"DARK EYES" "Let's see if there's someone here." "Good morning." "Good morning." "Excuse me." " Excuse me." " It's not open yet." "We open in about an hour." "There's nobody right now." "Listen, excuse me." "Have you just boarded?" "Yes, we arrived in Athens by land." "Then we decided to go to Italy by sea." "I travel with my wife." "Mi wife is on the deck." "She has fallen asleep on a deck chair." "All of a sudden I've become extremely thirsty." "It's very hot, you know?" "But apparently there's nobody until lunch hour." "Excuse my curiosity..." "Where are you from?" "Because your accent sounds very familiar." "Me?" "I'm Russian." "Have you been in Russia?" "Sit, without obligation, please." "Would you like something to drink?" "Have this, it's very cold." "Thank you, but I don't want to bother you." "Not at all." "It's my pleasure." "Besides, I don't like to drink alone." "Here you are." "Thank you very much." "You speak my language very well." "A little." "I'm merchant." "And I've been to your country several times, on business." "Are you on business right now?" "No, no, this time I'm not not business, no." "This time, well, I'm kind of on a honeymoon." "Imagine." "Newlywed at my age." "It's quite laughable, don't you think?" "No, I envy you, because it's the most beautiful time." "Sometimes I think about the beginning of my marriage." "A happy time, a very calm one." "Anyway, have you got married recently?" "Exactly sixty seven days ago." "And you are happy, right?" "Happy." "Very happy." "Very happy." "Have you been married before?" "No, no, never." "Never." "Your face shows that you are a happy man." "I envy you, and I'm glad for you." "Thank you." "Oh, I'm sorry." "I haven't introduced myself yet; allow me." "Romano Patroni." "Excuse me too." "It's nothing." "My name is Pavel Alexander." " It would be "Paolo" in Italian." " Paolo." "Please." "Thank you." "Let's see." "Where did I put...?" "Here you are." "One moment, light." "I was looking at my wife's picture, so that I don't feel lonely." "We took it the day of her birthday." "Poor little thing, she was so young." "Oh, no, you have misunderstood me." "My wife is alive and she has good health." "The thing is I haven't seen her for a while." "I've been away for a long time." "Is this your house?" "It looks like a castle." "It even has a park!" "No, this is not my house, it's my wife's." "I have a humble background." "My father had a little inn downtown." "But as I was the youngest my parents spent their savings on giving me a good education." " I'm an architect." " What is this?" "A little present." "It's lovely." "And it was at University where I met my wife." "You know, Paolo, how these things are." "Nights on the moon light, secret encounters, her family's angry." "It was natural." "Being the only daughter of a very rich Roman banker." "Solvetti, maybe you heard of him." "She wanted to marry some poor student without money..." "Elisa and I thought we didn't need anything, you know?" "We were very young, and our dreams were all we needed." "When I became an architect, I would make a brilliant town-planning project of mine come true." ""Brilliant"." "Yes, a revolution in the architecture world." "Then her father got ill, and we went to live at the big mansion." "Then the banker died, and my wife, Elisa,..." "No, no, no." " Do you get it?" " I get it." "Anyway, Elisa, who was the only child, had to take care of the family business." "Meanwhile, time passed by, and my project..." "Our daughter, Claudia, was born." "And I, little by little, I must confess, started to get used to that comfortable life, to the pleasure of getting up late, of dressing good clothes, of being served." "The other feelings, including love, became a routine." "Pay attention to this." "This is the picture of the last happy and unconcerned hours of our family." "Here's Elisa, and behind her Claudia, our daughter Claudia, with her husband Dodó." "This lady dressed in black is Tida, my wife's closest friend." "And this is her husband, Manlio." "The lady seated, this one, is Elisa's mother, my mother-in-law." "Madam, the lawyer has arrived." "Attention." "I'll be right back." " Madam, Madam, excuse me." " Later, later." "Elisa." "Be careful." "I see the lawyer has come." "What's his name?" " Domenico." " Yes." " Has anything happened?" " No." " Take care of the guests." " Yes." " Madam." " Later, later." "I would like to see her going up the stairs a hundred times a day." "Up and down, up and down." "My god." " Excuse me, Madam." " I said later." "And don't grumble." " Madam." " Later!" "Closer to the table." "Alberto, who is playing?" "I don't know, a child." "Let's take a nice picture." "Don't leave, please." "Everybody come here." " I want you all here." " Did you see the racket they make?" " I don't understand, all this for what?" " Just to take a picture." " I don't like pictures." " Me neither." " I always avoid this