Original subtitles

Yes, the city's spreading that way

as per the urban development plan.

That's why we have to bring it over here.

- Just like that? - Change the urban plan!

- What? - We change the plan!

No need. This land is zoned for farming.

What does it cost a square metre? Maybe 500 or 1,000 lire?

But tomorrow this same land,

this same square metre,

could be worth 70,000 lire or more.

It's all up to us.

A 5,000-percent profit.

There it is. That's today's gold.

What can beat that? Business? Industry?

"The industrial renaissance of the South."

Sure, invest in factories - strikes, unions, medical benefits...

It'll give you a heart attack.

I'm proposing no strife and no worries.

All profit and no risk.

We just convince the city to bring all improvements out this way.

In which direction should the city expand?

This issue has long been the subject of intense debate.

Finally, a special committee of experts

has chosen the area north of the city.

Where now there's only 3 squalid expanse,

the city will bring roads, water, power, gas

and all other necessary improvements.

This is what our party has fought so hard for -

to get Parliament to grant a special fund

to develop our city.

With this expansion project,

we and the entire governing committee

can appear before our fellow citizens

in the upcoming elections

certain that, once again,

they will not deny us the trust that has allowed us for years

to garner a majority on the city council.

And you members of Parliament, who've always shown

great interest in the renaissance of the South...

this project concerns you too.

The support we request from the national government

is not merely of a financial nature.

It's also a moral matter of great urgency.

If this support is forthcoming,

we will be true to our generous southern nature

and give back on a political plane in equal measure

what we've received from the government.

Does your flight here herald a possible alliance

between the right and the centre?

- Let's not be hasty. - That would be a "flight" of fancy.

This is just what it appears to be.

The minister, anticipating the release of funds,

wished, on behalf of the entire government,

to see how the funds will be employed.

- How many lire? - 300 billion.

HANDS OVER THE CITY

Mother of God!

Give me a hand here!

My son! My baby!

Let me go! My baby!

Secali.

Tedeschi, Maria.

Tenzi.

Torrese.

Ungaretti.

Zampari.

Mr Mayor, we have a quorum.

I hereby open the session.

First item on the agenda.

- May I have the floor? - On what item?

A building collapsed yesterday in Vico Sant'Andrea, causing two fatalities,

and a child is still fighting for his life...

Councilman De Vita, this item is not on the agenda.

Mr Mayor, forgive me,

but people can't schedule their deaths to accommodate our agenda.

You leftists will use anything at election time.

Since there were casualties,

only the judiciary has jurisdiction.

An investigation is already underway to determine responsibility.

What about moral responsibility? This isn't just a legal matter.

You're wasting our time.

You're the one wasting our time.

Mr Mayor, I won't tolerate these constant interruptions.

This isn't on the agenda.

Mr Mayor, enforce the rules!

Come on! Speak up against De Vita!

When order is restored, we can continue.

Silence! Enough!

Let's hear what he has to say.

Silence! Quiet!

This is not an isolated event.

Yesterday's casualties, and others before them,

are victims of the shameful private speculation

transforming the face of our city more and more

as it finds allies among the very men sitting in this room!

Silence!

What are you getting at?

We want an inquiry board

comprised of every political group

to investigate real estate speculation...

You know we can't launch our own investigation

when the judiciary is involved. We've already established that.

We want an inquiry into real estate speculation in our city.

The judiciary has no interest in this topic.

Why doesn't the building commissioner start

by confirming that all construction codes were followed?

- I'm willing to clarify... - You'll clarify nothing!

The topic is closed! There are more important matters!

Your hands are so dirty you won't even let your own commissioner speak.

Our hands are clean!

At least allow him to tell us

which company is building in Vico Sant'Andrea.

Everyone knows it's the Bellavista Company.

Does the mayor know the majority shareholder of that company?

If he doesn't... which he does...

we'll be happy to tell him, like we told the press.

It's Councilman Edoardo Nottola.

And the construction manager is his son,

who's been in hiding since the incident.

Councilman Nottola is in Rome at the moment.

When he returns, we'll ask him anything you wish.

However, Councilman Nottola is also a private citizen,

and there's no law against investing in a construction company.

He can invest his money as he pleases.

But he can't speculate in collusion with the city.

