who is the commanding officer?
philippe --
fifty calibers, eh, captain --
entirely unnecessary, captain.
we share a common enemy -- you are our guests. i am gaston de marais -- this is my family's plantation. it has been such for 121 years. it will be such after i die. this is my son, philippe -- he has fought in algeria and held the rank of captain. and henry lefevre -- a sergeant; he was at dien bien phu. my personal servant, tran van kac ---
my youngest son -- christian --
christian's wife -- ann-marie --
and my youngest daughter -- claudine.
we took them from the dead. now -- i assume you want to rest, to shower. we'll attend to your repairs after dinner.
a man of war is never bothered to aid an ally -- you will follow me, captain.
of course, captain -- an unfortunate necessity.
a suitable accomodation for your men, captain -- you will, of course, be quartered with us --
captain, this way.
magnificent, eh, captain?
it is very good -- there is no current -- it is very good. i have never seen one like it in all indochina. i was in paris when it arrived -- do you know what might have caused --
no, i've seen those in normandy. this is much better. my country -- my country could never originate this. magnificent.
roxanne, i hope you are feeling better.
may i present captain willard? he is of a paratroop regiment. you know the difference between a paratrooper and a regular soldier, don't you , my dear?
attacks repulsed, as i was saying. this is only for this war, captain. viet cong -- 54; north vietnamese regular forces -- 15; south vietnamese -- 28 -- regular forces and otherwise. americain -- 6. of course, they were, perhaps, mistakes, captain.
captain?
we will never 'evacuate', captain -- this is our home. indochina is ours; it has been so for a hundred and twenty-one years, there is something to say for that.
but we civilized it. a place belongs to those who bring light to it, don't you agree.
upriver? why upriver? there is nothing there, only jungle.
when i was a boy, my father would take me there, to hunt. there are a few savages, but no man can live there, no white man.
we have never heard of him.
bon nuit, roxanne -- bon nuit, captain.
two of my men deserted last night. it happens from time to time. i assume my daughter told you of our conditions.
we endure, captain -- you can blow up the house and we will live in the cellar -- destroy that and we'll dig a hole in the jungle and sleep on it. burn the forest and we'll hide in the swamp. all the while, we do but one thing -- clean the blood off our bayonets. au revoir, captain.