Cadet Rousselle

THE ADVENTURES OF CADET ROUSSELLE

France was then ruled by Louis XV.

It was not a special day, but it was for our story.

The inhabitants of this little town witnessed a remarkable event that day.

For the first time, triplets were baptized here.

Do you believe in God, the almighty Father, Creator of heaven and earth?

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, who was born and suffered for us?

The last of the three to be born would be given the name Cadet.

And the number three would later also prove fatal for Cadet Rousselle.

The years passed.

When Cadet Rousselle was orphaned,

the good priest who had baptized him took him under his wing.

Now, Cadet, that's enough! You'll ruin that bell.

Cadet's first love was the lovely Isabelle,

daughter of the mayor of a nearby town.

But Cadet had nothing, and the mayor disapproved of their love.

He tried to prevent their relationship.

Forget the mayor's daughter, boy.

Her father wants to marry her off to an officer.

She'll never be happy with a soldier; she's too sensible for that.

Don't talk nonsense and go help the chaplain! Come on, we have no time to lose.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Was there ever a more fitting moment to remember these words

than this summer of the year 1789,

now that a new era is unfolding before us,

An era of freedom,

an era of brotherhood,

an era of peace?

Amen.

Why are you standing here dreaming? You must go around, not keep dreaming uselessly! Off you go!

You're finally here.

They must be separated!

A good beating won't do him any harm. Come, let's go.

Striking your neighbor is a grave sin!

For that, you must go to confession at once. Come along, you rascals, come along!

- You too. - Good.

- Is the wine good? - Absolutely.

- A little more? - Yes, please, thank you.

- Who composed this? - I did.

Dear Mr. Rouget de Lisle, you are a great artist.

I hope, Mr. Mayor, that after the scandal of

this morning, you will not hesitate to take the necessary measures.

Do you mean the fight in front of the church?

Exactly that one! What a bad example for the children!

Send that sacristan to Paris if he likes fighting so much.

I'll ask the parish priest to rid us of that overly combative sacristan.

That boy has courage! The youngest of them all, Cadet, and he took on three men.

He undoubtedly has a remarkable fate awaiting him.

Everything in his life is connected with the number 3.

Since his birth, he has been the youngest of triplets.

That's wonderful! A splendid subject for a song.

Cadet Rousselle, Cadet Rousselle, counts for three. Cadet Rousselle counts for three.

The youngest of three brothers.

- He attacks when you least expect it. - Yes.

- He goes into battle... - Wait, wait, just a moment!

If necessary, right at the church door.

Ha, ha, not another word, Cadet Rousselle is a fine fellow.

Ha, ha, not another word! Cadet Rousselle is a fine fellow.

Bravo! That turned out well.

- Shall we try another verse? - And if possible, even funnier.

- For example, about his three strange locks of hair. - A great idea!

How about: Cadet Rousselle has three locks of hair.

Let's go for it! Cadet Rousselle has three locks of hair.

Cadet Rousselle has three locks of hair.

That fall into his eyes.

- And when he goes to his sweetheart... - He braids them into a braid.

Ha, ha, not another peep, Cadet Rousselle is a fine lad.

You compose as easily as a bird sings.

One day, one of your melodies will surely make you famous.

You're an officer, after all, why don't you try a march?

- I don't know a single decent march. - I'll consider it.

That's not a bad idea...

Cadet! Cadet!

Something terrible has happened. Your father wants to force you to leave here.

Can you hear me, Cadet?

Most parents stand in the way of their children's happiness.

And I've been planning to leave for a long time anyway.

Do you want to leave?

I don't want to leave you. I want to be worthy of you.

When I return from my journey rich and famous,

your father will be only too happy to give you to me as my wife!

My rose! You are the fairest of them all! Ah...

I will keep these roses!

And wear my medallion close to your heart.

It will give me courage. I will return soon.

Remember this well. I will wait for you.

I will never marry another.

Now that you are setting out into the world, remember that the straight path is usually the right one.

And I'll give you something else, boy.

Here are three gold coins; unfortunately, I couldn't save any more.

You are very good to me. When I return rich, I will have

the presbytery and the roof of the chancel restored.

- May God hear you. - Watch over Isabelle.

Isabelle and I will think of you often.

That will be difficult. Her father keeps a constant eye on her.

Not in the confessional!

Promise me you won't give her to another man.

- Never! Unless she wants it herself. - I will return soon.

- May God let me live to see it. - Certainly, and then you will bless us!