kind of meetings." " They are no good, no good." "Ready!" "Now!" "Excuse me." "Madam, for the concert, do we take the chairs from the saloon?" " As you like, ask Mr. Romano." " Ok." "And tell them to leave alone that piano, please!" "Yes, yes, of course, I'll wait." "I understand." "I understand, excellent!" "So?" "A disaster, as I was afraid." "The thing is that the Director didn't attend to the Administration board." " This way, hurry." " That's right." " I'll sing." " Closer, get closer." "It's incredible!" "I advise you to calm down." "Nobody knows what happened." "Tomorrow we can still try to invest part of the shares." "Yes, yes, yes!" " Do me a favour, Elisa." " Tell me." "Come back to your guests, and don't say a word to anybody." "Elisa, do you understand?" " To nobody." " Please, I beg you." "Tina!" "Manlio!" "Don't leave!" "We'll do something else." "Elisa." "Elisa." "Mother." "Hello, mother, how are you?" " Where have you been?" " But I was here." "You may go." "They're having fun, aren't they?" "How could you marry a man like that?" " He should be a clown." " Mother." "Look at him." "To whom will he try to sell that he needs to go to get mud therapy?" " What a clown." " Mother." "He'll never stop being a shopkeeper's son." " Shopkeeper's" " Shopkeeper's" "A poor bankrupt who was lucky to get married to a rich woman." "Mother, you have been repeating that for over 25 years now." "Hurry!" "Hurry, to the concert!" "Let's go to the concert!" "Let's go to the concert!" "Hey, you've taken the kite without permission!" "Let's go to the concert!" "Where are you running to?" "You mustn't run like that." "Don't run like that." "Lift those knees." "One, two, one, two." "Where's the concert?" "Where's the concert?" "Where are you taking those flowers?" "Mr. Romano has ordered us to spread them over the fountain." "Where's Mr. Romano?" " I don't know, Madam." " No, no!" "Take them inside." " Yes, Madam." " Don't do anything I don't order." " OK." " Let's go, quick." " They said a gifted child is playing." " Aha." "Who is it?" "Don't you even recognize me anymore?" "Hello." "Where's Manlio?" " What Manlio?" " "What Manlio?" Your husband." "Yes, Manlio, move!" "You are here." " How are you, Manlio?" " I'm fine." "You must have heard that I bought the patent to fabricate that new type of unbreakable glass." " Help me clear the table." " Julia will take them." "And put the cutlery together." "We're in need of another tablecloth." " Look what a stain!" " I'll see it right away." " And bring the sugar bowl." " All right." "We'll open the first factory in Germany and then in other places." " Oh, this head of mine!" " I forgot..." "I'll be right back." " Don't worry." "I think he's not very interested on the subject." "That's natural." "You may go as well." "Go, go." "I'll go back to my place, then." "Here I am!" "Here I am!" " Here I am." " Cheer up, Elisa." "Elisa." "Tina!" "And Manlio?" " Manlio." " No, don't bother." "Where's Romano?" "Romano?" "Who's Romano?" " Mother, do we start?" " Yes." " Yes, go ahead." " Ok, let's start." "Ladies and gentlemen." "Dear friends." "I have the pleasure to present you, as a perfect ending to this extraordinary evening,. a little genius..." "Mother." "Shut up." "Pierre Depoisé." "A sonata, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart." "I'll be right back." "Romano!" "Romano!" "Romano." "Elisa, it's you, what was that noise?" "Oh, excuse me for awaking you." "I was snoozing." "It's that I feel very tired." "I'm not doing too well, Elisa, I don't know what's wrong with me." "You, tired of what?" "What are you tired of?" "Grandma." " What is she doing?" " Drinking." "Drinking." " Take that glass away from her." " No, it's my fault." "It's going to do you no good." "This is the only thing you have done in your entire life." "You started 23 years ago, on my saint's day!" "What's going on?" "Explain yourself." "What's going on, Elisa?" "For Christ sake." "What's going on is that we are at the brink of disaster, all right?" "Our bank has always been a stronghold and now it's going to hell." "If you want me to go, say so clearly." "No, go away." " You have to heal." " Go away!" "Besides, you don't know about these things, you don't understand them." " It's better to sleep, to dream..." " We are giving a show." "It's true, I have never been interested on our business." "But the truth is that you and your mother have never..." " So that's it!" "Now it's my fault!" " Elisa, stop." "If we don't, God knows what we're going to say to each other." "No, no!" "You think I know nothing, and see nothing." "But you are wrong, I know you very well, you are a hypocrite." " Hypocrite!" " Elisa, don't be like that." "Do you think I don't know why you hate me?" " You hate me because I'm rich." " Elisa." "You married me just so you could have this house and everything else." "And you don't forgive me, and you'll continue lying to me and deceiving me." "Always, until you die." "Elisa." "How could you say that?" "Elisa." "Elisa." "Elisa, wait." "Open it." "Open it, Elisa." "Romano." "What are you doing?" " I'm measuring the carpet." " You are measuring the carpet." "And what are you measuring the carpet for?" "You are sweating." " I measured it all because..." " I understand." "...it needs to be changed." " I don't know why, I don't know..." " The carpet." "You make me lose count, and Manlio?" " I didn't mean to." " Manlio?" "Manlio, come over here!" " No, no." " I have to measure it." " Sure you do." "Manlio, we have to help Romano measure the carpet." "They're going to change the carpet and we have to measure it." " Sure, we'll help him." " We had counted six." " Let's not waste any time." " That's what we are here for." "7, 8,..." " Wouldn't be better to..." " No, no, no 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29..." "The next day, I left." "But how?" "Without giving any explanations?" "Explanations about what?" "I didn't feel guilty of anything." "Of course, you went to heal, didn't you?" "You were ill, right?" " Good morning." " Good morning." " Good morning." " Good morning." " Good morning." " Good morning." " Good morning." " Good morning." " Good morning." " Good morning." " Good morning." " Good morning." "I'm not in the mood for dancing today." "Here I go!" "This could drive anyone insane!" "I've never heard anything like that." "I don't want to!" "No, I don't want to!" "Good bye, Romano." "Good morning, it's time, it's 8:00." "It's time, it's 8:00." "Good morning everybody." "It's time." "Oh, again." "It's time, good morning, It's 8:00." "Good morning." "Come on in." " I'm so so." " You know, Romano... ..it's been a truly horrible night for everybody." "All the customers have complained about the constant noise." " The general gets drunk at night..." " No, impossible." "...and makes such a racket, people coming and going..." "It's really annoying, and it's kept everybody awake." "It's a shame!" "Is this a beach resort..." " What's going on?" "...or a brothel?" "For Christ sake, somebody come!" "I've been in 3 wars, at Veterania and Herzegovina." "And I've never seen something like this before!" "Oh, God!" "Come, Mr. Romano, come to see this." "It's an embarrassment I can't tolerate it any longer!" "I haven't drunk in 30 years!" "And there you have that rogue, who for the sixth time..." " And I've said for the sixth time!" " Good morning." "Good morning." "I would like to know who leaves this crap at my door!" "Why do you take it on me?" "Because it's the ninth time you don't salute a superior properly." "I have my salute arm disabled." " This is a shame!" " God, God." "I would send you to the wall." "I would have you executed." "What an infamy!" "What this little puppy want from me?" "It's licked my boot!" "This horrible animal!" "At least put it on a leash!" " I apologize." " Take it away." " I'm sorry." " I don't want to see it again!" "You could be more careful with it!" " Jesus, what a horrible trip." " Tina." "The heat has been unbearable today." " Terrible." " Yes, yes." "So what?" "Is the food good here?" " Well..." " Is the cuisine good?" "Look." "Are the rooms ok?" "Yes." "Then we'll be fine." "What do you mean "we'll be fine"?" "Do you mean you're staying?" "Of course." "What about Manlio?" " Manlio?" "What Manlio?" " What do you mean "what Manlio"?" "Ah, Manlio." "Why do you ask about him?" "Well..." "He's around, at India." "What?" "Is it that you're not happy to see me?" "How do you say that, Tina?" "How could I not be happy?" "The thing is it bothers me not to be healthy." "You know?" "I'm still under observation, because I have something wrong in my legs, it feels like they were being pull off." " What are you saying?" "Yes, from time to time I have the sensation of not being able to control my legs." "I'm fine, but..." "No, Romano." "I've scared you, eh?" "Scared me?" "Why?" "OK, let's leave it there." "Manlio is with the horses." "He'll be here soon." "Are you happy?" "What does Manlio have to do with anything?" "All right." "Tell me who you are involved with this time." "I'm passing by just to find this out." "Right." "Your legs hurt, I forgot." "Ok, let me guess." "It can't be her." "No, it can't be her." "It' can't be her, it's not possible." "I'm living like a hermit here." "All right." "Your jokes aside, are you going some place?" "We are going to pay a visit to Manlio's parents." "Who is that woman with the annoying little mirror that doesn't let you eat?" "A Russian woman, who carries a little dog." "That's all I know." "She doesn't live here at the hotel." "She comes here just to eat and to get the cures." "Have you seen Elisa?" "How is she?" "What's her name?" "What should I know?" "I swear, I know nothing about her." "Tell me have you seen Elisa?" "You know what?" "I find you really lost this time." "What?" "What have you said?" "It's serious this time." "I feel it." "Finally." "Here's Manlio." "Manlio." "Go help Romano, poor dear, he can't even walk." " Hello, Manlio." "Take him from behind the arm, I'll grab him from here." "No, no, no." " Come, don't worry." "Hold on, lean on me." "That's it, walk." "Very good, that's it." " Walk" " I can do it on my own." " Lean on me, walk." " Slowly, slowly." " Why do you make up all this excuses?" " Well you know me." " You are lost without me." " What?" "Sure you are." "You are lost without me." "I have to take care of you." "Manlio." "We can't wait for Giovanna." "You are lost without me!" "It doesn't bite." "Don't be afraid, lean on me." "Don't be afraid of the embarrassment, I can help you, I assure you." "No, it's that..." "You mustn't be afraid." " But..." " I'll help you." "...it was a joke." " I know this condition, because my grandmother had it too." " But..." " Take my umbrella." "I've heard what you said to your friend." "You feel your legs are dead." " Isn't that right?" " Yes, exactly." "It must be a synovitis." "I'm sure it's a synovitis." "I whish it were a synovitis!" "I have calcifications on both knees." "They're not exactly calcifications, I have splinters." "How that started?" "It must have been because of the earthquake." " Have you ever heard of the Vesubio?" " Of the Vesubio?" "Yes." "But that happened before Jesus Christ." "That's true, but it's something hereditary..." "Mi forefathers were from Pompeya." "But wait!" "Now that you said it." "A forefather of mine was cured by a Russian woman, you know?" "Really?" "Yes, but I think it's more of a legend." "Please, tell me about it." "No." "Besides, I don't believe in those stories." "You have already started." "They're just nonsense." " Imagine you go around telling..." " I beg you." " Ok, we can try." " Yes." "Whisper a Russian word in my ear." "Which one?" "Any word." " Any word?" " Yes." "Ok." "It means "little dog"." "What's going on?" "I'm cured!" "It's a miracle!" "A miracle!" "A miracle!" "Miss!" "Wait!" "Wait!" "Miss!" "Wait!" "It had been just a joke." "Walk and it will pass." "How have you tripped?" "Slowly." "Last night I knocked on your door but you didn't open." "But it's ok, because we'll never see each other again." "The bird has flown off for good." "No!" "Oh, what desperation!" "My bird!" "Good morning." " Good morning." "Good morning." "Good morning." "Chew well, so that the food gets slowly to the stomach." "Yes, yes, you laugh." "I don't know if all Russian women are like that." "I don't know." "Physically, she wasn't particularly interesting." "Because..." "How should I put it?" "Where did I put the shoe?" "But... she irradiated a feeling of purity, of integrity, and even of naivety." "Do you know what I mean?" "What is this?" "Here it is." "Besides, I was tempted by the fact that she believed all the stories I told her." "Because nobody else believed them." "Just her." "Thank you." "And that made me feel young." "When I was 5 I was orphaned." "I moved to my grandfather's, who was alone too." "He was a very strict old man." "Grandpa lived with a sparrow." "He called him, he gave him orders." "He summoned him, for example, when it was mealtime: "come"." "I summoned him as well." "I said:" ""come down, little sparrow, the crumbs are ready for you"." "He came down and ate from my palm." "I was delighted because..." "Look, the hat." "What a pity!" "It doesn't matter." "I have another one." "Allow me, Madam." "Thank you, sir." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Look, look how they have fun." "I remember when I was a boy my mother used to do the shopping at the market early." "I got into the shopping trolley and she pushed it." "I wanted to have a bike, buy my father couldn't afford it." "So he made me a scooter, and I was happy with it." "Come inside." "I don't want to go in." "To show you there's no trick I'll ask one lady on the audience to be my assistant." "Who could be so kind?" "Maybe that lady on the black hat?" "Yes, he has chosen you." "No, Romano." "Approach." "Approach here, please." "Please, don't be afraid, dear." "We don't know each other, so I'm twice grateful for your help." "Do you think there's nothing here?" "Look well, I see something..." "Very good!" "Bravo!" "And what are you hiding in that bag?" "She says nothing." "Are you sure?" "Look better." "I'll stay aside, you look." "Bravo!" "I knew nothing about her." "I knew she was married, that she didn't have any kids, and that she had learnt my language studying singing." "On the other hand, my intentions weren't very serious." "But one night..." "Come on, we must hurry." "I'm doing my best." "Ok, don't get angry." "What are you doing here on your own?" "Where's your owner?" "Come here, pretty." "Who is it?" "Anna." "What happens?" "Why are you crying?" "What happened to you?" "Anna." "I assure you, you're not going to believe me, I cry because I'm happy." "Very happy." "Don't tell me you cry when you are happy." "Romano." "Yes." "Excuse me, Romano." "Why?" "You must find all this very strange." "I'm not used to being happy." "Calm down." "Today I've had a lump on my throat the whole day." "That happens when you're young." "I love you, you are..." "Romano." "...so beautiful." " Romano." "It embarrasses me that you see me like this, you've been so kind with me." "I'm grateful for everything you've done for me, my Romano." "Ok, it's enough." " I'll never forget your understanding." "Stop crying, I'm here now." "Don't cry." "Give me one of your lovely smiles." "You are beautiful when you smile." "What happens, Romano?" "Romano." "Romano." "Don't be afraid." "You mustn't." "Calm down, calm down." "Romano." "Don't be afraid." "Sleep." "You have cried." "Why?" "Listen." "I forgot to tell you something that happened last night, something fantastic." "That officer that says he's been shot was visited by a friend, who was also an officer." "With a face like this, completely drunk." "Our friend was telling the waitress of the day the story of how bullets flew all around him on the battle, when the other seats and says in front of everybody:" ""hadn't you mixed cognac with beer you wouldn't have got drunk, and the two whores wouldn't have thrown you down the stairs." "And you wouldn't be here with your arm on a sling!" "Do you picture the situation?" "In front of everybody." "That morning she didn't come for breakfast." "I waited for her for a while." "Then I went out, to buy a watermelon, and I went to pick her up." "Hello." "Hello." "Good morning." "She's gone." "Who?" "The Russian woman." "I came..." "She had booked until the 20th, but she left this morning." "The doctor..." "Who are you?" "The doctor asked me... as it was on my way, if I was so kind..." "Is this yours?" "I found it this morning next to the bed." "No." "Ok, then if it's not yours is mine." "Sure." "Are you Mr. Romano Patroni?" "Oh, yes." "Wait, I get it, she's left a letter to the doctor." "I write you this letter in Russian, not only because I don't speak your language, but also because because..." "At the beach resort I didn't find anyone who could translate the letter." "I opened it ten times a day, maybe more." "And inhaled its perfume." "Besides, what could that woman have written knowing we would never see each other again?" "Some kind and affectionate words, some slight reproach,..." "I felt that I had learnt Russian." "Meanwhile, I had returned to Rome, where life continued its apparently quiet course." "I met Elisa for lunch, little arguments, the hate of my mother-in-law, and I thought:" "In some months, the memory of this affair will be gone, like many others." "On the contrary, one month later her image stayed so clear, so precise as if we had just split up a moment before." "Then, I had a "brilliant" idea." "I cut out the first line of the letter, written in Italian, where it was my name, and the last one, where it was her signature." "Then I went to the university where I had studied with that sheet, where I was sure I would find someone that could help me." ""I write this letter to you not only because I don't trust my Italian but also because when somebody translate it to you I'll be long gone." "So long that just the thought of it makes me shiver." "And at that moment nothing could be changed." "I don't leave, I run away." "I run away from love." "I run away from what I have waited for all my life." "I'm back to my role of mediocre person who couldn't ask for more than what she already has and must continue to be the support of an unhappy family with an alcoholic father and two little brothers." "To help them, I married a man I don't love but to whom I've remained to whom I've always remained faithful, until I met you." "With you, I found the happiness of love, from which now I run away." "Oh, my God." "To whom is addressed this letter?" "What?" "To whom is it addressed?" "I found it among some papers of a friend who's in Russia." "Really?" "And what does he do in Russia?" "He died frozen at San Petersburg." ""Now it's... almost 7:00." "The suitcases are ready, and I'm on the chair you seated in a moment ago"." "While I listened to her letter I saw her eyes again, I smelled her perfume." "The memory of her openwork cotton gloves touched me." "The hair on the back of her neck, soft as a chick's feather." "That's how I knew that I loved her desperately." "Tina was right." "I was lost." "And you were after her?" "Yes." "What did you say at home?" "The excuse was very simple." "I'm an architect; my friend Manlio wanted to set a glass factory and asked me to check the possibilities in Russia." "Three weeks later, loaded with catalogs of unbreakable glasses, I arrived to San Petersburg." "I started processing the permit to go to the little village where she lived." "I don't know how are things in Russia now, but back then it wasn't