Speak Italian
We've arrived. I stopped here so we could stretch our legs
It's a marvelous painting
I cried the first time I saw it
This light reminds me of the autumn in Moscow
Come on. -I don't want to
I'll wait for you inside. -I don't want to!.
"I'm tired of seeing these sickeningly beautiful sights"
"I want nothing more just for myself"
"That's enough"
Have you come to pray for a baby too? Or to be spared them?
I'm just looking
If there are any casual onlookers
who aren't supplicants
then nothing happens
What is supposed to happen?
Whatever you like, whatever you need most
But you should at least kneel down
I can't. -They're used to it
They're used to it
They have faith. -Probably
Can I ask you something?
Why do you think
it's only the women who pray so much?
You're asking me?
You see so many women here
I'm only the sacristan
But you must wonder why women are more devout than men
You should know
Because you're a woman?
No, I've never understood these things
I'm a simple man
But I think
a woman is meant to have children
to raise them
with patience
and self-sacrifice
That's all she's meant for?
I don't know. -Thank you
You've been a great help
You asked what I thought
You want to be happy
There are more important things
Wait!
Pitiful Mother, merciful Mother
Painful Mother, tormented Mother
Merciful Mother, compassionate Mother
Anxious Mother, blessed Mother
Loving Mother, bright Mother
Mortified Mother, holy Mother
Painful Mother, proud Mother
lnspired Mother, bright Mother
Mother of all mothers, who knows the pain of being a mother
Mother of all mothers, who knows the joy of being a mother
Mother of all children, who knows the joy of having a child
Mother of all children, who knows the pain of not having a child
Mother who understands all, help your daughter to become a mother
I just don't understand you
You go on and on about the Madonna of Childbirth!
We drive halfway across ltaly in the fog
And you don't go in to see her
What are you reading?
Arseni Tarkovsky's poems
In Russian?
It's a translation
Quite a good one
Throw it away
Why?
The translator's a very good poet
Poetry is untranslatable, like the whole of art
You may be right that poetry is untranslatable
But music?
What is it?
Oriental music
But how could we have got to know
Tolstoy, Pushkin
and so understand Russia?
None of you understand Russia
Nor you ltaly then
If Dante, Petrarch and Machiavelli don't help
It's impossible for us poor devils
How can we get to know each other?
By abolishing the frontiers
Which?
Between states
Hello
You know a maid in Milan set fire to the house?
Which house? -Her employers' house
She missed her home and family down South
So she burned the thing that stopped her going back
Why did your musician, Sosnovsky
go back to Russia if he knew he'd be a slave again?
Why won't you confide in me?
Read this. You understand
What?
The letter from the Bologna Conservatory?
Yes. Was Sosnovsky
successful when he returned to Russia?
Was he happy?
He started drinking
and then
He committed suicide? -Exactly
I'm sorry, I was asleep
Do you have any identification?
I'll go and get the keys
Those aren't the other hotel keys, I hope?
No, they're to my house
Here's your key
It's our best room
Good night, Andrei
Your room is on the next floor
It's nice here
The countryside's pretty too
There's the river, the mushrooms
People keep coming back, they often fall in love here
You and your boyfriend will like it
He's not my boyfriend
Go on, he's sad because he's in love
No, his mind's on other things
Did you knock? -I hadn't yet
Do you want to call Moscow?
You haven't talked to your wife for 2 days
No, thanks
One, two, three
Andrei
Andrei, get up. we'll be eating soon!
I'll be downstairs. It's lovely here
St. Catherine used to come too!
I'm coming
What does this Russian do?
He's a poet. - What's he writing?
A biography of a Russian musician
In ltaly? -This musician studied in Bologna
and came to these baths
When? -At the end of the 1700s
Was it Tchaikovsky?
No, his name was Sosnovsky
Didn't he marry a local woman?
No, he was in love with a Russian slave and died for her
What's the hurry?
Does your poet like ltaly?
Too much so
What's this strange music we keep hearing day in and day out?
Wonderful music! Beats Verdi any time
Hands off Verdi. This is Chinese stuff
A different civilization with no sentimental wails
Voice of God, of nature
Pretend they're not there
Just go on your way
It's gotten into my mouth. Move slowly
What does it taste like? -It's a liquid sulfur!
So it's good for the skin. -Disgusting!
I'm fine. I'm falling asleep
In the 60's a drowned body was found here
Don't talk about it otherwise I get scared
In the war I've seen thousands of dead soldiers
Now listen, it's never too late to learn
Whatever happens, don't interfere
Have you heard their talk, what they're interested in?
You've got to be different
You know why they're in the water?
They want to live forever
Look who's here!
Look at them!
My cigar's gone out, anyone got a light?
Why do they make fun of him?
He shut himself up in the house with his family
for 7 years to wait for the end of the world
A religious fit, they say
Nonsense
He was jealous of his wife
Later she ran off with the children
Jealous my foot, he's nuts
That's not it, he was just scared
Scared of what?
Everything
You're wrong, he's a man of great faith
And how, he kept his family locked up for 7 years!
When they broke down the door
his kid shot out like a rat and he chased after him
We thought he wanted to kill him!
Here's the Russian poet!
Miss, I don't smoke but could I have a cigarette?
Of course, as you don't smoke
It's gone out. -So it has
Thank you
Never forget what he said to her
He who?
And her?
Saint Catherine!
So what did God say to St. Catherine?
"You are she who is not"
"but I am he who is"
Did you hear that?
Bravo, Domenico!
Did he speak to St. Catherine himself?
Don't tease him
Domenico has a degree!
In what?
