Rome Adventure (1962) - full transcript

Prudence,
I have here the book in question:

Lovers Must Learn by one Irving Fineman.

Did you or did you not allow
Deborah Lawrence to read this volume?.

I did, but it was my own personal copy.

As assistant librarian,
surely you were aware...

...that the standards board of this school
had canceled this book...

...as too adult for our girls to read.

Deborah is a senior.

It became clear that her mother
had made intimate relations...

...between men and women so ugly
that I thought this book would help.

The book has
some obscene passages in it.



The very word "lovers" implies--

I think the word "lovers"...

...is one of the loveliest
and most meaningful in our language.

This book is not obscene.

It merely concerns itself
with the inborn need in all of us for love.

The girl in the story gets scared
when she sees all the un-love around her...

...in her town, in her school.

She becomes afraid that she'll never
really know what it's like to be truly loved.

So she rebels...

...because she doesn't wanna wind up
like some of her teachers...

...unloved and alone.

There's nothing dirty
in Lovers Must Learn.

It simply expresses what's hiding
in every girl's heart:

The fear of loneliness...



...the wish for womanhood and fulfillment,
and the need to be loved, that's all.

Prudence, you weren't called
before the faculty board...

...to give us a lecture on love.

You're here to answer why you acted
in defiance of the rules of the board.

I think I'm here
to answer for much more than that.

I think I'm here
to answer for my future too.

So I'm gonna refuse to be discharged.
I'm going to quit.

I should thank you for making me realize
I have to take the book's advice myself.

So this is independence Day.

I'd like my book back, please.
I'm going to need it.

Because I'm going to where
they really know what love's about...

...to Italy.

[SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

[FOGHORN SOUNDS]

[CHATTERING & MUSIC PLAYING]

[MAN SPEAKS ITALIAN
OVER PA]

-My only child going off alone.
-No tears, Mother, we promised.

Prudence is no child.

Oh, darling,
what if something happened to you?.

Oh, Mother, what if nothing did?.

[FOGHORN BLOWING]

MRS. BELL: Be a good girl, now.
-Go down to the end of the dock.

MRS. BELL: Take care of yourself.
-To the end of the dock.

-I'll wave to you from this rail.
MRS. BELL: All right.

From this rail.

Oh, I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.

It's curious how excitement transmits itself
in a crowd, isn't it?.

Aren't you excited?.

To a degree, yes.

Why, Mrs. Stillwell.
I'm Helen Bell. Remember?.

We met in Boston
at the Copley Museum meeting.

-Oh, of course.
-How are you?.

-This is my husband.
-How do you do?.

-My son's sailing.
-So is our daughter.

-Yes, if we'd only known, perhaps our chil--
-Oh, there's Albert.

He's an Etruscologist.

Imagine me giving birth
to an Etruscologist.

-Yes.
-Albert, here I am, dear.

Goodbye, Prudence.

You just don't know what kind of girls
are traveling by ship these days.

-I know.
-Oh, look.

There's one standing beside him
now already.

-The one in pink?.
-Yes.

-Why, that's our Prudence.
-Yes.

-No.
-Yes. Prudence!

-My friend.
-We're friends.

Our Albert.

[MOUTHING INDISTINCTLY]

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

Oh, no, not that one, that one.
Prudence.

You know, I thought it would be
very difficult to meet people onboard ship.

I mean, a girl traveling alone and all that.
But now that it's done, it seems so simple.

Delightfully so.

Well, just don't stand there,
do something.

MRS. STILLWELL:
Albert.

-Well, I guess I'd better unpack.
-Allow me to open your trunk for you.

Well, thank you.

Uh, do you suppose
anyone minds your being here?.

No. Do you?.

I think a girl has every right a man has,
especially the right to be free, don't you?.

I am always amazed
that a few meters of chiffon...

...when filled by a lovely body like yours,
becomes, as if by magic, alive.

That's beautiful.

Aren't we wasting time?.

[DOOR KNOCKS]

[SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

Oh, please, avanti.

Just practicing my Italian.
"Buon viaggio " and all that.

[SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

You're not Albert Stillwell, are you?.

Should I be?.

" Beware of strangers." That's me?.

A stranger can also be a gentleman.

[DOOR KNOCKS
& PRUDENCE SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

I hope I'm not interrupting anything.
I'm Albert Stillwell.

Oh, come in. I'm Prudence Bell.

-I got this radiogram.
-I got one too.

And it says in it that you are a gentleman
and that I am a stranger.

I wish I could trade places.
Arrivederci.

I confess to you
that for too brief a moment...

...I did feel like a stranger
at the gates of paradise.

Now I feel like Adam
locked out of Eden...

...without Eve.

I envy you, signore.

Why would he envy me?.
He doesn't even know me.

My mother says here
that I should take care of you.

I've never taken care of a girl
in my life before.

Is there anything I can take care of?.

Oh, no, you've done a great deal already
just by coming here.

I must warn you,
girls usually find me dull.

Have you by any chance any possible
remote interest in the Etruscans?.

-No, but I'll try.
-That's wonderful.

Most people just come right out
and say no, period.

That's that.

Could I ask just one more question?.

What was that Italian doing
with your nightgown?.

-Trying to get fresh?.
-Oh, no.

He was just wondering
how my body would look in it.

Oh, I see.

Well....

[FOGHORN BLOWS]

Look who's here.

Arrivederci, Liberty.

Now I've got mine, I like it.

It's exciting being free.
Little frightening too, don't you think?.

ALBERT:
Um....

I'll see you topside.

Most people say "upstairs,"
but I was a Sea Scout when young.

PRUDENCE:
Dearest Mother and Daddy:.

If you're still worried about something
happening to me on this boat, don 't.

I have acquired two guardians
named Roberto Orlandi...

...and Mrs. Stillwell's Albert.

And they're not only watching over me,
they're watching each other.

It's as though they've formed a society...

...for the protection
of the chastity of Prudence Bell.

Just think, tomorrow at this time,
we'll be arriving in Rome.

I love you. Prudence.

ROBERTO :
Ahead stands the Arch of Constantine...

...which he had built for himself
1 600 years ago.

Imperial Rome begins here.

The Coliseum, began in the year 72.

The name merely means "the big place,"
"coliosso "...

...named after the bigness
of the Colossus of Rhodes.

On the left is Palatine Hill,
the first of the Seven Hills of Rome.

This is where Rome began
in the year 753 before Christ.

This is the monument
to Vittorio Emanuele Terzo.

What the Gl called "the wedding cake."

And that is Palazzo Venezia.
In the middle is Mussolini's balcony.

Straight ahead is the center of Italy.

All the milestones starts from this place.

From the caesars to Mussolini
in six blocks.

Now, let's hope the contessa
has some rooms for you.

PRUDENCE: I don't see how it can be
inexpensive if a countess runs it.

Oh. Excuse me.

Oh, Roberto.

[BOTH SPEAKING lN ITALIAN]

I'd like to present
this young American beauty...

...Miss Prudence Bell,
and her good friend Albert Stillwell.

I hope you have room for them.

