"Yes, Salvatore Di Vita." "You mean you don't know him, Miss?" "That's right, and I'm his mother." "I've been calling from Sicily, all clay long." "I see... he's not there." "Could you please give me his number?" "65622056." "Thank you." "Goodbye." "It's useless to call." "He's busy." "God knows where he is." "He won't even remember." "Forget it." "He hasn't been here for 30 years." "You know what he's like." "He'll remember." "I'm sure he will." "I know him better than you do." "If he finds out we didn't tell him, he'll be angry." "I'd like to talk to Signor Salvatore Di Vita." "I'm his mother." "What the fuck are you looking at?" "Salvatore... what time is it?" "It's late." "Sorry, I couldn't phone to say I'd be late." "Go back to sleep." "Your mother phoned." "She thought I was someone else." "What did you tell her?" "Nothing, I didn't want to disappoint her." "We had a long chat." "She said you've not visited her for 30 years." "She must come to see you." "She called just to say that?" "No, she said someone's died." "Someone called Alfredo." "The funeral is tomorrow." "Who is he?" "A relative?" "No... go back to sleep." "How can I say Mass with this boy?" "Toto!" "Thank God for that!" "How do I have to tell you?" "Without the bell, I don't know where I am." "Always asleep!" "What do you do at night?" "Eat?" "Father Adelfio, at home we don't even eat at lunchtime." "The vet says that's why I'm tired." "I'll tell you why you're tired." "Think I don't know?" "Run along now, I've something to do." " Can I come with you?" " No, you can't." "Toto, go away!" "Alfredo!" "You can start." "Here we go again." "The frame!" "THE LOWER DEPTHS" "One day, everything will be ours." "We'll go away together." "To live the good life where no one knows us." "Stop dreaming." "You don't love me any more." "Why?" "I'd have preferred a good word." " I can '1'." " Oh, well." "100 lire!" "Pure nylon!" "You mustn't come here." "How many times do I have to tell you?" "You're only little." "If there's a fire, you'll go up in smoke." ""And turn into a piece of charcoal."" "You've got a big mouth." "One of these days I'll cut it off." "Like that." "Can I have it?" "Please can I have it?" "Well, can I or not?" "Are you deaf or something?" "I have to splice it back before I return the film." "You're such a pest!" "Then why didn't you splice these before you returned the films?" "Well, sometimes I can't find the right place, so they stay here." "They kiss too much, anyway." " Then I can have these." " Now you listen to me." "Let's make a deal, before I kick you up the arse." " All these are yours, a present." " Thank you." "But first, you don't come here again." "Second, I keep them here." "Get it?" "OK, so we're agreed." "Now, scram!" "What kind of deal is that?" "If they're mine, how come you keep them?" "Don't come back or I'll thrash you!" ""Shoot first, think later." ""This is no job for weaklings, cuckolds and traitors." ""Hey, you bastard!" "Hands off that gold!" ""Stay away from me, you dirty swine..." ""...or I'll smash your face in!"" "If the war's over, why doesn't Dad come back?" "He'll come back, you'll see." "One of these clays." "I don't remember him anymore." "Where is Russia?" "It takes years to get there..." "and years to come back." "Go to bed, Toto." "It's late." "You can fool your mother, but not me." "Get your piece of paper and join the police, you little wretch!" "Come on!" "Well?" "How much is 5 x 5?" "30." "Quiet!" "The five times table, you dimwit!" "1 x 5 = 5." "2 x 5 = 10." "3 x 5 = 15." "4 x 5 = 20." "5 x 5?" "40." "Quiet!" "Quiet!" "Boccia!" "25." "For the last time..." " 5 x 5?" " Christmas!" "I've a ticket, I want to see the film." "Get down." "You can't stay here." "Go back to your seat!" "They're all over the place, like rabbits." "I must go to Oregon." "Wait for me at my ranch." "Wait for a dead man?" "A star-studded cast featuring John Wayne, Claire Trevor..." "Good evening, everyone!" "Can't I say hello?" " Double-bill today." " So what?" "I come here to sleep." "Cut the news, Alfredo!" "ITALY DOESN'T FORGET." "RESISTANCE RALLY." "Quiet!" "This is important." "The men and women who fought in the Resistance are reunited in Rome for the First Resistance Rally organised by CVL." "Prime Minister Parri..." "Hello, everybody!" " Can we watch the film or what?" " You shut up, then." "THE EARTH TREMBLES - EPISODE OF THE SEA" "Featuring SICILIAN FISHERMEN" "What does it say?" " Who knows?" "I'm illiterate." " You too?" "The Italian language is not spoken by the poor in Sicily." "12 hours of blood and sweat to take home the bare minimum required not to die of hunger." "And yet, their nets were full when they pulled them up." "All day fishing, and what do we have to show for it?" "That may be so but what can we do?" "I knew it!" "20 years going to the cinema, and I've never seen a kiss!" "Will we ever?" "Son of a bitch!" "THE END" " You and you, to work." " What about me, Don Vincenzo?" "You?" "Get a job from Stalin." "Don't you worry, his day will come." "I always get left out." "Nice film." "That young man worked ever so hard." "Pity he was so unlucky." "Why did he go and buy that boat?" "Idiot!" "You didn't understand anything." "Right, boys." "Here you work from dawn to dusk." "And no questions about pay." "I've been looking for you all clay." "Did you buy the milk?" "And the money?" "Stolen." "You went to the cinema?" "The cinema!" " Signora Maria, wait!" " Leave him alone, you're hurting him." "And you, why do you tell lies?" "You know you got in free." "Go on, tell your mother." "Maybe he lost it inside." "How much?" "50 lire." "What did you find under the seats tonight?" "A comb... two heels... a tobacco pouch..." "And... 50 lire." "See?" "Thank you, Alfredo." "Good night." " Good morning." " Good night." "I understood right away." "The square is mine!" "It's midnight!" "Out!" "I must close the square." "Hard on the feet, eh, Father?" "Going, it's downhill and all the saints help you." "Coming back, the saints just watch." "If it is God's Will..." "See you tonight." "What's wrong?" "Your foot this time?" "Always something." "Oh dear, what can we do?" "Did you know my father, Alfredo?" "Of course I knew him." "Tall, thin, good-tempered, with a moustache like mine." "He always smiled." "He looked like Clark Gable." "Now I'm older, Alfredo, and I'm in the fifth year," "I'm not asking to go into the booth, but couldn't we at least be friends?" ""I choose my friends for their looks, and my enemies for their intelligence."" "You're too clever to be my friend." "I always tell my children to be careful how they choose their friends." "But you don't have any children." "But when I do, I'll tell them." "Don't cry." "It's all right, I'm here." "The fire's out." "Mum, what happened?" "You scoundrel!" "Your sister could have burned to death because of you!" "You'll be the end of me!" "I told you not to keep your films near the fire." "You even burned my photos." " You and your films!" " He was burning down the house." "Aren't you ashamed of playing games with him at your age?" " What have I done?" " Who gave him the films?" "You shouldn't give them to him, he's mad!" "All he talks about is you and the cinema." "Swear you won't let him in again." "I give you my word." "May God send your father home, he'll deal with you." "Dad is not coming back, and I know why." "He's dead." "No, it's not true!" "He'll be back, you'll see." "so the good and evil of men comes and goes, and time is like a flowing river."" "THE END" "They smoke like chimneys." "Go and buy a ticket!" "I'll make mincemeat out of you!" "Signora Anna!" "Don't blame me, your wife told me to bring your lunch." " Give it to me." " I told Mum you didn't give me the film." "It wasn't your fault." "I thought you were joking when you said the film could catch fire." "I just wanted to tell you." "Now I'll go." "Toto... come here." "Come and sit down." "Now, listen." "I started this job when I was ten." "We didn't have these modern machines then." "Films were silent." "You turned the projector by hand with a crank." "All day long!" "And it was hard, this damned crank." "If you got tired, and slowed down a bit... everything was burned, in a flash." "So why don't you teach me, now there's no crank and it's easy?" "Because I don't want to, Toto." "This is no job for you." "You work like a slave, always alone." "You watch the same film 100 times." "Nothing else to do." "You end up talking to Greta Garbo and Tyrone Power." "Always working." "Every holiday, Easter, Christmas..." "You only get Good Friday off." "And if they hadn't put Christ on a cross, we'd work even then." "So why don't you change jobs?" "Because I'm stupid." "Who else around here would be a projectionist?" "No one." "It takes an imbecile like me." "It's my luck." "When I was little, there was the war." "When I grew up, there was another war." "So, you want to be a stick-in-the-mud like me?" "Good boy." "It's for your own good." "Always stuck in here." "Boiling hot in summer, freezing cold in winter." "Breathing in fumes, and earning a pittance." "Is it all bad?" "You get used to it." "And then, from up here when the cinema is full, you hear people laughing, and that makes you happy." "It makes you feel good." "Like you're the one who makes them laugh and makes them forget their troubles." "That, I like." "You didn't hear a word I said." "What are you up to?" "I can't turn my back for a minute." "Your mother is right." "You're mad!" "How on earth did he do it?" "He watches and learns." "I'll tell the manager not to let you in." "Did you hear?" "And I'll tell Father Adelfio." "No more altar boy, you understand?" "Alfredo!" "Get stuffed!" "I've won!" "I've won the pools!" "Ciccio from Naples has won the pools!" "The Neapolitan has won the pools!" "Come along, quick." "These Northerners have all the luck!" "The square is mine!" "Keep still!" "Are the horse-flies bothering you?" "You've a louse factory up here." "Off you go." "What do you want?" "Off you go." "A shopkeeper owns two shops." "In one, he sells fruit..." "Be seated." "Here are the external candidates for the School Certificate." "Quiet!" "Quiet!" "Rotten little stinker!" " Help me, Toto." " Quiet!" " I