"(Welcome Ladies and gentlemen.)" "(This monastery is commonly known as Marcellino's Monastery, because this is where Marcellino lived as a little boy.)" "(His extraordinary story has been passed down, from generation to generation, to this very day.)" "(Inside the monastery, you may purchase, booklets.)" "Be Careful" "(written in many languages,)" "They're Fragile." "How much?" "5000 Lira" "(various souvenirs created by local artisans)" "It would make a beautiful souvenir." "Children come on let's go!" "(and several photographs to choose from.)" "What are you looking at?" "It's a book about Marcellino." "You don't need that, we've heard the story a million times." "This is where my story begins." "It was here, in the year 16..umm.." "I Don't remember the exact year." "What I do remember was that there was a war going on." "The monks always came down from the monastery to bring comfort to the people." "Oh God, my god, I look for you." "My soul is thirsty for you." "My flesh longs for you like the arid deserted land without water." "Have faith man, God will help." "Let's absolve their death, by thinking that they will live on." "I absolve you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." "Father, I'm only wounded." "Well then keep your blessing for when you really die." "It happens to us all sooner or later." "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit...courage brothers." "May God protect you." "God go with you" "God hear you." "Pray for us, Father!" "Do you hear that?" "It's a baby." "Huh?" "There!" "There!" "But that's not possible." "And this is me." "Do you see where the baby is?" "...under the cabbages!" " Yes, I see." "Pick it up!" "I don't want to." "I don't want to harm it." "me either." "Well we can'tjust leave it here." "But what about it's parents?" "I don't know." "What do we do under these circumstances?" "We can't leave it here." "Take the feet, I'll grab the head." "Yes, yes!" "Careful now." "Slowly...slowly,...gently..." "Hello, brothers!" "What have you found there?" "We found this child here!" " A baby!" "You've never seen a baby before?" "In a cabbage patch?" "Certainly not!" "Neither have I." "It was left here all alone." "There was no one ...what should we do with it?" "Give it to me!" "Give it to me." "Children like me a lot." "Ah, beautiful!" "We need to go and see if the parents of this baby can be found." "How beautiful!" "Let's take him to the monastery." "See...he doesn't cry with me." "Brothers, come and see!" "It is not true that a small baby can't understand anything." "He understands, he just doesn't know how to speak." "The reason I stopped crying..." "was that suddenly I felt calm." "The reason I was calm was that Brother Giocondo held me tight, and it made me feel secure and comfortable." "Open!" "..." "Open the door, Brother!" "Open the door, Brother door keeper!" "Ah, did he frighten you?" "Excuse him." "Look!" "We found a little baby!" "Why are you shouting?" "..." "I can hear." "Oh, I'm sorry." "I'm not deaf." " Look at it!" "What's this?" "Isn't it beautiful?" "Ah, it's so beautiful!" "Let's go..." "Who is that child?" "Can you tell me where that child comes from?" "He doesn't have a father or a mother." " Are you certain?" "We asked everyone about the baby." "He was abandoned behind a house." "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." "Tomorrow we'll begin the search again." "Ask around, investigate." "If we find that this child has no parents, we will have to find an honest man and a capable woman to be it's father and it's mother." "Beautiful, beautiful, ..." "you see how it likes me?" "!" "What's that?" " Look at that!" " Oh, a child of God!" "How sweet!" " He's smiling!" " Where does it come from?" "Be careful." "The first thing I remember seeing were the faces of all the monks." "Some were smiling and some were not." "Most of them had beards, but on top of their heads, it looked like they wore a soup bowl." "If it's not a male, I cannot let it in!" "It's the rule!" "Now what do we do?" "Giocondo, so tell me..." "masculine or feminine?" "Well, I'm not sure." " It's true, ...hmm..." "He's right." "Our rules don't allows us to bring in the child, unless he is ... male." "Let's find out." " Yes." "What should we do?" " Shhhh" "Look!" "He is a man!" "Then, he can enter!" "Let's see if we can feed him something." "Come on, eat something, baby." "Ah, open up your mouth." "Such a tiny mouth, huh?" " Let me try, my finger's a bit smaller." "Here we are..." "See?" "See there?" " Look!" "Children like me!" "Drink, little fellow." " He's drinking!" "The milk was very salty, but I drank it anyway, even though it didn't taste very good." "Ah..." "He seems to like it." " He's taking it." "Ah, yes!" "See what I have?" "Hey!" "Why can't he come to me?" "He just ate, I'm taking him out for air." "Who's that?" "My God!" "He's a little child." "Look how petite!" "Ha!" "I would like to see him, put him down." "Alright, I'll let you seem him, but be careful not to scare him." "Gently..." "Ah look at those eyes!" "Gently" "Oh, look at those eye, eh?" "We should go." "You can't leave without letting me hold him, just once!" "You never know if tomorrow we'll be in paradise, eh?" "He's so beautiful." " Ah, even I, at one time, was small like that." "Now, I'm so tired..." "I'm so old and sick!" "You have been entrusted to find a home for the baby." "Two heads can reason better than one." "And remember, you must evaluate very carefully the seriousness of the people who are interested in taking home this baby." "Our Lord has entrusted us." "We have to watch over and decide for this baby." "Uh, give him to Brother Strillone." " yes" " Here." "Provided that you don't find anybody soon, take the baby over to the convent." "They are women and perhaps they can handle this situation with a baby better then we poor men." "I shall." "Peace and good will." " Peace and good will." "May God assist you." "Brother Giocondo cried because I was leaving." "I cried, too." "I had made friends and now I had to leave." "Eh, here's a gift." "I'd like to send some flour back to your monastery as a homage." "You see, I'm quite in your debt." "As long as I'm under your protection, nothing bad can happen." "You remember last year?" "That lightning that struck last year?" "Well, instead of falling and striking my house, by God's will, it hit my brother-in-law." "It killed him, but he was very sick anyway." "So you see, it was very fortunate for me." "Don't be embarrassed, Rosa, they're monks!" "Permit the monks' child to have a drink, alright?" "But why?" " Just do as I tell you." "Fine, ..." "let me." "What a beautiful baby!" "Gentle, he's not used to it." "God made it possible for us to find him." " under a cabbage." "(laughter) Under a cabbage!" "?" " Stop that silliness right now!" "Leave here and go right to work, you lazy good-for-nothings!" "All my boys work, even my three year old!" "They all work, or else!" "Yours is a little boy, eh?" " Yes, yes." "No, no, no, no!" "She's a girl!" "She's a girl!" "A girl?" "Are you sure?" " Our mistake..." "Very sorry." "Thank you, thank you very much." "I thought you said it was a boy?" "Good Day." "Huh?" "You alright?" "Hurry up, Brother, and thank the Lord!" " God be blessed!" "I was very happy they took me out of that place." "If I could speak, I would have told them that it's useless to try to get rid of me." "Because, what I really wanted was to stay with them." "If only I could tell them, but I didn't know how to speak." "Forgive us, Sisters, but we must find a good mother for this baby." "He desperately needs mother's milk, something we cannot provide ourselves." "Yes, it's very difficult, I would have to say, impossible, for us to find woman's milk." "With God's help..." " What is it you're trying to say?" "We thought that one of you..." " could give milk?" "Yes." " What are you suggesting?" "We're nuns!" "You mustn't get upset!" "We just thought that women could feel so much, uh..." "We thought you could give milk, if it was needed." "Maybe one of you could..." " No!" "We're pure, virgins, and immaculate." "Come along, Sisters, let us pray." "Holy Mary, Mother of God" " Yes, Mother Superior." "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph" " Yes, Mother