Original subtitles

Many years have gone by, full of war...

...and of that which we used to call history.

Having wandered here and there...

so far I haven't been able to keep the promise made...

...in leaving them, to my peasants...

that I would go back to them.

And I really don't know if or when I'll be able to keep it.

But, shut up in a room, in a closed world,

I like to go back in my mind to that other world.

Imprisoned in its pain and customs,

oblivious of history and of the State,

eternally patient.

To that land, without comfort or gentleness,

where the peasant lives in poverty and isolation...

...in his immobile civilization...

...on a dry earth in the presence of death.

"I'm Barone. May whoever finds me take pity on me."

Go on, eat this egg, it's good for you.

Go on, eat it.

Don't you like it?

- Hey, whose is this dog? - May I keep the dog?

It's fine with me, but we'll have to ask the Podest...

- Yes... the dog is mine. - Keep him quiet, then!

You should put a muzzle on him.

At least put him on a leash.

I'm sorry to say this, but the dog should have a muzzle.

I don't want him to eat my chickens.

From now on he'll sit with me.

You keep him on a leash, or else!

Good morning! Hello!

- Are you comfortable? - Yes, we are.

Okay, let's go.

Christ stopped at Eboli.

Where the road and the train leave the coast,

and penetrate the sad lands of Lucania.

Christ never came here. Nor have time,

the individual spirit, hope, nor the tie between...

...cause and effect, reason or history.

No one has ever touched this land...

...if not as conqueror, as enemy...

...or incomprehending visitor.

The seasons flow over the toil of the peasants today,

as they did 3,000 years before Christ.

In this dark land, without sin and without redemption,

where evil is not a moral, but an earthly pain,

forever present in all things,

Christ never came.

Christ stopped at Eboli.

I'm the only one who has a car, here.

I bought it with the dollars that I earned in America.

I thought it was a bargain.

Instead, all I manage to do is a couple of trips a week,

to take the Podest to the prefecture in Matera.

How about the mail, here?

Have you seen who's in charge of it? A donkey!

See those stakes? They used to stick the heads of bandits...

on them. And they'd leave them there for a long time.

You can come whenever you want.

There, that's the municipal secretary, Sergeant.

Don Peppi', the Sergeant has something to say to you.

Goodbye, Sergeant.

Who should I give the order to?

The town hall, they'll stamp it.

I'm the municipal secretary.

Carlo Levi.

Is there a hotel, an inn?

No, but I can suggest a very comfortable situation...

...with a relative of mine. She cooks too.

All right, let's go.

- Which way? - That way.

Oh, the dog.

Barone! Oh, there he is.

He followed me. Come on!

I'd like to keep him, but I don't know whether it's possible.

I think so, but we'll have to ask the Podest. Now he's...

...teaching at the elementary school. Maybe tonight.

Wait here for me. I'll come and get you.

Mister Levi, come this way.

Come on in. Come in.

May I?

- Good day. - Good day.

I know everything, come with me. I'll show you your room.

- I'll see you at the town hall. - Thank you, very kind of you.

There, you may choose whichever bed you like best.

Thank you, madam, don't worry about me.

Madam, which way to the square?

Go straight and then turn right.

What are all those ribbons I've seen over the doors?

Here, when someone dies, we hang the ribbons...

...from the wreaths over the doorway,

and leave them there until they fall off.

Doctor Levi!

I'm Luigi Macalone, the Podest.

- Carlo Levi. - Welcome.

Here in town there are ten other internees,

but you're not allowed to speak to each other.

They're worthless people, lowly workers, nothing much.

They can't compare with you. You're clearly a gentleman.

Why did you get yourself interned?

Our country is becoming so great now.

In any case, you'll like it here. The climate is good, the air...

...healthy. There is a bit of malaria, but not much.

But you should be careful. There are lots of bad people.

Better not to befriend anyone.

That way you'll avoid any unpleasantness.

- Good evening. - Good evening.

You must respect the curfew, and I'm at your disposal.

Here everyone goes to bed at dusk,

and every day you must sign the internee register.

It's only a formality, but the people in Matera want us...

...to be scrupulous. So, we follow the rules.

That's don Traiela, the priest.

He's always drunk. A disgrace to our town. A desecration of...

...the house of God. We can't seem to get rid of him. But...

we'll manage to kick him out. He's been here for many years

as punishment. He taught in the seminary at Mondragone...

...or Naples. It seems he took certain liberties with his pupils.

You understand...

Luigi! Luigi!

Let me introduce my uncle, one of the local doctors of Galliano.

- Doctor Mirillo... doctor Levi. - Pleased to meet you.

You're a young man, a handsome young man.

- I wish I were a young man. - Of course you are.

In this town, you must beware mostly of the women. Don't...

...accept anything from them. Neither wine nor coffee.

Nothing to drink or eat. They'd certainly put a love-potion in it.

Do you want to know what they make the out of?

Menstrual blood.

I've heard that you too are a physician.

I'm a graduate in medicine, but I've never practiced.

I'm no doctor.

In any case, the peasants, here, don't listen to us.

They never call us and they never pay. They'll get theirs.

Today, one of those who hadn't called us, died.

It serves him right. They are stubborn as mules.

We give them quinine, and they don't take it.

There's no hope. And their malaria, naturally, kills them.

Doctor Levi, I'll leave you to it.

Listen, I'd like to ask you...

...if I can keep a dog. - A dog?

Sure, why not? Goodbye.

There's Sergeant Pugliese.

He's the midwife's lover.

I was told he was the lover of the pretty Sicilian mafiosa.

The one who sings all the time. - Oh really?

- Yes. - Good.

He's been here 3 yars.

They say he's already saved up 40,000 lire,

taking advantage of his authority over the peasants.

10 lire at a time.

The mail! Here's the mail!

The mail is here!

Dinner's ready.

He was my husband. He died 3 yars ago, of an ugly death.

They put the evil eye on him.

But why? Who put the evil eye on him?

A peasant witch! He had another woman.

A child was born of this union. My husband wanted...

...to leave her, but she gave him a magic potion...

...that made him turn black all over, until he died.

- A peasant witch? - That lowly hussy,

that whore who ruined my house!

Now I have to support a 10 years old son who studies in Potenza.

All he left me was this weight on my shoulders!

- Who is it? - Don Peppi', open up!

- Good evening. - Good evening.

It's cold and wet enough to kill you!

My bones are all clattering together with the cold.

Virgin Mary!

Sit down in front of the fire.

- Good evening, zia Carmela. - Good evening.

- Good evening. - Good evening.

- May I sit down? - Please do.

- What are you eating? - Some soup.

I'll have some too, because I haven't eaten since last night.

I'm starving.

What do those two letters on your hat mean? U.E.?

They stand for "Ufficiale Esattoriale", tax collector.

I always curse the man who sewed these letters on my hat.

Nobody, here, wants to pay taxes. Nobody.

Their excuse is that we're all so poor, but...

...they all have a pig hanging under the cellar roof.

Sausages, headcheese, stuffed pig's stomach...

They have everything. At my house, instead,

I have to make do with some bread and cheese.

Would you like some wine? Could we have another glass?

Thank you.

- Cheers. - Cheers.

Perhaps the taxes are high.

They're what they are. I'm not the one who get the money.

I only make them pay.

What do they want from us?

So you go, and take whatever there is.

Whatever they have, I take.

They have no furniture. They have a bed,

but beds, by law, can't be taken away.

- What do they give you then? - Whatever they have.

For instance, if they have a goat, I take it.

A rabbit, I take that too.

If someone has a whole cheese, I take it.

Sometimes, even a bottle of oil, I take it.

It's an ugly job. Ugly.

And they hate me. Everybody hates me.

The other day, at Migliano,

with a club with a big head,

they ran after me, 'cause they wanted to split my head open.

At Ferrantino, a man dared to come after me with a rifle!

He wanted to shoot me.

An ugly job.

Unfortunately, we have to make a living.

I'm curious, what have you got in that case?

It's my salvation. It takes out...

...all the anger I accumulate with these people.

When I get away from these people...

...I'll show you what I do.

- See how beautiful it is? - Yes, it's beautiful.

This takes out all the poison these people put in me.

This is a clarinet.

I play in the band in Stigliano.

- Your towel. - Thank you, madam.

Peppino is a good Christian, and a clean young man.

Take the bed near the window. You'll be more comfortable.

- Who's he? - A doctor from abroad.

- "Good morning"! - Good morning.

"Good morning"... this is too much!

Barone!

Where have you been? Come on, let's go.

Barone, come here!

- Good morning. - Good morning

I was listening to your record.

De Pinedo's arrival in New York. Come and listen to it.

- I don't want to interrupt you. - I'm glad to have a guest.

- Come in. After you. - Thank you.

1925, the flight over the three Continents.

Did you buy this record here?

Oh no, I brought it from America. My records are...

...all that's left that reminds me of my years in America.

Homesickness is a weakness. And I was tricked by it twice.

I came back and I married a woman from Galliano.

And now I can only dream of my beloved Sicily.

- So you're Sicilian. - Yes, I am.

Those are a few postcards my friends sent me from America.

That's the great President Roosevelt!

So you were there when De Pinedo landed.

Of course! All the Italians of America were there!

When we first saw the plane, it was like a dot in the sky.

We all started cheering so loud you couldn't even hear the band.

When I got home, I didn't even have the sleeves to my jacket!

The people were so wild that they had been ripped off.

- I'm Levi, and I'm an internee. - I know. My name is La Sala.

In this town, everyone knows everything. Know what I mean?

- Well, thank you. - Thank you, and goodbye.

I tell you that Italy grows greater and greater!

You must be proud to say that you are Italian.

Italy has sacrificed its sons in the name of its greatness,

and you, out of respect for our martyrs, must learn...

to be Italians. You must be Italian in name and in fact.

Remember these 3 words: Civilization, honesty, work!

In order to succeed, take example from our Duce,

Benito Mussolini!

Barone! Barone, come on.

Kids, give me a hand here.

Come on.

We shouldn't be wasting good goats this way.

- We have to kill our animals. - Why is that?

The government has put a tax on them.

They say goats are bad for the crops.

This law is good for the North of Italy, but not for us.

Goats are our only means of survival. We'd starve if...

...you took our goats away. And now we've killed it.

Don Carlo!

They're two internees like you.

The blond one is a communist from Ancona.

They caught him with a poster with the hammer and sickle.

The other is a student from Pisa, he too is a communist.

The internees used to be allowed to be together,

but lately, the Podest has forbidden all contact.

They just cook in common.

Right, because eating a plate of spaghetti together...

...might endanger the State.

Damned cuckold!

What are you doing? Get away!

Damned wretches! You irriverent little urchins!

This town has been abandoned even by the grace of God.

They come to church only to play.

Thank goodness, otherwise non one would ever be there.

I say Mass to the empty benches. They're not even baptize.

It's a town of animals! They're not Christians.

Only mules can walk on these paths.

Look at this disaster!

When it rains, the earth gives way,

because there are no trees, or rocks to hold it in place.

So the clay dissolves, and it flows...

...like a stream, sweeping...

everything up in its passage and the houses collapse.

Look at this, this was the main square.

And up there, that was my cathedral.

Not that little white church down in that little square.

And the people here, are worse than the land.

Profanum vulgus!

Profanum vulgus!

- Good evening, madam. - Good evening

- May I take a drop of wine? - Of course you may.

Let me wash my hands and I'll get you some nice hot soup.

I'm sorry, madam, don't be offended, but I'm not hungry.

- Don't you feel well? - No, I guess...

...I'm beginning to feel the fatigue of the trip.

I'll take him into the other room so he won't disturb you.

What are we doing here?

Me, I'm here because they sent me here.

But you...

You're here because you wanted to come.

And so...

My dear Barone, I came here because they sent me here,

but you wanted to come here. And so...

And so, my dear Barone...

Here he is, here's the doctor!

What's happening?

I'm sorry, excuse me... just a moment.

- Madam, what's going on? - They know you're a doctor.

No, who said I'm a doctor?

Listen to me, I've never practiced.

I have no experience.

I couldn't give you good advice.

Listen, I can give you some medicine...

...that I brought here for myself.

See, this child can't breathe, 'cause his tonsils are swollen.

You must take him to Matera and have them taken out.

I'll give you some medicine that I brought for myself, ok?

I've never practiced, I've never been a doctor!

Doctor, my wife is ill, could you come and see her?

Listen, I...

Doctor, it's my wife...

- I'm not a doctor, I've never... - All right, all right, come in.

Excuse me, just a minute, madam.

Could you move your arm?

When you got this fever, did you shake violently?

- Has she been vomiting? - Yessir.

This desease is called erysipelas and it's not a dangerous disease.

But, the prescriptions for the medicine she needs...

you'll have to get them from one of the local doctors.

All right.

May I wash my hands?

Go get a clean towel for the doctor.

Take that coin off her forehead. It's useless.

- Okay. - Oh no, it's not useless.

It helps the pain. It helps.

No, the pain will go away with the medicine.

No, the coin will make it go away.

Listen, tell me clearly where my boundaries are.

You can go as far as the cemetery, and no further.

Well, we're already at the cemetery. Let's turn back.

Good evening, Baron! How are you?

Did you have a good trip?

Come in, Baron, come in. I'm sorry, don Carlo.

Oh, it's nothing.

- Good evening. - Good evening.

Change the pillow case, as usual.

I'm sorry if I've disturbed you.

May I introduce myself? Rotunno.

Baron Nicola Rotunno, from Avellino.

Carlo Levi.

I own some land in Galliano and in the area around it.

I come here now and again to collect the rent from my tenents.

I imagine you're here on business, too.

No, I'm a political internee.

- Goodnight. - Yes, thank you.

Goodnight, madam

- Where are you from? - Turin.

I imagine that with you it was a precautionary measure.

Would you allow me to help you in some way?

I'm friends with the dearest friend of the lady friend...

...of Senator Bocchini, Chief of Police.

We might try to have you sent back to Turin.

How do you like it here?

Fine.

There are the boundaries, that I'm not allowed...

...to pass, but otherwise, fine.

Well, what distance would you need?

Since you so kindly offered to have me sent back to Turin...

...it seems absurd to worry about a few yards more or less.

Right... right.

Turin is our goal.

May I turn off the light?

Yes, of course.

The lady I know...

...and who is friends with Bocchini's lover...

...is, like me, devoted...

...to the Madonna of Monte Vergine.

I meet her frequently in that sanctuary and also in others.

Have you ever heard of San Rocco of Tolfe?

I have personally witnessed his miracles!

Every year, at the beginning of August there's a pilgrimage.

It's not far from here. You should go there once.

Get leave from the authorities. Better yet, I'll obtain...

...a permission for you. Then, you too will realize...

...and you'll see that people come from all over the land.

Men, women, children...

And San Rocco is there waiting for them.

He comes down from the sky motionless.

Above his church.

Everyone can see him!

But also the Saint of this town is a good Saint.

His name is Maurizio.

As for me, I serve Mass every morning.

At the age of 84, I feel...

...like the most humble of altar-boys.

What is there that has not already been given us?

I'm sorry...

In the name of the Baby Jesus saviour of the world,

I give you my blessing.

Goodnight.

Wake up, don Carlo!

The carabiniere is looking for you.

- Here I am. - Are you happy?

Of course I am! This is the coolest spot in town.

I think it must be the quietest too.

This town is built on the bones of the people.

- What? - Is built on bones!

If you dig a hole, our dear relatives stick out.

- They get eaten by the dogs! - So, how did that story go?

Oh, yes! The story of Nico Nanco.

No, not that one. The one you were telling me before.

Where the carts full of bones passed through the town.

Oh, that one! That time when the landslide came.

When the church of the Madonna collapsed.

- Then what happened? - One night,

in passing the church of the Madonna...

...I felt my strenght leave me to the point...

...that I had to sit down on the steps to the chapel.

I couldn't get up again. Someone prevented it.

So?

So, the voice of a wild animal started to call me.

It kept calling me by name.

It was the devil, that prevented me...

...from walking or talking.

So I crossed myself.

The devil started to gnash its teeth at me.

Like the voice of a beast being slaughtered!

Then in the darkness I saw a goat...

...on the ruins of the church. Then the devil...

disappeared into the abyss.

Go back! Nobody's going to work today.

The Podest has ordered everyone in the square.

People of Galliano,

in Abyssinia the Negus continues to provoke us.

Down with the Negus!

Until when must we remain helpless?

How long will the Duce's patience hold out?

That's a good doggy, Barone, you sleep and don't listen.

Remember that the Romans once dominated the world.

Rome's greatness shines more than ever on its 7 hills!

...On the seven hills. But here the hills...

...cave in, and turn to dust.

You have to walk behind me.

Good morning. I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have.

- No, no, on the contrary. - I can come back later.

- Forgive me. - What for?

Don Cosimino says you paint and since...

...I too paint, I thought... - Oh, good!

Please, come in.

- Good day, madam. - Excuse my mother,

she's deaf. She's almost ninety. "Vetula et Infirma".

Have a glass of wine, doctor. Go ahead, drink.

Tell me what you think of it.

It's good, thank you.

You're looking at my books.

Yes, because here, without books...

In this town even reading is not worthwhile.

I once had some nice books, even a few rare editions.

When I came here, those dogs who brought me here

spread tar all over them, just to spite me.

Since then I haven't even felt like opening them.

They have been on the floor for many years.

This book on S. Calogero of Avila, you wrote it yourself.

He was a Spanish Saint, not very well-known.

I did a few paintings, too, back then...

...that represent various periods of his life.

Sort of polyptychs.

Would you show them to me?

Are you really interested?

Yes, that's why I'm here.

In that case, I'd be glad to. Follow me.

Once I enjoyed dabbling in these little things.

But in this town, you can't do anything.

They're pretty, with all this orange. I like them.

- A little more wine? - No, thanks.

Get out! Shoo!

Get out!

Don Ca', you're glad to see your sister, aren't you?

How nice!

- Could you take the suitcase home?

Luisa!

You know how it is.

Many friends don't call out of caution. We ourselves...

don't call others in order not to compromise them.

Others, more courageous, come and ask news of you.

Did Mario Soldati's book come out?

Yes, you'll get it with the others.

He told us how you finished drawing the cover for his book.

While they were arresting you.

So, he told you about that.

I'm coming.

With all these windows, it might be perfect for painting.

You'd need a woman here.

Yes, I would. But it's not easy.

Come on, don't exaggerate. Don't tell me that here...

...even finding a cleaning lady is a problem.

Here a woman wouldn't go in the house of a single man.

Just spending time together implies sleeping together.

- You can't be serious. - Oh, yes I am.

- They said there was a terrace. - Yes, upstairs.

Come, let's go see it.

Pretty, isn't it?

Let's see if you've noticed the best feature of this house.

What's that?

There's a porcelain toilet seat.

I believe it's the only one in a fifty-mile radius.

When I asked the commissioner to transfer you

...to a healthier place, he said there's no malaria here.

At most, one case a year, he said.

Look, I said, I'm a doctor.

So then he admitted there is some malaria,

but that if they can live here, then so can you.

Well, his reasoning is unexceptionable.

In Matera's pharmacy, they've never even seen a stethoscope.

They're lucky to have a pharmacy in Matera, here we don't have one.

In this disaster, all you can do is paint.

Luisa, don't start again. I do what I can do and what I like.

I didn't start painting yesterday.

I don't think it's right. You're perfectly capable of being...

...a doctor, and you refuse to do it because you're afraid.

Where could you find a better place than this to gain experience?

Right, I've found my guinea pigs.

What on earth possesses you, to talk about guinea pigs?

Get a move-on, do something!

I can't understand why nobody does anything for these places.

It's time to act! Instead of putting everything off till tomorrow.

You have an active and constructive nature.

What you're saying could have been done ages ago.

But here, people are...

...complicated.

If you spend two weeks here, you too will change.

The first thing they tell you is that they'll go away from here.

Before, they went to America, then Naples, Rome...

Now we're going to Africa, they say. It's our last hope.

After what I saw in Matera, I can't really blame them.

I visited that sort of crater full of caves... they call it "Sassi".

20,000 men and animals live bunched together in there.

To me it looked like a city destroyed by the plague.

This is what the lower middle classes have come to.

Since they can no longer live like "gentlemen", as they say...

...they must exploit the peasants.

They take for themselves the post of Podest, priest...

...pharmacist, police sergeant and so on.

But since everything is so close...

...the fight becomes fierce and mean.

It's a matter of life and death.

So the war is a way to escape.

Yes, but they're headed for destruction.

Although, it's possible that what attracts them...

...is the very possibility of defeat and annihilation.

From here, things appear differently than from Turin.

Turin is farther than India or China, from here.

In Turin there's another pace, there are other laws...

...that here are incomprehensible.

Here you can understand why a young man becomes fascist.

A man reduced to their state, could become a spy, a thief,

a murderer. But he could also die a heroic death in Africa.

So they go to war out of desperation.

Of course they do.

But most of them stay behind.

And their passions grow...

...enclosed within a handful of houses.

And for me too. Who knows for how long...

...the boundaries of my world will remain within the circle...

...of these obscure passions of theirs.

- What time is it, Carlo? - I don't know.

I don't even look at my watch, anymore.

So, you don't want to send messages to anyone?

- Nothing? - Send my love to averyone.

The fact is that I feel as if I've always lived here.

Give it to me, don Ca'.

Well, do you spy on me, now?

I've found a cleaning lady for you, don Carlo.

Giulia Venere. They call her the "Santarcangelese".

The Santarcangelese! She's a witch. She makes potions...

puts the evil eye on people. The barber is her lover.

She's the only woman here who can work for un unmarried man.

She's a very clean, though, and hard-working.

Shall we go downstairs? It's so hot here.

What's more important, she knows the house tile by tile.

She was the mistress of the house,

and of the bed of the priest, too.

Don Carlo, have you seen the well? The priest used it...

...to cool wine bottles, when he expected guests.

- That's nice. - You should do it too.

You lower them slowly into the well in a basket.

When the right moment comes up, you pull them up and you...

...drink them all to our health, nice and cool.

Don Luigi, I have 2 letters to send, but I'd like you...

...to check them right away. I want them to arrive soon.

You know it perfectly well, you write very nicely.

And usually I keep your letters 2 or 3 days.

I had gathered as much.

I like to read your letters... slowly.

But there is one other things that's a bit against the rules.

What's that?

Among your books, I've seen a French book.

- This is forbidden. - This is a classic.

An author of the French Revolution.

- It's a dangerous author. - Oh really?

Carmelo, what are you doing here?

Don't cry, come on with Mommy. That's a good boy.

Let's go inside, and I will give you something to eat.

You sit here and play and don't bother don Carlo.

What are you crying about?

Come on, stop crying now.

Here's some bread. You don't want it?

I'll leave it for the ants!

And keep quiet!

Giulia, how many children have you got?

I've had 17 pregnancies.

17? You must be crazy!

- What does your husband do? - My husband?

He made me have my first child and then he went off to America.

And he took the child with him. I never saw him again.

The children born after that never even saw their fathers.

- Where's Papa, Carmelo? - Here.

Only Mama is here.

- America... - In America?

Good for you, they all go off to America.

Your Mama is both your Papa and your Mama.

Giulia, could you move this stuff for me please?

All you have to do is keep it dry.

I'll put a bandage on it, but it's not really necessary.

There you are.

It's done.

I feel better now.

Come and see me tomorrow, okay? Bye.

Here you always throw your garbage in the street.

How about this stuff? Are we keeping it for some reason?

I can't empty it, now. The angel might get upset.

- What angel? - Every night, 3 angels come.

One stands next to the door, one next to the table,

and the third next to the bed.

Oh really?

- And then what happens? - They watch the house.

If I throw the garbage in the angel's face,

he never comes back.

- So what'll we do? - I'll take it out in the morning.

When the sun comes out, the angel leaves.

Can you hear the angel?

You asked for rain? Now you've got it.

Naples is our capital, 'cause it's the city of poverty.

There are no more kings in Naples.

It's just a passage for America.

Rome is like the capital of foreign state, for rich people.

New York would be our real capital,

- if we could have one. - You're right.

- It's truly a great city! - You talk well, but you...

...came back here too. - What can I say?

I'm the only one who comes and goes.

- Lucky you! - Every 2 or 3 years I take...

a ship, I go to America, I stay there a while and come back.

I could even stay here.

I have plenty of money. But I listen to the radio.

There will soon be war, and they're not going to catch me!

I'm going to pack my suitcase and go back to America.

The southern regions, we're all divided.

Half here and half on the other side of the ocean.

And the families, are all split in half.

For those who have stayed here, America has grown farther away.

All we have left is the mail, don Carlo.

Occasionally we get a letter with a few dollars in it...

...from our lucky relatives.

From Rome we get noting and we've never gotten anything.

Don Carlo, in America I had a huge salon.

I had 3 employees. Not this tiny shop you've seen here.

If you like... Don Carlo, could you like to see the pictures?

Come see the pictures of my salon in America.

- Have you ever been there? - No, I haven't.

Then, you must come and see!

Our homesickness was our downfall! It's all our fault!

Well, don Carlo, living in the middle of all those skyscrapers!

All that cement, without ever a piece of land!

On Sundays we'd take a train...

...for miles to get to the country.

Then, all together, we'd get under a tree...

...and pull our pants down. How delicious to feel...

the fresh air, nature, not like those American toilets,

- shiny and all alike! - It felt like being boys again.

And when we were done, we'd all yell: Hurray for Italy!

It's not only an army...

...marching towards its goal...

...but 44 million Italians...

...marching together with this army...

...all united!

Since they are trying to commit against them...

...the worst of injustices!

That of taking away from us our place in the sun.

They say African soil is more fertile, and the crops thrive.

They say they'll give us all the land we want.

There's plenty of land here. It's the rest that's missing.

You're right, we're going to take land away from others.

It's bad luck.

We've had enough! We've been patient for 40 years.

Now we've had enough!

If these people in Rome have so much money to spend in warfare,

why don't they spend it here? To make new fountains,

plant trees, instead of cutting down the few we have left.

They could repair the bridge.

- It collapsed 4 years ago. - We don't know how it'll end.

England has a great fleet.

But we have Marconi, who has invented a new ray.

Even at 1,000 kilometers...

it can stop ships, cars planes...

Just a minute! As long as it doesn't stop the ship...

...that has to take me back to America. Right?

- Gentlemen, good day. - Good day to you!

What can I say to convince you?

Stay with your brothers and your mother.

War is an ugly thing, you might die.

We've sacrificed so much to make you grow.

You say you're going for money. I don't need money!

I love you so much...

He's volunteering for Africa! But we have enough of Africa here!

- I'll see you after the war. - I hope so.

Carmelo, go and play with Barone, go on!

Take care, all right?

That old man used to be a bandit.

He knows people's secrets.

He even knows where the bandits hid their treasures.

- Do these treasures still exist? - Of course.

The carpenter found one. I saw it myself.

He'd put a piece of wood on the fire. While it was...

burning, he saw something shiny. They were gold coins!

It's useless to look for them.

Only those predestined dream of them.

Otherwise, the "monachicchio" will tell you where to look.

- What's the "monachicchio"? - The "monachicchi"?

They're the spirit of the children who died without being baptized,

They're good, but they can be bad. They're mischievous.

They tickle your feet, they tip over glasses full of wine...

...they make laundry blow away.

They take chairs out from under the butts of women, who fall.

They pinch you, they pull your hair.

They do all sort of things.

But they're innocent creatures.

Why didn't you call me? How can you wash your shoulders?

I'll do it. It's the custom here. Sit up.

I didn't know about it.

You're well made. There's nothing missing.

So, you've decided you'll sit for your portrait?

No, that I won't do.

Why not?

Because it can't be done.

You remain prisoner of the man who paints it.

Who tells you all these idiocies?

They're not idiocies.

- I'll paint your portrait. - Why does it have to be mine?

- Paint somebody else's. - No, I want to paint yours.

- Then I'm leaving. - No, you'll do what I want!

No, I'm leaving!

Carmelo, why are you crying? What's wrong?

Now we'll take a nice bath in that warm water.

Right away.

What is it?

I'm going to put you right in here.

Let's take your shirt off.

That's right.

Come on, we have to take everything off, for our bath.

Let's take a nice bath.

The sun is making an eclipse. Who knows what it will bring?

Oh, Jesus Mary, what on earth is going to happen?

Dear Jesus, have pity.

It's a sign of God, for our sins.

It must be those asphyxiating gasses we use in Abyssinia.

The matter we have to discuss is delicate.

I wish to speak to you about it as a friend, as a scholar...

who understands and admires your learning. Not as Podest.

Well, it's this letter.

If this letter you wrote to your sister in Turin...

...should be read by the people in Matera...

...you'd be interned here not for 3 years, but 5, 7...

...maybe more. Do you understand what I mean?

But no... Listen, don Luigino, let's do it this way.

You read me the parts you disapprove of.

Speak freely.

You tell me what's wrong.

I'm glad to have the opportunity to discuss these things with you.

Have you realized that at this point, we are at war?

During a war, ideas are not are important, the Nation is.

You're for Italy, too, aren't you?

I'm convinced that you've been sent here by mistake.

Mussolini can't be informed about everything.

Some people, with the best of intentions, commit injustices.

Besides, in a city, one can have many enemies.

We were speaking...

...of the letter... - Oh, yes, the letter.

So it appears I'm not for Italy.

I'd never dream of thinking something like that of you.

But there are others who might.

The prefecture receives lots of anonymous letters.

And the prefecture is not annoyed, on the contrary...

I've already told you, here there are lots of bad people.

And this letter contains certain statements that...

- For instance? - For instance...

"Here, none of the peasants belong to any political party."

That's all we need.

"They're not fascist...

...just like they belong to no other party."

This doesn't improve on what you said before.

Then you add: "What do they have to do...

with the government, power, the State?

The State is 'the people in Rome',

who have always existed and alway will...

...like hail, landslides, drought, malaria..."

This is a heavy stuff. Let's not forget that the Duce's in Rome.

"For the peasants, the State is farther than the sky...

...and more evil, because it's always on the other side.

The State is a form of fate, like the wind that burns...

...the crops and the fever that burns the blood."

It's well written, I admit it, but do you think...

...these comparisons are flattering to the State?

Besides, who do you mean by 'the people in Rome'?

And why give all this importance to the peasants?

Forget them. Don't listen to their idle talk.

The peasants are superstitious and ignorant.

And the more you do for them, the more ungrateful they are.

You should mix with gentleman of your own rank.

We are the State. You offended yourself, by using these words.

Well, yes, I can't say you're wrong on this head.

You see, you must admit I'm right.

Well, yes. The kids that belong to the GIL...

...the people from the school, the schoolteacher...

...the war widows, the Florentine ladies...

...the Red Cross ladies, the mother...

...shopkeepers, journalists, police officers...

...in other words, don Luigino...

...what we are used to call "the Italian people"...

...would agree with you, right now.

This war is being fought also for your peasants.

Here they have too little land on which to grow crops.

And we'll go find some land in Africa, and give it to them.

We'll give them more living space.

"Living", that's the right word.

Because here they can't go on living anymore.

Yes, but it's the gentlemen who volunteer to go fight...

to conquer the land for them. Only one, here, wants to go.

I would have gone myself.

But you know as well as I, my health wouldn't allow it.

Besides, if I had gone, who would have been left in town

to keep things in order and promote healthy fascist ideals?

Don Carlo, come here, I want to show you something.

That memorial stone bears the names...

...of those who died in World War I.

There are a lot of names, for a town as small as ours.

More than 50. Every family name in Galliano is there.

Guarini, Lupilotto, Ricciotti, Borelli...

...Cannovale, Marino... Not one is missing.

No house is without its hero.

And even more were the wounded and sick.

And what do you write in your letter?

"Even the great war does not interest the peasants.

Why does no one tell about the battles, show the wounds,

boast about the heroism, as they do in the North?"

"Also the great war was a great tragedy, which they...

...bore like all the others. That too was a war of Rome."

You're really obsessed with this "Rome", aren't you?

It is dangerous, today, to write things like...

"They die in Abyssinia, as they did on the Isonzo and the Piave.

...for a history that belongs to other."

May I have a drop of that good wine of yours?

- It'll be a pleasure. - Thank you...

How the days have shortened.

Yes, the winter is close now.

What do you mean by "it's a history that belongs to other?

Have you ever read the book on the history of the city of Melfi?

Yes, when you borrowed it from my uncle.

Do you censor even my books now?

- Of course not. - I was joking.