haven't got a clue!" " Quiet!" "Francesco Messana." "In the name of the law, you're under arrest." "Son of a bitch!" "Pencil-pusher!" "This is where it can catch fire." "If it does, you cut here and there or the whole reel will burn." "Got it?" "I won't stand for this sort of thing!" "Which side is the gelatine on?" "It tastes good." "These are the invoices." "Always keep them safe." " Yes, Alfredo." " Don't ever forget." "This is for you." "Today you can load the reels." " It's so high up." " Now you can do it alone." "Stay still." "What a woman!" "Children, say goodbye to Peppino." "He's going to Germany." "Why won't you say goodbye to your friend?" "My father says he's a Communist." "God bless you, Mum." " Will he find work in Germany?" " Who knows?" "It's like an adventure." "You live in hope." "Screw this country!" "Go and work in Germany, you and your Stalin." "Goodbye, Peppino!" "Come back soon." "At least Germany is closer than Russia." "After six years, the return of spring fashion." "A fresh new look unlike the pompous styles of wartime." "I'll make mincemeat out of you!" "LOOKING FOR NEWS, WRITE TO US" "Another sad page in the tragedy of our men in Russia." "The Ministry of Defence has released a new list of Italian dead until now considered missing." "The names will be posted by the military authorities." "All the families concerned will be notified." "Unfortunately, we don't know where he's buried." "Here is the pension form for you to sign." "Hadn't I told you?" "He's courting me." "Well, he's no oil painting..." "Go home, we can't have another show." "It's late, can't you understand?" "Some people have seen it twice." "We've been waiting an hour." "Tomorrow we'll show another film." "A Western, I promise!" "Go to bed." "Close the doors." "They'll wreck the Paradise." "Hell, even." "Alfredo, you let us in!" "What do you want me to do?" "We've been waiting for hours." ""The mob doesn't think." ""It has no mind of its own."" "The great Spencer Tracy said it in "Fury"." "Well, what do you say?" "Shall we let the poor devils see the film?" "I wish we could, but how?" ""If you have no faith in me, have faith in what you see."" "So, get your arse off that stool." "Pay attention." "Now we pass through these walls." "Look out of the window, kid." "It's beautiful, Alfredo!" "Over there!" "Look, the cinema!" "Thank you, Alfredo!" "What on earth is going on?" "It's the cinema." "Go to hell!" "There's no sound, Alfredo." "Shall we keep them happy?" "Want to go down?" " Come." "Look at this." " Oh, my God!" " Ah, Nunzio!" "Half price will do." " As you wish." "You must buy tickets, folks." "Half price." "Get stuffed!" "The square belongs to everyone." "The square is mine!" "Don't joke about it, it makes me mad." "Run!" "Oh, my God, what's happened?" "I can't believe it." "Help!" "Help!" "Poor Alfredo." "What a shame." "It's all burned down." "All burned down!" "What do we do now?" "No more entertainment in the village, nothing." "How can we rebuild all this?" "Look at Ciccio from Naples." "You'd hardly know him." "Who has that kind of money?" "The New Cinema Paradise!" "This cinema is for you!" "He's just a boy." "What about the child labour laws?" "I got a license through my connections." "But don't ask me how it works." "Officially, I'm the projectionist, but the money goes to Toto." "Stay on your toes, Toto." "No falling asleep." "No more disasters." "Do as poor Alfredo taught you." "And God bless you, son." "Thank you, Father." "What's this?" "A funeral?" "Life goes on." "Music!" "You've fallen in love with that peasant?" "Maybe." "And he's asked you to marry him?" "Then it's all over between us?" "What a dish!" "My God, they're kissing!" "I shall not watch pornographic films." "Bravo, Don Ciccio!" "Any room for me in this new paradise?" "Bring him home afterwards, Toto." "I'm going now, Alfredo." "I'm so glad you're here." "How is school?" "Fine, but now I'm working maybe I won't go any more." "Don't do that, Toto." "You'll end up with egg on your face." "What does that mean?" "It means... that this is no job for you." "Now the Paradiso needs you and you need the Paradiso." "But it won't last." "One day you'll move on to other things." "Other things." "More important things." "Much more important." "I know." "Now I've lost my sight..." "I see better." "Things I never saw before." "Thanks to you, who saved my life, I'll never forget." "Don't look so gloomy." "I'm not gaga yet." "Want proof?" "Let's see." "Right now, for instance... the film is out of focus." "Check it." "You're right, it's out of focus." "How did you do?" "It's difficult to explain." "Only two days?" "I don't give a shit about other cinemas." "I'll be crucified if I can't show the film for more than two days." "Even if we open at 8 in the morning, we still can't do it." "It's a big place and you know it." "I could make life very difficult for you by writing to Rome." "I'm warning you." "Don't mess with me or you'll regret it." "I have an idea, Don Ciccio." "Remember the old cinema in the next village?" "The projector's gone rusty but I could easily fix it." "Get the