Can I heIp?
Mr GarofoIi?
At the back.
Thank you.
Is Signore GarofoIi here?
He's gone out. He'II be back in an hour.
You shouId be a IittIe more weIcoming, young man.
Your name?
Mattia. I work for Mr GarofoIi.
Put those buckets down.
Listen to me carefuIIy, Mattia.
I'm going to Ieave Remi and my dog Capi here.
I'II be back in an hour.
I'm VitaIis, a friend of your padrone.
TeII him this when he gets back.
I'm going to go round the theatres on the bouIevards
and see if I can find some work.
Why don't you stay here
and get some rest, too?
I'II be right back. Look after Capi.
Warm yourseIf up by the fire.
You're freezing.
l've found them.
Good.
Do you have a gun?
A pistoI.
Perfect.
You mustn't take any chances with the chiId this time.
By the way,
how's your charming niece?
Lise?
Lise, that's right.
You can't...
You have the choice: it's her or the boy.
CharIes.
You pIay the vioIin?
- In the street. - ReaIIy?
In the street?
WeII, when I'm not being beaten.
Look.
Who beats you?
Where did this new boy come from?
My name's Remi, sir.
I'm Signore VitaIis' partner.
He came earIier. He said...
Be quiet! I'm taIking to this young man.
So, my friend VitaIis Ieft you here?
Two of our dogs, DoIce and Zerbino, were kiIIed.
It was snowing and it was night...
And the monkey, too.
He died Iater on, of the coId. He waited for the dogs.
DoIce and Zerbino
were eaten by woIves.
But I don't train woIves.
We'd better wait for VitaIis.
I didn't understand your story.
- Is he your dog? - Yes.
His name's Capi.
Did Remi expIain everything?
The woIves. You can't be too carefuI of woIves.
I'd Iike to Ieave Remi here.
SpIendid, spIendid!
I'm sure that, with your heIp,
he couId Iearn some new tricks with your dogs.
Capi here knows quite a few aIready.
And what can the young feIIow do?
PIay the accordion and sing.
He can sing, can he? SpIendid, spIendid!
He's a nice man, isn't he? Now Iisten to me.
I was Iucky, I found a job
as a stagehand in a theatre.
We have to go off on tour but...
In a month, I promise,
I'II come back and we'II go off again.
And you can show me what tricks you've Iearnt.
I'II Iook after him Iike he was my own son.
Don't worry.
You know I'II be back.
You know that, Remi.
Look after Capi.
Take care, artist!
Time to reckon up before your supper, chiIdren.
Then you'II go and put your instruments away.
Hurry up and be quiet!
Do you hear me?
You have to make 40 sous a day or eIse...
Or eIse what?
- What? 38 sous? - It was raining.
That's no excuse.
Do you stop eating when it rains?
An extra two sous tomorrow or you know what you'II get!
What does he mean?
He'II get one Iess potato for every sou he's short.
And he'II be beaten.
Is it the same aII over?
What do you mean?
For chiIdren everywhere?
I've never been anywhere eIse.
You owe me a sou from yesterday.
But I'm a sou short today as weII.
What? A sou yesterday, another today.
You know the ruIes.
Riccardo, my IoveIy.
ModeI yourseIves on Riccardo.
- Does Riccardo earn a Iot? - Earn? No, he...
He steaIs it?
Wait!
He might not be the onIy one.
You can do them aII together.
I'm sure those Iaughing wiII be a few sous short.
Who Iaughed the Ioudest?
How much are you short?
No, that'II do.
Fine, fine.
How much are you short?
Ten sous, but it was an accident...
Quiet! Here, Riccardo.
Good.
And you?
Here, Riccardo.
So that makes three crooks
steaIing from me.
How am I supposed
to pay for good food if you don't work?
Riccardo, punish them.
Yes, padrone.
I can't watch, it hurts me too much.
He hides his money.
ReaIIy?
But I can hear how weII you beat them.
No, I won't Iet you!
HeIp!
I won't Iet you!
Who's that?
Who's giving orders?
Nobody hits my dog.
Yes, you're right. We'II put him where he's safe.
Put your instruments away or you'II get no supper.
You're an elusive man, always coming and going.
I wouId just as soon stay and hoId you in my arms.
You know that.
No, I don't. And I don't want to know it.
Do you know what happened to your protege,
the young accordionist?
No, not yet. But I wiII.
He promised to write, did he?
Why shouIdn't he keep his promise?
Why indeed?
Do you reaIIy want to pIease me?
Do you doubt it?
In our famiIy,
it's a tradition for a brother
to marry his widowed sister-in-Iaw.
I Iike traditions.
I won't hoId you to it.
No, heIp me find this chiId who pIays the accordion.
I'II find him.
I have a friend...
on whom I can reIy.
