THE LEOPARD
What is that noise?
What's going on? Speak!
Excellency, a dead soldier has been found in the garden.
What?
There are disturbances all over the city.
This letter arrived from Duke Malvica.
It's very urgent.
"Dear Fabrizio, read the dreadful news in the paper.
The Piedmontese have landed. We are all lost.
My family and I will take refuge on a British warship tonight.
You will surely wish to do the same.
May God save our king. Yours..."
What a rabbit!
"On May 11th, an act of flagrant piracy culminated
in the landing of armed men at Marsala.
The band numbers about 800 and is led by Garibaldi.
They managed to avoid an encounter with royal troops
and headed for Castelvetrano,
threatening, pillaging and laying waste."
Paolo, you'll move to our palace in Palermo tonight.
Right now, a house empty is a house lost.
No, Fabrizio, it's too dangerous!
It's war!
- Francesco Paolo, call Mimi. - Right away, Papa.
The revolution.
I can't breathe!
Domenico!
Mimi's coming, Papa.
- Excuse me, Your Excellency, but... - I know!
Go tell Don Antonio to harness the bays to the carriage. Go!
I'm going down to Palermo after dinner.
- Father Pirrone. - Yes?
- You'll come with me. - Me?
May the Lord protect us.
With the streets full of soldiers...
Calm down.
You can spend a couple of hours with your Jesuit friends.
Very well, Excellency.
To dinner... in half an hour.
Everyone.
What are we to do?
Those swine stink even when they're dead.
Salvatore, did you report it? - Yes.
Excellency, they've been told at the barracks to come remove him.
Bad times, Excellency.
Look at all the fires on the mountains!
The rebel encampments. - I can see them, Father.
Are you anxious about Don Tancredi?
He should beware of such
dangerous friendships.
He's not to blame. It's the times!
Of course.
These days, a wellborn young man can't enjoy a game of cards
without getting involved in dangerous friendships.
- Yes, I know. - Enough, then!
Even so, a bit of caution...
I said enough.
Stop!
Sergeant!
Villa Airoldi block post.
- Good evening, Excellency. - Good evening, Sergeant.
Forgive me.
Let them pass.
It's His Excellency, the Prince of Salina.
Good evening, Excellency.
What a lovely country this would be if...
If there weren't so many Jesuits.
I'll come for you at 10:00.
And Father... pray well.
Let's go.
Where could we go?
- The tavern down at the harbor. - I know the place.
Good evening, handsome.
- Melina, he's not for you. - Mind your own business.
My prince!
Good morning, Uncle.
Tancredi.
What were you up to last night?
Last night? Nothing.
Just out with friends for an innocent evening.
Not like some people I know who went down to Palermo
for some fun.
Who might that be?
You, Uncle.
I saw you with my own eyes at Villa Airoldi,
talking to the sergeant at the block post.
A fine thing, at your age... and a priest with you too.
You old libertine. - I guess it's true.
Why are you dressed like that?
Some fancy ball at this hour?
I'm leaving in an hour.
I came to say good-bye.
Why? Where are you going?
Not a duel?
Yes, a huge duel... with the king.
Little King Francis.
I'm off to the hills of Figuzza.
Great things are brewing, and I won't stay at home.
Anyway, I'd be arrested if I did.
You're mad!
Those people are mafiosi and troublemakers!
A Falconeri should stand with us, behind the king!
Behind the king. Right.
But which king?
You've said so yourself many times.
If Ferdinand were still alive... but little Francis?
God bless him, but no.
You think the Piedmontese will be better?
You trade the dialect of Turin for that of Naples... that's all.
How would you like Mazzini's republic, then?
Unless we take a hand, they'll foist a republic on us.
For things to remain the same,
everything must change.
Do you understand?
Good-bye. I'll be back with the tricolor.
The tricolor!
Your mouths are full of the word.
What is it compared to our white flag with the golden lily?
What hope can you have in that ugly clash of colors?
- Just you wait! You'll see I'm right. - Dreamers!
Good-bye, Uncle.
Good-bye.
See you soon.
Wait!
Yes, Uncle?
What's this?
Subsidizing the revolution?
Thank you.
See you soon. Respects to my aunt.
Concetta, don't. I'll be back soon.
Good-bye for now, Concettina.
Good morning, Excellency.
