Captain Corelli's Mandolin Page #2

"...but I long to feel something,

even if it is only pain."

We won!

We won!

It's over!

We've beaten them in Albania.

Look!

8,000 of us against 14,000 Italians,

and we forced them to withdraw.

What?

Hitler will never let

his lapdog be humiliated.

He will come to Mussolini's aid.

"I have written

this letter a dozen times..."

"...and a dozen times

I have thrown it away."

"I don't know how

to describe my feelings."

"It's as if I've been waiting

a hundred years to hear from you."

"Waiting a hundred years

for you to return."

Pelagia.

This is hopeless.

It's all wrong!

Following the great defeat

of the Italians in Albania...

...Hitler's bombers have

counterattacked...

...and the German Army has driven a path

through to the Greek capital, Athens.

A large number of Greek ships were destroyed

in the bombing of the nearby Port of Piraeus.

On April 27, the Athenian Military

Commissioner General Calvacos...

...officially handed over the keys of the

ancient city to his German counterpart....

...Lieutenant Colonel

Von Zephyr...

...and preparations are underway

for a carve-up of the territory.

Hitler retains direct control

of much of northern Greece...

...including Salonica and

the southern island of Crete.

The rest of Greece will be under

the control of Hitler's ally, Mussolini...

...though the Germans will retain

the final authority.

Bella bambina at two o'clock!

Captain Corelli.

"F*** off."

Have him tell the mayor...

...that unless we receive the surrender

of the town's authorities in five minutes...

...we'll mobilise our troops

and storm the building.

The mayor says if you don't

know what "f*** off" means...

...then come inside

and we'll show you.

"We refuse to surrender to a nation

that we have defeated in Albania..."

"...and we reserve the right to surrender

to a German officer of significant rank."

"So f*** off. "

Who is this?

Who are you?

Captain Gunther Weber.

Liaison officer

with the Grenadiers at Lixouri.

"Captain" is not what we

would call a significant rank.

There are only 200

Germans on the island...

...and Captain Weber is the highest

ranking officer amongst them.

Our decision is...

...that surrendering to Captain

Weber's dog is more appropriate...

...than surrendering to an Italian.

Chi del gitano

i giorni abbella...

Chi del gitano

i giorni abbella...

Chi... Chi...

i giorni abbella...

Carlo Guercio

reporting for duty, sir.

- Carlo, where have you served?

- Albania.

Albania?

None of us have seen

any action yet.

I was with the Julia Division.

Then you have fought enough

for all of us.

Carlo, can you sing?

Let's hear you sing.

O bambino caro...

Mi piace bello... bello...

No matter.

Everyone in our battery is

a member of the opera society.

These are the rules

of engagement:
..

One, all those called

to regular musical fatigues...

...shall be obliged to play

a musical instrument.

Uh, spoons, the helmet...

...comb, paper,

and so on, and so on.

Two, anyone who says that

Donizetti is better than Verdi...

...shall be required

to sing "Funiculi Funicula"...

...and other songs about railways.

Three... um...

...three... um... ah.

This is an outrage!

Quite impossible.

It's out of the question.

Sir, the fact is,

I'm sorry to say...

...and with great regret,

that my orders are...

...to billet an officer

in your home.

I am a doctor.

This is my surgery.

I don't have room for guests!

- Sir, these are my orders!

- I don't care!

I don't recognise

your authority!

Wait a minute.

What is wrong with your feet?

I have terrible corns.

My boots are killing me.

You are a quartermaster. You must

have access to medical supplies.

To treat your corns,

I will need morphine...

...hypodermic syringes,

sulphur ointment...

...surgical spirit, neosalvarsan.

Iodine, scalpels, collodian,

bandages, lint.

Perhaps your officer

could bring supplies...

...when he comes.

My father is not here.

He'll be home this evening.

You don't even know who I am.

Mandras?

I walked all the way...

from Epirus.

No boots.

I wrote to you every day.

A hundred letters.

And not a single reply.

I never learned...

...to read or write.

Oh, Lord, what a stench.

It's worse than pigs.

You see, Pelagia, what a state

these men get into...

...when there are no women

to look after them.

And I don't care

if he's been to war.

If we catch his fleas and lice,

I'm going to skin him alive.

Ammonia, oil of sassafras,

and zinc for scabies.

You're a woman and...

and you know so many things.

At least you can see

what you are getting.

Not much of a bargain, is he?

You fall in love

with the person, not the body.

Love enters by the eyes

and also leaves by the eyes.

Take it from me.

We beat the Italians.

We had them running.

But we couldn't

fight the Germans.

If I could cook...

...I would exchange jobs with you.

In fact, I might retire.

Bella bambina!

Forgive me.

Forgive me.

I don't mean to embarrass you.

I'm Captain Antonio Corelli...

...and that man

is one of our heroes.

He has a hundred medals

for saving life...

...and none for taking it.

A brave Italian

is a freak of nature.

Said like a true Greek patriot.

Captain Corelli?

I want a word with you. Now.

I want an explanation.

I want to know why

you have defaced the monument.

What monument?

You have changed

the inscription to Latin.

Do you think you can

so easily erase our history?

Is this how you wage war?

By the chipping away of letters?

- I must protest.

- You cannot protest. There is no excuse.

I was about to protest, because

I was not responsible for it.

Pathetic.

If you could tell me

where I'm going to sleep...

In my daughter's room.

But where will

your daughter sleep?

It's none of your business

where I sleep.

Ah. Tonight I'll sleep

in the yard.

Tomorrow I'll request

alternative accommodation.

I have made an arrangement

with your quartermaster.

You are staying here

whether you like it or not.

But your daughter's bed,

I feel it would not be...

I don't care how you feel.

That is not my problem.

I am not the aggressor.

You understand me?

This is very good.

This is Cephallonian meat pie.

Except that,

thanks to you people...

...it doesn't have any meat in it.

I could bring some food.

A little wine,

perhaps some panettone.

We don't accept food

from the enemy.

Maybe a little panettone.

I am going for a walk.

The curfew starts

in one hour's time.

I was born here.

This is my island.

Aren't you going

to go and arrest him?

He's defying you,

ignoring the curfew.

You're absolutely right.

Quick, get the gun.

Somebody shoot him, shoot him.

Capitano Antonio Corelli.

Now you try.

Capitano Antonio Corelli.

Lemoni!

Oh, what?

Babibaba?

Capitano.

- Capitano.

- S. Antonio.

- Lemoni.

- Antonio.

- Corelli.

- Go home.

Go on.

You can come back later.

Signorina...

...in times of war...

...we have to make the most of what

little innocent pleasure there is.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes