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Sometimes,
reality is too complex
for oral communication
But legend embodies it
in a form
which enables it to spread
all over the world
It was 24.17, Oceanic Time
when I approached
the suburbs of Alphaville
Silence. Logic.
Security. Prudence
My paper reserved
a room for me:
- You are?
- Ivan Johnson
- Which paper?
- Figaro-Pravda
Room 344. Have you registered
at Residents Control?
You must, even if you're
a Festival visitor
Your bag, sir
- Please, sir.
- Nothing. Get lost
This way, sir
You're tired, sir?
You wish to sleep, sir?
It's this way, sir
If you're tired,
you can rest, sir
Here it is, sir
The bedroom's here, sir
- What are you looking for now?
- I'm checking if the Bible's here
- Everyone has one.
- Do you believe that?
Yes, of course
I'll leave you the tranquillizers
in the bathroom
I'm very well.
Thank you so very much
- Are you going to take a bath, sir?
- Yes, I must reflect
I'll help you, sir
And your tie, sir
- Now what? -I'll take a bath
with you, sir, if you like
Listen, doll, I'm a big boy
I can find dames all alone
Now get lost
Be polite to the ladies,
Mr. Johnson
***. Now what?
This kid doesn't please you?
And your sister, sir?
- I'm getting out of shape.
- What sir?
What's going on here?
Are you on drugs or what?
No, it's normal, sir
All things weird are normal
in this *** of cities
Sit in that chair
Her name was Beatrice
She said she was a seductress,
third class
I was struck by the sadness
and durability of her face
Something's not in orbit
in the capital of this Galaxy
Hold this up
Not bad for a veteran
of Guadalcanal
Just what I was thinking
about you
Go play your games
with someone else
I've heard it before
Yes? Mr. Johnson
Miss Natasha Von Braun
calls for you
Just a moment, please
Leonard Von Braun, inventor
of the death ray
bring back alive, or liquidate
Tell her to wait,
I'll be down in 5 minutes
She's on her way up
Henry Dickson, Agent X21,
12, Enrico Fermi, Alphaville
Got a light?
I've traveled 9,000 kilometers
to give it to you
- I'm Natasha Von Braun.
- Yes, I know
How do you know?
You are Miss Von Braun
Yes, I'm very well,
thank you so very much
You come from the Outlands,
Mr. Johnson?
- Everything to your satisfaction?
- Yes
I've been ordered to stay
in your service
during your stay in Alphaville
Who ordered you?
The authorities, of course
You came for the festival,
Mr. Johnson?
Which festival?
The big one; that's why people
from the Outlands come
- In my opinion, it's silly
you did not. -Why?
The festival's nearly over;
No more until next year
You don't say
Yes, Mr. Johnson
But this evening,
there's a gala reception
Very big
At a ministry. I'm going;
come if you like
OK.
What time? I must attend
to something else first
You must go to
Residents Control registration?
No. What's that?
You mustn't forget to go there,
Mr. Johnson. We can meet afterwards
No, I'll go there tomorrow.
First I must meet a friend
Me too, I've work to do
I'll give you the address
where I'll be
Call for me
and we'll go together
OK. In an hour or two
All right, see you later,
Mr. Johnson
I'll go down with you, miss
Mr. Johnson, what's it like
in the Outlands?
You've never been?
No, but my father told me about
them when I was little
Now it's forbidden to think
about them
Are you often ordered
to stay with strangers?
- Yes, it's my job.
- Sometimes, it must be nice
- Why?
- You never have love affairs?
- What? -Has no one ever fallen
in love with you?
In love? What's that?
There's one thing I'd like
to know, miss
- Yes, Mr. Johnson.
- You've finished taking me
- for an ***, or are you beginning?
- Let go of me
But answer me
I don't understand,
what are you talking about?
Realize, Princess. I don't know
what you're talking about either
It's always like that.
You never understand anything
Yes, it's always like that.
You never understand anything
And one night,
you end it in death
- Which way are you going?
- 12, Enrico Fermi
That's after Heisenberg Boulevard,
not far from Mathematical Park
I have a car, I can give you
a lift, if you wish. -OK.