It's you who speculate on the backs of the people!

You've undermined the urban development plan.

We reject that insinuation.

We're honest, hardworking people. It's you who use the people as pawns.

This is election propaganda.

We know your methods very well.

Silence or I'll clear the room!

You're playing right into the hands of the left.

This isn't about an alliance with the left.

We need to reassure the public.

You're the majority. Shoot this inquiry down if you wish.

If you've got the guts.

What are they saying?

- They want an inquiry too. - Even the centre?

- What's their game? - It's for their campaign.

We can't lose the people's confidence right before the elections.

Let's put it to a vote.

Everyone will know we're the only ones against it,

but I'll grant it precisely because of the elections.

"In our city, councilmen and big businessmen,

commissioners and real estate speculators

are the same individuals.

Their names are familiar to everyone.

The most important among them is Edoardo Nottola."

I can thank my party and the mayor for my sudden fame.

"According to latest estimates,

buildable land has increased in value since the war

by approximately 120 billion lire.

That's just one aspect of our city's huge real estate business.

Some of these billions have ended up

in Edoardo Nottola's pockets."

Counsellor, can I sue for defamation?

We'll see.

"We'll see.” Keep reading.

"To understand Nottola, we need only remember

that the biggest construction scandals of the last decade

bear his signature.

Think only of the latest disaster in Vico Sant'Andrea.

The hard evidence and results of a city inquiry

point to incompetence on the part of the Bellavista Company.

But the city has not stopped construction. Why?"

Because Nottola holds the purse strings. Shut these people up.

They're not going to break my balls before the elections. Go on.

"The inquiry board should have investigated these matters,

but, predictably, the mayor,

after generously embracing 3 proposal by the opposition,

has so restricted the inquiry as to render it ineffective."

I've told you, no flashes. I look like Mussolini.

Read that part again.

"...has so restricted the inquiry as to render it ineffective.

Responsibility on the part of the city's department of construction

will be determined only as regards Vico Sant'Andrea."

- Is that it? - That's it.

Get the mayor on the phone.

Councilman Nottola would like to speak to the mayor.

The mayor's in a meeting.

Maglione, have you seen the papers? I was right. I'm their only target.

Right, sure!

Listen to me.

I want the four men I designated from our party on that inquiry board.

To avoid turning this inquiry into pre-electoral speculation,

please stay within the limits of our investigation.

For the sake of clarity, I will repeat

that our purpose is to investigate

the behaviour of the city's administrative bodies

with respect to contractors and developers

solely in regard to Vico Sant'Andrea.

What can we find out like that?

At worst: someone accepted a bribe.

Let's not start with the accusations.

We'll just end up lumping everyone together.

We just want a meaningful inquiry that doesn't waste our time.

Who's wasting time?

We're here to conduct an inquiry, not discredit our own administrators.

To prove their honesty, not their dishonesty.

Honesty! Like we don't know how things work.

De Vita, you're whining as usual.

Everything the president said was absolutely correct.

You're all represented here: Left, centre and right.

Isn't that enough?

You'll be doing me a huge favour

if you do discover these so-called infractions

and these despicable irregularities.

I intend to moralize.

Relatively speaking, of course.

Good one.

Taking advantage? It's inevitable, gentlemen.

Men will be men.

Up to a point, of course.

"Adelante, Pedro, cum judicio."”

"Yuicio."

ll remember “Judicio.”

It's Spanish.

Now, gentlemen, City Hall is yours.

What's going on?

Let them through. Come forward.

De Vita, see how democracy works?

Excuse me.

How can I find it with no year or license number?

So many questions! Higher.

On the left. Over there.

Right in front of you. That one.

Give it to me.

Excuse me.

Hello, Picozzi.

Morning, Counsellor.

I'm busy.

Tomorrow, tomorrow!

What do I have to do to get my file?

- The door. - You close it.

- Here's the file. - Finally.

Here. It's all in order.

I think we can all be satisfied.

I agree.

We'd like to trace the process from application to granting of the permit.

Though how they got a permit in three days is beyond me.

It just means the system worked efficiently.

As it should.

You're always complaining about bureaucratic delays.

That's why our bookkeeper is here.

Morzillo, take these councilmen wherever they wish to go.

Let's go.

We'll start with technical affairs. I'll get the files ready.

Always at your service.

De Vita, how long does it usually take to get a permit?

Six months, if all goes well.

Otherwise, a year or two.

Try as a private citizen. You'll see.

- The same old story. - What did you expect?

Morzillo, they're out for blood. Will you be all right?

I've been here 40 years,

and I've never seen anyone sacked.

- Where is this department? - Here they come.

This way. I had them prepare the file.

Mr Morzillo told me all about it.

This is the building that Bellavista demolished,

and this is the one that collapsed.

Were they adjacent or did they share a wall?

We're not all engineers. Explain your question.

Were the two buildings held up by one wall or two adjacent walls?

How can we possibly establish that?

This map is on a scale of 1:2,000.

A one-metre wall is a 0.5 mm line. Two walls, 1 mm.

Our pen nibs are 1 mm wide.

So it's technically impossible to tell one wall from two

given our tools.

Then how can you establish whether a building can be demolished?

That's not within my office's jurisdiction.

- Whose jurisdiction is it? - The Department of Safety's.

Naples is really two cities -

one above ground and visible,

and the other underground.

In other words, the ground we build on

is like Swiss cheese, full of holes.

You have no idea what's underground:

walkways, caves, crevasses.

Our administration ordered all these maps,

but they turned out useless,

because earthquakes, floods, constant infiltrations of water

are forever modifying structures underground.

So when there's a collapse

due to these wretched natural causes,

why attribute the responsibility to humans?

What's all this about?

We're investigating one collapse, Vico Sant'Andrea.

- All this is irrelevant. - Why?

If one common wall supports two buildings,

the demolition permit should not have been granted

without ordering precautionary measures

necessary to stabilize the adjacent building...

which was occupied, let's not forget.

You're saying city engineers aren't doing their job,

yet you have no proof.

One element has come to light, and our job is to investigate it.

The foundation for the new building was laid with a pile driver.

Of course a pile driver would bring down an old, decrepit building

in an area where the slightest shock is like an earthquake.

That's plenty for me.

What kind of "element" is that? It was all according to regulations.

The only thing that's come to light

is that every department followed all applicable rules.

In fact, this survey proves that everything is in order.

On the back are listed all security measures

prescribed by law. Here.

And did they comply?

We just prescribe them.

- Who verifies compliance? - No one.

If you don't comply, you go to jail. That's what the judiciary is for.

Now we're getting somewhere.

Compliance is only verified after an incident.

Each department did its job. Let people die.

Let's not get carried away.

The city accords third-party rights

to tenants, owners, anyone who might sustain damages.

In our case, tenants made no complaints.

Nor did the owners. So the city's in the clear.

One guy says it's not his jurisdiction.

The next says it's not his concern.

All the fire department cares about is code.

The perfect machine. All by the book.

Well, the book needs rewriting!

And you want to do the writing.

No, that book would only be good in the Soviet Union.

Good one.

De Vita, where are you going?

To grab a bite to eat.

Come to the hospital cafeteria. We can talk.

All right. Just let me lock the car.

How are you doing?

Be a good boy and you can go home tomorrow.

Always with the cards, eh?

Have you finished reading the paper?

Look at her.

How are you? Feeling any better?

Let's see if we can send you home too.

De Vita,

you asked how I ended up on the inquiry board.

You see these children?

They need air, light, sanitary housing. They should never end up here.

- Where's Tonino? - On the terrace.

- Go and get him. - Go and call him, Sister.

Eating sweets?

Come on, don't cry.

And there's something even worse

that weighs on all of us on the inquiry board:

The young victim of the collapse.

Here's Tonino.

Come here, young man.

That's it. Keep walking.

Good boy!

They bust your balls first thing in the morning.

What is it now?

The board goes merrily about its inquiry,

and my name's in the papers every single day.

De Vita is chummy with Balsamo, the councilman from the centre.

That should worry you too.

I've got to start building again.

When building stops, the money stops.

Is that enough for you?

Calm down. Have some coffee.

The buildings in Vico Sant'Andrea must be demolished immediately.

I have to build there, and you know it.

The first one fell by itself, thank God.

I've got to do the rest.

Elections are in a month.

We'll all be back on the council, stronger than ever.

Be patient, Nottola. We'll handle everything.

Money isn't like a car that can sit idle in a garage.

It's like a horse that has to eat every day.

Get to the point.

Those buildings must come down, but my name mustn't come up.

Just what do you want?

No.

It's "What do we want?"

Your interests and mine are identical.

Don't you see you're putting me in danger?

It's election time. There are more important matters.

We have to win. We can't make foolish mistakes.

Evict those people and their votes are lost.

I'm running for office too.

I don't want to lose my votes either.

So what will you do?

The Department of Safety has to condemn those buildings

and issue eviction notices today.

That way Councilman Nottola doesn't risk his own votes.

Aren't votes for me votes for the party?

How's your son doing?

In hiding, waiting for news.

Don't worry. We'll take care of it.

It'd better be soon. He can't hold out long.

He doesn't want to keep hiding.

But what can he do? Turn himself in?

If we don't do something, there's no way out.

GIVE US A ROOF FOR OUR CHILDREN!

STOP TREATING US LIKE ANIMALS!

WE WANT HOUSING, NOT HOVELS!

Get out of here!

I don't intend to force the matter.

I refuse to be responsible for accidents.

But Commissioner, these people always behave like this.

If we insist, they'll get the message.

Very well.

If she accepts the city's subsidy,

she'll have no right to say a word later.

She'll never set foot in her house again!

My children have to eat. God will provide.

She's right.

No, she's not right. God will not provide.

If she takes the money, she can't come back.

- What's a poor woman to do? - Use her head.

Get out of here!

Good riddance to these rotten houses,

but we need somewhere to move to.

- What if the roof collapses? - Too bad.

We're blacksmiths here. We're not budging.

These others are blacksmiths,

tailors, cobblers, carpenters.

But their work is here. They can't leave.

You must leave. The mayor himself signed the eviction notice.

We'll take our kids to city hall. Let's see the mayor kick us out.

Quiet up there!

Get out of here!

There's been danger of a collapse for three years now.

But now it's happened, and it's more dangerous than ever.

- Naturally. - Right where they're building.

They're old buildings. It's all that pounding.

Enough! We'll decide for you!

That wasn't the deal.

You have to wait for the councilman and the delegation.

There's no choice. You must go.

- Where? - We saw this coming.

Even you couldn't do anything.

You brought this on yourselves.

This is what you get for voting for them.

You gave them power to do as they please.

What have they done for you? Think you'll live in those new buildings?

You'll end up some place even worse, where you can't even work.

Commissioner, the councilman is here.

Who should we vote for then? The Communists?

Vote for those who don't profit at your expense!

You can't hold a rally! Come with me!

I won't allow you to interfere!

Forget your responsibilities. We want to get to the bottom of things.

I can't allow it!

If you want to talk to me, calm down.

I have an order signed by the mayor.

These buildings could collapse any minute.

I'm an engineer.

These buildings are like half the buildings in Naples.

Collapse only threatens when it's convenient for certain people.

How do you know? Did you conduct the survey?

No, that was the city's technical office, in other words, Edoardo Nottola.

You need proof for a statement like that.

Let me show you some hard facts.

Come with me.

Please.

You want to see or not?

See this? It's a toilet.

This is running water.

All clean, all state of the art.

Good, stable electrical power.

Here's the kitchen. The gas.

Follow me.

All this stuff...

do you think those buildings have any of this?

You've seen them.

Why shouldn't we get rid of all those buildings

and replace them with these?

And another thing, De Vita.

Why are you on my back?

To further your own cause?

So they understand just who you are.

I'm a man who invests his time, money and labour

to get rid of these stinking hovels.

That's a lie. The facts say otherwise.

You're an outlaw.

The law creates an urban plan, and you ignore it.

You take away people's homes and jobs

and don't give a damn where they end up.

They certainly don't end up living here.

I don't run a charity.

Who asked you to? But you know no bounds.

Two men died and a boy lost his legs, and you don't care!

All that matters is stuffing your pockets.

It's your methods I'm against, not the buildings.

I want them built in accordance with the law, not your schemes!

De Rosa, Raffaele.

Russo, Vincenzo.

Porcaro, Giovanni.

Gaeta, Gennaro.

