Tierra del fuego (2000) - full transcript
The chronicles of the Romanian engineer Julius Popper, a nationalized Argentine and one of the principle actors in the genocide of the Selk'nam, one of the indigenous peoples who inhabited the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago.
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PUNTA ARENAS, 1899.
LAST NIGHT OF THE CENTURY.
.
God bless Julius Popper,
peacemaker of Patagonia.
God bless Julius Popper.
Such a man never existed.
I climbed to the top of the mountain...
and from there I saw Paradise.
We're all equal!
I declare
the end of all hierarchy,
and the equality of races
in the Land Of Fire.
Who are you, stranger?
I bring a message
from the landowners of Magellan.
It is said that around 1850, gold
was found in Magellan, Patagonia.
At Punta Arenas schemers have arrived;
Prostitutes, addicts, convicts.
Spawn of famine and exile.
LAND OF FIRE
♪ With the dawn came
a Knight.
Welcome to the land of
Tierra del Fuego.
The beginning, and the end of all roads.
Welcome to the land called
Tierra del Fuego.
The road is deadly,
like an arrow.
Beyond the pass,
God is behind you. ♪
It is June 24,
(Voicing)
The day of Saint John,
I finally made it to Tierra del Fuego.
I hope, my Lady,
to fulfill the plans
given me in dreams.
I swear to honor your
name with my actions
and make me worthy of the
honor you bestowed upon me.
Sir, Sir!
Have pity on this poor man.
Sir, Sir!
Thank you, Sir. Thank you!
My name is Popper.
Julius Popper.
Thank you, Mr. Popper.
Heaven bless you.
Don't forget it.
Julius Popper!
Mr. Popper gave me gold.
Mr. Popper gave me gold!
Three down!
The third man who will sleep the
sleep of the righteous. Who's next?
Is there not a real man left
at the end of the world?
Today is an exceptional day.
We have the light of heaven
and the light of hell.
Day is night and night is day.
Sir, please.
Please look at these pictures.
Go ahead, sir.
And just as this gentleman does,
you will all be able to see
the horror of a land not
even Hernando Magellan
dared to walk.
Cruel and gigantic Indians
of the Land Of Fire,
The Patagonians,
they called it "Karukinka."
- They're terrible and they're naked...
- Don't listen to him.
...like evil beasts.
Don't listen to him.
Indians are peaceful.
All they want is to live in peace
with God and with nature.
Get out of here, you crazy fuck.
Are you hurt, Monsignor?
Monsignor? You called me Monsignor?
I am Romanian and Orthodox,
I know the dignity of your habit.
Blessed be God!
Finally, a Byzantine like me.
Bring it on!
Who dares to compete against me?
For a few silver coins,
anyone brave who accepts
the challenge and defeats me,
takes a chunk of my money,
and one bundle of chulengo skins.
(Young wild Andean Llama)
They are worth their weight in gold.
Show the skins to these bastards.
And what the hell are you
drinking here, Hungarian?
Basque!
The best catch of brandy you
can get in all Patagonia.
Pure fire, Basque.
Since your shipwreck,
you only catch lice.
Catch this, Basque!
Come on!
Drink up, Basque!
Land of Biscay, who knows
if I'll ever see it again?
Basque loses.
Show me the money, right now!
What's packed on your horse?
My instruments. I'm an engineer.
And I am Nostradamus, stranger.
Give me a drink.
Who's that?
Carmen Silva, Queen of Romania.
Fine. You keep her!
Your sarcasm is inspirational.
I know something that
might interest you.
I'm listening.
Damn!
Across the Strait of Magellan
is the Land Of Fire. No man's land.
I know.
I came to conquer it
in the name of my queen.
My name is Julius, Julius Popper.
We'll see each other again, I assure you.
You're not a good prophet, Julius Popper.
We will all find ourselves in hell.
"Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate",
("Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.")
Dante at the gates of hell.
Men!
I guess they're men, right?
Fifteen days of travel from Argentina
to come to you.
Crossing rivers, forests,
mountains, and glaciers.
And here we are!
the hottest women
at the end of the world,
to warm your winter.
Come on! What happened?
Come on, men! Have courage!
Let's go!
The serpent you want
has green eyes,
long hair,
and full, sinful lips.
Hey, you. Help me down.
A queen like you should
never touch the ground.
Lord, why hast thou forsaken me?
There's nothing left to drink.
Sir, Sir!
Where is Mennar?
Where is our Queen?
Where is Mennar?
For the last time,
do I pluck out that Arrow or not?
First you take it out, and then
get paid. That's the deal.
The wound is blue, my friend.
And I'm not happy with the
animals roaming loose.
Where were you
when that arrow hit?
It was close to China Creek.
We didn't see the bastards.
- You never see them.
- Get the fucking arrow out!
Love and pain are paid for first.
- Fine. I'll pay first.
-No.
This is my say and is only
paid if I live to tell about it.
Damned meddler,
you'll have to pay for it.
I'll pay what's due.
I like men who do the
right thing at the right time.
I always say, it's an
old fashioned custom, Sir.
No one here takes care
of the debts of others.
Julius Popper, engineer.
At your service, Ma'am.
Sita!
Here it is not customary to pay
to save someone else's skin.
I always pay lady.
For pain and for love.
I wonder if you're an idiot, a fool,
- or a showoff.
-Or a gold mine.
How many gold coins do you want?
Five, ten, a hundred?
How many can you get in one night
without having to use your hands?
Careful what you say, Stranger.
Get this one out of here, let's go.
I think I've seen you before.
- I'm following you, sir.
- May I ask why?
Where did you find it?
- You mean the gold?
- What else?
Serve my new friend
a dose of the best whiskey.
-And you are.?
- Novak, Fritz Novak.
I think you need men, Sir.
It depends on what you can do.
Kill.
I was a sergeant in the
Royal Guard in Vienna.
Hey, dude. What's this?
This coin is worthless here.
It has more value than
any government coins.
If you have any questions friend,
check it. The weight is pure gold.
You can accept it.
And if it is fake, you already know
the fate of liars in this town.
Well, if you say so.
It's gold.
It's gold! It's gold!
Gold has arrived, you bastards.
It's gold!
Ladies and gentlemen!
I raise my glass and toast
the Queen of Romania,
Her Majesty Carmen Silva,
May God keep her alive
for centuries and centuries.
Amen.
Who is she?
Will you hit me again, Miss?
You'll find out.
I like you.
I know, I like you too.
And who is this queen?
Invite me to your room
and I'll tell you.
If you dare to go
to my room tonight,
I'll wait for you there.
But first,
I want to know what
kind of man you are.
♪ And Long Live Mr. Popper.
Who brought gold coins.
There's a shine in your eyes
of fortune and treasure,
and the Queen of Romania.
What is the water of life?
In your eyes are reflected
the promised fortune ♪
It must hurt a lot.
I know that pain.
Do what you came to do and leave.
(Speaking Ona)
You're free.
Who are you?
Me?
Julius,
Julius Popper.
You?
Mennar.
Sir, I took care of your instruments.
Thanks a lot.
Sir, you can relax. I'm here
and no one will bother you.
You know what, Novak?
I see that soon you
will become a general.
Sir, a general needs soldiers.
So what are you waiting for?
Go find some!
Invite all these good people to drink.
Hey, you! Drinks for everyone.
This is gold!
Gold!
Amazing!
Return the key.
Not now.
This dalliance will cost you extra.
Besides, why would you want to talk?
You don't need me.
But you have all that I'm looking for.
Gold.
Can you come here for a moment?
What do you see in the distance?
- The sea receding.
- Take a good look!
In a few hours, it will
retreat much further.
I want to show you something.
Come with me.
I dreamed of getting to
this sea and finding gold.
Picture me in China,
on the banks of the Yangtze
River, panning for gold,
when they told me about this
sea at the end of the world.
Look how the skeleton
of this ship pans gold.
Imagine hundreds of boats
scattered around this sea.
As the tide comes in,
they are filled with gold.
And when the tide
goes out, we'll catch it.
Work with me
and I will make you incredibly rich.
So it's agreed.
You handle the men's food.
Easily done, Novak!
It will not be difficult to feed
this bunch of bastards.
It does not require much effort.
You are Hungarian, I am German.
You and I represent discipline
here in this shitty land,
-..godforsaken..
- Bullshit, Novak.
I left old Prussia because I
wanted to live as a free man.
You pay me and I obey, that's all.
Come on, Come on!
- Do you trust these Indians?
- How European!
Ask the French
if they trust the Germans,
the Portuguese,
if they trust the Spanish.
And you, Novak?
Do you trust Popper?
Every dog knows that
the hand that feeds
is the same hand that punishes.
Come on, look here!
Just a few words.
I was until yesterday
just a poor devil.
Now, honored, wealthy.
And with winter coming,
lice won't keep you warm.
Come on! Step up!
- Who enlists first?
-I will.
- Me too.
- And me, sir.
