Original subtitles

[Theme music]

[Birds chirping]

[Straining]

[Anna winces]

-Shh, shh! -[Speaks Occitan] Don't worry,

I'll take care of you.

You're safe here.

Shh.

You have slept all day.

You have scared me.

I thought you were a boy.

What happened to you?

Your wound is infected. My ancestors taught me...

I don't understand you.

Don't worry, it's alright.

Thank you.

[Abbot] Benedic, Domine, dona tua,

quae de tua largiate sumus sumpturi...

Per Christum Dominum nostrum.

[All] Amen.

My dear brothers,

on this most important occasion,

I hereby excuse you all from our rule of silence.

I don't see the Archbishop of Saragoza.

I heard he asked Severinus for some myrrh.

Loose bowels.

And now our brother cellarer

will tell us what the cooks have prepared.

Yes. Thank you, reverend abbot.

Tonight the kitchens will serve a pigeon stew,

as well as rabbit, rice with almonds from the nearby hills,

borage tarts, stuffed olives, fried cheese,

mutton, white broad beans,

as well as a selection of wines and herb liqueurs.

We hope you will enjoy your dinner.

Don't forget my chickpeas!

Per Christum dominum nostrum.

Most reverend Bernard, I believe that

you and brother William are acquainted.

Bernard's fame has been a lesson to me

and an admonition for many important decisions

that have inspired my life.

It seems that now, at the abbot's request,

I must concern myself with some very sad events

in which the stink of the Devil is evident.

I mention this to you because I know that in remote times

you yourself fought in that field

where the forces of good

were arrayed against the forces of evil.

True, but then I moved over to the other side.

I lack the courage to investigate

the weaknesses of the wicked

because I discovered they are the same

as the weaknesses of the saintly.

Can you tell us anything helpful

with regard to these criminal deeds?

No, unfortunately.

Hmm.

A small gift from His Holiness to the abbey.

I humbly thank you and His Holiness.

[Mild exclamations]

[Whispering] It's a present for the abbot.

Christ on the cross

with a purse?

It is a symbol.

You must know what a symbol is.

Here, Christ allows the use of money for religious ends.

[Michele] I am of course aware of the lack of esteem

you hold for us Franciscans.

All of us, in our life, communicate mainly by symbols.

Even words are symbols.

My symbols?

My symbols also were made by a skilled craftsman,

but I have used them up walking mile after mile

delivering Christ's message to the humble and poor.

I give thanks to our dear reverend abbot

for the splendid welcome he has shown us

and for the absolution he will no doubt grant us this evening

for the sins of excess we're all committing now.

[Laughter and applause]

[Indistinct chatter]

Inquisitor know you. Il te regarde.

I was just like a roach for him.

He isn't interested in roaches.

Noi escapar. Get away now.

Si Inquisitore recognize you, requerda te.

[Grunts]

[Whispers] I spoke with an officer.

There was a bloodbath in Pietranera.

Anna?

Brother William,

I understand you're not alone here.

That you brought someone with you.

Indeed. I have a novice.

Oh. For your sake I hope he'll be the type of student

who brings honor to his master, rather than shame.

Adso...

[Bernard] Franciscan, I suppose?

I was a Benedictine novice at the abbey of Melk.

Ah. German?

Yes, Most Reverend Father.

[Bernard] And where did you meet your master?

In Florence.

Truly? What on earth was a German Benedictine novice

doing in Florence?

I wanted to see Italy.

To visit the heart of Christianity

and discover a sense of beauty.

Sit, young man.

I notice you haven't had any wine.

No, sir. And neither has my master.

Oh, yes, we're already familiar with his many virtues.

[Bell ringing in background]

Dear brother...

His Holiness is most grateful to you for your messages.

He appreciates you keeping him informed

on all the developments here.

Our abbey, Herr Excellency, is neutral ground,

but my devotion to Pope John supersedes my neutrality.

Any thoughts on who might find

dabbling in murder amusing hereabouts?

I understand your assistant was one of the victims.

