Original subtitles

B A T T L E F I E L D

@@@@@ 1918 - THE YEAR OF VICTORY

Look.

Look at this hand.

You may not believe it, but this hand saved me.

I was as good as dead.

Dead and buried under a mountain of dead!

Do you realize how lucky?

And out of nowhere, this hand raised me up.

I have this hand for saving me.

He saved my life, right?

See what I mean?

I didn't understand anything.

But it's all understandable.

Run, they will come!

They'll break into your houses! They will hurt you!

They will steal everything, they will ruin you!

Leave this place!

Don't wait, he'll hurt you, you and your families!

What is he saying?

Leave this place!

They'll break into your houses! They will hurt you!

They will steal everything, they will ruin you!

Leave this place!

Use in defeatism,

humiliated by politics,

ignored by the Italians, who don't give a shit about this war.

Is there someone to greet them, congratulating them?

They are injured or lost.

Losers are not celebrated.

You have become wise.

It just takes a little effort and you figure things out.

You got me all wrong, as always.

Still enjoying the work you do?

No.

I can put you on vacation whenever I want, even tomorrow.

I could arrest you for what you said.

Even for beginners the same rule: "show no mercy".

Whoever gets here can be brave or a coward.

We have an obligation to treat everyone equally, but with a duty,

we must send them all to the front as soon as possible, rifle in hand.

Who's that? Looks familiar.

Petrella Gabriele.

Petrella Gabriele, for me you are cured.

Tomorrow you go back to your brigade.

My brigade no longer exists.

We'll find you another one.

When he arrived, he was barely breathing.

Give him three days rest and clear the bed.

Good morning!

Pardon me.

We have a very serious hurt, right? Shaving wound.

Prep the O.R, we need to save this officer's life.

Full name, soldier?

Where are you from? From Tolmin? From Plezzo?

I don't remember.

They were shooting at me...

and I fell.

Then... I woke up,

in the 47 squad truck.

Feel anything?

No.

You don't do that not even to a dog.

Heal him.

Remove splinters and clean to perfection.

Shot in the left leg, entry and exit wound.

- Where are your boots? - Under the bed.

Is that all you have?

Why is the left not pierced? Are you walking barefoot?

The hole doesn't make itself, no entry burns.

Take notes, "potato trick".

The simulator cuts a potato in half, presses one half on the skin and shoots.

The potato absorbs the burn, and it looks like someone shot him in Vienna.

Now you choose.

I'll send you to military court...

or we heal you and you're going back to the front.

Are you still here?

- His leg hadn't healed? - He broke his arm.

- How'd you break it? - I was a lathe, Captain.

Have you been on vacation? You know it's forbidden to work?

I wasn't working, I was helping my father.

I denounce him.

Do your duty, if that's what you want.

It can even fight one-handed.

He can throw grenades, he can wield a bayonet.

Am I right, soldier? You're cured for me.

Doc, I can't go back to the front like this, I'm an invalid!

I'm disabled!

I'm an invalid! I'm an invalid, Doc!

Full name, soldier?

- Tùmmino Vincenzo, from Giovanni. - How did it happen?

A bomb went off 10 feet from me, a splinter in my eye, I can't see.

Tummìno Vincenzo is good. Tomorrow he's back on duty.

But I see with only one eye. I can't see!

You aim with your right eye.

But how do I shoot? I'm half blind!

Doctor...

Doc, if I go back to the front, they'll kill me like a pigeon.

I can't turn around, I'm half blind!

I can't see anymore.

What did you do before?

Farmer, working the land.

How old are you?

- What month is it? - March.

I'll be 19 this Christmas.

What are you doing here?

I left the hospital.

I've been walking around for about two hours.

Have a seat.

Speak.

I can't take it anymore.

They always use the same tricks, pass them on to others.

The doctors at the front claim that nothing happened.

This trend had to be stopped immediately.

First one to self-mutilate,

should have been executed on the spot...

immediately.

They force us to waste time and drugs for these disgusting people.

While the truly wounded, die at our hands.

When the war is over, those honest and brave will all be dead.

