulated
convictions for procuring...
...theft, gun-possession and trafficking
of drugs in the French Connection.
His name is mixed up
in the Marseilles gangland wars...
...even if recently,
he had retired from business.
Marseilles, April 2001
Happy birthday, sweetheart!
- Have you thought of a wish?
- Yes.
Come on...
One... two...
three.
Bravo!
Happy birthday!
- Thank you.
- Who made this nice cake?
- Both of us.
- Really?
Where's the champagne?
- Yes, where is it?
- I'll go get it.
Can I cut the cake?
It's my birthday,
so I'll cut it
You looking for someone?
Are you Francis The Belgian's daughter?
What do you want?
Listen, I don't want to
bother you, it's just that...
I know it's not to do with you,
but...
10 years ago I met a man
and we fell in love.
His name was Thierry.
He said he was working
for your father...
...that it was his driver.
In fact, he was his nephew.
Mum!
Who is it?
I'm coming!
One day, men came who kidnapped me,
beat me and drugged me.
They were working
for your father.
Your father threatened to kill me
if I saw Thierry again.
He didn't find me
good enough for him.
He put me on the streets.
I had nothing to do with all that.
Why are you coming to my place?
A little while ago,
my pimp got shot, and...
Since then, no one's tried
to get any of my takings.
So I'm wondering,
since your father is dead...
...do you think I'm safe
to stop doing it?
Of course you can stop.
You're sure?
You really think I can stop?
No danger?
I can pay you,
if I have to.
Not necessary.
Just go away.
Just go away!
Within 2 years of
the death of my father...
...all the men of his clan were
slaughtered, one after the other.
All my life I've done what I could
to not be like him.
To escape his shadow,
and stay on the right path.
I don't smoke, I don't drink,
I never stole anything.
I wait for the green light
before crossing.
But whatever I do,
I'll never really like others.
Like Mum, I had 2 daughters
with 2 different men.
Like Mum,
I never had a boy.
Subtitles by FatPlank for KG