Original subtitles

PALERMO, BRANCACCIO SEPTEMBER 2011

Go!

Testing, testing... One, two, three...

OK, everything's working... Fine...

It looks like the microphone isn't working...

I don't know if it works or not, now we'll see.

Anyway, we'll call a technician and have it fixed.

Fine...

Who are you talking to, Mira?

I'm talking on my own.

- May I? - Come in!

- So good to see you! - I thought you got kidnapped!

It's easier getting from Naples to Palermo, than from Palermo to Villagrazia...

Everyone says so...

Oh my... So, what's this thing about Berlusconi...?

- Take a seat. - Thank you.

I thought we could do a duet together, as we agreed.

But it should be something fun, about someone really popular, a public figure.

And there's just one person that, in the midst of this crisis, popped to mind:

Berlusconi!

Just one thing: do you know that Berlusconi is really beloved in this neighborhood?

Keep in mind that here Berlusconi got a lot of... votes, of stuff...

You know what I mean...

He was elected thanks to this neighborhood.

That's called?

Brancaccio!

I'd like to meet Berlusconi,

I'm not condemned but I'm shy, and to dine and laugh with Berlusconi,

drive his car and release statements...

I'm sure one day Silvio will notice me.

Never gonna happen...

- This is pretty much my idea... - It's good, I like it!

Then we should do a comedy piece, at the end of the song,

maybe a string progression, some pizzicato strings, like a waltz...

- ... to cut this dance vibe, - I like it...

then we do an Eros Ramazzotti performance: "Adesso tu".

As if Silvio Berlusconi appeared and saved us from unemployment,

so we join his team and work with him!

- And all our problems are gone! - You wish! Let's do it!

How do you explain all this success in Brancaccio?

Well, it's on every newspaper, everyone's talking about it, so...

It's out in the open...

I know, but how do you explain it?

Well, you know... We're all friends here...

- It's always about friends. - Yeah, it's always about friends...

Friends...

They care for us so, you know...

We care for them, they care for us

and we do each other favors... That's all!

And now...

you're here...

to give a meaning to my days...

Shit, if only Berlusconi said that right to my face...

So cool, dude! I love it!

That's the idea...

I love this Eros thing!

Listen to the end...

My never ending will, you already are for me

and we sing it together: a rematch!

I resigned from Prime Minister.

I did so out of sense of responsibility, out of statesmanship.

Berlusconi resigned after a long meeting of PDL National Executive Committee...

Enrica, I'm breaking the news: he resigned, Berlusconi resigned...

By tomorrow Napolitano might ask Mario Monti to form a new government...

I'm locked up, an inmate.

Ain't done nothin' wrong, I got convicted

and I don't even know why...

- What's your name? - Anna, calling from Palermo.

Repeat: My Lord don't...

I wanted to pray for Berlusconi, to make him come back to us...

Come on! There are more serious issues than that!

- Beg your pardon? - There are bigger issues than Berlusconi.

There are a lot of people starving to death, Anna!

Be serious... God bless you Anna, good night!

Good night.

Oh my God... Hello?

I miss the sun in Palermo,

the smell of the seaside in Mondello,

With Berlusconi gone, many appalled Sicilians wonder:

what will be the future of our beautiful yet tormented land?

What will become of us without Silvio?

And now over to the crime news.

Today a 68-year-old pensioner, Giuseppe Lo Bue,

attempted suicide in his house in Giuseppe Costa Street.

He caused a violent gas explosion

that tore down the house he lived in with his two brothers

who were not home at the time.

For days, the man had been living in fear of losing his pension

as a result of Berlusconi's resignations.

Despite the violence of the explosion,

and is now hospitalized at Civico Hospital in Palermo in a stupor.

Sicily wants Bollusco... Billosco... Belluscone!

We want Bellusconi!

We want Belluscone, go Belluscone!

Hurrah for Palermo, hurrah for Sicily, hurrah for Italy!

There's no doubt that the love story between Silvio Berlusconi and Sicily

is one of a kind,

different from any other love story there ever was!

Unfortunately, spiteful people, and there always are, insinuate that

there are dangerous friendships, sinister interests and shady businesses

behind this dreamy love story.

Is it the truth or a lie?

To find an answer to this unsettling question,

we will walk you through the fascinating and mysterious world of the festivals,

whose undisputed stars are the so-called neomelodic singers.

We will meet exceptionally talented artists,

like Toti De Castro, a.k.a. Erik, and Vittorio Ricciardi.

They are two young singers that have a significant role in this humble movie.

If you're wondering about the connection between festivals and Silvio Berlusconi,

come with us and you'll meet the greatest manager of neomelodic singers in the world.

An upright man, never afraid to tell the most uncomfortable truths,

even in a city like Palermo.

His name is Francesco Mira, but everybody calls him Ciccio...

What would you like me to ask you?

Can we talk about everything?

Can we talk about everything? Any subject?

Yes...

Ciccio, can we talk about everything? For instance, there's the threat of mafia,

or we'd better erase mafia... we just don't talk about it...

- No, it's better if we don't. - Better if we don't?

- Yes, let's talk about current stuff... - Well, mafia is current...

- Yes, well... - But let's not talk about it.

It's not up for discussion.

Let's talk about songs, about the beautiful stuff we do.

- Then, when we're out... - Explain it to me.

We can talk about it.

We meet up, by ourselves.

When we're alone, we can talk about anything you like.

I understand that this is a zone....

- Eh... - Eh...?

- ... a hot zone. - Really hot...

See that house?

Lauricella!

Best wishes to everyone!

Best wishes not you, to them!

Antonino Lauricella laughs, he waves, he compliments the agents,

he puts up a show in front of the cameras.

He's a mafia boss arrested by Palermo's policemen

after being a fugitive for six years.

You see that? That house over there?

No, I have to look or pretend I'm not looking?

I look or pretend I'm not looking?

Which one? What am I looking at?

- At me! - No, you said: see that house?

You see that house, that house is... how can I say...

A gorgeous house because they renovated it...

But you were saying something else... That house? You moved your lips...

- Who lives in that house? - Who lives there?

- Some friends... - Some "friends"...?

Some friends, we're all friends here...

It's right and proper to say friends!

It's still better if we avoid the subject.

But to be honest, the stage was set up here tonight because of that house!

Well, yes... But, it's for everyone. To be honest, it's for everyone.

But for that house in particular.

Well, yes. For that house in particular...

Don't say it out loud, just move your lips.

- What? - Your lips, your lips...

Your lips, your lips... Don't make any sound and mimic the name!

No...

You were telling me, you've already said it!

- No, I just said friends... - With your lips, like this, look...

