"In a modern psychiatric hospital they call the nuts "guests"." "The Director, a nice young man, puts an orchestra together with these nuts." "The "guests" organize everything with no doctor's supervision." "The orchestra rehearses and when it's ready, the Director arranges a gala evening for the local authorities, the Mayor and the Chief of Police." "That evening he makes a speech:" ""Thank you for coming." "This is a musical evening organized by our guests." "They'll now play 'La Cucaracha'."" "Then he says to the head nut, who's the Conductor: "Maestro !"" "The Conductor nods to the audience, raises his baton, waits for silence and... one, two, three, he begins !" "A huge success, the audience is awed, the orchestra and the Director beam." "The Director goes to the podium and speaks:" ""Thank you for your enthusiasm !" "Now the orchestra will play whatever you like." "If you want to hear an aria, or a symphony..."" "No one speaks at first, then someone says: "Cast..."" "So the Director says:" ""Louder !"" "The voice says: "Casta Diva !"" "The Director looks at the Conductor and says: "Casta Diva ?"" "He nods: "Perfect"." "He waits for silence, raises his baton: one, two, three..." "Funny, isn't it ?" "You told it pretty well." "Your mother and sister always laugh at my jokes" "They don't want to mortify you." "Just kidding, you're good." "lrony about certain things is wrong, why joke about democratic psychiatry ?" "Jokes are funny because they poke fun." "Laugh !" "Have a good laugh !" "blow to the heart" "Pear." "Pear." "Reap." "Rape." "Pare." "And tire ?" "Tier." "Rite, Teri." "E leap ?" "pale, peal." "They're anagrams, when I was a kid you'd harp on them." "I remember." "I taught you to break words up and reassemble them." "Professor Rosini says Pascoli used to do anagrams." "Letters are like musical notes." "How is Rosini ?" "He was my best student." "Now he's my dumbest professor." "Happens." "What can you do ?" "You know what I noticed about my colleagues ?" "They pretend not to know anything anymore." "It's a new form of behavior, as if they were ashamed of the years spent over books." "You know what we do when we meet in the evenings ?" "We talk about TV, sports, women, or tell dopey jokes like "La Cucaracha"," "but we used to exchange bibliographies." "Bad omen, you should change friends." " That's an idea." " I'll introduce mine." "No, we tell dopey jokes, but you..." "Last one pays !" "You don't know how to ride, you'll break it !" "My mother had a rose-mania too." "It's not a mania, it's a cult." "Sorry, I'm a layman." "Know what I did once ?" "She'd bought some sticks and I threw them out thinking they were branches." "But they were Papa Meilland's grafts." " She slapped me." " I'd have killed you !" "Know what it is ?" "It's the most incredibly red rose." "I won an award once for producing a black one." " Whose baby is it ?" " He's falling asleep." " Whose baby is it ?" " Grandma's." "It's your student's." " Why are they here ?" " An outing." "They don't leave you in peace even on Sundays." " Are we going home soon ?" " We'll decide later." "Don't let him sleep, he needs a change." " My son Emilio." " We've met." "Get some water and a sponge ?" " A little talcum ?" " No need." " Want a hand ?" " No, thanks." " My father's a good baby-sitter ?" " Yes." " You don't like kids, do you ?" " Never tasted any." "So pretty !" "Is that a bullet-proof bib ?" "Yes, you never know." "Emilio, tell your mother we'll be home late." " She wanted to go to a show." " Tell her we can't." " There's too much water." " Put it on the table." " See if it's too hot." " lt's fine." "You're so heavy !" "I understand." "We'll be late." "What do I know ?" "I don't make the decisions." "Dad's upstairs, he's washing a baby's bottom." "It's no good, it needs tuning." "No one has used it for ages." "You're pretty good, where did you study ?" "As a kid I played the organ in church." " Would your grandma give it to me ?" " Ask her, she might." "Your grandmother's nice, she's nutty, like your father." "Think so ?" "Keep playing, if you like." "There are some scores up there." " Am I bothering you ?" " I'm not doing anything important." "Another piano." "She'll give you that one, it's just in the way." " ls this where you play ?" " My father used to." "This thing is his, I'm trying to fix it." "Are these his books ?" "If you look, his ABC's there too." "This is remarkable." "If he doesn't need it, I'll take it." " Do you read Spanish ?" " No." ""La Rebelion de las Masas" by Ortega y Gasset." " Do you know it ?" " I think so." "They said he was a Fascist, but that's not true." "Read it." " We're up to Plato in school." " A drag, eh !" "The world of ideas, hyperuranium, the cave..." "Nice, is it yours ?" " Do you windsurf ?" " No, take it." " Really ?" " Sure, it should fit." "Thanks." "Anything else, just take it." "Look here !" "Come take a look." " What is it ?" " See if you recognize anyone." " Who's this ?" " My father at my age." "He walked around armed." " Armed ?" " Look, he's got a Sten." "A machine gun ?" "Not exactly, but it was the best there was, today it would be a dummy pistol." "It's out of focus, could be a club, a machine gun." "It was wartime." "June 1 1 , 1 944, the war was long over." "But the hunt was on for spies, Fascists, traitors." "He stood many to the wall." "Can't imagine my father standing anyone to the wall !" "Maybe he wrote on walls, like "Down with Fascists !"" "Bye, see you later." "Thanks for this." "When stars shine again, in the air's a refrain..." "When the sun sets... and songs fade in the air, down there in Latin America..." " Nice, isn't it ?" " Great." "Now the dance step..." "Let us dance the sensual dance from abroad..." " Why are you laughing ?" " Because it's beautiful." "Argentina, with tango ablaze !" "Good !" "A woman's in your gaze... while the orchestra plays you're in the craze of passion !" "How embarrassing !" "Look what you make me do ?" "Keep going, you sing so well." "I used to sing well." "Dario sings well." "Dario, sing" "Beniamino Gigli's aria, "La Rondine"." "Below the ancient tower a swallow returns when the almond tree blooms." "It returns each year on the same date." "O'er mountains and seas to return." "Only love in flight goes far, searching in vain, never to return." " Mom, imitate Greta Garbo." " I don't want to." "Then do Mae West." "No, I have things to do." "There's wine in the kitchen, if you want some." "I feel dizzy." "I shouldn't drink, or dance !" "This is no time to talk about it." " Wind it up, he gets the wind." " Sorry." " He's so quiet." " He always sleeps in the car." "I always used to, too." " Know what time it is ?" " No." "In a hurry to get there ?" "No." "Sandro and Dad will be there already." "I wonder what was so important, they must have secrets." "I won in the exchange, you're prettier." "And so ?" "So nothing." "They talk about politics, literature and us ?" "Whatever you want." "I don't know you, don't know what you like." "Talk about what you like." "Let's see..." " I don't know." " Then we won't talk." "Which weighs more, a grain of wheat or a bagful ?" "I knew this one, Parmenide, right ?" "I don't remember." "They weigh the same, because a grain of wheat weighs nothing, so a bag of nothing weighs nothing." "That was it." "Like "Achilles and the turtle", it's a sophism." "Bullshit !" "ln Greece all their scales were broken." "No, it's a way of reasoning." "Are you handsome because you're tall, or the contrary ?" " I'm not tall." " Then you're ugly." " But you're first in your class." " Who told you that ?" "No one, it's in your face." "Cut it out !" "Your father says you're too serious, you never have any fun." "My sister studies too little, me too much, if you listen to him..." " He loves you." " Does he ?" "Yes, you have his esteem." "He says you're self-sufficient, he has to put money into your pockets on the sly." "You must know him well." "Sandro knows him better." " They've stayed in touch." " They're alike." "They're both hard-headed, they never listen when you speak." " Do you have a girlfriend ?" " What do you care ?" "You're blushing." "Your father's right, you're good, but not with girls." "Why can't he mind his own business ?" "Why does he tell you these things ?" "Affection, esteem, all that crap..." "He's awake, will you hold him ?" ""l wanted to mitigate your rigor with my love, the breath of hope entered my heart..." "But time, prolonged in vain, has revealed its truth." "Hope has fled, only my love is left..."" "Nice De Nerval !" " Who was he ?" " A genius madman." "But I'm sure my students could give a damn." "You're reading it to them in French !" " They get Leopardi in Italian." " So ?" "That doesn't make it any more comprehensible." "Know what a girl said about "La Ginestra" ?" ""This poem, more than others, expresses Leopardi's 'wirld'."" "His "Wirld" ?" "So I asked her:" ""Sorry, what do you mean ?"" "She stared at me aggressively and said:" ""You wrote it in the lecture notes."" "In fact, there it was:" ""Leopardi's 'wirld"'." " You meant "World"." " Right." "But she'd read and memorized even my typing errors." " Did you fail her ?" " These days nobody gets failed." " Going to your music lesson ?" " lf you call it that." "We have to find you a more modern teacher, a young concert artist." " Maybe one that washes." " Does old Levi smell ?" "Of dogs." "I'd like to stop anyway, one of these days we'll discuss it." "I'd like you to hear a poet." " Crazy like De Nerval ?" " No, a serious type." "The most serious poetry I just read in the paper:" ""I'm a Riace statue, can one of two catch you ?"" "What happened ?" "Outta here !" "Page 361 ." "1 3/ 40..." "Give it here." "Sorry, that was my brother." "Terrorist attack in Milan." "The President of the Steel Corporation was killed by the Red Brigades in Via Govone, where he lived with his family." "After leaving his parked car, he was approached by a man who called his name to identify him and then fired 5 gunshots." "The terrorist then fled with his accomplices who were waiting in a car..." "Terrorists again !" "Road blocks were set up." "At one of these, the car was identified and stopped by the Carabinieri." "Two of the terrorists escaped, the third shot two young Carabinieri who managed to fire on him before being shot." "Where's Dad ?" "The unidentified youth is dead." "Know where Dad is ?" "He left." "When will he be back ?" " When will he be back ?" " Friday or Saturday." "The site of the shooting is near where Walter Tobagi, journalist with Corriere della Sera was murdered." "Eleuteri of the Red Brigades has been killed in the Trani prison..." "Repeat that please." "Signorina Travaglini..." "Travaglini Katia..." "Date of birth ?" "May 1 3, 1 962..." "Is that right ?" "What happened ?" "We're completely in the dark." "Where's my son ?" "Right this way." "One day, you were 8, you returned from school and cried all afternoon, without saying why." "The next day I went to your teacher Mrs Bruno." "Was that her name ?" "I asked her what had happened." "You had reported a schoolmate of behaving badly." "Your teacher had you all write on the board the good and the bad." "You'd done your duty, but then you'd cried." "What about it ?" "A person can do his duty, but later feel sorry about it." "About what ?" "I didn't tell on anyone." "I don't say you did." "I don't know how to explain it to you." "It's normal to co-operate with the Law." "Maybe I'd have got into trouble, but I wouldn't have gone to the Carabinieri." "It's against my principles." "What was so important to reveal ?" "Just think if all the people who knew Ferrari went to the Carabinieri." "The newsagent, the postman," "The grocer, the barman..." "What a long line !" "All together ?" "People who have nothing to say." "You just made the Carabinieri waste their time." "Just as you did, I did, it was a useless all-nighter." "I didn't waste my time, you're making it a big deal." "Then why are you so sullen ?" "Because you're taking it out on me." "The police would have found out they'd been at our house," "I told them to avoid trouble." "But I didn't tell the whole truth." "I said we each returned on our own, that you didn't even know that Ferrari guy." "Great !" "I however told the truth, we contradicted each other." " Good morning." " Good morning." "What truth ?" " Did you know he was a terrorist ?" " No, just that he was ill." "Was it he or Giulia that phoned you ?" "You knew her well, she told me I'm shy, an egg-head." " Are they looking for her too ?" " Possibly." "Why all the questions ?" "Want to start over again ?" "Aren't you tired of questioning ?" "You're off to school soon." "AS LONG AS STATE violence Is CALLED justice" "PROLETARlAN justice will BE violent" " Hi, Dad." " Why are you still up ?" "I'm here because my tape recorder's not working." "You did right." "Sit straight, you'll get scoliosis." "I've spent all