Original subtitles

Where I come from, when you visit someone -

- it's good manners to not show up empty-handed.

And since the person I was meeting was... an important person...

Very important... I brought a story.

A story about America and Sicily -

- that was changing the course of World War II -

- and also... our lives.

AT WAR FOR LOVE

It all began in January, 1943.

Europe had been under Nazi control for some time -

- and Hitler had a loyal ally in Benito Mussolini.

The United States and the Allies had finally decided -

- to open a front in Europe and free it from dictatorship.

Despite President Roosevelt's optimism,

the Americans knew next to nothing about Sicily.

So in order to prepare a state-of-the-art military plan,

they asked an old acquaintance for help.

That's what friends are for, right?

In those days, I wasn't in the American Army yet -

- and all I could think about was Flora.

- Shall we take a photo? - Sure.

- Let's ask that man to take it. - No, we can take it.

- But it won't turn out good. - Yes, it will.

It's more romantic, look!

Smile.

The bridge...

And like all people in love, we had big dreams.

Big Plans. Big hopes.

- Arturo, where's that bottle? - Coming!

But unfortunately, our time had not yet come.

Here you are, sir.

Now, clear the table. Go on!

I propose a toast -

- to the union and the happiness of our families.

To the engagement of Carmelo -

- and my little niece, Flora.

Not only were the plates shattered,

so was my heart.

Flora, the woman I loved and who loved me, had been promised -

- by her Uncle Alfredo, my employer,

to Carmelo, who was not just any old rival...

...but the son of Don Tano Piazza, the right-hand man -

- of Lucky Luciano.

My house is behind this mountain. The sea is right there.

The beach is very, very long.

- Got it. - Hey, Tony?

Okay, stick around for a second.

Well? What do you think?

I knew that was the right tactic.

You give me two more weeks, I'll give you Adolf Hitler.

I'm leaving tomorrow and I won't see you again.

Will I be okay when I get to Sicily?

You're on a list of people -

- who've never forgotten Luciano...

Where is it? Where is it? Here it is.

It starts here and ends there.

The beach at Crisafullo is good for military vehicles.

No rocks there, I swear it.

My brother still lives there, in the Bevilacqua district.

But the poor guy is sick. He can't move. His daughter -

- lives with me.

This is Crisafullo.

Beautiful, isn't it?

Right.

On the other side of the world, in Sicily,

to convince the population -

- to ditch Mussolini, the Americans were dropping bombs.

To intercept them, the Sicilians used advanced technology...

- Stop! - Hear anything, Saro?

...blind men!

Bombs.

Bombs!

They're coming! Bombs!

Bombs! They're coming!

They're coming!

We gotta warn the town!

My son went to war because you said to go.

Now you've got to protect him.

I'm begging you.

Because you can do anything.

More than anyone else in the world.

And we're in your hands.

Sebastiano, come here.

- Agostino, come on, they're bombing. - Just a moment.

The letter!

Sebastiano, what are you doing? Come here!

You come when I call you!

Let the little Madonna pass! The Madonna first!

- The Duce first! - The Madonna first!

- The Madonna! - The Duce!

"SHELTER"

- The Madonna first! - The Duce first!

Come on everybody, this way! Hurry!

- Let the Duce through! - Let the Madonna through!

- Let the Duce through. - The Madonna...

Hurry up! Run, run!

Come on, run!

Run!

- Sit here. - That's okay. I'll sit over here.

It's more comfortable here.

The bombs are coming! Hurry up! Run, kids!

Saro, you're the last one. Come on, let's go!

"PUBLIC AIR-RAID SHELTER"

- Here's Mussolini, now we're all set! - I'll pretend I didn't hear that.

- They're coming. - Saro, you hear them?

They're coming!

"When you're sad, remember that good and bad weather -

- won't last very long..."

And when you're sad, you feel like crying,

just think of a donkey flying, like the one in the song.

- Don't you remember it? - No.

Dad, I can't hear you.

Dad?

Dad? I can't hear you!

A bomb!

Dad!

- Arturo? - Flora?

- I have something important to tell you. - Tell me.

Not here.

- Tonight, at the usual place. - Okay.

- I love you. - Me, too.

Are you crazy? Don't you realize -

- that I gave Don Tano my word?

You can force me to marry Carmelo. But you can't keep me from loving Arturo.

What is it you see in that guy?

- Why do you love him? - Because...

Because...

I love him, because I love him.

You should trust him more.

Me? I let him wait on tables, don't you remember? What a fiasco!

- There is one possibility. - What is it?

Go talk to my father. Ask for my hand. If he says yes -

- it's settled. Only he can stand up to Uncle Alfredo.

That's a fantastic idea.

Let's go straight to your father. Where does he live?

- In Crisafullo. - Okay, we'll take a bus.

Or a taxi, yeah! Where's Crisafullo?

- Right after Brooklyn? Where is it? - In Sicily.

Sicily?

- It's in Sicily? - Why, is that a problem?

No, no, Florina.

It's just that in Sicily they're fighting World War II right now.

You're right.

I didn't think of that.

But of course I'll go, Flora!

I'll convince your father. You're not gonna marry that guy.

I promise I'll go to Sicily and I'll make him say yes.

But how can I get there? I haven't got a dime.

How can I get to Sicily?

Some water, please.

How come nobody understands me?!

- I'm gonna bust him one! - What's going on?

He enlisted so he can go to Sicily.

And ask Flora's father for her hand.

Sit down.

When I met your mother -

- I made the same mistake.

She had a suitor before she met me.

I cut off his little finger.

- Bravo, Dad. - Not really.

Every time we fight, your mother throws it in my face.

Listen, we gotta do a clean job.

- He's going to Sicily? - Yeah.

We'll get our friends there to bump him off.

There's a war going on. One more body, who's gonna notice?

Duce...

I hear the Americans are coming...

And people say they're coming to liberate us.

Liberate us from who? From ourselves?

But I've got faith in our soldiers.

I'm sure they'll stop them at the beaches, just like you said.

Duce? Good night...

..and dream of victory.

Are you still awake?

Still singing Daddy's song?

- Mom. - Yes, honey.

Are you sure donkeys don't fly?

Let's put it this way. Can Mussolini fly?

- No. - See? Donkeys don't fly.

I'll pretend I didn't hear that.

Go to sleep now.

G'night.

A bit more to the right. More to the right, to the right!

No, to the left. To the left!

To the right, to the right!

Left or right, Saro? Where are they coming from?

From the right and the left, it's all one sound.

Turn me.

Turn me.

Holy Mother!

- Tell me, Saruzzo! - There are so many.

- So many? - We have to wake up the town.

- Let's go, Saruzzo! - Wait, wait!

- How many are there? - They're coming from here, from there...

Grandpa, the bombs!

Mommy!

The bombs!

Agostino, leave it.

- I'm not leaving the Duce alone. - Your grandpa is crazy!

- Completely crazy! - You ingrate!

Make way for the little Madonna!

Make way for the Madonna!

"SHELTER"

Come on, sweetie, let's go!

- I lost the letter! - Sebastiano, stop it! Do you want to die?

Bombs! The bombs are coming.

Here they come!

Here they come!

Sebastiano, you have to stay close to me!

Let's go to Grandpa's.

We'll go to Grandpa's.

Guys! Holy shit!

The Americans are coming!

- What was that? - Rosalba's room!

So it's true!

By now, the whole town knows!

You'll never get married.

I'm telling you, you..

What's that noise?

Go on, go to our room!

Get down!

- Rosalba! - Rosalba!

It's not what it looks like.

There's nothing between... the three of us.

Absolutely nothing. I just met her.

- Put the chain on. - Sure, right away.

It's no use.

But I couldn't get through to him...

- Even though my Italian... - Is good.

- So, why didn't he understand? - Because he only speaks Sicilian.

We need an exit strategy...

...to get out of this dangerous situation.

It's all your fault.

Now my pure, innocent daughter won't find a husband. Who'd want her?

Who'd take her now? I can understand...

...a man breaking into the house and jumping into her bed.

But a donkey too! So now donkeys fly?

Who are you trying to kid?

We can't even go outside anymore.

And now I'm stuck with my daughter, thanks to you.

Yeah, that's right! How do you like that?

Speak, Speak!

So, Uncle Toto, where do we stand?

- Where we stood this morning. - Where was that?

- I have to kill you. - Ah, perfect, thank you.

- You're welcome. - All right.

- Well? - It's all cleared up.

- He understands our intentions. - Good. Gimme the keys.

