Original subtitles

Rome, March 16, 1978. The Parliament is about to elect a new government, with the first time ever participation of the Communist Party too.

The president of the Christian Democracy, Aldo Moro, is the main inspiration behind this new government.

Agnese! Hurry up, I'm leaving.

One moment! Bye mom, I'm going. -Bye everyone.

Bye... don't be late.

Luca... you stay here, ok?

Bye, mom! -Bye.

Luca stays with us, end of discussion!

It's not right... yes, my leg still hurts but he's gotta come back or he'll end up forgetting his own house.

Luca, come to mom... will you stop?

Grandpa!

Luca...

So...

Let's see...

if you remember the tale of the hunter and the pack of wolves.

Which color are the hunter's eyes? -Blue.

Blue...

And what's the color of the wolves? Black...

What's the time?

We still have 50 minutes.

Say hello to Mrs. Moro. -Yes, yes...

Are you coming to dinner tonight? --Who knows... the president il always going somewhere...

I'll call you anyway, bye. --Bye.

Make sure not to get me worried.

Call me when you can. --If something happens you'll hear it from the radio.

And if all goes well you'll know it the ususal way.

Check outside.

All clear.

How did he get the wolves? --He'd put blood on the knife...

The wolf did smell the blood, licked the knife, cut his tongue and bled to death...

2, 3, 4, 5... --How can he read 'em all?

You mean how could he get 'em all to agree...

Listen to the Communists: "This government is a huge step for Italian democracy".

Of course... they're in it this time.

Are you coming to Torrita? --I don't know.... --You have to.

Hi dad. --You're not taking him away I hope.

Don't worry, it's all set... Luca stays with us.

She's leaving him with us some more.

Bye. --I'm staying here with Luca.

Morning, ma'am. --Morning.

Morning, Mr. President. --Morning, Leonardi... take the bags, please. For Easter, then?

I don't know, dad... we'll see.

Dad... maybe I'll come... --Bye.

They cut it with a knife these sons of bitches!

I wanna know why! This one too! How am I going to deliver the flowers now?

The flower guy? --He's probably pissed off now... --Go.

The President's here.

Morning, Mr. President.

Want some coffee? --Not now. --It's here if you want it.

Look out!

Get out quick! You're coming with us! Move!

Come on!

Move!

Go!

What are you doing?? Take those bags, move!

Who's down there? --They look like policemen.

Attention! Unit 16, 11, 18 bis, Siena-Monza, 42, 45, all converge in Mario Fani Street...

President Moro has been kidnapped and all the men of the escort have been killed. Look for a blue FIAT 132 with armed men inside.

Be strong, ma'am... your husband's got to be alive.

Any news from Unit 11...

Looks like only one man survived, no traces of the kidnappers... set road blocks.

We made it!

Don't let anyone through, get the barriers out of the truck, move!

They acted with extreme precision...

They'd disconnected the stop light so that when they did brake your husband's car would have hit them.

He's gotta be wounded. --Not sure about that...

Some witness said he walked away with the kidnappers.

My husband had important papers with him, in 3 bags... have you recovered them?

We're pretty sure the kidnappers took the bags.

You shouldn't be so sure...

I don't understand... --Listen... I was a nurse...

I know how much it takes for blood to coagulate.

If all the 3 bags would have been taken at the same time...

there would be blood in that clean spot. One bag was taken in a second time.

According to the witnesses, those papers are in possession of the Red Brigades now.

Red Brigades? Are you sure? There's witnesses for that too?

Did it hurt?

It's from earlier... I might have some broken ribs.

Sorry, that wasn't planned.

Lean on me, Mr. President.

The men who were with me... are they all dead?

You're here to answer, not to ask.

Who are you? --Revolutionary communists... the Red brigades.

You know us, don't you? --Yes... the armed party.

Please... have a seat.

So...

you decided to kill me? --Nonsense...

You're showing me your faces...

You think Fidel Castro wore a mask when he charged the Moncada fortress?

This is a war, Mr. President.

There comes a time when revolutionaries stop caring about conformist justice... identikits, lineups, witnesses...

With you here, in the people's prison, all has begun.

The attack to the heart of the state. Come on.

Change your clothes... you got blood on you. --Yes...

Take off your watch and shoes.

Good morning. --Morning...

Where's the president? --He's not feeling good, minister... come with me.

Francesco... --Yes?

Any news? --No.

What shall we do then?

What is wrong? --Nothing... I'm fine...

Giulio... what are we doing here?

They're talking about everything except Moro... some even proposed a bounty on the terrorists...

but for us the most important thing must be Moro's life!

Let's stay calm! The whole country is looking at our party like never before...

But Moro's life is at stake! --Zaccagnini...

the whole government is at stake.

All the work he did to put this majority together is at stake.

Berlinguer and Pecchioli will be here shortly...

and they won't negotiate with the RB.

We won't let the communists appear as the only guarantors of the state.

The RB wanna bring down the whole country, this has got to be clear to everyone.

They wanna keep us out of the majority.

They'll surely ask for the release of their comrades from prison... we won't negotiate.

Let's go... they're waiting.

What have you decided?

Andreotti must get a vote of confidence from the parliament.

No special laws, the already existing are enough... if they're applied.

The searches and road blocks are still going on in the Monte Mario area...

The army joined the police in the search for Moro.

The decision has been taken by the minister of internal affairs along with the minister of defense.

Huge participation to the rallies organized by the unions.

...in all forms of democratic life! Cause men gotta stick together in these times!

We gotta be unite in this fight!

A bunch of terrorists cannot overcome 56,000,000 conscious citizens! It cannot be!

No party has objected the decision....

They're creating an atmosphere like the whole country is in danger.

The streets roamed by the Christian Democracy... who would ever imagined that Italians cared so much for him.

...with a large majority the trust has been voted... 515 votes in favor, 30 opposing...

They've put up a government in 5 minutes... the "mass of fear".

If they order a press blackout? --Even better... they'd expose themselves...

and people will no longer believe press is actually free.

