Original subtitles

you

Okay.

The men in Italy take all your clothes off when they look at you.

They make you feel as naked as the day you were born.

Well, don't they all?

No. I bet they'd have something to see if they took yours off.

I prefer to undress myself just the same.

They don't always know how to go about it.

Men are so cheap. They make me sick.

Here's your change.

80.

90.

100 men.

No man has ever satisfied me.

I was left with a couple of bad choices.

Nymphomania or being a lesbian.

So what did you do?

I became Sweden's most hated journalist.

No.

Were you innocent until you fell for Peter?

God, what a stupid question.

You were 18 or so.

In about three weeks, you'll find yourself married to him.

Why should a young girl with no experience in life want to get married?

So maybe you slept with one or two boys at the most before you met Peter.

Life is more complicated than that, little girl.

All I know is that I love Peter.

And that's enough for me.

You'll be his wife for two or three years.

You'll tire of his amateur lovemaking after a while.

You'll wonder how it would be with someone else.

You'll see a man in the street and all of a sudden you'll want to make love to

him.

After that, it's an obsession.

It's always on your mind.

And then you do it.

It's so easy.

I don't accept that.

I'm sure marriage isn't easy.

And many marriages don't work out. But many of them do.

And mine is going to.

Why did you come with me on this trip?

Just to have a little fun before I get married.

Just what do you mean, have a little fun?

Fun? I don't know.

It sounds a bit silly after what you've been saying.

Keep talking. Someone's watching.

Just outside there.

Keep talking.

Where?

Out there in front of the window.

If you close the curtain, he'll come.

They all act as though they're starved for sex.

Oh, I don't know.

He could have come to offer us his services.

Services? You mean... Just that.

Just what I said.

Thank you.

wonderful, but it's nice we can come out.

You're so sexy.

You're much too good for Peter.

Oh, no.

Peter's wonderful.

Why did you use a man's name when you write?

When I began to write, I was very insecure.

I had no confidence, no drive.

And using a man's name gave me that drive.

And then... And then George became a person in his own right.

So now I can't just change names.

It's already established.

George gives you courage.

He's very useful to your writing style.

You either praise or you kill. George kills, I mean.

And with such fine words, so artistically, it's a real pleasure to

Anne, do you have any real principles?

Or do you kill for the pleasure of killing?

Why don't we do something?

Shall we have a boat ride?

I thought you were going to ride.

This evening I will.

Why not hire a fishing boat?

Hmm? I think it would be fun.

Your friend's here.

He's the porter here.

I'll bet he comes around a lot.

Two single girls by themselves.

And Swedish.

I'm

not

so sure.

Is Walker home?

Of course not, stupid. The tourists are here.

More young sluts like you down there who are willing to pay for it also.

You can't make me jealous.

I'm the only one he goes to bed with, and I'm the only one who can satisfy

Don't you ever look at yourself in the mirror?

You're only useful for washing his clothes and cooking his food.

Whose house does he go and... Sleeping.

Mine.

My brother, Marine.

You really hate Amos Matthew a lot, don't you, Anne?

I'm trying to murder him.

It doesn't matter, though.

You could buy a dozen of his kind for ten cents.

He's better off dead and buried.

He's useless.

Is that a reason to murder him?

Eve, which of those two do you want to make love to?

Neither.

Why don't you forget Peter during your holiday?

I couldn't do that.

Live a little.

Experience something unusual.

It could be a long while until you have another chance.

Guess what I thought you wanted when we planned this holiday, huh?

I thought you'd like to take a chance.

That you weren't sure 100 % that Peter is really the man for you.

Oh, yes, I am.

He must be pretty sure about you,

letting you travel alone like this.

You mean you wouldn't be any protection?

No.

No, thanks.

I didn't realize we'd be gone for the whole night.

Did you?

Are you scared?

Scared of what?

You might have to make love to one of those sailors tonight.

Think about Peter.

I want to go home.

Huh? Home.

No, no.

Well, wait. for the dawn.

It's too risky to go home now. Too dark.

Better get some sleep tonight.

It's no use.

We'll never get anywhere trying to fight with these men.

Well, what can we do?

They must take us home.

Thank you.

I love you.

Peter

Excuse me, do you mind if I intrude?

You were so kind as to offer me a glass of wine.

And now I wonder if you could also let me have a light.

Yes, of course.

Allow me to introduce myself.

Delhelm Braun.

Former kind.

Uh -huh.

