The Maiden and the Wolves
The border?
The echo. lt's from there.
One missing. Whose was the black cub?
Mine. But l hit it. lt flipped like a pancake.
lt won't last a week alone.
lt's maddening.
Who's this clown?
The madman.
My wolves!
Stop!
Get off me!
Not kill my wolves! No right!
- Drive! - Not right over him!
We'll vouch for you!
My wolves!
Stop!
What happened to you?
You're bleeding?
Not bleeding. Wolves bleed.
They attacked you?
Your son attacked wolves!
This... My wolves!
Emile? You saw him?
Saw him! Customs too.
lf he comes back...
Stay out of it. l'll see to it!
Go back up. And wash, you're ridiculous.
Off you go!
lf Emile comes back, finito.
Let's go.
Daddy!
Where are they?
ln the yard. Hanging high.
l got that one, right in the head.
ls there a black one?
They're the worst.
These are all grey.
Black wolves are rare.
My grandma told me about one and a shepherdess.
lt would suckle her.
And she let it!
They were found one day... stuck together!
They were both burned at the stake.
lf Dad stuffs them carefully,
once you're a vet,
maybe you can bring them back to life.
Enough, Angele! Go to bed now.
You and your wolves...
Antoine will be a soldier like my father.
Vets have to blow in horse's behinds.
You'd be more dashing on one as a dragoon.
Do soldiers kill wolves?
No.
ln the Russian campaign, my grandpa said
wolves followed them to eat the dead.
Wolves are smart.
Maybe, but you aren't. She'll have nightmares now.
Go on up to bed now.
''The Wolf leaves it then and looks at us
The knives jammed in its side to their hilt
Pinning it to the grass bathed in its blood
Our rifles surrounded it as a sinister crescent
lt gazes at us again, then lies back down
While licking the blood smeared on its mouth
And, without knowing its end
Closing its large eyes again, dies without a crt''
Perfect for nightmares!
Madeline, it's by De vigny!
The great Alfred de Vigny!
Good night.
Come on.
Antoine, are you asleep?
There's a wolf in my room!
You're mad!
We'll get a real hiding.
And he'll get worse!
Come on...
He has lovely eyes.
Never look a wolf in the eye!
lt'll hypnotize you and kill you.
Him? l doubt it.
Cachou. We'll call him Cachou.
When l grow up, l'll be a vet.
lmpossible. Girls can't be.
l'll marrt you and help you.
Sure...
Enough of this climb and your talk.
We'll let him go here.
- Give him a kiss. - Why?
To know you when he grows up.
lf he makes it.
- Where to? - lf he survives.
Why leave him here then?
He's got a nerve! He just peed on me!
He's marking his territort.
l'm all wet now.
We shouldn't abandon him.
lf this is what vets do, l'm not marrting you.
Oh, come on...
The alarm bell! lt's war!
Come on, quick!
lt's not for you.
lt's for Giuseppe.
Come here.
Wait.
All black, just like coal, Carbone.
For Giuseppe.
Come on.
lt's like the cattle market.
Excuse me.
ls this war?
How will the little wolf manage?
lt's better for him, like mother said.
Delachaux, Ferdinand.
Present!
On August 3rd, 1914, the day war was declared,
l thought only of the tiny wolf we'd abandoned.
At this crucial moment,
men were so busy slaughtering each other,
the last surviving wolves had a brief respite.
ln a few weeks, my mind replaced the lead soldiers
that mother drew for the Garcin plant
with real soldiers whose massacre was suppressed.
The industry of death took over,
with ''bitches'', ''bitchlings'' and ''bitchettes'';
cartridges for guns, machine guns and rifles.
A dazzling success
that made Garcin & Son a fortune.
ln autumn 1918,
with the German lines crumbling, victory seemed imminent.
Eager to fight,
Antoine signed up the day he turned 18.
Mother, proud, moved heaven and earth
for him to be in the artillery.
He died on the last day of the war
when his gun exploded.
A fault in the steel or defective ammunition...
We never knew.
Eaten up by sorrow and remorse,
mother died of grief a few years later on Christmas Day.
My dear Angele...
A ray of light in this dullness.
''The victort Song''. ln three sizes.
Nearly 2,000 orders. A huge success!
Like hot cakes. Come on.
Our misfortunes inspired the Garcins.
Always ready to adapt,
they launched a flourishing line in war memorials.
30,000 towns were in mourning.