...and after the vote, the president of the council Giulio Andreotti made a statement...

Because of the simultaneity with the establishment of the new government...

...this criminal deed has got a whole particular meaning.

We oughta tell you a word of firmness and calm at the same time.

MONTALCINI STREET MARCH 18, 1978

Stand up. Did you hear me? Stand up.

We gotta take a picture.

Is it absolutely necessary? --Yes.

We have to show you're alive.

I been wondering... why me?

Why?

Cause you're the main man in the regime...

...in the "state party".

The Christian Democracy can't do without you... the other parties can't do without the CD...

so the state will have to pay a price to have you back... a high price.

I'm afraid you're overrating me.

I'm not really the undisputed chief of CD.

Yes, I'm into it... I played my games, winning and losing... mostly losing...

This game has just started.

Of course...

Maybe the question to be asked is a different one...

What can we do...

let's say together, to avoid destroying things essential to both.

Are you willing to give us some advice? Be careful... we might take it. Up.

Thanks...

I remind you my request for a bible. --Tonight you'll have it.

Sorry but we forgot to get a necktie.

Ready? Face to me... --Yes...

Stay in the middle...

It's ready at last! --Just gotta put the plates back on.

The others are not here yet?

Those two never follow rules. --When it's gonna be the next meeting? --Don't know... we gotta stay alert.

The committee suspended the weekly meetings.

This is statement No. 1... --Here they are!

You printed too many of these...

No... they're going to all cities, simultaneously.

Here's the plates. --Alright.

Always late... --You want us to get caught speeding?

What was in the bags? --Almost nothing... papers, medicines, a thing to take blood pressure...

You lost your hat that day... --I was too busy to pick it up.

We bought that hat in a shop... these mistakes are dangerous.

How's our friend doing?

Maurizio says he's calm... very calm.

He's not like we thought... he's not afraid. --What shall we do then?

Here's the first statement and the picture to be delivered to the press.

It's perfect.

Let's see what they'll do now.

Yes?

We're the Red Brigades. There's a message in the underpass of Largo Argentina.

Tullio!

That one!

On top of the photo machine...

...you'll find statement No. 1 and a picture of Aldo Moro.

"Let it be clear that with the capture of Aldo Moro and the consequent trial in the people's court, the match is not over."

"We're setting a password, according to which, the whole movement of offensive resistance..."

Gentlemen! Honorable Cossiga!

Here's the photo of Moro.

Are you sure it's not a fake? --The experts said it's good.

We were reading the RB statement, listen to this...

"We intend to mobilize the most vast and unitary armed effort for the further growth of the class war for communism."

I think it may be the subversive action of some foreign secret service.

How about our countermeasures?

The border with Yugoslavia is under control and all the ships leaving Civitavecchia are being checked.

We increased phones controls and preventive arrests... all measures will have to pass through parliament.

Minister... we know some papers Moro had with him are in the hands of the terrorists. We don't know what those papers were about though.

We better discuss it with our allies.

We're already in contact with German and British offices... I asked the Americans for help myself.

Yes, it's me... alright. Excuse me.

What's up? --Two problems, we got a warning about an apartment in Gradoli Road... apparently a transceiver has been heard inside.

Then... what shall we do with the bag?

The bag is fine where it is. --And about Gradoli Road?

Tell the officer the search is still negative. --What's this racket? We can't stand no more of these searches!

We're here for your safety...

Enough is enough! --Calm down...

So? --Looks like no one's inside. --We can't knock down all doors.

What then? --Let's move to the next building.

How was the trip? --Very good.

Any news? --He's alive.

That's no news... if they wanted him dead they would have killed him in the attack.

You're telling us nothing... we're not putting our organization at stake just to hear about the scandals inside your party.

Everybody already knows about CD's scandals.

Then I don't think I know what you're really expecting from interrogating me.

From your imprisoning, to be precise.

You're just one of the targets in our "spring campaign"... we're looking to about 40 more actions.

You mean other cases like the one regarding me? --Also.

Other kidnapped... --Political prisoners... that's what you are to us.

We're interested in what could make the spring campaign burst in the revolutionary area.

We're interested in the plots you know about counter-revolution...

Which is happening...

To adjust Italy to the imperialism of multinational corporations... the SIM. --SIM?

Could you clarify that?

S-I-M... state imperialistic of multinationals...

The "super government" establishing strict policies for social development of every western country... against the working class.

In Italy your party is in charge of that.

And you, as the CD's main man, are the executor. --Executor? Me?

And who do I take directives from? --The headquarters...

C.I.A, Trilateral, Pentagon, Bonn, Washington. --Washington?

Actually they never liked me much in Washington.

If you're looking for secrets, I actually got an explicit threat from Washington.

Of death?

From who?

Because of your opening to the left, maybe?

That wasn't the only thorn in America's side...

What concerned them more at the time was my new philo-arabic orientation.

Although members of NATO, we refused to give the Americans bases from which support Israel.

There was some tension, but then...

But in '72 you gave them those bases, in Sardinia.

Those weren't for Israel...

Those were just docking places... --Those ARE, Mr. President... those ARE...

Cause they're still there, and keep increasing.

Those are still just docking places for nuclear submarines.

Like if it's nothing! That's why you and your pal Andreotti didn't inform the Parliament...

The concession of those bases has never been ratified by the Parliament, right?

Not now! --You wanted warm broth... I made it!

We can continue later.

Paradoxically, it's better if you don't find the prison. Let's imagine you do find him...

You surround the place and the terrorists open fire to defend themselves...

In the shootout Moro could be killed, maybe even by one of your bullets.

Or else, they won't shoot back at you...

But they force you to negotiate or they'll kill Moro before your eyes. --Then what?

The State would anyway come out defeated.

Then it's also dangerous to arrest hundreds of supposed subversives, as we're bound to do.

Of course... that would cause various reprisals and Moro's life would be in extreme danger.

Today the trial against the historic nucleus of the Red brigades starts back...

