THE LEOPARD
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord be with thee...
What is that disturbance?
What has happened?
Excuse me, Your Excellency. A dead soldier has been found in the garden.
What?
There's rioting in the city, everywhere.
This letter has arrived.
It's urgent. From the Duke of Malvica.
"Dear Fabrizio, read the terrible news in the paper."
"The Piedmontese have landed. We are lost."
"My family and I are taking refuge in the English ships anchored here."
"I'm sure you'll do likewise."
"God save our beloved king."
The coward!
An act of piracy was committed on 11th May,
when armed men landed at Marsala.
Reports say there were about 800, led by Garibaldi.
The brigands carefully avoided any clash with royalist troops
and made for Castelvetrano,
threatening peaceful inhabitants and causing pillage and devastation.
Paolo, you'll go to the house in Palermo. Empty houses are lost houses.
No, please, Fabrizio. It's dangerous. This is war.
Francesco Paolo, call Mimì.
It's the revolution.
Drink this, you'll feel better.
He's just coming, father.
Pardon, Excellency. In the garden we've found...
Mimì, tell Don Antonio to harness the horses to the carriage.
I'll go to Palermo after our meal.
Father Pirrone...
you'll accompany me, won't you?
May the Lord protect us.
But with the streets full of soldiers, bandits...
You'll spend two hours with your colleagues. We'll return at eleven.
We eat in half an hour.
All of you.
What are we going to do?
Save us, Queen of Heaven, mother of mercies...
These swine stink even when they're dead.
Salvatore, did you alert the barracks?
Excellency, we've told them to come and remove him.
What terrible times, Excellency.
Look at all the fires on the mountains.
- They're the rebels' camps. - I see them, Father.
Perhaps Your Excellency is worried about Don Tancredi.
Tancredi should guard against certain friendships,
certain dangerous acquaintances.
Father, the fault is not Tancredi's. The fault is the times.
A young nobleman cannot even play cards without making dangerous friends.
That's enough now.
Still, a little prudence...
Halt! Villa Airoldi roadblock.
Good evening Your Excellency. Excuse us.
Let the Prince of Salina through.
What a beautiful country this would be if...
If there weren't so many Jesuits.
I'll come back for you in two hours. Pray well, Father.
- Where can we go? - To the tavern, by the port.
Good evening, handsome.
Melina, that's not for you.
Mind your own business.
My big prince.
Good day, Uncle.
Tancredi. What were you up to last night?
Nothing at all, Uncle.
I was with friends, a virtuous night.
Not like some I know, who went to amuse themselves
down in Palermo.
And who would they be?
You yourself, Uncle.
I saw you talking to the Sergeant at the road-block.
A fine thing, at your age.
And with a reverend father, too.
Such libertines.
Well, after all, it's true.
Why are you dressed like that? For a masked ball in the morning?
I'm going soon, Uncle. I came to say farewell.
Why? Where are you going? Not a duel...
Yes. A great duel, Uncle, with the king
I'm going to the mountains, to Ficuzza.
Great things are beginning and I don't want to stay at home.
They'd seize me here, anyway.
You are mad to join them. They're mafiosi, all swindlers.
A Falconeri should be with us, for the king.
Certainly, for the king.
But which king? You've said it yourself, Uncle.
If King Ferdinando were still alive... But Franceschiello? No, Uncle.
You think the Piedmont man they call "The Gentleman" will be much better?
A Turin dialect instead of Neapolitan, that's all.
Then what about the republic of Peppino Mazzini?
If we weren't here, that lot would soon foist the republic on you.
If we want everything to remain as it is, then everything has to change.
Have I explained it?
Good-bye, Uncle. I'll return with the tricolor.
The tricolor! You soil your lips with that word.
What is it compared with our golden lily banner?
What do you hope to gain from those colors?
Wait, Uncle, you're deluding yourself.
Good-bye, Uncle.
I'll see you soon.
Tancredi! Wait!
What are you doing? Subsidising the revolution now?
Thank you very much, Uncle.
Kiss my aunt for me.
Concetta, I'll be back soon.
Has Your Excellency come for confession?
Confession? It's not Saturday.
Excellency, listen to me. Make confession.
Father, there is no need. You know everything already.
Confession is not the telling of facts, but the repentance of sins.
I know!
What do you expect of me? I'm a vigorous man.
Can I be content with a woman who in bed crosses herself before an embrace?
And who afterwards can only say: "Jesus Mary".
I've had seven children by her... seven!
And, Father, I've never seen her navel.
Is that fair?
Is it, Father? She is the sinner.
I was too brusque.
Do not lose your goodwill towards me.
But listen to me: Confess.
I haven't any intention of confessing.
At least, not today.
I've made some important political discoveries.
Do you know what's happening in our country? Nothing.
A barely noticeable substitution of ruling groups.
The middle class doesn't want to destroy us, but to take our place,
more politely, and even put thousands of ducats into our pockets.
And then the rest can stay as it is.
Father, ours is a country of compromises.
In short, you nobles will come to an agreement with the liberals,
even with the Masons,
at our expense.
Yes, at the expense of the church,
because it's clear that all our wealth,
the patrimony of the poor, will be divided among the insolent ringleaders.
Who then will feed the unhappy people whom the church still supports?
What will be done to placate that desperate horde?
They will be given one piece of your land, then another, finally all of it.
Our Lord healed the physically blind, but what about the mentally blind?
We're not mentally blind, dear Father.
Just human beings in a world of radical change.
What must we do?
The church has been given an explicit promise of immortality.
We, as a social class, have not.
A palliative that promises us another hundred years is the same as eternity.
Beyond what we can caress with our hands we have no obligations.
The church must have obligations, because it is destined not to die.
In its disappearance there might be some solace.
Do you believe, Father, that if one day the church
could save itself by sacrificing us it would hesitate to do so?
It wouldn't hesitate, and it would do well.
You'll have two sins to confess to me on Saturday.
A carnal sin last night and a spiritual one today.
Look, Father, how beautiful.
It will take more than King Victor Emmanuel to change this magic view.
Long live Garibaldi's men!
Help me!
- He's a policeman, a murderer! - We dealt with him ourselves!
The cavalry!
Hold your fire!