[Sighs] Yes.

The most cruel of all our losses, Most Reverend.

Both William of Baskerville and the abbot

unjustly suspected him.

Did they now? And you, whom do you favor?

Oh...

No one.

Truly, Most Reverend Father, no one.

But one cannot be denied:

it all began with the arrival of the Franciscan.

Oh, dear me, are you suggesting...

-No. -Here?

-No. -In the abbey?

You think the presence of Franciscans

would offer the murderer protection?

I don't know.

Honestly, I just do not know.

And the abbot?

You will see for yourself

if the abbot is worthy of the Pope's trust.

If he is morally equipped to govern such a holy place.

What else can you tell me?

There have been strange and numerous nocturnal movements

in the abbey lately.

It seems to me sometimes that when I lock the tower

someone is already hidden inside.

In fact, recently I have found

clear signs of infractions in the library.

What do you know about Remigio of Varagine?

-Why do you ask? -Because his face is familiar.

Remigio of Varagine is in my memory...

for some reason.

[Chuckles]

Remigio?

[William] Remigio!

-[Growls] -[Shushes]

What more do you want from me?

I beg you. Prego. Prego Grandissimo Magister...

Do not destroy povero Salvatore et buonissimo Remigio.

Salvatore!

Save us from Inquisitore diablo!

-Don't say we... -Stop it!

I swear not to tell anyone your secrets.

Now go. Get some sleep, Salvatore.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Merci.

[Growls]

The abbot accepted Remigio of Varagine about 15 years ago.

He was with that monster, Salvatore, who makes paper.

I have no idea where they came from.

But then, one day,

Remigio gave me some sealed envelopes

and asked me to keep them safe and hidden in the library.

And what did you do?

I swore I would lock them in Finis Africae.

-Where? -The most secret room

in the library. Finis Africae.

Of course he did not tell you what was in the envelopes?

-Of course not. -And you have never looked.

Never.

And were I to ask you to show them to me?

I swore I would show them to no one as long as Remigio lives.

I understand.

I wish you a pleasant evening, brother.

And to you, Most Reverend Father.

[William] If you think you have two enemies within these walls,

you would be wise to confide in the one who is not armed.

Believe me.

I was still a Franciscan when I met Dolcino.

I believed in Dolcino's preachings,

as many others like me did.

I'm not an educated man.

I'm not really moved by ideas.

I once tried to rebel against the overlords;

now I serve them.

Betray or rebel:

we simple folk have little choice.

You came to stop us.

Could you really have been so presumptuous

as to convince yourself you could stop Dolcino?

Or the Pope's army?

Or Bernard Gui?

Someone was about to send you a spear,

but Margherita stopped him.

Were you the someone?

I don't know how to say it:

it was a feast of fools,

a magnificent carnival...

[Distant voices]

Most Reverend?

Go to Remigio of Varagine's cell

and bring him here.

And put a guard on the door to the tower.

Anyone found leaving there tonight will be arrested.

Exeunt omnes!

Exeunt omnes!

[Door closing and locking]

[Remigio] There were thousands of us

in the mountains with Dolcino.

And then slowly we were reduced

to eating the flesh of our companions killed in battle.

But even in those moments too,

there was an atmosphere of freedom, yes!

I didn't know before what freedom was.

We felt free. We thought that was the truth.

Everything we were doing was right.

And there you took to uniting yourself freely with women?

[Remigio] You, little monk,

who comes from a castle and ends up in an abbey...

do you think it is the devil who inspires such thoughts?

Untrue. It is a way of life.

What you doing in domu Remigio?

Where is he?

Um, mi don't know...

But Remigio a good man, huh, leave him in peace,

s'il vous plaît.

I tell you, it was a new and unique experience.

With no more masters!

And God, we were promised,

was with us!

[William] Fear prophets, Adso,

and those prepared to die for the truth,

for as a rule they make many others die with them,

often before them, at times instead of them.

Yes, that is true.

I'm not saying Dolcino was right.