May I sit with you a minute?

Yes.

Thank you.

I'm so grateful that you don't laugh or make fun of me.

I am most grateful.

In the summertime, we have many tourists here.

Many tourists.

Mostly Germans.

And also...

Many Scandinavians.

I wonder where you come from.

It doesn't really matter.

You didn't laugh when I came over.

I don't really know whether it was because of good manners or because you

want to hurt the feelings of an old man.

Anyway, I appreciate it.

Yes, I was a German colonel.

I don't look like a colonel.

In 1944,

I came here as the commander of a regiment of German troops.

With very special orders.

Tito's partisans were threatening us, you see.

The breakup of Germany was near.

We were receiving orders from Berlin.

The orders were, everyone you see, you kill.

You pursue, and you kill.

We had our headquarters in the school building in the square.

And from there I sent the orders.

I was good. I followed my orders.

Of course, when I really started thinking, I saw the absurdity of what I

doing.

But in spite of this, I didn't stop.

I continued following my orders.

We located an English radio set in a cellar.

And no one, no one would tell me where was the operator, where the radio came

from, or why.

As a punishment, I picked up 50 adults and 50 children to be shot the next

day in retaliation.

I was about to give the order for the execution when the orderly came in and

gave me a telegram.

Among the victims of the bombing of Bremen were two children, my boys.

They thought, of course, that this message would strengthen my hatred for

enemy and make me kill even more furiously.

At that point, I canceled the execution.

I had come to realize the stupidity of any kind of killing.

The German troops all capitulated to Tito's guerrilla army.

It wasn't even an honorable capitulation.

You're now looking at the former commander of the 44th German Panzer

with orders to hold the peninsula of peace.

Colonel Wilhelm Braun.

People are kind to me here.

I make some money now and then,

doing little things.

I keep the square and the schoolyard neat.

I have a glass of wine every morning,

sometimes one in the evening.

You know I feel more complete as a man now than I ever have.

Thank you for listening to me.

It was nice to talk to someone who has never had anything to do with killing.

Excuse me and thank you.

For everything.

It's funny, you know, I never thought I'd ever be unfaithful to Peter Now that

I've done it.

I think I want to do it again.

I Don't even know now if I want to marry him Today I got a telegram

I love you Peter All women should go on a trip like this before they get married

They must know what they're missing by staying home all the time

Home of the husband may be all right, but I can't see it.

No, thanks.

Not for me.

That hotel porter's funny.

He was sitting here with the telegram when I came in. Just staring, doing

nothing. I thought... What?

You thought he'd try to make you?

Forget it.

What about this afternoon?

You don't want to take a boat ride, do you?

I must try to get a hold of a Swedish boy. Amos Matthew?

Nothing in this room.

There's nothing here either.

Do you think you might have failed?

I don't think so. He was shot to death.

Was that why you were in such a rush to come down here?

I feel certain I killed him.

But I wasn't alone. I had many accomplices.

There was nobody who killed him.

Yes, nobody cared.

His friends, his own people, what did they do?

Nobody did a thing. They should investigate.

I want some food.

Something good.

Come on.

I'd like to know something.

For years you've wanted to kill this man, this Amos Matthew.

And now that you've done it, Amos Matthew won't come back.

Then you get mad because they won't hold a thorough investigation.

To me it means one thing.

That you killed for the sake of killing.

And you want the world to know you're a murderess.

In a way, it was an obsession.

I thought he was mediocre, really.

A nobody.

You don't believe me.

It was as if I had a duty.

As if I had to kill him.

I found myself completely revolted by him.

I had a lot to offer.

And he was nothing.

Here we are in a restaurant and you've ordered some hot dogs. I thought you

wanted to find some good food.

This is just where you meet. You can't make love here.

You have to go outside of town to find the intimate hotels to have fun in.

Remember, I'm going home early tonight.

I'll come back later, if I find something interesting.

Poor little thing.

Francesco.

Francesco. Yes.

I want to speak with you.

I love your films.

I've seen them all.

I'm a Swedish journalist.

are always so artistically clean.

You never speculate commercially when you make a film.

My dear,

commercial films are always speculations.

If you don't understand that, it's a shame that you've chosen to be a film

critic.

You either speculate that the film will be popular and will draw big crowds, or

that someone like yourself will like it and praise it and label it an artistic

film and make it possible to get some award in a festival.

But don't forget one thing.

A filmmaker exists for the public, not for you.

