- OPEN DOORS -
Good morning, sir. How are you?
Scalia! What are you doing here?
You? Who let you in?
I used to come in here without knocking.
A good time or a bad time doesn't last all the time.
Open that window and let some fresh air come in.
And then get out, they mustn't see you here any more.
Go away from Palermo, so we get rid of your kind.
Now look what you've done! You can't do anything right.
Now pick them up one by one and put them in order.
Be quick! I've got people coming.
I still can't make it, Counsellor.
I get up at 6.30. I dress, have my coffee.
Then what?
I count the hours, the time goes so slowly.
I can't stay at home all day.
You stole too much and you stole badly.
I'm the only one you fired, I paid for everybody.
You shouldn't complain...
...but thank me for not sending you to jail.
Now get out, I never want to see you again.
Get out!
Very well, Counsellor.
Forgive me.
Scalia, what are you doing here?
Have you come to visit? I'm glad. Sit down.
This is your place. I'm unworthy to occupy it.
How many times were you sitting there when I brought the files!
- You're looking well, have you find a job? - Yes.
I'm glad. How are you?
- So, so... - I've been thinking about you...
...your things are here. I've put them in order. Everything is here:
...the erasers, the pencils, even a pack of cards!
Why don't you keep them?
You can keep everything, they're no use to me now.
I know you think I got you fired...
...but you're wrong! I asked them not to fire you.
Besides, I don't understand all these papers. I get confused.
Want me to have a look?
Really? I wish you would!
We'd better close the door, you know their mentality...
Of course, they shouldn't see you with me.
Be seeing you! Good luck!
At last! What time do you think it is? And I'm here...
...waiting on the street. Where have you been?
People are looking, what ever will they think?
Don't go so fast.
You're always so obstinate, you'll break the car.
What do I care? It's already sold.
For what they're paying me...
Pity!
I liked it very much.
You liked being a lady, eh?
You bastard! Who'll laugh at that?
Leave me alone! Stop it!
Daddy!
- The cat ran away. - Good for him. Have you eaten?
What did you eat?
Tomatoes, salt, bread and sugar.
Good boy! Did you take your medicine?
No, the bottle got broken, but don't tell Mummy.
I won't tell her...
Have you lost another tooth?
Yes, and you've got to give me the money.
You're hurting me!
Murderer!
Silence!
The court!
We want to see you face to face with justice!
Is the defendant present?
Defended by whom?
By me, Counsellor, Francesco Colao.
Is the plaintiff present?
Yes, represented by me...
...Counsellor Salvatore Spadaro, of the Court of Palermo...
...according to the Power of Attorney deposited.
The charges of the plaintiff have been notified...
...both to the Public Prosecutor and the defendant.
The witnesses have been called. If any of them are in court...
...will they please go out.
Are there any preliminary exceptions?
Scalia, Tommaso, you are accused of the crimes...
...specified in paras 61, 575 and 576 of the Penal Code...
...having caused, in Palermo on 10 March 1937, the deaths of...
...Spadafora Vincenzo, Speciale Antonio, and Scalia Rosa, maiden name Mignemi.
I now declare the trial open.
We will proceed with the interrogation of the defendant.
Remember, calm and humble.
Sit down.
Excuse me, Your Honour.
And I beg your pardon too.
I'd like to say a few words, then I'll let you work in peace.
I've written them down.
The heralds of waste and treason have taken over...
...the Fascist Revolution...
Seize that piece of paper!
I know it by heart anyway. Who, like me, was at the barricades...
...from the start is horrified by this.
Because of my faith in the Duce and in God...
...I had to lie down like a dog...
...in the ugly disguise of a public official.
But those in command were corrupt.
The dog succeeded in biting a piece of their rotten flesh...
I order the defendant to be removed from the court.
I have fought...
...knowing that my battle would be concluded in a court of justice!
I will be able to face death with my head held high...
...but these tyrants who call themselves Fascists cannot.
They must be shamed!
I don't weep for my fate, but for Italy...
...insulted by her greedy and dishonest sons!
Leave me alone!
They pestered me yesterday, too.
Judge Di Francesco is here.
Vito! Come in, sit down.
Didn't you bring the young lady?
Yes, she's out here.
Lovely, eh? They arrived this morning.
They still smell of the see.
Carmelina, are you still here, then?
Come, I'll introduce you to the young lady of the house.
She's very kind.
