Original subtitles

Vincent: This is where the wealthy and the powerful rule.

It is her world,

A world apart from mine.

Her name... Is catherine.

From the moment I saw her, she captured my heart

With her beauty,

Her warmth and her courage.

I knew then, as I know now,

She would change my life...

Forever.

Catherine: He comes from a secret place, far below the city streets,

Hiding his face from strangers,

Safe from hate and harm.

He brought me there to save my life.

And now, wherever I go, he is with me in spirit.

For we have a bond stronger than friendship or love.

And although we cannot be together,

We will never, ever be apart.

It's a draft of the request

For ramsey's bank statement.

Thanks, cath.

I'll look it over.

All right.

Good night, joe. Where're you off to?

Home.

Uh, why don't you

Stick around? I found this great

Cuban restaurant downtown, great food.

Maybe we could get something to eat.

There's a concert tonight in the park.

Oh.

I'm meeting someone.

Oh, you got a date. Sort of.

Uh... Who's playing? Maybe I'll go.

Tonight?

Yeah.

Well, I think they're playing schubert.

Maybe haydn.

Oh.

Oh, when you said concert in the park, I thought...

No... Billy joel is next week.

Schubert? Haydn?

You're really attracted to these cultured types, aren't you?

I don't think you could call

What I'm attracted to a "type."

No, but you know what I mean.

These smooth guys who go to concerts

And know all about wines,

Take you to all the right places.

Not exactly.

Well, all I'm saying is,

There must be a reason why you haven't hooked up

With one of these guys yet.

Any theories?

I'm only talking as a friend, now.

I'm listening.

Well, obviously, you're not getting what you need.

Maybe you need something else.

Joe, I hesitate to ask, but I'm dying to know.

What do you think I need?

Tell me.

Radcliffe, you need someone who's more...

More...?

More solid, you know?

More of a down-to-earth kind of guy.

You know what I mean?

I think I do.

(schubert's symphony number 9 playing)

♪ ♪

(orchestra crescendos)

Oh, I love this part.

Yes. It's beautiful.

What makes you smile?

Everything.

This is a wonderful spot.

I've spent many an evening here.

I've heard all the great music... Here.

The sound is remarkable.

It's like we're in the first row.

We're just under it.

I have been coming to concerts in the park all my life.

It's strange to think there might have been nights

We were listening to the same music...

That you were so close.

I come here,

And the music engulfs me and...

I can feel the presence

Of everyone sitting just above us.

You'll see.

When the music ends,

You'll hear fragments of conversations

Echo throughout the chamber, and... And footsteps.

And then...

All will be very still again.

The stillness.

Didn't it make you feel...?

Alone?

Sometimes.

And sometimes I found a wonderful peace

In that stillness.

(thunder rumbles)

Lightning.

I think it was.

(rain pouring)

(excited chattering)

Vincent. It's raining.

(laughing)

No.

(laughs)

I've never...

Vincent, this is wonderful.

I don't think I'll ever be able

To hear schubert's unfinished symphony

In quite the same way.

I wanted to share that place with you.

Thursday night they're playing the brandenburg concertos.

Then, I'll come for you... Thursday night.

I'll be here.

Be well, catherine.

And you, vincent.

Vincent: She walks in beauty like the night.

♪ ♪

Now there is only the city...

And the night... And me.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(tires screeching)

Aah!

Rolley?

Rolley...

(playing soft melody)

(plays final chord)

Remarkable.

His name's rolley.

Rolley, where did you learn

To play so beautifully?

Did someone teach you?

Just know how.

Plays by hear.

Plays anything: Beethoven, mozart, chopin.

Someone must have taught the boy.

No, nobody. No parents. Nothing.

It's a, it's a gift.

He's got a gift.

Rolley,

Do you know who chopin was?

That was his music you were playing.

He played that on his piano.

It came from his imagination.

Came from the radio.

Father: How did you come to find him?

One morning I open the shop.

All of a sudden, I hear rachmaninoff

From the piano in the basement.

I went down there quietly.

I don't know what I'm gonna find.

And there he is.

Little black boy sitting at the piano

Playing rachmaninoff.

Didn't even run away.

Kept on playing.

Well, I hope you let him finish the piece.

Of course, of course.

After I complimented him on his playing,

I asked him what the hell he was doing in my basement.

I sleep down there. That's right.

For weeks he'd been sleeping down there in the basement.

Well, how can we help?

Well, I'm no expert,

But it seems to me that this boy someday could be

Something great, a musical genius.

I think it's quite possible.

Yeah, but he got

An older brother that's running around

With a bunch of troublemakers in the neighborhood.

Rolley tags along with them.

It's only a matter of time that rolley

Gets in trouble and everything is lost.

Father, this boy's got a precious gift.

Yes, it's clear he has.

Well, we got to protect it.

Eli, part of our dream here has always been

To offer a place of safety and encouragement

To those whose gifts have been overlooked

And unappreciated.

Would you like to stay with us for a while, rolley,

Play the piano for us?

Does he live down here?

Who?

The guy-- chopin.

No, he, uh, lived a long time ago in paris.

Then he's dead.

Has been for over a hundred years.

So it's okay if I play his music.

Oh, I'm sure he would be happy to have you play his music.

Eli.

Huh?

Vincent.

Sorry to wake you.

I saw rolley tonight.

Still alive, huh?

He ran off.

I lost him.

His brother's dead.

Shot a few blocks from here robbing a grocery store.

I want to find rolley.

I haven't seen him.

A couple of years ago he was in here asking for money.

Took one look at him and I knew he was on the drugs.

The boy, the gift, everything was gone.

Looked like a ghost.

A ghost of someone we knew and loved.

He's alive, eli, and he's nearby.

I've seen too many ghosts.

Try the garage on macintyre.

That's where they hang out, the drug addicts.

Maybe he's there.

What do you want with him?

I want to see him, talk with him.

What for?

It's too late.

I want rolley to know that there are people

Who still hold him in their hearts.

(playing gentle melody)

I've heard about this,

But I've never seen it before.

Extraordinary, isn't it?

And sad.

Why... Sad?

Because he doesn't know what he's playing.

He's just copying what he's heard

Like a little robot or a parrot.

There's no understanding there.

Miss kendrick, you cannot deny there is a gift.

It's a gift,

But right now, it's an empty gift.

Can you help rolley to fulfill it?

He's got to learn how to read.

To read music,

So that he can know it and feel it.

He's got to go back

To the beginning, to forget what he knows

And learn it all over again.

If he can do that, there's no limit

To where this boy can go.

Rolley, I want you to meet someone who is very dear

And very important to us.

Miss kendrick is an accomplished musician

And an equally gifted teacher.

She is our music teacher.

(distant metallic clinking)

Hello, rolley.

I like your taste in music, rolley...

But chopin was such a sad young man.

(distant metallic clinking)

Do you know about chopin?

He's dead.

No doubt about that.

How would you like me to teach you to play?

Don't I already play good?

Would you like to play even better?

I would.

Kendrick: Anything you hear, you can play,

Isn't that right?

Rolley: Right.

Do you know what this is?

This is music.

Beethoven's moonlight sonata.

I think that this is god's favorite piano piece.

You ever heard it?

I don't know.

I would like to teach you to read this music.

And then you can play it.

Oh, you could play anything, whether you've heard it or not.

And then, you can put all your feeling,

All of rolley, into it.

Would you be interested in that?

(distant clanking)

Do you remember my name?

Miss kendrick.

(distant subway cars chugging)

Well, I think

We'll start with the moonlight sonata.

That would be a very good piece for you to learn.

(distant clanking)

Okay, we'll start tomorrow.

Are you gonna practice every day?

I'll practice.

All right.

(distant clanking)

Would you play something for me, rolley?

Something you like to play

When mean old women like me aren't bothering you?

(distant metallic clanking)

(plays slow, classical music)

Rolley, do you know what you're playing?

That's the moonlight sonata.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(playing slowly, hitting discordant keys)

(playing slowly, but accurately)

(distant train cars chugging)

(playing discordant keys)

Rolley...

Don't you want your supper?

No.

(playing slowly and tentatively)

(distant clanking)

You don't have to practice all the time.

I do.

Why is that?

So I can get good.

(playing slowly, but accurately)

So I can stay.

(distant clanking)

Rolley...

We want you to stay.

The music that you bring to us is very beautiful, but...

(subway cars chugging)

You are the one that we love.