When the chief procurator of Genoa, Francesco Coco, was murdered, the RB claimed responsability in that very same courtroom...

Now, all the accused, along with Renato Curcio, historic chief of the RB, will do the same?

Come here!

The comrades action against the Talamo barracks is ready. --When? --In 10 days.

This should make him feel better... --Come, Curcio is on!

I feel I'm getting an ulcer...

Curcio! Stick to the facts!

The real trial will happen elsewhere! In a much more serious place than this!

You're just a gang! --A gang that holds Moro's life and will put on trial the whole Italian political class!

Mom!

What's going on? --Someone's knocking from downstairs. --What you mean?

Exceptional measures against terrorism and increased powers to the police...

Who might be?

Who's there? --The woman from upstairs...

What does she want?

I'm coming! Just a moment!

Morning... --Morning. --I'm sorry... I heard knocking...

Knocking? --Yes... but I assure you my son has stopped playing now... he's nuts for basketball...

It won't happen again... excuse me with your husband too.

You realize how you gonna end if they find us??

They'll burst in and start shooting at everything! We're prepared to die fighting, but what about you?

In my own way, I've been prepared too for a long time...

You gotta give us your word that you'll never try something like that again!

Yes... --Is your word good?

Believe me... it's been something against my own nature...

I was fearing not to be able to sustain my family anymore... they're alone...

We're aware of that, but we're fighting communists and you're not a man to us, but a function...

The role you have inside the system... you're supposed to be the next President of the Republic...

and the price of your liberation has got to fit the importance of your function.

What if the system doesn't consider me that important?

This is yet to be proven.

I'm ready. --Let's start back the interrogatory.

If you'll excuse me a moment... I have a quite important proposal for you.

It's about the minister of internal affairs... you could say I'm his mentor...

I'd like to write a letter to him... personal... and secret...

He's in very good terms with the Italian Communist Party.

This letter is a bomb if kept secret!

Moro is practically saying "Get me out of here before they force me to talk..."

"Or it's gonna be trouble for the whole CD!"

He wrote:

"Our leading group and our collective behavior is put on trial..."

Couldn't be more clear! --And what about the communists?

They're desperate to be the ones who save the State... they won't let him and his party solve everything.

They'll pretend they didn't know anything about it... it's Moro's smartest move... secretly divide CD from the Communist Party!

If we go along with this, we'll play the CD game! We'll give them what they most fear... Aldo Moro speaking in public!

Yes but they'll have to deal with us...

But if all remains secret, whatever we'll get in exchange for Moro will have no political value.

We didn't make all that mess in Fani Road just to be fooled around by Moro...

Let's not forget the main purpose of the whole spring campaign...

Trigger the revolutionary offensive... and we can't do it keeping secrets.

This is just another trick of the old man... like in the De Lorenzo golpe...

Keeping everything secret he and his buddies managed to get away with the whole thing.

Comrades... I have a proposition.

Making it public means starting with the wrong foot!

It's already been discussed... the committee has decided.

You cannot spit in someone's face while you're trying to negotiate at the same time!

This will just make the CD even more rigid... and why betray the old man's trust?

It's better to have him allied... we can use his knowledge of the established powers...

We're being unfair to him! If he knew this was going to be public he would have chosen different words!

Let's have him re-write it... --No time... here's the letters for the minister, his wife and the secretary.

Dr. Rana... you gotta deliver a letter from Moro to the minister and to his wife.

According to this we're all on trial but I refuse to believe Moro would blackmail us.

When I recognized his handwriting I almost cried...

But then, while reading it, I couldn't find the spirit, the moderation and the wisdom of my mentor.

Cause he didn't write it... even if the experts will prove it authentic.

This letter and all the ones which may follow are not morally ascribable to him.

In this letter there's no trace of the Aldo Moro we all know.

Dad's spirit and firmness are all here... I'm sure he wrote this letter.

But some words... "people's trial"... "pick-up"...

How can you describe such a bloody kidnapping as a "pick-up"?

Not a word for poor Leonardi and all the others...

Maybe he doesn't know they're dead... listen here...

"...while I don't know anything beside that I was picked up..."

I think the kidnappers don't want him to write that... and you can imagine why.

They don't wanna mention all those murdered while they're trying to negotiate.

Gualzoni! --Incredible! The party won't publish our article!

Then... they rule out any possible negotiation...

I examined Moro's writing from before the kidnapping and compared it with the one in the letters...

And beyond any doubt they're authentic. Although...

Here... here and here...

We can find anomalies of psychogenic order...

It's Moro... but it's not Moro... --Not just that...

Look how many times he uses the word "under"... "under trial"... "under accusation"... etc...

To me it's a code word... he's telling us he's being kept in some basement underground...

Maybe even inside a submarine...

Yes?

The wish for discretion expressed by Moro hasn't been respected.

The RB just delivered to the press copies of this letter though it was supposed to stay secret.

This news makes our decision even more urgent... any suggestions?

We have only one way to go.

This letter and all the others that will come must appear as written under torture or drugs or whatever...

This means destroy Moro's credibility and any future chance for him to negotiate his liberation!

The public must be persuaded that this letter has been written by Moro with a gun to his head.

I don't know...

First you agree the letter to stay secret...

Then it's not secret anymore!

The committee decided nothing will be kept secret to the revolutionary movement.

I could have re-wrote it! --There was no time... this is war not the Parliament.

You realize that with the publication of this letter you gave my enemies the chance...

And by the way, my enemies seem to be quite a few...

You gave 'em the chance to degrade my integrity! And more...

The chance to create indifference for my fate... and for your fate too! You realize that?

Are your ribs still hurting? Can you sleep a bit better?

Do you need more medicines?

No... thank you.

Mr. President... we brought you the recording of the Mass, as you requested.

Put it on, please.

May I be left alone, please?

Of course...

To reaffirm full loyalty to the State and the institution...

the Christian Democracy refuses to put up with the terrorist blackmail!