Superior" "Lost Child!" "Who wants this lost baby?" "!" "Who want this lost baby?" "!" " No, no!" "Who wants it?" "!" "Be quiet!" "Don't say that!" "We're looking for the mother of this child." "or, uh, even the father." "Search for someone who could love him" " Someone's coming!" "She looks like a real momma." "She'll take him away." "Hello." "Look well at this little child." "Yes?" " Does he belong to you?" "Uh, no." " Are you certain?" "Perhaps you are mistaken." "I thought perhaps, he might be one of my sister's sins." "Good day." "If it was her sister's, she would have said so." "Shh!" "Here comes another one!" "Yes, come and examine this baby, and ..." "and see if perhaps it is not one of yours." "How much you want for him?" "This child is not for sale." " No?" " And don't insult us!" "We are looking for this child's family, ...or a very loving family." "Ah, don't waste my time!" "Alright, let's leave." "Alright." "No one recognizes him anyway." "Come on, little boy, let's take you back." "You see?" "We returned triumphant!" "I was afraid I wouldn't see the monastery again, but now I was coming home." "They came back with the baby!" "Oh, thank God!" "I was afraid they gave the..." "No one recognized him, no one wanted him." "We even showed him at the town square, but nothing happened, no one would take him" "We tried hard." "Uh, excuse me, but" "I think the only thing to do is to keep the child and make him a good monk." "Yes, that's how I feel, too." "Is this the truth?" "Yes, Father" "Yes Father" "Nothing but the truth" " Nothing but the truth" "Good." "Leave me alone now." "I'll pray to the Holy Spirit to guide me with this problem." "The Lord has enlightened me." "The child will stay with us." "May Jesus be praised." "What sins have you committed, Brother Strilloni?" "Oh, I've said some lies, with good intentions. - hmm" "And do you sincerely repent?" "I sincerely repent with all my heart." "For penance, you have to say ten "Hail Mary's"" "and then I will absolve you of all of your sins." "In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen." "Jesus be blessed." "Amen" "And what sins do you wish to confess, Brother Contrario?" "I've told many lies..." "I've lied to the miller and his wife and I mistreated a woman and a gypsy." "And you repent." "Yes..." "I repent." "Even if I did all of this out of good faith." " hmmm" "Say twenty "Our Fathers" and "Hail Marys"." "I absolve you of all of your sins." "In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen." "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed by thy name." "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done..." "My brothers, I propose we make a sacrifice to the Lord, our god, to fast for the day, so that the beautiful little child that we have adopted will grow up honest." "Once he gathered up all of the game that he had caught, he loaded up his wagon and headed for San Francisco." "A quiet man, he had special compassion for the animals, especially the meek." "Particularly, the animals he felt that had encountered many tortures in their lives." "Oh youth do good, and be badly slaughtered..." "During meal time, Brother Sapiente always read stories." "I really enjoyed listening to him." "He always read about birds and other animals." "I didn't realize how hard the life of a monk was." "Everyday they woke up early,..." "even before the sun would rise." "Shhh!" " And they would go to church and pray." "Are you taking him with us?" " Shhh!" "(The angels help save us.)" "The angels help save us." "God, come now to save us in all of your glory." "Glory to the Father, and to His son, and the Spirit of the Lord." "Cause us, Lord, to remember how it was in the beginning is now and always, forever" "Hallelujah!" "Oh God, you are my god." "The Dawn." "My soul hungers for you." "Hallelujah." "Praise Thy name forever..." "Keep us from all temptation." "At daybreak, they wake up again, and return to the church." "I have very many fathers,..." "but no mother." "Hello..." "Hello, pretty, hmm?" "pretty little baby doll." "This little child cannot be called "Little Love" or "Little Baby Doll"." "He's entitled to a Christian name." "all him "Orlando" 0262 10;20;25;28 10;20;28;10 That's :" "as a gift, Father." "I think we should call him Giocondo." "It's a good name" "Orlando is better, how can you compare the two?" "Uh, what's the name of today's saint?" "According to the calendar, Saint Marcello." "Beautiful!" "From this day on we'll call him "Marcello"." "Make it "Marcellino"." "He's just a baby." "Dear Lord, we pray you to watch over this child." "Please keep him in good health." "While the brothers were in prayer, a mysterious thing happened." "I saw my real mother." "She was a very sweet woman, but only I could see her." "She would take me in her arms and I could feel the tenderness and warmth of her caresses." "It was a new sensation for me." "One that I had never felt before." "She was my mother." "And she was the one who took me to the fountain that day to be baptized." "Marcellino, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen." "And she left, ..." "without anyone having seen her." "Merry Christmas!" " Merry Christmas!" "Merry Christmas!" "Peace and good will!" "Merry Christmas!" "Peace and good will!" "It was my very first Christmas." "It looks like the little baby is moving." "He is moving, he's real!" "See there!" "He's moving!" "Look!" "It's real!" "It's a real baby!" "Go sit down!" "A miracle." "A miracle!" " A miracle." "A miracle!" "But this is not a miracle!" "This is the child that the Friars brought to my place!" "You told me it was a female!" "(Latin chant)" "Six years had passed and nothing had changed." "The life inside the monastery was the same." "The only thing that changed was that I had grown." "And what letter is this?" "This is the saint that burned himself." "Um, all over?" "He was burned alive." "Can you tell me?" "Saint Lorenzo?" "!" " Right" "And what letter is it?" ""L"" " Yes." "Very Good." "And...what letter is this?" "And which saint is it?" "It's Saint Sebastian." "Yes!" "Letter?" " "S"" ""S"..." "Very good!" "You're doing quite well." "Now, this other letter..." "Tell me what it is the saint....and what happened to him." "He's the one they put on the cross, just like Jesus." "What's his name?" "Andre." "Then the letter is?" " "A"" "Yes, butjust a little." " Oh?" "And...why just a little?" "Because I just wanted to ask you a question." "Very well, butjust a little question..." "What is it?" "Why was Jesus crucified?" "Some very bad men crucified him." "But why did the men crucify Jesus?" "Because they were bad and he was good?" "Probably, that must have been the reason." "Then they were really bad men?" "Yes!" "Very bad." "That's enough for today, Marcellino." "Why did God permit it?" "Permit what?" "The crucifying of His son." "Because the Lord ..." "allowed His son to be crucified to purify the world of the sins committed by men." "Even mine?" "No, not yours....you are good." "And Jesus smiles at you and protects you in all moments of your life." "But he's dead." "That's right, but on the third day he was resurrected." "And he lived again and went to Heaven to live with his father, understand?" "But why did he fake his death?" "Marcellino, it is a beautiful day today." "Why don't you go outside and play?" "Enjoy the fresh air." "Actually, I'd rather go play in the church." "I felt more at home there." "Marcellino!" "Where are you?" "Marcellino!" "?" "Marcellino!" "Marcellino?" "Marcellino!" "Ah!" "Good, there you are." "Yes, what is it?" "Here's a treat for you." "It's a brown egg." "You'll love it!" "It's still warm!" "Thank you, Brother Pappina!" "Are you sleeping?" "Look what I brought for you today!" "I have a brown egg with me today, and I brought it for you!" "Oh, how sweet!" "An egg." "What a sweet boy you are, to think of your old sick friend laying here." "Soon I'll be in paradise." "Not long ago, I was young and not tired and sick, like now." "You'll like it!" "(Singing)" "Help!" "Help!" "Father, help me!" "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "Ouch!" "A child has fallen!" "From Heaven?" "He fell out of a cart!" "The people were singing opera." "The little boy