Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2021 ('LEONARDO' THEME TUNE) - (SIGHS) - Open it to the page I marked. Tell me what you see. - It's a list of ingredients. - To make Composition of Death ` the poison from which you saved Ludovico; the same poison used to murder Caterina de Cremona. - (SCOFFS SOFTLY) - Oh, you think this is funny? - I think it's absurd. - You deny poisoning her? - Mm, I do. - Why, then, didn't you give her the same antidote you gave Il Moro? - I lacked the necessary ingredients. - Tell me what they are, and we'll search your studio. If it's true you didn't have them, it will add credibility to your story. - I don't recall the names. - Leonardo, every witness I've spoken to believes you're guilty. Do you wish to hang? - (SIGHS DEEPLY) (SOMBRE MUSIC) - You told me how much Caterina da Cremona meant to you. - I told you she was love. - Yet you're accused of killing her, simply because she burnt some of your work. - That is the most credible part of the accusation. - That you killed love itself for destroying mere ink on paper? Some daubs of paint on wood? - You doubt I would spill blood for my art. But I already have. - And now, gentlemen, our next speaker on the topic this evening ` Leonardo da Vinci. - What is the most noble endeavour mankind can pursue? - (SHUDDERS) (STRAINS) - Others have made the case for the study of plants, the design and engineering of man-made structures, the understanding of complex machines ` the kind of which the world has never seen before. - (SHUDDERS, GROANS IN PAIN) - Very good, Madonna. Very good. Another push, please. - I'm with you, my darling. - I'm here now. - Don't leave me. Don't leave me. - But only one endeavour combines these disciplines to make something... magical. Only art... can take the pain and suffering of our lives and turn it into beauty. - (WAILS IN PAIN, PANTS) - Something is wrong! - (EXHALES, EXCLAIMS) - Do something, damn you! - Beauty. Great beauty is a truth that echoes through the centuries, defying time, giving the artist and his patron a kind of immortality. And that, gentlemen, is why art is the noblest endeavour. (APPLAUSE) - Maestro. Come, quickly. - What is it? - Just come. Your Grace. - Yes. Uh... Come. Come. The... (SWALLOWS) child is gone. - (BREATHES SHAKILY) - WHIMPERS: But my wife... You must bring her back. Like you did me. (BREATHES SHAKILY) - SOFTLY: Your Excellency, the poison only briefly stopped your heart. There is no potion, no... (INHALES SHAKILY) medicine, that can restore life once life has been taken away. - (INHALES) SOBS: No. (SWALLOWS, CRIES, SNIFFLES) No, that cannot be. WHIMPERS: Do something. - I assure you, Your Excellency, if there was anything I could do, anything at all,... (SIGHS) - (WHIMPERS) (SOBS) (DOOR OPENS) - It's about time. Leonardo. What's wrong? (EMOTIONAL MUSIC) (HORSES WHINNY, PEOPLE CHATTER) (KNOCKS ON DOOR) - Leonardo? (KNOCKING CONTINUES) - Leonardo. - What? - It's the bronze. - What about it? - They're taking it all; all the bronze for the horse. - They're taking it? - Yes. - What is the meaning of this? - He says it's been confiscated. - On whose authority? - The Duke's. (OBJECTS CLATTER) - That bronze is for the statue he commissioned. - Not anymore, it's not. I'm sorry, Leonardo. The French are threatening towns nearby. We have to cast cannons to defend ourselves. - No, no, please. Tell them to stop. At least until I've spoken to Il Moro. It'll mean all the work that we've done has been wasted! - Perhaps you should have used the bronze when you got it instead of dawdling. - Where is the Duke? - Il Moro is grieving, but I advise you not to disturb him. - Where is he? (PEOPLE CHATTER, HORSE HOOVES CLATTER) - Leonardo. He's been here all night. - Your Excellency? Sorry to disturb you. Sanseverino, he's taking all the bronze. - Yes, I know. - But he can't do this. - He can't. He works for me. Do you mean to say... I can't? - This statue is to honour your family. I've been working on it for a long time. - And do you think I don't know that? - ECHOING: You trespass on my grief! Look into my eyes, Leonardo. What do you see? - I see pain. - I will never again hear my sweet wife's voice. I will never feel the softness