You speak of honor and wealth.
How much of one and
how much of the other?
For honor's sake, I'm staying in Wladfa.
I doubt honor can get into the pot.
It is tough and makes a very bad broth.
To begin with, it is an honor
serving Julius Popper,
but I'm also talking about
gold, a lot of gold.
much more than you
can get out of your bags.
Mine has always been my flag.
Show me something
that will convince me.
This coin,
it's pure gold,
and there are many like this
waiting for you.
Gold in exchange for what?
As Salfi Al*said, "What can you do?"
(*Proph.~helping do good, both get grace)
I play the bagpipes.
My father was a Piper,
my grandfather was a Piper,
what the fuck could I do?
We'll see.
Tell me your name.
No matter why you came
or why you're here.
None of that is important here.
My name Is Manuel Silveira
and I care where I come
from and why I'm here.
My name is Cosimo Spiro
and I get what you need to know.
Sign us up already.
If they give me the
money that I need
to build and install my
machines for collecting gold,
I promise to solve your
problems with the Indians.
Come on. Pants. Now!
Quick, quick! Hit that pedal!
My uniform should've
been ready half an hour ago.
I'll do what I can, sir.
It's the first time I've
ever made a uniform.
The trouble with Tierra del Fuego, Sir,
is that every self-respecting
adventurer says they have found gold.
We are herders.
Our gold is white, our gold is sheep.
I'll tell you two things, Sir.
First of all, I'm not an adventurer.
The second, I don't need your land.
What I need are the shores of the sea,
this sea full of gold.
Come on, try on the
uniform. Popper's gift.
You, come here, man.
Try on the uniform.
Not you, drunk. Out!
What will you do with the Indians?
I will make them
disciplined workers.
What about you? What
do you want for yourself?
I don't need anything, sir.
I fight for ideals.
- This young man is crazier than goats.
- Mr. Popper!
We didn't come here to
listen to nonsense,
or things we've heard before.
Put on your uniform, you bastard.
The Hungarian, Schaeffer,
doesn't wear a uniform, Basque.
You are nothing but filthy shepherds!
Miserable shepherds!
No ambition! No future!
No idea of progress!
You've gone too far, engineer.
You'd better go.
These men are powerful.
They influence governments
from Chile and Argentina.
You don't believe me either?
No.
Wait. Don't go.
At least not tonight.
Wait.
How can I trust you?
If you trust a queen,
all the more reason
to trust a prostitute.
I hope that's enough, partner.
Embrace your queen, Julius Popper.
Good.
Fall in!
Desert Land Army,
give a salute
to our commander in chief,
Julius Popper.
Men of aimlessness,
misfortune and shipwrecks,
you have been separated
from God's hands.
But fate chose you all
for the greatest of endeavors.
Which is?
To bring progress
to the most remote lands.
Today we will leave the continent,
we will cross the Strait of Magellan
and we'll go to Tierra del Fuego.
Let's take the gold
and sow the seed of progress
and return as men worthy
to serve our gracious Majesty,
Carmen Silva, Queen of Romania.
Tomorrow you will be new men.
- Long live the Queen of Romania!
- Hooray!
- And long live Julius Popper!
- Hooray!
Get over here, quick.
- I'm looking for my horse.
- You won't find it.
You freed my Indian
and I freed your horse.
Your horse, Sir.
Having, my lady,
(Voicing)
crossed the famous Strait of Magellan,
I hurried to set up camp,
continuing to measure with my instruments
the depth of the waters,
the density and thickness of air and winds.
And everything leads me to conclude
that very soon we will find
gold in abundance.
♪ Where will the sea cast
all your yellow silt?
That you picture bringing the gold
from its depths
that hides further down.
Within the finest pebbles
There are riches.
Or is it just a trick?
For the gold I command and pray
Show it, Tierra del Fuego.
For the gold I command and pray
Show it, Tierra del Fuego. ♪
Damn pyrite!
(Fool's gold)
It's just pyrite!
Nothing but pyrite!
It's not all pyrite, mate.
- Schaeffer!
- In the flesh!
- How long have you been here?
- Forever.
I have a pact with the sea or the ocean,
you can choose what to call it.
She leans back and I penetrate her.
- Gold!
- Almost, almost Gold!
Tell me the truth, you fucking Hungarian.
What's that noise?
The sea returning.
Run, Romanian! Run, Run, Run!
Gold!
Gold, All Gold!
Gold!
Hey, Indian!
Idiot!
Indian!
Fucking Indian!
Up!
Indian!
Fernandez, drag that shit!
Charge!
Get out of here!
I think you overreacted, Novak.
You have to show power, Sir.
That's important.
Two working arms less.
Yes, but the authority is better.
I have no doubt.
Are you implying that I am weak?
No, I follow orders.
Wake up, wake up!
You're crying like a child.
Novak is right.
You're just a bundle of weakness.
No, Armenia.
No.
I'll show you who is Julius Popper.
♪ They are neither men
nor women, those below.
They don't think, they don't feel,
nor suffer from pain.
If they do not serve they
are tossed aside.
The invader torments the enslaved.
For gold,
he'll kill and subjugate.
Mindlessly, for gold..♪
- Here are more laborers, Sir.
- Why are there so few?
Because they hide,
Sir, but we'll find them.
I hope so.
Winter is coming
and we have no food.
We can't wait, Novak.
What do you think, Mr. Novak?
You still think I'm a weak man, Novak?
Damned rain! It
won't stop raining.
I've lost count of days
you can't fucking see the sun.
Don't complain, Galician.
Winter's not even here yet.
When you face that cold in
this fucking land of fire,
you will curse the
day you ended up here.
Popper said nothing about spending
the winter on this side of the Strait.
We're not animals.
We can't live in a stable.
At least we're indoors.
The Indian laborers
don't even have that.
Schaeffer, what are we
here for? Looking for gold?
Well, we've done it, now what?
It's time to deliver.
Easy there, Italian.
Popper knows what he's doing.
You get along very well with him.
- What's your secret?
- Secret?
I am a poor Hungarian in this cold
land at the end of the world.
I don't think Popper knows where
there's enough gold for all of us.
Popper knows what he's doing.
If Popper distributes the gold
now, everyone will leave,
abandoning him all alone.
The Romanian is clever.
I want my money
and then I'm leaving,
same as will everyone
else, no doubt.
Popper knows what he's doing.
Popper. Popper. Who's Popper?
Appeared out of nowhere handing out coins
of gold in the name of his Romanian Queen.
And took up with the
only woman you liked.
The last word hasn't been
said yet in that game.
I think he's a lunatic.
In Punta Arenas some
beggars shouted at him:
"You are the Savior!" and he liked it.
Worse for him.
Why do you say that?
All those who believe themselves
to be a God end up being crucified.
Where the hell are our men?
Whoever did this,
Mr. Novak, will pay dearly.
They killed themselves, Sir.
The Indians call it poison grass.
Traitorous Indians! Savages!
- But I get it.
- Stupid!
I understand it.
Shut up for once or
I'll send you to hell!
Stupid German.
Bring my horse!
Chants: The air is purer,
clearer than you.
The dawn is more beautiful than you.
The land is stronger than you.
The mountain is higher,
but you are the Queen.
The only one.
The Chosen One. Chosen One...
Chosen One..
Mennar!
Mennar!
Mennar!
Mennar!
Mennar!
I need your help.
It's me Julius, Julius Popper.
This wind and this cold,
it's going to drive me crazy.
What do you want?
Mennar, why are your
brothers killing themselves?
They want to be free.
Tell them I will give them riches.
Gold! Lots of gold!
You fool.
You don't understand anything.
Go away from this forest
and return to your own land.
Mennar, I beg you.
Don't force me into war.
Mennar!
Mennar!
Mennar!
Mennar!
Savior, give me strength!
I need your will.
Made on Earth as it is in heaven.
Purge this off, Creator!
Send it to the ice.
Take it with the wind.
Take it into the harsh darkness.
Take it away.
Take it away.
I haven't eaten yet.
I want a good cut of meat!
No.
Him.
Let him serve me.
Place it gently on my plate.
You know how to
treat meat delicately?
It depends on the meat.
Wow, brave Spiro got his voice back.
Serve wine,
and drink.
The natural thirst that
never goes away,
just as the Samaritan
asked for the lady's blessing.
Bravo!
Verse Twenty-one.
Drink!
I prefer the lashes of your contempt
to Popper knowing that
I drank from his glass.
You are a coward,
you disappoint me.
Go away.
I am a practical man.
You must be patient, Ma'am.
I picked up the Piper while
he was trying to escape.
That's thirty grams, Sir.
Thirty grams of gold
stolen from the Queen of Romania.
Was it just the Piper?
No, others helped him,
and they ran, led by Father Alexis.
So the Monsignor stole my gold too?
Your gold?
We served you like slaves for months,
and what do we get in return? Nothing!
Nor can we cross the Strait
to see women, like all men.