fell out there." "And they just left!" "Just calm down." "Calm down." " Are you alright?" "Are you hurt?" "Alright, gently, let's take him back." " Gently" "Carefully!" "Does your head hurt?" "Uh, uh." "You saw how it happened?" " Yes!" "A Wagon was going by and some people were inside playing some music." "He fell out and no one even noticed him there." "Just wait, when they find out he is missing, they will come back here for him." "Does this hurt?" "No." "Let him stay with you." "I want you to play with him until someone figures he's gone." "Do you know any games we can play?" "What would you like to do?" "No!" "You shouldn't touch that, Manuel." "That is food for the monastery." "The hen has probably laid an egg." "Want to go and see it?" "I wanted to make friends with the other boy, but I didn't know the right words to say." "HA!" "Go away!" "You heard me!" "HA!" "..." "HA!" "..." "Go Away!" "Go Away!" "A-ha!" "Hey, you're scaring the chickens!" "They're all running away!" "Open up!" "Open Up!" "I'm coming!" "I'm coming!" "Open the door!" " Open the door!" "We lost a child!" "He must have fallen from our wagon!" "Calm down." "It must have happened over there!" " One at a time!" "Oh, Manuel!" "Manuel!" "Manuel!" "You have saved him!" "Oh, thank God, he's alright." "What a lucky child, that you're not hurt." "Presto, chango, ah!" "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" "Ha...chu!" "Hey!" "I don't think that Marcellino is doing well here with us." "He is not happy because a child without his mother cannot be happy." "For him...we're a dozen fathers, but never a momma." "I must admit, Marcellino always says to me, "You're like a momma to me."" "He says you are like a momma, not "his" momma." "Yes, but I love him like a true mother!" "Enough, Brothers!" "Too much talk." "It is true, Marcellino is sad and we must amuse him." "The Lord has willed him to us and therefore, we are his family." "I always try to prepare him some things that he will like, like sweets or some chopped up fruits." "The fair is in our area next Sunday." "Marcellino!" "Would you like to go to the fair?" "Uh, who could take you?" "Oh, me!" "Marcellino, choose me!" "Me!" " Me!" " Me!" "Choose me!" "Silence!" "Brother Girolamo has something to say!" "Ch..." "Ch..." "Ch..." "Choose me!" "How does he do that?" "Magic?" "Try Giovanni!" "You can do it!" "Try one more time!" "One for you...and one for you, my little friend." "Five!" "..." "Six!" "..." "Seven!" "Fresh vegetables!" "Fresh vegetables!" "Fresh vegetables!" "They're good!" "Steady now..." "I'll give you a boost." "Hold on!" "How come they are doing that?" "They do that to entertain the people." "They're acrobats." "Shall we look at the crafts?" "Look!" "It's Manuel!" "Marcellino, you're right!" "It is Manuel!" "Push harder!" "You can reach it!" "Come on!" "Keep trying!" " What are they doing?" "Come on!" " Come on!" " It's called the tree of abundance." "You see, it's difficult to get to the top, but if can, you get to keep the good things in the sack." "Marcellino, I have to stop here and go and see this old man who wants to confess." "You wait right her for me alright?" "What a beautiful young boy, Father, all dressed up like a monk." "It is the first time I have seen him." "Who is this charming young boy, Father?" "Marcellino." "He lives with us." "How dear he is!" "It was a beautiful festival." "Everyone seemed to be having fun, but I couldn't help but feel out of place." "Oh, what a beautiful little monk." "Come over here, come on." "I give you an apple...the best I have." "Thank you!" " You're welcome!" "In the name of charity ...a piece of bread?" "You take it." "Thank you, will you bless me?" " I can't, sorry." "(Have some fruit, my lord...beautiful fruit, mad 'am, come and see.)" "You there!" "Come and compare my fruit!" "Beautiful fruit!" "Manuel." "Is there anyone else who thinks they can climb the tree of abundance?" "Here!" "Give it to me!" "Here." "Thank you!" "It's heavy." "You want me to carry it for you?" " No, no." "I had found Manuel." "But I never saw him again." "His work always took him to different and far off places." "He and his family were wanderers." "Meanwhile, I had to return to the monastery." "The others tried to climb the tree of abundance, but Manuel was the only one that succeeded." "How did he do it?" "No one else could, but he did." "It was truly a miracle." "He did not realize it..." "but it was a miracle." "I can never tell him." "It will be our secret." "You know, it was nice seeing him today." "I wish I could play with him." "Look!" "I caught another frog!" "Oh!" "What in the world is this?" "!" "How did these frogs get in here?" "Oh, my Lord!" "Oh!" "Look at this." "What's in there?" "What is it?" "Ah, little ships." "Little ships?" " Yes, little ships made of walnut shells." "How inventive!" " What an imagination!" "Incredible!" "It was driving me mad!" "He had wrapped rags around the clapper and I couldn't understand why the bell didn't ring anymore." "He's becoming most impertinent." "Ah, no, these are harmless pranks." "Let's be patient, he's just a child." "He amuses himself." "Remember, you were once a child yourself." "But Prior..." " We need to think about this philosophically, God be with you." "Oh!" " Oh!" " This time he's gone too far!" "Are you hurt?" "!" " Uh, no, no, it's nothing." "Oh, thank goodness!" "Oh, laugh..." "laugh!" "You little rascal!" "The nextjoke may well be on you!" "It was the summer and Brother Giocondo and I were gathering blackberries." "See here?" "The darker ones are the sweeter ones." "Oh no, look!" "Our hands are filthy." "It'll wash off." "Yes, yes." "Our Lady is Jesus' mother, is that true?" "That's right." "You mean even Jesus has a momma?" "Yes, all children have a momma." "Not me." "For the children without a momma," "Don't forget there's always the mother of Jesus." "Hey, who is that?" "Who is that?" "Uh, I don't know..." "Strangers make me nervous." "The Count!" "Open up there!" " The Count!" "Open up!" "Open Up I tell you!" " At the door!" "Open the door..." "let them inside." "Open this door immediately!" " I hear you!" "Open at once!" "I say!" " I'm coming!" "I'm not deaf." "Have the mason raise this gate or next time I'll have my soldiers remove it with a pair of swivel guns!" "Understand?" "!" "Peace and good will." " Peace and good will." "I have no intention of lowering my head or dismounting... when I come in." "Actually, I expected a better welcome." "Your visit here fills our hearts with great happiness." "I want to embellish your church with the work of a great painter." "I hope your monastery will appreciate that it costs a lot." "We'll go into the church there, and find the best place for this work of art." "Hmm..." "I don't want a nativity, ... or a decent from the cross." "There are too many here already." "I want a maternity...there." "There... a Heaven of great purity." "The virgin, with a child." "Yes, and what face will the virgin have?" "My late wife's." "This is a portrait of my late wife." "A pious woman,..." "she deserves tribute." "Very well." "What else?" "..." "We shall put a figure in the middle there." "Right there." "And I, as the donor,..." "shall have the honor." "Meaning..." "It will be my face which looks towards the believers." "Of course, this will all be done in the highest of taste, since I am giving you this painting." "I believe this is my honor." "If any of you disagree, please say so." "Good, we all agree." "And who is this?" "A poor orphan." "He's like a son to us." "A fine face." "Yes, Your Grace, you are correct!" "He has the face of an artist." "I, myself, come from a long line of artists." "And then Saint Lodovico, King of France in pilgrimage, was visiting..." "He was visiting the great sanctuaries of the world, to hear the great words of Brother Egidio, and decided to personally visit him." "He had come all the way from Perugia." "After a long trip, he finally arrived at the doors of the monastery." "He arrived only as a pilgrim stranger, along with just a few trusted traveling companions." "Put him in his room, he's asleep." "There now,..." "Marcellino?" "Marcellino, say your prayers before you go to bed." "But can I say a prayer for my momma?" "Of