To The Splendor!
Jordan, should I start loading?
Here, we'd planned an elevator,
but seeing as it's just one floor,
we opted for an escalator.
Here we'll have on display domestic appliances, TVs, hi-fi...
and bathrooms...
What's this?
A cinema. The Mayor gave permission.
The plough digs the furrow
and the sword defends it - Mussolini
...the plough defends it. - Mussolini
Hey, you want to get me into trouble?
Why?
"Mussolini defends the furrow"...
Is he a forest ranger now?
But...
Move it.
- But it's all set up! - Shift it.
Fine.
We have to move it along.
Jordan.
Take this seat, Mayor.
Good evening, Mayor.
Here, you're too ugly!
I'm the sound technician!
Almost all my childhood memories are here...
crackles from the screen as loud as explosions...
Verdi's trumpets and Fritz Lang's sprocket wheels.
Let me through!
In order! Get in line!
Don't push or I'll suspend ticket sales.
Get your money ready and don't push.
Casimiro! Casimiro! They'll tear down the house.
Casimiro!
Press. Excuse me.
Jordan. The where and the when.
And the how and the why!
Jordan, it's standing room only downstairs.
Miss Chantal Duvivier, I want a word with you.
Mr. Avilas's Plus Belles from the City of Light.
And now the great comedian Gnaccharetta!
Your dancing was shit tonight!
You eyed up the clients like a whore!
I'm gonna dock you half your pay.
Les Plus Belles? Stupid bitches, more like!
You were meant to dance in Rome, at The Brigadoon. Not any more.
All you can do is show your ass in a dump like this!
Answer me, I'm talking to you!
Who are you? Who let you in?
Honestly, who is this guy?
What are you doing, Chantal? I'll call the cops!
You bastard! Chantal, you'd do this to me?
If you leave now, you're through!
You'll regret it, you'll never work again!
Not here, not anywhere!
Mon royaume! Is that how you say it in French?
I've never seen such a pretty movie theater.
"Outline of Neorealism".
What's neorealism?
Showing things as they are. See, in films,
you shouldn't try to fool people.
You should tell the truth.
Roma, città aperta...
Schiusa?
Paisa...
Miracolo a Milano...
The boss in that film is a scumbag like yours.
Like all bosses.
He persecutes the beggars. The homeless.
- Does it have a happy ending? - Yes.
Like all fables, it ends well.
You can see it tomorrow if you like.
Tomorrow?
Yes, tomorrow.
Jordan!
Standing room only downstairs.
Standing room only.
Come on, wake up!
THE GREAT WAR
What's your name?
My name's Bruno.
Sir, your hat.
Have you finished?
My name's Jade.
Nice name.
That den of iniquity
should be called the Horror instead of The Splendor!
The owner, not surprisingly, is a commie.
A certain disturbing woman hangs around there, dressed in red,
as befits a daughter of the devil!
We have been warned.
She draws the damned into a dark lair of sin,
lighting their despicable way
with red flashes and reflections
from the skimpy cloth that salaciously wraps her,
trying to conceal her opulent shamefulness.
Red are her fiery eyes, red the sensual mouth,
and red is her tongue!
Hey!
But Italian cinema was the big winner at Cannes.
The jury's special prize...
went to Antonioni's La Avventura.
The prize is reward
for the noble search for a new cinematic language.
And a widely predicted Palme d'Or for Federico Fellini,
for his already famous La Dolce Vita.
An open-air party!
Shake it!
Have the exact change ready.
Don't push and stay in line!
Jordan. The where and the when!
The how and the why.
Jordan! Standing room only downstairs!
I have a ticket for the movie.
There's room upstairs, come.
Know what the most beautiful age is? I'll tell you.
It's your own age, day by day.
- Don't toot, they're resting! - I never do it.
Come on, enough.
- For you. - Thank you.
Shall we give him a ride?
Come on! Look at the poor guy running.
Why? What kind of fun is that?
You didn't like it upstairs?
No, not really.
Standing room only here. Or the front row.
Front row will be fine.
Come on.
- Are you selling eggs? - No, I bought them.
Nice guy. Good profile too.
Go ahead.
It's the same movie today.
Today is the same film as yesterday. And the day before.
I know.
But there's a bit in the film I didn't understand.
Is she awake?
Yes, I've just served her coffee in bed.
Victorina is preparing her breakfast.
- What? - Nothing. Didn't say a word.
What's the matter?
Nothing. Why?
Your eyes are red.
I've had conjunctivitis for thirty years.
It's a pleasure to have such an attentive brother.
Come in.
Good morning.
- What are you doing? - I have to go.
Why?
I don't like it. You sleep on the sofa, and your sister...
Giovanna...
No, Giovanna is very happy. She's always alone, you know.
She's taken a liking to you.
I like her too
but she cried this morning.
Her eyes were red.
No, it's just that she suffers from conjunctivitis.
No. Why would she cry?
Maybe she's understood... that I love you.
Will you help me find a hotel?
There's the Pensione del Sole.
Just for a few days.
Yes. For a few days.
Is that boy you?
And the man next to you, your father?
A handsome man!
He looks like you.
Or rather you look like him.
Who's the other man?
That's Marshall Tito.
A friend of yours?
Well, yes. Although we've never met.
What do they have for breakfast in France?
Bye... see you tonight.
More chicken?
As I left I saw that my sister was preparing homemade tagliatelle.
And I'll have to eat it.
She won't be happy if you don't.
Not really... I'd better go.
Want me to wait?
No, I'll just finish these numbers.
Good night, Chantal.
See you tomorrow.
You're Swedish, right?
I'm French, from Maisons-Laffitte.
Me, I'm Italian.
My father sent me to work at my uncle's hotel-restaurant.
I don't really like it.
So you're going back home?
Unless I find another job.
And you?
I landed here when I was 20.
I was part of the ballet-show: Les Plus Belles.
I stayed here... for love.
When we arrived on tour,
we would play in small places, no Milan or Rome.
One night while I was dancing,
I was taken by a young man in the audience.
Very good-looking. We stared at each other.
When the show was over, the handsome young man
came into my dressing room
and took me with him, just as I was.
Wearing a coat over my stage outfit.
Was this gorgeous young man the owner of The Splendor?
Yes, it was Jordan.
Oh? Was he gorgeous as a young man?
Very!
This place is a bit like Maisons-Laffitte, my home town.
It's kind of... Italian. Roman actually, because...
Julius Caesar...
Julius Caesar, the Italian?
He built an encampment there
and called it "mansiones" in Latin. Hence Maisons-Laffitte.
You're so cultured.
You know so many things!
I'm home. Thank you and good night.
See you tomorrow at The Splendor?
Do you always go to the movies so often?
You've been there every night for a month.
Well, I... I go pretty often.
I really like cinema as a show.
When I was in Naples, I never went to the movies.
Good night.
Miss?
Miss... I have to tell you something.
Go on.
I'll tell you tomorrow.
So what? Has a plate been broken?
Let's eat now.
Bon appétit!
The where and the when.
The how and the why.
Good morning! I guess we're colleagues now.
Yes, but we won't be competing.
You want viewers, I'm looking for souls.
Looks like souls have to pay, like everyone else!
I'll never review the priest's movies.
But this Pope is smart.
He's opened 5,000 parochial movie theaters in all Italy.
Think about it.
It's profitable and draws a youthful congregation to the Church.
Yes, like when we used to go to prayers to play ball.
The Church has inspired cinema.
A magical place, with columns, marble, domes,
where people can gather with the promise of another life.
Movies are a kind of great beyond.
And also equal to all. There are no damned.
Pope Pius said it.
People's souls are ours, even when they go to the movies.
I read the review of Wild Strawberries. Powerful film.
I'll be back to see it. The how and the why!
The when and the where!
Thank you.
Mr. Paulo, this is the first time that you honor us with a visit.
No... I've been to your cinema before.
Now when was it? In 1949.
With my poor mother.
She was a big fan of the great Toto.
But Toto kept on making movies after 1 949.
My mother died in 1950.
I'm sorry.
To really understand solitude,
you have to lose your mother.
Is that my ticket?
- Can I go in? - Please do.
You're very courteous, you know.
That's very kind of you.
Maybe I was feeling a little sentimental.
Maybe I was tired too,
and inclined to nostalgic melancholy.
Sara.
Sara!
I'm your cousin, Isaac.
I've grown older, and probably changed too.
Hello, my beautiful cousin. What are you doing?
Picking strawberries, can't you see?
How long have you been the projectionist?
- Since 1936. - 1936?
Is it hard work?
It takes willpower and attentiveness.
You have to prepare it in the morning.
- See? - It broke.
So?
You fix it.
You take your scissors and cut between frames, on the line.
You scratch it, remove the gel.
Like this.
Take the acetone...
It smells.
Sure it does, it's acetone. Amyl acetate.
There. See the frames?
You don't even notice it. Then you continue.
That's great... What if it happens again?
It means one more pain in the neck to contend with.
Wait, Mr. Hulot...
Mr. Police Inspector!
Watch out!
Action!
Pamela, take two, take three, take five, take seven.
Cut!
That one was fine.
Everyone in starting position, quick!
Pamela, one-four, take two!
Action!
There!
Father, father!
The Rex... The Rex!
Hail The Rex! The fascist regime's greatest accomplishment!
As the Mayor's representative, I wish you a good trip!
Viva Italia!
How is it?
Goodbye!
They made me work a lot, till late, for little money.
So I go and tell the man :
"Listen, I want to quit."
So the jeweler looks at me and says:
"Off you go, then.
"The school of life has taught you nothing."
So I answer:
"If it's taught me nothing,
"then you haven't even been there."
Good answer!
It was a nice answer.
It's just that... I didn't actually say that.
How come?
Why? Because...
I didn't think of it. I just sat there and blushed.
I even said: "Sorry."
That sharp answer I told you...
It came to me two days later.
I could have dropped by and said:
"Last Wednesday, you said the school of life had taught me nothing.
"You know what I say?..."
It no longer meant anything. The answer was outdated.
In movies, on the other hand...
In movies that never happens,
because everything is prepared,
everything foreseen, even the unforeseen.
The unforeseen doesn't happen, the unforeseen is foreseen in movies.
Take love scenes.
You play it as it comes, it isn't all prepared.
For example, if the lighting is all wrong,
or you've got an uncomfortable, squeaky bed...
To be honest, I haven't heard your bed squeak.
That's because I oiled it beforehand.
Well, if you'd rather watch things in movies
than actually do them...
I'm leaving, goodbye.
Goodbye forever.
Well, "goodbye forever" is only said in...
Anyway, it's more "I'm leaving forever."
It has to be prepared, thought over, written.
It's not just "I'm leaving, then." "Leaving?
"Just yesterday you were saying..." "Yesterday's gone."
"You haven't kept your promises. Your promises are like the wind."
"What, the wind makes promises?"
What I mean is... farewells are difficult to do.
Ursula...
Kim...
B.B.
Veronica Lake.
Just one eye, but...
Katharine Hepburn.
If you hear the bells toll, ask not for whom the bells toll.
They toll for you.
There's a group of kids coming!
No, they turned at the corner.
They went the other way.
How long till the movie starts?
Seven minutes.
I'm going to the bar. Do you want anything?
No, nothing.
- What about you, Mr. Jordan? - No, thanks.
He never wants anything.
"When the legend faces the fact, the legend always wins."
From The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
He doesn't remember. Anyway, I'm off to the bar.
Osvaldo, make me a short, strong coffee.
Whew, it's hot today.
You're having a nice nap right now, because you can, right?
No.
Mind you, the bar is the best place to be.
- A game of cards? - No.
How about snooker?
Pinball? A video game? You play, right?
Kids' stuff.
A good conversation about this and that?
Not that either.
Can I ask a question?
You've asked 1 0 already.
Yeah, but... why don't you go to the movies?
To do what?
What do you do at the movies?
Besides... precisely today...
at The Splendor, do you know what's showing?
Premiering here and in Rome: Raging Bull.
Yes! I saw the trailer on TV.
You watch a couple of scenes and you've seen it all.
