Splendor Page #5

a hero to humanity, who will surely

become famous as a film metaphor...

for our Duce and the honor

of the Roman Empire.

SCIPIONE, THE AFRICAN

I used to cut out all the actors'

pictures form the newspaper.

I was in love, you know.

In love with Amedeo Nazzari.

Don't touch her!

I want to give you a present.

Watch.

Look at her!

"There'll be a strip tease

show during intermission.

"International stars.

Same price."

- What, you nervous?

- No.

- You're smoking constantly.

- Right, I must be nervous.

With all this room and you

have to sit right here!

We're just watching

the show together.

What's on your mind?

Nothing.

I know what you're thinking.

You're saying to yourself:

it takes one night like this to f*** up

50 years of serious professionalism.

Who's talking about f***ing up?

It's just a show.

Besides, they're pretty,

they're nice.

It's me who isn't nice.

Say it, say it.

Say what? Do I have to tell you

whether you're nice or not?

We've known each other for 20 years

and you wait until tonight...

to know if I like you or not.

Thank you, thank you ladies.

You're all beautiful and fantastic.

I'm sorry, but I've

just found out...

that I haven't been authorized.

Therefore, we can't have the show.

The fire department...

we can't do it.

Anyhow, you'll all be

paid as agreed.

- Really?

- Really.

- Thank you.

- You're welcome.

We hereby convey to our

distinguished audience...

We convey to our distinguished audience

that there will be no strip tease.

- And the international artists?

- They've left for Rome.

A ticket?

- Good day, Miss Chantal.

- Good day, Mr. Paolo.

Thank you. Excuse me.

Jordan!

- What do we do?

- Go ahead, the three of us will watch.

Roll it?

The Tree of Wooden Clogs

"This thought was missing here."

A film by Ermanno Olmi.

We were at a clearing cooking

some chickens that, let's say...

we had sequestered from

some Yugoslavian farmers.

While the chickens were boiling,

a G.I. patrol came along...

who were hungrier than us.

Divided spoils, hunger for all.

Then the American lieutenant asked:

what's that you're boiling in that pot?

I explain in my poor English and they

got frightened and ran off...

Instead of saying "chicken"...

I had said "children".

They ran away as if

they had seen a...

Jordan, Jordan!

Can you come here a minute?

Excuse me.

I'll see you, excuse me.

What's wrong?

Nothing, no problem chatting

up a girl, right?

I know you, when

you start to chat...

You're too much... If she was

pretty, I'd let her talk... but...

Luigi, do me a favor. For once,

mind your own business.

Just for once.

Well, once, twice, whatever...

Besides, you can

handle it yourself.

Right, so don't you worry.

"Chicken" broth, but...

See? You're spying on me,

you're listening in.

Me spy? Yes.

Because I pity you.

I worry about you. Who listens to

you when you're talking about...

Yugoslavia, the G.I. patrol, or

whatever you were cooking?

Not me... you do what you want.

Want to play the fool? Be my guest.

Suit yourself. "Chicken".

Old hen broth is more like it.

Just remember that the former plea

can become the current order.

All right, all right.

I understand.

Lorenzo, this one's

about a journalist...

who's stuck in a hole. The

part that's coming is nice...

don't fall asleep.

He's a journalist.

"Chuck" Tatum is the journalist in the

movie, played by Kirk Douglas.

You want a scoop, right?

If it's good, I can sell it

to my newspaper.

But they tell him no, stop,

don't get it...

from there. It's dangerous,

they kill everyone.

Understood? And then people start

coming out from everywhere...

And these people arrive with

all sorts of junk, people that sell...

things... Do you like

the story? It's nice.

Don't get distracted, Lorenzo,

don't fall asleep...

You know what?

It's true, you know?

Now... Lorenzo! It's

going to happen...

Wait till it happens... take this...

Now take this... that's right.

Take it...

- Then he starts to leave...

- My love.

It's just that tonight...

Why aren't you asleep?

This stuff usually makes you sleep.

He's not keen on the story.

No, but really you know how to...

When these things happen,

many days go by...

Get it? Days go by...

and in the end he dies.

Get it? Don't fall asleep.

You don't like this, right?

It makes you sleepy.

I have it right here, don't worry.

Well, to a certain extent...

This one dies... sometime over the...

Did you understand, Lorenzo?

Because he had revealed something...

And he understands...

and thinks:
this is the end,

they've punished me this way...

Go on, sleep.

I'm going with your mother.

Is he asleep?

I was telling him the end when...

Kirk Douglas shoots and

there's no doubt.

Tomorrow, I'll tell him "Sciusci".

- Know what I was thinking?

- No, what?

That with all these stories in

your head, you live practically...

how can I say it...

you live vicariously.

What do you mean? Anastacia.

- Natasha.

I thought it was Anastasia Kinski.

They told me that was her name...

I was telling you that

you live vicariously. Why?

Because you've fought all the

world wars, and the Vietnam war...

You've traveled more than Marco Polo

and the Pope put together...

- You know San Francisco better

than our town. - That's not true.

I like San Francisco. I've seen

"Duke". Start from the Golden Gate...

then you leave Berkeley behind...

the docks, the fish market...

you arrive downtown where

they sell good Italian chocolate...

- come from the left, turn and you...

- I'm right, then.

I like San Francisco. You make it

sound as if it was some defect...

All those things...

In a time of din and noise...

You have the chance of

traveling, of being in love.

Wars, all sorts of

things, adventures...

You've fallen in love

with all of them.

No, not all. Many have loved

me without hope...

because at that time

I was with another.

Who are you with now?

Right now I don't know

if I am with someone...

someone whose profile

resembles Candice Bergen's.

Like you resemble Robert Redford?

If you would wear feathers and

other stuff, you'd resemble...

Easy!

- Are you here or not?

- Keep quiet.

Keep quiet.

- Hey, the where and the when.

- The how and the why.

Listen:
"The director's lack

of inspiration matches...

"our obvious embarrassment when

asking what he intended to do...

with a nonexistent core story".

What do you say?

Perhaps the readers won't come?

He's got less readers than

we have spectators.

Courage... anyhow, there were

only two at the cinema last night.

Really just one, Paolo doesn't

come for the movie.

For some time, I've had this feeling

of not understanding anything...

of belonging to a race on

the verge of extinction.

They've offered me a transfer to the

TV review section at the newspaper.

I'll most likely accept. What can I do?

After so many battles, do you see?

Come here and have a sip

of dreams with me.

My spirit is free...

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