vendredi 2 février 2007

Clive Of India 1935

(Le Conquérant des Indes)
Un Film de Richard Boleslawski
Ce film biographique est terriblement mal construit. Mais, comme je l'avais déjà mentionné, certaines scènes avec Ronald Colman ont un impact uniquement dû à cet interprète. En voici, une. Robert Clive (Ronald Colman), capitaine de l'armée britannique, s'est échappé de Trichinopoly (où l'armée britannique est assiégée) en désobéissant aux ordres de ses supérieurs. Il rejoint le siège de l'East India Company pour obtenir les pleins pouvoirs des mains des marchands qui font partie du Conseil. Avec énormément de culot, il retire tous ses vêtements, trempés par la mousson, en face des marchands outrés par le comportement de cet arriviste qui quelques années plus tôt était l'un de leurs employés subalternes... Parmi les marchands, on peut reconnaitre un visage connu, celui de Leo G. Carroll (Mr Manning) qui sera plus tard un des seconds rôles préférés d'Alfred Hitchcock.




















Mr Manning: Mr Clive, what are you doing here?


Clive: The very question I came to ask you! Are you doing anything?


Mr Pemberton: This, Sir, is not a bedroom.


Clive: Necessity is anybody's bedroom.


Clive: Gentlemen, you have no army left.


Clive: Trichinopoly will soon surrender.




Clive: And, you, you personnally, will have to face a horde, mad for loot and the end will be massacre, Gentlemen, massacre.












Mr Warburton: And, that's the last of the bunch!


Clive: Certainly, the last of that, anyway.


Clive: And, now, has the all wise council dicovered any brilliant plan to relieve the situation?


Clive: I thought not!








Governor Pigot: Answering for the council as a whole, I reply no.


Governor Pigot: In return, will you tell us, can you suggest anything?


Clive: Well, Gentlemen, do you think I've been spending three days and three nights crawling on my stomach through the enemies' lines just for the pleasure of seeing you?

Manning: Well, what is it?

Clive: Give me every men you've got and I'll relieve Trichinopoly!


Merchants: Trichinopoly! Ridiculous!


Pigot: The most we could get would be 120 men.


Clive: Is that all? Well, it will have to do.


Mr Kent: Since 500 men officered by the highest in command can't escape from Trichinopoly, how do you propose to relieve them with a 120?


Clive: Very easy, I shan't go there at all.


Warburton: Then, how will you relieve them?


Sergeant Clark: Yes, it was put away like that sir!


Clive: The time to mend a stocking is before you put it away.
Clark: Yes, sir.


Warburton: I say, if you don't go there, how do you relieve them?


Clive: Oh, didn't I mention that? I shall attack the city of Arcot.






Warburton: Arcot? Attack Arcot! The capital of southern India with 120 men!


Warburton: I've never heard of such a thing!

Merchants: Never in my life!


Clive: Aaaah, my dear Sirs!


Clive: Do you know how to attack an army larger than your own?

Clive: Divide it, divide it again. Conquer it piecemeal.


Clive: Do you know how to do that? A commander always defends his front door.

Clive: So what do I do? I go round to the back, catch him looking the wrong way.



Clive: See, gentlemen, you have no choice. To seat here, means massacre.




Clive: Now, do you agree to my taking full charge?

Clive: Do you? And you?


Clive: And you?


Pigot: I agree unreservedly.


Clive: Thank you, Sir.

Clive: Sergeant, collect every available man, old, lame, sick, drunk or sober!



Manning: Mr Clive, when do you start with this mad army?


Clive: Now.


Warburton: And where do you go?
Clive: To Arcot!




Clive: Oh, forgot the most important thing.


Clive: Has any mail come for me, from England?


Warburton: Mr Clive, the ship was captured by the French. And the mail, lost.
Clive: And where the devil, was the Navy?
Warburton: Bombay.


Clive: On the safe side of India! For 6 months I have been waiting for a letter announcing an important departure from England. And your Navy allows the French to capture it! Blundering lot of idiots seating on their lazy tails, allowing the French to capture my mail! Argh!





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