It's like if you see a girl go by right now,
three or four times, and you already slept with her
because she walked by four times.
Look at this: 1, 2, 3...
There are 9 movies on TV today. Let me tell you.
A Toto film, an Orson Welles film, a Chaplin,
Fred Astaire, Follow the Fleet, Pane e amore, Jerry Lewis,
the Fort Apache series, Hitchcock's Rear Window
and another Toto flick.
Just curious, which ones will you watch?
None.
None of them.
- We're fine here. - Sure you are. Bravo.
Good, you're really... "We're OK here, thanks."
I understand you. Basically, you guys...
are spoiled.
All the stuff in movies that can make you dream about
you already possess:
women, riches, adventures, love... all of it.
If you've got it all, why go see a fake version in a movie?
It's perfectly logical.
If I had all that stuff, everything you guys have,
I wouldn't like films either.
Don't you have work to do?
Don't worry, let me talk.
What time is it? Oh...
Hey, the coffee.
No, we've got everything in life: women, riches, coffee...
We don't need anything.
Hey, buddy!
You can't park at the entrance to a movie theater.
Yeah, right.
I'm obstructing the masses!
What's it to you?
Stopping outside a cinema!
We should put up a nice "No Parking" sign.
That's all we need.
Missouri here we come, Ned!
- Good night, Miss Chantal. - Good night, Mr. Paolo.
People stayed home because of the rain.
At 8pm the square was packed.
61 spectators for 4 shows. 95,000 lira in the register.
We've never hit this low before.
Apart from that retrospective we did.
Among other things, The Leopard was on TV tonight.
When we showed The Leopard,
we had 3,000 spectators on a weekend.
That's 600,000 lira,
equivalent to 10 million today.
The Splendor was a big thing then.
The Splendor will always be big,
it's just that movies have become small.
Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard.
And how do we compete with The Leopard on TV?
With a crappy horror movie, shot in two rooms and a kitchen.
Psycho was shot in two rooms and a kitchen. Plus the shower.
So which movie should we show?
That's all there is!
You choose, you're the smart one. "People want horror"!
You go to Rome tomorrow and find a film that will bring in 10 million.
You're too much. Who'll buy me a cup of tea?
Box office, box office, all you think about is the cash register.
I only think box office?
Thanks to this damn theater, I'm up to my eyeballs in debt.
And I'll get really nasty. Part of the debt is down to you.
Yes!
Down to me? Has this guy lost his head?
Don't you get tired of arguing all night?
Plus it's all garbage!
Debts? So the debts are my fault?
No. I have to thank you. You've made me rich.
We can't forget the retrospective for the great Soviet director.
I knew it... same old story.
All-expenses paid trip for the Russian consul and his wife,
and the interpreter for a week. All paid for!
Do I have to thank you? Yes, I have to thank you.
In this film, The Education of Feelings,
which is both personal and political,
revolution, collectivization, the two world wars...
...are the framework
for a young teacher in remote Siberia...
...who plays the part both warmly and heroically.
It is comparable to Mark Donskoi's Gorkian trilogy.
Don't worry, he'll renew it.
Sure he will. Know what they call this accountant?
The Leech.
A real blood-sucking leech, then. We know what he's like.
Maxime, is the accountant in?
He's inside playing.
Jordan! Come in.
Good day.
300,000.
350,000.
500,000.
Pass.
I'll see you.
Full house, kings.
- Full house, aces. - Well played!
Well played my ass! Full house with aces!
- Tell me, Jordan. - Here?
Don't worry, they're friends.
I can send them to jail at any time.
So tell me.
As I told you on the phone,
I'm waiting to hear what I owe the authors' association.
Meanwhile I have to pay the Italian distributors.
So I'd need at least a two-month extension.
There's local financing...
Yes, and credits for small businesses...
Paris, sir.
Play this hand for me. I've had no luck today.
Couldn't get any worse!
My opening... 5,000.
I'm in.
Remember, Mr. Jordan, that my offer is always on the table.
And remember my answer is still the same.
- Cards? - Three.
Three.
One.
I pass.
100,000.
Pass.
Only I thought I heard you saying that you had a few problems.