I'll get the keys
- You don't want me to court you?
- What?
You really don't know
what it means?
Her smile and her small,
pointed teeth
reminded me of the old
vampire films
the sort they used to show
at cinerama museums
I'm a programmer, second class
Natasha's a name from the past
Yes, but in life, one can
only know the present
No one's lived in the past,
or will live in the future
Thanks for the lift, anyway
It's a pleasure to do my job,
Mr. Johnson
It's much farther?
You know we must cross
the North Zone, Miss
What's the population
of Alphaville?
Don't forget, you must go
to Residents Control
Yes
What exactly do you do
for a living?
I work
for a newspaper
Professor Von Braun is
your father?
It's vital that I write about him;
Could you arrange a meeting?
I don't know. I've never seen him.
I'll ask
Finally, I leave you
- Here?
- I've changed my mind
You have the address?
Yes. Tell him to stop
Telecommunication
I'd like to telecommunicate
- Galaxy or local call?
- Local
Cabin 2
Miss, do you know that man?
Of course I know him.
Don't be stupid
At the end of Galata Bridge
one finds the Red Star.
My place
You can't compare it
to our splendid
galactic corridors
all a-glitter with
luxury and light
It's only a vast labyrinth,
tall, cramped
Is this the Red Star Hotel?
Yes, it is, thank you
- Is Mr. Dickson in?
- He's out
Fine, I'll wait
You have money, sir?
You can have a seat, sir,
if you're tired
I wanted to see it again
the tomb of
the Duc de Montpensier
The reclining statue
of the Prince
is the work of Pradier
The Prince wears
the costume of
Henry, it's me!
We've got plenty to talk about
- Where's my key?
- Where's my money, Mr. Dickson?
- My key.
- His key
And a beer
And me?
Why don't you hurry up
and commit suicide?
We need the room for our cousin
from the south
You come from the Outlands?
Why did he ask
if you'd commit suicide?
There's quite a few...
There's quite a few who do
One can't adapt to this place
It's the method
the Chinese invented
about thirty years ago
in Pekingville
Dissuasion is their strong point
What about those who won't adapt,
or commit suicide?
- Those... they're executed.
- Yes, the authorities
But one can hide, you know.
There aren't many left
*** Tracy, is he dead?
And Guy Leclair?
Why didn't we hear from them,
or from you, Henry?
I'm sorry.
These things happen
And what's Alpha 60?
A giant computer, like they used
to have in big business
Nueva York... IBM...
Olivetti... General Electric...
Tokyorama...
Alpha 60 is one hundred and fifty
light years more powerful
I see. People have become slaves
of probabilities
Their ideal here, in Alphaville
is a technocracy, like that
of termites and ants
I don't understand
Probably one hundred and fifty
light years ago
One hundred and fifty,
two hundred
there were artists
in the ant society
Artists, novelists,
musicians, painters
Today, no more
Nothing. Like here
Has Professor Von Braun
organized it all?
He obeys logical orders
Then why didn't you kill him?
"Why"... what does that word mean?
I forgot...
You know his daughter, Natasha?
Who is she really?
It was him they sent
to Los Alamos
His name wasn't that then
Answer! That wasn't his name
in those days
Listen, Henry
We'll get out together; you'll
be OK. But first you must...
It's a terrible secret, but...
Come in, Madame la Marquise
My coat, Madame Recamier
Thank you, Madame Pompadour
Madame Bovary, Marie Antoinette
Madame Lafayette
Madame, it's love
I'll say it in Russian
So young and me
Lemmy... conscience...
Alpha 60... make...
self destruct...
Tenderness...
Save those who weep
Yes, yes, that's it
The Capital of Pain
14, Light Radiation.
Institute of General Semantics
You know where it is?
You prefer I pass through
the North Zone or the South?
What's the difference?
There's snow in the North
and sun in the South
Anyway, it's my journey
to the end of the night
So, it doesn't matter
It was my first night
in Alphaville
but it seemed to me that
centuries had passed
I'm very well, thank you
so very much
Miss Natasha Von Braun
- Which section?
- Programming and memory
The Central Memory...
...is thus named...
...because of
the primordial role...
...that it plays...
...in the logic-organization
within Alpha 60
But no one has lived
in the past...
...and no one will live
in the future
The present is the form
of all life
This quality...
...cannot be changed by any means
Time is like a circle...
...which turns endlessly
The descending arc is the past
The arc that climbs
is the future
Everything has been said...
...provided words do not change
their meanings...
...and meanings their words
Is it not obvious that someone...
...who customarily lives...
...in a state of suffering...
...requires a different sort
of religion...
...from a person habitually
in a state of well-being?
Before us, nothing existed here
No one
We are totally alone here
We are unique,
dreadfully unique
The meaning of words...
...and of expressions,
is no longer grasped
An isolated word, or a detail
of a design...
...can be understood
But the meaning
of the whole escapes
Once we know the number one...
...we believe that we know
the number two...
...because one plus one
equals two
We forget that first...
...we must know
the meaning of plus
I'm going
The acts of men...
...carried over...
...from past centuries...
...will gradually...
...destroy them...
...logically...
I, Alpha 60...
...am merely the logical means
of this destruction
Good night, Comrade
I thought I'd never
see you again
- Shall we go?
- I'll get the keys
I left because I couldn't
understand a word he was saying
But it's very simple
We learnt this evening
that death and life
are found within
the same circle
- Are you afraid of death?
- Of course not. Why?
We took the tangent
to the center districts
Traffic bulletins on the radio...
...as Natasha spoke to me
in her pretty sphinx voice
Pretty sphinx...
Foreign ambassadors
usually attend
or delegations
from the districts
Why does everyone
look so sad, somber?
You ask too many questions
Because they lack electricity
The essence...
...of the so-called
capitalist world...
...or the communist world...
...is not an evil volition...
...to subject their people
by the power of indoctrination...
...or the power of finance...
...but simply...
...the natural ambition...
...of any organization...
...to plan all its actions
In a word, to minimize
unknown quantities
This dump of yours isn't
Alphaville, it's Zeroville
- What are we going to see?
- I don't know, light and sound
- Where is everyone?
- I believe; it's already begun
Hurry. We're late
It's already begun
Don't they electrocute them
any more?
Darling, you know the provisions
of 17th Plan took a plunge
You see, I told you so
Stay here
- Introduce me.
- I told you to stay there
we're with very important people
- Can I take a photo?
- I'll ask
Yes
- What have they done?
- They've been condemned
Only men?
There's usually a ratio of
fifty men executed to one woman
But what have they done?
They behaved illogically
Isn't that a crime
in the Outlands?
Say, I know him.
He wept when his wife died
He was condemned for that?
Evidently
We must advance to live
Aim straight for those you love
Listen to me, normals
We see the truth
you no longer see
The truth is that the essence
of man is love and faith
courage, tenderness,
generosity and sacrifice
The rest is the obstacle created
by the progress
of your blind ignorance
One day...
One day...
Sorry, Professor,
but I must speak with you
I never speak to journalists
I'm not a journalist
Can't we talk somewhere quieter?
- Goodbye, sir.
- Mr. Nosferatu
That man no longer exists
Are you crying?
No, because it's forbidden
Occupied
Occupied
Free
Sit there and answer when
you're spoken to
I haven't done anything
Newcomers must be interrogated
Alpha 5
What is your name?
Where were you born?
Nueva York
How old are you?
I don't know... 45
What make is your car?
What do you love above all?
Gold and women
What are you doing in Alphaville?
An article for Figaro-Pravda
You seem afraid
I'm not afraid...
not the way you think
Anyway, you wouldn't understand
Rest assured that my decisions...
...always have in view...
...the ultimate good
I shall now...
...ask you some test questions...
...as a security measure
No, go ahead
You have come from the Outlands
What were your feelings...
...when you passed through
galactic space?
The silence of infinite space
appalled me
What is the privilege
of the dead?
To die no more
Do you know what illuminates
the night?
Poetry
What is your religion?
I believe in the inspirations
of conscience
Do you make any distinction...
...between the mysterious
principles...
...of knowledge...
...and those of love?
In my opinion, in love
there is no mystery
You are not telling the truth
I don't understand
You are hiding certain things
I admit I might have
reasons to lie
but how can you differentiate
between lies and truth?
You are hiding certain things...
...but I do not know yet
what they are
For the time being, you are free
I should like you to visit...
...the Control Complex
Come with me, Mr. Johnson
- Where are we going?
- To the Chief Engineer
Ah, the day breaks
Sit down, Mr. Johnson
A momentous occasion
Yes, we spent three years looking
for Grand Omega Minus
Well, Mr. Johnson...
How do you find Alphaville?
Not bad, if I knew where I was
You are in the center of
Alphaville, inside Alpha 60
The task of Alpha 60
is to calculate and project
the results which Alphaville
will subsequently enjoy
Why?
No one ever says "why";
one says "because"
In the life of individuals,
as in the life of nations
all is linked,
all is consequence
That's the famous theory of
Professor Leonard Nosferatu
Leonard Nosferatu no longer
exists, Mr. Johnson
The Outlands expelled him in 1964
Today there is only
Professor Von Braun
I remember. He was sent
to a village in the desert
to perfect his invention
He was exiled, you mean
Now the Outlands wring their hands,
wishing him back
They flood us with spies. Perhaps
you are a spy, Mr. Johnson
You know I'm only a free man
A meaningless reply.
We know nothing
We record, calculate,
draw conclusions
An hour ago,
one of Alpha 60's
1.4 billion nerve centres
questioned you
Your replies were difficult and
sometimes impossible to codify
We deduce an above-average
intelligence
We are sometimes in mortal need
of superior intelligences
At other times we have a no less
mortal distrust of them
So what will you do with me?
For the moment, we're ordered
to show you Alpha 60
Who ordered you?
Professor Von Braun?
Absolutely not
An order is a logical conclusion
One must not be afraid of logic.
Simply that. Period
The circuit elements...
of 183 Omega Minus... malfunction
Calculating or memory elements?
Memory
Professors Eckel and Jeckel
I'm very well, thank you,
pleased to meet you
Me too
I'd like to know what
Grand Omega Minus is
Our 17th electricity plan
is inadequate
Sooner or later, the Outlands
will declare war on us
Therefore, we decided
to invade them
Directed by Professor Von Braun,
Omega Minus will be
victorious over anti-matter
I see, it's ideal
We can perhaps use men like you
to tell us the weak points
of the Outlands
Your tendency to dwell
in the past...
...could be useful to us
We send those properly brain-washed
to provoke the other galaxies
the strikes, revolutions,
family rows, student revolts
That's us: Grand Omega Minus
- Where now?
- The invisible part of Alpha 60
You think more
of what has been...
...than of what will be
It's old, your camera
The technical...
I don't believe in it
Yes, of course
Jeckel asked why I shot
the individual in my bathroom...
...when the whole thing
was just a psycho-test
I replied, because I'm too old
to argue. So I shoot
It's my only weapon
against fatality
- What's this?
- Central Interrogation Station
Here Alpha 60 sets itself problems
The forms and references used
by Alpha 60
are too complex
for human understanding
What sort of problems?
Train and airplane departures...
movement of people and goods
electricity distribution...
crime suppression... war operations
Element Seven, Malfunction
What's happening?
It's war with the Outlands
A simple instruction...
...is usually insufficient...
...to put into...
...execution...
...a task set by Alpha 60
Do not think...
...that it is I...
...who initiate
this destruction...
...nor the scientists...
...who have accepted my plan
Ordinary men...
...are unworthy...
...of the positions they hold...
...in the world
Analysis of their past...
...automatically leads one...
...to this conclusion
Therefore...
...they must be destroyed
That is to say: transformed
I don't need anyone
to draw it for me
During these years,
under the direction...
...of Von Braun
and his assistants...
...Alphaville had developed
by leaps and bounds...
...guided by electronic brains
that developed themselves...
...by conceiving problems...
...that the human imagination
couldn't grasp
Foreigners were gradually
assimilated...
...especially the Swedes,
Germans and Americans
The others, the unassimilatables
were purely and simply killed
I walked through the threaten
of executions
Usually, we would seat them
in a room...
...and electrocute them in their
chairs as they watched a show
Then we'd dump them into
huge rubbish bins...
...and the theater was ready
for the next batch
If an individual showed hope
of reclamation...
...he was sent to a chronic
illness hospital where...
...mechanical and propagandistic
treatments soon cured him
I felt that my existence here...
...was becoming a distorted,
twilight memory...
...and without a doubt,
a terrible destiny
I was left only one solution
It would not be logical...
...to prevent...
...superior beings...
...from attacking...
...the other galaxies
344
Put in one token
Thank you
Going up, sir?
- No, I'll shine my shoes.
- Please, sir
- This man has the key.
- This way, sir
You're tired, sir?
You'd like to sleep, sir?
Yes, to sleep:
perchance to dream
What are you exactly?
I'm a seductress, third class
Has your colleague gone?
Who? Beatrice?
I don't know;
a blonde with long legs
She's working
in the peripheral flats
We're only replacements
Ever heard of the Outlands?
Never
- Get out of here!
- Why?
If anyone asks,
say you don't know
I'm very well,
thank you so very much
If it isn't the little princess
I was forbidden to come,
but I wanted to see you again
Not me!
Since you're here,
order breakfast for me
Yes, sir
Pardon, I'm very well,
thank you so very much
Me too
Bow your head
What is it?
Nothing. Just a thought
What about my breakfast?
I want to tele-order breakfast
What is your number?
You have a number?
They didn't give me one
at Alpha 60
Not your control number,
your room number
344
Ever heard of this book?
"The Capital of Pain"
Some words are underlined
We live in the void
of metamorphoses
But the echo that runs
throughout the day...
...that echo beyond time,
anguish or caress...
Are we near to our conscience,
or far from it?
These are words
I don't understand
Conscience...
And this:
death in conversation
And this?
Your eyes have returned
from a despotic land...
...where no one has known
the meaning of a glance
You've really no idea
what this is?
It reminds me of something
I don't know what
Naked truth
I know it well
Despair has no wings,
nor does love
No face, they don't speak
I don't look at them,
I don't speak to them
But I am as alive
as my love and despair...
And this:
Dying is not dying
And this:
The beguiler beguiler
This:
Men who change
Never heard of secret messages,
Miss Von Braun?
A secret message?
Don't you know what a secret is?
Yes. Secrets of planning,
atomic secrets, secrets of memory
Now what are you looking for?
This town is driving me nuts!
I'm looking for a Bible,
to see if it's in it
Are you a complete idiot? The word
I'm looking for, obviously...
Where is it? There's always
one for every room
I'm becoming afraid
Since you've come, I no longer
understand what is happening
Me, I think I'm beginning
to understand
Here it is
"Conscience"... it's not in it
I'm very well, thank you
It's no longer there.
So no one here
knows the meaning of the word
conscience any more
Too bad
1 sugar or 2?
2
That's not a Bible,
it's a dictionary
Isn't it the same
in the Outlands, Mr. Johnson?
Answer me now, what's it for?
Nearly every day words disappear,
because they are forbidden
They are replaced by new words
expressing new ideas
In the last two
or three months
some words I was
very fond of disappeared
Which words? I'm interested
Redbreast, weeping
autumn light
tenderness too
When I'm with you I'm afraid
They ordered me
not to see you again
Who? The Alpha 60 engineers?
- Yes.
- What are you afraid of?
I'm afraid because
I know that word
without ever having seen it
or read it
- Which word?
- Le conscience
La conscience
- You've never been to the Outlands?
- No
Are you sure?
Yes
You're lying
Why are you cross with me?
I believe you mustn't say
"why" but "because"
I said "why"?
And if enemy ears are listening,
they heard you, too
Well, then, I was careless,
because it's forbidden
Perhaps it's all right for you
to use it
When did I say "why"?
Another question first:
where were you born?
Here in Alphaville
Another lie. Perhaps
you don't know, but you're lying
I must know the truth:
where were you born?
Here. I told you
No, in Tokyorama
the Land of the Rising Sun
Go on, say it
In Tokyorama,
in the Land of the Rising Sun
Or in Florence,
perhaps... where
try to remember it
for yourself, Natasha. Where?
Where? I don't know
Where the sky's as blue as
the South Seas
Florence, where the sky's
as blue as the South Seas
Or in Nueva York
Where the winter... Broadway
glitters in the snow
like a fur coat
You see, you do know
the Outlands
Your father was chased
from Nueva York in '64
He brought you here, so you
are not from here
I know what this book is
A man who came with us from
Nueva York, he wrote these books
I don't know what became of him
They live in the forbidden
quarters here; they commit suicide
I know that Alpha 60
uses them sometimes
It controls them.
How come?
Because they write
incomprehensible things
Now I know:
it used to be called poetry
It's believed to be secrets,
but really it's nothing
When Control has an hour or so free
it codifies such stuff
Like everything else,
one never knows
It can always prove useful
Absolutely.
We're highly organized
I'd like to leave with you
for the Outlands
But I'm afraid
Now that I've seen you
I'm no longer normal
When did I say "why"?
Why?
Because... you know very well,
Mr. Johnson
No, I don't
At which moment?
Tell me
Quite often. Last night
in the corridor, for instance
This time you're lying
When I said I was
falling in love with you
In love? What's that?
This
No, I know what that is:
it's sensuality
No, sensuality is a consequence
It cannot exist without love
So what is love, then?
Your voice, your eyes...
...your hands, your lips...
Our silences, our words...
Light that goes...
...light that returns
A single smile between us
In quest of knowledge,
I watched night create day...
...while we seemed unchanged
O beloved of all,
beloved of one alone...
...your mouth silently promised
to be happy
Away, away, says hate;
Closer, closer, says love
A caress leads us from
our infancy
Increasingly I see
the human form...
...as a lovers' dialogue
The heart has but one mouth
Everything by chance
All words without thought
Sentiments adrift
Men roam the city
A glance, a word
Because I love you
Everything moves
We must advance to live
Aim straight ahead
toward those you love
I went toward you,
endlessly toward the light
If you smile, it enfolds me
all the better
The rays of your arms
pierce the mist
Capital of Sorrow
I must know how the chief engineer
will use me
As an inter-galaxy double agent,
I think
- So it's true what Eckel said.
- What?
You send spies to sabotage
the rest of the world
Of course, you learn that
in school
Are you going to betray me?
You can't talk
or don't you want to
Can I communicate with
the Outlands from this hotel?
Just ask for Galaxy Service.
You want me to do it?
The Outlands...
I want to telecommunicate
...telecommunications are
suspended for some days
- What were you going to say?
- An atomic attack on Alphaville
I'll explain later, Princess,
but now let's get out of here
We must find the Professor...
where does he live?
- Come with us!
- Where?
- Residents Control.
- No kidding
When he doubles up, get him
Story 842, Miss
One day a tiny man entered
a North Zone cafe
and said, "I want a cup
of very hot, sweet coffee..."
adding: "I shan't pay,
because I fear no one"
He drank his coffee
He left
He drank his coffee
and didn't pay
The cafe owner said nothing,
he was afraid of a scandal
But when the tiny man repeated
the trick a few times
the cafe owner said:
"I've had it, I'll get a tough guy
to beat up this tiny man
if he comes back"
So, on the fourth day
when the tiny man said, "I want
a cup of very hot, sweet coffee..."
the tough guy goes
to him and says:
"So you're afraid of no one?"
"That's right"
"Well, neither am I"
"Well", says the tiny man,
"Make that two cups of coffee
very hot and sweet."
Meet you outside
Residents Control
You'll stay here, Miss Von Braun
Last night you lied
You organized Dickson's death.
Why?
Your name may be spelled...
...lvan Johnson...
...but it is pronounced
Lemmy Caution...
...secret agent...