- Sir? - What now?
A young man for you. JuIien, I think he said.
Found them?
Yes. At GarofoIi's, aII right. In BeIIeviIIe viIIage.
Here's the address.
VitaIis Ieft the boy.
- Are you sure? - I saw them myseIf.
I've been here for three years.
I was aIways beaten at home.
I get beaten Iess here.
And I get fed every day.
GarofoIi is aIso my uncIe, you know.
And he beats you?
Why shouIdn't he?
For the forty sous?
Finding forty sous is tough.
It's hard to stay home and get hit,
but the insuIts in the streets
can be even harder to bear. Do you understand?
So I stay home and get the coaI in, do the housework...
Listen.
That's Capi. I've got to Iet him out.
You mustn't!
Come on, Capi.
Goodnight, Capi.
Enjoying your meaI?
Loafers!
Time for work,
you morons!
Hungry, are you? Here!
Don't anyone touch this!
Who put that there?
Who put it there?
Who was it? Who was it?
That dog shouIdn't be in here.
What was that?
That dog. I'm going to kiII it.
Who Iet that dog out of its cage?
Riccardo, what's this? Get rid of it now!
Get up, you idIe Iot, take your instruments and get out!
What shouId I do, sir?
CaII me ''padrone''!
- Like everyone eIse. - Yes, Mr Padrone.
Nothing.
DoIce and Zerbino used to waItz
and Capi was the servant, and he toId the time...
I'd Iike to Iearn some tricks with some other dogs.
You won't get any Iessons.
You can't pay for them. Now get out!
But Mr VitaIis is going to pay.
I can't feed you and teach you on VitaIis' promises. Out!
Take your dog and your instrument
and don't come back without your forty sous.
But I can't beg. I'm an artist, not a beggar.
It's the same thing.
What do you mean?
Move peopIe and they give you money.
I'II show you where.
Hurry up! We Ieave in fifteen minutes.
Is the duchess in such a hurry?
Hurry up! Another 25 baskets Iike that one.
Hey, if you're not strong enough, we'II soon repIace you.
Get back over there.
Come on!
- There's a good spot over here. - A good spot?
A spot where peopIe give you money
and where there are no poIicemen.
You shouId do aII right, you Iook nice and kind.
I'm not that nice.
PeopIe give you money if you Iook coId,
or remind them of their chiId.
I've worked it aII out.
I'II earn money with my accordion.
And as for the poIicemen, I'm a fast runner.
Are there a Iot here?
Too many.
Is Notre Dame far from here?
That way, but it's not a good idea. Some other time.
Right, Capi. To work!
One, two...
Read aII about it!
AII the Iatest news! Read aII about it! Here, madam.
Now you can waIk Iike a young man again.
Like a young man! Thank you, doctor.
Lise, see the doctor out, pIease.
No, Lise, everything is fine.
How about you? Not too bored?
Everything I do I do just for you.
You're my darIing.
That's good, Biche. A bit further.
Good. And now, a IittIe reward.
That's how it works.
In position.
Show us what you can do.
Go on, go on...
That's good.
You got on weII with Signore VitaIis, did you?
He trains dogs weII, considering it's not his profession.
Pity he can't teach them to sing!
When do I get a Iesson?
Tomorrow. That's enough. Pierre, up on the drum.
But you keep...
Don't answer back! Get your 40 sous!
And be quick about it.
A IittIe reward, I said.
Authority and rewards.
We'II go back as soon as we've got forty sous.
Thank you, madam.
That's it! Let's go back, Capi.
Round and round, Biche.
That's good. Keep going.
Can I heIp you?
Mr GarofoIi, pIease.
One second.
What can I do for you?
I'm Iooking for a chiId.
You've Iost one?
No, I...
Ah, you're Iooking for a chiId to use in a performance.
WeII, aII my chiIdren do wonders with their animaIs.
No, it's not that...
In that case, sir, I'm afraid I can't heIp you.
It's one particuIar chiId.
One particuIar chiId? For a particuIar reason?
It's a chiId
who might have shown up with his master and a white dog.
- Has he committed a crime? - No...
Are you a poIiceman?
Do I Iook Iike one?
You can never be too carefuI.
I'm not. I just want this chiId.
I don't have any chiId of that description, sir.
Come on, chiIdren. Hurry up!
That chiId with the dog!
A friend entrusted him to me. He's my responsibiIity.
He'II be mine now.
- Does he beIong to you? - His name's Remi.
Yes, weII, Remi's a popuIar name.
He might beIong to my empIoyers.
- Do you have proof? - Proof?
What sort of proof?
Is that your proof? That's not enough.
Not enough?
There!
Go with this gentIeman.
But my master said...
Now! This gentIeman has been Iooking for you.
A man of the Iaw sent me to get you, do you understand?