In fact, you find me here because

I abandoned them before very long.

I told you, it was a great carnival,

and in carnival time everything is done backwards...

No, Remigio, wait!

It would be wise for Bernard to station guards

to make sure no one enters the tower at night, nor exits.

Try and think like your enemy does.

So, how do we leave?

Through the ossarium.

The ossarium?

The ossarium.

[William] You're not afraid of skulls, are you?

[Bernard] No...

Jesus Christ...

[Inhales deeply]

My flesh is not worthy...

to receive you... [Winces]

[Inhales deeply, groans]

Only... say the word...

[Breathes heavily]

[Whispers] And my soul...

shall be healed.

Oh, Jesus.

Jesus Christ.

[William] I have something to tell you

and it is not good news.

Two former Dolcinians live in the abbey.

The cellarer and that strange creature who makes paper...

If Bernard finds out, he could use them against us.

Any excuse is good enough to accuse us of heresy.

We are facing the worst inquisitor ever born of Satan,

and the most shameful Pope ever to accede to the throne.

I want to come to an agreement with him.

Hm.

I will only ask him to agree

to a sound interpretation of Scripture.

We're here to defend St. Francis.

We just demand to be free to bear witness

to the need for a new age of man.

An age of liberty, of charity, of spirituality.

And we have come here to win the right

to affirm that this change can only emerge

if it's sustained and protected by the Church.

[Hugh] The Church must change. And men must change

their way of living and thinking and respecting each other.

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti...

[All] Amen.

This afternoon, between noon and vespers,

our conference will begin.

May the Holy Spirit illuminate each of you.

[Dolcino] A new justice!

A new Church!

[Alinardo] When I was young I translated from Greek

a poem that I can still remember.

It was called "Evil."

"Zeus handed down an everlasting ill:

old age that chills far colder still..."

[Clicks tongue]

"...than death.

That squalid and sinister old age,

where darkness is a cage

where all they are

and all they'll ever be, ah, ah, is blind!"

[All laugh]

Stop laughing.

That was the poet Mimnermus,

your Sublimity!

John Chrysostomos said

that Christ never laughed.

But he said that almost four centuries after Christ died.

Jesus never spoke about comedies or fables,

but only spoke in clear parables.

And goodness should never be laughed at.

I believe laughter is a good medicine, like baths.

Baths are good. They restore the balance of the humors.

Laughter shakes the body,

distorts the features of the face,

makes man more similar to the monkey.

Monkeys do not laugh; laughter is proper to man.

It is a sign of his rationality.

Not everything proper to man

is necessarily good.

When Saint Laurence was placed on the gridiron,

he invited his executioners to turn him over,

saying that that side was already cooked.

[Laughter]

[Mimics birdcall]

[Birdcall]

[Speaks Occitan] I have built my house.

-Home? -Home. My home.

Here, try this, it's cake.

It's really good.

-You like it? -[Speaks Occitan] Thank you.

Take it.

Don't be afraid.

I can.

I want it.

[Birdsong]

[Indistinct voices]

[Man] These horses are starving.

[Horse whinnies]

I am so delighted to see you here, Your Eminence,

and against all odds...

I heard the people of Bologna tried to kill you.

I'm not keen on dying so soon!

[Abbot laughs]

Ah...

Your timing is perfect.

The conference is about to begin!

I just need to wash my face.

Please escort his most reverend Eminence Cardinal du Pouget

to his quarters.

And please send me a bottle of your famous red!

[Soldiers marching]

[Birds chirping]

How beautiful the world can be.

[Clears throat]

[Bernard] Oh...

Remigio of Varagine!

Most Reverend Father...

I have been looking for you to have a little talk,

but last night you were not in your cell.

No. Indeed no.

When I get one of my headaches I need to walk

and I'll always go to the wood.

-With the wolves? -Oh, no, I'm afraid of wolves,

Reverend Father.

I take some food in my pocket,

should they be hungry.

So, you distribute alms to the wolves...

Come, sit with me. Let us pray.