I said fortune
requires great sacrifices!
Oh, yeah. Our sacrifices,
but not yours.
- Silence, you insolent bastard!
- I'm not in the mood!
All the men wonder what the
fuck do you do with the gold?
Cheater! Swindler! Liar!
No one believes the story of
your fucking Romanian Queen.
Novak!
How did you drag up
this insolent Galician?
The Galician was a good soldier, Sir.
And I thought with his bagpipes
he would cheer men up.
You enlisted the Priest, Sir.
The bandits who escaped
must be captured
and the Monsignor hanged for
betraying God and the Queen.
As for you, Galician,
I condemn you to stand where you are,
playing your devil's
instrument for thirty hours.
One for every gram of gold stolen.
Novak, if he moves
or stops playing, kill him!
Rebellion, like a plague
(Voicing)
springs up,
transforming every man into a
danger and livid with a grudge.
What to do, my lady, with so
much built up antagonism?
Still, I feel that every pain
every memory is mine to bear.
Every feeling is born and dies in me.
Oh, My Lady,
My chest is aching and the pain blinds me.
A year ago, we began the search for gold,
and although at first it seemed abundant,
over time, it decreased.
I trust in God
my Lady, my Sovereign.
Only God knows the difficulties that
I went through being so faithful to you.
My poor Manuel.
You are an orphan now.
Stop! You have no reason to be here.
He's his son
with a right to be here.
Bastards have no rights. Out!
You bastard.
You've never been my
brother's real wife.
You're a son of a bitch.
Look who's talking.
Manuel!
Manuel!
Manuel!
Manuel, where have you
been? Come home.
Come on, Manuel, home.
I'm not going back.
What do you mean?
What are you doing?
I'm looking for the wind.
Looking for the wind, my boy.
You poor thing.
See, Manuel. With this
bagpipe, I learned to play.
Your great-grandfather gave it to me.
Inside you, you carry the sound
and the air of your homeland.
I came to the worst of lands
in honor of his sacred name.
It has gold
and a wind and a cold
that pervert reason.
But I won't stop fighting
in his beloved name
against barbarism,
- against ignorance.
- Against the myths.
From now on you will
have to fight a myth.
Come here.
I will show you the
beginning of the world.
Don't go.
Why not? I'll be back.
- You're never coming back.
- Yes, my love.
I see it in your eyes.
- I'll always carry you with me.
- Get up, Galician.
Get up and keep playing.
Stand up, Galician.
Keep playing, for all the outcasts
at the end of the world.
Keep playing, Galician,
or I'll have to kill you.
Leave here!
Get out of here!
Leave this place!
This foreigner was sea food.
Our people
will have the same fate.
This man is frozen, but
his heart wants to live.
A man who does not fight for life
is worse than death. Get out of here!
Get out of here!
Get out of here!
Foreigners are strange to us
and they defile us with their customs.
Why not pardon this man
that brings the wind
and can make it sing?
He will teach us ways of
defeating the invaders.
His outlook is obvious.
Let's make him a friend.
Time passed,
(Voicing)
and I'm alone in delirium.
The winds of madness,
they're whipping me.
I'm not me anymore.
I don't know who I am.
I am possessed by demons
that howl like mad dogs.
Oh, my Lady.
My Lady! What to do, my Lady?
Novak!
I want our men ready to go!
They will replace
the Indians at work.
What did you say, Sir?
That our men will replace
the Indians at work.
Open the gate!
Animals!
Mad dogs!
Speak up, Novak.
I say again, they could have
attacked us at night, but they didn't.
I think the Indians
are sending a message.
Sir, we are poorly supplied
and the Indians know these
grasslands better than us.
But we, Novak, are civilized.
We have the strength, the power.
- They must understand.
- They're wild, Sir.
Wild.
I'll find them.
Where are they?
Where are they hiding?
Show me your faces
painted red,
blue, green, yellow.
Here I am!
Waiting for you!
There they are, Sir!
After them!
He has a lot of men.
Popper got reinforcements.
Where are they hiding?
-I can't see them.
- They're in the woods, Sir.
On the flanks, buried in
the middle of the Bush.
They wait for us,
but we have to be more
patient than them.
The bottom of the world
is stained with blood,
but now it'll be the invaders'
blood that will flow.
There are the devils.
I see them too, sir.
Your order to attack?
What are you waiting
for, General Novak?
Let's get rid of these
savages right now.
Desert Land Army, Attack!
Silveira!
Sound the attack!
What kind of commander am I
who leads his men to death?
Our blood had to run.
You could have left
before the battle.
No one would blame you.
You are mistaken. I would
have scorned myself for that.
But now I've had it, Brother.
Sorry about the fucking bagpipes.
You will play them again.
I promise.
That was my dream.
I saw you surrounded
by a great light
playing your bagpipes
over the meadows.
Let us bury our dead!
Let's bury them!
Let's bury them!
Fleeting gold. Petty gold,
(Voicing)
gold is mud, gold is fear,
gold is blood, gold is death,
gold is betrayal, gold is envy.
Gold is loss!
My Lady! My Lady,
I pray against my solitude.
Why did you choose me?
Novak!
Novak!
It was hard to remove, Sir.
But the wound is clean, no problems.
The Indians!
Damn Indians!
They ambushed you, sir.
We took casualties.
How many?
Eleven men and several horses.
They killed my men.
Bury them with military honors.
I can't, Sir.
They tore apart the
body of every man,
and scattered them to
all corners of the prairie.
Fucking savages.
And right now the Indians
have us surrounded.
Well armed with stone tipped
wooden arrows, and the like.
Wooden arrows, stones!
What do you suggest?
It's a war, Sir.
War.
Act accordingly, General.
Leave it to me.
You rest, Sir.
(Dreams) I, Carmen Silva,
Queen of Romania, command you
to clear the Land Of Fire
of Indians and demons.
No good for war.
No good for training.
No one understands discipline. Shit!
Everybody line up here.
Quick! Curse your dead asses.
You, get over there!
You too, hurry it up!
Come on, get in a straight line.
And you, look at all
this heavy grease.
Low lifes!
It's been four weeks.
Four weeks, by God,
and always the same.
Don't you have any brains?
These mock-up grass dolls
they know more about
discipline than you.
What do you think an
army is? What is it?
You, Cardenas.
Come here, leave that.
Take that doll and bring it here.
This puppet is worth more than you.
He's worth more than a soldier.
You will see in this war.
How treacherous people are.
I'm to build an army with what?
With vermin that wanders the prairie?
Look here, all these dolls
gotta be on horseback, men.
What are you doing?
I'm tired of waiting.
I want my gold and go.
Yeah, let's go!
By this time, Popper must be dead.
- What are you talking about?
- The gold!
The gold! We want it now!
We want our gold!
This is rebellion!
We want gold. That's what
we want, right now!
But why? If Popper is..
Each of you needs me.
Only I know where the gold is hidden.
Their lives are tied to my destiny.
If I live, they'll get rich.
If I die, they will die with me.
We live with you,
we will die if you die!
We live with you,
we will die if you die!
Starting today
I will reward you
with an ounce of gold
for each testicle, breast, or
ear off these rebel Indians.
as a sign
of our crusade for civilization.
Tread the warpath,
Desert Land Army!
We live for you,
we will die if you die!
We live for you,
we will die if you die!
♪ Where does Mennar our Queen go?
Mennar goes with friends
and family to the sea.
I, Mennar, go to the
sea with my family.
What part of Italy are you from?
Brindisi.
As a child, the sound of
the sea relaxed me.
- And don't you want to go back?
-Yes
but only as a rich man.
Apparently, nothing can stop you.
Nothing.
No hunger, no cold, no pain.
Not even love?
No,
not even love.
You speak like a king.
On leaving for America, my
mother said, " You will be a king."
Is the meat ready?
Just about.
What was your mother like, beautiful?
She was a very, very beautiful woman.
Like me?
I'll tell you. You..
Me?
You're the most beautiful
woman I've ever seen.
Give me another.
Popper.
Does death disgust you, Italian?
If you have to live,
you have to kill.
What if you have to die?
I didn't come here to die,
I have other plans.
I'm not an invader,
I'm an immigrant.
You think too much,
that's your problem, Italian.
It wouldn't hurt you to think a
little, you drunken Hungarian.
We kill Indians, right?
They pay us for it.
But who will work collecting gold?
Relax, Popper knows what he's doing.
Me too. That's at least three of
us who know what we're doing.
Armenia. Get her out
of your head, Italian.
Drink less and think a little.
Shit!
In Magellan, ordinary
and mediocre men,
they put a price on my head.
I, Julius Popper,
I am the legend.
The rest is misery and fear.
- Give me this.
- Go away, you harlot.
Desert Land Army!
Now
we have won an important victory.
Schaeffer,
give these men food and drink.
Let there be no lack of brandy or wine.
That's better.
It is no longer inflamed.
You see how I take care of you, my girl.
(Untranslated)
Oh, what a pity!
I can't understand you
but one day you will understand me.
Because you're gonna be my wife,
the wife of a rich man.
Mrs. General Novak.
Here's the gold.
But today this is not
the most important thing.
The most important thing
today is that civilization
triumphed over barbarism.
Every Indian killed
is like another word on the
tapestry upon which is woven
the great civilizing feats,
the great epics of progress!
Do you have a name?
It's not important.
I'll call you Elisa.
Yes.
Elisa. Your name is Elisa.
Dozens of ears,
testicles, woman's breasts.
But ears that do not know music.
Animals that do not command
the human language,
that emit wild grunts.
Ears deaf to development.
What need have they for them?
Now
we have corrected
a small flaw of God's.
This dress was from another Elisa.
But now it's yours.
You are no longer wild.
You are now a woman
as God commanded.
- Long Live Julius Popper!
- Hooray!
Desert Land Army,
I am proud to lead you.
Here is the gold, brave soldiers.
You fought with courage.
Novak!
Where is my brave general Novak?
Mennar!
Who put that wicked noose on you?
What have they done to you, Mennar?
It's my Indian, Sir.
I picked it up to serve me.
My little bitch.
I knew you would
drive men mad.
Quiet!
Her!
She's a queen.
She's just an Indian, Sir.
Shut up, Novak.
Sir,
I beg your pardon,
this is my Indian, Elisa.
Elisa.
Elisa.
What a beautiful name.
Elisa.
Elisa!
Long live Queen Elisa!
- Hooray!
Sir, ask the men
to stop drinking.
Schaeffer,
Give cachaça to the men and let them toast
(local rum)
to this beautiful flower of the desert land.
Sir, I'm saying for the last time.
This is my Indian.
Yours?
This woman has served
me and will reign with me.
What are you doing, you bastard?
I've made my claim, Sir.
This Indian is mine.
Everything that exists in the
Land Of Fire belongs to me.
Those thing are yours,
you already got the rest.
My queen,
Everything is yours:
My bed, my instruments,
my writings.
I'll never be able to repair
the evil they did to you.
Speak to me.
Please speak to me.
Tell me at least one word.
The same one you said on the night
I took off your chains, remember?
Tell me!
Tell me!
Say something.
I'll give you everything. Everything.
Clothes. Jewelry. Everything,
Gold. Everything.
Tell me.
Don't touch my stuff!
You crazy fuck!
You will pay dearly for this!
Don't become a Judas, Armenia,
because I won't forgive you.
This is my big moment.
Hear how my men cheer me.
And this queen is
confirmation of my triumph.
I am Julius Popper
King of Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia.
Come on!
If you want to save
yourself, do as I say.
This ship is sinking.
Whatever you wish, missus.
Change out of those drunkard's clothes.
We'll meet at the
apartment. Be quick!
Halt!
This is how our disgraced
general behaves?
What happened? You
don't say anything?
Did the Indian eat your tongue?
Shoot. If you came
to kill me, shoot.
I'm a soldier.
Ready!
Aim!
Fire!
Your time has not yet come, Novak.
First, we have to take
the crazy Romanian's gold.
Armenia and Spiro are waiting for us
half a league from here, come on.
Cosimo Spiro, Armenia,
and Novak, poker aces!
The damn Romanian's
hours are numbered.
Come on, Novak. Let's go!
The dogs have begun to bite
each other. A good sign.
Look, Spiro, we have another puppy
to kill when we're done with the cubs.
The Romanian belongs to me.
When he falls into my hands,
he'll wish to never have been born.
Spiro, distribute the ammo
and organize the guards.
(EN,sic) Senor, like a hundred men
has come to the revolution.
Popper is alone, drunk. It's good.
What about Elisa?
She's staying with him, Mr. Novak.
- Long Live Julius Popper!
- Hooray!
- Julius Popper is a God!
- He's a God!
Popper
God?
Yes, my queen.
Drive out the invaders
and their sheep herds.
My people will join you
and you will be our only God.
An offer of an alliance with the
Indians is very convenient, General.
Let us burn all the sheep.
Let the smoke reach the sky!
As a sign of our alliance.
Is this Popper's bed?
It's the belly of a whale.
How was it with him?
Did you like it?
Popper was neither bad nor good.
Popper is nobody.
Popper was never in this bed.
Tomorrow you will be the winner.
When you win, I will be your princess.
Have courage tomorrow.
This will bring you luck.
Kill Popper.
Kill him.
They will confront each other
and then we will attack.
It is the order of Mennar.
The criminal leaves his Fortress.
What is he up to?
Going to the hill crest.
What for?
To attack his own puppets?
No, Hungarian.
He goes because he doesn't
know who he has to fight.
And he wants to confuse us.
But I'm going up and
force him into the valley.
You stay here entrenched
and Spiro goes around the left.
We'll close a circle and crush him.
Kill him.
You made me go against Popper.
He always had a lot
of affection for me.
Popper is a living lie.
Pair every grass doll,
with a real soldier.
Everyone earns an ounce of gold
and twice that for the
heads of the traitors:
Schaeffer, Novak, Spiro,
and Armenia.
In the name of Her Majesty, Carmen Silva,
Queen of Romania,
Patagonia, and Tierra del Fuego,
Attack!
It's Popper!
Aim and shoot!
Spiro, Armenia, don't leave!
Attack!
Come back here.
Fucking Hell!
Attack!
Fucking Romanian!
He fooled me
with my own tactic.
Don't leave me alone!
Don't leave me alone!
Victory!
Victory!
All who surrender,
I'll spare your lives.
Let the whole world know
the generosity of Julius Popper.
And to all of you I say
that from today I will look
upon you as subjects,
because that's the way
I have to love you all.
From today, orders I
give you are edicts
because it's the only way
that I have for them
to be faithfully obeyed.
From today, I shall
be the sole Sovereign.
Because it's the only way I have
to be with everyone.
Civilization or death!
Hurrah!
The men are now on Popper's side.
He has defeated us.
No. No.
Yesterday I was a whore
and you a miserable mercenary.
Today we are two immigrants.
Fucking Romanian.
The real machine making
gold were my bitches.
I can buy the land where
Popper cleaned out the Indians.
We will be ranchers.
I'm at the end.
I climbed to the top of the mountain
and from there I saw Paradise.
We're all the same!
Is that clear?
I declare the end of all hierarchy.
and the equality of races
in the Land Of Fire.
I am Julius Armenia Popper,
the Ruler of this fucking shit hole.
I bring a message
from the landowners of Magellan.
Only the dead are equal, Popper.
Hurray, Popper!
Long live Julius Popper!
Julius Popper!
Come with me.
Mennar.
Mennar!
There is another world, ours.
I need you, Julius Popper.
I can't, Mennar,
I'm tired,
far from home.
Come with me!
Come with me, Julius Popper!
Come with me!
Come with me!
Come with me!
I didn't serve you.
Nor did you, me.
JULIUS POPPER IS GONE FOREVER
FROM THE LAND OF FIRE,
MENNAR AND THE ONAS PEOPLE WENT
TO SEA AND NEVER CAME BACK.
THE QUEEN OF ROMANIA NEVER
KNEW OF HER DISTANT KINGDOM.
TO THIS DAY, NO ONE HAS FOUND ANY
MORE GOLD IN THE TIERRA DEL FUEGO.
THE MEN ARE GONE.
ONLY THE SHEEP REMAIN.
♪ The Queen of Romania,
she never knew what she had.
They say the Indian, Elisa,
called herself Mennar again.
The suffering Indians
insist on forgetting.
Cosimo Spiro,
He became a great landowner,
and beside the beautiful Armenia
became a man of honor.
Many stories are told
in Karukinka.
(Area within Tierra del Fuego)
Many stories are told.
There are many more,
in the Land of Fire,
in the Land of Fire ♪
Historical notes:
Inhabited for 10,000 years, in 1520 Magellan
originally named the island "Land of Smokes".
European settlement grew from 1860 when sheep ranchers
began government sanctioned displacement of natives.
In 1883 a gold rush began that lasted until 1910.
Julius Popper came to the Island in 1886 with a license
to extract gold and a band he formed into mercenaries.
He warred against the Selk'nam people.
The Selk'nam population, also called "Ona",
was reduced from 4,000 to less than 100.
Known to be an amiable people,
they were deported, killed, or enslaved.
Bounties paid were higher for
proof of women who were killed.
Skulls were sent to museums, as were
some enslaved to be circus exhibits.
The enslaved were forbidden to procreate, but women
were made into wives and also used as currency.
Many died of European diseases
spread by Anglican missions.
There was no prosecution for deliberate genocide, but
one leader was presented a gold watch for the result.
The last Selk'nam died in 1974
and their language is extinct.
At age 35, It is believed Julius Popper
was murdered by poisoning.
In 2022 his life was celebrated in a Romanian
synagogue as a noted Jew with 100 of his photos.