course you can, Marcellino." "Mother, I'm saying this for you..." " Momma yes." "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name," "Thy kingdom come..." "Ah!" "Are you hiding there, curious fellow?" "Don't you know, it's forbidden to see the painting before the Count?" "Sorry, I'll leave." "What is it?" "I don't see anything." "Who is she?" "That is Our Lady." "The mother of Jesus." "She's very beautiful." "Shh...silence!" "I still have to finish painting her eyes." "You know that..." "Our Lady is also my momma?" "She is the mother of all children." "Peace and good will!" "Ah!" "What happened to your leg?" " Gout." "Truth is, I ate like a Cardinal." "I want to talk to you." "Of course!" "Come in." "What a beautiful boy I saw the other day." "Of course, I know it's not appropriate to take a child like a play-thing." "Ah, that's right." "A child cannot be a play-thing." "I did not mean to imply he was a play-thing..." "My apologies." "But, you think growing up here is such a good thing for a little boy like that?" "God sent him to us." "No one wanted him, but here he was able to have a happy, peaceful childhood." "And now..." " And now he has the right to a good education." "And for that reason, I'd like to take him back." "There is also the strong possibility that this little boy, ...is my own son." "Your son?" "Yes." "I find that he resembles my first wife a great deal." "He has her same beautiful face." "Don't you think so?" "And everyone knows... that my wife was with child when she was attacked on the way to the castle." "I fought hard, but we never saw her again." "You remember, ..." "you know what I'm saying is true." "Yes." "Of course!" "That's why I have reason to believe the boy's mine." "Only God knows that." "What's really important is that I have a male child to rule over my domain." "I'm almost forty years old." "If I don't have a male heir, my estate will be passed on to my cousin and his son." "But you have remarried, have you not?" "Yes, but I'm afraid she's sterile." "I want... my son." "Come here." "Next to me." "Me?" " Yes, it's alright." "Go and kiss the hand of the Count." "Are you frightened?" "I'm not some ogre in a fairy tale." "Don't worry, I won't eat you." "Would you tell me who those people are... in the scene painted by this great artist?" "This one's you." " hmm" "This one is Jesus... and this one is my momma." "You heard that?" "!" "This is a portrait of my wife!" "It is the voice of God that speaks through this child." "This is a miracle!" "A miracle, I tell you!" "I found my son again!" "Listen, little one." "If that's your mother, then I'm your father." "Umph, Ouch!" "Do be careful!" "No...it's fine." "What's your name?" "Marcellino." "Marcellino." "Tell me, what can I do..." "or say..." "Is there anything that you want?" "I want to ride on a horse." "Ah...to ride...a horse?" "Yes." "He has lead a rather simple life in this poor monastery." "He knows nothing of the real world." "Yes, yes." "He will know then." "I don't believe it." "It's not the truth, it's a swindle." "Don't forget, my brothers, that things happen and often with good reason." "I have to think of what's best for him." "What's he trying to say there?" "What is it?" "Now listen to me." "Let's try to think this over calmly." "You all need to think about if we should send him away without his permission." "I don't think that that's fair to Marcellino." "I think..." "I think we should ask him." "I think that is a wise suggestion." "Then I'll go ask him." "I'll go, too!" " Me, too!" "Me, too!" "Bu" " Bu-..." "Marcellino?" "Marcellino, wake up!" "Hey..." "Listen to me, Marcellino." "The Count wants to take you to live with him at his castle." "Is this something you would like to do?" "Do you understand what I am asking you?" "You will have lots of clothing and learn many things." "But you will be very far from us." " He'll be influenced!" "He probably doesn't realize the situation." "How do we know he'll make the right decision?" "Let him speak for himself." "Through his mouth we'll hear the Holy Spirit." "Marcellino, would you like to go with the Count?" "Yes, I would like to go there." "But no, we can't let..." " Shh!" "We have to respect the boy's wishes." "At the moment I was leaving, I began to wonder if I was doing the right thing." "All the brothers seemed so sad at my leaving that no one even waived "Goodbye" to me." "But on the other hand, I looked forward to seeing my mother." "A whole new world was about to be opened up to me." "And that part was very exciting." "Peace and good will." "Peace and good will." "Peace and good will." "Peace and good will." "He didn't say "Goodbye" to me." "He was excited to ride in the carriage." "Let's go!" " Yah!" "Come on!" "Let's go!" "Listen." "Listen!" "When you great the Count, you will call him "Father"." "And the Lady Countess, you shall call "Mother"" "We shall see how it goes." "Come, kiss my hand." "Come!" "Kiss my hand!" "Do as you are told!" "Ahh!" "You should touch your mouth lightly, not bathe it with your saliva." "But I want to give my momma a great big kiss." "No!" "Never!" "You have to wait quietly." "You have to wait until you are kissed first." "Do as I say." "You must always do as I say!" "Do what you are told to, and I will see that you'll come to no harm." "What are you staring at?" "Ah, behold the Count." "Come along, ..." "Kiss the hand of your father." "Good morning, my father." "Good morning." "Now go and kiss the hand of your mother." "Go ahead!" "No!" "This is not my mother!" "No, no, no!" "Don't say that!" "Do as you were instructed!" "He saw the, uh, portrait." "The portrait of the Virgin Mary." "He face resembles that of my dead wife." "He has it in his head that that is his true mother." "That mother is in Heaven, this mother here...is on earth." "And she will love you like a proper son, alright?" "Now go over and kiss her hand." "Go, Marcellino, go on!" "Come to me, my child." "You needn't be afraid, really." "Come here, kiss you mother's hand." "No!" "You're not my mother!" "Hmmph!" "You haven't taught him very well!" "I expected better of you." "I'll mend it, Your Grace." "I told you how to behave!" "You must obey me!" "Do you hear me?" "!" "Listen to me when I tell you how to behave." "The rules are different than they were at the monastery." "Now what is it?" "What's the matter?" "What's that?" "That's a suit of armor." "Soldiers wore them at one time to save their necks during battle." "What's inside?" "A bad man who eats children who do not obey." "No!" "It's not true!" " Yes it is true!" "And if you don't start listening to me, I'll send him to see you!" "Bless, oh Lord, these gifts, which we receive through your generosity, oh trust, our Lord, Amen." "Ugh, you see what happens?" "When you disobey the orders of the Count?" "You must eat here...in the kitchen... with these vulgar servants... and maids." "And no meat." "Only vegetables to eat." "And I have to suffer, too." "I don't like meat anyway." "Remember boy, 'tis what the rich eat that distinguishes them from the poor." "The rich only eat meat!" "And, uh, the poor eat vegetables." "The rich are fat." "And the poor..." "are skin and bones." "Wouldn't you rather be rich?" "!" "I want to be a friar." "Keep me from temptation and deliver us from evil, Amen." "Would you let me pray for my mother?" "Very well, but hurry up, you should be asleep." "My mother, who art in Heaven," "That's not it, for the mother the prayer is different." "Hail Mary, Mother" " I know!" "Very good, then tomorrow you can say it." "Now go to sleep." "Agnes, can you snore?" "Oh, I don't snore." "At the monastery where I was all the friars snored." "Did they?" " I can't sleep if you don't snore." "What do you want me to do?" "I don't snore at all." "If you don't snore, I can't sleep." "Are you Jesus?" "But you don't have the nails." "I came here because I wanted to see my momma." "But she's not here." "I want to go away." "Help me find the monastery." "Very well, I won't go away." "I'll talk to you later, I won't go away." "Good morning, little Count, it's time to get up and go to the dress maker." "What?" "He's up and already out of bed." " Huh." "Here he is, we found him." "You should not go out alone!" "Why?" "At the