One Night... a Train (Un soir, un train)

THE MOVIE YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS THE FINAL VERSION

INTENDED BY THE DIRECTOR.

ONE NIGHT, A TRAIN

DIRECTED BY ANDRE DELVAUX

BASED ON A SHORT STORY BY JOHAN DAISNE

She thought it was so funny

because you'd go every day at 2 p.m.

for a piece of gingerbread.

You were only five

and you crossed the street alone

because I never had any trouble with you.

That's right, never,

except once, when you refused to go to the movies with me.

You said: "I'm not going to the movies with that one."

I had my hat on,

I took it off.

I never forgot that, Mathias.

You were ten years old

and you were ashamed of me.

-I wasn't. -You were.

You didn't like my hat.

But I forgave you a long time ago.

You know, I've never hurt anyone.

Mathias, did you ask Petit Louis

to maintain the grave for All Saints' Day?

Yes, it's done, don't worry.

And the two pots of chrysanthemums,

did you choose them?

They're beautiful.

How much do I owe you?

Nothing.

Don't forget, because I...

This is for Anne.

Tell her I'd love to see her.

Do you have any children yet?

No.

Professor!

Excuse me.

I wanted to discuss the issue I'm having with my girlfriend.

You'll agree that the three arguments I'm quoting

are based on...

Saussure's Cours de linguistique générale.

-Saussure's? -Yes.

-Alright. -Great, thank you.

Last week I think I showed that,

as an example,

that symbols can have different meanings

even if you limit their use

to the field of linguistics.

But today, we're beginning to believe

in certain environments

than science itself

could borrow, from linguistics,

its beginnings

to leap forward

and organize a more coherent vision

of universal phenomena.

For my part, I think this almost religious,

mystical attitude

can only be detrimental

to the rational certainties that linguistics has secured for itself

with great difficulty since Ferdinand de Saussure.

This very evening, I'm going to go

to a nearby university

to present this research

and take a stand,

as I'm about to do here, in front of you.

May I interrupt, Professor?

Of course.

I'm sorry.

I was surprised to see so few of you.

Your Flemish comrades went on strike this afternoon.

I didn't know that.

I understand their action

against the ecclesiastical authorities in this case,

but I have more reservations about their stance

towards your French-speaking comrades.

Otherwise, they have my support.

Well, I'm all the more inclined

when it comes to linguistics.

Gentlemen, see you next Thursday.

Can I ask you

what takes priority between Elckerlyc and Everyman?

You mean precedence.

Of course.

This is my translation.

-Can you read my handwriting? -Yes.

"God says:

"'Where are you, Death that spares no one?

"'Appear, listen to my command.'"

It should be: "God ordains,"

then the first person, "waar sid i,"

"Where are you, Death?"

The medieval informal is today's formal.

OK.

"And Elckerlyc, each man," "every man"?

"Every man" is better.

So, "Go get every man

"and tell him he must take

"the pilgrimage from which no one returns

"and give me his assessment without delay."

"Rekening doen," "give me his account."

It's much more direct.

Death has little to say

and says it in very few words.

"Elckerlyc,

"you're about to lose everything you thought you owned."

"...a pilgrimage from which no one ever returns."

"Bring your accounts and writing, review them carefully."

"I'm ill-prepared for it.

"Reporting to God?

"Why? Who are you, messenger?"

"I am Death who spares no one."

It's not bad.

Do I keep the archaisms?

No. It's just as impossible to transpose into 15th-century French.

But preserving biblical forms, for example...

We'll talk more tomorrow.

-Thank you, sir. -Bye, Hilda.

So, Vreeman, do you think we should protest?

Protest? It's not that simple.

I think we have to do it out of solidarity with the students.

Solidarity to kick out a minority?

Apartheid, racism, separatism... Remind you of anything?

That's a quick way of putting it.

It's even quicker to do.

Hello, are the actors still in rehearsal?

No, thank you, don't bother them. Bye.

"Where are you, Death, who spares no one?"

"At all times, you command, Almighty God."

"Elckerlyc, go get every man

"and tell him he must take a pilgrimage

"and give me his account.

"That is my command."

"Elckerlyc, where are you going?

"Have you forgotten, God?"

"Why do you ask?"

Thank you, Frans. Thank you, Henrik.

You see, Anne, it's impossible like this.

Henrik is frozen in his cape,

he'll never have his hands free. He'll always be isolated.

One more time, guys.

"I want to rule the world.

"I will also go see Elckerlyc."

It's not working, I'm slipping...

Hold on, Henrik. You're right.

It's the coat.

That's the traditional Death of the Middle Ages.

It's an absolute, symbolic force.

However, in Mathias' adaptation,

Death is just one more thing happening.

It's just one event among many.

It's a force that any man can control.

It's a character like Elckerlyc, like Vertu like Confession.

You can't touch Death, Werner.

It's an image fixed once and for all in the past.

It's like Christ.

It's not Dracula, or Nosferatu,

but a disturbing character.

Imagine some kind of plastic material

or silver fabric,

a softly luminous figure in the half-light.

With batteries in the belt?

I can't do that for tomorrow.

The workshop has already been working all night.

You're great, you'll think of something.

Henrick, do it again.

Start at "Elckerlyc, where are you going?

"Did you forget, God?" OK?

"Elckerlyc, where are you going?

-"Did you forget, God?" -"Why do you ask?"

No, no, it's not working.

Come here.

Look, what matters...

What are you doing here?

I got done early.

The students are going to protest this afternoon.

-Will you go? -No.

I have to work all night. You won't be there?

My train leaves at the end of the day.

My conference is at 8:30 p.m.

I'll think about you.

I have to design a new Death, a lizard.

-Skinny? -Hard.

Cold.

A small death.

-When? -Without delay.

How is it going with Werner?

Quiet! We can't concentrate!

-Mathias, what are you doing here? -Working!

We found a solution.

I think we've found something.

Elckerlyc isn't talking to Death.

He's talking beyond Death,

as if it were invisible.

In the end, it's just one big

alcoholic monologue.

Obviously, the whole play was a monologue.

Elckerlyc knows he's monologuing with himself.

He is therefore stronger than Death, stronger than God