It included the posed photo of him
astride the body of a slain Selk'nam.
Thanks for reading my subtitles this far.
Your friend, Quester.
---
PUNTA ARENAS, 1899.
LAST NIGHT OF THE CENTURY.
.
God bless Julius Popper,
peacemaker of Patagonia.
God bless Julius Popper.
Such a man never existed.
I climbed to the top of the mountain...
and from there I saw Paradise.
We're all equal!
I declare
the end of all hierarchy,
and the equality of races
in the Land Of Fire.
Who are you, stranger?
I bring a message
from the landowners of Magellan.
It is said that around 1850, gold
was found in Magellan, Patagonia.
At Punta Arenas schemers have arrived;
Prostitutes, addicts, convicts.
Spawn of famine and exile.
LAND OF FIRE
♪ With the dawn came
a Knight.
Welcome to the land of
Tierra del Fuego.
The beginning, and the end of all roads.
Welcome to the land called
Tierra del Fuego.
The road is deadly,
like an arrow.
Beyond the pass,
God is behind you. ♪
It is June 24,
(Voicing)
The day of Saint John,
I finally made it to Tierra del Fuego.
I hope, my Lady,
to fulfill the plans
given me in dreams.
I swear to honor your
name with my actions
and make me worthy of the
honor you bestowed upon me.
Sir, Sir!
Have pity on this poor man.
Sir, Sir!
Thank you, Sir. Thank you!
My name is Popper.
Julius Popper.
Thank you, Mr. Popper.
Heaven bless you.
Don't forget it.
Julius Popper!
Mr. Popper gave me gold.
Mr. Popper gave me gold!
Three down!
The third man who will sleep the
sleep of the righteous. Who's next?
Is there not a real man left
at the end of the world?
Today is an exceptional day.
We have the light of heaven
and the light of hell.
Day is night and night is day.
Sir, please.
Please look at these pictures.
Go ahead, sir.
And just as this gentleman does,
you will all be able to see
the horror of a land not
even Hernando Magellan
dared to walk.
Cruel and gigantic Indians
of the Land Of Fire,
The Patagonians,
they called it "Karukinka."
- They're terrible and they're naked...
- Don't listen to him.
...like evil beasts.
Don't listen to him.
Indians are peaceful.
All they want is to live in peace
with God and with nature.
Get out of here, you crazy fuck.
Are you hurt, Monsignor?
Monsignor? You called me Monsignor?
I am Romanian and Orthodox,
I know the dignity of your habit.
Blessed be God!
Finally, a Byzantine like me.
Bring it on!
Who dares to compete against me?
For a few silver coins,
anyone brave who accepts
the challenge and defeats me,
takes a chunk of my money,
and one bundle of chulengo skins.
(Young wild Andean Llama)
They are worth their weight in gold.
Show the skins to these bastards.
And what the hell are you
drinking here, Hungarian?
Basque!
The best catch of brandy you
can get in all Patagonia.
Pure fire, Basque.
Since your shipwreck,
you only catch lice.
Catch this, Basque!
Come on!
Drink up, Basque!
Land of Biscay, who knows
if I'll ever see it again?
Basque loses.
Show me the money, right now!
What's packed on your horse?
My instruments. I'm an engineer.
And I am Nostradamus, stranger.
Give me a drink.
Who's that?
Carmen Silva, Queen of Romania.
Fine. You keep her!
Your sarcasm is inspirational.
I know something that
might interest you.
I'm listening.
Damn!
Across the Strait of Magellan
is the Land Of Fire. No man's land.
I know.
I came to conquer it
in the name of my queen.
My name is Julius, Julius Popper.
We'll see each other again, I assure you.
You're not a good prophet, Julius Popper.
We will all find ourselves in hell.
"Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate",
("Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.")
Dante at the gates of hell.
Men!
I guess they're men, right?
Fifteen days of travel from Argentina
to come to you.
Crossing rivers, forests,
mountains, and glaciers.
And here we are!
the hottest women
at the end of the world,
to warm your winter.
Come on! What happened?
Come on, men! Have courage!
Let's go!
The serpent you want
has green eyes,
long hair,
and full, sinful lips.
Hey, you. Help me down.
A queen like you should
never touch the ground.
Lord, why hast thou forsaken me?
There's nothing left to drink.
Sir, Sir!
Where is Mennar?
Where is our Queen?
Where is Mennar?
For the last time,
do I pluck out that Arrow or not?
First you take it out, and then
get paid. That's the deal.
The wound is blue, my friend.
And I'm not happy with the
animals roaming loose.
Where were you
when that arrow hit?
It was close to China Creek.
We didn't see the bastards.
- You never see them.
- Get the fucking arrow out!
Love and pain are paid for first.
- Fine. I'll pay first.
-No.
This is my say and is only
paid if I live to tell about it.
Damned meddler,
you'll have to pay for it.
I'll pay what's due.
I like men who do the
right thing at the right time.
I always say, it's an
old fashioned custom, Sir.
No one here takes care
of the debts of others.
Julius Popper, engineer.
At your service, Ma'am.
Sita!
Here it is not customary to pay
to save someone else's skin.
I always pay lady.
For pain and for love.
I wonder if you're an idiot, a fool,
- or a showoff.
-Or a gold mine.
How many gold coins do you want?
Five, ten, a hundred?
How many can you get in one night
without having to use your hands?
Careful what you say, Stranger.
Get this one out of here, let's go.
I think I've seen you before.
- I'm following you, sir.
- May I ask why?
Where did you find it?
- You mean the gold?
- What else?
Serve my new friend
a dose of the best whiskey.
-And you are.?
- Novak, Fritz Novak.
I think you need men, Sir.
It depends on what you can do.
Kill.
I was a sergeant in the
Royal Guard in Vienna.
Hey, dude. What's this?
This coin is worthless here.
It has more value than
any government coins.
If you have any questions friend,
check it. The weight is pure gold.
You can accept it.
And if it is fake, you already know
the fate of liars in this town.
Well, if you say so.
It's gold.
It's gold! It's gold!
Gold has arrived, you bastards.
It's gold!
Ladies and gentlemen!
I raise my glass and toast
the Queen of Romania,
Her Majesty Carmen Silva,
May God keep her alive
for centuries and centuries.
Amen.
Who is she?
Will you hit me again, Miss?
You'll find out.
I like you.
I know, I like you too.
And who is this queen?
Invite me to your room
and I'll tell you.
If you dare to go
to my room tonight,
I'll wait for you there.
But first,
I want to know what
kind of man you are.
♪ And Long Live Mr. Popper.
Who brought gold coins.
There's a shine in your eyes
of fortune and treasure,
and the Queen of Romania.
What is the water of life?
In your eyes are reflected
the promised fortune ♪
It must hurt a lot.
I know that pain.
Do what you came to do and leave.
(Speaking Ona)
You're free.
Who are you?
Me?
Julius,
Julius Popper.
You?
Mennar.
Sir, I took care of your instruments.
Thanks a lot.
Sir, you can relax. I'm here
and no one will bother you.
You know what, Novak?
I see that soon you
will become a general.
Sir, a general needs soldiers.
So what are you waiting for?
Go find some!
Invite all these good people to drink.
Hey, you! Drinks for everyone.
This is gold!
Gold!
Amazing!
Return the key.
Not now.
This dalliance will cost you extra.
Besides, why would you want to talk?
You don't need me.
But you have all that I'm looking for.
Gold.
Can you come here for a moment?
What do you see in the distance?
- The sea receding.
- Take a good look!
In a few hours, it will
retreat much further.
I want to show you something.
Come with me.
I dreamed of getting to
this sea and finding gold.
Picture me in China,
on the banks of the Yangtze
River, panning for gold,
when they told me about this
sea at the end of the world.
Look how the skeleton
of this ship pans gold.
Imagine hundreds of boats
scattered around this sea.
As the tide comes in,
they are filled with gold.
And when the tide
goes out, we'll catch it.
Work with me
and I will make you incredibly rich.
So it's agreed.
You handle the men's food.
Easily done, Novak!
It will not be difficult to feed
this bunch of bastards.
It does not require much effort.
You are Hungarian, I am German.
You and I represent discipline
here in this shitty land,
-..godforsaken..
- Bullshit, Novak.
I left old Prussia because I
wanted to live as a free man.
You pay me and I obey, that's all.
Come on, Come on!
- Do you trust these Indians?
- How European!
Ask the French
if they trust the Germans,
the Portuguese,
if they trust the Spanish.
And you, Novak?
Do you trust Popper?
Every dog knows that
the hand that feeds
is the same hand that punishes.
Come on, look here!
Just a few words.
I was until yesterday
just a poor devil.
Now, honored, wealthy.
And with winter coming,
lice won't keep you warm.
Come on! Step up!
- Who enlists first?
-I will.
- Me too.
- And me, sir.
You speak of honor and wealth.
How much of one and
how much of the other?
For honor's sake, I'm staying in Wladfa.
