I promessi sposi (1922) - full transcript
The Betrothed
Based on the timeless novel by A. Manzoni.
Starring:
Act One
Griso and Cut-face.
(Messrs. R. Van Riel and R. Rinaldi)
Well, this marriage is not to take place,
neither to-morrow, nor at any other time!...
Lucia Mondella
(Miss Emilia Vidali)
Her mother: Agnese
(Mrs. Ida Carloni Talli)
Perpetua - the Priest's Housekeeper
(Miss Olga Capri)
... does not want the
marriage to be performed...
Signor Curate, what time would it be convenient
for you that we should be at the church?...
Be patient!...
I cannot today...
I feel unwell today...
... and what's more…
there are difficulties...
It is all over for today!...
That damned Don Rodrigo!...
So you knew?...
The Signor Curate is ill...
and the wedding cannot
take place today!...
Speak then!...
By the grace of God this day
was the last of the weaving,
and I did not meet that lord ever again...
In the meantime Don Rodrigo
and his cousin, Count Attilio...
... were listening
to Griso's report...
(Messrs Mario Parpagnoli
and Fernando Ribacchi)
Do as I say, go and ask
Dr. Azzeccagarbugli (Dr. Quibbleweaver)
for advice!...
It is necessary to explain things
clearly to the lawyer...
then it will be up to us
to complicate matters...
Good day, Friar Galdino...
I compelled the Signor Curate
to tell me the cause;
and he confessed that he had been
forbidden, on pain of death,
to perform the ceremony...
This powerful Don Rodrigo!...
I will not listen to
tales of this sort!...
I would like you to tell Friar Cristoforo
that I am in a great hurry
to speak to him...
... when Friar Cristoforo left
his cloisters in Pescarenico...
(Friar Cristoforo: Enzo Biliotti)
... to walk up to the cottage
where he was expected.
What do you say
of that villain?...
I will go myself today
to speak to this man...
If God touches his heart,
and my words have
some power, well...
If not...
By God's grace we will find
some other remedy!
Reverend Father... Come in... come in!
I wish to speak with you alone...
With two nimble and cunning witnesses...
you will go to the curate...
The man says: this is my wife...
The woman says:
this is my husband...
The marriage is as
good as done, sacred,
as if the Pope himself
had celebrated it!...
Some dishonest men have hidden behind
the name of Your Excellency
to frighten a poor curate,
and overpower two innocents...
With one word you can
bewilder these men,
and in this way...
your conscience...
You may speak of my conscience
when I come to you
to make my confession!...
Do not keep a poor
creature in fear and distress...
Advise her to come, and place
herself under my protection...
she will want for nothing!...
Your protection?...
You have filled the measure,
and I fear you no longer!
...A day will come!...
You villain, thank the habit you bear!...
Out of here!...
I am afraid that my master
is contriving some regrettable
action with his bravoes...
In the meantime Friar Cristoforo,
unaware of what his protégés were doing,
was trying to provide for their safety...
Is this an hour for Christians?...
I have here with me
the twenty-five new pieces
that I owe Don Abbondio...
Would you believe it?...
He obstinately persisted in saying
... that you were not married
to Beppe Suolavecchia...
...because he did not want you!...
Signor Curate,
in the presence of these
witnesses, this is my wife...
Friar Cristoforo is waiting for you...
You see, my children,
this country is not safe for you!...
You can stay in Monza...
go and look for our convent...
Send for the Superior
and give him this letter...
And you Renzo, take this letter
to Father Bonaventura...
... at our convent at the
eastern gate of Milan...
Go to the lake shore...
Everything is ready...
As a pack of blood-hounds,
after having in vain tracked the hare...
...return mortified
towards their master,
with their ears down,
and tails hanging...
My heart tells me that
we shall meet again soon...
Farewell, you mountains
rising from the waters
and ascending to the sky...
Sister Gertrude
is not a nun like the others...
they call her the Signora...
...And if she accepts you,
you'll be as safe as
if you were on the altar...
This is the poor girl,
for whom, Your Excellency,
I have solicited
your protection...
The friar's hand is in this business!...
Trust me for once;
I will serve you as
a relation and a friend!...
