Napoléon (2002): Season 1, Episode 1 - 1795-1800 - full transcript
Open up.
This is the governor, Hudson Lowe.
Well, knock again, for God's sake.
Open up.
I order you to open the
door, General Bonaparte.
He won't open if you
call him General, sir.
He insists on being
called by his title.
Title?
Emperor?
Majesty?
Poppycock. He's Bony the
Ogre, and always will be.
- Knock again.
- Yes, sir.
Sire. Should I?
If you won't come out,
I'm going to revoke
all your privileges.
I'll cut off your wine supply.
Damn it, Napoleon.
Open the door at once.
What are these
shutters doing here?
They're specifically forbidden.
You are under 24-hour watch.
Well, if you want to imprison
yourself in this house,
it's perfectly fine with me.
My men are tired of chasing
you all over the island.
I'll cordon off the grounds,
and you won't even be
able to take a walk.
Good day, Your Excellency.
You have no business
here, Miss Balcombe.
Let me through, please.
Thank you.
You're wasting your
time, young lady.
His lmperial Majesty is hiding.
From you, of course.
From me, never.
General Bonaparte.
- Ah. Come back another day.
- Madame Tellien is engaged.
Today is her at-home day.
It's like fashion nowadays.
It changes as easily
as politicians.
I've just spent a fortune
on a golden wig,
only to be told it's
no longer in fashion.
Now I have to cut it,
and have it restyled.
It's better to cut your
wig than lose your head.
Believe me, I know what
I'm talking about.
A General Bon-Appetit,
or something like that,
is here to see Madame.
Bonaparte. Yes. Show him in.
A General. Which General?
One without a post. On half-pay.
But it's easier for him
to conceal his pride
than to conceal his ass.
Truly, his britches are
riddled with holes.
And cloth for uniforms
is reserved for officers
in active service.
Oh, please, General.
Come, let me introduce you.
Madame Ricanier.
Madame.
Strange-looking bird.
With the eyes of an eagle.
Madame de Stahl.
Madame de Beauharnais.
And Madame de Corgny.
I am the young captive, General.
The famous poem. You know,
by Chenier?
The General must have been far
too busy during the Revolution
to take an interest in poetry.
I know what it is,
a soldier's life.
I was married to an officer.
Yes, General le Borne.
Charged with the surrender
of the city of Maience,
and guillotined.
Yes. That was my husband.
Who was nearly followed to
the scaffold by his wife,
but for the grace of God.
I would say more the
caprice of politics.
Is it true, dear Rose,
that you cut off your lovely curls
rather than let the
executioner mangle them?
You make me appear vain and
absurd to the general.
On the contrary.
To face death with pride
takes courage, Madame.
It takes courage to face
life alone, with 2 children.
General?
I have some good news for you.
I've managed to obtain
a length of cloth.
Enough for not just one
pair of britches, but two.
Well, I thank you twice.
I thank all of you.
Do you want a cup of
chocolate, General?
It's hot.
It's delicious.
We drank lots of it
in the West lndies.
- In the West lndies?
- I was born there.
My father owned a plantation,
with more than 200 slaves.
It was a paradise of
sunshine and sugar.
Imagine, when I was a little
girl I used to bathe in a river,
among irises and orchids.
I loved to swim in it naked.
I come from an island too, Madame.
But the women there rarely bathe.
And when they do, it's fully
dressed, all in black.
Thank you again.
General.
General.
General.
General, I've shocked you.
A soldier shocked
by a lady's words.
It was not the words, Madame.
It was the image they evoked.
The image of a little girl
frolicking in the sun?
No. Of a woman naked.
A beautiful image of you.
Now I'm the one who's shocked.
You shouldn't have taken the risk.
The risk?
Of being alone with me and
the feelings you've aroused.
You wouldn't dare.
No, no. Not here, not now. But
tomorrow, when I see you again.
Because you presume
you'll see me again.
Yes, I will.
Won't I?
Well, what time tomorrow?
Message, sir.
And this is the area
that concerns me most.
The Rue St. Honoure and
the Palais Egalite.
If the rebels descend
on us from...
Another good reason to act.
Believe me, Barras.
We cannot let a simple riot...
A simple riot?
Is that what you call 25,000
royalists storming the Assembly
to seize the deputies and
destroy the Republic?
What forces do you have?
Your name again.
General Bonaparte, currently
without a command.
Ah, Bonaparte.
Artillery, wasn't it?
Right, then.
We have 4,000 men, from the camp
at Sablons, and General Menou.
4,000 against 25,000.
No cannons?
General Menou left
them in Sablons,
with the excuse that they
would slow him down.
We need that artillery.
Tell Squadron Leader Murat
to retrieve those cannons.
He's a human tidal wave.
Nothing can stand in his way.
At the moment we
have the artillery,
we will position it like this.
One battery here, another here.
Another one on this bridge in
line, and another one here.
If the cannons come through,
you'll take command of them.
I warn you, citizen,
that I follow a pledge
to its end or mine.
Don't ask me to answer for
any blood that's shed.
If I draw my sword,
it will remain drawn
until the order of the
Republic is restored.
What is the date?
It's midnight, so it's now
the 13th of Vendemiaire.
Your appointment
as Chief of Staff.
It's up to you now.
Murat. Take your position.
Follow me, men.
Position.
Ah.
Aim.
Fire.
Ah.
Left, forward.
Volley shot, fire.
Argh.
Grenadiers.
Fire.
Fire.
First row.
Aim. Fire.
Second row.
Aim. Fire.
Argh.
Stand up.
Forward.
Over here, I need some help.
It's a slaughterhouse.
No, Murat, it's a
battlefield. This is war.
War? In the streets of
Paris? Against Frenchmen?
Against royalists,
who are in league with the
enemies of the nation.
There are 40 English vessels
off the coast of Brest,
and 40,000 Austrians at
the gates of Strasbourg.
They are waiting for the
Republic to be overthrown.
They are waiting to invade France.
It will not happen.
I'm a general of the Republic,
and I will not let it.
General Bonaparte for
Madame de Beauharnais.
Very good, General.
Hello.
Hello.
Good morning, General.
I see you've been taken
captive by my children.
Captivated, Madame, not captive.
I'm no longer a child, Maman.
Oh, I'm sorry, you're right.
I found him a position
with General Hosch.
I would say Hosch got the
better part of the bargain.
What a splendid uniform, General.
Can I touch it?
It's pure wool, excellent quality.
Are you turning into
a fashion peacock?
Ah, the new general
of the army of Italy
can't command in rags.
The army of Italy?
Is this your reward for
saving the Republic?
Yes. A gift from Barras.
Shall we go?
Yes.
Eugene is a very
serious young man.
He has a sense of discipline.
If he were under my command, I'd
make a fine soldier out of him.
Hortense, on the other hand,
obviously needs a father.
She's only 14.
She looks older, doesn't she?
- Yes, but she's 14.
- I made inquiries.
About my daughter?
About the world around you.
I know nearly everything
about you, Josephine.
But my name, apparently, is Rose.
Your lovers call you Rose.
Your husband has decided
to call you Josephine.
But my husband, General...
Is dead, yes. The prior one.
I'm talking about
your new husband.
My new husband?
Yes, come now.
There is nothing extraordinary
about a widow remarrying.
Not at all.
Only that I don't have
any prospect in sight.
You are looking at him, Madame.
Excellent foundry work.
These monsters must have a range
of over well over 2,000 metres.
Wouldn't you say so, Muiron?
Yes, General.
Except that these
cannons are not for us.
They're for the army of the Rhine.
What's been provided
for the army of Italy?
Nothing.
What do you mean, nothing?
I mean just that.
How do they expect me
to push the Austrians
back with nothing?
Most of our men don't even
have shoes, let alone cannons.
No shoes, no cannons.
We have cavalry, don't we?
A whole regiment, General.
Thank you for that.
Unfortunately, there
are no horses.
The cavalry men have eaten them.
Sorry?
It was that, or starve to death.
He should have been
here over an hour ago.
What can he be doing, Barras?
After all, getting
married was his idea.
You don't love him?
I love his love for me.
No one, not even you,
has ever loved me like this.
Do you know what passion is?
Of course. It's, it's...
Look no further. It's him.
Forgive me, mi dolce amore.
I'm sorry I'm late,
but there's been so much to do.
I have only a few days before
going to join my army.
Where is he?
Wake up back there.
We want to get married.
Happy?
I am.
Let's go celebrate.
General, wait. There is
something I must tell you.
Yes, what?
You're not married.
What do you mean?
I'm just standing in
for the official.
He got tired of waiting and left.
What's up?
But you married us.
Yes, you were yelling,
with so much authority,
I could not refuse.
Well, fix it, you fool.
Tonight I have a woman to love,
and tomorrow I must take
Italy back from Austria.
Why don't you come with me?
To Italy?
Yes.
Do you see me following an army?
Ruining my shoes in the mud,
wearing wrinkled dresses,
sleeping on straw...
Sleeping, sleeping.
There are other things
to do besides sleeping.
What's so funny?
You're funny.
Because I'm mad about you?
No, because you're just
mad. And I love that.
Argh.
How can the Austrians see us?
They can hear us, Muiron.