And, naively, l played along with their game.
- ls this a wolf? - lt's a dog, you fool.
Rabid dogs attack children, not wolves!
Father, the Pasteur advertisement would be more effective with a wolf.
More dramatic, more sales.
You killed all the wolves, idiot!
She would make a lovely Marianne.
Are the wolves back?
Emile just has a bee in his bonnet.
They can easily invade France again.
You see, Angele, wolves are rather special.
ln a pack, only the dominant pair mates.
The others, zilch.
But the others want to. So they get killed
or leave for anotherterritory,
giving us the lone wolf of the steppes,
howling for a mate with the same problem.
And that does it!
Angele, come over here.
That's what they do.
At this rate, they'll soon reach Brest!
And, with the war, their numbers are on the rise.
And you didn't profit from the war? Leave the wolves be!
Stand here, with your back arched.
Your chin up.
Your bosom thrust forward, scorning the enemy.
Tits against Fritz!
The flag in one hand...
Point your finger.
Nice and straight.
Lie at her feet, bayonet fixed,
nice and warm in her skirts. There!
We'll change his head.
Sorrt, but symbolically
Antoine's is better.
Angele, show a bit of cleavage.
Afine Marianne...
A nursing mother...
l have to undress?
No, just your bosom.
You embody the homeland.
The motherland feeds its young!
Father didn't say l'd pose naked.
Of course you will!
lmagine! Brother and sister united
for liberty and remembrance!
Trt to understand her.
l can wait outside.
Go on, get out now.
Beautiful like ancient art.
lt's ancient modern art!
One snap!
lt's in dubious taste but...
if you insist. Why not?
One snap!
About time.
Fire!
Come on beauty, spread your legs.
lt's for science!
- What's wrong now? - You knew?
- What? - The pose. Half-naked!
Tits against Fritz!
That's funny?
lt's amusing. l bet that was Emile.
Not vert smart but amusing.
He's an idiot!
You're never happy.
They've always helped us.
These boards are an order from Emile.
They're more than welcome.
So l have to pose?
l do what l can.
You're still under age and...
Not for much longer!
We should only have boys. Girls are too ungrateful.
Right...
You're not going to wind me up too!
Lift it!
Father!
Go home now, father.
Come on. Just a second.
Look...
Stylish, isn't it?
The ''bitches'' linked by chains...
- My idea. - Excellent.
And Antoine, at the top of the list.
Let's go, it's raining.
He thinks we're stupid. lt's in alphabetical order!
Don't be so negative.
Chronologically, he'd be at the bottom.
The vert last.
Poor Antoine.
What?
Magnificent!
My dear Angele... Magnificent!
You're as beautiful as your statue.
How's the nursing?
You're qualified now?
Congratulations.
l have an idea.
Father needs a nurse.
A personal nurse.
He's fond of you.
Excellent idea. Your mother and l...
lmpossible. l have to study.
More?
Study to be what? A head nurse?
Aveterinarian.
For animals you mean?
Women aren't veterinarians!
But they will be. lt's what Antoine wanted to do.
l'll be the first to do it.
A rough, thankless trade.
You'd need to shoe horses and oxen.
You deserve better.
lmagine yourself with your arm up a horse's rear end.
ls cleaning old men's sores any better?
You'll do as l...
No, as l say. l'm over age. From today.
l'll study again.
That's what they call a modern woman.
Blacksmith? That's modern?
No idea.
Afemale vet is modern.
Happy birthday.
Did my father remind you or yours?
Agood mayor is a good father for his citizens.
Mayor, mare. More horses.
You modern young people can joke together.
l need a drop of wine to think straight.
l have to watch him.
Angele. Don't run away.
l'll take the plunge.
l should like to see you more often.
We're made for each other.
l have a few assets.
Unite our families
that have suffered so much and have so much to share.
And to gain.
l'll think about it.
My dear, thinking is a luxury!
Emile can't understand why you want to study
but he lent us his car.
ln mid-winter, he lends us his invalid father's old car!
You wear me out.
Too bad your mother isn't here.
Love requires passion.
At first. But it doesn't last.
Reason always wins out.
Sounds wonderful!
lf it's turned out, l clip...
No, l heat-stamp the inside?
No! Outside branch if it's turned out.
lf it's knock-kneed, keep the outside thick.
Pad it out.
Yes, l knew that.
lt can be balled,
widdershins or stumpy like me.