Good morning, Father.
Is Your Excellency here for confession?
Confession? It's not Saturday.
Listen to me. Come to confession.
There's no need. You know it all already.
The power of confession lies not only in telling our sins, but in repentance.
I know!
What would you have of me? I'm a vigorous man.
I can't find satisfaction with a woman who crosses herself in bed
before every embrace
and can only say "Gesummaria" afterwards.
I've had seven children with her
and I've never seen her navel!
Is that right?
I ask you. She's the sinner!
Excellency, I was too blunt.
I wish only to remain in your good graces.
But take my advice and come to confession.
I have no intention of doing so.
Not today, anyway.
I've made some important political discoveries.
You know what is happening in our country?
Nothing.
Simply an imperceptible replacement of one class for another.
The middle class doesn't want to destroy us.
It simply wants to take our place, and very gently,
giving us a few thousand ducats in the process.
Then everything can go on as it is.
Understand, Father? Ours is a country of arrangements.
You nobles will come to an agreement with the liberals
and even with the Masons
at the expense of the Church.
Then our property, which is the patrimony of the poor,
will be seized and carved up by the ringleaders.
Then who will feed all the destitute
who are sustained and guided by the Church?
How will those desperate masses be placated? I'll tell you.
By conceding them first a portion of your estates,
then another, until they have it all!
Our Lord healed the blind in body,
but what will happen to the blind in spirit?
We're not blind in spirit, Father.
We're just human beings in a changing world.
What should we do?
The church has been promised immortality.
We, as a social class, have not.
Any sop that promises us another 100 years of life is like eternity to us.
Beyond what we can touch with our own hands,
we have no obligations.
But the Church has, because she is destined not to die.
Solace is implicit in her desperation.
Do you think that if the Church
could ever save herself by sacrificing us,
she wouldn't do so?
Of course she would, and rightly so.
You have two sins to confess on Saturday.
One of the flesh last night, one of the spirit today.
Remember that.
Look, Father.
What beauty!
It'll take any number of Victor Emmanuels
to change this magic potion poured out for us every day.
Line up!
Aim! Fire!
Away, traitors!
Hang him!
There he is!
Let's hang him!
Forward!
All clear! Come on!
Stick close to the wall. You, follow me.
Help me!
He was a police spy! A murderer! He deserved it!
Come on, follow me!
The cavalry! Hold your fire! Wait!
Fire!
Hey, good woman! Yes, you! Come here!
Which way did they go?
They're advancing. They've reached the port by now.
Forward, men!
What do you think, Father?
Will these glorious new times bring us better roads?
The government...
Clear the way! We can't pass!
Stop!
You can't go on. The road's closed
- We have a permit. - It's no good. The road's closed.
Stop! Stop the carriages!
I'm sorry, but no one may pass.
Stop! You can't go any further.
Your permit, please.
Is it not valid?
I didn't say that.
But all permits issued to civilians have been suspended.
Do you think we're here for fun?
If I say turn back, you turn back!
I'll make them clear the road so the carriages can go on.
- Where do you think you're going? - No one may pass!
I'm Captain Prince Tancredi Falconeri. I fought with you in Palermo!
I have my orders.
This is an order too!
Clear the road!
You live among the nobles.
What do they say about all these great doings?
What does the Prince of Salina say,
so quick-tempered and proud?
The nobles, as you call them, are not easy to understand.
They live in a world of their own
not created by God but by themselves,
through centuries of experience, troubles and joys.
They're upset or pleased
about things that matter little to you and me
but are vital to them.
I don't mean they're bad people. Far from it.
They're... different.
They take no notice of things that we hold important,
and they have fears of which we're ignorant.
For example, for the Prince of Salina it would be a tragedy
to give up his holiday at Donnafugata, where we're headed.
But if you ask him what he thinks of the revolution,
he will say there is no revolution
and that everything will go on as before. - I should hope so too.
You should hope so too, eh?
We'd best just read from the prayer book.
Psalm 44.
Quickly, boys!
Spread it properly.
You get the bottles, and you get the glasses.
Hurry! Their Excellencies are coming!
Let's hope it all goes well. I'm so glad to see you again.
We'll have a little rest now.
You can eat under the trees.
We'll go on to Donnafugata in an hour.
Did the soldiers pass through here too? Any damage?
Algeria is very different, my dear!
