Death Notice (4): Michel Modo

Today let's devote some time to commemorate an actor whose name is probably unknown to most of you, although I'm sure you did see him in a movie. Michel Modo passed away on 25 September 2008 in a great indifference from the media — I even heard about his death just a couple of days ago, as I was on my way to Belgium, my mum telling me about news I could perhaps not heard of. Michel Modo was a comedian who formed a duo with (the late) Guy Grosso to become "Grosso & Modo"… Louis de Funès noticed them and gave them roles in the Le Gendarme… series from 1964 to 1982; they played Tricard and Berlicot. Michel Modo notably starred in On a retrouvé la Septième Compagnie as a German soldier ordering Tassin (Henri Guibet) and Pitivier (the late Jean Lefebvre) to "rester groupir":



He played another German soldier in La Grande Vadrouille (definitely one of my personal favourites as it comes to French films), this time having a squint:



(Michel Modo appears at 7:30 in this video.)

For a more exhaustive filmography, I refer you to the Wikipedia entry.

But for me his death leaves a big mark on French dubbing, for he lent his voice for the French version of films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit (voice of R.K. Maroon, played by Alan Tilvern), Bean (dubbing George Grierson, played by Harris Yulin) as well as The Simpsons. Indeed, he was in charge of giving life to many a character, among whom: Seymour Skinner, Charles Montgomery Burns, Krusty, Clancy Wiggum, Dr. Hibbert, Marvin Monroe, Kent Brockman, Joe Quimby, Slideshow Mel and Slideshow Bob.

As Halloween was just a couple of days ago I found it appropriate to show you a "Treehouse of Horror": Treehouse of Horror XVIII:


As Michel Modo died, season 19 was in the process of being dubbed, so he was replaced in the five last episodes by Gérald Rinaldi, another renown voice actor — he notably lent his voice to the dino guard that gets eaten by raptors in Jurassic Park, Tim Curry in Home Alone 2, Jeroen Krabbé in The Fugitive and Mercredi in Robinson Sucroë… (And he was part of Les Charlots, famous for the song "Merci patron !" among others.) Michel Modo gave a very unique voice to the aforementioned characters, something that makes me love the French version — although I'm fond of the original version as well.

In order for you to make an opinion about Krusty and other's new voices, please watch Apocalypse Cow (or 'Tragédie bovine', (unproper) French title), from Series 19, episode 15.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind: a case study for translation studies

Take this interrogation scene from Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, opposing Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) to Claude Lacombe (François Truffaut) and David Laughlin (Bob Balaban).



Now, how does the French dubbed version get away with this scene? I mean, how is the translator going to conceal a translation? Watch this excerpt from the French DVD version of the movie, with the original script as subtitles:

CLOSENC7
Uploaded by sergele1

Yep, they simply cut off some lines, paraphrased or added script material… This scene could be a case study in translation studies, especially since the DVD-version adaptators had to deal with the fact that Truffaut was dead and obviously not available to dub himself, but still, they kept what he recorded back then.

The Clone Wars

The Clone Wars, this brand new computer-animated movie meant to take place between Episode II and Episode III sounds definitely promising. I'm looking forward to watching it!





If you liked the French version of the new trilogy, the following trailer shows us that the same voice actors (e.g. Roger Carel as C3PO, Emmanuel Garijo as Anakin, Jean Lescot as Yoda, Georges Claisse as Darth Sidious) were hired:

The Watch

The "watch scene" is one of my favourite ones in Pulp Fiction: Captain Kroon's monologue played by Christopher Walken.



"He'd be damned if any slope's gonna put his greasy yellow hands on his son's birthright. So he hid it in one place he knew he can hide something: his ass."

--> Brilliant line!

Here's the French version of the same scene, with Walken dubbed by Bernard Lanneau, who is the "official French voice" of Kevin Costner and Dennis Quaid.

"This joke was lethal: no one could read it… and live."

In reference to what Mr Noiret told us on Monday about the World's Funniest Joke, I'd like to show you the Monty Python's Funniest Joke in the World:

"This joke was lethal: no one could read it… and live."