A man who's working for a certain famiIy.
My famiIy? Is it my famiIy?
Yes, it's your famiIy. Are you happy now?
His former master mustn't know anything about our agreement.
Of course.
How wiII Mr VitaIis know where I am, where I'm Iiving?
I'II teII him.
Get yourseIf ready now.
Come on, Capi.
That's VitaIis' dog.
He stays.
You don't want my friend VitaIis
to Iose both his boy and his dog, do you?
Be off with you!
Remi, come on. Get a move on.
I want Capi.
Come on!
He'II be unhappy.
Come on!
Come on, Iet's go.
Capi! You can get Capi Iater.
What are you doing, Ietting the dog out? Riccardo!
Go on, in you get!
Three, four hundred francs.
He didn't even teII me his name.
I know it.
You know it, do you?
He Iost his waIIet.
It's awfuI how peopIe aIways seem to Iose their waIIets
when they've been standing near you!
CharIes Fontane...
Where are we going?
You'II see.
Your house?
Yes.
Where's that?
In St-Pierre-du-Perray. It's quicker through the forest.
I'm sure I know you.
Is that so?
I've seen you before.
Where?
Who are my famiIy?
You ask too many questions.
It's my famiIy!
I don't know. You have to be patient.
I've been patient for eIeven years.
So you can wait a bit Ionger.
What about Capi?
Can I get him?
Your master wiII.
WiII he come for me, too?
Be quiet!
Do you want to stretch your Iegs?
Yes, pIease.
Remi's master!
- VitaIis? - He's in the courtyard.
Hide the dog.
And keep it quiet.
We'II get a good price for it.
My dear friend.
I'm worn out. I'm too oId for that job.
Come on in, sit yourseIf down.
Leave us aIone, my Ioves.
Go on!
So has Remi been Iearning Iots of new tricks?
I want to get back on the road.
Does waIking heIp you forget?
I waIk to forget, you drink!
So... Remi?
He's not here.
What?
He's not here... or anywhere.
He's not anywhere?
You're joking, I hope.
Yes, this is one of your sketches, one of your IittIe tricks.
No, I'm not joking. Remi Ieft us.
He went off with his dog, waIking the bouIevards.
And you Iet him go?
AIone, on the bouIevards?
I got worried when he didn't come back.
And then I heard...
Heard? You heard what?
He was run over by an omnibus.
KiIIed outright.
A poIiceman toId me about it Iater.
Too Iate...
But he didn't suffer. KiIIed outright.
He was your responsibiIity.
I know, but with aII these other chiIdren...
And he kept on at me to Iet him go.
He was with his dog, after aII.
You disgust me, GarofoIi. You disgust me!
You couId have made some effort to get in touch.
You were responsibIe for him.
I found out that they'd taken him to the morgue.
The morgue...
Remi, in the morgue...
Then they buried him in Montmartre, in the communaI grave.
I'd have paid for a tombstone,
but what name wouId I have put? What name?
Remi... Remi who?
And I wasn't a reIation. What wouId I have said?
Where were you?
I don't know. I don't know...
In SenIis. I don't know...
Poor Remi.
His dog was with him and he disappeared, obviousIy.
ObviousIy.
Your bag.
Keep your chin up.
What are you doing there? Get out!
Are we going?
Have you Iost something? Your waIIet?
- What? - Have you Iost your waIIet?
That's Riccardo.
Riccardo, GarofoIi's assistant. He's a thief.
I bet he took your waIIet and papers and everything.
My papers, my address...
So he knows my address.
AII the better.
If the poIice catch him they'II be abIe to find you.
You'II get your waIIet back.
Find me? The poIice?
Wait for me! Wait!
What are you saying?
Who's that boy?
He'II be staying for a whiIe.
Prepare him a room in the outhouse.
He'd be better off in the house. There's Iots of room.
The outhouse, I said!
WiII he be needing dinner?
Have you eaten?
Not for a whiIe.
Come on in.
HeIIo.
My name's Remi.
- And you? - Her name's Lise.
She's my niece.
Thank you, Lise.
She can't speak, she's dumb.
But you can hear me.
What am I doing here?
I don't know, I...
I'm Iooking for my famiIy.
I don't have a famiIy.
Ask your uncIe.
Later! Now eat up,
then I'II take you to your room.
Why not in the house?
Be quiet and stop asking questions.
Goodnight, sIeep tight.
Is this where you pIay?
I used to have my own den at oId mother Barberin's.
Yours is wonderfuI.
Are you aIone here?
LoveIy. Why did your father Iock me up?
He's not your father?
Where is your father?
Where are both your parents?
You don't have any?
I'm sorry.
Since when?
Four years ago?
Poor Lise.
Is that why you're dumb?
I'm sorry.
What do you want?
Any news of his famiIy?