I feel sure we have met before. Where was it?

No, Reverend Father,

I am sure we have never met before.

Huh.

Where... Where were you before you came to this abbey?

[Sighs]

I was at many monasteries.

In Belgium, in the convent of La Verna, in Tuscany...

The Franciscan convent at La Verna?

Yes, most Reverend Father.

Oh, dear. It was a den of dangerous thinkers.

There were many scholars.

But I always was a humble servant.

Only a humble servant.

I worked the land, with a spade,

not with ideas.

One more thing...

Have you ever met William of Baskerville?

No, never. Only here.

May I leave?

Go in peace.

I am ever your humble servant, most Reverend Father.

[Bernard mutters prayers]

[Bernard] Oh, brother...

Most Reverend Father.

Tell me,

what do you know about William of Baskerville's novice?

Well, in fact I sent a carrier pigeon to his abbey in Melk.

This Adso is the son of a general in the imperial army.

Ah, little German snake.

So William has brought us a spy.

I'm counting on you to make sure

that little snake or any of the other Franciscans

do not use our carrier pigeons.

Where is your novice?

He should be here shortly, I hope.

[Speaks Occitan] No, no, no! Don't worry. He is good.

[Breathes heavily]

-Who are you? -Who are you?

-[Anna] What are you doing here? -Are you hurt?

[Speaks Occitan] It's getting much better.

It's getting much better.

She saved my life. Who is she?

She's escaping from war.

[Anna] Do you understand her?

[Adso] Yes.

Then tell her that I'm so very, very grateful.

And... And tell her to show me

the roots that she used to stop my infection.

I didn't mean to say that I speak her language.

Just that I understand her.

Yes, you understand her the way I understand her.

What's your name?

Adso. And yours?

Anna.

-Anna, why are you armed? -I'm hunting.

So, I suppose you got hurt hunting?

You have your reasons to be here and I have mine.

How far is the abbey?

One hour by the cart path.

Shorter through the trees and rocks.

[Abbot] Welcome to all

to this debate which, as you know,

is essential to the future of our Church and of our religion.

On the question of poverty:

should the Church choose to renounce all wealth?

Our brothers in the Franciscan Order,

under the Generalship of Michele of Cesena,

stated at Perugia in 1322

their belief in the renunciation

of the ownership of all things material.

After that it was necessary for Pope John

to issue the bull Cum inter nonnullos,

in which the Franciscan doctrine is condemned as heretical.

We cannot accept that decision.

[Door closing]

[Adso] I belong to William of Baskerville, I'm his novice.

[Cardinal du Pouget] Pope John's bull says textually:

any affirmation of an impoverished Church

from this moment on must be held erroneous and heretical

because it clearly contradicts Sacred Scripture.

[Pedro] It is evil even to think against Sacred Scripture!

[Bernard] The Emperor is using you, Franciscans.

He wishes to discredit the Pope and calls him an enemy of peace.

Not really.

In substance, yes.

Reverend abbot.

We Franciscans affirm that sacrifice,

be it private or public,

of ownership of all things

is meritorious and holy.

Christ taught this with his speech

and confirmed it with his example,

demonstrating the... the path of perfection.

As Saint Paul tells us, we have what we need to eat,

we have what we need to cover our nakedness.

And this is enough, we are satisfied.

To contradict this is heresy!

How dare you?

Every human right,

on the basis of which material goods are owned,

is contained in the laws.

Christ as a mortal man,

from the moment of his conception,

was owner of all earthly goods,

and, as God, he received from the Father

universal control over everything.

The Pope is his heir.

Luke in chapter 6 says that Christ dismisses from himself

all power and lordship,

and in Matthew, chapter 19,

Peter asserts that to follow Him they left everything.

Surely the life of Christ

should be the model of behavior for the Church.

Should we, who seek to follow Christ,

allow ourselves to divide up the ownership of things?

