Original subtitles

It is a sad day for Italy.

General Pantaleone, Chief of Staff of the Italian Army,

has just died of natural causes in his bed.

General Pantaleone was a devoted apostle of tyranny,

but today, we must honor him as a fallen hero of democracy

who died in his sleep.

The slightest hint of suicide or assassination would mean chaos.

And chaos, Italian style,

would mean a circus of terror and bloodshed.

In true Roman tradition, the General was the victim of conspirators.

Which one?

General Leporello and his wife Elena.

He has a consuming passion for law and order.

Prince Baldasare, the Director of Counterintelligence and my boss.

The Polish Vice Consul of Milan,

a very good friend of the dead General's Mistress Lili Anders.

The indecently wealthy Bruno Manzini of Bologna.

The most powerful industrialist in Italy.

A charming cross between Caesar Borgia and Nicola Machiavelli.

Dante Alighieri Matucci, Colonel in the Counterintelligence Service.

That's me.

A little part of the sunshine, when we speak of sunny Italy,

my colleague and best friend Captain Stefanelli.

This is Japanese stock

in the design obviously a salamander.

This adorable legendary little beast that stands for justice and survives even fire.

Poetic, isn't it?

It was attached to a folder of blackmail, probably sent by the killer.

Let's leave the poetry to my namesake.

Anyway, this won't be difficult to trace. The design could have been a coat of arms.

I don't know, but I know someone who does know.

I thought you know everything, Steffi.

Knowing who knows is not everything, little brother?

The salamander card, keep it between us for now.

No files, no talk. Not even with the Director.

I understand, Colonel. He's only saw Pantaleone once before.

That was when Hitler was here.

I saw Pantaleone walking to the lobby of the hotel Excelsior with Göring.

Arm in arm, just like us.

I hear rumors, little brother. I hear whispers.

- Why Manzini? - There's a waiter in chess club

would carry the message to Pantaleone the night he died.

- We found ways to make him talk. - And?

The message was from Manzini. End of chapter.

Must have been some talk.

You've done better, I suppose.

A: The paper in Pantaleone's safe.

The General unloaded about 100 million Lira worth of stock this month.

He was selling off his property like overripe tomatoes.

Now, the General was running.

The money?

- Safe deposit box. - No... Empty safe deposit box.

All of Pantaleone's papers, gone. The work of one Gianni Bandanelli.

The lawyer for Pantaleone and other fascists.

But don't despair, little brother. We have a file on Bandanelli.

You'll find ways to make him talk.

- B? You know it comes after A. - Your salamander card.

I was right about the coat of arms.

You know it has been used one way or the other all through Europe there since

Charlemagne was only a Charles.

My friend is sure he can trace him. But I tell you, little brother, I'm scared.

This is a country with no state.

We have parties, we have factions, we have waring interests.

But the little man in the street is being screwed.

You are from the Carabinieri?

Hmm, a Colonel.

Please, sit down.

And the point of the visit?

I'm sorry to have to tell you, Miss Anders, General Pantaleone was murdered.

You will tell this to no one.

For the rest of Italy, he died of natural causes.

I see.

- You were with the General that night? - Must we do this now, Colonel? - Yes.

We had dinner at the Chess Club.

He brought me home early. Ten o'clock.

He didn't come up. He said he was tired.

Were the two of you alone all evening?

Yes. Except...

A waiter brought him a message that someone wished to see him.

I don't know who. He... left the dining room for a few minutes.

Said nothing when he returned.

- We spoke of roses coming back to season. - May I?

Coffee?

- Who is this Salamander? - Who's the Salamander?

- My dear Colonel... - Matucci.

I was the woman in Massimo's life.

When he came here, he... left his other life at the doorstep.

I gave him affections, he gave me comfort.

I am a professional mistress,

out of a job, you might say.

- Would there be anything else, Colonel? - Only one more thing.

This room is bugged.

Please, step out here.

How is it possible? How do you know?

It's possible because you bugged it, Lili Anders.

I know because you set me in a very special way.

And the only time I got up, you repeated my question.

You're rather amateurish, Lili. Not at all like your codename.

"Falcon," is it not? Call me Dante, colleagues.

You made your point. It's chilly. Can we go back inside?

I'd like to live as long as you let me, Dante.

Maybe a hundred years more and a day.

Treacherous, treacherous, Miss Lili Anders.

- What else do you know, Dante? - I know you inside out.

Down to your latest dispatch to codename "Pigeon."

All the members of your ring are girls. Are they not?

- Interrogation time, isn't it? - I'm not the interrogator.

The real interrogator is a monster.

He has a sort of codename too, by the way. We call him "The Surgeon."

And he's never even been to medical school.

- Do something Italian, Lili. Change sides. - Can you protect me, Colonel?

That's God's job.

But as long as you're useful, I put in a good word for you.

- You son of a bitch! - That's not useful.

My directive...

report warnings of any potential takeover with government by neo-fascist elements.

In other words, rightward shifts in the high command.

Now, we can go inside.

What are your orders, Miss Anders?

What will you report on Pantaleone's death?

Somebody is preparing a fascist coup in this country.

Pantaleone, the fascist, has fallen from grace.

Enter man on white horse.

- And... the Salamander? - Never heard of him.

The Woodpecker, Stanislas Stanislow, Polish Vice Consul in Milan.

That's all he says, other than protests his diplomatic immunity.

Not one question, says he. Just one, I say,

and you'll be released immediately.

Expelled the whole flock of you.

- All right, one. - Tell me, Woodpecker,

why was Lili Anders ordered to develop a file on General Leporello?

Well, where has General Leporello been the last five months?

Italians! He has been south.

South America, South Africa, South Asia.

And of course, the United States,

studying state terror, torture and treason...

for what the Americans call counterinsurgency.

Maybe he would have done better studying in Poland.

- Quite unnecessary, Colonel. - Who's this Salamander?

We made a deal, Colonel. One question.

And now if you're a man of your word, I expect to be released immediately.

Expel, sir. Expelled.

And see to the arrangements immediately.

Matucci here. I want the file on General Leporello on my desk in 5 minutes.

What?

I see.

It's classified. Director's eyes only.

- Since when? - Yesterday.

We have to take care of our own, don't we?

Do you know why I joined this service?

Because, I thought, if what happened before would happen again,

I would know before anyone else.

That was 35 years ago.

What a mistake!

General Leporello.

Yesterday, it was Mussolini.

Today, the ghosts are climbing out of their graves

in a training camp for law and order.

Riot control, a classic answer to the forces of anarchy.

Hold on! Hold on everybody! Now we are to go through this again.

Get in line. That's it. Okay, now get ready.

I trust this won't take more than a minute, Colonel.

It is my duty to inform you, sir,

that you've been under surveillance by foreign agents

as possible successor to General Pantaleone.

In what capacity?

As a military leader of a righteous coup.

Colonel, I'm accustomed to such surveillance,

both foreign and domestic.

Pantaleone was a fascist and an opportunist. I'm neither.

It is my urgent hope that you'll find out why my name was brought up at all.

There are certain documents the General was being blackmailed.

Where are those documents?

In his lawyer's office, but in our custody.

The blackmailer uses the symbol of a salamander.

Does that mean anything to you, sir?

During the war, one of the partisan bands in the north, Communists, I'm sure,

was led by a man who called himself The Salamander.

He would always leave his calling card,

whenever they struck against the Fascists or the Germans.

- His name? - No one had names in those days.

I wish you luck, Colonel.

Thank you for your time, sir.

By the way, Colonel,

I assume you discussed this matter with your director.

- No, sir. - You should.

An agent named Rigoli, he was making an inventory of Pantaleone papers,

he hasn't called in.

I sleep in the basement and know when there's cats on the roof,

and I heard nothing.

37 years in this building and you will like a coat.

You have a hole in your coat.

Mace! Anybody in here should be asleep, to say the least.

Bandanelli!

You wait here.

- Warm. - The safe, empty.

The Pantaleone's papers are gone.

What I fail to understand, Matucci,

is why you did not take immediate possession of the Pantaleone papers?

I did, but I miss judge the security arrangements.

Yes, to the extent that our primary source was killed.

Not to mention poor Rigoli.

So you don't know who has the Pantaleone's papers?

Ah, you do. Well, that simplifies matters immeasurably.

Somehow, I didn't think you were coming to see me

at this hour of the morning with bad news only.

General Leporello.

- The proof? - I saw Leporello yesterday.

I told him, and him only, where the documents were.

And the rest you know.

Open and shut case. Isn't it?

Certainly open, sir.

You have of course studied our file on Leporello?

I tried. It's Director's eyes only.

Did that tell you something, Matucci?

I'm investigating a fascist plot to take over our country.

- I assume nothing. No one was privileged. - Totally wrong assumption.

This is Rome, my dear fellow, this is not Washington or Moscow.

Here, we do not have the luxury to say, "This is the enemy."

We can only say, "This is the enemy today."

Tomorrow, we may need to be friends.

We must ask ourselves how to render our enemies... tolerable.

Are you telling me to drop it?

I'm telling you to continue your investigation of your fascist plot.

