Jean-Pierre Melville: Narrator
Quotes
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Narrator : [quoting Béby] Before going to sleep, my dog and I, good Christians, always say a prayer, because in the circus, beasts and clowns share the same God. 'Dear God, allow me to continue to serve young and old, give me a long career in the sawdust ring, as necessary to me as spaghetti. In God's name, amen.'
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[first lines]
Narrator : Montmartre. Twenty to midnight. Why not leave the fairgrounds for the circus? From carousel horses that spin to another sort of ring: the circus with acrobats, music and clowns.
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Narrator : Elegant, noble Maïss in his glittering costume. Stocky, clumsy Béby. The juggler. The acrobatic dancer. The clowns. The oder of horses. Music. Backstage at a most extraordinary circus. And now, they're on.
Clown : What were you up to earlier, on rue Lepic?
Clown : I was watching a street paddler.
Clown : What? You mean a street peddler.
Clown : No, a street paddler.
Clown : A "peddler" is someone who sells on the street.
Clown : Well, she said she'd paddle me if I touched her apples!
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Narrator : The innocent takes the fall. It's the law of the circus. That's just the way it is.
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Narrator : At home, Mrs. Béby darns socks while awaiting her husband. Only in the ring do clowns wear socks full of holes. "Finally! You're half-frozen. Come eat. I made you something tasty." "Hello, darling. Yes, it's cold out. Spaghetti? Again? I've been eating it for 50 years! Can't you ever vary the menu?" "Actually, I love spaghetti, but I won't tell her that. You have to keep women in their place."
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Narrator : A new scene. Is she a student, dancer or post office clerk? In any case, that's a gorgeous sweater.
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Narrator : Maïss is not a typical clown. Usually a clown is an ex-acrobat, the son of a clown, himself an ex-acrobat, who is the son of a clown, also an ex-acrobat. Not Maïss. Once there was a ballerina in Toulon. One night in 1905, a fire at the ballet cause part of the set to fall on her. They asked the doctor on duty, in the audience, to treat her. His name was Dr. Maïss.
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Narrator : When we need a laugh, we go to the circus, but Maïss and Béby got to a café terrace. "The circus in the street is just as funny," they think, "and it gives us ideas."
