All language subtitles for Das Kaffeehaus.ENG

THE COFFEE HOUSE
After Goldoni

Labour is important for you,

especially as you have to eat
as every man... and drink.

If only a customer would be here,
or at least to be expected.

And even if no customer is here
the future has to be in your eye.

At six in the morning
life has only a past.

Stop thinking,
give my shoes a shine.

In Arizona you should have
known me, master,

I had friends there and gold
like no other.

The women stood in line for me,
the young Italian.

And every red man that saw me

went home with shock
to the happy hunting ground.

And if someone there would
have dared to say to me

that I should shine his shoes,

he wouldn't have finished
the sentence.

The bullets would have silenced him.

I was a gentleman in Arizona, master.

Don't forget this!

You have to wash your feet,
Trappolo, they smell.

My guests like your head
for its comicality,

they love to laugh about others.

However smells, except their own,
are hated by them.

Keep insulting me...
you can afford it,

as you pay for it.

At this early hour
the world is discussed just here?

The hour is not as early
as it may seem.

The patron says the hour is early,
therefore it is.

When early, when late
depends on the point of view.

On mine.
Therefore: early.

Excuse me, sir,

yours is one,
the other is mine.

Who's so quarrelsome...

Helping justice to get its right
is mine.

Yours, friend Ridolfo,
only yours!

So be it.

You have a friend...

Yes?

I mean the one who's topic No. 1
in the streets of Venice,

Signor Eugenio.

Yes, that's one of my friends.

Then I have to tell you

what happened to me
with that gentleman.

You do what you can't resist.

Yesterday, about the fourth hour,

that very Signor Eugenio comes along
the way I was striding

and approaches me.

What do you think are his words?

The suspense is mounting in my head.

Namely, he looks at me silently,

as if I were a manifestation
of an extrasensory nature.

Then he says...

What?

What?

I can't imagine, not in the slightest.

He says,

and his teeth are chattering
as if it were winter in Venice,

his eyes staring,

his breath gasping,

says: You,

- says: You are my man!
- No! - Yes!

And he slowly puts his hand
into his pocket

and produces a pair of earrings.

These.

And says:

This jewellery is my wife's own,

the last thing that remains
of our happiness.

And wants to lend ten sequins on it.

- Ten sequins?
- That's 215 marks.

Exactly.

I am a good person!
I gave him what he needed!

I do appreciate your big heart.

Eugenio knew whom he begged,

with what discretion
I would handle his case.

You'll find no second person
in this town

who's more close-lipped
and secretive.

He knew that,
he knew that for sure!

I am so proud of me,
because all people like me.

You may do that, Don Marzio,
you may.

My friend,

when I was little
I had no friend,

nobody liked me,

the young children yelled
after me on the streets:

Marzio, the ugly duck,

How often did I lie
in my little bed,

crying burning tears,

the little head pressed to the pillow,

moaning of grief and sorrow.

So I promised myself,
even back then,

that this had to change,

people have to be friendly
to me, and polite,

so I became a good person.

You have done it, Don Marzio,
it cannot be questioned.

Since this Eugenio is married
he became a bit strange.

A marriage makes a person orderly.

Vittoria, his wife,
is said to be faithful,

is said to be faithful as gold.

Nothing else I have been told.

And now he is a gambler.
What shall become of her.

That remains as open
as your heart, Don Marzio.

Will she fall and become
a streetwalking girl?

Alas! Like so many, whose husbands are
addicted to the passion for gambling.

Venice's streets are full of harlots
whose husbands gamble.

Is it that bad?

Even worse, Ridolfo,
even worse.

Gambling undermines
the sovereignty of this city.

May God preserve us from this hour.

Do you know...
the dancing girl Lisaura?

I saw her dancing.

Never before did my eye behold
something like this.

She strips off her clothes
except for very little,

and her movements...

one wouldn't believe.

Considering that
just until recently

she was at your service
for 30 soldis.

30 soldis...
that's 2.70 marks.

Now she seems to be fixated
on this Count Leander,

from whom she receives
a fixed monthly amount.

There even have been rumours
that legitimate shall soon become

what's impure now and full of filth.

There's even talk of marriage
before God and state.

- I also did hear things like that.
- Terrible.

How can one keep his veneration
for the sacrament

when things of such kind happen.

Where's that count from?

He's from Turin,
from what I heard.

The men from Turin are said
to be good as bulls.

The Count Leander...

...is better,

said Lisaura, when she drank coffee
here the other day, at the sixth hour.

Such conversations do you have with
the patrons here in my coffee house?

So what did she tell you,
the four-in-hand whore?

She said that she would now have one,
who has one that's just like those

which the Berber stallions
call their own.

- And what else? Nothing else?
- Hah!

Furthermore she spoke of an endurance
that resembles the sea

that never tires to surge against
the shore, constantly!

- My heart, it bursts from frenzy!
- Coffee!

And what else, my friend,
what else?

- The owner of the thing also has...
- Of what thing?

That Berber thing!

Oh yes...

I remember.

And the count...

he above all gives her money.

For this gentleman keeps
winning without cease.

With the help of Pandolfo,
who's a cheat.

Do you earnestly think...

I already toyed with the idea
of informing the state authority.

- The police, Don Marzio?
- The police.

It's a scandal what's going on
in this gambling house.

If you think of it that way...

One must think of it that way.

That way and no other.

The early bird gets the worm.

Ah.

You've lost?

You've lost everything.

House and knob...

...and wife and child.

You gambled all night?

He lost

everything, everything...

- Madness.
- Coffee!

You lost

sequins, happiness

and love.

Let me, please...

Leave me all alone, please.

I count my tears,
inwardly.

Life looked so orderly,

and now...

Night fell upon my happiness.

The harbour was ravaged
by the storm.

How shall I ever face a mirror

without uttering loud lamentations.

I strolled through meadows,

lived like a young deer in the wild.

Now I fell prey to the wolf.

Namely life...

You're desperate.