Platoons, forward march!
Hey, nurse, come here!
Where have they gone?
By now they'll be at the port.
What do you say, Father?
Will these glorious new times give us better roads?
Well, the government...
Clear the road!
Nobody can pass. It's blocked.
The road to Bisaquino is closed.
I'm sorry, it's forbidden to pass. You can't go any further.
Evidently our permit is no good.
I'm not saying that. We've been told all civilian permits are suspended.
If I tell you to turn back, you have to turn back!
Clear the road so the carriages can proceed.
Nobody gets through here!
I'm Captain Prince Tancredi Falconari. I fought at Palermo with you.
Captain, I have my orders.
This is an order, too. Clear the way!
You live among the nobility.
What do they say about this huge conflagration?
What does our fierce, proud Prince of Salina say?
The nobility, as you call them, aren't easy to understand.
They live in a world apart, not created by God,
but by themselves, during centuries of very special experiences,
of troubles and joys... their joys.
They get upset or are fascinated by things that to you and me
don't matter at all, but which for them are vital.
I don't mean the nobles are bad, on the contrary.
They're different.
They don't care about certain things which are very important to us
and maybe they have fears we're ignorant of.
The Prince of Salina, for example.
He couldn't give up his holiday in Donnafugata. That's where we're going.
But if you ask him what he thinks, of the revolution,
he says there's no revolution, everything will go on as before.
That's the last straw.
Let's read the breviary, it's better.
Let's see...
Psalm 45.
My heart overfloweth, I speak of the things I have made touching the king.
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
Thou art fairer than the children of men.
Grace is poured into thy lips, God hath blessed thee forever.
Quickly, lads.
Spread it neatly. You fetch the bottles, and you the glasses.
We hope that everything is just as you want it.
I'm delighted to see you again, Excellency.
Now we'll just rest a little.
You can eat beneath the trees.
We'll leave for Donnafugata in an hour. Tell me about the soldiers...
It's worse than in Algeria.
It's different from Algeria, my dear.
Wouldn't you like to refresh yourself?
Try bathing your temples.
Let's join the others, or we'll find nothing left to eat.
Aren't you hungry?
I told everyone: "His Excellency won't leave Palermo this year."
"How do you expect them to travel in times like these?"
"Who knows what will happen to His Excellency? May God protect him!"
But you're all safe and sound.
I thank God.
What did you expect to happen to us? It was all very simple.
In fact, a few days after Garibaldi's entry into Palermo,
Tancredi brought home a nice Tuscan general
who wanted to admire the frescos at the villa,
and he proved useful in obtaining permits for Donnafugata.
We are most happy to receive you in our home, General.
Thank you, Excellency.
He called you "Excellency". He's never broken Garibaldi's orders before.
General, my nephew has told me that you would like to see the frescos.
- Very much, Excellency. - Let's do it at once.
In the center, Jupiter and Juno, Mars, Venus and Mercury.
On the other side, Tethys preceded by a group of tritons and dryads.
Apollo surrounded by clouds, and all exalting the house of Salina's glory.
Would you like another mint caramel?
Thank you, they're just the sort I like.
I brought them especially for you.
How pale you are. Was your wound really not serious?
Pardon?
It's worth being wounded to become promoted on the battlefield.
The carriages are coming!
I am happy to welcome Your Excellencies.
Don Onofrio! How are we?
Excellency, I hand you back the palace
in the exact state in which it was left.
I am proud to shake the hand of the hero wounded fighting at Palermo.
Wounded? They made me a captain because I got a gnat in my eye.
You've done much for the cause, Don Calogero.
Crispi speaks very highly of you.
Dear Teresina, what a pleasure to see you again.
And you, of course, Don Ciccio. What news?
News? I haven't any, Excellency.
Will you excuse me now?
Remember to invite them to dinner tonight, with their wives.
- Why the wives? - It's better.
Invite Don Calogero and tell him to bring his wife.
The lawyer with his wife.
Don Ciccio, who thank God hasn't a wife.
All the others to come after dinner.
- What is it? - It's Mimì, Excellency.
Father Pirrone asks to see you at once.
All right. Show him in.
I beg your pardon, Excellency. I didn't know.
Don't be shocked, Father.
You're used to souls being bared. Bare bodies are much more innocent.
Just give me the towel.
Go on, be brave, Father.
Brisker, Father.
Take my advice: Take a bath yourself now and then.
Take a seat, then.
Tell me why you wanted to talk to me so urgently.
I have been entrusted with a very delicate mission.
A person very dear to you wanted to open her heart to me, to tell you,
she has faith, perhaps mistaken, in the esteem with which you honor me.
Can't you be more concise?
Who are you referring to? The Princess?
No, Excellency. The Princess is very tired and she is resting now.
It concerns Signorina Concetta.
She is in love.
Signorina Concetta? But how...
Oh, such foolishness.
I regret having disturbed you.
I did not think...
At forty-five a man may still think he's young,
until he realizes his children are old enough to fall in love.
Then old age suddenly comes crashing down on him.
You haven't asked me who the young man is, whom Concetta...
There's no need.
Why didn't that stupid girl come to tell me?
Well, in your opinion, what should I say?
The desire to found a Christian family is most welcome to the church.
The presence of Our Lord at the wedding in Cana...
Let us not digress, Father. I intend to speak about this marriage,
not the wedding in Cana, nor marriage in general.
Has Don Tancredi made a definite proposal? When?
Well, Excellency, not actually a proposal.
But Concetta has no doubts. His attentions, his looks,
certain words... she is sure he loves her
and feels he will propose at any moment.
Don't worry, Father, there's no immediate danger.
These are the fantasies of a romantic schoolgirl.
But why "danger", Excellency?
Can you imagine her as an ambassador's wife in Vienna, or St. Petersburg?
I love Concetta. I like her.
So placid, so submissive.
But Tancredi has a great future before him.
How can Concetta, so passively virtuous, so shy and reserved,
help an ambitious husband ascend the slippery steps of a new society?
Tancredi will find money useful.
Concetta has her dowry, of course.
But the Salina fortune will have to be divided into seven parts.
I repeat, seven parts. Tancredi needs something else entirely.
One of the Sutera girls, perhaps?
Yes, I know. They're so ugly, poor things, but so rich.
But what? Love?
Of course, love. Fire and flame for one year, ashes for thirty.
I also know what love is.
Excellency, which clothes will you wear for dinner?
Father, you'll tell Concetta I'm not at all annoyed,
but we'll discuss it when we are sure it's not romantic fantasy.
What suit? One for evening wear.
Papa! Don Calogero's coming up the stairs... in tails!
This news has impressed you more than the landing at Marsala.
Don Calogero in white tie, the sign of the revolution on the march.
Yes, it's true, in tails. But look at them.
And the shoes.
- My wife is unwell, a slight cold. - I'm very sorry.
I hope you will excuse me if my daughter Angelica comes in her place.
But certainly. Come in.
For a month she's talked of the pleasure it would give her to come.
I remember her well as a very pretty little girl.
We shall be happy to see her again.
She will be here in a moment, she wasn't quite ready.
Our house is just over the road, as you know.
Yes, Don Calogero. We'll wait for her.
As I told you, the church is really in a sorry state.
Lovely.
My Angelica.
I haven't seen you for so long. You have changed... and not for the worse.
We are very fortunate, Signorina Angelica,
to welcome such a lovely flower into our home.
I hope we shall have the pleasure of seeing you very often.
Thank you, Prince. You are as kind to me as you have always been to Papa.
How do you do, Signorina Concetta?
Angelica, as children we were never so formal.
Your Grace, allow me to present my daughter Angelica.
Dinner is served.
Several layers, as tradition demands.
- Was the journey very tiring? - Not unduly.
They haven't served you yet, I'm sorry.
- A beautiful daughter. - Yes, Concetta.
The villa I'm having built outside the village will be modest but...
very comfortable.
How hungry we are. A good thing we didn't start with soup.
Unforgettable days, I tell you.
Only one word of command, from mouth to mouth: Arms and soldiers.
The General realized that when Sicilians get going, they do it well.
Why did you join Garibaldi?
"If Garibaldi is your brother-in-arms he wants only to fight at your side."
Those are his own words. I did not think it would be so strenuous.
I've never walked so much. Oh, the night march to Gibilrossa...
Did you meet Bixio?
What a determined man.
All of them determined and extraordinary.
The scene between Bixio and La Masa, at which I just happened to be present.
And I was briefly at the taking of Termini.
I enjoyed myself enormously, believe me.
We had the biggest laugh on 28th May.
The General needed a lookout post in the Origlione Monastery.
We knocked, we swore, nobody answered the door.
It was a convent for a closed order of nuns.
By the way, Reverend,
tomorrow we'll pray at the tomb of the reverend mother Corbera.
Excellent. Those good nuns
have already been informed to expect Your Excellencies.
They're in a flurry of preparation for your visit.
We've never missed going there the day after our arrival.
And then? What happened?
I'll tell you.
Tassoni, Aldrighetti, and I, and someone else,
tried to break down the door, to no avail.
So we ran to get a beam from a shelled house nearby.
Finally, with an infernal din, the door gave way.
We entered. Everywhere was deserted.
Suddenly we heard desperate twitterings
from around the corner of a corridor.
Taking refuge in the chapel, the nuns were piled up against the altar.
Who knows what they feared from those ten fed up young lads.
It was comic to see them, old and ugly as they were,
with their black habits, startled eyes, all ready and willing
for martyrdom,
whining like bitches.
Our handsome Tassoni yelled:
"We've no time, sisters. We'll return when you've got us some young novices."
All the boys fell about laughing.
We left the disappointed nuns and went to fire on the King's troops.
Ten minutes later I was wounded.
How I wish I'd been there with you all.
If you'd been there, there would have been no need to wait for novices.
Tancredi. Such crude stories should be told to your confessor.
You do not tell them to young ladies at table.
At least, not when I am present.
He's right, I agree, and I'll help him, too.
But it can't be denied he's a little ignoble.
Oh, the lovely Gigogin.
At fifteen she made love.
Take a step forward, darling of my heart.
At sixteen she got married.
Take a step forward, darling of my heart.
At seventeen I left.
Take a step forward, darling of my heart.
Long live Italy! Long live Garibaldi!
Don't be so sad, Father. We aren't following a funeral.
The wind... this dreadful wind.
Thank the Lord. Without wind the air would be fetid.
You must vote in an orderly fashion. The first to arrive vote first.
The Cavour of Donnafugata.
Excellency, this is a great honor for me.
No. Father Pirrone is not resident here.
Voting is suspended for a few minutes.
May I have the honor
of inviting you for modest refreshment?
I think the white will be lighter.
A late homage to the Bourbon flag.
I really cannot drink today, I have a most aggravating stomach upset.
That's of secondary importance on such a day.
Thank you, I never drink.
Don Calogero, for my part I accept with pleasure.
I'd like to say a few words...
but great joys, Prince, are silent.
It is with great emotion that I perform this task
I have the very great honor,
to announce the result of the plebiscite of our community.
In the year 1860, 22nd October, in Donnafugata,
at six p.m.,
the municipal electoral committee met
to examine the votes given in the plebiscite
by the population of this community.
The Sicilian people want Italy to be one and indivisible,
with Victor Emmanuel
as constitutional monarch, and his legitimate descendants.
All the votes having been taken, and due...
All the votes having been taken...
All the votes...
All the votes having been taken! And due scrutiny made!
The following results have been obtained!
Electors registered: 515
Votes cast: 512
Voting "Yes": 512
Voting "No": 0
And you, Don Ciccio, how did you vote on the 21st?
What are you afraid of? There's only us, the wind, and the dogs.
Excuse me, but your question is pointless.
You know very well everyone in Donnafugata votes "Yes".
It's even said that you advised waverers to vote that way.
That's very true.
So you voted "Yes"?
No, Excellency. I voted "No".
No, a hundred times no.
All right, I know what you told me.
For necessity, unity, and opportunity. Perhaps you were right.
I don't understand politics, and I leave these things to others.
But Ciccio Tumeo is a gentleman.
A failed artist, poor and miserable, with worn-out trousers.
But I hadn't forgotten benefits received, you know that, Excellency.