We're facing a deadly challenge!

We surely won't defeat terrorism if we won't switch to a different economic and social mechanism...

...in order to decrease unemployment, alienation, civil and moral disintegration!

This is going to arm the terrorists' hands! --Enough with this!

It's strange to say that negotiating with the RB would mean acknowledge their rights to exist...

The acknowledgment of the RB are the shootouts and the dead left on the streets!

The series of attacks is increasing every day! --The subversion is also in the Parliament now!

Yes, but from your side!

The institutions above all! --You don't avoid institution defeat by letting Aldo Moro die...

...in the name of a State motive that you're always the first to betray!

Hon. La Malfa thinks that applying the death penalty will make the terrorists surrender...

...but it's not with death penalty that you gonna turn back these young people to democracy!

The RB released another statement... --There's also a letter... what is it about?

A letter from Moro to you... these are the copies.

Thank you.

"Dear Zaccagnini, morally you stand in the place where I stand physically."

"You designated me for President, despite my justified reluctance."

"It's appropriate to affirm that if the escort wouldn't have been way below the actual necessity, I probably wouldn't be here now."

"I'm saying this with absolute clear mind, with no constriction whatsoever."

"As a matter of facts, I feel you have deserted me."

"It takes some courage to pay for the whole CD after giving so much to it."

"You have a very personal responsibility, Your "yes" or "no" are decisive."

"If you deprive my family of my presence, it's gonna be the second time and it's gonna be on your conscience."

"May God enlighten you... and may he do it quick."

We gotta find a reasonable solution.

A solution...

I'm fine... I just need some fresh air...

There's gotta be a way to save both him and the State.

Mr. President... "Il Giorno" published a letter from your wife to you.

There's more... not only your family is worried about you.

Who else? --The socialists.

The socialists...

The Socialist Party broke its firmness line... --Not the whole party agrees, but Craxi himself is taking care of the matter.

We'll see...

Well...

I guess we gotta try every possible way.

These are two letters for the Holy Father.

The first one is to be published...

The second one is private and it should be personally delivered to him, if possible.

You should deliver it to my wife, along with this other one for her.

I gotta ask the committee... --Of course...

The controls are getting more strict and the police gets to the letters first.

If the committee will agree, I have a very trustworthy person for the exchanges.

I will never give you my husband's letter! --You don't understand...

It's a body of evidence... you gotta hand it over! --Evidence you say? The only thing I got from him?

As I said... I can make you a copy. Arrest me if you want... come on!

Ma'am... you got a phone? --Agnese, show him to the phone.

There's alot of tension... you gotta be patient.

Have a seat. --Thanks, ma'am.

I heard about a strange "seance" in which the name "Gradoli" came out...

referred to my husband's detention place.

Have you heard about it? --Of course... we look into everything.

So? --We found a small village near Viterbo, called Gradoli.

A small village? Could it be a street in Rome instead?

No. We checked and there's no Gradoli Road on the phone book.

I spoke to the procurator... you can keep the letter. You're now "judicial keeper" of it.

Who could think that a letter from dad would be a body of evidence... and me its keeper.

WELCOME TO GRADOLI

How's the operation going? --In execution. --Are you checking basements? --Mostly those.

Captain, any results? --We searched all houses... no trace of Moro.

Thank you. --Nothing.

Send this message: "Search result: negative". -- Yes, sir.

Small village my ass... here's Gradoli Road.

They had the nerve to say it wasn't in the phone book. --We gotta tell the minister!

Don't you think he already knew? --Mom! Come here!

It's a classic case of sensorial and social deprivation.

We made an experiment... we closed some of our students in a narrow and isolated place.

We had to suspend the experiment after 2 hours or the students would have risked to go insane.

You mean you could force someone to write certain things even without physical threats?

Aldo Moro shows the syntoms of someone who's experiencing a pathological situation...

...so that the prisoner suffers from a psychological regression... --Sons of bitches! --That's bullshit!

What we know as "Stockholm syndrome"... --Exactly. They're destroyng the hostage...

...making him a puppet and periodically spreading the signs of his decay.

Mr. President... the TV is trying to instill the doubt that you've gone insane.

They also say you suffer from Stockholm syndrome.

Well... making my letter to the minister public could have sorted no other effect than this.

Did the committee gave an answer?

Not yet.

That friend I talked you about... the priest... he's absolutely trustworthy.

Please... push your committee for a quick answer.

Father... father!

Smile and act normal. __Who are you? --I got a letter for you from Hon. Moro.

How is he? --Fine. --Where is he? --Pick it up!.

The committee listened over and over to all the interrogation sessions... you're not telling us anything useful to our battle.

I thought I was giving you all of my attention...

We saw where your strategy of attention leads...

It's not this. You wanna make us believe you don't know how and where the achievements of the working class are hidden and dismissed.

Don't think you can sell us just smoke like you did to the Italian people for 30 years.

Where there's smoke, there's fire.

Mr. President, this is a people's trial... a real trial and it's gonna end with a real sentence!

It's been already decided?

Not yet.

Depends from many things... from you too.

So...

"Strict centralization of the institutions", "dismantlement of the social security state"...

"Mechanization of the main factories", "preventive counter-revolution"... so far you haven't clarified none of these programs.

Do you wanna try?

We wanna know the role of your party in this international conspiracy against the working class.

Honestly, it's hard for me to understand...

...the "vision" you have about my party.

A "monolith"...

...taking part to a large scheme...

For what I know...

...the men in the Christian Democracy...

...pay much more attention...

...to miserable internal bickering.

Desperately seeking for the flaws and sins of their enemies... that's what they do...

Not the distant dreams of America...

...or Germany.

Yes...

Whatever happens in that party is not due to a big scheme...

...but to the concatenation, almost casual, of a series of small circumstances.

Dad is right. --He wants to drive his friends to dissent...

...but what he doesn't realize is that his friends are melting like snow in the sun.

The whole party is concerned that the Communists will stand as the only defenders of the State and so win the next elections.