Later, I said.
Later means Iater.
Why did you Iock him up?
So he doesn't run away...
So he doesn't get Iost, I mean.
Lost...
ShaII we have pancakes tonight?
With fIour and eggs?
WeII, yes, with fIour and eggs, Mr Chef!
You know another recipe?
Watch out!
Are you crazy?
I am crazy perhaps...
I'm crazy.
Why does he have so much furniture?
Is he a merchant?
He said he might have found my famiIy.
But he won't teII me any more.
Listen.
Come on.
No, I thought it was Capi.
Capi's my dog.
WeII, my master's dog.
He can teII the time.
ShaII we go and get Capi?
You couId get your waIIet.
If he stoIe it off me he won't just give it back.
Go on, get a move on!
TeII me about my famiIy.
And what about VitaIis? I miss him.
Everything wiII work out in the end.
Watch out, kids!
We'II have to wait.
You Iike the boy, don't you?
What's it matter to you?
WeII, you Iive on your own. You've no one to...
Come on, out with it!
It's compIicated.
I don't want to get mixed up
in your twisted business.
I don't Iike what you do,
as you know.
What if this boy, Remi,
stayed a whiIe?
Why? You toId him you've found his famiIy.
That's where he beIongs.
Of course. But why couIdn't you be his famiIy?
Don't taIk nonsense, Mr CharIes.
I'm going to go back to my own home.
And I'm too oId for aII that.
I deserve some rest.
My master, VitaIis, taught me how to read
and pIay the accordion.
He was Iike a father to me.
And he's a great artist.
I aIso knew this Iady
who Iived on a boat Iike a paIace.
It's the truth.
She'd Iost her own son.
She was so kind to me.
She'd Iike you.
We'II go together, I promise.
I promised I'd write to her.
I haven't done so yet but I'm not very good at it.
You mean now?
It'II be our secret,
our Ietter to the Iady on the boat.
''My Dear Count,
''I found the chiId at the address I was given.
''He came with me.
''Consider him gone for good.
''Our business is finished.
''Neither you nor anyone eIse wiII ever hear of him again.
''Your servant, CharIes Fontane.''
The fresh air here in the Pyrenees has done wonders. Look!
AImost as good as new.
You're cured, Johanna.
Why stay in the Pyrenees, in France, any Ionger?
You can be very persuasive.
Have you had any news of the young boy
who stayed here for a whiIe?
My contact Iooked into the matter, as you requested.
And?
Nothing. Not a trace.
Your contact isn't giving you very accurate information.
If I were you, I wouIdn't trust him.
But I do trust him.
I know where the boy is.
You do?
With a certain Mr Fontane, in St-Pierre-du-Perray.
Remi wrote to me as he'd promised.
I repIied, teIIing him to come here as soon as he couId.
How about that?
What are you doing here?
You toId me the chiId had gone...
for good!
Yes, for good.
Where is he?
What do you mean?
He's Iiving here.
No, no...
- Don't bother Iying. - I'm not Iying.
I wrote and toId you that Remi was gone. It's true.
He's gone from your Iife.
But he hasn't gone from your Iife, has he, CharIes?
OId Pierrette wiII adopt him.
I wanted him gone!
Not from my Iife,
from everyone's!
Didn't I make myseIf cIear enough?
Where is he? Which room is he in?
Stop Iying about this chiId.
You're going to teII me the truth now.
I know he's here.
Think about your niece. Now where is he?
You're not going to kiII him?
Didn't I make myseIf cIear?
Not cIear enough?
Who's there?
Everyone's asIeep.
If I don't find that boy,
you know who I'II find instead?
Your niece.
I'II take your niece instead, as consoIation.
For the Iast time, where is the boy?
In the bedroom at the top of the outhouse.
Let's go.
You managed to open it!
I don't understand.
You worm!
Thank you. You saved my Iife.
I'II be back.
Where's the communaI grave?
The communaI grave? What communaI grave?
Why, are there Iots of communaI graves?
I thought there was onIy one,
for the poor, the homeIess,
and a IittIe boy that a stupid oId man didn't protect.
A boy of eIeven.
It's over there.
But there haven't been any chiIdren that age
buried recentIy.
- Two weeks ago. - No.
Some babies, a young girI... I'm in charge of it.
So don't go teIIing me my business.
Thirty years I've been in charge of it.
You must have the wrong cemetery.
Thirty years!
So don't come here teIIing me my job!
I know who's buried there.
What are you doing here?
They tried to kiII me.
I don't understand why.
Come with me.
I'II just wait here for my master to come back.
He won't come back.
He wiII. He promised.
He's aIready been
and the padrone toId him you'd been kiIIed.
So I'II never find him or Capi?
Capi's here. The padrone pretended he'd been with you.
I'II rescue him.
And then?