It was Queen Isabella, the Spanish one,
who then was Duchess of Calabria. She made me study,
and allowed me to be where I am today:
organist at the Holy Church, paid by the kindness of Your Excellency.
In the years when our need was great, my mother sent an entreaty to Court,
and financial assistance arrived, as sure as death.
If those kings and queens looked down from heaven, what would they say?
That the son of Leonardo Tomeo betrayed them? No!
No, Excellency.
Thank goodness, the truth is known in paradise.
I admire your loyalty and devotion.
But understand that people are over-excited by this Garibaldi's victory.
The plebiscite was the only and urgent remedy against anarchy. Believe me.
For us it's only a lesser evil.
The Savoyards, basically,
are a monarchy.
The interests of the people you love, to whom you are devoted,
emerge from these events thwarted, I agree.
But still alive, still valid.
Something had to change...
so that everything might remain as it was before.
The revolution's work is done. Let's hope new Italy can live and prosper.
But I voted "No".
The town hall pigs swallowed my opinion, and shat it out as they chose.
I said "black" and they've made me say "white".
I was a "loyal subject" and I've become a "foul Bourbon".
Now, they're all Savoyards.
Savoyards! I eat them for breakfast!
Tell me something. You see so many in the district.
What do you really think of Don Calogero?
I thought I'd shown my opinion clearly enough.
I'd be quite interested to know the truth about him and his family.
The truth, Excellency, is that Don Calogero is very rich...
and also very influential.
Avaricious, and fiendishly intelligent, too.
You should have seen him in April and May, swooping about like a bat.
In a carriage, riding a mule, or on foot, rain or shine.
Wherever he went, secret groups were formed,
preparing the way for those who were to come.
A scourge of God, Excellency.
We've only seen the start of Don Calogero's career.
In a few months,
he'll be a member of the Parliament in Turin.
In a few years,
when the church's property is auctioned off,
for a handful of coins,
he'll pick up their land at Fondacello
and become the biggest landowner in the province.
There, that's who Don Calogero is:
An example of the new man.
It's a pity he has to be like that.
And the rest of the family? What are the others like?
Nobody has seen Calogero's wife for years.
Except myself, perhaps.
She comes out only to go to first Mass, at five, when no one's about.
Once I got up early specially, just to see her.
Word of honor, she's as beautiful as the sun.
You can't blame him, cockroach though he is, for keeping her from other men.
But even from the best-guarded houses,
word trickles out, servants talk.
It seems that Donna Bastiana is a kind of animal.
Illiterate, can't tell the time, she hardly knows how to speak.
She's incapable, too, of loving her daughter.
Good for bed, and that's all.
Besides, it can't be otherwise. Do you know whose daughter she was?
One of your share-croppers at Runci.
Peppe Giunta his name was.
He was so foul-smelling and uncouth, everyone called him Peppe Shit.
Excuse the word, Excellency.
Two years after Don Calogero ran off with Bastiana,
Peppe was found dead with twelve shotgun pellets in his back.
And I hoped that Tancredi would marry Concetta.
He's a traitor, like all such liberals.
First he betrayed the King, and now us.
He with his false face,
with his words dripping honey and his actions dripping poison.
This is what happens
when you take into your house people not of your own blood.
I always said so, but nobody listens to me.
I never could stand that dandy. You alone were enamored of him.
And now he has the effrontery to ask you, his uncle, Prince of Salina,
father of the girl he's deceived, to take his proposal to that rogue,
the father of that trollop. Fabrizio, you shall not do it!
You don't know what you're saying. Angelica is not a trollop.
She may become one, but now she's like any other girl, only more beautiful,
who simply wants to make a good marriage.
Maybe she's a little in love with our Tancredi, as they all are, after all.
And she has a lot of money, Stella.
Our money, largely, administered well, too well even, by Don Calogero.
Tancredi needs that money.
He's a nobleman, ambitious, spendthrift. He needs a lot of money.
As for Concetta, he's never said anything to her, so he's no traitor.
He moves with his times, that's all, both in politics and in private life.
Besides, he's the dearest young man I know.
Even you know that.
I want no whimpering in my house, either in my room or in my bed.
No more "You shall not do it". I make the decisions.
I decided this long ago. And now no more about it.
Now let us sleep.
Tomorrow I am getting up early to go hunting.
You've told me about them all: wild mothers and fecal grandfathers,
but nothing about what interests me, about Angelica.
There's nothing to say, she speaks for herself.
Her mother's beauty without her grandfather's stench. A real lady.
When she returned from college she played me the old mazurka I wrote.
She played badly, but to see her was a delight,
with her black hair, those eyes, that skin, that bosom.
Some difference from the stink of goats.
Her sheets must have the fragrance of paradise.
Calm down, Don Ciccio.
From now on you'll have to speak of Angelica with all due respect.
This very day I'm asking Calogero for her hand for my nephew Tancredi.
You're the first to know, but you'll pay for this privilege.
You'll be locked up in the gun room with the dogs
until after Calogero's visit. I want nothing to leak out in advance.
This is disgraceful, obscene.
He can't marry the daughter of your enemies. They've always opposed you.
If he seduced her, that would be a conquest, but this is pure surrender.
It's the end of the Falconeri family and the Salinas.
The marriage is not the end of anything, but the start.
And it's in our best traditions.
These are things you can't understand.
Let's go home. And we're agreed, aren't we?
Let there be no misunderstanding, or a big fuss over a little kiss.
Remember, it was I who asked you to come here
I wish to tell you about a letter written by my nephew,
received this very night, in fact.
In it he declares his love for your daughter,
and asks me to ask you,
officially, for Angelica's hand.
Now it's your turn to declare your intentions.
Excuse me, Prince.
This lovely surprise has robbed me of speech.
I know well what Angelica feels in her heart and mind,
and I think that Tancredi's feelings, which honor us all,
are sincerely reciprocated.
We ask for God's protection for this wedding.
Your joy is mine, Excellency.
It's turning stormy.
No need for me to tell you how illustrious the Falconeri family is.
It came to Sicily with Charles of Anjou, flourished under the Aragons,
the Spanish kings and the Bourbons, if you'll allow me to mention them.
They were peers of the realm, grandees of Spain, Knights of St. James.
