25th of April 1945
Liberation Day
The war is over.
Why?
Hurry, comrades, in the name of Stalin!
The Black Shirt bandits are here!
-Quick! Let's wipe them out!
-Come on, it's the partisans.
-Yeah, let's go finish them.
-lsn't that black smoke? Come back!
Every last one of them.
Grab these. Go, go on.
l want a gun, too.
-What are you doing? Let go.
-l want a gun, too.
Come on. l was good enough
to cut the telephone lines,
so l'm good enough to carry a gun.
Come on, Wildcat. Come on.
Give me one. You promised.
Wildcat!
Leonito, what are you waiting for?
Take this. The magazine, too.
Here.
-Where are you going?
-l want to kill, too.
...the commander of the
Matteotti Partisan Brigade
for the liberation of ltaly.
Within the last few minutes,
we have seized a radio station in Milan.
The city has been liberated!
And, at last, a free Milan
salutes its fellow countrymen.
l repeat, this is the commander
of the Matteotti Partisan Brigade
for the liberation of ltaly.
ln the excitement and joy
of this memorable moment,
our thoughts must go
to those who gave their lives
to bring an end
to the enslavement of ltaly
at the hands of the
Nazi Fascist barbarian regime.
But our thoughts, above all,
go to our brother partisans
-who fought so bravely...
-Leonito, what are you doing in here?
-...and sacrificed even their lives.
-l didn't even see you.
Leonito, what is all this nonsense?
Give me that gun.
Let go!
Long live, Stalin.
Have you gone out of your mind?
...commander of the Matteotti
Partisan Brigade for ltalian liberation.
Fascism has left us
an inheritance of misery,
-humiliation, and death.
-Long live Stalin.
Attila and Regina.
Attila and Regina!
Shoot, Attila! Shoot!
Kill her!
-Bitch!
-Dirty Cossack!
-Kill her!
-l'll murder you.
Regina!
Regina!
Attila!
l'm coming!
l'm coming!
Come on. Come on.
Oh, the swallows are back.
Wait, wait.
My grandfather died here.
Stand up!
Sit down.
Sit!
Did you know that in America
every cow has its own drinking trough?
American cows are lucky.
They're well off.
Hey,
wouldn't you like
to go to America, Leonito?
Call me Olmo.
l thought your name was Leonito.
Olmo's my partisan name.
Do you know who Olmo was?
l know he was the bravest.
The bravest.
Well, my little partisan friend,
what do you think of your master?
There are no more masters!
Many years before...
Verdi is dead!
Verdi is dead!
Giuseppe Verdi is dead!
Push! Push! Push! Push!
Push! Push! Push!
lt's born! lt's born!
Look what a nice baby l made.
Keep going.
Come on. lt's coming.
Rosalba, the door.
Close the door, Rosalba.
Be quiet, children. Hush up.
lt's a boy!
lt's a boy!
lt's another mouth to feed.
Rosina had a boy!
Another little ass to clean.
lt's a boy!
Don't touch him, Rigoletto,
he'll get a hump on his back.
She had a boy!
lt's a boy!
A boy!
We have another boy!
Damned woman.
lt's a boy!
You hear that, you good for nothing?
The bastard's born
before the master's son!
l'm going to get a stick
and come up there.
Eleonora, push. lt's coming.
l can feel it coming. Push!
Go on, harder! Push!
Go!
Bitch.
Papa!
Papa!
Alfredo is born!
Alfredo!
The same name as mine.
And if it's a girl?
lt's not a girl, is it?
Papa, l think l can tell a boy from a girl.
He's got all the right things.
He's got his father's expression already.
And his grandfather's money already.
What a pretty little boy.
Giovanni, Giovanni.
-Giovanni!
-What is it?
-How is the mother?
-Just fine.
-Give her a kiss for me.
-''May the fruit of this union,
''by heaven blessed,
''plucked from the Garden of Eden
''be the heir to the lordly graces,
''the pious heart,
-''the virtues of the patriots...''
-Oh, shut up!
-Giovanni, Giovanni.
-Yes, Papa.
Write to that playboy brother of yours.
Write as l say.
Yes, Papa.
Ottavio...
Why don't you have
anything to write with?
Ottavio Berlinghieri,
Hotel Des Bains, Lido, Venice.
Announce birth,
first Berlinghieri, 20th century. Stop!
Pray God he doesn't
grow up like you. Stop.
Found wife yet? Question mark.
Affectionately, Papa. Have you got that?
-Of course, Papa.
-Good.
Sister Desolata.
Sister Desolata is here!
Dear brother.
lt's a boy, a boy.
Bravo! Bravo!
You can take down the trunks
because l shall never again
return to that nunnery.
The monsignor has turned very cruel.
He prefers the novices,
and he neglects me.
He does.
And l can't tell you
how lowbred they are.
Listen, listen to this.
Just the other day, l...
Rigoletto, my hat.
-Alfredo.
-Yes, Signor Padrone.
-The Lord be with you.
-And with your spirit.
A priest here, too.
lt's a conspiracy, l tell you.
Well, humpback.
What do you see in there, eh?
Snow. lt's covered with snow.
Like in winter.
-What else?
-A church.
A cathedral with spires.
-And what else?
-Bottles.
-Bottles?
-Bottles!
lt's like paradise in there.
And you're the padrone,
the lord, the master.
And l'd be Saint Peter,
if you'd give me the keys.
Stop, no more work today.
Thanks, padrone. Hey, thanks.
Stop! Stop!
Hey, drink up, drink up.
-For you. Stop. No work today.
-Today, you're the padrone, too.
Penzo, special wine.
-Celebration.
-Salute, padrone.
Where's Dalco?
Leo's in the vineyard.
That's the last bottle.
Wine from the city.
What about mine?
lt says ''sparkling champagne.''
Hey, Libero, what's this for,
a wedding or a funeral?
There, in the vineyard.
Destiny.
Both born on the same day.
And destiny calls for a drink, right?
Signor Alfredo, you know how many
of us Dalcos there are now?
l've lost count.
Well, l know
that when we sit down to eat,
there are 40 of us at the table.
You're a lucky man, Leo. Admit it.
He may be a bastard,
but at least he's a boy.
Don't boys eat like everybody else?
What the hell is bothering you?
Mine was born first. lt's only natural.
First came the peasants of this world,
and then came the padrone.
Masters, peasants. Balls!
When you're born, you're all born equal.
All equal, huh?
You!
What are you standing there for?
Drink up.
Drink up, you bastards!
Drink with me.
Are we drinking or not?
Born together. Must mean something.
Probably means we die together.
You shit-pile philosopher.
l want mine to study law.
Mine thieving.
You might as well make him a priest.
Oh, this wine's not ours. Too dry.
l didn't like it, either.
Rigoletto, run down to the town hall.
Tell them the boy's name is Alfredo.
Berlinghieri, Alfredo,
born of Giovanni
and Eleonora ne Rosetti.
Leo,
what will you call yours?
What are you going to call yours?
Olmo.
Olmo.
Like an elm tree.
Born of the late
Oscar and Rosina Campo.
Oscar?
Oscar's been dead for four years.
That's the point.
Have some respect for the dead.
Oh, you bastards.
ln the deep of the summer
ln a heat that was stifling
There were born two male children
The distance was trifling
Rigoletto, here, have a drink.
Jackasses!
With the Pope as a peasant
Linked by fate in that hour
To the padrone's grandson
Heir to riches and power
What do you think, huh?
Leo. Leo, come on. You must try it, too.
l'm not climbing on that red devil.
l can't tell who rakes faster,
a man with a horse and a machine
-or a man with heart and muscle.
-Orso! Orso, come and see it!
-Go a little faster!
-We'll soon be able to tell.
There.
What? What is it?
There.
What's written there?
What do you think of that?
Half an acre in
10 minutes, all alone.
lt would have taken six men
at least half a day.
What about this?
Surely you can't call this a good job,
eh, Signor Giovanni?
-Look at all the hay it leaves behind.
-A little hay is nothing, huh?
You don't agree, huh?
Don't you realize, you dumb ox,
that this is
an imported piece of machinery,
and we're the first in the whole valley
to have a mechanical hay-raker?
Well, then blessed are
the last to have one.
Who needs a machine that looks
like a hyena, Signor Giovanni?
Nineteen!
They stink, and besides,
you're disgusting.
Hey! Twenty!
Twenty!
You haven't seen anything yet.
-Here, kiss it. Bite it. Eat it.
-Jump in the lake.
Olmo, the bastard
Olmo, the bastard
Olmo, the bastard
Olmo, the bastard
Olmo, the...
Here, eat it, and burn in hell.
Coward!
Go ahead! Run, you yellow-belly!
You're the yellow-belly.
You pick on girls and babies.
l say you can't even last
at follow the leader.
And l say l can, too.
Go piss in your pocket!
l'll fix you.
What are you doing?
Screwing the earth.
-Now what are you doing?
-Listening to my father speak to me.
ln the telegraph pole?
l can't hear anything.
Are you crazy?
We'll see who's brave and who's yellow.
When it starts to go over,
shut your eyes,
or it will blind you.
l'll make sure you don't run away.
No, no! Let me go! Let me go!
You see? You're yellow!
You're a coward!
Olmo! Olmo!
Olmo!
Are you dead or alive?
Ding-dong, ding-dong.
The devil cared, the padrone's scared.
How far is it from here
to the Madonna of the Fields?
As far as it's always been,
about 3 kilometers.
Once l saw a train
as long as from here
to the Madonna's shrine.
l got a train in my pants
that's longer than that!
Listen, he's only bragging.
Talk about trains.
You see that contraption outside?
You don't want to use it
because you are ignorant, afraid.
You're an enemy of progress,
that's what you are.
With that contraption, l work less,
and that's fine with me.
Well, who pays for it, huh?
Who pays for it?
The padrone, who else?
Everyone but the padrone.
lt's we, the workers, who pay the bill.
That's what we're for.
He even infected you. Look at the bugs.
Olmo gave the lice to everyone.
Your son's filthy.
He should be deloused.
Of course he should be deloused!
Someone must help me.
Your Olmo's a pig.
Today your little Olmo found a live frog
and forced my little Nina to eat it.
Besides, what do any of you
know about philosophy?
Nothing at all, that's what.
l'm the only one here
who's been to any meetings
to try to create a union.
Because anyone who understands
must follow those meetings,
and must travel around
to preach the great, new justice
to the unlucky peasants
who work out their lives and sweat,
profiting not themselves,
but only the padrone.
Amen.
Look at that.
Who is crying?
Rosina wants to send Olmo
to the seminary.
-Why?
-Why?
The boy's the devil.
They want to take him away from me,
my own son.
Turn him into a priest.
Nothing's for nothing.
You had your fun. Well, now you pay.
Come on, now,
it can happen to anybody.
Cut it out.
lt seems to me,
she's got a lot more than most.
When you hatch a bastard,
he always turns out evil.
Bastard?
Who said, ''bastard''?
There are no bastards in my house.
Olmo's the brother of your sons
because his father's one of us.
ls that true or not?
Rosina?
ls that true or not?
You tell them, Rosina. You know.
lt's true. Of course l know.
lf l don't, who does?
Olmo!
Olmo, they called you.
lt was Leo.
Hey! Hey!
Dalco, Olmo.
-Where's he going?
-There he is.
Come on, give him here!
Let go! Let go!
Get him up on the table.
Get up there!
Dalco, Olmo,
now that you are grown...
And still piss in your pants.
Come here.
Remember this.
You will learn to read,
you will learn to write,
but you will still remain Dalco, Olmo,
son of peasants.
Doomed to hunger.
You will go off to the army.
You will see the world.
You may even learn to obey.
With kicks in the ass
from morning till night.
You will take a wife.
You will work
for the lives of your children.
The best thing is to learn to be patient.
-But who will you remain always?
-Dalco, Olmo.
And that's who you are, Olmo.
A peasant!
Understand?
No priests in this house.
-What do you have in your hand?
-Nothing.
Signor Giovanni gave it to me.
l sold him my frogs.
lt's mine.
lf it is yours, then it belongs to all of us.
-lt's too high. l'll fall.
-''lt's too high. l'll fall.''
l wish you would and break your neck.
You're nothing but a big sissy.
Alfredo, Regina, come to dinner.
A card came from my brother,
the Parisian.
''Here, in the ville lumire,
l'm thinking of you all with affection.
''Best regards as ever, Ottavio.''
Alfredo!
Affection and best regards.
He hasn't written in over a year.
He doesn't feel at home here
and never has, you know that.
He has nothing but contempt for us.
What are you saying? What contempt?
You're always exaggerating.
Your brother Ottavio,
he knows how to live.
Paris, Maxim's, champagne, gigolos.
-We sacrifice, while he devours money.
-His allowance is a good meal.
-Got here first.
-Why do we have to keep calling you?
Regina!
-l'll serve.
-The frogs look juicy.
Really plump.
-Alfredo.
-No, no frogs.
Oh, come on, don't be a baby.
They're really disgusting. Awful.
Where are your manners, Alfredo?
Wait till you get in the army.
You'll wish you had something
as fresh and delicious as that.
Bullshit.
My brother?
Was that my brother who spoke?
Regina.
-Thank you.
-Who are those two?
You ask me the same thing
every evening.
lt's my sister and her little girl, Regina.
Oh.
Alfredito,
my dinner.
Go, and come right back.
Gets worse every day.
How much longer can he last?
Oh, patience, patience.
He's eight years younger than me,
my brother,
and you would have him dead already.
Can you imagine Ottavio,
with the excuse that he's the oldest,
coming here to act as lord and master
of the place?
He was born
with the grace of true nobility.
Well, it is the same with me.
l was certainly not born a nun.
l'm going to be a nun, too,
when l grow up.
-Want a shot?
-Oh, yes.
Hug the stock.
Right elbow out.
Keep both eyes open.
-You see that family of vultures?
-Yes.
-The old black one with the beady eyes?
-Yes.
That's your target.
Bang. Bang.
You got her. You got her!
lmagine the shock.
My husband goes bankrupt
and runs off to South America,
leaving his wife
and little daughter penniless.