Take the hind hoof.
The hind hoof!
Grip it between your legs.
Can't l trt a lighter one?
They're more skittish.
Hold on, lass.
The other end...
Hammer it in.
Watch out for the live flesh.
An apprentice with balls needs two years.
One with a crack will need four. To shoe rocking horses.
Get to work.
l've tried everything but, quite frankly,
she's not cut out for it. Take her with you.
Maybe she'll do better.
l said it was no use.
This is a boys' school.
The smith is a good man,
patient with women, but there's a limit.
But, sir, vet isn't the same as smith.
Avet tends mainly to horses.
Horsepower is in cars now!
The dung machines have had it.
They've had it?
Three million horses in France have had it?
l prefer wild animals!
ln that case, turn in your smith's apron
and get to the zoo
or a circus!
You'd look lovely in a tutu!
Honestly!
Ashort rein. She's a hot-blooded filly.
Gentlemen, tea time!
Bloody buggert!
Are you Mr Morzov?
The name's Zhormov. My boss.
l'm Anatole, mechanic.
- Delighted. - Nasty.
- lt's nothing. - Get it seen to.
No time for that.
All right?
Fine, but if l don't mend this baby, l'm dead.
The big cats' supper.
That sounds scart! Where is this monster?
ln his cages, back there.
Stand back, idiot!
Those jaws can tear you apart!
You don't know their power.
300 pounds per square inch, 42 razor-sharp teeth,
12 incisors...
Angele Amblard,
veterinary nurse.
Count Zhormov. lgor.
Russian. The great Russia.
Explorer and trader.
Specialized in big cats.
For circuses and zoos.
Delighted.
They're aggressive.
Vert special animals.
Not look them in the eye!
- You don't know the wolf. - l do.
These American.
Vert aggressive. Better for business.
So...
you're a veterinarian.
Almost. A nurse for now.
l'd like to work with big cats.
l can treat men but l prefer animals.
What a pity.
A pity?
That you don't prefer men.
l wouldn't mind dining with you,
tete-a-tete.
Eye to eye.
You're vert charming.
Not really. l need work.
Judge me for my skills instead.
Sorrt, miss. No time.
l'm off to Greenland to find his brothers.
So farewell, miss.
Polar bears in Greenland?
l'll come with you for free!
- That's what the plane's for? - Of course.
Low-altitude scouting overthe ice,
pursuit, exhaust the animal and then net it!
A real net.
Like trout? With a net? By plane?
Take me with you!
l'll dine you with you evert night at the hotel!
ln the igloo, you mean. At minus 30,
on raw caribou meat,
surrounded by lnuit trappers who stink of foxes?
Think it smells fresh here?
You'd last two hours, not three months.
Glad to have met you. Goodbye.
Straighten up.
There. That's it!
That's good!
Perfect!
- lt's magical. - Hear the music?
lt's like Mozart!
ln 1918, the Storks Squadron...
l tuned all their pianos.
Just one bullet for the Krauts...
The Germans...
lt had to purr like a kitten.
Hispano Suiza. 8 cylinders, 12 litres.
Never heard of it?
lt leaves birds standing.
And you get a choice! Wheels on grass, skids on snow!
Patent: Anatole Turcat. All my own work.
- lmpressed? - Absolutely!
You have a wonderful job.
Help me. l want to go to Greenland to find bears.
My thoroughbred isn't some old nag.
l can imagine. l'll help, l'll learn...
That bird's back. Ripe for plucking!
Fix the slide lever.
l only have two hands.
Take me along. We'll make a good team!
You're back? Vert sure of yourself...
Too good to refuse.
l was watching. You fly like an ace.
Take me too. l trust you.
Go on, be nice.
l'm from here.
- lf we go this way... - l'll meet your parents?
No, you'll see where the last wolves live.
Wild ones.
Not your stinking ones.
lt's near the border.
l read up on polar bears last night.
''Arctic'' is Greek for ''land of bears''.
My dear, bears are my department. l know them.
Ursus maritimus, 9.8 feet long, 900 pounds.
They're left-handed.
Left-handed? Bears?
You saw one sucking its thumb?
Ask the Eskimos.
Beware of left hooks. There's a trick...
l'll save the rest for the igloo.
For our tete-a-tetes.
Even with the stink.
You're something else.
ls that mine?
We're the same build!
The St Marcel field is snowy.
ldeal for the skids.
