"Remove the scaffolds!" "And this one!" "Andrea!" "Nicola!" "Those two are always something special." "It's finished." "Let's get down." "To jump down?" "A chair!" "I'm sure those who built this, after completing their job they would have stood here to admire it like I'm doing now." "Those were great!" "A miracle!" "Here's to you, Church of the Miracles, and to our ancestors who built it a thousand years ago and to those who transmitted to us this craft of ours, made by our hands and by our imagination." "Of course, I also drink to your health because you have restored the facade to its former glory." "Please allow me to thank my seven sons who have been working with you" "but, especially, to raise my glass to these two little rascals over there the two youngest who have hands of gold, of real masters." "Yet all you have proved skilled so you should not feel offended" "If I praise those two too much." "That's fine, father... but you wanted us to reunite in order to tell us something else more important... less pleasant..." "Take it easy." "A son ought not to upset his father." "I've decided to speak later after the last dish." "Father." "You have started and I have to finish." "Duccio is right." "This is a farewell dinner." "The work we have just accomplished will be the last." "We are seriously struck by crisis." "The firm is in so much debt I have to shut it." "My seven sons will decide what to do, I will retire in the countryside, in the house where I was born." "You do know all the rest, don't you?" "Those things were up in the air." "No!" "I didn't know fuck anything!" "I am flabbergasted!" "This was supposed to be a feast!" "And to think that I even bought a gift!" "This is a funeral!" "And for me, isn't it?" "Forgive me." "To our master!" "So the brothers have decided to sell off everything." "Yes, everything." "They'll open a great store." "And you, the children?" "Yes, the "children" too." "We are to be vendors." "That will be enough." "This means you're going to change profession?" "All seven?" "Even the little brothers with the hands of gold?" "Yes." "All seven." "We're about to recheck the accounts." "Not so loud, you'll wake up dad." " We shouldn't give up." " We have both thought it well." "It's not in our interest to sell off." "The company can do without any workers." "The seven of us are enough." "Let's clear the table." "For a year..." "For a year, we won't take any pay." "You, Pietro!" "Don't get married right away." "And those who have family, no more children!" "Explain this to your wives!" "Quiet!" "Are you afraid that father may hear us?" "Leave it to me." "Duccio!" "Explain yourself!" "You're worried because today father retired." "But we are both not!" "Nicola and I went to see our father in his house in the country, to say good buy..." "We had decided to leave Italy and go to America." "We won't return until we earn enough dollars to buy our company back." "One day we'll work together again in our cathedrals." " I swear to you!" " Me too!" "But you have to wait for us, father." "Do not die!" "I will not." "They say if want to stay young, live like the young." "So, I will stay a young man." "I swear to you!" "What time is it in America?" "It is morning." "Then, before going to sleep," "I will say to you: "Good morning Andrea, good morning Nicola"." "And then in the evening" "I will say: "Good morning Andrea, good morning Nicola"" "because it will make no difference." "You are two of you and that's your force." "On the condition that you will always remain equal." "Otherwise, you will become enemies." "Keep this in mind." "Forever and ever be equal to each other." "This is your secret." "A secret known only by two, is a secret kept by God." "Father, we are a little scared." "Good bye Italy!" "Fuck Italy!" " It seems we arrived." " We're in America." "Who said that?" "We salute you, America!" "Bloody America, you'll become ours." "Instead, America did not become ours." "Time past." "We moved from state to state while our jobs were getting more temporary and more humiliating." "I miss four pigs!" "Are they with yours, Andrea?" "Ask