And he's sorry he was rude.

Gimme the keys.

- Uh... there is one problem. - What?

He has to kill us.

Lieutenant, the story is all over town.

Two soldiers, a donkey in his daughter's bed. He has to defend her honor -

- and as a Sicilian, I can't blame him.

What do we do now?

I have to think.

Thank you.

Thank you... Don't I deserve a kiss?

- Carmelo... - Come on, Flora.

- Carmelo, that's enough. - C'mon, Flora, please.

Carmelo, stop it! Some things you only do after marriage.

I thought you loved that about me...

- After? - But no.

You want another kind of woman.

- No, I don't want... - I'm not right for you.

Yes, you are!

You've disappointed me.

Her name is Flora.

- Look how pretty she is. - The picture isn't...

- You can't see her very well. - Yeah, we took it ourselves.

But it's very romantic.

I don't understand, what's Flora got to do with Sicily?

A minor detail, I have to ask her father's permission here in Sicily.

And you, Lieutenant?

I'm at war for love, too.

But not for a woman.

Lieutenant, I'm gonna stop you right there. This private stuff is none of my business.

What are you thinking?

I'm at war for love of my country, the United States of America.

Oh, sorry.

When we left Italy we were very poor, we had nothing.

And now we're doing great. I owe my country a lot.

Lieutenant Philip Catelli, a secret service officer,

left America with the list Major Maone was so eagerly awaiting.

Don Tano had provided the names of some of Lucky Luciano's friends,

who would willingly help the advance of the Allied Armies.

Here they come!

The most loyal of all those friends -

- was an illustrious citizen of Crisafullo.

Don Calo, the Americans.

Keep calm.

Yeah!

You're Major Maone.

And you're Calogero Russo.

Don Cali. Call me Don Cali.

I have to send my men into town and take it over.

Boom... take it over... big talk.

Why do you need weapons, when you're among friends?

This is war, Don Calo, there's usually shooting.

Give me an hour.

One hour of your precious time...

And you can take over the town without firing a shot.

Okay. One hour.

One hour.

Americans...

Hey, that's Don Calo.

Hold your fire. Don't shoot! It's Don Calo.

- Don Calo? - All right...

Here's what we're gonna do... Go get all your weapons -

- and hand 'em over to my guys here.

Then, when the Americans arrive, you surrender.

With no resistance.

If we do it nice and easy -

- No one gets hurt. - What if they kill us?

You're not listening. In this town...

Who lives and who dies...

The one who decides...

...is me.

The Americans! The Americans!

Sebastiano? C'mon, the Americans are here!

The Americans, Saro! The Americans are here.

- Ask them for something to eat. - Food!

Food!

- Food! - Food! Hungry!

- Saro, they threw me something. - What?

- A pack of cigarettes. - To eat? Cigarettes?

Let's go smoke a plate of pasta.

- Long live the Americans! - What the hell are you doing?

Bravo!

- Did ya see that? - I saw, I saw.

Here.

Thanks.

Mommy... Mommy!

Bring 'em out.

Come on out!

Stop! That stuff will kill you!

They want to poison us, so they can take everything.

Take what? All Mussolini left us are prickly pears.

- I'll pretend I didn't hear that. - You heard me just fine.

Here's what we'll do: I'll give some to the hen.

If she doesn't die, we'll eat it.

- And if she dies? - We'll eat her.

She's eating it. Poor thing.

Poor thing. Look, you see?

Very, very slowly... She's dying.

She's dying.

- What's she doing? - She's gobbling it up.

Open your mouth, sweetheart. Open your mouth.

Wait, just a tad. Let me taste it.

Respect for the elderly!

While General Patton was out to conquer Sicily,

we were put in charge of Crisafullo.

I helped Lieutenant Catelli overcome the first obstacles, which were not military,

but linguistic.

- Okay. You say you didn't steal the cow. - Right.

Did you see who did it?

- Wasn't that clear? - Very clear.

I'll repeat the question. You maintain you didn't steal the cow.

- Right. - Right...

Did you see who did?

Look, either you answer me or I throw you in jail.

Did you see who did it? Yes or no?

- You blowing me a kiss? Is this a joke? - He did answer you, sir.

In Sicilian... "tsk" means no.

- Why didn't you say so? - Giammarresi?

I'm Private Giammarresi. I have a letter for Don Calo.

