L'amore coniugale (1970) Movie Script

They are fresh!

What are you doing?

Do you want these?

You can try. Here.

How are they?

Well, it's not bad.

You are handsome!

I like everything you do.

You are so handsome!

Eeny meeny miny Moe

cath a tiger but the toe

Eeny meeny miny Moe

if he hollers let him go

Eeny meeny miny Moe.

Eeny meeny miny Moe

catch a tiger by the toe

Eeny meeny miny Moe

if he hollers let him go

Eeny meeny miny Moe.

Eeny meeny miny Moe

catch a tiger by the toe

if he hollers let him go

Eeny meeny miny Moe

catch a tiger by the toe

if he hollers let him go....

We are preparing a debate

on the development plan.

We can not find a hall.

They are all being taken for the elections.

It takes a very violent complaint.

- We will report them on our newspaper.

- We need someone

- to sub for Ventimiglia.

- Who is Ventimiglia?

- The director of our magazine.

- Reported. - Arrested.

Locked up in prison

waiting for the trial.

We thought that you...

We need someone

registered as a publicist.

But did not you say I'm just a revisionist?

- At this moment, it is very important

to unite - What? - Unite!

- Good morning.

When we were young, my cousins and I

would set off from here with the mule,

walked all the way down there

and took a swim.

Who built this house?

This villa was built by...

Marianna, that was her name.

She was my grandma's grandma's

grandma's grandma's

grandma.

- Is that her, up there?

- Yup.

It is told that

everytime she saw a handsome boy,

she took him, had him move

in the house

and then had a statue

built on the roof.

See all those up there?

They are all her former lovers.

- Look, I wanted to tell you something.

- Say it.

Would you like me

to become a writer?

I would like it!

I told you!

Well, I'll never

be able to write this way.

- 'This way' how?

- Making love to you every moment.

- But, how do the other writers do?

- The other writers, the other writers.

What do you want me to know?

- D'Annunzio, for example, had a

lot of women. - Ah, D'Annunzio.

In my opinion, D'Annunzio

managed very well.

Look, if you do not want, I won't.

I do not really care.

No, I want you to become

a writer, you have to do it!

- Why?

- You must become someone.

I could continue to be a

journalist, as I did before.

No, no, I want you

to write a novel.

However, from now on,

we have to change everything.

Meaning?

Until you finish the novel,

we will not make love anymore.

Are you okay with that?

The important thing is that

you write a good book, right?

No, no, no, no. Only

after I read your novel.

Ugh! Angelo, turn

off that radio!

Gaetanino, how much is that

fertilizer from Catania? Is it good?

If I put it in my son's head,

he'd become a lawyer right away.

Stop joking around, Gaetanino!

Tell me about the fertilizer.

If I put it in my head, I

would grow leaves too!

All right,

how much is it?

- Not much.

- How much?

For the lemons, 40.

Gaetanino, can you tell your son to turn

off the radio? It makes me nervous.

Ah!

I'm correcting an

article, let me work!

I do not care about the article!

Have you talked to the landlord?

- I have to submit it in an hour.

- Have you talked to him or not?

No, I have not. You do it!

No, I won't ! I'm tired of taking care

of unpleasant things.

- You go! - Do not be stupid!

- You are stupid!

Always with this shitty articles

and this nasty music!

Are you crazy?

Come on, come here.

Are you crazy, eh?

Are you crazy?

You operate at the level of

superstructures and as such

- you don't interest us.

- The only thing you can do here...

- You? Who are 'you'?

- You. You intellectuals.

The only thing you can

do here is to help us

at the level of advertising.

We need an article on the

Bagheria's development plan.

I do not write for newspapers anymore.

Here in this town, this is the

only good thing you can do.

But I'm not a journalist anymore,

I have to write my book.

It is not yet the time to write

books, dear Pataneo.

Where's your dad?

Ah, here he is.

Gaetanino, do me a favor.

Tomorrow I am having guests over.

- You need to kill the pig.

- The pig? They took it away.

- Who?

- Chernizzeri.

- Did you sell it?

- Yes, as you wanted.

I told you not to sell it!

Where is the money?

Chernizzeri has not paid me yet.