monastery" "I did what I wanted to." " You're not at the monastery!" "Among other things, you're right next to a prison." "Look there!" "..." "That's where people end up who disobey the Count." "What's that?" "A cage." "When the Count punishes someone who disobeys or displeases him, he locks him up in there." "Any more questions?" "And then what do they do?" "Die." "What do you do with him when you catch him?" "We eat him." "And we have a big feast." "Venison is tender meat." "Applaud them..." "the bravery of the hunters." "Marcellino!" "Prepare the kill." "I'm famished!" "Marcellino." "Um...um." "Eat some, it's very good!" "At least taste it, please little Count." "Eat some." " Be a good boy." "Just try a little, it's good!" "I'm sorry, Sir." "I've tried, I don't know what else to do, Sir." "You may leave and join the other servants." "As you wish, Sir." "Why are you not eating." "He won't eat meat." "The son of a count eats meat..." "and enjoys it." "I know in the monastery you didn't." "Here we do." "Go ahead try it." "No, I don't want it!" " Yes!" "No!" "Marcellino!" "I said, "Eat!"" "Marcellino!" "Little Count, you must go back!" "Let go of me!" "Leave me alone!" "You have to obey the Count!" "Come back here!" " Leave me alone!" "He won't listen, Sir!" "Ehh!" "Don't worry..." "He won't get far." "Hmm...that's gratitude." "After everything you've done for him." "Hmm." "I ran away." "But really, I don't know where I was." "All I wanted was to get back to my good friends, the monks." "The trouble was I didn't know how to get back to the monastery." "And if I went back to the Count," "I ran the danger of being put in the cage." "Therefore, I decided to wait for night to fall and try to find it on my own." "Horses rode by me, but I was too exhausted and sleepy to know how close they were." "It was the rain that finally woke me up." "They tried to find me with dogs." "The dogs could not find me." "You see, the rain helped me." "It washed away my scent so the dogs couldn't smell me." "The rain helped with the dogs." "But I was soaked clear through to my bones." "Jesus, ..." "please help me find the monastery." "With all the rain that fell last night,..." "Ha ha..." "There's a mountain of mushrooms!" "Too bad we don't have a sack!" " Ah, yes!" "Even if we had a sack, we do not have the time to.." "Help!" "..." "Help!" "Help me!" "I'm over here!" "Look!" "Marcellino!" "What are you doing here?" "Why aren't you at the castle?" "You're all wet." "You're trembling!" "I ran away." "I wanted to come back to the monastery with you." "Father, we'll all pray for him." "Everything...is as it should be, Marcellino." "Now rest." "Have a peaceful sleep." "Right away!" "Right away!" "Stall him at the door, so we can hide the boy in the attic." "Yes, Father." "Let's go!" "Hurry along!" " We're hurrying!" "Hurry, take him up to the bell room and hide him there." "Quickly now, ..." "before they come in!" "Make haste!" " Open up!" "Come here immediately!" "Open this door!" "By order of the Count!" "Let's all go into the church..." " Open this door!" "and pray for Marcellino." "I command you to open this door!" "Better manners, please Sir!" "Calm down...now tell me what has happened." "It's Marcellino." "He's disappeared!" "We cannot find him anywhere!" "You're hiding him!" "Don't deny it!" "I'm not." "Then open up and hand him over now!" "I will open the door." "But in order to hand him over he must first be here!" "Now wait here, ..." "I'll get the Prior, you can ask him." "Who's moaning?" "Who is it?" "Who's whimpering is that?" "The wind." "Who said that?" "My goodness!" "Did you speak?" "Is that you speaking, Jesus?" "Would you mind making the wind stop?" "It frightens me." "Thank you, Jesus!" "That's much better." "Did you know my name was Marcellino?" "I got my name from the friars." "There are so many things I want to tell you." "But I know that that is in vain, because you already know everything." "That crown of thorns that they have put upon your head and... and the nails, do they hurt much?" "It is not important." "You ask many questions, little one." "What's done is done." "We can't find him." "He must've gotten lost on his way back to the castle." "He must've come back to the monastery." "I want to bring you something." "Stay right here." "I warn you!" "You're obligated to report his whereabouts." "You have entrusted him to the Count and it is too late to change your mind." "Reassure the Count that Marcellino is as dear to our hearts as he is to the Count's." "And that prayer is the only weapon we have, and we must pray for his salvation." "Yes, I am certain that the Count also prays for his salvation and wishes to find him." "The Count intends to take him to Rome to meet the Pope for confirmation." "And to untie the knot of his estate." "Look what I have hear for you." "Fresh bread..." "You didn't expect that, did you?" "Here, I brought it for you." "Have some." "Brother Pappina made it." "Take it." "Oh...you can't." "You have nails in your hands." "Uh, I beg you to leave now and let us get back to our prayers." "It is the best way to help Marcellino." "Marcellino!" "Marcellino, wake up now." "The Count's men have finally left." "There's no more danger." "I had a dream." "Those friars are lying!" "We need to watch their monastery." "We should send someone there to find out all of their secrets." "I just don't trust any one of them!" "Hm...don't get upset." "I shall not permit this personal affront." "Look what I brought for you." "Bread... and wine." "Thank you, Marcellino, my little friend." "You are a good boy." "Thank you!" "From this day forward, ... you shall be known as Marcellino..." "Bread and Wine." "Marcellino Bread and Wine." "It's wonderful!" "Open up!" "Go on!" "Open up, please!" "For pity sake, give us a piece of bread to eat." "Who's there?" " Two very hungry pilgrims." "Just a moment, brothers." "Enter." "We'll do what we can." "That's that." "You're not from around here." "We're from Gubbio." " And where are you going?" "To Rome, to fulfill a vow." "We promised the Virgin of Los Angeles that we would go on foot to the Papal Basilica, living only on charity the entire trip." "You men are brave." "The mother of God saved a brother from the illness of stone" "To live off the charity of our fellow man is a purpose that will honor you." "Come along, it will be well thought of in the sight of God." "Down, down!" "Kneel down!" "Here, have some soup." "I made it myself and it's hot." " mmm... smells so good!" "Excuse me, Friar." "Do you live all alone in this monastery or do you have any guests?" "Why?" "Why?" "Because of that wonderful smell of bread in the air and this delicious soup." "I'm almost tempted to become a monk and join the monastery myself!" "." "Marcelino!" "Where are you going?" "Look Marcellino, you know that Brother Pappina loves you, but you must get well or you'll make me mad, huh?" "Now get back to bed right now." "You're still weak." "No, I don't want to!" " Yes!" "I'm Marcellino Bread and Wine." "Bread and Wine?" "What are you talking about, Marcellino?" " It's a secret." "...between me and Jesus." "What secret?" "They are the Count's men!" "The Count's soldiers here?" "!" "Brothers!" "Help!" "The Count's soldiers are here!" "We must apprehend them!" "Please!" "Don't hurt us!" "No!" "No!" " It's a mistake, I swear!" "Get off us!" "Ow!" "Oh!" "Don't hurt me, please!" " It's a mistake!" "No!" "You'll be lucky to get twenty days on bread and water for treating the Count's men like this." "Untie them!" "But if we set them free they will return to the castle and the first thing they will do is tell the Count that Marcellino is really here with us." " No!" "No!" "Listen you two." "Are you willing to swear upon the cross and upon the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you'll say nothing to the Count?" "Yes!" "Yes!" "We solemnly swear on the blood of Jesus and His cross!" "And may the hot flames of Hell burn our flesh if we perjure ourselves!" "May Satan rip all our flesh off our bones!" "We won't say one word to the Count!" "Very well, ..." "We shall have to trust you." "And from this moment on, the salvation of your souls are entrusted to your conscience." "Brothers, untie these gentlemen." " Thank