Original subtitles

Padre.

Padre Polenta.

- Who is that? - It's Fabio, Padre. Fabio della Romagna.

I've come from Montefalcone, and I want to ring the bells.

Fabio, have you been drinking?

There is great news, Padre. Important news.

A great thing has happened today.

A great thing for us, a great thing for Italy.

Benito Mussolini, the tyrant, he is gone!

Don't you understand?

Mussolini is gone!

It's the greatest day in all the history of Italy!

I'm sorry.

If you can't even see what it means, then excuse me.

I should not have bothered to come home and tell you.

Listen. Listen, you town of jackasses!

How many of you would like to sink your foot in Copa's fascist backside?

That's what it means. The end of the Fascists.

The end of Copa and Francucci and Bara and Mazzola.

After 20 years, no more cheating on the grape scales,

you dumb bastards.

Hey, Babbaluche.

There he is! Cosimo Francucci!

Well, what are you waiting for?

I offer you the big fat ass of Cosimo Francucci.

That's all they know, these heroes.

First, they play up to the Fascists, now they kick them in the behind.

Come on.

Here. Hey, sit down over here, huh?

- See that they pay. - Yeah, they'll pay!

I said, see that they pay, and I mean it.

The trouble with Rosa is she lacks a sense of history.

All right.

We'll drink to the free city of Santa Vittoria.

- But what will happen now, Fabio? - I think the Germans will come.

To Santa Vittoria? Well, why should they come here?

To grab everything they can.

There is nothing in Santa Vittoria for the Germans.

There is nothing in Santa Vittoria for the Italians!

- Did they pay? - Yeah, they paid.

Let's see the money if they paid.

Rosa, this is a historic day. You don't ask for money on a day like this.

You don't accept money on a day like this.

I do.

I accept money because this is my house, my wine, my shop.

I invited none of you, so go on, get out of here.

Out. Hey, out!

Out!

You know what I think, Bombolini?

I think you should put your fist in her mouth. Just once.

Luigi's right, Bombolini.

It's a sad house where the cock is silent and the hen does all the crowing.

Hey.

Fabio! Fabio!

Fabio!

Fabio!

Fabio!

- Angela. What is it? What's the matter? - It's Papa! He's going to be killed!

- Who's going to kill him? - He's going to kill himself!

Bombolini, what are you doing up there?

Don't jump!

What do you want? Go on home! Go on home!

There is no more Mussolini!

Bring the old fool down!

What do you want? Go on home.

Go on home. Your lunch is ready.

Fabio's gone to get him down. He has a rope.

If he wants to kill himself, let him. He will do me a big favor.

Fabio, what are you doing here?

Angela asked me.

She was afraid you might need a little help.

I do.

I want to paint out Mussolini, but I'm so tired

I can't even lift the brush.

Oh, I must have been crazy to come up here.

Who was the idiot who painted it in the first place?

You won't believe it.

I was.

I'm sorry.

Fabio, do me a favor, huh? You paint him out.

Go on, you paint him out. It's all right. It's all right. I'm all right.

Okay. Okay.

Oh, Fabio,

he was so beautiful at first.

He was promises for us.

He was going to help us build a school, build roads.

We were going to plant the hillside in grass and trees.

This tower to give us free water.

Oh, the miracles of Benito Mussolini.

Then Copa's Fascisti come in. Francucci cut the flour in the bread in half.

Mazzola took over this tower and charged us for the water!

With Mussolini gone, they are finished.

The people remember that I was the biggest fool of all.

They despise me.

Nobody despises you.

Everybody despises the big fool Bombolini.

Rosa, my wife, everybody.

Those people down there, why do you think they're down there?

They want to see me fall, that's why!

- Oh, that's not true. - That's true, Fabio.

It's true.

All right, the big fool Bombolini is going to make a big splash for you.

Italian Fascism is finished.

Italian Fascism is finished.

And so are we.

Mayor Copa, I could offer a suggestion.

Before they come and take what they want,

give them what they want.

- Surrender? - Before they become violent

- and they come after you. - It's an idea.

- We surrender on our own terms. - On your own terms.

- On our own terms. - On your own terms.

- It's all right. - All right. It's time to go.

Fabio. Fabio, you'll never do it.

I used up all my strength, just getting up here.

Of course we'll do it.

I'll tie you to the pipe, so you can't fall, whatever happens.

- Yes. - Then you put your feet on the spikes,

and I move the rope one spike at a time. All right?

All right. All right.

- Fabio, it won't work. - Of course it'll work.

Just be careful.

Now, come on.

- All right. Fabio, I'm going down. - Yes.

- I'm going down, Fabio. - Yes.

I'm going down.

Fabio will save him, Mama. You'll see.

Impossible.

The old fool will kill himself, that's all.

Mama.

Maybe, for once, he's finished!

I have no more tears left for that man.

I cried my guts out the day he put up all that nonsense.

Up with Mussolini! Down with Mussolini! Yes, no, yes, no!

He's been doing it for 16 years!

He wanted to be so much, he would go so far,

he would rise so high in the world. Well, take a look.

He's arrived. That clown!

He's 100 feet above the rest of us, drunk, drunk as always,

hanging by one foot from paradise. He's finished.

And I, your mother, Rosa Casamassima, to-my-shame, Bombolini,

I tell you that I don't care. I don't care! I just don't care!

- Fabio, what are you doing with the rope? - I have to take it off to get over the bar.

- You're not going to leave me here, Fabio. - You're safe. You're safe.

- I don't feel safe! - You're very...

Bombolini!

Fabio! Fabio!

Fabio. Fabio. Fabio, I almost got killed.

- Fabio, please help. - I've got you. I've got you.

Fabio, I almost got killed.

- Bombolini. - What?

- Get going! - Oh, no, I... I can't move.

- Come on. - Fabio, I can't move!

- Come on! - I'm paralyzed. I'm paralyzed!

Viva Bombolini!

Viva Bombolini!

Viva Bombolini!

Viva Bombolini!

Viva Bombolini!

Bombolini!

Bombolini!

We are coming down!

Bombolini!

Bombolini!

- Bombolini! - Bombolini!

Italo Bombolini, the wine seller.

- I don't believe it. - Impossible.

If that crazy mob has chosen Bombolini, then you'll have to deal with Bombolini.

He is an idiot!

Bombolini!

He is an idiot.

Bombolini!

Free wine for the people of Santa Vittoria!

To the piazza!

Signorltalo Bombolini and good citizens!

By the powers vested in me

by the government of the city of Santa Vittoria,

I have the honor to surrender to you the symbol of all authority!

I accept.

But first...

But first it is necessary to ask for your solemn vow

that the persons and the property of those who have gone before you

will be given full respect!

All right, I agree.

In exchange for that solemn vow,

it is my honor to place the medallion of the office of mayor

around your honored and distinguished neck.

Up.

Good citizens of Santa Vittoria, I present to you your new leader,

His Honor, the most excellent Mayor, Italo Bombolini!

- Citizens of Santa Vittoria... - Bombolini!

- What? What? - What do we do with the Fascists?

- Arrest them! Arrest them! - Arrest them! Arrest them!

And now on to the wine!

Hey, Rosa Casamassima Bombolini.

Rosa.

Rosa Bombolini.

- What do you want? - Rosa, open the gates.

You drunken clown, go away from here. And take these bums with you!

Woman, I tell you to open the gates.

I open no gates to a mob of idiots.

This is no mob. These are the citizens of Santa Vittoria!

And I order you to open those gates.

- Order? You order? - Yes.

You order me?

As the Mayor of the free city of Santa Vittoria!

Up the fat you-know-what of the Mayor of the free city of Santa Vittoria.

All right, take it down.

- Rosa, what's the matter with you? - Why did you stop singing, huh?

- Rosa! - How's that?

- And that! - I'm the Mayor of Santa...

- You should be proud of me. - Proud of what?

I'm the Mayor. Rosa.

A drunk elected by a mob. Of this I should be proud, huh?

- I was elected by public acclaim! - I'll be proud of you! I'll be proud of you!

Not on the head. Rosa, please, not on the head.

Rosa. Hey, Rosa, come on. Did you see me on the tower, huh?

- Tower? - Yeah.

They had to tie you up like a salami to get you down.

Oh, I like you when you're like this.

Oh, you couldn't fall and break your neck, no.

Rosa. Rosa...

- I'm too unlucky for that! - It reminds me of our honeymoon!

- Rosa, please. - But that? I'm too unlucky for that.

- Take that! - Please, I told you, not in the head. Rosa!

Destroy my shop! You're a bum drunk...

- Rosa, I'll fix it! Not there, Rosa! - Take that!

