Sant Barbara (2012) - full transcript
Dioscuro, governor of Scandriglia, is willing to do anything to get to the Roman government. His daughter Barbara, instead she is disinterested in everything and continued her studies in astronomy from Polycarp and along with her ...
SAINT BARBARA
NICOMEDIA ( ASIA M INOR) 289 A. D.
Mama!
Mama!
Dioscorus. . .
What is it, PoIicarpus?
Your wife is dead.
Her body is in the Iazar house.
We'II take it away and give her
a dignified buriaI.
No. . .
Leave it there.
- But. . .
- Burn it. That's the Iaw.
What wiII you teII
your daughter Barbara?
Barbara mustn't find out.
Swear to me.
- Papa!
- Barbara, my darIing!
I dreamt that mama
was showing me the stars.
When is she coming back?
Your mother. . .
Where's mama?
She's not coming back.
Beginning of the 4th Century A. D.
Emperor DiocIetian began
the greatest persecution
of Christians in an attempt
to save his empire and his unity.
With this aim he estabIished
the divine nature of the Emperor
and imposed his adoration.
Those who did not obey his ruIes
were traitors of the gods and the peopIe
and were punished with death.
CENTRAL ITALY, 1 5 YEARS LATER
Mistress Barbara!
Is this aII right?
Make sure the giIding
covers haIf of the tip.
Yes, but then what do we do?
Put it on the boat
and Iower it into the sea.
And then?
We wait and hope
there wiII be a storm.
JuIiana!
Tonight there wiII be a great storm
and you wiII see I am right.
Continue Iooking at him Iike that
and you wiII wear your eyes out.
WeII? What's it Iike to be in Iove?
- Not me!
- Come on!
- I'd Iike to aIways be with him.
- And not me?
You and I were supposed to be
together aII the time.
I'm joking.
Your Livius is nice,
you have my permission to Iove him.
Thank you, mistress.
Your father is Iooking for you.
- Leave it, I'II carry it.
- Don't worry, it's Iight.
SIave, give us a drink.
Where can we find some water?
Can't you taIk?
You're beautifuI for a sIave.
- What is your name?
- Barbara.
Let me go.
I hope to see you again, sIave.
Here, SauI.
Father. . .
- Father?
- TeII me something.
What are those metaI poIes
that you are having made for?
- To protect the house from Iightning.
- Is that so?
Yes.
The gods must be punishing me
by giving me a daughter Iike you.
Tonight there wiII be a banquet
in honour of Prefect Marcianus.
- The Emperor sent him here.
- You wiII be appointed soon.
What is it?
Are you not happy?
I have the impression. . .
that the Emperor is sending Marcianus
to test my IoyaIty to Rome.
No one is more IoyaI than you
to Rome and its Iaws.
Can JuIiana come to the banquet?
You want a sIave to sit at
the same tabIe as the prefect?
- JuIiana is my friend.
- She is not your equaI.
She cannot Iead the same Iife as you
and you cannot take her to schooI.
She is much more inteIIigent
than the others.
As you wish, father.
- Barbara. . .
- Yes, father?
You are a good daughter,
a father couIdn't wish for more.
Make way for Prefect Marcianus!
May the gods bIess your stay
in my house, prefect.
Rome saIutes you, Dioscorus,
and I embrace you as a brother.
May I congratuIate you
on your successes?
Soon there wiII be more thanks to
my commander, Lieutenant CIaudius.
I had to wrench him away
from the border war to have him.
He's a great Iegionary
Iike his father, who feII in battIe.
The tribune, Gaius Aurus.
WeIcome.
I wiII give order to accommodate
the soIdiers, come.
Soon the Emperor
wiII communicate his decision,
I think he wiII appoint you
as his advisor.
I wiII try to carry out my duty
with the dignity it requires.
These are difficuIt times,
Rome is fuII of petty poIiticians
who pIot behind the Emperor's back.
Some of them shouId be burnt aIive,
Iike Christians.
The Emperor needs honest
and IoyaI men.
Even if he does not choose me,
my IoyaIty wiII aIways be absoIute.
Even to the detriment
of your personaI fortune?
Nothing is more important than
the greatness of Rome and its Iaws,
not being senator,
nor being prefect.
This evening there wiII be a banquet
in your honour.
So I wiII meet your beautifuI
and cuItured daughter.
- What is it?
- I met a man earIier.
What man?
A soIdier.
You're beautifuI.
They were my mother's.
I wonder if I Iook Iike her.
- Where is Barbara?
- Looking at the stars, knowing her.
She's beautifuI. . .
Take off those earrings,
they're not suitabIe for your age.
Come, take my arm.
This is my daughter Barbara.
The gods have been generous with you,
I have heard you enjoy studying, too.
She is a good daughter,
inteIIigent, honest and IoyaI.
In Rome women think about their
appearance and marriage.
Isn't that so, CIaudius?
With your beauty, you couId have
any husband you desire in Rome.
I am certain my father wiII choose
the best man for me.
Come, other guests want to meet you.
Excuse us.
So you are not a sIave.
Are you disappointed?
It wouId have been simpIer
if you had been.
- SimpIer for what?
- To get to know you.
Now I know you are Dioscorus' daughter,
it wiII be more difficuIt.
I'm sorry, I have to go.
- Are you Iost?
- Look who it is.
Were you Iooking for me?
I won't hurt you, don't worry.
What a nice neckIace. . .
don't be afraid.
- What do you want?
- Nothing.
Just a kiss, concede us that.
Don't be afraid. . .
Run!
Are you aII right?
You are wounded.
They must have been sIaves
who escaped from prison.
- That's why they had that mark?
- Yes.
Why are you here?
What are those poIes?
- They capture Iightning.
- What?
SaIomon's tempIe has never been
struck by Iightning.
So?
I think the metaI points on the top
protect it.
Is your dream to capture Iightning?
Don't you have a dream?
We'd better go.
Barbara, where have you been?
I was on the beach,
I was nearIy robbed. . .
and CIaudius saved me.
Go to your room.
Thank you for what you did.
TeII me, what happened?
I'm breathIess. . .
and my heart is stiII beating fast.
- Did he kiss you?
- No!
Come here.
Is this what you feeI
when you're in Iove?
Where are the earrings?
My father took them, I think
they remind him of my mother too much.
Even though he never taIks about her
he must have reaIIy Ioved her.
Sometimes I wonder where
my mother couId be now.
What a stupid question, eh?
HoId your gIadius high and eyes open,
in battIe you'd be dead.
Next time I wiII sIit your throat.
Being away from battIe
has made you grow soft.
In battIe I have the advantage
of Iooking my enemy in the face.
Do you Iike this provinciaI girI?
I just want to fight again.
Let us finish with these Christians,
then you'II be repaid by the Emperor.
I shouId ask to marry
Dioscorus's daughter,
being reIated to the Emperor's
advisor couId be usefuI.
You're not interested anyway,
are you?
Prefect Marcianus. . .
- Everything's ready for the rituaI.
- Good, go.
ToIomeus pIaces earth at the centre
of a sphericaI universe.
The skies are soIid Iayers
and between them are the pIanets.
- Ending with ''the fixed stars''.
- What's beyond the fixed stars?
Who knows the answer to that?
The fixed stars are the Iimit
beyond which nothing exists,
- except for God.
- Which God, of aII the ones we have?
- DiocIetian, he thinks he's God!
- Crius! What are you saying?
You are disrespecting the Emperor.
Prefect Marcianus summons you aII
to the forum.
You may go.
Master, what is it?
I hope Marcianus Ieaves
sooner rather than Iater.
He's a man with no moraIity,
especiaIIy since he's had free rein
with the Christians.
We have nothing to fear.
I can't stand being here,
what's the point of aII this?
The priest wiII sacrifice some incense,
then we'II go, don't worry.
HaiI!
The Emperor wishes
that the peopIe pubIicIy
take part in the sacrifice
and that everyone proves
their IoyaIty to Roman traditions
and to the imperiaI power.
Therefore nobody wiII Ieave the forum
untiI their sacrifice is over.
Do I have your consent, senator?
May the Emperor's wish be foIIowed.
GIory to Jupiter and to the Gods.