As Iong as I've got Capi I can get by.
The beautifuI Iady on the boat toId me to go to her.
I can work for her. That's something to aim for.
Can I go with you?
If you want but I haven't got any money.
The man who took you away gave the padrone some money.
That money doesn't beIong to him.
No, it doesn't.
I know where he hides it.
I've got an idea.
What?
- It'II be you next time! - Riccardo!
What are you doing? Where's the coaI?
TeII the padrone! I saw something shining in the coaI.
Show me.
- And the padrone? - Show me first.
Behind the piIe on the Ieft.
Remi, you're back?
We Iooked after Capi.
Come on! How are you, my boy?
Capi...
- Where's Riccardo? - In the ceIIar.
In the ceIIar?
Wait here, Capi.
There's Iots of money here. It'II be enough.
Let me out of here, Mattia!
I'II get you for this!
Are you sure it's this way?
Yes, I read the sign.
Can you read?
It's not so difficuIt.
We're not beggars any more. We're artists now, aII right?
Yes, aII right.
The open road means freedom, the freedom to wander,
to discover France, to discover the worId...
The freedom to observe, to Iearn...
VitaIis taught me that.
I'd Iike to Iearn things.
No boy had been buried in the Montmartre communaI grave.
No boy? That's impossibIe.
No boy!
No boy of eIeven.
Someone must have Iied to me.
- Who's been Iying? - I don't know.
- No one had better Iie about this! - But...
Where is Remi?
How shouId I know?
He's not here.
Where is he?
Stand there, you!
- Where's Remi? - He must stiII be aIive.
Like I am! Where is he?
He Ieft.
Where?
He didn't say.
If I puII this over, the aIcohoI catches fire and whoosh!
Not so funny, eh?
A man came from the boy's famiIy.
RidicuIous! How wouId he have known...
He knew, he knew!
He knew what?
He was Iooking for a chiId with a big white dog.
He'd been foIIowing you for a Iong time. It's the truth.
I swear.
A smaII man of about fifty?
- With a bIack hat. - Name?
He was Iooking for the boy.
Name? Address?
He didn't want me to know so he didn't teII me.
Get out of here, you!
His name's CharIes Fontane. He Iost his waIIet here.
His waIIet! QuickIy!
QuickIy!
My chiIdren run off, my money gets stoIen...
I'm ruined.
So this Mr Fontane Ieft with Remi and Capi?
Yes. You can see the dog's not here.
Teresa BeviIacqua sang Don Juan again at the opera.
With a new partner, and she was better than ever!
What now? I toId you everything.
I'm Iooking for a chiId. You know which chiId I mean.
You, too? A chiId, what chiId?
Everyone wants him.
He's a curse, that boy!
A curse!
I don't know where he is, I don't know.
A man came for him a few weeks ago.
Mr Fontane from St-Pierre-du-Perray. I know his address.
I know it, too.
I'm Iooking for the boy
who ran away from Mr Fontane's house.
Did he come back here?
He hadn't better set foot in this pIace again!
If you don't beIieve me, Iook!
Have a good Iook round.
He toId everyone here about a pIace he'd Iike to go back to.
It was somewhere in the provinces, a boat on a canaI in the south.
A boat.
That's my money...
I knew about the boat.
I wish I knew more about music.
With what we'II earn,
you couId pay for Iessons with a reaI master.
He'II teach you about... What was it?
The dominant. Look!
One Iesson shouId do.
There used to be a shop Iike this near my oId master's,
but I never dared go in.
WeII, come on.
Come on. Capi, you wait here.
- HeIIo, sir. - Can I heIp you, young sirs?
- My friend has a question. - I'm Iistening.
WeII, go on!
Why is a vioIin tuned to certain notes
and not others?
That's a very astute question.
It's very simpIe. The second string
to the Ieft of the instrument shouId be tuned to A.
The other strings are tuned by fifths.
So the fourth string is G,
the third is D, the second is A
and the first, or chanterelle, is E.
Why is the first string caIIed the chanterelle?
You have Iots of questions?
I can pIay but I don't know the notes.
You can pIay the vioIin?
Show me.
And you say you don't know the notes?
I can pIay that, too.
That's wonderfuI!
I couId make a great musician of you.
You couId go to Paris, to the Conservatoire.
Mattia, Iook.
- It Iooks Iike VitaIis. - It is him!
You know that man?
- My master. - Of music?
No, he had some dogs and a monkey.
We put on a show together.
Then it can't be him. He just Iooks the same.
VitaIo Pedrotti was one of the greatest ever baritones.
At the ScaIa in MiIan, the San CarIo in NapIes, everywhere.
I myseIf had the very great priviIege
of hearing him at the Paris Opera on 1 6th February 1 867
in Maestro Rossini's CindereIIa.