You're Only Second Rate

When I was younger, I used to watch Disney movies all the time. Among those, The Return of Jafar, sequel of Aladdin. My point here was to show you one of my favourite songs, Tu n'es qu'un amateur, but first it would be better to watch the original version, sung by Jonathan Freeman, voice of Jafar:



Lyrics:

I must admit, your parlor tricks are amusing
I bet you've got a bunny under your hat
Now here's your chance to get the best of me
Hope your hand is hot
C'mon, clown, let's see what you've got
You try to slam me with your hardest stuff
But your double whammy isn't up to snuff
I'll set the record straight
You're simply out of date
You're only second rate!

You think your cat's a meanie, but your tiger's tame
You've got a lot to learn about the genie game
So for your education I'll reiterate
You're only second rate!

Men cower at the power in my pinky
My thumb is number one on every list
But if you're not convinced that I'm invincible
Put me to the test
I'd love to lay this rivalry to rest

Go ahead and zap me with the big surprise
Snap me in a trap, cut me down to size
I'll make a great escape
It's just a piece of cake
You're only second rate!
You know, your hocus-pocus isn't tough enough
And your mumbo-jumbo doesn't measure up
Let me pontificate upon your sorry state
You're only second rate!

Zaba-caba-dabra!
Granny's gonna grab ya!
Alakazam-da-mus
And this thing's bigger than the both of us
So spare me your tremendous scare
You look horrendous in your underwear
And I can hardly wait to discombobulate
I'll send ya back and packing in a shipping crate
You'd make a better living with a spinning plate
You're only second rate!

And now, here's the French version, Tu n'es qu'un amateur. The Genie's French voice is performed by the famous Richard Darbois, and Féodor Atkine (incidentally, he dubs Hugh Laurie in the series House, MD) dubs Jafar:



Lyrics:

Je dois admettre que tes p'tits tours sont amusants
J' parie qu'il y a un lapin sous ton chapeau
Mais aujourd'hui, ton mauvais numéro,
Je le vois perdant
Vas-y clown, montre-moi tes cartes.

Tu voudrais me faire retourner en enfer
Mais ta guerre éclair, je la réverbère.
Ta folie des grandeurs
N'est pas à la hauteur,
Tu n'es qu'un amateur.

Tu t' prends pour un tigre
Mais je t'amadoue.
Par les mathématigres,
Je matte les matous.
Ta folie des grandeurs
N'est pas à la hauteur,
Tu n'es qu'un amateur.

Quel effroi, quand je lève le petit doigt,
Quelle frousse que j' vous écrase tous d'un coup de pouce,
Si tu es convaincu
De rester invaincu,
Faut en faire ton deuil,
Notre duel continue jusqu'au cercueil.

Étonne-moi !
Branche-moi !
Électrocute-moi !
Au fond d'un tonneau
Percé de couteaux,
Je sauverai ma peau.
Ça n' sera pas du gâteau
Mais je l' ferai, mon poteau.

Tes p'tits tours de passe-passe
Sont pas très efficaces.
Tu n'es qu'un orgueilleux
Qui se prend pour un dieu
Ta folie des grandeurs
N'est pas à la hauteur,
Tu n'es qu'un amateur.

Zabacabadabra
Grand-mère t'attrapera
Et Abracadabra,
J' suis plus grand que l'Himalaya

Tu peux donc trembler devant moi
Sans perdre le bas de ton pyjama
Et si dans la panique,
Tu casses ta mécanique,
Ne me dis pas sans cesse,
Quand tu passes à la caisse :
"J'ai perdu, çà m'inquiète !",
"J' comprends pas, çà m'embête !",
"J' suis pas dans mon assiette !"

Such a song translation must be particularly difficult, because you have to take into account not only the usual features (prosody, rhymes, wordplays), but also the shots themselves, e.g. when you have "It's just a piece of cake", you see the cake, and in French it's rendered as "Ce n's'ra pas du gâteau".

When Harrison meets Sean

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is scheduled for release on 22 May (and since that day I will probably have an exam, I won't be able to go and see it at the cinema! Grr!) and millions of fans (amongst whom your humble servant) are eagerly looking forward to it. No official trailer has yet been released, but I think it will soon. One thing is for sure, Sir Sean Connery won't appear in the movie:

Sean Connery turned down making a cameo appearance as Henry Jones, Sr., finding retirement too enjoyable.^[1] Lucas stated that in hindsight it was good that Connery did not briefly appear, as it would disappoint the audience when his character would not come along for the film's adventure.^[2]

But who can tell whether the producers actually attempted everything to get Sean Connery back, for instance (say) with Harrison Ford visiting him in his castle in Scotland:



"This was a priceless vase from the Ming dynasty. A gift from my wife too…"
"We put everything on hold to find you."
"It must have cost millions!"
"You're worth it, though, Sean."
"I don't believe my eyes: it's from Wal-Mart! You can tell from the inscription here: Wal-Mart!"
"No! I could have get you a refund!"

[…]

"Goldfinger! A remake! It was always my favourite one… Pussy galore, here I come…"
"Of course, you will have to look out your wig again."
"It's a small price to pay for this role…"
"And there will be stunt doubles for the sex scenes."
"Stunt double!"
"Well, we can't take any chance with you what with your age and such."
"I'll manage fine myself!"
"Really!"
"I've never had any problems in that department and I'm not gonna now…"
"Whatever."

[…]
"You're too old!"
"Too old? I had an Aston Martin with ejector seats!"
"Yeah, and now you have a bus pass!"
"Watch it! I'm not too old to kick your ass!"

This idea of writing subtitles on a foreign version is brilliant! Of course, it works better if you don't know the language at all, because if it were in French, we'd have to turn the volume off.

And an alternate ending for the third film:



And because I love the French version, here's one of my favourite scenes, namely that of the plane escaping the Germans:



— Qu'est-ce qui se passe à 11 heures ???

(…)

— Il me semble que ces gens essaient de nous tuer !
— Je sais, père !
— C'est une nouvelle expérience pour moi !
— Moi, ça m'arrive tout le temps.

(…)
— Mais c'est intolérable !

Dubbing voices:
– Harrison Ford: Richard Darbois
– Sean Connery: Jean-Claude Michel

"Are you having a laugh?"

(The title quotes the character of Andy Millman, a crappy comedian played by Ricky Gervais in his series, Extras. In the second season, Millman managed to have his own s(h)itcom, namely When the Whistle Blows. His character has not only a wig, but also a catchphrase: "Are you having a laugh? Is he having a laugh?")

I had the idea of googling "Lada jokes" on Google, and here are some great jokes I found on a website about these crappy cars of which Jeremy Clarkson made fun in an episode of Top Gear, remember.



You don't need to read all of them (obviously: one should not have too much of a good thing…).

Q: Which is the biggest society of belivers?.
A: The Lada owners, they all belive they have a car!

Q: What's the difference between a Lada and a Jehovah's Witness?
A: You can close the door on a Jehovah's Witness.

Did you hear about the bloke who had his Lada broken into?
The thieves put him a radio in!

Q: What do you call a Lada going up a hill?
A: A bloody miracle.

Somewhere in the middle of Spain, a Lada is driving along and meets a donkey.
The donkey, never having seen a Lada before, asks: "What are you?"
The Lada says "I am a car. What are you?"
The donkey says "Hahahaha... If you're a car, I'm a horse!"

Heard of Lada's new turbo model?
It has pedals in the backseat, too!

Q: How do you make a Lada worth twice as much?
A: You fill up the gas tank.

Q: Why is the Lada's rear window heated?
A: So the hands of the people pushing it will not freeze.

Q: How do you make a Lada disappear?
A: You spray it with rust remover!

A Lada can reach a speed of 125 mph… if it's transported on the railway!

Did you know that the Lada's instruction book contains 500 pages?
There are two pages with information about the car and 498 pages with bus and train timetables.

Q: Why do insurance companies enjoy Lada's?
A: They are never stolen.

Q: Why is there light under the Lada's bonnet?
A: So you can fix it 24 hours a day.

Q: There is a new 16 valve Lada.
A: It has 8 in the engine, and 8 in the radio.