No, no... It's better if we... Here we are very respectful of everyone...

So, we'll talk about everything, except mafia.

Apart from specific circumstances... That's fine...

Ok... But do you ever say the word mafia?

- Do I say...? - The word mafia?

No, no, to me it doesn't exist.

To me nothing exists, I'm out in the open!

Hi Tatti, it's Franco.

I tried calling you this morning.

I wanted to tell you to stop researching

those documents I asked you for Berlusconi. At least for the moment.

It's just that everything got so messed up,

it would take too long to explain everything.

I'll get in touch, don't call me for now,

I'll call you as soon as I can, ok?

See you.

The voice you've just heard is Franco Maresco's.

It's the voice of one of the loneliest, grumpiest, most controversial, most...

cursed directors in the whole history of Italian movies.

Franco became popular in the 90s, when he created the brand "CINICO TV".

Together with another fellow citizen from Palermo, Daniele Ciprì,

he created some brilliant stuff that pissed off

even the other State ruling over Italy: the Vatican.

"Toto who lived twice" was the last movie to be destroyed by censorship,

and so it lost all state funding and caused troubles

that are still going on today after 15 years.

Maresco recently split up from his partner

and took on one of the most heroic and insane challenges in Italy today:

tell the Sicilian criminal beginnings of Silvio Berlusconi.

This movie, called "Bellusconi, a Sicilian story", was never finished,

but Franco Maresco has disappeared.

"Bellusconi", the movie, is floating in the limbo of unfinished works.

WITH CICCIO MIRA

Piero turn on this fucking answering machine.

I'm sending you the number of a certain Puma, Francesco Puma.

Tell him I need to see him this afternoon.

Cut him no slack, he's a pain in the ass just like in the old times

with Ciprì and Maresco.

Thanks!

Let's drop off my luggage at Hotel Europa and afterwards we'll go downtown.

I try calling Franco one last time, quite hopelessly, but I'm already in Palermo.

I've known Franco my whole life. I'm used to his depression,

to his disappearing acts for months and months, to his paranoia.

I respect his wish not see anyone.

I came because...

I think that this time Franco is in trouble, serious trouble.

The first thing I do is go by his old studio

where I'm supposed to meet his old assistant,

a sort of miniature Buster Keaton.

He tells me that he hasn't heard from him in months,

but he knows where he always went to eat, a place called "The box of Flavours".

In your opinion, why did he disappear?

Well, I must say that lately something bizarre happened...

A person, a tall person wearing glasses, approached him.

He talked about nothing but movies, always screaming...

We thought, my husband and I, that this person had got under his skin

and so he was upset with this man always screaming, yelling and talking about movies.

- And he was also bothering your clients... - Yes, he was bothering our clients.

Right away I understand who both husband and wife are talking about,

the overwhelming Francesco Puma.

I'll meet him tonight at Gaudium Cinema.

He asked me Veronica Lario's filmography,

I couldn't believe my ears, it didn't even sound like Maresco...

Veronica Lario starred in many movies,

but two and only two, and I'm saying two, exist.

One is Dario Argento's "Tenebrae",

that had the murder scene censored by Mediaset channels.

And the other one is a Lina Wertmuller's movie starring Enrico Montesano

in the role of a carpenter and going by the title of "Softly, Soflty",

soundtrack by Paolo Conte. The Squallors were the first ones to say

Berlusconi's name in a song

called "USA for Italy" included in the 1985 album "Touch the apricot".

And don't make me talk about "The Caiman".

I don't know who's crazier: he jabbering on or me who swallowing everything...

For sure Maresco is crazier than the both of us since he insisted on hiring Puma

as the biographer of the couple Berlusconi-Lario...

I knew very well that I couldn't count on Puma.

I go back to my hotel, depressed, disappointed.

I'll get by on my own, I'll focus on the notes Franco sent me

back when he was shooting: outlines, post-its,

ideas, questions, answers...

Tomorrow is another day.

The morning after, in a bad mood,

I go to Brancaccio neighborhood to meet a certain Nino Quattrocchi,

owner of a photo and video shop for weddings called "Orange blossoms".

Quattrocchi closed his shop, Maresco started to edit.

- Who's there? - Sanguinetti!

They filled up my storage room with tapes about Berlusconi.

Up there it's jam-packed, I don't know what to do with all the tapes.

They say the producer is always sick and so he can't be tracked.

In all this mess my employee gives out the wrong tape

and a while ago an enraged couple came back

and I had to put up with all their complaints,

because clearly it's not ok to see Berlusconi's film instead of their own.

- Excuse me... One last thing. - That's it.

Can I ask you one last thing? Cartotto, I wanted to ask you about Cartotto!

Don't bother me with Cartotto...

Lights, camera!

I'll make you some questions now, and we'll dive right into the movie.

To me, Berlusconi is an asshole.

Action!

Who can blame Mr Quattrocchi?

I uncover hundreds and hundreds of hours of interviews

with judges, journalists, mafia informants, Berlusconologists

where Maresco acts as an aggressive journalist.

This huge amount of films was managed by Gaetano Calvaruso,

the video editor of "Orange blossom".

Then.. Out of the blue...

Then out of the blue I didn't see him anymore, he went missing for weeks.

And he brought some stuff he filmed in the meantime,

stuff that had nothing to do with all he had already filmed...

But what exactly did he film?

Stand up comedy stuff...

I can only tell you it was a mess...

My dear, what's happening to me tonight.

Your lustful look tells me I'm compact and cohesive.

Who are you, who are you, who are you...

I'm just the Jesus of politics.

Basically you're two morons.

But I'm just following him!

No! You don't have to... You should fill...

You go for it, don't give him... Follow him, don't wait!

What did you come here to cry about?

- You don't even know. - No.

- You want me to tell you? - Let's see!

- Berlusconi! - Yes.

Can you pretend to cry for Berlusconi?

Is it hard for you?

- Easy or difficult? - It's quite difficult, anyways!

- Do you want to give it a try? - Yes...

Back from the top. Action!

So, if I got it right,

my friend Franco Maresco was cornered in the most typical of cul-de-sacs!

Not only did he lose the passion of Cinico Tv,

but in the same circumstance he lost the investigative thread

of the ultimate documentary, of the grace and justice inquiry.

But still, Fate granted him yet another shot:

he met a great friend from Palermo, co-founder of Silvio Berlusconi's empire.

I'll never forget that morning,

Franco Maresco was very calm.

He was whistling, I remember that very well.

Senator Dell'Utri arrived on time and we started to shoot.

We all thought that after this interview the movie's luck was about to change.

Let's hope that Saint Rosalia will help us, Senator.

Who's behind Falcone and Borsellino attacks?

And you ask me? You should ask the investigators!

Judges say that you were the intermediary between Berlusconi and Cosa Nostra.

What have you got to say about this?

But really, what do you want me to say? What on earth should I say?

Senator, do you know that informants say that

Forza Italia was the closest party to Cosa Nostra?

No, don't tell me about informants or I'll be sick!

Do you remember on what occasion you met mafia boss Stefano Bontade?

Let's cut this out!

Chevalley said: "They want to improve..."

We think we're gods!

They think they're gods, they don't want to improve.

Despite Maresco's stifling questions, an hour later they get along perfectly,

to the point that the Senator would even be willing to share some odd secrets.

But...

But at certain point, something happened.

Something I still can't get across, probably because

I don't have much experience on set.

If Berlusconi unveiled his secrets, what would be uncovered?

Some terrible things...

Such as?

Mattei's death!

The truth about Mattei's death is still quite... unclear.

Nor me neither my boom operator realized that there was no audio.

There was no sound recording!

In thirty years on the job, this was the first time something like this happened!

Is something wrong?

The sound is too low?

Six months!

I don't believe this.

It took six months to convince him,

and this is the result.

So incompetent!

Six months.

No! Just shut up!

Six months.

They're trying to bring another sound recorder,

they went to look for it.

Guttuso! You where you can shove it, your recorder?

Six months!

He's about to leave and you look for a recorder.

You're a good-for-nothing!

You're a good-for-nothing!

And he's even dumber than you!

No one can say if the Senator regretted

releasing an interview to such a sloppy gang.

Sure thing is that after this summit meeting,

Franco Maresco sank into a deep, dark depression.

In the meantime, his producer started feeling not so well.

He was chased by creditors from all four sides.

And maybe, right at this moment,

my old friend starts thinking of going into hiding.

Unfortunately we throw parties with neomelodic singers...

And why is it unfortunate?

I say unfortunately because...

In this... I mean... It's our way to...

Some make florkore performances...

- Some make what? - Florkore.

Some make, for example...

No, wait, what did you mean by...?

By what?

Florkore?

I don't know, like traditional Sicilian musicians, for example...

You mean folklore!

- Yes, florkore. - Beg your pardon?

- Florkore. - Folklore. Fol, fol...

Folklore! Isn't it right?

It's not easy to change, you're far away

and there are things you can't even imagine,

my life is hell...

Actually, my friend Ciccio Mira's efforts are understandable,

since to this day no one could give an accurate definition of neomelodic music!

To find out more,

we met some renowned representatives of this fascinating musical genre!

The neomelodic singer is an artist who shifts

from the Italian language to southern dialects. So...

- It's a hybrid! - Yes, he expresses...

And what do you mean by hybrid?

I mean that... er...

Have you ever heard about neomelodic singers?

No, never!

Never heard of them and yet you're a neomelodic singer?!

- Yes, I am. - But you didn't know.

No, I didn't.

You're in the heart of this city.

And if you stop singing,

Naples will die!

Neomelodic singers... let's say the are...

They are... It's a song that...

Let's just say one thing, Mr Salvaggio: there's no shame in saying...

- No shame at all. - We don't know either!

Yes.

Let's close with one of your compositions:

you're one of the few, or maybe the only one,

who dedicated an anthem to mafia. Go ahead and sing it!

An anthem to mafia?

I don't know if... I don't know if there's an anthem to mafia... I don't know!

But I've been told that you wrote an anthem to mafia.

I don't... eh eh... I don't know what you're talking about... An anthem!

How can one write an anthem?! One doesn't write an anthem just like this...

Then I take Italy's anthem, "Brothers of Italy", that goes... I don't know...

Just like in that film transition that's called "fondu au noir",

our Roman gladiator Franco Maresco finds another prey to attack: Ciccio Mira.

Former barber, former singer, promoter of rising stars.

Thanks to this new prey, he thinks he can salvage his movie.

Good evening everyone! This is Maurizio Prollo on Radio Sprint 104.3 FM.

To request a song call the number 091 590153.

Hello, who's calling?

Hi Maurizio, this is Luana

and I couldn't go to sleep without listening first to my favorite singer:

Vittorio Ricciardi!

We can play his number one hit:

Hash 31 hash.

Let's call him immediately, all together: Vittorio... Ricciardi! Go, Vittorio!

Where are you?

Gooooooooooooooood evening!

Hiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

How's it goin'?

Can't hear your voice! Brancacciooooooo!

Anonymous calls, hash 31 hash,

hidden kisses, whispered words...

Here he is, in all his untamed and enthralling vigor: Vittorio Ricciardi.

A talented singer from Ercolano, who in a couple of years became

the idol of all the young girls in the suburbs of Palermo.

Vittorio is the ace in the hole of Palermo International,

the artistic agency of Ciccio Mira,

who recently revealed some portents of neomelodic music.

I go outside and take a coffee, I read the newspaper.

Everything's fine, everything's cool.

But then a babe sits in front of me

and my heart starts throbbing...

What the fuck are you singing, Campanella?

What? Cannot understand a damn thing you're sayin'.

- What...? - I don't know, but...

OK Ci, sorry, it's the fever...

Drop the fever, it costs us money,

I am Ciccio Mira...

I know what I'm talking about.

Sing better, otherwise we go home.

We must say that no one compares to the amazing Ricciardi!

Guys, the next one... Who's on Facebook?

What the fuck, no one!

He's too hot, he's the light of my life. Nobody must touch him, or I'll kill them!

Vittorio's ours.

Love you, Vittoriooo!

Light of our life... We always listen to Vittorio...

Night and day!

You know I sing about modern technology: Facebook, Hash, the mobile...

What? I'm not an expert, what do you sing about?

Modern technology, that is the mobile phone, hash 31 hash, facebook...

- What do I know: Febuk... - What?

Febuk is a... you know, when you chat... When you chat, how d'ya say?

Get on the internet...

What's the title of the song?

On febuk...

It's a new song...

Vittorio, besides singing the consequences of technology on love life,

do you also deal with social topics in your songs,

such as unemployment and racism?

Well, I always tell my peers

to say no to violence and drugs, because it's right to do it...

No to mafia...

No... well, those are things that anyway...

It's a choice they make, you cannot say...

Sometimes it's better to avoid going into detail... violence, in general.

In general. And I say no to violence, period.

Then, those who have hears to hear...

Against mafia? And why? Is mafia against me?

Mafia is better!

I like mafia!

Law is useless!

What if, since you're such a great concert promoter,

you were asked to organize a concert to commemorate Paolo Borsellino?