Italy will remain only for the cunning.

Mom said: "All the foxes will be seen in the fur store."

Not true, many survive.

Too many.

Who doesn't want a shotgun, can get a hoe.

You can do a lot with a hoe, even while others struggle.

Forget it, I don't want to argue.

Sorry I'm always late.

They sleep badly.

You could use some trench digging.

You must be wasted in the hospital.

You'd be more useful there where doctors are lacking.

Yes, definitely.

I can't even hold a scalpel. Without you, I wouldn't have passed.

Because you have a nasty temper. You thought you were better than the teachers.

I was better than the teachers.

Anyway, all the military hospitals were taken over by the Austrians.

Where are you sending me?

Where they are still struggling.

- Where is someone who... - You don't give up, do you?

- I can leave tomorrow. - Would you really do that?

I'm a soldier. I follow orders.

You can present the proposal to the Command.

- I can decide for myself. - Better yet, I'm ready.

What if I get killed?

But what's the point playing against you?

That I always win.

Try it.

Doctor, prepare the theater for tonight?

Yeah, go to bed, now it begins.

War does no good...

but at least it brought us together.

I go back to work tomorrow, but I don't know if that's a good thing.

How are you?

It's a forbidden question. That was our deal, remember?

Have you worked here long?

You done with Paris, biology?

I'm done with it all.

But at least I didn't make it to the front.

Stefano took care of it.

Actually, his father.

And Stefano's here? You work together?

- I'm glad. - Him less.

But we put up with each other, just like old times.

Did you graduate?

Forbidden question.

Can I at least give you a hug?

No, I'll hug you.

Where are you taking me at this hour?

Don't tell me you're afraid.

A brave boy like you.

I even go to hell for my own good.

Go then.

It's for your own good.

Wait here.

I'll wait here.

Term.

How long since your last vacation?

Leave?

When ever?

They don't give us Sicilians vacation.

Do you know why?

Because Sicily is far away... and big.

If they let us go, they'll never catch us.

How are you feeling? Is your eye better?

How do I feel, Doctor?

I can no longer see with this eye.

Come on, lie down.

What do you want to do to me?

I'll take the other eye.

I'll give you a shot.

You'll get an infection.

It'll wear you out, it's a bird disease.

Doctors will visit you, ask you a lot of questions.

You're gonna say you slept with a woman, specifically, a prostitute.

With a whore?

What if I can't see after?

Would you rather go to war?

War is war, and if you don't run, it will bury you.

Where are you from, soldier?

From a mountainous...

which has a difficult name.

I don't remember.

Prassolan Mountain. Infantry 149.

You did yourself the honor.

I don't know...

because I blacked out.

You have repelled the enemy. Do you know that?

No.

No, Captain.

It was an action of great bravery.

You'll get a medal.

Can you redo my face?

You'll be more beautiful than before.

What are you doing?

Instillations... with Dakin.

This is none of your business. It's doctor stuff.

All right.

Are you a beginner? Where are you from?

Never mind.

Anatomy exam.

Four people questioned you.

They asked you questions that weren't in the books,

and you answered everything.

You almost provoked them.

You forced them to max you out.

"We can't maximize a woman."

So they said.

I apologize.

I mistook you for someone else, I didn't recognize you.

It happens.

Why did you drop out of university?

I needed a break.

Hasn't eaten or drunk in three days, tried to cut himself with a razor.

We don't give a damn about him, but it can hurt others.

That's him over there.

- What's his name? - Fiorillo Vincenzo.

Vincenzo.

What's going on?

The Germans...

I'm here.

Hiding.

They pretend to be Italian.

They stay hidden and don't say a word.

I saw them... on the front.

They take the uniforms of our dead,

and dresses them up to confuse you.

Among the wounded. They allowed themselves to be brought here.

At night, when no one can see them,

Germans get out of their beds, walk through the corridors and kill us.

They put pillows over our faces like this!

In the morning you find them and you think they're hurt,

but instead it was the Germans.

They come and kill you while you sleep like a creature.

They are not Christians, they are devils!

They kill us first, then you. Yes, and you will die.