cinema cleaned up, hire a projectionist and we show the film in both places." "Don't be stupid." "You should know better, Toto." "I'm lucky that they send me the one copy." "Imagine if I asked for two." "They'd chop my head off and play ball with it." " Who says we need two copies?" " You mean we don't?" "I swore on the Virgin Mary to my son." "We see a child asleep in her bed." "Get something, hurry." ""The lawyer told me." "Now I know."" "The lawyer told me." "Now I know." ""Everyone must know." "Yes, everyone must know."" "Everyone must know." ""Do you... believe me?"" "Do you believe me?" ""Yes." "I believe you."" "Yes." "I believe you." ""Our own home." "How I've dreamt of it!"" " Our own home." " How I've dreamt of it!" ""Tonino!"" "Tonino!" "Mammal My son!" "The End." "THE END" "I don't like it!" "I don't like it!" "I cut the end credits to go faster." "Bring me Part One, while I show a newsreel" "I'll call the police." "Take him, he's seen it ten times." "One moment!" "Here's Part One, Boccia." "Hurry!" "The house is packed." "What are you doing?" "Get the bloody thing rolling." "People are getting restless." "Bunch of animals!" "Shut up!" "To hell with it!" "When is it starting, Toto?" "We've got work to do tomorrow." "Toto, what's going on?" "They're furious." "It's been half an hour." "And what do you want me to do?" "Where's that son of a bitch?" "I'll be ruined." "I'll have you know I left my wife sick in bed in order to watch this film." "And I still haven't seen a thing." "If it doesn't start in 10 minutes, we want our money back." "Or I'll give you a taste of my cane." "Calm down." "Can I say something?" "I'll show you Part One again." " We've seen Part One." " We want to know how it ends." "Quiet!" "I've already seen it." "I'll tell you how it ends." "Boccia, what's wrong?" " You idiot!" " This is good." "Go away!" "Go." "What are you doing?" "Watch the screen, you pigs." "Behave yourself." "I told you, it doesn't catch fire." "Progress always comes too late." "SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS" "AND SEVEN UNFORGETTABLE SONGS" "Workers of the world..." "Go on, stick it in." "Don't be afraid." "Is it true that if I bleed I should squeeze lemon on it?" "Where did you get that from, you silly boy?" "Go on, stick it in." "Don't worry." "Like this, you see?" "See?" "Nothing happens." "Good boy." "Now you're a man." "What am I saying?" "A young bull, that's what you are." "She's new." "Not bad." "She's nice." "Her father's a bank manager, a big shot." "Jerks it off with his shirt, not to get his hands dirty." "Faster, faster." "Last one's a sissy." "Excuse me." "You dropped this." "Thanks." "I hadn't noticed." " I'm Salvatore." "And you?" " Elena." "My name is Elena." "I wanted to tell you the other day, at the station..." "Charles Chaplin's "Modern Times"." "Right, Toto?" "I know it by heart." "I showed it in 1940, on the Sunday my first wife died." "They kept it from me all day so they wouldn't have to close the cinema." "I only found out at the end." "It's stuck in my mind." "I'll never forget." "What is it?" "Is it your footage?" "What do you see?" "A young bull being slaughtered." "A big pool of blood on the ground." "Another young bull steps over the blood... on its way to its death." "What do you see now?" "Tell me." "Nothing, it's out of focus." "A woman." "It's a woman!" "Yes, a girl I saw at the station." "What's she like?" "She's very nice." "My age, slim, with long brown hair." "She has big blue eyes and a clear gaze." "A beauty spot on her lip." "Tiny one, you only see it close." "And when she smiles, you feel..." "I don't know." "Love." "I know how it is, Toto." "The blue-eyed ones are the worst." "You can never get close to them, whatever you do." ""The bigger the man, the deeper the imprint." ""And when he's in love, he suffers knowing it's a dead end."" "It's nice what you say, but sad." "I didn't say it." "It was John Wayne in "The Shepherd of the Hills"." "You old sneak!" " Hello, Elena." " Hi!" "Why are you running?" "Because"." "I wanted to tell you..." "You remember when...?" "Nice day, isn't it?" "Yes, beautiful day." "Excuse me, I must go." "Bye, Salvatore." "What a jerk!" ""Nice day, isn't it?" How stupid!" "You don't believe me." "But I'll be the man in your life." "I'm not Marlon Brando, I know." "But take a good look at me." "I'm not that bad, am I?" "Shall I try again?" "Maybe this time I'll succeed." "Please may I speak to Elena?" "Is that you, Elena?" "Sorry, I didn't recognise you." "I'm Salvatore, remember?" "I know I sound like an idiot whenever we meet, but I'm not like that." "I can't find the words to say it, but I can't stop thinking about you." "I think of you night and day." "I dream of you every night." "Sounds silly on the phone, but I love you." "Stop this, or I'll call the police." " Who's that?" " Elena's mother, you cretin." "I'm sorry, madam." "I really didn't know..." "Bloody hell!" "I told you." "You thought I was kidding you." "Take it from me." "The blue-eyed ones are the worst." "But why?" "There must be a way to make her understand." "Forget