-lf it hadn't been for all of you...
-Don't, Amelia.
Won't l ever see my father again?
He's your new father, now.
Aren't you, Giovanni?
Of course.
lf l didn't support them, who would?
But you.
You will go on calling me uncle.
There they are. l'll take Regina.
No, Regina's mine. Regina's mine.
Aim, fire! Bang!
Right between the eyes.
And now for the jackals.
Aim, fire!
Well?
Old fool.
Get back to the table.
Get back to the table, l said.
And you. Shame on you.
The table! Get going!
ldiot.
Shame on you, at your age.
There's an ocean between us.
Between me and the rest of you.
An ocean!
Talk, talk.
Buy machines.
The place is going to rack and ruin.
You'll find that mechanical reaper
up your ass, Mr. Modernizer.
You eat your meal.
You go to hell if you don't eat.
Piss in your pocket.
-Where did you hear talk like that?
-From a friend.
l mean, l'm not about to part with a cent,
or give away the tiniest piece of land.
You can believe me.
Big talk, my dear,
since your father prefers Ottavio.
Look, l only happen to be here
because all of this estate belong to me.
All of it to me! Else, l be...
You know how l feel about Ottavio?
Well, l'm envious. Yes, dear.
To be able to escape this family.
Just imagine how it would be
to spend all that money in six months.
A millionaire surrounded with whores.
An ocean of shit.
Oh, really, now!
What was the point in hammering
at the poor child like that?
l prefer educating my boy
the way l see fit.
Alfredo!
Don't worry. When he's hungry,
he'll come back. l assure you.
These aren't lice. They're roast
chickens, that's what they are.
Keep still, keep still.
A little fuzz on top,
and the rest bald as a cucumber.
Keep still, keep still.
Once a hunchback
Win a lady hunchback
Win her with a song
And a lot of little hunchbacks
came along
Came along
l'll never return home anymore.
l'm going to live with Uncle Ottavio.
Alfredo!
Alfredo, where are you?
-Evening, Signor Padrone.
-Good evening.
Come back to the house, you hear me?
Good evening, Signor Giovanni.
Hey, you.
-Have you seen Alfredo?
-No, l haven't.
Go to bed, pumpkin head.
lt's late.
Olmo.
-Olmo.
-What is it?
Come to bed.
You know l can't sleep if you don't.
lf my father was here,
they would never shave my head.
He would've shown them.
Once l heard him calling me
late at night from inside a well.
Alfredo!
Let's both of us run away.
Alfredo!
And l heard him once in an old squash
calling out to me. Olmo!
Alfredo.
And in a dark cellar,
from inside the bottle, l heard him call.
Olmo!
-Alfredo.
-Olmo.
Hey, let's see you fly, cuckoo birds.
No, don't, you're going to make me fall.
-Red, but not ripe.
-Your daughter?
Your daughter's marrying Mario,
the cripple, in August, eh?
-What do you think?
-What's the problem?
Go and dance.
Hey.
Hey, you, driver.
Come back here. Come back.
Don't leave that horse
standing there untied.
Come back.
You son of a...
l don't have the breath to
give a simple order anymore.
God damn it!
Listen.
Beautiful music.
Young people dancing, embracing.
Before the day's out, they'll be fucking.
Anyway, this is no place for old men.
lt's a hot day, eh, Signor Padrone?
Who are you?
Sir, it's Erma.
l'm the youngest daughter of Adelina.
l'm not used to wearing shoes,
and my stupid feet swelled up.
But they're pretty, aren't they?
They're a present.
The padrona, she said they're Regina's.
Erma, come.
Erma.
Signor Padrone?
Signor Padrone?
Signor Padrone?
Don't be frightened. Don't be frightened.
Don't be frightened.
Take it.
You squeezed me, so l got scared.
-Milk her.
-But the cows aren't mooing yet.
Can't you see how full she is?
Milk her.
Squish, squash.
Cows full of milk and shit.
A curse.
A curse we carry with us.
lt grows worse with age.
You know what the worst curse
in the world is?
Hailstorms.
Not hailstorms.
That's no curse.
Milk and shit in the brain.
War and disease,
they're no curse, either.
Squish, squash.
Squish, squash.
The curse is when you can't do it.
Milk and shit.
Can't do it.
lt won't get hard.
See?
Put your hand inside.
Hey, Signor Alfredo,
nobody can milk a bull.
Go.
Go back to the dance.
Can l really go?
Go. Go.
Erma.
When the dancing is over,
tell them l'm dead.
Yes, signor.
Remember,
-l'm dead.
-Yes.
The padrone, my God.
The padrone is dead.
The padrone told me to say he's dead.
l was supposed to.
You think it could be true?
Pour the water out
so we can get the nightingale drunk.
Up to the top.
The padrone wants us to keep dancing.
He's giving us orders
even after he's dead.
Music!
lf only you could see
yourself now, Signor Alfredo.
This is no way for a padrone to die.
What did you have to
turn the cows loose for, eh?
So l'd have more work to do?
Maybe...
Maybe the truth is that
when a man does nothing all his life,
it leaves him too much time to think.
And thinking too much makes him...
Makes him stupid.
At least l knew who you were,
and you knew me.
l knew who gave the orders.
A big, ugly bull!
But now, who knows
what will happen without you?
l, Alfredo Berlinghieri,
being of sound mind and body,
wish to make
my last will and testament.
l hereby declare
my younger son, Giovanni,
as my sole heir.
And l leave to my elder son, Ottavio...
What did he say?
''To my elder son, Ottavio.''
...elder son Ottavio,
l leave an annuity of 5,000 lira a year,
to be paid to him for the rest
of his life by my sole heir,
Giovanni Berlinghieri.
And l also leave him my town residence.
Furthermore, it shall
hereby be understood
that the entire
Berlinghieri estate consisting...
Go back to bed, Alfredo.
Grandfather's not well. Go back to bed.
Consisting of
the entire Berlinghieri estate...
Grandpa's dead!
No. No. No, no!
-Consisting of...
-Grandpa's dead! Grandpa's dead!
...900 acres of cultivated land,
the family villa,
the farmhouses,
machinery and tools,
and all the livestock,
the cattle,
the horses and the pigs,
the sheep,
l give to my son, Giovanni.
This turban
once belonged to a hunter of tigers.
Uncle Ottavio, let me go away with you.
Why? Don't you like it here?
They're all liars.
-And where shall we go?
-On a sail ship.
-A sail ship?
-Yes.
Like this one?
Put that silkworm down!
-Put it down!
-Why should l?
Because you know
they're all in my care.
But l can touch all these silkworms
as much as l please.
You're stupid.
No.
You know, l'm padrone.
But the nests are mine.
Nobody's to interfere.
Why not?
Because l feed them, understand?
Set them down.
Only when l feel like it.
Even if you feed them,
the silkworms are still all mine.
And the fruit is mine, too.
And the mechanical reaper.
And the wheat is mine.
This worm is mine.
The cows are all mine.
Even the Dalco family belongs to me.
And you belong to me, too.
-You filthy maggot, let him go!
-No!
Burn in hell! You'll burn in hell!
Burn in hell!
Come back here, you yellow-belly.
Oh, Madonna.
Give me a hand before we both get it.
l could beat you
with one hand behind me.
l'm afraid you couldn't beat a frog,
not if you tried.
Here, you may have
your stupid silkworm back.
This one's still squirming. The others
have already woven their nests.
lt's not a bird, you dunce.
Those are called pupae,
or cocoons if they're already formed.
You better take those wet things off.
Pretty light.
And, look, whenever it finally flies off,
it'll be a butterfly.
-l missed ever seeing them.
-Like my little sister.
She hatched in the night,
and like a butterfly, just flew away.
-Why did she fly away?
-She was born dead.
That isn't true.
When you're dead, you're dead.
You don't fly anywhere.
You get buried in the ground,
and that's it.
-lt must hurt a lot.
-Why should it hurt?
-Skin's all back.
-Let's see if yours is any different.
Looks just like a cocoon.
Pull the skin back
and it'll look just like mine.
-lt won't go.
-Well, pull harder.
lt burns.
lt burns because you're not courageous,
and you're not a socialist.
What's that mean?
You're talking to a socialist
with holes in his pocket.
''A socialist with holes in his pocket''?
Oh, forget it.
What do you know anyhow?
Don't be so smart, and put this on.
-No, l don't want it.
-Don't be so childish.
lt stopped hailing. Listen.
Look, look. Look out of this window.
-What's that?
-lt's the city, of course.
lt can't be the city.
The city's too far away.
That's the city, l tell you. Look.
And there's the cathedral,
with the dome.
l recognize it 'cause l've been there
with my Uncle Ottavio.
And way on top,
there are all those tall houses.
Those aren't houses.
They're bell towers.
Look at the fire
that's pouring out of that one.
That's a factory, Olmo.
Do they have a view of us,
just like we have a view of them,
would you say?
Papa, you can see the city from the loft,
and we could see
the buildings and the stables.
Not now. Later.
Signor Giovanni.
Not since the year l was married
have l seen a hailstorm such as this.
Get all your people here.
The day laborers, too.
l'll be waiting in the field.
-Hey, Orso!
-Orso!
-Turo!
-Turo!
-Penzo!
-Penzo!
-Oreste!
-Oreste!
-Amoretto!
-Amoretto!
-Ganco!
-Ganco!
-Reccione!
-Reccione!
-Montanaro!
-Montanaro!
Everybody! Everybody in the field!
Now, let's face facts, men.
We lost everything.
Wine, tomatoes, potatoes,
corn, everything.
So now, we'll have to make
some kind of sacrifice.
lsn't that so, Leo?
What's happened?
Lost your tongue, have you?
Go ahead, tell them.
How much grain have we lost?
Tell them.
-Half.
-Half, you say.
So, it's simple.
We'll have to be satisfied with half pay.
Take it or leave it.
When we harvest double,
we don't get double pay.
lf l were to be honest...
lf l were to look after my interests alone,
l shouldn't need you, fire the lot of you,
especially all you day laborers.
And if you here weren't
such an ignorant bunch,
you would thank me,
because the one making
the biggest sacrifice is me.
What's the problem, anyway?
Who gives the orders here?
Who's the padrone?
Hey, you!
We've lost nearly everything,
didn't you hear?
And yet, your ears are both big enough.
Padrone, what you're doing is a sin,
and we'll remember it.
Your father was good.
He never did us evil.
You are an evil man.
You bring sorrow to us.
That man has lost his ear,
but you have lost your soul.
l leave you with a curse,
a curse no priest can ever lift,
to rule by the new padrone.
lt's food. Everyone into the house.
Were you hurt bad?
No.
An accident, my own fault.
Poor Vittorio.
Papa, there's no more polenta.
Papa, l'm still hungry.
You will forget about hunger
if you listen to me.
Water!
Let the water through.
Let the water through.
lt's the beginning.
-What of?
-Workers' leave.
-What did they say?
-To move on.
Call the strike for tomorrow.
-You're going to go?
-Everybody's got to go.
Well, what's going on here?
We're striking, that's what.
Everybody's agreed.
Striking?
You know what that means, strike?
l said, do you know what that means?
That means these hands
won't work anymore.
They won't reap anymore.
Never harvest anymore.
Never, never, never, never milk.
Never dig anymore.
Everything comes to a standstill.
And the land... The land dies.
Do you really think
you can go through with this?
Yes. Now we got the League.
The League?
What is this League?
Does the League tell you
that we'll end up eating the grass
from these ditches, eh?
That we'll become evil, really evil?
The League tell you all this?
lt did. The League understands.
The League is for us.
You can fight back with the League,
and l'll show you how.
The strike is on!
-The strike is on!
-The strike is on!
Strike!
-The strike is on!
-The strike is on!
-The strike is on!
-The strike is on!
-The strike is on!
-The strike is on!
-Strike!
-Strike!
You know l like this song.
The strike is on!
-Strike!
-Strike!
-Strike is on!
-Strike!
-Strike.
-Strike!
The strike is on!
-Strike!
-Strike!
They should milk the poor things.
They're mooing.
l hear them.
The strike paralyzing the servants, too?
Dear Zolina, send a boy out
to buy some milk in town.
Tell him if he sees a Dalco
to move along.
Don't talk to those people.
lt's absolutely ridiculous.
Over 100 cows in the barn
and we have to buy milk.
Those bastards are absolutely
going to ruin me!
lt's against the law.
What they're doing out there
is uncivilized.
And l can't beat any sense into them.
Not even with old Leo.
Sooner or later they'll have to give in.
Meanwhile the cows are full to bursting,
and the grain rots in the field.
Why don't you eat?
Listen to this.
''Talks between the Labor League
and the Landowner's Association
''have been broken off.
''The strike area is patrolled,
day and night, by a cavalry regiment.
'''We will not be coerced,' said
the association's representative...''
Stop that.
'''...by a league of rabble-rousers.
'''We'll oppose their boycott
by imposing lockouts.
'''We'll counter violence with violence.'
''The speaker went on to say
that the only fair verdict is the whip,
''to be used on
those workers guilty of sabotage.''
Grandfather, what are scabs?
Scabs are lousy bastards
who work when other men are on strike.
-Why don't they want to strike, too?
-Because they're ignorant.
They're even more ignorant
than we are.
Listen, listen. Hear the music.
Of course.
Good day, padre.
Hey, look over there.
Look at Signor Giovanni
trotting up and down.
Oh, there's Passetti.
He has to work sitting down.
And over there, that's Carbonini.
He's the lawyer.
And the girl with the long braids,
that's his daughter.
-Are they all scabs?
-No, no. Landowners.
How funny they look
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding...
Olmo.
Olmo, come here.
Can this be what they call socialism?
All the rich out there sweating
and the poor folks lying under a tree,
flat on our backs?
lt's too good to last.
You're a lucky boy, you are, Olmo.
-Why?
-Why?
lt took me 73 years
to see a landlord working.
That's right. You finish setting the traps.
Hey, Olmo.
Fetch some leaves. Make a little breeze.
l always loved the wind.
l would like to learn
how to make a trap like that.
Grandfather's dozing.
Olmo, does your grandfather
always go to sleep with his eyes open?
He could do anything.
He once even saw Garibaldi.
Better look out. lf they see us together,
you're going to get it.
No.
Anyway, everyone knows
l'm a socialist, too, now.
Hey, come here.
l'll show you something.
lt's like yours now.
-How'd you do it?
-Easy. l yanked it back.
You big liar. You went like this...
-Look, l'll teach you something.
-l know.
l know how you do it.
l'm a socialist
with holes in the pocket, too.
Hey, Fasuline,
what's that cloud of dust want from us?
You dumbbell, that's no cloud.
They're kids that come from the farm.
-What did they come for?
-They came to Genoa, same as we did.
-Oh, for the onion season.
-No, ignoramus.
They were invited
by the backwaters in Genoa,
because after three months of striking,
there's nothing left to eat.
And so the Workers' League
chartered a train for Genoa.
Long live the kids from the farm!
Long live Genoa! Long live the children!
Well, Zambrone, what do you think?
lf l have to think, Fasuline,
l'll need my thinking cap.
Didn't you hear? The reformists want
to give 10 pennies more an hour.
-More per hour?
-Yeah.
Well, let's see now,
10 pennies more an hour
multiplied by 18 hours work a day.
We'll be millionaires by nightfall.
Go jump in the lake, bubblehead.
That wasn't nice.
Now l get water in the ear.
Listen, Zambrone, on the other hand,
the revolutionaries say
that the land should go
to those who work it, you hear,
and eliminate owners and slaves alike.
You get the gist, young man?
l got it. l got it.
l read and write, you know.
l'm a scholar
and l practice my pinctuation.
Punctuation!
-Let's check the vacobulary.
-Vocabulary.
-Well, what do you think?
-l think it's time.
Time? For what?
The time has come to say,
long live the revolution!
Hurray!
-Hurray! Hurray!
-Hurray! Hurray!
Hurray!
-Long live the strike!
-Hurray for the strike!
Long live the Workers' League.
Long live the strike.
Oh, Zambrone, look who's come.
Look. l see guards, policemen.
Oh, Fasu, what will we do?
What will we ever do?
Listen, we can give them a lesson,
but we need a stick.
Quick, quick. Grab a stick.
Ready, Zambrone?
Now let's hear what they got to say.
Who dares defy the law?
Caught red-handed.
Drop that stick and come here quick.
Traitor!
All right! That's enough!
Out! All of you, out!
Out!
Come on! Move it out of here!
Hurry, the train.
Go. Go on, children. Hurry.
Ashamed!
You ought to be ashamed!
You even pick on puppets!
You cowards!
Go back to the landowners!
Get down off those horses!
You cowards! Traitors!
You sold out to the landowners!
Renegades!
Drop dead all of you!
Olmo.
Olmo, you forgot your clothes!
Long live the great
agricultural strike
June 1908
Olmo!
Olmo! Olmo, where are you?
Olmo, you forgot the bundle
with your clothes and things.
Olmo! Olmo!
You thought l was a coward, Olmo.
l'm not a coward.
Over there. l can see my house.
Look, look, the church steeple.
World War l is ending...
Hey, Aranzini.
l dreamt of your sweetheart again.
She had tits dripping with honey.
l had a dream of your sister.
She'll do it with any man.
This one's leg is turning blue.
-Call the sergeant! Call the sergeant!
-Not the sergeant.
Get a doctor over here.
Move along! Move along!
Look at them, men.
Filthy strikers and traitors,
a disgrace to the country.
Have a good look
at those subversive swine.
Turo! Turo!
Olmo! Olmo! The bastards got you.
The country is
in the hands of murderers.
-Quiet!
-God damn the whole nation!
God damn the King!
Olmo! Olmo!
-Olmo!
-Quiet!
lt's you.
Regina!
Go away!
Go away!
The masquerade's over.
Take that costume off.
-The war has ended.
-Yes, Lieutenant.
l said, out, out, out!
And close the door, Regina!
Close the door!
Will you look at that?
Vincenzo!
Back!
Almeida.
'''Please, Father,' said the young prince.
'''l can't tell why,
but my heart will not be at rest
'''till l find the three nectarines of love.
'''l beg you, let me go search for them.'
''The boy's plea was so sincere
that his majesty promised
''that the moment spring came...''
What happened?
Aren't you going to read anymore?
l think l heard the story before.
-You must be Olmo.
-Yes.
-And you?
-Anita. Anita Forlan.
You're from the north?
-Province of Verona.
-Verona?
We camped near Verona.
-Are you a refugee?
-Yes.
l lost all my family.
Go on.
lt's heavy, huh?
Aren't you going to tell us how it ends?
Does he find the nectarines?
-Tell us, Anita.
-All right. Be good.
''The boy's plea was so sincere...''
-Attention!
-At your order, sir.
At ease.
Hey, soldier, don't you recognize me?
lt's me, you stupid jackass. lt's me.
l don't want you. You're a lowly civilian.
The war is over.
Nobody gives us orders anymore.
-Now, l like you better.
-Hey.
''Oh, kiss me, my hero.''
There was no one
to take care of the silkworms anymore.
There's nothing up here but rats now.
Like in the trenches.
Hey, remember when no one believed
you could see the city up here?
But we managed to see it from here.
How close it seemed, huh?
Did you manage
to see the whole war from here, too?
Dreamed all the night
in the barracks bed
of his sister, his brother,
his father, his mother.
Next morning, in the barracks bed,
they found him dead.
They found him dead.
No, Olmo, no!
Our part in it is finished. Done.
Don't we share half and half anymore?
Try to understand, Olmo.
You've been away, and there are
a lot of new things you don't know.
-l know we always get half the harvest.
-Not this year, though.
They rented new machines
and hired extra labor.
-This is no time...
-Let go.
Long live our hero.
Even sharing half and half is robbery
since we do all of the work.
And now not even that.
You know why l have
to hire these hands?
Because almost all of you men
got yourselves killed in the war
like idiots.
Papa, what's wrong with you?
Papa, you have no right
to say something like that.
You keep quiet.
And play soldier if you like.
Do you know how much l spent
to keep you at home?
No, l don't know.
How much did you spend?
More than you're worth.
Well, you know, l wanted to go.
You didn't want me to go.
Oh, of course.
Well, what a handsome saber you have.
Yes, this is a handsome saber.
Very handsome.
And it cuts well! lt cuts very well!
Watch, Papa! Watch!
Bravo, Lieutenant.
So, that is what you're good at?
At your age, l used to get up at 4:00
in the morning to check the stable.
Everyone here remembers that.
And at threshing time,
l was the first to be up
and the last to go to bed.
lsn't that so? Can anybody deny that?
Go ahead! Go ahead! Speak up!
lsn't that so? l know it is.
-Bravo, my little cousin.
-Thank you.
The next time you'll be pierced.
l sacrifice for this farm. Sacrifice.
There aren't any ideals anymore.
No respectability.
Devotion to the church,
love for the land,
loyalty to the family,
and credit in the bank.
Come on, Uncle.
You're getting upset. Don't.
And respect.
Respect! Respect! Respect!
What the padrone meant
was that because
there was no one here to work,
he had to buy modern machines.
Machines are like peasants.
They need their share of grain, too.
But they make life easy.
lt's a change,
but it's progress.
Look.
Beautiful.
Heavy?
Hey! Hey! Stop that!
Are you crazy? Hey!
-Hey!
-No, wait.
Why would you do a thing like that?
The army teach you nothing?
-Who's this?
-This is Attila Mellanchini.
-My father's new foreman.
-l'm a soldier like you.
Hey, you heard what the padrone said.
You've had your share of grain.
He gives you all he can.
We'll work together.
Hey, l understand you.
Olmo. Olmo. Olmo.
Did you hear, women,
what our padrone had to say?
lt's our men's fault because
they got themselves killed in the war.
And the fault of the day laborers
because they work like beasts all day
and then expect to be paid for it.
lt's all our fault that
our families go hungry,
and that half of us end up
sick with goiter trouble,
and it's always our fault when
so many of our children are born dead.
Come, follow me, women.
The master should be really content
if we take only a little grain
and leave him the rest. For the moment.
Come on, women, come on.
You speak too well
for a little country girl.
l'm a schoolteacher.
That was the first time
l ever kissed a schoolteacher.
Hey, schoolteacher,
finish the lesson.
Look, women, our rooster is crowing.
Here, peck. Eat. Go on.
Very funny. All right.
What's the matter?
Why are you leaving?
To find another place to work and die.
Who put you out?
Who can put you out? Landowners.
Even though our contract hasn't run out,
they're giving us the boot.
We formed the Workers' League.
They're making us pay the price.
And if you saw how our padrone
took advantage. lt was a shame.
We have to put up with the padrone
fooling with our women.
You say we'll find work near Mantua?
Let's go. No sense in fighting, Oreste.
Not when you haven't a chance.
But our contract hasn't run out yet.
lf they don't mean
to pay us for our work,
then still l'll stay on this soil.
By Christ!
Oreste!
Oreste!
Oreste!
Run away, Oreste!
The demons are coming on horseback
to carry you off!
Run away, Oreste!
Not even the Pope,
not even Jesus, the Lord,
is going to make me budge my ass!
Because l gave 40 years
of my life to this valley.
Enough of your kind!
Lousy bastards,
you're afraid 'cause you know
that you're getting away with murder.
New laws are what we need,
and a new government,
so injustice comes to an end.
Laws that are going
to get rid of all these delinquents.
-Oreste!
-Laws!
Papa, stop!
-Good laws that will give us all a voice...
-You're out of your mind! Oreste!
...so we are heard.
Because we know how things stand.
Because those who till the soil
are more intelligent
than those with nothing to do.
The poor peasants can't go on like this.
-Enough, Oreste! Come back!
-You want to strip us.
You want to bleed us.
Well, l'll go naked to Rome.
They'll hear me talk.
l'll go in my underwear.
-You Judas bastards.
-Oreste, stop! Stop!
-Let me go! Let me go!
-No! Oh, no!
No! Let me go!
Look what you've done, you cowards!
Go to work! Bend your backs!
Go to work! You know what that means?
You miserable, lowly sons of bitches!
About time they arrived.
They'll get those jackasses
to lift their hooves.
You make me come.
Oh, you make me come.
-You make me come.
-You can't come.
Come on, an elephant
couldn't make you come.
All l need is a real man!
ln the name of the law, disperse.
Where will my family sleep tonight?
By the roadside?
They will sleep in a jail
if you don't disperse.
Put the landowners in jail
for not respecting their contract.
-ln the name of the...
-Law! Law! What law?
Contract's our law, and their contract
still has one year to go.
The padrone want to do them
out of a whole year's work!
The padrone are thieves!
They want us out of the way
because we're socialists.
-We want our rights.
-Then what are you waiting for?
Women, get down, you hear me?
All of you. We need everybody.
Get down, all of you. Don't give up now.
Don't give up, women.
They don't respect the law.
The padrone make the law
and break the law!
A law for thieves and murderers!
Don't go away! Stop! Don't be afraid!
Stop! Get down!
We can't let them pass!
-Come with us tonight!
-Stop! Wait!
They're taking Oreste away!
Stick up for your rights!
-You've got to help him! Get down!
-Get down!
-Hurry! Hurry!
-Get down, get down!
Left turn. Forward.
Close formation! Double up column!
Aranzini.
Now the royal guards
can take care of providing
a nice harvest holiday for them.
Unsheathe sabers!
Let's get some sticks!
Come on, we have to fight them!
Let's go! Let's go!
Now is the time. We'll show them.
You'll have to kill us all!
You won't pass here!
Go, men, go on! Teach them a lesson!
Tell them to go find
their own property to huddle on!
The property is inviolable!
Halt! Squad, halt!
Go on back! Move out! Move out!
Congratulations.
Afraid of peasants?
You're to protect us? What a joke!
Religious cowards! You're a disgrace!
-l'll drive you off myself!
-Stop it.
-Criminals! Bolsheviks!
-What are you doing?
What are you doing, you fool?
You're starting a one-man war.
Damn you!
Go!
Go on. Go on.
-You look fine. They must see you.
-No, l'm not dressed right.
-lt's not the way to start.
-They must get to know you.
Your time has come.
This is your chance. Go on.
We can't do what the fascists
did at Rivarolo.
One of the reds there was murdered,
and so now he's their martyr,
and they're giving him
a monument in the piazza.
-l say what we should do...
-Forget it, Pioppi.
You don't make deals
when you've got all the trumps.
They made a mistake at Rivarolo,
let me tell you.
They made only one martyr,
that was their mistake.
lt's the same with my dog.
lf you hit him once, nothing.
Hit him again, still nothing.
On the 10th crack, though,
he does learn to obey
with his tail between his legs.
May l speak, please?
Here, in church,
they baptized us,
they confirmed us.
Here in church, we were married.
And one day,
they will carry us in
through that door
feet first.
As late as possible, l hope.
All of you know
what the Crusades were.
Do you know what the Crusades were?
Young man, we're discussing things
here that concern you, too.
You wanted me to come here,
so at least leave me alone.
The church.
Yes, even the church,
when it was necessary,
clamped down hard on its enemies.
Who are these Bolsheviks, anyway?
Semi-Asiatics, that's what they are.
Like the Saracens, Mongol subversives.
And if things go on like this
much longer,
they will kill us, kill us all,
and take over everything.
Am l right or not?
Am l right or not?
Hey, Pioppi?
Talk, nothing but talk.
l know what has to be done.
Get rid of them all.
But the new fascist movement
doesn't want vengeance.
We want order first.
We are the new crusaders.
And we must instill courage
in our youth.
They're waiting for a sign from us.
So let us give them this sign.
Go on. Go on.
We've already saved the country once.
We answered the call in the trenches.
And now we're here.
lt's only right.
When you start a new enterprise,
you need a little capital.
Total solidarity, eh?
This is what ltaly needs
to get the ball rolling.
Not even a bastard would've done this.
They work hard in the city, too, huh?
lmagine the look on my father's face
if he knew we were here together.
Your father,
''Respect! Respect! Respect!''
Your father is just a thief
who longs for respect, like all masters.
Really? Wait till l become the master,
because l'll be twice as hard on you.
And on that day, l'll kill you.
No, seriously, when you see my uncle,
you'll really like him.
He's much nicer than my father.
He's totally different. He's more like us.
Hear that music? l know it.
Montanaro! Dalco, Olmo.
Don't you remember me?
Oh, your foot. l'm sorry.
Aren't you Olmo,
the bastard child? Really?
Remember all the polenta
we used to eat?
-Always polenta.
-Olmo! Olmo!
Don't go. We'll talk later.
We'll talk later. Don't go.
Come on.
Let's give this lovely young lady a hand.
Oh, you don't have to bother.
Alfredo, it's Montanaro.
The one who cut his ear.
He's right there. See?
Signorina, l bet
you'd never guess we're twins.
Oh, you're lying.
You're making fun of me.
Oh, no, that's the truth.
We share everything.
What's his is mine,
and what's mine is mine.
Yeah, that's about it.
Good morning, signora.
-Where are you going, Nicoletta?
-l'm going down.
-Service with a smile.
-Thank you.
-Where, signorina?
-On the table.
Will you look at that?
lt's been ages
since l've had homemade liqueur.
-You want some?
-Oh, yes, l would indeed,
but it has to be my treat.
Don't worry,
l'll pay very well for anything.
l have money. l'll pay you very well.
Very well.
Someday you'll choke
on your filthy money.
lt makes her happy.
You should have a drink, too.
l better not. lt's bad for me.
Then don't waste time. Get undressed.
You see? l told you she was a whore.
Didn't l?
The girl is poor, but that doesn't mean
she's a slut. Does it?
lf she wasn't a whore,
she wouldn't take my money.
But it's your money.
lt corrupts her.
Well, anyway, she cleaned me out.
Aren't you two going to get undressed?
-Go ahead. You go first.
-No, no, after you.
No, no, you go. Go ahead. l insist.
No, no. You paid. You have the right.
-l'm cold.
-l'm freezing.
You're older than l am.
-Who do you want to go first?
-Both.
You mean both of us together?
Why waste time?
l went under that train.
-What train?
-Remember during the strike?
l was under the train you were on.
Who goes first?
Your friend...
Maybe you can do something better.
Don't you have a girlfriend?
-What's so funny?
-l was just thinking about Anita.
-Leave Anita out of this.
-ls she your girl?
-Come on. Have a drink.
-Oh, no, no, thank you.
l feel strange if l drink.
But that's what's so great.
Come on. Have a drink. Have some fun.
-Are you going to marry her?
-She's already my wife.
But without being married.
She's my comrade.
No marriage. They're Bolsheviks.
They believe in free love.
Your hand getting tired?
You really know what free love is,
don't you?
Don't ask me so many questions.
-Answer!
-Leave her alone.
l don't know if l'd be answering right.
Don't lie to me, you little whore.
You know what free love is.
l'm ashamed.
l'm ashamed.
Please.
You must go away.
Go away.
Go away now.
Please! Go away!
Oh! Oh, no! Oh, God! Oh, God!
She's an epileptic.
Come on, let's go. Hurry up.
Call somebody. Go on! Call somebody!
Signora! Signora!
Stop. Please. Please.
Stop! l beg you.
Don't.
-We didn't do anything.
-Let her go.
Stupid.
She knows she must never drink.
-Shall l get a doctor?
-lt wouldn't do any good.
She'll stop.
Have to have patience, that's all.
Alfredo.
Uncle Ottavio?
lt's me, Alfredo.
Anybody home?
-Hello?
-Who is it?
l'm really very sorry.
l didn't mean to disturb you.
-Ottavio is not here.
-Well, perhaps l'll come back later.
-Do you have a cigarette?
-Yes.
l don't smoke.
How nice. What did you come for?
-Who are you?
-My name is Ada, and l want a cigarette.
l'm Alfredo, and l want my uncle.
Have a cigar?
-My savior.
-For so little.
-Good afternoon, Uncle.
-Well, what are you doing here?
Well, l had a rotten day.
l came into the city to have some fun
and l saw an epileptic.
Have you ever seen an epileptic?
-l'd like to take a bath.
-Of course.
Mario, in here.
There. Set it down there.
-How did the auction go?
-All morning a bad sale.
l didn't know that the search
for pleasure could be so tiring.
Oh, poor dear. You work so hard.
Take a look at this.
lt's exceptionally beautiful.
So, naturally, no one liked it.
He's a young German painter.
A new discovery of mine.
-What do you think the man is doing?
-He's sleeping.
No, he's dead.
He's asleep, l tell you.
He's dead.
-Look at the hand.
-The hand may be dead but he's alive.
Guess what? l've fallen in love.
-Again?
-But this time it's serious.
Let's see if l can guess.
-Blanchi?
-Bugatti.
-The Roadster?
-No, Torpedo.
But it's an impossible love.
lt's too expensive.
Torpedo. Oh, l was just thinking
of buying one tomorrow.
-Can you drive?
-Yes. l mean, no, but it's not difficult.
This nephew of yours
is really a bit of a liar.
Bravo. Bravo.
Make that tight, stingy brother of mine
spend some of his money.
How's your mother?
She still paints
endless ancestral landscapes.
My lost countryside.
Ottavio, lend me the car.
lf you're ready, l'll give you a lift home.
l'm ready. Let's go.
''Vroom, roar
''First, second and third gears
''Dry my tears and leave me cold
''Bureaucratic, gray and old''
You like it?
Yes. lt's... Yes, it's good. lt's nice.
lt's a little modern but...
Modern? The hell it is. lt's futuristic.
Read the other one.
''Gypsy, what you rouse in me
lingers still like a kiss
''and your traitorous smile''
Yes, it has a certain...
l like it. lt's good.
lt's too bad that it's so short.
That's what's nice about it.
What are you doing?
Two of us have read them.
That's already too many.
And you just throw them away like that?
Why don't those pigs let me pass?
Bastards!
l saw you.
l want to pass.
Come on!
-What did he say?
-Go ahead. Pass them.
Now, come on.
They're letting us through.
Go ahead.
Are they friends of yours?
They look like murderers.
No, no, they're not friends of mine.
l know that whenever they go out
like that, there's trouble in the making.
They revolt me.
l don't want to see.
l don't want to see anymore.
l'm blind!
Wait a minute. Wait, wait, wait.
Come on, now. Try not to go blind.
Not on a curve.
l don't want to see. l don't want to see.
-l'm blind! l'm blind! Blind!
-No. No.
-Blind!
-No.
''Gives
''youth
''to mankind.''
Pietro, read aloud
what you've written there.
''Communism gives youth to mankind.''
And now Olmo will explain
what that means.
Well...
What does it mean?
lt means...
-Schoolmistress?
-Comrade.
Comrade schoolmistress,
l am close to 7 1 ,
and being a communist,
l find l still do for a woman
more than youngsters do.
You big bull,
we don't come here to be braggarts.
We come here to learn.
School's over for today.
Go on, we'll keep an eye
on the community house. Don't worry.
And we studied this whole bottle.
Well, shall we go?
What a rotten day.
l went into town with Alfredo.
-Look...
-l had no fun at all.
Drawn nicely, isn't it?
We walked around.
Drank a little bit.
You know...
You know how it is in the city.
l know. l know.
You know.
What a class.
The youngest must be at least 80.
The youngsters are dancing
at the Risotti barn, that's why.
You're wasting your time.
Giving lessons to four old men,
what good does it do?
l wanted to dance, too,
but l had to wait for you! No?
Dancing with that belly?
Anita. Anita. Anita.
No!
Anita!
l feel better now.
Yeah, l feel better, too.
Help.
-Eight. Six.
-Seven. Two.
-One. Eight. Nine.
-Three. Seven. Six.
-Nine. Seven.
-Three. Five.
-Eight. Eight.
-Six. Five.
What do you have inside that head?
What do you have?
-You have another woman.
-No.
-No?
-No, no. No.
No.
Come on, let's go dancing.
Have you ever danced in a barn before?
No, it's the first time.
Wait. Wait here.
l'll go get something to drink.
Wait!
-Two glasses.
-Thank you. l'll pay later.
Certainly.
Alfredo!
Alfredo, where are you?
Alfredo!
Don't leave me alone!
Alfredo.
What's wrong with her?
lt's nothing.
l don't see. l'm blind.
This music is so beautiful.
Please don't stop dancing just for me.
Play on. Play on!
Faster. Faster.
Faster! How wonderful!
Make me fly.
And to think
she has such beautiful eyes, huh?
Oh, yes. Very beautiful.
Alfredo, give me a kiss.
Look at the blind girl.
Would you like a drink?
No, no. l think you need a drink.
l know l need a drink,
and therefore if l need a drink,
l know that you need a drink,
and, therefore,
we should both have a drink.
-All right?
-Yeah.
-Blind, eh?
-You're not Alfredo.
Who are you?
How awful!
You have no pity for a blind girl.
Monster!
-Alfredo.
-Come on, stop this game.
Pretty, isn't it?
Alfredo, how could you do that to me?
You mustn't ever leave me alone again.
Oh, stop it.
You're outrageous.
l'm an animal de luxe.
This is my best friend, Olmo.
This is Anita. This is...
Anita, this is Ada. This is Anita.
This is Ada.
-lt's soft.
-lmagine if we had one like this.
-lt's warm.
-lt's warm. Yes.
Oh, it feels good. Oh, yes.
Beautiful. Beautiful.
This morning with an epileptic
and now with a blind girl.
One more like this
and you can open a hospital.
You're the one that's blind.
Are they ready?
A blind girl, huh?
Thank you. Thank you. You saved me.
l was afraid l had to go on all evening.
So you come in here all dressed
and perfumed to make fools of us.
Stupid, spoiled.
How is it you call us? Hicks? Peasants?
l know. You're right.
But it always happens like this.
l can't stand it.
So l close my eyes
and l bang into people.
Does it scare you to look?
What do you see? What do you see?
What does she see?
She sees someone who's so happy...
l don't want us to change.
l want everyone to stay still. Stay still.
Give me your hands.
Everyone give me their hands.
Put your hands here. Here, here.
Hey, look.
lt's horrible.
l'm sorry.
l apologize to all of you.
lt was just a stupid joke.
-lt was very silly of me, l know.
-Nothing to worry about.
l'm sorry!
l didn't mean to offend anyone!
Forgive me!
l'm not blind! Forgive me!
l can see very well! Look, l'm not blind!
l see all of you!
ls she drunk or...
Why don't you believe me?
lt was all a joke!
-She's not drunk. She's fantastic.
-l can see like you, and you!
She smokes, she drives,
she writes poetry.
She's very modern,
something you don't understand.
Hey!
Something you don't understand.
You're a country bumpkin.
-Help! Help!
-Wait.
Wait! l want to tell you something. Wait!
Don't fall.
Help! Everybody! Hurry!
And she's wild berries.
l'll kill them all.
Hey. Hey.
Hey.
Who are you?
You don't know me.
What the hell do you want?
You're boring.
My name is Ada Fiastri Paulhan.
l'm 21 , the worst age in the world.
My father designed the head of the king
on the 10 lira note.
So we've always been
surrounded by money
and never had any.
l'm an orphan.
Three years ago,
my parents had the bright idea
of organizing an Alpine expedition
for millionaires.
They disappeared into a crevasse
on the Matterhorn.
They died the way they lived,
beyond their means.
l have no sisters, no brothers.
l can live where l like
and with anybody l like.
The community house is on fire!
The community house
is burning to the ground!
The community house is on fire!
l don't want to.
l don't want to! l don't want to!
l don't want to! l don't want to!
No!
No.
Come here.
Kiss me. Kiss me.
Why didn't you tell me
you were a virgin?
Because you would never
have believed me.
That's right.
But aren't you Ottavio's mistress?
Ottavio's mistress?
No. Oh, no.
Wake up!
Pietro Pecurare!
Seventy-eight years old!
Wake up!
Farm laborer!
Wake up!
Exploited by the landowners!
Murdered by the fascists!
Wake up!
Vircimo Bonazza, age 7 4,
day laborer from the age of seven.
Exploited by the landowners!
Murdered by the fascists!
Murdered by the fascists!
Wake up!
Jofren Zuelli, age 72.
Wake up!
Farm laborer from the age of seven.
Exploited by the landowners!
Murdered by the fascists!
Wake up!
Open your windows!
Why don't you come down?
Wake up!
Don't you want to see?
Come down and look at them!
Wake up!
Wake up!
-Wake up!
-Wake up!
Look, there's no one!
lt's over. lt's all over.
-lt's the end.
-No.
-lt's the end.
-No.
No, no!
We're strong!
We're many!
We're united!
-They'll kill us all. They'll kill us all.
-No, no, no.
No.
Listen.
They're coming.
They're coming.
Yes. They're coming.
They're here. Look, Anita.
l'm not well.
-Could it be the baby?
-What a child you are.
There's time.
lt's finished.
Hey, did you see?
A crowd like that.
No one will believe that
all those people are relatives.
-l don't believe it.
-They were over 1 ,000 of them, Barone.
Over 1 ,000, at least.
They're saying it was no accident.
lt was deliberately set.
There are 2,000 reds out there!
Hey, Barone, you look like
you've been to a funeral.
You feel sad?
You think we made a mistake?
Never regret anything. Never be afraid.
The only thing a man has to fear
is fear itself.
Shall we take some tucks?
They give the shirt a greater elegance.
l don't want it to look elegant.
l want it to look strong.
This isn't a shirt, it's a symbol.
You're not a tailor.
You're making a flag for the people.
-Does it look good, Barone?
-More manly.
More manly, yes, but not pretty.
Not pretty. More manly.
Well, good. All of you get one.
You all get one.
You all look like this.
Give the people something to follow.
Yeah. Give me that pussycat.
Listen.
Communists are smart.
They play on your human feelings.
They're like this little pussycat.
lt plays on your human feelings.
Communism is a disease.
lt can destroy the world. Come outside.
lf this little pussycat
has got communism,
you can't think of this little pussycat.