Nice and cool! Don't you want to freshen up?
Moisten your temples and forehead.
How refreshing.
Delightful!
That's better, isn't it?
Let's hurry or there won't be any lunch left.
May I have it back?
Come on.
Are you hungry?
Everybody was saying His Excellency wouldn't be able to leave Palermo this year.
How could he travel in times like these?
Who knows what's happened to His Excellency and his family?
But you're all safe and sound.
Thanks be to God.
What did you think would happen to us?
It was all quite simple.
In fact, soon after Garibaldi's entry into Palermo,
Tancredi brought home a Tuscan general
who wished to admire the frescoes in the villa
and who helped obtain the permits for Donnafugata.
We are happy to welcome you to our home, General.
Thank you, Excellency.
He called you Excellency,
violating Garibaldi's first rule.
My nephew tells me you wish to see the frescoes.
I'd be delighted.
Let's take a look while it's light.
In the center, Jove and Juno,
Mars, Venus and Mercury.
On that side is Thetis, preceded by tritons and dryads.
Apollo, surrounded by clouds.
All of them glorifying the House of Salina.
Would you like a mint?
Thank you. My favorites.
I brought them specially for you.
How pale he is.
Is it true it's not a serious wound?
What?
A promotion on the field is well worth a wound.
The carriages are coming!
I am happy to welcome Your Excellencies.
Don Onofrio, how are you?
Fine. I return the palace to you in the state in which it was left.
Well done.
I'm proud to shake hands with the wounded hero of Palermo.
Wounded! I was made captain because a gnat flew in my eye.
I know you did a lot for the cause, Don Calogero.
Crispi spoke very highly of you.
Welcome back, Excellency.
Dear Teresina, how nice to see you again.
And you too, of course. What news do you have, Don Ciccio?
News? I wouldn't know.
Will you excuse me? - By all means.
Remember the dinner invitations for tonight.
We must ask the wives too.
- Why? - It's best that way.
Invite Don Calogero, and tell him to bring his wife.
The notary and his wife.
And Don Ciccio Tumeo, who thankfully has none.
Invite the rest to come by after dinner.
What is it?
It's Mimí, Excellency.
Father Pirrone... - Father Pirrone what?
Father Pirrone asks to see you at once.
Very well. Show him in.
Excellency, excuse me...
Oh, I beg your pardon.
Don't be silly, Father.
You're used to naked souls. Naked bodies are far more innocent.
Hand me that towel. - What?
- The towel. - Yes. Right away.
Come on, Father.
Harder, Father.
And take my advice... have a bath yourself occasionally.
Sit down.
Why are you in such a hurry to speak to me?
It's like this, Excellency.
I've been given a most delicate mission.
A person dear to you has opened her heart to me
and charged me to tell you, trusting, perhaps wrongly,
that your consideration for me...
Get to the point!
Of course. It's just...
Who is it? The princess?
Oh, no.
The princess is very tired and is resting.
It's Miss Concetta.
She's in love.
Miss Concetta? What on earth?
Nonsense!
I'm sorry I upset you.
I didn't think... - Look here, Father.
A man of 45 can still consider himself young
until he realizes he has children old enough for love.
Then old age comes over him in one blow.
You haven't asked who the man is.
The young man she... - There's no need.
Silly girl! Why didn't she come tell me?
In your opinion, what should I say?
The wish to found a Christian family
is agreeable to the Church.
Our Lord's presence at the marriage...
Let's keep to the point.
I want to talk about this marriage, not the one at Cana,
much less about marriage in general.
Has Don Tancredi made any definite proposal?
Not a real proposal, exactly.
But Miss Concetta is quite certain.
His attentions, his glances,
his remarks.
She is sure that she is loved
and feels a proposal is imminent.
Don't worry.
The danger is not even close.
These are just a romantic schoolgirl's fantasies.
Why do you say "danger"?
Can you see Concetta as ambassadress in Vienna or Petersburg?
I'm fond of Concetta,
so placid and submissive,
but Tancredi has a great future ahead of him.
How can she, with her passive virtues and shyness,
help an ambitious husband to climb the slippery steps of the new society?
Tancredi needs money.
Concetta will have a dowry, of course.
But our fortune will have to be divided into seven parts,
and Tancredi needs far more.
One of the Sutera girls?