You forgot how to laugh.

Look at me.

An old man who never ceases
to be young.

How easy this must be for you.

You've got no debts
and pots of money.

Well well, I have to maintain
the gambling house,

must pay for lighting,
alcohol and servants.

If all payers were
as unsteady as you...

You came to insult the delicate soul.

Far be it from me -
but I must make my payments,

obligations and other matters.

And also the count instructed me

to have a serious word now
with the debtor.

I want to ask you for postponement,

hereby, now, and in all kindliness.

Although I'm very reluctant to do so

I'd nevertheless be willing
to grant you a prolongation,

however the count, the merciless,
is insisting on a payment,

whose punctuality
leaves nothing to be desired.

- Coffee! - Thank you.
- What are your thoughts on the matter?

May I possibly rise to speak -
or not?

The affairs that are your own
should occupy you,

and that well enough.

My friend, I've been awaiting your
polite answer for quite a while now.

You find me lost for words,
and blank in the head.

May I inquire about
your wife's state of health?

Leave my wife out of your mouth.

She is tainted enough by me

to be able to bear your filth
on top of that.

Who runs up debts in Venice cash in hand
is facing prison, not too little.

May I inquire about
your wife's state of health?

I haven't seen her,
not for two days and more.

That graceful being...

Can I face the delicate soul
as a beggar?

She will despair when she learns
about the whole extent of her misery.

What is this dialogue about,

whose sternness I sense like
cold wind from the east?

Don't interfere in the problems
of my other guests, Don Marzio.

Be polite and discreet, and have
another coffee for five soldis.

That's 45 pfennigs.
No, thank you.

I lied when I told you earlier
I'd feel young and fresh.

In fact the opposite is true.

I feel old and exhausted,

and with melancholy I remember youth,

which was full of hope for an heir

who would take over house and farm.

However the woman I called mine
was rotten to the brim

and not able to raise a child
in her belly.

Now you, Signor Eugenio,

you look like in my dreams
my son appeared to me,

and I always keep pondering
whether you'd like to take over

the management of this establishment
that's mine and productive,

for a share of 10 percent.

Of course, your dear wife would have
to assist in the gambling house.

My wife? Never.

Merely brightening up the atmosphere
shall be her responsibility.

One has to show something
to get something to eat,

and desires have to be cultivated
to get something to drink.

Monster! Jackal!

You want to make a whore out of her!

Want to expose her to the
lecherous looks of your patronage!

Venice's prison cells
are the world's bleakest.

I'm dreaming -
this is not truth what befalls me.

I'm a realist, sir.
Vagueness is not my field

and will never be.

I think you torment
my young friend, Pandolfo.

Since when is this young man
your friend, Don Marzio?

- Coffee!
- Thank you, no.

Your wife, my friend,
will not be harmed,

and looks do ravish
no more than they kill.

She is so delicate...

And still, reason resides
inside her head.

Her heart, it is so pure...

And still she calls a man her own,

who's name is Eugenio
and who gambles.

The whole town will talk about me.

Many enemies mean much honour.

Such honour is abhorrent to me.

What happened has happened.

I am so young and so broken.

If you heed my advice
and mind my proposal

auspiciousness will be yours
before long.

How much do I have to
expect every moon?

I'd say: 8 sequins for you,
and 15 for your wife.

That's 494.50 marks.

She more than me,
and almost twice as much?

How shall I stand as a man before her.

Indeed. This is not right.

Never ever shall such abasement
burden the marriage

I call mine and happy, and shake
it to the very foundations.

Want to see something?

What, Trappolo?

A picture.

A painter made this,
in America.

- And you were really there?
- I don't lie.

I'm too old for that.

This is the picture.

It shows me.

You look handsome, old man,
very handsome, but...

Look at it closely, sir...
Do I not look like you?

Yes, that's true -
just like looking into the mirror.

You see it too.
I cannot hold back my tears.

But what does it mean -
you show me the picture,

weep and are entirely
out of your mind?

I digged for gold in Arizona,
and I did find gold.

Very nice. But what has that
got to do with me?

How much, sir, do you owe the count?

30 to the count
and 9 to Pandolfo, that animal.

That's 838.50 marks.

I will give you the money!

I can never accept it, nevermore!

From a servant? Me, a gentleman?

Because you are so handsome,
just as I once was.

I'm fond of you, deep inside,
here in my heart.

So give it to me, my friend.

I will find work, well paid,

and I will refund it to you,
as is proper for a gentleman.

It's even more... 70 sequins!
I owe only 39.

You pay off 39 and live on the rest.

The transition from rich man
to hard-working man is hard.

No table shall ever see me again
where gambling is worshipped.

Decency is deeply rooted in my heart
and burns brightly.

I knew...

...sooner or later
you would cross my path.

That wasn't too hard
to guess, my friend.

How come one no longer
gets admitted at your place?

Oh, friend.

I love.

Yes!

I myself no longer would have believed

I might encounter the miracle of love.

Pursuing one's profession -

it's not worse than any other -

one is from time to time
still overcome a little bit

by the grief of loneliness.

So one thinks and thinks...
and waits.

Yes!

I've been granted good fortune.

I found the long-desired,
happiness,

at the side of a man
I'm allowed to look up to.

Do you believe me,
friend Don Marzio?

I leave this to your discretion.

Don't be bitter, dear friend.

I haven't deserved this from you.

I was always fond of you.

Is that so?

Yes!

I gladly remember you,

I gladly remember the hours
we did share,

I'm still fond of you, however...

However...

The count is better
was told to my ear.

I love him, Don Marzio.

I love him.

He's comparable to the stallions
of those Berbers, they say,

of which so much
is talked about these days.

It's not that, Don Marzio.

At least not that alone.

So it's probably also
because of the sea,

that keeps surging against
the shore, unceasingly...

Your speech I do not understand,
my friend,

it's lacking clarity.

So I will speak no more,
for I am too affected

into my very core.

Oh, yes.