Should you however rattle the wrong bones in the wrong closet,

you may wake up one morning and find yourself

posted as military adviser to the Italian embassy at the Vatican.

And that is the very best that could happen to you.

The worst? Well... that should be all too obvious.

Acceptable. I intend to stay alive, sir.

It might help to have a bath and a shave.

I'll be back on Friday.

Mr. Manzini!

I'm Colonel Matucci.

Can we be alone, sir?

The trail that started with the Salamander card

has now led me to Bruno Manzini.

Manzini is a modern day colossus.

A legendary war hero, an empire builder.

A man who is as tough now

as the day he laughed his Nazi torturers.

So, Colonel, is it all you have?

You are the brother of General Pantaleone.

Oh, half-brother, Colonel.

I wouldn't dream of having his mother confused with mine.

Your mother was one Ann Manchester, an English governess

in the service of the old Count.

My father, the great impregnated!

- Miss Manchester left the service. - Very impregnated.

In 1933, you changed your name, Manchester Manzini.

Mother's name was often so scandalous. She was quite a lady, at the moment!

During the war, you headed up the partisan group in the north

and you called yourself the Salamander.

Survival, even in fire.

The war ended, but not for the Salamander.

Hans Helmut Zimmermann, found dead in Bogota, 1968, apparent suicide.

- Herman Loeffler. - Suicide in Vienna,

January 5th, 1971.

Two in Argentina, one in East Berlin, two in West Germany.

Each found with a Salamander card.

All war criminals, yes, all suicides.

You threaten them with exposure.

Let us say, I would not allow them to bury the evidence.

And in the case of your brother General Pantaleone?

Half-brother, Colonel. He... He died of a heart attack.

You're wrong, Mr. Manzini. He was murdered...

by a professional killer.

You should know that Pantaleone's private papers

were stolen last night from a safe in his lawyer's office.

His lawyer, the one of our agents were killed.

What would you expect to find in those papers?

My half-brother was for sale, the wrong people were buying.

Eight days ago, one of your companies deliver to the government

a large order of sophisticated riot-control weapons.

Must say you have your sources, young man.

Yes, the specifications were drawn up by General Leporello himself.

We also know, that the Fascists have been bargaining with General Leporello.

I see.

And he would not commit himself until the Pantaleone papers were in his custody,

which is I believe precisely where they are now.

What's in those papers?

Strategy for coup d'état.

You don't have much time, Colonel.

Whose side are you on, Manzini?

Find out. You seem to have a knack for it.

- You can't go in there. - Open up!

Open up!

You saw it, Colonel. He jumped.

I want the director.

I cut the lines when I work.

In case you're interested, he didn't say a word.

They grow them tough and awesome.

I released that man this afternoon. You killed him to cover up, why did you?

Too late. I make you promise, you bastard.

Soon, there's gonna be one less homicide Satan in Italy.

We live in an age of madness.

Last night, I saw a man brutally murder.

And now, huh, less than 24 hours later,

here I am, at an elegant reception at the Chinese Embassy.

You see, we Italians are a very civilized people.

I have told Lili Anders about the death of Woodpecker,

her boss and compatriot.

Feel like talking?

Woodpeckers last orders...

supposed to be here with the Pantaleone, and now...

reporting the comings and goings.

But, General's dead and buried, and Woodpecker...

Why's everybody dying?

- Wow, Your Excellency! - Welcome, Mr. Manzini.

- Princess Faubiani. - Glad to have your presence.

The woman is Princess Faubiani. Him, I saw at the funeral.

- Here, please. - I'll be with you in a moment.

You look so different here, Dante,

like humans are supposed to look.

That's because we're across the Tiber.

And I'm saying to myself,

"What a lousy world that lies on the other side."

- Hello, Colonel! - Hello!

You see, these people, the across the river people,

they called themselves with others. They don't belong to anyone by themselves.

How do you join the club?

You don't cross back again.

I want you in my bed tonight, Dante,

but I don't want to go home.

I don't want to cross back again...

Not tonight.

Tell me we're going to start for fun and games,

then I'll know there's life on earth.

I promised you protection, I cannot promise it anymore.

You know something, Dante?

You gave me 15 minutes to get all my important things together.

I did it in 10. Everything important.

There's a message somewhere in that.

- Have you seen them before? - No, it's unusual for this neighborhood.

Get down!

You are asking me to hide a Polish spy in this nice, warm Jewish house?

I can get her to Switzerland, but...

Let her sleep.

- Becoming a threat to us. - I need a couple of days.

Put in my will.

Just leave me your gun and your optimism.

Nothing else interests me and I expect to collect very soon.