In a month.

Gaetanino, before doing

things your own way,

ask me, please.

The other pig?

It's small, it still has to grow.

- Kill it, tomorrow I have guests.

- But it's small!

- Do as I tell you.

- As you wish.

Quit being an idiot and go away!

What a scent of jasmine!

When I was a boy

I enjoyed poetry.

I wrote a poem about the

jasmines of my house.

It started like this:

"Oh, jasmine,

of the unhappy little head, you

remind me of the joys of the bishop

and my boyish pains. "

Then?

My house was a poor

house, without plaster.

The jasmines belonged to the

next house, that of our masters.

My mother, with her holy fingers,

picked up

those flowers for me.

Let's not being too dramatic.

- What do my relatives want from me?

- Nothing.

Excuse me?

They must want something.

They want to buy your

citrus grove, Pataneo.

- An honorable proposal,

in the family - Ah, in the family!

In family, yet

with the mediation of

- a powerful and important man like you.

- Do you mean mafioso?

One moment, I did not say

mafia, I said powerful.

Strong, important, like you.

The mafia does not exist, Pataneo.

You have been abroad, in the North.

In all this time, you

have forgotten your land.

These are things of the past century.

Two months ago, they

killed in Bagheria

two trade unionists.

So who was it?

Those are political men.

- They fight and someone gets

killed - The dead.

- And why do they want to buy the land?

- To protect it, enrich it,

- my flowered May rose.

- We are doing it.

It is not a question of will, dear friend.

You are sweet, industrious,

you are a modern farmer,

a man who knows

our beloved land and

its beautiful fruits.

But you are missing

something precious.

- You are missing blood.

- Blood?

Gold, vile metal that makes

stones bloom and gives leaves to the wind.

So, Valenza, you can tell those

crooks of my relatives

that I do not sell the land.

An intellectual fine man, a

carpenter of the soul like you!

But do not say bullshit,

please, Valenza.

Where did your husband learn

such a vulgar language?

You do not live in the Trinacria

anymore, you have lost our fine manners.

You speak like a foreigner

without poetry.

The fish was bad!

Plus, it was not pig.

I had asked your father to get the pig.

- Where is it? - It's dead.

- What does it mean?

How is it possible!

Yesterday it was great!

Why did not you show it to me?

Where is it?

I hope to wake up soon...

How long does beauty last?

The time of a morning.

Then it fades away and death comes

violet dressed.

- It's not for lemons.

- What?

My family wants the

land to build over it.

Never! Here is nature

and here it must stay!

- With a guardian like that...

- Which guardian?

The development plan, sweet

Parisian butterfly.

- Here it is bound.

- What means to be bound, Silvio?

It means that people's representatives

take care of the community's interests.

It means that for the public good

it is decided to restrain building.

It means that for the public good

it is decided to restrain building.

It means that the strongest and most arrogant people do as they please at the weakest's expenses.

The continent turned him

a pessimist.

You see evil where it is not there.

Do you want to see how

to kill a lemon?

- And before him?

- Come on, stop it!

- And before? - A blond one.

- Who was him? How old was him?

22.

Was he a good lover?

- Answer me.

- Yes, he was very good.

- Was he handsome?

- Yes, handsome.

Silvio! Silvio!

- And did you like it?

- Yes Yes Yes!

- What's your name?

- Beautiful thighs, I would do you.

It's the pig!

Listen, Leda, the pig is dead.

They are killing him now!

Gaetanino said that the pig is dead?

Then the pig is dead.

- But... - If you do not believe

him, you are offending him. Go.

If it bothers you, you can turn

the music louder and that's it.

Angelo!

Daddy.

Little Daddy. Little Daddy.

I'll recite your

favorite nursery rhyme.

Eeny meeny miny Moe

cath a tiger but the toe

if he hollers let him go..

Eeny meeny miny Moe..

Look, look, come

look, come.

- What's this?

- Let's make love!

- We've decided not to.

- And who cares!

No, no, enough! Then you tell

me that you can not write.

- Antonio, can you curl my hair?

- Yes Madam.

All right, then when you're done

with my husband, come to me.

All right.