of her touch. Have you ever borne such a loss? Do you know what it is to live with such a wound? I will honour my family. But in a different way. Come. The entire convent is to become a mausoleum for my beloved Beatrice. Bramante will redesign the dome and the crossing, and you,... You will paint this. - What? - A fresco. Our Lord's final night with the apostles, before death came. - Your Excellency, um... I don't know how to work in fresco. - Then you will learn. - (BREATHES SHAKILY) (TROUBLING MUSIC) (SNIFFLES, PANTS) (MUSIC BUILDS) (SOBS SOFTLY) - Thank you for coming, Father. He's in his room upstairs. - He hasn't eaten or spoken to anyone in days. - I understand his disappointment, but the fresco could be an even more important commission. - Well, he's refusing to accept it. - If he doesn't take this commission, it's not just the statue he's lost. It's his place in this city. - (SIGHS) - And ours. (SIGHS) It's not just about him, you know? (KNOCK ON DOOR) - Come in. (DOOR CLOSES) - Maestro, I'm Friar Luca Pacioli, from the court. - I know who you are, Father Luca. I read your books on mathematics. They're inspired. - Your friends think you are in need of spiritual guidance. - I am beyond consolation. - No one is beyond the love of Christ. - I've devoted myself to a folly. And now I am commanded to begin another. I... I am a toy for His Excellency's pleasure. (SIGHS) It's a kind of living hell. - You cannot find beauty or truth in the story of the Last Supper? - You heard my address. - I was quite persuaded by it. - I have no desire to search for truth in this subject. - Then you must find it in yourself. - What is your truth, Leonardo? - My truth? - As a man, not as an artist. What is the thread that runs through the tapestry of your life? - Betrayal. - Betrayal by whom? - My mother, my father, as a child. (HORSE NEIGHS, ECHOING) ECHOING: Papa, Papa! 'By a man I trusted when I came to Milan, 'and now Il Moro.' - And do you not think Jesus suffered betrayal also? (POIGNANT MUSIC) He'll see you now. - Thank you. - Tell Giulio to order wood for the scaffolding. And I want Marco to get pigments from the convent at San Giusto alle Mura. - Then we're getting to work? - We've wasted enough time, don't you think? - Where are you going? - Research. (PANTS) - Where? - The market. The apostles will need faces, won't they? 'Dearest Caterina, I send this letter to Florence not knowing if it will reach you, 'or whether you'll read it if it does. 'I am desperate to know how you are, and I never should have let you leave in anger. 'Your absence has torn a hole in my heart that cannot be mended. So I seek consolation in my work. 'I spend day after day in the market, seeking to find truth in the faces I see there. 'I've been given a last chance to create a masterpiece. After all I've lost, I must seize it. - (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) (THOUGHTFUL MUSIC) - 'I don't expect you to understand, but I hope, in time, you will forgive. Yours, Leonardo.' - (SIGHS DEEPLY) - This is not how a fresco is painted. - How would you know? - Verrocchio never taught us the technique. - Precisely. - I am not suited for fast work like you are. - But that is the only way a fresco can be painted. - It was, until now. On a fresco, the plaster is damp, which means we can only paint a small section each day before the work has to be completed and the plaster dry. - Just so. - Well, this is a new type of fresco! One that will allow us more time. - Leonardo,... (SIGHS) People have painted frescos the same way for hundreds of years. This is impossible. - Would you stop saying it's impossible! - All right. Listen, I'm sorry. - This method not only allows us to work more carefully, but it ensures that the fresco retains its true colours for longer. - It sounds excellent. Inspired. - It is. - And what is this method? - So we apply our special kind of tempera onto a dry wall, and after it dries, we're able to paint another layer, and another, and another. We can do this maybe five or six times. This is something we couldn't do with a traditional fresco. - All right, then. If you say so. - But it's not if I say so, is it? I need you all to use your minds to ensure this