You will all die.

Come on, get out, come with me.

Same comedy as usual.

You know what they call these guys here? "War crazy.

"Blow this ash and save from the burning lava."

"We repent and do not want to sin anymore."

"Forgive us for we are sinners..."

I brought your things.

You lost them.

Is it your child?

What is it, a year?

I leave them here, under your pillow.

Are you afraid?

It happens to all soldiers who are at war.

I'm scared too.

But there are no Germans here.

There are no enemies in these beds.

Just helpless...

miserable, just like you and me.

Try to stay calm if you can.

I'll help you get back home.

- What's his name? - Ricciardi Fabio.

You're cured, you leave tomorrow.

Doctor, I have a request.

Look at me, I'm cured, see?

- Will you let me go? - Home, you mean?

No, I have no one at home.

I want to go back to the front, where my comrades are.

They are my blood.

Everyone should have this spirit.

- I'll do my best. - Thank you, Doctor.

What are you, smoking? Where do you think you are?

- What is his name? - Secara Leonardo.

He's cured for me, he's leaving right now.

Rigoli Mauro, how are you today?

I don't feel well.

Let me go home.

Please let me go to my mom. I can't stand this war anymore.

Be strong.

This one came in with an injury to his left eye,

but the right one being good, I sent him back to the front.

And what do you see the next day? His other eye's hurt.

- Did he hurt himself? - Looks like an infection.

Yeah, a gonorrheal infection.

Have you been to whores?

Me? When ever?

They came to me.

Golanule.

- Where are you from, soldier? - From Fiumara, doctor.

What area is it in?

In Puglia.

Where is the sea.

When the war is over, you must come and visit.

- How old are you? - 21.

I was 16 when I got married.

I have 3 children with Maria, one after the other.

Bravo. Am I okay?

Very good, Doctor. Divine Providence.

- They need their father. - That's why you must help me.

You won't hear anything, with any ear.

- Don't worry, it won't be long. - I'm not going back to the front?

They don't need deaf people there.

Will it hurt?

Yes.

Then hurry up!

There were three of them.

One of them...

he stuck his bayonet in my arm.

I took my bayonet and stuck it in his chest.

All three, in one shot.

Now they're worm food, and I'm going home.

That's how you lose your arm. You know that, right?

This arm is useless.

It's the left.

I have to amputate your leg.

And what is this life without a leg?

But you're not going back to the front.

That's what they told my brother...

But he didn't care if he died, he was happy to go to heaven.

If there is a God, there wouldn't be this carnage here.

You have to decide.

What do you call what's on my leg?

Kangaroo. They're dying for it.

Better dead than crippled.

I will find a brother in hell.

It's never happened before.

We usually bring them here. would do anything for that.

This young man preferred war.

He wanted to go back to the front.

I'm tired.

I need to rest.

So do you.

Remember to lock up when you leave.

I found the door open.

I was just leaving.

Is this your operating room?

They punished me.

Maybe you wanted this, to be quiet with your secrets.

Sometimes I have fun with bacteria.

As if that's your job...

not to disinfect wounds.

And not here...

in this bridge.

Here you do not cure the sick...

you kill them.

Stefano told me about you.

Yeah?

And what did he tell you?

I'm not telling you.

Do you need help?

Doctor...

Am I okay?

- Not yet. - When do you think I'll be okay?

Soon.

We can't send them to the front like this.

Excuse me, are you that doctor?

Come here, I want to talk to you.

Which doctor?

Are you the doctor who helps us to go home?

Can you help me too?

Of course. How can I help you?

If you don't know...

I don't care if it hurts, you can cut off my arm.

The important thing is... not to go back to the front.

- Do you know my name? - Yours?

They call you the Holy Hand.

No, the name. You must tell me your name.

I don't know him.

But you can help me, can't you?

From my niece.

So sad!

An hour later, the groom returns to the front.

What an honor you have done us!

I wouldn't.

What?

Get married and go off to war.

But they are not like us.

Are you saying they are ignorant?

Lucky for them.

Where's Anna?

Maybe she doesn't like weddings.

Stefano wants to dance with you.

But you know him, he's ashamed.

Ask him to dance.

Are you okay?

Do you know who it was?

What do you mean?

What's happening in the hospital.

- Don't get involved, it's none of your business. - It's none of your business.

Someone is making the sick worse so they don't send them to the front.

They don't care that...

that they are maimed and maimed,

I'm ruining their lives.

War is better.

- A certain death and amen. - War is a duty.

Nobody wants to die.

The fight... The struggle is necessary.

We'll talk about that another time.

- Come on, come to the party. - I'm fine here, leave me alone.

You think I'm guilty?

Very safe.

Did you tell Stefano?

He'd spit in my eye.

He loves you too much.

- Then you turn me in. - Somebody will, eventually.

Bravo.

Leave it!

Where are you, nurse?

Will you leave me alone?

Help me, nurse, don't leave me like this.

How do I get on the train?

I can't see, have you forgotten?

Nurse, where are you? Don't leave me alone.

You're the nurse, aren't you?

Thank you.

God bless you.

You are a good Christian.

Listen to this strange story.

I was going back to my country, and in the distance I could see them all,

my father and my cousin who milled wheat,

the little ones playing,

my mom and my aunt Rosa, who used to dry the tomatoes.

I couldn't wait to hug them.

But when I got close,

they didn't see you,

they were all blind.

They didn't see me, they didn't recognize me.

Fortunately, I was only dreaming.

When I woke up, I was suddenly afraid.

I got scared.

They were blind, not me.

Do you understand me?

I can't wait to go home,

to really see them, my dad, my mom.

Thank God for that.

- Tummino Vincenzo. - Tùmmino, pronounced Tùmmino.

You had a good eye, then you had trouble with it,

but they heal from day to day.

What can I say? I don't understand these things.

- What did you say? - That I don't understand these things.

Who helped you?

- God. - Who?

Lord God.

First he blinded me, then he performed a miracle.

The Lord God does too much miracles, all in this hospital.

If He doesn't, who should?

Why are you laughing?

I apologize.

Do you understand what you risk?

You want to put me in jail?

And a comrade of mine they wanted to lock him up.

But not right away... after.

The war had to end first. So they told him.

Then a German came and shot them in the head.

He freed him too.

He released him, Doctor.

He released him.

The faith, pain and tenacity of our steadfast armies,

have never failed, even in the worst situations.

The events of the war pressed us, we became insidious.

It's a moment when everything seems decided,

and for this nothing will be spared.

Today more than ever,

who will run away from this duty, will jeopardize the fate of the fatherland.

Miserable simulators!

Even worse than the enemies,

seeing the way they despise the blood of their comrades,

of their own brothers.

From now on,

on suspicion of self-harm,

even just self-harm,

will be considered part of a plot against the Royal Italian Army,

and will receive the maximum punishment prescribed by the military code of war.

- Tummìno Vincenzo De Giovanni - Tummino.

Age 19, born in Santa Maria di Licodia, province of Catania,

Private in the 284th Infantry,

you are under sentence of death,

by this court-martial,

by shooting,

for conspiracy, for desertion,

and for willful maiming with permanent disability.

Forward, march!

Pluto, wait!

To the left!

I forgive you of your sins.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Front row, on your knees!

Charge!

Look out!

Fire!

Pluto at your feet - ARM!

To the left!

Forward, march!

Pluto, wait!

On your right!

At ease!

They won.

With one less murderer in the world.

I didn't know it would end like this.

You thought they'd give him a medal?

They executed him in front of everyone because an example was needed.

"Don't try to run away from war".

"You will die by our hand if the enemy does not."

To defect is treason.

Then I should have been there in his place.

What are you doing, crying?

Go cry somewhere else.

Why did you help the cowards?

The deserters...

Those who let others die in their place.

The first time I saved a poor guy.

I didn't even understand what he was saying.

Only soldiers get along,

even when they come from far away.

When I operate, my hands shake.

Then I look at them,

and I think I'm saving them from a great injustice.

Now leave, please.

Go away!

Where do you want to go?