The word you print on a thing in the final analysis.

The public's alive. You're not.

Then you're more dependent on what the so -called mass audience is thinking,

mean, than on what we think who understand and interpret you?

You can't mean that.

No.

Understand me.

I would prefer that you would interpret me in a way that the masses understand

me. I have written articles about you, but I'm convinced that for the vast

public, it's just a lot of words they don't understand.

You are the one director who must be interpreted.

Your symbolic language... Excuse me.

I once made a film called The Sun.

During the last three minutes, the camera shows a gutter with water pouring

it like a torrent.

It was a humorous little idea of nothing.

But you interpreted it as a deep fundamental symbolism so that the

distributors were afraid to let me put another correct ending to the film.

You see?

Martin, I'm drinking to you.

Viva.

Yes, this company just refused to accept the new ending.

Or exchange it for another one, which I had also made, which was much more

suitable for this type of film.

All because of your interpretation, your dead words.

Sometimes an artist, a film creator... No, no.

Filmmaker.

I like that word much better.

I'd rather be a maker of films.

A creator is much more, infinitely more important than someone who produces a

film.

Sometimes a filmmaker doesn't know his own intentions.

When you made that rainwater picture, it must have meant something to you, and

you didn't want to admit it later.

When we saw that picture, we understood what it was you wanted to express.

We understood the significance.

Oh, yes.

By the way, it was a marvelous symbolism in just that scene that... You film

critics live in a world of your own.

And, of course, you can interpret any way you like.

It might just as well have been blank, that scene.

You would still have interpreted it from your own personal point of view.

May I? Thank you, dear.

You will do that, always.

You will continue to interpret it all. Mark what I'm saying.

Because you insist on seeing significance in mystery where I only

and you miss the target entirely.

We who analyze films are free.

We know you and understand you, even if you don't yourself, if I may say so.

We can see things.

We can see what you mean, even when your conscious mind is somewhere else. That

sequence meant literally nothing.

But you had to prove how smart you are. There was no significance whatsoever.

Well, perhaps.

It doesn't have for you, although I doubt it.

But for the public, it has. No.

People don't look at films like critics do.

There is no similarity between what you've written and what I intended.

It goes right over the heads of most of your readers.

And I think that's wonderful.

It's marvelous.

The masses have more sense than you.

The intelligent part of the audience walked out on that film. They had had

enough rainwater. They were right, too. I agreed with them.

I agreed completely.

But you, you had to make an interpretation, a scientific analysis,

profound statements about art.

You just don't understand what I'm talking about even now, do you?

You'll go on interpreting things to show what a smart critic you are, how

brilliant you are to the public.

You've seen all my films.

Have you ever seen a funny scene in one?

Have you ever laughed? or even smiled.

I don't think so.

I don't believe you ever have.

I'm not capable of creating comedy scenes.

That's my one real desire to have an audience laugh.

To watch the public lose its cares.

I'll probably never make a funny picture because I wouldn't know how to do it.

But if I did, you'd misinterpret it.

You have my appreciation and gratitude for being here.

I thank you for the help you give me.

Yes. But all the same, with complete honesty,

I must frankly say I'm disgusted at your assinenity, your stupid little film

interpretations.

But that won't stop you, I know that.

You'll keep on.

And the next time at Cannes or Venice when you interpret my work, I know

praise it.

You'll write brilliantly.

in spite of the fact that you've been unable to understand the film at all.

And I will profit by your praise, and in public, conceal my contempt for you and

your kind.

Goodbye.

Mm -mm.

The last one he made love to was me.

It's filthy to see a lovely woman become involved with a society whore. She's

not a whore. Oh, yes, she is. You don't stop being a whore just because you get

married when you're too old to work in the streets.

She's nothing but a dried -up old streetwalker, and you choose that to get

by. It's my life. I don't care whether you like it or not.

It's wonderful.

Better than a man. The way she touched my breath. Eva, for God's sake!

Can you handle me too?

Well, how about it?

I knew you were here.

I'd like to try him too.

That is, if he has enough strength left after you've pumped him dry.

you

Okay.

Who died?

Was it Walter?

Your brother?

Yeah, Walter.

Poor Walter.

How did he die?

He was sick only two days, and he just died.

Oh, it's very strange.

We made love only two days.

Walter.

How is it that every single thing in my existence turns to death?

Wait here. I'll come back after you.

I'll be free at 2 o 'clock.

Why all the time?

Was he the best you had?