Who's supposed to break up the CD? Us? --It's not true...

It's not true he doesn't realize.

How could he imagine that all his efforts to bring the country out of the crisis would turn against him?

He says... what is needed is not deception... but acts of courage.

His Holiness is about to do one... a speech translated in all languages.

As he learned of dad's letter, the president of the council wrote one himself to the Pope...

...to bring him to his side.

It's always like this...

Every time we open a door...

...someone shuts it back closed.

His Holiness is well disposed to you... he knows the president very well and you too since school.

Hello?

Mom! The RB have sentenced dad to death!

To death?? --Yes... they said the trial is over and they found him guilty.

Father... now His Holiness' intervention is even more decisive.

"The interogatory to prisoner Aldo Moro is over . For our concern, the trial ends here."

"Aldo Moro's answers only confirmed truths and certainties about the CD regime... truths that have been for years in the conscience of proletarians."

"His guilt is the same as CD's and its putrid regime..."

"...for which they'll be definitively trialed, liquidated and scattered by the initiative of the Communist fighting forces."

"Aldo Moro is guilty and therefore sentenced to death. For the communism, Red brigades."

Murderers! Disguised as judges!

They're delirious.

Alright... now it's our turn to make a move.

To me, Moro is already dead... the RB are bluffing.

I believe Moro is alive instead and we can still do something to save him!

Something...

What shall we do without him...

Most important is that he didn't talk...

I just got an important message from the president of the United States.

He's assuring his complete support and says that the line of firmness is the only way to go.

Why won't you eat? --No.. thank you...

I wanna say... the sentence is not written in stone...

If we could manage to force your party, the sentence would be nothing more than a tactical passage...

How long have I been here? --Today is the 34th day.

You asked me a question yesterday.

You asked me why I joined the armed fight.

I wanna tell you.

It's a long story.

I could start from my father, who was a laborer... or from the Communist Party betrayal.

But I wanna talk about the working class...

About all the proletarian families thrown in a street by layoffs, evictions, the cost of life...

It's the Capital that makes war against the workers... and your party is leading this war.

The CD is the real brain behind the counter-revolution.

That's why we wanna create the revolutionary party of the working class.

We are the vanguard, Mr. president... and we gonna fight you with all means!

Maybe modern societies are more complex...

We gotta observe them...

Of course...

Each one with his own culture... his own limits...

No.

We chose the armed fight because it's the only way to frighten you.

Vatican Radio Station

Today a special edition. His Sanctity Paul VI appeals to the Red brigades.

People of the Red brigades, I don't know you so I speak to you publicly...

...before you carry out the sentence against Aldo Moro, a good and honest man.

I'm not tied to him by any private interest...

but I just love him as a member of the great human family...

as a schoolmate and as a brother of faith and son of the church of Christ.

I speak to you in the name of Christ, which certainly you don't ignore...

to you, unknown and relentless foes of this innocent and decent man.

I'm begging you on my knees, release Hon. Moro, simply and with no conditions.

This was the appeal from Paul VI to the Red Brigades.

What do you think about it, Mr. president?

With just 4 words... "release Moro without conditions"...

the Holy Father...

my brother in faith...

has justified the line of firmness!

If he thinks we're satisfied cause he called us "men" instead of "criminals" he's very wrong.

Maybe THIS is the political acknowledgment!

What do you think about those 2 words?

"Without conditions".

Don't they sound "added"? Suggested?

Yes, but there's something even more subtle.

What's most shocking is that such firmness and rigor...

...are being applied in a messed-up country such as Italy is.

It's like everybody, more or less consciously...

...are being part of...

...an illegible scheme.

Turn on the siren.

Read the latest RB statement. --Yes, sir...

"In the date of April 18, we declare the sentence has been executed, by means of suicide".

"We allow the recovery of the corpse, providing the exact location".

"The body is in the muddy waters of Lake Duchessa, situated in the locality of Cartore, province of Rieti."

Looks like the battle to save him is lost.

Our experts are very doubtful about the authenticity of this statement.

What doubts?

First, it's not written with the usual typewriter, which the RB said they were gonna use all the time.

Second, the statement hasn't been released in all the cities, as for the other ones.

Third, this looks like a clumsy attempt to imitate the style and language of the RB.

Let's say it's a fake... how can we be sure it's not been written by the RB anyway?

Anyway, we have to start searching for the corpse in Lake Duchessa.

Lake Duchessa has been frozen for 4 months now and you can reach it only by chopper.

This is the final prove that the letter is a fake.

We gotta report immediately to the president of the council.

There's been a breakout! We found the possible prison of Aldo Moro in Gradoli Road!

Are you done there? --Yes. --Let's pick up everything and leave.

The roof was dripping... we went up and rang but no one answered.

Water was dripping!

No. 5: shotgun made in the USA...

...without stock, serial number 371590562.

No. 6: Reck P8 handgun, caliber 6,35 with stamped serial number...

There's two holes in the tub... the water was... --Excuse me, what's the situation here?

I found the water running and the shower handle on a broomstick, like this...

...the water directed into these holes was obviously going to drip in the apartment downstairs.

I closed the water right away... --They wanted us to find this place.

6 pictures of men yet to be identified... 2 airlines uniforms...

We shouldn't have shown the pictures on TV... this way we never gonna get them.

The RB themselves let us find this place, the pictures, everything... surely to mislead us.

You mean the tip-off came from themselves?

General, the minister is on the phone.

Minister, can you hear me? --Yes... how's a going with the search?

We found non-suspicious traces so far.

What you mean non suspicious?

Isolated traces... forest rangers mostly. --Have your men reached the lake yet?

Yes... the scuba divers are just getting ready.

We'll inform you as soon as we find the body.

Scuba divers from the police, the fire department and carabinieri have been transported on the place.

As we see, the efforts are useless...

...cause the ice is too thick to reach the water right now.

We've just been told that it's almost impossible to get to the water under two layers of ice.

Zaccagnini is coming!