- Who is it? - An American. He's got a letter for you.

Invite him in to have a drink with us.

- Don Calmo wants you to come in. - Thanks, but I gotta get back.

- I'll be offended. - In that case, I'll come in.

So, what can we offer you?

A glass of homemade liqueur...? It's delicious.

Thank you, sir, but I don't drink.

Tonino, give a glass of my liqueur to our friend here...

Giammarresi... Arturo Giammarresi.

"Dear Calogero, I hope you are well."

"I have a problem only you can solve."

"A soldier is coming to Sicily who has offended my family."

"His name is Arturo Giammarresi."

Sorry, what did you say your name was?

- Arturo Giammarresi. - Great.

"He's thirty-five years old, green eyes, black hair and he's Sicilian."

Sorry, I thought I heard a familiar accent.

- Where are you from? - Palermo, sir.

- Great. - Thank you.

“I know what I'm asking is difficult, but do your best to find him."

"And make sure I never see him again.”

You're not drinking? You'll offend me.

No... Don Calo, I'll drink it.

- Pour him another glass. - No, Don Calo.

I don't mean to offend you, but I have to get back to headquarters.

Pasquale, take Private...

- Giammarresi, Arturo Giammarresi. - Giammarresi, Arturo Giammarresi,

and remember, anything you need,

this house is your house. And we are your friends.

Thank you, Don Calo. If you'll excuse me...

Tonino...

This one...

You take care of him.

Compared to the undertakin, Flora was faced with -

- the landing was a piece of cake.

Come on, Flora. They're waiting for us.

Her risky task was to sabotage the wedding any way she could.

I don't like it.

But Flora, dear... you liked it before.

The fabric's scratchy... and it makes me look fat.

But miss, we'll have to start all over.

- I don't think there's time. - Then I won't get married.

Well, sweetheart?

How about this one? Do you like it?

A hunter in wartime... What terrible taste.

The bridal couple will sit here. The witnesses on either side.

And the decor in these colors, you won't even recognize it!

So, do you like it?

I have to get married where I work?

If this is the life you're offering me, you should know that I want more.

I'm sorry, Don Tano, she's nervous.

We'll work it out. If I may...

Look, Flora, it's normal to be nervous before the wedding.

I hope that's all this is.

Because I can't imagine that a smart girl like you -

- has other ideas... Ideas that would carry her away, to...

I don't know... to Sicily?

What is it, something wrong? Don't you worry.

We're family now...

And once you're in the family, your problems are over.

- Excuse me, where's Mr. Guarneri's house? - Down that way.

A week after I got to Crisafullo.

I could finally get to work on the real reason for my journey.

I finally found Flora's father's house.

Anyone home?

- There's nothing here. - No, there is something.

- There is? - I can smell it. There is.

- How do you do that? - I told you it was there.

A slice of cake, Saro.

- Fig tart. - It's a bit stale.

What do you care? How long since you ate a slice of cake?

A lifetime.

- Who is it? - May I come in?

- It's an American soldier. - Let him come in.

Please come in.

Holy Mother...

- I'm looking for Mr. Guarneri. - Who?

- Mr. Guarneri, the owner. - Unfortunately, he's not home.

We're keeping an eye on things, with all the riffraff around...

Darn it, I wanted to meet him. Do you know when he'll be back?

- When he'll be back... - Who knows.

- Do you know where he is? - Where he is?

Sorry, but what do you want?

You can't just come into people's houses and ask questions...

Right, but I'm here to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage, I have to find him.

Want to see her picture? Her name's Flora. Pretty, isn't she?

- No, he's... - Excuse me.

A beautiful girl, congratulations.

- Saro, they're both in the picture. - Really?

There's a bridge behind them, very nice...

It's not very clear... It's a little crooked...

We took it ourselves, we thought it was more romantic, but...

Congratulations, she's a lovely girl.

When we see Mr. Guarneri, we'll bring him to headquarters.

- Promise. - I won't wait for him, then.

- Like we said. - We don't know when he'll be back.

No point in waiting. We have nothing to offer you.

- There's only this slice of cake. - One... One slice.

Just one. It's a little stale. We don't know how old it is...

No problem. We're used to bad food in the army.

He's eating it.

- How was it? - Okay, but I'm not crazy about figs.

Oh, too bad.

I'll expect you at headquarters. Ask for Arturo Giammarresi.

- I'll expect you and Mr. Guarneri. - Sure, sure.

You're an idiot.

In the end, what baffled the Americans in Sicily -

- weren't the Italian Fascists,

or the German Nazis,

but the Greeks, the ancient Greeks.

Don Calo... What happened to the roof?

Did we bomb it?

Don't worry, Major, this is damage you didn't do.

You have no idea how many conquerors have come here over the centuries.

You're just the latest.

After centuries of conquerors, the Sicilians had learned how to negotiate.

Do you understand women?

Sicily is like a beautiful woman.

She needs to be courted, receive compliments, beautiful gifts.

She needs to know if she can trust you or not.

You sure this woman won't “make me a cuckold", like you say here?

A Sicilian women is faithful, as long as you treat her well.

And... I have a suggestion.

A list of loyal anti-Fascists.

American... American?

- Do you know the donkey flying song? - What song?

The donkey song.

We can't waste time. We have to free Europe from the Nazis.

You understand, don't you? Here!

A present from Roosevelt. Go play.

- American? - You again...

- Sing me the donkey flying song. - Oh, please!

How come you're so obsessed with that song, huh?

My dad used to sing it to me, but he went to war. I only know the title.

The words... were deleted.

Fascist censorship?

No one knows it.

That man is... all black.

That's America.

No one knows it. I don't know how to help you, I'm sorry. Now go.

Scusi me!

Do you know the donkey flying song?

Lieutenant, sorry, you know how kids are... I'll get rid of him.

- No, don't do that. I know it. - He knows it!

- You know it? - Sure! It's my kids' favorite song!

- Will you sing it for me? - He's kidding, I'll get rid of him.

No, no. Want me to sing it for you?

This is the best part.

You were nodding yes, but do you know what this song means?

It means that sometimes things can change...

But it depends on you.

- Find anything? - Nothing yet, Saro.

- I'm dying of hunger. - Wait, hold on.

A snail!

- Saro, where are you? - Here.

I fell on something.

What is it? What's that awful smell?

Saro... It's full of dead American soldiers.

- That's horrible, get me out of here. - Wait.

- Get me out of here! - Wait, I'm coming.

- Help me! Where are you? - I'm here.

There's another American soldier hanging from a tree.

Get me out of here, take me away!

Is he dead?

- Yeah. - Take his boots off.

- But Saro, he's dead. - Exactly! He doesn't need them.

- You wanna walk around in your scruffy shoes? - No.

I got 'em, I got the boots, Saro! I got 'em!

- And you are? - Tommaso Lo Presti, formerly Giuseppe.

Born in Alcala, October 7, 1905.

Here he is, Tommaso Lo Presti, known as "The Animal".

Sentenced to thirty years for stealing livestock,

arson, battery and attempted murder.

You've been pardoned by the Allied Government.

Fuck all this for a pair of boots.

I told you we shouldn't trust the Americans.

What if they split us up? What will I do without you?

What will I do, Saro?

What will you do? What will I do? I'm blind.

You two... Line up with the others. Move it.

Sentenced to life for double homicide, assault, damage to public property.

Pardoned by the Allied Government.

Saro?

- What? - Are they gonna let us go?

- Sure, we only took a pair of boots. - Right.

- Next. - Filippo Restivo, formerly Carmine.

Born in Crisafullo, March 30, 1899.

Known as "Slack Ass". It means lazy.

Sentenced to three life sentences for triple homicide,

defamation of religious property, fraud, robbery...

Good thing he was a slack ass!

You are also pardoned by the Allied Government.

Next.

Saro Cupane, born in Crisafullo, February 19, 1901 -

- and Mimmo Passalacqua, born in Crisafullo,

October 20, 1901... One.

You're accused of stealing military property.

You're not on the list.

The prosecutor remands you to trial and requests the death penalty.

Sergeant, what did we do? A pair of boots...

The problem is, we should have done more. You're making a mistake!

With these hands, we butcher men, animals, old ladies.

Actually, we rape old ladies, especially him!

Yeah, I like raping old ladies, okay?

Give us an old lady...

Bring me an old lady, Sergeant. Just one.

Tell me the truth... There's not even one anti-Fascist here, is there?

Lieutenant, from now on you'll decide what's right and what's wrong.