What is "faith"?
Even your ltalian was better
when you first came
What does "faith" mean?
In Russian it's "vera"
Why do they say he's mad?
He's not mad. He has faith
There are lots of these lunatics at large in ltaly
Asylums have been closed down but the families won't have them
What is madness?
They're troublesome, inconvenient
We refuse to understand them
They're alone
But they're certainly closer to the truth
He has another fixation now
What?
He gets into the pool with a lighted candle
Everyone's afraid he wants to drown himself
so they throw him out and save him
I don't believe it
Ask them
Can we ask him to have lunch with us?
When? -Now!
Now - you don't know what time is it
What time is it? -It's 7 in the morning!
In the morning?
Does that man with the wet shoes come often?
It depends. Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't
Where does he live?
Up above Bagno Vignoni
In the square
What's so funny?
Andrei!
Stop!
Why?
You're prettier
in this light
I'm beginning to understand
What?
Why do you think he locked up his family for 7 years?
How should I know?
There he is
I've brought a famous Russian writer
My life is normal, there's nothing interesting about it
But we hear you had a lovely experience
I read about it too, in the papers
Tell him about it
It's not worth it
Maybe not, but this gentleman has come from Moscow
For me?
He's come a long way
What did he say? -He doesn't feel like talking
Try again, it's very important
Stop for a minute! -Go!
What's wrong? Have you offended him?
You've offended me!
He's crazy! It's not up to me whether he talks or not!
I'm going!
You try
you know a bit of ltalian
If you don't like the way I work
say so
But I'm a good translator
and I even improve on the original
I'm going back to Rome. Our trip's over
All right
Excuse me
I think I know why you did that
What? The bicycle?
Before, with your family
I'm tired
Where are you?
Come in!
Did you hear that? It's Beethoven!
One drop plus one drop
makes a bigger drop, not two
May l? -Smoke
When I don't know what to say I ask for a cigarette too
But I never learned to smoke
It's too hard
You have to learn
to not smoke, to do important things
Such as?
Some wine?
We need bigger ideas
What?
I was selfish
I wanted to save my family
Everyone must be saved, the whole world
How?
It's simple
You see the candle?
All right
Why do you say "all right"?
You're confusing me
You cross the water with the lighted candle
Which water?
The hot water
St. Catherine's pool
by the hotel
the steaming water
All right, when?
Now
I can't do it
I don't want
When I light the candle
and get into the water
they pull me out
They kick me out
And they shout, "You're crazy!!"
Get it?
All right. -All right?
It's all wrong!
Help me
Help me. -All right, but
Of course
The taxi's here for the Russian who's going to Bagno Vignoni
It's late
I must go
Thank you
Why me, of all people?
You've children? -Two, a girl and a boy
Is your wife pretty?
You know the Madonna of Childbirth?
By Piero della Francesca
She's like that but all black
Go with the candle
We're planning something big in Rome
Zoe!
Where are you?
Answer me!
I'm scared of being alone
I know what you're thinking, but that's enough now
It's wrong to keep thinking the same thing
What do you want?
Dad
Is this the end of the world?
Are we going?
Stand back!
They're letting them out! I knew they were in there
I used to listen in secret
The water had run out in my bathroom
Do you mind?
I thought you'd left
No, I'm still here
Good. -You don't look pleased
Look what he gave me
Who? -Domenico!
You're a funk!
Full of complexes
You're not free
You all seem to want freedom
but when you get it you don't know what to do with it
or what it is
That's enough
It must be this country, the air one breathes here
Because in Moscow I met some wonderful men
What are you all after? This?
Not you!
You're a kind of saint
You're interested in Madonnas
You're different!
One "intellectual" tried to keep me locked up!
Can't I ever meet the right man?
I don't mean you, you're the worst
But I swear I'll find my kind of man!
And I have, he's waiting for me in Rome
You dress badly too
And you're boring
You're the kind I'd sleep with
rather than explain why I don't feel like it
What are you saying?
Don't you see?
I found myself in a most embarrassing position!
I've had enough!
I can't take any more!
I'd like to sleep for 10 days
and wipe you out
Maybe there's nothing to wipe out because you don't exist
It's my problem
Why do I like idiots?
Men with no charm
I might look young but I know all about charm!
Go, go, please
You know
the night I met you
I dreamt that a soft worm with lots of legs
fell on my head
It stung me. It was poisonous
I kept shaking my head
until it fell off. I tried to squash it
before it reached the wardrobe
but it was no good I kept just missing it
I just couldn't
squash it. Since that night
I keep touching my hair
Thank God there's been nothing between us!
Just the thought makes me sick!
She's insane
Run back to your wife! Though you nearly betrayed her!
You're a pig!
Anything else?
Hypocrite!
We're going to listen to some music
What's going on? -Nothing, nothing
Oh God! Now the General and his Chinese music!
But you won't drive me away!
Dear Pyotr Nikolayevich
I've been in ltaly 2 years
very important ones
both for my profession and for my everyday life
Last night I had a bad dream
I had to stage an opera in the theater of My Lord the Count
The first act was set in a park full of statues
but they were naked men forced to stand motionless
And I was a statue too
I knew I would be harshly punished if I moved
because our lord and master was watching us
I could feel the cold rising from my marble pedestal
as the autumn leaves settled on my upraised arm
Y et I stood still
But when I sensed I could resist no longer
I awoke
I was afraid
For I knew it had been no dream but my reality
Y et I would die if I never returned to Russia
if I never again saw
my homeland
the birches, the air of my childhood
An affectionate greeting from your abandoned friend
Pavel Sosnovsky
Maria