Yes, I know.
So plain, poor things, but so rich!
- Yes, but... - But what?
Love?
Of course.
Flames for a year, followed by ashes for 30.
I know what love is.
What is it?
What suit will you wear for dinner?
Father, tell Concetta I'm not annoyed,
but that we'll discuss it later, when we're sure it's not all imagination.
An afternoon suit. - Very well, Excellency.
- Good day, Father. - But, Excellency...
Papa, Don Calogero is coming up the stairs! In tails!
This news has shaken you more than the landing at Marsala.
Don Calogero in white tie?
It's a sign of the revolution in action.
He's in evening dress, true, but just look at it.
And the shoes.
My wife isn't well. She has a cold.
- I'm sorry. - Thank you, Prince.
You'll excuse me for bringing my daughter Angelica instead.
But of course.
For the last month she's spoken of nothing
but her longing to be presented to you now that she's grown up.
I remember her well as a child. A delightful girl.
We'll be pleased to see her again.
My daughter will be here in a moment. She wasn't quite ready.
It's just a few steps from our house.
We'll wait for her.
My wife isn't feeling well.
The church is badly in need of repairs.
Pretty.
Excuse me, Princess.
It's been so long!
You've changed a lot, and not for the worse.
How fortunate we are, Miss Angelica,
to gather so lovely a flower into our home.
I hope we shall have the pleasure of seeing you here often.
Thank you, Prince.
You are as kind to me as you have always been to my dear father.
How are you, Miss Concetta?
Please. We weren't so formal as children.
Good evening, Father.
Count, may I present my daughter to you?
Dinner is served.
Different layers, in keeping with tradition.
It smells delicious.
- Was the journey tiring? - Not very.
You haven't been served yet. I'm sorry. He's coming.
- A pretty girl. - Yes, Concetta is.
The little house I'm having built out of town
will be modest...
but very comfortable.
We all have good appetites.
Just think if we had started with soup.
Unforgettable days!
Only one password: Arms and armed men.
The general has realized the Sicilians mean business.
Why did you join Garibaldi?
"If you don't disdain Garibaldi as a brother-in-arms,
he wishes only to fight at your side."
Garibaldi himself said that.
But it was exhausting.
I've never walked so much. That night march on Gibilrossa.
- Did you meet Bixio? - A mule!
Stubborn eccentrics, all of them.
If I told you about the scene between Bixio and La Masa!
And the taking of Porta Termini? I was there... briefly.
It was great fun. Our biggest laugh was on May 28th.
The general needed a lookout at the Origlione convent.
We knocked, banged, cursed... they wouldn't open up.
It was a cloistered convent!
By the way, tomorrow we go to the Convent of the Holy Spirit
to pray at the tomb of Blessed Mother Corbera.
Good, good.
The good nuns have already been informed of Your Excellencies' arrival
and are making preparations for your visit.
We always go the day after we arrive.
So, what happened?
I'll tell you.
Tassoni, Aldrighetti, I and a few others
tried to break down the door, but nothing doing.
So we got a beam from a shelled house nearby,
and finally the door gave way with a hellish din.
We went in. Not a soul in sight.
Then we heard screams from down the hallway.
The nuns had taken refuge in the chapel and were huddling around the altar.
Lord knows what they feared from those excited young men!
It was quite comical. They were old and ugly in their black habits,
eyes wide with fear, but all ready...
for martyrdom.
They were whining like dogs.
Tassoni shouted,
"We don't have time, sisters!
We'll be back when you've got some novices."
We all laughed till our sides burst.
Then we left them there, dumbfounded, to go and shoot at Royalists.
I was wounded 10 minutes later.
What fine soldiers! How I wish I'd been with you!
Had you been there, we'd have had no need to wait for novices.
Tancredi, one tells nasty tales like that to a confessor,
not to young ladies at the table...
or at least not when I'm there!
He's right, of course. And I'll help him.
Although you can't deny there's something ignoble about it.
Oh, my lovely Gigugin
At 15 she made love
Step forward, O my heart's delight
At 16 she took a husband
At 17 she left her husband
Don't look so miserable. We're not following a funeral.
It's this terrible wind.
You should thank the Lord.
Without this wind, the air would smell like a putrid pond.
Form a line, gentlemen. Whoever came first, votes first.
We'll have absolutely no...