works. (GROANS, SIGHS) - You know, loyalty doesn't just mean agreeing with him. Sometimes it means telling him the truth when no one else will. - Awfully gloomy, aren't you? - So you just smile and nod? Like everything will be fine? - Better than piling your fears on top of the weight that's already on his shoulders. (TOWNSFOLK CALL, HORSES WHINNY) (POIGNANT MUSIC) - Ragazze, ascoltate. Allora, poi ne fai altri venti in verde e una dozzina in giallo. Bene, vai avanti. - I beg you, sir. I need a job. - There isn't one. We've got all the women we need. - But surely you could use one more? - No. You're wasting my time. - Please. Please. I'll work at half wages. Please, sir. - (SIGHS) (NIB SCRATCHES) - Marco says the pigments have been delivered to the convent at San Giusto alle Mura. - Thank you. (SIGHS DEEPLY) - Still sketching faces? - Mm. Just as one selects actors for a play, one must select the right faces to express the temperament of each of the apostles. - Are you sure you're not doing too much? - What do you mean? - Well, you told me the Adoration of the Magi failed because you tried to cram it full of too many ideas. Are you sure you're not repeating the same mistake here? - No. No, I'm not sure. Will you tell everyone we start work at the convent tomorrow? - Of course. (CHICKENS CLUCK, PEOPLE CHATTER) (INDUSTRIOUS MUSIC) - (MEN WHISPER) - My coins! They have disappeared from my bag. - Salai? - Were those your coins? I found them on the floor and put them in my pocket for safekeeping. You really must be more careful, boy. Let's see. One, two, three. Anything left? No. (CHUCKLES) - Salai, a word. You have talent. You could be a great artist. But if I catch you stealing again, I'll kick you out on the street where you came from, am I clear? - It's like asking a fish not to swim. - Mm. - Will you find another place for these friars to eat? - Of course. Friars, please. (THOUGHTFUL MUSIC) - (GRUNTS SOFTLY) - Are you with child? - Mind your own business. (DAZZLING MUSIC) - This is the vanishing point ` the farthest place in the room in which Jesus and the apostles are seated. The walls in that room extend out from it. So when people enter and look up, it will seem as if this room continues into that one. That they are, in fact, one. It will feel as if we are in the room with Jesus as he ate his final meal before the crucifixion. (PANTS) That will make disciples of us all. (WONDROUS MUSIC) Higher. (MUSIC BUILDS) Straighten. (HAMMER THUDS) (MUSIC SWELLS) - What will people think about the way they are sat? - Well, the placement of the apostles suggests their relationship to Christ, while their facial expressions convey their emotions. - What emotions? He's talking about the bread becoming his body, so... - No, no, this is a different moment. This is from the Gospel of John. So, if you see this triad here, we see John is leaning away from Jesus towards Peter who's whispering in his ear while Judas here recoils. - 'Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you shall betray me.' I've been to church, occasionally. - I hope they locked up the silverware. - (ALL SNICKER) - The moment Jesus reveals he will be betrayed. Exactly. - Betrayal? Surely Il Moro means this work to celebrate our Lord. - If the Duke wishes to celebrate our Lord, let him do so by remembering Jesus was also a man, with passions and feelings, As were the apostles who loved him. (FOOTSTEPS APPROACH) - Leonardo? Come. - What is it? - You'll see. Come. - I'm not sure this is what the Duke expected. - I think the Duke expected that Leonardo would exceed his expectations. (TOOLS CLANG DISTANTLY) (GENTLE MUSIC) - (EXCLAIMS SOFTLY) How many of the pigments have they mixed? - All of them. - (SIGHS DEEPLY) Beautiful. (SIGHS) Do you remember how we used to stare at the alchemist's closet at the back of Verrocchio's workshop? - It all seemed so unreachable then. - Not anymore. Now we have the key to everything. 'Dearest Caterina, we were not the only ones celebrating. 'Il Moro triumphed in battle against the French. 'It seems he put to good use those cannons he cast from our bronze. 