Open Doors (1990)

[bunniefuu]

- OPEN DOORS -

Good morning, sir.
How are you?

Scalia!
What are you doing here?

You? Who let you in?

I used to come in here
without knocking.

A good time or a bad time
doesn't last all the time.

Open that window and let some
fresh air come in.

And then get out,
they mustn't see you here any more.

Go away from Palermo,
so we get rid of your kind.

Now look what you've done!
You can't do anything right.

Now pick them up one by one
and put them in order.

Be quick!
I've got people coming.

I still can't make it,
Counsellor.

I get up at 6.30.
I dress, have my coffee.

Then what?

I count the hours,
the time goes so slowly.

I can't stay at home all day.

You stole too much
and you stole badly.

I'm the only one you fired,
I paid for everybody.

You shouldn't complain...

...but thank me
for not sending you to jail.

Now get out,
I never want to see you again.

Get out!

Very well, Counsellor.

Forgive me.

Scalia, what are you doing here?

Have you come to visit?
I'm glad. Sit down.

This is your place.
I'm unworthy to occupy it.

How many times were you sitting there
when I brought the files!

- You're looking well,
have you find a job? - Yes.

I'm glad. How are you?

- So, so...
- I've been thinking about you...

...your things are here. I've put them
in order. Everything is here:

...the erasers, the pencils,
even a pack of cards!

Why don't you keep them?

You can keep everything,
they're no use to me now.

I know you think
I got you fired...

...but you're wrong!
I asked them not to fire you.

Besides, I don't understand
all these papers. I get confused.

Want me to have a look?

Really? I wish you would!

We'd better close the door,
you know their mentality...

Of course,
they shouldn't see you with me.

Be seeing you!
Good luck!

At last! What time do you think it is?
And I'm here...

...waiting on the street.
Where have you been?

People are looking,
what ever will they think?

Don't go so fast.

You're always so obstinate,
you'll break the car.

What do I care?
It's already sold.

For what they're paying me...

Pity!

I liked it very much.

You liked being a lady, eh?

You bastard!
Who'll laugh at that?

Leave me alone! Stop it!

Daddy!

- The cat ran away.
- Good for him. Have you eaten?

What did you eat?

Tomatoes, salt, bread and sugar.

Good boy!
Did you take your medicine?

No, the bottle got broken,
but don't tell Mummy.

I won't tell her...

Have you lost another tooth?

Yes, and you've got
to give me the money.

You're hurting me!

m*rder*r!

Silence!

The court!

We want to see you
face to face with justice!

Is the defendant present?

Defended by whom?

By me, Counsellor,
Francesco Colao.

Is the plaintiff present?

Yes, represented by me...

...Counsellor Salvatore Spadaro,
of the Court of Palermo...

...according to the Power
of Attorney deposited.

The charges of the plaintiff
have been notified...

...both to the Public Prosecutor
and the defendant.

The witnesses have been called.
If any of them are in court...

...will they please go out.

Are there
any preliminary exceptions?

Scalia, Tommaso,
you are accused of the crimes...

...specified in paras 61, 575 and 576
of the Penal Code...

...having caused, in Palermo
on 10 March 1937, the deaths of...

...Spadafora Vincenzo, Speciale Antonio,
and Scalia Rosa, maiden name Mignemi.

I now declare the trial open.

We will proceed with the interrogation
of the defendant.

Remember, calm and humble.

Sit down.

Excuse me, Your Honour.

And I beg your pardon too.

I'd like to say a few words,
then I'll let you work in peace.

I've written them down.

The heralds of waste and treason
have taken over...

...the Fascist Revolution...

Seize that piece of paper!

I know it by heart anyway.
Who, like me, was at the barricades...

...from the start
is horrified by this.

Because of my faith in the Duce
and in God...

...I had to lie down like a dog...

...in the ugly disguise
of a public official.

But those in command were corrupt.

The dog succeeded in biting
a piece of their rotten flesh...

I order the defendant
to be removed from the court.

I have fought...