I doubt honor can get into the pot.
It is tough and makes a very bad broth.
To begin with, it is an honor
serving Julius Popper,
but I'm also talking about
gold, a lot of gold.
much more than you
can get out of your bags.
Mine has always been my flag.
Show me something
that will convince me.
This coin,
it's pure gold,
and there are many like this
waiting for you.
Gold in exchange for what?
As Salfi Al*said, "What can you do?"
(*Proph.~helping do good, both get grace)
I play the bagpipes.
My father was a Piper,
my grandfather was a Piper,
what the fuck could I do?
We'll see.
Tell me your name.
No matter why you came
or why you're here.
None of that is important here.
My name Is Manuel Silveira
and I care where I come
from and why I'm here.
My name is Cosimo Spiro
and I get what you need to know.
Sign us up already.
If they give me the
money that I need
to build and install my
machines for collecting gold,
I promise to solve your
problems with the Indians.
Come on. Pants. Now!
Quick, quick! Hit that pedal!
My uniform should've
been ready half an hour ago.
I'll do what I can, sir.
It's the first time I've
ever made a uniform.
The trouble with Tierra del Fuego, Sir,
is that every self-respecting
adventurer says they have found gold.
We are herders.
Our gold is white, our gold is sheep.
I'll tell you two things, Sir.
First of all, I'm not an adventurer.
The second, I don't need your land.
What I need are the shores of the sea,
this sea full of gold.
Come on, try on the
uniform. Popper's gift.
You, come here, man.
Try on the uniform.
Not you, drunk. Out!
What will you do with the Indians?
I will make them
disciplined workers.
What about you? What
do you want for yourself?
I don't need anything, sir.
I fight for ideals.
- This young man is crazier than goats.
- Mr. Popper!
We didn't come here to
listen to nonsense,
or things we've heard before.
Put on your uniform, you bastard.
The Hungarian, Schaeffer,
doesn't wear a uniform, Basque.
You are nothing but filthy shepherds!
Miserable shepherds!
No ambition! No future!
No idea of progress!
You've gone too far, engineer.
You'd better go.
These men are powerful.
They influence governments
from Chile and Argentina.
You don't believe me either?
No.
Wait. Don't go.
At least not tonight.
Wait.
How can I trust you?
If you trust a queen,
all the more reason
to trust a prostitute.
I hope that's enough, partner.
Embrace your queen, Julius Popper.
Good.
Fall in!
Desert Land Army,
give a salute
to our commander in chief,
Julius Popper.
Men of aimlessness,
misfortune and shipwrecks,
you have been separated
from God's hands.
But fate chose you all
for the greatest of endeavors.
Which is?
To bring progress
to the most remote lands.
Today we will leave the continent,
we will cross the Strait of Magellan
and we'll go to Tierra del Fuego.
Let's take the gold
and sow the seed of progress
and return as men worthy
to serve our gracious Majesty,
Carmen Silva, Queen of Romania.
Tomorrow you will be new men.
- Long live the Queen of Romania!
- Hooray!
- And long live Julius Popper!
- Hooray!
Get over here, quick.
- I'm looking for my horse.
- You won't find it.
You freed my Indian
and I freed your horse.
Your horse, Sir.
Having, my lady,
(Voicing)
crossed the famous Strait of Magellan,
I hurried to set up camp,
continuing to measure with my instruments
the depth of the waters,
the density and thickness of air and winds.
And everything leads me to conclude
that very soon we will find
gold in abundance.
♪ Where will the sea cast
all your yellow silt?
That you picture bringing the gold
from its depths
that hides further down.
Within the finest pebbles
There are riches.
Or is it just a trick?
For the gold I command and pray
Show it, Tierra del Fuego.
For the gold I command and pray
Show it, Tierra del Fuego. ♪
Damn pyrite!
(Fool's gold)
It's just pyrite!
Nothing but pyrite!
It's not all pyrite, mate.
- Schaeffer!
- In the flesh!
- How long have you been here?
- Forever.
I have a pact with the sea or the ocean,
you can choose what to call it.
She leans back and I penetrate her.
- Gold!
- Almost, almost Gold!
Tell me the truth, you fucking Hungarian.
What's that noise?
The sea returning.
Run, Romanian! Run, Run, Run!
Gold!
Gold, All Gold!
Gold!
Hey, Indian!
Idiot!
Indian!
Fucking Indian!
Up!
Indian!
Fernandez, drag that shit!
Charge!
Get out of here!
I think you overreacted, Novak.
You have to show power, Sir.
That's important.
Two working arms less.
Yes, but the authority is better.
I have no doubt.
Are you implying that I am weak?
No, I follow orders.
Wake up, wake up!
You're crying like a child.
Novak is right.
You're just a bundle of weakness.
No, Armenia.
No.
I'll show you who is Julius Popper.
♪ They are neither men
nor women, those below.
They don't think, they don't feel,
nor suffer from pain.
If they do not serve they
are tossed aside.
The invader torments the enslaved.
For gold,
he'll kill and subjugate.
Mindlessly, for gold..♪
- Here are more laborers, Sir.
- Why are there so few?
Because they hide,
Sir, but we'll find them.
I hope so.
Winter is coming
and we have no food.
We can't wait, Novak.
What do you think, Mr. Novak?
You still think I'm a weak man, Novak?
Damned rain! It
won't stop raining.
I've lost count of days
you can't fucking see the sun.
Don't complain, Galician.
Winter's not even here yet.
When you face that cold in
this fucking land of fire,
you will curse the
day you ended up here.
Popper said nothing about spending
the winter on this side of the Strait.
We're not animals.
We can't live in a stable.
At least we're indoors.
The Indian laborers
don't even have that.
Schaeffer, what are we
here for? Looking for gold?
Well, we've done it, now what?
It's time to deliver.
Easy there, Italian.
Popper knows what he's doing.
You get along very well with him.
- What's your secret?
- Secret?
I am a poor Hungarian in this cold
land at the end of the world.
I don't think Popper knows where
there's enough gold for all of us.
Popper knows what he's doing.
If Popper distributes the gold
now, everyone will leave,
abandoning him all alone.
The Romanian is clever.
I want my money
and then I'm leaving,
same as will everyone
else, no doubt.
Popper knows what he's doing.
Popper. Popper. Who's Popper?
Appeared out of nowhere handing out coins
of gold in the name of his Romanian Queen.
And took up with the
only woman you liked.
The last word hasn't been
said yet in that game.
I think he's a lunatic.
In Punta Arenas some
beggars shouted at him:
"You are the Savior!" and he liked it.
Worse for him.
Why do you say that?
All those who believe themselves
to be a God end up being crucified.
Where the hell are our men?
Whoever did this,
Mr. Novak, will pay dearly.
They killed themselves, Sir.
The Indians call it poison grass.
Traitorous Indians! Savages!
- But I get it.
- Stupid!
I understand it.
Shut up for once or
I'll send you to hell!
Stupid German.
Bring my horse!
Chants: The air is purer,
clearer than you.
The dawn is more beautiful than you.
The land is stronger than you.
The mountain is higher,
but you are the Queen.
The only one.
The Chosen One. Chosen One...
Chosen One..
Mennar!
Mennar!
Mennar!
Mennar!
Mennar!
I need your help.
It's me Julius, Julius Popper.
This wind and this cold,
it's going to drive me crazy.
What do you want?
Mennar, why are your
brothers killing themselves?
They want to be free.
Tell them I will give them riches.
Gold! Lots of gold!
You fool.
You don't understand anything.
Go away from this forest
and return to your own land.
Mennar, I beg you.
Don't force me into war.
Mennar!
Mennar!
Mennar!
Mennar!
Savior, give me strength!
I need your will.
Made on Earth as it is in heaven.
Purge this off, Creator!
Send it to the ice.
Take it with the wind.
Take it into the harsh darkness.
Take it away.
Take it away.
I haven't eaten yet.
I want a good cut of meat!
No.
Him.
Let him serve me.
Place it gently on my plate.
You know how to
treat meat delicately?
It depends on the meat.
Wow, brave Spiro got his voice back.
Serve wine,
and drink.
The natural thirst that
never goes away,
just as the Samaritan
asked for the lady's blessing.
Bravo!
Verse Twenty-one.
Drink!
I prefer the lashes of your contempt
to Popper knowing that
I drank from his glass.
You are a coward,
you disappoint me.
Go away.
I am a practical man.
You must be patient, Ma'am.
I picked up the Piper while
he was trying to escape.
That's thirty grams, Sir.
Thirty grams of gold
stolen from the Queen of Romania.
Was it just the Piper?
No, others helped him,
and they ran, led by Father Alexis.
So the Monsignor stole my gold too?
Your gold?
We served you like slaves for months,
and what do we get in return? Nothing!
Nor can we cross the Strait
to see women, like all men.
I said fortune
requires great sacrifices!
Oh, yeah. Our sacrifices,
but not yours.
- Silence, you insolent bastard!
