" Elena, I'll call you tomorrow if you want." " No." "I don't know." "Better not." "So, we shall not see each other again!" "?" "The most terrible thing won't be not seeing each other." "But knowing that we won't be close to each other anymore." "Goodbye Vittorio!" "What is it?" "Elena!" "Don't ever think badly of me, Vittorio." "Don't ever think badly of me." "My love!" "Don't you ever forget me!" "Don't forget me!" "Never." "Remember me as tonight, Vittorio." "Always remember me." "Why then?" "My love." "Don't leave me then!" "Why?" "Why?" " Let me go." "Leave me." " Elena, wait!" "Good evening, doctor Borghi." "Allow me to come up." "Even at the last meeting we didn't obtain the majority." "Thus, the problems remain unsolved." "The water for instance." "We can't go on like this, always without water." "I know you are very busy, but at least a bit of courtesy..." " Remember to delegate to someone else." " Yes, sure." " Good night." " The next condominium meeting is on Tuesday the 14th." " Good night." "I heard you coming in." "Why didn't you come to greet me?" "I thought you were sleeping." "Did you have dinner?" " Do you want me to cook something?" " No, thanks." "I'm going to bed." "Gambini called today." "He calls everyday." "He asks where you are." "And many others call." "But what can I tell them?" "!" "You come and go..." "Since when you don't show up at the newspaper?" "At least your job." "You shouldn't neglect it." "What's everything else got to do.." " ..with your job." " Please." "I'm tired." " You should be tired, too." "Go to bed!" " Yes, yes." "I'm going." "You didn't even ask me about Micchele." "He needs his father." "Right, I'm not a good father." "What's the matter with you, Vittorio?" "What's happening to you?" "Become again as you once were." "I'd want that, too." "Believe me." "You loved me back then." "You were happy back then." "Weren't you happy?" "Happy..." "I have an incessant feeling that life is betraying me." "That by now, I've got nothing to recover." "Nothing." "Because at this age a man is in chains." " And you ask me if I was happy!" " But what should I have done?" "What could I do?" "There's nothing we can do." "We are worn out." "Worn- out by a life that seemed simple, standard." "But it's the life that I wanted!" "Close to you!" " Which isn't enough for us now." " No." "It's not enough for you." " As for me..." " Yes, alright." "It's not enough for me." "I can't believe it." "How could it be possible?" "How could it be!" "Vittorio." "My Vittorio." "You'll forget her, you'll see." "You'll forget her." "Come back to me." "Come back to me." " You'll forget her." " Maybe, but it's not this." "It's all..." "It's all my life that seems wrong to me." "No." "No." "No." "It's not this." "No." "No." "No." "Vittorio.." "I don't want this..." "No.." "I want you to love me again." "Leave me alone, go back there." "It's been a year,.." "..since I'm the patient wife, understanding and unbiased." "The wife that understands everything." "But it's enough now." "Enough." "I can't stand it anymore.." "Your crises, your regrets..." "This loneliness of yours, which nobody dares to disturb!" "Enough." "Understand?" "What do you expect from me?" "To console your for falling in love with a young girl?" "!" "I'm your wife, not your mother!" "You're a villain!" "A villain!" "You ruined my life!" "I... hate you!" "I hate you!" "You ruined my life!" "You ruined... my life!" "I hate you!" "You loved me once." "You loved me once." "You loved me once." "Of course I authorize you to tell it to that worm." "This is where he's wrong, my friend." "I'm such capable of resisting." "Doesn't he pretend that his newspaper is independent?" "So if I can't write what I think because he has to conspire..." "Yes, Sir, conspire." "And I do know with whom." "What's that got to do?" "!" "It's been years since I work in Party newspapers." "At least I knew I couldn't write certain things." "Don't tell me to calm down!" "You know it well, too..." "that I'm right." "Oh no!" "It's him that should fire me." "Why should I leave?" "Does he think I'm stupid?" "!" "Ah, yes." "Yes, that title..." "I don't like it either." "See if you can change it." "It seems pretentious, also disproportionate to the importance of the inquiry." "You change it." "Yes, thanks!" "Yes." "And greetings to the worm." "See you soon." "Yes, thanks." "Bye." " Could you open the door?" " Yes." "Dad, when will you be back?" "Will you stay away for too long this time?" "I don't know." "We'll see." " Bye." " Bye." "Number 567932 in Rome?" "Yes, just a moment." "Rome in line." "An interurban call for you, Sir." " Hello?" " Hi." " Hi." " Sorry, I woke you up." "It's late, I know." " Where are you?" " I'm..." "Near Bologna, in a grill-room on the side of the highway." " Where are you going?" " I don't know." "First I was thinking of going to Mantua." " What time is it?" " It's almost 3 o'clock." " Won't you sleep?" " Eh." "I don't know." "Well..." "I don't feel like locking in a hotel." "You shouldn't have called." " Yes." "Sorry." " No." "No." "Don't ever call me again, Vittorio!" "You're right." "That was the deal." "Vittorio, you shouldn't behave like this." "Go to your city." "You should have old friends." "You should get amused." "Yes, yes." "Of course." " Sorry." " Don't be sorry." "It's only that you shouldn't look for me..." "Even if, you know..." "Every time the phone shall ring..." " Every time?" "..." " Nothing." " Fine, as you want." " No." "As we want, Vittorio." "As we said that we wanted." "Yes, yes." "Alright." "Take care of yourself." "Understand?" "But, what..?" "What do you mean?" " Take care?" "What?" " Take care of yourself." "Elena." "Bye." "Bye." "Listen." "Could