You got to think
of all the other pussycats in the world
and you got to protect them.
You got to protect all those pussycats.
You got to look at that pussycat
and you've got to say,
''That's not a pussycat,
that's a communist.''
And you've got to destroy it!
Where do we make the communists go?
Jail!
Where do we make
the Workers' League go?
Jail to all!
End Act One
l feel like
l never want to go home again.
Swear.
That you'll never become
a fat, vulgar landowner.
Swear. Swear!
l swear. l swear.
And swear that you'll love me forever
and marry me never.
Swear! Swear!
l swear l'll marry you forever!
Never!
Give me your hand.
My hand? Never!
-Oh, you're such a liar!
-Quiet, if you please!
What's going on?
-Ottavio?
-This is very delicate work l'm doing.
What are you doing?
l'm taking some artistic photographs.
Who are you?
Why are you standing there?
Us? Oh, we're babes in the woods.
Oh, yes, with empty stomachs, signora.
And now that you've discovered
my secret love for photography?
Well, l think
we know how to keep a secret.
Who told you?
Mr. Ritter just came in
by train from Florence.
He said that's all
they were talking about.
Not only that,
but he saw them with his own eyes.
Carabinieri and the Royal Guard,
swarming all over the place.
Lines with fixed bayonets
all along the way.
-The march on Rome.
-You think so?
The go-ahead sign will come
when you least expect it.
And Rome,
the whole south will give way.
-Mussolini is a sculptor of words.
-With every speech...
-He's an artist.
-He just knows one sentence.
What's the spiritual question?
-He's a master, a master.
-To spirituality. Salute.
Are you going to leave me alone?
Don't go without me.
After all.
So, he told him. Loud.
Right to his face.
Either the police chief here in Naples
minds his own business or we...
-That's the only way.
-He's always interfering.
Too controversial. Too controversial.
Castor oil in the morning...
The only way to handle him
is to be firm.
-lt's time we became firm.
-We've been too lenient with them.
At the Chamber of Commerce
no one knows anything.
They never have.
They never have and they never will.
But it's a political maneuver, isn't it?
The Chamber of Commerce...
The Chamber of Commerce! lt's more
than political. lt's revolutionary.
Nevertheless, someone at the Chamber
of Commerce should have been told.
Look, our photographer.
What is he up to?
l'll be right there. Wait.
-What's this, a disguise?
-lt's the newest thing, Professor.
lf you want to stay in business,
you follow the trend.
Leave it there.
Thank you.
-Are we leaving?
-That's right. As soon as we're ready.
-And where are we going?
-Darmina.
Darmina. lt's an obsession.
-But why?
-To the south, the south.
Oh, yes, as far away as possible
from those pigs in their black shirts.
This takes you even farther.
Even farther south.
Cocaine?
Cocaine?
Oh, l'd like to try some.
Let me try some.
Why do you cut it like...
To the novice.
-What a tragedy!
-What a waste, you mean.
A little more. Here.
Just a moment. Leave some for us.
Greedy.
Hey, what's happened to you?
l can't feel anything.
-You have to wait a bit.
-You've never done it.
Give yourself a chance.
l can't feel anything.
l mean...
My nose is numb,
but l can't feel anything.
l don't feel a thing.
Hey, where are you going?
lt's taking effect.
l can't feel anything.
Well, anyway.
So, what are we going to do, huh?
l know.
-l want a photograph.
-Good idea.
-Who is it?
-Telegram.
-One moment.
-Coming.
Be right there
Pirouette.
Jet.
Port de bras.
Here l come. Lift.
lt's for you.
You have to leave right away.
Your father is ill.
Hold it.
Perfect.
Hey.
-What are you doing?
-Nothing.
Wearing your father's coat.
What are you doing
in my father's study?
And with my father's gun?
l'm keeping it.
Oh, go ahead. lt doesn't matter.
He doesn't need it.
How did he die?
ln the cow shed.
He said,
''My legs are weak,
as if l were dreaming.''
He didn't suffer at all.
The cow shed, huh?
lt seems to run in the family.
You've been away for a month.
There are a lot of things you don't know.
Send Attila away.
There's still time.
Fire him at once.
Today.
-No, it wouldn't do any good.
-He's a fascist, a killer!
Kick him out.
lt will make an impression.
Not now. Mussolini's won.
ltaly's really changed.
Things have changed here, too.
l've changed and so have you.
-What do you mean?
-l mean...
You give the orders now,
for God's sake.
You're the master!
-Then l'm your master.
-Olmo.
Olmo. Quick, they're coming back.
Olmo.
Here, take it with you. lt's yours anyway.
Otherwise, what kind of a thief
would you be?
-ls that your baby with your mother?
-Yes.
lt's a girl.
And Anita?
She died giving birth.
Listen to me, Alfredo,
send Attila away.
l prayed and prayed
that you'd come in time.
Now you are all l have left.
How he suffered after you went away.
Do you mind waiting outside?
Mama, l have something to tell you.
Sit down. Sit down.
l have something to tell everyone.
Sit down.
Sit down, Aunt Amelia. Sit down.
l have something to tell everyone.
l don't know if l should say this.
Maybe l should wait.
lt's not exactly the right moment
to say this but...
l've decided something and...
l'm getting married.
Do you think
that this is the right moment to joke?
What a rush.
ls she pregnant?
What's her name?
Ada.
Ada.
Of a good family?
ls she chic? Tell me, is she chic?
-She is French.
-Oh!
She's traveled and she's educated?
ls she pretty?
And healthy?
Oh, we'll have a wedding
that'll make everyone die of envy.
-When will it be?
-Very soon.
Long live the bride!
-Long live the bride!
-Long live the bride and groom!
-Alfredo!
-God bless you both, fearless youth.
Your faith is with us
like a presage of love and affection,
a haven of prolific happiness together.
That by the bride's
moral pledge of fidelity
shall continue this noble race
touched by that divine light.
A light that shall guide from strife
each new child in his walk through life.
She's too pretty.
Far too pretty for a wife.
She's more than a wife.
Ada's a mistress.
-Mistress, my ass.
-Oh!
-She won't be any good in bed.
-Regina, what a way to talk.
l give her one year.
Alfredo. Alfredo, she's so beautiful.
Enchanting, really.
How delightful, this party.
l was so glad
when l heard that we were invited.
You're really a piece of shit.
You know, l hate you.
l detest you.
l should be in your place.
May l?
A souvenir.
May l?
Wait.
You will look so pretty,
like a bride.
l put my bet on Attila!
What are you talking about?
Falcone will win.
Attila. Attila will beat him.
-Come on, come on!
-Come on, Falcone!
lf you pin him,
half of my money is yours.
Come on, Falcone, you can do it!
Attila!
My bride.
Look at Attila's gloves.
They're beautiful.
-You'd like me to get you a pair?
-Papa, if you do, l'll be good. l swear.
And a black shirt, too?
Signor Alfredo,
together we salute you
and your new bride.
Get off the table!
Send them away.
l can't stand them. l can't stand them!
Look, don't be upset.
These are only our neighbors,
the same as always.
The only difference is
the color of their shirts.
That's what l mean.
lt makes all the difference.
They're like our relatives.
We have to invite them to our wedding.
After this, we won't have to see them
for another 10 years.
Oh, 100 years. Promise.
A thousand years, l promise.
-ls it all one family?
-Yes, all Dalcos.
Before the war,
there were twice as many.
Who is that beautiful woman by the fire?
Oh, that's Rosina.
That's Olmo's mother.
Where is Olmo?
l looked for him.
l haven't seen him all day.
And Ottavio?
l'll never forgive him.
Fine friends we have.
Go on. Go on. Go.
-Rosina, would you like some confetti?
-Oh, thank you, signora. Thank you.
l knew him when he was so high.
So long ago.
lt was almost dawn
when we stopped the trucks
in front of that tavern,
and saw the boys from Ferrara.
l swear to you, we couldn't...
Glorious day, Serafini. Glorious.
-Regina.
-To us, gentlemen.
And then they started yelling,
''Let's march on to Rome,''
and so on, you know.
Just remember something.
You keep well away from Ada.
Who'd dare to touch
your precious wife, huh?
You think she'll stand living here
with the pigs, the shit, the Dalcos?
Attila.
Shut the door.
Shut the door!
lt is not the tradition of this household
to have our staff members,
together with family members,
mixing on the dining room table.
lf you have the irresistible urge
to express yourselves
in this manner again,
you will do it outside the house.
ls that clear?
This is what you were waiting for.
To become the padrone.
God only knows
how long you have been waiting.
And another thing,
l know you look impressive
in that uniform,
but my wife doesn't want to have
any Black Shirts in the house.
Many women are...
Come on, Alfredo.
He's not educated, l agree,
but listen to me.
Hang on to him. He's your watchdog.
Well, where were you, watchdog,
when they broke into my father's file?
No.
No.
What happened to the gun
he kept in there?
Must have been a communist.
They don't even have respect
for the dead.
You and your bride
can rest without fear.
The gun will be returned
to its proper place.
Never mind the gun.
You're here to keep Regina
as far away from my wife as possible.
Send me away.
-Why don't you send me away?
-No, l want you here.
You're part of the inheritance.
This is the prettiest house...
Attila, look at me.
lt's an arm-wrestle.
ls it true you win all the arm-wrestles?
And when l think
how fond l am of this house.
Regina, it's been decided.
We're all moving into the city.
They have a right to be alone.
And you tell me just like that?
l'm not coming. l'll stay here.
-Oh! Look who's here.
-Ottavio.
lt's a little late. Your wedding present.
My wedding present.
Ottavio!
Thank you.
-His name is Cocaine.
-Cocaine.
-Beautiful.
-Thank you, Uncle.
He's beautiful.
His name is Cocaine.
l want to ride him.
Oh, the stirrup.
One, two, three, up.
What a stunning gift.
How magnificent.
Come in here, you coward.
Now, you make love to me here,
-in this house.
-l'll make love to you.
-l'll make love to you...
-lt's my house, too.
-...so hard.
-l'm part of the inheritance.
Didn't you know?
The gentry have a special place
to masturbate.
Alfredo and l used to do it here.
You're a beast!
l felt so sorry for you.
Standing there, taking the insults.
At heel beside your master.
-l'm his watchdog.
-Then bite!
Bark!
Don't let him treat me that way.
He cannot treat me that way!
What kind of a man are you?
Who are you?
Never bite the hand that feeds you
so long as you need to be fed.
But Alfredo is rotten! He's rotten!
Alfredo's your cousin.
Look at the bitch.
Just married and she's running away.
Regina,
l love you.
l gain strength
from insult and humiliation.
l gain strength.
And ltaly is my master.
l serve only her.
That is what we marched for.
The rich, they take
and they steal and they...
They eat.
They eat well and they are rotten.
We fascists,
we eat crumbs and we gain strength.
Alfredo Berlinghieri,
you,
and all parasites,
will pay the bill
for the fascist revolution.
And the bill will not be cheap.
The bill will not be cheap.
Everybody will pay.
Everybody, rich and poor,
gentry and peasant,
they will pay with money
and land and bread
and cows and cheese
and blood and shit!
You really love me?
You love me?
Will you love me forever?
Attila?
Regina, l love you forever.
-Here are your gloves.
-My gloves.
Our best man.
Have you ever played
the wedding game?
Have you ever played
the wedding game?
Whoa! My net! Keep still!
Keep still! You'll rip my net.
You're scaring him.
You'll rip my net.
lt costs money. Keep still.
Get me out of here!
What are you waiting for?
lf you don't keep still for a minute...
Take it easy and you'll be free again.
Well? Come on!
Can you... Can you help me?
-What is this net doing here?
-lt's a trap, a trap for brides.
Do you catch many?
You're the first.
-And the last.
-Help me down.
-ls all this land ours?
-All yours.
l have a feeling l'm going to like it here.
l used to think l hated the country.
Oh, l love the smell of earth.
That's dried shit.
-What's in there?
-No, no!
No!
My birds are in there.
What are you doing?
Help me up now.
They were all at the party today,
-except you.
-Yes, except me.
Alfredo thinks of you
as a real friend, you know that.
Yes, l know.
l know, but we're different.
So perhaps
you're not such good friends.
Perhaps.
Maybe you're enemies!
Patrizio!
What did you have to eat?
-Patrizio!
-All kinds of hors d'oeuvres
and salmon mousse.
-And what else?
-Larks on a spit,
fresh sturgeon and suckling pig.
-Have you seen my son?
-Oh, no, l haven't.
-And what else?
-lf l catch him,
-l'll give him a real thrashing.
-All the usual boiled meats with...
Patrizio.
Patrizio!
Patrizio!
Patrizio!
Patrizio.
Are you gonna tell someone on us?
Will you?
Are you gonna tell someone on us?
Will you?
-You wouldn't tell anyone on us.
-Let me go.
Let me go! Let me go!
No! No, let me go!
Patrizio!
Come on, let's search through there.
Patrizio!
Patrizio!
Patrizio!
Not here, not there.
Patrizio!
Patrizio!
Patrizio!
-Patrizio!
-l'm getting mud all over my shoes.
Are you sure he didn't go home?
Patrizio!
Patrizio!
Where are you hiding?
Patrizio! Patrizio!
l don't feel like seeing him now.
l'll come tomorrow.
Alfredo!
Patrizio!
Patrizio!
l didn't see you at Mass.
Thanks for coming.
Patrizio!
Good catch?
-A few thrushes.
-A few thrushes.
-Patrizio!
-Patrizio!
Patrizio!
-Patrizio!
-Patrizio!
Do you like my wife?
Very good-looking couple,
Ada and the horse.
Where's my father's gun?
l've hidden it.
You'd better be careful.
lf you don't use it, it gets rusty.
-Patrizio!
-Patrizio!
-Did you look in the chicken coop?
-Yes, we're going to the farm now.
Patrizio!
lt belonged to Lady Godiva, you know.
-Then l should ride him nude.
-How nice.
lt's the right moment.
-What's happened?
-ln there.
Signora! Signora, what is it?
ln there.
ln there.
