MEN OF RESISTANCE
Get down! An Austrian patrol! Fire!
An Austrian patrol.
Only respond to fire when you can see them.
Throw it.
Comrades, comrades!
- Stop! Stop the fire! - Comrade!
It is an Italian insignia, of our division.
And also of our regiment.
I knew it. Son of bitch, you are a deserter!
- You called us "kameraden". - I thought you were Austrian.
You were seeking comfort, to quit the war, right?
No, no. I got lost.
Lieutenant, it's not the first time we've seen this habit of "getting lost".
- Tell me, what's your name? - Giuseppe Barassi.
- Where were you? - We were patrolling, then fired upon.
- Who shot at you? - The Austrians.
- But it was us. - Lieutenant, I didn't see anything!
Idiot!
- Avellini! - Yes, sir. - To the observatory.
- Capital punishment to be executed, Major. - Proceed.
This way.
Lieutenant Sassu of the 10th company.
I have received orders to be at your disposal.
Have a seat.
- Want some? - No thanks, I don't drink.
You don't drink, why? Have you taken a sobriety oath?
- Are you coming from the rear lines? - Yes, but I was 4 months at the front.
Good, you have been in combat.
- Anyway, it's different here. - That's why I have been commanded here.
Monte Fiori, we are losing it soon...
Little by little.
The division is retiring. Let's hope that they arrive back in time.
There he is, General Leone. He must have lost much.
It's written in the book... those who keep the mountain top has the key of the plain.
But if they don't use any artillery, the key of the plain is left in the door...
Luckily the Austrian commander is a stupid idiot like ours.
Now they're taking Mount Fiori and they don't get any artillery.
The art of warfare follows its course...
Stop!
Lieutenant.
Commander.
- Who gave the order to stop? - I believe a scout did, General.
Have him shot.
Yes, sir.
There is the Italian line. Two miles in the open.
- Has he been shot yet? - No, sir.
It's confirmed that it was a scout that called for the stop.
He came into the open...
Austrian machine guns from above the hill would reach all areas there.
Shoot him anyway.
General, I cannot shoot a man who hasn't done anything.
Place him before the firing squad. Immediately!
Yes, sir.
Lieutenant, I called for the stop.
What do we do now? Continue or stop?
Let's wait here.
- A smoke? - Thanks.
- How old are you? - 21.
- What's your profession? - I'm a farmer, Lieutenant.
- So, what do you say? - About what, Lieutenant?
Stop!
You guys with the corpse, wait.
Wait.
You there, fire your arms!
Fire your arms!
The order has been executed, General.
In war, discipline is painful but necessary.
Let's honour our dead.
All ranks, get ready!
Forwards march!
- Comrade, don't leave me to die! - Help me release the others!
We have left Mount Fiori, only because we were ordered to.
3.000 casualties.
However, now the order is to retake it.
- At any cost! - 5.000 casualties.
We will attack immediately...
Not allowing the enemy to fortify their positions,
nor to dig trenches.
This time we will not attack the mountain directly.
We will attack it from the sides, in order to isolate...
the enemy group that conquered it.
March!
- Enough! What have I done? - Nothing you had to do.
Nothing like ruin for those ahead of us.
Then you understand that they will get killed?
- Sure! Who wants to engage in something like this?
What's going on? Let's move!
What are you doing? Stand up, move on.
Let's move! Let's march!
General, the trumpet blowers are here.
Methane gas in the head, soldiers, it's worse to live here than to die...
It's better you know that.
This new line will be our grave or our honour.
And if the enemy also is listening:
Dieser Linie wirde unser Grab oder unser Ere.
Lieutenant Santino.
- This is your sector? - Yes, sir.
Accompany me then.
The General... Attention!
Where is your bayonet?
No, give it to me.
What is this?
A little oxide, General.
Come here, have a look. What is written here?
I can't read, General.
General, I can't see anything.
It is a word written here...
that everyone can read, even the illiterates...
that everyone can see, even the blind...
It's so evident. Don't you think so, Lieutenant?
- To be honest I don't know... - Vittoria!
Victory!
It is written on this blade!
It is for the victory we fought and it is for the victory that we must retake Mount Fiori.
Continue working.
Attention!
Lieutenant Ottolenghi.
Do all your soldiers have a knife?
- A knife? - Yes, a knife.
Some have, some don't.
The bayonet is not enough...
In close combat, specially at night, the knife is needed.
A knife with a long and sharp blade.
You do understand me, right?
Yes, General.
How many knives do you have?
150.
In good condition?
Not all of them.
Do you check them regularly?
- No, General. - Not good. You should.
Yes, General.
For what purposes do your men use a knife?
It depends... To cut bread, meat or cheese...
...and to peel oranges, General. - I say for use in combat!
For use in combat, yes,
You already knows that a gun with a bayonet must be grasped with the two hands...
and for that reason, the knife must be taken between the teeth.
And the strike must be sudden: to the heart or the throat, it doesn't matter...
but it has to be sudden.
- Return to work. - As you wish.
Let's start working.
What is the distance between our trenches and the Austrians?
Around 250 meters.
- So from here it's 230 meters. - That's probable.
That's not probable.
It is certain.
General, it's dangerous to expose yourself like that. The Austrians have good snipers.
Corporal.
If you are not scared, do what your General just did.
Yes, General.
The Austrians will have adjusted the fire. They will not miss this time.
Now you can step down.
That's a hero, an authentic hero.
Have a glass of wine as soon as you can.
Move it!
They stopped shooting. So do we.
We will leave when it gets dark.
Shoot, help him die.
I don't have guts to shoot to him.
Captain.
How many wire cutters do we have?
Should be seven of them. Three larger and four small ones.
- Bring them here immediately. - Yes, sir.
- Sergeant. - Commander. - The wire cutters.
Captain, appoint one officer and two privates to cut barbed wire.
Second Lieutenant Avellini.
There is still much fog.
There is a risk that we won't find those holes that we have cut open.
Soon the fog will descend, and the Austrians will see them.
The wire cutters function neither by day nor at night.
We need artillery.
Which we don't have.
They are returning.
Stretcher-bearer!
One dead...
and the cutters do not cut well.
- These cut well, Major. - Show me.
Then we must try again.
The problem is not the wire cutters. However good, they won't change anything.
The Austrians shoots everyone that approaches, with or without cutters.
I'm in command here, and haven't requested your opinion.
Captain, appoint an officer to command this mission.
Lieutenant Sassu.
Are you prepared to leave?
Lieutenant Sassu just returned from a mission.
- Go look for Lieutenant Santini. - Yes, sir.
No one knows the land better than he does.
Hey, don't you say anything, or you will be fucked up.
Are you willing to go on a mission with the wire cutters?
- It's too late. It's impossible now. - I didn't ask you if it's early or late.
I asked you if you would offer to volunteer.
No, sir.
That's not good enough.
Sir, you asked me a question. I have given you an answer.
It's not about loyalty, nor courage.
You don't offer to volunteer?
No, sir.
Then I order you to go, and right away!
If it's an order... then I have to obey.
Bring the cutters.
You, go with the Lieutenant.
How come you've never gone on a mission with the cutters?
- If I got the order, I would. - Sure.
Keep it as a memory of me.
Let's go.
Lieutenant.
Get down!
Shit! He will get us killed!
Go back!
The whole company is rebelling!
Men on-duty and off-duty, everybody, let's get out.
Everybody out, come on!
Silence.
Line up.
One row, come on.
Grab your guns!
They are making stupid things outside.
It's not the way to run this case.
Only you will end up paying for this...
You know what I think.
I'll be with you when the time is right.
We want vacation, we have the right to rest.
Soldiers! Return to your barracks.
Vacation from duty!
We have all the right to vacation, even me, at my age. Now return to the barracks.
He is your Colonel. For your own interest, obey his orders.
Lead the men, Major.
The company reunites.
Attention.
Lieutenant Ottolenghi, can I count on your company?
Yes, sir.
Can I count on your company if I'd order you to take part against the insurgents?
I don't believe so, Colonel.
Give me a straight answer. Will or will you not take part?
No, sir.
In any case, your company is at disposal.
Attention!
At ease.
Attention!
Prepare!
Ready!
Soldiers, for the last time, return to your barracks.
Confusing indeed...
One should either do something well, or don't do it at all.
That was very courageous the way you answered the Colonel.
What had you done?
That's what I'm asking myself.
Would you have shot the soldiers?
Sometimes it's not easy to do the right thing.
The decision was mine alone.
You forget that we are at war and that we must win.
Tonight you have jeopardized that...
by speaking in front of the soldiers the way you did.
Why? Did I say something you didn't like?
You said that the time wasn't right yet... To do what?