I'll give that friar what he deserves!...
In the meantime Renzo
had arrived in Milan...
Renzo, chewing his bread,
was walking towards
the eastern gate village,
and making his way, unknowingly,
towards the centre of a riot.
Plenty! There's plenty!...
But in fact famine had broken out...
Plenty existed only
in the imagination of the people, who,
raging against some
alleged hoarders,
set off to raid the bakeries...
To the bakeries!...
Let's go to the Vicar!...
Let us do justice!...
The Vicar of Provision, he who,
in times of hunger and darkness,
should be held responsible
for all kinds of evil,
as the Commissioner of Supply...
Crucify him!...
Would you take the
hangman's business out of his hand?...
How can you expect
God will give us bread,
if we commit such iniquity?...
He is a spy!...
Time ago, the Chancellor
of the Duchy of Milan, Antonio Ferrero,
had arbitrarily lowered
the price of bread
in order to gain
the people's favour.
I am here to take him to prison!...
To inflict on him a just punishment!...
He is anything
but a gentleman!...
He is the one who,
contrary to the Vicar's will,
made the bread cheap!...
Long life Ferrer!...
Down with the tyrants!...
The Vicar!...
The Tyrant!...
The Tyrant!...
The starver!...
I am in the hands of
God and Your Excellency!...
Come with me!...
They will not touch you!...
The people think that
I am taking you to prison!
...If you make your voice heard,
you'll be treated fairly!...
Tyrants who oppress the weak
ought to be brought to justice!...
Amidst the commotion,
Renzo had forgotten
the purpose of
his journey to Milan...
As sure as my name
is Renzo Tramaglino,
I am here to do justice!...
Prepare a good bed
for this nice young man!...
At the break of day, Renzo had been
snoring for almost seven hours...
Renzo Tramaglino,
come with us!...
Signor Captain of Justice
will explain why!...
The yells of the people still in uproar
urged him to hurry,
as he tried to persuade
Renzo with kind words...
Come on!... Be kind!...
We will do you no harm!...
Who will guarantee this to me?...
Calm down!... Do as I tell you:
go calmly and quietly...
But of all these fine speeches
Renzo believed not a word...
He is a thief caught in the act!...
Let justice have its way!...
They are taking me to prison...
...because yesterday
I cried: Bread!...
... And justice!...
Leave Milan!...
It is better for you...
And Don Attilio
kept his promise!...
The friar was made to pay!...
They will send him far away...
It was an order for Friar Cristoforo
to repair to Rimini
for the purpose of preaching
the Lent sermons
giving up all thoughts of the business
he has in the country he must leave...
Don Rodrigo, more determined than ever
to accomplish his fine deed,
had resolved to seek the assistance
of a terrible man...
The Unnamed
(Mr. Adolfo Badaloni)
...At the Monastery of Monza...
Sister Gertrude...
Nibbio!...
Go to Monza...
look for our friend Egidio...
I believe the doors of that cloister
sometimes open for him...
In the meantime Agnese,
worried about the lack
of news of Friar Cristoforo
resolved to go to Pescarenico.
And the following day Nibbio
returned with Egidio's answer:
the deed was easy and safe.
The same voice, which had gained
power over the unhappy woman,
now imposed on her the
sacrifice of the innocent girl
who had been
intrusted to her care.
I want you to do
me a great favour...
you alone can grant it to me...
I have to speak to the Superior...
but no one must know!...
I can count on you alone
to convey this message in secrecy...
Lucia, more astonished than convinced
by Sister Gertrude's insistence...
cannot defy her will...
and moves on...
Young lady, please could you please
show me the way to Monza?...
Let me go!... Let me go!...
I will pray for you all my life...
Does it cost you so much
to say one word?...
There!... I see
you are moved to pity...
God pardons so many deeds
for one act of mercy!...
Oh! Why is she not the daughter
of one of those henchmen
who outlawed me!...
That night...
God pardons so many deeds
for one act of mercy
Most Holy Virgin, you,
who have performed
so many miracles for the afflicted,
help me!
I make a vow, to renounce that
unfortunate fellow now,
and forever, never to
belong to anyone else but you.
Why are the bells chiming?...