What have they done to him?
What have they done?
What have they done to him?
-lt happened just a little while ago.
-What have they done?
He must still be around.
Look, look!
You.
You weren't at the wedding.
l know him!
He'd kill us all!
They're all alike, those peasants.
Olmo Dalco,
don't move.
l accuse you of the murder of this child.
Hit him!
Murderer! Hit him!
Olmo!
Olmo!
They're killing him.
But Olmo had nothing to do with it.
He couldn't have. He was with me.
Go on, kill him!
He killed him! Killed!
One day they'll kill all of you!
l know who killed him.
l did.
Killer!
Killer!
-The killer has come.
-l didn't mean to.
lt was an accident.
Come on.
Attila, stop that. That's enough.
That's all. Stop it. Stop. Stop!
-Take this man to the police.
-l didn't do it.
l never hurt a fly. l didn't do it.
l'm a little crazy. l was joking.
l only said it because...
Look, he's been stealing food.
Ladies and gentlemen,
the reception is over.
lt's beginning to rain,
and it's getting dark,
and l think everyone should leave now.
Look at the state Olmo's in.
Why didn't you stop them?
What do you mean, the state Olmo's in?
What about the state Patrizio was in?
Olmo's innocent!
l told you, l was with him!
l know you were with him!
You're becoming like them. Worse.
No! Ottavio, no!
Don't go away. No, stay.
l'm sorry, Ada.
l'll never set foot here again.
No!
All right, another one.
Come on. Let's pull him out.
Get him on his back.
Hold him, now.
Hey, Olmo, let him work. Let him work.
That's got him.
Papa! Papa!
What a hand, huh?
Exact. Two squares, anytime.
Nobody can kill pigs
as good as my papa.
Watch out, Olmo.
We saw Attila,
and he said, to slaughter our hogs,
we're a lot better off
if we find someone else.
He said you took on this work
so you'd be free to go to each house
and preach revolution, family by family.
-How is a man to live if he can't work?
-Like Attila. He feeds on evil.
Stella.
Stella. Stella, we need more water.
Here's some water.
There's more hot water.
You're Olmo!
You don't recognize me.
There was an amnesty. They let me go.
l've been walking for 30 days.
You came back?
l walk and l walk and l walk. Can't stop.
Then why did you have
to mix in that day?
You were down on the ground.
They were all on top of you.
They were beating you to death.
All those years in jail for nothing.
ln jail, in a barn,
under a tree, what's the difference?
Stop it! Stop it!
You know what they'll do.
You keep singing that song,
they'll break your heads, that's what.
The fascists will put you in jail
if you make jokes about Mussolini.
l didn't kill the boy.
You didn't kill the boy.
lt was one of those men
with the black shirts on.
Who?
l saw him hide the body in the cave.
-Who was it?
-lt's hard to say.
ln black shirts, all killers look the same.
l walk and l walk and l walk.
Can't stop.
Where is socialism?
When you get what you want,
you want more,
like animals that eat
because they can't stop.
The padrone can't stop.
You become a padrone, you can't stop.
You get a piece of land,
then you want another piece.
That's human nature.
We gotta fight human nature.
That's what's no good.
Stella.
The seminaries take in studs
and they fall out mules.
No good to anybody.
Tell them, Carlino.
You're smarter than they think.
You let the priests pay for your keep
three or four years,
then we give them a boot in the ass
and long live Lenin.
What Lenin?
You've got to start facing the truth.
They abolished our paper,
the community house is gone
and no more election.
But this changed. Look here.
Read it. lt's your newspaper.
The one our comrades print.
We could go to prison.
You can see how many have read it.
Now memorize it. lt's up to you.
Because once this is gone,
you'll teach the others.
Those who don't see it
and those who can't read. Here.
All right, l'll memorize the newspaper,
but what good is it if we have no party?
No leader? Nobody to lead us?
Look at us, Olmo. We're all scattered.
lf one of us opens his mouth,
he gets slapped in jail.
Our party's outlawed,
we haven't got a chance.
No party? lt's not true.
The party is no one but you.
And Eugene and Enzo and Armando.
Cross over the river,
you'll find only Azales.
Need more,
then go and speak with the bellman.
You'll see the party around you
wherever you find hardworking men.
Go inside the prisons and you'll see
hundreds of your comrades.
The party's there, too. lt's everywhere.
Tell him, Eugene. You tell him.
''A hundred factory workers
were arrested at Rossi Textiles.
''While 135 were...''
Anita!
Anita? Where'd my daughter go?
Anita!
Olmo, she went to the padrona
for a lesson.
What padrona?
-Signora Ada.
-Ada. Ada.
''Strikers paraded in the city streets.
''Several came to blows
with fascist city officials
''who tried to block the demonstration,
including fascist Mayor Aliani.
''The officials were forced to call Milano
for extra carabinieri.
''While fighting with the troops,
four of our comrades were killed.''
l don't know where you'll get
the courage to go home tonight.
His wife will kill him!
Hey, Berlinghieri, l want a return match.
Now, now, now. Calm down, Ferrara.
You've just lost
your whole stable of livestock.
What else can you stake?
He wants to end up
like your mayor friend in Mantua.
Clothes of honor, and not much money,
the mayor stakes his wife.
-Oh, l'm sorry. Forgive me.
-Signor Alfredo.
Cavaliere Pioppi would like
to have a word with you.
What shall l say to him?
l thought l told you not to come
into this place with mud on your shoes.
Cavaliere Pioppi.
You all know Cavaliere Pioppi,
the only honest man among us.
Now, if you'll excuse us
for a few minutes.
No, don't worry. Don't worry about it.
Everything will be all right.
You'll have a return match.
You'll lose some more livestock.
Thank God you have your health.
l'm glad one of us
has a little enjoyment.
We've...
We've trouble making ends meet.
Our lands have been barren. We've...
As you must know,
your father and l were friends.
He was always telling me,
''Careful, Pioppi,
you're not an administrator.
''You let things get out of hand.''
-But he'd help us.
-Yes, he helped us.
He helped us sign so many mortgages
there's not a piece of land
left in our name.
l wouldn't have bothered you,
only she insisted.
You and l
have been rather good friends.
lt's embarrassing. l...
-How much do you need?
-Oh, l knew you wouldn't refuse us.
You're more understanding
than your father was.
Well.
Well, do you have anything left
to mortgage at all?
The villa.
Olmo.
Hello.
-The house, you said?
-The villa.
-You're not allowed in here.
-Get away.
You don't learn easy, do you, boy?
You don't listen, do you?
Get away!
You've been told 100 times you're not
allowed in here. Don't you push me!
Somebody's gonna teach you a lesson
you'll never forget.
-Get away!
-Now, you get out of here!
You don't learn, do you?
You're gonna come to a bad end, boy.
You think you're the king
of this fucking castle.
-Get away.
-Attila.
The time's come when l'll show you,
once and for all, you're not!
-Now, you get out of here!
-Get away!
What the hell is going on over here?
His shoes are dirty.
What are you doing here?
What do you want?
All right, l'm poor,
a peasant, a worker and a killer.
-And l want my daughter!
-Attila!
''By the...''
''Rushes.''
''...rushes and under the sky,
''my lovely house doth lie.''
Good girl. Here you are.
-Anita, come home.
-But, Papa, not before l finish.
l don't like you to come here,
you know that.
She has to learn how to read and write.
You're not her mother.
l don't want her here!
He's right, you know.
l mean, what the hell gives you
the right to act like a missionary?
What the hell gives you the right?
l love that child!
l don't care whether you love that child.
The child is out of place here.
Leave other people's children alone.
All right. Now l'll devote myself
to our children!
No, don't! Just devote yourself to me!
November's the cruelest month
of the year.
Damn it!
Bitch. Filthy bitch!
But l'll get in there. l'll get a bottle.
The key.
Now, give me the key.
The key!
Go and get drunk at the tavern.
We're respectable people
here in this house.
Didn't you know that?
l want that key!
l stick it up your ass!
You stupid thing.
How stupid you are.
But why shouldn't you have
what you want?
You must drink all you want.
You're the padrona.
Aren't you the padrona?
So you'll have all the drink you want.
Help me. Why don't you help me?
You want a drink?
l don't want it anymore.
l baptize you,
Regina, queen of the bitches.
Ada!
Good evening.
Go to bed, little witch. Go on.
Ada.
Good night, angel.
Sleep well.
Signora,
care for some wine?
Yes, l don't mind if l do.
-A drop is good from time to time.
-Two or three, even.
lt's so nice here.
What's so nice, may l ask?
Anita saying good night.
The smell of your supper.
The way you are all together.
And your mother sleeping by the fire.
Well, you may live here
if you find it so nice. l'll put in a cot.
You know the big doors
that open into the court?
Every evening,
the padrone would close everybody in.
-Really?
-l remember the key.
lt was as big as that.
And so the peasants were all locked up,
same as prison.
We were able to dance,
to sing to our children.
Able to die, but impossible to get out.
We had to be shut up like beasts
till morning.
Then what happened?
Came the morning,
the padrone would send a servant
to open the door for us.
l'm not talking
about the Middle Ages, either.
-Amusing, no?
-No.
Grandfather Leo was alive.
l was just a little boy.
Once Alfredo got into our house here
and was locked up with all of us.
Well, the doors are open now
but Alfredo never comes.
What do you think of Alfredo?
The padrone are our enemies.
We have to destroy them all.
The padrone's Alfredo.
And me?
You are the padrona.
No, not really.
l am the wife of the padrone.
Anita, don't you think her mother
would have wanted her to study?
Olmo.
Rosina, we woke you up.
Olmo.
-lt's all right.
-Go away.
-l had a terrible dream, Olmo.
-lt's all right, Mama.
l was on the top of a mountain
with Grandfather Leo.
-Yes.
-''Look down,'' he said.
-Come to bed.
-''Those are the years to come.
-''One is limping, another is blind.''
-lt's all right.
-''That one has no head.''
-lt's late, Mama.
Take little Anita and run away.
Run, Olmo. Everything's gone to ruin.
-Do you hear that? He's there.
-Shut up.
Over there. l saw him. He was moving.
He comes to spy.
Go away, go away. Leave us alone.
Do something!
Here?
Here?
lt's a cat!
Every night l dream of that kid.
He's all covered with blood.
l hate him.
You drive me crazy.
l'll never come
to this fucking room again!
Don't be angry. l'm fed up, too.
Whenever we feel like doing it,
we have to behave
like a couple of thieves.
Hiding.
You could change all that
if you wanted to.
You give the orders around here.
He's as weak as a jellyfish.
Ada's drunk all the time.
You have the keys to everything,
don't you, my dear?
No. l deserve a house of my own,
fit for somebody like me.
l know one.
-Where?
-Villa Pioppi.
The mortgage is nearly due.
Can't you see us,
the two of us,
sitting together
in Chinese dressing gowns,
listening to the radio
broadcast from Rome?
A servant very quietly comes in
with two glasses of Marsala wine.
Marsala, my ass. l want champagne.
Hey!
Stella!
Hey, where are you running?
What's the matter, sweetheart?
They took him away!
My Martino and his brother Gelindo!
Who did it?
lt's those guards.
They're taking them away.
The guards? What? Wait.
Wait. All of you, come with me.
No. Olmo, where are you going?
Have you lost your head?
Will you put that gun away?
You'll get us all in trouble.
You promised to look out for us
and not lose your head like this.
Prison.
Yes, prison.
Prison.
Prison.
-Olmo, where are you going?
-Prison!
Come back, Olmo!
Wait, Stella!
Martino! Gelindo!
Wait, Stella.
Stella.
Hold on, comrades!
We'll get you out of this!
Stop. You'll only make it worse.
-Hold on! Hold on!
-No, no!
Martino! Gelindo!
You'll make it worse!
Come, come.
There are hundreds of us!
There are thousands!
There's no room in your jails to keep us!
What are you doing, Olmo?
Can't you see you're all alone?
Stella, wait!
No, no!
The party won't abandon you!
Yes, but these chains hurt!
They hurt all the same!
-Christ is with us.
-Bless me, Father, for l have sinned.
Since my husband died,
they haven't left me in peace.
l have nothing but debts.
But all the same,
l have always made my offering
for the holy wounds of Jesus.
lt's true l don't have
the money for the mortgage,
but l look at it this way,
if l have to choose between
the mortgage and the holy wounds,
then l choose the wounds.
They wish l were dead, anyway.
This has become a fixation.
Don't you know
that blaming others is a sin?
A very bad sin.
You don't believe me?
What do you call this, then?
Look, here's the proof.
Please, come on, please,
l can't bear cats, even live ones.
He used to sleep with me.
They want to hurt the things l love.
They want to hurt me! They want to take
everything away from me!
They're wicked people!
There's the car.
-Well, at last.
-Yes. Here.
Aren't you coming in?
They're waiting for you.
No, no, not tonight.
At least tonight,
one should stay at home.
Come on, Josephine.
-Don't eat too much.
-Ciao, Pierro.
-Merry Christmas.
-Merry Christmas.
-Evening, signor.
-Good evening.
We'll play cards later.
Maybe l'll get lucky.
-Yes. See you all about midnight.
-Ciao. Ciao.
-Merry Christmas.
-Merry Christmas.
-Merry Christmas.
-Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
You know how long
l've been looking for you?
Signora Berlinghieri can
no longer drink at home
because the wine is locked away.
She can no longer drink in small cafs
because her husband
has given orders against it.
So she drinks in taverns.
l'm going to have you
locked up in an asylum.
l can drink here.
l can even fall under the table.
Nobody sees me anyway.
Get up from there. Get up.
You look disgusting.
Your face is all swollen
from the alcohol.
You stink. Get up.
-...full of the Christmas spirit...
-Get up.
...as you can tell
with their fun-loving song.
Do l disgust you, too?
...and right into your homes,
where on Christmas Eve
everyone should find comfort and...
Am l swollen?
...and social order. Happy mothers
and fathers, but above all...
-Do l stink?
-Do you need help, signora?
...favorite book or favorite dolly,
they find a piece of Christmas holly.
Let's get along to one more song.