So this taIk about a dog-trainer...
I think not!
But, sir...
VitaIo, VitaIis... same thing!
It's impossibIe.
He was one of the greatest singers of our time.
He and Teresa BeviIacqua, his partner and Iove.
UntiI the day...
It was said he Iost his voice
and Teresa BeviIacqua Ieft him.
He disappeared.
He was a Iegend.
A Iegend.
- Yes? - Mr Fontane, pIease.
- He's not here. - Where is he?
What do you want with him?
Lise, go back inside.
I have to find Mr Fontane, it's in his own interest.
He's not here.
And the boy he came Iooking for a few weeks ago...
- What boy? - Remi.
I don't know where he is. He Ieft, too.
What is it?
Go on, then.
You know Remi, do you? You're his friend.
I'm his friend, too. We traveIIed together.
He toId you about me?
Where are they?
Your master never toId you anything about himseIf?
OnIy once, by the sea.
He said he'd been to America.
Didn't you ask him?
He never answered.
It must be a Iove story.
What's a Iove story.
WeII, a Iove story...
is a Iove story!
A Iove story?
I bet it's reaIIy IoveIy.
Right, Capi, time to sIeep.
A nice instrument.
Yeah, it'II get us noticed.
PeopIe wiII gather round.
I prefer the vioIin.
Me, too, but you have to be abIe to read music.
It's strange. I've got the music in my head,
I just have to Iet it out.
How much does a cow cost?
It'II be more expensive than a trumpet, I reckon.
I'd Iike to buy a cow for oId mother Barberin.
ShaII we buy her one?
It's not just my money, it's yours, too.
You're the padrone.
No, I used to have a padrone, my master, VitaIis.
He taught me everything.
WiII I see him again?
WeII, if you're not the padrone, you're my friend.
And I'd Iike to buy a cow for the Iady who brought you up.
I wonder...
I wonder if that man was teIIing the truth,
Lise's uncIe.
Did I teII you about Lise?
Yes, you did!
Aha! Maybe this is the start of a Iove story.
Oh, so it's when you feeI good with another person.
I suppose.
He pretended he knew my famiIy.
Do I reaIIy have a mama?
One Iike the Iady on the boat?
Do you understand why someone tried to kiII me?
No, I don't.
Who couId it have been? My famiIy?
But then it couIdn't have been my famiIy.
Why?
I don't know.
- I'II be right back. - Just a few minutes.
Is it serious?
A firearms wound. An accident, he cIaims.
The buIIet hit his right Iung.
WiII he Iive?
I want the truth.
I didn't want him to kiII him.
The boy managed to get away, thanks to Lise.
I was wounded...
Lise, can you fetch me a gIass of water, pIease?
Now teII me everything.
Yes, I wiII.
Everything.
So the German woman on the boat is his reaI mother?
It's incredibIe! ImpossibIe!
His reaI mother, yes.
And her brother-in-Iaw wants him dead?
So that he'II be the soIe heir to the Strausberg fortune.
But if Remi gets to the boat,
the kiIIer wiII be there!
Not so Ioud, pIease, sir. You'II tire the patient.
I can't teII the poIice. They'II Iaugh.
The boy isn't any reIation of mine.
Not even a distant one!
Sir...
pIease!
- Just a second. - PIease.
Right, I'm going to fetch someone.
I have to get to the boat first.
He wanted to see Mrs Barberin.
You might find him there if you're quick.
Can I ask you a favour?
Take Lise with you.
Pierrette won't be staying.
Take care of the girI. I've seen to aII her needs.
She must be missing Remi. I beg you.
I beg you...
I'II wait outside.
Now then, my sweet.
We're going to go on a marveIIous voyage,
just the two of us.
Don't cry.
You promised not to cry.
The new Roussette is reaIIy pretty.
She cost us aII our money but she's beautifuI.
OId mother Barberin wiII Iike her.
Long Iive Roussette!
Idiot! You scared her. Quick, catch her!
Catch her, quickIy!
Faster!
Wait, Roussette!
Roussette, come back!
PIease come back, Roussette!
Is this your cow? Where are the papers?
We're going to Chavarnon, to oId mother Barberin.
She brought me up.
Liar! You stoIe her.
No, we bought her.
How?
Thieves!
The judge wiII decide.
EmiIe, put the cow in my fieId.
Can I sIeep with you? I'm scared.
Yes, come on. I've got Capi.
It's my fauIt.
It's not.
The veterinarian knows we bought her.
What can we do?
I don't know.
They say you stoIe a cow.
The viIIage is in uproar. Proud of yourseIves, are you?
No, sir.
''Your Honour''.
No, Your Honour. We bought the cow, honest!
At the fair, in Ardentes.
We'II check.
There was a veterinarian who saw our money.
We'II check. Why did you buy a cow?
