Last night I watched a documentary about France at the end of, and immediately after, the Second World War. The commentary was as usual a delight: the authentic voice of doom, with each sentence pronounced as though it were the conclusion of the entire programme.
The highlight for me came with the trial of Pierre Laval. In prison awaiting execution, Laval tried to kill himself by taking poison from a phial which had been stitched inside the lining of his jacket since the war years. Unfortunately for him, the poison was no longer lethal and a stomach pump succeeded in restoring him to health. As the commentator solemnly intoned, “Ses jours ne sont plus en danger” (“He is out of danger”). There was a huge sigh of relief. Laval was then taken outside and shot by the firing squad.
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