Cardinal Federico Borromeo,
Archbishop of Milan, has arrived.
Cardinal Federico Borromeo
(Mr. Bonaventura Ibanez)
A strange visit,
most illustrious signor...
But... that outlaw!...
Do you know who I am?...
You have some good news for me,
and I long for it dearly!...
I have hell in my heart!...
Something oppresses me!...
If there is a God,
what can he do with me?...
... A sign of his power
and his benevolence!...
...He alone can fill you with
love, hope, repentance!...
Do you not feel
it in your heart?...
It is he who troubles
and agitates you,
and at the same time
gives you hope for
peace... for forgiveness!...
Crowds await you!...
So many innocent souls...
...You are occupied...
with whom?...
Those souls are perhaps happier
as they are,
than if they saw this poor Bishop...
Perhaps the people are united to us
without knowing it!...
The last wicked deed,
Lucia's terrors and regrets
were the repentant's first confession...
Is not this the parish priest
of Pescarenico?
I have a good news for you:
one of your parishioners,
Lucia Mondella, has been found...
You must go with
this dear friend of mine...
... to fetch that poor girl of yours,
and bring her here!...
The departure.
Has he no bad habits?...
Yes!... It is I...
I came on horseback
deliberately... on a mule!...
He comes to set you free!...
He is no longer the man he was!...
He has become good!...
Forgive me!...
Donna Prassede, who was
holidaying near Pescarenico,
took Lucia under her protection
in accordance with
Cardinal Borromeo's wishes.
(Donna Prassede:
Mrs. Fiamma Donati)
Agnese, aggrieved by
Friar Cristoforo's departure,
left her home once again
and returned to the convent in Monza.
Lucia...
Thus Lucia was obliged
to leave her mother
and follow Donna Prassede,
whilst Don Rodrigo...
...his loathsome deed
having now proved futile,
he too set off for Milan.
In the meantime Renzo had
letters sent to Pescarenico,
seeking news of Lucia.
Finally, joy and peace seemed
to have been restored...
The antichrists are coming!...
To pillage!...
They are bringing the plague!...
Tomorrow they will be here!...
The Germans!...
Quick!... Let us escape!...
We shall seek refuge
at the home of the Unnamed!...
He has converted now!...
Converted?
What if we place ourselves in prison?...
Bewildered they abandoned their dwellings
with the few items they could save...
I am Lucia's mother!...
But Your Excellency...
shall we be safe here?...
What if those rascals came?!...
They won't come here!...
And should they dare...
... We will be ready for them!...
Let us hope they do not come!...
But at night,
a horde of scattered
plunderers...
The words of the
Unnamed spurred his men,
no longer to commit
villainous deeds,
but to free the oppressed!
Whether from principle or that
he had made a vow to that effect,
he remained unarmed
at the head of that garrison.
That mercenary army set off
to besiege Mantua,
leaving the devastation
and death in its wake!
Applause and blessings
hail the liberating
squad and the captain.
The devastating hordes had passed by;
and several bodies were found in the
houses and streets along their route...
...And one unfortunate
soldier, a bearer of bad luck,
carrying an enormous bundle of
garments stolen from German soldiers,
arrived in Milan...
It was the Plague!...
...And the terrible disease
spread like lightning
through the poor population already
stricken by famine and plunder...
The shelter where people
suffer and die...
The corpse carriers!...
They have come to take Lucia...
I beg you... Have mercy!...
He drags himself with
difficulty to his house,
putting his discomfort
down to the wine,
the late hour,
the influence of the season...
I feel quite well!...
But I must have drunk a little too much...
Vernaccia can have this effect!...
Go to bed at once!...
Good night, master!...
...A filthy bubo of a livid purple...
Griso, I am ill...
I noticed!...
Go to Chiodo, the surgeon...
...If he's well paid,
he keeps the sick secret...
Give me a little water!...
I will give you nothing without
the advice of a physician!...
In the twinkling of an eye
I'll be back... with Chiodo!...
Behave like the gentlemen you are...
You villain!...
Let me kill that scoundrel!...
The following day,
he drunkenly boasted of his spoils...
Renzo, anxious
about Lucia's fate,
arrived heartsick
at the gates of Milan...