There's an inn there.
lf she gets cold, she can warm up...
- Under a quilt! - Shut it, Anatole.
- Where are we? - Here.
First time you backside's been up?
lt can get rocky.
Want a good bit of spin, boss?
Go away, you pigmy!
Like the girls at Jo's dancehall.
Three spins and they're hot.
lgnition.
The Russkie has guts.
Follow the train line!
lt looks so different!
lsn't that yourtown there?
- Follow with your finger. - l can't find it.
l'm frozen!
l said to wear gloves.
That's my home down there!
That's Plombieres!
And the Poisses plateau behind it.
Could you trt to land?
l can't find my gloves!
Shit!
Here are gloves.
So where are these fresh smelling wolves of yours?
No one has seen them.
Just fur and droppings.
Wonderful!
Stop moving like that.
Can't you turn normally?
This isn't a handcart, young lady.
lf you have to vomit,
do it outside because l'm just behind you.
Land!
l'm going to die!
Hold on tight!
Hold on!
Mademoiselle...
Leave me alone.
You must get out.
Can you lean on it?
Fetch my father.
Leon Amblard, in Plombieres.
Where are we?
Where's the map?
This is no map. lt flew off.
Flew off?
But l need a map! How can l manage here?
l'll leave you my pistol.
Careful, it's loaded.
And vodka.
Don't sleep, little kitten. Don't sleep, little swallow.
Sleep and you die.
l'll come back soon with father.
l promise, kitten,
then we'll go to chase bears in Greenland.
But don't sleep, all right?
Don't sleep!
He was seen here. Plombieres...
Then heading for ltaly.
But he was due back an hour ago.
He's flying her on her back,
holding his joystick!
Looping the loop even!
Or he's gone wild.
Venice...
The Danieli...
Venice? ln my crate?
With the pea-souper coming in?
lt looks bad.
Don't be afraid, l'll come back.
Mr Prefect?
Useless. A bit of snow and...
What is it?
Sorrt it's so late. Can you wake the mayor?
l'm the mayor. Come up!
You're the mayor? l'm the plane.
- Has the search started? - ln this weather?
My map! That's my map.
The girl had it. What an idiot.
The girl?
She sticks like glue.
From around here too.
Pretty.
lf they're all like her, this place is good.
Spare me your comments.
This plane and girl,
why did they come?
She nagged my boss to bring her.
She wound him round herfinger. A real daredevil.
Awolf-hunter...
What are you talking about?
Unusual, l know. But the last wolves are here.
So they came by airplane?
Absurd!
Sir, we found this fellow by the thermal baths.
Bloody hell! Boss!
He claims he landed
with his glider in the pines.
There's a girl too. And wolves.
Have to move.
Go find injured young woman up there.
Daddy here.
Her father? Here?
His name?
Samovar?
Calamar?
Malabar?
First name Angele.
Angele? Amblard?
lnjured?
Among the wolves?
We mustn't alarm her father.
She's my...
We're getting engaged.
Engaged? To you?
Congratulations!
My friend,
you must be vert brave.
More wolves than in all of Russia up there.
You must go!
St Agatha, bind its paws
St Gesippe, twist its innards
St Eligius, block its jaw
St Matthew, pluck out its eyes
St Armand, shatter its teeth
Saint Pancras, show us its tracks
l recognize this. We're on the right track.
We know the track.
This is all my land.
Soon, we'll get up here hanging from a cable.
Yes, a cable car, Mr Aviator!
ln total safety.
This place is Siberia.
lt wasn't used!
There's blood.
Human blood.
Awoman's.
Wolf fur...
They fought over her!
ln Siberia, wolves drag caribou for miles.
Couldn't you have carried her?
She was in pain.
She was safer,
wrapped up warm, with my gun.
l don't understand.
They always leave something. Ashoe...
There are no tracks. The wind covered them.
What about the madman?
Of course!
Come on!
lt's totalled. lf you'd seen it fly... A real gull!
lt's matchwood now, pal.
Open up!
l saw smoke!
You're on my land.
Here Mr Albert's.
My father. Same thing.
Break it down!
About time.
There's been an accident.
An airplane landed below here. Did you hear it?
Ayoung woman is missing. Seen her?
Not see her. l sleep. Quiet.
lt's cold!
What a stench!
lt reeks of wildlife.
Your mother?
Listen to me!
- Where's the old woman? - Left. ltaly.
Cold here. Mamma old. Sick.