If they are friends of yours,
my friend, they are welcome.

And for you, I have a room upstairs
with a balcony that overlooks our city.

-Would you like to see it?.
-Oh, please, per favore.

And your friend perhaps
would like the adjoining room.

Maybe it would be more proper if....

Ah. To be sure.
I will put you on the third floor.

Roberto, you must join us for dinner.

Oh, I had hoped to take Signorina Bell out
to show her Rome by moonlight.

Oh, Roberto, I'd be delighted.

-lf it is all right with Albert.
-Oh, I approve.

I'll give their luggage to the portiere.
The trunks will follow.

[FOOTSTEPS APPROACH]

ROBERTO:
Don, you must meet my friends.

Signorina Bell, Albert Stillwell,
my American friend Don Porter.

How do you do?. I wanna talk to you.

I just got this note from Lyda.
She's leaving me for good.

If it is for good, it is for good.
I mean for you.

That we never see each other again?.
Hasn't anyone tried to cut your heart out?.

I doubt, my passionate young friend,
that it's your heart that's involved.

Whatever it is, I don't wanna lose her.

You would have been better off
never to have found her.

One thousand and one nights too late,
you tell me that.

[WHISTLE BLOWS]

Is it permitted to kiss you goodbye?.

Of course.

I wish you hadn't come.

I gathered that from your note.

-Why this way after a year of--?.
-I hate goodbyes.

-I've decided to live in Switzerland.
-Don't go.

Get off with me.
We'll head up to Lago Maggiore.

Hush. Now, I've closed my studio.
I'm going.

I'll miss you. Let's just let it go at that.

-Just like that?.
-Just like that.

Like a quick sketch you didn't like
and threw away.

A year is hardly a quick sketch.

Don't try to understand me, Don.

-I flattered myself to think I did.
-No. No one ever has.

Not you, not my fond father,
not any other man.

What's more,
I doubt that any man ever will.

You got a cigarette?.

Remember your first nickname for me?.

Frigid Bridget.

I was teasing,
just trying to get to first base.

You said if I sat on an iceberg,
it wouldn't melt.

-That was a thousand years ago.
-But just as true then as it is now.

I'm no good for you, Don.
From the first, I was never any good.

-You're lucky to get rid of me.
-Why don't you leave that up to me?.

Your great fault, Don,
is that you're an idealist.

You'd always be seeing something in me
that isn't there and never will be.

[WHISTLE BLOWING]

Goodbye, Don.

[MAN SPEAKING lN ITALIAN]

You mean we'll never meet again?.

There's never any never.

Kiss me.

ROBERTO: An angel was seen to sheath
his sword and end the plague of 590.

Bernini designed these angels
in memory of him.

Tell me, besides being an angel,
are you a girl or a woman?.

Well, I'm 21 years old.
I guess that makes me a woman, doesn't it?.

I think it takes a man
to make a woman out of a girl.

-Has there been such a man?.
-No, not yet.

But I think about him a lot.

I like to think
that one day we'll meet and....

And what will happen when you do?.

I'll probably explode.

I've got a lot of love bottled up
inside of me.

Unhappily, it's a natural resource
that's never been fully explored.

-Did you hope to meet him on this trip?.
-Mm-hm.

I've analyzed myself, and I find I have
absolutely no talent for being a spinster.

It seems impossible to believe that you have
not once experienced a grande amore.

No, never grande. Just little ones.

That's very sad.

I often wonder about it.
I think maybe it's my fault.

Maybe I'm so blind
that I wouldn't recognize the right man.

It scares me.

You're not alone in this.
Many feel as you do.

The man also often has this wonder.

You know, my mother has a theory.

She says that for every woman on Earth,
there's only one man...

...and you know when he comes along
because you hear something like bells ring.

[BELLS RINGING]

-Oh.
-Oh.

What do you know?.
I did hear bells, didn't I?.

Yes.

Is it at all possible that the bells ring for me
because they want to help me?.

-Help you what?.
-Be that man.

Oh, you're a man of the world.
You wouldn't be interested in me.

But I am already.

You have said
you are what they call "a nice girl."

Well, I didn't say that, but I am.

-This, of course, creates a problem.
-For whom?.

I always say, to enjoy doing anything,
one must do it well.

Yes, I always say that too.

And to do anything well requires practice.

Constant practice.

It is my suggestion
that we start our practice right here...

...in the moonlight.

In American baseball,
I think they call it a warm-up.

But you're not suggesting
we play baseball.

-You're suggesting we make love.
-A little.

An innocent voyage,
perhaps a gentle exploration.

A kiss.

All right, Roberto.

They say you can tell a lot about a person
from a first kiss.

I do not wish to make so great a gamble
only on one kiss.

It is asking too much.

But I will do my best.

So will l.

-Did you enjoy it?.
-Oh, very much. Thank you.

Your lips were made for kissing.

They are like the inner petals of a rose.

Thank you. Yours felt very good too.

Oh, but the bells.
You didn't feel the bells ring?.

Well, not wild bells.

Little tinkles. Remote little tinkles.

Very pleasant ones, though,
but not wild bells.

Oh, I'm sorry too, Roberto.
I wish they had.

You'd make a very sweet bell ringer.

But any time you'd like to try again,
you're perfectly welcome.

Oh, unhappily, for the next many nights,
I'll be in Milano.

Perhaps if we would try it again.

All right.

No bells?.

Just tinkles.

[MAN SPEAKING ITALIAN
ON RECORDING]

[PRUDENCE SPEAKING
lN ITALIAN]

Hello.

Goodbye.

I'll be seeing you.

I'll see you later.

So long.

I wish to make an appointment
with Mr. Silvi.

Do you mind turning that thing down?.

[TURNS VOLUME DOWN]

May I introduce Mr., Mrs., Miss Silvi?

My wife.

My husband.

[BELLS RINGING]

PRUDENCE:
The church bells started ringing at dawn.

I jumped out of bed, dressed,
and snuck out of the villa.

The guidebook said Rome can 't be seen
in a day, a week or a month or a year.

But the first Sunday
before I started looking for a job...

...I decided to make Rome as much mine
as I could.

Constantine stared at nothing.

His hand was a thousand times bigger
than mine.

What a man.

Then I went to see the noon gun fire.

And so did all the kids.

Towards sunset, I crossed the Tiber...

...in one of those
pretty red-wheeled Roman carriages.

By sunset I circled the great piazza
at St. Peters...

...and passed the colonnade
Bernini designed.

I found myself falling in love
with this city.

[CHATTERING]

Ladies and gentlemen,
I want you to meet our new guests.

Signorina Prudence Bell.
Please sit here, my dear.

And Mr. Stillwell.

And beside you is Miss Agnes Hutton,
from your state of Missouri...

...and Miss Riggs, her chaperon.

How do you do?. How do you do?.

Perch? doesn't Mr. Porter ever come down
per la cena with us?.

His work at the academy
has occupied his nights.

The only night work occupying Mr. Porter
has been that female painter.

Miss Riggs,
it is a rule in my house that at table...

...we do not discuss personal affairs
of other guests.

DON:
And a very good rule it is.

Forgive me for being so late.

[SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

Don, from the way you look,
you haven't been eating at all.

Oh, you remember Miss Bell
and Mr. Stillwell?.

You're doing graduate work
at the American Academy?.

-Yes, I'm working on my final thesis now.
-I'm in Etruscology myself.

I'm here to work on the origins
of the Etruscan alphabet.

I had quite a gift for cryptology
even as a child.

One might say
the Rosetta stone was my first love.

Rosetta?. Was she an Italian?.

She was a rock.

Engraved in Greek, demotic
and hieroglyphic with a priestly decree.

You fell in love with a rock?.

It was the key for the decipherment
of the ancient monuments of Egypt.

She was much more than a rock.

I'm sorry I ever brought it up.

-I neglected to ask why you're in Rome.
-Oh, to learn and to get a job.

From what I've heard of your Italian,
you're gonna find it tough going.

For this job,
it is the English that is wanted.

It is from the Sunday paper.
The place is not far from here.

"Wanted: Young, English-speaking,
female assistant, college education.

Fifty dollars a week while learning.
Must like dogs."

I love dogs.

"The American Bookshop, Piazza Navona,
opposite Bernini fountain."

Dogs in a bookshop?.
Anyway, I'll be up at the crack of dawn.

[BOTH SPEAK lN ITALIAN]

[DOG BARKING]

[SCREAMS]

McGinnis, for Pete's sake.

[SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

I don't open till 9. Sorry.

Oh, I don't want anyone
to beat me to the job.

You are an eager beaver. Come on in.

[DOG BARKING]

-You want some espresso?.
-Uh-huh.

McGinnis, come here.

-What's your name?.
-Prudence.

-You gotta be kidding.
-No, it's Prudence Bell.

Prudence, a virtue I've been out of
lo these many years.

You know,
I gotta buy some chairs for this place.

-You a college graduate?.
-Uh-huh.

-Briarcroft...
-Ugh.

-...in Connecticut.
-I know where it is. Stuffy.

I was assistant librarian.
They were gonna fire me, so I quit.

Fire you for what?.

Giving one of the students
my favorite book to read...

...Lovers Must Learn.

Uh-huh.

-Teachers banned it, right?.
-Uh-huh.

Good book.

I used to be a schoolteacher, you know.

Mm-hm. I was.
I discovered I was allergic to kids.

[CHUCKLES]

Notice how many schoolteachers
take a boat every summer...

...to escape those little monsters?.

I figure I was the 251,948th schoolteacher
to take a boat to Rome.

Then you decided to stay?.

The first time a good-looking Italian
pinched my bottom, I said to myself:

"This is for me."

I wired home my resignation,
sent for my savings, and bought this place.

And they're still...?.

You better believe it. And I still like it.
You wanna be paid in dollars or lira?.

You mean I got the job?.

McGinnis!

[DOG BARKS]

Come meet my new right hand
and offer her yours.

PRUDENCE:
Come here.

That's a good baby, yes.

That's a good boy.

[SPEAKING lN ITALIAN]

She went to Switzerland, Cesare.

[SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

DON: Get the job?.
-Yes. I love it.

I get to read all about Italy
between customers.

Sit down, we'll drink to it.

I always wanted to come to one of these
places, but I was afraid to come by myself.

-What would you like to drink?.
-What are you drinking?.

It's Strega. Actually, it's a liqueur.

The word means "the sorceress."

What does Strega do for you?.

I don't know what it does for everybody,
but Stregas turn the world gold for me.

Oh, well, then I'll have Strega too.
I feel particularly golden today.

Cesare.

[SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

If a bit breathtaking.

Oh, look. The sun's on the fountain.

It's like being in the front row
of a brand-new and very wonderful show.

You're making me see it
for the first time again.

-How long have you been in Rome?.
-Over a year, and getting homesick.

But it is a wonderful show.

How would you like to see Act 2
from Lake Albano?.

Mm.

Look, the whole world is golden.

Even Rocca di Papa down there
has turned to gold.

I find myself designing in all those colors.

Perhaps Signor Americano would like
to buy some antique treasures for his lady?.

Oh, I am not his lady.

Oh. Heh-heh-heh.

Look.

-Any use for a candlestick?.
-Twenty thousand lira.

I think I'll buy it anyway, though,
to commemorate this auspicious occasion.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You know,
it looks like real gold in this light.

I will keep it forever
as a mark of my integrity.

[SPEAKS ITALIAN]

You hungry?.

I'm famished. I'd like you to order for me.

Waiter.

[SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

[SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

-What kind of wine would you like?.
-Uh-uh.

I'm so warm and golden already,
I'm afraid of what wine would do to me.

Afraid?.

Aren't you forgetting our integrity?.

[BOTH SPEAKING lN ITALIAN]

Forgive me for being profound
at this moment...

...but suddenly once more,
it's good to be alive.

[MAN HUMMING
& SINGING lN ITALIAN]

What does "al di l? " mean?.

It means....

It's kind of hard to explain.

Far, far away. Beyond the beyond.

Beyond this world.

That's how much he loves her
in the song.

[AUDIENCE CLAPPING]

Hey, you've had enough bubbly bubbles.

Hey, look who's over there.

Hi, Don, remember me?. Lago Maggiore?.

Il Jazz Hot?.

Is that you under that spinach?.

Al Hirt, Prudence Bell.
Prudence Bell, Al Hirt.

-Hi.
-He was born in a trumpet.

-You got it with you?.
-No.

-I thought you slept with it.
-No, but that reminds me.

Hey, you, come here.

I picked up this chick at Capri.

Dig that figure. Too much, ain't she?.

Show them, baby.

Isn't that nutty?.

Look at that figure.

I've been warned
that someday she'll leave me.

-Or kill me.
-I bet.

Show them your knife, doll.

Fascinating, ain't she?.

Put it away.

Hey, man, I gotta get my horn
and get across town.

-Why don't you join me?.
-Yeah, we'd love to.

Come on, Miss Hot Lips of 1 962.

Yes, master.

Healthy-looking girl.

[TRUMPET PLAYING]

[WHISPERING INAUDIBLY]

-Ow! Pig, pig, pig!
-Ugh!

[MUSIC STOPS]

AL: Don, I think the party's over.
Get your chick and get out of here.

Uh-uh. You're gonna need some help.

No, no, we'll handle this.
Go ahead, get out, get out.

PRUDENCE:
Wait, wait, wait.

-Good night, Al.
-Get out of here, baby.

DON: Where'd you go?.
-You forgot your integrity.

[SCREAMING]

[PRUDENCE CHUCKLES]

-Shall we go straight home or--?.
-"Or" sounds like much more fun.

Borghese Gardens.

[SPEAKS ITALIAN]

-What'd he say?.
-"For love, there is no need for candlestick."

[SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

[PRUDENCE CHUCKLES]

Oh, how wonderful.

Wake up.

[BOTH SPEAK lN ITALIAN]

Hyah!

[CLOCK CHIMES]

-I wish--
-So do l.

I love you.

[CHATTERING]

[SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

Okay?.

Glad you talked the contessa
into serving a real breakfast...

...instead of that lousy colazione
they call breakfast.

Hush.

-Did you have a good time at the movie?.
-So-so.

What burned me was,
Albert didn't even bother asking me...

...till he was sure his precious Prudence
wasn't coming home.

-But Albert is a gentleman.
-That's just the trouble, Miss Riggs.

Frankly, I seem to be getting nowhere
with the Italians.

And I could use a little mousing
about now.

Does "mousing"
mean what I think it means?.

Now, I promised your parents...

...that you would speak either English
or Italian in Rome, not that college jabber.

I mean, I think he's positively snowed
over Prudence.

-lf you ask me, he's out to lunch.
-Out to--?.

Well, maybe not really OTL,
just kind of uncoordinated, spaz.

Spa...?.

And your parents sent you here
for culture.

-What movie did you see?.
-A Marlon Brando antique.

The one with motorcycles.

Wow, I wish he'd ask me
to ride behind him.

-Albert?.
-Marlon.

I think it's the living end
the way they do it in Italy.

Do what?.

The way the girls sit behind fellas
on their scooters...

...hanging onto their middles.

How sexy can you get?.

I think it's absolutely too much.

-Good morning, all.
-Good morning, Albert.

You don't by any chance
walk in your sleep, do you?.

No complaints so far. Why?.

Well, this morning about 3:00...

...I could have sworn I saw the shadow
of a man go by my window.

-Wow, I would've pulled him in.
-Hush. Now, the balcony runs from--

PRUDENCE:
Morning.

I worried about you last night,
not coming home for dinner.

-I ate out to celebrate my new job.
-Oh.

-Congratulations.
-Mr. Porter ate out last night too.

Did he?.

[BOTH SPEAK lN ITALIAN]

Get her.

I was just telling Albert
that I could have sworn--

ALBERT: What time did you say
this balcony creeper visited you?.

You misunderstood me, Albert.
I merely said that I heard this creep at--

Good morning.

Morning, Don.

Good morning, Mr. Porter.

Good morning, Miss Riggs.
I trust you slept soundly?.

Quite the contrary.

You didn't by any chance
hear a creeping man...

...on the balcony last night, did you?.

Not l, why?.
Were you expecting someone?.

DAISY:
Good day, Mr. Porter.

Good morning, Miss Bronson.

[DOG BARKING]

You're making Prudence very happy
these soft summer nights.

-It's not one-sided, I assure you.
-Good.

She's new at love.
I wouldn't wanna see her get hurt.

I don't intend to hurt her.
What makes you think I would?.

I didn't say that you would.
But I know men.

I could tell you things
that would make your hair curl.

I'm sure you could, Miss Bronson.

I usually go to Ischia for my holiday...

...and I usually meet a man.

And I usually come home sadder but wiser,
as they say.

But not really.

Because every summer, I go back.

Now, our Prue is quite different.

She's pure of heart.
I don't think I ever was.

I can shrug off a one-sided love affair.

-She couldn't, Mr. Porter.
-She won't have to, Miss Bronson.

We sound like Gallagher and Shean.

Who's that?.

You are young, aren't you?.

[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]

Hi. Hello.

Okay, you two, get out of here.
It's time to close.

Here are some guidebooks.

Don't get hurt.

Goodbye, Daisy. I'll miss you.

I'll miss you too, Mr. McGinnis,
you big hound.

Woof!

[BARKS]

[SPEAKS ITALIAN]

Oh, how happy can you get?.

We're sorry we're late.
I had to ship a Vespa. We apologize.

These are Mr. and Mrs. Porter.
Now we're ready to go.

Mr. and Mrs. Porter. I could have died.

You were three
and three-quarter minutes late.

You know, my wife and I have been
planning this holiday abroad for years.

Well, where's your wife now?.

-Why, she's at home.
-At home?.

Well, it's my holiday.

HOSTESS: This is Ostia Antica,
the ancient port of Rome.

For a thousand years,
all this was drifting sands.

These are tragic masks
staring at the Roman theater.

It is said if you come here by moonlight...

...you can hear the applause
and the sighing of the ancient audience.

But maybe it is only the wind.

This is Bomarzo.

And now we are entering
the Park of the Monsters.

DON:
Prudence.

-Spooky, huh?.
-Yeah.

HOSTESS: It is believed that these monsters
were carved out of the living rock...

...by Turkish captives
many, many years ago.

PRUDENCE:
Now, sit yourself on the gladiator's lap.

-Say cheese.
-Cheese.

Extraordinary.

HOSTESS:
This is Arezzo...

...built by Etruscans hundreds of years
before the Roman Empire.

Each year, they have this fiesta,
performed as it was in the Middle Ages.

Those banners
bear ancient coats of arms.

[AUDIENCE CLAPPING]

Oh!

HOSTESS:
This is the Accademia...

...and there stands Michelangelo's David
in the heart of Florence.

DON: This is the most beautiful woman
in the world.

PRUDENCE: Oh, she is beautiful.
It's as if she were breathing.

HOSTESS:
We come into Pisa.

There is the baptistery, the cathedral
and the famous Leaning Tower.

It was begun in the year 1 1 73.

It leans 1 4 feet off center...

...and has 294 spiral stairs inside
leading to the top.

But the climb is worth it.

We will spend the night here
by the quiet Mediterranean Sea.

Your rooms have already been assigned
at our hotel.

[SPEAKING lN ITALIAN]

That's you.

So it is.

What'd you want me to do?.

Make an explanation in front of everybody
that we're not Mr. and Mrs. Porter?.

PRUDENCE: You could at least
have asked for separate rooms.

Desk, please.

This is Mr. Porter.

My wife would like a room alone.
You see....

You see, she snores.

No rooms?.

None at all in town?.

I understand, the holidays.
Grazie.

-What with the holidays--
-I heard.

Well, I could always sleep out there
on the balcony.

You could.

You should, and you will.

[SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

I'm sorry about last night.

It's just that I've never traveled alone
with a man before.

I figured that.

I didn't sleep a wink last night.

Neither did l.

HOSTESS: We are entering Orvieto,
famed for wines and its glorious cathedral.

Notice the beautiful mosaics
in the pavement.

This magnificent 1 3th-century building...

...was designed
by the architect of Siena, Maitani...

...to commemorate a miracle.

Follow me, please.

DON: Why don't we let the others go
ahead?. I wanna share this with you alone.

PRUDENCE:
All right.

DON: Many people wonder
why medieval churches...

...were covered with murals,
mosaics, sculptures.

See, so few people knew how to read
or write...

...they had to learn the Bible stories
from the walls of their churches.

They say these walls were carved
by the architect himself...

...Like the pages of a book
illustrating his Bible.

See there?.

The crucifixion of Christ.

Mary Magdalene.

The Annunciation.

Christ in the temple.

Entering Jerusalem.

The baptism of Christ.

The judgment of Solomon.

The mother receiving the child.

This is the kind of beauty...

...that comes only when the artist knows
he's working for the glory of God.

It proves one thing to me.

If your work is fine, you can never die.

For the first time,
I feel I really know you.

We'll end our tour here at Lago Maggiore.

There lies Isola Bella,
so perfectly named Beautiful Isle.

The great composer Richard Wagner said
it was here that he felt his heart at peace...

...and filled with hope of a new
and harmonious future.

That's my wish for you all.

[PRUDENCE SPEAKS ITALIAN]

WOMAN: Goodbye.
PERICOLI: Thank you.

DON: Goodbye, Pericoli.
PRUDENCE: Goodbye, Signor Pericoli.

DON: Marylou.
PRUDENCE: Goodbye, dear.

DON: Goodbye, Donna.
PRUDENCE: Bye, Marylou.

Now I know how Shakespeare felt
when he said, "Alone at last."

Did he say that?.

He must have.
He said just about everything else.

DON:
The Garden of Eden.

Where do we go from here?.

How would you like to ride
to the top of the world?.

Look.

-Seems as if we're alone in eternity.
-Are you scared?.

A little. Hold me?.

There's the top of the world.

[MAN SINGING lN ITALIAN
OVER SPEAKERS]

-Oh. You bribed somebody.
-No, I didn't.

Look. It's coming over that loudspeaker.

Oh, this is heaven.

I bet if I said a prayer up here,
God himself would answer and say:

"Yes, Prudence?. "

Where will we spend our first night?.

DON: You have the whole valley
to choose from.

Let's pick a place from here.

How about that little chalet
all by itself down there?.

Maybe it has a view.

[PROPRIETOR SPEAKING lN ITALIAN]

You're welcome.

It's a lovely evening.

Welcome.

It's a lovely evening, eh?.
You're welcome.

-Are you the proprietor to the pensione?
-Yes, sir.

-Do you have any rooms with a view?.
-Do I have any rooms with a view?.

A room with a view. With a view.

The room with a view.
The honeymoon suite is yours.

-Here we go again. Now, don't let him.
-But I didn't--

I didn't ask for the honeymoon suite.
All I asked for was a room with a view.

Oh, you think you cannot afford a suite,
maybe, but you are wrong.

It's not a suite.

It's simply an enchanting
little beautiful bedroom.

It was a suite...

...but we find that the sitting room
is never sat in.

Very funny.
So the suite is not a suite, signore.

And signora will swoon with delight.

You give that room to the signorina.

Signorina?.

All alone in the bridal suite.
But she will be desolate.

Well, you just let me wrestle
with that problem.

-And I'll take any room you have nearby.
-All right, all right.

[RINGS BELL]

Oh, I could have dug a hole in the floor
and pulled it in after me.

-Am I still blushing?.
-You're pretty pink.

And I do mean "pretty."

PROPRIETOR: Wouldn't you have said
they were on a honeymoon?.

First mistake in 50 years. First mistake.

[CHUCKLES]

Balcony, balcony.
Who's got the balcony?.

Look. It's already dark down in the valley.

Soon the night will come to us.

Do you think we'll sleep tonight?.

[BELL RINGS]

[PRUDENCE AND MAN
SPEAKING lN ITALIAN]

-Do you speak English?.
-No.

Can you make this?.

But by Tuesday.

It's my friend's birthday.

DON: On the map,
they call this place Lovers' Point.

PRUDENCE:
Oh, let's walk out there.

We can have our picnic right here.

Oh, here, let me help.

We'll have the whole world at our feet.

PRUDENCE:
Mm.

That tickles.

That tickles too.

Stop that. Every place you pick tickles.

Do you know why you tickle?.

It's a throwback from the cave days.
It saved your life once.

What did?. Tickling?.

Back in the cave days
when you were sleeping....

Go to sleep.

Really go?.

No, just close your eyes.

Now, pretend you're a cavewoman...

...and you're sound asleep...

...and something starts crawling closer
and closer to your most vulnerable spot...

...your jugular vein.

And suddenly...

-...suddenly, you get a warning.
-Ooh! Ah!

No wonder it makes you shiver.

It does that to all of us.

Dogs and cats, animals.

That's why our hair stands on end
when we get frightened.

I don't get frightened
when you tickle me.

-You got goose flesh, didn't you?.
-Mm-hm.

Ancient reflex action. Born in you.

Well, I tickle other places too.

The most valuable places.

Take your ear.
That's a bug that's flown too close.

Or your nose. Same thing.
Sneeze the bug away.

Reflex reaction. Cavewoman.

Well, what makes me so ticklish
around the lips?.

More than other places?.

More than most places.

Lots of danger around the lips.

What kind of danger?.

You tell me how close I have to get...

...before it starts tickling.

All right.

I'll try.

Tickle yet?.

-Not yet.
-Now?.

Almost.

Now?.

Oh, yes, now.

[CHURCH MUSIC PLAYING]

Do you go to church every Sunday?.

-Whenever I can. Don't you ever go?.
-Not since I was a boy.

-Don't you ever feel like praying?.
-Lots of times, I feel like it.

I guess I just don't quite know
how to go about it.

Well, that's because you've never suffered.
If you had, you'd know about prayer.

Never suffered?.

Women don't think men suffer. They do.
It's just that they go about it differently.

I pray a lot.

Do you ever pray for me?.

Of course.

Oh, look over there.
There's a castle on the lake.

Hey, it's raining.

PRUDENCE:
Tastes good.

That big drop there, that's a man.

Watch him fall toward this one.

-That's a woman.
-Look.

How she jumped out to him
before he even met her.

Now they're turned into one drop.

They're falling together.

Brazen hussy.
Did you see how she leaped out for him?.

Couldn't even wait, poor thing.

Oh. There's a real heartbreaker, look.

He's going after two
of those little lonely girls.

He's gonna take them one after another.

Look. They jumped out to meet him.

In Physics, the professor would call that
"capillary attraction."

Well, professors don't know everything.

Perhaps in the case of the raindrops,
it's love.

At least in the case
of the female raindrops.

We'll never know.

Tell me, is it that way with most men?.

Like the big drop that went after
the two little ones one after the other?.

No, not most men.

Well, where to now, my lord and master?.

When the rain stops,
I shall show you Verona.

Oh, Romeo-and-Julietsville.

Even her balcony.

Me and Juliet.

Do you remember what he said
when he saw her up here?.

I should. I played Romeo in high school.

Well, let me hear you say some of it.

What light
through yonder window breaks?.

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!

Arise, fair sun,
and kill the envious moon...

...who is already sick and pale
with grief...

...that thou her maid
art far more fair than she.

[CLAPPING]

DON:
This is the ancient Roman arena.

The gladiators
came out of this very entrance.

DON:
I'm hungry.

Why don't we find a market,
get some wine and cheese...

...and find another meadow?.

You get the cheese, I'll get the wine.

What kind of cheese do you want?.
Big-hole cheese or little-hole cheese?.

Big-hole cheese,
the kind you can see through.

[CHATTERING]

Signore, one pound of the Swiss cheese
with large holes.

This...here.

[SPEAKING lN ITALIAN]

Oh.

Excuse me, but I could tell
you were an American from behind.

I am, from Salt Lake City.

-Who do you know I know?.
-Oh, I've never been west of Ithaca.

Most people think I lisp when I say Ithaca,
but there is actually a place called Ithaca.

I know.

Oh, the lady over there
was wondering what you were doing...

...so close to her tomatoes.

Oh, I just bought this new close-up lens,
and I'm trying to figure how it works.

With this ring added to the 50 mm lens...

...it's supposed to increase
the exposure factor four times.

-Oh, I see.
-You do?.

Then tell me...

...if I double the f-stop and open up
from a meter reading of 8.5 to 4.5...

...isn't that the same
as using one-twenty-fifth...

...instead of one-one-hundredth at 8.5?.

I don't know my 8.5's
from a hole in the ground.

Excuse me, I think my mother needs me.

Prudence Bell.

Isn't this a small world?.

I just wrote your mother
that I'd missed you in Rome...

...because you'd already left
on this northern trip.

I flew over and surprised Albert.

Where's the rest of your party?.

Oh, well, this is one of those free hours
for shopping, you know.

ALBERT:
You going in for cheeses, Prudence?.

Your mother was terribly upset
about your traveling alone.

Well, I feel perfectly safe.

We've hired a car,
and we're heading back to Rome.

-Can't you abandon the tour and join us?.
-Yes.

Oh, no.

Well, you see,
there's this very old man on the tour...

...and, well, he doesn't hear very well,
and he eats nothing but cheese.

And, well, he depends on me,
and it's way past his cheese time...

...and if he thought I'd abandoned him,
why, he'd feel terrible.

Uh, I'd better rush back to the bus.

[SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

I'll see you in Rome, Prudence.

[WOMAN SPEAKING lN ITALIAN]

[BOTH GASPING]

Well, that was a close shave.

Oh, darn, she spoiled everything.

She made me see how wrong
our lovely little holiday would seem...

...to my mother...

...even though
it's been nothing but right for me.

What if my mother did find out?.

What if we bump into them again
and they find out I lied?.

Look, let's head up to our lake.

I can't picture Albert
and his mother waterskiing.

It's no good, Don.

I can't run away from my conscience.

I think I'd best go back to Rome.

We can take the night train.
It'll get us to Rome crack of dawn.

[WHISTLE BLOWS]

[DOOR KNOCKS]

[MAN & PRUDENCE SPEAK
lN ITALIAN]

Breakfast.

And happy birthday.

How'd you know?.

Oh, I peeked at your passport once
when you were asleep.

It's our chalet.

You see, Juliet had her balcony,
and I had mine.

-You like it?.
-I love it.

Does that say,
"Don't put orange peels in the basket"?.

No, it says, "Don't let the kids
stick their necks out the window."

Oh.

You know, when I have a child...

...the first thing I'm gonna do
is teach it to read Italian.

Everything sounds better in Italian.

If I ever do have a child,
I hope it looks like you.

Why?.

Oh, because I like the shape
of your head...

...your hands and your eyes.

And I hope that one day he makes
somebody as happy as you've made me.

[BOTH SPEAK lN ITALIAN]

What if they're all at breakfast
and see us come in together?.

You're right.

There's a back way through
the sculptors' yard. We could sneak in.

-Don, Prudence.
-Shh!

[WHISPERS]
Are you playing games?.

-We don't want anyone to see us together.
-Why not?.

We don't want people
to jump to the wrong conclusions.

[lN NORMAL VOICE] But that's preposterous.
This is Italy. What could they think?.

Only that you two
have been away someplace for holiday.

-You don't say.
-Oh, I see. That's not good?.

Well, it was very good,
but they would think it was very bad.

Good, bad,
it's too complicated to discuss it here.

I came to tell you I'm back from Milano,
opening my villa at Frascati.

I hope you will come to see me.
I missed you.

Well, if it couldn't be Prudence
and me together, my dear friend...

...I'm very happy
it's going to be Prudence and you together.

For me, the bells are still ringing.

[MOUTHS]
I love you.

Who is she, Don?.

She's pretty.

Take her to Lago Maggiore?.

When you slip away, you could at least
leave a note saying when you'd return.

-I thought you were--
-So did l.

But I warned you,
there's never any never.

-So I'm back.
-Why?.

Got into another mess.

I'm giving some thought to killing myself.

I was in Switzerland just three days...

...when I met
one of those American tycoons...

...hiding corporations in Switzerland.

Benjamin Bentley. Read about him?.
Very rich, very powerful.

Wants-what-he-wants-when-he-wants-it
type.

And he wanted you?.

He wanted me to paint him
on his yacht at Venice.

It quickly got out of hand,
sticky and unpleasant.

-So I'm back.
-You mentioned a mess.

He's followed me.

If you'll take a look out there,
you'll find a stranger in the garden.

His watchdog.

-Has he threatened you?.
-Oh, no, no.

Quite the contrary.

I think he's been instructed...

...to make sure that nothing of any kind
happens to me.

DON:
Like what?.

Like this.

What did you do that for?.

To show him I have a lover...

...and have him report it to the big man.

-All out?.
-Over there.

After he reports, then what?.

I simply want Bentley to think I'm a tramp,
and go home.

Now, sit down, my darling,
I have another confession.

That you're the only living human being
who's important to me.

Are you disowning your rich papa?.

I told him I was fully depreciated
and he could at last write me off.

I hate to sound like a crybaby
at this late date...

...but I guess that's where it all started.

Papa.

Big allowance, little love.

So you're all I've got.

You're all that's sane, reliable, good...

...in my misbegotten life.

You still want me?.

-Prudence, this is Lyda.
-Hello, Prudence.

I'm always happy
to meet a friend of Don's.

So am l.

Don has a gift
for choosing attractive friends.

Darling, I'd rather not be alone tonight.

Bring this charming girl to dinner
at my studio.

-Thanks, but--
-Well, we could make it a foursome.

I'm sure someone as pretty as you
knows many attractive men.

If I were you,
I'd rather keep Don to myself.

It's very kind of you
to make it a foursome.

I'll ask Albert.

You'll show them the way, Don, dear?.

I told you there was a girl before you.

She came to me
because she was in a jam.

She didn't have anyone else to turn to.

I see.

I'm sorry you accepted her invitation.
I don't think you'll have much in common.

Oh, I'd say we had a lot in common.

You.

That's one way
of preserving the antiquities of Rome...

...plaster them on the walls.

[ALL SPEAK lN ITALIAN]

I'm so glad you came.

I was afraid
you might have decided against it.

Nothing could have kept me away.
Thank you.

Lyda, this is Albert Stillwell.
He's an Etruscologist.

-Would it be rude of me to ask why?.
-No, everybody does.

But the answer
would be the story of my life...

...and we haven't time for that, have we?.

Come, you can put your wrap
in my bedroom.

ALBERT:
Hey, she really is an artist, isn't she?.

I recognize him.

His name's Bentley.
He had his picture in LIFE.

He's one of those robber barons
Congress investigated.

[MUSIC PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS]

Oh, what a lovely room.
Where does the music come from?.

LYDA: From two stereo speakers
behind the drapes.