No, the usual cash-flow issues.
100,000 you said?
Let's make it 150,000.
Pass.
300,000.
350,000.
And another 200...
Let's say 700,000.
750,000.
1, 2, 3 and 4.
1,500,000.
Don't.
Go ahead... Don't.
Go on... don't. Just play your game!
I'll call.
1, 2, 3...
4... 5, 6, 7 and fifty.
Flush... not quite.
Two pairs, one of jacks.
My God! Thanks!
Call me tomorrow.
We had a double pair!
That's great!
The money is yours.
Oh boy! That was really...
Are you alright?
What's wrong?
You were really good. Really!
I was impressed.
They'll give us at least another four months.
You made it look easy. How did you do it?
Three million lira you won for him!
Here... let me.
This is how you do it.
3.2 million all at once.
Only one and a half.
No, I saw 20, 20, and 20, and then 100 and 100...
and 100. Look, you're drenched.
What's wrong? Let's go.
Not like that... put the raincoat on, you're sweating.
Good day, Mr. Paolo.
Good day, Miss Chantal.
I'm sorry if I've damaged it.
Not at all.
Did you like it?
A bit heavy.
Proust heavy? Yes, perhaps.
Today, I suggest this book
about great passions.
I'm sure you'll like Tolstoy.
Thank you.
May I walk with you?
- What about the store? - Who would steal a book here?
Miss Chantal, you may have noticed me at The Splendor often
but perhaps you don't know that films don't interest me that much.
I guessed it because you fall asleep as soon as the movie starts.
So you have noticed.
Miss... I'm 60 today.
I have decided to confess that - forgive my saying this -
my thoughts over these past 20 years
have been entirely dedicated to you.
I dare put forward the following proposal.
Should you choose to reward my proposal
with a yes...
my house and my book store would be at your disposal.
There's no need to answer now,
you'll have plenty of time.
There's no rush... in a year or two.
My proposal will remain firm.
Please accept, Miss Chantal, this present for your birthday.
But how...
It's not a lighter, it's a perfume spray.
I filled it with your perfume.
Thank you.
- Mr. Paolo. - Mr. Jordan!
What interesting movie are you showing today?
- The Deer Hunter must be good. - Yes.
I'll see you later, then.
I won't miss it. Bye!
Mr. Paolo really is a good man.
It's true.
Good evening.
Give me a moment, I'll be right with you.
Jordan, will you close up?
I'm with someone...
I have a date with someone. Don't look now.
She's at the entrance, on the left.
What do you think? Don't look!
Should I look or not?
When I say so, but be discreet.
Look now, quickly.
The one with the kid.
She's a widow, works as a teacher.
I met her at the driving school.
I gave her some tickets.
Not because of the kid.
She's very pretty.
She's pretty, she is...
Please, not a word about us.
About what?
About me and her, I don't want it.
Has this thing been on for a while?
- What thing? - Your relationship.
It's not a relationship, this is the...
first time we have a date.
I wouldn't want to... OK?
- Will you close up, then? - Yes, I will.
You didn't comment on the moustache.
You're growing one? Good.
Which means you didn't even notice.
What do you mean by "good"?
What can I say? There's nothing to be done.
Nothing to be done?
I can shave it off if it looks bad, OK?
- So you'll close up? - I'll close.
Did you like the movie, Lorenzino?
No.
Soon, we'll be showing 101 Dalmatians.
Will you come with mama?
Answer him.
I get along with kids, they like me.
Yes, I've noticed.
In fact, he likes you.
I like him too.
How about a nice pizza, Lorenzino?
Answer Mr. Luigi. You'd like to, right?
No.
Lorenzino fell asleep.
Then I walked her home with Lorenzino fast asleep.
- We made... - Love.
Did you make love?
Not love, no.
We kept it hushed, so as not to wake Lorenzino up.
I'll tell you what we did.
And we stayed that way, chatting away.
When I was leaving,
she walked me outside and then, at the door...
I kissed her.
A 21 -minute kiss.
21 minutes kissing her! I checked my watch.
Remember the kiss between Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman?
Notorious.
The kiss in Notorious.
Well, delete it and substitute it with the legendary kiss
between Eugenia and Luigi.
It was something...
Go to the booth, the first half is over.
Jordan...
Jordan doesn't talk. He never tells me anything.
I've seen a big pile of fines in his bedroom.
From the City, the health and fire departments...
What is it? A persecution?
Mr. Lo Fazio plays cards every night with the Mayor,
with the health inspector, the chief of the fire department...
You see?
He should sell it once and for all for the sake of his health.
Where's the satisfaction nowadays in owning a movie theater?
In the old days, yes.
My poor father was treated like a dignitary,
he held everyone in the palm of his hand.
An invitation to the movies from him
was a great honor, a sign of distinction.
And at Christmas, everyone would give him presents.
I was so, so proud!
In recognition of your achievement, masters of the cinema,
called to keep a constant watch on the river of your inspiration,
flowing like the sources where the Fascist spirit essence lies.
Comrade Master Gallone,
I entrust this audience to you and your movie,
which celebrates an art...
....a hero to humanity, who will surely become a film metaphor,
for our Duce and the honor of the Roman Empire.
SCIPIONE, THE AFRICAN
"...striptease during the intermission.
"International stars. Same price."
What, are you nervous?
You're smoking constantly.
Maybe you're making me nervous.
All this room and you have to sit right here!
What do you mean? We're just watching a rehearsal together.
Why does it bother you?
Don't look at me.
I can't even...
I know what you're thinking:
One night like this can fuck up 50 years of serious professionalism.
Who said anything about fucking up?
It's just a show.
Besides, they're pretty, they're nice.
It's me who isn't nice. Go on, say it.
Say what? Do I have to tell you whether you're nice or not?
After 20 years,
I suddenly tell you whether I like you or not?
Thank you, ladies. You're all beautiful and fantastic.
I'm sorry, but I've just heard that we've been refused a license.
We have to cancel.
So it's over?
What can we do?
Anyhow, you'll all be paid as agreed, for the whole contract.
- Right? - Of course.
- Thank you! - You're welcome.
We must inform our distinguished audience
that there will be no striptease today.
And the international artists?
They've left for Rome.
A ticket?
Good day, Miss Chantal.
Good day, Mr. Paolo.
Thank you.
See you later.
Jordan!
- What do we do? - Go ahead, we three will watch.
OK, I'll roll it.
THE TREE OF WOODEN CLOGS
We were at a clearing cooking a chicken
we'd "requisitioned" from some Yugoslavian farmers.
While the chicken was boiling, along came some G.I.s
who were hungrier than us.
Divided spoils, hunger for all.
The American lieutenant asked: "What's boiling in that pot?"
I explain in my poor English
and they got frightened and ran off.
Turns out that instead of saying "chicken"...
I had said "children"!
They ran away as if they'd seen a tribe of Italian cannibals!
Jordan! Can you come here a minute?
Excuse me.
I hope to see you soon.
What's wrong?
Nothing, you were in trouble, you needed help.
I know her, when she gets going, it's terrifying.
I mean, if she was cute, I'd have let it go, but she's...
Luigi, do me a favor.
For once, mind your own business.
Just for once.
Fine.
Once, twice, whatever.
Next time, you can handle it yourself.
You'll leave me alone.
Absolutely.
I'll let you stew in your chicken broth.
You're spying on me! Eavesdropping.
Me spy? I've got better things to do.
I worry about you when you're on about Yugoslavia,
G.I. patrols, what you're cooking...
I don't care, suit yourself.
Want to play the fool? Be my guest.
Chicken? Old hen broth more like!
Just remember, that plea can become an order.
Alright, alright. I understand.
Lorenzo...
So this journalist finds this miner, who's stuck in a hole.
Meanwhile...
This bit's good, look at me. Lorenzo, look at me!
He's a journalist, Charles Tatum, in the movie Ace in the Hole,
played by Kirk Douglas.
He wants a scoop, see?
He thinks he's got an exclusive for his paper.
But he says: "No, don't go down there!"
"Don't go down, it's dangerous. The whole thing is collapsing."
You see?
People start turning up from all over to see this guy Leo, who dies.
