The Virtuous Scoundrel (La Vie d'un honnête homme)

THE LIFE OF A DECENT MAN

This film was shot in sets by Aimé Bazin, at Studio Photosonor.

Sound: Western; copies: C.T.M. laboratories.

Script published at Éditions Raoul Solar.

With their cameras René Ribaud and Pierre Bachelet captured the images,

while Tony Leenhardt, the sound engineer, recorded the sounds.

Then Raymond Lamy edited the film. No one could have done it better.

With pride: Jean Bachelet as our cameraman.

The assistant director was François Gir,

the one who noted everything on the set was Odette Lemarchand,

and the stage manager was Philippe Senne.

The production manager was Simon Barstoff,

and finally, our cast!

Michel Simon, would you like to perform 2 roles for us in this film?

- With great pleasure. - Then we have a double admiration.

Hello?

You will play the wife of Michel Simon in this film.

Could you make yourself available tomorrow afternoon? I am already looking forward to it.

Pauline Carton, you will be at 14:00 on the set

wearing a black dress and a wool coat.

- Do you need anything else? - Yes, your talent.

Lana Marconi, in this film you play a lady of pleasure.

- We can assume that. - Then let us begin.

- What is that supposed to be? - What is wrong with it?

They are not edible because they are burned and I still have to pay for them.

You are not only a bad cook but also a dishonest woman.

Just because I am rich does not mean we must waste money.

I know very well what they say behind my back. When you

talk about me... I know exactly what you think.

With the fortune that I have... the fortune that I

have is thanks to my own actions, I worked for it.

I earned it, without having to say thank you to anyone.

I am an honest man!

When I was 20 years old I should not have tried something like that, serving burnt peas.

Why do you think I have 5 people in my service

and 2 cars? Think about that.

Smoking at the table, where do you think you are.

I find it a pity that you did not hear what I said to Marie.

- Yes indeed, we heard you shouting all the way here. - I hope they understood.

Evelyn, let the drinks come.

Mister Albert Ménard-Lacoste, industrialist and with an enormous fortune.

And a man with a legion of honor, was indeed the best employer.

It could not be denied.

The negative trait consisting of: not misbehaving,

that trait in his own eyes made him see himself as a pleasant man.

If you study him you clearly see that he resembles Joseph de Maistre,

that immediately came to my mind. I will explain to you why.

I do not know what a rogue’s life is, I was not a rogue.

I was simply a decent man.

We apologize for the technical problems we are currently experiencing.

Mister Albert Ménard-Lacoste has the pleasure and realizes

only for himself the dark thoughts that pass through his mind.

His son, whom he regarded as a fool.

His daughter, born like a duck, he hated.

The maid, because she is young and beautiful

is, in his imagination he saw her almost naked.

Later in the evening, when his wife was sleeping in the bedroom...

He looked at her for a very long time, a very long time... until he saw her dead.

One day the following message arrived...

- What is it? - It is for...

It concerns the gentleman who looks enormously like you, who

delivered a letter and who now wants to know an answer.

Tell him that I have not yet had time, I will write him a letter tomorrow.

- He will not agree. - And why not?

He wants to meet you as soon as possible so he wants an immediate answer.

He will not accept it.

People are making things rather difficult for me these days.

Very well then, let him come in.

Tell my wife and children that I

am busy and that I do not want to be interrupted.

Do you still recognize me? Or rather, do you recognize yourself?

Of course, how could I not recognize myself in a photograph?

- Hello Albert. - Hello Alain.

Can we shake hands? Actually I find

that I do not like it, we could never stand each other.

We have not seen each other for 30 years and the reception here is nothing.

I do not like standing in front of you at all. May I not sit down?

We must put an end to it.

- Did you read my letter? - Yes.

- Is it possible now? - Unfortunately, no.

Can you not give me a job in your company?

- Just because we look alike? - Not only that.

You clearly understood that I do not have a single penny left?

Can you put in a good word for me with someone else then?

I can do that, but I do not feel like it.

Recommending someone can end very badly.

- What is your profession anyway? - I have done everything.

These are not references.

Is drowning an option?

You really have a disrespectful look and a capricious laugh.

And I am not even talking about the tone with which you address me.

- You hate me! - Absolutely not.

- Do you feel pity for me? - Yes.

I do not like that others have to solve your problems.

No one has to do anything for you, my dear friend.

You are here only for personal interest.