you!" "You may leave, or you can stay with us." "No, no." "We'll go away." "We've caused you enough problems." "I won't untie them!" "Obedience is the first rule." "Once upon a time, there were three evil thieves in the land." "The three were all very evil." "In order to be protected from the evil, the brothers all prayed for the Lord's protection." "They gave the men food..." "Shhh!" "Continue, Brother." "And in this way, the brothers hoped that by giving them food, their love for God would grow." "Many times they hoped this would be the case, but the evil men never changed." "Brother Theodore!" "They still wanted to devour the poor charity that had been bestowed upon them by God." "Marcellino!" "Marcellino!" " Marcellino, wake up!" "Mmm?" " Marcellino." "Do I have to go up in the attic again?" " indeed." " That's right." "but only for a little while." "You'll be safer up there." "Don't you want to go?" "Yes, I really want to go up there." "Bravo!" "You must not be afraid." "We will chase away all of them." "And then when you come down from the attic you will stay with us forever and ever." "What do you think of that, eh?" "Open the door!" " Open the gate!" " By order of the Count!" " Open the door!" "Those two faced beggars when faced with the Count's wrath, have chosen the depths of Hell." "We will destroy it!" "You want us to smash it!" "?" " Open it now!" " Open this gate!" "Come Prior, don't waste time." "Bring me the child!" "The Countess will be a good mother to him." "A warm and tender mother." "The boy will stay with us." "You can't have him." "Bring the child right away!" "I don't want to ask again!" "May I feel your hand." "It feels like my momma's hand." "Do I frighten you?" "No." "Do you know who I am?" "Yes, you're God." "I repeat, Sir, you cannot have him." "I shall have him, Prior!" "(Latin chant)" "What are they doing?" "I don't know." "This is all your fault!" "This could all be avoided, Prior!" "(Latin chant continues)" "It's all your fault!" "Give me the boy, save yourselves!" "Give me the boy now, or you'll all burn!" "Everything is burning!" "The brothers are in the middle of the flames!" "I'm afraid, Jesus!" "Yah!" "..." "Yah!" "(Latin chant)" "Thank you, Jesus." "May I take off your crown?" "There, ... you don't have to suffer anymore." "Can I hug you?" "And now maybe you could take me to go see my momma?" "Please take me." "Marcellino has left us." "He's gone to the Heaven of his mother." "Hurry up, children!" "The bus is ready to go!" "Hurry up!" "..." "Come on, quickly now!" "The bus is ready to leave, come on." "Hurry up, children!" "Let's go!" "Hurry up!" "Where are you going?" " Okay!" "And so...this is the end of my story." "Sometimes sweet, sometimes wicked, just like all fables." "In all fables there are some miraculous things." "And in all miracles, there is always a little bit of...make believe." "When we think about Comencini's cinema, we think about a large slew of films." "If one were to dutifully divide his work into, "Adults" and "Children", one would still be forced to recognize many, many of his films." "Picture this, from 1949 "L'Imperatore di Capri", "Pane, Amore, e Fantasia"," ""Tutti a Casa", "Il Commissario"..." ""Tutti a Casa" is the greatest film, perhaps the only serious film about" "September 8th 1943 ever made in Italy." ""La Ragazza di Bube", "La Donna Della Domenica", "L'Ingorgo", "La Storia."" "These are but a few titles, after taking a bird's eye view of his extensive work." "At the same time, Comencini is passionate about a different subject, from the war subjects;" "a process which brings children into the spotlight." "Comencini's works are well documented from the start, ever since the post-war film shot in Milan when it was in ruins after a bombed" "Porta Ticinese, called "Bambini in Citta."" "Now, let's attempt for an instant to analyze Comencini's work with children." "We have already talked about "Bambini in Citta"' (1946)." "In 1948,"Proibito Rubare", starred Adolfo Celi, back then still a young, practically unknown actor." "Comencini hired a bunch of real Neapolitan urchins to work with Celi, who plays the part of a dubbed priest from Veneto who stops in Naples instead of going to the mission." "My suitcase, my suitcase!" "And following, a series of films in which children have either a catalytic role or even if secondary, an important role." "Some that come to mind are, "La Finestra sul Luna-Park", "Incompreso," " Infanzia," "Vocazione, e prime esperienze di Giacomo Casanova Veneziano", and " Pinocchio"." "Also, "Lo Scopone Scientifico", in which children have a secondary but rather important roles, with Sordi and Mangano." ""Voltati Eugenio"," Cercasi Gesu"', "Cuore","La Storia"." "Unlike other directors in the history of cinema, he's been able to work with children, often very young ones, making us adults re-discover and understand them." "He's been able to work with children with such skill, such tact, and such sensibility that he kept all pretenses away from them." "Comencini's Children are never prodigies." "Comencini has said:" "With Children, we have to become their accomplices." "I remember that, during a scene from " Incompreso"," "I had to represent little Milo's disappointment because Andrea did not want to take him to town to buy a present for their father's birthday." "I tricked them." "I told Andrea, the eldest:" "Now, when I say "Action", you get on your bike and ride away." "Milo thinks he's coming with you, so he'll want to ride on the back." "Make sure he won't be able to."" "Then I told Milo, who had not heard anything I said before..." ""When Andrea gets on his bike to ride away, you have to jump on the back quickly, or he will leave you behind!"" "Then I said "Action" and everything went on as planned." "5005, 5006, 5007, 5008...." "Is that enough?" "Yes, I think so." "What really matters is to have a good idea." "A great one." "The price doesn't really matter." "Well, wish me luck and I'll see you, Milo." "Andrea!" "Well?" "What's the matter?" "He has truly made headway, and we'll talk about this in more detail later, truly pioneered into the children's soul, making us re-discover and understand them." "Tell the truth, you want to run away too, don't you?" "Well, my dear Pinocchio, we couldn't even if we wanted to." "I can't swim, and you are not made of wood anymore." "Come, come." "The tuna fish told me that he can take us to the shore!" "Sssh!" "Quiet, or you'll wake the whale!" "Then go, go away!" "But you will regret it someday." "You'll realize that life has nothing good to offer to people like us" "I am talking about myself, because I am an old man." "I'll be just fine right here." "But you, go, go..." "I am not going without you!" "We could say that Comencini has always been interested in children and in working with them." "Nevertheless, there is a sort of break in his career, a change." "It is a 1970 inquiry about children." "From that inquiry that he made in Italy more than 21 years ago, from the South to the North, working on real children, not on children who would somehow become fictitious." "From that inquiry he obtained a series of deep insights." "He started analyzing children as if they were a totally different world, a big island to discover where there were the germs of what would be the adults." "There were already the germs of a self-sufficient society." "How many people are there in your family?" " Eleven." "With your mom and dad or just the children?" "Eleven children and there is no dad." "There isn't?" "Where is he?" "He died!" "He died?" "In the sociology of children, to use a pompous term, it represented the key of all the later Comencini work." "That's for the rabbits" "For the rabbits?" "This is too good!" "Hey Quirino!" "Bring those fruit cases inside, we have to close down!" "Right away!" "Quirino, hurry up, we have to close the store!" "Alright, I am attending a costumer!" "Who's that, your father?" "No, Damn him!" "In 1990, Comencini... perhaps thinking that he would not work on films with children again," "Comencini decided to make, how could we say it, a sort anthology about himself." "So he made a great TV program called "All of the Children of Comencini"" "where he contacted the children from