you I light it, please?" "Thanks." "There it is." "The homeland." "That's the belfry of St. Andrea, the tower of the clock," "Cupola of the Duomo, the Ducal Palace." "A nativity scene." "As I imagined Jerusalem during the nativity scene." "And it's..." "How many years since I haven't set foot in here?" " Miss?" " Tell me, sir!" " Please look in for Prof. Leonardo Varzi and call him." " At once." "Thanks." " Yes." "Hello?" " Hello?" "Hello, Leo?" "Hi, it's Vittorio." "How are you?" "Vittorio?" "What a surprise!" "I'm fine." "And you?" "Well, so so..." " Where are you?" " Here, in Mantua." " Are you staying?" " Well, yes." " Shall we meet?" "Sure." "That's why I called you." "I have a meeting now, but tonight will stay together." " I'm invited by the Count of spades, but you could come, too." " Yes, alright." " Why don't you pick me up at the commune?" "Around half past 8." " Fine." " I'll be waiting." "Bye." " Bye." "Hello?" " Yes." " Tell me, Sir." "Miss, that number in Rome..." "That interurban..." "Cancel it, please." " So, cancel it?" " Yes." " Fine Sir." " Thanks." "Hello?" " Hello." " Tell me, Sir." "That number in Rome,.." "the one that I canceled before." " Call it again, please." " Fine Sir." " Thanks." "I wish I had never met you, Vittorio." "Not for my sake, but yours." "I make you suffer." "But it's the only thing that keeps me alive." "At work, my ambitions and projects..." "Nothing." "Nothing matters to me anymore." "I feel good with you." "I feel good only when I can meet you." "My ex showed up again. "When will you dump the old man?"- he said." "The old man would be you." "I tried to tell him horrible things." "That I'm your lover, that you'll get a divorce..." "And him?" " He said that I'm the usual trickster." " It'd be common if you start over." "You have the same age, the same tastes, both free..." "It's hard." "I know it's hard being with me." "But you're still free.. completely free, you can still choose." "You can do what you want." "We're not married, we're not engaged." "We're not lovers, we aren't anything." "So, why don't you leave?" "My poor make-up." " It's exactly the taste of your make-up that I like." " Really?" " So, it's not me then?" "!" " No." "It's a habit of mine since as a kid." "I used to steal my sister's make-up and eat it." "First you remove my make-up, and now you even start smoking!" "?" "Tell me at once, straightaway, otherwise I die,.." "..that we'll meet tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow." "Tomorrow..." "Yes, maybe..." "Maybe... well, fine." "No, I really can't tomorrow." "But..." "Well..." "Tomorrow..." "Well, sorry, I can't tomorrow." "You'll be punished for all your doubts, you third-rate athlete." " Come then." "I'll drag you in the abyss with me." " Leave me." "I'll bite you!" " I'll punch you!" " Hey, are you nuts?" "Fleeing, huh?" "Open it!" "Open it!" "Maybe I'll forgive you." "Hands up!" "You better surrender!" "My love." " Yes?" " Sir, I'll connect you with Rome." "Wait." "No answer, Sir." "Yes, but... keep on trying." "Try again." " No answer." " Fine." "The strike of the 9th." "It lasted two months." "And everybody eating roots." "I remember that the first of May 1913 we went against the army." "Three of us died." "Then, Enrico Ferri came to the funeral." "He made a speech.. a speech which made everybody cry like a baby." "He said: "Stop it, with the blood of the workers"." "Then he pulled out a box of matches and said:" ""Comrades, each match to a barn."" "So, then we put fire into,.." "..every barn of the landowners." "1st of May." "And they still call it 1st of May, now celebrated even by priests." "12, 15, 16, 19." "It doesn't end like this." "He goes on for all night long." " Listen." " How come they let him out at this age?" "But we must admit that he still has a good memory." "Are you the son of Borghi?" " Borghi, the postman?" " Yes, that's me." "Look who I bumped into tonight!" "You know, I remember when you were this small." "And you came here to ask your father for money." "Come on then, damn it." "Drink with me!" " Drink." " Thanks." "Ah, your father..." "Poor Mario." "What a man he was!" "There weren't many like him." "He was a bull." "He was from the countryside, too." " He was scared of nobody." "Not even the devil." " Who're you talking about?" "I'm talking about Borghi, you ignorant." "Did you know Mario Borghi the postman?" " No, never heard of him." " Shut up, then." " Why should you speak if you don't know anything?" "!" " Sing!" "# I count with my own blood. #" "# The love that few understand.#" "# Don't forget, don't forget. #" "# Good bye. #" "# Good bye Leonora. #" "# Goodbye. #" "# Leonora. #" "# Good bye. #" "You're always the best." "Well done!" "Even the fascists couldn't tame your father." "One day, they come in through that door." "Probably in 1921." ""Halt!" "Don't move!" - they say." ""Sing Giovinese."" "And you know what your father did?" "He was sitting down there playing cards." "His coat was like this." "He keeps calm, puts down the cards, takes the coat,.." "..puts it over his shoulders, and starts walking out." "And when he gets in front of the fascists, he says:" ""I'm good at singing." "Maybe I could sing 'Rigoletto',.." "..'La Traviata'.. but what's that stuff you're talking about?" "Church stuff?"" "Then he walked out and the fascists didn't have the courage to touch him." "Do you understand what a man he was?" "Not even Bomba had the courage to face him." "The fascists never touched Mario Borghi, the postman." "He said to Bomba:" ""Bomba, if you want to beat me, you must have three men with you."" "Look!" "Look at your father." "Fix that hat up your head." "You look like a peasant." "He's not ashamed of making a bad impression at his age." "Did you notice that he drank six or seven..." "I've been enduring you for 48 years." "Luisa was so pretty in church!" "You know, Vittorio." "I've been happy for this marriage,.." "..almost as if she was my daughter." "You made her a nice present by coming on purpose from Rome,.." " ..to be her witness." " I'm going to buy the "Avanti!"." "The "Avanti!"." "Still putting that scoundrel on the newspapers." " There are even jerks who buy them." " Everyone buys the newspaper he deserves." " Do you have anything to say about it?" " If I have anything to say?" "I'm saying that, if it was for me, you fascists,.." " ..would be all in jail or in hell." " Stop it, dad!" " Come, let's go." " Why go?" " Why?" "There's a damned fascist here, and I have to go?" " I said let it go." "I feel sorry because you're a poor old fool." "If you'd have 30 years less..." "Vittorio, Vittorio." "Come away!" "Don't bother, Vittorio." " Vittorio!" " I have 30 years less." " Do you think I'm scared of you?" " Who did you call 'old fool'?" " Leave me, villain." " Who did you call?" "Bolshevik pig!" "Thank God it's me who has 30 years less, because he,.." "..because he wouldn't have stopped." "Go!" "Away!" "You'll pay soon or later." "I'll find you one day." "We'll see who shall come out on top." "We'll see who shall come out on top." "You communists shall all pay." "Let's go, dad." "Old man!" "Maybe it was the first time that he was called that way." "As if even for him, so proud and intransigent,.." "..had come the moment of compassion, the pity.." "..of being put aside." "# Even if caught # # and tortured again, # # we always fight. # # we shall fight. #" "# One day we shall be victorious. # You already know my motto." " Don't break my balls!" " What happened to you, Count?" "I offer them my home, I feed them, I quench them,.." "..they can't expect to get amused." "Let them sort it out." "Ain't I right, professor Varzi?" "Look close at the Count of Spades." "Do you remember him?" "Once he looked like a provincial pleasure-seeker,.." "..who'd pass the life squandering his patrimony." "Instead... all of a sudden he happened to be an extraordinary businessman." "From landowner..." "He founded a bank." "Now he speculates, traffics, buys, sells..." "Ready to suppress his competitors with the same,.." "..the same irony that he's treating us." " And your wife, Leonardo?" " Fine, thanks." " Why didn't she come?" " Right." "And Rosanna?" " I'd be glad to meet her." " I guess she had another commitment." "See how he welcomes everyone!" "But with method, with measure..." "His evenings,.. well, how to put it,.." "..are rather fair cocktails." "Tonight's like a Center-Left cocktail." "Then, there are the evenings for the local government, municipality, junta..." "Others are definitely business ones." "In short, you got it." "From the Mayor to the Prefect, from the Monsignor of the Curia,.." "..to the Communist Deputy." "All pass through here." "As you see, there's even me." "Ah, here they are our guests of honor." " I have to tell you something later." "One of those things..." " Fine." "Are you still active in political activities, Leo?" "Yes, insofar as the teaching allows me." "I work as councilor at the commune." "I'd have preferred a less demanding job." "But, you know,.." "The Party decided this way." "Vittorio, the funny thing is that when you come back,.." "..it seems to me as if you never left." "Right Leo?" "Is it true that Marcella put a veto on your abandon of the matrimonial bed?" "Marcella jealous?" "No way!" "She's a libertine." "Moreover, she already gave me what she had to." " What?" " The money, right?" "Everybody knows that I married Marcella for the money." "Leo, what did you do this morning at school?" " Nothing." "Why?" " My brother came home terrified." " No!" " Pretty!" "Pretty!" "Pretty!" "What's with him?" "Did they promote the special correspondent?" "He's being cocky." " Something to drink?" " A Cinzano." " Doctor Borghi." "How come so lonely and detached from everyone?" "And yet, I guess many people in this party are your friends." "I remember you well, even if we never were that close..." " I remember you, too." "A bit different." " No, don't listen to the bad mouthing." "A hundred years ago, my family could live superbly with the estate." "Well, not a hundred years ago." "Up to my father." "While today, with the same estate, I have to be careful, confine myself." "And so, I bustle about." "Being a collector is an expensive hobby." "How could I satisfy it if I didn't earn much?" "Oh, pretty lady." "I wasn't expecting you anymore." "Dear engineer, how do you do?" "Doctor Vittorio Borghi." "Vittorio!" " It's you." " Yes, it's me." "How do you do?" " Let me introduce my husband." " Borghi." " Albertini." " You knew doctor Borghi?" " Sure." "Mantua is a very small city." "And Vittorio was rather important at that time." " Take a seat." " Thanks." " Will you show me your gallery?" " Yes, I've got some pieces,.." "..purchased recently." "Tell me, Borghi!" "You don't seem to fight anymore for certain ideas..." "What do you think now about the paintings that used to be in fashion after the war?" "Paddy field worker, pimps, laborers." "Here." "Rubens." "I confess you that my heart was thumping when I bought it in London." "I mean, do you still believe in,.." "..what you called "engaged art"?" "The Socialist Realism, the Zhdanovism?" "Don't know what else to call it." "Well, those were,.." "..moments of great confusion and we didn't know." "We believed to have the truth in our hands." "The confusion is even greater now." "But, at least, we're aware of it." "Once it was said: "Semel sacerdos, semper sacerdos" (~Once priest, forever priest)." "I guess it's called the "complex" nowadays." "Indeed, Borghi!" "Don't you think all you left- wing intellectuals have the complex of the ex?" "As for me, I dream of a world in which churches and party branches,.." "..are deserted." " Impossible like this." "We can't concentrate." " Right." "It's you Loredana." "You look crazy." " It's not possible here in this confusion." " We should turn the lights off." "We should take it seriously, otherwise it's useless." "You see what us, poor provincials, have turned into?" "You perfectly know that in the bourgeois houses of the big cities happens the same." "You look good." "Yeah." "You're not a youngster anymore, but neither a debacle... ..as some coetaneous of yours." "You're one of those who start practicing sports at the age of 40." "And try to be in a good shape." "Instead, we have to surrender, my dear." "It's not easy, you know." "Why don't you tell us about when you had to remove Stalin's portrait from your office?" " I've never hanged any portraits in my office." " That of Khrushchev, yes." "And now, do you have the portraits of those two new ones?" "What are their names?" "Preznev, Cossigy?" "Or are you still waiting?" "Since they have a temporary look." "My intent is to hang a portrait which is not temporary." "The most immutable that one could imagine." " Your..." "Your clown clothing." " I agree." "Agree." "But only if you put yours next to mine, with blinkers like this." "Why?" "You without blinkers,.." "..did you ever see anything?" "Unfortunately, we change without being aware." " Then, when we turn back..." " You're about to get emotional." "You'll end up like Sarah." " Like whom?" " Like Sarah, Lot's wife." "Haven't you ever read the sacred text?" " Francesca." "Will you play bridge?" " Fine." "I'm coming." "We're waiting for you to start." "Come on, be quick." " Will you stay for long?" " Well, I don't know." "Don't think so." " Francesca, will you play or not?" " I'm coming at once." "If you stay,.." "Shall we meet tomorrow?" " Hey, it's slippery." " Chicken!" "Coward!" "You're meant to belong to that generation, right?" "That of the heroes, the navigators, the saints." "Is this a way to insult me by recalling that I'm old?" "!" "Imagine the face of my colleague who's waiting for the report from Palermo." " Is it serious?" " No." "They'll put the photo of a pretty woman." "It will be better than any other lyric social-descriptive-informative prose!" " What should I say then?" " About what?" " Do you know how many pages I translated this week?" " How many?" " Twelve." " And how many has the novel got?" "It's not a novel." "It's a treaty of botany about 420 pages." "How much is 420 divided by 12?" " 35." " So, we've got ahead of us 35 weeks of happiness." " What are you doing?" " I'm staring at you." " How am I?" " Beautiful." "You're beautiful, pale and quiet." "There are still men like you." "Men who tell poems to women." "If you knew since when I had lost this habit." "You see how many things can still happen!" "?" "Yes, sweetheart." "It's because we're very nervous." "That we're tired in the end." "And you gain a potbelly." "You loose hair." "And tell poems to women again." "Other things could also happen." "Perhaps at the extreme limit of youth." "A gift." "The last one before collapsing." "For all the years that I won't kiss you." "For these very long and useless years to come." "Enough, Loredana." "You made your husband buy the villa." "He never comes, while you do as you wish." "You're angry because I never invited you." "I admit it." "I admit it." "But hope is the last goddess..." "No, my dear." "I decided to have a hectic lover." "Because it seems that the hectics,.." " Do you want to go to the hotel?" "Are you tired?" " No, as you wish." " You instead." "If you prefer to go home..." " No, let's have a walk." "This way you see again your nocturnal Mantua." "Since when we don't wander like this on foot?" "You remember?" "Coming out of the cinema." "To the endless games of pool." "Then discussing over and over..." "About everything." "So?" "What do you think of the party?" "Well, what to say..." " It's a long and difficult matter." " Maybe I know what you're thinking." "But you're wrong about it, too." "Why?" "What else am I wrong about?" "Listen Vittorio." "Since you left Mantua, we've always just.. caught a glimpse of each other." "By chance." "Once, being together to us used to mean,.." "Talking." " We used to hang around 'cause we were friends." " Exactly." "Because we had something in common." " And we told everything." " Yes, it's true." "Then, when life goes on, your relations and acquaintances,.." "..rely on interests." " You meet only the people you need." " Yes, but it's not this." "In short..." "Why did you leave the party?" "Because I'm not a communist anymore." "It's a point of dissent,.." "...of refusal, of crisis." "Fine." "Let's talk about it." "But you can't take refuge in the vagueness or in the jokes." "Let's leave the jokes to Marcchi." "Of course, Stalin..." "Stalin, who from God on earth becomes Satan in the otherworld." "Hungary hushed up by the tanks." "Tito excommunicated, then embraced by Khrushchev." "Khrushchev, on the other side, swept away from night to dawn." "And now the Chinese schism." "These are the events, important ones, I know." " It's hard to swallow all this." " But no." "As for me, these were a good thing." "Necessary experience." "As when kids." "The moment comes when you realize that even your mother and father,.." "..are not saints." "No, Leonardo." "It's not this." "Well, then..." "Why?" "Well..." "Do you remember what communism was to us twenty