...knowing that my battle would be
concluded in a court of justice!

I will be able to face death
with my head held high...

...but these tyrants who call
themselves Fascists cannot.

They must be shamed!

I don't weep for my fate,
but for Italy...

...insulted by her greedy
and dishonest sons!

Leave me alone!

They pestered me yesterday, too.

Judge Di Francesco is here.

Vito! Come in, sit down.

Didn't you bring the young lady?

Yes, she's out here.

Lovely, eh?
They arrived this morning.

They still smell of the see.

Carmelina,
are you still here, then?

Come, I'll introduce you to
the young lady of the house.

She's very kind.

I wanted her to meet
you and your father.

She'd be so fond of you.
I'll leave you alone.

Supper's nearly ready.

In the case of such a serious
and delicate debate...

...we offer our most fervid
good wishes and our sincere support.

Certain of a sentence
in which the triumph of justice...

...will be an example...
...a warning and a spur.

"A warning and a spur".
What does that mean?

They hope we get on all right.

But here the sentence
is already written.

That criminal wrote it
with his own hands.

The real scandal is not
that little note, but that...

...those at the ministry never
miss a chance to show their zeal.

How do you think
this trial will end?

What can we think?
It hasn't even begun.

It's as if it were already over.

We only have to do
the paper work.

I didn't expect it.

We've never found ourselves
in a trial like this.

All trials are the same.

Those responsible for the
death penalty are the K*llers.

Malefactors should be k*lled...

...if they thr*aten law and order.

Not my words,
but those of a saint:

...Thomas Aquinas.

We must talk quietly
or we'll wake Assunta.

You don't say he dropped
the soap, but she dropped.

She dropped the soap into the lake
and cried because...

He dropped, she dropped the soap.

Because it's feminine.
She dropped the soap into the lake...

...and cried
because she couldn't make it.

So what did the smartie do?

This smartie
did what the good sister did...

Come on, I'll put you to bed.
Off with the overcoat.

And she threw the soap
into the lake.

Now you can speak louder.

- Another prince...
- What did he do?

Instead of making a star for her...

...guess what he made?

Let's see...
He didn't make a star for her...

...but a flower.

No. What did he make?
Let's see... a horn?

A mole?

Well then, I don't know.

A donkey's tail!

The bad sister was so ugly
she couldn't leave the house.

The prince was right
to make her like that.

Bad people should be ugly...

...while good people
should be beautiful.

Leave the handcuffs on.
Wild beasts should be chained up.

I'd like to show the defendant
exhibit n° 2.

Do you recognize it?

Yes, it's mine.

How did you obtain it?

What does that matter?

I used it, didn't I?

How did you obtain it?

It was my father's.

Where did you keep it?

In my pocket. What kind
of a question is that?

Let me clarify.

Did you always carry it
or only that morning?

I kept it in a shoe box
on the top of the wardrobe.

I used it to fire a few sh*ts
at New Year...

...like everyone else.

Why did you use a bayonet
on the other 2 victims?

Bayonets don't make a noise.

When you went
into the Confederation offices...

...did you have the revolver
in your pocket?

What a question!
What does it mean?

We're wasting time!

Answer the question!

Very well, Your Excellency,
excuse me.

I got it afterwards. I loaded it
and went out with my wife.

And you stopped
opposite the chapel.

Did you stop the car
or did she ask you to stop?

I did it.

Why?

She was devout. She always did it
when we went out.

Did you stop at every chapel?

Only the first one we came to.

Did you know that there was one
on the road to Piana?

I remembered when I saw it.

Suppose you hadn't found one?

I'd have done it somewhere else.

But like that,
in the open countryside?

I don't know.

What questions! Your Honour,
do I have to answer?

When?

When did you decide
to k*ll her?

She treated me badly.

Answer the question.

What question?

When did you decide
to k*ll your wife?

She was a harpy, a bitch!

She knew everything.
She did everything.

She tortured me,
so I k*lled her.

So, you'd been planning
to k*ll her for sometime?

- Who told you that?
- You did, just now!