afternoon on this !" "Your drawing is fine." "Go to bed." " Are you working here ?" " No, I'm going to bed." "I should finish off a report but I don't want to." "Did you hear they're making me Director of the faculty ?" "The want to fossilize me." "The youngest bigwig is Grandma's age, but without her spirit !" "Responsibility is also power, or it should be." "Today they give you lots of responsibility, but no power." "There just isn't any to give." " Dad." " Yes ?" "Have you seen the papers ?" "The police are looking for Giulia." " I took that picture of her." " I remember." " What will happen ?" " What can happen ?" "Seems she took part in the shooting." "There were no women in the attack." "Anyway this story no longer concerns us." "Right." "I'm sorry for having introduced them," "I've created problems for you." "It's no fault of yours." "If you'd known who they were, you wouldn't have been friends, anyway terrorists don't have three heads." "They've learned to look like normal people." "It doesn't concern you anymore, let the authorities do their job." "We had a fright, we argued, but it's all cleared up." "There's no reason for fear, it's always the worst thing." "Right." "I'm going to bed." " Should I turn it off ?" " Lower it a bit." "Should I wake you tomorrow ?" "No thanks, I'll wake myself." "ARREST WARRANT FOR terrorist FERRARI'S companion" "Dad !" "I ran into Giulia in the subway." "She's taking no precautions." " You must be mistaken." " lt was her." "If she's not involved, she should tell what she knows." "Right." "But we each reason with our own head." "Good night." "Hello ?" "Of course I was sleeping, don't you, at this hour ?" "Tomorrow I can't, not even the day after." "I don't know when." "The University is the least appropriate place." "I don't know." "Yes." "Don't take me wrong." "I understand, but what can I do ?" "No bother at all." "Certain things on the phone..." "I'll call you tomorrow." "I told you I'll call !" "Sorry." "Don't get so upset." "Friday, if you want." "Oh no, I'm out of town." "I'll be in touch." "Of course I have the number." "I have to hang up." "Bye." " How are you ?" " Fine." " How come you're already up ?" " The phone woke me." " Want some tea ?" " Not Chinese though." "It tastes like burned light bulbs." "You know, when the filament burns ?" " I'll make you coffee." " That's best." "To believe the conflict in San Salvador can be resolved by confronting your government with the Soviets, is beyond reality..." "Mom." "You're dumb." "You poor dumb thing." "Dunce." "Dope." "Dumbell." "You don't know anything." "Nothing at all." "Lucky you." "Blind's the father and the mother, blind's the daughter of the other, who made blind another..." "Good night." "I know it's not strange, but it's the first time." "Emilio always lets me know when he'll be late, even just a call." "They haven't seen him there either." "He didn't even go to school." "He left with his books." "There's always someone home, if he'd called..." "Does your son know anything ?" "If he's sleeping don't wake him." "I might be exaggerating a bit, but you know..." "Thank you, good night." " Why don't you go to bed ?" " Let me watch this." "You don't want to wake all Milan !" " He must be at Grandma's." " I'm calling her." " Leave her in peace." " Let me do this my way." "A perfect photo." "Both the faces and headlines are in perfect focus." "With a more powerful lens we could even read the date, but the headlines are enough." "It's undeniable evidence." "I meet with a fugitive while the police look for her." "Is this what you want to show ?" "Photos like this are a criminal's specialty, those who kidnap and then send..." "You know this..." "how else could you have learned ?" "You're not on the criminals' side, but on the Law's." "Has the Law hired you as official photographer ?" "If not, it makes no sense." "You didn't take this photo to the Carabinieri, you tucked it among my papers." "Why ?" "Is it a warning ?" "Did you want to frighten me ?" "Did you want to frighten me ?" "Why ?" "Stay seated !" "I'm not angry with you." "Take this photo back, and do what you want with it." "I just want to know what you have against me." "What did I do to you ?" "What do you blame me for ?" "What do you expect from me ?" "Do you want a father who points out