Esposito, Vincenzo.

Manco.

Postiglione.

Visco.

Tramontano.

Filippone.

Nappi.

Oreste.

We'll let the president decide.

Please go on with your presentation.

In the urban development plan of 1939

and that of 1958, yet to be approved,

the area in which the Bellavista Company is building

is zoned for public use.

- That's enough for us. - Please.

In the resolution that you're now examining,

the city authorised sale of that land to Bellavista.

As was its right.

So as far as my office is concerned, everything is in order.

That's sufficient. Thank you for these clarifications.

Good afternoon, gentlemen.

These clarifications from the city's chief engineer

rule out, as was predictable,

any irregularity in the operation of our administrative departments.

I therefore deplore

Councilman De Vita's actions.

With his indiscretion

and the uproar he caused in the press,

he has denigrated and vilified

the work and the very prestige of this board.

Hear, hear.

The press learned of things it should not have

until after the official results of this inquiry.

This whole case was one big setup

with nothing to uncover.

De Vita's actions were undemocratic and inappropriate.

The inappropriateness of a decision affecting the entire city,

such as the sale of public land to a private citizen

without prior debate in the city council,

is a moral issue.

I can't expect you to grasp such reasoning.

So let's stick to the facts.

What did the inquiry board ascertain?

That land zoned for public use

was sold by resolution of the governing committee

to a private company owned by a sitting councilman.

Do we agree on these facts?

Let's put them on the record.

De Vita, do you think we're all children?

Our task is to determine

whether municipal departments committed irregularities,

not pass judgement on the governing committee.

We've ascertained that the city acted appropriately.

That's what should go on the record.

Are you so bent on saving this Nottola character?

Are you starting now too?

Let's wrap up the inquiry. We'll talk about this elsewhere.

We must respect the law.

And stay within the limits of this particular inquiry.

You're not respecting the law this way.

In fact, you're using your majority power to defy the law.

Two very grave facts have emerged.

First, public land was sold to a private citizen.

What might have been built there? A park, a school, a hospital?

Secondly, the council at large was never informed,

which is inadmissible when public interests are at stake.

Only the opposition can act as a check on the majority's power,

and that's the only guarantee of democracy.

You hear that? It's not just the left talking.

When there's no political will to investigate,

an inquiry serves no purpose.

We'll proceed by other means.

There's the parliament, the press, public opinion.

You're trying to bury the whole affair.

You want to minimise the entire incident.

We reject your methods.

Nottola, we made a mistake.

Now we must avoid making things worse.

There's just one way out.

And this is the party speaking through me.

We must prove to the public

that we can take responsibility for our actions.

Unfortunately, this time it falls to you.

If the inquiry establishes collusion,

you knew nothing about it.

It involved your company and a few city officials.

We cover up the whole thing, and the administration survives.

This scandal threatens the governing committee,

all of us, the party, the entire project.

It's election time. Don't forget that.

Take my advice. You won't regret it.

Just what are you saying?

What are you getting at?

Let's hear it.

Your company gets a slap on the wrist,

a few city officials take early retirement,

and everything returns to normal.

You know how these things are resolved.

Let's lay our cards on the table.

You're telling me to withdraw my candidacy.

Are you all crazy?

My votes cost me millions. I got them one by one, door to door.

And when you needed them, you took them.

Now I should hand them over

to the first idiot you put in my place?

Sure, when you need Nottola, great. Otherwise...

...it's God bless and good-bye.

But he's still a good investment as a private citizen,

because the money rolls in...

...with no questions asked.

What about that?

Do we sacrifice it to your political ambitions?

Listen.

When you divvy things up, you expect me to come begging.

"May I build this high-rise? May I have this contract?"

I must be building commissioner. I'm the only one I can trust.

But why? To get the contracts for the project?

You've already got them!

We've got to win the elections, get a clear majority.

With all your shenanigans, we can forget it.

Stick to building! You're no politician!

We're all hanging by a thread.

I have to be commissioner.

If we lose votes because of you,

you'll never put two bricks together again.

Take my word for it.

Eat your spaghetti first. Then we'll discuss the situation.

This isn't about you personally.

People say the party hasn't kept its word.

But what's the man in the street saying?

The people who voted for me... what are they thinking?

They don't listen to us like before.

The people will do exactly as we tell them.

You don't know.

You spend all day in the boss's office.

We actually go in their houses. We know what they think.

Boss, people are unhappy and disappointed.

They just want more money.

Watch your mouth.

People want security. They want factory jobs.

Those who go up north come back and tell the others.

Workers in Milan and Turin are living large.

They have skills! What can these people here do?

They have no skills, but they need to live too.

And they're tired of empty words. They want hard facts.

What more do they want from me?

I've fed entire families, handed out jobs left and right.

What more do they want?

I pay for medicines, hospital bills. What do they want?

Boss, those things come and go.

People want substance.

You still have your following. It's the party that's falling apart.

These days, ideas get around fast.

Even the government's getting the picture.

You watch television, and so do the people.

It'll be easy to convince them.

Promise a future for them and their children,

and you'll have all the votes you want.

- How much is the bank? - Three and a half million.

- Place your bets. - 100,000.

No more bets.

No more.

These don't count.

Who wants to see them?

Who wants the first card? Quiet, please!

Eight for the house.

He's got magic fingers tonight.

I'm playing alone. I told you that.

Half a million.

Enough! He's playing alone.

Please, don't insist.

Enough!

I said no!

Please, the stakes are high.

He's killing me, damn it.

Dealing the second player. Nine for the house.

I'll write you a cheque later.

You can give him the difference, all right?

Get rid of that damn dog! It's a jinx!

What's the poor thing ever done to you?

Go outside.

Just because you're losing, you blame him.

Dani, where are you going?

- Now what? - Did a snake bite you or what?

Renato.

- Is Marcello here? - He's inside, losing his shirt.

- Maglione? - He's there too.

- Thanks. - Any time.

- Evening, sir. How are you? - Fine.

- Whiskey? - Yes. Have them call Mr Marcello.

Gennari, come here.

Tell Mr Marcello to come to the bar.

- Here you are. - Thank you.

- What brings you here? - Come with me.

I'm playing. I can't just walk out.

- I'll explain later. - OK. Get me my coat.

It's late. Can't we go tomorrow?

We have to go now.

They'll all be asleep.

Are you afraid they'll say, "We don't need you?"

Impossible. They've approached me several times.

They know you'll follow me

and that they need our votes to win the majority.

It's our names that count. Don't you see?

Not the party flag we wave.

I know, I know. You're afraid Maglione will call us traitors.

But for how long? His interests are the same as ours.

And when I become commissioner, he'll have to beg like all the others.

In politics, friendship is a matter of convenience.

What if you don't become commissioner, if we don't gain the majority?

Then I walk and take my votes with me.

Maglione even said the majority hangs by a thread.

Well, we break that thread.

It's just a matter of time: today, tomorrow.

They're the bosses. If you want to stay afloat, you join them.

Close the blinds.

Is the counsellor in?

Wake him up. This is Nottola.

Listen carefully. Go and tell my son to turn himself in.

That's right. No questions. You'll know soon enough.

Tell him it's the only way.

It has to be on every front page.

"Developer Edoardo Nottola convinces his son

to turn himself in for the accident in Vico Sant'Andrea."

Yes, I'm here.

What more is it going to take?

Pay the victims' families... 10, 20, 30 million!

But do it now! I've had enough!

You appreciate art, I see.

How are you, Balsamo?

Forgive me. You were still eating.

Don't mention it.

Were you admiring the Luca Giordano?

You think painters today are capable of such intensity?

Did you see the Solimena?

It's very beautiful. The Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Have you been to my home before?

Come. I have something else to show you.

You like it?

Once upon a time, people appreciated things of beauty

and filled their homes with them.

Lucky thing, too, or we'd never have got them.

Come with me.

This way, please.

Let's close the door.

Please, sit down.

- Now, how about a coffee? - No, thanks. I had some.

So... what is it?

Tell me all about it.

I'd like to withdraw my candidacy.

Please don't take this as a betrayal,

but ll won't be on the same slate as Nottola.

Our inquiry reveals half the city's officials should be in jail,

and I'm to ignore it and sit next to Nottola on the council.

Look here, my friend.

Cigarette?

You mustn't frame this in moral terms.