easy for a foreigner to travel from one city to another." "Now it's easier." "Well, then it was hell." "They gave me an interpreter who was supposed to help me get that permit." "Or rather help me get someone who took responsibility and sign it." "A document that allowed me..." "Good morning." "Thank you." "Seat, please." "Excellency, I've come to show you this glass, which is unbreakable." "He's deaf." "I said this is an unbreakable glass that endures any impact." "I'll do a demonstration, if you allow me." "Look carefully." "Well, look." "Look, I'll hit it with all the strength." "Do you see?" "Now you try, your Excellency." "But do it hard, please, don't hesitate." "The signature." "Do you see, Excellency?" "It's formidable." "But please, again, without fear." "Do you want to try?" "Here's the permit, let's put this aside." "A little signature will do." "Your excellence says he can't sign." "There's no ink, ink." "Isn't there any ink left?" "Ask him if in the entire palace there's no..." "You see, there's no ink." "Ok." "Thank you, thank you." "I must go." "There's ink here." "The glass doesn't break  even with the weight of my body." "It doesn't break." "Come on in, please." "Thank you." "What a wonderful person Pierre Basile is!" "What a brain!" "What a remarkable statesman!" "And how he knows how to resolve problems." "With what discernment!" "Stop!" "Excuse me, my friend." "Goodbye." "Good morning." "Excuse me, could you...?" "Yes." "Bravo!" "Bravo!" "Yes, yes." "Long live progress!" "Progress, yes." "Hurrah!" "In the name of the nobility of our city, let me appoint you, being foreigner and honoring us with your presence, honorary citizen of Sisoev." "Thank you." "Wait!" "You are awake!" "I was waiting for you." "For me?" "I wouldn't want to bother you, my name is Konstantin." "But they call me Kosta, Kosta." "How great to be able to talk to you!" " They're going to kick me out from here." "Come." "Who?" "I wanted to talk to you." "Empty city." "Listen, listen." "I'm the veterinarian here." "I've studied for two years in Italy." "But that doesn't matter." "I'm sure I'm going to be kicked out from here, but for my soul, don't build that factory here." "Yes, I understand progress, population increase, and I'm not against those things, I'm not." "In Krizhanovskiy there's clay, there's peat." "Try to understand." "Steam machines need wood." "And what are we going to do?" "Turn our pine forest into smoke?" "What about the river?" "What's going to happen to it?" "Your Excellence says..." "Not Peruski, just a little French." "Very well." "Uncle." "Theater." "Tea." "Rubles." "Konstantin." "What happens to you?" "It's nothing." "He's just a little..." "How beautiful you are!" "You're the most beautiful dog." "Come, come." "Bravo." "Bravo." "Long live beautiful Italy!" "Anna." "Anna." "Anna." "Anna." "Anna." "Anna." "Anna." "Anna, wait." "Anna, don't leave." "I need to talk to you, wait." "Anna." "Listen, please, don't run." "Anna." "Anna." "Don't run." "Stop." "Anna." "Anna, wait." "Please, don't go." "Anna." "What are you saying?" "Don't you realize the journey I've made to see you?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" " How can you ask?" "You have to listen to me." "You must listen to me." "You wrote a love letter..." " Why?" "...and I want to know..." "Why have you come?" "Why have you come?" "I can't live without you." "Me neither." "Anna." "Now everything is going to be simple." "Love me as much as I love you and we'll be very happy." "I'll leave everything." "We'll leave it, without deception or lies." "You'll tell everything to your husband, and I'll talk to my wife." "He'll understand." "I'll go back to clear everything, then I'll come back." "Anna." "Love without lies." "You'll wait for me." "Tell me." "Will you wait for me?" "Answer me." "Yes." "I think you haven't seen me." "Kosta." "Konstantin." "Yes, yes." "I've come back to apologize for this morning." "Please." "I've said a lot of nonsense." "No." "I've probably just put you in a bad mood." "I'm not against your factory, no, but..." "Konstantin." "That story about the factory is a lie." "I've just come here looking for a woman." "And have you found her?" "Yes, yes, yes!" "I've found her, yes!" "And I feel so..." "Yes?" "I have to go now." "Konstantin, I'm in a rush now." "I'm sorry, but I'm in a rush." "Excuse me." "My daughter is sleeping over here." "Sometimes I'm alone and I don't have anyone to leave her with." "I have to take her with me." "We waited for her to sleep for a while now." "Excuse me." "No, you did very well." "You have done very well, truly." "You know?" "I had a daughter too." "Well, I still have." "But she's older now." "What the name of yours?" "Olla." "Olla." "A lovely name." "I have to finish preparing the luggage now." "I have to leave." "What?" "Are you planning to leave during the night?" "The train doesn't leave until morning." "I don't