me in English or I won't answer!" "I'm going look for them." "Wait!" "Where did you see them last?" "On "rich"." "Not "rich", Nicola! "Ridge"!" "It's no use, Andrea." "It's not use at all." "No!" "If we only had a better understanding we would not end up here." "And we shall end up here forever!" "No, Nicola!" "Repeat after me!" "One, two, buckle the shoe!" "Three, four, knock at the door!" "Five, six, pick up sticks!" " They fell off the cliff!" " They eat each other!" "Take the others away!" "This is horrible!" "Horrible!" "Good morning, Andrea." "Good morning, Nicola." "What the hell they think they do?" " Can you believe this?" "!" " The brakes are blocked, Jeff!" "Just one moment!" "One moment!" "Sounds like foreigners to me." "Just take it easy." "There's no point..." "It's Okay, folks, we'll be off in no time." "Just get back and sit tight." "It'll take some time to cool off." "No, we're not choristers in the opera." "Just a moment of nostalgia." "We are all craftsmen, sculptors, plasterers, masons, carpenters, and painters." "We're going to San Francisco, to the Great International Expo to mount the Italian flag." "He and me are foremen." "We came directly from Italy." "The others were already here." " What about the two of you?" " We are craftsmen like you." "From Tuscany." "We are the ones who restored the Church of the Miracles." "Well, then... what are you doing here?" "We..." "We..." "I can't hear you well..." "But what are you doing here?" "Boys!" "Come and see!" "We did ourselves proud." "All the Italians did themselves proud that year in San Francisco." "We were the heroes of the hour." "Nobody talked of anything but us and our "Tower of Jewels"" "Italian Foremen With Their Workers" "We worked there as their laborers." "We made some money and bought ourselves some fancy new suits." "At the Expo, they were showing the motion picture "Cabiria", another great Italian success!" "There was one man in the crowd wanted to see the picture again at once." "By himself." "He paid for the theatre and orchestra." "That man, destined to have a great influence over our lives, was the most famous film-director in all of America." "D.W. Griffith." "Send a wire:" ""To Pastrone, director of 'Cabiria', Italy." "Your picture is greater than all of mine." ""Tonight, you made me realize the film I am shooting is taking me off course." "I am cancelling it."" "He said "cancel", Mr. Grass?" "We already... we already made the calls for Monday." "That's right!" "A hundred extras, six automobiles..." " Won't we rehearse the actors?" " Wait a minute, just shut up." "Enough!" ""And I don't know whether to be grateful or..." "I hate you." "D.W. Griffith."" "Never mind." "Artists communicate through their work." "There he is!" " Have the Italians done it again?" " How does it compare?" "What impressed you most about "Cabiria"?" "Everything!" "Everything?" "Could you be a little more specific?" "A sequence?" "Or an image?" "The elephant." "The black elephant!" "Thompson, will you bring Mrs. Griffith?" "Is it true that you plan to stop production of your present film?" "It is!" "A disaster!" " Stroke of luck!" " How's that, sir?" "I shall transform it!" "You write this down!" "It will become part of a fresco." "Then you resume production along the lines of the Italian "Cabiria", sir?" "Three hundred times greater than "Cabiria"!" "Are you thinking about your old idea?" ""Intolerance", I can always tell when it crops up in your head." "Get closer!" "David, what are you doing?" "It's pouring!" "Who built this?" "The Italians!" "It's the Italian pavilion, Mr. Griffith!" "Italians, M. Griffith!" "It's always the Italians!" "Those endowed Italians!" "I want them." "They must be gone by now, Mr. Griffith!" "They finished build the expo a month or so!" "I want the man who built this!" "He'll have to go to work for me!" "I want the construction foreman, Mr. Grass!" ""Intolerance!"" "The two artists you want they're leaving for Italy today with most of their workers!" "I know because they are members of this Italian club." "The two foremen who worked in the expo!" "Look!" "If you leave your number I will try to get in touch." "You are calling from where?" "Hollywood?" "To make elephants?" "For whom?" "Griffith?" "One moment, hold on." "No good!" "They got as many workers as they need." "They just want the two foremen!" "Alright, if I happen to find anything, who should I call?" "Ah, sent them to Frisco..." " And then?" " They want Teodoro and Amilcare." "We can find them!" "They sail for Seattle in an hour." "Maybe we can stop them." "We'll be too late." "Better." "If they've left, we can try ourselves." "Then my shoe came untied..." "Both mine are too." "God, I'm sorry!" "But I'm glad too!" " Well, you guys are..." " The foremen the director wants!" "The director's name is Griffith, right?" "Your names?" "Amilcare Martini." "Teodoro Benvenuti." "Okay, hop in "paisans"!" "The day after tomorrow you'll be in Hollywood." "Don't forget to fill up in Salinas!" "I leave you here." "The tram will take you straight to Mr. Grass's office." "He's the production manager of Mr. Griffith." "See you around!" "My sons, oh my sons!" "Yes, my sons I awaked you." "Where are we?" "Alright, all the dead get down!" "Perfectly still!" "The King to the throne!" "Slowly, slowly!" "Get the sons on horseback!" "Alright, roll it!" "Action!" "Go, my sons!" "I shall wait for you here." "We have been defeated" "but when you return you will win back my kingdom." "Look, Andrea." "The old king is crying." "You kids new?" " Have a piece!" " Thank you!" "Please, listen, give us a chance!" "We're dancers." "Yes, and very good ones." "We can't be extras all our lives!" "Look girls, it's not up to me." "Even you don't believe us." "Well, can you do a split?" "It's Griffith!" "He's trying a new machine." "Where's Griffith?" "It's the man upon the crane with the big white hat." "Good morning to you, Mr. Thompson." "We are the Italians!" "Destroy it!" "Mr. Griffith says he doesn't even want the tail!" "So you two are the famous Italian builders?" "You're here to make elephants for "Intolerance"." "Not one of our drawings has met with the approval of Mr. Griffith." "But you Italians think you can do better." "Great." "Remember what they did up in Frisco!" "I know, I know." "I see Hollywood agrees with you my dear architects." "You look thirty years younger..." "We thought we..." "Can we sit down?" "Have you been in the service?" "Then on your feet." "About face!" "Forward, march!" "Actors and extras on set!" "Take your positions!" "No, enough!" "Come on!" "Hurry up, please!" "You two, girls!" "Aren't you extras?" "Extras!" "Extras!" "I'm sorry I got you in trouble!" "I always go and open my big mouth." "Steve, finish up here by tonight." "Tomorrow I'm pulling it." "I got to get the new sets for Griffith ready." "You're still here." "We were wrong, Mr. Grass." "We have to pay." "We need the job!" "Any kind of job." "Sure." "No, no!" "I know you "wops"!" "Liars, swindlers, allergic to work..." "Belly in the sun and hands on your belly!" "These hands have restored the cathedrals of Pisa," "Lucca and Florence!" "Whose son are you..." "We are the sons of the sons of the sons of Michelangelo and Leonardo!" "Whose son are you?" "No, excuse us!" "We're only here to ask for jobs." "Viva Firenze!" "Viva Firenze!" "We were in Florence once!" "It's the most beautiful place in the world!" "Viva Firenze!" " The sun's going!" " Will you take your places?" "You go by the train station?" "No, next car!" "After midnight." "There those two boys again." "It's them." "Do you guys take care birds?" "Birds?" "Then I got a job for you!" "Hop in!" "We got a hundred birds for a scene we're shooting in a couple of weeks." "Just feed them and clean the cages, morning and night." "During the day I'll try to find you some more jobs around the set." "On night you can sleep in the birdhouse." "This is it." "You can get out." "The door is open." "What's the matter?" "You're scared?" "We ain't even the time to thanks!" "What the stink!" "I'd die of pity for somebody like you and me." "Good morning, father." "Movies are light." "You're not on a stage." "When the light hits your face not from a light bulb