Next.

"My darling Arturo, I hope you are well."

"I've tried everything, but I can't hold out much longer."

"Don Tano knows everything."

"Please get my father's blessing as soon as you can."

"Because the wedding date is not far off."

"And without you, I feel like I'm dying."

"I love you. Flora"

What if, after all this, Flora's father says no?

Why would he say no?

You know, my wife's father didn't like me at first, either.

Then he realized I was serious.

He saw me in uniform and in the end, he said yes.

But you're a lieutenant... And I'm not even a tenant...

Know what? When you go see Flora's father, I'll lend you my jacket.

- You'd do that for me? - Sure... as a friend.

But I don't know how to be a lieutenant, no one would believe it.

It's easy. There's one basic rule you always have to follow.

Make people believe you always know everything.

But what if you don't know things?

You get a private to do them. If he messes up, you blame him.

That's easy.

Tommaso Mazzarella, formerly Roberto.

Apprehended walking provocatively down Corso Vittorio,

flaunting a black shirt.

- So, you're a Fascist? - No, I'm not a Fascist.

- Why are you wearing a black shirt? - My brother died.

When your brother dies, what do you do? You don't wear a black shirt?

You don't act respectfully? Are you kidding me?

How do you show your brother respect? You wear a black shirt.

If my mother knew I wasn't wearing a black shirt, she'd have a stroke -

- and die.Aand that way I could never take it off.

And what would people think?

We do things right, or not at all.

- Right. - I didn't understand a thing.

He said he wears a black shirt because he's in mourning for his brother.

- When did his brother die? - When did your brother die?

It's still raw. Five years ago...

Five years ago? Five years... How long do you wear mourning?

At least seven years, or what would people think?

Why is it so important what people here think?

Lieutenant, if people found out I didn't care what people think...

What would people think of me?

That's right.

- My condolences. - Thank you.

There's the fig tart soldier.

What are you doing here?

- You stole boots from a dead man? - Well, he didn't need them anymore.

The lieutenant's a friend. Maybe he'll help.

I have to go, Lieutenant Adamsky will take over.

Of course.

Now what do we do?

You're accused of looting... Tell him what happened.

We were out looking for something to eat -

- and he saw a dead soldier so we went over to him.

The soldier was hanging from a tree, and we saw he had new boots.

So I said: "Let's take his boots he doesn't need them anymore."

"He won't need shoes in heaven. Our Lord will care of that..."

But Christ, why make all this fuss over a pair of boots...?

Holy Mother... give us a break!

For God's sake... two stupid boots.

- For God's sake! - Two!

- And he didn't even put them on. - I didn't.

Your grandfather didn't keep everything for himself.

He shared what he grew with others. He was wise.

- I know. - You know what we say in Sicily?

Eat and let others eat.

You the only one who should eat? We all have to eat.

That's right!

I don't like being violent, but he makes me do it.

Lieutenant Philip Catelli, of the American Army.

- Are you Tommaso Lo Presti? - Yeah.

The Allied Government in Sicily appoints you, because of your skills,

to be manager of the granaries in the town of Crisafullo.

- Who, me? - Yes. Do you accept?

Sure, I accept!

Sign here.

Your career's moving pretty fast, Lo Presti.

- From jail to an important job, bravo. - I was a political prisoner.

Then why do they call you "The Animal"?

Because I like animals?

Remember Flora's father? I need leave.

Not right now.

- Why are you still here? - I need leave, to see Flora's father.

All you care about is Flora's father? Don't you realize what's going on?

What's going on?

You don't give a crap about your country, do you?

Mommy?

- Yes, honey? - You can see they're not stockings.

No, honey. If I walk fast, no one will notice.

- Teresa! - What is it?

The Americans have freed the Italian prisoners. Come down, hurry up!

Sweetheart, let's go. Maybe we'll see Daddy again. Let's go!

Salvatore?

Have you seen Salvatore?

Have you seen Salvatore?

I trusted you!

My son... my son...

Why?

Don Calio, we can't kill him, he's always with somebody.

- We've followed him day and night. - Asshole.

I gotta get rid of that asshole.

Too many witnesses... He's still an American soldier.

One down... Now...

One to go.

Now, let's think...

- This... what's his name? - Giammarresi, Arturo Giammarresi,

He wants to marry that girl.

What does a guy do when he wants to marry a girl? He goes to ask for...

- A ring! - her hand in marriage! From who?

- From her father. - And where does her father live?

Outside of town, right? We'll kill him on the way.

Actually, we won't kill him, we'll get a stranger to do it.

Set it up, so our American friends will never be the wiser.

Your head... You gotta use your head.

Good news. We found Flora's father.

But we have to hurry, because he's sick.

We have to go tonight.

Thanks.

We owed you one, for that favor you did for us in court.

- What favor? - What do you mean, what favor?

You helped us... If it wasn't for...

- You're not Arturo, are you? - Nope.

- Put me down. - What happened?

- We got the wrong window. - Who were you talking to?

- How do I know? - Don't move, stay here.

I told you I should've climbed up, Saro, you're blind.

- You still wanna go see Flora's father? - Sure.

Your friends are outside. They know where he is.

- Can I go? - They're waiting for you.

- Then I'm going. - You're going dressed like that?

We talked about the jacket, remember?

Perfect. Don't forget the cap. It's very important.

Thanks, Lieutenant.

Excuse me, one moment...

- I need some information. - Yeah.

All the documents were destroyed in the bombings.

How can I prove I own my house?

Excellent question. How can he?

Don't you remember? Lieutenant Catelli's rule,

- The one we talked about. - Oh, right.

I know, but I gotta go. You can talk to this private here...

...no offense... Giammarresi. I gotta go, best of luck.

Private Giammarresi...

- Right or left? - Left, left.

- Is it here? - Yeah, it's this one.

Nothing doing... too late, he's dead.

Are you serious?

You crossed the ocean for her. Now you're giving up?

Look, he's dead. They're dressed in black, praying.

Don't you see how lucky you are, you can declare your love openly?

- Mimmo, what's the matter? - Let's go.

Excuse me, ma'am, I came to offer my condolences.

He's not dead.

- The dead man's alive? - Yes.

That's great news. See, Arturo? You can't give up.

Come on, do it!

Hello, I'm Arturo Giammarresi. I met your daughter Flora in New York.

I'm in love with her and I intend to marry her.

I enlisted in the American Army, I crossed the ocean,

I made it through the front lines, to come and ask you this question...

Mr. Guarneri, may I have your permission to marry Flora?

What about Carmelo?

- Who the hell is Carmelo? - How should I know?

I know who Carmelo is.

Carmelo... left Flora -

- for a dancer from Ohio that he got pregnant.

Flora really suffered. But then she met me.

I'm a lieutenant, in case you didn't notice, this means lieutenant.

I can give your daughter a good future.

- And Carmelo? - And Carmelo...

He's obsessed with this Carmelo...

Carmelo dumped the dancer from Ohio, and their kid,

and ran off, taking her money and jewelry.

And before he left, he beat her up. It was awful. But let's talk about us.

About good things. I really love your daughter. My intentions are serious.

I don't understand.

- What's he saying? - I don't know.

Excuse me, Mr. Guarneri. Could you speak a little more clearly?

It's a disease... Carmelo...

Don't think about him anymore. Don't think about Carmelo.

Go on.

Well, then Carmelo moved to Kentucky -

- and ended up...

...with a plumber.

Yes, Carmelo likes men.

They do that in America.

They do that in America. They do, they do.

- They do that in America? - All the time.

Wanna see a picture of me and Flora by the Brooklyn Bridge?

Look how happy Flora is.

- But that's Carmelo! - It's not Carmelo!

Do you think I'd show you a picture of Carmelo and Flora?

I thought it was romantic to take a picture of the two of us,

but it was bullshit! Screw me for thinking of it...

What I was thinking? I could have asked someone...

- But no, I had to do it myself. - Calm down.

Anyway, Mr. Guarneri,

will you give me permission to marry your daughter Flora? Yes or no!

Do you really love my daughter?

Yes. I can't live without her.

- Goodnight. - Goodnight.

- Arturo was happy, wasn't he? - Yeah.

- We had a good time, didn't we? - Yeah.

Remember when I told you I wanted to declare my love to someone?

Oh, yeah... You met a woman?

No, what's that got to do with...?

No, I mean that I like being with you.

I like being with you too. Or we couldn't have stuck it out... for 20 years.

No, Saro... I really like you.

I'm glad. It's important to be liked.