the old sets and confronted them, as adults, regarding their magical past, the children of a cinema that doesn't exist anymore." "Sometimes they ask me if, having the possibility to redo any of my films again," "I would change the interpreter." "I answer that I wouldn't." "I am not saying this because it would not be possible to find a better actor, but because a child is never an interpreter that you can just replace with another one without the film falling apart." "Children don't know that." "At least my children don't." "They don't know that, with their unique presence, they are the true authors of the film on which they have worked, not only by following the script, but also by giving the film their full," "utter and complete presence." "They are what they are, with their presence, their faults, their qualities, their merits, everything, in a word." "When I say I will make a film with a child, then I will make it about that child." "He, object and subject of the film." "That's why it does not make sense to ask if I would change the interpreter of a film." "Rather, a different child could play a different role." "And we have finally arrived to the new "Marcellino Pane e Vino", which is a remake of a postwar family masterpiece, from the successful cinema of the 50s." "This film seems to aim to uncover the whole future career of Comencini as well, which started only a few years before then, and began in that period to evolve in such a rich and inventive way." "Do you know who this child is?" "Do you recognize him?" "He is Pablito Calvo, the unforgettable interpreter of "Marcellino Pane e Vino", filmed in 1955." "Let's go, Manuel." "Pablito was then 6 years old, now he is close to 50." "His playful and vivacious attitude earned the film an enormous success." "And here's the new Marcellino." "His name is Nicolo' Paolucci, he lives in Perugia and he is 8 years old." "He was chosen by Comencini after many auditions all over Italy." "How did they find you for this film?" "My mom took me to an audition with a friend of mine, Francesco." "Was the audition in Perugia?" "Yes, the first one was, where they would ask me questions." "What kind of questions?" "If I liked being a man." "If you liked being a man?" " Yes." "And did you answer that you did?" " Yes." "Or did you say you'd rather be a cat?" "No, a man." "And what else did they ask you?" "Nothing." "I don't know, that was it, I don't remember." "It sounds like it was pretty easy then." " Yes." "Nicolo' was chosen through a selection in which 6000 children participated from all over Italy." "Jesus, make something happen, make it rain... a nice big storm." "Or just take me with you, to see my mom." "Comencini has once declared:" "When I have to pick a child for a film," "I look in schools, or anywhere there may be many children to choose from." "I quickly film those that capture my attention on videotape, and then I film them during an audition." "The audition generally consists of having the child do a scene from the script the way he sees it." "Then they pushed me down and I was so scared that I climbed a tree." "I don't even know how I did it!" "This audition doesn't tell us if the kid is a good actor, but if he has a good imagination." "Indeed what I ask of my little actors is not that they act, but rather that they interpret the film in the real sense of the word." "Manuel, is your mom calling you?" "Who's Manuel?" "He's an imaginary friend of Marcellino's" "A what?" "An imaginary friend!" "What does imaginary mean?" "It means that he's not really there but he's there for him." "Oh Lord, may the action of the celestial gift take possession of our souls and our bodies, so that its influence, and not our senses, can prevail in us, always." "For our finish." "to live and exercise the theological virtues..." "Comencini said:" "I was glad to finally find the right child in Perugia, only 20 km from Assisi." "My film does not have exact geographic indications, but ideally," "I have always imagined it so close to Saint Francis." "The exteriors were shot in Val Nerina, an area in Umbria still intact." "Paola Comencini, the cinematographer, found a 1100 abbeys practically intact." "Besides Val Nerina, the film was also shot in Tolfa and in the Manziano woods." "Besides Nicolo Paolucci, other actors are Ida Di Benedetto, Sergio Bustric," "Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Fernando Fernan Gomez, Alberto Cracco." "The director of Photography is Franco Di Giacomo, who has already worked with Comencini in "La Storia" and "Un Ragazzo di Calabria"." "Carolina Ferrara did the costumes, Fiorenzo Carpi the music." "Sergio Buzi edited the film." "Even a doll has played a role in the film!" "Who wants it?" "Who wants this baby?" "Shh!" "Be quiet!" "Don't say that!" "We're looking for the mother of this child." "or, uh, even the father." "The doll is baby Marcellino's double." "Who wants it?" "Who wants this baby?" "Who wants it?" "Who wants this baby?" "Who wants it?" "Shh!" "Be quiet!" "Don't say that!" "We're looking for the mother of this child." "And this is the real baby." "One morning, ..." "a morning much like many others, the Porter Friar made an astonishing discovery." "A boy!" "It's a boy!" "There, there!" "And this is me." "Her name is Claudia Desideri, she's a 3 month old girl playing a baby boy." "She ended up being a marvelous actress." "Mr. ..., one moment, please!" "She looks right and left, smiles..." "She does everything they need her to do." "She never cries, she looks fake!" "Look!" "Baby Jesus is moving!" "The angels help save us." "God, come now to save us in all of your glory." "Glory to the Father, the Son, and to the Holy Spirit...." "Cause us, Lord, to remember..." "The film was produced by RaiDue Production Group, and it was filmed in June, July and August of last year (1991)." "The only real enemy was the heat." "However, "Marcellino" was never too tired." "Is that water pretty good?" "Yes." "Is it nice and cold?" "Yes, it's cold." "Are you a little tired to film?" "No." "Was there any scene that you found particularly hard to film?" "Because of the rain for example, or the wind?" "Yes, the rain!" "Did you have to film in the rain?" " Yes." "Was it real rain or artificial?" " It was artificial rain." "Was it cold?" " Yes, very!" "Weren't you afraid to catch a cold or something?" "No, because they always dried me up after every take." "They all took good care of you." " Yes." "Jesus, help me find the monastery..." "Who's Marcellino?" "He's a good boy, clever, quick, witty..." "Is that it?" "No, he also likes to play tricks a lot." "I remember one time I, as Marcellino, had to trick the friars." "I had to tie their cords together, so that when they walked away they would fall." "Remember, you were once a child yourself." "We need to think about this philosophically, God be with you." "This time he's gone too far!" "You little rascal!" "Are you hurt?" "!" " Uh, no, no, it's nothing." "They were not supposed to fall down, at first, but then they actually fell in a scene and Comencini liked it, so we did it that way." "Two plus two?" " Four." "Four plus four?" " Eight." "Eight plus Eight?" "Twenty!" "The new film broadly imitates its predecessor, but there's a huge difference." "It's the boy, Nicolo', two years older." "He has a much more tormented inner life, compared to the innocent Pablito." "He's the one who allowed them to crucify him, like Jesus." "And what's his name?" "Andrew." "His smile is always shadowed by melancholy." "That's enough for today." "Why did God allow it?" "What?" "That they crucify His Son." "Throughout the film the friars are always so nice and affectionate with you." "Were they really like that?" " Yes." "All of them?" " Yes, yes." "Was there ever one of them who, I don't know, ... scolded you or something like that?" "No!" "And all their names, you know "Friar Pappina" and all those names, was it hard for you to remember them?" "No, I still remember all of them." "Which of the friars was the funniest?" ""Friar Giocondo" - "Friar Giocondo?"" "Yes." "Why?" "What did he do to be so funny?" "He played." "The thing that I liked the most about him is that he was an illusionist." "An illusionist?" "Did he play tricks?" " Yes...yes." "In this co-production, Italian actors as well as French and Spanish ones, collaborate, and each one acts in their native tongue." "I don't think that Marcellino is doing well here with us." "He is not happy because a child without his mother cannot be happy." "For him...we're a dozen fathers, but never a mother." "I must admit, Marcellino always says to me, "You're like a momma to me."" "He says "you are like a momma", not "his" momma." "Yes, but I love him as a mother!" "Nocolo' speaks in Italian with one or the other, and he always gets off great." "Why did they crucify Jesus?" "How did you do it, Nicolo'?" "When we filmed a scene, I knew that he was going to talk that gibberish." "Well, what they said was gibberish to me, but it was words to them." "Anyway, I knew that after that gibberish it was my turn to speak." "Look Marcellino, you know that Brother Pappina loves you, but you must get well or you'll make me mad, huh?" "Now get back to bed right now." "You're still weak." "I can't, I don't want to!" "I am Marcellino Pane e Vino!" "What are you talking about?" "What are you talking about?" "It's a secret between me and ..." "Jesus!" "Look!" "Those are the Count's soldiers!" "In the new script rewritten by Comencini and Ennio De Concini, there are other differences, for example a Count and his Countess, who want to adopt Marcellino." "They have to fight the friars who don't want to give up the child." "Who are those people?" "Let's just pray for the best, I get scared every time I see them!" "Here's the new little Count." "Good morning, my father." "Action!" "Here's the new young Count." "Kiss your father's hand." "Good morning, my father." "Good morning." "Now go and kiss the hand of your mother." "No!" "That woman is not my mother!" "There, there." "Don't act like that, go, go!" "Am I scaring you?" "I am not mean, you know." "No, I don't want to!" "Nicolo', we look so elegant today!" "How did Marcellino go from poor clothes to such rich ones?" "It's kind of a long story." "There was a count who wanted to take me with him, he thought I was his son." "And I thought he was my father." "But he wasn't your father?" "No." "And how do you react to this Count who thinks you're his son?" "He..." "I admire him, I like him, but I am also a little frightened." "What's your wish?" "What can I do for you that you have never done and always wanted to?" "Ride a horse." "That's all?" "Ride a horse?" "Yes." "The boy has lead a simple life in this modest monastery." "He does not know about the things of the world." "Then he will know." "Do you feel more comfortable dressed like this, in this nice red outfit, or do you prefer the habit, like the friars?" " The habit." "Why?" "Because I liked being in a church better, dressed like a friar." "I liked that better." "You liked being a little friar?" " Yes." "Remember son, you can tell rich people from what they eat." "The rich eats meat." "The poor little boiled greens." "The rich are fat, healthy looking." "The poor are pale and thin." "Do you want to be poor?" " I just want to be a friar." "What about you, Nicolo', not Marcellino, would you like to be a friar?" "Would you ever consider being a friar someday?" "Maybe, maybe not." "Maybe, maybe not?" "What would determine "yes" and what would determine "No"?" "I wouldn't know." "I just know that's the way it is." "Good, good." "I saw you!" "The others tried to climb the tree of abundance, but you were the only one that succeeded." "How did you do it?" "You don't even know?" "It had to be a miracle then!" "No, I won't tell anyone, Manuel." "With Manuel" "With Manuel?" "Is he a friend of yours?" "Yes." "And does he talk back to you?" " Of course!" "Does he also play ball?" "Of course, but he's not as good as me!" "Manuel, your mom is calling you!" "Will you come back and play with me?" "I have heard you mention this Manuel a lot in the film." "Who is this character we never see?" "It's not true, they showed him, but you weren't there..." "He's a kid, an acrobat." "(Singing)" "Help!" "Help me!" "Mother, Father!" "Help me, Mother!" "..." "Mother!" "A boy dropped out!" " From the sky?" "What kind of relationship did you have with him?" "I got along with him." "You did?" " Yes." "Weren't you a little afraid he would steal the scene from you?" "No, he's really nice." "He's also an acrobat." "Isn't he?" " Yes." "Would you have liked to be an acrobat as well?" "No, I suffer from giddiness!" "Look!" "There's Manuel!" "That's right!" "That is Manuel!" "I have watched the film, and there is a scene with a dead deer." "Didn't you think it was unpleasant?" "No, I knew it wasn't really dead!" " Really, it wasn't?" "They injected it, the dear I mean, with a substance that made him fall asleep." "I see, so it was only apparently dead..." "Yes, then they made up a wound on it, they painted it on." "So it was a "pretend-dead" deer, so to speak." "Tell me, when you had to do that difficult scene in which you offer the bread and the wine to the cross..." "It wasn't that difficult." "It wasn't?" "Weren't you a bit moved about having this type of relationship with Christ?" "Yes." "What did you think about?" "Personal stuff, you know, I didn't really think..." "I thought that I had to do the scene well or we could not go on filming." "Look what I brought you...fresh bread." "You weren't expecting that, were you?" "Do you want some?" "Come on, take it!" "Friar Pappina made it." "Do you think this film is going to be an isolated episode in your life, or are you thinking about becoming an actor in the future?" "I think it will be an isolated episode." "Why, wouldn't you like to be an actor?" "I don't know, I'd like to be a paleontologist when I grow up." "A paleontologist?" "Yes." "I see." "How come?" "The guy who studies paleontology, because I really like pre-history, it fascinates me." "Why is that?" "That is pretty unusual for a kid." "Where does such a special interest come from?" "Like I told you, I've read many books on dinosaurs." "I thought those who wrote them did such a greatjob, and they had to get help from a paleontologist." "One of Comencini's greatest satisfactions is being able to say that no child who starred in one of his films ended up becoming an actor." "This is not for lack of respect towards actors, but because he thinks it's a choice that one should make only as an adult." "Nothing of what a kid learns about acting can be of any use to him as an adult actor." "So, if now they told you "We have finished filming Marcellino, but we want to do it again with a different child"..." "What would you say to that?" "Well, it would be okay, because you know..." "What?" "I have already done it, I have done the one before, and now it's another child's chance to do it." "To play the child, yes." "So if in a few years they filmed a third "Marcellino", you wouldn't mind?" "No." "There's only a few days left before they finish filming, therefore if you want, you can make a sort of summary." "What can you say about this experience, about being a young actor in such an important role?" "It was great." "Really wonderful... and it wasn't hard at all." "It was like a game to me." "Not hard, eh?" "Did you think it would be harder?" "Yes, at first." "But I changed my mind." "Then all we have left to do is wait to go see this film together, with the entire public." " Yes." "Are you a little scared of that sort of scrutiny?" "No." "You're relaxed about it?" " Yes, because if it didn't turn out okay I'll be happy to do it again!" "We found this child here!" "So?" "Haven't you ever seen a child?" "Not in a cabbage field!" "What a cute baby!" "Who's his father?" "Who wants this baby?" "Who wants him?" "How much do you want for him?" "Come on, after all these are just innocent tricks, you must be patient." "Is it true that Mary is the mother of Jesus?" "Of course, all children have mothers." "Yes, but not me." "Did you know that my name is Marcellino?" "It is the name the friars gave me." "There are many probabilities that this child could be my son." "Your son?" "When you meet the Count, you will call him "Father"" "Good morning, my father." "And to the Countess, you will call "Mother"" "No!" "She is not my mother!" "Go fetch that child." "The child will stay right here."