Have you found Moro's body? --Is this a condolences visit?

Tell us something, please!

You think the statement is trustworthy? --We feel the execution statement is to be considered real.

Until we are absolutely sure, there's no condolences to be made.

Tell him I don't even wanna see him!

OK...

We have a meeting with all secretaries in 1 hour.

Sorry... my mother's not feeling well. --We'll be very short...

I'm sorry... --That's not fair... the press will know about this...

You should have thought of this earlier. --We bring the condolences from the party, you gotta accept them...

My father's not dead yet, you hear me?

And if you can't think of a way to save him, he'll carry you in the grave with him.

Have you read, Mr. President? And they say WE are delirious...

It's not possible...

You must reassure my family I'm alive...

Unless you're about to kill me...

Would I bring you tea?

You just need to read a few words to see it's a fake letter.

According to these clowns, we have "suicided" you...

Like they "suicided" our comrades of Baader-Meinhof in the Stammheim prison.

That's not our style... we didn't write it.

Alright... you didn't write it.

Then who's playing with my death? --You should know it better than us...

Some "puppet-master" had put that bomb in the Milano bank...

...and maybe the same puppet-master has set this up, in cahoots with the government.

No... it's not their usual style...

I know the men in the goverment... --You thought you knew them.

Lately I been thinking about 1964...

...when an ambitious General...

...tried to overturn my center-left goverment.

Gen. De Lorenzo... water under the bridge... --Yes... De Lorenzo...

He tried to institute an authoritarian climate... but then it all fell apart.

But then we discovered that the project to overturn democracy had deep roots...

...and supporters everywhere, even in the presidency of the Republic.

Expose them all...

...would have torn the whole country.

So you covered them under "secret of State".

About the data?

Average daily personnel involved in the searches: 12,960...

Roadblocks: 1294, house searches: 673 per day...

This way they gonna find him for real...

With 600 searches a day in 30 years they'll search every house in Italy.

What if he's really kept into a submarine?

Good evening... the venerable master will join us shortly. --How's a going with the adhesion to our lodge?

The Lodge P2 is always getting bigger...

Any news? --First, the latest letters from Moro.

To Zaccagnini... to the Party...

To Piccoli...

To the wife...

To the Pope... --Again?

To Craxi, to the wife, to Zaccagnini...

That's a persecution... poor Zac...

To the "Roman Observer", to the UN secretary.

This man is writing too much... and to everybody...

Have a seat...

What's the situation with the socialist "doves"? --Increasing...

The president of the Senate was very touched and several socialists followed him.

A document in favor of the soft line is being prepared...

signed by the usual freelance intellectuals, but they haven't found a paper to publish it yet.

Even if they find it, it's gonna be some low profile paper... we got bigger problems now.

The chiefs of police and Carabinieri are gonna talk with the minister of internal affairs.

Lift the paper.

Like that.

Our sections of Turin, Milan and Genoa accepted the suggestion of the prisoners exchange.

The committee ratified the statement...

With a 48 hours ultimatum starting from the release.

Actually I don't think an ultimatum is very reasonable...

It's just a tool...

To apply on your party the highest possible pressure.

We'll have no other moves left after this...

The game is bound to end sooner or later.

Yes, it's probably as you say...

This is...

...a letter.

One more letter for the Christian Democracy.

I'm warning them not to take orders from outside the party.

How many prisoners have you asked for?

13. --13 in exchange for only me? Don'y you think you asked for too much?

We asked the most to obtain the least.

What would this "least" be?

They gotta stop accounting us as criminals... like it or not, we are a revolutionary vanguard.

Then one for one might be enough.

I think it's good.

Don't look behind! Someone's following us!

You see shadows everywhere by now...

Christ! It was you in that car? Are you insane?

They questioned you just a month ago...

I'm not followed. I been looking for you all week... it's important.

Do you really wanna kill him?

Not one single member agrees with that.

Who sent you? The Movement? --No... those who say they wanna save him... the socialists.

If so, they can rely only on the exchange. --13 to 1? You're crazy...

We ask most to get the least... --Then make it 1 to 1 right away!

How about the exchange 1 to 1? --Only with political acknowledgment.

That would be implied... --Implied my ass! They could release one of ours without giving back any acknowledgment. Hundreds are released for humanitarian reasons!

The CD must publicly declare they're giving us back one of ours in exchange for Moro. Go make the call.

You control the stairs.

Yes?

Hello?

Who am I speaking to? --This is Nora Moro.

I'm one of those keeping your husband. I got one last communication for you.

We're making this call for favor, cause your husband insists that you been misled...

That you're probably reasoning on some misunderstanding.

The decision has been made and we ask for just one thing, an immediate positive intervention of Zaccagnini.

If that won't happen we'll have no choice but to execute the sentence, you understand?

I understand very well...

We can't do otherwise and we make this call out of favor as I said, because...

...a death sentence cannot be taken lightly, not even by us.

So we're warning you, in case you didn't intervene properly cause you were badly advised.

No! We did all we could... all we were allowed to...

The problem is... --We're kinda held prisoners here!

I'm not allowed to discuss with you!

Sorry...

I'm here just to tell you this...

Only a direct intervention of Zaccagnini can change the situation.

We made our decision. In the next few hours the inevitable will occur. We can't do otherwise.

Come in... --Sorry to bother you... my phone seems to be out...

No problem, use our phone. --Sorry again...

I'm Nora Moro... I gotta talk with Hon. Zaccagnini! It's very urgent!

He's not in? Can you tell me where...

What did she want?

Alright... I'll call her back tomorrow.

We need your approval on the poster, just in case...

-ALDO MORO HAS BEEN MURDERED- -IN OUR HEARTS HIS FAITH IN LIBERTY- -The Christian Democracy-

Yes, that's fine...

Let's hope we never get to use it...

"Atrocious Blackmail"! Whatever they're asked for is a blackmail!

You must give us something in order to force the situation!

Even your friends say "Moro isn't Moro".