What you embrace there
with your hands, sir,

is not a tree,
but is engaged to me.

Take your position for a duel!

I have no weapon!

Take this belt
and tie it around your hips.

I am ready.

One...

Two...

Do you want to duel with someone who's
hand was never ennoblished by a gun?

It's not your business
to settle my matters,

it's your business to settle
the debt you have with me.

30 sequins, isn't it?

That's 645 marks.

- What do you think of it?
- I have 24 hours.

- I wonder where you will be
when time is up... - Draw!

Why don't you shoot?

You were faster.

You're not worth dying
an honourable death, Count...

- That's...
- Hands up!

Help yourself.

Who was that man?

A customer, darling.

From the past, when I still had
to live on the favour of other men.

Get on your knees!

Embrace my legs!

A whore will
always be a whore.

You're so tall
and so strong

and you look down on me.

I should chastise you.

Never will I be able to forget
the shadows of your past.

Not pure is what I hold
in my arms at night.

A breath of decay
wafts around you...

and stale flesh
lies in my arms...

and grey, worn out skin.

Oh, well.

What are you saying, darling?

You will be able to forget.

Never!

A man who's feelings are normal
can never get over this, never!

I love you.

You must forget, you must.

Did any man ever have to fight
so hard within himself for his love?

You will have the greatness,
will be able to forget.

I want to try
what can be done.

People in Venice are more stupid
than in other places in the world.

My name is Don Marzio,

if you understand what I mean.

Put the revolver into the holster,
where it belongs.

- You are a local?
- I come from Naples.

I'm looking for someone
who's familiar with this quarter.

You couldn't have found
no one better than me

for the purpose you mentioned.

Is a gentleman known to you who bears
the beautiful name Flaminio Ardenti?

Exactly this very gentleman
did not introduce himself to me.

But everything else in this quarter
is well-known to me.

Who's doing it with whom
in private or in public,

who's getting paid off
and who's in debt.

Just a short while ago I met a lady

who until recently did let herself
get paid for labours of love.

The name is Lisaura -

just so you're informed
in case you encounter her.

What's the venality of Venice to me?

I came here from afar,

to find this Signor Ardenti,

whom I need to be happy,

without whom my life stands still,

who escaped me.

I have to find him, whom I love
like nothing else in this world.

He shall embrace me tenderly

and press a gentle kiss on my lips.

But back to the point.

Well, then there's Signor Eugenio,

whom I just yesterday lent ten sequins
on the ear jewellery of his wife.

215 marks?
But what's that to me.

I know.
And then there's Count Leander

who night after night takes house and
knobs off that very Signor Eugenio

in the gambling house
there to the left,

and who is friends with that venal
Lisaura whom I just mentioned,

and who wants to marry her
before God and all men.

Well - furthermore?

Then there's the owner
of this very coffee house,

the name is Ridolfo.

Quite unremarkable person,

has no debts, or only very little.

And else?

Yes, he's got a servant
who's asleep now, Trappolo by name.

Not worth mentioning,
like any servant.

It's not him.

And apart from that?

The owner of the gambling house
there to the left,

a Signor Pandolfo,
of whom should be said

that he might not breathe the
light of freedom for much longer.

He's corrupt, if you
understand what I mean.

And there's no one new
here in this quarter,

immigrated, just arrived,
not a single one?

Nobody except Count Leander. No.

Except for Count Leander...

Interesting.

When I took him,

he was inexperienced,
young and blond.

A blond Italian,

that's as rare as good fortune!

And now? Now the gambling house
has him in its beastly clutches!

And won't let him go!

All the money he inherited
from his fathers,

he gambled it away,
gambled away house and farm!

He gave up everything,

and forgot about me,
his faithful wife!

You're right,
far be it from me to question it.

Eugenio was a good person,

but his mind seems
to be clouded in recent times.

You voice what I feel.

He is a good person,

but eroded by lust.

By lust?

What do you say?

I'm just talking to myself...

He gave me this,

to lend him sequins,
ten in number, for it.

Give it to me!

For eleven sequins
it shall be yours again.

Eleven sequins?

That's 236.50 marks.

I don't have that much.

Maybe your husband, who at the moment
is flirting with a lady

who has just arrived in Venice.

With a lady?

What are you doing here?

I'm looking for the rings for the ear
that my late mother did bequeath me.

- I pawned them.
- And still hold your head up high?

What belongs to my wife
is also my own

as well as vice versa.

But veneration must still be
somewhere in your head

for the deceased mother
of your espoused wife.

Where there's fear of disgrace
veneration has lost its place.

Don't you have any fear of disgrace
taking a lady for a walk, flirting,

while your wife sits at home
in the gloomy house and is weeping.

If you really think so
then you don't love me anymore.

Yes,

my love is dead, without doubt.

Then go!

Farewell.

I ennoblished you

like so many times before.

I'm moved by so much nobleness.

I will turn you into a human being.

I'm listening, darling,
listening to you!

Every touch gets you closer to being
human, makes you taller than you are.

- That was necessary, as you see.
- That was indeed necessary.

As I said, yes!

I find it difficult to distinguish
when you're serious and when not.

I'm always serious when
it comes to you, my hero,

and I wish, I could tell
the same about you.

I ennoblish you
and I make you my woman.

Of course.

But it just seemed to me
as if my hero's hero was tired,

like after many years of marriage
it happens to someone

who becomes tired of the one
he always has.

It is not so! I love you
with undiminished fervour,

despite all your flaws,
which I certainly strive to forget.

So what was it that kept you
from fully unfolding?

It's all the long nights
I spend my time gambling.

Of course. But why do you do this?

Because I don't want to diminish
the family property,

as long it isn't absolutely necessary.

This is commendable, darling,
without doubt.

You will unreservedly concede me
a more alert mind in everything

as soon as you've thought about it.

So be it, as you say.

So let me always do
as I deem it right,

don't ask questions and be silent.

Just one more thing.

Isn't today the day,
the one you promised me

where you were willing
to give me the jewellery

that I recently chose at Ricci's?

This cannot be ruled out,
it seems to me.

Quite. So let's go for a walk
through the streets today,

let's buy the jewellery there
and enjoy the masks

that are on their way on this day.

What masks do you speak of,
my dear child?

Carnival reigns in our streets,
Count Leander.

It is time to be merry.

I do not love the carnival,

as often one cannot distinguish
a count from a rogue.

How right you are.

How marvellous it is
to be such a bright, strong man.

Of course it is wonderful.

I look up to you.

As is appropriate for you.

I find you marvellous, wonderful.

- That isn't hard.
- When will you lead me to the altar?

Oh God, not this again.

I need some security, my friend.

Life is cruel... it demands
such reasoning from us poor girls.

Ridolfo, hear! Ridolfo!

Why are you yelling like mad about
the house? Did anything happen?

Now you're the one that last of all
I hoped to meet again!

Well, well.

That was the second time today
that you chagrined me in my honour.

This morning's money
he could have left on the floor,

and turn a deaf ear to my voice now,

such an attitude is called wise,
it guarantees a long life.

That money I could well have
left on the floor...

so that you'd gotten on your knees...

...to put it back into your
own pocket. - Hands up!

Not in this house,
no revolution here in this house.

Fine... it's not worth it anyway.

That's not for me to judge.

Cowardice is an elixir of life.

I leave this to your discretion.

Did you see Vittoria, my wife?
So help me find her, sir.

I'm willing to pay sequins,
ten in number,

if you get her, unharmed and soon.

What? You still have ten sequins left?

That's 215 marks.

I will try my best
and hark what can be heard.

I should say so! Money is money,
no matter from whom it may come.

Let him...

He's pursued enough by misfortune
that eats him up completely.

We are two men, you and me.

And is this speech supposed
to mean anything?

Oh yes!

What distinguishes man from woman,
makes him the ruler?

Your speech's meaning I cannot see.

What makes the man a man

is that he can freely make up his mind
to do or to not do something,

that's for sure.

May be that you
did hit the essence.

And wasn't it contrived by woman
to lament and bemoan constantly

this game we cherish so much?

Fine, what else?

Isn't it given to man

to be able to freely decide
what's good for him and what's bad?

I hear. Speak up!

When it gives a man pleasure
to stake his house, his money,

his happiness, his everything
on one card in a gamble,

to win more or to lose everything,
only then he's a man.

To win everything, too!

Exactly, friend Eugenio.

Become a man.

I can tell you
this feeling is beautiful.

I could not find your wife, Eugenio,
no matter how thoroughly I did search.

You still don't have enough
of that cruel game?

Those affairs that are yours
should be decisive for your life,

not other people's affairs
that are beyond your grasp.

If I win 100 sequins

I'll invest them securely at 4 %.

That will be only 4 sequins per year,
that's not much, admittedly.

With a little luck however
I can win much more – 500 or 1000.

If I win back only 50 sequins per day

it'll be 1500 per month
and 18,000 each year.

And aside from that
I will be a man.

You're still standing around gracing
the landscape, friend Don Marzio?

As I am awaiting thee,
dearest friend. - Ah.

Since your body determines my mind.

This will change
when more time lies between.

My feeling towards you
will never change.

It has to, my friend,
as I'm leaving this town.

So Venice shall be grey
as never before?

Venice in grey...

You're a poet
and you don't know it.

Look...

T'is jewellery...
is gold and precious stone!

T'is ear jewellery,
adorns fine ladies' ear.

How does it look on me?

It ennoblishes you, as rarely
a wreath did ennoblish something.

I love you, Don Marzio,
how you're thinking of me...

Yes...

they're beautiful at your ear indeed,

but how much are you willing
to pay for the jewels?

To pay? Me?

I'm a poor man, of princely
blood, but poor!

So shove them up your arse,
and adorn that!

My ear will never feel a thing
that wasn't given as a present.

For only ten sequins,
this practically is a present!

What are you doing with
the jewels there in your hand?

That's the very jewellery
Signor Eugenio only yesterday gave me

as security for ten sequins
I lent him.

Ten sequins, that's 215 marks.

And that very amount
I shall now give to the gentleman

on behalf of young Signor Eugenio.

How...?

What? Did he inherit,
the lucky one?

Much more I cannot tell you
since more I do not know.

Well... then give me the money.

Here...

And now the jewels into my hand.

And wouldn't it be better

if I'd restitute the jewels to the
young gentleman by my own hand?

No, I will attend to this
as I have been told.

Well... he sits there
in the gambling house and gambles.

Never. He no longer gambles.

And if you'd turn your ear
in that direction?

He promised me...

into my old hand to be good,
the young chap.

The things one promises in life.

My old hands, just look, sir,

the labour has carved
itself into the lines.

I can see it, old man,
I see it very well.

-- And now the 7.

I thought he were a good chap,

-- The gentleman wants the 7.

were a gentleman at heart.

He may be, but listen.

I don't want to hear,
don't want to hear,

what's happening in that gambling
house there to the left.

It is not good for a man
to close up eye and ear!

I digged for gold in Arizona,
-- I want the 7, as I said!

you know it or you don't!
-- The 7 and no other number.

I know it, old man,
I know it very well.

And I did find gold,
-- Fine...

-- so give him the 7!

with my hands, my old hands,
-- Give it to him.

into which the young chap
promised me

to henceforth avoid the gambling

that took his house
-- And what, what came?

and knob away!

-- The 10.

Why did he promise you of all people
to avoid gambling? -- The 10...

-- I bet on the 7 once more
and let the world burst.

-- The 7?

Because I...

-- I said 7, or am I
difficult to understand?

...an old man, lent him money
worth 70 sequins.

70 sequins...

-- Give him the 7.

that's 357 dollars 66 cents,
-- Here you are.

151 pounds 7 shillings 6 pence,
-- For Signor Eugenio the 7.

1505 marks.

Because he has a head so sweet,
so lovely and so young,

resemblant to young Trappolo,

who once went on board a ship
and voyaged to the New World.

How much of the gold
did he find?

Worth of 1200 sequins
and a little bit more.

How much of it did he save up?

Almost all of it, almost all...

deducting the crossing, a little
for living, a little for clothing,

and what I gave away
to the young gentleman.

I'm familiar with
the stock exchange of Venice,

I'm a close friend to most
that have a say there.

I'm an always welcome guest
in their houses,

I'm often asked for advice,
even pleaded for advice.

And me, what have I got to do
with this information?

I will speculate for you,

will make a rich man out of you,
who has influence and status.

You just have to confide
in Don Marzio, nothing more.

This will bring you
fortune and assurance.

You are the head of this house?

I am, indeed, and want
to remain it for a long time.

Not doing too well,
coffee, this time of the year?

The day is poor, the weather
leaves a lot to be desired.

But you're familiar with this quarter.

I should think so. As the whole
quarter stops by at my place.

A girl is living here,

who until recently
was to get for 30 soldis,

I think Lisaura is the name.

30 soldis... that's 2.70 marks.

I'd like to know whether this girl

belongs to the patronage
here in this coffee house.

Sometimes she stops by,
like everyone.

I'd like to know, does
this girl now have a steady,

so speak!

She is engaged to a new arrival
in this quarter, to Count Leander.

Engaged, you say?

How that sounds in my ear...

- And is he a count...?
- Indeed a count,

of comital blood, the Count Leander.

Oh, Count...

-- One last time now the 7.

Oh, shame,
what a weak woman I am.

-- For Signor Eugenio the 7.

I wanted to flee from him,

-- And the result?

I wished a desert were in my head,

-- The Ace,

an empty field.
-- and not the 7.

Wanted to be hard on myself...

-- And not the 7?

But now...

-- The Ace and not the 7.

I love him,

and more than ever!
-- So I now bet on the Queen.

Cannot be without him in my head.

-- The 7 failed,

I'm unfree,
-- now the Queen shall help.

I cannot be alone,

-- And the sequins,

need something to take hold of,
-- 50 in number,

to consume.
-- what about them?

-- 50 sequins, that's 1075 marks.

Poor me.

You seem so distraught, my friend.
I wonder whether I can help.

I'm looking for your servant,
Trappolo by name,

I'm searching him like nothing else
before in this world.

A master searching for a servant,
how strange.

You've lost, young friend?

Can one already tell
by looking at me?

I was eavesdropping.
I live here, and I was listening.

- Who was your partner?
- Count Leander, that animal.

- So Count Leander is the evildoer.
- Not evil.

Just wily, cruel
and full of luck at cards.

That's how he always was.

But go on, how much
do you owe the count?

50 to the count and 80 to Pandolfo,

the owner of that house
there to the left.

2795 marks...

I'm doomed. I'll never ever be able
to earn this in this lifetime.

I'll give you 50
for you to gamble on.

Just like that?

For fun, without a note of debt,
and no security?

For fun, without a note of debt,
and no security.

I can't believe it,
don't trust my own eyes.

- It stays in the family, young friend.
- I beg your pardon?

That's not important, it will be
the talk of the town soon enough.

Thank you, I'll do everything
to pay it back soon.

- Don't strain yourself...
-- Here's the money, I gamble on...

- I'll get it back, that's for sure.
-- and bet on the Queen.

-- Where does he always get the money
after such a short time?

-- We're here to gamble and
not to talk. Is that the Queen?

-- No, the 7.

I've been watching you.
I've eavesdropped on your good deed.

- And you don't understand it?
- Never! Since this gentleman,

whom you just gave the money,
is my husband, Eugenio!

- Is your husband?
- Mine.

- And he's addicted to the passion
for gambling? - Completely!

- Just like mine.
- Like which one?

The one who's mine.
Your husband's partner.

- Of my... - Husband!
- Is your... - Spouse?

How peculiar.

It seemed to me that the count,
Leander is his name,

is engaged to one
who's name is Lisaura!

Not count, and not Leander.

His beautiful name is Flaminio Ardenti.

- Not count...?!
- And not Leander!

- And here you sit so calmly and
remain silent. - Only on the surface.

Deep inside me burns a fire
I must restrain.

- He already escaped for the 2nd time.
- For the second time!

And I nonetheless love him.

Mine is he, he is my own,

and he will return to me.

Even though he deceives
and betrays you.

I have seen her and I have to say

his sense of taste really isn't bad.
What more could I want.

What strength, what power...
I never could do that.

I take back the possession
that's my own.

If this is strength and
power, so be it.

The best thing will be
we now get that girl, Lisaura,

to discuss how to proceed.

- What is it that you want from me?
- This lady wants to talk to you.

So this is how she looks,
my husband's playmate...?

And which man is said
to have been my playfellow?

His beautiful name is Flaminio Ardenti.

Never ever did such a man
maculate my bed.

Not of this name he might avail
himself, but of another.

He calls himself Leander,
Count Leander in your bed.

- The count?
- My husband...

And is engaged to me...

Was ever seen a husband
who got engaged?

You're not his type.

You're not worth him.

To judge this is not appropriate
for someone that's like you.

Don't you call black hair your own -

blonde is his taste.

Tastes change
from one woman to another.

And crooked are your legs.

Straight are mine.

And my breast, is it bigger
or smaller than yours?

Yours may well be bigger than mine,

but mine is firmer in shape.

It's size that really matters.

Never ever!

The shape. The shape's important,
not the size.

- Moreover, your language is vulgar.
- And you grow facial hair.

And you are one
who's to get for 30 soldis.

30 soldis,
that's 67.50 cents,

5 shillings, 2.70 marks.

Never ever.

My price was always 50 soldis,
never less.

50 soldis...
1 dollar 12 cents, 8 shillings...

4.50 marks...?

I look at you,
and you're asking me to believe this?

You're mean.

But there has to be found
an agreement between ourselves.

- That's my intention!
- So let us go to my place.

- There we will see. - So come,
Vittoria, this also concerns you!

Indeed! You're welcome, both of you.

Where have you been before, old man?
It should have been you to rescue me!

You did swear an oath
into my old hand

that no table will ever see you again
where gambling is worshipped!

How can you dare!
You are a servant,

and you have the cheek
to talk like that to a gentleman?

I was hoping a small spark
of goodness were in your heart!

That's not for you to judge!

One thinks in his head,
why else does one have it?

Use it to eat
and not for thinking.

It's surely nice

to lay down into the grass
after the work is done,

and to listen to the birds
in the clear air.

I see no grass, hear no birds,
smell no air.

I feel all this,

feel well inside my heart
that's free as a little bird.

I wish I could crush you

like an insect
that gets under my shoe.

Leave it be, young friend,
don't get too agitated.

Time and again he's out to kill me
on this day.

Oh well... wrath runs
in youth's blood like fever.

But it is not serious about it
with itself and others.

My friend, I repeat my offer,

and I raise it to twenty.
20 % of the net profit.

My wife, she fled...

She will come back, don't worry.

For women are like glue

that always sticks and sticks.

I will pay up, everything.

Up to the last soldi.
Give me time.

I vouch for the young gentleman.

That's what I call humour.

But in earnest, is the percentage
too small to you?

So I'll give a bounty
in addition, 50 sequins.

50 sequins, that's 1075 marks.

Don't do it, sir,
leave it alone.

I will do everything for you,
Pandolfo, everything.

However my wife's honour
is inviolable until the end.

Eugenio! My husband!

How long couldn't
I behold your countenance.

- Why do you come here with this...
- You mean Lisaura?

Well, I was looking for you
at her place.

Are you one of her
paramours, Eugenio?

Never did I set my foot
on the threshold of her house.

People talk a lot in Venice.

- That she and he...?
- That too, of course.

And you lend your ear
and give credence to that talk ?

What can one rely on
when one's own husband

won't come home a long time
to look after things?

Such prudent talk I haven't heard
for a long time in this place.

I made a proposal
to your husband, dear lady,

to participate in the business
that's mine, at twenty,

20 %, and a bounty of sequins,
fifty.

50 sequins, that's 1075 marks!

Of course you accepted,
or didn't you?

You are to play the harlot there

who tempts men into drinking
and gambling.

And gladly, gladly will I do this.

You want to sell yourself
and your beauty?

We're in debt, dearest,
what else is left for me to do?

- You want, really?
- With pleasure!

What joy, and now, in my old age!

But you're really not that old,
Pandolfo, not that old!

- Not? You think so?
- But never!

You're handsome, sir, and tall!

What more could one want in life!

We'll celebrate a feast today!

Send for the best that kitchen
and cellar have to offer!

A feast? That's
how I like it, Pandolfo.

I'll show you my gambling house
there to the left, do you want?

I gladly follow you, Signor Pandolfo.

Come, darling, follow us!

My congratulations, Signor Eugenio.

One must celebrate when one
has the opportunity.

A feast? Oh, this is good.

Saves me 15 soldis for my supper.

- He's eating for 15 soldis.
That's 1.35 marks. - Not bad.

Now let's talk about you,
my dear child.

Did he ever have you, the blond boy?

What are you thinking, Count.
He's as faithful as me, and me as him.

Is that an answer?

Dont grab me so rudely,
it is not proper.

I decide what's not proper.

Not always, friend, not always,
and now let me go.

I'm speechless, this tone
of voice is new from you.

So one always learns
something new and stays young.

Anything that's new from a woman
and not lovely, one cannot like.

Man is not just one thing alone,
for he consists of many things.

Man...
but a woman is not a man.

Well.

I have a cousin to visit, Ferrante,
stopping by from Milan.

I see, a cousin to visit,
and from Milan. You don't say.

He stays with me for a few days.

Yet he's not bothered by you.

Do you now deceive me in bright
daylight before my very eyes?

- The cousin's a cousin.
- And a man.

You will see him and change
your mind - there he comes.

- Is this the count?
- It's him, as he lives and breathes.

He's really handsome,
the count, and manly,

he would be to my liking
too, most certainly.

You're the cousin of Lisaura,
who's engaged to me,

- and just arrived from Milan?
- Not Milan, handsome Count, Turin!

Turin, not Milan!

Are you contented now
with me, Pandolfo?

There's a great plenty
of dishes and drinks.

In the lap of luxury
a feast is celebrated here.

All this you once will call
your own, Vittoria,

and you alone,
oh sun of my old age.

Here, Signora Vittoria, take back
this piece of ear jewellery.

- Why do you give it to me?
- Eugenio did ask me

to redeem it from
the clutches of Don Marzio.

My thanks for this.

My thanks will be
the caution you do exercise.

I'm hungry, innkeeper.
And thirsty.

It is about to be prepared,
Count, and in progress.

I, too am hungry,
dislike to wait.

Have patience, friends,
as this is a coffee house

and no eating place as such.

Did you already verify

whether Pandolfo is able to pay
what this banquet will cost?

The man's got money,
there's no doubt.

In debts, yes, but in money?
I do not know.

Has debts? He?

310 sequins, to the municipality.

310 sequins, that's 6450 marks!

Exactly, and to the City of Venice.

That's no pleasant creditor,
certainly not.

So I have to exercise caution.

The gentleman deceives,
at gambling as well as in life.

- My thanks to you, Don Marzio.
- Just thanks?

Pandolfo, here's another guest,
a cousin of my dearest, Lisaura,

visiting from Milan, Ferrante.

Greetings to you, Ferrante,
friend of my friends, be welcome.

Friend maybe, Cousin almost,
but not Milan. But greetings, sir.

Your conduct is unworthy of
a nobleman's wife. And disgraceful.

Where are you from, if not Milan?