We're an entire army on the march,
while they're hidden away, silent,
and concealed by this filthy mist.
Stay back.
We have to take that bridge.
We can't go around it.
What about the cannons?
They're holding it under
fire. We'll be massacred.
Not if we charge.
We won't stay in the
line of fire for long.
We must impress them,
make them doubt.
Sorry, General, but
I myself doubt.
I don't.
The charge, beat the charge.
The charge, General?
Go on, boy. And put
your heart in it.
Charge.
Take your positions.
Afraid, Muiron?
Yes, General.
Then you're a brave fellow.
Charge. Onward.
Don't stop. Don't stop.
Onward.
Argh.
Yeah.
Oh...
Is it bad, my friend?
No, I'm all right.
The first 15 or 20 were harder.
What really hurts is that the
bridge is still Austrian.
Well, they can keep
their damn bridge.
Find boats. Beams, planks of wood.
Anything you can
lay your hands on,
to build another
bridge further on.
As soon as it's ready,
Pogerot will cross
to the other side,
take the enemy from the rear,
and drive them to Massena.
We will chop them to pieces.
We shall make them pay
dearly for Muiron's death.
Go, start, gentlemen.
Want out?
Worried about the battle?
No, no. No, Josephine.
She hasn't written
to me for 2 weeks.
But I'm bound to have a letter
tomorrow or the day after.
I'm so sorry, General.
It arrived this morning.
Did you open it?
Not at all. It's been
through the battle.
I don't write to you as
often as I would like,
dear Napoleon,
because I have so little time.
At the dinner party...
You can do it.
Easy...
My men say you risked your
life like an ordinary soldier.
They call you "The
Little Corporal".
Said with affection, General.
Bonaparte.
Long live Bonaparte.
Long live Bonaparte.
Vive...
Put it down there.
Napoleon.
How handsome you are
as a great general.
Great general and great victor.
Oh.
Look what I've brought
you from Italy.
If there is too much, you
can give some to the poor.
There won't be too much.
Feeding your 7 brothers and
sisters is not always easy.
In Corsica, people knew us.
Here, we're strangers.
You have nothing to worry about.
I'll look after you from now on.
You'll never want for
anything ever again.
You must get ready
to leave Marseilles.
I want you to meet
my wife at last.
When you get to know her...
I don't need to meet her
to know what she is.
You made a bad marriage,
Napoleon. You deserve better.
Then, at the very least,
you could write
congratulations to her.
Me?
I wouldn't know how.
I've prepared a letter for you.
All you have to do is copy
the words and sign it.
Please.
I'll try to find the time.
I don't want that woman
coming between us.
I wish you had not
even mentioned her.
I have to leave now.
Be well, Maman. Goodbye.
Goodbye.
Napoleon?
Do you love her?
Yes.
She's taking nothing
away from you.
The day you leave me,
I'll be in a world
of inferior beings.
Whoa...
Oh. Bonaparte.
Did you receive him in this?
Receive who?
The man who has just left.
A man just left?
An officer. Judging by his
uniform, he's a dragoon.
Ah, yes. Captain Hippolyte
Charles. He's a charming boy.
He's sometimes my escort. He
brought me some theatre tickets.
Ah, you're going to the theatre?
Yes, yes I am.
What's wrong with it?
I mean, you left for so long.
You don't want me to lock
myself up in here, do you?
And you received him half-naked?
But Bonaparte.
But the poor boy
just came and left.
Show me the tickets.
I don't have them.
Where are they?
I don't know. Go ask Constant.
He must have left them with him.
Go interrogate him.
Honestly, I think you're jealous.
Why didn't you write to me?
I wrote.
No. A few scribbled lines.
Those cold, polite words
people write to each other
after decades of marriage.
Because I don't know how
to caress with words.
I need to touch.
Flesh to flesh.
I missed you so much.
You were gone for so long.
But now you're back.
Oh, I'm so happy you're back.
I thought about this
moment almost every day.
I understood that
from your letters.
They were shocking. I had to
keep them under lock and key.
That is why, also, I
didn't write to you.
Because I was afraid I would
drive you mad with desire,
and then, you would throw yourself
on the first Italian woman.
How should I address you?
Monsignor, since
you were a bishop?
Your Excellency,
because the Revolution made
you ambassador to England?
Or Minister,
because you are in charge of
France's foreign relations?
Most people call me
Talleyrand. Just Talleyrand.
Ah, yes.
Like just God?
Or Satan.
They like seeing me as the devil,
but I shouldn't think
that would scare you,
because people tell me that
you're not afraid of anything.
Of one thing.
Stupidity.
Then you must tremble
every day of your life.
I've heard rumblings
about your proposal
for a new constitution.
I must say, I expected something
more revolutionary from you.
I like order.
I fought for the Republic.
I'm not a revolutionary.
I share your fondness for order.
But when you speak of a
concentrated government,
you don't perchance
mean concentrated
in the hands of one man, do you?
You ask questions that
sound like answers.
Yes, well, because
it's always difficult
to find someone who would
wield that kind of power
who would not become a dictator.
What about you?
Are you interested
in political power?
Me?
The glory I won in Italy is all
I could possibly wish for.
Yes, of course there's glory,
but then there's money, too.
In that regard, I was very
well paid by the enemy.
I have other plans.
Oh, do tell me.
I'll be as silent as the grave.
Mathematics.
I became an artilleryman
thanks to mathematics.
My one dream is to return
to my former vocation.
To mathematics?
Yes, I hope to be elected
to the institute
in the domain of physical
science and mathematics.
And that's all?
For the moment.
I see.
To your modest ambitions.
Salut.
What is this place called?
- Malmaison, General.
- The bad house.
In memory of the barbaric Normans
who raided the place
many years ago.
Committed infamous crimes here.
I'll open up.
I can turn it into a happy house.
I know it doesn't
look like much now,
but let me take
care of everything.
Where did you learn
to run a house?
In the West lndies, when
you were a little savage?
A little savage who always
appreciated beauty.
Expensive things, too.
Over 300,000 francs
for a country house.
You're not paying for it.
Certainly not.
But it's so much less
for your family.
Oh please, Joseph.
You can't accuse me of
neglecting my family.
I've always placed your
welfare above my own.
And, my dear brother-in-law,
the family Bonaparte includes me.
I'll wait for you outside.
Probably smells musty in there.
I'll wait for you out front.
It does smell a bit musty.
Soon, it will smell of
joy, of life, of love.
Do you know that
when I was a child,
a fortune teller
predicted that one day,
I was going to be
greater than a queen?
Today, I have the
feeling she saw right.
This is my palace.
And you will be the king.
- Husband is good enough.
- I don't like kings.
You think we would be mad
to buy it, don't you?
I think 300,000 francs
is a lot of money
for a general living on his pay.
Yes, but you're worth much
more, because if you wanted...
- You don't have to say it.
- Talleyrand already did.
The French have had enough
of being governed by
men who are corrupt.
But they are not ready to rise up.
Perhaps for now, your
interest is to avoid anything
that could tarnish the
glory you won in Italy.
Ideally, I should go
somewhere far away,
pursuing new military triumphs.
You say that as if you already
have a glimmer of an idea.
- No, not a glimmer.
- A revelation, Josephine.
Egypt.
Egypt? Why Egypt?
Because holding Egypt
means cutting off
England's route to India,
and giving us access to all
the goods from the East.
What's more, our
ambassador in Cairo
said that Egypt is a country
of incredible wealth.
When I come back, I'll be
able to buy you Malmaison.
That's how you'll make history.
General Bonaparte, first
to have fought a war
so that he could buy
his wife a house.
Gentlemen, the Pyramids.
4,000 years of history
are contemplating us.
Well, Roustam, the tea.
Admire the work of my
cartographers, St. Hilaire.
This is Egypt in the
days of the pharaohs.
Everything is in here,
even the canal.
The canal, General?
Didn't you know that the
pharaohs built a canal
joining the Nile to the Red Sea?
No.
Initiated under King Nechao
and completed under the Ptolemies,
this prodigious work
stood the test of time
for almost 1,000 years,
until it disappeared,
swallowed up by the sands.
Do you believe one could
find vestiges of this canal?
Without any doubt.
If we started excavating
in this area,
we'd unearth marvels that
would reveal to the world
the extraordinary splendour
of the Egyptian civilisation.
Yet a better idea would
be to dig another canal.
One that would connect the Red
Sea to the Mediterranean.
Starting from Suez, for
example. What do you think?
The thing is, General, my
interest is in zoology,
so as far as I'm concerned,
these stories about canals...
My dear St. Hilaire.
A scholar must be curious
about everything.
I, for instance, had the
Koran translated for me.
And this has been
translated from English.
I'm under no illusion.
In Paris, they will say that
Egypt is a political failure
and financial disaster.
I will need you and
your colleagues
to silence my detractors.
Let everybody know that our saga
will have countless effects
upon civilisation.
This will be our way
of thanking you
for this incredible
journey, General.
The English are calling
on my men to desert
by flooding our lines
with this drivel.
It will have no effect on them.
I'm not so sure.
The men have had enough.
Most of the time,
we have to force them to obey.
Have the officers
discipline them again.
That's why they are here.