Look at it from the political angle,

because, like it or not, Nottola and his gang are powerful,

and it's imperative that we bring them over to our side.

Why is it imperative?

To win the majority.

Fine, so we win the majority.

We won't be able to lift a finger against anyone.

Nottola won't change. We all know his game.

And we're supposed to just overlook it?

How can we guide public opinion

if we accept the likes of him?

My dear Balsamo, we create public opinion.

A great party like ours can swallow the likes of Nottola whole.

Think instead

of the responsibility of a politician faced with this dilemma.

You have the chance to turn this around,

yet you refuse to do so on the grounds of...

moral incompatibility.

You don't destroy the Nottolas of the world that way.

You merely pretend they don't exist.

You speak as if power were everything.

I run a hospital.

If I can't trust my own doctors, what can I do?

Fire them, replace them, whatever you like,

but only because you're in charge.

But if I'd known I'd be working with scoundrels,

I'd never have taken the job.

And someone else would have, perhaps someone less competent.

My dear Balsamo,

in political life, moral indignation is a worthless commodity.

You know what the only true sin is?

Losing.

NOTTOLA A VIEW OF THE BAY FOR ALL!

SOCIALISTS FOR PROGRESS

At 6:30 pm,

in the Piazza Plebiscito,

on behalf of the Communist Party...

RIGHT LOSES ON CITY COUNCIL CENTRE WINS MAJORITY

The fact there were people like that among us

shows our party's in crisis.

- You're being naive. - Would you stop counting the chips?

They're rats! Men without honour.

A frenzy of betrayal... that's what this was!

Don't take it so hard. You only live once.

- We're better off without them. - Politics is all a game.

How low can they stoop, taking in those traitors!

I've been telling you all along.

Scoundrels without honour.

And she does nothing but sleep.

Wake up.

It's late. We have to go.

You play cards, talk business... what do you expect?

Get up. We're leaving.

They still have to come to us.

- Half the room is still ours. - You're right.

Those rats! I'll make them pay. I'll show them.

Get a move on, it's 7:00 pm.

Those rats!

If any of you vote for those rats,

you're even bigger rats than they are!

The centre will have our unconditional support. That goes without saying.

But that man must never become commissioner.

Councilmen, please return to your seats.

In the election for our new mayor,

the tally is as follows...

De Angelis, 47.

Scognamiglio, 28.

Various others, 5.

I hereby declare Luigi De Angelis our new mayor.

Let's hear it for the deal makers.

You struck quite a bargain.

This session will resume after a half-hour recess

with our new mayor's opening remarks

and nominations for commissioner.

May I have the floor?

Councilman De Vita, the session's in recess.

Later!

Don't you want a cup of coffee?

My dear friend, allow me to offer my warmest congratulations.

We couldn't have asked for a worthier man.

Ah, big words.

- Congratulations. - Thank you.

You had our loyal support, just as you will for commissioners.

So glad to hear it.

- Congratulations. - Very kind of you.

Mr Mayor, congratulations.

Of course, Nottola's name must not appear on the slate.

We never agreed to that.

We told you we were honour-bound.

As are we. And not all your men agree.

- Excuse me. - What is it?

Excuse me. I'll be right back.

They're playing dumb.

You owe your newfound majority to us.

And without our votes, you won't get your commissioners.

But we're all gentlemen here. Each will pay his debt.

That's no way to talk. We're not here to pay debts.

You mustn't doubt the loyalty of our group.

There are no defectors among us.

It's your ex-friends who oppose you.

Maglione vetoed your name.

Then make him lift his veto.

These aren't the real issues.

We're now responsible for an administration

that must act in everyone's interests.

That's how I see it, and that's what I'll do.

We'll do as we've agreed to do.

Let's keep our personal opinions to ourselves.

So he's sitting next to you, and now you'll make him commissioner.

- We'll see about that. - You're being naive.

Numbers mean everything here.

We'll still be four votes short to get rid of Nottola.

- Where do we get them? - He doesn't have everyone's support.

Something could happen.

Let's be frank, Maglione.

What game are we playing? Do we want to look like fools?

We agreed. Nottola will not be commissioner.

You insist on nominating him?

We'll fight fire with fire.

What will that get you?

For starters, you'd have to step down.

I see. So I step down.