Where are the wolves?
They attacked a woman. You know that?
No, not possible. Wolves good, kind.
Wolves gone too. Gran Paradiso, like Mamma.
Gran Paradiso...
He thinks l'm stupid!
No, moujik, wolves big.
Mouths like this. They attacked me.
Not possible. Gran Paradiso. Many wolves.
Don't act smart, Macaroni!
His plane lands, a girl vanishes... And you don't hear a thing?
You think l'm stupid, you bastard?
What's this? Whose is this?
Not touch. lt's Mamma's.
l swear, l see nothing.
Not see girl. l sleep.
See Mr Albert.
You'll see him.
But l'm the mayor and this is my land.
When the snow thaws, you're out!
l'll burn this hovel down.
And we'll slaughter evert last wolf up here!
Why get so angrt with this poor moujik?
Search the mountains instead.
Who's stopping you, Mr Explorer?
But don't stop us locals from doing our business.
lt wasn't the madman.
He's a funny looker.
These people are bad luck.
She's mine!
Go! For Giuseppe!
Gift from Mamma.
They can't have found only this.
They have to keep looking. Drag the torrent.
l don't believe it.
Wolves never attack humans.
Except in stories.
She was armed, near a fire. lt doesn't make sense!
You have to search the mountains!
Our men have been everywhere.
Be realistic. An icy night up there,
injured and exhausted,
she probably fell asleep in the cold.
The wolves came later.
What did l do to deserve this?
Why was she even in that plane?
He's responsible.
Or, rather, irresponsible. Exactly, sir!
l told you, she insisted.
Shut up! lt's her fault now?
l'm overwhelmed. l'm truly sorrt.
Please accept my condolences.
Condolences?
That's too easy!
Respect our loss at least.
Get out of here.
Go!
Gentlemen.
That fellow deserves a good hiding.
You shouldn't treat a stranger like that.
Spare me your advice, father.
You're responsible too.
You were stubborn.
Things had to stay put. The wolves,
the madman up there, making his home on our land...
Look where it's got us!
Angele, my beloved, dead! Devoured by those monsters!
Father...
Mr Garcin?
He shouldn't drink!
Give us some air!
Don't shoot the wolf, sir.
Trap it.
Georges, my fellow!
Get over here!
How long will it take you to make fifty of these?
The place is infested?
l'll need a week.
Get to work, then.
You're sure?
l'd stake my life on it.
Put your weight on it.
On the plate.
Go on, do it!
Go on, l said!
No good. Too taut.
He can get away.
They can move on three legs.
They lick the stump to heal it.
Wolf drool is the best.
No, it's better
when the jaws bite deep into the flesh.
lt tugs to get away and it pulls his pants off.
Down to the bone.
lt gets infected and then after that, bingo!
And strtchnine?
That comes first.
You hang carrion from a branch over the trap.
You get a rabbit,
you skin it the same way
then dress it again,
its pockets full of strtchnine.
Strtchnine... The best poison around!
The whole wolf empties out:
guts, liver, lungs, meat,
the lot!
Believe me, Mr Garcin, my wolf traps,
you'll love them!
Sir...
Giuseppe.
You're the...
The madman.
Yes.
Giuseppe!
And Mr Zhormov?
And the rescuers?
Already come. Not find.
The wolf find.
And Giuseppe.
- Who undressed me? - Giuseppe.
Treated and washed.
You washed me?
Washed well.
Washed well. All clean!
And my clothes?
Whose is this?
Serena's.
Your wife?
Mamma.
Vert pretty.
Dance with wolves.
Mamma... Can l talk to her?
Can l see her?
Please.
l'd like to dress.
On my own.
l'll dress on my own. Can you go out?
Carbone... My brother.
Excuse me.
Go away!
What is it?
Medicine.
Milk, absinthe, poppy and gentian.
Mamma's!
Can your Mamma look at my leg?
Giuseppe already look. Well treated.
l'd prefer a doctor.
Can you take me back down?
You'll be paid.
No, not possible. Stay with Giuseppe and wolves.
Certainly not!
l have a family.
l have a father. And a fiance!
They must be thinking l'm dead.
Dead, good! Vert good!
Get peace that way!
What's your name?
Angele.
Like agnello, lamb.
Wolf found agnello.
Destiny!
Wolf stronger than agnello.
Crt a little.
No one hear agnello crt.
Always wolf that decides.
lf agnello live...
Or die!
Agnello for wolf.
Vert pretty but don't you have anything else?
Mamma...
When Giuseppe little,
Mamma danced with the wolves.
The kiss!
Look out!
What are these big ice cubes for?
Not cubes. lce blocks.
When it's hot, sell them in valley.
That's all over now.
Today, they use electricity to make ice.
Why electricity?
l know electricity. Not good. Too expensive.
Much ice here. Not expensive.
But with electricity, in the factort,
they make ice all year.
Same thing. Now l make ice and l keep it here.
More ice than in factort.
Come on...
My brother and l saved one like that.
Atiny black one called Cachou. Maybe it's him.
Him, Carbone. You'll see.
The family.
Bianca, la Mamma.
Marco.
Luigi. Matteo.
And Carbone.
Saved as a baby by Angela.
Agnella.
For Giuseppe.
They have Christian names?
Yes. All baptised.
- Children of God, no? - And Carbone isn't?
He is.
We called him Cachou.
lt was sweeter.
''lt looks at us again
Then lies back down licking the blood from its mouth
Not knowing how it perished
Closing its large eyes
Dies without a cry
Alas, thought l, race of men
l feel shame
At our stupidity
How to leave life and its woes
ls what each animal knows
To see what we were and what we leave
Only silence is great
The rest is weakness''
Go!
Agnella...
Present.
Thank you.
Please...
You not leave here.
l must.
Giuseppe not handsome?
Fiance?
l don't have one.
So stay. Stay here!
- Marrt Giuseppe! - l can't stay locked up here!
l have to leave.
You want to leave, so see Carbone.
He's waiting.
Go on.
La Mamma.
Sleeping.
Sleeping. You're out of your mind!
Why?
Keep her a little.
But she's dead!
Dead! She's gone now!
You can't keep a corpse like this!
She has to be in a cemetert.
Not possible a cemetert.
lf they know Mamma dead,
they throw me out and kill wolves.
Why?
Not the paper, Giuseppe.
Not French!
Mr Albert gave paper for Mamma.
What paper?
Come...
- How are you, dear chap? - He's vert well!
He uses his cane. One knock for yes, two for no.
What's he saying?
Yes. He agrees.
Thank you, Rosette.
After all, it's just a proxy.
With extensive powers though.
You know, l can't construe his explicit consent
from knocks.
Father put up the money for your practice.
Am l wrong?
Well, it's fairly simple.
Here in blue,
we have your property, some 2,000 acres.
including, here in brownish yellow, 93 acres
of the so-called Serena Corazzi concession,
a plot of land for which we shall need to add
an exclusion clause.
- Exclusion? - Temporarily.
Until the end of the lease.
Your poor father unwisely granted...
How long?
For life.
Whose life?
The beneficiart's.
- Corazzi, Serena. - She's left.
We must certify that.
l already did. She's left for ltaly.
Only her bastard's left up there. So that's it.
No more concession.
Today, in 1925, some half-wolf
won't halt progress and our prosperity.
Prosperity that makes you prosperous too.
Each generation of businessmen
brings its stone to our community.
lts stone? You must be joking!
Cartloads of stones! To build hotels, restaurants...
l've seen them.
l travel, you know. St Moritz...
Chamonix last year... The Olympics!
They understand. They call it white gold.
We can't fall behind.
We either move forward or back.
So listen carefully. To get up there,
l'll build a railway.
Rack-and-pinion. The term sounds beautifully metallic.
No more bronze, we switch to steel.
Each village only needs one memorial.
l have 300 families to feed, Father!
That greasy wop up there is out.
He's a stain on my snowfield!
This is the future.
And this...
is the past!
l understand.
Well, Mr Garcin...
initial each page
and sign on the last one.
Rosette...
Serve us some tonic wine, please.
With a straw for father.
There.
Cane.
- You've read the deed? - l can't read.
No ''Giuseppe'' in it.
l'm sorrt.
Forgive me, it's...
lt's your hair...
l'm sorrt.
She was beautiful.
Beautiful.
Like you. l know.
Garcin. He sculpted me too.
Mr Albert... Kind...
Who was your father?
Awolf.
l'll take this to Albert Garcin.
He's my godfather. He'll sign a new lease.
After, you come back?
Yes, l'll come back to teach you to read.
Look...
Serena.
Mamma...
Here you go.
l have loads of others.
They'll love these.
l'll make you a necklace of wolf teeth,
to put hairs on your chest.
Thank you, sir. Kill them all!
Yes, evert last one!
Goodbye, son!
Goodbye.
l'm seeing the engraver to get a plaque
for your daughter.
There must a curse on us.
Albert ordered this.
There, l've told her.
ln spring, l'll take him up there
to lay a wreath on the site of the crash.
Not vert reasonable
but he keeps insisting.
Calm down.
He's getting vert difficult.
Cut it out!
You're getting on my nerves, Albert!
Leon, your girl...
She's resurrected!
The miracle of the wolves! Jesus, Mart and Joseph!
Hurrt!
My little girl...
That's godfather?
Godfather, what happened to you?
He had a stroke.
We were worried sick. We thought you were dead.
The wolves and all...
He ended up all deformed.
He can't talk?
No, not a word.
l look after him. lt's hard.
But we get by. We understand each other.
Right, old pal?
l bet no one will believe your stort
or that the madman took care of you.
But it's the truth.
He's an excellent bonesetter.
He could do it for a living.
With another face, maybe. Quite frankly...
You get used to it.
You should have seen mine when l woke in his bed
- stark naked... - Naked?
What do you mean, naked?
Angele, did he abuse you?
He could have but he didn't.
He's a decent boy, despite what you all think.
Could you go out while l dress?
Brilliant!
You're naked in front of some animal but l have to go out.
l'm going
but you're going to see a doctor.
l don't trust your bonesetter.
Did you see his crippled mother?
Yes, but she's not really well.
Emile said she was in ltaly.
You can come back in.
Did you see her dance?
She was a fine specimen too.
Vert shapely.
A real tigress!
She'd drive men wild.
With Satan's kiss?
A pretty witch.
Come on...
The kiss!
Kiss her!
Who was the father?
There was no end of possibilities!
Some women said it was a wolf,
others that it was your godfather.
But Albert never confirmed it.
He was married at the time.
- He had Emile too. - He's in love with me.
l know, l told you months ago.
No, l mean Giuseppe.
Giuseppe?
What do you mean?
l want you to forget that ape
and wait for Emile!
He's modern and he has land!
Between some scarecrow and a true man of vision,
it's not hard to choose!
Giuseppe...
Bianca.
Bravo, Carbone.
Mamma,
they're born.
She's dead, godfather.
He's alone with the wolves.
Help him or your own son will hound him out.
He has no one left.
His father... Who was he?
Do you know?
Monsieur Emile...
She's in the garden with your father.
Please, godfather!
l have to know.
My dearest Angele! What an affair!
Father!
Her return has cheered you up.
He looks wonderful.
Your father told me some shaggy dog stort...
You were saved by wolves?
What a joke. Good old Leon.
All that ether and formalin he breathes in...
or his Jura wine, has gone to his head.
Tell me everything.
Your return revives me.
l couldn't sleep or eat...
l'm living again! We all are!
We searched everywhere. Even that hovel!
He treated me well.
When we came back down, the mood was leaden.
Leaden, for a steel maker...
That's funny.
lt was doubly hard for me.
As mayor, l had to be strong,
so the populace wouldn't panic,
while mourning for my dear friend.
The papers even mentioned
a fiancee, l hear.
Your fiancee?
We were nearly there.
Nearly, maybe, but we still had a long way to go.
So let's get started!
Look!
A rack-and-pinion railway. Slopes at 15%%%.
5 miles of track. 1,500 sleepers per half-mile.
And here, a cable car.
That'll be a lot of steel.
l met the Rothschilds in Megeve.
Very friendly!
They'll take a share
and l'll provide Garcin steel
for their line to the top of Mont Blanc.
Atrain to the top of Europe. Brilliant!
The factort will get rich. So will l.
And so will you.
Not even a word of encouragement for me?
l realize all this metal won't delight a nature lover
like you.
But this will control nature and make it accessible.
With you at my side,
to advise me, to guide me,
to calm me if need be.
l have a vert modern idea of a wife's role.
And what's this?
An lndian reserve?
Look here!
l won't let a few wolves and some gypsy stand in my way.
The cripple's vanished and the mad snowman barely exists.
Legally, it's all hot air.
There's no trace of him anywhere.
At school, in the army. He's a ghost!
You could sort all that out.
As mayor, can't you...
You don't regulate irregularity!
He chose liberty, not equality and fraternity!
He saved my life.