The officers, they say that
you torture your soldiers.
And that you will never
be able to seize Egypt.
I have, Murat.
Egypt is ours, almost ours.
Cairo is a French city.
The Nile Delta has been pacified,
and all there is left to subdue
is a few Turkish regiments and...
Turks and Arabs,
supported by the English.
Be realistic, Bonaparte.
You can't go on.
Especially with the
plague on our heels.
The doctors assure me that the
epidemic can be contained.
Doctors can do nothing
against fear.
I can.
Let me do this. I need you.
But General...
I can't do anything more for you.
I'm dying.
Precisely.
The first one to walk away
will be considered a deserter,
and will be shot.
Does any one of you know this man?
I believe this is
Caroubert, General.
Is he one of your friends?
Well, actually, we come
from the same town.
In the Jura, General.
In that case, tell
him about the Jura.
Let him die with some happiness.
Come, Maman.
Let's go in. It's getting chilly.
But it's still light
enough to see.
I want to stay until dark.
- You'll wear out your eyes.
- And catch your death of cold.
And it still won't bring
him back any sooner.
What if he doesn't
come back at all?
Of course he'll come back.
How?
They say the English have
sunk the French ships.
How can he come
back without ships?
Come on, come on.
Pourquoi? Pourquoi?
Did you teach him to say that?
No, it's my husband.
He's showering me with souvenirs.
He's afraid I'll forget him.
I want to make you forget him.
I don't think so. I don't
think so, Hippolyte.
Barras, you're hardly in a
position to criticise Bonaparte.
You are the one who
commissioned him.
To put down a riot, not
conquer a country.
This Egyptian adventure of
his is costing us a fortune,
and he hasn't made a
single important conquest.
Conquest? He can't even
hold on to his ships.
Admiral Nelson sank
them like toys.
His biggest problem
is that the army's being
devastated by the plague.
All these disasters are
extremely tiresome.
It's going to make him
want to come back.
His return will be
overshadowed by another.
You mean, the return of the King?
Don't you realise
the government of the
Directoire is doomed?
It's inevitable that Louis
XVlll will rise to the throne.
Your voice trembles as
though you can't wait.
But you are a member
of the Directoire.
And if it falls...
if the monarchy is restored,
I've been promised
the title of Duke.
And the governorship
of Bourbon lsland.
Well played, Barras.
I urge you all to do the same.
Take precautions, my friends,
and guarantee your futures.
Louis XVlll is willing to
promise anything to anyone
who will help him wear the crown.
Madame?
Bad news?
He's returned.
What?
He's returned.
Who?
Bonaparte.
Bonaparte is in France.
General Bonaparte, we
will follow you anywhere.
Listen to them.
Just say the word,
and you'll have 25 million
French citizens behind you.
Right now, I'm hungry.
The best thing to eat here
in Lyon is hot sausage.
Two, please.
Yes, sir.
What is he doing?
He's responsible for my safety.
Every night, he sleeps
lying against my door.
The Sultan thought he
was giving me a slave.
In fact, he's a guardian angel.
Very good, Roustam.
You can go now.
Do you hear that?
Is it making sense to you now?
Is what making sense?
The way they cheered you.
And that's nothing compared to
the welcome you'll get in Paris.
Power is a ripe fruit,
and it's yours for the picking.
I've come back to give,
not to take, Joseph.
No one can imagine what marvels
I've brought back from Egypt.
Please, Napoleon.
I am your brother,
not your public.
Let's at least be
honest with each other.
Egypt was a disaster.
Don't say that.
The discoveries our
scientists have made there,
the knowledge they've gained,
justify all the sacrifices
of the expedition.
Yes, yes, fine. But there are
urgent matters to deal with.
The most urgent one
for me is my divorce.
Josephine has barely
written at all.
Just to inform me she's
bought Malmaison.
With my money, of course.
Or rather, with the money
she hopes I'll find.
She had hardly moved in before
she sent for her lover.
Captain Hippolyte Charles.
Destroy him.
- That won't end it.
- There are others.
Your wife has taken
up again with Barras.
And she keeps company with Goyer,
president of the Directoire.
Our poor mother.
Scandalised.
Vindicated.
You will be able to hold
your heads high again.
I'm finished with
that woman. That...
You can barely bring
yourself to say her name.
Because it's a curse.
I hate her name.
I hate the sound of her voice.
Her perfume.
Everything. It's over.
Finished.
That is what lies ahead of you.
My dear brother, she
has no place in it.
You take care of France,
and I'll take care
of your divorce.
Good evening, Constant.
- Good evening, Madame.
- Madame cannot come in.
The General's orders.
I packed everything
very carefully.
I hope I haven't
forgotten anything.
You can't leave me
outside, Constant.
It's raining.
Yes.
My children, where
are my children?
Mademoiselle Hortense
is in her room, Madame.
So is Monsieur Eugene.
The General has
allowed them to stay.
The General has allowed them.
The General has no
right to allow them,
or to refuse them anything.
What a vile man.
Even when I was brought
in front of the court
during the Revolution,
and God knows it, these
people were without pity,
I was allowed to explain myself.
But him, my own
husband, condemns me
without hearing me.
Do you find that right, Constant?
Well, no... Not... very.
"It is obvious
"that General Bonaparte's
hasty departure from Egypt
"was to avoid a mass
insurrection of his army."
Roustam, see who is there.
They've used anything
they can to discredit me.
Even lies.
- Woman for General.
- She want to come in, I say no.
My shirt, quickly.
Bonaparte.
Bonaparte. Let me in.
Bonaparte.
Bonaparte.
I know you're there.
Be reasonable.
I want to talk to
you. Open the door.
Did people tell you
something about me?
You know that they're
lies, calumnies.
You know people when they
want to defile someone.
It's you who defiled everything.
So go away, Josephine.
I never want to see you again.
No. Let me in.
What have I done? Come
on, open the door.
I can explain everything.
Explain what?
Your cooing with Captain Charles?
Your behaviour is sickening.
It's all over between us.
No.
Forever.
Oh, please, Bonaparte.
I know I can explain everything.
Oh, please.
If you want me to
leave, I will leave.
Her perfume.
What do you accuse me of?
Going out into society?
Giving parties at the Malmaison?
Yes, I did.
And I did it for you.
Because you want power, and
for that you need allies.
I believe in you, Napoleon.
Lucien and I need to talk to you.
Maman has agreed to let
us meet at her house,
and it would be advisable...
- Oh Joseph, you're here.
- Good morning.
But...
But she...
Let's discuss politics.
What about your divorce?
Do you think it's necessary
to close the windows?
As if we were
conspirators plotting?
I'm sure the house
is being watched.
When a government is at bay,
they'll stop at nothing.
- For God's sake, Joseph.
- It's just a family meal.
- This is your house, Maman.
- You can stay if you like.
I'd rather my sisters
weren't mixed up in this.
If things go badly,
they'll be able to swear
they knew nothing about it.
Come on, girls.
Our mother asked you to
leave the room, Caroline.
I know what Lucien and
Joseph are going to propose.
You need support. I'm here to
bring you Murat's support.
Murat?
Who authorised you
to speak for Murat?
He and I love each other.
Murat is over 30, and
you're not yet 20.
I don't think our
mother will approve.
I don't think I approve.
You can state your objections
when Murat comes to
ask you for my hand.
Until then, I entreat
you to accept his help.
Caroline is right.
We can't refuse any offer of help.
Come on, girls.
The plan is audacious,
Napoleon. But it can work.
We've based it on two factors.
First, the people hate
the current government.
And two, they see you as a hero.
You want to overthrow
the Directoire?
It wouldn't take much of a push.
And in its place,
Napoleon Bonaparte?
You've always kept your
distance from politics.
You have managed to
keep your hands clean.
You are the godsend the whole
country is waiting for.
France is so weak now.
She won't be able to stand
another revolution.
The royalists would
make the most of it.
Who said anything
about a revolution?
Everything will be done
perfectly legally.
We just have to
persuade the deputies
to elect a new government, and
get rid of the Directory,
and elect in its place
a new government,
composed of three
irreproachable men.
Sieyes, Roger-Ducos, and you.
It's possible.
If you were to assemble all the
deputies for a special session,
somewhere isolated
where the army could
bring pressure to bear,
if needed, without triggering
a riot in the city.
That's perfect.
And with Murat at the
head of the troops,
we can't fail.
I suggest Chateau de St. Cloud.
It's far enough from Paris,
and easy to control.
I agree.
Can we assume that you approve
of our little project?
Your little project,
as you call it so
discreetly, my dear Joseph,
is nothing less
than a coup d'etat.
If it fails, we will end
up in prison, at best,
and more likely under the blade.
Are you still so sure that
Murat will follow us?
I can speak for him
as I do for myself.
He'll only want to
know in what name
he's risking his liberty and life.
In what name?
In the name of reality.
Louis XVlll is ready
to enter Paris.
If we delay, the
Republic will be lost,
and with it all the
benefits of the Revolution.
That's reason enough
to risk everything.
I'm counting on you to
control the gates of Paris
on the 18th of Brumaire.
No government official
can be allowed
to enter or leave the city.
I also want your censor
to check everything
that's announced in the press.