'But yesterday, while walking in the market, I witnessed an event that made my blood run cold.' - (HORSE NEIGHS) - 'Despite his victory, Ludovico's grip on power is not as secure as it seems.' - MAN: Open the gates! Ludovico Sforza wants to exit. - Let's go! Death to the tyrant! - (HORSE BRAYS) (DOOR THUDS) - (YELLS) - 'Two supporters of the French made a daring attempt on his life in broad daylight.' - After him! - 'One of the men escaped and looked right into my eyes.' - Would you like some wine? - No. I'd rather get some sleep. So should you. (DARK MUSIC) - Where are the pigments? They were right here yesterday. - It's a church. We thought they'd be safe. Where have they gone? - You don't think I took them. - Who else? Everyone knows you're a thief. - Leonardo, you know I would never do such a thing. - (GROANS) We're ruined. - We have to replace them. - With what? Do you have any idea what those pigments cost? - No, that will take weeks, if not months. - (SIGHS) - Leonardo, what do you want to do? - All the men must be laid off. The work is stopped until we can replace what we've lost. (FOREBODING MUSIC) - (PEOPLE CHATTER, LAUGH) (FOREBODING MUSIC CONTINUES) - Well, if it isn't the pretty boy. I was getting to think we'd never see you again, Giacomo. - I certainly hoped I'd never see you again. - That's not kind. - After all the money I made you. - You mean all the money I made you, Filippo. Some pigments went missing last night from Santa Maria delle Grazie. - I might have heard about it. - Whoever took them, I figured they might end up in your hands. - (CHUCKLES) - How much do you want for them? - How much are you willing to pay? - Name your price. - My! You're eager, aren't you? I might be willing to recover those paints for you. But you'll have to work them off in trade. - I don't do that any more. - You don't? - I'm an artist now. - (LAUGHS) An artist. Is that what you think? If you want those paints back, you'll do exactly what I say, eh? - Sleeping on the job? - Oh... Yes, I must have drifted off. I was in the chapel praying. - I understand your pigments have gone missing. - A temporary setback. (TAPS BENCH) Rumours are circulating at court that you're in over your head. Some are taking bets. - What kind of bets? - That you'll never finish it. Did I frighten you? - Well,... a little fear is good for an artist. - I have invested much in you, Leonardo, and you have given me... very little in return. - I saved your life. - There are times I wonder if you don't regret that. - Why would you say that? - You had the bronze to cast that statue for months. - Well, no one has ever cast a statue of that size. I've been trying to solve the technical challenge of it. - Possibly. Or possibly you were no longer eager to honour me after the death of my nephew and the abrupt departure of your friend, the lovely Caterina. - I remain fully committed, Your Excellency. - Then prove it. - (SIGHS DEEPLY) (SWEEPING MUSIC) - WHISPERS: Leonardo, come. - Mm. - Quickly. Come on. - What? - (CHUCKLES SOFTLY - How did you get these? - You just need to know who to ask. - Everything's here! - Yes. - Tell the men we return - to work tomorrow morning. - Will do. - (BOTH CHUCKLE) - Come here! (EXCLAIMS) (DRAMATIC MUSIC) 'Dearest Caterina, I feel like I'm drowning without you. 'I am driven to complete the fresco and have been unable to sleep for weeks. 'The slightest error has been enough to send me into a rage.' Oh, no, no, no! Giulio, no! No, don't start on the hands! Start on the shirt! 'I felt as if all my life hanged in the balance. 'I have been consumed by a terrible foreboding.' - Good boy. - 'I sense that I've made some fatal mistake. 'And today, I realised I had.' Stop. Everyone stop. It's wrong. - What's wrong? - The ceiling; it's too low. - But it's the ceiling you drew. - I... I know I drew it, but I drew it wrong. It's too low. If the apostles were to stand, they'd bump their heads. - Leonardo, the ceiling may be too low, but it's a painting. None of them will stand. It's... It looks fine. - Is that what you think we're here to do? Make things look fine? Make them look adequate? - No one will notice. - I will notice! It will torture me every time I look at it! Now that I've seen it, I can't unsee it! Did none of you notice? No? Nobody? None of you care? (OBJECT THUDS) - 'I say to you, one of you shall betray me.' - 'Dearest Caterina, I could no longer face the others. I felt as if I'd fallen into a black hole; 'my worst fears realised. 'The fresco, like the horse, was yet another folly. 'I wanted to be erased, to disappear.' - (TOWNSFOLK CHATTER) - Well? - We've looked everywhere. No one's seen him. - He can't have just vanished. What are we going to do tomorrow? The men are asking. (PENSIVE MUSIC) - (HORSE WHINNIES) (HOOVES GALLOP) - How you find me? - There are no secrets in Milan. At least, not from me. - I'm sorry, Your Lordship. I haven't completed the fresco yet. - You're afraid. - You said fear was good for artists. - I said a little fear. - I made an error. If I'm to fix it, it could take weeks. - (GUFFAWS) Is that all? Do you know how many times great men fail before they succeed? I heard about your speech. How art invests the artist and his patron with immortality. - Great art, yes. - I demand nothing less. For my beloved wife. And for me. You don't have much time. - What are you talking about? - My grasp on power is... (SCOFFS) tenuous. - But the celebration, you... You defeated the French. - The taxes that paid for that victory have turned the people against me. Meanwhile, the French have formed an alliance with the Venetians. It's only a matter of time before they strike again. (PONDERING MUSIC) - Where is everyone? - Leonardo. They're gone. - We need to send a messenger. - Get them back now. - Right away. - (INHALES DEEPLY) - We begin again. (WONDROUS MUSIC) (WONDROUS MUSIC BUILDS) - (GROANS) (PANTS) - Oh my God. Oh my God! - Giulio! Come and help me with this. You can't be in here. - (SIGHS) What do you think? - (BREATHES SOFTLY, SNIFFLES) - Leonardo! Leonardo! (SOBS) His throat has been cut. - Who did this? - French colours. - It's a message, designed to frighten Sforza loyalists. They dare not kill Leonardo, but this is a message for the rest of you. - We're not safe here. - We'll be safe. - How can you say that? - Salai, inform Sanseverino we need guards posted outside the convent. - Right away. - Leonardo, we must... - The work continues. No one leaves here. You understand? The work continues. (SINISTER MUSIC) (DARK MUSIC) (HORSE WHINNIES) - (TOWNSFOLK SCREAM) - (HORSES BRAY) - (YELLS) - Come here, quickly! - He's not here. Then he's at the convent. (TENSE MUSIC) - (MEN GRUNT) (STATUE THUDS) - (HORSE WHINNIES, ECHOES) (NEIGHS) - Leonardo da Vinci? - Yes. - The tyrant Ludovico has fled, and Milan is now under the control of Louis XII. He orders me to cut this fresco from the wall and bring it to him in France. - You do that, and you will destroy it. - I said he gave me orders, not that I intend to follow them. You will remain here with your men, Ramiro. Make sure Maestro Leonardo is free to complete his work undisturbed. - (HORSE BRAYS SOFTLY) - Why are you doing this? - Because I want you to know to whom you're indebted. I am Cesare Borgia. - (HORSE WHINNIES) - So, Leonardo, the painting is safe at last. - So it seems. - And that means I can go now. - Tommaso. - Caterina knew better, leaving you when she did. - What are you talking about? - You put our lives in danger, and for what? For what? For some` some paint on a wall? Marco's dead because of you. - Tommaso, that's not fair. - Of course you defend him. His friend, the 'great artist.' He said so. And it's way more than he's ever said to me. - You said you wanted to create a masterpiece, and look. Look! - A masterpiece?! I have news for you, Leonardo. This paint will decay. Your masterpiece will not survive. So much for immortality. - Tommaso, I understand you're upset. But listen to me. - You speak of betrayal, (SNIFFLES) when it's you who's the betrayer. You're the Judas. Are you coming? - Let's go. (SOMBRE MUSIC) - Tommaso's words cut you. - Because they were true. - You would have killed for your art. - But I did not kill Caterina. - Do you regret painting The Last Supper? - I regret the sacrifices I demanded. The pain I inflicted. - But not the fresco itself? - It's only a short walk from here. You tell me how I should answer the question. (DOOR THUDS CLOSED) (DARK, ENCHANTING MUSIC) (MUSIC BUILDS) Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air.