Let us hope so. Farewell then, my dear son!

May the Holy Trinity always watch over you.

Go now, boy. It is time for you to leave.

So Cadet left for Paris and went to meet adventure.

At the end of the day, he stopped and rested.

There he was attacked by three villains. That fateful number 3 again.

- Why are you stopping? - There is someone lying in the road.

Sir! Would you be so kind as to move aside? I would like to pass. Come on!

Ah, there is always something with these pedestrians.

And besides, they are such an obstacle.

Come on, sir! I'm sorry to bother you, but you understand...

- What is it? Why are you screaming like that? - He...

What is it?

- He is dead. - So what? Then move him aside!

Are you afraid of a dead man? Wait, I'll help you. We must not waste time.

- Where shall we put him? - Grab him by his feet.

Throw him off the road.

And another victim of this deadly road.

What times we live in! To have to die so young... What a tragedy.

Come on, Jérôme! What is it now?

- He is dead. He... - What is it now?

He moved.

But he is injured! Go get water quickly!

- Is it serious? - It's hard to say.

Come on, we must move on, otherwise night will overtake us here.

We can't leave him here!

Leaving him here to die would bring us no luck.

We can take him with us and bring him to the nearest town.

We must leave. A good deed is always rewarded.

- How did it happen? - It's a long story.

- A love story? - Of course.

Tell me about it.

He has a taste for life again.

Something doesn't add up in his story. I don't trust it.

We'll gain a friend from it.

If there is something, we'll find out.

We'll know soon enough.

- I have quite a lot of those. - A lot of what?

In this, all right.

You don't want to know how much I love Isabelle.

You don't know what she looks like either. Almost as beautiful as you.

Of course, it's a different kind of beauty, but still. More...

Or a little less...

But so beautiful. So soft.

And so tender.

She snuggled up to me.

I loved her hair.

Its scent made me forget all my worries.

I loved the softness of her cheek.

The freshness of her hand.

You can't imagine how much I love you, Isabelle.

Violetta! My name is Violetta.

But what is happening to me? It must be because of that blow I received to my head.

- Where does it hurt? - Nowhere.

I feel numb. Blissfully numb, as if I were dreaming.

That is exactly how I feel. And yet I didn't get a blow to my head.

That is strange.

I think we will become good friends.

Oh yes.

Gallet was taken in by traveling actors who, like him, were heading for Paris.

Soon they arrived in a large city, where they set up their stage to perform.

Come and see the most entertaining and

extraordinary show you have ever seen.

- We have traveled all over the world. - We received applause everywhere. In every language.

Come see Carlos, the knife thrower.

Carlos, who every evening puts the life of his beautiful partner

Maria at risk, who serves as a living target.

The knife thrower who fortunately never hits his target.

Come and see the juggler. Juggling!

The trained animals perform incredible tricks.

Two ducks without ice... one on a brother's arm.

Two soles that can crush my hand.

Come and admire him! Whoever wants to wrestle with him will be well received, I promise you.

And here comes the giant Atlas, with arms of iron.

Don't be afraid, he has just eaten.

And because he loves children, we have put a muzzle on him.

And as if from One-Thousand-and-One-Nights, here are the three most famous dancers of Baghdad.

- Monseigneur. - Don't call me Monseigneur.

It took me a lot of trouble to find you. Nowadays one has to be careful of everyone.

If you would follow me to my carriage, we could talk there more quietly, Monseigneur.

These are the pieces of information I was able to gather along the way, Monseigneur.

Don't call me Monseigneur, someone might hear us.

We have an important message. It must reach Paris as quickly as possible.

Send one or two men immediately tomorrow.

As for you: change your route so as not to arouse suspicion.

- Really? - That is more cautious. Head towards...

- Further instructions will follow. - Good, Monseigneur.

- Don't call me Monseigneur. - Oh, pardon me.

- Are you leaving already, Monseigneur? - Oh yes, I had forgotten that.

Long live the king!

The magnificent, incomparable Isabelle!

No, Violetta!

Come straight to my carriage and fetch Ricardo.

And for the first time in your city: Jérôme Valdinguet.

At your service.

Yes, you will be the most famous sword swallower. Sword swallowing.

No, I'm not hungry now. I'll save it for tonight, all right?

And to close the show: the storming of the Bastille!

With the participation of the entire troupe!

A royal piece! Uh... a choice piece!

With fireworks and a general explosion, so here's a little preview!