Time is pressing and letters are useless!

What could I do... maybe ask my wife...

...to insist with the Holy Father...

I should ask my wife to... go on TV and maybe touch people's heart...

It's pointless... the TV already refused to do so... every moment is precious now.

We need something decisive, something...

How can you not have one single document that would lead to a real blackmail?

If you do have it, now it's the time... --Maybe a document could be recovered... but then how...

So you do have one!

Yes but... I should talk to father Stefani in person... couldn't you bring him here?

Take off the glasses.

President... --Thank you...

Thank you for coming...

How's little Luca? And my wife? --All fine...

Agnese is staying with her at night? --They're all fine...

Mr. President, don't forget the reason we got him here.

What can I do for you? --I need an envelope from my office, but...

How can you survive inside here?

Have a seat, Don Stefani.

You're surely aware about my necessity to communicate...

To communicate...

Since I've been here...

With my friends, who like strangers...

Haven't seen themselves in me, as prisoner and accused...

But they left me alone instead.

What I'll never be able to forgive about the men of my party...

Is they never had the feeling of me as a live presence in the Christian Democracy...

Although aware of my loyalty.

Because I never betrayed...

...not even in the extreme circumstances...

...in which I am now.

Whatever is gonna happen tomorrow...

...nobody can hide behind a presumed line of duty.

In a time like this you have to free your soul from resentment and vengeance.

Yes... yes... but it's so hard...

I...

...cannot accept...

...it's impossible for me to accept the idea that the power I'm losing today...

...not only will be passed over...

...and astutely inherited by those who are ratifying my death sentence...

...but it's also deprived of that reason...

...of that human finality... of that ideal...

...without which, power is...

...is just atrocious!

After 42 hours from the ultimatum, we can't help but think of the pain of the family.

Hon. Craxi is coming!

As the main endorser of the negotiation line can you tell us if there's any hope left for Moro?

To us, the only possible way, is an act of mercy from the head of State, which doesn't involve the government.

Is an exchange 1 to 1 possible?

We gotta hold the hand that Moro is lending us from his prison, as we do with a man in danger.

One more question!

We must not give out the impression...

...that we're saying one thing but we're ready to do the opposite

Let's not discuss if a human life is worth more than the State.

We're facing a deadly challenge.

What would the government do if Moro had died in the attack and the escort taken prisoner instead?

I believe no one would endorse the line of firmness now!

Is it about saving one man's life or saving the Republic?

On the contrary! We're trying to understand if the Republic would fall cause one prisoner is released from prison!

1 of ours, 100 of them! --Moro is alive!

Even if many influential voices tried to persuade him to commit suicide... as they did with Socrates!

This way they're insulting him and making him look like a coward and an insane man!

The socialists are the cowards! --I'm done!

It's about releasing a very ill woman. --But she's still a RB member.

But she never killed or harm anyone...

...and we think that an act of mercy right now could be in favor of the RB members who disagree with the killing of Moro.

An act of mercy should come from the chief of State, overcoming certain oppositions of course.

Are you saying that the President of Council has already stated he'll never do it?

He's afraid of negative reactions from the police corps.

Sorry but... why would the police wish for Moro's death?

That wouldn't resuscitate their dead colleagues...

...instead this way looks like a vengeance, as if Moro himself had killed them.

Even the Secretary of the Communist Party said no.

But that's not the point now.

Are we sure in exchange for this RB woman they gonna give us Moro back alive?

The only sure thing is the moral necessity to do something to save him right now.

Give me the Chief of State.

MILAN MAY 2, 1978

Keep translating. --"In a friend country, where the growth of the Communist Party is to be considered dangerous..."

"...a destabilization plan is opportune."

"Facilitate the growth of extremist groups, whether left or right. Endorse attacks in public places..."

That's the "strategy of tension"... nothing new, we've been exposing it since 1969...

The old man screwed us again!

Is this all the priest brought us?

Nothing else inside here.

The comrades in the factories think that the execution is inevitable at this time.

In fact, we got no tactical results whatsoever.

True... the CD doesn't show any will about our political acknowledgment...

..or about a prisoners exchange.

They consider impossible even the release of one very ill comrade of ours.

They wanna wear us out, cause they think we'll end up releasing him... but this is war!

We have no choice but to execute the sentence.

The execution is a political mistake! --You're the only one against it...

Do you accept the responsibility of tearing the committee apart right now?

We can't leave our inmates comrades to a reprisal... don't forget Stammhein...

Moro alive is what weakens our inmates comrades!

We can't make this decision thinking of our comrades in prison.

Our prison movement is strong enough to face a reprisal... think of the Asinara battle.

The cops are surrounding a building near by! --Shut the lights!

They never searched a whole street... they won't come here.

We have to finish, what weapons we have?

Only our personal. --I have a bad feeling... you stay at the window and you watch the door.

So... what's your vote?

I confirm my doubts... but I vote for the execution.

The meeting is over, everybody out.

Come on, quick! We go out from the basement!

So, when is it gonna be?

A miracle can still happen.

I don't know if you're interested, but...

...some of us disagreed with this solution.

I wasn't one of them.

Not even the people I was counting on were among them...

The "good times buddies"...

100 signatures would have been enough...

100 signatures... to force my party to negotiate.

They had 100 signatures...

...only against you.

I never thought that would be possible.

Do you believe...

...the head of State can still sign? The President of the Senate can still come up?

Maybe the chief of Senate...

...has always had a taste for showmanship...

We'll see.

We gotta wait a few more days...

The chief of State is about to sign... something is moving!

The socialists are hanging on!

The socialists are a joke and Craxi is an illusionist!

Last night, Andreotti restated the line of firmness and never named Moro once.

Of course, they want him dead! That's why we gotta give him back alive!

So we destabilize them! --They gonna destabilize us instead... the old man would reunite the whole government in two month!

And this whole thing would end up being a joke... or worse.

Let's split up. --And about the movement?

What about that?

Tell your professor buddies that reprisal is what we have to expect... with or without the old man.