- Antonio, but do you know how to

make women's curls? - Yes, of course!

You can do a lot of things!

- Make her beautiful.

- Yes, yes. - That's enough, thanks.

Silvio?

- You look nice! - Please, tomorrow

send the barber away.

Send the barber away?

What did he do to you?

Nothing. I do not want to

see that man here anymore!

- What happened?

- I do not want to see him here anymore!

- He disrespected me.

- How did he disrespect you?

- What did he do to you?

- Will you send him away, yes or no?

-You must tell me what he did to you!

- He touched me.

He must have touched you by mistake!

- Please.

- How did he touch you?

He touched me.

- Come here. - Oh, no!

- Come here, show me how he did it.

If you do not show me how he did...

I'm sure it's not his fault.

- Sit down. - It's nonsense.

- Sit here.

All right, I'm the barber, I'm

doing your hair, like this.

- Did he touch you there? Here? - Yes.

- Oh well, while he's doing your hair

- he had to get closer!

- He did it on purpose!

He did it willingly.

Well, it depends on the type of contact.

Do you mean he was aroused?

Yes.

- Aroused..really?

- Yes.

- You do not give a damn.

- It's not like I do not give a damn,

sorry, but you're a beautiful

woman, anyone in his place...

- So, will you send him away or not?

- I can not send him away, Leda.

- With what reason? Because he touched you?

- Tell him we're leaving, I do not know.

- Everyone knows that we aren't going

anywhere. - Who cares!

- The important thing is that I won't see

him anymore. - It's not possible.

- How will I shave? I do not know how

to shave myself... - Learn.

Come on, he's a poor man

who makes a living this way.

- A poor man? He's horrible, disgusting.

- He has got many children, he is a wretch.

- And miserable.

- Come on, it's nonsense.

- So, you won't do this for me?

- I do not see the reason, that's all.

- All right.

- Come on, pretend it's nothing!

- Come on then.

- So you want me to hide in my house

- when he comes here, is that it?

- You hide in your house

- when he comes. You do not show up.

- Agreed.

This is hilarious!

Leda? Leda!

For centuries your ancestors

lived in this villa

exploiting the work of

the farmers of Bagheria.

I have nothing

to do with my ancestors.

- It's very beautiful. - Yes, it's

beautiful, but it's falling apart.

It is only fair, beauty is useless.

Do you need beauty?

Well, maybe yes, no?

Beauty is always linked to

exploitation and injustice.

- So, do you accept?

- Yes, I accept, but...

There is always a "but" for the bourgeois.

- Okay, I accept but after I finish

my book. - When?

- Well, I do not know, in two to three

months. - Too late.

Sit down.

- How much are lemons per quintal?

- It depends on the market price.

- It depends on how it goes.

- And how is the market going this year?

- Badly, lemons are shriveled.

- Okay thanks.

Tell me, Gaetanino.

I wanted to tell you something.

Your son,

why do not you send him to school?

- He does not want to go.

- Hasn't he got a girlfriend?

He's too young for that.

Gaetanino, you must watch out for your son,

because he's acting like a fool.

- What does it mean?

- Always with the radio on, with friends,

- It doesn't look right.

- Don't you worry about my son. I do.

It's my business.

Ah, Gaetanino, it's the

barber, you go open.

And then go call Mr. Silvio.

Come in. And you, idiot, call

Mr Silvio and tell him the barber is here.

- What do you want?

- Antonio has arrived.

Tell him I'll be there right away.

Listen, come here for a moment.

Sorry, eh!

Am I wrong, or you and

your father don't like Antonio?

- He's really ugly.

- You don't like him because he's ugly?

- There must be another reason.

- He has long hands.

Do you mean that he steals things?

- So?

- He has 'the woman' here.

- He likes women?

- He has it here.

All right. Tidy up here while

I go shave.

- Antonio, how many children have you got?

- Five.

And you like women,

you're a womanizer.

Isn't your wife jealous?

All women are suspicious, sir.

So you cheat on her.

This is my business.

- You are right. - Even Ficarazzi's

godfather has his women.

Only that here women

are a bit suspicious.

Better not to talk.