Listen, little brother, I'll change my mind.

The Leporello has all the Aces,

you lost your hand with Pantaleone's documents.

Be a little more corrupt.

Drop it, and let them know it. This way, you will stay alive.

You're gonna be very angry with me, Señor Stefanelli. You too, Dante.

There's another set of Pantaleone papers.

He had a villa on the island of Ponza.

He took them there in our last visit. Insurance reason, I suppose.

- See, we were all alone. - And you didn't tell Woodpecker?

- What else was I in this for? - Damn.

Who knows what The Surgeon got out of it?

Why didn't you tell me before?

It was my insurance. The only thing I had left to bargain with.

Maybe not, but you brought me here. You didn't bargain, so I won't either.

Look, the thinker.

What is he thinking about?

That he is gone to cover his body with grease

and swim all the way to Ponzi and back

because any other way would be even more insane.

And he knows that.

- Where is the hiding place? - Believe me, it's indescribable.

But you told Woodpecker.

I told him I would have to take him there.

I have important friends too. Friends who owe me favors.

One of them is Carl Malinowski. Yes, I said Malinowski.

Carl is an American Marine Major attached to NATO in Naples.

Okay, my Italian buddy.

Come on, talk to me in American, Dante. Tell me what's going on here?

In American? We split, you hanging.

We do our thing and I see you later.

I think I go along for the ride, alright?

Not to worry! You folks can save the world. Me, I'm going fishing.

Easy! Come on, come on!

Watch your step.

Yeah.

- Good luck, Colonel. - Good fishing, Malinowski.

Good luck, ma'am.

This can't be Pantaleone's. It's government property.

There it is.

He didn't trust the servants.

How do you know about this?

I'm one of the birds, remember?

I spied.

Let us fly, little bird.

Get out with your hands up!

Stay close to me and don't say anything. OK?

That's Captain Roditi,

General Leporello's aid.

Do you recognize me, Roditi? Colonel Matucci of the Carabinieri.

The woman is Lili Anders, a Polish national,

assisting me in this investigation.

Now, you will order your men to lower their weapons,

and you will explain this situation.

The situation, sir,

is that I am under orders from General Leporello

to maintain surveillance of villa of Pantaleone

and to prevent the removal of anything whatsoever from the premises.

You see, my friend, that boat over there is lent to us by NATO.

I'm discharging highly secret duties.

You have placed a senior officer in considerable jeopardy.

One incautious move, by any of your men could have caused a fatal accident.

They could have ruined this operation. You do see that, don't you, Captain?

Respectfully, sir, I submit I'm only doing my duty.

That submission, Captain,

will be considered at the proper time and place...

- if necessary. - Colonel...

It won't work.

Men!

Oh, yes, it'll work, Captain.

Malinowski!

Drop all your guns! Drop all your guns!

Let's go!

You can count on me, Roditi. I won't tell a soul.

The Pantaleone papers, a blueprint for the fascist takeover of Italy.

It was all there.

The location of military installations,

communication centers, traffic and control points.

Every move was superbly orchestrated.

The coup d'état would not take more than a few hours.

- Malinowski! - Yeah?

They'll be waiting for us at every port in Italy.

An NATO officer shooting up the Italian army,

that is practically an enemy invasion.

Yeah, I know that. Lay down the plan, my man.

My boss, the Director, specializes in rendering our enemies tolerable.

This is a ship-to-shore phone? Right?

Yeah, that's ship-to-shore phone. An Italian ship-to-shore phone.

Tell me, what would have happened if I didn't have one?

Would have been World War III.

You're crazy, the whole race of you, but it don't mean I don't love you, baby.

Pantaleone's private list.

Government, union leaders and party.

All slated for arrest within 24 hours of the coup.

What he was going to do with them? I leave to your imagination, sir.

Excellent, Matucci. Truly excellent.

I might even be able to justify

my special handling of your highly unorthodox tactics.

And that's you, sir. Taken from right out there.

I think protection is in order, sir.

It's your skin they are after now, Colonel.

My skin, sir, is just fine, as long as I have those Pantaloon papers.

Which you no longer have.

Frankly, my dear fellow, you lack the authority and the political experience

to make use of such knowledge.

Which brings us back to your skin.

Now, we must demonstrate to Leporello, that you are no longer a threat.

Therefore, I propose to detach you for extended duties

to friendly foreign agencies abroad.

You will have diplomatic status.

You will have increase in salary, and a very generous expense account.

How does that sound to you?

Like a pay off.

My dear Matucci, you are a prime assassination target.

I am arranging a preventative funeral.

You will be entombed over for a while, but you won't be dead!