How nice to have music in every room.

I go to sleep with it playing.

You must feel lost all alone
in such a mammoth bed.

When I'm alone,
the music keeps me company.

Trying to read the inscription?.

Yes.

It says,
"All my love, past, present, future.

Don."

-That covers a lot of territory, doesn't it?.
-All there is, I guess.

But then, aren't men apt
to write almost anything...

...during those first few weeks
of falling in love?.

Is that when he wrote that?.

Yes, at Lago Maggiore, Isola Bella.

Did you have a happy holiday?.

-Unforgettable.
-Don is good company, isn't he?.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Yes, you might say that I've looked
after Prudence since we left New York...

...when we discovered that our mothers
belong to the same state historical society.

A girl needs a good deal of looking after.
Has he done well by you, Prudence?.

Oh, yes.

The music is lovely.
Borodin's always been a favorite of mine.

Don never could remember
who wrote what.

He'd simply say,
" Put on some love music."

And that could mean anything
from Tristan and Isoide to Ella Fitzgerald.

When you want love music,
what do you ask for, Prudence?.

I've never gone in much
for planned musical lovemaking.

Me either.
I'm an anti-love-music man myself.

I like march music.
Give me "The Stars and Stripes Forever."

Have you ever made love
to "The Stars and Stripes Forever"?.

-No, I can't say I have.
-You haven't lived.

Remember that little town band...

...in Lago Maggiore, when you paid them
not to play under our balcony?.

Being men, they caught on
and laughed and went away.

But men see things more realistically
than we women do.

Too often
we don't even know our own minds...

...and we make such fools of ourselves.

I think I know mine.

LYDA: Let's face it,
at least where men are concerned...

...we don't know whether we're coming
or going half the time.

Like the time in that bar
when you stood up...

...and announced to all the customers
that you were in love.

And they applauded and laughed,
remember?.

I was so embarrassed and frustrated,
I acted like a schoolgirl.

I was plastered.

Tell us, though.
You've known various kinds of women.

What type do you like best?.

Excuse me.

Could I have offended her?.

No, she probably wanted
to powder her nose.

Now, tell Don and me
all about your Etruscans, Mr. Stillwell.

You'd be bored stiff.

Don, how about telling us
about your holiday?.

WOMAN:
Strega, signore?.

Don't let her throw you, Prudence.

She was right.

-We do make fools of ourselves.
-Come on, now.

And you were right too.

I shouldn't have come.

Because now I know
you were in Lago Maggiore with her...

...and a band played love music
under your balcony.

I sent them away.

You told everybody in the place
how you loved her.

So what?. I was plastered.
You knew about Lyda. She was no secret.

That was before I was here in her room...

...where I could see how it was
between you.

I thought I could compete with her,
but I can't.

I was foolish enough
to think that I was somebody special.

I'm not.

I'm just another girl.

But you are special.

Oh, I can't let her see me crying.

-Don, please take me home.
-Of course you should go home, Prudence.

I'm sorry you feel bad.
I'll call Mr. Stillwell.

I'll take Prudence home.

Don.

-Please come back.
-You won't be alone.

Get Albert started
on the Etruscan funeral rites.

Please do. I need advice.

You're a very sweet girl, Prudence.

It was nice finding out
what you're really like.

What's going on?.

Now, start from the beginning, Albert.

Where did the Etruscans come from?.

Do you really wanna know?.

Well, first of all,
let me explain something.

The Romans borrowed many, many things
from the Etruscans:

The gladiatorial contests, the purple toga,
the rituals, processions and triumphs.

I'm sorry you went.

So am l.

When we were in the mountains,
did you find me too naive?.

What the devil are you talking about?.

-I suppose you were bored to death.
-Don't talk like an idiot.

It was you who said,
" Let's go back to Rome," not me.

Are you going back to her place?.

Of course.

[DOOR CLOSES
& CAR ENGINE STARTS]

[BOTH SPEAKING lN ITALIAN]

No.

Don't be such a big sport about it.
Go cut her throat.

I'm no sport.

If I don't know enough to hold him...

...to make him want me
more than he wants her...

...then it's not his fault, it's mine.

I just don't know enough about love.

I thought if you loved somebody as much
as I loved him, they had to love you back.

Don't forget,
men do get confused sometimes.

The poor, dear, simple, selfish monsters.

-How long since he went to her?.
-Three nights ago.

Oh, I tell you, Daisy,
I just can't stand it any longer.

Oh, the days,
I can when I'm working here...

...but at night
all I can think about is him with her.

You've just gotta convince yourself
that anything she can do...

...you can do better.

Oh, I don't know enough
to compete with her.

Every woman in the world competes
with every other woman in the world...

...from the time she's born.

What you don't know, you can invent.

She gave me an inferiority complex.

Oh, honestly, Daisy, I'm not even sure
it's in me to make bells ring for any man.

I'm willing to bet that in Rome
right now...

...there are a thousand handsome Italians
willing and able to help you find out.

It would have to be with somebody
I at least liked.

I was very glad when you called.

But you said you'd stay for the weekend.
You brought no bag?.

I have everything I need in here.

-Oh, you have a lovely home.
-I'm happy you like it.

Are you really glad to have me,
or am I making an idiot of myself?.

But I am delighted.

Remember what you said that night
on the Bridge of the Angels?.

Remind me.

-You said in order to do anything well--
-Requires practice.

Mm-hm.

We spoke of love.

Well, that's why I'm here.

-What about Don?.
-What about him?.

You know where he is?.

Mm-hm. And I couldn't care less.

Oh, I see.

It is over between you?.

Then I am very pleased
you have come to me.

My guestroom is upstairs.

[CLOCK CHIMES]

Well, I guess I better change
into something more comfortable.

Oh, of course, change.

I....

I suppose you have guests here
all the time.

Oh, yes, all the time.

But none as attractive
and desirable as you.

Here is the bath with a shower.

Oh, I love showers.

The contessa only has those tubs
with the little squirters....

I, too, like showers. And they are quicker.

Well, I will start some music,
make ready the champagne...

...and await you with great impatience.

Lesson number one:

Anticipation is part of the joy.

[SPEAKING lN ITALIAN]

[SPEAKING lN ITALIAN]

[MUSIC PLAYS]

Well?.

How do you like the new me?.

[SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

Lesson number two.

You need no lesson. You are a graduate.

Well, then...

...Lesson number three.

All right.

Lesson number three:
Don't try to be Lyda.

-What do you mean?.
-Isn't that what all this is about?.

Be only Prudence.

Prudence,
who never in her life would be a Lyda.

Prudence,
who was born to be a one-man woman.

And I only wish I were that one man,
but I am not.

-I refuse to be a one-man woman.
-Why?.

Because it's too painful.

But for the man who loves you,
it is the most precious blessing.

There are far too many many-men women
in the world.

What happens when a one-man woman
falls desperately in love...

...with a two-woman man?.

Two-woman?. Oh, you mean Don?.

He's with her now.

-He's been with her for the last three days.
-But that is not so.

For the last three days,
Don has been here.