Here of amused passions by miracle

the war is silent,

the war, here we, the poor,

get our share of wealth too

- and it's the smell of lemons.

- What's this?

A poem by Montale.

Do you know that they

divert the water again?

- When?

- They broke the pipe again.

They can break whatever they

want, I will not sell.

We have to buy another

piece of pipe.

Buy, buy, buy, buy.

Full of debts and we

do nothing but buying.

Well, you know, the

harvest is next month

and we will earn some money.

We live off of lemons.

And I'm not cut out to be a farmer.

But my relatives, those sharks,

I swear to God, will not win.

So, three harvests

per year at 1600 per quintal,

we should be able to make it.

And so, you give up the work

at the newspaper and focus on the book.

I already quit at the newspaper

and plus I would never go back

to that asshole, the director.

We must increase

Gaetanino's pay.

Also? With what money, sorry?

We have to sell to

someone who is not the aunt.

- We are forced to follow

the prices that she decides - Right.

Instead of only breaking the pipe,

she'll see to destroy our

whole irrigation system.

Why do your parents hate you so much?

Because I left home

because I became a journalist,

because I do not think like them, because

I despise them, because I hate them,

- because they disgust me.

- So they're right!

They are right, yes.

But I'm right too.

Let's go!

Move!

The interest of speculators

has become predominant

for another reason. It turned out that

an exploited construction worker

who works 8 hours, 9 hours a day,

10 hours a day,

is more profitable than

a farmer in the countryside.

From that moment on,

it begins what we call

'the battle of cement' in Bagheria.

It begins the politics

of reinforced concrete.

We, today, in 1970,

we are the largest municipality

in the province of Palermo

and that attracts the interests

of big speculators, even of the city

of Palermo towards Bagheria, because

in Palermo it is difficult to build.

Because the mafia of the areas in Palermo,

shoots more easily than

the mafia in Bagheria.

We need to unite around

these important themes

all available forces.

We say that these available

forces are: construction workers,

the inhabitants of the social housing,

the youth, the farmers and the

avant-garde intellectuals.

I am a construction worker

and I see roads that

are built completely wrong.

New roads that aren't straight

are really disheartening.

Like the Coglitore district, like the

Butera district, and many other

neighborhoods of Bagheria.

If we talk about the development plan,

many jobs will stop at the moment

but if you go ahead with work,

even working illegally,

as I personally do

in this period,

because any engineer

told me that

if you want to go on working,

always divide up to 25

centimeters in each floor

and for whoever comes to

check it will always be good.

This is the only way to work, otherwise

you could not work.

In the Via Consolare area,

you know where it is,

on 4,500 inhabitants

who live there today,

2,316 are to be moved out, that is,

2,316 people should not be there

because the habitable rooms

are not enough to host all of them.

In the area of via Palagonia, out of

2,200, the inhabitants to be moved out

are 1,180, more than 50%.

In the Mortellaro

Matrice area, on 4.140,

there are 1,000

who should leave.

And in the Sepolto Collegio area,

out of 3,519, the inhabitants

to be moved out are 1,105.

And the cost of

expropriation of this area

was 2,500 lira

per square meter.

Naturally, such a low cost

had to have a counterpart and

this counterpart was given

with a quite large interest, that is,

the municipality of Bagheria had

this area at a special price.

In exchange, all the

surrounding area has been parceled out

so we see that it is always

in expropriation, that is

with a cost lower

than the normal price

to build houses, from '56 to '69,

that is, from the construction of

the Ciro Scianna middle school,

until the construction

of the Ciro Scianna gym,

there has been an increase in

value of the areas of 800%.

- Two packs of salt, please.

- Yes Madam.

- How much it is? - 16,000.

- 16,000 for two packs of salt?

- There is the bill of the other days.

- What bill?

- Aren't you the lady of the villa?

- Yes.

- Angelo came.

- What did he get?

Cigarettes, tobacco, chocolate.

Yes, he smokes a lot. Too much!

All right, I pay this, then my

husband will come to pay the rest.

Madame, come in.

Angelo take the chair.

It is an honor to have you in my house.

Come, have a seat.

Would you like a drink? A bit of milk?

Angelo, move, come on. Give the

chair to Madam.

Come on!

Take the cup, come on, move!

Not this! Get the new one, move!

Come on! Have a seat.

This is my brother.

Excuse him, he's sick.

He does not speak. Drink, drink.

It's good, fresh stuff.

- Are you disgusted by my food?

- I'm not thirsty. I'm not thirsty.

- Were you looking for me?

- No.

I was looking for Angelo,

but I'll come back another time.

I have to go, my

husband is waiting for me.

- Thank you.

- I kiss the hands.

See you later.

Bagheria, Bagheria, Bagheria.

If I set my book in Bagheria,

I must write something

about this damned town.

Bagheria. Bagheria. Bagheria.

Today I feel emptied. I have already

written more than twenty pages.

- You're happy?

- I'm happy. I'm happy!

- I see. Your eyes shine.

- Do my eyes shine? - Yup.

Yes, so the artists' eyes shine

at the height of their work.

I'm happy.

You must forgive me, because

I only think of myself.

Look, I was not sure at

first, but now I'm sure

to write the most beautiful book

in the world. The greatest!

- I'm happy. - Ah, what a happiness!

- And what is your novel about?

- I'm talking about you and me.

- About us?

- Yup.

- And what do you say about us?

About how we met,

of our love

and guess what?

- Of my jealousy for your first husband.

- Ah!

- So it's a love story.

- It's a love story.

It is a love story.

Why do not we make love here?

- No, we decided not to.

- Come on, I love you! - Not here for sure.

Please. Please.

- Please.

- After the book.

There is always a "but" for the bourgeois.

It is not yet time to write

books, dear Pataneo.

Assholes!

What did they want from

me, those three naggers?

They heard that they are trying

to force you to sell the citrus grove.

And that you must not give up.

But I know, I know

I know what I have to do myself.

I know already what to do!

And what will you do?

- Why did you marry him?

- Because I liked him.

If you liked him, why did not

you stick with him?

Because I did not love him enough.

So it means that you love me.

- Maybe.

- Maybe?

Maybe?

What are you doing?

I'm looking for my pants.

- In the garden?

- They flew out of the window.

How's the novel going?

Silvio?

Silvio, it's ready, come and eat.

Silvio?!

Those assoholes in my family

did not want to see me.

- So?

- Oh well, who cares.

They want me to sell

to make him speculate.

But I won't let them.

I am not a thief like them.

Who gave it to you? Who

gave you that radio? Eh?

Next year we'll make the most

famous band in all of Sicily.

- Come on! What's your name?

- Dolly Brothers.

- And what do you do, sing? - We're going

to Palermo, half a million a night.

Wow!

- And what's the name of the band?

- Dolly Brothers.

How is it?

Sing. Sing.

Hurry up I'm hungry, okay?

All right. All right.

- All right, hurry up!

- Yes, sir!

Come on, Antonio,

please, hurry up!

Ouch! Give me the mirror!

Give me the mirror!

- Look what you did to me, you fool!

- You moved.

I did not move at all.

It was you, asshole.

Go get your stuff and

get out of here.

- We still have to finish the beard.

- We do not have to finish anything, go!

- Out! I don't want to see you anymore!

- Shall I come tomorrow?

- Don't you ever come here again. Out!

- You're an incompetent.

- As you wish.

Imbecile! Idiot!

Get out of here. I do not want

to see you anymore. Go away!

Fool! Idiot!

I kicked out Antonio.

How will you shave?

Well, I'll do it myself.

I will cut myself, oh well.

See what he did to me.

- Did you disinfect it?

- Yes, yes.

It was an excuse to kick him out.

Even Angelino told me

the same thing in the car.

He's a bad guy, a womanizer,

a slimy bastard.

You were right.

- How come you're dressed like that?

- Well, for once.

- What is it? Are you angry?

- No.

Oh well!

What do women find in him?

He's ugly, yellow, with a belly.

And then that bald head! He's disgusting!

Did you find the card in Palermo?

Yes, not exactly what I

wanted, but it's okay.

- What about the uncles?

- Sorry?

- The uncles.

- They did not want to talk to me.

Too bad for them.

Silvio, maybe we should sell the land.

- What?

- We are not good farmers.

Never, never, never and never.

All right.

Never! Those assholes!

And what was he like?

A white guy with blue eyes

like the emerald.

The emerald is not blue.

What about his body?

Slender, hairless.

- Then?

- With wide shoulders. - Then?

- Small knees.

- Then?

Did you like him?

Ouch! Damn hell.

- Finished?

- Finished, finished. - Finished, finished?

- Very well finished. - Finished. - Finished.

- Finished. - Finished. Finished.

We have to drink on it. Gin!

Let's cheer to the end of your book!

- Very well.

- There's never a glass in your house.

- And give it to me.

- What?

You are completely drunk.

Ah, it's over.

You are a genius!

Let's dance!

- Look, I'm done.

- No!

We said after you

read the novel to me.

Oh no, we said after

I wrote the novel.

Yes, but you must read it to me.

It's not right or else.

- That's what we said, right?

- You are bad.

Oh well, it's you who asked me.

You are very bad.

Yes, all right, promised. I'll read you

the novel, if you do not like it...

But no, I'm sure it's

beautiful, look, I'm happy.

Okay.

- What's up?

- You must come to the meeting

- tonight. It's important.

- Why?

We are preparing the complaint

against the Mayor.

So, are you coming?

- I'm, but what time will it be?

- In an hour, at 10.

- Will you come?

- At ten?

Yes. See you there.

- Well.

- Bye. - Bye.

Done! A kiss, to bring me luck.

So? You're so superstitious.

A lucky charm.

- Are you going to the meeting?

- Yes, are you coming with me?

No, no. I'm going to sleep, I'm tired.

Bye, goodnight.

Listen.

So, when are we making love?

When you finish to copy it and

after you read it to me.

- Is not it what we said?

- All right.

- Three days in a row.

- It will be a novelty

- to make love to a writer.

- Are you making a fool of me?

No. No. Goodnight!

Good night!

Uh!

Correct style. Cold feeling.

Null characters.

Poor psychological truth.

Conclusion:

failure.

Leda?

- Are you working?

- No.

What's up?

- So?

- I made a discovery tonight.

What discovery?

I discovered that my

book is worthless.

What are you saying?

It's worth nothing.

Do you know what we are going to do?

I'll go to my room and you'll

come read it to me.

Come, sit here.

It does not matter to say

where and how I met my wife,

she was about my age and in

many ways it seemed to me

that her life resembled mine.

To love, besides many other things,

means to take delight in looking

and observe your loved one.

And not just to take delight in the

contemplation of her beauties,

but from that of her

ugliness, few or many may they be.

The end.

Maybe you're right.

It is not a beautiful novel.

But it's not as bad as you say.

It's well written.

But it is not enough to write well.

Do you mind having

a failed writer as your husband?

I never thought of

you as a writer.

And how did you think about me?

I do not know.

When you love someone, one

can not make a judgment.

I too because I love you,

I can not judge you.

When we love, we love

everything, even the faults.

I love you as you are.

Do you know why

your novel isn't so convincing?

- Why?

- You talk about me

so... well, you

idealize me too much.

- So?

- So I think that in a little while,

when you'll know me better,

you'll be able to write about us in

a more convincing way.

You will write a beautiful

book, I am sure.

Read, signed and signed.

Did you see what beautiful

children Sicily has?

Not like those ugly beasts

you hang out with.

I am sorry but those are

not sons of the people.

They are bad grass

poisoning our land.

We understand the people,

we love and protect them.

They understand us and support us.

- Is it true, Angeluzzo?

- Give me the pen, please.

Here it is, Pataneo.

I'm really sorry for

those nice lemons.

Pataneo, who knows who burned

all those beautiful plants.

The initials, please, Pataneo.

I'm really sorry.

But it is God who commands

and we Christians only obey!

Angelo?

Give me that box.

No, this! This one!

Go see if Silvio has finished

packing the suitcases.

- Silvio? - Eh?

- I'm happy to go back to Rome.

Eeny meeny miny Moe

catch a tiger by the toe

if he hollers let he go

Eeny meeny miny Moe!

Let's go!

L'amore coniugale (1970) - full transcript