but natural, true sunlight, when you feel it, the audience has to feel it with you." "Now, get up." "And take your places." " The sun?" "Where's going to be coming from?" " I don't know." "From up above." "There are two people in front of those panels." "Is it time?" "Roll it!" ""Air is the thing around your head that..." ""becomes... lighter when you laugh."" "Shut up!" "For you, it's night!" ""You're as beautiful... as a snowy mountain."" ""Beautiful as a snowy mountain."" ""I'll put you in my shadow, to keep you from melting."" "How're we going to deliver them?" ""Sometimes I fall in..." ""Sometimes I fall in to your eyes... who knows where I end up."" "Oh, we're all friends..." "Edna!" "Oh, read another one!" ""I should like to be the petal of a giant flower where you rest your head."" ""You are as beautiful... as a snowy mountain."" ""I should put you in my shadow... to keep from melting."" "Shakespeare!" "Two snowy mountains, coming up!" "Not the wrong color!" "Get them out of here!" "I said white horses!" "White!" "Like two snowy mountains!" "It's Okay?" "Yeah, now get down here, we will shoot it!" "David, watch out!" "You'll melt like a snowy mountain!" "Come here!" "Stay close where I am, let me keep in my shadow!" ""Keep you in my shadow"?" "Are we speaking in verse today?" "Eh, my dear?" ""Andrea and Nicola invite Edna and Mabel to lunch tomorrow in the birdhouse."" "Remember what we promised each other..." "We only go out with... directors or producers." "What a lot of laughs!" "They're here." "Mr. Grass and company, rather on the dot." "Listen, what if we asked them for a rain check?" "We can still get to the woods some time..." "Oh, forget it Mabel." "Getting involved with Nicola and Andrea would be like... like building houses on quicksand." "Those two are losers!" "Poor guys." " We're late." " Oh, let them wait!" "Oh, just look at those lips!" "Whenever they chap like that," "I just know something is going to go wrong." "Let me tell you, the best medicine is to laugh!" "I wish I wasn't here!" "We have the money to go back." "Yes, but just enough to go back." "What will we tell father?" "I wish I was back home in the square playing in the bands." "What we do now, huh?" "G. Rossini "The Thieving Magpie"" "This is the elephant Griffith has been waiting for." "We will build one for him, standing up, life-size!" "They build that?" "No, I can't believe it." "It's too beautiful!" "What are you doing?" "Are you not going undress?" "I took off my vest." "A person wants to smell skin..." "I know but..." "I'm ashamed." "What about me, then?" "A woman's body is always beautiful!" "At least your boots!" "I told you!" "It's good to be with you, Andrea!" "You know some times I feel like I am with two people." "You know, Edna and me, we're friends too, but it's different." "But with you there's something more." "You two always together, same, always equal to each-other." "No..." "Now tell me what you were about to say." "Please tell me!" "I was thinking about a time that Nicola and I were not equal as you say." "We were about nine and ten, and both had two cents in our pockets." "We bought a ticket apiece." "Nicola got number 18." "I got 50." "18 came out!" "Nicola got his beautiful Spanish knife." "Chance has favored just one of us." "Our strength, our equality had been destroyed." "Why did you tell my this story?" "To scare me?" "No!" "To make you realize how much you mean to me." "You're the first person I told it to." "The scar's over here!" "This is the scar?" "Yes, but don't tell Andrea that I told you this story, my love." "He'll never forgive me." "Those were happy days." "Edna and Mabel introduced us to their friends people from all over the world, who had come to work in the movies." "One evening they came to see us and we took them to see our elephant." "Was it worthy to be shown to Griffith?" "It's a little gray, isn't it?" "An elephant is gray." "It's true to reality, but it won't stand on a film." "If it was lightened, Andrea, I'd shoot some test of it." " Then, we'll see." " Yeah, right." "It'll be day soon, in a couple of hours." "Why are