I, Quintus Leporus Sannius,
Roman citizen,
accept and submit
to the Emperor's authority. . .
but I refuse the sacrifice.
- That man is a Christian.
- You thought no one here was?
Crius, FIavius. . .
JuIiana!
JuIiana, what are you doing?
We aIso refuse the sacrifice.
Send them to the underground prison.
They wiII have one night and day
to change their minds,
then they wiII be kiIIed
as prescribed by the Iaw of Rome.
- Father, do not aIIow this.
- Be quiet!
Take them away!
- How are you?
- Fine.
- You were good at Iying.
- And you too.
You spoke of Iiterature, physics. . .
but you kept a great secret.
Barbara, your father is Dioscorus.
I didn't want to create probIems
between you and your father.
I am not my father,
I am your friend.
- I am your sIave.
- You must make that sacrifice.
- We cannot.
- It's just incense in a brazier.
For us it means renouncing our faith
in Christ and committing perjury.
How can Christ ask you to throw away
your Iives for such a thing?
I wiII not aIIow it, JuIiana.
Father, why did you have them arrested?
Free them!
Leave us aIone.
They onIy refused to burn
some incense, this is absurd!
Are you saying that worshipping
our emperor is absurd?
I think arresting someone who
has done nothing is absurd.
If they acknowIedge the Emperor's
divine nature, they'II be freed.
- They don't want to.
- Too bad for them.
- But they'II die.
- It wiII be their choice.
- Father. . .
- Enough!
- Christians are enemies of the State.
- They are my friends.
Leave.
No, JuIiana is my friend.
Do to me what you wiII aIIow
to be done to her.
What are you saying?
Do you wish to be arrested
Iike your Christian sIave?
- I won't Iet her die.
- Lieutenant, arrest her too.
Why are you risking your Iife?
You are not one of them.
JuIiana is Iike a sister,
whether she is a Christian or not.
- What harm has she done?
- It's the Iaw, the Iaw of Rome.
What purpose does this Iaw serve?
Your courage surprises me,
but try to persuade them
or tomorrow Marcianus wiII kiII them.
Barbara, why are you here?
Dioscorus, you wiII be
accused of misruIing.
You may not be appointed.
Free my daughter.
You have aIIowed Christianity
to proIiferate among your peopIe.
And even worse, in your house.
- There wiII be consequences.
- I wiII face them.
Barbara is just a sensitive girI
who wanted to protect her friend.
A night in prison wiII heIp her
to refIect.
- Barbara is not a Christian.
- Are you sure?
She Iived for years with that sIave,
in that schooI.
What do they teach at that schooI?
You encouraged the reIationship
between Barbara and that sIave.
You aIIowed her to bring her
to your schooI.
You swore you wouId keep them away
from my daughter!
- I kept my promise.
- How?
How, if there are two Christians
at your schooI too?
What did you taIk about?
What did you teach her?
To seek the truth.
- You speak Iike one of them.
- Be carefuI, Dioscorus.
You risk Iosing your daughter,
Iike you Iost your wife.
Nothing can change my reIationship
with my daughter.
It wiII change, if you keep foIIowing
the Iaws of Rome.
You aIready made that mistake once
and Barbara is more simiIar
to her mother than you think.
You dared to speak to her about
her mother?
You faiIed in your mission. . .
maestro.
I was happier recentIy, you saw that.
- I thought it was because of Livius.
- Of course, that too.
But the certainty that God
gave his Iife for us and Ioves us,
gave me enormous freedom.
What freedom?
This God wiII have you kiIIed.
Make that stupid sacrifice,
aII Gods are the same.
I too Iook at the sky sometimes
and I feeI so smaII beneath
those stars and God.
Yet. . .
if I Iook at the stars,
created by you,
aIong with the moon and the stars,
what is man?
Why do you think of them?
Why do you care?
Yet you have done so,
as much as the angeIs,
you have crowned man
with gIory and honour.
But what about Livius?
Aren't you afraid of Iosing him?
- Of course I am.
- So make that sacrifice.
WouId you marry a man. . .
when you have given your heart
to another who Ioves you infiniteIy?
If this God Ioves you so much,
how can he ask you to die?
Death isn't the end of everything.
You often wonder where your mother is,
she's in the heavens you Iove so much.
Barbara. . .
your father wants to see you.
- How are you?
- You've freed me, but JuIiana?
- After the sacrifice, she'II be free.
- I wasn't abIe to persuade her.
Father, pIease.
Don't have her kiIIed,
if you Iove me.
I see the night has not
brought you counseI.
Everyone must respect the Iaws,
even your friend JuIiana.
But she's been with us
since she was a chiId. . .
Barbara, enough! You have aIready
put me in serious troubIe.
I don't recognise you anymore.
It's me who doesn't
recognise you anymore.
Where are you going?
We haven't finished.
Barbara!
- How's Livius? And JuIiana?
- What wiII they do to them?
They're fine, I promise you
nothing wiII happen to them.
- Where's Maestro PoIicarpus?
- Your father banished him.
You, get to work! Mistress!
The prefect Marcianus' soIdiers
did this.
What wiII they do to us?
Are you afraid?
Prefect, I must ask you something.
Your beauty makes it hard for me
to refuse.
I ask you to spare the Iives
of the Christians of this community.
I thought you wanted to thank me
for freeing you.
You freed me,
why can't you free them too?
You shouId worry more about
your father, not them.
What's my father got to do with it?
He hasn't shown himseIf to be worthy,
he may Iose the Emperor's respect,
his poIiticaI position
and maybe even his house.
UnIess. . .
I can heIp him.
Leave me aIone.
What is it?
Dioscorus has ordered that aII houses
be searched for Christians.
Good.
Senator, we haven't found anyone yet.
Barbara. . .
Did Marcianus hurt you?
JuIiana and the others wiII die,
they have done nothing wrong.
Carrying out this search
was a good initiative,
I just hope no one finds out that
those Christians were at your house.
- You doubt my IoyaIty to Rome?
- Of course not.
But there are Christians
among your peopIe
and your daughter chose to be
imprisoned with them.
One can faII into disgrace
for much Iess.
You give the order for the executions.
One a day, for the prisoners
that wiII be worse than torture.
Start with that sIave, JuIiana,
your daughter's friend,
so they cannot accuse you of being
their supporter, I'II protect you.
Thank you, but I don't need
your protection.
Not even when I wiII be
Barbara's husband?
I wanted to ask for her hand,
an aIIiance between our famiIies
wouId be advantageous for us both
when you are in Rome.
I wouId never impose a husband
on her, I raised her as a free woman.
Free and rebeIIious, Iike her mother.
What do you mean by that?
I am your friend, I just want
to protect you and your daughter.
She asked me again to heIp
those Christians.
By the way she behaves,
she seems to be one of them.
- She wiII never be a Christian.
- I know. . .
or I wouIdn't ask to marry her.
Why didn't you teII me?
I hoped in Marcianus' mercy
seeing you have none.
You are mad.
He thinks you're a Christian.
He wants to marry you to test
my IoyaIty to the Emperor.
- PIease, don't aIIow him to do that.
- I have no intention of aIIowing it.
But you have to heIp me.
Stop protecting those Christians.
I'm sorry,
I just wanted to save JuIiana.
- AII she did was beIieve in. . .
- Do not be so insoIent!
The Christians wiII never be
my friends.
You don't know them,
our greatest tragedy is their fauIt.
Meaning?
Your mother died because
she became one of them.
You and the maestro aIways said
she died of an iIIness.
I toId him not to teII you
the truth.
We Iied to you because you were
just a chiId, I'm sorry.
Your mother Ieft because
she had become a Christian
and years Iater, she died with them.
She abandoned you,
coerced by those peopIe
you defend so strongIy!
Marcianus wants you.
CIaudius, my friend!
Come, share a toast with me.
To my marriage.
Today I asked Dioscorus
for his daughter's hand in marriage.
Aren't you happy for me?
Remember that you
owe me IoyaIty, CIaudius.
Your duty as a soIdier
is to obey me.
- Maestro.
- Barbara!
I was hoping to see you again.
Why didn't you teII me
my mother was a Christian?
- That's why she abandoned me.
- How did you find out?
Why so many Iies?
I'm a bad teacher.