Your father thinks not.
But yours protects him. What of fraternity?
No fraternity!
We're of different blood.
You're treading on dangerous ground.
Don't imagine things my father never said.
Respect the old man. He has the right to peace.
He suffers enough.
And the wolves? They saved my life. What do they have a right to?
The wolves? Open up a zoo.
Two wolves, three marmots, a chamois. For the tourists.
Asmall menagerie will make money.
lt's impossible.
Wolves will keep tourists away.
The peasants are patient but only so far.
The wolves are through.
Never again.
l've ruled on the question.
lt's a matter of weeks.
Days even.
All right.
But let me take over.
l'll see to the wolves and the gypsy, as you call him.
l just need a little time and money.
And they'll leave.
l swear.
Just a loan and...
you get your ice cave free of wolves.
ln my eyes, you'll earn the value
and humanity that l expect...
Of a future husband?
Ten days.
And 1,000 francs.
And no haggling.
1,000 francs is a lot.
My value in your eyes is priceless.
Mademoiselle...
You'll be pleased, Mr Garcin.
We've trapped a male. He's at the customs post.
Good, Jacob. l have a job for you.
You hussy...
You don't waste time.
Cheating on the boss as soon as his back is turned.
And you, Blackie, you'll make a nice rug,
Jacob style.
lt'll be a miracle if she walks again.
She has to live a few days for her cubs.
To make milk, she has to eat.
Giuseppe think of that.
Rabbit for Bianca.
Are you all right?
Did you catch it?
lt's full of strtchnine.
They'll wipe you out one by one. First the wolves, then you.
Marco, Luigi, Matteo Not come back. Three days.
Probably dead by now.
You have to leave. Fast!
And Mamma?
Mamma...
l'll see to Mamma.
But you have to leave...
with your wolves.
- l have news. - Come in.
Two bits of news, in fact. One good and one not so good.
l'm listening.
Two other wolves, stone dead.
And a big black one soon.
l've tracked him down already.
Perfect!
And the bad news? Spit it out!
l did what you asked.
l followed her all the way up.
The madman ran up like a madman!
He started kissing her and cuddling her and...
Enough!
Did she struggle?
Like hell! She was the same!
Taking his head in her hands, snogging him...
You're lying!
You asked me to tell you exactly what l saw...
Go on.
l'd have taken a closer look but something cropped up.
What cropped up?
Awolf.
The big black one.
He's trained to guard the shack.
So? You had your rifle?
A bullet between the eyes!
You asked me to be discreet.
There's nothing discreet about a rifle, sir.
l'll leave for ltaly.
With Bianca,
the cubs and Carbone.
Gran Paradiso. To find other wolves.
What if l want to see you again?
Don't you want to see me?
lf l want to see you,
l close my eyes.
Don't move!
Giuseppe and Carbone vanished before my eyes.
l waited until dark.
All the hatred and violence could have overwhelmed me
but they just made me stronger.
Universal Menagerie.
- Are you sure? - At the airfield.
For that lady
eaten by the wolves.
lt's ringing.
Booth four.
Mr Zhormov, please.
l didn't recognize you.
You have to come here.
l need you. l have a favour to ask.
You're going too far this time!
Can't you give up now?
Never, you hear me!
She's mad.
Let people talk.
You can't raise a wild animal.
And wolves are wild animals!
lt can work.
They'll die.
Too bad. Or rather good.
They're condemned anyway.
They need space. They need freedom!
Mr Zhormov is taking apes to Turin.
We'll leave them on the Gran Paradiso.
Hopefully, they'll find a mother.
The Gran Paradiso.
They can go to hell instead.
They've had a good feed.
l filled the can forthe trip.
We agreed on 50 each.
200 for the four.
You've got one hell of a nerve.
You're not paying that much?
- Twist your nose to get milk. - What?
ln Russian too, women fed cubs whose mothers had been shot.
But for free.
And they had a revolution.
Keep your fancy words and cough up!
To tell the truth, women
confuse me a little.
l don't understand.
Don't trt to understand them, just love them.
That's not bad.
l'd play the orphan cub with her.
Look at her hemispheres!
Come on, drive!
Titties are nice to look at.
Say hello to Benito.
Long live ll Duce!
You can take the ape through.
Thank you.
Long live ll Duce!
Very smart.
France's last wolves vanished around this time
before returning from ltaly in 1992.
The first female veterinarian qualified in 1931.