No, I... It's not something... I don't mean to...

- It's not really your thing. - No, it's not.

Because they want Italian songs... I specialize in Neapolitan songs.

But why can't Neapolitans pay a tribute?

No, it's no that...

I do Neapolitan songs, no one wants us for that kind of stuff...

- Mira, are we on the same page? - Everything's fine!

Dear Berlusconi,

I'd like to meet you.

I beg you, on behalf of all my compatriots.

Do it for us, help us, don't let us make a mistake.

You are and always will be a great man.

Try to stay great!

Go, Berlusconi, applause and we wrote this piece for Berlusconi:

"I'd like to meet Berlusconi".

Music! Go on!

I'd like to meet Berlusconi,

I'm not condemned but I'm shy, and to dine and laugh with Berlusconi...

Someone once said that Berlusconi hides a Sicilian heart in his chest,

but this is no news at all.

Yet, it's amazing how people in the festivals in the suburbs of Palermo,

such as Brancaccio, stubbornly stick to Berlusconi.

Berlusconi... he's an idol to me! To be honest...

Bellusconi had a great plan for Sicily.

And since he had the right people, I say he could have made culture even better!

A meaningful applause, if I may!

Then, as for the football market,

I decided to bring back Kakà to the A.C. Milan

and to buy Toni, as to have a truly great duo of forwards: Kakà-Toni.

If I may, if I may...

As I was telling you before, we all support Berlusconi,

because, as you know, he comes from the showbiz...

which is better for all of us.

That's why we all respect Berlusconi.

I'm in the delightful suburb of Villagrazia,

where I'm about to meet a well renowned newscaster from Palermo.

The true author of the song "I'd love to meet Berlusconi" lives here.

His name is Toti De Castro, a.k.a. Erik,

he's a true songwriter, unlike Ricciardi who passes off as one, but really isn't.

Franco Maresco, old fan of Miles Davis and expert of Italo-American jazz,

has fallen madly in love with this song

and wants to make it the soundtrack of the whole movie,

as if it was a Frankie Laine's western, "3:10 to Yuma".

My name's Toti, I'm an artist, I'm not left-leaning, I vote for Berlusconi,

I take shelter here, I read the paper and write songs.

Erik wrote music and lyrics for "I'd love to meet Berlusconi",

a jolly and cheerful song that has nothing to envy

to the hits of the hippest songwriters.

After several years of strict musical studies,

today in his recording studio in Villagrazia, Erik is able to come up

with some truly original compositions and arrangements.

But he's also a very generous artist,

that's why he chose to share with Vittorio Ricciardi

his song dedicated to Berlusconi.

And, as always: "Go Bellusconi"!

Mate, let's get to work...

So, to me...

I was called by Franco and asked to try to interview a youngster,

a twenty-something-year-old: a certain Erik, here in Villagrazia,

who wrote a song about Berlusconi to tell his deeds.

And that's what's interesting:

in the 70s, this neighborhood was the "reign" of Stefano Bontade,

because here we're in Villagrazia, do you know what Villagrazia represents?

Not really, because I live in northern Italy.

Villagrazia was Stefano Bontade's "reign".

Here, in the 80s, he was killed, right on these hills.

This is a very renowned area.

We're making an investigative report on this area and we're looking for Erik.

Have you ever heard of Stefano Bontade here in Villagrazia?

No, I don't know him.

I know that he sings a song about Berlusconi, but I've never heard it.

Leave me alone, I know nothing and no one.

Is there mafia in Villagrazia?

- Whose mother? - Mafia! Is there mafia in Villagrazia?

What do you want me to tell you?

The only important person I know is Jesus Christ.

Do you know a guy who sings Neapolitan songs? His name is Erik.

Fuck you!

- Erik? - What are you filming?

No, no... Erik, is that you?

- What are you filming? - We're filming the area.

- Fine, but don't film my house! - No, I was looking for Erik.

Is that you? Hi Erik!

Put down the video camera.

Wait, put down the video camera.

What do you say about Berlusconi in this song?

The song is about a young unemployed

who dreams of winning the lottery.

And what's lottery nowadays? In my opinion, it's meeting Berlusconi.

Because Berlusconi is one of the most powerful men in the world.

Berlusconi is like a good Pope to you!

Berlusconi is a symbol...

He's like Garibaldi! Garibaldi who released Italy...

I'd like to meet Berlusconi,

I'm not condemned but I'm shy, and to dine and laugh with him,

to ride his car, to make statements...

If Berlusconi is a hero and had a connection with Stefano Bontade,

then Stefano Bontade is number one!

I don't want to play favorites or say "Stefano Bontade is number one".

For starters, I respect all the people we've just named...

My life will change...

I'd like to meet Berlusconi, I'm not condemned...

What do you think about mafia?

You see, I think mafia has been a good story,

between question brackets...

I don't know if it actually existed or not... It's doesn't really concern me...

This story is about the kids in the alleys

and the neighborhoods of Palermo, and of all the other cities.

Unfortunately we have to take note that in Italy,

where the most popular sport is destroying beauty and traditions,

not even the minstrels of neomelodic music are pure.

Shit, I was betrayed!

I didn't want to come tonight.

Indeed, they have been covered by shadows and suspects built by some papers,

which think that these poets of the pentagram

like to hang out with the bosses of mafia and camorra.

Room 13. Barone!

Obviously, it's only imagination gone wild,

because their songs often talk about prison,

terrible vengeances, infamous traitors, and so on.

But how can we explain the passion for those subjects?

No, well, it's something, I mean...

Each one... You see, each one has this kind of situations home, then...

- Each one, who, beg your pardon? - Anyone.

You mean that in each family in Palermo there's an inmate.

Almost each family has an inmate. We got some...

I want to dedicate this song to everyone who has a friend,

a brother, a loved one, far from home.

To all the inmates of Pagliarelli, Ucciardone, Malaspina, if it's still there...

I wish them an immediate freedom.

Well done!

Dear daddy...

Let's say it: it's too easy to be a prude with neomelodicals

who sympathize with inmates.

But let's use another point of view, that is, Christian charity.

Why those golden voice artists can't be some true missionaries who,

through their songs, bring comfort and hope

to those men rejected and feared by society?

Good evening everybody from Maurizio Prollo, Radio Sprint, 104.3 FM.

And now, I'll read a terrific letter from our friend Pino, a guest of the Nation.

We always remind you to hope to see him again soon,

and to have a stroll on his beautiful chariot.

Greetings to our friends, guests of the Nation.

We never forget them and they're always on our mind.

Stay strong, you're great!

Greetings to all the hospitals and to all the people in pain...