Don't get mixed up.
They'll only take you for a fool.
l know why you don't want me to drink.
lt's because when l drink,
it gives me the courage
to tell you the truth.
You are different. You have changed.
You are surrounded
by terrible, vulgar, arrogant bullies.
Murderers.
And you are even worse than they are.
Come. Have a drink with us.
-My husband wants to meet you.
-Come on. lt's getting late.
Stop staring at them.
Come on. Let's go.
Stop staring, you idiot.
They'll get you in trouble. Move.
Hey! Hey! Hey, wait a minute.
-You can't refuse a drink.
-Let us go, signora, please.
-Where are you going?
-To wash, signora.
-Why?
-lt's Christmas.
Oh, for heaven's sake. Stay like this.
You're much more beautiful
the way you are.
Can l have your cap?
-You really want it?
-Yes.
To remember you by.
Excuse us, signora. Excuse us, please.
What do you want?
What do you want me to do?
-Signore, we're closing.
-We're leaving.
l'll get your coat.
Charcoal.
Charcoal.
Charcoal.
Charcoal for sale.
You slut.
You like fooling around with everyone.
-Even Olmo.
-Olmo?
What an imagination.
ls it my imagination
to have seen you together?
That l've seen you with him before?
ls it my imagination
that l smell him on you?
Do you think Olmo would have anything
to do with the wife of a fascist?
Fascist? l am not a fascist!
lf you call me that again, l will kill you!
lf l see you again with him, l will kill you!
You'll kill me because
we can't make love anymore.
Fighting, huh?
Lucky you. l guess you love each other.
How are you?
How are you?
-You know her?
-l think so.
Sit down.
Neve?
Neve, this is Ada.
l'm glad you remember me.
What about you?
You're not from around here.
You look like a lady.
But you are a lady, aren't you?
She's my wife.
You know, after that day,
l never had another attack.
Oh, God knows
what went on in my head.
And then l found a man, a good man.
l liked him. l was very fond of him.
When my mother died, we got married.
A hard worker.
We settled down here, on this street.
l still live here.
-What happened to him?
-Oh, he disappeared one day.
l never saw him again.
But even if he's taken up
with another woman, l'm happy.
l learn about how to manage
and how l can get by fine on my own.
There were no children.
lt's the only thing l miss.
You know, l never knew
if it was my fault or his.
Oh, my cake. l forgot.
Why don't you stay here
and eat with us?
They are nice people, you know.
And where can you go
this time of night?
You'll enjoy it, you'll see.
Oh, Neve,
l thought you'd never show up.
She must have lost time at the baker's.
So many people waiting.
Alfredo,
l want a child.
Go. Go to your midnight Mass.
-Ciao, Oreste. Merry Christmas.
-Sing your hearts out.
Let everybody know
what hypocrites you are.
Careful, Oreste. The devil will take you.
l'm not afraid of the devil.
He's red, like me.
And when l die...
-Who lives here?
-Attila Mellanchini.
He's really come up in the world.
-He lives here alone?
-No, with his beloved Regina.
The most envied couple
in the whole valley.
-Really?
-Yes.
Merry Christmas, Signorina Regina!
What are you doing out there
in the cold? Come inside.
Merry Christmas, Signora Pioppi!
We don't want to be late for Mass!
We can have a drop to warm ourselves,
then we can all three go together.
Oh, she's really crazy.
First, she cuts me down in public,
then invites us for a drink.
-Marvelous.
-Maybe she's trying to make up to us.
What difference does it make?
Well, aren't you coming?
Let's see what it's like inside.
Merry Christmas, Mr. Mayor.
You're making fun of me.
They'll elect you one of these days.
You're still a young man.
Young and strong.
Everything is so artistic,
just like being abroad.
The house is perfect for a real lady.
Very elegant. Very...
Very tasteful.
Do you really think so?
Come and see the living room.
-What is she doing?
-l told you, she's mad.
Caught you, didn't l?
Now you'll have to listen to me.
l'm the one doing the talking now.
You want to get out?
Then you'll have to sign a paper
saying this house will remain mine.
Attila! Attila, look!
You got that mortgage
from my husband with threats,
with political blackmail!
You made his heart give out.
You tormented the poor man
until he died.
''lt's all so artistic,
as if you were abroad.''
Made to order for a high party official,
isn't it, Mr. Black Shirt?
But now l've got you trapped
and l'll not let you go.
You're not leaving here.
This house is mine and it'll stay mine.
''Made in
''Czechoslovakia.''
Sinners. Rogues.
Concubine! Concubine!
You see? l told you.
She called you a concubine.
lf we don't get married soon,
we'll be the laughingstock
of the whole countryside.
The radio doesn't work.
You've harmed me for the last time.
What has my poor cat done to you?
Murderers.
That's what you are, murderers.
Murderers! Murderers! Murderers!
Murderers.
Murderers.
Murderers.
Signora Pioppi, calm down.
Open the door. You're really hysterical.
What are you talking about?
All these silly accusations.
lf you just open the door,
we can talk it over.
We're respectable people,
Signora Pioppi.
Admit it, l look nice
in the coalman's hat.
-You look irresistible.
-Yes.
But l prefer you in my hat.
Who are these people?
Oh, they must be coming
from midnight Mass.
What's going on?
A robbery.
What was there to rob?
She was full of debts.
Poor people.
They had to mortgage everything,
the land, the villa, everything.
Who has the mortgage?
Oh, my God!
Everything she owned is mortgaged
to Alfredo Berlinghieri.
What do mortgages have to do with it?
This was obviously a sex crime.
She was still a very handsome woman.
She undoubtedly had some relationship.
-Merry Christmas. Signorina.
-Good evening, Commissioner.
Mortgages.
l wouldn't be surprised if this weren't
the act of a crazed, jealous lover.
lt could be anyone,
possibly someone right here.
She probably led him on,
then spurned him.
With his lust aroused,
he possibly raped her.
Then this murder.
Maniacs. Communists. Perverts.
May l take a look?
There, you see? No underwear.
Why does a woman
take off her underwear?
Why?
Coward.
Coward.
Ada! Ada!
Olmo! Olmo!
Olmo!
Olmo!
What is this? Why do you have a lock?
What do you have to hide?
-Why do you lock yourself in?
-l lock others out.
Where's my wife?
That's enough! Get out of here!
-Olmo!
-Get out of here.
-l'm sorry. l...
-Get out of here!
-What's he want?
-His wife.
You'll wake up the children.
l'm sorry.
l don't know what's the matter with me.
l don't know, l'm not feeling well.
l think l have a heart condition.
-Feel my heart.
-What heart?
You're just sick in the head.
Oh, maybe you're right. l don't know.
l'm going crazy. Ada's gone.
l don't know where she is now.
And you come looking for her
in my bed?
What's so wrong about that?
-What do you mean?
-You know what l mean.
-Go on.
-You know what l mean.
Go on!
Oh, l think it's very, very, very possible
because l think you like her.
Yeah.
You're right.
And she likes me.
We fuck and fuck, fuck all the night.
But it's not enough for her, not enough.
lt seems she wants to
stuff this salami up her ass.
Oh, Olmo, stop acting like a pig.
You're really not funny.
l don't understand
how you could talk like that.
lf you knew what l was going through
tonight, you wouldn't.
They killed that wretched widow, Pioppi.
There's such violence here.
lt's all around us.
l don't know.
lt would have to happen tonight, just
as Ada and l were finally able to talk.
We were so close after so long.
lt was just like in the beginning.
She saw all that blood
and she ran away.
As if it were my fault. l mean,
l don't know what l had to do with it.
Who gets the widow's house?
The property?
They'll imprison some poor devil
who's done nothing.
Call him a communist.
There are too many innocent people
who have died, Alfredo.
And you'll soon see more
and more and more.
And there are too many in jail.
And it's you.
lt's you and others like you
who wanted it.
lt's you.
l'm happy you have
a woman in the house.
Your daughter needs a mother.
She only came for Christmas.
Her husband is in jail.
Has it never occurred to you
why so many of your friends
are in jail and not you?
You, of all people, who should have
been the first to end up inside?
Because l have stopped Attila,
that's why.
Because l have made him
drop his bone.
lf you protect me,
it's been in your interest.
That's right. Go on, insult me.
lnsult your old friend.
lf l protect you,
it's because l care about you.
Don't you remember
we used to catch frogs together?
You remember how beautiful it was
along the ditches in the summer, huh?
l caught the frogs, you ate them.
Come on.
Come on,
you hole-in-the-pocket socialist.
Don't you remember anything?
Yes, yes, l remember.
l remember your wedding day.
And l remember l was beaten up.
And l remember you stood and watched.
You also remember
when you broke into my father's house
and when you stole his gun?
And if you're so courageous,
why haven't you ever used it?
To get killed? ls that what you want?
Enough talk, Alfredo.
Go home. You'll find Ada there.
-You really think so?
-Sure, sure.
Take this, just in case.
Stick it up yours!
Ada?
Ada? Ada.
Ada, open the door. Are you all right?
Say something. Ada! Ada!
Open the door or l'll break it down.
Ada? Ada, are you all right?
Are you all right, Ada?
Ada, say something at least.
lt's not my fault, Ada. Please, open up.
lt's not my fault.
Listen, we'll take a trip.
We'll go to Paris.
Wouldn't you like to do that?
We can leave tomorrow.
We can even leave now if you want.
We'll have a child. We'll have a child!
The most recent
communiqu from an Axis Army...
l've just seen Aunt Ada.
Be a good girl now.
Come, l made it sweet for you.
-Just the way you like it.
-Nicolo, come have your lunch.
Come on.
One more like a good girl.
The allied forces are fighting
desperately to keep their hold
on the Kasserine Pass.
With the help of ltalo-German air power,
our gallant soldiers have breached
the pass in several places,
turning northward
in the direction of Tbessa and Thala.
So, you saw your Auntie Ada?
l mean it. l mean it.
Don't talk nonsense.
Ada is dead. Dead, dead, dead.
Why do you say she's dead?
She's in a room. Caged beast.
She eats the hearts of bad children.
...and 66 heavy artillery pieces
of various caliber.
Hail the Duce, people.
This is what is known
as the fascist miracle.
We don't need
those cart horses anymore.
We put the power
of 50 horses in one machine.
They're sold, did you hear?
Time's up.
Hey, Barone!
Barone, what's the use
of those cart horses?
Unless you got a stable hand.
You need a stable hand, Barone?
Seems fit. Any family?
Widower. One daughter.
lt all depends.
How much are you selling them for?
Barone, l give you
the best deal in the world.
Barone's a good man.
You'll be very happy with him.
So l'm sold, too?
Part of the contract.
Horses, horseman, horse manure.
You all hear? l was sold.
To that merchant there. Stupid beast!
l can't be milked, though.
Or be fed with hay.
l can't provide milk
or make a meal of grain.
For l'm not a beast.
Only a peasant.
A peasant like you men. Understand?
Can they buy us for nothing?
ls a peasant for sale?
ls it just?
Well, tell me, is it just?
Olmo, tie the horses
to the back of the motorcycle,
get your daughter, and get going.
Horse manure!
Horses go in horse manure!
Shit! Shit! Let it out.
Don't hold back, for God's sake, shit!
l'm gonna wait, come on.
What about ll Duce?
He's full of shit, too!
God bless us, a full behind.
Look. Look at all the shit.
The greatest load of horse shit
and dung.
-lt stinks.
-Here comes another load!
Go ahead, everybody! Laugh!
You little shit! lt's all right! lt's all right!
-Here, we can begin to change things.
-Hey, Barone!
Make him eat it, Olmo! Horse shit pie!
Milk and wine give you lines.
Tell your padrona.
Tell her milk on the tongue
keeps you young.
Stupid.
Ciao, Teresita.
-Hurry, Olmo, before it's too late.
-On your way, Olmo.
-God knows what Attila will do.
-Olmo, there is no time.
Yes.
-Stay away until you're sure it's safe.
-Don't worry about the house.
-l want to go with you.
-No, it's better if you go to Stella's.
-Please. Take me with you, please.
-Be good. Be good. You promised.
All right, take the key.
Take the key. lt's yours.
-All right. l'll come back.
-Yes.
l'll come back. l'll come back.
-Here, you need it more than l do.
-Thank you. Thank you.
Now, listen, you'd better
keep your doors locked,
and don't go out alone.
-Thank you.
-Ciao, Olmo.
-Goodbye, Olmo. Come back soon.
-Ciao.
-Take care of yourself, Olmo.
-Yes. Be prepared for the worst.
-You carry our blessings.
-Write to us. Send us word.
-Let us know how you are.
-Good luck, Olmo.
Here, Olmo, take this.
Goodbye. Be careful.
We'll see you soon.
Don't let them get you, Olmo.
Good luck, Olmo.
Signora Ada, l have a new story for you.
-And today it's a true story.
-Wait. Wait. Wait.
What happened was
Attila wanted to sell Olmo.
-Sell Olmo?
-Yes.
Attila bought a new tractor for the farm
and was showing off.
And so then he said
horsemen are finished,
and if it'd be of any use,
he'd sell Olmo along with the horses.
-Nobody helped Olmo?
-Yeah, they all did.
And then you know what happened?
lt began to rain.
-What?
-Yeah, it rained horse manure.
Horse manure, all over Attila.
His nose, his eyes. All over.
-Even on his bald head.
-On Regina, too?
No, but they'd have gotten her, too,
had she been there.
Then they massaged all the
horses' asses and got a lot of fresh shit.
And after that,
Attila smelled like a pigsty.
But then, all of a sudden,
the farmers were scared,
and Olmo left on his bicycle.
-Olmo ran away?
-Yeah.
Attila will come with his fascists.
Everyone cried when Olmo left, signora.
But he wanted to go. He was free.
Don't you understand?
-No, he was sad.
-Oh, you're stupid.
You're in a fog. He was happy.
Poor Olmo had to leave his daughter
and had to leave his house.
He wasn't glad at all.
What do you know? You know nothing.
-You're leaving, too, signora?
-l'm leaving, yes. And for good.