we not waiting for dawn?" "Oh, yeah!" "Let's wait." "Please, Sean!" "I've never saw the sunrise up in the woods!" "If I'm going to shoot this thing, I want it perfect" "So who's going to give me a hand to whitewash this monster?" "Listen, let's make a circle of candles all around it." "A circle of candles around the elephant!" " How's the light, Okay?" " Yeah, just about." "I'm sorry, folks." "I guess I [...] to drink a little." "Just what I wanted to say is..." "Oh, anyhow!" "Who knows where we'll be in ten, twenty years from now?" "Let's just promise never to forget the way we are now." "Together, and how we are helping each other." "Oh dear, I..." "What I mean is that's why... the movies for me" "this Hollywood of ours it's so wonderful... because you..." "I mean we..." "Isn't it lightened enough yet?" "Is it time?" "Those two degos!" "A real flop!" "It's a masterpiece." "A masterpiece." "Should we take it to Mr. Griffith?" "Stop it!" "You're going to leave from here for good!" "Hey you guys give me a hand!" " We need to do something!" " Don't worry." "You wanted to work in the movies, didn't you?" "Well, we didn't test these chains before!" "Is he looking at it?" "I want eight of those elephants." "They're wonderful!" "But the two Italian guys made it they have... gone away." "Gone where?" "To jail." "You're kidding!" " What did they do?" " They got in a fight." " With who?" " Ask me!" "With your production man!" "Get those two delinquents out of bail at once and bring them to me." "This is mine." "That's yours." "Sure." "They are the same." "I'll look funny sitting behind a desk like this." "Me too." "If our father could see us now..." "Now, we can bring him over." "In a moment!" "Who told you to come in?" "I knocked!" "Were you on the service?" "Sure!" "Then, about face!" "Forward, march!" "About face!" "Forward, march!" "Are these for the bride and groom?" " No, for Mr. Griffith and Bonani!" " Mr. Bonani, right." "They wanted their father to be here too." "We got important guests, today!" "Oh, Mr. Griffith loves these boys like the apple of his eye." "Who is this Italian father, anyway?" " Oh, some great artist from Tuscany." " What's his name?" "Michael-Angelo, or, Raphael!" "Raphael?" "Yeah, I have heard of him." "I thought he was dead." "Here they come." "Do you like it?" "Yes, it's beautiful." "This is our theater." "Let's move on." "Come on!" "This banquet of ours is offered by our boss." "Mr. Griffith." "There he is." "He is coming to welcome you." "Hand me this stick." "I'll go alone." "I've never noticed he limped." "He does it on purpose." "On purpose?" "He wants to seem even older." "Who's going to greet the other first?" "Good morning, maestro." "May I make the boldest and ask your age, sir?" "How old are you?" "Ninety." "Ninety?" "seventy!" "What's he doing?" "This is the sign of blessing of our ancestors." "For you, Mabel." "And for you, Edna." "And for you, my sons." "It's a traditional blessing." "It's for Mabel and Edna and, of course, for the sons." "Maybe I am a bad person but I want to tell the truth." "I blessed my two sons." "I should have not." "You have not honored your promise" "to depart in order to return, to work in a foreign land" "but your earnings to help a new start in your own country in the profession of your father" "and your grandfather and your other ancestors who built our cathedrals." "But this old man waited in vain for his sons to honor their promise." "Say something." "Maybe it's not my place to speak." "I'm not a son or a relative nor have I ninety summers on my head like you've seen, Bonani." "But like you" "I'm used to say what I think." "I don't know whether our work, that of your sons and mine is as fine as that of those who built your Romanesque cathedrals." "I do know that those works were born as these are born today" "of the same collective dream." "I believe that your sons, Bonani, are like those obscure stonecutters who carved their masterpieces on the cathedrals you honor," "who contributed and make them famous with their art and who helped their neighbor to believe" "and to live better." "This