years ago?" "Well, what was to us?" "It was the doctrine able to explain everything." "The story of mankind." "Its past, its future." "But above all, a different way of being humans." "To us, the comrade, back then..." " It was the first word of a new language." " I knew you'd become sentimental." "Why don't you put your feet on the ground?" "To go where?" "Wherever my feet take me?" "!" "# The sun shines..." "In the future. #" "I don't believe anymore." "The future became present." "And it's not what we imagined." "We can see the things that are close to us, but,.." "There's no horizon in front of us anymore." "Since the world doesn't suit you,.. you say:" "The world is wrong." "Leo." "Would you be surprised if, one day, fighting under the same flag,.." "..the red one, that of our youth... ..two countries end up slaughtering each other?" "This will never happen." "I envy your faith." "I envy all of it." "Meanwhile, nothing matters to you." "No, it's not true." "I suffer, but, for other things." "We all suffer for other things." "But they got nothing to do." "Of course they got to do." "This is where you're wrong." "You haven't changed at all." "If you knew how many times,.." "..I thought about you during these years, and always,.." "..as a judge." "Who knows what would Leo say about him!" "What he'd say about this other one!" "Because I thought:" "There's at least one,.." "..who stood firm." "One who is saved." "With the same intransigence." "With the same rigor of a time." "My wife..." "She's a whore." "What can I do now?" "I've got two sons." "You tell me!" "I've got two sons." "And I have to hide it from them." "I have.." "..to hide it." "She almost makes me accomplice." "I can't do anything anymore." "But I stand here..." "I do what I can." "I'm sorry, I have to go." "Sorry!" "I'm Varzi, Leonardo Varzi." "Nino!" "Nino!" "Come on, guys!" "Nino, it's me Leo, open the window." "Good morning ma'am." "It's us, Nino's friends." "It's all the 3rd class here." "Hi Nino!" "We wanted to make a surprise to you!" "Water!" "Give me some water." "I'm thirsty." "It took us half an hour from Porta Castelli." " May I?" " Come." " Good morning ma'am." " Excuse us for invading your home." " Please!" "It's no trouble at all." " Mom, we have to prepare something for my friends." " Sure, at once." "Nino, you know what?" "If you don't disappoint us with this snack, as far as I'm concerned.." "You assured yourself all next year's translations to Latin." " Math from me." " Translations to German from me." " You're settled for all year." "If you still fail any exams.." "It'd mean that he's a fool for real." "Look guys!" "What a ham!" "Come on, kids!" "Eat!" "You have the right to!" "You need to eat at your age." "Hey, Zamboni, give the flagon." "Hey, are you drinking it all?" "Pass the flagon." "I don't care." "Let him sort it out." "What do I care?" "Fioretti, Nino's dad is here." "Look at his car!" "Nino, what's happening?" "They're my school friends, daddy." "They came to pay me a visit." "Well done, guys." "Why are you in uniform?" "Just came the order today." "Today he shall speak." "Today, around 5 o'clock." "All the Italian people shall be at the squares to listen to him." "Boys, we're at war." "There's no doubt anymore." "You must always remember this date." "It shall remain in the history." "Today. 10 June 1940." "As today." "Just as today,.." "..16 years ago, the fascists murdered Matteotti." "Who teaches you these things?" "Could you tell me who?" "Nino, you brought subversives at home!" "Why do I make you study then?" "Get out, you." "Get out of my home." "Get out!" "Before I kick your ass out." "Stop!" "What's your name?" "I want to know who you are." "Leonardo Varzi." "Good evening." "Evening." "I was looking at this fire..." "Fire is beautiful at night." "You..." "Aren't you..?" "Well, I thought that..." "But no..." "I guess you..." "But you're Tancredi." "Right." "You are Borghi." "Borghi." "From the Youth Front." " Soon I'll be in the Oldness Front." " What oldness, god damn it!" "The devil is old, not us." "Tell me, what do you do?" "You see." "The night-watch." "Well, at least... you're at peace, nobody bothers you." "Working is enough." " And you?" "How do you do?" " Fine." "Well, so so." " Are you married?" " Married, with a 10-year-old son." "You?" "I've got three children." "A boy and two girls." " Yeah." " Well done, Tancredi." "Actually..." "You don't remember.." "But my name is Carlo." "Carlo di Giusti." "You know, Tancredi,.." " ..is a war name." " Right." "It's because I didn't see you anymore and..." "I always remembered you as Tancredi." "Many years have passed." "Now that I'm working it's fine, but before,.." "I had a hard time, damn it." "I had an arthritis and I couldn't even raise my arm." "Maybe 'cause of the water I took as a partisan." "Did they recognize the arthritis because of war?" "Well, maybe I could..." "I had to make the visits, make questions, stamped letters." " Well, the usual stuff." " Many did it with less rights." "Let me recall." "We haven't seen each other since '45, right?" "Right, since when I went to the Regional Command." "Then the Command was disbanded,.." "And I entered in a Cooperative of road transport." "The Cooperative goes bankrupt." "Fine, let's find another job." "Meanwhile, they call me for the trial." "At first, liberators, heroes, congratulated by everybody." "Then in front of the judge asking me why I killed the fascists in random occasions." ""You want to know why?"" " I said." ""Cause that was the order."" "And him: "Where did that order come from?" "What command?" "What command could it come from?" "!" "From me!" "I was the captain of the brigade." "Look!" "It's the