To shoot our Commander.
Then shoot all the commanders, even those of the enemy.
Strike hard and shoot as many as possible!
Beginning with the commanders of our division!
And then?
I'll work my way through the hierarchy.
How far?
All the way to the capital, where enemy generals can be found.
And then?
The people seize government power. That's socialism.
Sure.
That's delusions... Do you really think it would be better that way?
Do you know for sure?
Only sure thing I know is to shoot.
Then we'll see.
That punishment can't be applied against soldiers who haven't used their arms.
- But article 92 of the Code says... - But that is a code from 1869.
But it's still valid.
The article suggests 'capital punishment with dishonor' for a riot in front of the enemy.
We are not in front of the enemy, we are in the near presence of the enemy...
...and for that reason we added article 137 that suggests military jail.
We are in front of the enemy at our most forward position.
Only an offensive operation would be in front of the enemy.
Here we're only in the near presence.
So what then? The attack will be tomorrow.
Tomorrow it is not today.
We will only win this war if our troops are treated according to
the disciplinary method that we used in the colony with the "Ascaris".
Our soldiers are citizens like you and me...
The "Ascaris" were all mercenaries, foreigners and of color.
That's an essential difference to me.
Philosophy has been introduced in the army. That's the reason for our weakness.
General Leone has communicated with the Command and confirms...
Article 92: Sedition.
I haven't done anything, I don't want to die!
Firing squad! Attention!
Kneel down!
Aim!
Fire!
These are very pretty drawings that the lieutenant gave me.
It's all birds: the duck, the seagull...
This is the redbreast...
the blackbird...
...and the thrush. I like them all, roasted of course.
What a clown!
- Do you know where the thrushes come from? - No, Lieutenant.
From Germany.
They can come from wherever... on the skewer they are all good.
Skewers are important, Lieutenant... should not be iron, should be wooden.
First you have to carve the skewer... and see what it tastes like.
I am Sardinian, I know the country like you do.
How does this war end, Lieutenant?
We will fight to the bitter end to conquer these 4 stones.
That's also a piece of Italy.
Have a look at this good piece of Italy!
Enough now! Silence! You're waking our "neighbours".
Lieutenant, let me introduce the best Austrian sniper of the front.
I'll show you how he works.
Give me that piece of wood.
Some already got hurt, so get down.
You saw that? He never misses.
Now even trickier... a cigarette.
Enough with this triviality.
Viewpoint 14 will be closed from today.
Here are the famous Fassina armours...
Especially famous...
because they allow extremely bold actions in broad daylight.
The enemy may have guns, machine guns, artillery...
The Fassina armours make it all equal.
Make way!
The Roman soldiers were victorious thanks to their armours.
At 9:00 we will also attack, but there are still a few seconds left.
Indeed.
- Give the order. - Officers, take your positions.
Get ready for the attack.
Glory!
Let's move!
Enough, Italian soldiers, enough! Stop committing suicide like that. Go back!
Enough. Stop it!
Stop it!
Enough with this war of starvation!
Against starvation!
Forward!
Soldiers of my glorious division, forward!
There is our enemy, behind us!
Soldiers, revolt! Moral scum!
Help me.
You have left your battle position.
The battle is over. It was useless to stay.
It's also useless to bring a cadaver.
He was still alive.
I want to know the name of the officer in charge.
Who's responsible for this sector?
Who responds?
- Who is in charge of this viewpoint? - I don't know, General.
- I want to know his name. - I am the officer in charge.
Well... you again.
Bring me the list of the battalion. Quickly!
Your territory does not serve any purpose.
It is the nature of the terrain...
It's very fragile... the terrain.
Your territory is more about seeking refuge than about observing
the line of the enemy and to study the attack...
How do you justify yourself?
I asked you to justify!
Answer me.
With a little more elevation we will have a better view...
Those above at number 14 see the enemy line perfectly.
I don't think so! But I will have a look.
Only one at a time can watch.
Magnificent, absolutely magnificent.
Very good, Lieutenant.
This will be most useful for the attack.
Continue watching...
The position to the left... there is a white line...
Do you see it?
Sure I see it.
I believe it's the enemy's weakest spot...
Yes, possibly. Possibly so.
Hey! Give us a hand to remove it from the mud...
Please... it got bogged down in the mud.
Come on boys.
Like this, come on.
Lieutenant.