But if there's no need to tell you of the history of the house of Falconeri.
I need not tell you, alas, because you already know,
that my nephew's fortune does not match the grandeur of his name.
My brother-in-law was not what one calls a provident father.
The sumptuousness of his life impaired my nephew's inheritance.
But, Don Calogero, the result of all these troubles,
of these heartbreaks, is Tancredi.
The two of us know these things.
Perhaps it is impossible to be as distinguished,
sensitive, and charming as Tancredi,
unless ancestors have squandered fortunes. That's how it is in Sicily.
I know all this, and more besides.
But love, Excellency, love is all,
as I know well.
Now listen
I'm a man of the world and I'll put my cards on the table, too.
These young people must know what they can count on.
In the marriage contract, I'll assign to my daughter
the deeds to Settesoli.
One thousand and ten hectares.
All wheat fields, first-class land,
cool and airy,
and five hundred hectares of vineyards and olive groves
at Gibildolce.
On the wedding day I'll give the bridegroom
twenty bags, each with 10,000 uncias.
My family means everything to me.
Nobody has seen Calogero's wife for years.
Except myself, perhaps. She comes out only to go to first Mass
at five, when no one's about.
Once I got up early specially, just to see her.
Word of honor, she's as beautiful as the sun.
You can't blame him, cockroach though he is,
for keeping her from other men.
Of course, it leaves me a beggar, but a daughter is a daughter.
And after all, Prince, I know what I'm telling you,
won't impress you, a descendant of Emperor Titus and Queen Berenice.
But the Sedara family, by a title granted by Ferdinand the Forth,
is also nobility.
I've all the papers in order. One day it will be known that your nephew
has married a baroness, the Baroness Sedara del Biscotto.
Don Pirrone, I've all the papers in order, just one seal to get.
I'm sorry, Don Ciccio, but I had no choice.
I hope at least that all went well.
Yes, perfectly. It couldn't have gone better.
We'll meet again soon. And forgive me.
It was a cold January day.
The atmosphere seemed even heavier when the biting north wind dropped.
For many hours it had been snowing great white flakes.
On that deserted road, a poor old horse, a rough blanket on its back,
wearily dragged a two-wheeled cart.
"Oh, you damned beast", cried the peasant,
who habitually talked to his horse.
Excellency, Don Tancredi has arrived.
He is in the courtyard having his luggage unloaded.
Not too close, Uncle, I'm as wet as a sponge.
How pleased I am to see you again.
Tancredi, think how happy Angelica will be.
Forgive me, but my emotion caused me to forget.
My friend, Count Cavriaghi. He came to the villa with the General.
And there is my orderly, Lancer Moroni.
We were expecting you, but in this weather...
They arrived in this storm.
I'd heard it never rains here.
For two days it was like being in the sea. Really.
Aunt, here's Count Cavriaghi from Milan. You met him in Palermo.
You thought it never rains in Sicily. As you've seen, it pours.
And don't think there's no pneumonia here, or you'll end up in bed.
Light fires in Tancredi's room and in the visitor's room.
Get the next room ready for the soldier. Hurry!
I don't understand, boys.
Last time you were lobster-red.
What do you mean?
Don't you Garibaldi fellows wear the red shirt any more?
Garibaldi fellows be blowed!
We were, but now that's over.
Cavriaghi and I, thank heaven,
are officers of the regular army of His Majesty the King of Italy.
When Garibaldi's army was disbanded we had the choice:
either return home, our stay in the royal army.
We and many others decided to join the proper army.
We couldn't stay with that lot, could we, Cavriaghi?
What rabble!
Assault troops, good for firing guns, that's all.
Now we're proper officers.
People no longer fear we'll steal their chickens.
When we came here from Palermo,
we had only to say: "Urgent orders for His Majesty" to get new horses.
Tell me everything later. Now go and change and have a bath.
First I want to show you the ring for Angelica.
I'm no judge, but it looks valuable.
Beautiful, isn't it? Do you like it?
Did you pay a lot for it?
I used your money well. I confess I haven't used all you gave me.
- There was even enough to buy... - Some parting gifts? I understand.
Our Lieutenant is back. What is that?
A small present for Signorina Concetta.
"The Poems of Aleardi". I hope she likes it.
They are poems by Aleardi, my favorite poet.
I brought it as a gift. I've had your monogram inscribed here.
"Always deaf"? What does it mean? I hear perfectly.
Deaf to my sighs.
Excuse me, but I was told...
A gift for you from your Tancredi.
You can thank my uncle, too.
Angelica! Tancredi! Where are you?
It's mouse-ridden.
Come along.
Angelica, where are you?
Tancredi, where are you?
How frightening. Do you know there are mice here?
I'm sure, in this house. But where is Tancredi?
I can't find him.
Tancredi! Angelica! Where are you?
I frightened you, didn't I?
There she is again. Let's run away.
No. Where are we going? I'm dead tired.
How big the place is. How many rooms are there?
No one knows, not even my uncle.
He says a palace where you know all the rooms isn't worth living in.
- Come on, the poor thing is alone. - What about the others?
Concetta has gone back to the garden.
Francesco Paolo was sent by your uncle,
to welcome a guest.
- Who is he? - I don't know, he's from Turin.
Then let's go.
No, I don't want to see anything else.
I'm leaving. What am I doing here? Concetta doesn't love me.
Have you spoken to her?
It's useless. I feel that for her,
I'm just a worm, so I must find a lady worm who'll be happy with me.
Talk to her, there'll be time later to decide. Maybe it's all for the best.
I'll explain: Concetta's a pure Sicilian, she's never left the island.
How would she cope in Milan, where it takes a month to find real macaroni?
I'd have got her crates of your macaroni, bigger than this.
We'll make our way separately, then?
Poor Count, it's useless. Concetta does not want to know him.
She's foolish. After all, what does she want?
Cavriaghi is handsome, has a good name, owns land in Brianza.
He's what's known as a good catch.
Concetta is still in love with you.
That's why you brought him here.
Yes, that's what I think.
No, I'll tell you.
Then listen carefully: Concetta's right.
Marrying someone like him after loving you would be like water after...
- After what? - Let's say Marsala wine.
Strange rooms. How could anyone have lived in such apartments?
No one has ever lived here, my love.
My ancestors came here to commit their little breaches of the rules,
and obtain special memories so different from ordinary mortals.
Breaches of the rules?
They were bored, my love.
Are you the Chevalier Aymone? Chevalley de Monterzuolo?
I am.
I am the Prince of Salina's son.
My father sent me to invite you to stay with us at the palace.
That's very kind of you.
Do replace your hat, our sun is strong.
Thank you. You, too
I did intend to leave as soon as I had talked with the Prince.
In any case, to talk to my father you'll have to come home.
Is that the palace up there?
Where are Tancredi and Angelica?
Not upstairs.
They must have returned to the garden.
It's terrible. You know I must chaperone Angelica.
Do you think I won't love you any more?
You're afraid.
I desire you, but I won't possess you until you are my wife.
My poor leg, I'm afraid.
Here's the guest.
What does he want from you?
I don't know. He's travelled round Sicily for a month, he must be forlorn.
The oil in our cooking must have sorely tried his insides.
He fears a brigand's knife in the stomach, which he still cherishes.
I'd like to suggest we play whist.
What do you say to a game of cards?
Excellency, if I could have the honor of a talk. I must leave tomorrow.
Leave tomorrow? Are you not comfortable here?
Yes, certainly.
My dear Chevalley, you are in my house,
and I'll hold you hostage as long as I please.
Beware of Father Pirrone, he's a terror. He always wins.
Please be seated. I'll be your partner.
I'll keep the score.
Excuse me, are you really from Milan? However did you end up down here?
Although I abuse the Prince's hospitality, I feel much at home here.
Let me be your guide in Donnafugata. I'll show you Baron Mutolo's house.
Francesco Paulo, don't start that.
It's empty. The family lives at Girgenti,
since brigands held the Baron's son for ransom ten years ago.
When I think what they must have paid to free him.
They paid nothing. They had no ready cash, like everybody here.
The son was returned, anyway, but in installments.
In installments? What are you saying?
Yes, installments: Piece by piece.
First came the index finger of his right hand.
Then, a week later, his left foot.
Finally, in a basket under a layer of figs,
they sent his head.
That's enough of those stories.
I never saw it because I was a child, but my father told me.
I'd say the Bourbon police were incompetent.
Without doubt, Chevalley.
We had incidents in our region. My father was an overseer,
a risky job, at least until a while ago,
for him and for his family.
When our carabinieri come here, all this will end.
So, contrary to certain propaganda,
respect for the church will be restored and defended as it once was.
Let us hope a little better,
because five years ago a curate was murdered while he conducted Mass.
How horrible. A shooting in the church?
Shooting, my dear Chevalley?
We're too good Catholics to do anything so sacrilegious.
No, they simply put poison in the communion wine.
More discreet, almost liturgical, I'd say.
But who did it? The curate was an excellent person who had no enemies.
Very interesting, Prince, really amusing.
You should write novels, you tell these stories so well.
Yes, they're all stories. Believe me, I'm from Milan.
Sicily is a great country.
After the happy annexation,
that is, after the happy union of Sicily and the Kingdom of Sardinia,
it's the intention of the Turin government
to nominate certain illustrious Sicilians as Senators of the Kingdom.
Of course, your name was among the first.
A name made illustrious by its long history,
by the prestige of its bearer,
his erudition and the dignified and liberal action taken in recent events.
Before I send the list to Turin,
my superiors thought it proper to inform you yourself,
and ask if you find the proposal acceptable.
The government hopes very much that you will agree.
This is the object of my mission,
which has given me the honor of knowing you and this fine palace.
Explain to me, Chevalley,
what does it mean to be a Senator?
What is it? An honorary title, like a decoration?
The Senate is the Upper House of our Kingdom.
In it they examine and debate,
approve or reject laws proposed by government for the country's progress.
When you are a Senator,
you'll make heard the voice of your beautiful land,
which now faces the panorama of the modern world,
with so many wounds to heal, so many just desires to satisfy.
Listen, Chevalley.
I'm grateful to the government for thinking of me for the Senate.
If it were a simple honorary title to put on my visiting card,
I'd accept with pleasure.
But as it is... no, I cannot accept.
I am a spokesman of the old class,
fatally compromised with the past régime,
bound to it by bonds of decency, if not affection.
My unhappy generation straddles two worlds and is uneasy in either.
Moreover, I am completely without illusions.
What would the Senate do with me, an inexperienced legislator
who lacks self-deception, which is essential when seeking to guide others?
No, I wouldn't put one finger into politics, they'd bite it off.
Prince, I can't believe it.
Are you seriously refusing to do whatever possible to alleviate
the material poverty and blind moral misery in which Sicilians lie?
We are old, Chevalley, very old.
For twenty-five centuries we have borne magnificent civilizations,
all from abroad, none made by us, none which started here.
For 2,500 years we've been nothing but a colony.
I don't say that to scourge myself. It's our fault.
But we are very tired, empty, burnt-out.
But all that is finished now.
Sicily is no longer a land of conquest, but a free part of a free state.
The intention is good, but it arrives late.
A sleep, my dear Chevalley. A long sleep is what the Sicilians want,
and they'll always hate those who want to wake them,
even if it is to bring them marvelous gifts.
Between ourselves, I doubt if the new kingdom will have many gifts for us.
With us, every demonstration, even violent, is a longing for oblivion.
Our sensuality is a desire for oblivion.
Our shootings and our stabbings are the desire for death.
Our laziness, the penetrating sweetness of our sorbets,
are a desire for voluptuous immobility, which again is death.
Prince, aren't you exaggerating?
I've met Sicilians in Turin. They seemed anything but sluggards.
I haven't explained very well. I'm sorry
I said Sicilians, I meant Sicily.
This environment, the violence of the landscape,
the cruelty of the climate, the continuous tension in everything.
But the climate can be mastered, the landscape can be modified,
the record of bad governments erased.
Of course, the Sicilians will want to improve
I don't deny that some, away from the island, can succeed in awakening.
But they must leave very young. Even at twenty the shell has been formed.
The man you need
must know how to temper his private interests with vague public idealism.