know, but I have to get to Rome as soon as possible to take some big decisions." "I'll be back sooner than you think." "The train it's 40 yards away from here." "How are you going to get there?" "You don't know who Romano is." "Konstantin!" "Wait, Romano!" "So you have decided to go there on foot." "It's 40 yards long." "Thank God this man is willing to join us." "A pleasure, Romano Patroni." "A pleasure, Romano Patroni." "Everybody here thinks I'm crazy, you've probably already noticed that." "How do you say that?" "Yes, don't say it isn't true." "And I understand it." "I'm not against factories, but it's impossible here." "If machines swallow the forest and the river dries only desolation and death will remain." "That's why I don't care if they take me for a madman." "I don't take offence at that." "They are honest people." "Respectable people who only wish to make things better." "But they're like children who grab everything within reach and put it in their mouths." "That way they have devoured everything that surrounded them." "What's wrong with you?" "Oh, Mother." "Everyone wants to take maximum advantage right away." "I can help too in some way." "No." "I'm sorry." "Where will all those advantages lead us?" "Nobody knows." "Nobody wants to know." "Listen, listen, I can't swim." "The water isn't very deep here." "Thank God." "It used to be deeper." "Before they built the dike." "There was a lot of fish." "What did you say?" "That there were millions of fish." "Yes, yes, everything dies out." "Fishes, birds, tomatoes, everything." "Your home isn't just your plot of land surrounded by a fence." "Your home is everywhere." "It's this river, this forest, this stream." "It's everywhere." "And must be looked after like a temple." "Beauty is the force behind matter." "Watch out, watch out, stop, stop, stop." "Thank you, thank you." "When I was a child I never wanted to go to bed." "I used to think that the best part would start as soon as I went to sleep." "My mother would sing some lullaby to me, and I would cover my ears not to hear it because I was afraid of falling asleep." "And I ended up falling asleep with my fingers in my ears." "* Fall asleep,... * * ...beautiful mummy's boy doll. *" "* Little boy,... * * ..." "I'll sing this chorus to you. *" "We travelled through that moist land accompanied by the tinkling of the bucket that hanged from the cart." "I saw my mother in my dreams and I heard her voice." "And for the first time after so many years I didn't feel any regret." "Gypsies!" "It's me, Romano!" "Do you remember?" "Romano!" "Gypsies!" "I'm leaving, but I'll come back very soon!" "Wait for me!" "Gypsies!" "I'll be back very soon!" "Wait for me, gypsies!" " Good morning." " Good morning." "Be careful, don't scratch the wardrobe." "Where are some ropes?" "I'll go get them." "Number 127, the table..." "That chair goes over there, separate it." "Fernando!" "Welcome, Mr. Romano!" "What's going on?" "Mr. Romano." "Where's Madam?" "She's upstairs, and Mrs. Tina too." "Elisa has decided to sell everything in the house in order to pay the debts." "Manlio and I are making the inventory and she is with some buyers." "What can I tell you." "How could she trust so blindly in that lawyer?" "You have to be..." "Why do you look at me that way?" "You are a true friend." "What's wrong?" "I'll miss you." "Do you know what "sobachka" means?" "No, what does it mean?" "I think I'm going to give you a big surprise." "This is a very good billiard table." "It's an authentic French table." "If you are interested I'll leave it." "Well, Nino?" "And this is the music room." "Here there's an excellent piano I think I'll leave it." "I saw it first." "Kids, behave." "It could be useful for the children." "It's mine." "I said "quiet"!" "No, it's mine." "Who said it's yours?" "Elisa." "Because it's the truth." "Romano!" "You are a liar." "These gentlemen have come to see the house, and they might want to buy it." "Good morning." "Can I look around?" "Of course." " Good morning." " Good morning." "Come, the bedrooms must be here." "Good morning." "Good morning." "Hida, Hida." "What you wanted 30 years ago." "No house, no money, just you and me." "How are you?" "Fine, fine." "How's been your trip?" "What?" "Your trip." "It's been interesting?" "Yes, yes." "Was it cold?" "No, no, on the contrary." "Excuse me." "But, what have you been to Russia for?" "What?" "I found this one day as I was putting your things in order." "Have you read it?" "No, it's in Russian." "And it's perfumed." "I don't know." "I don't remember now." "Maybe it's one about technical aspects of the glass." "Romano." "Yes?" "Why did you keep this letter?" "Elisa but I haven't kept it!" "I don't know, it must have been mislaid." "Sometimes, you throw off letters." "But I don't know, what things you ask." "If I had the answer..." " The prettiest was the white one." " The black one." "No, the pretty was the