it, Toto." "Feelings can never be understood." " You can't explain them." " Oh, you made the world!" "Hey, don't get angry with me." "What's come over you?" "Where are you?" " Out of the way." "You mad?" " Toto, come here!" "Can't see where I'm going." "How dare you talk to me like that?" "With all due respect to the Lord, who made the world in three days." "I'd have taken longer, but certain things I could have done better." "Like I said, you have all the answers." "I'll tell you a story." "Just for you, Toto." "Let's sit down." "God Almighty!" "Once upon a time... a king gave a feast." "The most beautiful princesses were there." "A soldier who was standing guard saw the king's daughter go by." "She was the loveliest one, and he fell instantly in love." "But what is a simple soldier next to the daughter of a king?" "One day he managed to meet her and told her he could no longer live without her." "The princess was so taken by the depth of his feeling that she said to the soldier," ""if you can wait for 100 days" ""and 100 nights under my balcony" ""I shall be yours."" "With that, the soldier went and waited one day, two days then ten, twenty." "Each evening the princess looked out, and he never moved!" "Always there, come rain, come thunder." "Birds shat on his head, bees stung him, but he didn't budge." "After 90 nights... he had become... all dry and pale." "Tears streamed from his eyes." "He couldn't hold them back." "He didn't even have the strength to sleep." "And all that time, the princess watched him." "When the 99th night came the soldier stood up, took his chair, and left." "How come?" "Right at the end?" "Right at the end, Toto." "Don't ask me what it means, I don't know." "If you can figure it out, you tell me." "Please, don't ask me why." "What is it, Alfredo?" "Not now, I must administer the sacrament." "Father Adelfio, I need you urgently." "I have terrible doubts tormenting my soul." " Father, I have sinned." " Do that later." "Please, don't turn around." " Just act normal." "It's Salvatore." " How did you get in here?" " That's a terrible thing to say." " I know." "Take the miracle of the loaves and fishes." "I've often wondered." "How is it possible?" "It's terrible." "Mum told Dad." "How could you mistake her voice?" "Sorry, Elena, I was stupid." "But I had to talk to you." "You're beautiful, Elena." "That's what I wanted to say." "I can never find the words when I see you." "I get the shivers." "I don't know how other people do it." "It's my first time." "But I'm in love with you." "Father, I have sinned." "I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." "You're even prettier when you laugh." "You're very sweet, and I like you." "But I'm not in love with you." " It's OK." "I'll wait." " For what?" "For you to love me." "Listen to me." "Every night, after work" "I'll wait outside your house." "Every night." "When you change your mind, open your window." "I'll understand." "You understand now?" "Yes... finally, I see the light." "Next time, don't talk heresy." "You survived the fire in the cinema." "But from the eternal fire, no one can save you." "What's Toto doing?" "The cinema is closed at this hour." "Attention, please!" "15 seconds to the New Year!" "Fourteen, thirteen, twelve, eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!" "Don't worry, he must be with his friends." " Cheers!" " Happy New Year!" "Happy New Year." "Let's drink to Toto." "Turn the lights on, Toto!" "Look, the car's still running in." "How will we get home?" "Stop!" "Oh, my God!" "It's my father." "Good evening." "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." "From Milan, we present "Double or Quit"." "With Mike Bongiorno." "I've forgotten what I had to say..." "You pulling my leg?" "How can you watch TV without a film?" "You just can, Alfredo." "You can even buy a TV set and watch it at home." "This may be so, but I don't like it." "I can smell a rat." " From Massa..." " Macinaia." "I guess it's a village near Massa Carrara?" "No, it's near Lucca..." "Great idea, don't you think?" "Couldn't have bought the equipment without a loan from your bank." "Times have changed." "It's a new machine." "A teleprojector." " So, you are a landowner." " Yes, I am." "What's your area of expertise?" " "The Divine Comedy"." " Very well." "Maybe your father doesn't like what I do." "He thinks I'm poor." "We're going to Tuscany in the summer." "If you came, we could meet in secret." "I'm working at the outdoor cinema." "I'll miss you." "Don't be sad." "I'll write every day." "I'll be back at the end of summer." "Outdoor cinema tonight at the Imperia." "Last one's a sissy!" "Standing room only!" "You get in free and pay to leave." "Come on in, the show's just started." "Have your tickets ready." "Salvatore, my love." "The days are never-ending here." "I see your name everywhere, in books, crosswords, newspapers." "You're always before my eyes." "Sadly, I have bad news." "We're moving to Palermo, because of university." "It'll be difficult to see each other, but don't worry." "I'll come and see you at the Paradiso." "If only I'd have known, I'd have