Lieutenant, look over there. It's Lieutenant Ottolenghi.
We're ready, Lieutenant.
Lieutenant, I've been granted exemption. I won't be back.
I think you're lying about your exemption, and I will report you for that.
- You will never report me. - Let's move, come on.
There are very evident signs...
the edge of the burned orifice...
marks of explosive combustion.
The shot has without doubt been fired from a short distance.
You have inflicted this wound yourself.
No, Colonel, I got hurt in the fray during the attack.
Firearms are not used in the fray, only bayonets or daggers are used.
I was shot from behind by an Austrian officer.
If he was behind you the palm of the hand would have to be in the body of the official.
Report self-inflicted wound, bring it to the military court.
Next.
Francesco Di Giovanni
Present.
Well, tell us what happened.
I was on post, Colonel...
...when they attacked...
The lieutenant had ordered us not to shoot...
Impossible. Self-inflicted wound. Military Court. Bring the next one.
- Colonel... - Go away.
It is an impossible thought that an Italian officer would issue an order
to a sentry on post to not make use of his weapon.
And you?
We were in trenches before the attack, Colonel...
...when the gun of the soldier beside me went off.
- Beside you, where? - By my side.
To the right or the left?
To the right.
How did it happen?
I don't know, I was drunk.
They gave us a full case of cognac before the attack, sir.
What's this soldier's name? Do you know?
Luigi Esposito, sir.
And he can't testify because he died in the attack, right?
That's right, sir.
And you don't remember the names of the other soldiers that were present, right?
That's right, sir.
Then go right to the Military Court. Bring the next one.
Salvatore Anunziato.
No combustion marks in the wound on this man, but anyway...
I'll explain to you how it's done: you take a piece of bread
and put it in the palm of the hand before the shot.
That way, the bread gets the burned orifice.
It is an old trick of the cowards, and in that manner they want
to save their honor. Military Court! Bring the next one.
- The main dormitory? - Down the hall on your left, Lieutenant.
Excuse me, where is Captain Abbati?
He's right here, I'll show you.
I don't want to wake him, but I'm eager to see him. Does he suffer a lot?
Yes, he suffers a lot. He doesn't sleep at night.
- It wanted to give him... - Wait, he's waking up.
French cognac.
You have picked up good manners...
It's nothing...
Today we will win, because it is written so in the book of the destiny.
This morning when I entered our city and saw our soldiers
in celebration, accompanied by fanfares,
filled with life and youth, I understood, and all the people
with me, that war owns beauty and the power of attraction.
It's beautiful and sublimely attractive. Miserable are those who can't feel it...
Because, gentlemen, it is beautiful to die for the fatherland
in the glorious war that the Italian people are fighting
with the brilliant and heroic General Commando of His Majesty the King.
Long live the King! Long live our glorious traditions of warfare!
Alarm! Alarm!
- What's happening? - A deserter.
- Who is it? - Marrasi.
That disloyal swine.
Return immediately!
Lieutenant, I've said it many times... that rascal would escape one day.
- I knew it. - He's getting away!
Fucking cow!
Comrades!
Lieutenant, Marrasi has screwed us.
This is a dishonor for my battalion. Lieutenant Corleon!
- Commander. - Shoot the deserter.
Shoot the deserter!
Shoot him!
Tomorrow is the attack.
No, not tomorrow, we haven't been given neither chocolate nor cognac.
It will arrive late when we are dead already.
Nice gift wrapping for everyone, but no chocolate and no cognac.
That way, it's better to save than to win.
I want to empty my stomach of all this junk we have eaten.
And why not? For them we are all sons of bitches.
- Remember that. - You don't have to tell me.
They will get to you too, a couple of carabiniers will kick your ass.
I saw bottles of cognac arrive this morning.
No need to worry, no?
When I enlisted I thought this was my life.
Any old way, we die and officers die too.
But if they die, they die comfortably.
Imagine... steak for breakfast, steak for lunch and steak for dinner.
With their monthly income, my family would live a whole year.
I haven't seen them for a long time.
They called off the leave permits. I prefer to be in my house.
Well, the house... I tell you the truth, it was no good in hoeing the ground...
and I'm bad off here, no change, no nothing.
No one dies for a good sake.
About time that someone dies here... and that it serves to end this war.
Instead we die for nothing.
I believe that is what they want.
Stay awake!
Nobody is allowed to sleep.
Your General do not sleep.
A sleeping soldier is a dead soldier.