third or forth time that happens." "He pulls in the rolling shutter, then forgets to lock it." "He's got a fortune inside." "At least I checked it." " Do you want to smoke?" " No, thanks." "Rather yes." "Well, to keep it short,.." "After the trial and almost a year in jail, I didn't know what to do." "And so, I went to Parma." "Where I also got married." "I started a mechanic workshop." "The business went fine." "Then, the arthritis comes out.." "Damn it." "Besides, I didn't have health insurance." " So?" " So I came back to Mantua." "I was lucky to find this job." "You remember Varzi, don't you?" "Sure I remember, I even met him." " Have you been for long in Mantua?" " No." "You know, I never meet anyone with this kind of job." "No, no, I just arrived today." "You're always around the world with your job, aren't you?" "More out, than at home." "Well, you know, a bit here, a bit there..." "You were also in Moscow, two or three years ago." "I've read your articles." "Well, no." "Six years already." "I know you don't write for our newspapers anymore." "You've always been a smart guy." "I..." "I envy you." "But, in a good sense." "Really!" "Believe me." "In a good sense." "Not with malice." "I'm satisfied of being what I am." "Do you see me as a politician?" "Huh?" "Didn't you practice boxing anymore?" " No." " You've been Regional Champion for the Amateur, right?" "Eh, I was a good middleweight." "It was the second time that we came to this house." "We were constrained because we couldn't find better." "Many people saw us passing that courtyard." "Less than 2 months from the liberation day, but we didn't know at that time." "Luciano, the old Costa and Manservigi never knew about it." "Did I ever have another moment in my life of such absolute devotion,.." "..as I had in my youth for the resistance?" "And yet, while I recall it, I sense an unfillable gap." "As if I was recalling some thing told by others." "And which I have not lived." " Good morning." " Good morning." " Is it called "La Carussa" here?" " Yes." "Well, that's what I thought." "Hello Costa." "Hello Luciano." " Hello Tancredi." " Hello." "Don't you worry." "I'll be around." "So, let's begin." "During the last meeting,.." "..we posed and discussed the problem,.." "..of the armed insurrection of the people,.." "..still, as a political job." "That is, the largest diffusion to the masses,.." "..with the password:" ""Death to Nazi-Fascists"." "Now, each of you will provide,.." "..for the respective section of tasks,.." "..a brief report of the performed activity." "Then we'll discuss the problem of the armed insurrection,.." "..from the military and organizational point of view." " Excuse me, Tancredi..." " Later." "The Allies are about to make the final attack,.." "..which will free the North of Italy from the Nazi-fascists." "Now..." "We must engage all our forces,.." "..all our activities, exclusively to this goal." "The insurrection." "From the clandestine struggle,.." "..from the partisan struggle, we should lead, when the moment arises,.." "..all the Italian people,.." "..to an open insurrection against the Nazi-fascists." "Comrades." "With this final act, the Italian people,.." "..must cancel the disgrace of twenty years of Fascism." "Conquer its liberty,.." "..and with it, the right to choose, after the war is over,.." "..the kind of government that will want." "Now, it's the turn of comrade Costa who wanted to talk before." "Well, I'd like to say just one thing." "That all comrades must be more..." "The fascists!" "The fascists are here!" "We don't accept it." " Who's screaming?" " I don't know." "A woman." "It was made up." "There they are, in the barn!" "Tancredi, that woman has gone mad." " There were fascists at the riverbank." " Don't waste time." "Let's go." " Come on, let's get away." " Where shall we go?" "My family has nothing to do with it." "It was made up by the rebels." "Be quick." "Open the outlet." " Albertini." "Over there." " Down in the courtyard." "There, in the end." "I saw you coming and I informed my husband." "I thought you were the new vet." "We're waiting for him since last night." " We have to ill animals." " No, I was just looking..." "I've been here many years before and..." "Goodbye." "So, you are looking for someone!" "Luciano, the old Costa and Manservigi." "Maybe they could have traded their lives for that of the organization." "They preferred to get slaughtered." "Death settled them forever in their moment of heroism." "If they'd be alive, they'd be here like us." "Confused and together with us..." "To just live..." "Tearing each other to pieces." "Once I was telling you that,.." "..of your beauty I admired above all, that quality of yours,.." " Of a chameleon?" " Yes." "You see that your words weren't confided to the wind." "They deserve it once in a while." "Yes, you had some kind of beauty for every hour of the day." "But now, I realize that you've got one for every season of life." "There she is." "The existentialist in black pants and sweater." "..became an,.." "..elegant,.." "..very elegant and pleasant lady." "More, more..." " What?" " Compliments." "Adorations." "A bit of incense for this poor disarmed provincial." " Hi." " Hi." " Who is she?" " You've become impolite." " Why?" " You don't know her." "She lives in Mantua since a few years." "I was just asking..." "Vittorio, do you believe the world stands still to wait for you?" "No, I wish so." "Last night, after you and Varzi left,.." " People commented about you." " Really?" "What did they say?" "Can't you guess?" "No." "I don't know." "Maybe." "They seemed to me rather absent-minded and indifferent." "Don't you admit that you might have disappointed