Today, in Palermo, only a few radios and TVs dedicate most of their programming

to neomelodic music, with broadcastings where, out of sensitivity,

inmates are called "the guests of the Nation".

The real patron of those Sicilian-Neapolitan shows is our beloved Ciccio Mira,

who, every week, from the mythical studios of TSB,

has the delicate task to communicate to the guests of Ucciardone and Pagliarelli

the tender greetings of their friends and relatives.

Hello to Totò Bellomonte, Rosa Cardella and Concetta.

To Rosa Cardella, who had her son...

Congrats!

- What? - You just said she had a son...

No, she had her son injured in a motorbike accident...

But he was in a coma... Everything's better now...

- Then, we wish her a fast... - Best wishes to Rosa Cardella and her son.

And we say hello to all the guests of the Nation, as usual, OK?

To the respectable family...

To those who don't speak.

All the inmates...

We never forget about that, OK.

We wish them all to be back home soon...

Best wishes to the sick and everyone else...

Don't shoot... He'll kill you!

Even if stories about blood and fatal passions

have always been part of Neapolitan songs -

see the famous "sceneggiata", for instance -

it's only since the 70s and 80s that the gangster lode becomes dominating.

Also thanks to such stars as Mario Merola and Nino D'Angelo.

Pino Esposito, fucking rat, police boot-licker...

Say your last prayers, it's over for you.

Some crime experts even think that relationships between neomelodicals

and gangsters have become more intense.

Gangsters might use singers to send coded messages to inmates,

together with greetings and dedications.

Are these only inferences, or reasonable suspects?

Ciccio Mira, we often see you reading notes...

What should I do...

Right, but those notes contain messages...!

- Don't think so... It's family stuff... - Beg your pardon?

Family stuff, from mothers...

- "How are you?" - Say hello to this kid...

Couldn't they be coded messages?

- No, I'll tell you something... - I mean, they could be, couldn't they?

Well, I can't say... It's always mums saying hello to their sons...

- Kids saying hello to their mums! - All these situations...

I believe that... not even Maresco understood what...

what he got himself into because

these neighborhood festivals are ruled by mass taste

and small mafia bosses have to stoop so low as to ask for charity

to send money to their inmates.

They are really dangerous places, let's say really insidious, so...

And besides that, I think that not even Franco understood the danger he was in.

Listen, but since you are a better policeman than me,

do you have any idea of where Franco ended up?

Do you think he really is in danger or is he just not feeling that well?

Well, I don't know where Franco is, but...

I can tell you one thing... In a way, I feel a bit... responsible!

Why?

Because it was me who put him in contact with Gaspare Mutolo.

Maresco, before we get started I want to tell you something.

I saw you on TV and you're a nice guy and all,

but I noticed that sometimes you include some "farts" in your interviews.

So I don't want to be taken for a "rude" person...

because if I see that you're going too far with these farts

I must respond...

Short reckonings make long friends. Everyone should respect their role.

Everyone be quiet! Go...

When we left Palermo, there were about 18 of us.

We were all mafia men, from four different families:

Stefano Bontade, Rosario Riccobono, Gaetano Badalamenti and Salvatore Scaglione.

We had to go to Milan to kidnap Silvio Berlusconi,

who was the most important contractor in Milan, he was building Milan 2.

After a few day everything was fine, we were just waiting for our prey,

but all of a sudden we were given the order to come back to Sicily.

Just minutes ago, in the fourth police district, in Antonio Silvani Street,

there was a kidnapping!

In the 70s criminal gangs ran riot in the north of Italy,

frightening the wealthiest and most renowned businessmen

with violent kidnappings and huge ransom requests.

Feeling more and more threatened, Berlusconi decided

to ask for Marcello Dell'Utri's help, his old Sicilian friend...

The loyal Marcello gets started right away

and brings to Palermo a delegation of men of honor

lead by the great Stefano Bontade, the Prince of Villagrazia!

Some reliable witnesses say that, ever since they first met,

Berlusconi and Bontade got along perfectly.

So after a few weeks back in Palermo,

the Prince of Villagrazia decided to send

a trustworthy man of honor to Arcore's mansion, Vittorio Mangano.

He's a boss from the Porta Nuova family,

the same as the legendary Tommaso Buscetta's.

Officially he was hired as a horse keeper,

but he's actually charged of protecting the Berlusconi family

on behalf of Cosa Nostra.

Therefore, between the Nation and mafia, he chose mafia,

because he knows it's stronger, more efficient to protect himself and his family.

And maybe is it this innate intolerance for any kind of official authority

to make him so loved and popular in Sicily?

I'm an apathetic person, because when everyone is worried about a political crisis,

I have friends from New York calling me on the phone to tell me,

"Oh, what the hell, you have no government...".

And I tell them, "I'm having champagne here,

I hope there won't be any for long..."

Ciccio Mira, what is your idea of Nation? What is it?

Nation is what it is...

Nothing!

Whether it exists or not...

We don't care.

Sicilians always had reasons to distrust the Nation,

considered as a tyrant and an exploiter of people.

Indeed, in Sicily, since 1861, brigands have been treated as rebellious heroes,

while the "carabinieri" have always been considered as enemies.

Still today...

- Why would I be a carabiniere? - Would that bother you?

Of course, because if someone told me "You're a Carabiniere",

I'd ask "And why is that?"

Why, is that an offense?

To me, it is.

- Calling you carabiniere is an offense! - Yes.

- Well, it would offend me! - Why?

Because where I grew up carabinieri are a terrible thing. An offense.

Well done! You deserve to be the heir of Ciccio Mira. Another question.

But if your son told you, "Dad, I want to be a Carabiniere",

how would you react? Sincerely!

Sincerely, I'd banish him from home!

- Seriously?! - Seriously.

Once the big issue of kidnappings was taken care of,

the connection between Berlusconi and Bontade gets stronger and stronger.

The Prince of Villagrazia even decides to allocate twenty billion of liras

for Berlusconi's ambitious dream: the creation of commercial televisions.

Believe me, it hasn't been easy, it's not easy to create a television...

I must admit that Berlusconi wasn't all that wrong:

it must have been a serious challenge for Stefano Bontade

to convince all the mafia families

to invest such a huge amount of money in the TV business,

which in the 70s didn't guarantee as high profits

as the construction business or drug trade.

Unfortunately on the 23rd April 1981, Stefano Bontade,

the most powerful and elegant Cosa Nostra boss,

was killed by the Corleone clan lead by Totò Riina.

This officially initiated the "Second Mafia War".

Stefano's death was hard on Berlusconi,

and it was the beginning of a long series of sleepless nights spent wondering:

should I give back the 20 billion liras or not?