Cause when a system is reconstructing, it doesn't tolerate who stands in its way.

Maybe even the old man was in the way... and we realize it when it's too late!

Christ!

After 10 days of silence, the RB announced the death sentence for Aldo Moro.

Statement No. 9 has been released this afternoon.

"We end the battle with the execution of the sentence for which Aldo Moro was condemned."

They accuse the CD and the socialists of refusing to exchange Moro with 13 of them...

Good morning, President...come in. You can wait here... my mother is coming.

..."executing" they say, which means maybe it hasn't been executed yet.

Some think it's a way to say that Aldo Moro has no been killed yet.

Thanks for coming... --Don't mention it...

I wanted to tell you myself... the chief of State is about to sign.

Some technical issues... it's a matter of days.

Days...

It's a matter of hours!

They're killing him right now...

The phrase "executing the sentence" means they wanna cause the Republic to fall...

...but this Republic was born out of the sacrifice of the partisans and it won't surrender to the RB blackmail!

So we say NO to subversion and violence and NO to the RB blackmail!

Nothing will stop us from achieving those government responsibilities that we're entitled to!

The RB are delirious victims of a revolutionary myth and a blind instrument of disintegration and ruin!

While the RB sentence is expressed in the factories, at the Rome University an assembly of the so called "Movement" is taking place.

Will the "subversion area" lose its support?

The truth, comrades, is that the RB are walking over the Movement's head...

...with the arrogance and blindness of a sect!

And as things fall apart, we are here to remind them...

...that the transition to the armed fight will be made by the Movement only if strictly necessary... historically necessary!

By killing Aldo Moro, they give the State an unprecedented chance to trigger a repression!

That's insanity! In one year we'll regret... --Comrades! Have we gone insane?

The chief of State didn't sign for mercy... --What? --So many bureaucratic issues...

They can release a different prisoner... --There's always something in the way of the mercy concession...

They could release her on probation... --The problem now is time... how much do we have?

We have no time left... --That's the problem. --It can happen at any moment now...

What is Fanfani (chief of the Senate) waiting for?

That's not the right name... --Someone's coming.

Is Mrs Braghetti living here? --Not that I know.

Let's go in. --Could you wait here, please?

How do we get there? --From the back alleys...

Shit! It's the police! --What now??

They're going upstairs! --We should have watched the window!

It would have made no difference! --What if they knock down the door?

We do as planned... if they come back you tell them you were sleeping. Come on, let's move!

Push!

We have company, Mr. president... you just stay quiet.

They're nice people, quite discreet... especially the lady.

When I'm out, I leave them my keys, to water the plants. Did something happen?

No, ma'am, don't worry... just a formality... --Alright... goodbye.

"My sweet Nora..."

"...after a moment of thin optimism, we are now close to the end."

"In this moment I feel infinite affection for all of you..."

"A love filled with memories, apparently insignificant, but precious instead."

"Be strong, my sweet, in this absurd and incomprehensible ordeal... it's the ways of the Lord."

"Remember me to all our relatives... and to you a warm hug, token of an eternal love."

"I'd like to know, with my mortal eyes, how we gonna see "after"..."

"If there will be light, it's gonna be wonderful."

"My love, feel my presence always... kiss Fida, Demi, Annamaria, Agnese and Giovanni..."

"I'm grateful for what they have done. All is useless when you don't wanna open the door..."

Mr. President, we have decided to...

...to release you.

You're not a good liar...

Get dressed.

How many days have been?

55.

For me, these days have been....

For me as well.

At this point, for us...

...you're more destabilizing alive than dead.

Are you taking me to die?

No.

Here's your house keys...

...your watch...

...and some coins, to make a phone call or for a taxi.

Then maybe I should shave...

There's no time.

In these tense hours, a crowd of people and journalists stands outside the CD headquarter waiting for news.

The chief of the Senate is coming to attend a decisive reunion of the Party.

Will the line of firmness be carried on?

Are you gonna make some proposal to save Moro's life? Senator, please...

Please, don't insist! You drive on...

Come.

Mr. President, your glasses...

After 55 days of massive police operations...

...which led to nothing, the Government has to admit its failure.

You'll ride back there...

You won't be comfortable but it's a short trip.

I'll help you... --No, thanks... I'll do it myself.

Mr. President, you should...

...cover your head too.

Yes... I understand...

We have to consider which of the initiatives, proposed mainly by the Socialist Party...

...are more fit to help us dealing with this dramatic events.

Red Brigades... I can't talk for long so listen carefully.

You go personally to the family to report this...

In Caetani Road there's a red Renault 4, first plates numbers are N 5... Moro's body is inside.

The Italian constitution considers the possibility of acts of mercy by the President of the Republic...

...therefore, I believe that...

The crime has been committed.

All our efforts to save our friend's life have been useless.

The body was found in Caetani Road.

Moro's body lies a few meters from here and from the Communist Party headquarter.

As cynically promised, Aldo Moro has been murdered.

Here's the chronicle of one of the most painful days in the history of Italian Republic.

Caetani Road is perpendicular to Botteghe Oscure Road.

Just 50 meters away is the Communist Party headquarter.

The car hasn't been opened yet, for fear the doors might be connected to a bomb.

The bomb squad is operating to get to Moro's body without any risk.

Hon. Berlinguer, Saragat declared that the first Republic died with Moro... what do you think?

I disagree. The first Republic must live, and it will.

"Due to an evident incompatibility..."

"...I request that my funeral will NOT be attended by any State authority or man of the Party..."

"...but only by the few who truly loved me."

THE RB MEMBERS INVOLVED IN MORO'S MURDER WERE ALL ARRESTED (22 LIFE SENTENCES)...

...BUT THE "MORO AFFAIR", A POLITICAL MURDER IN WHICH THE DESTINY OF A WHOLE COUNTRY IS CHANGED, IS STILL FULL OF SHADOWS.

SUBTITLES BY BARISHNIKOV@KICKASS