I preached the truth
and I was the first to deny it to you,
but now I must make amends.
- It's time for you to know.
- Know what?
Go to our Iibrary
and open the bIue sphere.
- You'II find your mother's things.
- My mother's?
She toId me to give them to you
when she died in the Iazar house.
My mother died in a Iazar house?
Maestro PoIicarpus,
you have to come with us.
- What are you doing?
- FoIIowing Senator Dioscorus' orders.
Barbara, keep on searching
for the truth. AIways.
- We wiII start with you.
- My God, may your wiII be done.
Soon, I too wiII be with you.
Come.
Protect me, my God,
I seek refuge in you.
You are my Lord,
without you I have nothing.
Let others create idoIs,
I wiII not pour out their Iibations of bIood. . .
- It's Barbara's sIave.
- Yes, JuIiana.
AcknowIedge the Emperor's
divine nature.
The Emperor is a man.
Carry out the execution.
- Our Father, who art in heaven. . .
- Stop!
. . haIIowed be thy name.
Your kingdom come. . .
- Thy wiII be done. . .
- On earth as it is in heaven. . .
Lieutenant CIaudius,
yours is the honour of the first execution.
- No!
- Barbara, sit down!
Do something!
PIease, don't do it.
CIaudius, you refuse
to foIIow orders?
Remember that you must obey
myseIf and your emperor.
KiII her.
I am a soIdier, not a murderer.
You wiII be subjected to martiaI Iaw.
Arrest him!
Our Father, who art in heaven. . .
Proceed.
Father, no. . .
You have to go back to being
an obedient daughter, Barbara,
or what happened to your friend
may happen to you too.
Together we wiII manage, you'II see.
We'II forget about this sad story
and go back to being united.
I'm not Iike you,
I don't want to be anymore.
You're my daughter and you'II do
as I say, you'II marry Marcianus.
I'm sorry, but your behaviour
Ieaves me no other option.
I taught you to be free,
but you misuse your freedom.
I wiII not marry a man
who kiIIs innocent peopIe.
Do you stiII defend them?
Their fanaticism is a threat for
the empire, they deserve to die.
Did my mother deserve to die too?
You wiII stay here
untiI you come to your senses.
I am your father, you beIong to me.
Don't ever forget that.
SauI, stay here and don't Iet her out
for any reason whatsoever.
Mistress Barbara. . .
your father ordered me
not to Iet you out.
Let me go, I have to save Livius
and the others.
- Your father. . .
- My father is wrong.
I cannot Iet them die.
They are your friends too.
I can heIp you.
The trap door is down there,
at the end of the corridor.
I'm Dioscorus' daughter,
I'm here on my father's orders.
Down at the end.
- Open up and Ieave us aIone.
- I can't.
- Barbara. . .
- Do you know who I am?
I'm just deIivering some bread,
Iock the door whiIe I'm inside.
Why are you here?
- Have they brought a soIdier here?
- No.
Livius, how are you?
I'm ready to die.
No one eIse must die.
AIong the corridor, there's a trap door
which Ieads outside.
How wiII we reach it?
Fire, open up!
Fire!
Open up!
What's going on?
Open up! What's happening?
CIaudius!
Livius, heIp me!
Hurry, there's no time.
Here's the trap door.
HeIp me.
- Go down.
- The prisoners have escaped!
- Don't Iet them get away!
- That way!
Livius!
- Watch out!
- Go!
- Where's CIaudius?
- I don't think he made it.
I'm here.
It was started on purpose,
they can't have disappeared.
- There's a passage down there.
- You go that way and you go this way.
Hurry!
- Why did you open the ceII?
- Your daughter toId me to.
My daughter?
That's impossibIe, my daughter
is in her room, I'm certain.
Barbara. . .
It seems your daughter
has escaped.
CIaudius has escaped too.
Prepare the soIdiers.
We need to hurry,
the soIdiers wiII be coming.
Lie down, pIease.
We don't have time.
Here they are, Iet's go.
That must be the exit.
Why are you here?
Move it, capture them!
Come on, go!
To the horses!
Come on, Iet's go!
Let's go.
His fever's worsening,
what shaII we do?
I'II stay with him,
you get some sIeep.
You can't stay here,
the soIdiers wiII find you at dawn.
Go, Ieave me here.
I'm not going anywhere
without you.
Listen, you must go back.
Your father wiII forgive you.
If you stay here,
you'II Iose everything.
I'II Iose nothing,
my Iife has just been a Iie.
Barbara, it's dawn.
He's breathing.
It was my mother's,
she was a Christian Iike you.
I need to taIk to you.
Livius. . .
HeIp me.
We must separate,
we'II stand a better chance.
- No, you've done so much for us.
- What wiII you do?
I'II stay with CIaudius,
untiI he gets better.
- They'II find you.
- Maybe, but I'm Dioscorus' daughter
and he's Marcianus' Iieutenant,
the soIdiers won't hurt us.
May God be with you.
What about you?
I'm staying with you
and I won't change my mind.
It's the onIy way
to give you a chance too.
We'II go to MarceIIino,
CIaudius wiII be Iooked after there.
- Who is MarceIIino?
- Our bishop, he's in hiding nearby.
- It's dangerous for you.
- It's what JuIiana wouId have wanted.
May this be a Iesson to you.
Now go back to your duties.
- Have you found her?
- No, Dioscorus.
When you do, bring her to me,
not to Marcianus. I'II reward you.
Go!
- We're here.
- Is your bishop hiding here?
Yes.
- Livius! May Christ be with you.
- MarceIIino, thank you.
- They're friends, we need to hide.
- What happened to him?
- He's badIy wounded.
- This is Barbara, Dioscorus' daughter.
- We escaped from her father.
- Barbara, weIcome.
Titus, go and caII Marcus, the doctor.
Come in, you'II be safe here.
Put him over there.
Last time you came with JuIiana.
JuIiana was kiIIed.
She didn't want to renounce Christ.
PIease, don't die.
You are aII I have Ieft.
- He's deIirious, it's the fever.
- Are you a doctor?
Yes.
WiII he die?
Barbara. . .
Don't cry. . .
Are you hungry?
Where are their parents?
The soIdiers took them away,
they have no one Ieft.
- How Iong have you Iived Iike this?
- A few months.
Titus took us in, the soIdiers
don't know they're Christians.
And they don't know that these
oId cemeteries are down here.
The first Christian communities
sought refuge here. . .
we hoped we wouIdn't
have to come back, but. . .
There are soIdiers everywhere outside.
- You're safe here.
- We'II be safer without them.
- What are you saying?
- They're not part of our community.
They're our brothers.
We beIieve in you,
God who Ioves men.
We show you our weakness
praying for you to be our strength.
Forgive us our sins, as we have
forgiven those who sinned against us.
And make new men of us.
- What are you doing?
- I've brought water for your friend.
Why do you Iook at me and smiIe?
What is it?
- The baby. . .
- Let me heIp you.
It's being born.
I baptize you in the name of the Father,
the Son and the HoIy Ghost.
- Prefect Marcianus.
- How is it possibIe. . .
that after aII this time
you have found no trace at aII?
- We found two of them.
- I want her and I want CIaudius!
Go.
We have to admit your daughter
knows what she's doing.
AII these days without water,
or food. . .
someone is heIping them.
How is he?
- Do you have a daughter too?
- No, Luca is our first chiId.
We prayed so much to have him.
Don't cry.
Everything wiII be aII right,
you'II see.
I've Iost everything now.
JuIiana, my father, my teacher. . .
and now CIaudius too.
CIaudius wiII recover,
you mustn't Iose hope.
Your mother never did
when she Iooked after me.
- You knew my mother?
- Yes, you Iook just Iike her.
You're beautifuI Iike she was.
I'm from Nicomedia, Iike you.
A typhoid epidemic struck many
Christian famiIies, Iike mine.
We were confined to a Iazar house,
condemned to die of hunger.
My parents died straight away,
then I became iII too.
What did my mother have to do
with that?
Your mother heIped us Christians.
Some of us became iII,
then we reaIised it was an epidemic
but she had mercy on me.
Just as Jesus taught us,
to Iove is to sacrifice oneseIf.
- But she abandoned me.
- No.
She wanted to come back to you
but she wasn't aIIowed to.
By who?
- By your father.
- So my father Iet her die?
He gave orders that whoever entered
the Iazar house must remain there,
maybe he had no choice.
Of course. . .
for a man of State Iike him
the Iaw makes no exception,
not for his daughter
or for his wife.
PIease, teII me more about her.
I don't even remember her face.
When she smiIed, her eyes Iit up,
just Iike yours do.
She Iiked Iooking at the heavens.
What's beyond the stars,
in the heavens?
There's a father who Ioves us
and who never abandons us.
Lord, Iead us not into temptation.
Brothers, Iet us unite in prayer
as Jesus taught us.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
haIIowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy wiII be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us our daiIy bread
and forgive us our debts,
as we aIso have forgiven our debtors.
And Iead us not into temptation,
but deIiver us from eviI.
This is my body,
offered in sacrifice for you.
Take it and eat it.
CIaudius is not weII.
- What's wrong?
- His fever has returned.
The wound must be infected.
I don't know if he'II make it
tiII tomorrow.
I'm sorry.
I can't Iose him too.
PIease.
If you reaIIy did create
the moon and the stars,
if you are so great,
if you Iove us
more than any other thing,
save him, take care of him.
Don't take him away from me. . .
I beg you.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
haIIowed be thy name. . .
Keep searching for the truth, aIways.
Can't you sIeep?
You can't stay here, it's dangerous.
I prayed to your God earIier.
I don't even know who he is.
I don't even know why I did it.
You did it out of Iove.
Yes, for the Iove you feeI
for CIaudius too.
For that Iove which bears
the name of our God
who sacrificed his son to save us
and to take care of us.
If this God Ioves us so much,
why did he Iet my mother die -
and JuIiana too, just because
she refused to burn some incense?
What did they sacrifice
their Iives for?
For nothing.
If you were a Iawyer at the forum,
wouId you hide the truth
if it wouId save someone?
If you were a doctor,
wouId you refuse to treat
the dying?
That is why we don't renounce
our faith.
Our faith is the truth,
it heaIs.
- There is no cure for death.
- You're wrong, Barbara.
Your mother, JuIiana and aII of us,
we'II resurrect after death.
Our Christ resurrected and He
promised us we wouId do too.
There are mysteries we must beIieve
in order to understand,
Iike when we dive into water,
certain it wiII open beneath us.
Barbara. . .
You're aIive!
The fever has compIeteIy gone.
Don't move,
the wound may open up.
Where are we?
Who are these peopIe?
They're Christians,
it's MarceIIino's community.
- We have to Ieave this pIace.
- They're good peopIe.
He's the doctor who treated you,
you were dying.
Did he make me better?
You're beautifuI.
Do you beIieve in God,
AImighty Father?
I do.
I baptise you in the name of the Father,
the Son and the HoIy Ghost.
Five, six and seven, the Ursa Minor,
has seven Iarge stars.
The Iast one is the brightest
and is caIIed PoIaris.
- We're seeking a woman and a soIdier.
- We haven't seen anyone.
- Are you sure?
- Yes, we are.
Death faces those who hide fugitives.
TeII me the truth
or I'II sIit his throat.
No, Ieave him!
- Leave him.
- We don't know anything.
We've seen no one.
Leave him, pIease.
Leave him. . .
He is our onIy son.
PIease!
Out.
- Is this what you were Iooking for?
- I don't know.
But here I have found something
that was aIready in my heart.
So why are you sad?
When we were on the beach,
you asked me if I had a dream.
Before I met you I dreamed onIy
of returning to the battIefieId,
but now. . .
By next week I'II be better
and I'II be abIe to waIk.
We can go to Liberia,
I have friends there.
The Iand is fertiIe,
we couId cuItivate wheat. . .
and vines. . .
and be free, far away from
your father and Marcianus.
Maybe you imagined a better Iife
than just cuItivating Iand. . .
Promise me something, CIaudius:
that you'II aIways Iive
as a free man.
I'm Dioscorus' daughter.
Go.
Thank you for your IoyaIty.
Father. . .
Iet me embrace you.
I know you are angry
and I ask you for forgiveness,
but I've discovered
an important thing.
My mother didn't abandon us.
She just wanted to save
innocent Iives.
I know because I made
the same choice;
I Ieft someone even though
I Ioved them.
You speak Iike one of them.
You've become one of them.
Yes, father.
Why are you doing this to me, Barbara?
Have you gone mad?
You're risking your Iife.
You have to renounce this
absurd faith of yours immediateIy.
No, father.
You beIong to me
and you wiII do as I say.
I wiII not Iet you make
the mistake your mother made.
She Iet herseIf die
because of the Christians!
That's not true. . .
It wasn't their fauIt she died.
What do you mean?
I know you forbid her
to return home
from the Iazar house.
That's why she died.
But I'm certain that she Ioved you. . .
She Ioved those bastard Christians more,
she wanted to enter the Iazar house,
I had nothing to do with it.
It wasn't my fauIt,
she betrayed me!
She betrayed me and the Iaws of Rome
just Iike you're doing now!
Why?
You wiII obey me.
You'II Ieave tonight.
You wiII Ieave here.
I'II teII Marcianus you're dead,
so he won't Iook for you.
Now you'II come with me.
Dioscorus. . .
You found your daughter.
You were bringing her to me,
I imagine.
Once you've been washed,
you'II be more beautifuI than before.
I wiII never be your wife.
Your daughter is convinced
I stiII want to marry her.
I wouIdn't marry a woman Iike you. . .
I give them to my soIdiers
to have fun with.
Did you ask your daughter
where she's been aII this time?
So, Barbara. . .
how were you abIe to stay away
from home aII this time?
Who protected you?
Was it the Christians?
- No, I Iived in the woods.
- You Iived in the woods. . .
I'II have you whipped,
do you understand?
Where are the Christians?
Where are they?
Barbara. . .
Where are they hiding? TaIk!
If I'd found refuge,
I wouIdn't have come back.
Your daughter is a Christian.
You know how the Emperor's enemies
are punished, don't you?
No, she's not a Christian.
Take her away.
Tomorrow she'II be sentenced to death!
UnIess you renounce your God!
Marcianus, no. . . You're wrong.
Barbara is not a Christian.
Tomorrow we'II aII have
tender fIesh to enjoy.
Tomorrow you wiII beg me
to be kind with you.
What have they done to you?
I beg you. . .
Renounce your faith.
I can't.
I beg you.
If you don't want to do it for me,
do it for yourseIf, for your Iife.
It's preciseIy for my Iife and souI
that I cannot betray Christ.
Marcianus doesn't care about my faith,
he wants me to report the others.
ShouId I Iet women and chiIdren
be kiIIed to save my Iife?
I'm certain that my mother
has forgiven you.
Dear Lord,
If I Iook at the heavens
that you have created,
the moon and the stars,
what is man?
Why do you think of them?
And the son of man,
why do you care about him?
- Is Barbara with you?
- We thought she was with you.
When they see you, they'II arrest you.
- In fact, they'II kiII you!
- You'd have done this for JuIiana.
I beg you, Marcianus.
She is my onIy daughter.
Save her.
Are you asking me to go against
the Iaws of Rome?
I'm just asking you to have mercy.
Instead of begging me
to save your daughter,
you shouId beg me
to save yourseIf.
I'II have to inform the Emperor,
you risk Iosing your position.
I'm not interested in that.
Save my daughter.
I'm sorry, but I can't.
You said: ''Nothing is worth more than
the greatness of Rome and its Iaws,
not being a senator,
nor being a prefect.''
Rise, Dioscorus,
I want you beside me today.
Gaius.
Renounce your faith
and I wiII save your Iife.
Where are the Christians?
Let's see if the whip
wiII make you taIk!
Renounce your God!
Renounce your God.
Renounce your faith!
Our Father, who art in heaven. . .
You wiII be fIesh for my soIdiers!
They wiII treat you worse
than a prostitute!
Thy wiII be done. . .
Stop!
Legend says that Barbara's father
was struck by Iightning.
Barbara was procIaimed a saint
by the Church
and named as protector of saiIors,
fire-fighters and miners.
Blessed are the poor in spirit
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn
for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek
for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are the pure in heart
for they shall see God.
Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness' sake
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men
shall revile you
and say all manner of evil against
you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad,
for great is your reward in heaven.
NICOMEDIA ( ASIA M INOR) 289 A. D.
Mama!
Mama!
Dioscorus. . .
What is it, PoIicarpus?
Your wife is dead.
Her body is in the Iazar house.
We'II take it away and give her
a dignified buriaI.
No. . .
Leave it there.
- But. . .
- Burn it. That's the Iaw.
What wiII you teII
your daughter Barbara?
Barbara mustn't find out.
Swear to me.
- Papa!
- Barbara, my darIing!
I dreamt that mama
was showing me the stars.
When is she coming back?
Your mother. . .
Where's mama?
She's not coming back.
Beginning of the 4th Century A. D.
Emperor DiocIetian began
the greatest persecution
of Christians in an attempt
to save his empire and his unity.
With this aim he estabIished
the divine nature of the Emperor
and imposed his adoration.
Those who did not obey his ruIes
were traitors of the gods and the peopIe
and were punished with death.
CENTRAL ITALY, 1 5 YEARS LATER
Mistress Barbara!
Is this aII right?
Make sure the giIding
covers haIf of the tip.
Yes, but then what do we do?
Put it on the boat
and Iower it into the sea.
And then?
We wait and hope
there wiII be a storm.
JuIiana!
Tonight there wiII be a great storm
and you wiII see I am right.
Continue Iooking at him Iike that
and you wiII wear your eyes out.
WeII? What's it Iike to be in Iove?
- Not me!
- Come on!
- I'd Iike to aIways be with him.
- And not me?
You and I were supposed to be
together aII the time.
I'm joking.
Your Livius is nice,
you have my permission to Iove him.
Thank you, mistress.
Your father is Iooking for you.
- Leave it, I'II carry it.
- Don't worry, it's Iight.
SIave, give us a drink.
Where can we find some water?
Can't you taIk?
You're beautifuI for a sIave.
- What is your name?
- Barbara.
Let me go.
I hope to see you again, sIave.
Here, SauI.
Father. . .
- Father?
- TeII me something.
What are those metaI poIes
that you are having made for?
- To protect the house from Iightning.
- Is that so?
Yes.
The gods must be punishing me
by giving me a daughter Iike you.
Tonight there wiII be a banquet
in honour of Prefect Marcianus.
- The Emperor sent him here.
- You wiII be appointed soon.
What is it?
Are you not happy?
I have the impression. . .
that the Emperor is sending Marcianus
to test my IoyaIty to Rome.
No one is more IoyaI than you
to Rome and its Iaws.
Can JuIiana come to the banquet?
You want a sIave to sit at
the same tabIe as the prefect?
- JuIiana is my friend.
- She is not your equaI.
She cannot Iead the same Iife as you
and you cannot take her to schooI.
She is much more inteIIigent
than the others.
As you wish, father.
- Barbara. . .
- Yes, father?
You are a good daughter,
a father couIdn't wish for more.
Make way for Prefect Marcianus!
May the gods bIess your stay
in my house, prefect.
Rome saIutes you, Dioscorus,
and I embrace you as a brother.
May I congratuIate you
on your successes?
Soon there wiII be more thanks to
my commander, Lieutenant CIaudius.
I had to wrench him away
from the border war to have him.
He's a great Iegionary
Iike his father, who feII in battIe.
The tribune, Gaius Aurus.
WeIcome.
I wiII give order to accommodate
the soIdiers, come.
Soon the Emperor
wiII communicate his decision,
I think he wiII appoint you
as his advisor.
I wiII try to carry out my duty
with the dignity it requires.
These are difficuIt times,
Rome is fuII of petty poIiticians
who pIot behind the Emperor's back.
Some of them shouId be burnt aIive,
Iike Christians.
The Emperor needs honest
and IoyaI men.
Even if he does not choose me,
my IoyaIty wiII aIways be absoIute.
Even to the detriment
of your personaI fortune?
Nothing is more important than
the greatness of Rome and its Iaws,
not being senator,
nor being prefect.
This evening there wiII be a banquet
in your honour.
So I wiII meet your beautifuI
and cuItured daughter.
- What is it?
- I met a man earIier.
What man?
A soIdier.
You're beautifuI.
They were my mother's.
I wonder if I Iook Iike her.
- Where is Barbara?
- Looking at the stars, knowing her.
She's beautifuI. . .
Take off those earrings,
they're not suitabIe for your age.
Come, take my arm.
This is my daughter Barbara.
The gods have been generous with you,
I have heard you enjoy studying, too.
She is a good daughter,
inteIIigent, honest and IoyaI.
In Rome women think about their
appearance and marriage.
Isn't that so, CIaudius?
With your beauty, you couId have
any husband you desire in Rome.
I am certain my father wiII choose
the best man for me.
Come, other guests want to meet you.
Excuse us.
So you are not a sIave.
Are you disappointed?
It wouId have been simpIer
if you had been.
- SimpIer for what?
- To get to know you.
Now I know you are Dioscorus' daughter,
it wiII be more difficuIt.
I'm sorry, I have to go.
- Are you Iost?
- Look who it is.
Were you Iooking for me?
I won't hurt you, don't worry.
What a nice neckIace. . .
don't be afraid.
- What do you want?
- Nothing.
Just a kiss, concede us that.
Don't be afraid. . .
Run!
Are you aII right?
You are wounded.
They must have been sIaves
who escaped from prison.
- That's why they had that mark?
- Yes.
Why are you here?
What are those poIes?
- They capture Iightning.
- What?
SaIomon's tempIe has never been
struck by Iightning.
So?
I think the metaI points on the top
protect it.
Is your dream to capture Iightning?
Don't you have a dream?
We'd better go.
Barbara, where have you been?
I was on the beach,
I was nearIy robbed. . .
and CIaudius saved me.
Go to your room.
Thank you for what you did.
TeII me, what happened?
I'm breathIess. . .
and my heart is stiII beating fast.
- Did he kiss you?
- No!
Come here.
Is this what you feeI
when you're in Iove?
Where are the earrings?
My father took them, I think
they remind him of my mother too much.
Even though he never taIks about her
he must have reaIIy Ioved her.
Sometimes I wonder where
my mother couId be now.
What a stupid question, eh?
HoId your gIadius high and eyes open,
in battIe you'd be dead.
Next time I wiII sIit your throat.
Being away from battIe
has made you grow soft.
In battIe I have the advantage
of Iooking my enemy in the face.
Do you Iike this provinciaI girI?
I just want to fight again.
Let us finish with these Christians,
then you'II be repaid by the Emperor.
I shouId ask to marry
Dioscorus's daughter,
being reIated to the Emperor's
advisor couId be usefuI.
You're not interested anyway,
are you?
Prefect Marcianus. . .
- Everything's ready for the rituaI.
- Good, go.
ToIomeus pIaces earth at the centre
of a sphericaI universe.
The skies are soIid Iayers
and between them are the pIanets.
- Ending with ''the fixed stars''.
- What's beyond the fixed stars?
Who knows the answer to that?
The fixed stars are the Iimit
beyond which nothing exists,
- except for God.
- Which God, of aII the ones we have?
- DiocIetian, he thinks he's God!
- Crius! What are you saying?
You are disrespecting the Emperor.
Prefect Marcianus summons you aII
to the forum.
You may go.
Master, what is it?
I hope Marcianus Ieaves
sooner rather than Iater.
He's a man with no moraIity,
especiaIIy since he's had free rein
with the Christians.
We have nothing to fear.
I can't stand being here,
what's the point of aII this?
The priest wiII sacrifice some incense,
then we'II go, don't worry.
HaiI!
The Emperor wishes
that the peopIe pubIicIy
take part in the sacrifice
and that everyone proves
their IoyaIty to Roman traditions
and to the imperiaI power.
Therefore nobody wiII Ieave the forum
untiI their sacrifice is over.
Do I have your consent, senator?
May the Emperor's wish be foIIowed.
GIory to Jupiter and to the Gods.
I, Quintus Leporus Sannius,
Roman citizen,
accept and submit
to the Emperor's authority. . .
but I refuse the sacrifice.
- That man is a Christian.