changed my pants this morning." " Are you ready?" " Of course." "I knew she was easy." " Guys, who's going to help me out?" " Coming!" "Hey, I caught an octopus!" "Post for Di Vita." "Every blessed day." "Here!" "Hey, don't mess around." "Remember us and the wine we produced in your cave!" " Ulysses, he'll know where we are." " Stop it, don't be scared." "Who is the boss now?" "God with His might, or man with his wit?" "When will this bloody summer end?" "In a film, it'd already be over." "Cut, and there's a storm." "Great!" "Tell them I'm Ulysses!" "Elena!" "But when...?" "Today." "You can't imagine the excuses I made up." "Sophia Loren is always Sophia Loren." "Long legs and great boobs." " Like Lana Turner." " More beautiful." " For Toto." "You give it to him." " What is it?" "The devil take me!" "What will I do now?" "What did they say?" "That as a war orphan, I'm exempt from military service." "But nothing doing - clerical error." "Must go to Rome on Friday." "They say I'll be discharged in ten days." " You should go." "My father's here." " Good, I'll talk to him." "This time I'll convince him." "No, Salvatore." "He has other plans for me." "Who?" "The son of a colleague of his." "We'll talk about it on Thursday." "Wait for me at the Paradiso." "I'll get the 5 o'clock bus." "I love you." "It's a good film, Toto." "But people here don't understand it." "Tonight, load tomorrow's reels, ready for the new man." "Hey, cheer up!" "I'll wait for you, don't worry." "No one's taking your job." "It'll be waiting for you." "Don't look so gloomy." "You were expecting someone else?" "No, Alfredo." "I came down to help you." "No, you were waiting for her." "Not nice waiting alone." "I'll keep you company." "Maybe you'd rather I went." "No, don't go." "In fact, I need your help." "I can't hear this." "Open up!" "Open up!" "Elena!" "THE END" "I like it!" "I'm here." "Where were you?" "Where did you go?" "Calm down." "Here, sit down." "Did she come?" "No one came." "Salvatore Di Vita reporting for duty." "I wish to know when I'll be discharged, sir." "No news as yet." "Dismissed." "Her father's been transferred and no one knows where to?" "Sod you, bastard!" "You won't bloody well tell me, will you?" "NOT KNOWN AT THIS ADDRESS" "I should have done ten days and it's been a year, sir." "Without a day's leave." "Di Vita, you've been discharged." "You've lost weight." "They didn't treat you very well, did they?" "They say you never go out or talk to anyone." "Why?" "You know how it is." "Sooner or later, the time comes when it makes no difference whether you talk or not." "So you might as well shut up." "It's hot in here." "Take me to the sea." "At Christmas, this lieutenant pinches a girl's bum." "She turns round." "It's the colonel's daughter." "Terrified, he says," ""if your heart is as hard as what I've just felt, I'm a dead man."" "Have you seen her?" "No one knows where she is." "It was probably meant to be like this." "Each of us has a star to follow." "And now... what are you planning to do?" "Listen to this one." "The commander says to the sergeant," ""Remember when there was a windmill there?"" ""Yes, sir." "I remember." ""The windmill's gone, but the Wind's still there."" "Remember the story about the soldier and the princess?" "Now I understand why the soldier left right at the end." "One more night and the princess would have been his." "But she might not have kept her promise." "That would have been too cruel." "It would have killed him." "This way, at least, for 99 nights he lived in hope that she'd be his." "Do as the soldier, Toto." "Go away from here." "This land is cursed." "Living here every day, you think it's the centre of the world." "That nothing will ever change." "Then you leave, for a year or two." "And when you return everything's changed." "The thread is broken." "You don't find what you were looking for." "What was yours is gone." "You need to go away for a long time, for many years before you can come back and find your people... the land where you were born." "But not now." "It's impossible." "Now you're blinder than I am." "Who said that?" "Gary Cooper?" "James Stewart?" "Henry Fonda?" "No, Toto." "No one said it." "This time, I'm saying it." "Life is not what you see in films." "Life is much harder." "Go away!" "Go back to Rome." "You're young." "The world's your oyster." "I'm old." "I don't want to hear you any more." "I want to hear about you." "Don't come back." "Don't think about us." "Don't look back, don't write." "Don't give in to nostalgia." "Forget about us." "If you come back, don't come and see me." "I won't let you in, you understand?" "Thank you... for everything you've done." "Whatever you end up doing, love it." "The way you loved the projection booth when you were a little boy." "Is he already gone?" "Toto, farewell!" "I'm too late, what a pity!" "It's Toto." "I knew it." "Your sister Lia will be so happy to see you." "And the children." "You won't recognise them." "When are they coming to Rome?" "See how nice the house is?" "We've had it all redone, thanks to you." "Come, I've a surprise for you." "Are