Might I give you some advice to pass on to your superiors?
There's a name I'd like to suggest for the Senate.
The name of Calogero Sedara.
He deserves much more than I to be elected.
The family name, I'm told, is very ancient, our will be soon.
He has more than what you call prestige, he has power.
He may not be learned, but he has almost exceptional practical merits.
His activity was most useful during the May crisis.
As far as illusions go,
I don't think he has more than I have,
but he's clever enough to create some himself. He's the man for you.
I've heard tell about Sedara.
But if honest men like you withdraw,
the road will be open to people without scruples our perspective,
like Sedara, and for centuries to come all will be as it was.
Listen to your conscience, Prince, not to the proud truths you spoke.
I beg you to collaborate.
You're a gentleman and I consider it a privilege to have known you.
You are right in everything.
Except when you say the Sicilians will want to improve.
They'll never want to improve because they think themselves perfect.
Their vanity is stronger than their wretchedness.
Sit down for a moment,
I want to tell you something.
A few days before Garibaldi entered Palermo
some English naval officers
asked me if they could go on the terrace of my house
where they could see the ring of mountains around the city.
They were enthusiastic about the view,
but confessed their amazement at the squalor and filth in the streets.
I didn't explain, as I did with you, that the one derived from the other.
One of the officers asked:
"What are Garibaldi's men coming to do here?"
I replied: "They're coming to teach us manners."
"But they won't succeed, because we're gods."
They laughed, but I don't think they understood.
It's late, almost time for dinner.
We must go and change.
If you wish, you can leave tomorrow at dawn.
Even if you don't believe me, this state of affairs won't last.
Our efficient, modern administration will change everything.
This state of affairs ought not to last, but it always will.
The human element, certainly. A century or two.
Later, perhaps everything will be different, but it will be worse.
We were the leopards, the lions.
Those who replace us will be the jackals, the hyenas.
And all of us, leopards, lions, jackals and sheep,
will continue to think we're the salt of the earth...
I don't quite understand. What did you say?
Nothing.
What did you say? I didn't hear.
You've arrived early. Don't worry, there's no sign of your guests yet.
Tancredi's here. We're expecting Pallavicino, the hero of Aspromonte.
Thank you again, Aunt. It was essential to invite them.
You understand. This will be Angelica's real début in society.
What about Calogero's tail-suit?
It's not the one he wore at Donnafugata.
I took him to the best tailor. It's Don Calogero who lacks style.
- Mama, may I go and dance? - Of course. Tidy yourself a little.
You are very beautiful, like a flower.
I don't care for these balls, but one had to come for the girls.
Colonel, I am most honored to see you.
I have the honor to present you to Colonel Pallavicino.
I am proud and happy to receive the victor of Aspromonte in my house.
How kind, Princess. It is I who am happy on this occasion.
I hope you and your officers will spend a pleasant evening in our home.
It really is an honor for us. All Palermo is at your feet, Colonel.
The Princess of Lampedusa.
Countess Sutera.
The Princess of Salina
I'm going to see if Angelica has arrived.
Colonel, but tell us, is it really true?
I was crying, Countess, like a child.
How moving.
But what was Garibaldi like?
He was handsome and serene as an archangel.
Magnificent, a hero. A real hero. Isn't he extraordinary, my dear?
The Colonel is trying to reassure them after his men fired on Garibaldi's men.
Those shots were really most opportune.
You're late, I was waiting for you.
You are very beautiful. Come and greet the Princess.
Permit me to present my fiancée, Angelica Sedara.
My dear, let me look at you.
Yes, it's true: You are more beautiful than they say.
- What's this? - Knight's Cross of the Italian Crown.
It's out of place here.
I've never doubted your good taste.
My father-in-law, the Chevalier Don Calogero Sedara.
- Nice here, isn't it, Princess? - You like it?
Tancredi, don't you want to present me to your fiancée?
Allow me to present a friend, Gioacchino Lanza.
And this is Fulco...
Tancredi may protest, but may I have the honor of the next waltz?
All right, boys. Don't hurry, there'll be time later.
I'm sorry, I'm not to blame. The lady has to choose her partners.
It's a waltz. Shall we dance?
- I haven't greeted your uncle yet. - Do it later. Come and dance.
You are very beautiful, as always. It's the truth.
Bored, Fabrizio?
All these marriages between cousins do not improve the beauty of the race.
They look like monkeys, ready to climb up the chandeliers,
where they'll swing by their tails, exhibiting their behinds.
Eleonora Giardinelli,
a white swan in a pond full of frogs.
My compliments on your nephew's engagement.
The girl's a beauty. Many will soon follow his example.
What did you say?
I said it's hot, too hot here.
Yes, it is hot. I should not have come.
I'm somewhat tired, but now I'm here and I must stay.
It would be discourteous to leave now.
Good evening. Tina, I have four dances booked with Giovanni.
Princess, I'd be most happy if you would do me the honor...
Colonel, it's years since I danced. So many lovely ladies are here...
Nice, Prince, really beautiful.
Places like this aren't made nowadays, with the current price of gold.
Yes, very nice, truly beautiful.
But nothing equals our two young people.
Angelica wanted to greet you. But why are you here alone?
Are you flirting with death?
You're really magnificent.
Isn't it odd that Don Diego keeps this morbid picture?
If Don Diego enters this library once a year, it's a miracle.
Yes, you're right.
I wonder if my death will resemble this.
The linen will not be so spotless.
The sheets of the dying are always so soiled.
And I hope that Concetta and the others will be more decently dressed.
But I think all in all it will be the same.
What are you saying, Uncle? What are you thinking of?
I often think of death. The idea doesn't frighten me.
You young people cannot understand such things.
For you, death does not exist, it's something for other people.
We must have repairs done to our family vault.
Give me your handkerchief, please.
We knew you were here and we came for a rest,
but also to ask you something.
I hope you won't refuse me.
I wanted to ask you to dance the next mazurka with me.
Don't be lazy, everyone knows you're a good dancer.
I've never had such an attractive proposal, but I must refuse.
Please, Prince.
You make me feel young again. I accept, but not the mazurka.
That would make me feel too young. Grant me the next waltz.
See how good your uncle is. He doesn't have tantrums like you.