I never said that.

Clerk of the Court,
don't write this...

...or better,
won't speak anymore...

...it's my right!

Put the cuffs on me!

The handcuffs.

De Cumis?

Frustace?

Palumbo?

Consolo?

Paternò?

Judge Di Francesco?

It seems that my vote
is not needed, so I'll abstain.

The Court has decided...

...on the psychiatric examination
of the defendant.

Judge Di Francesco...

...since you wanted
his examination...

...will you please be so kind
as to make the arrangements?

Let's hope he's mad
or they'll have to examine us!

Excuse me...

...do I have to sign?
- No.

Why didn't the Counsel for the
Defence want the examination?

If the defendant doesn't want it,
it isn't obligatory.

He could have...

...even against his client's wishes.

Ask Counsellor Colao yourself!

Another question:
Are you really convinced he's mad?

Questions are asked in court.

Here the simplest
answers count. Yes...

...or no.

Were you born in Bagheria?

I had relatives there,
a pretty place.

Does your father still make
that marvellous bread?

I often used to go to the shop
when I was a boy.

Father.

Don Michele!

Vituzzo!
You could have rested some more.

- Stand up, it's damp here.
- Never mind.

Here, give them to your wife.

We're the only family
whose dead are scattered around.

This tomb is big enough
for 7 generations!

You know what you should do?

You should write a letter
to the Podestà.

Let's wait for our turn.

That's what they told me
at the Town Hall:

..."Why would you need a new tomb?
You're in the best of health!"

They're right!
They're right!

Don't make fun of me!
Is this the only suit you have?

- You wore it last Sunday, too.
- I don't remember.

Don't be shabby!
People look at these things.

What do you care about people?

If he comes up to us,
you don't say a word.

Let me talk to him.

Don Michele...
My respects, Judge Di Francesco.

I'm sorry for bothering you
at this time. Just one minute.

Actually, we're in a hurry.
My son's leaving for Palermo.

Anyway, don't worry.
What has to be done will be done.

When a man is in need,
he loses his dignity.

Thank you, Don Michele.
Judge Di Francesco...

They even bother you
at the cemetery!

- What did he want? - He's a bad lot.
His brother is in prison.

He's been waiting for his trial
for a year.

I told him: "My son, the judge,
can do nothing about it."

"Let justice take its course."

Last time it turned out
much better.

It's always the same.

What are you laughing?
Shoulders back!

How ugly you are with those
things in your ears, Aunt!

Don't talk with your mouth full.

They make the face longer.

Her face, she's a woman.

Are they gold?

Ask your uncle,
ha gave them to her.

Uncle, are they gold?

One doesn't ask
that kind of question.

Are these the manners
your father teaches you?

Please, Vito's here today.
Let's not argue.

Is it true that execution by sh**ting
is done behind the cemetery?

There should be more respect
for a sacred place.

They aren't sh**ting anybody,
let me tell you.

For the doctors he's mad,
they'll release him.

If they take him
to the lunatic asylum...

...he'll escape
and k*ll three more.

This Scalia should have been sh*t
on the spot.

All this money for lawyers,
papers, trials... Who'll pay it?

Honest folk,
people who work hard.

You too talk about law?

Do you want to teach
a judge a lesson?

The examination
was a device of Vito's.

After the examination they'll find
he's not mad and sh**t him.

And people will say,
he's a conscientious judge.

Take your elbows off the table and
tie your serviette round your neck...

...or you'll dirty yourself.

Just like his uncle:
Conscientious and top of the class.

Get yesterday's essay...

...and read it to Uncle Vito.

Last night
I dreamed of the m*rder*r.

He was in an ugly house
without furniture.

He knew that it wasn't real,
but he was crying.

What was he crying for?

He should've thought before he hurt
that poor woman.

In a loud clear voice.

Theme: My family.
In my family...

...there are two kinds of relatives,
those who are dead...

...and those who are alive.
Those alive are:

...Grandpa Michele, my father
Vincenzo, my mother Antonia...

...Aunt Nora and my brother
Salvatore. And Uncle Vito...

...who lives in Palermo. He's widower.
He's got a 10 year old daughter...

...who's my cousin.

You've forgotten
the name: Carmelina.

Uncle Vito is important
because he's a judge.

Here in the village he's
very excellent, even more so now...

...that he's trying
the Monster of Palermo.

When he comes to visit us
and kisses me...

...his beard is prickly
and I can smell the soap.

But he only visits us
twice a month and I'm sorry...

...because when he comes,
Aunt Nora makes a "cassata".

The End.

I can't understand
what's happening.

He's not himself today.
He's quiet and calm. No scenes.

Tell me where I prick you.

On the right cheek.

On the chest.

If only he be mad now!

- And now?
- On the right leg.

- And now?
- Nowhere.

Sit down, please.

Take off the blindfold.

The craniometer.

Good morning, Judge.
Come to check on us?

Distance between the occipit
and the bregma: 215 millimetres.

Depression at the junction
of the coronal suture...

...with the saggital suture.

Very slight.

Something wrong?
Is it bad?

Everything normal.

You see Your Honour,
everything normal.

You tell him, doctor.
He thinks I'm mad.

I'm dangerous...

...but not mad.

There's good stuff in this head.

Good morning, Judge, may I?

Since we get done quickly
this morning I thought:

..."Maybe I won't go home."

I come from the outskirts.
I never come to Palermo.

Look what I've bought.
Seeds like these can't be found.

This is a lettuce that grows
with hardly any water.

I'm sorry about the results
of the examination.

Why? You were the only
far-seeing one.

Before coming here I passed
by Paterno's shop.

The other jurors were there.
One said:

..."Well, if he isn't mad,
if he did what he did..."

"...he's not a human being,
he's a beast."

It's normal that they should
think like that.

Everybody thinks like that.
They write it.

The examination was asked for
precisely to remove any doubt.

Maybe it would have been better
not to have it.

My dear sir...

...each one must accept
his responsibilities.

As far as I'm concerned, I felt it
my duty to ask for the examination.

It was put to the vote
and so it was carried out.

I didn't want...

I wasn't criticising...
I wouldn't permit myself.

I know you are not like
the other judges.

I've understood how you think.
Your thoughts are dangerous.

We're living in difficult times.

We're living in difficult times,
are we?

What's your job?

I'm a farmer.

So, in a few days
you'll go back to your land.

I'll go on sitting
behind that desk...

...day after day,
sentence after sentence.

Your job is being a farmer...

...mine's being a judge.

Excuse me, Your Honour.

Don't worry, we'll only ask
a few questions.

A court of law
is a court of law.

Yes, but you aren't the defendant,
you're merely a witness.

Nothing will happen to you.

Thank you,
at your orders.

What's your name?

Lo Prete Pasquale.

What's your job?

Personnel manager
at the Fascist Confederation...

...of Professional
Workers and Artists.

A good guy!

Silence.

Excuse me, but the witness
is really a good citizen.

The defendant had been waiting
for promotion for years.

He was dismissed, why?

Because I stole.

I didn't ask you.

He presented a false balance sheet.

It's true!

Silence!

Documents show...

...that the defendant had been
falsifying the balance for 5 years.

And you've only just found out?

You even...

...led him to believe
he might be promoted.

We found out long ago...

...but we didn't want
to put him on the street.

He's got a family...

He'd been embezzling for years
yet you kept him on.

At least you could have moved him
to another job.

I don't know.

Was somebody protecting him?

I've always stood
on my own feet, Judge.

Will you keep quiet!

Another question:

...why did you permit it for years...

...but this time you punished him?

When it's too much
it's too much!

What is the administrative
connection...

...between the Confederation of
Professional Workers and Artists...

...and the Civil Hospital?

In what sense?

What have the accounts of the
artists got to do with the hospital?

It's evident they are
two different things.

That's what I think too...

...but here a transfer of funds from
one institute to the other is shown.

I hardly think so.
Are you sure?

Yes, I am.
What about you?

I wouldn't know.

What? Aren't you the Almoner
of the hospital?

- The book keeper. - So much the
better. Want to examine the books?

Your Honour...

You know how these things are...

Maybe something will show up.
A wrong entry, a mistake...

A mess in other words.

That's right, a mess.

What's the name
of your superior?

- He hasn't been nominated yet. - All
right, the man who was your superior?

Counsellor Spadafora.

Will you repeat the name?
I didn't catch it.

The late lamented Counsellor Spadafora
barbarously m*rder*d by this man.

Let's stop play acting! This judge
want to shine at my expense.

I've told you the truth.
What are you after, Judge?

Thank you, you may go.

Bring in the next witness.

You are the Marchesa Anna Pirotta,
widow of Spadafora?

Yes, I am.

We must ask you a few questions.

What do you want to know?

Did your late husband tell you
he felt he was in danger?

Of being blackmailed, threatened
by the defendant?

No, never.

Yet this is what you declared
in your statement:

..."I was expecting it.
Instead of f*ring him..."

"...he should
have had him arrested."

Will you please explain?

My husband was too kind,
he put up with it.

In what sense?

If he was a dishonest employee, he
could have got rid of him at any time.

I repeat, he was too kind.

Perhaps the defendant
knew some secret?

Something
he should not have known?

What kind of questions
are these, Judge?

Who is on trial here?

Silence!

What my husband was doing,
he was doing openly...

...as all Palermo can testify.

Did you know the defendant?

I've seen him here,
obliged to do so by you.

Yet you have declared:
"He came to me and begged me..."

"...to get him reinstated".

Inventions! Lies!

You are under oath...

...you must tell the truth.

My husband was m*rder*d,
that's the tru...

Excuse me, Your Honour,
I don't feel well.

Calm yourself,
we won't go on.

Take her outside, let her have
some air. The court is adjourned.

What are you trying to find out
with the interrogation?

She's been left alone
with 3 children!

- What are you doing here?
- Do you need anything?

No. You should have left
by now. Go!

Too servile, too zealous.
I don't like zealous people.

They're capable of breaking
a priceless vase to k*ll a fly.

Sit down, Vito.

I'm late already.
I really must go.

That lot are still out there,
you'd better not go out.

Dangerous people.
Unwise to provocate them too much.

I don't think
we are provoking them.

We're just doing
what we have to do.

Maybe you work too hard.

I'd better see
to certain things myself.

You'd be wise to keep quiet
for a while. It would be better.

I'm only trying to do my duty.

Of course,
you're a severe judge, zealous.

You ask too many questions.
We are trying an individual who...

...just to balance the books,
should be sh*t three times.

Excuse me,
but I really must go.

Wait.

I'm afraid that such a simple trial
cause us to make some mistakes.

A lot of people
hope it will happen.

Do you know how long
I've been sitting in this chair?

Since before Mussolini
sat down in his.

I don't want the porters
to take away the furniture.

We know that the sentence
of death is required...

...but who obliges us to pronounce it
tomorrow morning?

We'll drag out all the details
of this story.

Without hurrying.
It'll take time.

Now, please excuse me.

I have to go and collect
my daughter.

Don't you recognise me?

"Have you got your pen
and ink well?"

"Have you got someone
who loves you?"

"Can you tell me his name?
If he loves you..."

"...your finger will cr*ck."

Well done!
You still remember it.

Teacher!
What are you doing here?

I come every day. I haven't missed
a word of the trial.

I feel sorry for that poor man.
I think of the end that awaits him.

One should have
a little pity.

I'll take you home.

You've found yourself
a difficult job.

People don't know,
don't understand.

Luckily you have a hard head,
you had it even at school.

All these people shouting...
don't take it to heart.

They're not really shouting
at you, they're hysterical.

- The car's ready.
- I'm walking home.

- For safety's sake
we must take you home. - All right.

Can I give you a lift?

I live close by.
I'll give you my address...

...so you can come and see me.

- I'll come next Sunday.
- I'll be expecting you!