And I will buy myself time, to deal with the Leporellos in my own way.

You don't have time! It's Leporello's move.

- And he knows he's got to strike fast. - I'll be the judge of that. And you...

Let me put it to you this way,

if you and your Polish Nightingale

are not on already booked military flight to Zurich, today,

and all you will have to do is wait...

for the assassin's bullets!

Well, as you like, sir.

Think of how you will enjoy your burial, Matucci,

while you wait for the resurrection..

Lili?

I'm more corrupt than I thought, Steffi.

I'm happy you're going.

Buried alive in Switzerland, not a bad way to go.

And numbered account in Geneva.

A gorgeous suite in a four-star hotel.

And the constant companionship of my beautiful woman.

I have got everything. Or, do I?

For me, this is freedom. For you, it's exile, isn't it?

I just have to get used to being a eunuch. That's all.

The great place, picture poster.

Something told me I would need this.

The inventory you made on the boat.

Manzini should see this.

We see him tomorrow.

We still have until tomorrow.

- I'm Colonel Matucci. I call last night. - Alright, sir.

Colonel Matucci is here.

And this, uh... This scribe is the base of your belief?

Leporello is the heir apparent. Your Director is shifting to his side, huh?

From that, I can reproduce every single document.

I have near a total recall.

You still have nothing but say so.

Tell me, Colonel, what the hell do you think I can do for you?

Advise me.

How can I prevent the coup d'état?

And how can I stay alive when doing it?

Miss Anders, I want to talk to the Colonel alone.

- I vouch for Miss Anders. - I have no doubt of it.

I prefer you're not involved, you understand?

I understand.

Excuse me. Come on, Colonel.

Tell me, can you be bought?

I was, 48 hours ago. Not again.

- You'll be frightened? - Frightened now.

I'm isolated, I'm... vulnerable.

We are natural allies. I have everything you lack.

Matucci, I offer you a deal, heavily weighted in my favor, of course.

Do I have a choice?

Yeah, you can go away pretend you never spoke to me.

- Now, we have a deal. - Come on.

You will remain here and recall everything you know about the Pantaleone business.

It has no legal value, but... it can be a tool.

In the mean time, I will prepare the next stage.

You will return to Italy in my employ.

You mean, I have to work for you?

Under this cover, and a change of tailors.

You will complete your investigation

and together we shall decide on a course of action.

You, uh... You seem to have some reservations, huh?

- Yes, only one. - What is that?

The Director and Leporello. I don't think they will buy the cover.

Oh, of course, neither do I.

But while I'm using my connections, my money, my friends, my inference...

you'll have to sweat a little blood, my friend.

As I told Manzini, I have a photographic memory.

For the next few days, I reconstructed the material in the Pantaleone papers.

Every map, every list and every roll of microfilm.

- Who is this? - It's Domenico with the groceries.

- Well, what do you think? - What's his name?

What make you so sure it's a him?

Come to think of it, it is a him, and he happens to have a name.

Look out! The trunk!

I got to inform Mr. Manzini in Rome.

It took me almost 24 hours to assemble the relevant facts.

Manzini, huh. When informed about the gunman, he said,

"Given what Matucci knows, is surprising they didn't send an army to eliminate him."

- Leporello made his deal. - And the Director?

- Has joined. - Is that certain?

No, nothing is certain in Italy. Not even death and taxes.

But I was there, a pact was made.

- You were there? - Yes.

Last night they asked me and I accepted a membership in their club.

- Jesus Christ! - He wasn't there.

Heavy industry, press, banking, me...

all pledged to law and order.

Rather unholy alliance, don't you think?

- I think you are a towering opportunist. - Oh, come on, young man. Don't be naive!

I am an institution. I play all angles.

Mr. Manzini!

Do you realize they almost killed us yesterday?

Yes, Miss Anders, and I'm truly sorry.

Oh, by the way...

Tomorrow, the Colonel and I leave for Italy.

I suggest you visit Klosters. (A resort village in Switzerland.)

It's lovely this time of year.

I made all the arrangements, including security.

Hope you don't find me abrupt, Miss Anders.

I find you dangerous.

The way you move people in and out of rooms,

in and out of countries.

Well, young man, it's your move.

Lili...

The truth is, I think Manzini is a marvelous old crank,

but I won't accept his protection.

It ties me to my past and my only hope is to cut loose.

You do see that, don't you, Dante?

Where will you go, little bird?

Never to last year's miss.

Who? Milan! Sounds like the distance past.

- Can you hear me? - Who is it?

- It's Dante, your little brother. - It is the distance past!

Well, little brother, I hope your God is watching over you.