- We're poor now!
- I'm from Turin, gladly.

Beggars can't be choosers.
You must learn this, friend.

I'm from Turin and not Milan.

The gentleman is from Turin,
and a cousin of Lisaura.

So Lisaura now has her
fine relatives in Turin,

what's been concealed from me
until this hour.

Do you gamble, Signor Ferrante,
play cards like us?

Indeed, and truly passionate,

as gambling is the expression of fair
manliness, and I enjoy being a man.

And we, the womenfolk,
the oppressed...

- You play with us!
- Oh yes, me too?

- Vittoria! It is not proper.

May I not learn about the game
that you cherish so much?

With which he gambles
house and knob away.

I say it again, don't interfere
in other people's matters.

If I had my own
I would stop it.

So don't quarrel
on this beautiful day!

You're right, Vittoria,
it's not worth it

to exchange words
with dull people.

But he knows how to philander
like a young one.

Vittoria!

Don't tolerate being deceived
before your own eyes, Signor Eugenio.

- Now let go of this person
immediately! - But why?

He is so kind to me!

He may be kind, but you
are wedded to me before God.

Before God? That's a long way off.

You blaspheme against God?

For this old crock?

Do you want to turn this feast
into a forum for a marital conflict?

And besides, in years
I am 50, none more.

One can tell that, Signor Pandolfo,
none more, how one can tell!

These are the best years
in the life of a man.

I should say so, I should.

Everyone's happy like little doves.
And you?

You ignore me.

Ferrante! Hold my hand.

Keep an eye on her,
she drinks too much!

- Don't drink that much!
- But why not?

Because she can't handle it.

Don't spoil the joy for me.

Are women in Venice permitted
to get drunk, Ridolfo,

when their husbands forbid it?

- I do not know the laws in detail.
- So go look them up!

I have to provide for the supplies
here, I can't leave.

So send the servant
you own.

Be quiet, friend, one day the sun
will shine for you as well.

You are so handsome,
my friend, and young.

Forget the women, they're
all not worth anything anyway.

Except the one here by my side,
she's worth her money, well and truly.

While she brings disappointment
to another. Is that right?

Such talking, cousin,
does not befit a stranger

who does not know about
the circumstances that prevail.

And anyway, you lack nobility.

The language is coarse,
like common people.

And a face that's painted
like an woman's visage.

It almost appears to me, sir,
that your feelings are unnatural.

Is it so? Never did my eye behold
something as dreadful as this!

And somebody like this
is still at large.

Leave him alone.
He does not deserve this.

But maybe he does. Maybe
he has deserved just this!

You are not given to offend me.

Though it's at my expense
that you're eating your supper.

That's right, no matter whether
you're Lisaura's cousin or not.

You want to get served,
don't want to pay,

and have your mouth open
as big as a barn door.

I'm so embarrassed, cousin,
so terribly embarrassed.

Oh dearest, I got used to it
a long time ago,

and wherever I am, the soul
of such people gets into a fuss.

And "such people",
what's that supposed to mean?

It's meant to hurt my delicate soul.

Leave it, dearest, he is not worth
for you to listen to his voice.

Oh well...

I'm feeling pleasant now and well.

I'm also quite content with me.

What's missing is music.

Oh yes... a night in Venice...

...is unsurpassable.

...is the best thing in the world.

I like you
you are a man

I love you
as I possibly can

I dream of you
all night long

I see you
and my heart laughs

I put you
into my clothes

I have you
in my hand

My wife!

- It was like a battle in Arizona.
- Don't talk so much, lend a hand.

- Oh my, plenty of work and little pay.
- And carried a cake in your hands.

- That was inedible.
- Because it was lying on the floor.

And in the face of a man before.

Who didn't deserve
that a cake adorned his face.

- Oh well... life...
- And God above...

- That's two different things.
- And labour is the third.

I will do my labour,
you can count on that.

- From five in the morning til
two at night. - I pay decently.

Yes, five sequins. And that's
107.50 marks every moon,

and only very reluctantly.

Is everything put right?

Has she got her husband back,
the other one her consciousness,

one his wife,
the other his money?

This is a coffee house, Don Marzio,

the newspaper's somewhere else.

Lisaura, darling,

come, take me home
and hide me at your place.

Why do you look about yourself
so conspicuously, Count,

as if the devil's already
breathing down your neck?

I look around for my wife.

You're in fear of her?
That dear, faithful soul?

- I fear her like the devil.
- And me?

It's you I love.
With every fibre of my soul.

- And your wife?
- For your sake I have left her.

At the time you fled her,
I had never been before your eyes.

Don't reject me in my darkest hour.

I loved the man,
the strong, the ruler.

What's left now
is not worth mentioning.

Pandolfo, friend,

Pandolfo, can at least you hide me?

I'm neither friend nor
do I have a hideout for you.

Even though we spent so many hours
together playing games of luck?

The time estimation may be right,
but luck was never mentioned.

Are you saying that...

Exactly. The cards were prepared.

- So that I would win?
- You and no one else.

So, danger threatens
from this side as well?

To the gambler indeed, but not
to the gambling house owner.

Oh, my God, excuse me,
I thought I'd see my wife.

I am Don Marzio, and
that has always been my name.

I know, my friend, I know.

I can see you're suffering
and want to offer you my help.

- Thank you my friend.
- What do you intend to do?

To get away.
Only an escape can save me.

So listen - later this night
a gondola will go to Fussina,

and from there
a post chaise to Ferrara.

You are so good to me, and
I always thought you were a swine.

You erred, Count,
you were mistaken in that matter.

So can you fetch
my things from Lisaura?

- Is this arranged?
- It is arranged.

- Now just give me some money.
- How much?

50 sequins, I deem not too much.

50 sequins,
that's 1075 marks.

- Here you are.
- Thank you.

We will meet there at the bridge
where the gondola sets off.

You want to collect the things
of our friend, the count?

It's my assignment, yes.