The strictest orders had been given
not to let anyone enter
without a health certificate...
The lazaretto?....
A woman came out from the
doorway of one of the houses...
She was not weeping,
but her eyes showed signs
that she shed many tears...
Do not touch her yet...
It is I who must place her on this cart...
Farewell Cecilia, rest in peace...
You... As you
pass, this evening...
will take me too...
Oh my Lord, let it be untrue!...
Is Lucia here?...
Are you sure?...
Do you think a living person may
be found in the lazaretto?...
Be prepared to make a sacrifice...
I will look for her...
I will seek her in one place or another...
...And if I do not find her!...
...Woe betide that scoundrel
who parted us!...
They slowly searched for Lucia,
amidst wretchedness
and anguished cries...
that replaced the ardour of hope
with increasing fear...
I make a vow, to renounce that
unfortunate fellow for ever,
never to belong to
anyone else but you!
Renzo! Why are you here?...
Why?...
Oh Lucia!... You ask me why I am here?...
After so many promises!...
I made a vow to the Most Holy Virgin
to belong to no one, but her!...
Did you forget that you
were bound to a promise?...
As a Minister of God,
I can release you from your vow
whenever you ask me to...
Then... then... I do!...
I release you from your vow!...
You, Lucia, entrust Renzo with
your errands for your mother...
Tell her that I have
found another mother...
...and that I will be coming with
this one as soon as I can;
and that I hope to find
her in good health!
Shall we meet again, Father?...
In Heaven!... I hope!...
... It was as if, after those two
poor creatures were reunited,
his earthly duty of faith
and sacrifice was over...
IN PEACE
A stormy night...
He seemed to know that the pouring rain
would wash away the plague...
Sunshine at dawn
Look at me!...
I am a sickly creature...
... Perpetua has left me!...
Lord spare me further misfortune!...
That Don Rodrigo!...
Dead.
Praise the Lord!...
My children, if this
wedding is to be performed,
let us do it quickly!...
Yes!... Quickly!...
Before the first year
of marriage came to an end,
a beautiful creature was born...
THE END
English subtitles
UNDERLIGHT - Trieste
Based on the timeless novel by A. Manzoni.
Starring:
Act One
Griso and Cut-face.
(Messrs. R. Van Riel and R. Rinaldi)
Well, this marriage is not to take place,
neither to-morrow, nor at any other time!...
Lucia Mondella
(Miss Emilia Vidali)
Her mother: Agnese
(Mrs. Ida Carloni Talli)
Perpetua - the Priest's Housekeeper
(Miss Olga Capri)
... does not want the
marriage to be performed...
Signor Curate, what time would it be convenient
for you that we should be at the church?...
Be patient!...
I cannot today...
I feel unwell today...
... and what's more…
there are difficulties...
It is all over for today!...
That damned Don Rodrigo!...
So you knew?...
The Signor Curate is ill...
and the wedding cannot
take place today!...
Speak then!...
By the grace of God this day
was the last of the weaving,
and I did not meet that lord ever again...
In the meantime Don Rodrigo
and his cousin, Count Attilio...
... were listening
to Griso's report...
(Messrs Mario Parpagnoli
and Fernando Ribacchi)
Do as I say, go and ask
Dr. Azzeccagarbugli (Dr. Quibbleweaver)
for advice!...
It is necessary to explain things
clearly to the lawyer...
then it will be up to us
to complicate matters...
Good day, Friar Galdino...
I compelled the Signor Curate
to tell me the cause;
and he confessed that he had been
forbidden, on pain of death,
to perform the ceremony...
This powerful Don Rodrigo!...
I will not listen to
tales of this sort!...
I would like you to tell Friar Cristoforo
that I am in a great hurry
to speak to him...
... when Friar Cristoforo left
his cloisters in Pescarenico...
(Friar Cristoforo: Enzo Biliotti)
... to walk up to the cottage
where he was expected.
What do you say
of that villain?...
I will go myself today
to speak to this man...
If God touches his heart,
and my words have
some power, well...
If not...
By God's grace we will find
some other remedy!
Reverend Father... Come in... come in!
I wish to speak with you alone...
With two nimble and cunning witnesses...
you will go to the curate...