I have to see you immediately in Milan.

You want to see me? Well, I have new office hours.

Every fascist in the service is coming out of the closet, I can't stand the smell.

The director tells me that you are doing very well in private industries.

Tell me, little brother, how are the rewards?

That depends that whether you believe you are being measured for a suit or a coffin.

- Kiss the cat for me. - What?

- I said, "Kiss the cat for me." - You hear that?

- You in there? - Relax, Big George.

The system is foolproof. Invented by God.

- Confess. - Leporello is an armor-plated bastard.

And this brought him all his own people.

- I can get you a file of the Pope. - Leporello...

What about his aide Roditi?

He's doing some kind of underground recruiting job, commando squads.

Tough, means sons of bitches.

Dante, I'm just a workhorse major.

And it take me a goddamn long time to get there.

For the love of Mary, go easy.

Tell me!

There's a girl we use once in a while for inside stuff.

She's been dating a sergeant who train recruits at that goddamn terror camp.

Just think of it all makes me sick.

Look, I don't want to know anything, but The Surgeon is in town,

working directly under the Leporello.

Dante, that's going to be missed inside of 24 hours.

How far inside, I don't know.

You'll get them back in the morning. The meeting place, it's all in there.

Thanks, Giorgione.

By noon, Steffanelli was in Milan.

With the files on General Leporello's terror squads in our hands,

we went to work.

Gino Orlando, one of Leporello's hired killers.

His fingerprints matched those of the man who killed our agent, Rigoli.

Terror squads.

Just like the last time.

And we can prove it, Rigoli's killer works secretly for Leporello.

And they can't bury number police documents!

Black Sabbath fool. 「"The 1942 Eleftherias Square roundup", sometimes called "Black Sabbath", occurred on Sat, 11-July.」

They came to the ghetto in Rome. 「"Raid of the Ghetto of Rome" by the Gestapo, Saturday, 16-October-1943.」

They rounded up everybody and they took them all away.

I... went out before dawn that Saturday.

I went to buy some cigars...

Some black market place across the river.

There was a long line.

It was raining the all... Mediterranean.

But, I...

I stayed in that line because I wanted my cigars.

And, when I got home, little brother,

I had no family.

Smoking was good for my health.

And those... Those were the Germans.

Let you in on a little known fact, Colonel.

In our country, the fascists rounded up more of us than the Nazis.

Major Giorgione took a big chance giving us a Leporello secret files

that had to be returned to him.

Are you alright?

Dante!

- Steffi! - Dante!

Steffi!

Steffi!

I knew what I was going to hear. They got Giorgione too.

Sir!

- I want the General! - Impossible!

The general's wife has already been waiting for half an hour

and I will not disturb him!

Is that clear, sir?

Let the gentleman go first, Captain. I'm sure it's an emergency.

Thank you, señora.

Elena, my dear, I'm very sorry if I...

You're resourceful, Matucci. And dangerous.

You should be working for me. Would you like a little sherry?

I'll make you an offer, General.

Release both hostages immediately.

And the announcement you need protection.

That's about the emptiest offer I ever had, Matucci.

Sincere, I'm sure, for the moment.

I will sign a paper.

That you fabricated certain other papers?

The Surgeon.

That's very noble of you, Matucci.

I meant what I said before about working for me.

Yes. Those two men that were arrested today.

They're to be released immediately.

Repeat that.

I see.

No, no. I'll call you back.

I'm afraid I can only keep half of my part of the bargain, Matucci.

Which half?

Major Giorgione.

The old man, Stefanelli, he died on the way.

Heart attack.

Do we still have a deal?

Do we still have a deal!?

- I want an official autopsy. - Roditi will call you after the autopsy.

Now, if you don't mind, I've kept my wife waiting long enough.

Will you ask her to come in on your way out.

- Please. - Three minutes, Colonel.

We can make it, Steffi.

What did you have to die for?

Would have got you out.

Jesus, what a dumb thing to do.

Going to die like a... a sick old man

before giving your little brother a chance to get you out.

I would...

Steffi, you have no nails!

Close the door.

Now, if you do not cooperate, I'm going to kill you.

If you do, I'm going to offer you a way out of the mess you're in.

Can I be clearer?

Now, you will disarm yourself, put up a chair, and try to relax.

I've been waiting long time for this.

What is your relationship with the General's wife?

We've been lovers for six years.

And the general knows and condones it?

Yes, it's part of his hold over us, he can take custody of the children.

And his hold over you?

I love Elena. I'm also the father of the children, twin boys.

I take it the General is not interested in the opposite sex?

You take it wrong, Colonel, very wrong.

