Les Brigades du Tigre

1 August 1913.

The climate of war prevailing in Europe

leads President Poincaré to visit the tsars of all

the Russias in order to strengthen the ties between the two countries

in the face of the threat of the Austro-Prussian alliance.

Besides, for some years now, Russia has been in fashion in France.

The famous Russian loan drains the savings of rentiers

while Charlie Chaplin conquers the Parisian public with Boris Godunov.

Then, as a sign of friendship, Nicholas II offers to the French capital

a vast exhibition of Russian folk art with the aim, he says,

to better acquaint the friendly nation with the depths of the Slavic soul.

Mr. Clemenceau,

your police officers have now become incognito brains.

They have left their bicycles and their horses.

Meanwhile, in novels, some tell us how

to calmly commit a dirty trick to pass the time.

I would like to see them

in our place so as not to get 20 years.

Would you please remind the ambassador that I am here?

Hello?

Yes, Prime Minister. Mr. Ferrand suggests informing you.

His Excellency Ambassador Aleksandr Yefimovich Zvolski

asks Mr. Fer to do him the honor

to come to his office.

Paul! Paul!

Take him to the boss in 5 minutes. Quickly.

Gentlemen, please sit down.

Ah! Just a moment.

Gentlemen, please excuse me.

Gentlemen, His Majesty, the Tsar of all the Russias,

gives us the surprise and the honor

of sending for the Russian Art Exhibition at the Grand Palais

one of the most precious jewels of the imperial treasury.

One of the most beautiful crowns of the Romanov dynasty.

It is indeed an invaluable piece,

both for its historical and its market value.

If the slightest misfortune were to happen during its stay in France...

Do not forget that in case of war,

the Russian steamroller would be indispensable to us.

And what exactly are we waiting for?

Ah! That you watch over this crown as if it were the Tsar himself.

And where is this marvel?

For the moment aboard a torpedo boat of the imperial navy

which is due to dock at Le Havre on the 22nd,

that is to say, if I am not mistaken, the day after tomorrow.

And there, gentlemen, you must take charge of it.

You three will specifically cover the transport from Le Havre to Paris.

Does that mean we have carte blanche?

Not quite.

You must coordinate on site with Prince Pavel Pavlovitch.

Who is that? - Valentine, please.

Don’t make that mistake, Prince Pavel Pavlovitch. He is the Tsar’s cousin.

And he has been tasked by him to personally accompany

the object in question.

Igor! - Yes, master.

Close the door.

Yes, master.

Yes?

Your Excellency, I met Le Barco

with a representative of the French police.

He wants to see you. - Why?

He would like to speak to you about precautionary measures

regarding transport from Le Havre.

What measures?

What is it for?

I do not know, Your Excellency.

Find him.

Yes, Your Excellency.

Commissioner Valentin?

Sir?

His Most August Highness, Prince Pavlovitch.

Very well. Come in, Commissioner.

Pleased to meet you, sir.

But I fear I do not quite understand

the meaning of your approach.

My superiors and I have sought to contact you as soon as possible

to ensure the safety of the precious burden you are carrying.

Do you know, sir, that a sensitive man

would take great offense at your words?

Pardon?

Do you then think I am incapable of fulfilling the sacred mission

entrusted to me by Mozart?

That is not at all what I meant.

But that is what you are saying.

We only want to help you, believe it.

I believe it, sir, I believe it.

That is why I will not hold it against you.

I am not sensitive, as you can see.

Do you not fear, however, that if you want to act alone...

Alone?

Eagle, Dimitri, Suda!

Here are the two best swordsmen of my entire Cossack regiment, gentlemen.

Faithful to God, to the sands and to myself.

It is now very clearly visible.

It is reversing to get closer to the quay.

The sailors are standing at attention on deck.

That must be the prince appearing now.

What is he like?

He looks rather martial.

Handsome man with large sideburns.

He is wearing a green uniform.

He looks very satisfied with himself, in any case.

So, no doubt.

It is indeed Pavel Pavlovitch.

But do you know him?

I spent a whole year in Russia in Tsarskoye Selo, at the court of the Tsar.

And what were you doing there?

Miracles, as everywhere.

Are Russians then as credible as the French?

More, my dear.

More, it was the Tsarina herself who had summoned me.

The Tsarina, what did she want?

A son.

She only had daughters.

And did you make one for her?

For me, the Tsar.

Unfortunately, he was born two years after they

had chased me from the court, without a friend.

Poor Philippe.

He had his place taken back by Rasputin.

Tell me rather what is happening.

It is magnificent.

The sailors have just fired a volley.

There, the ship is at the quay.

Security services?

Many officers at the rendezvous on the quay.

Lots of loiterers who look like plainclothes inspectors.

The big limousine seems to be waiting for the prince.

And here we are disembarking.

Behind him walk two bodyguards.

I think they are Cossacks.

One of the two is carrying a box.

The crown.

He should not be long now.

Yeah?

I say, he should not be long now.

Yeah.

Ah look, there they are.

Isn't it late? - Yeah.

Why does he live so hard?

And the prince, what did he do with it? - We don't talk about that.

Do you at least have the crown, yes?

No prince, no crown.

What, didn't he come? - Yes, he did come.

And then?

Then you will understand when you meet him.

Oh, what is happening then?

It happens that all our plans fall through.

Prince Pavel Pavlovitch refuses to cooperate with us.

It is a sacred mission, entrusted by the Tsar himself.

Say, but that's probably for Michel Strogoff, right?

Wait, he even refused the car.

No trust in automobiles.

That's what he said.

How does he travel then?

Wait, you will see.

Come.

Oh, where did he find this carriage?

In the hold of the torpedo boat.

The prince has planned everything.

That's a phenomenon, huh?

Although he forbade me, we will follow him anyway.

If he has a problem, it will ultimately fall back on us.

In any case, from both sides we risk a diplomatic incident.

So we might as well try to find the middle ground.

Yeah, with your backside on a spinning chair, so to speak.

Come on, let's go. - Let's go.

We will use the rooms.

The crowns, monseigneur, quickly.

Oh, delightful, children.

If you come with me, I will give you all the jewels in the world.

I am not joking. Hurry up.

Impossible, my dear. Igor and Dimitri would not allow Sergeant Mourir.

Stop him, stop him, this is the last time I hear him!

Make more!

Today is a real rarity of adventure!

Too bad, I would have liked to see his little face.

What else do you want, gentlemen commissioners?

I thought I heard an explosion and some gunshots.

Yes, yes, yes, that's correct, a small incident,

you will find one or two corpses here and there.

Here we are, Gany, Dash, Slouchus.

Oh my God, I will never escape it.

To whom? - To the prince's Cossack.

And the crown? - I did not even get to see it.

Yet I heard a grenade explode. - But where are your men?

Ah, you? But what are you doing?

What will you do? I can drive as well.

A pearl, my brother, a real pearl.

That is very disturbing, what you tell me there, little Valentin.

All the more because those who did it will surely try again.

But have you identified the two corpses?

Yes, the rehabilitated advisor, recently released from petty criminals.

The real culprits have managed to escape.

We found tire tracks.

Yes. And the prince, what does he say about it?

Increasingly delighted with his Cossacks.

He may refuse to watch over the crown alone.

But I don't like it. Not at all, I don't like it.

And where did he leave the crown?