But most of all: who should I give them back to?

To this day, it's still a mistery...

I'm sure hundred percent that he paid back everything, including all the interests.

Because otherwise Berlusconi wouldn't have such an easy life in Italy.

So the entire amount and all the interests were paid back with no doubt about it.

However things actually went,

don't you think that Bontade deserves to be considered

one of the initiators of commercial television?

It was definitely thanks to Bontade as well, because...

Bontade, besides being a mafia man, also had a different cultural background

compared to the Corleone mafia men.

So it's thanks to Berlusconi and Bontade if Italians can enjoy commercial television

full of dance shows, naked women, bunga bungas... and all this wonderful stuff!

Ciro, shall we go make a BungaBunga?

My aunt likes BungaBunga!

BungaBunga, this dance isn't a rumba,

and if you do it, it gets longer, it gets longer like a chewing gum!

BungaBunga, BungaBunga, the whole mumba dances it,

you hit the gong with a stick and then you do the macumba:

the whole world danced it in bed, on the lawn, in the cellar.

Never with a broom! Never by yourself! You dance it with a neighbor!

BungaBunga, BungaBunga, you can dance as you like,

this rhythm is so funky... Piss off!

As the most classical Marxist theories show,

one should always distrust the underclasses.

My friend Franco Maresco,

emotionally overwhelmed by audiovisual analogies, affinities and farces,

would have never thought to fall prey to a self-righteous retaliation

lead by one of those poor devils he feels so loved by.

Morning news. A young neomelodic singer from Palermo

pressed charges against the filmmaker Franco Maresco:

let's watch the service by Alessio Anello.

- With a remote... - Yes.

With a small remote, easy to hide...

So when he presses the button... I'll move it manually,

while he does it with the remote. He moves like this: one, two, one...

He managed to make his BungaBunga doing so.

Sicilian filmmaker Franco Maresco, co-author with Daniele Ciprì

of the irreverent TV series "CinicoTV", is once again at the center of controversy.

This time neomelodic singer Salvatore De Castro, a.k.a. Erik, has it in for him.

The young artist was hired for the soundtrack of the movie

"Belluscone, a Sicilian story", which is still a work in progress.

After seeing some scenes, Erik accused the director and the producer, Rean Mazzone,

of having misled him with regards to the use of his song

"I'd like to meet Berlusconi"

with the connivance of his colleague Vittorio Ricciardi.

A man and his staff came up to me saying that they worked for RAI Television

and that they were shooting a movie about Berlusconi

I pointed out that I wouldn't give them my song

because, as I told them, if the movie wasn't pro-Berlusconi, I wasn't interested.

And that's where I was misled: they showed me the script

and told me they would have me sign a disclaimer to give them my song.

But that's not how it went.

The movie has erotic and satiric motives against Berlusconi.

They stole my song and had it sung by another singer, Vittorio Ricciardi.

They screened it in a movie theater, the Lumiere in Bologna,

and released it on YouTube, thus damaging its image.

But, even worse, they didn't put my name in the credits.

I was charged by the De Castro family of issuing a cease-and-desist order

to the producer to stop the movie because of copyright infringement.

I would like to add that I appreciate and applaud the family's behavior,

as they bore threats and menaces coming from unidentified people.

Ciccio, we need to clear things up with Erik

or we won't be able to go on with the movie!

Don't worry, the movie will go on just fine.

But he says that it's your fault and Ricciardi's.

It's my fault because I trusted him too much.

No, he says that Ricciardi stole his song.

Well, then it means that we're... We're able to do such a thing...

Ciccio, the problem is that it was you who introduced him to me...

Don't worry, everything will work out just fine.

- Are you sure? - Yes, I'm sure.

Erik watch your mouth, Mr Mira would never do something like this.

He brought to Palermo all the best Neapolitan singers.

Shame on you! You should be ashamed of yourself.

Is it right to say you're angry?

Yes, because I think that we should work things out face to face.

So if you think I stole your song, call me!

Because it's not true!

Dear Erik, you gave me permission to sing your song, I didn't steal it.

Where the hell does he live?

That good-for-nothing moved here, what can you do?

Ciccio, listen to me: these two won't let us finish the movie!

Don't worry, tell them that Ciccio is in the car and that's all you need to say.

But I've been telling them that Ciccio is in the car for the past three months...

Don't worry... Let's go right now!

What's your plan?

Go there right now, he completely changed his mind! Don't worry...

Then will you come with me?

No, I'll stay in the car... Just tell them Ciccio is in the car and that's all.

But if you come with me...

I'm not coming.

And what should I say? That you're in the car?

Just tell them I'm in the car and go from there.

La Franca, buzz De Castro.

Who's there?

Hello, it's Franco Maresco. I'd like to talk to Erik...

Erik isn't here.

What about his father, Mr Nino?

He's not here either, I'm alone!

Can I leave a message for him?

No, goodbye!

Miss!

- Good morning miss. Sorry... - Please, put those video cameras away.

This is my boyfriend's house, no one's home,

you turned this family's life into hell, please go away.

We did no such thing. It's just a business deal that wasn't respected.

Erik's obstinate refusal to come to terms with Franco Maresco

in order to allow the movie's progression,

forces the filmmaker to urge upon Ciccio Mira a decisive intervention

to bring peace between the two.

Unfortunately though, in the meantime Mira has been hit

by legal charges and is in deep troubles...

And now to the crime news:

a wiretapping by the Carabinieri brought to light that

a member of the Palermo-Porta Nuova mafia clan

would have threatened the Neapolitan neomelodic singer Vittorio Ricciardi.

During a festival, the singer would have refused to dedicate a piece to the inmates

and that would have caused bosses to put an end to his exhibitions in Palermo.

Why did Ricciardi make the news?

For some insignificant thing.

That is?

Because, you see, since I'm in the TV show business,

I get notes all the time... They're sent by all the families...

We're given some communication notes: "Send greetings to..."

Some were suspicious...

No, it's that my wife forgot about some of these communications...

Time for greetings!

Sicilba... Let's say hello to our friends...

Greetings to Cucina Francesco Paolo's Sicilbascula: hardware store in Palermo.

Right, now let's send best wishes to...

- You dropped something... - Don't worry.

But you know, the show is not very long, so we have to make it quick.

So you forget about someone. What troubles did that cause?

- They felt insulted! - Who?

Anyone could feel insulted, even you.

- I didn't feel insulted. - No, I'm saying...

But in this case, who felt insulted?

I don't know... I don't know who felt insulted.

I had someone tell him to go back to Naples because he's a Carabiniere (an informant).