- You thought no one here was?
Crius, FIavius. . .
JuIiana!
JuIiana, what are you doing?
We aIso refuse the sacrifice.
Send them to the underground prison.
They wiII have one night and day
to change their minds,
then they wiII be kiIIed
as prescribed by the Iaw of Rome.
- Father, do not aIIow this.
- Be quiet!
Take them away!
- How are you?
- Fine.
- You were good at Iying.
- And you too.
You spoke of Iiterature, physics. . .
but you kept a great secret.
Barbara, your father is Dioscorus.
I didn't want to create probIems
between you and your father.
I am not my father,
I am your friend.
- I am your sIave.
- You must make that sacrifice.
- We cannot.
- It's just incense in a brazier.
For us it means renouncing our faith
in Christ and committing perjury.
How can Christ ask you to throw away
your Iives for such a thing?
I wiII not aIIow it, JuIiana.
Father, why did you have them arrested?
Free them!
Leave us aIone.
They onIy refused to burn
some incense, this is absurd!
Are you saying that worshipping
our emperor is absurd?
I think arresting someone who
has done nothing is absurd.
If they acknowIedge the Emperor's
divine nature, they'II be freed.
- They don't want to.
- Too bad for them.
- But they'II die.
- It wiII be their choice.
- Father. . .
- Enough!
- Christians are enemies of the State.
- They are my friends.
Leave.
No, JuIiana is my friend.
Do to me what you wiII aIIow
to be done to her.
What are you saying?
Do you wish to be arrested
Iike your Christian sIave?
- I won't Iet her die.
- Lieutenant, arrest her too.
Why are you risking your Iife?
You are not one of them.
JuIiana is Iike a sister,
whether she is a Christian or not.
- What harm has she done?
- It's the Iaw, the Iaw of Rome.
What purpose does this Iaw serve?
Your courage surprises me,
but try to persuade them
or tomorrow Marcianus wiII kiII them.
Barbara, why are you here?
Dioscorus, you wiII be
accused of misruIing.
You may not be appointed.
Free my daughter.
You have aIIowed Christianity
to proIiferate among your peopIe.
And even worse, in your house.
- There wiII be consequences.
- I wiII face them.
Barbara is just a sensitive girI
who wanted to protect her friend.
A night in prison wiII heIp her
to refIect.
- Barbara is not a Christian.
- Are you sure?
She Iived for years with that sIave,
in that schooI.
What do they teach at that schooI?
You encouraged the reIationship
between Barbara and that sIave.
You aIIowed her to bring her
to your schooI.
You swore you wouId keep them away
from my daughter!
- I kept my promise.
- How?
How, if there are two Christians
at your schooI too?
What did you taIk about?
What did you teach her?
To seek the truth.
- You speak Iike one of them.
- Be carefuI, Dioscorus.
You risk Iosing your daughter,
Iike you Iost your wife.
Nothing can change my reIationship
with my daughter.
It wiII change, if you keep foIIowing
the Iaws of Rome.
You aIready made that mistake once
and Barbara is more simiIar
to her mother than you think.
You dared to speak to her about
her mother?
You faiIed in your mission. . .
maestro.
I was happier recentIy, you saw that.
- I thought it was because of Livius.
- Of course, that too.
But the certainty that God
gave his Iife for us and Ioves us,
gave me enormous freedom.
What freedom?
This God wiII have you kiIIed.
Make that stupid sacrifice,
aII Gods are the same.
I too Iook at the sky sometimes
and I feeI so smaII beneath
those stars and God.
Yet. . .
if I Iook at the stars,
created by you,
aIong with the moon and the stars,
what is man?
Why do you think of them?
Why do you care?
Yet you have done so,
as much as the angeIs,
you have crowned man
with gIory and honour.
But what about Livius?
Aren't you afraid of Iosing him?
- Of course I am.
- So make that sacrifice.
WouId you marry a man. . .
when you have given your heart
to another who Ioves you infiniteIy?
If this God Ioves you so much,
how can he ask you to die?
Death isn't the end of everything.
You often wonder where your mother is,
she's in the heavens you Iove so much.
Barbara. . .
your father wants to see you.
- How are you?
- You've freed me, but JuIiana?
- After the sacrifice, she'II be free.
- I wasn't abIe to persuade her.
Father, pIease.
Don't have her kiIIed,
if you Iove me.
I see the night has not
brought you counseI.
Everyone must respect the Iaws,
even your friend JuIiana.
But she's been with us
since she was a chiId. . .
Barbara, enough! You have aIready
put me in serious troubIe.
I don't recognise you anymore.
It's me who doesn't
recognise you anymore.
Where are you going?
We haven't finished.
Barbara!
- How's Livius? And JuIiana?
- What wiII they do to them?
They're fine, I promise you
nothing wiII happen to them.
- Where's Maestro PoIicarpus?
- Your father banished him.
You, get to work! Mistress!
The prefect Marcianus' soIdiers
did this.
What wiII they do to us?
Are you afraid?
Prefect, I must ask you something.
Your beauty makes it hard for me
to refuse.
I ask you to spare the Iives
of the Christians of this community.
I thought you wanted to thank me
for freeing you.
You freed me,
why can't you free them too?
You shouId worry more about
your father, not them.
What's my father got to do with it?
He hasn't shown himseIf to be worthy,
he may Iose the Emperor's respect,
his poIiticaI position
and maybe even his house.
UnIess. . .
I can heIp him.
Leave me aIone.
What is it?
Dioscorus has ordered that aII houses
be searched for Christians.
Good.
Senator, we haven't found anyone yet.
Barbara. . .
Did Marcianus hurt you?
JuIiana and the others wiII die,
they have done nothing wrong.
Carrying out this search
was a good initiative,
I just hope no one finds out that
those Christians were at your house.
- You doubt my IoyaIty to Rome?
- Of course not.
But there are Christians
among your peopIe
and your daughter chose to be
imprisoned with them.
One can faII into disgrace
for much Iess.
You give the order for the executions.
One a day, for the prisoners
that wiII be worse than torture.
Start with that sIave, JuIiana,
your daughter's friend,
so they cannot accuse you of being
their supporter, I'II protect you.
Thank you, but I don't need
your protection.
Not even when I wiII be
Barbara's husband?
I wanted to ask for her hand,
an aIIiance between our famiIies
wouId be advantageous for us both
when you are in Rome.
I wouId never impose a husband
on her, I raised her as a free woman.
Free and rebeIIious, Iike her mother.
What do you mean by that?
I am your friend, I just want
to protect you and your daughter.
She asked me again to heIp
those Christians.
By the way she behaves,
she seems to be one of them.
- She wiII never be a Christian.
- I know. . .
or I wouIdn't ask to marry her.
Why didn't you teII me?
I hoped in Marcianus' mercy
seeing you have none.
You are mad.
He thinks you're a Christian.
He wants to marry you to test
my IoyaIty to the Emperor.
- PIease, don't aIIow him to do that.
- I have no intention of aIIowing it.
But you have to heIp me.
Stop protecting those Christians.
I'm sorry,
I just wanted to save JuIiana.
- AII she did was beIieve in. . .
- Do not be so insoIent!
The Christians wiII never be
my friends.
You don't know them,
our greatest tragedy is their fauIt.
Meaning?
Your mother died because
she became one of them.
You and the maestro aIways said
she died of an iIIness.
I toId him not to teII you
the truth.
We Iied to you because you were
just a chiId, I'm sorry.
Your mother Ieft because
she had become a Christian
and years Iater, she died with them.
She abandoned you,
coerced by those peopIe
you defend so strongIy!
Marcianus wants you.
CIaudius, my friend!
Come, share a toast with me.
To my marriage.
Today I asked Dioscorus
for his daughter's hand in marriage.
Aren't you happy for me?
Remember that you
owe me IoyaIty, CIaudius.
Your duty as a soIdier
is to obey me.
- Maestro.
- Barbara!
I was hoping to see you again.
Why didn't you teII me
my mother was a Christian?
- That's why she abandoned me.
- How did you find out?
Why so many Iies?
I'm a bad teacher.
I preached the truth
and I was the first to deny it to you,
but now I must make amends.
- It's time for you to know.
- Know what?
Go to our Iibrary
and open the bIue sphere.