...number zero zero three...
...of the Outlands
You are a menace
to the security of Alphaville
I refuse to become
what you call normal
Those you call mutants...
...form a race superior...
...to ordinary men...
...whom we have almost eliminated
Unthinkable
An entire race cannot
be destroyed
I shall calculate...
...so that failure...
...is impossible
I shall fight so that failure
is possible
Everything that I project
shall be accomplished
Don't be so sure;
I have a secret, too
What is your secret?
Tell me, Mr. Caution
Something which never changes,
day or night
The past represents its future,
it advances in a straight line
yet it ends by coming
full circle
I cannot trace it
I won't tell you
Several of my circuits...
...are looking for the solution
to your riddle
I will find it
If you find it, you will
destroy yourself simultaneously
because you will become
my kin, my brother
Those who are not born,
do not weep...
...and do not regret
Thus it is logical
to condemn you to death
*** yourself with your logic
My judgement is just...
...and I am working for the
universal good
If you plan to drive us from
the other galaxies, you'll fail
You will not leave;
the exit is blocked
We'll see
Professor Von Braun - do you
know where he lives?
Central Palace, South Zone,
behind Raw Materials Station
Let's go
Don't budge
That way I'm sure you will
keep your word
Out! Out!
No journalists!
You know "journalist" and "justice"
both begin with the same letter?
Tell your boss
What can I do for you,
Mister Caution?
News travels fast here
Because we're very rapidly
entering Light Civilization
At about 300.000 kilometers
per second
I'm returning to the Outlands.
Come with me
Stay with us, Mister Caution
When the war's over I'll put you
in charge of another galaxy
You will have gold and women
We are mastering a science
so fantastic
that the old American and
Russian control of atomic force
will seem pathetic
I see
You oppose my moral, even
supernatural, sense of vocation
with a simple physical
and mental existence
easily controllable
by technicians
Your ideas are strange,
Mr. Caution
Some years ago,
in the Age of Ideas
yours would have been called
sublime ideas
Look at yourself. Men of your type
will soon be extinct
You'll become something
worse than dead
You'll become a legend,
Mr. Caution
Yes, I'm afraid of death
but for a humble secret agent
that's a fact of life, like whisky
And I've drunk that all my life
You never want to see
the Outlands again, Professor?
Goodbye, Mister Caution
Such people will serve as
terrible examples to those...
...who see the world
as theater...
...when technical power
and its triumph...
...is the only act
in their repertoire
I was running a straight line...
...which, like Dickson's
Greek labyrinth...
...and philosophers were lost,
as a secret agent was too
In many respects...
...your reactions and your
modes of thought...
...differ...
...from present normality
The inhabitants of Alphaville
are not normal
They are the product of mutation
Do you accept our proposal?
Answer silently...
...with yes or no
I'll never betray the Outlands
The present is terrifying...
...because it is irreversible,
and because it is of iron
Time is the substance of which
I am made
Time is a river
which carries me along
But I am time
It's a tiger, tearing me apart;
but I'm the tiger
Look at her and me,
there's your answer
We're happiness, and we're
heading towards it
It is our misfortune
that the world is reality
And I...
...it is my misfortune
that I am myself, Alpha 60
Natasha, quick...
...think of the word love
Here
Not all the inhabitants died,
but all were stricken
Those not asphyxiated
by the absence of light...
...circled crazily, like ants
It was 23.15, Oceanic Time...
...when Natasha and I left
Alphaville by the peripheral roads
A night drive across intersidereal
space, and we'd be home
Don't look back
- Do you think they're all dead?
- Not yet
They may recover, and Alphaville
will be happy, like Florence
Like Angouleme-city,
like Tokyorama
You can't go back
- Have I slept for long?
- No, the space of an instant
Where are we?
In the Outlands?
Not yet
You're looking at me
with an odd face
You're waiting for me
to say something
I don't know what to say
They're words I don't know
I wasn't taught them
Help me
Impossible, Princess.
You must get there yourself
Then you'll be saved.
If you don't
you're as lost
as the dead of Alphaville
I
you
love
I love you