them?" "Yes, sure." "I may have disappointed my old friends." "This is what I wonder when I walk through the streets of our old city." "The enthusiasm, the fervency,.." "Yes, the purity we all used to have... where did it go?" "!" "Vittorio, I have to stop here." "But it's better if you get out." "I have to choose some fabric." "Hi, pretty!" " Hi Lindo." " I was waiting for you." " Look who I brought." " Ah, Borghi." "Look who's back!" "The samples have arrived." "Go and choose in quietness." "Take care of the lady!" " Come on." " Right away Mr. Lindo." "You see how I settled down!" "Come up, I'll show you." " Did you earn this long ago?" " No, since the sixties." "Well, not so fast." "It happened step by step." "After I left the duty as Provincial Secretary of the Party,.." "..or better say, they made me leave." "Only the Molotov or the Khrushchev of Mantua." "Here." "Excuse me for a moment." "Will you take something?" "Yes, thanks." "Olindo Civenini." "His name sounded like a God's name in Mantua." "Feared or loved,.." "..but maybe he didn't know." "And he retains himself more reputable now." "The manifestation is forbidden." "That's the order." "I'd like to ask you, Commissary:" "What's the purpose of these absurd orders?" " Is there a will to provoke..." " Careful at what you say, Mr. Civenini." " Use the appropriate words." " Stop threatening me." "Three days ago we asked permission for a meeting." "And it was granted to us." "This morning, abruptly, it was denied to us." "Why?" "Why?" "The workers have been on strike for the past 10 days." " This people is in a state of tension." " You answered why." "Cause of this state of tension." "You, the Head of Police, the Prefect, the Minister,.." "..You know it well that the workers come at the meetings,.." "Listen to their bosses.." "They scream, sing "The Red Flag",.." "..and then go back home." "You want to prevent this, while you know it well,.." "..that preventing it at the last moment.." "Lined up there under arms." "This is dangerous for the public order." "Just words." "Mr. Civenini." "Meanwhile, you did nothing to convince this people to go home." "My duty is not to make the workers go home,.." "..who only ask for respect and their right,.." "..guaranteed by the constitution." "Don't start a meeting here!" "Anyway, the idea is always the same." "You can't change it." "You know, I help as much as I can." "You understand." "Sometimes, the comrades come for the Unity feast,.." "..for the Provincial Congress,.." "..for a study meeting." "Well, things like that." "I don't like them." "My dear, how come?" "They're the latest." "Unique fabric." "After a year, even the servants shall wear the imitations." " Guidino." " Yes, Sir." " Let her see the sizes, forget about the samples." " I'm disappointed." "Sorry, Vittorio." "I won't take long." "Borghi, I'm convinced that the situation in Italy is motionless." "In neither directions." "We,.." "..struggled against the Atlantic Pact,.." "..against the Fraud Law, which we also won..." "And now against the Center-Left." "Conclusion:" "Everything still, motionless." "Many millions of votes for the com- munists, many for the demochristians." "Small Parties get hundred thousands, but the millions..." " Remain the same." " Mr. Olindo." " I'm coming." "Anyway, if we have the chance for revolution once more, we'll make it." "Guidino, did you help the lady?" "Do you think there are any "outstanding accounts" between us?" "No, all in all I don't think so." "After some years, even the debts become statute-barred." "It's what they say." "Besides, who would be the debtor and who the creditor?" "And yet, I didn't marry you because of a considerable dose of cowardice." "Now it's you who runs the risk of ending up like Sarah." "At that time, I,.." "..was an object for sale to the best bidder." "And I was amongst you,.." "..crazy, the craziest of all." "And I was a painter." "With black velvet pants,.." "..and long hair like Juliette Gréco." "Acting like crazy." "Knowing well that I was doing it." "After all, yearning for other things." "My girlfriends got married." "Meanwhile, you had already gone to Milan." "And you wrote me love letters." "And instead of the name, sometimes you drew,.." "..you drew a horse, or a house, or a tree." "Do you remember?" "I don't have your letters anymore, you don't have my paintings." "Maybe, I never loved you Vittorio,.." "..as I made you believe." "You flattered me, you made me feel beloved and excited." "But the day you asked me to marry you, I was about to laugh in your face." "Well, not exactly." "Because for a moment..." "Was your husband the best bidder?" "My husband is a good person." "You sent me,.." "..a postcard during your honeymoon." "I guess from Ventimiglia." "With just your signature in it." "No." "From Modane." " Vittorio, do you remember..." " Don't say 'remember' anymore." "I'm sorry." "It's that very often, on my own,.." "..I turn back in time." "To the beautiful age,.." "..in which we wanted or didn't want something." "To the season of the big choices of our lives..." "Of our love for life, and everything else." "Why aren't you happy?" "All in all,.." "You have achieved all the things that you wanted as a kid." "You wanted to leave from here and you did it." "You wanted to become a good journalist and you succeeded." "You should have had a reason for getting married." "And these things last long." "Even if sometimes they don't." "Why aren't you happy then?" "Because our season has passed." "Nobody can oppose to life." "It comes at you like this." "And when you don't know what to choose, you stay in the game,.." "..or nothing." "And there are moments... ..when you feel like.." "Will you accompany me