I wanted her to meet you and your father.
She'd be so fond of you. I'll leave you alone.
Supper's nearly ready.
In the case of such a serious and delicate debate...
...we offer our most fervid good wishes and our sincere support.
Certain of a sentence in which the triumph of justice...
...will be an example... ...a warning and a spur.
"A warning and a spur". What does that mean?
They hope we get on all right.
But here the sentence is already written.
That criminal wrote it with his own hands.
The real scandal is not that little note, but that...
...those at the ministry never miss a chance to show their zeal.
How do you think this trial will end?
What can we think? It hasn't even begun.
It's as if it were already over.
We only have to do the paper work.
I didn't expect it.
We've never found ourselves in a trial like this.
All trials are the same.
Those responsible for the death penalty are the killers.
Malefactors should be killed...
...if they threaten law and order.
Not my words, but those of a saint:
...Thomas Aquinas.
We must talk quietly or we'll wake Assunta.
You don't say he dropped the soap, but she dropped.
She dropped the soap into the lake and cried because...
He dropped, she dropped the soap.
Because it's feminine. She dropped the soap into the lake...
...and cried because she couldn't make it.
So what did the smartie do?
This smartie did what the good sister did...
Come on, I'll put you to bed. Off with the overcoat.
And she threw the soap into the lake.
Now you can speak louder.
- Another prince... - What did he do?
Instead of making a star for her...
...guess what he made?
Let's see... He didn't make a star for her...
...but a flower.
No. What did he make? Let's see... a horn?
A mole?
Well then, I don't know.
A donkey's tail!
The bad sister was so ugly she couldn't leave the house.
The prince was right to make her like that.
Bad people should be ugly...
...while good people should be beautiful.
Leave the handcuffs on. Wild beasts should be chained up.
I'd like to show the defendant exhibit n° 2.
Do you recognize it?
Yes, it's mine.
How did you obtain it?
What does that matter?
I used it, didn't I?
How did you obtain it?
It was my father's.
Where did you keep it?
In my pocket. What kind of a question is that?
Let me clarify.
Did you always carry it or only that morning?
I kept it in a shoe box on the top of the wardrobe.
I used it to fire a few shots at New Year...
...like everyone else.
Why did you use a bayonet on the other 2 victims?
Bayonets don't make a noise.
When you went into the Confederation offices...
...did you have the revolver in your pocket?
What a question! What does it mean?
We're wasting time!
Answer the question!
Very well, Your Excellency, excuse me.
I got it afterwards. I loaded it and went out with my wife.
And you stopped opposite the chapel.
Did you stop the car or did she ask you to stop?
I did it.
Why?
She was devout. She always did it when we went out.
Did you stop at every chapel?
Only the first one we came to.
Did you know that there was one on the road to Piana?
I remembered when I saw it.
Suppose you hadn't found one?
I'd have done it somewhere else.
But like that, in the open countryside?
I don't know.
What questions! Your Honour, do I have to answer?
When?
When did you decide to kill her?
She treated me badly.
Answer the question.
What question?
When did you decide to kill your wife?
She was a harpy, a bitch!
She knew everything. She did everything.
She tortured me, so I killed her.
So, you'd been planning to kill her for sometime?
- Who told you that? - You did, just now!
I never said that.
Clerk of the Court, don't write this...
...or better, won't speak anymore...
...it's my right!
Put the cuffs on me!
The handcuffs.
De Cumis?
Frustace?
Palumbo?
Consolo?
Paternò?
Judge Di Francesco?
It seems that my vote is not needed, so I'll abstain.
The Court has decided...
...on the psychiatric examination of the defendant.
Judge Di Francesco...
...since you wanted his examination...
...will you please be so kind as to make the arrangements?
Let's hope he's mad or they'll have to examine us!
Excuse me...
...do I have to sign? - No.
Why didn't the Counsel for the Defence want the examination?
If the defendant doesn't want it, it isn't obligatory.
He could have...
...even against his client's wishes.
Ask Counsellor Colao yourself!
Another question: Are you really convinced he's mad?
Questions are asked in court.
Here the simplest answers count. Yes...
...or no.
Were you born in Bagheria?
I had relatives there, a pretty place.
Does your father still make that marvellous bread?
I often used to go to the shop when I was a boy.
Father.
Don Michele!
Vituzzo! You could have rested some more.
- Stand up, it's damp here. - Never mind.