you tired?" "You've time to rest before the funeral." "No, Mum." "The flight is only an hour." "Don't say that, after all these years." "Come, I've put all your things in here." "He must be glad you came, Toto." "He always talked about you, always." "Right up to the end." "He really loved you." "He left something for you." "Before you leave come and see me." "When did you close it down?" "Six years ago in May." "No one ever came." "You know it better than I do." "The recession, TV, videos..." "The cinema has become a memory." "The city has purchased the site for a public car park." "They're pulling down on Saturday, Signor Di Vita." "Pity!" "Why "Signor Di Vita?"" "It didn't use to be like that." "It's awkward to be casual with an important person." "However, if you insist..." "Toto." "Excuse me." "Who would have believed it?" "Toto." "Uncle, next time grandma goes to Rome, I'll go with her." "I want to see where you work." "OK, but there's not much to see." "My job is much ado about nothing." "Careful, Salvatore." "They're worse than cannibals, they'll take advantage of you." "Are you off tomorrow?" "I don't know." "I really don't know, Filippo." "Must be for you." "They've been ringing all clay asking when you'll be back." "Double whisky, please." "Excuse me, aren't you Dr Lénera?" "I'm a fan of yours." "Thank you." "I'm so sorry, I thought you were someone else." "It's always me ringing." "I asked you to pick me up at lunchtime." "Forget it, I'm not going." "In fact, I'll go on my own." "What are you thinking, Toto?" "We've never really talked, Mum." "When I was little, I saw you... as an old woman already." "Maybe all kids are like that, who knows?" "It's taken me all this time... to realise that you were young then, and beautiful." "You had your whole life ahead of you." "Why, then?" "Why did you stay on your own?" "Without anyone to look after you." "You could have remarried." "Why didn't you?" "I might not have understood at the time." "But later... yes." "There was never anyone, if that's what you're thinking." "I didn't want to." "I remained faithful, first to your father and then to you and Lia." "It's the way I am, what can I do?" "And you're like me." "You're too attached to the past." "I'm not sure it's a good thing." "Being faithful has its drawbacks." "Fidelity brings loneliness." "I shouldn't have called you." "It's not your fault, Mum." "I've always been afraid to come back." "Now, after all these years..." "I thought I was stronger and had forgotten many things." "But it's all right there in front of me... as if I'd never gone away." "And yet, I hardly know Lia." "And you, Mum..." "I deserted you." "I ran away like a criminal." "Without an explanation." "I never asked for one." "You don't have to explain." "I always thought you were doing the right thing." "Don't dwell on it." "Only one thing bothered me." "At night, before I went to bed," "I'd lock the door." " You never used to." " I know." "When you worked in the cinema, late at night," "I could never sleep till you got home." "Then, when you got back," "I pretended to be asleep." "But I was aware of all your movements." "Then, when you were asleep, I'd get up and lock the door." "After you'd gone... whenever I did that" "I felt as though I was locking someone out." "Shutting him off." "You were right to leave." "It allowed you to do what you wanted." "When I phone you, it's a different woman every time." "I pretend that I know them to avoid embarrassing introductions." "I bet they take me for a dotty old woman." "But I haven't yet heard the voice of someone who really loves you." "I can tell, you know." "All the same, I'd like to see you settling down." "In love with someone." "But your life is there." "Here, there are only ghosts." "Let go, Toto." "Boccia!" "His name was Lo Meo." "Hello!" "Who is it?" " May I speak to Signora Elena?" " Speaking." "Who is it?" "Salvatore." "Who?" "Di Vita." "I'm Salvatore Di Vita." "Remember me?" "I'm ringing from the bar across the road, Elena." "Of course I remember you." "I'd like to see you, Elena." "Let's meet." "It's been a long time." "Why should we meet?" "What good would it do?" "Please, don't say no." "I'm old, Salvatore." "And so are you." "It's best not to see each other." "How did you know I'd be here?" "It's been a long time, but I haven't forgotten certain things." "There aren't many places you'd go to." "I did the rounds." "You're still beautiful." "What are you saying?" "I'm old." "Don't look at me like that." "Why have you come back?" "Alfredo's dead." "Remember him?" "Of course I remember him." "I'm sorry." "You were very fond of him." "I saw your daughter." "She's very beautiful." "God knows how many Salvatores she's got in tow." "A few." "But there are not many Salvatores." "I've a son, too." "He's older." "And you?" "No children." "I never married." "You happy?" "I am, all things considered." "Though it's not what I dreamt of." "You know my husband, don't you?" "Boccia, I remember him well." "What does he do?" "What's his job?" "He's a politician." "A local councillor." "We met again at Pisa University." "How