I found it among some old book of your uncle's.

There are many on local histories.

This one tells about what happened in 1500 at Melfi,

which was a populous and fluorishing city.

Yes, it was one of the richest cities in this area.

What has this got to do with what we were talking about?

Oh, plenty. Because...

...by mere chance, absolutely pure chance...

a French officer at war with the Spanish, found himself

in this area. He decided to camp with his soldiers.

The Spanish besieged the city, conquered it...

...killed all the people they found...

...people who had no idea who these people were...

...Charles V, Francis I, Spain, la France...

They destroyed all the houses and they gave...

...what was left to Philip of Orange.

He, in his turn, after a little while,

gave it all to Andrea Doria,

whom the few surviving inhabitants of Melfi...

...knew even less.

Andrea Doria never visited his vassals, nor did his heirs.

They sent the tax collectors to get money.

And o, for the inscrutable will of a history that didn't...

...concern them, peasants of Melfi sank...

...into the worst poverty for many centuries thereafter.

There, this is "a history that belongs to others".

So, with this example on the city of Melfi, you mean that...

also the great war, even this war in Abyssinia...

No, I only mean that...

...it's only natural for the peasants to be wary.

The States, the organized armies...

will always be stronger than the disorganized peasants.

They must resign themselves to it.

They are definitely resigned to always being dominated.

They can't feel as theirs, the glory of a civilization...

...which hold to be their mortal enemy.

Occasionally...

...they get rebel against history and the States...

...and then, don Luigino, they become bandits.

That's the only war they feel to be their own.

Perhaps a desperate war, destined always to fail,

ferocious, incomprehensible to historians.

- Now you defend bandits. - They can't be defended.

But we should ask ourselves...

...why the peasants' heroes are bandits.

The reason is, that through the bandits,

the peasants culture defended its inherent...

...nature from that other culture, that is always...

...against it and that eternally subjugates it.

Don Carlo, you speak as if there were two Italies.

Do you remember the verses by Dante on that humble Italy

...for which died the virgin Camila, Eurialo, Turno,

and Niso?

That was the Italy of the peasants, which resisted...

as well as it could, and was defeated,

the conquerors who brought the State and the its religion.

Firsst it resisted Eneas, then Rome.

An finally, today...

...the Piedmontese.

You are a dreamer, a poet, a painter, an artist.

You must allow me to say, you're a bit of an anarchist

with your hatred for the State.

You see things your way and embellish them with words.

But the bandits, listen to the stories of some of the old men,

cut off ears, tongues, noses...

...of the gentlefolk to get their ransom. And the soldiers cut...

...off the heads of the bandits they managed to catch,

and they put them on stakes, at the entrance to the towns.

This is what happened in the two Italies you speak of.

It's much better to have only one Italy united,

under the guidance of a man that the whole world envies.

It seems that Marconi has discovered some secret rays

...that if the British fleet merely dares to attack us...

...it'll be blown sky high!

I'll give you back your letter, but follow my advice.

Destroy it. It'll be much better for you.

Women, the man who castrates the pigs is here!

Women, come and bring your pigs!

Come, bring the pigs!

The man who castrates the pigs is here!

Women, come and bring your pigs!

Come, bring the pigs!

Here, woman.

Wouldn't be better to gather them once they had fallen?

No, we always pick them off the tree.

If you let the olives fall to the ground, they turn sour.

- You have to pick them soon. - Always off the tree.

Three "scope". How big is a tree?

- How much can it yield? - Some yield 50 kilograms,

- some 100, and some 300. - Are thee trees big, here?

It depends...

- I have 4 and 3, seven. - I didn't do anything.

They look, and they look. And they see even...?

In the dark, while you're asleep.

You must look carefully at all these things,

and we must look at a dry twig,

at a piece of bread, at grains of sand...

We must even look at the air.

What does the air do?

Why are you doing that? Do what you were doing before.

Go on, go on... Well then, what does the air do?

The air makes the stars tremble.

Are the star still, or do they tremble?

- They tremble. - What makes them tremble?

The air.

Go on, give the basket to don Carlo, go on.

Carmelino has brought us a present!

Let's hear it for him! How nice!

He brought us some figs, and now we'll eat them.

And Giulia is here too.

- Merry Christmas. - Merry Christmas.

Starting tomorrow, I won't be coming anymore.

- Why not? - That's what we've decided.

What is it, has the barber become jealous?

What are you doing?

Eating our present for don Carlo!

- An this scrap paper? - No, leave the paper.

- I want to keep it. - Give me those brushes!

- What a nice surprise! - Merry Christmas!

Zia Rosa, you too, how are you?

How nice to see you!

- Merry Christmas. - I'll be going then.

- No, wait a minute. - I've found another woman.

Come on, let's go. Get away, you brats!

Wait, I want to say goodbye to Carmelino. Come here.

It's a quarter to midnight and don Traiela isn't here.

- Maybe he isn't well. - Sure thing! He's drunk...

...even on Christmas Eve. See if you can find him.

Hurry, hurry, don Traiela, they're all waiting for you!

- I'm coming. - Come on, hurry up!

Come on, don Traiela, hurry up!

My dear brethren

My dearst of brethren...

Brethren...

- He's drunk. - I had come here,

this evening, to speak a little bit with you,

my dearly beloved flock, on this holiesst of days.

I had prepared a very beautiful sermon.

I had written it down to read it, 'cause I have no memory.

I had put it in my pocket, but now I can no longer find it.

I've lost it and I can't remember nothing.

It's scandalous!

You offend the population in the house of God!

Oh dear Jesus, how dearly I am paying for my sins!

Help me, Lord. Help me out of this situation!

Now we'll see what happens.

It's a miracle!

A miracle! Jesus heard my prayers!

Here we are. These are the words...

...of one of you. A son of this town.

The best and the most faithful of my lambs.

This is a sacrilege! Drunk in church on Christmas Eve!

Wait! Wai!

"Christmas is drawing near,

and my thoughts fly towards Galliano,

and all my friends and fellow citizens,

who will gather together in our humble church,

to listen to Holy Mass.

Here we fight, in order to bring our sacred religion...

...to this population of infidels.

We fight to convert all these pagans to our faith

and do bring them...

...peace and eternal bliss."

I can't accept the reasons he gives in this letter.

That we are fighting...

...in order to bring our religion to those people.

- Abyssinians are Christians! - The Abyssinians are black!

They believe in God! There's little difference...

...between their religion and ours. The truth is...

...that we're fighting because we want more land to till.

Because we need it.

I'd like for Christmas day...

...to be a day of peace and serenity for everybody,

- even our enemies. - This is the limit! Let's go!

We won't tolerate subversive talk in church!

But...

...we must examine our consciences.

We must ask ourselves if we have done our duty...

...and can listen with a pure heart to the world of God.

"Pax in terra, hominibus male voluntatis."

You don't know Latin. What does it mean?

It means that on this day you should have...

...given your pastor a kid, a small goat...

...according to the custom. But you didn't do it,

because you are non-believers.

Because in you there is no goodwill.

Therefore, you won't receive God's blessing.

Think about it.

Think about it.

And bring your pastor that kid.

Pay the debts you owe him since last year, on this land.

If you want the Lord to look upon you with pity...

...and put his hand on your heads,

and give peace to your hearts.

But most of all, if you want peace to return to the world...

and you want this war to end, which makes you tremble...

...with fear for the fate of your loved ones...

...and for the fate of our deeply beloved Country.

Go to Gallianello! I won't let you back in Galliano!

- Good morning. - Comein, come on in.

- Sit down a minute. - My brother's ill.

We live near the swamp. I brought a horse.

They sent orders from Matera saying that I can't practice.

Go to one of the local doctors.

That's the way it is.

No, doctor. Only you can save him.

I can't take this responsability.

I have too many enemies.

If it's known, I'll lose my job.

- Call one of the local doctors. - They're good for nothing!

Uncle is too old, and let's not even mentioned the other one.

Anyway, in this weather, with no roads, they won't go.

Okay, I understand. I'll go look for him.

Don Carlo, I have a statement from the others doctor...

saying that they're ill.

Okay, I'm coming.

- Doctor, how is he? - It's advanced peritonitis.

Even attempting to take him to Matera...

...would be useless. He wouldn't get there.

I'll give him an injection to ease the pain.

Here, boil the syringe.

Don Carlo is a good man!

He's the only good Christian who's ever helped us!

What are you afraid of? Send the Carabinieri after them!

I can assure you that nothing could be done to save him.

Don Ca', you speak like that to keep him calm.

That's not true.

I'm saying his case was hopeless.

What if it happens again, but the person can be saved?

We're ready to sign a petition. We want you as doctor!

Well, this is something that can be done.

Go and tell the others, the people in the square.

Tell them what you've decided and make them go home.

Otherwise, the Carabinieri will come and start shooting.

This is definitely something that can be done.

Everyone has to go home, the doctor says!

Otherwise, the Carabinieri will come and they'll shoot.

No way. The law is the same for everybody.

The prohibition goes even for the Podest's daughter.

Is that what you want me to say?

All right.

Just a spoonful, for your aunt!

Come on, just a drop!

- That's right. - Good for you.

- . Another one... - What's the news?

- He says everyone's equal. - Tell him he has to come!

I'm the law, here. I'm above the law!

Go on!

Did you take your medicine?

Good for you, Annuccia!

No... I'll cure his daughter...

...only if I can cure anyone else in town.

- Go and tell him. - I shall.

First let him cure my daughter, then we'll see!

Cosimino! Tell him it's all right.

He'll cure her and anyone else.

All right, all right.

Hurray for don Carlo!

What's going on in town?

The bells are ringing!

Can you hear the bells ringing? What's going on?

Black Shirts of the Revolution!

Men and women of all Italy!

Italians and friends of Italy...

...beyond the mountains, and beyond the seas!

Listen!

Marshal Badoglio sends us this telegram:

"Today, May 5th, at 4 p.m.

At the head of our victorious troops...

...I entered Addis Abeba!

I announce to the Italian people,

and to the entire world that the war is over!"

Officiers...

...of the armed forces of the State...

in Africa and in Italy,

Black Shirts and Italians all...

...we Italians...

...have created, with our blood, an Empire!

We shall make it fertile with the sweat of our brows!

We shall defend it against anyone with our army!

- Ricci Antonio! - Here.

You've been pardoned, you're free.

- Madonia Carmela! - It's over! It's over!

We're free, finally!

- They've pardoned me! - Good luck!

Lo Russo Vincenzo! You're free!

Rossini Mario!

Good luck!

- Good luck, professor! - Good luck!

Levi Carlo!

Even don Carlo, see? Good luck!

- Sign here. - It's all over.

- Congratulations. - I'm very happy for you.

So suddenly.

- Is it over? - Yes.

What about those two?

Those two are communists. How can I convince you?

Good luck, don Carlo!

Good luck! At last!

Go home, it's raining!

Have a safe trip and come back!

- Goodbye! - Goodbye!

Carmelino, goodbye. Take him home, he'll get wet.