No one must sleep.
Stay awake!
Have you seen the shoes that were given to the soldiers the other day?
Made of cardboard. Speculators make money on our misery...
and the government protects them. And who are we fighting?
Boys... General Leone is dead!
One moment!
Gentlemen, I propose a toast.
Sometimes the people have celebrated the death of their leader with a banquet.
We have nothing better to offer than this wine
to the memory of General Leone.
Gentlemen, raise your glasses with me.
Cheers! Hooray!
Attention!
What is the reason for all this celebration?
Well?
The gold medal that has been granted to the regiment.
May I join you?
But let's also drink to the Italian artillery,
which allows my glorious division to attack all over the front.
Cheers.
Quickly! Send message! They are butchering us!
Artillery... Requesting fire! Urgent!
- Nobody leaves the frontline. - Yes, sir.
Get back to the shelters!
Move it, get back!
Come on, boys.
Help us to bring in the wounded.
Quickly, move your asses!
Don't be scared! Be quiet, everyone!
Let's move!
Everyone to the shelters!
Stop those who move, we are in front of the enemy!
Return to the shelters!
Go back!
Return to the frontline! We are in front of the enemy!
Lieutenant, make them return!
Take shelter!
Line up, everyone in a row!
Line up!
They have rebelled!
Their order was not to withdraw,
but to hold their positions.
- Pick out every tenth man! - Yes, sir.
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 - you.
I apply the decree from the Supreme Command
about capital punishment under special circumstances.
- No rebellion has occurred here, Major! - That's for me to decide!
They are rebels, who have disobeyed an order.
You can't order the execution of a soldier without the approval of the Command.
Shut up, be quiet, or it will make you an accomplice of rebellion
and guilty of the same crime.
I am only responsible in front of the Supreme Command.
At this moment, facing the enemy, I am the judge over
the life and death of the soldiers under my command.
That is the discipline of war!
Lieutenant Sassu, take the command over the firing squad.
I'm the company commander, I can't command a firing squad.
Lieutenant Sassu, obey the order I have given you!
No, sir.
- Take the command! - Yes, sir.
Line up!
In the name of His Majesty the King, I, Major Lucero Malchiodi,
commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion of the 291st Infantry Division,
endorsed for his exceptional abilities by his excellence General Cadorna,
hereby order the execution of the soldiers
guilty of armed rebellion in front of the enemy.
Proceed!
Firing squad! Attention!
Get prepared!
Ready!
Aim!
Fire!
Fire in the air!
I will kill you with my own bullets!
Major! You are out of your mind!
First company, attack!
First company, forward!
Lieutenant Sassu.
Bring him in.
We have met before, Lieutenant, if I'm not mistaken.
Yes, sir.
You can consider yourself very lucky.
You are not dead yet.
No, General.
- And you were never hurt? - No, sir.
Strange.
You are an officer of my division and you have never been hurt?
Only minor wounds, sir.
No, no... I'm speaking of severe wounds.
Serious wounds.
No, sir.
How do you explain that?
I don't know exactly, General.
Have you taken part in all the attacks of my division?
Yes, all of them.
Very strange indeed.
You're not being modest now, by any chance?
I'm don't believe so, sir.
You don't believe or you are not sure?
In war you can't be sure of anything, General.
Do you love the war?
I'm in favour of the war, General.
I represented the interventionist group at the university.
But, Lieutenant, that is of the past, I'm talking to you about the present.
I do my duty.
Lieutenant, I did not ask if you are doing your duty.
In war everybody do their duty, or they get shot.
I asked you if you love the war, or not.
A man who has seen the true face of war, do not speak highly of it.
Tell me the truth. Are you in favour of peace?
- General, I believe that... - Stand straight!
What kind of peace do you love?
Genuine peace.
In any case, Lieutenant, all this has confirmed the idea I have had of you.
One cannot love peace and fight a good war.
Your behavior caused the death of Major Malchiodi.
Your mistake lead to disobedience among the men.
Yes, sir, I admit that.
Do you know why?
Since the soldiers knew about your subversive ideas,
they behaved like rebels.
This can not go unpunished.
The decisions were taken in battle, I take responsibility for them.
Do you know what awaits you?
Yes, sir.
Firing squad! Attention!
One step forward!
First row, on your knees.
Second row, one step forward!
Ready!
Aim!
Fire!
Firing squad. Right turn. March.