The baby is sick. He has a high fever, he could die.

Go to the hospital.

I was already there, but they chased us away, it was full of people.

They don't look after children here, just soldiers.

These people, they're all sick, they have cough.

- There are men, children, women... - I can't help you.

Get out of here!

I'm not moving! You gotta let us in!

Murderer!

Murderer! You're a murderer!

You're a murderer!

Worse than a murderer!

Murderer!

Criminal...

Murderer.

- She's sick with a high fever. - Stop it!

- Let us in! - Don't push!

He has a fever and a cough.

She's sick with a high fever!

Come on, walk and stop pushing.

She's sick with a high fever!

Let me go... Stop it.

Leave me alone!

Wait here.

Excuse me, Doctor, for making you come all this way.

You should have called me first.

I didn't mean to disturb you.

Let me die.

Let me die.

Nobody dies here.

I want to show you those who arrived yesterday evening.

Too many have arrived.

Some died immediately.

We had to put them with the others, because there's no room in the hospital.

The infected shouldn't be sitting in a room with the wounded.

Take a deep breath.

Now it expires.

Acute pneumonia.

How old is she?

19.

This disease favors the young,

as homeland.

I don't like that sarcasm.

I need a written order, General.

I can't give it to you.

In some cases, it's not a good idea to leave a footprint.

I've never found myself in a situation like this.

You're on your own, Captain.

How's your dad?

Why not ask him for help?

He's a very boring man, but full of initiative.

He writes me letters every day, giving me advice on everything.

Are you like him? I hope not.

I'm afraid it'll end up in the papers.

Our newspapers write only what needs to be known,

it is useless to invent dangers that don't exist.

People don't know anything, but soldiers talk about it.

Let them talk.

I can confirm that in the hospital something strange is going on.

They don't just end up wounded,

there are many soldiers with fever, cough and acute pneumonia.

Seasonal cold-related illnesses, expired food.

Some heal, some don't.

- What's the army got to do with it? - We risk losing the war.

For a cough...

Captain, you look a little tired.

Your father's right, you work too hard.

Say hello for me.

Mr. General!

Soldiers who die from the disease...

what do we do with them?

You already know the answer, Captain.

Don't involve me in this.

I made it plenty, but be careful it burns.

Thank you.

Good evening, Doctor. May I?

Don't you recognize me?

Yes.

You're fine.

How did you get out of psychiatric care?

Because I'm not crazy.

You saved me.

I pray every day to Heavenly Father to give you health and good luck.

How does an important doctor like yourself come to eat here?

Eating well?

Doctor, I can't forget that you gave me that beautiful present.

To make it up to you, I also want to give you a present.

Excuse me, but I don't understand you.

No? Then I'll explain.

Look there.

They don't want to go to war.

They want to go back home. And they're paying.

- I pay well. - No, sorry.

Can I give you some advice? Make the most of it.

Doctor...

Leave him alone, he's a poor man.

It's his bad luck.

Lieutenant Sartori!

You must have missed something.

Where do you go without documents?

We must be careful, too many things get lost these days.

Had a bad night?

- Thank you. May I...? - Come on, get in, we'll give you a ride.

- I live on the other side of town. - We know where you live.

"Brigades were advancing with daring and amazing speed."

"To the Sturmtruppen, Austrian Elite Corps."

"who were immediately invaded by our soldiers."

"While the enemy, fleeing like cowards from our fear."

"they left in our hands, material goods and six cannons."

"and horses and prisoners."

- We're done. - Bravo!

How well written!

It feels like we're seeing things with our own eyes.

Newspapers are the mirror of the world.

They tell us everything we need to know.

Not everything.

There are many things the newspapers don't say.

For example, there is a kind of epidemic,

a fever that in Spain infected the king.

Nobody here talks about it. Who knows why.

Maybe the enemy is losing the war,

and uses the bacillus as a final weapon.

Okay, but the bacillus doesn't make a difference.

It can infect anyone.

How should we know? Maybe they have a cure.

Then it would be good if they won the war,

at least that would teach us a lesson.

Anyway, it's true, the bacillus exists. And you don't know how to cure it.

You don't die of bacillus, You die of pneumonia.

and for that we have no cure.

Let's not talk about diseases, we're at the table.

I remember your mom.

She was a wonderful woman.

How old were you when he abandoned you?

I don't remember, ma'am.

Of course, you were too young.

There is nothing worse than a a man who abandons his family.

Children are always the ones who pay.

Excuse us.

Arrogant... and disrespectful.

I just wanted to express...

compassion.

I can't stand my mom. You won't have to.

I kept quiet at the table because you stood up for yourself.

If I were you, I don't think I'd be doing any better.

Last night I dreamt about Giulio.

- I dreamt he died. - Do you know what that means?

For prolonging his life.

To disappear like that is not like him.

You know where it is.

I feel fine, let me get outta here.

Got a loaf of bread?

Pardon me, Lieutenant. This place isn't for me.

You must come with me, please.

They put you among the sick. I'll make him pay.

Welcome.

Why did you bring me here?

I saved your life.

Someone like you would have been executed without a trial.

With what accusation? Infamy? Treason?

Take your pick.

I could have turned you in, but I preferred silence.

I didn't ask for that.

I'm not protecting you. What you did is disgusting.

But now I need you.

Have you seen the soldiers?

I had to lock them in here, they risked infecting the whole hospital.

You get the fever, but you don't die.

But that's what they will all die from.

What can I do?

I remember your writings about Pfeiffer's bacillus,

an epidemic that was killing so 30 years ago.

That's when most of the old people died,

young people were healing.

Today it's the other way around.

Young people then are the old men of today...

and immunized themselves.

Old people die too.

Pfeiffer's bacillus has nothing to do to this outbreak.

You're the only one who can figure it out.

We have everything you need ready, a real lab.

How much time do you give me?

A day, a week, a year?

How much?

I don't expect miracles.

A clear conscience is enough.

You don't care how our soldiers die.

A gunshot, a fever...

is the same thing.

The epidemic is a tragedy.

War is a duty.

It's been a while since since you spoke as a doctor.

I obey the circumstances.

You always liked to give orders.

When will the war end...

and you'll find a good job among those who make the laws...

then you'll start to really do your job.

A necessary job.

And I would like to work together.

I really don't know how I can help you.

Remember the biologist?

The guy who discovered mold thing?

- Professor Tiberio? - That's right.

He had almost succeeded.

He said inside the mold,

there is a principle capable to kill bacteria.

But he was a poor doctor from the country, just like me,

and nobody took any notice.

But nobody checked that. He was crazy.

Maybe he wasn't crazy.

Forget it. Let's get outta here.

I am not abandoning these desperate people.

They sent you here to die with them, you know that, don't you?

Write what I dictate.

What's so hard?

"Dear Dad",

"and my dear mom"...

"Hope you are all well".

"That comforts me greatly".

"Me too"...

"I'm fine, healthy".

"You must give this letter to the priest",

"to read at Sunday Mass".

When we were kids,

they taught us to say...

prayers, but they were wrong.

They should have taught me to swear.

I... swear,

every day,

for what I see around me.

Will they bury me in the cemetery for this?

How are you feeling?

I'm thirsty.

I'll get you a drink.

Who can read?

"Supreme Command, November 3".

"The troops occupied Trento and landed at Trieste."

"The Italian flag flies over Del Buon Consiglio Castle".

"Cavalry entered Udine. Diaz".

Yesterday, Italy lived its most victorious day.

Can I have the paper?

Can you read?

They didn't teach me, but I want to to take home as a keepsake.

We can go home!

Excellence!

Excellence...

Excellence...

Doctor.

Doctor, is it true only little girls die here?

Nobody dies here.

Translation by Denis Kent

WORLD WAR I KILLED 16 MILLION SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS

OVER 650 THOUSAND WERE ONLY ITALIAN SOLDIERS

THE SO-CALLED SPANISH PANDEMIC HAS HAD AROUND 50 MILLION VICTIMS WORLDWIDE

IN ITALY THERE WERE 600,000 A POPULATION OF 40 MILLION