Not there, Rosa!

Rosa...

- If you hit me once more... - Me, too.

- ... I'm gonna get mad. - Yeah?

Yeah.

Rosa.

Mayor. Some Mayor! Get out. Get out of the house, huh?

Get out of my life forever.

You destroyed my shop, you drank my wine!

Just stay out of my sight, because every time,

every time I see you,

I will make you remember this historic day!

Out!

Out!

- Rosa, I'm going to... - What?

Out!

You know what Rosa said?

She said that tomorrow, when the town has sobered up,

they will want me to resign.

That's what she said.

Rosa is a loudmouthed bitch. No offense, Italo.

The trouble is, to all the important men in Santa Vittoria,

I'm just a clown.

BOMBOLINl: A big, stupid clown.

- Don't deny it. - Who could deny it?

I'm not going to accept that. That would be an insult to me.

What are you going to do?

I will issue an official statement, something simple and dignified.

"You can take this job and shove it up your ass. "

That would be the finest moment in Italian history.

Still, you know, for once...

Maybe I...

Maybe I could do something.

For once, I could make Angela proud of me. Even Rosa.

Hey.

Hey, I...

Maybe I could appoint a grand council. A...

Who?

They all hate each other. Pietrosanto hates Benedetti,

Pulci hates Bracolini, everybody hates everybody in this town.

I will give all the big shots a big title. Minister of this, Minister of that!

They will support me, or lose their title!

Bombolini, you may be the Machiavelli of Santa Vittoria.

Who?

Machiavelli.

Yes, Machiavelli.

The Prince. It's a book about power, how to get it and keep it.

Machiavelli.

Niccol� Machiavelli!

The Prince. The Ruler. The Mayor.

Yeah,

that's me.

BOMBOLINl: Minister of Finance, Antonio Benedetti.

For Master of Scales, Vincenzo Pulci.

Head of Affairs for the Aged, Matteo Bracolini.

Minister of Public Works, Luigi Lungo.

Minister of Culture, Fabio della Romagna.

Head of the Cooperative Wine Seller, Amadeo Gorsetti.

Head of Department of Music and...

And... And Allied Arts, Giuseppe Capoferro.

Vatican Correspondent, Padre Polenta.

Minister of Sanitation, Giovanni Pietrosanto.

Director of Protocol, Fabrizzio Vittorini.

And last but not least,

Minister without portfolio, Hugo Babbaluche.

Members of the Grand Council,

a great Italian, Niccol� Machiavelli, once said,

"The first impression one gets of a new ruler and his brains

"is from seeing the men he has chosen to have around him. "

Gentlemen, if you look at it like that, I submit...

I submit, anybody may say, Bombolini is a genius.

I mean...

Viva Bombolini!

He may look like a clown, but he acts like a real leader of men.

Inside that bastard a clown lives, and sooner or later,

the clown will come out,

because a clown is a clown and will always be a clown!

It's the Malatesta woman. She's back.

- Caterina Malatesta. - The snotty one.

Things must be pretty bad in Rome for the Fascists.

- She'd cut the eggs off a man. - It would almost be worth it.

I'm sorry you're going, but of course I understand you have to go.

- If I didn't, I could lose my place. - No, we mustn't have that.

It's important for Santa Vittoria to have one young man at the university.

- Hey, Angela, Fabio's leaving. - I know.

Thank you.

- I've done your other shirt. - Thank you.

You know what Pulci said to me last night?

He said Fabio must keep his seat on the council

even when he's away at school.

After all, you're the only minister we have who's gone past the fourth grade.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

Bye.

- You're sorry to see him go, too, huh? - I always cry when Fabio goes.

Of course, he's like a brother to you.

I don't love him like a brother. I love him like a woman.

Angela, my child, you're too young to think such things.

That's what Fabio thinks, that I am a child.

- He's right. - But I am 16 years old!

- You're only 16... - And I have the breasts of a woman.

- Angela, please. - And at night, when I'm in my bed,

- my breasts ache for Fabio! - Don't do that!

And I only want to be with him!

You mustn't say such things!

I can't help it, Papa!

The time has come for you to instruct your daughter in the ways of the world!

Angela, please ask your father what the hell he's talking about.

Angela, I want your mother to teach you two things,

the beauty of women, and the danger of men.

I mean, it's your job, not mine!

All right, what is it?

Are you sick?

You look sick.

Hey, why are you sweating all over?

What's wrong? Talk to your mother.

- It's Fabio, Mama. - Fabio.

When I see Fabio, I love him so much, I can't help sweating.

Well, I understand, believe me, my little girl.

I understand you. You see Fabio even in your soup.

Yes, Mama, yes.

And when I talk to him, I can't help it, the juices flow inside...

- What? - The juices, Mama.

You can hit me all you like, but that doesn't change anything.

You are a woman, Mama, and so am I.

It's time you taught me everything you know.

Know?

What do I know after a life with your father?

I fell in love with him at once without even thinking.

Only because he was handsome, strong, happy, with his big, beautiful hands.

And he smiled. He smiled like a row of angels!

I told my parents I want that man in my bed, only him.

My father should have hit me over the head with a bottle.

But I don't want to marry Papa. I want to marry Fabio.

I had him in bed. I had him and that was all. Drunk.

Drunk every day from 12 noon to 4:00 in the morning.

And the rest of the time, snoring like a jackass!

Please, Mama, for the love of God, all I want is a little information.

Information?

Hey.

Hey!

Here! You see!

Mama, I know what that means.

You know?

Hey, Roberto, what is it? What's happening?

- They're occupying all the towns. - What about Santa Vittoria?

Santa Vittoria on the 17th.

Dr. Bara's away and this is a matter of life and death, Contessa.

Everything in Italy is a matter of life and death.

This man left the army to come home to die.

- This way. - Then let him die.

Don't bother him, and why bother me?

Well, you worked in a hospital in Rome, no?

- Oh, I changed bedpans. - Well, every little bit helps.

But I have no bandages, no disinfectants, nothing.

Please.

Tufa.

Tufa, the Contessa's come to help you.

Grenade?

Bombolini tells me you're a good man.

How can you be a Fascist and a good man at the same time?

It's not easy, huh, Tufa?

This place is very dirty.

- He could die in here. - He's not going to die.

I'm sure you can walk. Get up. Come on, get up.

- Where am I going? - Where?

He can come with me.

Oh, that's nice. You can go with the Contessa, Tufa.

My people are dead. One place is as good as another.

All right, one, two, three.

- Seven. - Five.

Six.

- All right. - All right.

One, two, three.

Zero.

- One. - Two.

- Bombolini! Bombolini! Mayor Bombolini! - Fabio!

All right.

Bombolini. Bombolini.

Fabio, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at school?

The Germans. The Germans are coming, Bombolini!

Are you sure?

I keep coming back with important news,

and either it doesn't mean anything, or nobody believes it!

5:00, Tuesday afternoon! Units of the German Army!

So, let them come. What else can we do?

They are coming to take the wine!

Vines!

Vines!

Hey, old man!

Where are you?

Where are you?

Vines!

Where the hell are you?

This is a nervous wine.

If you talk loud, or curse, it can go sour.

Listen...

Listen, how many bottles of wine are there?

One million three hundred and seventeen thousand,

more or less.

- One million... - One million...

- ... three hundred... - ... three hundred...

- ... and seventeen thousand. - ... and seventeen thousand.

More or less.

- Julietta! - Coming.

Coming, Contessa.

It's time for your bath.

You're very shy for a captain of infantry.

I wash only in the most modest places.

Julietta, see who it is.

- Normal. - I'm feeling better.

- I can go. - As you like.

Julietta put a bed downstairs.

You can stay here until you find a place.

Thank you.

I beg your pardon. Am I disturbing your...

- Your privacy, Contessa? - Not mine, no.

- Come in, Bombolini. - Thank you. Thank you.

Have you...

Have you heard about our terrible crisis?

Give your wine to the Germans.

By the time they drink it up, the war will be over.

Contessa, without our wine we are nothing.

Tufa, you understand that. You worked on the vines

since you were this high, like the rest of us.

Excuse me. I thought maybe...

Maybe you might have an idea.

There's only one place in Santa Vittoria where it's

mathematically possible to hide one million bottles.

Mathematically. If only I had a mind like his!

Mathematically.

Take the wine out of the cooperative

and put it down in the old Roman cave.

That's a wonderful idea, except we already thought of it,

so maybe it's not such a wonderful idea,

because if we thought of the Roman cave,

and you thought of the Roman cave,

so will the Germans think of the Roman cave.

You can hide the wine in the Roman cave in such a way

that all the Germans will see is an empty cave.