Man: Take my head off and put it on the shelf, man.

Get me my money.

And what are you looking at? Huh?

What you got in there, huh?

Where's your medicine?

Hey, you got some for me, slick?

This one over here is mine.

Oh, now don't run away.

No, no, no. Come on, man.

Where you going, man? I've got you.

You stay right there, man.

(groans) (laughing)

You.

Where you going, huh?

What you got? Nothing.

Nothing?! Make him give it up.

(growling)

Oh.

Let's go. Let's go.

Come on.

Rolley!

(pounding on door)

Rolley's gift was immense.

But it was fragile and it was lost to us.

I don't think there's ever been a young person in our world

With more promise, and more desire.

Catherine, I must see him.

Are you sure he wants to see you, vincent?

To be reminded of that terrible loss?

While he's still alive there's hope to regain that loss,

To recover his gift.

I'm thinking of you, trying to spare you more disappointment.

Catherine, if we don't act now, next time may be too late.

Then we must.

I'll be ready in a minute.

(knocking on door)

This here's a men's shelter.

No women.

There's someone inside I need to talk to.

No women allowed inside.

I'm with the d.A.'s office.

I'm afraid tonight you'll have to break the rules.

Over there.

Careful waking him up.

Rolley...

Rolley, wake up.

Rolley...

Wha...?

No! Back off! Hey, be quiet, man.

What's going on over there? Shh. Rolley.

Rolley... What?

I'm a friend.

Go away.

No.

I'm sleeping. Go away.

I need to talk to you, now.

What's this about?

(sighs)

Get up, rolley.

I'm sick, lady! What do you want?

Man: Hey, shut up man.

Knock it off.

I have a message for you.

Message?

What kind of message?

From a friend.

Got no friends.

Yes, you do.

Vincent?

Why?

(sighs)

Come on.

Let's get some coffee to you.

♪ ♪

(distant, rhythmic tapping)

Thank you, rolley.

That was truly magnificent.

Magnificent?!

Oh, rolley parrot.

Have you been performing for your adoring

But undiscriminating audience again?

(laughing)

Don't you any have lessons to practice?

Did you read that piece you just played?

No.

Well, until you can read it you can't play it.

That's the rule, you know that.

I'm sorry, miss kendrick.

Father: Miss kendrick,

I must accept the blame this time.

Yes, you certainly will.

How am I gonna teach this boy anything

If you got him back

To his old habits? Well, I'm sorry,

But you'll have to admit

That rolley at the keyboard is a temptation

That isn't easy to resist.

I'm trying to turn him into a musician.

Right now, he's just a music box.

I don't think any

Music box ever played schumann so beautifully.

Mouse: Found it!

Look.

Mouse, what in the world have you got there? Found it!

Up top!

For rolley.

Some kind of keyboard.

It's from a concert grand piano.

Mouse, what did you do?

I hope you didn't wreck this piano. Found it.

But where's the rest of it?

Up above, down below, in between.

Mouse took it apart.

I was afraid of that. Take it apart,

Bring it down, put it together.

So rolley can play.

(chuckles)

I'm sorry, mouse,

But one simply does not find a concert grand piano.

Mouse did.

Where?

In the park.

(chuckles)

The park? Underground.

Under platform.

The concert platform in the park.

You disassembled a grand piano

Under the concert platform

In the park.

Two more there-- just as big.

I don't think I want to hear anymore of this.

Oh, rolley,

When mouse finishes putting that together for you,

You're going to give some recital on it, aren't you?

Play for everyone.

(quiet laugh)

(subway cars chugging)

And, uh...

Maybe they won't...

Miss it.

Hmm.

(distant clanking)

(car horn honking)

I'm not going out there.

I promised vincent I would bring you out.

For some reason, seeing you tonight

Is very important to him.

(distant honking)

And I don't want to see him disappointed.

I'm going back to sleep.

(sighs): Rolley, wait!

I'm not seeing him, I'm not talking to him.

I don't know him anymore.

That's it.

Okay.

(sighs)

How much is it going to cost?

Tomorrow's coming fast.

You're gonna need some money.

No. Come on.

I will do

Whatever I have to do to get you out there.

Here's a hundred.

If you go out there with me.

You get the other half

After you've seen him.

(playing fast-paced classical piece)

Where have you been?

Up top.

(clanking, subway cars rumbling)

What happened?

Rolley: Nothing.

Kendrick: That bump

On your head isn't nothing.

Did somebody do that to you?

Who did that?

Anthony.

Your brother?

What were you doing with anthony?

I just wanted to see him.

Why did he hit you?

Because I wouldn't tell him.

Tell him what?

Where I've been.

He wanted to know.

And you couldn't tell him.

Rolley: I couldn't.

It's a secret.

I know it's hard, rolley.

Anthony's your big brother.

But he's not looking out for you.

And sooner or later,

He's going to get you into trouble.

And I don't want to see that.

I don't.

He said piano lessons are for girls.

(laughs)

Well, you know that's nonsense.

Besides, you already

Know how to play.

What I'm teaching you is about

The music, how to make it yours.

Maybe even compose your own music.

We gonna play now?

Why don't you go be with the kids today,

Have some fun?

But I want to show you.

Show me what?

I can do it.

I can read it.

(clanking, subway cars rumbling)

(playing the moonlight sonata slowly but accurately)

(playing proficiently)

Oh, rolley, you are a treasure.

(play discordant notes)

(playing accurately)

(door opens)

Rolley.

Rolley, no!

Get away.

Rolley.

Why are you doing this??

I wanted to see you.

Seen enough?

There are things I wanted to say to you.

Nothing to say.

Not now.

You left something behind.

What?

Our love.

Our faith in you.

That's not my fault.

Why did you leave us, rolley?

Why?

You know.

No.

You know why.

I truly don't.

Tell me, rolley.

How could I come back?

Because she would have wanted it.

No. She would have wanted you

To come back to us.

Not after what I did.

Tell me.

It was the day mouse finished the piano.

Eli should be here tonight.

He'd be so proud of you.

I'll go tell him.

Do that.

Tell him you're going to play the moonlight sonata

On a concert grand piano.

Okay.

Go with paco.

Rolley: We were going to eli's,

Paco and me.

And then, anthony comes up.

Vincent: Your brother?

Hey, rolley, how you like it?

Rolley: Yeah, my brother anthony.

Be right back.

He had a motor scooter.

Never been on a motor scooter before.

(engine revving)

Anthony and me rode around for a while,

And then it was dark.

He showed me where him and his friends hung.

I guess I'd been missing anthony,

'cause I forgot about everything else.

Eli, the piano...

Kendrick: Rolley!

Rolley: Then, all of a sudden...

Kendrick: Rolley?

...Miss kendrick's there.

Rolley?

(footsteps approaching)

Uh-oh.

Somebody's in trouble.

Go on and get your whipping, boy.

I'll go talk

To her.

Don't worry about it.

(scoffs)

Rolley?

Rolley?!

Rolley?!

Are you in there?

Rolley, if you're in there, come out now.

(metal clinks)

Who's there?

Who you looking for?

I'm looking for a boy named rolley.

Do you know him?

He has a brother, anthony.

Anthony: Don't know him.

Kendrick: Get...

Get away from here.

Stop that!

Give that back!

Stop it!

Come on!

(footsteps running)

♪ ♪

What happened...

(voice quivering): What happened to her...

It's on me.

You mustn't believe that.

It's on me,

And I'll carry it...

Till I'm dead, too.

To what good?

It's not your doing.

If I hadn't gone with anthony...

If I had just come when she called.

If I had tried to help her.

Nothing can change

What happened.

Nothing any of us do, nothing any of us wish.

You have to accept that, rolley,

And forgive yourself.

Can't do it.

So you atone by destroying yourself?

Yeah.

Then her life remains incomplete,

And her death without meaning.

I'll carry that on me, too.

We done?

She believed in you,

In the power and the promise of your gift.

Honor her memory.

Fulfill that promise.

You have a home, people who love you.

Come back to us.

(car horns honking in the distance)

There's a piano in a chamber

Deep beneath this city,

Waiting for you to play.

It's yours.

Come back.

Play it for us.

I can't.

I can't, vincent.

Too late.

We'll always be there for you.

Know that.

Always.

(sighs)

He won't come back.

You did everything you could.

Catherine, I feel as though I'll never see him again.

But he knows now that you'll wait for him,

That you love him...

And as long

As you do, vincent,

There's hope.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