He didn't want me to ask you. He's jealous.
When one has a handsome uncle like him, it's natural to be jealous.
But this time I'll make an exception.
A waltz, without even having to ask the orchestra.
Do you like it?
It's a waltz, or perhaps you have already changed your mind?
No, of course not.
They're all so kind and I'm so happy, Uncle.
Tancredi is a darling, and so are you.
It's as well Tancredi can't hear you.
I know I owe everything to you.
So does Tancredi. Because if you had not wanted
he'd have married you, anyway.
You owe everything to yourself.
No, it's not true.
It is true, Angelica.
No man like Tancredi would ever have resisted your beauty.
I'd heard that you were a good dancer, Prince.
I'm sorry to have disappointed you again.
You're much more than a good dancer, you're a really delightful dancer.
Yes, it's my father.
- The next dance. - A mazurka, then.
They're all looking at us, Prince.
What a beautiful girl that is, dancing with your father.
The applause was muted, because a lion commands respect,
but you deserved an ovation.
And now come to our table.
No, my memories of my youth are still vivid and I know very well
how boring it would be for you to dine with an old uncle.
That's not true.
It is. Lovers wish to be alone. Anyway, I am not very hungry.
Go with Tancredi and don't think of me.
Fabrizio, you're still a good dancer.
Fabrizio, how are you?
Fabrizio, aren't you eating? You seem a little uncertain.
The choice is too great. Donna Margherita knows how to do things.
All this calls for stomachs other than mine.
How marvelous these candelabra are.
From Madrid. A gift to Don Diego's grandfather when he was ambassador.
How much land would they be worth, eh?
The utmost emotion of my life...
What a great bore.
Prince Salina. Will you do us the honor of sitting at our table?
Now the left wants to crucify me because,
in August I ordered my lads to open fire on Garibaldi.
But, Prince, what else could I do, with the written orders I had?
I must confess, though,
when at Aspromonte I faced those hundreds of Garibaldi's men,
some hardened veterans,
others who looked like professional rebels,
I was happy those orders were so close to my own sentiments.
Then, I'll tell you in confidence.
My short burst of shooting helped Garibaldi above all.
I liberated him from the gang that had attached itself to him,
who were using him for ends desired perhaps by Paris our Rome.
Yes, it's true.
Individuals very different from those who landed at Marsala two years ago.
People who thought Italy could be created with revolutions like in 1848.
He... I mean General Garibaldi, as you know,
at the moment of my now famous genuflection, he shook my hand.
Do you know what he said to me quietly?
"Thank you, Colonel."
"For what?" I asked. "For laming you for the rest of your life?"
No, but for making him understand, to see with his own eyes the swaggering,
the vile behavior and perhaps worse of his dubious adherents.
Please excuse me, dear Colonel.
Don't you think your bows and compliments overdid things a bit?
No. Certainly no.
You should have seen him, that poor, great man,
lying under a chestnut tree, suffering in his body,
but even more in his spirit. Pitiful.
Didn't he say himself, when landing again in Sicily:
"We are going towards the unknown."
It was difficult to resist emotion.
Besides, why should I have resisted?
I kiss the hand of ladies only.
But then, Prince, I also kissed the hand of the salvation of the kingdom,
which is also a lady to whom we military men must pay homage.
I ask your pardon. Diego, excuse me.
Three balls in one week, it's too much.
I can't wait for it to end. I can't think why everybody is so merry.
Give me a hairpin.
How boring.
Until we've finished with all these invitations, we must stay in the city.
I can't wait to return to our villa at San Lorenzo, to our quiet life.
What are you saying? I'd like this ball to go on forever, it's lovely.
What will the Trabias' ball be like?
I've ordered a green dress. Bright green.
How about you?
I'm so happy. Tancredi is so sweet. You are all so sweet to me.
I wish you were happier.
What can I do about it? I've never liked being among people.
I don't even like dancing. I've never been able to dance well.
It depends on your partner. Find a partner you like.
No, I'm not interested.
Do you know how many young men would be happy to court you?
You discourage them all.
Like poor Cavriaghi, remember?
How you treated him, poor man.
There you are. I couldn't find you anywhere.
We're tidying ourselves. Anyway, I couldn't find you, you had vanished.
I went to hear what the Colonel was saying.
He's no genius, but he says many very sensible things.
It's true, the new kingdom needs order, legality, laws.
It needs to stifle, first of all,
any attempts at anarchy. No more adventures or disorders.
Even if that entails severe our painful methods,
like shooting those hotheads who deserted to go back with Garibaldi.
Do you think they'll shoot them?
Didn't you know? This morning at dawn. And it's right, they were deserters.
You would not have spoken like that once.
My dear, you are mistaken.
I've always spoken like this.
Therefore, these are things you cannot understand.
Concetta, wait.
Let me go!
I think I understand very well.
I said you wouldn't have spoken like that once. That's enough for me.
She's so sweet, especially when she becomes angry.
Poor Concetta. The truth is, she's still in love with you.
- And are you still in love with me? - Yes.
Have you seen the Prince of Salina?
Don Calogero, it's time to go. Pull yourself together.
Coffee, please. Hot coffee.
Thank you for this unforgettable evening.
Must you go already?
We're going straight to the barracks, as tradition demands of us soldiers.
Our duty obliges us.
Moreover, our tasks for this night are not yet over.
Tidy up a little and extinguish the candles.
Dear Margherita, thank you so much for the wonderful evening. Magnificent.
There you are. Aunt is looking for you everywhere.
Angelica, Concetta and Carolina are ready to leave.
Can you do me a favor, my boy? I've already said my farewells.
Will you call the carriage for your aunt? I'm walking back.
- Walking? At this hour? - I need some air.
Don't you feel well?
A slight headache, fresh air will help.
Everything went very well, don't you think?
Marvellously, Uncle. You know, I'll soon have some good news for you.
I just spoke to Finzori. It seems that at the next elections,
you'll be the candidate.
You knew about it?
Excuse me for a moment.
O star, O faithful star!
When will you decide to give me a less fleeting appointment,
far from everything, in your realm of perennial certainty?
An excellent army. They do things properly.
Just what we needed...
For Sicily.
Now we can take it easy.