Oh, Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

- But I haven't told you yet. - It doesn't matter!

Prayers are never wasted.

Now, we all know the cave is useless, so we won't use the cave.

The cave is useless.

So we won't use the cave.

- Then what the hell are we doing here? - We will use the tunnels instead.

You are crazy, Italo.

Look at the room in there.

There's enough room for all the wine in Italy. And there are four of them.

Four of them!

So, my friends, I follow the advice of my master, Niccol� Machiavelli.

"Things are never what they seem. "

We will brick up the tunnels as if they never existed.

So when the Germans come marching in they will see exactly what there is,

an empty Roman cave.

Huh? Huh? Huh?

The clown is right.

Our wine is saved.

Do you hear that, you miserable Germans?

Our wine, the blood of our labor,

is saved! Saved! Saved!

- Pull that wagon! - Pull that wagon!

- Get the wagons out of there! - Get those wagons out...

Stop the fighting, you bastards!

- Those mules! - Those mules!

- Move those mules! - Move those mules!

- Shut up! - Shut up!

Hey, you! Tell the Mayor of the free city of Santa Vittoria

that it's no good. It won't work. It's impossible!

- What do you know? - You'd better think of something else.

Bombolini. Bombolini.

Stop them! No more bottles!

Get all the animals out of here, and tell the people to go home.

Tell them to go home?

All of them, the people, the animals, the wagons. Tell them to go home.

- What do you mean, everything... - Bombolini, this won't work.

This won't work.

All right, Bombolini,

you can start them going.

- Start them going! - Start them going!

Now!

Yeah.

It's working.

It's working! Tufa, you made it work.

Bombolini, you won't be able to keep four lines going.

Make three, then two, and the children and old women,

let them pick up the glass from the bottles that have dropped.

- They haven't dropped any! - They will.

Every hour, one blast, five minutes rest, then two blasts.

They could use a rest now.

- I'll be back later. - Yeah.

Hey!

Hey.

Well, blow!

- Straighten out that line! - Straighten out that line!

- Watch that torch! - Watch that torch!

You!

You better be careful. You lost a lot of blood.

Do you care that much?

I don't think I care too much about anything.

It's the wine. The people of the town.

Maybe.

A peasant is always a peasant, huh?

And a Malatesta is always a Malatesta, huh?

We don't forget, people like us.

On the day that you were born, your father gave many presents into the village.

To my father, he gave some coins and a cup of wine.

- But how could you remember? - Because he was insulted.

And when my mother heard he refused the money, she sent me to your house

through the back door

to say that there was something wrong with my father's head.

- How long since your husband was killed? - Two months.

You don't seem like a woman in mourning.

I'm not. It wasn't much of marriage. I liked him. He liked me.

And then he became a fascist official. He went one way, I went another.

You feel nothing?

Nothing.

It's best that way.

- I had a dream last night. - I can hardly wait to hear it.

I dreamt we left some wine for the Germans.

What the hell are you talking about?

We have to leave some wine for the Germans,

so they won't look for the rest.

The question is how much?

- Maybe 10,000 bottles. - They know we have more than that.

Twenty-five, then.

Gentlemen, I suggest 40,000.

- Jesus, Mary and Joseph. - You penny-pinching bastards.

- You'll end up losing all of it. - You have a number to suggest?

Three hundred thousand bottles.

- Three hundred thousand bottles? - If you want them to believe it.

After all, that's 300,000 less we'll have to move.

Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah!

Padre, look, we need your prayers.

Exchange the prayers for the sun, Padre.

There are no prayers for sun. People always pray for rain!

When Noah was in the ark, people prayed for rain?

That was before organized religion.

All they had was God, the poor bastards.

Here, take a rest. Rosa, how are you?

Who wants to know?

You look thin.

Even when they work, the rich don't sweat like the poor.

Or smell like them, either.

What's that?

- Poison. - It smells like paradise.

Rosa, it's nice to have a hot meal before you die.

You aren't going to die.

I'm the Mayor, no? The Germans come, I greet them.

They threaten me. I spit in their face.

They'll put a pistol to my head and blow out my brains.

Why would they put a pistol to your head?

The whole world knows Bombolini's brains are in his ass.

Make it solid, like a double wall.

Okay, okay.

Some kraut is going to rap on the side of this cave with the butt of his gun.

Is it finished?

In the morning. I'm sorry I awakened you.

You didn't.