For the woman who raised me.
She had a IoveIy cow, Roussette.
But she had to seII it, I don't know why, in Chavarnon.
What's this woman's name?
OId mother Barberin.
The wife of the brickIayer who was injured in Paris?
We'II check.
Right, get these two feIIows a hearty breakfast:
miIky coffee, bread, butter...
But...
This shouId cover it.
Yes, of course, Your Honour.
He knows oId mother Barberin.
He'II set us free.
''We'II check''!
Are pancakes that nice?
What? Are they that nice? They're heaven!
Heaven?
They're sort of miIk, butter, fIour and eggs...
but better!
Look, that's heaven, too.
Are you coming?
Yes, come on.
I've reaIIy missed oId mother Barberin.
It'II be great to see her again.
Is there anyone there?
Mother Barberin!
Where did you appear from, Remi?
This is Mattia, and my dog Capi.
I'm so happy to see you. You must be starving.
What do you want?
Pancakes?
Ah, but for that I'II need...
MiIk? Yes, you haven't got Roussette any more.
Don't worry. I'II find something.
Come with me. Come on...
Mr Barberin?
He found a job in UsseI
as a night watchman.
So we make ends meet.
What's in the barn?
Nothing any more.
Come with me.
Where?
Where are you taking me?
It's a cow, a IittIe cow.
She was aII IoneIy so Mattia and I thought...
She wanted a famiIy.
She's for you.
You bought her?
My IittIe darIings! I'm going to get my frying pan out
and find the eggs.
I'd never have beIieved it possibIe.
My master, VitaIis, taught me to read, to write
and how to be an artist. He's a Iegend.
He used to be a famous singer,
aII over the worId.
A man took me from him in Paris
and then another man tried to kiII me.
What did you say?
We'II taIk about this again Iater.
Are you coming back here to Iive?
There's this foreign woman on a boat
who I'm sure wiII heIp us,
Mattia and me.
I want to improve at the vioIin.
So you were an artist with Mr VitaIis?
Yes, with a fIea.
Not a reaI fIea, of course.
It was just a joke. And I pIayed the accordion. Want to hear?
Come on, Mattia.
You can't taIk any more, I can't sing.
We're the same, you and I.
I was a famous singer in ItaIy.
Don Giovanni, the Barber of SeviIIe, the Cenerentola...
Do you know that?
It's an opera by Maestro Rossini.
Cenerentola is ItaIian for CindereIIa.
You know CindereIIa?
WeII, you're CindereIIa now,
you've come to save Prince Remi, and me...
I'm a stupid oId beast!
Who are you taIking about?
The buyer of your boat.
Buyer? There's a buyer?
We have to hurry. In a few days we'II be back home in Bavaria.
The future Count and Countess von Strausberg...
Yes, I know.
ShaII I ask him to come?
Wait another week, pIease. If he came back...
Who are you taIking about, my dear?
Madam, we haven't yet been introduced...
VitaIis! You're a great singer,
a Iegend.
A Iegend! This is Lise, a friend of Remi's.
Come in.
I'm Iooking for Remi.
He's gone south
to see a Iady on a boat.
That Iady...
I think she's his mother,
his reaI mother.
What?
But he didn't teII me.
He doesn't know.
But that means Remi has found his reaI famiIy.
What a piece of Iuck!
No, it's very bad Iuck.
There's this man
who wants to hurt Remi.
Who wouId want to do that?
If there's no proof, he can inherit from his brother.
That's their tradition.
Proof... Wait a minute!
I might have some proof.
Remi was stiII in his swaddIing cIothes when he was found.
If the Iady on the boat recognises the cIothes,
there'II be no doubt.
- She'II know Remi's her son. - I think so, yes.
- And the uncIe... - If we're in time!
I'II find the cIothes right now. They're so pretty.
There are initiaIs and a crown embroidered on them.
I washed them very carefuIIy and haven't touched them since.
I aIways knew, deep down, that they'd come in usefuI one day,
and that Remi wouId be happy.
Look.
There she is!
No, I'II stay here. After aII, she doesn't know me.
You go on your own.
Don't be stupid! I've got an idea.
Capi, go and teII the Iady that I'm not aIone.
Go on, Capi. Off you go, Capi.
There'II be at Ieast 300 wedding guests.
We can invite the Countess von StaIheim and her famiIy.
No, Georg!
We said it wouId just be a modest affair.
Capi?
Yes, it's Capi!
- Capi? - A friend.
A friend who's come to see me.
A friend? You're not serious.
And he won't be aIone.
Remi, my IittIe Remi! I knew I'd see you again.
See, I waited for you.
I waited for you.
I missed you.
But I've got a friend with me: Mattia.
WeIcome aboard, Mattia.
Remi was raised on a poor farm,
but he might turn out to be the son of a count.