The man says: this is my wife...
The woman says:
this is my husband...
The marriage is as
good as done, sacred,
as if the Pope himself
had celebrated it!...
Some dishonest men have hidden behind
the name of Your Excellency
to frighten a poor curate,
and overpower two innocents...
With one word you can
bewilder these men,
and in this way...
your conscience...
You may speak of my conscience
when I come to you
to make my confession!...
Do not keep a poor
creature in fear and distress...
Advise her to come, and place
herself under my protection...
she will want for nothing!...
Your protection?...
You have filled the measure,
and I fear you no longer!
...A day will come!...
You villain, thank the habit you bear!...
Out of here!...
I am afraid that my master
is contriving some regrettable
action with his bravoes...
In the meantime Friar Cristoforo,
unaware of what his protégés were doing,
was trying to provide for their safety...
Is this an hour for Christians?...
I have here with me
the twenty-five new pieces
that I owe Don Abbondio...
Would you believe it?...
He obstinately persisted in saying
... that you were not married
to Beppe Suolavecchia...
...because he did not want you!...
Signor Curate,
in the presence of these
witnesses, this is my wife...
Friar Cristoforo is waiting for you...
You see, my children,
this country is not safe for you!...
You can stay in Monza...
go and look for our convent...
Send for the Superior
and give him this letter...
And you Renzo, take this letter
to Father Bonaventura...
... at our convent at the
eastern gate of Milan...
Go to the lake shore...
Everything is ready...
As a pack of blood-hounds,
after having in vain tracked the hare...
...return mortified
towards their master,
with their ears down,
and tails hanging...
My heart tells me that
we shall meet again soon...
Farewell, you mountains
rising from the waters
and ascending to the sky...
Sister Gertrude
is not a nun like the others...
they call her the Signora...
...And if she accepts you,
you'll be as safe as
if you were on the altar...
This is the poor girl,
for whom, Your Excellency,
I have solicited
your protection...
The friar's hand is in this business!...
Trust me for once;
I will serve you as
a relation and a friend!...
I'll give that friar what he deserves!...
In the meantime Renzo
had arrived in Milan...
Renzo, chewing his bread,
was walking towards
the eastern gate village,
and making his way, unknowingly,
towards the centre of a riot.
Plenty! There's plenty!...
But in fact famine had broken out...
Plenty existed only
in the imagination of the people, who,
raging against some
alleged hoarders,
set off to raid the bakeries...
To the bakeries!...
Let's go to the Vicar!...
Let us do justice!...
The Vicar of Provision, he who,
in times of hunger and darkness,
should be held responsible
for all kinds of evil,
as the Commissioner of Supply...
Crucify him!...
Would you take the
hangman's business out of his hand?...
How can you expect
God will give us bread,
if we commit such iniquity?...
He is a spy!...
Time ago, the Chancellor
of the Duchy of Milan, Antonio Ferrero,
had arbitrarily lowered
the price of bread
in order to gain
the people's favour.
I am here to take him to prison!...
To inflict on him a just punishment!...
He is anything
but a gentleman!...
He is the one who,
contrary to the Vicar's will,
made the bread cheap!...
Long life Ferrer!...
Down with the tyrants!...
The Vicar!...
The Tyrant!...
The Tyrant!...
The starver!...
I am in the hands of
God and Your Excellency!...
Come with me!...
They will not touch you!...
The people think that
I am taking you to prison!
...If you make your voice heard,
you'll be treated fairly!...
Tyrants who oppress the weak
ought to be brought to justice!...
Amidst the commotion,
Renzo had forgotten
the purpose of
his journey to Milan...
As sure as my name
is Renzo Tramaglino,
I am here to do justice!...
Prepare a good bed
for this nice young man!...
At the break of day, Renzo had been
snoring for almost seven hours...
Renzo Tramaglino,
come with us!...
Signor Captain of Justice
will explain why!...
The yells of the people still in uproar
urged him to hurry,
as he tried to persuade
Renzo with kind words...
Come on!... Be kind!...
We will do you no harm!...
Who will guarantee this to me?...
Calm down!... Do as I tell you:
go calmly and quietly...