You don't have to do a thing... He goes to Naples and you don't call him!

Tell him: listen, you can't sing anymore here in Palermo...

Not with me!... No one will take him anymore and you can tell him that...

I mean, if the inmate is in front of the TV... He's waiting for his greetings...

Mr Ciccio Mira is totally careless.

He never thinks about the consequences...

- He doesn't think about what? - About consequences!

- So, sometimes he gets in trouble. - Yes, Ciccio is always in trouble!

- He's "always" in trouble. - "Always in trouble".

But it's always some trouble that can be solved...

But does he get others in trouble too?

Sure, I always listen to Ciccio Mira, so I end up in trouble too because of him.

Who prevented Vittorio Ricciardi from performing in Palermo?

According to wiretappings, it might have been a certain Calogero Lo Presti,

a horse keeper considered the boss of the Porta Nuova Family.

Therefore, the singer from Ercolano would be in trouble

because of Ciccio Mira's carelessness in greeting the inmates.

Porta Nuova bosses suspected Ricciardi not to care for the inmates

in Pagliarelli and Ucciardone State Penitentiaries.

Ricciardi even made the news as the neomelodic singer who said "No to Mafia!"

I never said "No to Mafia". I've always respected everyone:

people in pain, Third World children, inmates, wishing them an immediate freedom!

If there's a curious side to this story,

it's that poor Ciccio Mira was intercepted

while Lo Presti and he were in a stable in Porta Nuova,

the same neighborhood that in the 60s witnessed the success

of Italy's most popular horse keeper: Vittorio Mangano,

always so close to Berlusconi's heart.

Mira, it seems that you too were closely connected to stables and horse keepers!

Do you see any resemblance?

Not at all.

But you, the horse keeper...

Right, I've been in many stables, I can't...

That's it, in many stables...

But your calls were tapped in a stable

while you were talking to Porta Nuova boss, whose name is...

- Don't say it... - Lo Presti.

I don't know what to tell you, because...

Lo Presti, Lo Presti...

No, I don't...

- You turned white when I said Lo Presti. - No, I didn't.

Lo Presti! Does that ring any bell?

No, it doesn't.

But you introduced him to me!

Who should I introduce him to?

Sure, anyone can suffer from temporary losses of memory.

A few days later, Ciccio Mira regained his memory

and told us about the cheerful days spent in the stable with his mate Lo Presti.

I used to to go there from time to time, nothing serious...

- But why? - My mate didn't go very often either!

You only went when you needed to!

Only when we had something to do... Just to have fun...

When...?

- To have fun... Stuff like that... - Right, to have fun...

But it's not something I... My mate didn't go either, he had no time to...

But what kind of fun?

- Well, we sang a lot... - Oh, you sang!

He loved songs too...

Did you bring a guitar?

We sang and played the guitar or the keyboard, we had fun...

I don't care, I don't know him, I don't know who he is...

But you even bought him a car!

I didn't buy him anything, because I don't know him,

I don't know who this Ricciardi is.

Is anyone causing troubles?

Maybe someone sent you...

Sent me what? An informant?

INCOMPREHENSIBLE

I don't care, we're done! Guys!

This is for my mate: 1... 2... 3... 4...

The moon is on the sea.

Mummy, I need to get married!

My little darling, who should I give you away to?

Mummy, take care of it!

Mummy, I want to get married!

Is this a fucking whorehouse or what?

At this point of the movie,

we think it's time to get to know a little better Ciccio Mira.

He was born on the 9th October 1944 in Palermo among the World War II bombs.

There was great poverty in those years, but Ciccio Mira really wanted to work.

So when he was 15, he started working as a barber for Mimmo Pollicino,

who gets him passionate about music and encourages him to sing in public.

- Are you still friends? - Yes, no... with whom?

- With Pollicino. - He's not with us anymore...

Oh, he's gone!

Poor thing... Let's say that he was killed...

How was he murdered?

He was shut in a car and hogtied.

- Hog...? - Hogtied.

Really?!

In the 60s the economic boom turns Palermo into a big city.

It's a happy and cheerful decade, Palermo is ruled by Christian Democrats,

Gioia, Lima and Ciancimino.

These heartless figures decidedly approve the use of scrapers and dynamite

to build a new Palermo, which will finally be called "The Happiest".

Today judgmental people refer to that unique period as "Palermo's sack",

but Ciccio Mira, a militant Christian Democrat, doesn't agree at all.

Yes, let's say I liked mafia...

Because they found jobs for people, built apartment blocks...

all these blocks, you know...

With pillars...

Oh, the pillars... with people who deserved to be 'pillared'...

You say 'pillared', what does it mean?

Put in a pillar... It means that those people hurt other people, and then...

Since public justice was too slow, we did it ourselves...

In the 70s Palermo was bursting with great musical events,

it even hosts the first and only Italian Pop Festival,

with such guests as Duke Ellington and Aretha Franklin.

Ciccio Mira as well, in his own way, works hard

singing in festivals, but also at First Communions and weddings.

His double job as a barber and a singer allows to marry, in 1971,

the true love of his life: a beautiful girl named Giovanna.

Soon enough Ciccio and Giovanna had many children and grand-children,

brought up with the same traditional values that inspired Ciccio Mira's life.

Many people who are now... in jail, maybe we don't... I can't even say the word...

But they did find jobs for people! What did they do? They're political thieves!

It's a paradox: you're saying that when it still existed what used to be called...

Mafia!

- Everybody was working! - Yes, they were!

Old mafia didn't kill women, or children...

- But they killed... - No, they didn't kill...

But they only killed...

- They did what was right to... - What was right to do...

You share this mind-set...

You see now...

- It's a matter of generation. - I'm in between generations!

It's a matter of generation.

From the 20th century, I went straight to 2000, so...

You see, years go by and we have to make do with what the Lord gives us.

Between the 80s and the 90s the whole world changed from any standpoint

and more rapidly than ever before.

Gone are the old ideologies, pessimists think this is the "end of history".

Nothing stays the same in Italy.

After Mani Pulite inquiry in 1992, the First Republic is over,

but it also marks the end of the Christian Democracy,

the political party that had the most contact with Cosa Nostra.

It's important to say that this political void confused Sicilian clans at first,

but it was soon filled up by someone very popular who entered politics!

I decided to enter politics and get involved in public affairs,

because I don't want to live in an illiberal country,

ruled by irresponsible parties and

by men who have already failed, politically and economically, in the past.

Ciccio Mira easily adapts to the new order,

he supports the new Forza Italia's local sections in Corso dei Mille and Brancaccio.

He plans colorful festivals in Brancaccio,

where his artists and the audience defend their beloved Silvio Berlusconi!