- I'm not in the mood!
All the men wonder what the
fuck do you do with the gold?
Cheater! Swindler! Liar!
No one believes the story of
your fucking Romanian Queen.
Novak!
How did you drag up
this insolent Galician?
The Galician was a good soldier, Sir.
And I thought with his bagpipes
he would cheer men up.
You enlisted the Priest, Sir.
The bandits who escaped
must be captured
and the Monsignor hanged for
betraying God and the Queen.
As for you, Galician,
I condemn you to stand where you are,
playing your devil's
instrument for thirty hours.
One for every gram of gold stolen.
Novak, if he moves
or stops playing, kill him!
Rebellion, like a plague
(Voicing)
springs up,
transforming every man into a
danger and livid with a grudge.
What to do, my lady, with so
much built up antagonism?
Still, I feel that every pain
every memory is mine to bear.
Every feeling is born and dies in me.
Oh, My Lady,
My chest is aching and the pain blinds me.
A year ago, we began the search for gold,
and although at first it seemed abundant,
over time, it decreased.
I trust in God
my Lady, my Sovereign.
Only God knows the difficulties that
I went through being so faithful to you.
My poor Manuel.
You are an orphan now.
Stop! You have no reason to be here.
He's his son
with a right to be here.
Bastards have no rights. Out!
You bastard.
You've never been my
brother's real wife.
You're a son of a bitch.
Look who's talking.
Manuel!
Manuel!
Manuel!
Manuel, where have you
been? Come home.
Come on, Manuel, home.
I'm not going back.
What do you mean?
What are you doing?
I'm looking for the wind.
Looking for the wind, my boy.
You poor thing.
See, Manuel. With this
bagpipe, I learned to play.
Your great-grandfather gave it to me.
Inside you, you carry the sound
and the air of your homeland.
I came to the worst of lands
in honor of his sacred name.
It has gold
and a wind and a cold
that pervert reason.
But I won't stop fighting
in his beloved name
against barbarism,
- against ignorance.
- Against the myths.
From now on you will
have to fight a myth.
Come here.
I will show you the
beginning of the world.
Don't go.
Why not? I'll be back.
- You're never coming back.
- Yes, my love.
I see it in your eyes.
- I'll always carry you with me.
- Get up, Galician.
Get up and keep playing.
Stand up, Galician.
Keep playing, for all the outcasts
at the end of the world.
Keep playing, Galician,
or I'll have to kill you.
Leave here!
Get out of here!
Leave this place!
This foreigner was sea food.
Our people
will have the same fate.
This man is frozen, but
his heart wants to live.
A man who does not fight for life
is worse than death. Get out of here!
Get out of here!
Get out of here!
Foreigners are strange to us
and they defile us with their customs.
Why not pardon this man
that brings the wind
and can make it sing?
He will teach us ways of
defeating the invaders.
His outlook is obvious.
Let's make him a friend.
Time passed,
(Voicing)
and I'm alone in delirium.
The winds of madness,
they're whipping me.
I'm not me anymore.
I don't know who I am.
I am possessed by demons
that howl like mad dogs.
Oh, my Lady.
My Lady! What to do, my Lady?
Novak!
I want our men ready to go!
They will replace
the Indians at work.
What did you say, Sir?
That our men will replace
the Indians at work.
Open the gate!
Animals!
Mad dogs!
Speak up, Novak.
I say again, they could have
attacked us at night, but they didn't.
I think the Indians
are sending a message.
Sir, we are poorly supplied
and the Indians know these
grasslands better than us.
But we, Novak, are civilized.
We have the strength, the power.
- They must understand.
- They're wild, Sir.
Wild.
I'll find them.
Where are they?
Where are they hiding?
Show me your faces
painted red,
blue, green, yellow.
Here I am!
Waiting for you!
There they are, Sir!
After them!
He has a lot of men.
Popper got reinforcements.
Where are they hiding?
-I can't see them.
- They're in the woods, Sir.
On the flanks, buried in
the middle of the Bush.
They wait for us,
but we have to be more
patient than them.
The bottom of the world
is stained with blood,
but now it'll be the invaders'
blood that will flow.
There are the devils.
I see them too, sir.
Your order to attack?
What are you waiting
for, General Novak?
Let's get rid of these
savages right now.
Desert Land Army, Attack!
Silveira!
Sound the attack!
What kind of commander am I
who leads his men to death?
Our blood had to run.
You could have left
before the battle.
No one would blame you.
You are mistaken. I would
have scorned myself for that.
But now I've had it, Brother.
Sorry about the fucking bagpipes.
You will play them again.
I promise.
That was my dream.
I saw you surrounded
by a great light
playing your bagpipes
over the meadows.
Let us bury our dead!
Let's bury them!
Let's bury them!
Fleeting gold. Petty gold,
(Voicing)
gold is mud, gold is fear,
gold is blood, gold is death,
gold is betrayal, gold is envy.
Gold is loss!
My Lady! My Lady,
I pray against my solitude.
Why did you choose me?
Novak!
Novak!
It was hard to remove, Sir.
But the wound is clean, no problems.
The Indians!
Damn Indians!
They ambushed you, sir.
We took casualties.
How many?
Eleven men and several horses.
They killed my men.
Bury them with military honors.
I can't, Sir.
They tore apart the
body of every man,
and scattered them to
all corners of the prairie.
Fucking savages.
And right now the Indians
have us surrounded.
Well armed with stone tipped
wooden arrows, and the like.
Wooden arrows, stones!
What do you suggest?
It's a war, Sir.
War.
Act accordingly, General.
Leave it to me.
You rest, Sir.
(Dreams) I, Carmen Silva,
Queen of Romania, command you
to clear the Land Of Fire
of Indians and demons.
No good for war.
No good for training.
No one understands discipline. Shit!
Everybody line up here.
Quick! Curse your dead asses.
You, get over there!
You too, hurry it up!
Come on, get in a straight line.
And you, look at all
this heavy grease.
Low lifes!
It's been four weeks.
Four weeks, by God,
and always the same.
Don't you have any brains?
These mock-up grass dolls
they know more about
discipline than you.
What do you think an
army is? What is it?
You, Cardenas.
Come here, leave that.
Take that doll and bring it here.
This puppet is worth more than you.
He's worth more than a soldier.
You will see in this war.
How treacherous people are.
I'm to build an army with what?
With vermin that wanders the prairie?
Look here, all these dolls
gotta be on horseback, men.
What are you doing?
I'm tired of waiting.
I want my gold and go.
Yeah, let's go!
By this time, Popper must be dead.
- What are you talking about?
- The gold!
The gold! We want it now!
We want our gold!
This is rebellion!
We want gold. That's what
we want, right now!
But why? If Popper is..
Each of you needs me.
Only I know where the gold is hidden.
Their lives are tied to my destiny.
If I live, they'll get rich.
If I die, they will die with me.
We live with you,
we will die if you die!
We live with you,
we will die if you die!
Starting today
I will reward you
with an ounce of gold
for each testicle, breast, or
ear off these rebel Indians.
as a sign
of our crusade for civilization.
Tread the warpath,
Desert Land Army!
We live for you,
we will die if you die!
We live for you,
we will die if you die!
♪ Where does Mennar our Queen go?
Mennar goes with friends
and family to the sea.
I, Mennar, go to the
sea with my family.
What part of Italy are you from?
Brindisi.
As a child, the sound of
the sea relaxed me.
- And don't you want to go back?
-Yes
but only as a rich man.
Apparently, nothing can stop you.
Nothing.
No hunger, no cold, no pain.
Not even love?
No,
not even love.
You speak like a king.
On leaving for America, my
mother said, " You will be a king."
Is the meat ready?
Just about.
What was your mother like, beautiful?
She was a very, very beautiful woman.
Like me?
I'll tell you. You..
Me?
You're the most beautiful
woman I've ever seen.
Give me another.
Popper.
Does death disgust you, Italian?
If you have to live,
you have to kill.
What if you have to die?
I didn't come here to die,
I have other plans.
I'm not an invader,
I'm an immigrant.
You think too much,
that's your problem, Italian.
It wouldn't hurt you to think a
little, you drunken Hungarian.
We kill Indians, right?
They pay us for it.
But who will work collecting gold?
Relax, Popper knows what he's doing.
Me too. That's at least three of
us who know what we're doing.
Armenia. Get her out
of your head, Italian.
Drink less and think a little.
Shit!
In Magellan, ordinary
and mediocre men,
they put a price on my head.
I, Julius Popper,
I am the legend.
The rest is misery and fear.
- Give me this.
- Go away, you harlot.
Desert Land Army!
Now
we have won an important victory.
Schaeffer,
give these men food and drink.
Let there be no lack of brandy or wine.
That's better.
It is no longer inflamed.
You see how I take care of you, my girl.
(Untranslated)
Oh, what a pity!
I can't understand you
but one day you will understand me.
Because you're gonna be my wife,
the wife of a rich man.