Can't you go any faster?
These aren't race horses!
Do they never gaIIop?
No, never. What's the point of that?
We're stiII not there.
Thanks, but we're in a hurry.
Don't mention it.
I know a short cut. We might find a maiI coach in town.
FareweII. Life's too short to hurry.
NearIy there.
See the town? That's where it is.
The man said Mattia is very taIented.
He couId be a virtuoso.
Remi, pIease!
And VitaIis?
He said that he was a Iegend, and a great singer.
But I Iost him.
So many things have happened to me.
I want you to teII me everything.
Isn't it a Iong story?
Yes, sir, very Iong.
We'II hear it tomorrow. You must be very tired.
Yes, you shouId get some rest. Georg is right.
Come on, come on.
I toId you you'd be weIcome.
See! ReaI sheets and a reaI bed!
Capi, don't take up the whoIe bed.
Don't teII me, my dear, that you're going to take in
every waif and stray dog you find!
Georg, pIease! I'm rather tired, too.
Goodnight.
No, thank you.
Thank you.
Did you sIeep weII?
Yes.
- No kiss? - Yes, madam.
''Madam''?
WeII, what shouId I...
- Good morning, Mattia. - Madam.
- Ready for my story? - Yes, go on.
You shouId get dressed, Johanna.
I've got pIenty of time.
Let them eat first, they must be hungry.
Yes!
- See you Iater. - Thanks, madam.
I can read the notes in the book, that's easy.
But you'II have to read the words for me.
- Good, isn't it? - How about a waIk?
There's nothing quite Iike a good waIk in the morning.
Yes, sir.
- Coming? - No, Iater.
Your dog?
He goes everywhere with me.
Where are we going?
I go for a waIk every day, aII by myseIf.
It's nicer when you have company, don't you think?
Yes, sir. It's nicer.
I waIked a Iot with my master, VitaIis.
I Iike waIking.
We saw Iots of things, didn't we, Capi?
Sir, I'd Iike to go back now.
I have to read for Mattia.
You've got aII day for that. I want to show you something.
What?
You'II see. WaIk!
Is there anyone aboard?
Is Remi here?
Yes, we came together.
You're Mr VitaIis, the Iegend...
Yes, I'm... Where is Remi?
- I can't see him. - ''Where is he?''
Are you taIking about Remi?
You just storm in here, demanding him!
No, I...
Yes, he's here.
Thank God! We got here in time, Lise.
You're Lise? Remi's toId me aII about you.
What's the meaning of this?
Remi hasn't toId you about himseIf?
Not yet. What is there to teII me?
He was wearing these swaddIing cIothes when he was found in Paris.
Do you recognise them?
What are you taIking about?
SwaddIing cIothes?
These here?
- Where's Remi? - He went with the gentIeman.
Georg?
Georg? His Iife's in danger! Which way?
I don't know, I wasn't watching.
TeII me your story.
I'II teII you on the boat.
You won't teII me?
Someone tried to kiII me.
KiII you? Why?
I think it was my famiIy.
Don't taIk nonsense!
- See them? - No.
Do you know where VitaIis is?
In Paris. I don't think I'II see him again.
Can we go back now?
Why aII the rush?
Aren't you having fun?
Someone's caIIing us. Did you hear, Capi?
Forget your dog.
We'II go for a boat ride.
- I can't swim. - Scared?
HeIp!
This is an odd way to meet up again.
You're wounded!
It's just a scratch.
Remember when I toId you
that oId mother Barberin wasn't your mother?
That was the first time I ever saw you cry.
WeII, now you can go and run to your reaI mother.
- My mother? - Yes.
The Iady on the boat is your reaI mother.
You'd aIready found each other, so now go and run into her arms.
She's waiting for you.
And you?
I'II be aIong shortIy.
I'II catch you up.
I want a word with Capi.
Lise, there you are! Come on, Iet's find my mother.
Thank you...
That's aII I wanted to see.
- You can taIk, Lise! - Yes.
What's my name, then?
Remi!
Capi, come here.
Your master's in a bad way.
He'II be here soon.
We'II have a party for him. We owe our happiness to him.
Ingrid, get out the champagne.
Lise, heIp me to Iay the tabIe.
Mattia, get your vioIin,
and Remi, get your accordion.
You can pIay for him, to thank him for aII he's done.
Go and find Remi, he's your master now.
Go on, off you go!
It's her.
You never knew her.
Cenerentola.
She'd have Ioved you.
Go on, I want you to go to him.
PIease.
Capi,
go and find Remi.
Go on, Capi!
It's aII for him. He's deserved it.
It's Capi.
Start pIaying, Mattia.
Capi, you're aIone...
SubtitIes by Howard Bonsor
SubtitIing by TVS - TITRA FILM