Here, give them to your wife.
We're the only family whose dead are scattered around.
This tomb is big enough for 7 generations!
You know what you should do?
You should write a letter to the Podestà.
Let's wait for our turn.
That's what they told me at the Town Hall:
..."Why would you need a new tomb? You're in the best of health!"
They're right! They're right!
Don't make fun of me! Is this the only suit you have?
- You wore it last Sunday, too. - I don't remember.
Don't be shabby! People look at these things.
What do you care about people?
If he comes up to us, you don't say a word.
Let me talk to him.
Don Michele... My respects, Judge Di Francesco.
I'm sorry for bothering you at this time. Just one minute.
Actually, we're in a hurry. My son's leaving for Palermo.
Anyway, don't worry. What has to be done will be done.
When a man is in need, he loses his dignity.
Thank you, Don Michele. Judge Di Francesco...
They even bother you at the cemetery!
- What did he want? - He's a bad lot. His brother is in prison.
He's been waiting for his trial for a year.
I told him: "My son, the judge, can do nothing about it."
"Let justice take its course."
Last time it turned out much better.
It's always the same.
What are you laughing? Shoulders back!
How ugly you are with those things in your ears, Aunt!
Don't talk with your mouth full.
They make the face longer.
Her face, she's a woman.
Are they gold?
Ask your uncle, ha gave them to her.
Uncle, are they gold?
One doesn't ask that kind of question.
Are these the manners your father teaches you?
Please, Vito's here today. Let's not argue.
Is it true that execution by shooting is done behind the cemetery?
There should be more respect for a sacred place.
They aren't shooting anybody, let me tell you.
For the doctors he's mad, they'll release him.
If they take him to the lunatic asylum...
...he'll escape and kill three more.
This Scalia should have been shot on the spot.
All this money for lawyers, papers, trials... Who'll pay it?
Honest folk, people who work hard.
You too talk about law?
Do you want to teach a judge a lesson?
The examination was a device of Vito's.
After the examination they'll find he's not mad and shoot him.
And people will say, he's a conscientious judge.
Take your elbows off the table and tie your serviette round your neck...
...or you'll dirty yourself.
Just like his uncle: Conscientious and top of the class.
Get yesterday's essay...
...and read it to Uncle Vito.
Last night I dreamed of the murderer.
He was in an ugly house without furniture.
He knew that it wasn't real, but he was crying.
What was he crying for?
He should've thought before he hurt that poor woman.
In a loud clear voice.
Theme: My family. In my family...
...there are two kinds of relatives, those who are dead...
...and those who are alive. Those alive are:
...Grandpa Michele, my father Vincenzo, my mother Antonia...
...Aunt Nora and my brother Salvatore. And Uncle Vito...
...who lives in Palermo. He's widower. He's got a 10 year old daughter...
...who's my cousin.
You've forgotten the name: Carmelina.
Uncle Vito is important because he's a judge.
Here in the village he's very excellent, even more so now...
...that he's trying the Monster of Palermo.
When he comes to visit us and kisses me...
...his beard is prickly and I can smell the soap.
But he only visits us twice a month and I'm sorry...
...because when he comes, Aunt Nora makes a "cassata".
The End.
I can't understand what's happening.
He's not himself today. He's quiet and calm. No scenes.
Tell me where I prick you.
On the right cheek.
On the chest.
If only he be mad now!
- And now? - On the right leg.
- And now? - Nowhere.
Sit down, please.
Take off the blindfold.
The craniometer.
Good morning, Judge. Come to check on us?
Distance between the occipit and the bregma: 215 millimetres.
Depression at the junction of the coronal suture...
...with the saggital suture.
Very slight.
Something wrong? Is it bad?
Everything normal.
You see Your Honour, everything normal.
You tell him, doctor. He thinks I'm mad.
I'm dangerous...
...but not mad.
There's good stuff in this head.
Good morning, Judge, may I?
Since we get done quickly this morning I thought:
..."Maybe I won't go home."
I come from the outskirts. I never come to Palermo.
Look what I've bought. Seeds like these can't be found.
This is a lettuce that grows with hardly any water.
I'm sorry about the results of the examination.
Why? You were the only far-seeing one.
Before coming here I passed by Paterno's shop.
The other jurors were there. One said:
..."Well, if he isn't mad, if he did what he did..."
"...he's not a human being, he's a beast."
