Finding Altamira Page #3

about Evolution

and those things you fight about.

Wait here.

The Bible speaks clearly

about Adam and Eve.

Correct.

And who gave you

your power of reason?

God.

So how could they be in conflict?

If Faith and Reason seem at odds,

isn't terribly important.

Our Holy Father instructs us

that False Opinion has taken

the place of True Reason.

I think of Galileo

and his punishment by the Church,

which now we know

to have been wrong.

Quite so,

Galileo revealed the true workings

of the Divine Universe,

but for the Darwinists

here is no Divine Being,

no plan for Humanity or Creation,

only the random workings of Nature,

poorly described by Science.

As we understand more,

might not they too be proved right?

This is not about

the orbit of Earth and Sun,

this is Man setting his puny intellect

against the majesty of God.

Rationalism...

seeks to destroy the deepest

foundations of human society:

Love, Honour, Family.

What use for them

in a purely rational world?

I do worry that Maria...

My husband... He takes

such a part in her education...

My dear child,

I share your concerns.

Deeply-

Who made the world?

God made the world.

Who is God?

God is the Creator

of Heaven and Earth

and of all things.

What is Man?

Man is a creature composed

of body and soul,

made in the image of God.

Why did God make you, Maria?

God made me to know Him,

to love Him

and to serve Him in this world.

And does God want you to serve Him

with half of your wits?

With one hand in the air?

No, Father.

No, He does not.

I was admiring his Creation, Father.

Did you know the very same bones

we have in our hands

are in dolphins' flippers

and bats' wings?

Isn't that marvellous?

- Who made the world?

- God made the world.

Who is God?

That's not good.

Your wife?

She sounds good to me.

Scarlatti.

Only in times of strife.

Wagner is the worst though.

Then it's better not to be here!

Thank you for the warning.

A bowl?

A discus?

We are groping in the dark.

Paleolithic. Paleolithic.

Professor Vilanova,

Monsieur Paul Ratter.

- How do you do, sir?

- A great artist.

Perhaps you can persuade my wife

to come and seethe real thing.

I don't think so, no.

Please, come in.

Like this they seem random

but each one is placed carefully

in exact relation

to the rock formation.

What of the quality? As an artist,

what's your opinion?

To be honest,

I find them astonishing.

There is an understanding of movement,

an energy,

a direct observation of Nature

that seems wholly modern.

I have to rethink everything

I had assumed about art.

This is quite a shock.

Hardly the work of monkeys then?

Certainly not.

Do you see, dear lady,

what this means?

Ten thousand years ago

Mankind was as we are now,

created with a soul in God's image.

We have not evolved into Humanity,

we have always been so.

Do you think that the paintings

might be in accord with our faith?

Faith and True Reason.

Conchita, my dear.

If we are correct,

then, the Primitive Man,

at this time had the ability

to describe what he saw in paint.

That's all we know.

We shouldn't try to fit the facts

to a set of beliefs.

We have to wait for Cartailhac.

If the mountain

will not come to Mahomet...

With your permission

I would like to present our findings

at the International Conference

of Prehistory in Lisbon

next month.

It will be easy for the delegates

to come here afterwards.

- You'll do that? Really?

- Of course.

- Thank you, my friend.

- And you should come.

Thank you.

Conchita,

you think...

you think Religion and Science

can't coexist, right?

Right?

My love,

imagine...

imagine that I am Science

and you

are Religion.

Yes.

I don't know if that's Science,

but it is definitely not Religion.

Water is denser than air,

so as the light

passes through each drop,

it bends, the colours split

and we see a rainbow.

So Noah's rainbow

was only reflections, not a promise?

If we explore the mystery of Creation,

discovering how it works,

does that destroy its wonder?

You know that a piece of music

is made of notes, chords,

crotchets and rests,

but that doesn't stop it

sounding lovely

or inspiring beautiful thoughts.

It does when I have to learn it.

- My dear.

- This came by special messenger.

From Cartailhac?

Open it, Papa, open it.

Please.

It seems that...

His Majesty,

holidaying in the region,

would like to see the paintings.

- The King! Oh, Papa!

- Precisely.

The King! Alfonso XII.

This are our workers.

Very good work.

Congratulations.

Beg pardon, but this is the dog

that found the cave.

And I am the dog's owner.

So by rights I should get...

Please,

there is nothing to worry about.

It is only a sheep dog.

A now royal sheep dog.

A dog!

Yes,

it was sheer fluke this discovery.

De Los Rios,

your most humble servant.

As you may know, Your Majesty,

I myself have made

many important finds in the region.

Marquesa!

Sir, this is my wife, Conchita.

- Seora Sautuola.

- Your Majesty.

Your husband has given Spain

something to be proud of.

The whole world must know of this.

Thank you, sir.

And you must be

the little bull-finder.

Bravo!

A photograph, please.

Come along.

Don Marcelino,

congratulations once again

in your important discovery.

Long live to the King!

I was just thinking,

before it was our secret.

When you go to Lisbon

and tell Monsieur Cartailhac

everyone will know.

But it's good to share knowledge,

isn't it?

Yes.

Listen, Maria,

When I first visited the cave,

I saw nothing.

When I went back,

we discovered the bison.

Now, what was the difference?

You went to Paris and learned

from Monsieur Cartailhac.

No.

The difference

was that you were there.

You looked without prejudice.

It will always be your discovery,

Maria.

Shall we?

My lady.

Monsieur Ratter.

Monsignor.

Isn't it good?

Very good.

We made a wise choice

in Monsieur Ratter.

I'm sorry you missed the King's visit.

More excitement

than any of us can remember.

You enjoyed yourself, I'm glad.

But beware vainglory.

Pride, intellectual pride or...

a desire for worldly honour

is a trap

for the most pious.

Remember the Scribes and Pharisees.

Is this good enough

for Lisbon next week?

Do you still need to go?

Now the King has been.

It's the largest ever

conference of Prehistory.

Professor Vilanova does me

great honour to invite me.

And they'll come on here?

To begin the proper work

of examination, yes.

They are atheists.

It's a scientific meeting.

We don't discuss such questions.

What more can you need to know?

Everything.

Everything.

How were they achieved?

Were paintings common,

but all lost or undiscovered

until now?

Or is this the work of a lone genius,

the Leonardo of the Paleolithic?

The paintings are of bison,

yet we haven't found

one single bison bone fragment

in the cave.

What was their purpose?

Are we looking at a history?

Celebration?

Religion?

Do you agree with Professor Vilanova?

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