The General is interested in young girls.

- Very young girls. - Go on.

That this apartment, he uses it as a meeting place.

I make sure there's no trouble.

Major Giorgione, why was he heavily sedated?

The Surgeon has been experimenting with new drugs.

Did it ever occur to you that the General might want to get rid of you one day?

I'm not not a complete fool, Colonel.

- You have life insurance? - Some.

I made tapes, photographs.

- Where are they? - Elena has one set. I have a duplicate.

Safe deposit box in small bank just the side of the Swiss border.

Very good, Captain.

Now, we stop first your small bank and empty your safe-deposit box.

Then we will go to a place in the country, and empty your conscience.

This will buy you 24 hours to get out of the country with Elena and the children.

There, you have my offer.

You have a better idea?

Yes, I... Things gonna happen fast, Colonel.

I... I can feed you information.

- That idea stinks, Captain. Let's go. - But it's not going to work, Colonel!

When you went down round to the General's, we'd fix an electronic hailer on your car.

It takes time to hone in, but by now, the General must know you're here.

You pitiful son of the bitch! They're waiting for me downstairs!

I don't know.

- I swear, I don't know. - Okay, let's find out.

My car has no hailer on it.

Did you really think we're going to take mine?

Eight hours later, I'm in Venice.

There is a warrant out for my arrest for the murder of Captain Roditi.

I am now an enemy of the state. A fugitive to be arrested on sight.

I'm taking one last chance.

I hope, Colonel, there is some sense in this so little intrigue.

This is my recollection of what Captain Roditi told me.

I thought you might want to see it.

- You have nothing more? - Can there be more?

It's all true, I trust.

It was true. Now, it is all lies. Monstrous horrible lies, I shall call them.

I know you're afraid of your husband.

You're afraid what he might do to your children, yours and the Captain's.

Madam, I can offer you protection.

What? Your disguise?

The photographs and the tapes in your possession won't work anymore as insurance.

I know where Roditi kept his copy.

You don't seem to understand, Colonel. I no longer need insurance.

The insurer is deceased.

What the hell kind of woman are you?

The kind who has come to understand that her husband is going to succeed

in what he has set out to do.

The kind who wants to be there, when it does.

The kind who came here today to see whether you were a match for him.

You, sir, you are a romantic.

Frankly, dear man, I am rather disappointed.

My namesake, Dante Alighieri,

wrote a classic poem about the suffering of the damned.

It was called the "Inferno" ("Hell").

Let me now say, that his vision of agony was incomplete.

Did not include the master of torment,

whose refined skills would offend devil himself.

He has no name, and of course, no official identity.

He is known simply as The Surgeon.

Colonel, now, I'm gonna pick your brain.

Don't worry, Colonel. Mr. Manzini sent us.

I didn't know whether they were real or not.

I heard only sounds, I could not understand.

When I was able to see, I was sure I had died,

and by some cosmic mistake, I had arrived in Paradise.

Finally, I remembered my name.

Very bad, wasn't it?

- What's this place? - "Pedognana." My home.

You're home, Dante. Come on, sit down.

You are God, aren't you?

Leporello was convinced you were broken beyond repair.

Besides, there was a bank containing Captain Roditi's papers.

I own it, we... made a deal.

- Lili? - She's safe, in Switzerland.

Waiting for your call as soon as you are strong enough.

Everything is in pieces. Leporello is right.

- I'm broken. - No. Not beyond repair.

I'm tired, Manzini. They've taken away too much.

Try a little hate, my friend.

It is the best stimulant in the world.

Yes, please, put him through.

- Dante? - I'm alive, Lili.

I'm very much alive.

I love you so much!

I can't wait to be with you.

Huh, look what we have here.

Lactarius deliciosus. Exquisite as the name implies.

If you know it is deadly if you eat it raw?

I tell you what...

You have them tonight, and I'll have them tomorrow night.

By the way, Dante...

I know the date of Leporello's strike.

- When is that? - September 21st.

The men marked for arrest will all be back from the summer holidays.

It's the beautiful time of the year. Everybody's guard is down.

That's in three weeks.

What I have in mind takes place in two.

We'll have this tonight, sauteed with an Emilia white wine.

- You're a goddamn Salamander. - I was survivor, Dante.

Bruno Manzini's invitations were hand delivered.

It was to be the social event of the year.

The guest list reads like a treatise in political science.

The Minister of Defense.

Italy's 400,

they're all here.

The lions of power...

and their pussycats.

Finally, Leporello!

Sorry to have held you up, Manzini.

Sorry, I can only stay a little while.

General, I understand. You are a very busy man.

Ladies and gentlemen! We'll start at once.

Giorgio!

Please.

Won't you all join us.

Please.

General, promise me 60 minutes of your time.

I promise you a memorable hour.

Sit.

Oh, uh, Director, over here, please.

All, uh... All be seated, please.

Thank you.

Everybody, please, uh... sit down as soon as possible.

Founder if you find a place.

All comfortable, I hope.

And... Oh-oh-oh, by the way, please do not open these envelopes!

They contain deep, dark secrets.

Uh... I apologize for all this suspense, ladies and gentlemen,

but we are going to see a motion picture.

Now, about the film itself, uh...

I promise you, it is not one of my commercials.

And, uh... And I promise you it is not the story of my life.

The matter of fact, the press is unaware of its existence.

You are the only public who'll ever see this film.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, secrets as it should be told in the dark.

I'm Dante Alighieri Matucci.

A colonel in the Carabinieri, Army Intelligence Branch.

I promise right before you certain facts, supported by incontrovertible proof.

Many of you attended the state funeral of General Pantaleone.

He was said to have died of natural cause.

The truth is, he was murdered.

I was given no sum of money, I didn't know they planned to kill him.

I swear it! God help me! He was a saint. A saint!

Pantaleone's private papers were stored in that safe.

The dead men are his lawyer Bandanelli,

and my colleague Captain Rigoli.

They were strangled.

Certainly no home movie.

You are looking at the murderer, identified by his fingerprints on the left.

The same fingerprints, as those of the man on the right.

One Gino Orlando, a fascist terrorist,

under the secret command of your fellow guest, General Leporello.

The Pantaleone papers contain the plans for a military takeover of the government.

These plans have now become operational.

The strike date is September 21st, eight days from today.

The man, who is truly the coup d'état, is once again General Leporello.

These men, a Polish secret agent and Captain Steffanelli, were murdered.

I am an eyewitness with the slaying of the first man.

I saw him thrown through a window.

I also witnessed the kidnapping of the second.

Before they were killed, they were tortured.

Carabinieri Major Mario Giorgione, 47th Regiment, Milan.

My... Hm, my name is...

My... My... My name is...

Another tortured victim.

Please try, try. State your name and rank, please.

Captain Mateo Roditi, Aid to General Leporello.

Killed, by General Leporello.

A bomb planted in his car. He knew too much.

All of these men had evidence that could have destroyed General Leporello's plans.

So there were themselves destroyed.

This is the man chosen to lead the coup d'état.

Enough! Enough! Stop this slander!

- Lies! Lies! These are lies! - Can you hold?

Yeah, I'll freeze.

Lies! Lies!

Please.

Please, General.

Would you please sit down. Come on.

Sit down.

Sit down.

Elena, I'm truly sorry.

Please, sit down.

We're trying to avoid, not commit an outrage.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are trying to prevent imminent bloodshed.

Please.

If this man succeeds, he will not assume the powers of state.

That role has been consigned to another.

Prince Baldasar, who arranged the disappearance of General Pantaleone

and the rise of General Leporello.

Ladies and gentlemen, the envelopes you received earlier

contain the documentations in support of my testimony.

The future of our country is in your hands. Thank you.

Sergeant Marino, proceed.

I believe the Minister of Defense is presence.

Your excellency, with your permission,

I would place General Leporello and Prince Baldasare under arrest.

You remember our conversation, Matucci?

This is Italy.

We are all salamanders.

Go!

Last night was truly a triumph.

A fascist coup was aborted.

Huh... When will it happen again?

You postponed the bloody civil war last night.

Where you sit wonder in pair of eyes like something can buy with good intentions.

You are the new director!

Now you have a chair to fight the lions with.

Baldasar will never give up that easy.

I will insist that he resign as a price of my silence.

Let's, uh... Let's have a drink, Dante.

Let us drink to partial victory.

It's the only kind there is.

To partial victory!

Well, Dante, goodbye.

Ciao, Salamander.

Your car is ready, sir.

Tell me.

Everything is perfect.

There is a... Just a few things.

- Tell me. - It's gonna take some time, Lili.

I mean, ah... Residence permit in Italy for someone who...

who was...

It's complicated. Strings have to be pulled.

How much time?

You are a foreign agent and I'm going to be the director.

I understand that allows you to park in prohibited zones.

You cannot expect me at this point to bring pressure!

No. Not you, Dante, at this point.

I already been given a residence permit in Switzerland.

I stood in line and I got it.

I feel safe there.

I love you. I love you very much.

Goodbye, Dante.

Good evening, Colonel!

Lili!

Lili!

Mister! Hey, mister!

The ball.