come you didn't marry your father's...?" "I didn't want to." "I got my own way in the end." "I was still waiting for you at the time." "I never forgot you." "Never." "Neither did I." "Even though you'd disappeared." "But why talk about it now?" "It's pathetic, and absurd." "You still live in Rome?" "What are you saying?" "We'd arranged to meet at the Paradiso." "But you never showed up." "Not a word, nothing." "How long ago was it?" "Over 30 years." "But I..." "I did show up." "But I was late." "I'd quarrelled with my parents." "Trying to convince them not to come between us." "But it was no use." "They'd made up their minds to leave Sicily once and for all." "And that's what we did." "I didn't know what do, what to say." "So I agreed to do what they wanted." "But I convinced my father to let me see you one last time." "I was hoping... we'd take a decision when we met." "I thought maybe... we'd run away together." "My father took me to the cinema." "But Alfredo was there, not you." "And I couldn't wait for you to come back." "Hurry up, Elena." "I told Alfredo what was happening." "I said we were going away and asked him to let you know." "He was very nice to me." "He listened to me patiently." "Calm down, don't get upset." "Listen to what I have to say." "If you want me to tell Toto, I will." "But if you want my advice, let it be." "It's best for you two to stay apart." "My dear child..." "Out of the fire of love come ashes." "Even the greatest love eventually fizzles out." "You'll meet other people, plenty of them." "But there's only one future for Toto." "He doesn't know it yet, and wouldn't believe me if I told him." "He'd kill me if I did." "But you, my dear..." "you can understand." "You must understand." "Do it for him." "I never wanted anyone to know my secret, not even you." "Bloody Alfredo!" "He charmed everyone, even you." "I said I'd follow his advice." "But I left a note for you before I left." "I was on my way down." "I knew Alfredo couldn't see me." "So I went back up." "I saw him sitting there, by the projector." "I took one of those bits of paper on the wall." "And wrote a note saying where to find me." "And that I'd wait for you." "But you disappeared all the same." "If you knew how I searched for you." "You can't imagine." "I wrote, I phoned... nothing." "No one ever replied." "That's why I left... and never came back." "But for years I dreamt of you." "Time went by." "Yet I looked for you in every woman I ever met." "I was lucky in my career." "Very lucky, it's true." "But something was missing." "I could never have imagined it would be the fault of the man who was like a father to me." "A mad man!" "He wasn't mad." "I hated him at first." "But as time went by..." "I understood his advice." "And I understood your silence." "But I never found that note." "I covered it with my own hands." "I didn't see it, there's no other explanation." "No point explaining any more." "That's how it was." "But Alfredo didn't betray you." "He knew you better than anyone." "If you'd chosen to stay with me, you'd never have made any films." "And that would have been a great pity." "They're such beautiful films." "I've seen them all." "But you shouldn't have changed your name." "What's wrong with your name?" "He left this for you." "When they showed your films on television, he was happy." "He just sat in front of the TV and forgot all his ailments." "He knew every single word by heart." "And I told him what the images were." "And when you were in the papers, he'd make me read it again and again." "He never asked to see me?" "No." "Never." "Your mother once said you'd come if he wanted you to." "He was furious." "He said," ""No." "Toto must never return to Giancaldo."" "He wasn't being mean." "He was a good man." "Who knows what went through his head?" "He started saying strange things towards the end." "Just before he closed his eyes... he told your mother not to let you know." "1977, 1976, 1968..." "Moby Dick." "Dreams in a Drawer." "The Challenge." "The Searchers." "Magnificent Obsession." "The Scream." ""Forgive me, Salvatore." ""One day I'll tell you what happened." ""I'm so sorry I couldn't see you." ""Unfortunately, I'm leaving with my mother tonight." ""We're moving to Tuscany." ""But I love only you." ""I'll never love anyone else, I swear." ""I'm giving you the address of a friend for you to write." ""Don't ever leave me." ""I love you." ""Elena"" "When do you leave?" "This afternoon." "Elena, maybe in future we can..." "There is no future, Salvatore." "Only the past." "Even what happened yesterday is only a dream." "A marvellous dream." "We never did it when we were young." "Remember?" "I couldn't have hoped for a better ending." "I'll never agree with you." "Never, Elena." "The square is mine!" "Check the leader." "Roll when you're ready." "OK." "Congratulations, I loved your film." " Well?" " The film's being distributed." "There'll be a press conference with the actors, producer..." "The prize has just been announced and the telegrams are already mounting." "Aren't you happy?" "Yes, of course." "We'll talk later." "THE END"