is why" "I love movie-making... and I respect it, Bonani." "You can tell I used to be an actor." "I've done a little of everything in my life but I've never given a better performance than today." "Ladies and gentlemen..." "The elephants!" " How tall you think they are?" " The elephants?" "The columns are 90 feet high, the elephants 50!" "They weigh 5 tons each!" "Thank you, Mr. Griffith!" "Stop the war!" "We want peace!" "I'm fine." " Where to?" " Home, please!" "Where's that?" " The address?" " No, to the hospital!" "Don't lose them!" "Go faster!" "Don't laugh but I don't feel too well either..." "What is?" "Doctor, I'm the one with the other lady." "How much long I have to wait?" " The other?" " Edna, yes." "The other lady isn't in labor, not for the moment." "Why not?" "She has pains!" "Maybe, sympathy..." "What do you mean "sympathy"?" "They could be sympathy pains, it happens." "You saw a friend and consequently... you understand." "What should I do?" "Take her home?" "No, it's that I want to be certain that's sympathy." "Otherwise it could be at the most serious..." "Nicola, you know how I'm going to call him?" "Father's name:" "Bonnano!" "No wait!" "I thought it first!" "Mine's already born." "Mine will be here in a few days." " You can take grandfather's name." " I prefer father's." "We draw for it." "Oh, Nicky, I'm so stupid." "What people will think of me?" "They're maybe just sympathy pains but they really hurt!" "My Edna, always the actress." "I hurt so bad." "How bad?" "Where's Mabel?" "Your friend is in next room." "Her bed is right to the other side of the wall." "Any news?" " No, nothing yet!" " So, come on." "Get to Mabel's room." "Let's celebrate!" "No, later I will." "I'm going to get a breath of fresh air." "You're settled but not me." "Tomorrow, it's Edna's turn." "Bonnano Bonani." "I'm dying!" "What a pretty picture!" "What have you done?" "Don't touch me!" "And what is this to me?" "He's your son, Nicola." "Don't worry about him." "Mabel will just have two sons instead of one." "She will nurse yours too." "She'll take care of you as she does me." "You really think you're something, don't you?" "Don't!" "I'm leaving!" "Just sorrow." "I know." "I don't want to take it away from you." "You're the lucky one." "I don't want to end up being jealous of you." "It's not my fault." "But you are luckier." "It's true, yes?" "What are you talking about?" "Not behaving like a brother." "What does "brother" mean?" "I don't know." "Let us take care of you and your son!" "I'm not leaving him with you!" "Why not?" "Not on your life!" "We're not equal any more." " Let's go and get him." " Are you out of your mind?" "My wife is nursing him." "We're not equal any more." "Go by yourself!" "I don't want to see you ever again." "You don't?" "Imagine me!" "Well, when does he plan to go back to work?" "I don't know, he tries." "He draws and draws." "He's unhappy." "He tears it all up." "I try to help." "And his brother Nicola?" "He's entrusted the baby to Marga, our old friend." "He's sailing for Italy today." "He's decided to join the army." "To go fight." "Let's go!" "Stand up!" "Lieutenant!" "The cameraman is dead!" "Where's the soldier who was in America?" " What was the name?" "Hollywood?" " Hollywood!" "Is it you, Hollywood?" "Do you know how it operates?" "It was not my job but I'll try." "A FEW MONTHS LATER" "Slow down!" "My lieutenant excuse me, where's Tuscany's battalion?" "Farther up, near the Basilica." "That's what I think..." "Who are there?" "Americans." "They fight with us." "You're Italian, do you know what is this church?" "I don't know how it's called." "I'm not from around here." "It's a beautiful Romanesque." "Lieutenant!" "Nicola, attention!" "You know what I regret most in having to dye, Andrea?" "Our children will never see our faces." "I know what you're thinking of and I'm in accord." "When they'll be passing by here again, they're going to reclaim this." "And so our children will learn how we looked like." "Clean your face, Nicola." "Do you want your son see you like that?" "And now... make an effort to smile." "I smile at you."