Everybody's going.
l won't need these. You can have them.
This, too. Here, take this.
And this.
And this.
This.
Here, take this.
Signora,
could l have a kiss, too?
Come here.
Anthony!
Anthony!
Attila!
Attila!
Attila!
Come down here immediately!
Anthony, there are books
in the other room.
Right away.
Attila!
Signor Alfredo, you've heard about it.
The bastard's run off to...
Who asked you to come here?
Who gave you the right to do this?
Right? He's a communist organizer.
l don't care if he's a communist or not,
he's a friend of mine.
A friend of yours?
That friend stole this gun
from your father 15 years ago. Look.
lt's taken you a long time to find it.
l would have found it sooner
if l'd been allowed to do my job.
You've done your job. Your services
are no longer needed here.
What?
Listen, everybody, l fired him.
l fired the foreman.
Can you hear me? l fired Attila.
Ada, it's me.
l'm sorry. l know l shouldn't be here,
but l have something
very important to tell you.
l know you're going to be very happy.
l've done it. l've fired Attila. lt's over.
-She's gone, padrone. Gone.
-Gone?
-Where did she go?
-She won't return anymore.
-Where did she go?
-No more.
-Where did she go?
-No more.
-Where did she go?
-No more.
She said you'd understand
if l dressed up in this.
Swim!
Take a look! Take a look!
You're all gonna end up like that!
Like sewer rats!
Go on, scream, you shit!
Cover his face in it!
Orio!
Orio!
Oh, he's dead.
Breasts. Unrighteous breasts.
-You filthy rotten fascist!
-Cover yourself, you dirty bitch.
-Cover up!
-Here, fire it, bastard!
Pig! Bastard! Pig!
All right, turn back.
Temesio!
-Temesio, does God exist?
-No!
Attila!
Does that bastard Mussolini exist?
Temesio?
-Does ll Duce exist?
-No!
-The Duce doesn't exist!
-Kill him.
You move and l'll kill you.
Attila. Neither do you exist, Attila.
Stop that whistling. Stop it.
l can kill all of you whenever l want to
so you can whistle till your mouths rot.
l don't give a damn for any of you.
Anthony.
Let's get out of here.
You're shit! Scum!
You're a disgrace to the ltalian nation.
You are the shit of ltaly!
25th of April 1945
Liberation Day
Fight, comrades, in the name of Stalin.
-The Black Shirt bandits are here.
-Come on, everyone, over here.
Let's wipe them out, rip their guts.
Every last one of them.
Here, Manzalone,
they're just beyond the canal.
Grab these, go on.
-Hurry up!
-Kill every one of them.
Anita!
Anita, what can you see there?
l can see...
l can see...
l can see a bunch of fascists.
They're running away.
One of our men's running after them.
He's alone.
Anita, l'll bet it's my Wildcat.
God bless him.
He's only got a stick
but, by God, he's giving it to them.
He's really giving it to them.
lf you could only see them, women!
Come on, harder!
Harder now! Kill them all!
Have you lost your tongues?
Shout, women, shout!
Let our men hear us! Come on, shout!
-You kill him.
-Louder!
Louder!
Blessed are the young
who see what isn't there.
Hundreds of German soldiers
are running off, leaving for good.
lf you could only see this, too.
They'll never come back.
They're throwing away their guns
and their uniforms.
Oh, God.
-What do you see? What is it?
-A huge cloud of dust.
A man on a white horse.
He looks like...
Like Olmo.
lf only it was Olmo.
Let his soul be at rest.
Attila and Regina.
Attila and Regina!
Shoot, Attila! Shoot!
Bitches!
Stinking bastard!
Kill her!
Throw her in the shit!
Die, you fascist cow!
Fascist pig!
-Kill her!
-Move, women.
Move out of the way.
Let's take them to the sty.
Put this shit with the other pigs!
Now you know what a pigsty is like!
No, you can't come through.
You can't come through.
The sty is too good for them!
Hey, Comrade!
ls it true you're giving the land
to those who'll work it?
Who is she?
-Have you ever seen her?
-l've never seen her.
l said, is it true you're giving the land
to those who'll work it?
Yes. Come on! Come on!
Let's go.
Come on, you blockheads.
Oh, how many there are.
Who are you? No one knows you,
and yet you speak words
we've always wanted to hear.
This man is Carnellio,
and l am Rondina, his wife.
We come from the mountains.
The Nazis, they burned everything,
all our houses.
And the fascists,
they took all our goods.
l say, first of all,
we have to give them a place to sleep.
Best let us sleep inside the sheds here.
No, the shed is for vagabonds.
And the house is where comrades stay.
Pigsties are for the fascists.
Everything will be fine.
So glad that l shall die
And yet l'm sorry
l'm so sorry that l die
So l won't worry
Shut up, you gravedigger!
Who goes there?
The people's committee
for community swine allotment.
More pigs than l ever saw.
Come here, my beauty.
Oh, let me kiss you.
Come, another. l need another kiss.
Oh, let me touch you,
you're so beautiful.
Let me get on you.
-l want to spend the whole night...
-Can't you show pity?
Bastards! Bastards!
13, 1 4, 15,
16, 1 7, 18.
And with those two sitting there, it's 20.
Just a moment, comrades.
My heart's heavy in me.
Abolishing the padrone's rights
will make me feel
100 better, l can tell you that.
Then l guess we must be idiots.
Nobody can make out
what you're saying.
Take a look at all these pigs in here.
Prosciutto, salami, sausage,
feet and knuckles, and lard,
and mortadella.
Who do they belong to now?
Listen here, you'll own all the animals.
Socialism can bring it all to you.
How do l know that socialism
is really going to feed me?
And what my heart is heavy for
is those two souls there.
All the Dalcos step forward.
You others from the mountains
ruled by priests,
instead of wallowing in ignorance,
try beating your head three times
to let in socialist ideas.
-What do you want to do?
-You heard him.
So did you, about beating your head.
Why beat our heads three times?
What did he mean?
Beating your head makes no sense.
Look at him.
Look at him.
Look at him.
l can see you're a man of feeling.
Help him.
Don't you see he is dying like a pig?
Help him.
ln the name of humanity.
Look, right there
is where my grandfather's buried.
''Patrizio Avanzini,
''tender flower
plucked by the cruel hands of destiny.''
Cruel hands of destiny.
Destiny's hands.
My hands.
The cruel hands of destiny.
Regina.
Regina.
Our children will harvest the seeds
we have planted, Regina.
You are as ugly as sin.
-Get away!
-Don't cut her hair!
Don't cut her hair!
PlERO PlOPPl
DlED AS HONESTLY AS HE LlVED
lDA CANTA ELLl widow of PlOPPl
GOOD AND SAlNTLY WOMAN
OFFENDED BY
THE CRUELTY OF TlME
''Canta Elli Pioppi.
''Good and saintly woman,
offended by the cruelty of time.''
l am that cruel time.
Me. l killed that crazy bitch.
And that little turd, Patrizio.
Me, Attila Mellanchini.
Fascist.
Man.
Pigs.
Scum.
Shits.
Turd.
Stop that music!
This is not a dance hall!
You have no respect for our dead!
Look, everybody.
Come here, everybody!
-Who is that?
-l don't know.
Kill me. Kill me!
Kill me, quick. Kill me.
Kill me.
Kill me!
-Get away.
-Kill me.
Be careful. Watch from behind here.
Don't look when a lady is pissing.
Halt. No one can pass here.
Go on.
-Who is that?
-lt's the padrone. He is my prisoner.
Why are you holding him
here in this stall?
l'm waiting for the partisans.
lt takes a pretty smart boy
to fool with such a gun.
Go, Marina. You be the first one up.
Careful you don't fall.
-Paint out all the fascist slogans!
-Paint everything out!
-Throw the paint on!
-Brush out. Brush out everything!
No! No, wait! That goose is mine!
That's my goose! lt's mine!
Where are you going?
Give it to me! Give it back!
lf it's yours, then it's everybody's.
lt can't be yours if it's everybody's.
Did you have to pick mine
to be everybody's?
Make it redder! Put more red on!
Stop tickling.
Stupid ass.
Cut it out.
l'll kill you.
Will you look who's here?
We forgot all about our padrone.
Even forgot to arrest him.
Good for you, Leonito. Good boy.
The children have
more imagination than we do.
Excuse me, padrone, l held my hand
back so long, it escaped on its own.
And my foot escaped, too.
Are you Olmo?
l hand you my prisoner.
Bravo.
Hey, are you sleeping?
Ada never came back, you know.
-You'd rather she were dead, huh?
-Well, at least you came back.
Are you sure we hid it here?
-l hereby declare...
-Give me the paint.
...the people's trial
of Alfredo Berlinghieri,
padrone and therefore enemy
of the people, now open.
l declare the people's trial
of the padrone open.
-How did you know it was there?
-Because l hid it.
l hereby declare the people's
trial of Alfredo Berlinghieri,
padrone and therefore
enemy of the people, now open.
Sit down here. This is going to be good.
My feet are killing me
but l don't want to miss the show.
-Do you know when...
-She didn't come back
because if she had,
she'd have stood trial with you.
Do you know when she ran away?
She ran away the day that you ran away.
She's cleverer than you.
You stayed to be the padrone
right to the end.
What are you writing, Anita?
-We're not in school now.
-Give us a hand, Anita.
This is a people's trial.
What's there to write?
Comrades, what's done
is worthy of being written down,
and what is written down
is worthy of being read.
Just a minute.
-Oh, look at our flags!
-All our flags together!
That one belonged
to the Workers' League, remember?
Me and Rosina sewed them.
lt got bigger every year.
Olmo, l know we're ignorant,
but how can we have a trial
without a lawyer?
l bring you the accused
and you ask me for a lawyer?
l mean, isn't that enough?
But we are the ones
who caught him, not you.
No, you didn't catch him, either.
He surrendered to Leonito
right after he saw his gun.
Yes, you're right.
Lift it high! Higher!
Let's dance! Come on!
-Dance.
-Get away.
Dance! Come on.
Dance!
When a mute begins to speak,
he has much to say,
but the poor man is tongue-tied, as well.
lt's all right.
Speak with your heart, old man.
Stop the music.
l lost them harvesting
your wheat for 60 years.
Can you make good now?
Can they be returned?
Why did all these teeth drop out?
The padrone's are still there,
all shined up.
He's able to munch with them
all day long.
We made money for you
and you spent it.
-You're washed and we're filthy.
-You rest while we work.
You had plenty in your stomach
in the famine.
You're just a leech but your
old grandfather was even worse.
lt's true. After a hailstorm,
he wanted to fire all the day laborers.
He wasn't the one.
lt was his papa, Giovanni.
He's the son. lt makes no difference.
A padrone remains a padrone.
All land needs laborers,
otherwise it would go to ruin.
But the padrone?
Does anyone need the padrone?
l have one thing to say.
l've never hurt anyone.
l've never hurt anyone.
All the padrone
claim the very same thing.
And they're such big hypocrites,
they think it's true.
l have never hurt anyone.
To be able to say that,
you've taken criminals out of prison
and put communists in their place?
Listen to me, comrades.
Fascists don't spring up someday
like mushrooms, all in one night.
No. Fascists are
the padrone's offspring.
lnventions of the padrone.
And with these fascists,
they began earning more and more.
So much that they had
to put their fortunes to use,
and that's how war was invented.
For we were sent
to Africa, Russia, Greece,
Albania, and Spain.
But did they pay?
No, we're the ones that paid!
The proletariat,
the peasant, the workers!
You paid for it!
He pays now! He pays now!
Do you hear that, Alfredo Berlinghieri?
You hear the voice of the people?
We, the ignorant hicks
who die of starvation,
will set an example here
in this miserable asshole of the world.
We sentence you to death.
We condemn you
and the past condemns you.
That's it, comrades.
No more padrone.
The padrone is a dead man.
l'm very tired. May l sit down?
l'm very tired.
lf l understand it right,
we're looking at a dead person.
Yes, he thinks he's alive,
and for us the man's dead.
He doesn't exist anymore.
The man's alive. His body's on fire.
Usually, the dead grow cold.
Olmo, you learned
how to speak better than a peasant.
Here.
But you should explain with simple talk.
That educated talk can play tricks.
The padrone is dead
but Alfredo Berlinghieri is alive.
And we mustn't kill him.
But why not?
Because he's the living proof
that the padrone's dead.
And now let's vote.
Who agrees, raise your hands.
Comrades, the partisans!
The partisans are coming.
Partisans.
Comrades, the partisans.
The partisans are here.
Hey, comrades.
Silence. Silence, please.
Come over here, everybody!
l have an important
communication to make.
Everybody, come over here!
-Hey, let me look at it!
-Give it to me! Give it to me!
-An American gun!
-Give it to me. Let's see.
We have come here in the name
of the Committee of National Liberation.
We represent the Christian democrats,
we represent the liberals,
we represent the socialists,
we represent the communists
and the action party.
This Committee
for the Liberation of ltaly...
-Sit down.
-...has assumed power temporarily,
for the purpose of maintaining
law and order in the country.
And so, dear friends,
l ask you to adhere
to the decision of the
National Committee for Liberation
and turn your arms over to us.
-No!
-Those are the orders!
Comrades, victory is
like when you're drunk.
-No!
-Yes!
When you drink,
you say what you feel in your heart.
-lt's a trap, Olmo.
-Everything seems to be new for you.
No, it's the old story.
l'm not going to fall for it.
The moment of truth arrives and it
demands that everyone must get sober,
and put your head and heart
under the faucet and stop drinking.
-They're double-crossing us.
-Yes.
But, please, all right...
Those guns belong to us!
lt's all bullshit!
Why give them the guns?
They belong to us all.
Tomorrow they'll call it utopia.
That's fine!
But remember, if there's
evidence to persuade us
that the padrone's still there,
we must say no anyway.
Because we know, we saw, all of us.
We know the truth. The padrone's dead!
Hey, boy, didn't you hear the orders?
No! Give it back to me! lt's my gun!
Give it back! lt's mine! lt's mine!
Give it back! lt's mine!
Give it back to me!
The padrone's alive.