The newspapers will only
be allowed to print
what my associates
and I decide on.
In other words, you're
asking me to support a plot?
I don't consider
ridding the country
of a bunch of rogues and
swindlers to be a plot.
Even though I may
not always approve
of the government's policies,
I'm a member of it.
You'll be a member
of the next one.
You'll be my minister of police.
That's generous of you,
but I am already
minister of police.
So if you have no
other arguments...
I do have one, yes.
I'm sure the royalists
haven't forgotten
how you slaughtered
hundreds of their followers
during the Reign of Terror.
I heard you had them
shot point-blank
after forcing them to
dig their own graves.
Who is with you?
Everyone.
Generals such as
Murat and Lefebvre,
and politicians such as
Sieyes, Roger-Ducos,
Talleyrand...
You've taken Talleyrand
into your confidence?
He betrays everybody.
No, he won't betray himself.
He understands perfectly well
where his interest lies.
He's expecting a lot
from me, and he's right.
If he doesn't fail me,
I won't fail him.
And that proposition
goes for everyone.
Very well.
You've made yourself clear.
I'll think it over.
No, right now, Fouche.
With me,
or against me?
All right, with you.
But if your plan fails?
Then, instead of being
executed in the King's name
for barbarous crimes,
you'll be executed by the
Directoire for conspiracy.
I am your only hope.
What a rotten job, being a deputy.
Jabbering away for
hours, all locked up.
How long have they been in there?
20 hours. They've been talking
for more than 20 hours.
Don't you think it's
a bad sign, Sieyes?
My dear fellow,
politics isn't war.
It takes much longer to
say something meaningless
than to fire a gun.
Back to your seats, gentlemen.
I won't tolerate this
insolence much longer.
No one will ever be able...
We're shut up in here
without being able to
see or hear anything.
Try to stay calm, General.
Calm? When the future
of France is at stake?
What is it, Murat?
For God's sake, say something.
Is it over? Have they voted?
No. Talleyrand has just arrived.
He wants to see you.
I've just come back
from the Orangerie.
Things don't seem to be going
exactly as you'd hoped.
Now, if my brother can't
make those people obey him,
what good is he to
me as the President?
Sire, he is their President,
not their general.
Deputies cannot be ordered
around as easily as a regiment.
We'll see about that. Soldiers.
I'll sit down if you
agree that Bonaparte...
Listen to me.
Listen to me.
I'm here to serve the Republic.
Gentlemen deputies.
Silence.
Silence.
The Republic is in danger.
- Protect the General.
- They want to kill him.
They... they tried to stab me.
We failed. All is lost.
We mustn't stay here.
They've just declared
you an outlaw.
And us?
You don't exist for them.
The only person who counts
in their eyes is my brother.
Are you all right?
You're not wounded?
- What about you?
- Did they strike you?
- No, they didn't dare.
- I have enough supporters.
I don't know how it
started to unravel.
What's done is done.
The most important thing now
is to find a safe place.
- You've nothing to fear.
- Murat is outside with troops.
Murat.
Good God, Murat. I nearly forgot.
Bonaparte.
What are you going to do?
I'm going back in there.
I have an army outside.
And me with an army...
He doesn't have the right.
Officers and soldiers
of the Republic.
Come, listen. Come, come.
A faction of desperate
men, armed with daggers,
is threatening the Assembly.
They even attempted to
assassinate your General.
On your horses.
They dared to accuse Bonaparte
of staging a coup d'etat,
to bring him into power.
A vile lie.
Do you see this blade?
I would plunge it in
my brother's heart
without a moment's hesitation,
if I suspected him
of violating rights.
Soldiers.
I declare to you that the
representatives of our nation
are in mortal danger.
Consequently, I order you
to invade this assembly.
Immediately.
We know what to do. Come on.
Open the doors.
Citizen representatives.
Your safety is no longer
guaranteed within these walls.
I order you to leave under
the protection of the army.
Grenadiers, forward.
Get them out.
Come on.
Get out, get out.
Get out, all of them.
Do you think your brother
will retain enough deputies
to go ahead with the vote?
Yes, he has enough supporters.
Whatever the result is, it
will be perfectly legal.
The deputies have
dissolved the Directory.
In its place,
they have created an executive
consular commission,
composed of General Bonaparte,
and citizens Sieyes
and Roger-Ducos,
who will bear the titles
of Citizens and Consuls
of the French Republic.
This decree takes
effect immediately.
Officers, present arms to the
Consuls of the Republic.
Present arms.
Long live Bonaparte.
Bonaparte. Bonaparte.
Bonaparte.
Bonaparte. Bonaparte.
What time is it?
About 4:00.
It took longer than we expected.
It almost didn't happen.
Splendid. Magnificent.
Dazzling.
Incomparable.
Sturdy and resistant, I hope?
Oh, that suit of clothes is
going to last a lifetime.
I've only been appointed
First Consul for 10 years.
What a pity there isn't
a bigger mirror,
so you could see how
well it suits you.
Here's my mirror.
Well, what do you think?
Oh, but you look... you look...
Well, I must be very
well turned out,
for my pretty mirror
to cloud over.
Is you-know-who still here?
You-know-who is waiting
for you, next room,
in front of the fire.
I think in another life,
he must have been a cat.
A cat, huh? I'd say a cobra.
Bonaparte, he supports
you without hesitation.
You mean, I support him, which
is only normal for a cripple.
No, don't say
anything, Talleyrand.
I've already been showered
with all the compliments
you can imagine.
But I have no illusion that
this fine suit of clothes
won't be enough to
reassure our neighbours
that France has finally put
the revolution behind her.
True, the European courts
fear the strength of our army
less than the strength
of our ideas.
Therefore, we must demonstrate
that we are civilised
people once more.
An aristocrat, a real aristocrat
who knows how to
behave insolently,
yet with princely grace,
would give us prestige.
You were the Minister of Foreign
Affairs of the Directoire.
The First Consul reappoints you
to that office.
I suppose I should feel flattered
that you consider me to
have princely grace.
But I would display more of it
if your choice was based on
my skill at negotiating.
Negotiating what?
Austria recaptured Italy from
France while I was in Egypt.
And we either accept the
loss of Italy, or...
Or wage war on Austria.
I usually believe the
worst can be avoided.
War is not the worst, Talleyrand.
The worst would be allowing them
to treat France like the
village idiot of Europe.
The one who is slapped
and then says thank you.
What do you know about war?
You've never been to war.
Alas.
A soldier who can neither attack
nor, more especially,
flee in sufficient haste,
is a liability.
Otherwise, I might have
pursued a military career.
- You? A general?
- General Talleyrand?
Perhaps you envy my glory.
You can share it, it
you're loyal to me.
Sire, I wish only to serve you.
You bow as you say that,
so one can't see whether your
eyes support your words.
Man was given speech to
disguise his thoughts,
and words to disguise his eyes.
Don't trust anything, or anyone.
Present arms.
Monsieur Pierre-Louis Roederer,
who I have appointed
Councillor of State
because he served me well,
and will continue to do so.
I'm delighted to meet you, sir.
Welcome to the Tuileries, Madame.
I hope you will like it here.
Are you coming?
Here we are in the waiting room.
Please...
And here are Queen Marie
Antoinette's apartments.
Not very cheerful, I'm afraid.
The price of power.
I hope they've changed the sheets.
Don't be silly.
It's morbid.
If you must live in the Tuileries,
can't we take a
different apartment?
This one feels haunted.
Superstitious nonsense.
Once it's refurnished to
your taste, you'll be happy.
And whenever you need a change,
we can go to Malmaison.
- I need a change right now.
- Let's go.
No, don't be childish.
Maybe tomorrow.
When we got married, I
could ask you anything.
And you always said
yes right away.
Now it's always "maybe tomorrow".
You love me less, Bonaparte.
I am sorry.
Maybe we should have thought of
redecorating the rooms before...
She'll get used to it.
It would be a sorry
state of affairs
if my wife were the
one person in France
to contest my authority.
Show me where my study is.
Please.
Have an article published
in the newspapers
saying I'm against powdered wigs
coming back into fashion for men.
It's ludicrous.
Have they finished
an exact account
of what's left in
the state coffers?
167,000 francs.
Scandalous.
I'm sure there's 10
times that amount
in the pockets of each former
member of the Directoire.
This means France is bankrupt.
We will need to bring in several
million francs this year.
The Minister of Police.
Ah. Fouche.
Come in, Fouche.
You're not an ordinary minister
any more. You're my minister.
So I expect from you a
flawless efficiency.
And yet I hear you dislike
ruthless measures.
How do you define ruthless?
Arresting, imprisoning.
When we imprison a man,
it's usually because
he has broken the law.
In order words,
when it's too late.
Personally, I'd rather prevent
him from committing a crime.
Yet you have to
know to prevent it.
Yes. Know everything
about everyone.
Oh, so you claim to keep watch
on the whole of France?
I have my informers.
This system has saved your
life many times over.
And you didn't inform me?
The bombs were all found in time.
Bombs. Who planted them?
The royalists, with England
acting as their banker.
A bomb is more expensive than a
phial of poison, or a dagger.
So...
this is what politics is like.