The Cavour of Donnafugata.
This is a great honor.
Don Onofrio.
Have you voted?
No, Father Pirrone is not a resident here.
Voting is suspended for a few minutes.
Would you do me the honor
of accepting a modest sip?
Refreshments!
Please, Excellency.
I'll have the white. It's probably the lightest.
A last homage to the Bourbons.
I can't drink today. A tiresome stomachache.
Your aches are of secondary importance on a day like this!
Thank you, I never drink.
For my part, I accept with pleasure.
I would like to say a few words,
but great joys, Prince, must remain mute.
It is with great emotion that I...
I am honored to announce the results of the plebiscite
in our town of Donnafugata.
On October 22nd, 1860, in Donnafugata,
at 6:00 p.m.,
the Municipal Election Committee met
to examine the votes cast by plebiscite
by the population of this town.
The Sicilian people want an Italy united and indivisible,
with Victor Emmanuel
as its constitutional monarch,
and his legitimate heirs as successors to the throne.
What's the matter with him?
After collecting all the votes and duly...
After collecting all the votes...
After collecting all the votes and duly examining them,
the following results were obtained:
Registered voters: 515.
Votes cast: 512.
Yes: 512!
No: Zero!
And you, Don Ciccio, how did you vote on the 21st?
What are you afraid of?
There's no one here but us, the wind and the dogs.
Excuse me, but there's no point to your question.
You know that everyone in Donnafugata voted yes.
They even say you advised people to vote like that.
True.
You voted yes, then?
No, Excellency, I voted no.
A hundred times no!
Yes, I know what you told me:
Necessity, unity, opportunity.
You may have been right. I know nothing of politics.
But Ciccio Tumeo is an honest man,
an obscure artist, poor and wretched, with holes in his trousers,
but I don't forget favors done to me.
And you know that it was Queen Isabella,
the Spanish Duchess of Calabria then, who had me study,
and let me be what I am now, organist of the Mother Church,
honored by Your Excellency's kindness.
In our years of greatest need,
when my mother sent off a petition to court,
back came five gold ounces, sure as death.
And if those holy kings and lovely queens
are looking down on us now, what would they say?
That the son of Leonardo Tumeo betrayed them? No!
It's fortunate the truth is known in heaven!
Calm down.
I admire your loyalty and devotion,
but you have to understand that the people were overexcited
by this Garibaldi's victories.
The plebiscite was the only urgent cure for anarchy.
For us, it's only the lesser evil.
After all, the Savoys...
are still a monarchy.
The interests of the people you love have been frustrated by these events,
but they are still alive and valid.
Something had to change...
for everything to stay as it was.
The hour of revolution is past.
Let us hope the Italy born today even here in Donnafugata may live and prosper.
I said no!
And those swine in the Town Hall swallowed my opinion,
chewed it up and spat it out as they wanted.
I said black, and they made me say white.
I used to be a "faithful subject,"
and now I've become "a filthy pro-Bourbon."
They're all Savoyards now.
But to me savoy is just a kind of cabbage!
Listen, you know the people around here well.
What do they really think of Don Calogero here?
I thought I'd expressed my opinion quite clearly.
I'm interested in knowing the truth about him and his family.
The truth, Excellency, is that Don Calogero is very rich,
and very influential too.
A miser, but clever as the devil.
You should have seen him last April or May.
He went up and down the whole district like a bat,
by carriage, horse, mule, foot, come rain or shine.
Wherever he passed, secret groups were formed
to prepare the way for those who were to come.
He's a scourge from God!
And this is only the beginning of his career.
In a few months he'll be deputy in the Turin parliament.
In a few years, when church property is put up for sale,
he'll pay next to nothing for the estates of Marca, Fondachello...
He'll end up the largest landowner in the province.
That's Don Calogero.
The "man of the future."
A pity it has to be like that.
What is the rest of the family like?
No one has laid eyes on his wife for years, except me.
She only leaves the house to go to mass. The one at 5:00, when it's empty.
Once I got up early just to see her.
Word of honor, she was lovely as the sun!
You can't blame Don Calogero, who's a beetle of a man,
for wanting to keep her away from others.
But even in the best-kept houses secrets come out.
Servants talk.
It seems Donna Bastiana is a kind of animal.
She can't read, write or tell time. She can barely talk.