- Since when have you been in Paris? - For 6 days.

I am currently staying in a hotel next to the North Station.

In my letter there is also the address of the hotel.

You dropped my letter into the fireplace, huh?

- Did you throw it into the fireplace? - No.

You are a liar!

Have you become a collector of photos?

You hid my letter well anyway.

- So you come from Canada? - That's right.

- What did you do there? - I was in prison.

I was there for vagrancy.

If you have no food or place to sleep that is what they call it now.

In all civilized countries.

You look at my suit like that, do you find it nice?

It was a gift from a stranger on the boat.

In one of the pockets there were still 4 dollars that he supposedly had forgotten.

There really are strange people, huh? And unfortunately it was not my own brother.

Very unpleasant to say that, but you

did speak the truth, he was not your brother.

Fortunately for him.

- Are you married? - No, I had a mistress...

but she left me.

Even with such a nice suit I cannot be your secretary.

- Is it because of your wife? - That too.

- She does know that you still have a brother? - No.

You suddenly disappeared, so I thought it was best to

not talk about you and besides that is none of her business.

- You are ashamed. - You could say that.

A great man like me must still try to hide someone like you.

A poor brother. So your wife does not know that you still have a twin brother?

She does know that our mother had twins.

- That one died? - Correct.

That is well invented, you not only did not help me but also killed me.

You are my brother, how old was I when I died?

- When you were 18. - That is young.

Actually you got rid of me very quickly. Now I understand

also why you cannot employ me.

Nor recommend me. Good...

- Give me 1000 Franc. - 1000 Franc?

You cannot refuse it, can you? What is 1000 Franc to you?

- That is the same as with you. - I can manage 6 days with that.

With 1000 Franc I can smoke for one week.

Why must I pay for one week because you made a soup out of it?

You give me 3000 Franc? 1000 I ask, 1000 to

keep silent and 1000 to not come back anymore.

It has come far, so different from each other. It

is frightening and in the end I am your brother.

As you say yourself, I am your brother but I am not always there for you.

- I also have my problems, my family. - And yourself.

Yes, indeed. You do not think of leaving this world for me?

- I thought that you the family... - Of course, the family...

- It is something, a family? - Yes of course...

When you need them and misuse them. A family

for me is the family that you chose yourself.

My wife and children. I chose my wife myself

and the children came by themselves.

But the father, the mother, the brothers and sisters, cousins

and nieces... and the rest, I did not choose myself.

Imagine that your children think that way about you.

I am quite sure of that. They will also

think that way when they have children themselves.

- So you think that way about me? - Yes, of course.

I would never have chosen you as a brother. Do not think

that I would have chosen you, in no case.

Would we have met each other if you had not been my brother?

Probably not, you must be honest with yourself.

You in your position and I in mine, if you had not been my brother

the chance that you would come knocking would also have been small.

But no. If I had had the choice to

choose a brother that certainly would not have been you.

I can see it in your look, you probably find me a monster

and maybe I am that too but I see it completely differently.

I must say it clearly, few people would admit that honestly.

I am a great honest man, I can say that.

The honest man has some matters to put in order, he has an example function.

In the end he has the right and makes clear

decisions, not that it is so pleasant to carry them out all the time.

Some days I find it hard to make my heart into a stone.

And if I let myself go then I give money to beggars.

- You must let yourself go. - Yes, of course.

I must encourage them to do nothing.

Giving money to a loser is giving money to an alcoholic.

- You love your money. - I am simply an example.

Everyone loves my money and you first. You do not know what it is to be rich.

- Is it terrible? - Yes, sometimes.

Probably also because you decided to be a gentleman.

You think that you are the smartest at this moment.

Do you know what it is to be a decent person?

I will explain it to you, then you will know it.

I will tell you a story from 35 years ago.

On which my whole life as a decent man is built. 35 years

ago I made a choice and I always stuck to it.

I was then 20 years old, my employer gave me banknotes of

in total 1000 Franc, which I had to give to Mr. Delannoy.

He placed the banknotes on my desk and added: "go ahead and count".

He leaves and I count the amount, there were even 10000 Franc

too many. In those days that was a lot of money.

- That is a nice amount. - Yes, of course...

That was a large amount, but I needed money myself.

I still had to pay back 6000 Franc to someone and in addition

I also had to buy a travel bag.

Well, the sum that burned my hands... that

sum I gave back to my employer.

You don't dare say anything anymore?