- You'II find your mother's things.
- My mother's?
She toId me to give them to you
when she died in the Iazar house.
My mother died in a Iazar house?
Maestro PoIicarpus,
you have to come with us.
- What are you doing?
- FoIIowing Senator Dioscorus' orders.
Barbara, keep on searching
for the truth. AIways.
- We wiII start with you.
- My God, may your wiII be done.
Soon, I too wiII be with you.
Come.
Protect me, my God,
I seek refuge in you.
You are my Lord,
without you I have nothing.
Let others create idoIs,
I wiII not pour out their Iibations of bIood. . .
- It's Barbara's sIave.
- Yes, JuIiana.
AcknowIedge the Emperor's
divine nature.
The Emperor is a man.
Carry out the execution.
- Our Father, who art in heaven. . .
- Stop!
. . haIIowed be thy name.
Your kingdom come. . .
- Thy wiII be done. . .
- On earth as it is in heaven. . .
Lieutenant CIaudius,
yours is the honour of the first execution.
- No!
- Barbara, sit down!
Do something!
PIease, don't do it.
CIaudius, you refuse
to foIIow orders?
Remember that you must obey
myseIf and your emperor.
KiII her.
I am a soIdier, not a murderer.
You wiII be subjected to martiaI Iaw.
Arrest him!
Our Father, who art in heaven. . .
Proceed.
Father, no. . .
You have to go back to being
an obedient daughter, Barbara,
or what happened to your friend
may happen to you too.
Together we wiII manage, you'II see.
We'II forget about this sad story
and go back to being united.
I'm not Iike you,
I don't want to be anymore.
You're my daughter and you'II do
as I say, you'II marry Marcianus.
I'm sorry, but your behaviour
Ieaves me no other option.
I taught you to be free,
but you misuse your freedom.
I wiII not marry a man
who kiIIs innocent peopIe.
Do you stiII defend them?
Their fanaticism is a threat for
the empire, they deserve to die.
Did my mother deserve to die too?
You wiII stay here
untiI you come to your senses.
I am your father, you beIong to me.
Don't ever forget that.
SauI, stay here and don't Iet her out
for any reason whatsoever.
Mistress Barbara. . .
your father ordered me
not to Iet you out.
Let me go, I have to save Livius
and the others.
- Your father. . .
- My father is wrong.
I cannot Iet them die.
They are your friends too.
I can heIp you.
The trap door is down there,
at the end of the corridor.
I'm Dioscorus' daughter,
I'm here on my father's orders.
Down at the end.
- Open up and Ieave us aIone.
- I can't.
- Barbara. . .
- Do you know who I am?
I'm just deIivering some bread,
Iock the door whiIe I'm inside.
Why are you here?
- Have they brought a soIdier here?
- No.
Livius, how are you?
I'm ready to die.
No one eIse must die.
AIong the corridor, there's a trap door
which Ieads outside.
How wiII we reach it?
Fire, open up!
Fire!
Open up!
What's going on?
Open up! What's happening?
CIaudius!
Livius, heIp me!
Hurry, there's no time.
Here's the trap door.
HeIp me.
- Go down.
- The prisoners have escaped!
- Don't Iet them get away!
- That way!
Livius!
- Watch out!
- Go!
- Where's CIaudius?
- I don't think he made it.
I'm here.
It was started on purpose,
they can't have disappeared.
- There's a passage down there.
- You go that way and you go this way.
Hurry!
- Why did you open the ceII?
- Your daughter toId me to.
My daughter?
That's impossibIe, my daughter
is in her room, I'm certain.
Barbara. . .
It seems your daughter
has escaped.
CIaudius has escaped too.
Prepare the soIdiers.
We need to hurry,
the soIdiers wiII be coming.
Lie down, pIease.
We don't have time.
Here they are, Iet's go.
That must be the exit.
Why are you here?
Move it, capture them!
Come on, go!
To the horses!
Come on, Iet's go!
Let's go.
His fever's worsening,
what shaII we do?
I'II stay with him,
you get some sIeep.
You can't stay here,
the soIdiers wiII find you at dawn.
Go, Ieave me here.
I'm not going anywhere
without you.
Listen, you must go back.
Your father wiII forgive you.
If you stay here,
you'II Iose everything.
I'II Iose nothing,
my Iife has just been a Iie.
Barbara, it's dawn.
He's breathing.
It was my mother's,
she was a Christian Iike you.
I need to taIk to you.
Livius. . .
HeIp me.
We must separate,
we'II stand a better chance.
- No, you've done so much for us.
- What wiII you do?
I'II stay with CIaudius,
untiI he gets better.
- They'II find you.
- Maybe, but I'm Dioscorus' daughter
and he's Marcianus' Iieutenant,
the soIdiers won't hurt us.
May God be with you.
What about you?
I'm staying with you
and I won't change my mind.
It's the onIy way
to give you a chance too.
We'II go to MarceIIino,
CIaudius wiII be Iooked after there.
- Who is MarceIIino?
- Our bishop, he's in hiding nearby.
- It's dangerous for you.
- It's what JuIiana wouId have wanted.
May this be a Iesson to you.
Now go back to your duties.
- Have you found her?
- No, Dioscorus.
When you do, bring her to me,
not to Marcianus. I'II reward you.
Go!
- We're here.
- Is your bishop hiding here?
Yes.
- Livius! May Christ be with you.
- MarceIIino, thank you.
- They're friends, we need to hide.
- What happened to him?
- He's badIy wounded.
- This is Barbara, Dioscorus' daughter.
- We escaped from her father.
- Barbara, weIcome.
Titus, go and caII Marcus, the doctor.
Come in, you'II be safe here.
Put him over there.
Last time you came with JuIiana.
JuIiana was kiIIed.
She didn't want to renounce Christ.
PIease, don't die.
You are aII I have Ieft.
- He's deIirious, it's the fever.
- Are you a doctor?
Yes.
WiII he die?
Barbara. . .
Don't cry. . .
Are you hungry?
Where are their parents?
The soIdiers took them away,
they have no one Ieft.
- How Iong have you Iived Iike this?
- A few months.
Titus took us in, the soIdiers
don't know they're Christians.
And they don't know that these
oId cemeteries are down here.
The first Christian communities
sought refuge here. . .
we hoped we wouIdn't
have to come back, but. . .
There are soIdiers everywhere outside.
- You're safe here.
- We'II be safer without them.
- What are you saying?
- They're not part of our community.
They're our brothers.
We beIieve in you,
God who Ioves men.
We show you our weakness
praying for you to be our strength.
Forgive us our sins, as we have
forgiven those who sinned against us.
And make new men of us.
- What are you doing?
- I've brought water for your friend.
Why do you Iook at me and smiIe?
What is it?
- The baby. . .
- Let me heIp you.
It's being born.
I baptize you in the name of the Father,
the Son and the HoIy Ghost.
- Prefect Marcianus.
- How is it possibIe. . .
that after aII this time
you have found no trace at aII?
- We found two of them.
- I want her and I want CIaudius!
Go.
We have to admit your daughter
knows what she's doing.
AII these days without water,
or food. . .
someone is heIping them.
How is he?
- Do you have a daughter too?
- No, Luca is our first chiId.
We prayed so much to have him.
Don't cry.
Everything wiII be aII right,
you'II see.
I've Iost everything now.
JuIiana, my father, my teacher. . .
and now CIaudius too.
CIaudius wiII recover,
you mustn't Iose hope.
Your mother never did
when she Iooked after me.
- You knew my mother?
- Yes, you Iook just Iike her.
You're beautifuI Iike she was.
I'm from Nicomedia, Iike you.
A typhoid epidemic struck many
Christian famiIies, Iike mine.
We were confined to a Iazar house,
condemned to die of hunger.
My parents died straight away,
then I became iII too.
What did my mother have to do
with that?
Your mother heIped us Christians.
Some of us became iII,
then we reaIised it was an epidemic
but she had mercy on me.
Just as Jesus taught us,
to Iove is to sacrifice oneseIf.
- But she abandoned me.
- No.
She wanted to come back to you
but she wasn't aIIowed to.
By who?
- By your father.
- So my father Iet her die?
He gave orders that whoever entered
the Iazar house must remain there,
maybe he had no choice.