We are always with Berlusconi, we are all with Berlusconi.

Because we trust him and Berlusconi always does what's best for us and always will...

Is it true that Brancaccio, thanks to mafia, brought a lot of votes to Berlusconi?

I can't tell you because I don't know.

But if it's true, then it's a good thing because at least Berlusconi helps everyone.

It's not a coincidence if Brancaccio is the neighborhood of the Graviano brothers,

mafia bosses considered by influential experts and many informants

to have pushed Berlusconi to enter politics

after the negotiation between Nation and mafia.

Ciccio Mira, to the advantage of our younger audience,

we would greatly appreciate if you could explain to us

the negotiation between Nation and mafia and who the Graviano brothers are.

That's all?

Thank you, Mira.

Did you lose your voice?

No, I'm fine, it's just...

- It's not the right time! - It's not the right time.

Ficarra and Picone!

May I? Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you and welcome...

There is no doubt that one of the main reasons why Berlusconi

has always been worshiped in Sicily is Mediaset TV shows,

starring lots of genuine Sicilian people.

Sicily is bursting with castings and auditions:

all the young girls in Arenella district dream De Filippi's competitions

or Striscia's try outs.

This is why any Sicilian young talent looks up

to such role models as Ficarra and Picone,

a duo of comedians from Palermo made popular by Striscia.

Thinking of them, Maresco comes up with a brilliant idea

on how to solve his dispute with Erik

and finally finish his movie.

Dude, everything's already written down.

Doesn't take a genius to read it out loud... Go over there!

- This one here... - Franco Maresco is here.

- Hi Franco! - Hi guys!

You even got your video camera, what did we do?

You did nothing at all!

- Can I steal a minute of your time? - Absolutely.

I'm sorry to steal your time, but really it's just a minute.

Don't mention it, Sicily is nothing but the place to steal!

So, maybe you know...

Last year Franco came to see us while we were setting up the show in Palermo.

He made us a request that left us a bit puzzled:

"Guys, I need you to bring peace between two neomelodic singers."

He says that they're fighting over a song dedicated to Berlusconi

and that one of them even had his lawyers stop Franco's movie.

At first we were quite astonished because we had nothing to do with all this.

But we were happy to try and bring peace.

The best thing was that Franco filmed all of our attempts

to bring peace between these two.

I even picked up Erik on my scooter to take him to the appointment.

During the ride, he blabbered the whole time.

A lot of things that, luckily enough, I forgot.

I took him to the appointment, on neutral ground, to finally make peace!

They made peace and it took next to nothing...

A matter of seconds! They looked each other in the eyes, they got emotional...

- Everything's fixed! - Everything's fine!

How did you do it?

Let it go, Franco. You asked us to fix the problem and we did it!

- We can go... - We can go on!

Guys, I'll be eternally grateful!

- You owe us one! - Don't mention it, we're there for you.

- Count on me! - Thank you.

Erik!

Vittorio!

Here we are!

I don't believe my eyes. Erik here with us!

We reconciled!

We reco... reconciletz!

- Beg your pardon? - Recon... Reconciletz!

He's from Naples!

Thank you, Erik. Let's say we cleared the air!

Yes, we did. And he's a friend, like a brother to me...

And we'll always stay friends...

Finally we saw Franco smile,

he was relieved and grateful to us.

And we're sorry to learn that our friend Franco is still in trouble.

In deep trouble.

Four people were arrested in Palermo for mafia criminal conspiracy.

A music festival promoter is now behind bars.

More people were arrested in Palermo during the so-called Toledo operation,

which allowed to break up and wipe out Porta Nuova criminal district.

Four people suspected of mafia criminal conspiracy ended up behind bars.

Among them, the music festival promoter Ciccio Mira,

who arrested at dawn during a raid of the Carabinieri in his house in Carini.

Besides Mira, Antonino Salamone was remanded for mafia criminal conspiracy.

Salamone is a renowned criminal...

After Ciccio Mira's capture in the summer of 2013,

the movie that was supposed to tell the Sicilian story

of Berlusconi political and financial fortune was doomed.

Franco Maresco has been struggling with depression ever since.

In a couple of hours, I'll be off to Milan.

I'm leaving Palermo knowing that Franco fell once again in the "Taliban" trap

of an out-and-out movie.

The same trap that, in the last 20 years, has caused him only troubles and no glory.

Matteo Renzi!

Good evening!

The stage is all yours.

Good evening everyone and good luck to you!

Good luck to the teams!

Today it's very beautiful, yet hard, talking about hope, Maria is right.

I believe that Italy is at a turning point

and no one cares anymore about these old Sicilian stories about Berlusconi.

This new Italy is safer, more beautiful and more skilled.

It's beyond these ghosts, these freaks that keep you company at night

and without them you feel lost.

That's why you can't finish your movies.

You don't want to be left alone.

Dear Franco, it's too bad we haven't seen each other,

I would have suggested a title for your movie:

"The finishing blow". It's a good title, a good ending.

The one you always dreamt of landing but never did.

BELLUSCONE A SICILIAN STORY

What do you think about the negotiation between Nation and Mafia?

What do you mean? What are we talking about?

Is there a negotiation between Nation and Mafia?

What are you talking about?

He's making fun of you. What's the negotiation between Nation and Mafia?

Do you think there ever was a negotiation between Nation and Mafia?

- But who ever did such a thing? - What are you talking about?

Excuse me, we're talking about things...

He was just fooling around.

If I told you 23rd May, what would you say?

23rd May?

A day like any other.

This thing you said is totally absurd.

- So there never was any negotiation? - Non entiendo! Non entiendo!

He's making a fool of you, don't you see?

I non entiendo.

We're on everyone's side, we need to be loved by everyone.

Berlusconi is great, but also all the others are great. Left and right.

What do you think about the negotiation between Nation and Mafia?

I can sing you a song.

Do you think there was a connection between Berlusconi and Mafia?

I'd never dare say anything like that, I hope not, I wish not,

because it would be a really bad thing.

I think and I wish there never was.

What do you think about the negotiation?

- I don't know what you're talking about. - Negotiation between Nation and Mafia.

I don't know.

I really don't know.

19th July: my sister's wedding in 2012. That's all!

Mafia is better than the Nation, right?

If I told you 19th July, what would you say?

I got married on the 19th July 1992.

My opinion stays the same, I'm not changing my mind.

No politician, Berlusconi included, ever had anything to do with Mafia.

Mafia is Mafia and politicians have nothing to do with it.

Kids, I want to tell you something:

you should never let Mafia into your lives,

because Mafia is not anymore like in the old times.