bad from good ?" "I'd like that too, but there are no perfect fathers." "Or perfect kids." "So, I've made the mistakes." "Give me a score." "Do I pass or not ?" "These days nobody gets failed." "What sarcasm !" "Is your professor teaching you these dialectics ?" "He was a student of yours." "Then you're right, these days nobody gets failed." "I bet you'd like to slap me." "Time we went ?" "Sorry I slapped you." "If she's anything to you, tell her to turn herself in." "I told her." "How deep is she ?" "She's not part of it." " So ?" " She's afraid." "Of what ?" "We've been to the Carabinieri so now we're calm, free." "It's not the same thing." "That's the problem." "You're naive, you don't know people, you shouldn't trust everyone." " Giving me another lesson ?" " Dad, stop this crap." "That girl won't turn herself in because she has something to hide." "That's it, right ?" "If that's not it, this is really serious." "What's in your pocket ?" " Show me." " What are you doing ?" "A bus ticket, a handkerchief..." "That's not your writing." "Whose phone number is this ?" "A button... where's the missing one ?" "You aren't missing any, so whose is it ?" "Your identity card." "What a little boy's face you had !" "Now you're grown, you're capable of judging." "And you have personal methods, you paw through the dirty linen, eavesdrop behind doors, peek through keyholes." "But you can't see the truth from keyholes." "From there we all look like murderers, but we're not all like that." "You're a master with words, you juggle them around." "Now it sounds like it's my fault." "Your friends shoot, like you used to." "What do you mean ?" "Ferrari saw your photo and was proud of you." "He said: "At your age your father walked around armed."" "It's come to this !" "Not only are you ignorant, but an idiot too." "You're so mixed-up !" "What have we taught you !" "You've taught me nothing, Dad, what you teach others is your own business." "Emilio, get in !" " Get in the car !" " Leave me alone." "I'll decide that." " I'll kick you into that car." " Piss off !" "I won't allow you to treat me like this." "I never gave a damn for your respect, now I demand it." "I never wanted to be a father, from now on I'll be a father the way you'd like." "I'll be stuck to you to know what you do, who you see, how you behave with your friends, how you get on with girls, what you do when no one is looking." "The first false step, I'll be the father." "When you grow up, you can be a father on your own." "At least we had audio before, did you touch it ?" " Have your coffee." " Thank you." "Hi." " I was expecting you later." " I have an appointment." "Here's your ticket." "You can read this on the train." "Thank you." "Go on." " I'll call on Sunday." " Doesn't matter." "Hurry." "Good evening." "Who are these friends you'll be going to ?" "Longtime friends." " Are you angry ?" " No, why ?" "Because I said I had to leave right away." "After all my problems, you should think about your own." "You're so kind, you don't even talk to me about them." "Because I'm tired, I got no sleep." " What's happened to you ?" " Nothing." "I'm getting you in trouble too ?" "Then it's good I'm leaving." "I don't know, I'm no longer sure." "I'd hoped things would straighten out, instead they're getting more complicated." "If I were alone, I'd have gone to the Police." " What will I say when he's big ?" " The truth." "That his father killed people and I knew it ?" "Know what I dreamed ?" "He stuck his hands into his father's shoes, and asked: "Whose are these ?"" "He insisted: "Whose are these ?"" "He spoke like an adult, but I couldn't utter a sound." " What time is it ?" " lt's still early." "You should go." "The appointment was an excuse." "I argued with my son last night, he'd left home." "This morning I looked at him as we drove home." "He was sitting in silence." "I watched his hands, his fingers are always moving, searching for one another." "I was so tired." "When you're tired, you get strange ideas." "I asked myself if I could erase the fifteen years that had made him become that way." "Maybe I shouldn't dramatize." "Maybe we should leave for a few days, just him and me together." "I want to tell him this evening." "This evening I'll propose a trip." "I'll speak to him about it." "Get out of here !"