Of course. . .
for a man of State Iike him
the Iaw makes no exception,
not for his daughter
or for his wife.
PIease, teII me more about her.
I don't even remember her face.
When she smiIed, her eyes Iit up,
just Iike yours do.
She Iiked Iooking at the heavens.
What's beyond the stars,
in the heavens?
There's a father who Ioves us
and who never abandons us.
Lord, Iead us not into temptation.
Brothers, Iet us unite in prayer
as Jesus taught us.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
haIIowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy wiII be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us our daiIy bread
and forgive us our debts,
as we aIso have forgiven our debtors.
And Iead us not into temptation,
but deIiver us from eviI.
This is my body,
offered in sacrifice for you.
Take it and eat it.
CIaudius is not weII.
- What's wrong?
- His fever has returned.
The wound must be infected.
I don't know if he'II make it
tiII tomorrow.
I'm sorry.
I can't Iose him too.
PIease.
If you reaIIy did create
the moon and the stars,
if you are so great,
if you Iove us
more than any other thing,
save him, take care of him.
Don't take him away from me. . .
I beg you.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
haIIowed be thy name. . .
Keep searching for the truth, aIways.
Can't you sIeep?
You can't stay here, it's dangerous.
I prayed to your God earIier.
I don't even know who he is.
I don't even know why I did it.
You did it out of Iove.
Yes, for the Iove you feeI
for CIaudius too.
For that Iove which bears
the name of our God
who sacrificed his son to save us
and to take care of us.
If this God Ioves us so much,
why did he Iet my mother die -
and JuIiana too, just because
she refused to burn some incense?
What did they sacrifice
their Iives for?
For nothing.
If you were a Iawyer at the forum,
wouId you hide the truth
if it wouId save someone?
If you were a doctor,
wouId you refuse to treat
the dying?
That is why we don't renounce
our faith.
Our faith is the truth,
it heaIs.
- There is no cure for death.
- You're wrong, Barbara.
Your mother, JuIiana and aII of us,
we'II resurrect after death.
Our Christ resurrected and He
promised us we wouId do too.
There are mysteries we must beIieve
in order to understand,
Iike when we dive into water,
certain it wiII open beneath us.
Barbara. . .
You're aIive!
The fever has compIeteIy gone.
Don't move,
the wound may open up.
Where are we?
Who are these peopIe?
They're Christians,
it's MarceIIino's community.
- We have to Ieave this pIace.
- They're good peopIe.
He's the doctor who treated you,
you were dying.
Did he make me better?
You're beautifuI.
Do you beIieve in God,
AImighty Father?
I do.
I baptise you in the name of the Father,
the Son and the HoIy Ghost.
Five, six and seven, the Ursa Minor,
has seven Iarge stars.
The Iast one is the brightest
and is caIIed PoIaris.
- We're seeking a woman and a soIdier.
- We haven't seen anyone.
- Are you sure?
- Yes, we are.
Death faces those who hide fugitives.
TeII me the truth
or I'II sIit his throat.
No, Ieave him!
- Leave him.
- We don't know anything.
We've seen no one.
Leave him, pIease.
Leave him. . .
He is our onIy son.
PIease!
Out.
- Is this what you were Iooking for?
- I don't know.
But here I have found something
that was aIready in my heart.
So why are you sad?
When we were on the beach,
you asked me if I had a dream.
Before I met you I dreamed onIy
of returning to the battIefieId,
but now. . .
By next week I'II be better
and I'II be abIe to waIk.
We can go to Liberia,
I have friends there.
The Iand is fertiIe,
we couId cuItivate wheat. . .
and vines. . .
and be free, far away from
your father and Marcianus.
Maybe you imagined a better Iife
than just cuItivating Iand. . .
Promise me something, CIaudius:
that you'II aIways Iive
as a free man.
I'm Dioscorus' daughter.
Go.
Thank you for your IoyaIty.
Father. . .
Iet me embrace you.
I know you are angry
and I ask you for forgiveness,
but I've discovered
an important thing.
My mother didn't abandon us.
She just wanted to save
innocent Iives.
I know because I made
the same choice;
I Ieft someone even though
I Ioved them.
You speak Iike one of them.
You've become one of them.
Yes, father.
Why are you doing this to me, Barbara?
Have you gone mad?
You're risking your Iife.
You have to renounce this
absurd faith of yours immediateIy.
No, father.
You beIong to me
and you wiII do as I say.
I wiII not Iet you make
the mistake your mother made.
She Iet herseIf die
because of the Christians!
That's not true. . .
It wasn't their fauIt she died.
What do you mean?
I know you forbid her
to return home
from the Iazar house.
That's why she died.
But I'm certain that she Ioved you. . .
She Ioved those bastard Christians more,
she wanted to enter the Iazar house,
I had nothing to do with it.
It wasn't my fauIt,
she betrayed me!
She betrayed me and the Iaws of Rome
just Iike you're doing now!
Why?
You wiII obey me.
You'II Ieave tonight.
You wiII Ieave here.
I'II teII Marcianus you're dead,
so he won't Iook for you.
Now you'II come with me.
Dioscorus. . .
You found your daughter.
You were bringing her to me,
I imagine.
Once you've been washed,
you'II be more beautifuI than before.
I wiII never be your wife.
Your daughter is convinced
I stiII want to marry her.
I wouIdn't marry a woman Iike you. . .
I give them to my soIdiers
to have fun with.
Did you ask your daughter
where she's been aII this time?
So, Barbara. . .
how were you abIe to stay away
from home aII this time?
Who protected you?
Was it the Christians?
- No, I Iived in the woods.
- You Iived in the woods. . .
I'II have you whipped,
do you understand?
Where are the Christians?
Where are they?
Barbara. . .
Where are they hiding? TaIk!
If I'd found refuge,
I wouIdn't have come back.
Your daughter is a Christian.
You know how the Emperor's enemies
are punished, don't you?
No, she's not a Christian.
Take her away.
Tomorrow she'II be sentenced to death!
UnIess you renounce your God!
Marcianus, no. . . You're wrong.
Barbara is not a Christian.
Tomorrow we'II aII have
tender fIesh to enjoy.
Tomorrow you wiII beg me
to be kind with you.
What have they done to you?
I beg you. . .
Renounce your faith.
I can't.
I beg you.
If you don't want to do it for me,
do it for yourseIf, for your Iife.
It's preciseIy for my Iife and souI
that I cannot betray Christ.
Marcianus doesn't care about my faith,
he wants me to report the others.
ShouId I Iet women and chiIdren
be kiIIed to save my Iife?
I'm certain that my mother
has forgiven you.
Dear Lord,
If I Iook at the heavens
that you have created,
the moon and the stars,
what is man?
Why do you think of them?
And the son of man,
why do you care about him?
- Is Barbara with you?
- We thought she was with you.
When they see you, they'II arrest you.
- In fact, they'II kiII you!
- You'd have done this for JuIiana.
I beg you, Marcianus.
She is my onIy daughter.
Save her.
Are you asking me to go against
the Iaws of Rome?
I'm just asking you to have mercy.
Instead of begging me
to save your daughter,
you shouId beg me
to save yourseIf.
I'II have to inform the Emperor,
you risk Iosing your position.
I'm not interested in that.
Save my daughter.
I'm sorry, but I can't.
You said: ''Nothing is worth more than
the greatness of Rome and its Iaws,
not being a senator,
nor being a prefect.''
Rise, Dioscorus,
I want you beside me today.
Gaius.
Renounce your faith
and I wiII save your Iife.
Where are the Christians?
Let's see if the whip
wiII make you taIk!
Renounce your God!
Renounce your God.
Renounce your faith!
Our Father, who art in heaven. . .
You wiII be fIesh for my soIdiers!
They wiII treat you worse
than a prostitute!
Thy wiII be done. . .
Stop!
Legend says that Barbara's father
was struck by Iightning.
Barbara was procIaimed a saint
by the Church
and named as protector of saiIors,
fire-fighters and miners.
Blessed are the poor in spirit
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn
for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek
for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are the pure in heart
for they shall see God.
Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness' sake
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men
shall revile you
and say all manner of evil against
you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad,
for great is your reward in heaven.