Notre-Dame on Fire (Notre-Dame brûle)

"Everything is true, as implausible as it seems." A. Rivaroli

NOTRE-DAME ON FIRE

The door is open.

- You're the new guy? - Yes.

- Right on time. - Thank you.

Good for you.

Follow me!

Were you trained?

Yes.

Tuesday and Thursday.

Two hours. Almost two hours.

How about that?

Know how it works?

Yeah, they showed me.

I know it.

Follow me.

This is where you'll take your break.

That's a repeater panel.

Never take your eyes off it.

That's the fridge.

Those are the lockers.

Bathrooms in the back.

- Did you try on your uniform? - No.

A little big!

Better than the other way around.

DANGER LEAD

I've been on this job for a year. And you?

Careful, buddy! Move your bus!

It's a one-way street. You're going the wrong way!

Are we seeing Mona Lisa?

No, Uncle,

here it's the Crown of Thorns.

Come behold the wonder.

Welcome to Notre-Dame Cathedral.

A jewel of French Gothic architecture.

The most visited in the world,

an edifice that houses the most precious

and venerated of relics.

We're reinforcing the bearing points

of the spire.

To take the scaffold weight off the roof.

Ok, understood.

Here you see the Virgin and Child.

The incarnation of Notre-Dame.

It was placed here by Viollet-le-Duc in 1855,

in front of a former altar,

which during the Middle Ages

was a high place of worship of Our Lady.

This is the exact spot

where David painted the famous

"Coronation of Napoleon."

Later appeared a young author,

Victor Hugo,

who at just 29 published a novel

entitled The Hunchback of Notre-Dame .

The main character, Quasimodo,

who is half-blind and lame...

Keep going! Only 200 steps to go!

The structure supporting the roof,

one of the oldest in the world,

is made of oak trees planted 1,200 years ago,

during the reign of Charlemagne.

There is a total of 1,300 tree trunks.

And finally, here we are

in the Chapel of the Seven Sorrows.

And now, you are standing before

the holiest of Christian relics.

The Crown cost an astronomical sum,

putting France in debt for 35 years.

Debt, a French passion!

135,000 pounds.

A fortune that put France on its knees for 50 years.

In French history, it is the most precious

and most expensive...

The wavy red glass of the reliquary

evokes the crimson cloak the Son of God was made to wear

in mockery, to show him as a sham king.

Behind the glass here,

you see a beige linen tunic

worn by Saint Louis on his return from the Crusades.

He asked his confessor for this small flagellation chain

to whip himself. You can see traces of blood.

- Hello? - It's Mr. Merlin, your boss.

Sorry this falls on you. There's a hitch with the afternoon guy.

His papers aren't in order. Can you stay till 11 p.m.?

Yes, that shouldn't be a problem.

I just need

to call my wife.

Of course.

Good luck!

The kids are tired of waiting. What am I supposed to do?

I'm sick of you.

I know. I don't have a choice.

Same old song! You don't give a shit about us.

What do I tell them? That it's never your fault?

Is that it?

EASTER MONDAY MASS 6:15 PM

But the chief priests then decided

to kill Lazarus also,

because he was the reason many Jews

were deserting them and believing in Jesus.

Let us praise

the word of God.

6:17 PM

Alarm!

Alarm: Fire, attic, nave...

Alarm!

Alarm: Fire, attic

sacristy!

Copy sacristy attic, I'm on it.

Excuse me.

CHAPTER SACRISTY

fire attic nave sacristy

Control post?

Yes?

I'm in the sacristy attic.

Nothing unusual. False alarm.

It's still blinking.

The evacuation announcement is gonna go off. Don't worry.

The system's been acting up for years.

I keep reporting it,

but nobody gives a hoot. I give up!

On my way.

Your attention, please.

For safety reasons,

the building is closing to the public.

Please stay calm and leave

by the nearest exit.

Mommy, can I have a coin to light a candle?

Some other time. You heard the message.

Come along. I promise.

They're asking us to leave.

Damn alarms are a pain in the ass.

And now during mass!

You've reached...

Please leave a message after the tone.

Excuse me, Mr. Merlin,

but an alarm has gone off.

6:35 PM

Give me the code.

The guard said the sacristy was fine, but...

The code!

ZA-110-

L2-

15-L1.

Is that the alarm I hear?

Yes.

Turn it off. Orange button.

Ladies and gentlemen!

The alert has been lifted. False alarm.

Feel free to return to the cathedral.

Mass will be resuming.

The alert has been lifted! It's safe to go in.

Enjoy your visit!

I'm giving you your coin now,

but light the candle only after mass. Ok?

6:42 PM

Jean-Pierre,

act fast! It's not the sacristy attic,

it's the nave! The forest.

Yes, sir, the nave attic.

What's going on?

There's a rehearsal later. 14 musicians.

I'm checking up there.

- The forest? Really? - Yeah.

300 steps up with your asthma, that's tough.

I'm coming with you.

I'm sick of these false alarms.

The system needs checking.

PARIS FIRE BRIGADE HEADQUARTERS On bus 85? Her water broke?

A dog on the beltway?

No collisions, no accidents? DISPATCH CENTER

The elevator is stuck?

Someone's inside?

Between two bars?

Your child's head is stuck in the railing?

PARIS FIRE BRIGADE

6:45 PM 28 min. After fire detected

It's Mathieu.

- How's Italy? - Nice.

I sent you a pic of smoke at Notre-Dame. A friend took it.

It may be a fake. You know anything?

Hello, fire brigade?

I'm at number 121, Rue de la Vacquerie.

My kitten is sliding off the roof.

He got out.

Kitty!

MAJOR GENERAL GONTIER

LIEUTENANT GENERAL GALLET

Jean-Claude, any news on Notre-Dame?

Got a strange call.

A friend from police HQ on vacation in Italy.

Florence. Look at this.

Dispatch says they know nothing.

It's gotta be fake.

Well, it sure looks real.

- Shouldn't we check? - Let's go to the Comm Center.

PARIS MAYOR'S OFFICE

Look over there.

There's smoke.