-Here?.
-In your room, and very much alone.

He came without warning
on Tuesday at dawn.

He said he had the most important decision
of his life to make...

...and he wanted to think very clearly.

Well, for the first two days,
we said very little.

He worked on his final drawings
for the academy...

...and he thought.

-Do you suppose he thought about me?.
-I know he did.

Why didn't he call me instead of letting me
torture myself thinking he was with--?.

With Lyda?.

Well, l....

I must tell you the truth now.

He will be tomorrow.

He asked me to call you and explain.

It is my fault I didn't.

I said to myself,
"She'll be happier if she doesn't know."

He asked me to try to make you understand
he had no choice.

"Don:

Have arrived
Grand Hotel Iles Borrom?es...

...Lago Maggiore.

It will be my last stop anywhere
unless you come to me.

I need you desperately.

Lyda."

So he went.

He had no other way of telling whether
her trouble is as serious as it sounds.

-She has no one else.
-Neither had l.

All day and all night Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday...

...I never felt so forsaken in my life.

-And he didn't call.
-But if he knew you needed him....

-I needed him with all my heart.
-But if you sent a wire like this....

I'd hope he'd come
without my sending for him...

...because he wanted to.

Just as I'd come to him any time,
any place, because I love him.

But he didn't call, and he didn't come.

And if I can't have him that way,
I don't want him at all.

Thank you for the invitation, Roberto...

...but I'm going home.

I understand. I'll drive you.

No.

You can't drive me where I'm going.

I mean really home, to America.

My darling,
you came here to be free, remember?.

And now you find
that the cost is too great. Hm?.

I think all women
made a big mistake long ago...

...when they demanded to be free
like the men.

That was wrong, my dear one.

To be free as a woman can be free...

...to function freely as a woman,
oh, that's different...

...for women are different in spirit,
as well as function, from men.

You read in your book
that lovers must learn.

Well, I believe the great lesson
to be this:

Woman's most important function in life
is to anchor man...

...to turn man from the wild,
free hunters they naturally are...

...into the responsible, civilized creators
of human society they can be.

Thank you, Roberto.

I'll never forget you.

And now I'll drive you home.

Across the Bridge of the Angels?.

Well, I think first
I'd better change back into me.

PRUDENCE:
Oh, hello.

[SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

Come back one day.
Next time, you will find happiness.

-Bye-bye.
-You just have yourself a ball on that boat.

Just hang a "Men Wanted" sign around
your neck and let nature take its course.

Bye-bye. Write to us.

Don't you dare, Prudence.
You beware of strangers.

You never can tell
what can get started on a boat.

[SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

You remember us sometime, huh?.

Angelina, you're speaking English.

For you, I learn.

-For you, I make cookies.
-Oh, thank you.

[SPEAKS lN ITALIAN]

I don't know why people always bring
people baskets of fruit when they go to sea.

Maybe it's to keep them
from getting scurvy.

Though that's an ancient disease.

-Anyway, bon voyage.
-Thank you, Albert.

[WHISTLE BLOWS]

[CONDUCTOR SPEAKING lN ITALIAN]

It does seem like you arrived only yesterday,
doesn't it?.

Now you're going away.

I hope I've taken as good care of you
as I should have.

Oh, you have.

Your just being there meant a great deal.

Well, the train will be leaving soon.
I guess Daisy couldn't make it.

-You'd better go, Albert--
-Please.

Well, may we sit
for a few seconds together?.

Of course.

Before we say goodbye...

...there's something
I've been wanting to say...

...about you and me
maybe getting married someday.

I mean, after I finish my work here,
of course.

I wouldn't wanna drag you around
from tomb to tomb.

I know this is hardly the time
or place to bring it up...

...but I never had the courage till now.

Albert, you're not just feeling sorry for me,
are you?.

No, it's hard for me to explain this.

Careful, Albert. Thank you.

It's been that way from the first,
on the boat, remember?.

Yes, I remember,
but I never would have guessed.

ALBERT: I wanted to be with you.
Every night, I thought about it.

But there was always Roberto watching me,
so all I could do was dream...

...Like about you and me maybe going off
in a lifeboat together.

I suppose you think
I dream of nothing but Etruscans.

I don't.

I dream of you too. I love you.

Oh, Albert.
You've been thoughtful and kind.

You better go now, the train's leaving soon.
I'll write you a boat letter.

Prudence, would you...?.

Oh, yes, Albert.

[DOG BARKING
& DAISY SPEAKING lN ITALIAN]

Prudy?. Where are you?.
Don't you dare start this train. Prudy!

PRUDENCE: Oh, Daisy. Here,
McGinnis, here. Come here, boy.

-Hello.
-Here, here.

Mangiare in good health.
I always hated the stuff myself.

Thank you, Daisy.
You'd better go, the train's starting.

ALBERT: Goodbye, Prudence.
-Goodbye.

-Who's he?.
-That's Albert.

Albert?.

-You men are all alike. Skunks, skunks.
-Daisy.

You're all alike.
It's easy to come down just to say goodbye.

Well, what about that poor girl's heart
in the meantime?.

What about her in the meantime?.

Come on. Let's go.
Say goodbye to that train.

-Is a Miss Lyda Kent staying here?.
-Miss Kent?. Miss Kent....

No, signore,
we have no guest by that name.

-But she sent me a wire.
-Your name?.

-Don Porter.
-Oh, yes.

Mrs. Bentley reserved Apartment 31 6
for you.

-Bentley?.
-Yes.

[PORTIERE & LYDA
SPEAK lN ITALIAN]

-What's this about " Mrs. Bentley"?.
-Shh, shh, shh.

-[WHISPERS] Little walls have big ears.
-What walls?.

You're a darling. I knew you'd come.

Your wire was so urgent,
I thought you were in some kind of trouble.

Why did the man at the desk
call you Mrs. Bentley?.

Because I am, since yesterday.

This, uh, sealed the bargain.

But already I don't want it.

Already it's no good,
and I need you to get me out of it.

Is that the desperate need
you wired me about?.

-You know I always turn to you.
-And where's the lucky bridegroom?.

-The next room?.
-He's taking his morning nap.

Well, what do you expect me to do
about this?.

When he finds us together,
and we can see that he will...

...he'll walk out on me, I know it.

And then you can go back to Rome
and your Prudence...

...and I promise not to bother you again...

...till I get into another mess.

Don.

Thanks for wiping my windshield.
It was all fogged up.

[FOGHORN BLOWS]

Oh, hello. Hi.

-Oh, there she is. Prudence.
-There's Prue.

-Waiting for you right here.
-Darling, welcome.

Right here.

MAN:
Hey.

Prudence! Prudence!

Don!

DON:
Prudence! Prudence! Prudence!

PRUDENCE:
Don.

Oh, what beautiful magic.
How did you get here?.

From out of the blue, I flew.

Would you hold these
while I tell this young lady...

...that I love her beyond belief?.

Well, I think you better meet these people.
They're my parents.

Daddy, be careful with that candlestick.
It's a mark of his integrity.

-Oh, say it again.
-I love you.

[ENGLISH SDH]