Fine.

Then what?

Dissolve city council.

New elections... which will go no better for you.

Meanwhile, with no mayor, no governing committee,

and a special commissioner from Rome,

all initiatives will be put on hold.

No project of any kind.

No special fund.

You would bear full responsibility for that before the city.

Who would all this benefit, Maglione?

Certainly not you.

Listen to me.

We have to find a solution.

We all know this is personal for you.

Set an example for this city that has suffered so much

and expects great things from us all.

Let us be worthy of the political task we've taken on.

I've already spoken to Nottola.

For everyone's good, you two must be friends again.

All done with your deals?

Come on. Let's not waste any more time.

As I assume my position,

I wish to thank and acknowledge

the entire assembly.

I consider my election

a display of trust in our party,

but most of all

in the policies that will guide our actions.

Our city needs

a stable and efficient administrative body.

Much has divided us over the course of this campaign,

but the love that we all feel for our city

can and must unite us.

I hope these criteria will guide us in electing our commissioners,

and I hereby propose we vote without further ado.

- May I have the floor? - What for?

A point of order that concerns the entire assembly.

Very well.

The new mayor has described his election

as the expression of a desire to ensure that the city

gets a stable, proper and efficient administrative body.

In other words, an election free of politicking.

Purely administrative.

It's not true.

This election is the clear result of a political alliance

between the centre and the right,

involving men who were just yesterday under investigation,

an investigation

demanded and supported by the very same centre.

Councilman De Vita, your topic is not on the agenda.

But nominations for commissioners are,

and we cannot proceed without clarifying

the moral stance of certain individuals

whose presence here dishonours the entire assembly.

I demand a suspension of the vote

and an investigation into the moral issues

that make Councilman Nottola ineligible.

I formally denounce Councilman Nottola,

whom you would now elect commissioner,

as the principal figure in a group of unscrupulous businessmen

who wish to redirect the expansion of the city

to land entirely owned by them.

We must abandon this unsustainable alliance.

Enough, please.

Councilman De Vita's proposal is formally inadmissible.

However, I will abide by the decision of the assembly.

We shall put the proposal to a vote.

The left asks that the proposal be voted on.

My group asks that the proposal be rejected.

The centre asks that the proposal be rejected.

I ask that the proposal be voted on.

And I declare that if we were to vote,

we here would vote in favour.

Confronted with such serious matters,

a man must answer to his moral conscience

beyond all considerations of politics or party lines.

I'm a simple man,

and I don't know how to talk like De Vita,

who's succeeded in sowing discord within our own ranks.

I stick to the facts. I build buildings.

De Vita says he has nothing against them

as long as they're built as dictated by law.

But the law is made here.

We all make it together.

But apparently this doesn't suit De Vita either.

You investigated me. What did you discover?

Not a thing.

All this makes me wonder if what you really want

is for those people to go on living in hovels

SO you can carry on your usual propaganda.

It's true.

The law is made in this hall,

and you have greater power at the moment.

We always will!

But you take advantage of your political power

with no concern for those who elected you.

The billions of lire in the city's special fund,

which belongs to all us citizens,

will be used only to legally stuff your pockets...

your pockets...

using the laws that will be passed here.

You'll be elected commissioner here in this hall,

and perhaps you'll delude yourself that everything goes on as before.

But things are changing.

Always, in every society, when things begin to change,

someone tries to grab everything he can.

Everything he can,

without concern for the needs and hopes of the people.

And I speak not only of those who live in hovels...

and whom he remembers only when it's expedient.

Those who have been your "subjects" ” are waking up

to their rights as citizens,

and you know it.

And so you fight, within the law and outside it,

through corruption and force.

This is the truth.

Your revered Eminence,

Your Excellency,

ladies and gentlemen...

today I have the rare opportunity

to inaugurate a vast complex of public works

destined to make this new part of the city self-sufficient.

This kind of development clearly indicates

that this investment of public funds

is yielding the results we all hoped for,

results that are today becoming reality.

It's with pleasure and pride that I preside over this ceremony

and inaugurate a project eagerly sought by the city

and fervently supported by the national government.

Go ahead!

THE CHARACTERS AND EVENTS SHOWN ARE IMAGINARY,

THE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT IS REAL.