Capítulo 8 de 12 · 4'04"
The interview starts as a friendly game of billiards, with Clouseau snapping cue after cue and Ballon politely handing him new ones. Underneath, Clouseau is working toward an accusation: "I put it to you directly, Monsieur Ballon, that it was you who murdered Miguel Ostos."
Clouseau Names the Killer
❝ Monólogo · 6 frases Ballon's account
He gives in and walks through the whole night, calm on the surface but tense underneath.
At Benjamin Ballon's house, Inspector Clouseau asks to talk. Ballon suggests they play billiards, and Clouseau clumsily breaks two cues before they get to business. Clouseau then says Ballon's 11:00 flight from London was cancelled, meaning he actually arrived earlier—and accuses him of murdering Miguel Ostos.
The billiards game is Clouseau's method as much as his accident-prone nature; a cue in hand lets him circle the subject while Ballon calmly replaces every one he breaks. The real move comes when Clouseau corrects the alibi: the flight Ballon claims he took was cancelled, so he must have arrived earlier. Then the accusation lands whole: "I put it to you directly, Monsieur Ballon, that it was you who murdered Miguel Ostos." Ballon barely flinches. His answer concedes motive while denying the act — "I disliked Miguel intensely, but I'm not in the habit of killing people merely because I dislike them." The game continues as if nothing had been said, which is exactly the point: a rich man being accused of murder treats it as small talk.
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
“I put it to you directly, Monsieur Ballon, that it was you who murdered Miguel Ostos.”
A courtroom formula turns an accusation into a formal, almost legal challenge.
Formal
“I disliked Miguel intensely, but I'm not in the habit of killing people merely because I dislike them.”
He concedes the motive, then dismisses it with dry logic, which sounds almost reasonable.
Neutral
“Then I submit, Inspector Ballon, that you arrived home, found Miguel with Maria Gambrelli, and killed him in a rite of jealous rage.”
The word submit dresses the accusation as a formal proposal, which makes it land harder.
Formal
“I may as well tell you the whole thing.”
May as well captures the moment resistance gives way, which is exactly how a confession starts.
Neutral
I may as well tell you the whole thing. The night that Miguel was killed, I arranged for him to meet the 11:00 plane. I arrived on the 9:00. He would be on his way to the airport while I was on my way home. My wife was at a dinner party. This would give me a whole hour alone in the house!
Siguiente · 09up to his earsLa escena: Dreyfus Banishes Clouseau to MartiniqueBallon claimed he arrived from London on the 11:00 flight on the night of the murder. Clouseau points out that flight was cancelled due to bad weather, so Ballon must have come earlier and had time to be home.
Clouseau accuses him directly, and Ballon admits he disliked Miguel and was having an affair with Maria. He denies killing, saying he isn't in the habit of killing people just because he dislikes them.
Clouseau guesses the motive—jealousy—and Ballon admits the affair but insists he would not kill for her. He offers his own account of the night to explain why he arranged for Miguel to be out.
It is a formal way to state an accusation or argument directly: "I put it to you that..." means "I'm telling you plainly that..." Clouseau uses it to name Ballon as the murderer to his face.
No. He stays calm, keeps playing billiards, and answers with cool denials and half-confessions. His composure is the point: he never loses control even when accused of murder.