Mrs. General Novak.
Here's the gold.
But today this is not
the most important thing.
The most important thing
today is that civilization
triumphed over barbarism.
Every Indian killed
is like another word on the
tapestry upon which is woven
the great civilizing feats,
the great epics of progress!
Do you have a name?
It's not important.
I'll call you Elisa.
Yes.
Elisa. Your name is Elisa.
Dozens of ears,
testicles, woman's breasts.
But ears that do not know music.
Animals that do not command
the human language,
that emit wild grunts.
Ears deaf to development.
What need have they for them?
Now
we have corrected
a small flaw of God's.
This dress was from another Elisa.
But now it's yours.
You are no longer wild.
You are now a woman
as God commanded.
- Long Live Julius Popper!
- Hooray!
Desert Land Army,
I am proud to lead you.
Here is the gold, brave soldiers.
You fought with courage.
Novak!
Where is my brave general Novak?
Mennar!
Who put that wicked noose on you?
What have they done to you, Mennar?
It's my Indian, Sir.
I picked it up to serve me.
My little bitch.
I knew you would
drive men mad.
Quiet!
Her!
She's a queen.
She's just an Indian, Sir.
Shut up, Novak.
Sir,
I beg your pardon,
this is my Indian, Elisa.
Elisa.
Elisa.
What a beautiful name.
Elisa.
Elisa!
Long live Queen Elisa!
- Hooray!
Sir, ask the men
to stop drinking.
Schaeffer,
Give cachaça to the men and let them toast
(local rum)
to this beautiful flower of the desert land.
Sir, I'm saying for the last time.
This is my Indian.
Yours?
This woman has served
me and will reign with me.
What are you doing, you bastard?
I've made my claim, Sir.
This Indian is mine.
Everything that exists in the
Land Of Fire belongs to me.
Those thing are yours,
you already got the rest.
My queen,
Everything is yours:
My bed, my instruments,
my writings.
I'll never be able to repair
the evil they did to you.
Speak to me.
Please speak to me.
Tell me at least one word.
The same one you said on the night
I took off your chains, remember?
Tell me!
Tell me!
Say something.
I'll give you everything. Everything.
Clothes. Jewelry. Everything,
Gold. Everything.
Tell me.
Don't touch my stuff!
You crazy fuck!
You will pay dearly for this!
Don't become a Judas, Armenia,
because I won't forgive you.
This is my big moment.
Hear how my men cheer me.
And this queen is
confirmation of my triumph.
I am Julius Popper
King of Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia.
Come on!
If you want to save
yourself, do as I say.
This ship is sinking.
Whatever you wish, missus.
Change out of those drunkard's clothes.
We'll meet at the
apartment. Be quick!
Halt!
This is how our disgraced
general behaves?
What happened? You
don't say anything?
Did the Indian eat your tongue?
Shoot. If you came
to kill me, shoot.
I'm a soldier.
Ready!
Aim!
Fire!
Your time has not yet come, Novak.
First, we have to take
the crazy Romanian's gold.
Armenia and Spiro are waiting for us
half a league from here, come on.
Cosimo Spiro, Armenia,
and Novak, poker aces!
The damn Romanian's
hours are numbered.
Come on, Novak. Let's go!
The dogs have begun to bite
each other. A good sign.
Look, Spiro, we have another puppy
to kill when we're done with the cubs.
The Romanian belongs to me.
When he falls into my hands,
he'll wish to never have been born.
Spiro, distribute the ammo
and organize the guards.
(EN,sic) Senor, like a hundred men
has come to the revolution.
Popper is alone, drunk. It's good.
What about Elisa?
She's staying with him, Mr. Novak.
- Long Live Julius Popper!
- Hooray!
- Julius Popper is a God!
- He's a God!
Popper
God?
Yes, my queen.
Drive out the invaders
and their sheep herds.
My people will join you
and you will be our only God.
An offer of an alliance with the
Indians is very convenient, General.
Let us burn all the sheep.
Let the smoke reach the sky!
As a sign of our alliance.
Is this Popper's bed?
It's the belly of a whale.
How was it with him?
Did you like it?
Popper was neither bad nor good.
Popper is nobody.
Popper was never in this bed.
Tomorrow you will be the winner.
When you win, I will be your princess.
Have courage tomorrow.
This will bring you luck.
Kill Popper.
Kill him.
They will confront each other
and then we will attack.
It is the order of Mennar.
The criminal leaves his Fortress.
What is he up to?
Going to the hill crest.
What for?
To attack his own puppets?
No, Hungarian.
He goes because he doesn't
know who he has to fight.
And he wants to confuse us.
But I'm going up and
force him into the valley.
You stay here entrenched
and Spiro goes around the left.
We'll close a circle and crush him.
Kill him.
You made me go against Popper.
He always had a lot
of affection for me.
Popper is a living lie.
Pair every grass doll,
with a real soldier.
Everyone earns an ounce of gold
and twice that for the
heads of the traitors:
Schaeffer, Novak, Spiro,
and Armenia.
In the name of Her Majesty, Carmen Silva,
Queen of Romania,
Patagonia, and Tierra del Fuego,
Attack!
It's Popper!
Aim and shoot!
Spiro, Armenia, don't leave!
Attack!
Come back here.
Fucking Hell!
Attack!
Fucking Romanian!
He fooled me
with my own tactic.
Don't leave me alone!
Don't leave me alone!
Victory!
Victory!
All who surrender,
I'll spare your lives.
Let the whole world know
the generosity of Julius Popper.
And to all of you I say
that from today I will look
upon you as subjects,
because that's the way
I have to love you all.
From today, orders I
give you are edicts
because it's the only way
that I have for them
to be faithfully obeyed.
From today, I shall
be the sole Sovereign.
Because it's the only way I have
to be with everyone.
Civilization or death!
Hurrah!
The men are now on Popper's side.
He has defeated us.
No. No.
Yesterday I was a whore
and you a miserable mercenary.
Today we are two immigrants.
Fucking Romanian.
The real machine making
gold were my bitches.
I can buy the land where
Popper cleaned out the Indians.
We will be ranchers.
I'm at the end.
I climbed to the top of the mountain
and from there I saw Paradise.
We're all the same!
Is that clear?
I declare the end of all hierarchy.
and the equality of races
in the Land Of Fire.
I am Julius Armenia Popper,
the Ruler of this fucking shit hole.
I bring a message
from the landowners of Magellan.
Only the dead are equal, Popper.
Hurray, Popper!
Long live Julius Popper!
Julius Popper!
Come with me.
Mennar.
Mennar!
There is another world, ours.
I need you, Julius Popper.
I can't, Mennar,
I'm tired,
far from home.
Come with me!
Come with me, Julius Popper!
Come with me!
Come with me!
Come with me!
I didn't serve you.
Nor did you, me.
JULIUS POPPER IS GONE FOREVER
FROM THE LAND OF FIRE,
MENNAR AND THE ONAS PEOPLE WENT
TO SEA AND NEVER CAME BACK.
THE QUEEN OF ROMANIA NEVER
KNEW OF HER DISTANT KINGDOM.
TO THIS DAY, NO ONE HAS FOUND ANY
MORE GOLD IN THE TIERRA DEL FUEGO.
THE MEN ARE GONE.
ONLY THE SHEEP REMAIN.
♪ The Queen of Romania,
she never knew what she had.
They say the Indian, Elisa,
called herself Mennar again.
The suffering Indians
insist on forgetting.
Cosimo Spiro,
He became a great landowner,
and beside the beautiful Armenia
became a man of honor.
Many stories are told
in Karukinka.
(Area within Tierra del Fuego)
Many stories are told.
There are many more,
in the Land of Fire,
in the Land of Fire ♪
Historical notes:
Inhabited for 10,000 years, in 1520 Magellan
originally named the island "Land of Smokes".
European settlement grew from 1860 when sheep ranchers
began government sanctioned displacement of natives.
In 1883 a gold rush began that lasted until 1910.
Julius Popper came to the Island in 1886 with a license
to extract gold and a band he formed into mercenaries.
He warred against the Selk'nam people.
The Selk'nam population, also called "Ona",
was reduced from 4,000 to less than 100.
Known to be an amiable people,
they were deported, killed, or enslaved.
Bounties paid were higher for
proof of women who were killed.
Skulls were sent to museums, as were
some enslaved to be circus exhibits.
The enslaved were forbidden to procreate, but women
were made into wives and also used as currency.
Many died of European diseases
spread by Anglican missions.
There was no prosecution for deliberate genocide, but
one leader was presented a gold watch for the result.
The last Selk'nam died in 1974
and their language is extinct.
At age 35, It is believed Julius Popper
was murdered by poisoning.
In 2022 his life was celebrated in a Romanian
synagogue as a noted Jew with 100 of his photos.
It included the posed photo of him
astride the body of a slain Selk'nam.
Thanks for reading my subtitles this far.
Your friend, Quester.