black one." "Kids!" "No, it was the white one." "Kids, what happens?" "Ask this gentleman." "What happens?" "Can we keep it?" "What did we buy the other puppies for?" "Let's ask dad." "No, let's ask mum." "I think the best thing is to ask mum." "Yes, mum, yes." "As for me..." "Tell mum I'll go see the puppies right away." "Above all things, I advice you not to give them sugar, because it's very dangerous." "I'll be right away, behave yourselves." "All right." "I'll be right away." "Romano." "For once in your life tell me the truth." "But what do you want to know, exactly?" "The truth." "Which truth?" "All of it." "All right." "Are you sure you won't regret it?" "Do you want to know all the truth?" "But before that swear that you'll not ask any more questions." "Ok?" "Yes." "Swear it." "And if I swear it then you'll tell me all the truth?" "All of it?" "Yes." "I swear it." "What do you want to know?" "Is there a woman in Russia that you love?" "No, never." "I'm sorry, honey." "But I'm so tired." "They've been hard days and I have missed you very much." "I've missed you very much, honey." "What's that?" "A Russian record." "How interesting!" "And then what happened?" "Well then, naturally, I never returned to Russia." "I went back to my old life." "My wife's problems got solved little by little." "She even received an inheritance from an uncle from the US she didn't know about." "That way, she recovered the mansion, the paintings and the money." "And me." "And now I'm here." "And her?" "Her, who?" "Her." "The other one, the Russian." "She loved you, she waited for you, maybe she's still waiting." "But it's been almost 8 years." "Even the little dog must be dead by now." "Besides, tell me:" "What was what we had after all?" "And if it was something, what was it?" "You'll never know." "My God." "When all it's said and done, who will remember anybody?" "All you have to do is thinking of that, and life becomes peaceful and calm." "You can think what you want about yourself." "It's your right." "But that doesn't apply to everybody." "But, my friend, open your eyes." "Open your eyes and look around." "We're in the 20th century." "Who remembers about the rest?" "Who's capable of waiting somebody nowadays?" "Me." "Me!" "I've known my wife since we were kids." "Since she was a kid, I'm quite older than she is." "Then, she moved to another city along with her parents." "She got married and her marriage went wrong, the same old story." "Anyway, seven years ago I found her in Moscow." "She lived in some aunt's house, in a desperate situation." "Family quarrels, money issues,..." "I didn't ask her anything." "And she didn't tell me anything either." "To make a long story short I fell in love." "I lost my mind completely." "But the most important thing, to be realistic, the fact was that she didn't love me back." "She had never loved me." "And even when she tried to kill herself and I brought her back from the other world she cried and cried, and kissed my hands." "But she never wanted to hear anything about marriage." "So I gave myself up to drinking, but that's not important." "In seven years I asked her to marry me 8 times, and she always answered "no"." "And the ninth time, when I had gone completely mad for love, I threw myself to her feet." "She knelt down next to me." "She kissed me in the forehead and said: "I don't love you, but I'll remain faithful to you"." "That's what she said." "And she accepted." "And I embraced that humiliating situation with enthusiasm." "With enthusiasm, you see?" "Because I'm a zero, a timid person, I've already told you that." "I don't know how to make people love me." "But everything counts, every day, every gesture." "We will take everything to the grave." "And it's quite probable that this ship rots, and this sea dries." "But the good we've done, the wrong we've done, will last forever somewhere." "I've lived every day as if it were a parody." "A bad copy." "I've had everything and nothing." "Neither a real home, nor a real family." "Not even my daughter, who resembles me, as we were two drops of water." "I don't remember anything." "If I died right now, and the Holly Father told me: "Romano, what do you remember about your life?" "The lullaby that my mother used to sing to me when I was a child." "Elisa's face the first night." "The Russian fog." "Romano!" "You're crazy." "Lunch is in fifteen minutes, and you haven't done anything." "Don't worry, everything will be ready in fifteen minutes." "I found an old friend who was in war with me, in Africa." "Do you excuse me?" "If they fire you again, I won't help you, do you understand?" "Don't worry." "Do you get it?" "In fifteen minutes everything will be ready." "You go and be back in fifteen minutes, I'll be waiting." "Go get your wife." "I'll serve you a lunch worthy of newly-weds." "Go, go, and don't forget your hat." "I get it, I get it, Romano." "Romano, we'll be right back."