Now, Amos Matthew was the best I ever had.

Well, you sure have a funny way of thanking him for doing a good job.

We were together for two years.

We were perfect together sexually.

It was wonderful.

Something marvelous happened every time we were in bed together.

Since then, I never had anything like it.

And I really tried to make it a home.

But he didn't want what I offered him. He was too much of a man.

I wrote that he was an up -and -coming film director.

Now I only want to destroy him.

Why did you turn against him?

Because he insulted me.

At least I thought for a long time he had.

I found out later he hadn't.

I'm four years older than Amos.

And one day, a girlfriend of mine came to me and said that Amos had said in

public that I was a washed -up old hag.

I have not spoken to him since.

But I've done everything in my power to destroy his career and him.

I purposely became the lover of a reporter on one of the big newspapers.

He got me a job writing.

And between us, we set out to assassinate Amos Vance.

Oh, how marvelous it was to watch.

Poor Amos almost went crazy over it.

But he survived it.

Oh, yes, he survived the fault of fate. We brought others into the plot and

formed a clue.

Every time one of his films opened, we would go to the theater dressed for a

funeral. After a while, the producers started to get scared and we were very

happy. Then I found out that my girlfriend had lied, that Amos hadn't

me at all.

Quite the contrary.

She was in love with him herself.

Clever girl.

Anyway, by that time it was too late. I didn't know what to do.

The whole thing was too far advanced to stop it. The group we had formed had

found someone to destroy.

Someone they had to kill to show their own power.

We kept writing bad reviews of his work. I wrote one.

Amos Matthew should realize that his films are outdated, his style

Goodbye, Amos.

I think now Amos must have laughed at my clever reviews, but... We don't confine

ourselves only to his professional activities, no.

We attack even his personal life.

Things that have nothing to do with his filmmaking.

We do everything we can to ruin his reputation, to destroy his nerves and to

kill him.

But Cleek has decided to kill Amos.

And that's the way it is.

There's no way out for him.

And you can't stop this childish game.

No.

But now you know the best lover I had was...

Oh, damn it.

What rotten nothings we are. He committed suicide.

What else could he have done?

We hounded him until he couldn't take it any longer.

Amos never even had a chance.

He starred the new film.

After he finished it, word must have gotten out.

The group, all of us, were going to pan it.

It was simple. Some of us saw it as a sacred duty.

The clique had its plans all made out.

Amos Matthew was passing.

End of career.

He called his film... He called the film The Emperor's New Clothes.

I'd like you all to sing a song in homage to my friend who believed in this

beautiful song.

My friend isn't here now.

He's in Sweden, but maybe he'll hear it.

Thank you.

Oh, that was so beautifully sentimental.

Did it help your journalistic conscience?

Singing about him isn't going to change things for old dead Amos. You'll have to

do more than that.

Oh, no, Anne. If you think that you can just go home now with no regrets and

resume life and forget Amos Matthew, you'll have to think again.

You murdered him. And I just hope that you suffer as much as Amos Matthew did.

And that bunch of hopeless morons, people that you call your friends, are

to have to have a new victim.

Someone else to pull apart. Someone they can torture.

Oh, yes, you'll find someone else in the store. I'm sure Amos wasn't the first

and won't be the last.

So don't try acting sentimental about it. Don't try to get me to believe that

you have a conscience.

Thank you.

Thanks for saying it.

I've had affairs with many men on this vacation.

And they taught me a whole lot.

And thanks to the pill, I won't have to worry about anything when I go back

home.

I can go back to Sweden. It's fresh and untouched as when I came here.

I came here to get myself a tan.

I figured my white bridal gown would look even better on me that way.

The myrtle wreath I wear will feel like a halo when I walk at Peter's side.

And Peter will be so cautious on our wedding night.

And I'll be everything he's ever dreamed of.

And Peter will never know how many men I've had.

Or how much I enjoyed it.

I guess I'll compare things.

But he won't know about it.

And a little while we'll have some children.

What's happened here will be erased. and forgotten.

I'll be a wonderful wife. And a wonderful mother, too.

Yes. I'll just be a wonderful person.

I suppose, in a way, that I'm being rather false and hypocritical, though I

could never be as false as you are, with your phony self -pity.

I guess I don't have the intellect.

That's why you have to be so cynical, I suppose.

When the papers announce our wedding date, I guess you'll write an article.

Something wishy and clever.

Of course, we're not really fair game for you. So I thought maybe a scoff and

shrug would do it.

Drink up.

Cheers.

Hey.

Signora.

Going very far?

You want to go along?

We've got a little company.

There you go.

So what are you staring at?

My new girl.

What are you going to do if you win?

That's not going to help you.

Read them a little.

I won you.

So you and I'll have a little bumpity -boom.

Excuse me, do you mind?

Excuse me, Francesco.

You remember me?

Yes, of course.

I always remember a pretty face.

I've read your interview.

Your contempt for people must be without limits.

Care for a drink?

Thank you.

Two can vary, but with tonic water.

About my contempt, as you say, I'm guilty.

But I have contempt for myself.

Do you have someone, I mean a person who would put your welfare over his, about

a minute's hesitation, and sacrifice because of you?

Would you do it yourself?

I don't think so.

The world in which you and I both live and work makes it easy for us to

understand the value people attach to their own profit -making.

The incredible ego of modern man.

An animal kills to avoid being killed and eaten, but man is different.

Man kills for power, as you do. Prestige.

For prestige and power.

Oh, yes.

You kill someone because you have sort of a mad desire to show your power.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So prestige means more to you than all your other feelings put together.

And that's what my latest film is about.

It's a portrait of life today.

Luxurious but completely false.

A symbolically told history of modern hypocrisy.

Film can be as subtle and delicate as a woman can.

Yes.

That's in my film also. The Fair Sex.

Your impudence.

My heroine in the beginning is pure. She's pure and she's modest.

But she is seduced by the world of film and its filth.

She becomes insecure, afraid, goes off a deep end. But her cynical girlfriend

manages quite well.

Maybe people will get a few laughs from it.

But it won't be a normal, healthy laugh.

No, they won't see themselves.

No.

No, it'll be something nasty.

The film is named The Emperor's New Clothes. It's going to be shown the last

evening.

I hope that you will have an opportunity to see it.

The Emperor's New Clothes.

There's a brand new Swedish film of the same name.

I know.

It's being shown too, but I'm sure it's not an official entry.

Sales purposes only.

I forced the owners to pick a new title for Italy.

There is only one emperor.

One only.

And that emperor is standing here.

Now you may understand about my contempt for myself.

Because I'm human.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.

All women should go on a trip like this before they get married to know what

they're missing later.

Institution of holy matrimony.

Just a sweet young virgin.

Yes, and I think they've viewed each other so well.

Thanks for the pill, I don't have to worry.

I can go back as fresh and pure as when I left.

Just as fresh and pure as when I left.

This union is holy.

Holy is this alliance and holy are its purposes.

A real spring brag.

Through truthfulness and frankness, they must win and keep each other's

confidence and live together in harmony forever.

He'll never know how many men I've had or how much I enjoyed it.

Of course, I'll make comparisons, but he won't know.

The myrtle wreath I wear will feel like a halo when I walk at Peter's side.

It is the duty of a husband and wife to honor and love each other.

It is a sacred duty.

I'm sure I'll make a good wife and a good mother.

I'll just be a wonderful woman.

A duty which some take lightly, but a sacred duty

nevertheless. You may say.

I'm being hypocritical.

Such a lovely bride.

was the ending.

Have you observed how hypocrisy always wins?

We don't even have to think about interpretation.

Everything is clear as a bell.

What did you think? You know all about films.

You know, I think the happy ending is so beautiful. People will love it.

Romance is on its way back again. You know?

I've already sold it to two countries.

Of course, it's South America and Germany, but what do you want?

Business is so very hard nowadays. You don't get anything for nothing.

Of course, it's very good publicity that he just died.

Who died?

The director.

He died just after having finished the film.

Of course, we mustn't emphasize the suicide aspect.

I'm awful.

It was lovely seeing you. Goodbye.

Bye, goodbye.

It wasn't suicide.

It was murder.

We were a small group that killed him.

You're lucky because you will never be punished.

Bye.

Brilliant. Fantastically directed and performed.

Indescribable. Brilliant camera work.

It's a very aware film.

A symbol of the relief felt afterward by the perpetrator of a compulsive act. He

has more culture, which makes the story go deeper. Brilliant is the word for

Francesco. Affectionate pastiche, diabolical entertainment.

Fantastic witchcraft. The people are exceptional, the love exceptional.

It provides a comic counterpoint to a motley crew of lovers.

So society -oriented and at the same time so detached from the world.

Okay.

Mm -mm.