- What does the count intend to do?
- Tell us what's supposed to happen.

He'll take the gondola to Fussina,
from there the post chaise to Ferrara.

So, he wants to escape, the count.

And rightly so!

Because the wife is on his tail
just like the devil.

That very well may be,
that wife is like a devil.

She just loves him,
as befits a good wife.

And possibly a little bit more.

Well, howsoever...

except me no one else was there
to help the count.

Who would want to help someone

who didn't bring anything good
to this coffee house?

And nonetheless he is a human being,
like you and me.

Like you, that well may be,
like me, never.

Do you fancy yourself as being better
than the masters of this world?

You of all people have to say such
a thing, whom I entrusted moneys today

that are rare, even for
the masters of this world.

How interesting.

Let's hear more
about this important issue.

I gave this gentleman
1000 sequins this morning,

to speculate for me
at the stock exchange.

That's 21,500 marks.

Are you out of your mind, servant?

Ten sequins you gave to me,

to redeem the ear jewellery
of Signora Vittoria.

Did you ask for a receipt
for the amount or not?

Why would he need receipts
from a gentleman like me?

Even if he had given me the money,
which he did not.

Oh, my dear Trappolo,

maybe we should try a little
dance together, someday?

Where's so much
there must be more.

And too old for love
you're not yet either.

And didn't I take you
along this morning

into my small chamber,
the one where I live in.

Good God, why should I go
into the chamber of a servant?

So that I would hand over
the bag with dollars to you there.

With dollars? To me?

I can remember nothing of the kind.

How could he come into
so much money in the first place.

All my life I did spare,

I lived austerely
and could have had everything.

I managed to slave
from dawn to dusk, and hard,

because I knew that in
that chamber was lying something

that is mine and plenty.

I will go home now,
sir, and cry.

You're not worth
that I argue with you.

And if it was lying
untouched in the chamber

there would be no difference
to how it is now. Now it's gone.

Coffee!

It's already late.

You're talking to the companion of
the gambling house there to the left.

You really want to do it, deliver
yourself into the hands of the bandit?

- Did I ask for your advice?
- And no, of course not.

Good. So keep
your opinions to yourself,

keep quiet and bring the coffee.

I am not used to
that kind of language,

I have a coffee house
in which you are seated.

My gambling house eats up your coffee
house in a breath, if I so wish.

That may well be, but do you want
to turn your wife into a whore?

Whether she's a whore...

or not, is our concern, not yours.

He's acting completely and utterly
with the consent of his wife.

He will have to learn to understand
this, dearest, like everyone.

How much does he pay you,
the Signor Pandolfo?

300, at the minimum, every moon
and more, if business increases.

300, that's 6235 marks.

- Exactly.
- That's what he pays us.

- Because he likes us.
- And because he's old and we're young.

And isn't it known to you that
the very Signor Pandolfo owes money,

in fact to the City of Venice?
310 sequins?

310 sequins, that's 6450 marks.

- Exactly.
- That's ridiculous,

our friend wouldn't bother
about such small amounts.

And haven't I heard it
with my own ears?

- And you believe this?
- I'm sure that it's true.

People talk so nastily in Venice.

But sometimes it is true
what they announce.

Most often not.

But if it is true, my beloved,

then before long we will have
taken over the gambling house

from his hand and we will
conduct it, free from debt!

Exactly, so shall it be,
and now get the coffee.

I am so proud of you,
you are so strong.

And I am proud of you,
who helped me to become a man.

- You were a man, and all along.
- I'm man now more than ever.

- You will take me in your arms.
- And hold you tight,

- And squeeze, squeeze.
- Until you scream.

You are a man!

Coffee!

You're going to lie in your bed
when patrons besiege the coffee house

and want to drink?

Misfortune has knocked me down.

How can a thing like you
have misfortune anyway.

I thought I were dead.

And you're alive now just as ever.

It only looks that way, Ridolfo,
how it is, is different.

So now you've risen from the dead?

Man does not die
so easily, Don Marzio,

he clings to life.

That's true.

You've got it good,
you've got reason in your head,

I don't, I've got it bad.

Yes, reason...

- ...that's a bit of a problem.
- Sure...

I've just been to the police,

my friends, as you know.

I told them about Pandolfo, who owns
the gambling house there to the left.

I reported that he operates
his business with marked cards.

What do you think I was told?

Said gentleman is indebted to
the City of Venice with 800 sequins.

800 sequins, that's 17,200 marks.

And as long as he has debts
that aren't paid off

they let him do as he pleases,

because first of all the town
must get its money back.

That's how it goes.

I have to leave now, to get
the Count's departure under way.

Is he gone now, the Count Leander?

It is not known to me,
but I don't think so.

- So keep me informed.
- Sure, Miss.

Have you seen the count,
who's my husband?

I'm afraid not.

Though he is doing nothing else
but looking around all evening.

Even so, he did not get by here.

If he's lying
he'll get what for!

I'm not lying.
I'm too old for lying.

Has he been with you, my dear?

He came by,
looking for a hideout,

yet you deserve him
by far more than me, dearest.

Malice is the right
of the ordinary people.

Have you made the things ready?

Yes, they are arranged.

So I will take them now.
Goodbye.

What things?

Oh, please don't
scratch my eyes out.

So tell me of what things
were you talking of!

Those of the Count.
Don't beat me.

- What's the count doing?
- He's fleeing.

And which way?

He takes the gondola to Fussina,
from there the post chaise to Ferrara.

Where is he now?

He's awaiting his things
on the bridge now.

So he will get his thing - me!

Never again will I flee you!

I will lead a marriage with you
as faithful as gold!

Placida, dearest,
can you forgive me?

I have already
forgiven you, dearest!

At night I can't sleep without you,
can't breath by day!

I need your muscles, your hand,

your hair, through which
I run my gentle hands,

the shoulder where I rest my head,

the chest that's resistance
against evil to me.

And all of it,
all of you I do need!

Subtitles: Kurosuke@KG