It's normal that they should think like that.
Everybody thinks like that. They write it.
The examination was asked for precisely to remove any doubt.
Maybe it would have been better not to have it.
My dear sir...
...each one must accept his responsibilities.
As far as I'm concerned, I felt it my duty to ask for the examination.
It was put to the vote and so it was carried out.
I didn't want...
I wasn't criticising... I wouldn't permit myself.
I know you are not like the other judges.
I've understood how you think. Your thoughts are dangerous.
We're living in difficult times.
We're living in difficult times, are we?
What's your job?
I'm a farmer.
So, in a few days you'll go back to your land.
I'll go on sitting behind that desk...
...day after day, sentence after sentence.
Your job is being a farmer...
...mine's being a judge.
Excuse me, Your Honour.
Don't worry, we'll only ask a few questions.
A court of law is a court of law.
Yes, but you aren't the defendant, you're merely a witness.
Nothing will happen to you.
Thank you, at your orders.
What's your name?
Lo Prete Pasquale.
What's your job?
Personnel manager at the Fascist Confederation...
...of Professional Workers and Artists.
A good guy!
Silence.
Excuse me, but the witness is really a good citizen.
The defendant had been waiting for promotion for years.
He was dismissed, why?
Because I stole.
I didn't ask you.
He presented a false balance sheet.
It's true!
Silence!
Documents show...
...that the defendant had been falsifying the balance for 5 years.
And you've only just found out?
You even...
...led him to believe he might be promoted.
We found out long ago...
...but we didn't want to put him on the street.
He's got a family...
He'd been embezzling for years yet you kept him on.
At least you could have moved him to another job.
I don't know.
Was somebody protecting him?
I've always stood on my own feet, Judge.
Will you keep quiet!
Another question:
...why did you permit it for years...
...but this time you punished him?
When it's too much it's too much!
What is the administrative connection...
...between the Confederation of Professional Workers and Artists...
...and the Civil Hospital?
In what sense?
What have the accounts of the artists got to do with the hospital?
It's evident they are two different things.
That's what I think too...
...but here a transfer of funds from one institute to the other is shown.
I hardly think so. Are you sure?
Yes, I am. What about you?
I wouldn't know.
What? Aren't you the Almoner of the hospital?
- The book keeper. - So much the better. Want to examine the books?
Your Honour...
You know how these things are...
Maybe something will show up. A wrong entry, a mistake...
A mess in other words.
That's right, a mess.
What's the name of your superior?
- He hasn't been nominated yet. - All right, the man who was your superior?
Counsellor Spadafora.
Will you repeat the name? I didn't catch it.
The late lamented Counsellor Spadafora barbarously murdered by this man.
Let's stop play acting! This judge want to shine at my expense.
I've told you the truth. What are you after, Judge?
Thank you, you may go.
Bring in the next witness.
You are the Marchesa Anna Pirotta, widow of Spadafora?
Yes, I am.
We must ask you a few questions.
What do you want to know?
Did your late husband tell you he felt he was in danger?
Of being blackmailed, threatened by the defendant?
No, never.
Yet this is what you declared in your statement:
..."I was expecting it. Instead of firing him..."
"...he should have had him arrested."
Will you please explain?
My husband was too kind, he put up with it.
In what sense?
If he was a dishonest employee, he could have got rid of him at any time.
I repeat, he was too kind.
Perhaps the defendant knew some secret?
Something he should not have known?
What kind of questions are these, Judge?
Who is on trial here?
Silence!
What my husband was doing, he was doing openly...
...as all Palermo can testify.
Did you know the defendant?
I've seen him here, obliged to do so by you.
Yet you have declared: "He came to me and begged me..."
"...to get him reinstated".
Inventions! Lies!
You are under oath...
...you must tell the truth.
My husband was murdered, that's the tru...
Excuse me, Your Honour, I don't feel well.
Calm yourself, we won't go on.
Take her outside, let her have some air. The court is adjourned.
What are you trying to find out with the interrogation?
She's been left alone with 3 children!
- What are you doing here? - Do you need anything?
No. You should have left by now. Go!
Too servile, too zealous. I don't like zealous people.
They're capable of breaking a priceless vase to kill a fly.
Sit down, Vito.
I'm late already. I really must go.
That lot are still out there, you'd better not go out.
Dangerous people. Unwise to provocate them too much.
I don't think we are provoking them.