Or even to grab land and jewels and buildings and money

as if our salvation lay, not in the spirit of love and justice

and peace to all men,

but in the dull and tarnished power

that possessions seem to confer upon those

who lay claim to them?

You Franciscans made armed attacks

on Dominican convents.

You stripped naked your rival monks

to impose poverty on them.

There are 30,000 Franciscans in Europe.

We cannot control the excesses of a handful of fanatics!

"Uras Deus non plenas adspicit manus."

God looks at clean hands, not full ones.

How dare you accuse us of hands full and dirty,

-like a usurer! -[Gerolamo] No, you are the one

who compares Christ to... to a prelate of your court,

-you sacks of shit! -Moderate your language, please!

[Roberto] These are examples of your heretical writings

that have inspired the Emperor!

[Hugh] He certainly won't be inspired by your writings

since you are illiterate!

I? Illiterate?

Was your Francis literate, he who spoke with geese?

[Laughter]

And what do you have to say

about the taxae sacrae poenitentiariae

in which the Pope exploits the sins of the religious

in order to squeeze out more money?

Hey! Mind how you speak, pig, son of a whore!

Here is what your Pope says:

"If an ecclesiastic commits a sin...

a carnal sin, with a nun, or with a relative,

or even with an ordinary woman,

he can be absolved by paying

67 gold pieces and 12 pence.

And if he commits bestiality,

it is more than 200 pieces.

But if he has committed it only with youths or animals,

and not with females, the fine is reduced by 100!"

This is a shameful calumny! How dare you!

Bastard! You heretic!

No, no, no, no, no, please, brothers!

Be seated.

Please, please.

Venerable brothers, please.

Venerable brothers!

[Grunting and struggling]

[Monk yells indistinctly]

-[Abbot] Venerable brothers! -Let me go!

[Abbot] We will return to our labors

tomorrow morning after prayers.

But hear me: I will not tolerate another scene like today's.

Anyone who goes beyond the limits will be expelled.

[Adso] Are there no better arguments

to prove or refute the poverty of Christ?

The question is not whether Christ was poor:

it is whether the church must be poor.

And "poor" does not mean material want or poverty,

but rather it means keeping or renouncing the right

to legislate on earthly matters...

Will you say this when you're called on to speak?

If I manage to speak before they kill one another!

I am trapped between two opposing forces,

like an ass that does not know which of two sacks to eat.

[Screams]

[Salvatore] It work, mio bonissimo trap!

I'm coming, puella! [Laughs]

Ah, beautiful smell!

-[Speaks Occitan] Let me go! -Sweet juice de la femina.

-I love you. -[Screams]

Do not touch me. Let me go!

Bona, bona, puella.

Salvatore love you.

No.

Me apprend toi l'amore.

[Yells] You are hurting me!

No, no, buono. [Chuckles]

[Sobs as she speaks] No, let me go!

No me comprende. Cum Salvatore.

[Screams] Let me go!

No, you will love me, puella.

[He grunts]

[Sobs]

[He sniffs]

[Yells]

[Gasps]

[Breathes deeply]

[Groans]

[Distant bell ringing]

I would like you to hear my confession.

[William] I have been waiting for that.

Up until yesterday I had to confess a desire.

Today I must confess something more serious.

I've had carnal relations with the girl.

I know that I have sinned

because I have chosen the life of a monk.

-You have chosen? -Yes.

I think so.

Adso, you have sinned, that is certain,

against the commandment that bids you not to fornicate.

In your defense, there is the fact that

you found yourself in one of those situations

that even a father in the desert would have damned himself.

You must not do it again,

but it is not so monstrous that you were tempted to do it.

And as far as that goes, for a monk to have,

at least once in his life, experience of carnal passion,

so that he can one day be indulgent and understanding

to sinners he will counsel and console.

My intellect knows her as an occasion of sin

but my heart perceives her as the...

vessel of every grace.

Time will come when you are ready to decide.

There's nothing like a good spell in church

to calm the spirit. I have absolved you,

but one never knows.

So go and ask for the Lord's confirmation.

[Mutters faintly]