Nobody wanted him.

The Community of St. Anthony,
that of St. John...

...that of St. Cosma and St. Damiano,
all refused and yet the responsibility...

...should be theirs.
He's orphan, no mother...

...and soon no father.

- Haven't any relations shown up?
- Who'd want a brat like him?

Now he's calm, but before
he spat, screamed, bit...

...blasphemed. A little devil!

How tiny you are!

What can I ask you?

Have you eaten?
You must eat!

I came to see you
because I need you.

Talk to me.
You can trust me.

My father's dead.

No, I saw him this morning,
he's well.

Nobody can touch him.

Soon you'll be able to go
and see him.

Shall we go out into
the sunshine?

Excellency, I've got something
to tell you.

The little boy talked to me.
It wasn't his father...

...who k*lled his mother.
It was a soldier...

...wearing a uniform
with gold buttons.

Haven't you got a cigar for me?

Come in! Let me give you a hug,
you kept your promise!

- These are for you.
- You shouldn't have bothered.

What a lovely house!

How lovely to see you here!

There's someone in there,
an old pupil of mine.

If you have visitors,
I'll come back another time.

She came especially to see you,
to talk to you. She needs help.

If you help her, you'll be doing
a good deed. I'll make some coffee.

Sit down, Judge.

I just came by for a moment.

Don't run away.
I've got to talk to you.

For a judge it's a rule...

...not to have contact
with those involved in a trial.

Nonsense! We bend the laws
to suit our purposes.

We don't harm anybody.

If you like, I'll tell you
what I can't tell you in court.

So you'll leave me in peace.

Excuse me...

The Marchese Spadafora
was no saint...

...but he was m*rder*d
and that's enough.

You don't speak ill of the dead.
You punish the m*rder*r.

Now ask me your questions.

What do you want to know
about my family?

I understand your mental state...

...but I really
cannot be involved.

Please get in, Your Honour,
at your orders!

[A soldier!]

I look at pretty women,
I like them.

Who doesn't like them,
Your Honour?

Man is a hunter.
After other men's women...

...and jailer of his own.

Have you nothing else to say?

I mind my own business.
One lives longer.

Instead of being witty,
answer the question.

Would you repeat it?

Did you know Signora Scalia?

She was a beautiful lady.

Where did you meet?

I wish we did!

I'll correct the question:

...where used you to see her?

I don't remember.

Around.

Here and there.

Did Counsellor Spadafora
know her?

He knew everybody.

So he knew
Signora Scalia too...

Of course, but they were
just friends.

Not friends.
Acquaintances.

They met every now and again?

Are you asking me?
How do I know?

Why not? Didn't you drive
Counsellor Spadafora around in the car?

Yes, but I'm a good chauffeur: I don't
see, I don't hear and I don't talk.

But now you've got to talk.

- Why? - Because you could be
arrested for reticence.

Very well.

Sometimes he met her.

We used to pick her up...

...behind the gardens in
Piazza Garibaldi, right by the church.

Were they secret meetings?

What does it matter?
Here we are investigating...

...the morality of the victims.
The crimes have been established.

- You're right!
- Silence!

I'll modify that question.

Were these meetings
appointments...

...or did they happen by chance,
every now and again?

I don't know,
I drove the car.

And where did you drive them?

Sometimes to a hotel
at Mondello...

...and sometimes to the houses
of friends, he had so many.

To Speciale's house too, when he
wasn't there. He was a bachelor!

You'd better hurry up and
sh**t me, because if I escape...

...I'll k*ll you too.

Silence!

So you took them
to Speciale's house?

Only once... or maybe twice.

Thank you.

I've finished.

I was a junior,
I'd only just got my degree.

I had to defend a man
who had stolen from a delicatessen.

An unfortunate
with lots of kids to feed.

He was tried for 4 other thefts...

...in 4 shops: Bread,
spaghetti, sugar.

I demonstrated the link
of continuity.


plan with a single motive:

...hunger.


The magic of the law.

He got away
with only a few months.

An impeccable sentence...

...beyond question.

You are doing the same thing.


they were inspired by one motive:

...passion.

Premeditation goes
by the board...

...and there can be no
death penalty.

If the debate brings this out...

What debate?

Let's eat in peace!

This defendant of yours,
this Scalia in a little while...

...no one will remember his name.

All they'll remember is that
a m*rder*r was punished by the law...

...with the extreme penalty.

That's what I said too.

But Judge Di Francesco
has already understood.

Yes, I understand.

Now he seems angry with you...

...but Judge Sanna
is fond of you.

He's always telling me
there's no one better than you...

...to take his place.

I know.

Were you born in Palermo?

Bagheria.

I've been here for three years.
I've done nothing but jump...

...from one town to another,
from one legal district to another...

...but I learnt a great truth:

...people are all the same,
all they want is a quiet life.

Why are you
against the death penalty?

The death penalty?

That's not a legal question
but a political one.

It's useful to those who govern,
not to the citizens.

We'll pretend
we didn't hear.

If I showed you
that executing murderers...

...reduced crime,
what would you do?

I wouldn't sh**t anybody
in any case.

Do you see this ring?

It's tin,
it's not worth anything...

...but the person who gave it to me
said it had magic power...

...lf there's somebody with you
whom you don't like...

...turn the ring
and he'll disappear forever.

I often try it,
but nobody ever disappears.

It'd be great
if with a simple gesture...

...we could wipe off the face of the
earth all the thieves, the violent...

...the maniacs, the nuts.

But we aren't magicians. We have
to defend ourselves somehow.

Trial after trial,
we must make it possible...

...for men of goodwill
to live in peace...

...and go to sleep at night...

...with their front doors open.

I always close the front door
of my house.

Why don't you answer?

It's colder.
Cover yourself up.

- My shoe's broken.
- Wear it like this!

What's this?

A man brought it.

For me?

Let's go home.

The witness has stated
that Counsellor Spadafora...

...had secret meetings
with Signora Scalia.

The witness confirms
this statement?

Having said it,
I confirm it.

So you confirm that they met...

...in hotels and sometimes
in Speciale's house.

Yes, at Speciale's,
he left them alone.

For how long had they been
seeing each other?

Not for long,
then it stopped.

Now I'd like to know
if the defendant Tommaso Scalia...

...knew about this relationship his
wife had with Counsellor Spadafora?

Your Honour.

Please.

Yes, what?

He knew all about it.

Are you sure?

Yes, he escorted her...

...and left only after
she was in the car.

He was checking.

Why was he checking?

Because she didn't want
to do it.

Will the witness explain
himself better?

Once, when she got into the car,
she was crying.

Another time,
her nose was bleeding.

Her husband had hit her.

Can the witness tell us
why he had hit her?

To make her come
to the meeting.

So she didn't come
of her own freewill?

Never!

I had to kick her
all the way there!

Do you want a radio?
A new dress? A sewing machine?

Earn them, you whore!

To conclude...

...that poor woman was forced
by her husband...

...to prost*tute herself.

Your Honour,
now you've got to k*ll me!

The case which this court
has to try concerns...

...the crimes covered by the articles


There it is,
consult it if you wish.

We must be grateful
to Judge Di Francesco...

...for his extreme scrupulosity
in delving...

...into the folds of the debate.

He has defended the rights
of the accused without denying...

...those guarantees which the law
imposes even for a confessed criminal.

Before proceeding with the vote,
may I remind the jurors...

...that here we are not alone
in deciding a man's fate.

The whole community
expresses itself through us...

...and calls upon us to act
according to the law.

Those who require some clarification
on technical points of procedure...

...may consult me
and Judge Di Francesco.

Otherwise we will put it
to the vote.

Excuse me, Your Honour.

Excuse me, Judge.

Article 61 and the others that I don't
remember are clear about one thing:

...the accused must be condemned
to death by sh**ting.

Even people say:
"k*ll him! He deserves it!"

But there's a difference between
saying that in a café, in the street...

...without thinking...

...and signing a sentence
with your name and surname.

Each one of us has a r*fle
in his hands. I don't want to know...

...if the others are going to sh**t
but if I'm going to sh**t.

And to decide that all your knowledge
of the law isn't enough for me.

My life has been different
from yours.

So forgive me...

...but it isn't true
that we have little to discuss.

We have yet to begin.

Scalia, where are you?
Let's have you!

I've got something to tell you.

I'm here at the window.
Come over.

I've got good news for you.

You feared going to the court.
Do you know what's happened?

A judge has saved you.
They won't k*ll you now.

You're going to stay in jail,
Scalia, for life.

Excuse us,
perhaps we're lost.

Does Giovanni Consolo
live here?

Yes, come in!
There's a lovely wedding.

Your Honour!
What a surprise!

- Are we disturbing you?
- You disturbing me?

If you had told me,
I would have come to fetch you.

We came on impulse.

I couldn't imagine
there was a wedding.

Come.

They're all from my village.
They were married this morning.

We have wedding breakfasts
here because it's big.

Take a seat.

- Are you tired?
- No.

Take a glass of wine
to the health of the couple.

Let's get these plates
out of the way.

How happy I am
to see you in my home!

Let's go somewhere quiet. I can't
dance, I suppose you can't either.

When I've finished work,
I come here.

There are more than 7000.

But I didn't buy them,
I inherited them.

From your father?

He couldn't read or write,
but he could do sums.

This house belonged to Marchese
Salemi, bachelor and gambler.

He played, gambled
and got into debt.

When he d*ed, the share-croppers
shared out the stuff.

I grew up among these books.

Then, I did well to bring this back.

It's yours, Judge Di Francesco.

The condemned man understands
and remembers everything.

There is one point
that absolutely cannot be forgotten.

And it is not possible to black out.

Everything spins and whirls
around that point. And this goes on...

...until the last fraction
of a second...

...when his head is already lying on
the block and he waits, knowing.

Suddenly, he hears above him
the creaking of the axe.

Some people still claim
that the head continues living...

...for a second after it has been
separated from the body...

...knowing
it has been separated from it.

It's like hearing your voice
in the Jury Room.

If one doesn't have the words,
one looks for them.

The accused certainly
doesn't imagine...

...that for the moment
he owes his life to a book.

You must be more generous
with your jurors.

They were convinced
that no one was to be sh*t.

In their hearts perhaps, but you were
the one who remembered them...

...you and Dostoevski.

Throughout the whole trial,
I didn't trust you. I apologise.

Never mind.

You've been obstinate
right to the last, like a mule.

You're mistaken, I didn't want to go
into that Jury Room...

...I wanted to pretend I was sick,
I thought of everything.

I wanted to get round the law
by making use of the law.

Nice points of procedure, cavils...
For me, at least, the only possible way.

The important thing is that this
sentence establishes a precedent.

Do you know
what they're saying in court?

A weak jury guided by a mad judge
who seems sane.

And the presiding judge
encourages these slanders...

...to save himself.
Don't listen to them!

As of yesterday I'm no longer
a judge in the Assizes.

What?

They've transferred me
to a legal district in the hills.

And you?

Me?
For me it was a relief.

Being a judge like that
doesn't concern me any more.

I don't believe it.

One day, if you like,
I'll show you the cellars...

...of the archives
of the Court of Palermo.

Files, files,
mountains of files.

Every file a corpse
judged by another corpse.

I spent part of my life
in there.

No, don't delude yourself, there
will be no trace of our sentence.

They are already at work
on the appeal...

...other judges, other jurors.

When you uproot a vine
that's mature and strong...

...some bits of root
stay in the ground.

Time passes
and you forget about it...

...and suddenly you see
another vine sprouting.

I have faith, Judge,
in spite of everything.

I have faith.

Tommaso Scalia was condemned
to death by the Court of Appeal.

He was sh*t
behind the Palermo Cemetery...

...one morning in March 1938.

- OPEN DOORS -