We're just doing what we have to do.
Maybe you work too hard.
I'd better see to certain things myself.
You'd be wise to keep quiet for a while. It would be better.
I'm only trying to do my duty.
Of course, you're a severe judge, zealous.
You ask too many questions. We are trying an individual who...
...just to balance the books, should be shot three times.
Excuse me, but I really must go.
Wait.
I'm afraid that such a simple trial cause us to make some mistakes.
A lot of people hope it will happen.
Do you know how long I've been sitting in this chair?
Since before Mussolini sat down in his.
I don't want the porters to take away the furniture.
We know that the sentence of death is required...
...but who obliges us to pronounce it tomorrow morning?
We'll drag out all the details of this story.
Without hurrying. It'll take time.
Now, please excuse me.
I have to go and collect my daughter.
Don't you recognise me?
"Have you got your pen and ink well?"
"Have you got someone who loves you?"
"Can you tell me his name? If he loves you..."
"...your finger will crack."
Well done! You still remember it.
Teacher! What are you doing here?
I come every day. I haven't missed a word of the trial.
I feel sorry for that poor man. I think of the end that awaits him.
One should have a little pity.
I'll take you home.
You've found yourself a difficult job.
People don't know, don't understand.
Luckily you have a hard head, you had it even at school.
All these people shouting... don't take it to heart.
They're not really shouting at you, they're hysterical.
- The car's ready. - I'm walking home.
- For safety's sake we must take you home. - All right.
Can I give you a lift?
I live close by. I'll give you my address...
...so you can come and see me.
- I'll come next Sunday. - I'll be expecting you!
Nobody wanted him.
The Community of St. Anthony, that of St. John...
...that of St. Cosma and St. Damiano, all refused and yet the responsibility...
...should be theirs. He's orphan, no mother...
...and soon no father.
- Haven't any relations shown up? - Who'd want a brat like him?
Now he's calm, but before he spat, screamed, bit...
...blasphemed. A little devil!
How tiny you are!
What can I ask you?
Have you eaten? You must eat!
I came to see you because I need you.
Talk to me. You can trust me.
My father's dead.
No, I saw him this morning, he's well.
Nobody can touch him.
Soon you'll be able to go and see him.
Shall we go out into the sunshine?
Excellency, I've got something to tell you.
The little boy talked to me. It wasn't his father...
...who killed his mother. It was a soldier...
...wearing a uniform with gold buttons.
Haven't you got a cigar for me?
Come in! Let me give you a hug, you kept your promise!
- These are for you. - You shouldn't have bothered.
What a lovely house!
How lovely to see you here!
There's someone in there, an old pupil of mine.
If you have visitors, I'll come back another time.
She came especially to see you, to talk to you. She needs help.
If you help her, you'll be doing a good deed. I'll make some coffee.
Sit down, Judge.
I just came by for a moment.
Don't run away. I've got to talk to you.
For a judge it's a rule...
...not to have contact with those involved in a trial.
Nonsense! We bend the laws to suit our purposes.
We don't harm anybody.
If you like, I'll tell you what I can't tell you in court.
So you'll leave me in peace.
Excuse me...
The Marchese Spadafora was no saint...
...but he was murdered and that's enough.
You don't speak ill of the dead. You punish the murderer.
Now ask me your questions.
What do you want to know about my family?
I understand your mental state...
...but I really cannot be involved.
Please get in, Your Honour, at your orders!
(A soldier!)
I look at pretty women, I like them.
Who doesn't like them, Your Honour?
Man is a hunter. After other men's women...
...and jailer of his own.
Have you nothing else to say?
I mind my own business. One lives longer.
Instead of being witty, answer the question.
Would you repeat it?
Did you know Signora Scalia?
She was a beautiful lady.
Where did you meet?
I wish we did!
I'll correct the question:
...where used you to see her?
I don't remember.
Around.
Here and there.
Did Counsellor Spadafora know her?
He knew everybody.
So he knew Signora Scalia too...
Of course, but they were just friends.
Not friends. Acquaintances.
They met every now and again?
Are you asking me? How do I know?
Why not? Didn't you drive Counsellor Spadafora around in the car?
Yes, but I'm a good chauffeur: I don't see, I don't hear and I don't talk.
But now you've got to talk.
- Why? - Because you could be arrested for reticence.
Very well.
Sometimes he met her.
We used to pick her up...
...behind the gardens in Piazza Garibaldi, right by the church.
Were they secret meetings?
What does it matter? Here we are investigating...
...the morality of the victims. The crimes have been established.
- You're right! - Silence!
I'll modify that question.
Were these meetings appointments...
...or did they happen by chance, every now and again?
I don't know, I drove the car.
And where did you drive them?
Sometimes to a hotel at Mondello...
...and sometimes to the houses of friends, he had so many.
To Speciale's house too, when he wasn't there. He was a bachelor!
You'd better hurry up and shoot me, because if I escape...
...I'll kill you too.
Silence!
So you took them to Speciale's house?
Only once... or maybe twice.
Thank you.
I've finished.
I was a junior, I'd only just got my degree.
I had to defend a man who had stolen from a delicatessen.
An unfortunate with lots of kids to feed.
He was tried for 4 other thefts...
...in 4 shops: Bread, spaghetti, sugar.
I demonstrated the link of continuity.
5 thefts become a single criminal plan with a single motive:
...hunger.
5 thefts become a single theft. The magic of the law.
He got away with only a few months.
An impeccable sentence...
...beyond question.
You are doing the same thing.
3 homicides become only one, because they were inspired by one motive:
...passion.
Premeditation goes by the board...
...and there can be no death penalty.
If the debate brings this out...
What debate?
Let's eat in peace!
This defendant of yours, this Scalia in a little while...
...no one will remember his name.
All they'll remember is that a murderer was punished by the law...
...with the extreme penalty.
That's what I said too.
But Judge Di Francesco has already understood.
Yes, I understand.
Now he seems angry with you...
...but Judge Sanna is fond of you.
He's always telling me there's no one better than you...
...to take his place.
I know.
Were you born in Palermo?
Bagheria.
I've been here for three years. I've done nothing but jump...
...from one town to another, from one legal district to another...
...but I learnt a great truth:
...people are all the same, all they want is a quiet life.
Why are you against the death penalty?
The death penalty?
That's not a legal question but a political one.
It's useful to those who govern, not to the citizens.
We'll pretend we didn't hear.
If I showed you that executing murderers...
...reduced crime, what would you do?
I wouldn't shoot anybody in any case.
Do you see this ring?
It's tin, it's not worth anything...
...but the person who gave it to me said it had magic power...
...lf there's somebody with you whom you don't like...
...turn the ring and he'll disappear forever.
I often try it, but nobody ever disappears.
It'd be great if with a simple gesture...
...we could wipe off the face of the earth all the thieves, the violent...
...the maniacs, the nuts.
But we aren't magicians. We have to defend ourselves somehow.
Trial after trial, we must make it possible...
...for men of goodwill to live in peace...
...and go to sleep at night...
...with their front doors open.
I always close the front door of my house.
Why don't you answer?
It's colder. Cover yourself up.
- My shoe's broken. - Wear it like this!
What's this?
A man brought it.
For me?
Let's go home.
The witness has stated that Counsellor Spadafora...
...had secret meetings with Signora Scalia.
The witness confirms this statement?
Having said it, I confirm it.
So you confirm that they met...
...in hotels and sometimes in Speciale's house.
Yes, at Speciale's, he left them alone.
For how long had they been seeing each other?
Not for long, then it stopped.
Now I'd like to know if the defendant Tommaso Scalia...
...knew about this relationship his wife had with Counsellor Spadafora?
Your Honour.
Please.
Yes, what?
He knew all about it.
Are you sure?
Yes, he escorted her...
...and left only after she was in the car.
He was checking.
Why was he checking?
Because she didn't want to do it.
Will the witness explain himself better?
Once, when she got into the car, she was crying.
Another time, her nose was bleeding.
Her husband had hit her.
Can the witness tell us why he had hit her?
To make her come to the meeting.
So she didn't come of her own freewill?
Never!
I had to kick her all the way there!
Do you want a radio? A new dress? A sewing machine?
Earn them, you whore!
To conclude...
...that poor woman was forced by her husband...
...to prostitute herself.
Your Honour, now you've got to kill me!
The case which this court has to try concerns...
...the crimes covered by the articles 61, 575, 576 of the penal code.
There it is, consult it if you wish.
We must be grateful to Judge Di Francesco...
...for his extreme scrupulosity in delving...
...into the folds of the debate.
He has defended the rights of the accused without denying...
...those guarantees which the law imposes even for a confessed criminal.
Before proceeding with the vote, may I remind the jurors...
...that here we are not alone in deciding a man's fate.
The whole community expresses itself through us...
...and calls upon us to act according to the law.
Those who require some clarification on technical points of procedure...
...may consult me and Judge Di Francesco.
Otherwise we will put it to the vote.
Excuse me, Your Honour.
Excuse me, Judge.
Article 61 and the others that I don't remember are clear about one thing:
...the accused must be condemned to death by shooting.
Even people say: "Kill him! He deserves it!"
But there's a difference between saying that in a café, in the street...
...without thinking...
...and signing a sentence with your name and surname.
Each one of us has a rifle in his hands. I don't want to know...
...if the others are going to shoot but if I'm going to shoot.
And to decide that all your knowledge of the law isn't enough for me.
My life has been different from yours.
So forgive me...
...but it isn't true that we have little to discuss.
We have yet to begin.
Scalia, where are you? Let's have you!
I've got something to tell you.
I'm here at the window. Come over.
I've got good news for you.
You feared going to the court. Do you know what's happened?
A judge has saved you. They won't kill you now.
You're going to stay in jail, Scalia, for life.
Excuse us, perhaps we're lost.
Does Giovanni Consolo live here?
Yes, come in! There's a lovely wedding.
Your Honour! What a surprise!
- Are we disturbing you? - You disturbing me?
If you had told me, I would have come to fetch you.
We came on impulse.
I couldn't imagine there was a wedding.
Come.
They're all from my village. They were married this morning.
We have wedding breakfasts here because it's big.
Take a seat.
- Are you tired? - No.
Take a glass of wine to the health of the couple.
Let's get these plates out of the way.
How happy I am to see you in my home!
Let's go somewhere quiet. I can't dance, I suppose you can't either.
When I've finished work, I come here.
There are more than 7000.
But I didn't buy them, I inherited them.
From your father?
He couldn't read or write, but he could do sums.
This house belonged to Marchese Salemi, bachelor and gambler.
He played, gambled and got into debt.
When he died, the share-croppers shared out the stuff.
I grew up among these books.
Then, I did well to bring this back.
It's yours, Judge Di Francesco.
The condemned man understands and remembers everything.
There is one point that absolutely cannot be forgotten.
And it is not possible to black out.
Everything spins and whirls around that point. And this goes on...
...until the last fraction of a second...
...when his head is already lying on the block and he waits, knowing.
Suddenly, he hears above him the creaking of the axe.
Some people still claim that the head continues living...
...for a second after it has been separated from the body...
...knowing it has been separated from it.
It's like hearing your voice in the Jury Room.
If one doesn't have the words, one looks for them.
The accused certainly doesn't imagine...
...that for the moment he owes his life to a book.
You must be more generous with your jurors.
They were convinced that no one was to be shot.
In their hearts perhaps, but you were the one who remembered them...
...you and Dostoevski.
Throughout the whole trial, I didn't trust you. I apologise.
Never mind.
You've been obstinate right to the last, like a mule.
You're mistaken, I didn't want to go into that Jury Room...
...I wanted to pretend I was sick, I thought of everything.
I wanted to get round the law by making use of the law.
Nice points of procedure, cavils... For me, at least, the only possible way.
The important thing is that this sentence establishes a precedent.
Do you know what they're saying in court?
A weak jury guided by a mad judge who seems sane.
And the presiding judge encourages these slanders...
...to save himself. Don't listen to them!
As of yesterday I'm no longer a judge in the Assizes.
What?
They've transferred me to a legal district in the hills.
And you?
Me? For me it was a relief.
Being a judge like that doesn't concern me any more.
I don't believe it.
One day, if you like, I'll show you the cellars...
...of the archives of the Court of Palermo.
Files, files, mountains of files.
Every file a corpse judged by another corpse.
I spent part of my life in there.
No, don't delude yourself, there will be no trace of our sentence.
They are already at work on the appeal...
...other judges, other jurors.
When you uproot a vine that's mature and strong...
...some bits of root stay in the ground.
Time passes and you forget about it...
...and suddenly you see another vine sprouting.
I have faith, Judge, in spite of everything.
I have faith.
Tommaso Scalia was condemned to death by the Court of Appeal.
He was shot behind the Palermo Cemetery...
...one morning in March 1938.
- OPEN DOORS -