Then people come along selling lollipops...
You like lollipop sellers, right? And balloons too.
It's a beautiful story. Don't get distracted, Lorenzo,
Stay awake, OK?
It's getting good. Now listen.
Now... Lorenzo! Here's what happens.
Now here's the thing.
No, don't go to sleep!
So he gets his stuff and heads for the cave...
- Isn't he asleep? - No, he's full of go.
Why aren't you asleep? This usually makes you sleep.
He's excited by the story.
He can't sleep, he wants to know how it ends.
So as I was saying, people come along with red balloons.
Days go by... See? Lots of days.
Days and days. Then, in the end, he dies.
Don't fall asleep, Lorenzo.
This thing here is putting you to sleep, right?
I've got it right here. Now listen, Lorenzo.
At some stage, the guy dies.
Right down the mine, see.
So to get a scoop...
You see? Lorenzo...
In the end, he pays the price for doing that and...
Go on, sleep.
Lorenzo, why don't you listen?
Well, I'll tell you tomorrow.
Is he asleep?
I was telling him the end when...
Kirk Douglas gets shot at
and he was out like a light.
Tomorrow, I'll tell him Sciuscià.
Know what I was thinking?
No, what?
That with all these stories in your head, you live...
- how can I say it? - you live vicariously.
- Meaning? - Vicariously.
What does that mean?
- Nastassja! - Natasha... Natasha Kinski.
Nastassja Kinski! You think I don't know her name?
You live vicariously.
You've fought in all the wars, from the Punic wars to Vietnam.
You've traveled more than Marco Polo and the Pope combined.
You know San Francisco better than Rome.
I love San Francisco. I've seen them all.
Start from the Golden Gate, leave behind Berkeley,
the docks, the fish market...
you cross Girardelli Square, where they sell good Italian chocolate,
then you leave the square on your left and you're...
See? I was right.
For sure.
I love San Francisco. You make it sound like a defect,
like it's pathetic to like all those things.
I could have been a small-town accountant.
Instead I've had endless travel,
I've been in love, fought in wars...
I've had adventures...
And of course you've loved all those women.
No, not all of them.
Many have loved me in vain because I was with someone else.
Who are you with now?
Right now, I'm not exactly with a girl...
Someone whose profile resembles Candice Bergen's.
Like you resemble Robert Redford?
If he was younger and dark instead of blonde,
then maybe...
Hey, take it easy!
My lovely little teacher!
So, are you with them or not?
Don't move.
- Hey, the where and the when. - The how and the why.
Listen to this.
"The director's lack of inspiration
"is matched only by the discomfort of an excellent actor
"wondering what he's doing in this nonexistent tale."
What do you say?
Will it put our readers off coming?
You've got less readers than we have moviegoers.
Who's to discourage? Last night there was only you there.
Aside from Mr. Paolo.
He doesn't count, he doesn't come for the movie.
For some time, I've had a feeling of not understanding anything,
of belonging to a race on the verge of extinction.
They've offered me a transfer to the TV review section at the newspaper.
I'll most likely accept. What can I do?
After so many battles... do you see?
"Come on, Nat, join me. Just one little jigger of dreams.
"It tosses the sandbags of my mind overboard.
"Suddenly, I'm above the ordinary."
Ray Milland. Lost Weekend.
No... I'm closing down, closing.
I can't keep The Splendor open for a crazy projectionist
and an idiotic critic.
For some time I've felt like I don't understand anything.
I have a great deal of admiration for you
but I say you've never understood anything.
And you do?
You've been coming for thirty years, you sit in the second row.
At the intermission, you read a movie mag, then check out.
Don't you ever look around?
You, the guy sitting next to you...
Have you ever wondered where he's from, why he's there,
what he expects to see,
or how things are changing? No.
Lorenzo!
I want an ice cream.
A nice ice cream?
Who cares if a movie critic switches to TV?
Or whether or not a movie theater closes?
"But the projectionist will lose his job."
Who cares?
Our battle, but what battle? We're getting old.
If you don't know the game, you die unjustly and that's it.
Lorenzino! What do you want to be when you grow up?
Mayor, explorer, scientist?
Do you want to free the oppressed?
No, you want to make a billion. I know you.
You're just like all the rest.
Why are you telling the kid all this?
Take him home.
Kids are born knowing all about this stuff.
Anyhow, my dear Cocomero, my dear Luigi,
I love you, I adore you, I wish you well
but in this deserted and silent square,
I'm going to have a nap.
Right... right.
I did two years in the Italian army, two years in Tito's army,
six months in a Dubrovnik hospital... Stop, we're here!
Thanks! And have a good trip.
Hello, Bedford Falls!
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, movie house!
Merry Christmas, emporium!
Merry Christmas, Mr. Potter!
Happy New Year to you... in jail!
Go home, they're waiting for you.
Mary!
Well, hello, Mr. Bank Examiner.
- Mr. Bailey, the bank deficit... - I know. $8,000.
- I have here a document... - I bet it's a warrant for my arrest.
Merry Christmas, daddy!
Kids! Pete!
Kids! Janie! Tommy!
Let me look at you. I could eat you up.
- George! - Mary!
Oh, George darling!
George. Come downstairs, quick. They're on their way.
Come in, Uncle Billy. Everybody, in here.
Mary, look, isn't it wonderful?
Mary did it, George, Mary did it!
She told people you were in trouble
and they scattered all over town collecting money.
And here's something for you to play with.
Just a moment... quiet! Quiet, everybody.
To my big brother George, the richest man in town!
I was just leaving and saw the light.
I wondered who was still here at this hour.
What are you up to?
Going through some figures.
You need a hand?
No, I'm done.
How are they?
- Bad? - No.
Not great, though.
You're worried, right?
When you're in debt, you're entitled to be worried.
Aren't you?
This is a beautiful collection.
Now what was I going to say?
Eugenia works at a school
and earns a good living.
Really good. We've no problems.
So, you know...
If you can't pay my salary for a month or two,
it isn't a problem.
Everyone knows, teachers in Italy are really well paid.
Now go to bed.
No... what I mean is...
I'm just saying that because...
I'll stay awhile. I'm not so tired tonight.
Lo Fazio's administrator is here.
This way.
- Good morning, Mr. Jordan. - Good morning.
- How are you? - Fine, thanks.
- And your sister? - We're all fine, sit down.
I'll keep it short.
I'm here to claim the overdue IOUs you signed.
You're wasting your time here.
I've dealt with banks, institutes, credit agencies, loan sharks,
cut-throats of every kind.
But I've never signed a single IOU
for Mr. Lo Fazio.
That's true, but Mr. Lo Fazio has bought out all the IOUs you signed
with institutes, banks, and loan sharks.
They're here and they belong to us.
Naturally an agreement is always possible
and Mr. Lo Fazio is offering a deal that's very advantageous for you,
one that I, as administrator, have strongly opposed.
Anyway you're aware of Mr. Lo Fazio's interest
in acquiring The Splendor's premises.
So here's his offer.
Cancellation of all loans signed by you up to date
and payment directly to you, in cash,
of this sum, written in hand
by Mr. Lo Fazio.
Thank you.
What does minus 10 mean?
That I accept the sum, minus 10 million lira.
I'll discount the 10 million.
In exchange for a minor condition that you, as administrator,
cannot counsel against.
- I say he won't accept it. - He will.
If he does he's a worm.
If not, he's not a worm and we make 10 million.
- Let's hope he's not a worm. - But he is!
50,000.
Pass.
Luigi was right.
For you.
What humiliation!
They'll remember that for forever and a day. It's historical!
Well played!
Ten million for a slap!
Congratulations... Bravo!
To your health and to a hundred of these slaps.
To Lo Fazio, hip-hip hurrah!
To us three!
I'll start turning things off, then.
This evening, after sundown in Garibaldi Square
will be screened the international smash movie Metropolis.
A great cinematic show of love, death,
mystery and fantasy.
Cartoons will also be shown at no extra charge.
Merry Christmas.
All of you!
This is June, you know.
These things only happen at Christmas. Merry Christmas!
Subtitles - Kevin Smith for ECLAIR