It boosts your self-confidence.

No, Saro... I love you.

Mimmo...

People already think we're oddballs because I'm blind and you're crippled.

All we need is for them to think we're a couple of fruits.

We can't let that happen.

- No. - Right?

Yeah.

G'night, Mimmo.

G'night, Saro.

Lieutenant, he said yes!

He's not here... Oh, his jacket.

Arturo... Arturo... They killed him!

Major... Major...

Major Maone, I have some important information.

My guys here saw what happened.

He was shot by German soldiers.

We have to strike back, Major!

Make those Nazi bastards pay!

Even if he was only a private...

I...

I...

What Philip had written in his letter was happening all over Sicily.

Control of all Mussomeli's affairs was handed to Giuseppe Genco Russo -

- a powerful local Mafia boss.

In Villalba, the new mayor was Mafia boss Calogero Vizzini -

- famous for steering the core group of the Sicilian independence movement.

Some of whom dreamed of making Sicily an American state...

Let's go.

...to a brand-new party -

- that inspired a lot of trust. This party saw Sicilians like him -

- as loyal and useful allies to defend Italy from the Communist threat.

Together, they were going to change the history and destiny of the whole country,

bringing it the democracy it longed for.

"CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS VILLALBA CHAPTER"

But the Americans, believers in meritocracy,

allowed a new ruling class to emerge.

In Corleone, young Vito Ciancimino, the future Mafioso Mayor of Palermo...

- You sure? - Absolutely sure.

...quickly learned the difficult art of mediation,

collaborating with Colonel Charles Poletti.

"HEAD OF CIVIL AFFAIRS"

This guy can multiply money...

The future banker of Cosa Nostra,

thanks to the Allies, began to make a name for himself.

Let me introduce Mr. Michele Sindona.

At your disposal.

And on the other side of the ocean, Lucky Luciano -

- received continual signs of appreciation.

The landing in Sicily had been the biggest business deal of his life.

Alfredo...

Now that we're in business together,

we should expand the restaurant.

So when we retire, they can take over...

Flora, give us a smile. Come on, cheer up!

- Why so gloomy? - Alfredo, leave her alone.

Women are always nervous the day before the wedding.

"Dear Flora, I haven't disappeared."

"But so much has happened here in Sicily."

"The main thing is, your father said yes!"

"I'm coming back to America. But I can't come straight to you."

"I have to do a favor for a friend we owe a lot to, Lieutenant Philip Catelli."

"I have to go to Washington and give the President a letter" -

- "that he wrote before he got killed."

"Please wait for me, one last time."

"I love you. Arturo."

Unfortunately, it's always bad news from the front.

Excuse me...

This is the story I had to tell the President of the United States.

I had to explain to Roosevelt what Philip had figured out...

And what I'd been unable to see, until his death.

Don Calo, the Americans.

The Allied Military Government in Sicily,

because of your competency...

Appoints you mayor of the town of Crisafullo.

Don't you accept the position?

My dear Crisafullians, this is your new mayor speaking.

Today, dear friends, is a special day.

A happy day, because thanks to the Americans,

we have received a gift, something wonderful.

Democracy has come to Crisafullo.

Now... what is this democracy? I'll explain.

Democracy... is like the birth of a child...

Cause for celebration! And why do we celebrate?

Because this child... is our future...

And so is democracy.

But we need to nurture it. Protect it.

Hold the precious creature by the hand, so it doesn't get hurt.

We must raise it in the sunlight of our beautiful land...

Far from the cold...

The biting cold of those dark lands where the devil lives.

Because, let's be clear, we do not like these Russians, these Communists.

And that's why the Americans trust us.

Now, I know some people won't like this,

because they say we're not good people.

We're not respectable We're dangerous...

Us, dangerous?

So I ask you... And I know you, each and every one,

when you needed protection,

who did you turn to, them or us?

When you needed work?

Who did you go to? Them or us?

When you needed justice?

Who did you come to? To us.

You came to us! Us...

We have survived everything from wars, to governments,

to Fascists, to Nazis and we'll survive the Communists, too.

Because the truth is that in this country, we are democracy!

On 29 October 1943, US Army Captain W.E. Scotten,

serving in Palermo, sent a report to the Allied Government.

In 1946, the American authorities freed Lucky Luciano.

AT WAR FOR LOVE