No, this is what hatred is like,
Monsieur le Premier Consul.
Hatred.
This is the governor, Hudson Lowe.
Well, knock again, for God's sake.
Open up.
I order you to open the
door, General Bonaparte.
He won't open if you
call him General, sir.
He insists on being
called by his title.
Title?
Emperor?
Majesty?
Poppycock. He's Bony the
Ogre, and always will be.
- Knock again.
- Yes, sir.
Sire. Should I?
If you won't come out,
I'm going to revoke
all your privileges.
I'll cut off your wine supply.
Damn it, Napoleon.
Open the door at once.
What are these
shutters doing here?
They're specifically forbidden.
You are under 24-hour watch.
Well, if you want to imprison
yourself in this house,
it's perfectly fine with me.
My men are tired of chasing
you all over the island.
I'll cordon off the grounds,
and you won't even be
able to take a walk.
Good day, Your Excellency.
You have no business
here, Miss Balcombe.
Let me through, please.
Thank you.
You're wasting your
time, young lady.
His lmperial Majesty is hiding.
From you, of course.
From me, never.
General Bonaparte.
- Ah. Come back another day.
- Madame Tellien is engaged.
Today is her at-home day.
It's like fashion nowadays.
It changes as easily
as politicians.
I've just spent a fortune
on a golden wig,
only to be told it's
no longer in fashion.
Now I have to cut it,
and have it restyled.
It's better to cut your
wig than lose your head.
Believe me, I know what
I'm talking about.
A General Bon-Appetit,
or something like that,
is here to see Madame.
Bonaparte. Yes. Show him in.
A General. Which General?
One without a post. On half-pay.
But it's easier for him
to conceal his pride
than to conceal his ass.
Truly, his britches are
riddled with holes.
And cloth for uniforms
is reserved for officers
in active service.
Oh, please, General.
Come, let me introduce you.
Madame Ricanier.
Madame.
Strange-looking bird.
With the eyes of an eagle.
Madame de Stahl.
Madame de Beauharnais.
And Madame de Corgny.
I am the young captive, General.
The famous poem. You know,
by Chenier?
The General must have been far
too busy during the Revolution
to take an interest in poetry.
I know what it is,
a soldier's life.
I was married to an officer.
Yes, General le Borne.
Charged with the surrender
of the city of Maience,
and guillotined.
Yes. That was my husband.
Who was nearly followed to
the scaffold by his wife,
but for the grace of God.
I would say more the
caprice of politics.
Is it true, dear Rose,
that you cut off your lovely curls
rather than let the
executioner mangle them?
You make me appear vain and
absurd to the general.
On the contrary.
To face death with pride
takes courage, Madame.
It takes courage to face
life alone, with 2 children.
General?
I have some good news for you.
I've managed to obtain
a length of cloth.
Enough for not just one
pair of britches, but two.
Well, I thank you twice.
I thank all of you.
Do you want a cup of
chocolate, General?
It's hot.
It's delicious.
We drank lots of it
in the West lndies.
- In the West lndies?
- I was born there.
My father owned a plantation,
with more than 200 slaves.
It was a paradise of
sunshine and sugar.
Imagine, when I was a little
girl I used to bathe in a river,
among irises and orchids.
I loved to swim in it naked.
I come from an island too, Madame.
But the women there rarely bathe.
And when they do, it's fully
dressed, all in black.
Thank you again.
General.
General.
General.
General, I've shocked you.
A soldier shocked
by a lady's words.
It was not the words, Madame.
It was the image they evoked.
The image of a little girl
frolicking in the sun?
No. Of a woman naked.
A beautiful image of you.
Now I'm the one who's shocked.
You shouldn't have taken the risk.
The risk?
Of being alone with me and
the feelings you've aroused.
You wouldn't dare.
No, no. Not here, not now. But
tomorrow, when I see you again.
Because you presume
you'll see me again.
Yes, I will.
Won't I?
Well, what time tomorrow?
Message, sir.
And this is the area
that concerns me most.
The Rue St. Honoure and
the Palais Egalite.
If the rebels descend
on us from...
Another good reason to act.
Believe me, Barras.
We cannot let a simple riot...
A simple riot?
Is that what you call 25,000
royalists storming the Assembly
to seize the deputies and
destroy the Republic?
What forces do you have?
Your name again.
General Bonaparte, currently
without a command.
Ah, Bonaparte.
Artillery, wasn't it?
Right, then.
We have 4,000 men, from the camp
at Sablons, and General Menou.
4,000 against 25,000.
No cannons?
General Menou left
them in Sablons,
with the excuse that they
would slow him down.
We need that artillery.
Tell Squadron Leader Murat
to retrieve those cannons.
He's a human tidal wave.
Nothing can stand in his way.
At the moment we
have the artillery,
we will position it like this.
One battery here, another here.
Another one on this bridge in
line, and another one here.
If the cannons come through,
you'll take command of them.
I warn you, citizen,
that I follow a pledge
to its end or mine.
Don't ask me to answer for
any blood that's shed.
If I draw my sword,
it will remain drawn
until the order of the
Republic is restored.
What is the date?
It's midnight, so it's now
the 13th of Vendemiaire.
Your appointment
as Chief of Staff.
It's up to you now.
Murat. Take your position.
Follow me, men.
Position.
Ah.
Aim.
Fire.
Ah.
Left, forward.
Volley shot, fire.
Argh.
Grenadiers.
Fire.
Fire.
First row.
Aim. Fire.
Second row.
Aim. Fire.
Argh.
Stand up.
Forward.
Over here, I need some help.
It's a slaughterhouse.
No, Murat, it's a
battlefield. This is war.
War? In the streets of
Paris? Against Frenchmen?
Against royalists,
who are in league with the
enemies of the nation.
There are 40 English vessels
off the coast of Brest,
and 40,000 Austrians at
the gates of Strasbourg.
They are waiting for the
Republic to be overthrown.
They are waiting to invade France.
It will not happen.
I'm a general of the Republic,
and I will not let it.
General Bonaparte for
Madame de Beauharnais.
Very good, General.
Hello.
Hello.
Good morning, General.
I see you've been taken
captive by my children.
Captivated, Madame, not captive.
I'm no longer a child, Maman.
Oh, I'm sorry, you're right.
I found him a position
with General Hosch.
I would say Hosch got the
better part of the bargain.
What a splendid uniform, General.
Can I touch it?
It's pure wool, excellent quality.
Are you turning into
a fashion peacock?
Ah, the new general
of the army of Italy
can't command in rags.
The army of Italy?
Is this your reward for
saving the Republic?
Yes. A gift from Barras.
Shall we go?
Yes.
Eugene is a very
serious young man.
He has a sense of discipline.
If he were under my command, I'd
make a fine soldier out of him.
Hortense, on the other hand,
obviously needs a father.
She's only 14.
She looks older, doesn't she?
- Yes, but she's 14.
- I made inquiries.
About my daughter?
About the world around you.
I know nearly everything
about you, Josephine.
But my name, apparently, is Rose.
Your lovers call you Rose.
Your husband has decided
to call you Josephine.
But my husband, General...
Is dead, yes. The prior one.
I'm talking about
your new husband.
My new husband?
Yes, come now.
There is nothing extraordinary
about a widow remarrying.
Not at all.
Only that I don't have
any prospect in sight.
You are looking at him, Madame.
Excellent foundry work.
These monsters must have a range
of over well over 2,000 metres.
Wouldn't you say so, Muiron?
Yes, General.
Except that these
cannons are not for us.
They're for the army of the Rhine.
What's been provided
for the army of Italy?
Nothing.
What do you mean, nothing?
I mean just that.
How do they expect me
to push the Austrians
back with nothing?
Most of our men don't even
have shoes, let alone cannons.
No shoes, no cannons.
We have cavalry, don't we?
A whole regiment, General.
Thank you for that.
Unfortunately, there
are no horses.
The cavalry men have eaten them.
Sorry?
It was that, or starve to death.
He should have been
here over an hour ago.
What can he be doing, Barras?
After all, getting
married was his idea.
You don't love him?
I love his love for me.
No one, not even you,
has ever loved me like this.
Do you know what passion is?
Of course. It's, it's...
Look no further. It's him.
Forgive me, mi dolce amore.
I'm sorry I'm late,
but there's been so much to do.
I have only a few days before
going to join my army.
Where is he?
Wake up back there.
We want to get married.
Happy?
I am.
Let's go celebrate.
General, wait. There is
something I must tell you.
Yes, what?
You're not married.
What do you mean?
I'm just standing in
for the official.
He got tired of waiting and left.
What's up?
But you married us.
Yes, you were yelling,
with so much authority,
I could not refuse.
Well, fix it, you fool.
Tonight I have a woman to love,
and tomorrow I must take
Italy back from Austria.
Why don't you come with me?
To Italy?
Yes.
Do you see me following an army?
Ruining my shoes in the mud,
wearing wrinkled dresses,
sleeping on straw...
Sleeping, sleeping.
There are other things
to do besides sleeping.
What's so funny?
You're funny.
Because I'm mad about you?
No, because you're just
mad. And I love that.
Argh.
How can the Austrians see us?
They can hear us, Muiron.
We're an entire army on the march,
while they're hidden away, silent,
and concealed by this filthy mist.
Stay back.
We have to take that bridge.
We can't go around it.
What about the cannons?
They're holding it under
fire. We'll be massacred.
Not if we charge.
We won't stay in the
line of fire for long.
We must impress them,
make them doubt.
Sorry, General, but
I myself doubt.
I don't.
The charge, beat the charge.
The charge, General?
Go on, boy. And put
your heart in it.
Charge.
Take your positions.
Afraid, Muiron?
Yes, General.
Then you're a brave fellow.
Charge. Onward.
Don't stop. Don't stop.
Onward.
Argh.
Yeah.
Oh...
Is it bad, my friend?
No, I'm all right.
The first 15 or 20 were harder.
What really hurts is that the
bridge is still Austrian.
Well, they can keep
their damn bridge.
Find boats. Beams, planks of wood.
Anything you can
lay your hands on,
to build another
bridge further on.
As soon as it's ready,
Pogerot will cross
to the other side,
take the enemy from the rear,
and drive them to Massena.
We will chop them to pieces.
We shall make them pay
dearly for Muiron's death.
Go, start, gentlemen.
Want out?
Worried about the battle?
No, no. No, Josephine.
She hasn't written
to me for 2 weeks.
But I'm bound to have a letter
tomorrow or the day after.
I'm so sorry, General.
It arrived this morning.
Did you open it?
Not at all. It's been
through the battle.
I don't write to you as
often as I would like,
dear Napoleon,
because I have so little time.
At the dinner party...
You can do it.
Easy...
My men say you risked your
life like an ordinary soldier.
They call you "The
Little Corporal".
Said with affection, General.
Bonaparte.
Long live Bonaparte.
Long live Bonaparte.
Vive...
Put it down there.
Napoleon.
How handsome you are
as a great general.
Great general and great victor.
Oh.
Look what I've brought
you from Italy.
If there is too much, you
can give some to the poor.
There won't be too much.
Feeding your 7 brothers and
sisters is not always easy.
In Corsica, people knew us.
Here, we're strangers.
You have nothing to worry about.
I'll look after you from now on.
You'll never want for
anything ever again.
You must get ready
to leave Marseilles.
I want you to meet
my wife at last.
When you get to know her...
I don't need to meet her
to know what she is.
You made a bad marriage,
Napoleon. You deserve better.
Then, at the very least,
you could write
congratulations to her.
Me?
I wouldn't know how.
I've prepared a letter for you.
All you have to do is copy
the words and sign it.
Please.
I'll try to find the time.
I don't want that woman
coming between us.
I wish you had not
even mentioned her.
I have to leave now.
Be well, Maman. Goodbye.
Goodbye.
Napoleon?
Do you love her?
Yes.
She's taking nothing
away from you.
The day you leave me,
I'll be in a world
of inferior beings.
Whoa...
Oh. Bonaparte.
Did you receive him in this?
Receive who?
The man who has just left.
A man just left?
An officer. Judging by his
uniform, he's a dragoon.
Ah, yes. Captain Hippolyte
Charles. He's a charming boy.
He's sometimes my escort. He
brought me some theatre tickets.
Ah, you're going to the theatre?
Yes, yes I am.
What's wrong with it?
I mean, you left for so long.
You don't want me to lock
myself up in here, do you?
And you received him half-naked?
But Bonaparte.
But the poor boy
just came and left.
Show me the tickets.
I don't have them.
Where are they?
I don't know. Go ask Constant.
He must have left them with him.
Go interrogate him.
Honestly, I think you're jealous.
Why didn't you write to me?
I wrote.
No. A few scribbled lines.
Those cold, polite words
people write to each other
after decades of marriage.
Because I don't know how
to caress with words.
I need to touch.
Flesh to flesh.
I missed you so much.
You were gone for so long.
But now you're back.
Oh, I'm so happy you're back.
I thought about this
moment almost every day.
I understood that
from your letters.
They were shocking. I had to
keep them under lock and key.
That is why, also, I
didn't write to you.
Because I was afraid I would
drive you mad with desire,
and then, you would throw yourself
on the first Italian woman.
How should I address you?
Monsignor, since
you were a bishop?
Your Excellency,
because the Revolution made
you ambassador to England?
Or Minister,
because you are in charge of
France's foreign relations?
Most people call me
Talleyrand. Just Talleyrand.
Ah, yes.
Like just God?
Or Satan.
They like seeing me as the devil,
but I shouldn't think
that would scare you,
because people tell me that
you're not afraid of anything.
Of one thing.
Stupidity.
Then you must tremble
every day of your life.
I've heard rumblings
about your proposal
for a new constitution.
I must say, I expected something
more revolutionary from you.
I like order.
I fought for the Republic.
I'm not a revolutionary.
I share your fondness for order.
But when you speak of a
concentrated government,
you don't perchance
mean concentrated
in the hands of one man, do you?
You ask questions that
sound like answers.
Yes, well, because
it's always difficult
to find someone who would
wield that kind of power
who would not become a dictator.
What about you?
Are you interested
in political power?
Me?
The glory I won in Italy is all
I could possibly wish for.
Yes, of course there's glory,
but then there's money, too.
In that regard, I was very
well paid by the enemy.
I have other plans.
Oh, do tell me.
I'll be as silent as the grave.
Mathematics.
I became an artilleryman
thanks to mathematics.
My one dream is to return
to my former vocation.
To mathematics?
Yes, I hope to be elected
to the institute
in the domain of physical
science and mathematics.
And that's all?
For the moment.
I see.
To your modest ambitions.
Salut.
What is this place called?
- Malmaison, General.
- The bad house.
In memory of the barbaric Normans
who raided the place
many years ago.
Committed infamous crimes here.
I'll open up.
I can turn it into a happy house.
I know it doesn't
look like much now,
but let me take
care of everything.
Where did you learn
to run a house?
In the West lndies, when
you were a little savage?
A little savage who always
appreciated beauty.
Expensive things, too.
Over 300,000 francs
for a country house.
You're not paying for it.
Certainly not.
But it's so much less
for your family.
Oh please, Joseph.
You can't accuse me of
neglecting my family.
I've always placed your
welfare above my own.
And, my dear brother-in-law,
the family Bonaparte includes me.
I'll wait for you outside.
Probably smells musty in there.
I'll wait for you out front.
It does smell a bit musty.
Soon, it will smell of
joy, of life, of love.
Do you know that
when I was a child,
a fortune teller
predicted that one day,
I was going to be
greater than a queen?
Today, I have the
feeling she saw right.
This is my palace.
And you will be the king.
- Husband is good enough.
- I don't like kings.
You think we would be mad
to buy it, don't you?
I think 300,000 francs
is a lot of money
for a general living on his pay.
Yes, but you're worth much
more, because if you wanted...
- You don't have to say it.
- Talleyrand already did.
The French have had enough
of being governed by
men who are corrupt.
But they are not ready to rise up.
Perhaps for now, your
interest is to avoid anything
that could tarnish the
glory you won in Italy.
Ideally, I should go
somewhere far away,
pursuing new military triumphs.
You say that as if you already
have a glimmer of an idea.
- No, not a glimmer.
- A revelation, Josephine.
Egypt.
Egypt? Why Egypt?
Because holding Egypt
means cutting off
England's route to India,
and giving us access to all
the goods from the East.
What's more, our
ambassador in Cairo
said that Egypt is a country
of incredible wealth.
When I come back, I'll be
able to buy you Malmaison.
That's how you'll make history.
General Bonaparte, first
to have fought a war
so that he could buy
his wife a house.
Gentlemen, the Pyramids.
4,000 years of history
are contemplating us.
Well, Roustam, the tea.
Admire the work of my
cartographers, St. Hilaire.
This is Egypt in the
days of the pharaohs.
Everything is in here,
even the canal.
The canal, General?
Didn't you know that the
pharaohs built a canal
joining the Nile to the Red Sea?
No.
Initiated under King Nechao
and completed under the Ptolemies,
this prodigious work
stood the test of time
for almost 1,000 years,
until it disappeared,
swallowed up by the sands.
Do you believe one could
find vestiges of this canal?
Without any doubt.
If we started excavating
in this area,
we'd unearth marvels that
would reveal to the world
the extraordinary splendour
of the Egyptian civilisation.
Yet a better idea would
be to dig another canal.
One that would connect the Red
Sea to the Mediterranean.
Starting from Suez, for
example. What do you think?
The thing is, General, my
interest is in zoology,
so as far as I'm concerned,
these stories about canals...
My dear St. Hilaire.
A scholar must be curious
about everything.
I, for instance, had the
Koran translated for me.
And this has been
translated from English.
I'm under no illusion.
In Paris, they will say that
Egypt is a political failure
and financial disaster.
I will need you and
your colleagues
to silence my detractors.
Let everybody know that our saga
will have countless effects
upon civilisation.
This will be our way
of thanking you
for this incredible
journey, General.
The English are calling
on my men to desert
by flooding our lines
with this drivel.
It will have no effect on them.
I'm not so sure.
The men have had enough.
Most of the time,
we have to force them to obey.
Have the officers
discipline them again.
That's why they are here.
The officers, they say that
you torture your soldiers.
And that you will never
be able to seize Egypt.
I have, Murat.
Egypt is ours, almost ours.
Cairo is a French city.
The Nile Delta has been pacified,
and all there is left to subdue
is a few Turkish regiments and...
Turks and Arabs,
supported by the English.
Be realistic, Bonaparte.
You can't go on.
Especially with the
plague on our heels.
The doctors assure me that the
epidemic can be contained.
Doctors can do nothing
against fear.
I can.
Let me do this. I need you.
But General...
I can't do anything more for you.
I'm dying.
Precisely.
The first one to walk away
will be considered a deserter,
and will be shot.
Does any one of you know this man?
I believe this is
Caroubert, General.
Is he one of your friends?
Well, actually, we come
from the same town.
In the Jura, General.
In that case, tell
him about the Jura.
Let him die with some happiness.
Come, Maman.
Let's go in. It's getting chilly.
But it's still light
enough to see.
I want to stay until dark.
- You'll wear out your eyes.
- And catch your death of cold.
And it still won't bring
him back any sooner.
What if he doesn't
come back at all?
Of course he'll come back.
How?
They say the English have
sunk the French ships.
How can he come
back without ships?
Come on, come on.
Pourquoi? Pourquoi?
Did you teach him to say that?
No, it's my husband.
He's showering me with souvenirs.
He's afraid I'll forget him.
I want to make you forget him.
I don't think so. I don't
think so, Hippolyte.
Barras, you're hardly in a
position to criticise Bonaparte.
You are the one who
commissioned him.
To put down a riot, not
conquer a country.
This Egyptian adventure of
his is costing us a fortune,
and he hasn't made a
single important conquest.
Conquest? He can't even
hold on to his ships.
Admiral Nelson sank
them like toys.
His biggest problem
is that the army's being
devastated by the plague.
All these disasters are
extremely tiresome.
It's going to make him
want to come back.
His return will be
overshadowed by another.
You mean, the return of the King?
Don't you realise
the government of the
Directoire is doomed?
It's inevitable that Louis
XVlll will rise to the throne.
Your voice trembles as
though you can't wait.
But you are a member
of the Directoire.
And if it falls...
if the monarchy is restored,
I've been promised
the title of Duke.
And the governorship
of Bourbon lsland.
Well played, Barras.
I urge you all to do the same.
Take precautions, my friends,
and guarantee your futures.
Louis XVlll is willing to
promise anything to anyone
who will help him wear the crown.
Madame?
Bad news?
He's returned.
What?
He's returned.
Who?
Bonaparte.
Bonaparte is in France.
General Bonaparte, we
will follow you anywhere.
Listen to them.
Just say the word,
and you'll have 25 million
French citizens behind you.
Right now, I'm hungry.
The best thing to eat here
in Lyon is hot sausage.
Two, please.
Yes, sir.
What is he doing?
He's responsible for my safety.
Every night, he sleeps
lying against my door.
The Sultan thought he
was giving me a slave.
In fact, he's a guardian angel.
Very good, Roustam.
You can go now.
Do you hear that?
Is it making sense to you now?
Is what making sense?
The way they cheered you.
And that's nothing compared to
the welcome you'll get in Paris.
Power is a ripe fruit,
and it's yours for the picking.
I've come back to give,
not to take, Joseph.
No one can imagine what marvels
I've brought back from Egypt.
Please, Napoleon.
I am your brother,
not your public.
Let's at least be
honest with each other.
Egypt was a disaster.
Don't say that.
The discoveries our
scientists have made there,
the knowledge they've gained,
justify all the sacrifices
of the expedition.
Yes, yes, fine. But there are
urgent matters to deal with.
The most urgent one
for me is my divorce.
Josephine has barely
written at all.
Just to inform me she's
bought Malmaison.
With my money, of course.
Or rather, with the money
she hopes I'll find.
She had hardly moved in before
she sent for her lover.
Captain Hippolyte Charles.
Destroy him.
- That won't end it.
- There are others.
Your wife has taken
up again with Barras.
And she keeps company with Goyer,
president of the Directoire.
Our poor mother.
Scandalised.
Vindicated.
You will be able to hold
your heads high again.
I'm finished with
that woman. That...
You can barely bring
yourself to say her name.
Because it's a curse.
I hate her name.
I hate the sound of her voice.
Her perfume.
Everything. It's over.
Finished.
That is what lies ahead of you.
My dear brother, she
has no place in it.
You take care of France,
and I'll take care
of your divorce.
Good evening, Constant.
- Good evening, Madame.
- Madame cannot come in.
The General's orders.
I packed everything
very carefully.
I hope I haven't
forgotten anything.
You can't leave me
outside, Constant.
It's raining.
Yes.
My children, where
are my children?
Mademoiselle Hortense
is in her room, Madame.
So is Monsieur Eugene.
The General has
allowed them to stay.
The General has allowed them.
The General has no
right to allow them,
or to refuse them anything.
What a vile man.
Even when I was brought
in front of the court
during the Revolution,
and God knows it, these
people were without pity,
I was allowed to explain myself.
But him, my own
husband, condemns me
without hearing me.
Do you find that right, Constant?
Well, no... Not... very.
"It is obvious
"that General Bonaparte's
hasty departure from Egypt
"was to avoid a mass
insurrection of his army."
Roustam, see who is there.
They've used anything
they can to discredit me.
Even lies.
- Woman for General.
- She want to come in, I say no.
My shirt, quickly.
Bonaparte.
Bonaparte. Let me in.
Bonaparte.
Bonaparte.
I know you're there.
Be reasonable.
I want to talk to
you. Open the door.
Did people tell you
something about me?
You know that they're
lies, calumnies.
You know people when they
want to defile someone.
It's you who defiled everything.
So go away, Josephine.
I never want to see you again.
No. Let me in.
What have I done? Come
on, open the door.
I can explain everything.
Explain what?
Your cooing with Captain Charles?
Your behaviour is sickening.
It's all over between us.
No.
Forever.
Oh, please, Bonaparte.
I know I can explain everything.
Oh, please.
If you want me to
leave, I will leave.
Her perfume.
What do you accuse me of?
Going out into society?
Giving parties at the Malmaison?
Yes, I did.
And I did it for you.
Because you want power, and
for that you need allies.
I believe in you, Napoleon.
Lucien and I need to talk to you.
Maman has agreed to let
us meet at her house,
and it would be advisable...
- Oh Joseph, you're here.
- Good morning.
But...
But she...
Let's discuss politics.
What about your divorce?
Do you think it's necessary
to close the windows?
As if we were
conspirators plotting?
I'm sure the house
is being watched.
When a government is at bay,
they'll stop at nothing.
- For God's sake, Joseph.
- It's just a family meal.
- This is your house, Maman.
- You can stay if you like.
I'd rather my sisters
weren't mixed up in this.
If things go badly,
they'll be able to swear
they knew nothing about it.
Come on, girls.
Our mother asked you to
leave the room, Caroline.
I know what Lucien and
Joseph are going to propose.
You need support. I'm here to
bring you Murat's support.
Murat?
Who authorised you
to speak for Murat?
He and I love each other.
Murat is over 30, and
you're not yet 20.
I don't think our
mother will approve.
I don't think I approve.
You can state your objections
when Murat comes to
ask you for my hand.
Until then, I entreat
you to accept his help.
Caroline is right.
We can't refuse any offer of help.
Come on, girls.
The plan is audacious,
Napoleon. But it can work.
We've based it on two factors.
First, the people hate
the current government.
And two, they see you as a hero.
You want to overthrow
the Directoire?
It wouldn't take much of a push.
And in its place,
Napoleon Bonaparte?
You've always kept your
distance from politics.
You have managed to
keep your hands clean.
You are the godsend the whole
country is waiting for.
France is so weak now.
She won't be able to stand
another revolution.
The royalists would
make the most of it.
Who said anything
about a revolution?
Everything will be done
perfectly legally.
We just have to
persuade the deputies
to elect a new government, and
get rid of the Directory,
and elect in its place
a new government,
composed of three
irreproachable men.
Sieyes, Roger-Ducos, and you.
It's possible.
If you were to assemble all the
deputies for a special session,
somewhere isolated
where the army could
bring pressure to bear,
if needed, without triggering
a riot in the city.
That's perfect.
And with Murat at the
head of the troops,
we can't fail.
I suggest Chateau de St. Cloud.
It's far enough from Paris,
and easy to control.
I agree.
Can we assume that you approve
of our little project?
Your little project,
as you call it so
discreetly, my dear Joseph,
is nothing less
than a coup d'etat.
If it fails, we will end
up in prison, at best,
and more likely under the blade.
Are you still so sure that
Murat will follow us?
I can speak for him
as I do for myself.
He'll only want to
know in what name
he's risking his liberty and life.
In what name?
In the name of reality.
Louis XVlll is ready
to enter Paris.
If we delay, the
Republic will be lost,
and with it all the
benefits of the Revolution.
That's reason enough
to risk everything.
I'm counting on you to
control the gates of Paris
on the 18th of Brumaire.
No government official
can be allowed
to enter or leave the city.
I also want your censor
to check everything
that's announced in the press.
The newspapers will only
be allowed to print
what my associates
and I decide on.
In other words, you're
asking me to support a plot?
I don't consider
ridding the country
of a bunch of rogues and
swindlers to be a plot.
Even though I may
not always approve
of the government's policies,
I'm a member of it.
You'll be a member
of the next one.
You'll be my minister of police.
That's generous of you,
but I am already
minister of police.
So if you have no
other arguments...
I do have one, yes.
I'm sure the royalists
haven't forgotten
how you slaughtered
hundreds of their followers
during the Reign of Terror.
I heard you had them
shot point-blank
after forcing them to
dig their own graves.
Who is with you?
Everyone.
Generals such as
Murat and Lefebvre,
and politicians such as
Sieyes, Roger-Ducos,
Talleyrand...
You've taken Talleyrand
into your confidence?
He betrays everybody.
No, he won't betray himself.
He understands perfectly well
where his interest lies.
He's expecting a lot
from me, and he's right.
If he doesn't fail me,
I won't fail him.
And that proposition
goes for everyone.
Very well.
You've made yourself clear.
I'll think it over.
No, right now, Fouche.
With me,
or against me?
All right, with you.
But if your plan fails?
Then, instead of being
executed in the King's name
for barbarous crimes,
you'll be executed by the
Directoire for conspiracy.
I am your only hope.
What a rotten job, being a deputy.
Jabbering away for
hours, all locked up.
How long have they been in there?
20 hours. They've been talking
for more than 20 hours.
Don't you think it's
a bad sign, Sieyes?
My dear fellow,
politics isn't war.
It takes much longer to
say something meaningless
than to fire a gun.
Back to your seats, gentlemen.
I won't tolerate this
insolence much longer.
No one will ever be able...
We're shut up in here
without being able to
see or hear anything.
Try to stay calm, General.
Calm? When the future
of France is at stake?
What is it, Murat?
For God's sake, say something.
Is it over? Have they voted?
No. Talleyrand has just arrived.
He wants to see you.
I've just come back
from the Orangerie.
Things don't seem to be going
exactly as you'd hoped.
Now, if my brother can't
make those people obey him,
what good is he to
me as the President?
Sire, he is their President,
not their general.
Deputies cannot be ordered
around as easily as a regiment.
We'll see about that. Soldiers.
I'll sit down if you
agree that Bonaparte...
Listen to me.
Listen to me.
I'm here to serve the Republic.
Gentlemen deputies.
Silence.
Silence.
The Republic is in danger.
- Protect the General.
- They want to kill him.
They... they tried to stab me.
We failed. All is lost.
We mustn't stay here.
They've just declared
you an outlaw.
And us?
You don't exist for them.
The only person who counts
in their eyes is my brother.
Are you all right?
You're not wounded?
- What about you?
- Did they strike you?
- No, they didn't dare.
- I have enough supporters.
I don't know how it
started to unravel.
What's done is done.
The most important thing now
is to find a safe place.
- You've nothing to fear.
- Murat is outside with troops.
Murat.
Good God, Murat. I nearly forgot.
Bonaparte.
What are you going to do?
I'm going back in there.
I have an army outside.
And me with an army...
He doesn't have the right.
Officers and soldiers
of the Republic.
Come, listen. Come, come.
A faction of desperate
men, armed with daggers,
is threatening the Assembly.
They even attempted to
assassinate your General.
On your horses.
They dared to accuse Bonaparte
of staging a coup d'etat,
to bring him into power.
A vile lie.
Do you see this blade?
I would plunge it in
my brother's heart
without a moment's hesitation,
if I suspected him
of violating rights.
Soldiers.
I declare to you that the
representatives of our nation
are in mortal danger.
Consequently, I order you
to invade this assembly.
Immediately.
We know what to do. Come on.
Open the doors.
Citizen representatives.
Your safety is no longer
guaranteed within these walls.
I order you to leave under
the protection of the army.
Grenadiers, forward.
Get them out.
Come on.
Get out, get out.
Get out, all of them.
Do you think your brother
will retain enough deputies
to go ahead with the vote?
Yes, he has enough supporters.
Whatever the result is, it
will be perfectly legal.
The deputies have
dissolved the Directory.
In its place,
they have created an executive
consular commission,
composed of General Bonaparte,
and citizens Sieyes
and Roger-Ducos,
who will bear the titles
of Citizens and Consuls
of the French Republic.
This decree takes
effect immediately.
Officers, present arms to the
Consuls of the Republic.
Present arms.
Long live Bonaparte.
Bonaparte. Bonaparte.
Bonaparte.
Bonaparte. Bonaparte.
What time is it?
About 4:00.
It took longer than we expected.
It almost didn't happen.
Splendid. Magnificent.
Dazzling.
Incomparable.
Sturdy and resistant, I hope?
Oh, that suit of clothes is
going to last a lifetime.
I've only been appointed
First Consul for 10 years.
What a pity there isn't
a bigger mirror,
so you could see how
well it suits you.
Here's my mirror.
Well, what do you think?
Oh, but you look... you look...
Well, I must be very
well turned out,
for my pretty mirror
to cloud over.
Is you-know-who still here?
You-know-who is waiting
for you, next room,
in front of the fire.
I think in another life,
he must have been a cat.
A cat, huh? I'd say a cobra.
Bonaparte, he supports
you without hesitation.
You mean, I support him, which
is only normal for a cripple.
No, don't say
anything, Talleyrand.
I've already been showered
with all the compliments
you can imagine.
But I have no illusion that
this fine suit of clothes
won't be enough to
reassure our neighbours
that France has finally put
the revolution behind her.
True, the European courts
fear the strength of our army
less than the strength
of our ideas.
Therefore, we must demonstrate
that we are civilised
people once more.
An aristocrat, a real aristocrat
who knows how to
behave insolently,
yet with princely grace,
would give us prestige.
You were the Minister of Foreign
Affairs of the Directoire.
The First Consul reappoints you
to that office.
I suppose I should feel flattered
that you consider me to
have princely grace.
But I would display more of it
if your choice was based on
my skill at negotiating.
Negotiating what?
Austria recaptured Italy from
France while I was in Egypt.
And we either accept the
loss of Italy, or...
Or wage war on Austria.
I usually believe the
worst can be avoided.
War is not the worst, Talleyrand.
The worst would be allowing them
to treat France like the
village idiot of Europe.
The one who is slapped
and then says thank you.
What do you know about war?
You've never been to war.
Alas.
A soldier who can neither attack
nor, more especially,
flee in sufficient haste,
is a liability.
Otherwise, I might have
pursued a military career.
- You? A general?
- General Talleyrand?
Perhaps you envy my glory.
You can share it, it
you're loyal to me.
Sire, I wish only to serve you.
You bow as you say that,
so one can't see whether your
eyes support your words.
Man was given speech to
disguise his thoughts,
and words to disguise his eyes.
Don't trust anything, or anyone.
Present arms.
Monsieur Pierre-Louis Roederer,
who I have appointed
Councillor of State
because he served me well,
and will continue to do so.
I'm delighted to meet you, sir.
Welcome to the Tuileries, Madame.
I hope you will like it here.
Are you coming?
Here we are in the waiting room.
Please...
And here are Queen Marie
Antoinette's apartments.
Not very cheerful, I'm afraid.
The price of power.
I hope they've changed the sheets.
Don't be silly.
It's morbid.
If you must live in the Tuileries,
can't we take a
different apartment?
This one feels haunted.
Superstitious nonsense.
Once it's refurnished to
your taste, you'll be happy.
And whenever you need a change,
we can go to Malmaison.
- I need a change right now.
- Let's go.
No, don't be childish.
Maybe tomorrow.
When we got married, I
could ask you anything.
And you always said
yes right away.
Now it's always "maybe tomorrow".
You love me less, Bonaparte.
I am sorry.
Maybe we should have thought of
redecorating the rooms before...
She'll get used to it.
It would be a sorry
state of affairs
if my wife were the
one person in France
to contest my authority.
Show me where my study is.
Please.
Have an article published
in the newspapers
saying I'm against powdered wigs
coming back into fashion for men.
It's ludicrous.
Have they finished
an exact account
of what's left in
the state coffers?
167,000 francs.
Scandalous.
I'm sure there's 10
times that amount
in the pockets of each former
member of the Directoire.
This means France is bankrupt.
We will need to bring in several
million francs this year.
The Minister of Police.
Ah. Fouche.
Come in, Fouche.
You're not an ordinary minister
any more. You're my minister.
So I expect from you a
flawless efficiency.
And yet I hear you dislike
ruthless measures.
How do you define ruthless?
Arresting, imprisoning.
When we imprison a man,
it's usually because
he has broken the law.
In order words,
when it's too late.
Personally, I'd rather prevent
him from committing a crime.
Yet you have to
know to prevent it.
Yes. Know everything
about everyone.
Oh, so you claim to keep watch
on the whole of France?
I have my informers.
This system has saved your
life many times over.
And you didn't inform me?
The bombs were all found in time.
Bombs. Who planted them?
The royalists, with England
acting as their banker.
A bomb is more expensive than a
phial of poison, or a dagger.
So...
this is what politics is like.
No, this is what hatred is like,
Monsieur le Premier Consul.
Hatred.