But of all these fine speeches
Renzo believed not a word...
He is a thief caught in the act!...
Let justice have its way!...
They are taking me to prison...
...because yesterday
I cried: Bread!...
... And justice!...
Leave Milan!...
It is better for you...
And Don Attilio
kept his promise!...
The friar was made to pay!...
They will send him far away...
It was an order for Friar Cristoforo
to repair to Rimini
for the purpose of preaching
the Lent sermons
giving up all thoughts of the business
he has in the country he must leave...
Don Rodrigo, more determined than ever
to accomplish his fine deed,
had resolved to seek the assistance
of a terrible man...
The Unnamed
(Mr. Adolfo Badaloni)
...At the Monastery of Monza...
Sister Gertrude...
Nibbio!...
Go to Monza...
look for our friend Egidio...
I believe the doors of that cloister
sometimes open for him...
In the meantime Agnese,
worried about the lack
of news of Friar Cristoforo
resolved to go to Pescarenico.
And the following day Nibbio
returned with Egidio's answer:
the deed was easy and safe.
The same voice, which had gained
power over the unhappy woman,
now imposed on her the
sacrifice of the innocent girl
who had been
intrusted to her care.
I want you to do
me a great favour...
you alone can grant it to me...
I have to speak to the Superior...
but no one must know!...
I can count on you alone
to convey this message in secrecy...
Lucia, more astonished than convinced
by Sister Gertrude's insistence...
cannot defy her will...
and moves on...
Young lady, please could you please
show me the way to Monza?...
Let me go!... Let me go!...
I will pray for you all my life...
Does it cost you so much
to say one word?...
There!... I see
you are moved to pity...
God pardons so many deeds
for one act of mercy!...
Oh! Why is she not the daughter
of one of those henchmen
who outlawed me!...
That night...
God pardons so many deeds
for one act of mercy
Most Holy Virgin, you,
who have performed
so many miracles for the afflicted,
help me!
I make a vow, to renounce that
unfortunate fellow now,
and forever, never to
belong to anyone else but you.
Why are the bells chiming?...
Cardinal Federico Borromeo,
Archbishop of Milan, has arrived.
Cardinal Federico Borromeo
(Mr. Bonaventura Ibanez)
A strange visit,
most illustrious signor...
But... that outlaw!...
Do you know who I am?...
You have some good news for me,
and I long for it dearly!...
I have hell in my heart!...
Something oppresses me!...
If there is a God,
what can he do with me?...
... A sign of his power
and his benevolence!...
...He alone can fill you with
love, hope, repentance!...
Do you not feel
it in your heart?...
It is he who troubles
and agitates you,
and at the same time
gives you hope for
peace... for forgiveness!...
Crowds await you!...
So many innocent souls...
...You are occupied...
with whom?...
Those souls are perhaps happier
as they are,
than if they saw this poor Bishop...
Perhaps the people are united to us
without knowing it!...
The last wicked deed,
Lucia's terrors and regrets
were the repentant's first confession...
Is not this the parish priest
of Pescarenico?
I have a good news for you:
one of your parishioners,
Lucia Mondella, has been found...
You must go with
this dear friend of mine...
... to fetch that poor girl of yours,
and bring her here!...
The departure.
Has he no bad habits?...
Yes!... It is I...
I came on horseback
deliberately... on a mule!...
He comes to set you free!...
He is no longer the man he was!...
He has become good!...
Forgive me!...
Donna Prassede, who was
holidaying near Pescarenico,
took Lucia under her protection
in accordance with
Cardinal Borromeo's wishes.
(Donna Prassede:
Mrs. Fiamma Donati)
Agnese, aggrieved by
Friar Cristoforo's departure,
left her home once again
and returned to the convent in Monza.
Lucia...
Thus Lucia was obliged
to leave her mother
and follow Donna Prassede,
whilst Don Rodrigo...
...his loathsome deed
having now proved futile,
he too set off for Milan.
In the meantime Renzo had
letters sent to Pescarenico,
seeking news of Lucia.
Finally, joy and peace seemed
to have been restored...
The antichrists are coming!...
To pillage!...
They are bringing the plague!...
Tomorrow they will be here!...
The Germans!...
Quick!... Let us escape!...
We shall seek refuge
at the home of the Unnamed!...
He has converted now!...
Converted?
What if we place ourselves in prison?...
Bewildered they abandoned their dwellings
with the few items they could save...
I am Lucia's mother!...
But Your Excellency...
shall we be safe here?...
What if those rascals came?!...
They won't come here!...
And should they dare...
... We will be ready for them!...
Let us hope they do not come!...
But at night,
a horde of scattered
plunderers...
The words of the
Unnamed spurred his men,
no longer to commit
villainous deeds,
but to free the oppressed!
Whether from principle or that
he had made a vow to that effect,
he remained unarmed
at the head of that garrison.
That mercenary army set off
to besiege Mantua,
leaving the devastation
and death in its wake!
Applause and blessings
hail the liberating
squad and the captain.
The devastating hordes had passed by;
and several bodies were found in the
houses and streets along their route...
...And one unfortunate
soldier, a bearer of bad luck,
carrying an enormous bundle of
garments stolen from German soldiers,
arrived in Milan...
It was the Plague!...
...And the terrible disease
spread like lightning
through the poor population already
stricken by famine and plunder...
The shelter where people
suffer and die...
The corpse carriers!...
They have come to take Lucia...
I beg you... Have mercy!...
He drags himself with
difficulty to his house,
putting his discomfort
down to the wine,
the late hour,
the influence of the season...
I feel quite well!...
But I must have drunk a little too much...
Vernaccia can have this effect!...
Go to bed at once!...
Good night, master!...
...A filthy bubo of a livid purple...
Griso, I am ill...
I noticed!...
Go to Chiodo, the surgeon...
...If he's well paid,
he keeps the sick secret...
Give me a little water!...
I will give you nothing without
the advice of a physician!...
In the twinkling of an eye
I'll be back... with Chiodo!...
Behave like the gentlemen you are...
You villain!...
Let me kill that scoundrel!...
The following day,
he drunkenly boasted of his spoils...
Renzo, anxious
about Lucia's fate,
arrived heartsick
at the gates of Milan...
The strictest orders had been given
not to let anyone enter
without a health certificate...
The lazaretto?....
A woman came out from the
doorway of one of the houses...
She was not weeping,
but her eyes showed signs
that she shed many tears...
Do not touch her yet...
It is I who must place her on this cart...
Farewell Cecilia, rest in peace...
You... As you
pass, this evening...
will take me too...
Oh my Lord, let it be untrue!...
Is Lucia here?...
Are you sure?...
Do you think a living person may
be found in the lazaretto?...
Be prepared to make a sacrifice...
I will look for her...
I will seek her in one place or another...
...And if I do not find her!...
...Woe betide that scoundrel
who parted us!...
They slowly searched for Lucia,
amidst wretchedness
and anguished cries...
that replaced the ardour of hope
with increasing fear...
I make a vow, to renounce that
unfortunate fellow for ever,
never to belong to
anyone else but you!
Renzo! Why are you here?...
Why?...
Oh Lucia!... You ask me why I am here?...
After so many promises!...
I made a vow to the Most Holy Virgin
to belong to no one, but her!...
Did you forget that you
were bound to a promise?...
As a Minister of God,
I can release you from your vow
whenever you ask me to...
Then... then... I do!...
I release you from your vow!...
You, Lucia, entrust Renzo with
your errands for your mother...
Tell her that I have
found another mother...
...and that I will be coming with
this one as soon as I can;
and that I hope to find
her in good health!
Shall we meet again, Father?...
In Heaven!... I hope!...
... It was as if, after those two
poor creatures were reunited,
his earthly duty of faith
and sacrifice was over...
IN PEACE
A stormy night...
He seemed to know that the pouring rain
would wash away the plague...
Sunshine at dawn
Look at me!...
I am a sickly creature...
... Perpetua has left me!...
Lord spare me further misfortune!...
That Don Rodrigo!...
Dead.
Praise the Lord!...
My children, if this
wedding is to be performed,
let us do it quickly!...
Yes!... Quickly!...
Before the first year
of marriage came to an end,
a beautiful creature was born...
THE END
English subtitles
UNDERLIGHT - Trieste