Neapolitans in Milan Page #4

---

- It's not fair! - Wait a minute!

By what authority, I don't know.

- Is it you who must protect those people?

Yes, sir. Why? What's so strange?

I took to heart their interests,

moral and material,

and I'm ready to defend them,

as long as I have strength and blood!

I'm ready to undersign it

by betting my head!

They do not care about your money.

Could it maybe repay them

of the lost loved ones? No!

It will only allow them

not to starve to death. That's all.

You marvel that five individuals

could maintain so many people.

No, I marvel that are dead

right those five!

Come on, you're exploiting us!

Yes, always the same old tune!

Earning a living using cunning,

improvisation, the stroke of genius!

But not one's arms!

I, my dear Don Salvatore,

I came to Milan at the age of 18 years!

And I learned to work!

Why, you think

one can come to Milan only at 18?

No, this is a witticism, is not an answer!

I have worked!

I worked like crazy

in a climate of cold, fog, that...

excuse me, be patient,..

that only I know how I feel my bones!

And in Naples? In Rome?

Oh, yes!

Lying down! In the sun of Via Caracciolo

or Via Veneto? But give me a break!

But, we have the sun

and we shouldn't use it? Oh well,

then we'll pack it and send it here,

as you send us the panettone. That okay?

Lawyer..!

Excuse me, what is your name? - Nocera.

- Good! Nocera, Campobasso...

Lawyer, I swear that I'd like

to have bones like yours.

But I don't think you want a stomach like

mine or of those unfortunates outside.

Yes! Lawyer Nocera is right!

You came in perfect Neapolitan style!

Accurate staging, weeping, mourning...

And to ask what?

Money!

You are a beautiful lady.

And blessed be the mother

who gave you birth!

And on this point I think

we all agree, right? But!

I can't allow you the

"perfect Neapolitan style".

Because, according to Mr. Nocera,

we are the ones who spend the day

studying the way how to rip off people.

Right? And you don't think that

by admitting this fact,

you should also try to understand which

was the factor that determined it, no?

Since I don't believe that,

by a strange natural phenomenon,

in a point on the earth are born

only fraudsters and idlers,

and in another, gentlemen and workers?

But come on!

Did you think that

we'd come here like Pulcinella

to thank you for the misfortune we had?

Gentlemen, we're wandering from the point!

Mr. Aianello,

your requests are excessive.

We'll never come to an agreement.

- Well, make me a counterproposal.

Excuse me, we discussed for three hours,

and you keep saying no, no, no!

Here is a counterproposal!

Why not give him a job?

Don't you think, Mr. president?

A job?

- In a factory. Give them work!

And you, what do you think?

The proposal of the lawyer seems good.

Mrs. Vittorini, you represent

the majority of the shares.

A job here in Milan?

Well... it's an idea!

Well, I think that would be fine,

but where do we put them?

Yeah, where?

If I may, why don't you

entrust them to Mr. Parenti?

He knows them well now, he esteems them.

Perfect, at the ILAR!

Okay, Parenti?

Why not?

Oh, excuse me!

We are deciding among ourselves,

but the answer is up to Don Salvatore!

Lawyer...

One sees that the fog

hasn't altered you at all, right?

You too spend the day seeking a way

on how to cheat your neighbor!

But this time you won't succeed!

Because we do accept!

And if I may,

I'll give the news to those concerned.

Salvatore, what did you conclude?

Finally! Don Salvatore, so,

they give us the money?

Not a penny! - But how, but how?

They make us work!

- What? We've come so far!

How much they give us?

- Shut up, wretches!

I had to agree not to look bad.

You want to return to Naples, stretch out

your hand and panhandle again?

They offer us work. - Work!

- A real job, you realize it?

Maybe we can eat every day! - At last!

- Even in Naples we eat.

But no, no, I repeat, nothing doing!

Either pay in advance or go! Clear off!

But what is this distrust?

We pay on week end.

Our luggage is guarantee.

- Which luggage!

I know these bags,

the police station is full of them!

Come on, on, out, move out!

This is a hotel, not a hospice of charity!

What times!

Once tourism was encouraged!

- And now what?

What do we do here?

- I'm going back to Naples! - Of course!

Come on, are we joking? Let's go by here,

let's see where it leads...

Federal! May you be damned!

Hey! Ferdinando!

Look there! What a pleasure, in Milan!

A big shot!

So, we came to Milan.

This guy of the hotel, here...

More lucky the Di Gennaro family.

The owner of the guesthouse

was accustomed to a small clientele,

to which necessarily

she had to make some concessions.

Pilgrims, young tourists

or traders for the Milan Fair.

- It depends...

How many are you?

- One family. Come, come!

All right!

A family a little large...

We'll huddle up a bit.

Come on up, the lady is so good hearted!

And Don Salvatore was hosted by Giovanni,

the foreman of the factory.

It sure was a great misfortune!

Oh, moved us all, y'know?

I mean, five fathers of families!

And of big families, even!

- Eh, they're large families!

But you southerners...

you always say that you have no work...

And then...

all those children!

That's a good point. Everyone says

that in Naples there's too many kids...

Some have 5, some have 7, some have 10...

To me, it's that children are not marked

on the expense account... Wake up!

Who knows! Perhaps it is so...

We have had only one daughter.

This one.

Here is.

Ah! She's a beautiful girl.

- She lives here?

No.

She's married for a couple of months.

She slept in the room

that now we gave to Mr. Salvatore.

I thank you both,

you were really very kind.

Not to say, huh?

But me, certain rivalries,

I don't understand them at all.

And to say that I'm a true Milanese, eh?

Of the Dome!

Piazza Fontana!

Well, this is said to say, but then,

in practice...

The cities are still called Naples, Rome,

Milan, Turin, Florence, Genoa...

Just as when they were many republics.

- So, how should we call them?

But in no way! Why must they have

different names? To create sectionalism?

What does this mean?

The city is one only.

The streets, are many.

I think that we feel distant from each

other because of the trains, the travels.

Traveling intimidates, you know?

That's right, for there is:

sleeping-car, seat reservation,

the travel pillow,

and rails, rails, rails!

And especially those signs!

Fast train Naples-Rome,

express train Rome-Milan.

If they were called trams

instead of trains,

we would no longer get

the feeling of traveling!

And if the signs instead of having,

don't know, city names,

bore street names,

Posillipo-Piazza Fontana,

Via Caracciolo-Piazza del Duomo,

it would be a lot easier!

Right?

But it's impossible!

Trains are trains,

and trams, are trams.

- Eh, tram!

No, I was not saying this!

I understand it's unfeasible.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes