Don Camillo

[Here is the town. A small world in a small world...]

[... placed somewhere in the north of Italy.]

[There it lies in that slice of rich, flat earth...]

[... between the Po River and the Apennines.]

[There is dense, freezing fog in the winter.]

[In summer, a burning sun hammers down on the people's brains...]

[... and irritates them. Political passions explode violently...]

[... and the fight is hard, but men are always men...]

[... and what happens here doesn't happen anywhere else.]

[We are at the start of the summer of 1946.]

[A few days ago, there was the election of a new Town Council...]

[... and the Communists have gained the majority.]

Jesus, do you see how far they've gone?

One day they'll even get in here and trample our feet.

Sunday, when I said what I thought of them from the pulpit...

...someone suddenly jumped from a bush and beat me with a stick.

And you got him back. You're right, blessed are the peaceful.

I was carrying a dozen eggs and I was trying to save them.

It was dark and I couldn't see who it was but if I knew...

You must pardon those who offend, that is the law.

Just between us, a trampling is good for you.

You'll learn not to do politics in my house.

In your place, I'd have never allowed Peppone to be Mayor.

None of the new councilmen know anything at all.

The illiterate are directing town affairs.

But you know they had no time for school.

- Life is hard for those who work the fields. - Whose fault is that?

It's the heart that counts, not the grammar.

- Before you criticize, let them get to work. - Nobody can discuss...

Listen to them now! I taught them music!

Viva Peppone! Say it with me, "viva Peppone".

Viva Peppone!

Peppone! Say it with me, "viva Peppone".

Viva Peppone!

[This is Counselor Schiletti, the only one elected by the opposition.]

[The other is Miss Cristina, the town's old teacher.]

[She's 85 years old and lives on memories.]

[These two have seen something from the window...]

[... that is the end of the world for them.]

[Will she wait to return home? No, she's not afraid. She knows everyone.]

[And she has boxed all their ears at least once.]

Hello? Hello? Hello?

You can hear nothing, turn up the volume! Everyone has to hear this!

The final victory is near. Unite!

Unite! There, that's better.

You see that, Jesus? They aimed their trumpet against us.

What can you do, Don Camillo? That's progress.

Good day, Miss Cristina.

- Who are you? - I'm Gina Filotti. Don't you remember me?

Gina?

Goodness! Now I have to look up to see you. I'm getting smaller.

- You haven't changed. - I have. Did you behave at boarding school?

- Yes, Miss Cristina. - You're here on a terrible day. Look there.

Comrades!

Before giving the podium to the comrade who came from the city...

...to celebrate our triumph for the people and democracy...

...I want to tell you great news.

We will soon begin building a Citizen's Center...

...which will have a library with books...

...a dance hall, a cinema and other cultural activities...

...a gymnasium for physical training and running track...

...that will be your home! A Center for the people!

Citizen's Center! Where will he get the money?

Now I've given you the wonderful news...

...our delegate comrade will speak.

Comrades, I'm here to congratulate myself...

...and Comrade Giuseppe Bottazzi, our friend Peppone...

...for the rousing victory over the enemies of the people!

- Jesus, I'll make a march on Rome! - Stop. This doesn't concern you.

Only in here can you do what you want.

...but strong and... - Here, I can? - Yes. This is your home.

We'll crush the class that's exploiting us.

You must stay within the law and we will...

...at the cost of nailing all enemies of the people to a wall!

Meanwhile...

- Who is that? - Don Camillo. - Make him be quiet!

You try, you'd have to aim a cannon at the bell tower.

If he won't stop, we should shoot him in the tower window.

You'd better kill him on the first shot, he'll shoot back.

Why is he stopping? Why is he letting them speak?

Is he one of them? I've always said he was a Bolshevik priest.

Isn't that Mariolino carrying the flag?

Yes, it's him! He's redder than his father...

...standing on the platform. A nice family of criminals!

Did you hear?

We will no longer tolerate any attempts on our freedom of speech!

Those who hide in the shadow of the Cross...

...and who seek to misguide the people...

...are the same ones who betrayed Christ many centuries ago.

They're attacking the Church! They must be stopped! I can't stay.

Gina, it's you!

You look great! Almost like a grown woman.

What should I look like, a goat?

You used to. I'm busy now, may I see you tonight?

Go on, ugly! Go join your band of brigands!

Better my brigands than your damned priests.

Comrades, we have another comrade!

Peppone! He's beautiful! He looks like you!

[If Don Camillo is ringing the bells, it's not to celebrate his victory.]

[It is because he's happy for his old enemy, Peppone.]

[Their struggle has gone on for years.]

[They left for the war together and returned together...]

[... always together and always enemies.]

[One night an old abandoned house began to burn...]

[... and the whole town watched dumbstruck as the stones burned...]

[... which logic would tell you would not burn.]

- Listen... - I want to know how that pile of rock is burning.

- Stop, Don Camillo! Go back! - Why are you interfering?

I'm not. It's silly to put yourself in danger.

It's only rocks burning.

It stinks of petrol. It could be...

...something else. - Like what? - I don't know anything.

- Do you believe that... - I don't believe anything.

You don't like your flock to see you get bravery lessons...

...from an old reactionary priest!

- Stop! - Like hell!

Go water your flowers. We'll see who's afraid.

Stop, Don Camillo!

It would have been better to let you go ahead.

The world's most reactionary priest would have blown up.

- I'd have stopped in time. - Why?

I knew that in the cellar were 6 barrels of petrol...

...300 grenades, 95 rifles, 2 cases of ammunition, 7 machine guns...

...and 300 kilos of explosives.

I inventoried your warehouse before I burned it.

- I should kill you. - Kill me? That won't be easy.

You've actually done me a favor.

That stuff was weighing on my conscience.

You said there were 7 machine guns. There were 8. Who took the other one?

I did. When the proletarian revolution begins...

...stay far away from my church. - I'll see you in hell.

[If Don Camillo couldn't stomach the blows received from an aggressor...]

[... Peppone couldn't forget the way the cursed church bells...]

[A few days later, Matuggia, the sacristan...]

- What is it? Who's there? - I don't know. I think...

- What do you think? - I saw... - Who?

- Last night... - Who do you mean? - I saw Peppone leaving the church.

The Mayor? That's how he's improving public places, eh?

I asked him to fix the tower, but he's destroying it.

- Why didn't you tell me? - I thought he'd come for confession.

- Confession! - Yes. - Confession! - Yes.

I'll give him confession alright!

- Don Camillo, put that down. - What?

- Put it down, it's an ugly thing. - It's made of poplar. It's light.

Throw it away and don't think about Peppone.

How can I forget him if you're sending his wife to me now?

- What is it? - A baptism, Father.

- Who's his mother? - I am! - Your husband is the father?

Who should it be, you?

- Why so angry? Doesn't your party practice free love? - Oh!

- What will his name be? - Libero Antonio Lenin.

Let the Russians baptize him.

Let's go!

I really gave it to those godless people.

That was stupid. Call them back and baptize the baby.

Jesus, you must keep in mind that baptism is no joke.

Don't explain baptism to me, I invented it!

The baby won't go to heaven if he dies.

Why should he die? He's pink and healthy.

I get it, I'm always wrong. I'll try to call them back.

I'll leave when my son is baptized with the name I want.

Town Hall is outside. This is a church.

Careful, I have a delicate stomach.

Do you remember that bullet I took in the war? No low blows.

Don't worry, I'll get you only on the top floor.

- What time is it? - Who knows?

Alright, you win.

That's for the baptism, that's for the grenades.

- What grenades? - Don't play innocent.

That's what you do. Destroy and burn.

And you want to build a Citizen's Center!

Be quiet, you little Bolshevik.

Coochy-coochy-coo! He's smarter than his father.

- Where are you getting the money for that building? - I'll find it.

If we have a drought...

...you won't be able to buy the first brick.

I know, I've been fighting for a city park for ten years.

But you don't want it to cost anything.

Well, shall we baptize this treasure?

What are we going to call him?

Libero Antonio Camillo.

- Camillo as well? - Yes.

If that's the case, you can add Lenin too.

Camillo cancels out those other types.

Show me the baby.

[Ciro della Bruciata, Mariolino's grandfather, is the godfather.]

[The Bruciata farm is as hard and bald as a squash.]

[If he planted dynamite, maybe it would grow.]

[But Ciro and his son insist on planting grain.]

Mariolino!

[On the farm on the side belonging to Gina's family...]

[... the earth is beautiful and only a caress is needed for grain to grow.]

[Poverty and wealth, the sun and politics added...]

[... makes them detest each other.]

[And so a wall was built to avoid trouble.]

Are you crazy? My father will kill me if he sees us.

Why didn't you come the other day? I waited until night.

- You told me to go away. - It was nothing, I was angry.

You're so handsome!

You're getting a beard.