home, please?" "Why did you look for me?" "What do you want from me?" "I made you curious." "But I disappointed you." "Last night, maybe for a moment, you asked yourself:" "Who knows if I was wrong for not marrying this man!" "?" "At that time he was poor, but now maybe he's not that bad." "And since I didn't marry him, why not try again." "As if all these years hadn't passed." "Yeah, your husband is a very good person." "Of course he's a good person, but he annoys you." "So!" "With the old love there's a pretty romantic excuse." "Is this what you wanted?" "Right?" "You are a madman!" "I'm pregnant." "Are you sure?" "Yes." "I'm sure." " Of course that now..." " Now what?" "Well, this fact is..." " It's a new fact, right?" " Never mind if new or old." " Are you happy or not?" " It's got nothing to do." "I didn't say anything." "Don't worry." "You won't have troubles." "It's too late." "I can't leave you now." "I can't anymore, Elena." "Don't leave me, my love!" "Talk to me." "Tell me something." "There's no need anymore,.." "..for words." "No." "There's no need." "It's all clear." "Let's not end it like this, Vittorio!" "No." "We'll say goodbye." "And each of us goes his own way." " Isn't it what you want?" " Vittorio." "Vittorio!" "Vittorio, Vittorio!" "You too have your part of responsibility in this matter." "Because my marriage, my job.." "Everything." "Has lost the sense which seemed to have." "So, 'twas better,.." "..better the earlier resignation." "If you knew how many times I told these to myself." "And it's all true." "I know it's my fault." "You shall hate me one day." "But I could never do this." "I'll just regret you." "Why then?" "Why?" "Because it's not possible anymore." "It's not possible.." "It's humiliating, I feel ashamed." "When I go back home, after having been with you,.." "..there are moments when I feel only despair." "And I have nothing to justify myself." "Nothing to wait for." "You can offer me only encounters." "But a woman asks for more." "A home as well." "Children." " What are we?" " Two lovers." " Don't you like it anymore?" " Perhaps." "However, it's not enough for me nowadays." "Of course." "Cause according to you, I have to make up my mind." "Cause still according to you,..." "I can't go on keeping my options open." "Cause it's very comfortable, 'cause I have to choose." "Yes." "And because there's more." "I have many doubts." "Even the most important one." "I'm asking myself if I love you." "Oh, Elena." "I have only you." "I have nobody else, nobody else anymore." "Vittorio." "If we happen to meet..." "Because it could happen." "I beg you..." "Let's avoid those useless greetings of false indifference." "If you see me, turn away." "Turn away as I'll do with you." "Yes, my love." "As you wish." "Listen." "Excuse me!" "Could you lend me a spade for a moment?" "You couldn't today." "It's not the day of visits." "Thanks." "I won't take long." "I'll give you a hand if you like." "No thanks." " I just wanted to clear it, remove this stuff..." " Give it to me." "If you want to clean the tombstones, there's water and a rag over there." "For you, living was simple and natural." "The children." "Struggling to not let them suffer." "Carrying them forward in order to be safe from humiliations." "All this, in many years of efforts." "And yet, you were happy." "Where did you get this strength?" "The hope of your life." "Vittorio!" "Come on, or else we miss the train." "Let him drink some coffee milk, then he stays all morning with empty stomach." "Come on, hurry!" "Damn it!" "Are you coming or not?" " Bye mom." " Bye." "Hey Borghi, didn't your alarm clock work?" "It's hard to leave the camp bad , huh?" "There it is the mail sack." "I brought it." "The conductor said: "Where's the postman?" "Did he resign this morning?"" "He didn't mean to let me take it." "So, I didn't know what to say." "Then he thought about it and gave it to me." "But he asked for a signature on the register." "Then threw it down while the train was moving." "What do I have to do?" " Won't you stop?" " I'm saying it for you." "You could get a medical report." "What medical report!" "?" "Damn you and the train conductor!" "I was never late, god damn it!" "What are you doing there?" "You missed the train, too." "Nonetheless, you must go to school." "Get it?" "Run!" "Woe betide if you arrive late!" "You accepted life as a duty." "I am here now." "I don't have any enthusiasm." "I don't have any belief." "But, perhaps I know the motive of my life." "The witness of a dignity." "The denial of all rhetorics,.." "..and all uniforms." "Give us two cokes." " But fresh ones." " You're silly." "He says that the summer is over and the fridge is useless." "Meanwhile he spares electricity." "Right, Wolfgango?" "Yes, but you're still here." "Won't you poison us sometime?" "We're going back to the stage." "Wolfgango!" "It's not working." " I didn't break it!" " Then give us back the 100 lyras." " You'll pay for the breaking it, other paying you back." " Stop it now." "Give it a kick." "How much?" "The beer and the roll, 240." "Damn, they did it." "These scoundrels never study." "Don't their parents worry about them?" "Am I right, Sir?" "All day long fixed at that thing." " What are you having?" " The same as you." " Two glasses of wine." " Here." "Ready." "Yes, a cattle." "But there's better." "You'll never get me!" "Never!" "You'll never get me!" "You'll never get me!" "Never!" "You won't love!" "Never!" "No!" "I,.." "..don't know..." "The jukebox is ruined." "Let's raise it up." " Look." " It's his, for sure." "Give it to him." "It's nothing." "Just a broken glass." "I guess it still works." "Sir!" "Yes..." "Thanks." "English subs by kinofil"