My cousin was unemployed. Then he became a Lada salesman.
He is still unemployed, but now we understand why

Q: Do you know what all the Lada owners are dreaming about?
A: Getting a ticket for speeding.

From a newspaper: To the man who stole my Lada in 20 degrees of frost.
Keep the Lada, but please tell me how you started it!

Did you know that there are only two men working in the Lada factory?
One with scissors and one with glue.

Q: Do you know what the trip counter in the Lada says when it's passing 20,000 miles?
A: Game Over!

Q: What's the difference between a Lada and a golf ball?
A: You can drive a golf ball 200 metres.

--> Brilliant, but impossible to translate that into French!

Q: What do you call a Lada that starts first time?
A: A novelty.

Q: What do you call a Lada that overtakes you?
A: A mirage.

Q: What to you call a Lada with brakes?
A: Customised.

A couple of French jokes:

Q : Pourquoi deux conducteurs de Lada se reconnaissent immédiatement lorsqu'ils se rencontrent ?
R : Ils se sont vus le matin au garage.

Q : Combien peux-tu mettre de personnes dans une Lada ??
R : Tout dépend de la taille de la dépanneuse.

Merrie Parodies

Our old pal thatguywiththeglasses posted a video mixing some bits of the cartoon Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th century with dialogues from Star Wars.

In itself, the original cartoon was a spoof on Buck Rogers in the 25th century, an old successful sci-fi series from the 1930s. Here Daffy Duck is Duck Dodgers and his assistant is Porky Pig. His opponent is Marvin the Martian. Actually, this cartoon is number 4 in the 50 greatest cartoons of all times.

Some bits of this cartoon are also to be seen in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind on the telly at Roy Neary's (Richard Dreyfuss).

Here's the new brilliant parody:

Impressive… Most impressive.

As clumsy as he is stupid
--> One of my favourite quotes (French version: "il est aussi maladroit que stupide").

A Little Bit of Flemish Today

These poor West-Flemish people speak in such a dialect that it can't be understood by a large range of people in Flanders, hence the fact that they have to be subtitled quite automatically. But one man dares to stand up against this injustice:



I found a little sketch with our (still!) Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt voiced over in West-Flemish in order to create some silly story:



I admit I didn't understand 100% of it, but it's quite funny to listen to this regional variety of Dutch.

Tribute to Georges Aminel

I'm sure nobody knows who Georges Aminel is. Or was. Because he died three month ago. He was 84. He was a French dramatic actor, mostly "known" as the dubbing voice of Sylvester in the Warner Bros. cartoons, the Looney Tunes, but also as Darth Vader's voice in Star Wars Episodes III, V and VI. (In Episode IV, Darth Vader [translated in Dark Vador for matters of pronunciation] was dubbed by another actor, the late François Chaumette.) He died, but I came to know it only two weeks ago, when I read it in Lucasfilm Magazine. Apparently, he didn't share the celebrity of guys like Michel Serrault (cf. my article "News From the Grave" below), and that's why the media didn't have a word about him, not even in the best French-speaking newspaper, Le Soir.

Several months ago, I posted on YouTube a video to pay him a tribute. In fact, it was just that scene from the end of Episode III, when the dark-suited Darth Vader comes to life, after his operation. This video is still the only one available on YouTube to feature Georges Aminel's voice. You'll find it below, and the original version as well.





And I'd just like to show you the French version made especially for Québec. This is awful, in my opinion. I've been posting videos for months on YouTube with a Canadian YouTube penpal, so that we can compare, for I'm pretty much interested in translation, and more precisely on the translation of Star Wars. (I know, it's really silly.) We both prefer the original version, then our "regional" version: he dispises the French version, and I despise the Canadian version, as fas as voices are concerned. I prefer several French-Canadian translations, though: they are more accurate. But the voice just suck. I hope you'll agree with me:

Spaceballs: My Favourite Parody

You know that I'm a huge fan of Star Wars, but also of any kind of parodies. Here, with Mel Brooks' Spaceballs, I couldn't be happier, because we get a really interesting mix of references and humour, which are the ingredients of a typical Mel Brooks movie, cf. Robin Wood or Dracula or Frankenstein…

As the first 6 minutes of the film are embedded below, I don't have to talk about the plot. If you like these extracts and would like to watch some more, the whole film is on YouTube, because a user, IWasSirChuckers, break the rules of copyright so that we can enjoy this remarkable movie ever and ever again. I'm going to quote him, because that's a sentence for which I would like to shake hands with him: "I have a theory as to why G.W. Bush became President: Shit Floats." Brillant. You couldn't say more.



If you can read this, you don't need glasses.!!! --> I'm always saying this sentence whenever I can, for instance as the tiny clauses appear at the end of advertissements.



"Everybody got that?" It's extremely rare to have a character adressing the audience. Of course, it's a parody…

The never-ending spaceship is a reference to the opening scene of Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope, when the Star Destroyer passes above the screen with tremendous sonor and special effects. Here, the spaceship is really, really longer than in the film. (And just imagine what kind of energy would be necessary to make it move, not to mention the ludicrous speed.)

"We brake for nobody" was translated in French as "Sans freins ni loi" in the non-DVD version.

I fond of Dark Helmet's outfit, with a nice tie (which looks like a man's privates…), a pair of shorts, the huge helmet and of course a little man (Rick Moranis) wearing it (and a pair of glasses…). Brillant, as I said.

You can also read this interesting article from Wikipedia, in which many things I didn't know about the film (e.g. Colonel Sandurz' name is a reference to Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken !).

And one last before you go:

The Most Miserable Death In The Cinema History…

You know I'm a really silly person, and (un?)fortunately, you can't do anything about it. Thus, being silly, I sometimes watch Batman movies. Ok, just two of them: those by Tim Burton, director of genius, with a real skill for photography and directing actors in a marvellous, dreamlike universe. (Yeah, the Gotham City of Batman is not quite what I call 'dreamlike', but still. You know what I mean if you watched Big Fish or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.)

I'm just saying that Batman and Batman Returns are worth it, and not Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, which were disappointing. Not due to the actors: Jim Carrey was perfect as the Riddler, Tommy Lee Jones convincing as Double Face and Arnold "Governator" Schwarzenegger ridiculing (in a good way) Dr. Freeze… Wait a minute. Only those three actors were good; changing Michael Keaton (the most credible Bruce Wayne ever) for Val Kilmer (pathethic) and then for George Clooney (why did he get involved with that crap?) was one of the worst decisions ever… No continuity. Talking pigs, it's the same for the director: Joel Schumacher (instead of the genius Tim Burton) used a terrible background for Gotham City to obtain something really awful from a script which could have been good if it hadn't been made into film this way…

Ok, enough criticism for today. My point was to introduce you to the Penguin [Danny DeVito], a character that appears in the second movie, Batman Returns. If you don't know anything about him, click on the link "Batman Returns" under "My Favourite Movies" to watch his birth. In the film, he tries to find who his parents were, why they trew him away in a sewer; then, helped by the mogul Max Shrek [Christopher Walken] (hey, I know this name…) he tries to be elected mayor; he fails (thanks to Batman) and finally attemps to destroy Gotham City, but Batman [Michael Keaton] fights against him, Penguin falls through a window into the penguins' lake in the Zoo. Meanwhile, Batman tries to prevent Catwoman [Michelle Pfeiffer] (with who, by the way, he fell in love with) from killing Shrek, but she eventually slay him by means of an electric generator… And there comes this extract:



This is definitely the most miserable death in the history of cinema. His last words were a request for a glass of ice water? What could be more pathetic? But I definitely love it!!! It's great! It's tragic! And Danny DeVito's interpretation is superb, as if he had become an actor just to play this role in particular…

Some remarks about the extract, now you've watched it.
– Penguin's dark green thing that flows out of his mouth is said to be blood by many, but I think it isn't because there's red blood in his head. What could thus be this dark green liquid?
– Batman doesn't have his batlike hood because he tear it off to show Catwoman/Selina Kyle that he's Bruce Wayne, the guy she dated.
– The carbonized bloke that Batman discovers under metal panels is Max Shrek. (Imagine that if the Romans had killed Jesus this way, we would hang a stick of burnt wood above the doors… Funny and silly, isn't it?)
– Penguin has got a collection of umbrellas with various uses: from pyrolancer to riffle, and from mini-helicopter to… basic umbrella. The one that he picks was meant to attract little kid's attention, in order to push them into a lagoon of toxic waste… ;-) My conclusion: Penguin is the most callous, inhumane disabled man in the world!
– Penguin's words are fantastic
– The penguins that push their boss into the water look really fake: they barely move!
– I like the last bubble, and the "gong" that accompanies it. By the way, the music was composed by Danny Elfman, with whom Tim Burton worked for every-but-one film.

I couldn't post this message without mentioning the French version. I compared the French to the original, and I was rather surprised to see that there were not so many meaning mistakes — whereas you can find tons of them in Star Wars. The dubbing actors they chose were also convincing, even though I must admit that Patrick Osmond could have changed his voice a little bit more when he speaks as Batman. (Anyway, no one noticed it.) But what I wanted to show you is Danny DeVito's "official" (or traditional, I should say) dubbing voice, Philippe Peythieu. This dubbing comedian is also the French voice of Homer Simpson, by the way.



Wonderful. Brillant.

Shitcom

Just an hour ago, I watched the second episode of the series Extras (season 2), starring Ricky Gervais, about a bad comedian (Andy McMillan) who tries not to drown with his crappy comedy show… In that episode (casting David Bowie as guest star), the critics are bad, they obliterate Andy McMillan. Even his agent is negative about it: "It's a shit sitcom. It's a shitcom!" Yeah! That portmanteau word is great! I love it! And the French subtitle-translation was brillant, too: "comerdie"… Lol.

I found this extract, with Ian McKellen (one of my favourite actors), in an episode which I haven't seen yet…

Promise of Power

This scene from Star Wars - Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, is also one of the most important scenes of the whole saga. There's the original version, followed by the French adaptation.


ORIGINAL VERSION (featuring Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor Palpatine and Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker)

(In Palpatine's private office)

PALPATINE
They don’t trust you, Anakin. They see your future, they know your power would be too strong to control. You must break through the fog of lies the Jedi have created around you. Let me help you to know the subtleties of the Force.

ANAKIN
How do you know the ways of the Force?

PALPATINE
My mentor told me everything about the Force. Even the nature of the Dark Side . . .

ANAKIN
You know the Dark Side?

PALPATINE
Anakin . . . If one is to understand the great mystery, one must study all its aspects; not just the dogmatic, narrow view of the Jedi. If you wish to become a complete and wise leader, you must embrace . . . a larger view of the Force. Be careful of the Jedi, Anakin. Only through me can you achieve a power greater than any Jedi. Learn to know the Dark Side of the Force, and you will be able to save your wife from certain death.

ANAKIN
What did you say?

PALPATINE
Use my knowledge, I beg you!

ANAKIN
You are the Sith Lord!

PALPATINE
I know what’s been troubling you. Listen to me . . . Don’t continue to be a pawn of the Jedi Council! Ever since I’ve known you, you’ve been searching for a life greater than that of an ordinary Jedi; a life of significance, of conscience . . . Are you going to kill me?

ANAKIN
I would certainly like to.

PALPATINE
I know you would. I can feel your anger. It gives you focus. Makes you stronger.

ANAKIN
I’m gonna turn you over the Jedi Council.

PALPATINE
Of course, you should. But you’re not sure of their intentions, are you?

ANAKIN
I will quickly discover the truth of all this.

PALPATINE
You have great wisdom, Anakin. Know the power of the Dark Side, the power to save Padmé.

———————————————————————————————

FRENCH VERSION (with the voices of Georges Claisse as Palpatine and Emmanuel Garijo as Anakin)

(Dans les appartements privés du Chancelier Palpatine)

PALPATINE
Ils n’ont aucune confiance en toi. Ils voient ton avenir, et ils savent que ton pouvoir sera si grand qu’il échappera à leur contrôle. Il faut que tu franchisses cet écran de fumée mensonger que les Jedi ont créé autour de toi. Laisse-moi t’apprendre toutes les subtilités de la Force !

ANAKIN
D’où vous vient cette connaissance ?

PALPATINE
Mon mentor m’a tout appris sur la Force. Jusqu’à la vraie nature du Côté Obscur.

ANAKIN
Vous la connaissez ? !

PALPATINE
Anakin… Si l’on désire tirer au clair le grand mystère, il convient d’en étudier tous les aspects, et non de s’en tenir à la vision étroite et dogmatique des Jedi. Si tu veux devenir un chef complet et avisé, il te faut embrasser … l’ensemble de la Force. Méfie-toi des Jedi, Anakin. Ce n’est qu’à travers moi que tu pourras acquérir un pouvoir plus grand qu’aucun autre Jedi. Apprends à connaître le Côté Obscur de la Force, et tu seras capable de sauver ta femme d’une mort certaine.

ANAKIN
Qu’est-ce que vous dites ? !

PALPATINE
Utilise mes connaissances, je t’en conjure !

ANAKIN
Vous êtes le Seigneur Noir des Sith !

PALPATINE
Je sais d’où vient ton trouble. Ecoute-moi… Cesse d’être utilisé comme un pion par les Jedi et leur Conseil. Depuis que je te connais, depuis toujours, tu rêves d’une vie plus exaltante que celle d’un Jedi ordinaire ; une vie qui ait un vrai sens, une vraie conscience… Est-ce que tu vas me tuer ?

ANAKIN
Je dois dire que la tentation est grande.

PALPATINE
Je sais que tu le ferais. Je sens la violence de ta colère. Elle accroît ta force, et la puissance de ta volonté.

ANAKIN
Je n’ai pas d’autre choix que de vous dénoncer au Conseil.

PALPATINE
Evidemment c’est ce que tu devrais faire, mais tu n’es pas encore tout à fait sûr de leurs intentions ?

ANAKIN
Je ne tarderai pas à découvrir toute la vérité.

PALPATINE
Tu jouis déjà d’une grande sagesse, Anakin. Le Côté Obscur et lui seul te donnera le pouvoir de sauver Padmé.

The Key Scene of the Whole Star Wars Saga

As a Star Wars fan eversince I'm a little boy, I was eager to see the last film of the saga in May 2005. Here is the transcript of what I think to be the most important scene of the whole saga. You'll also find the French translation, and spot a few adaptation that seem a little bit akward, but necessary for the post-synchronisation. (More about that topic later.) The address of this blog comes from this scene. That sentence can be applied to lots of real-life situations, if you think about it.

—————————————————————————————

ORIGINAL VERSION (featuring Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor Palpatine and Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker)

(In Chancellor Palpatine's private lodge, in the Coruscant Opera.)

PALPATINE
Anakin, you know I’m not able to rely on the Jedi Council. If they haven’t included you in their plot, they will soon.

ANAKIN
I'm not sure I understand.

PALPATINE
You must sense what I have come to suspect . . . the Jedi Council want control of the Republic . . . they're planning to betray me.

ANAKIN
I don't think . . .

PALPATINE
Anakin, search your feelings. You know, don't you?

ANAKIN
I know they don't trust you . . .

PALPATINE
Or the Senate . . . or the Republic . . . or democracy, for that matter.

ANAKIN
I have to admit, my trust in them has been shaken.

PALPATINE
Why? They asked you to do something that made you feel dishonest, didn't they? They asked you to spy on me, didn't they?

ANAKIN
I don't... I don't know what to say.

PALPATINE
Remember back to your early teachings. Anakin. "All who gain power are afraid to lose it." Even the Jedi.

ANAKIN
The Jedi use their power for good.

PALPATINE
Good is a point of view, Anakin. The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way, including their quest for greater power.

ANAKIN
The Sith rely on their passion for their strength. They think inwards—only about themselves.

PALPATINE
And the Jedi don't?

ANAKIN
The Jedi are selfless . . . they only care about others.

PALPATINE
Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?

ANAKIN
No.

PALPATINE
I thought not. It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. It's a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith . . . so powerful and so wise . . . he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians . . . to create . . . life. He had such a knowledge of the Dark Side . . . he could even keep the ones he cared about . . . from dying.

ANAKIN
He could actually . . . save people from death?

PALPATINE
The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.

ANAKIN
What happened to him?

PALPATINE
He became so powerful . . . the only thing he was afraid of was . . . losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. It's ironic: he could save others from death, but not himself.

ANAKIN
Is it possible to learn this power?

PALPATINE
Not from a Jedi.

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FRENCH VERSION (with voices of Georges Claisse as Palpatine and Emmanuel Garijo as Anakin)

PALPATINE
Anakin, tu sais que je ne pourrai jamais me fier au Conseil des Jedi. S’ils ne t’ont pas encore impliqué dans leur complot, ça ne saurait tarder.

ANAKIN
Je ne suis pas sûr de bien comprendre.

PALPATINE
Je suis persuadé que toi aussi tu pressens ce que j’en suis venu à soupçonner : le Conseil des Jedi a décidé de prendre le contrôle de la République. Ils s’apprêtent à s’en prendre à moi.

ANAKIN
Je doute que ce soit —

PALPATINE
Anakin… Ecoute ton intuition. Tu le sais, n’est-ce pas ?

ANAKIN
Je sais qu’ils se méfient de vous.

PALPATINE
Mm. Et du Sénat. Et de la République. Et de la démocratie, par-dessus de marché.

ANAKIN
Je dois l’admettre : ma confiance en eux est un peu ébranlée.

PALPATINE
Pourquoi ? Ils t’ont chargé d’une mission que tu perçois comme profondément déloyale… ? Ils t’ont chargé de m’espionner, c’est ça ?

ANAKIN
Je ne sais pas… Je ne sais pas quoi dire.

PALPATINE
Remémore-toi ce qui t’a jadis été enseigné : « Quiconque détient un pouvoir a peur de le perdre ». Ça vaut pour les Jedi.

ANAKIN
Les Jedi sont au service du Bien.

PALPATINE
Le Bien est une question de point de vue, Anakin. Les Sith et les Jedi sont similaires, ils se ressemblent quasiment en tous points. Y compris dans leur quête d’un plus grand pouvoir.

ANAKIN
Les Sith cultivent la passion de la Force, rien d’autre. Et ils sont entièrement tournés vers eux-mêmes.

PALPATINE
Ah oui ? parce que les Jedi sont différents ?

ANAKIN
Les Jedi sont désintéressés. Ils pensent d’abord aux autres.

PALPATINE
Mm. Est-ce que tu connais l’histoire tragique de Dark Plagueis le Sage ?

ANAKIN
Non.

PALPATINE
Ça ne m’étonne pas. Ce n’est pas le genre d’histoire que racontent les Jedi. C’est une légende Sith. Dark Plagueis était un Seigneur Noir des Sith… tellement puissant et tellement sage… qu’il pouvait utiliser la Force pour influer sur les midichloriens… et pouvait… créer la vie. En outre, sa connaissance du Côté Obscur était telle… qu’il arrivait aussi à empêcher ceux dont l’existence lui importaient… de mourir.

ANAKIN
Vous voulez dire… qu’il avait vaincu la mort ?

PALPATINE
Le Côté Obscur de la Force est un moyen d’acquérir de nombreuses facultés considérées par certains comme contraires à la nature.

ANAKIN
Et… Que lui est-il arrivé ?

PALPATINE
Il était devenu tellement puissant… que la seule chose qui lui faisait encore peur… était de perdre son pouvoir, ce qui, bien sûr, arriva un jour. Il fit l’erreur d’enseigner à son jeune apprenti son savoir et tous ses secrets, et cet apprenti le tua pendant qu’il dormait. Quelle ironie : il avait vaincu la mort pour les autres, mais la sienne, il n’a pas su l’éviter.

ANAKIN
Est-ce qu’il est possible d’acquérir ce pouvoir ?

PALPATINE
En aucun cas auprès d’un Jedi.