Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2021 ('LEONARDO' THEME MUSIC) (FOOTSTEPS APPROACH, KEYS RATTLE) (KEY TURNS IN LOCK) (LOCK CLINKS, DOOR OPENS) (DARK MUSIC) - Do you stare at that wall like it's a painting? - This room is not a prison. I can see all the way to the horizon. - I went to the Santa Maria delle Grazie. - You saw the painting. - Yes. - What did it make you feel? - I was captivated. I felt I was sitting at Christ's table. It was glorious. - It's a trick. It's an illusion. Perspective is just geometry. A sequence of lines radiating from a vanishing point. - Leonardo. - You know the strange thing about a vanishing point? There's no dimensions. It can't be measured. So technically it's invisible. - Leonardo, I want the truth. - You're chasing an invisible point; an invisible truth. - They'll hang you. You need to give me something. Anything. (CELESTIAL MUSIC) - 'I was chasing truth, 'but I was chasing it all the wrong way. 'I was blinded by my ambition. Prepared to sacrifice anything, anyone who got in my path. 'A path that led me to darkness.' You look at that image on the wall and you see glory. I see emptiness. And that's the reason why I came back to Florence, and you want to know the awful truth? I entered an even darker world. - What happened? What was the darkness that led you back to Caterina? - It's good to be back in Florence. I don't remember it being so crowded though. (LIQUID POURS) We just moved here from the south. We have a new villa in the countryside. - Oh. - More space. - And you wish to commission a portrait? - It looks empty. We have so little furniture, and I thought, perhaps,... an image of my wife. - Ah. Mm. (SIGHS) Forgive me, sir, but, um,... I'm not taking on any portraits. - Of course. Of course. You're a busy man, an important artist. I understand. I just hoped you might be persuaded. - (SIGHS) Signora, please, take a seat for a moment. (WARM MUSIC) - I need to begin by making some sketches. - Yes, certainly. Of course. - (EXCLAIMS) When would suit you? - Day after tomorrow? - Thank you. (DOOR CLOSES) - 'Not taking on any portraits?' - (SIGHS) She's an interesting subject. - You're late. Your meeting with the Gonfaloniere. - Oh, yes, yes, yes. Thank you. Thank you. - Everyone in Florence talks of it. It's whispered about in every salon. - I'm very flattered. - It's true. They say Leonardo's Last Supper is a work of art like no other. And I'm so happy the great artist is home. (CHUCKLES) Now it's time we commissioned you, Leonardo. Create us a public work of art to rival with that one. I thought about a sculpture to adorn the city square. Imagine it. What do you say? (POIGNANT MUSIC) - (SIGHS) I devoted my life to The Last Supper, and it left me empty. (SIGHS DEEPLY) Please understand, I cannot confine myself to another major work. And besides, I've already been commissioned for another portrait. I'm sorry. (SIGH SOFTLY) Forgive me, Madonna, but you are in mourning. - Yes, my daughter Lucrezia. She left us when she was only six months old. - I'm so sorry. - I miss her every day. She was so sweet-natured, so full of life. - Your eyes shine when you speak of her. - (CHUCKLES) Is there a problem, Maestro? - I'm sorry, Madonna. I'm not sure I know how to paint you. - I don't understand. - If I'm to paint you, I must see more than your outward appearance. I must see who you really are. (CHUCKLES) The soul inside. - Surely that is not so difficult. - God takes your child,... (SIGHS) and yet you smile. - I am grateful for the time I had with her. I am so grateful for the memories. Suffering brings you closer to God. - I've sought only to get closer to God's truth through beauty. - If it is truth you are seeking, then perhaps you are looking in the wrong place. There is only one truth we as mortals can ever hope to know. And that is love. (ENCHANTING MUSIC) - Didn't go so well. Pity. Forty florins. Doesn't that inspire you just a little bit? - Something's missing. Something's wrong. - And I know what it is. We've already searched all the old addresses. That's why you can't paint this woman. She reminds you too much of Caterina. I told you. If she's here in this city, eventually, we'll find her. - I'm Piero Soderini, Gonfaloniere of Florence. - Excellency, Lieutenant Ramiro. - We've heard about your conquests. Half of Romagna is under your... protection? Is that the word? - My master, Cesare Borgia, has a noble vision ` to bring together the warring factions of this land. - By installing himself as ruler? Oh, but that's extremely noble of him (!) - My master seeks solely peace. - But is willing to burn and loot towns and string men up to achieve it? - Each city living under his protection is required to pay him 30,000 florins. - Protection money? - There is another alternative. - Cesare Borgia asked for me by name? - He has great plans for his court at Imola. I think you should put down your paintbrush a while and take up service as his court engineer. - I've lived that life before ` at the beck and call of a wealthy patron ` and I've already told you I've taken another commission. - Take this opportunity, Leonardo. You alone can realise his ambitions. Florence desires peace with Cesare, and you could be the architect of that peace. He will forgo the tribute of 30,000 florins if you will join him in his court. And you will prove to the world that you're not only a great artist, but also a great engineer. - We've had a new offer of work. But I turned it down. What? - I told you I would find her. - (PEOPLE CHATTER IN ITALIAN) (POIGNANT MUSIC) - MAN: Caterina! (SPEAKS ITALIAN) - I suppose it was only a matter of time. - I've been looking for you for months. - Congratulations. You've found me. - Caterina, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry about what happened. You were right when you said ambition was destroying me. I was stupid and blind. I've written to you so many times trying to explain. What are you doing here? (CHUCKLES) - I'm working. (PALE THUDS) Same as all these other women. This is the way most people live. We don't stare at the skies for a living. We just toil. - Well... Well, you don't have to any more. - (SIGHS) - I have a new studio. - (SCOFFS) Just leave me alone, Leonardo. - Caterina, I need you. - (SCOFFS) Right. - Nothing is the same. I can't paint. - (SCOFFS) So that's why you're here? - No. - You didn't come because you care about me. You came because you need me. Very different. - I want it to be the way it was. Please come with me. Please. - MAN: Caterina, non ti ho detto di fermarti. - I can't be what you want me to be. I'm sorry. I have to work. (MELANCHOLY MUSIC) - Avanti, sveglio. - Maestro, what's wrong? - Pack our things. We're leaving. (SOMBRE CELLO MUSIC) (SIGHS) (WONDROUS MUSIC) - (HORSE WHINNIES) (WONDROUS MUSIC CONTINUES) - (ALL CHATTER) - Your Excellency. - Ah, here he is. The refectory painter. (CHUCKLES) Welcome, my friend. - Your Excellency. - I didn't know if you would come. - I owe you a debt. You saved my painting. - (CHUCKLES) Fire and steel are not the only weapons in a soldier's arsenal. I need a great mind like yours. - I'm at your command. - Come. See. The Santerno River runs beyond our walls. We're vulnerable to a siege. If we were attacked, we'd have no water. - (SIGHS) Bring the water to me, Leonardo. - You want me to play God? Reroute the river he's made? - Your genius knows no bounds. I'm offering you the chance to put it to work here. I'm offering you the greatest canvas you've ever painted. - (SIGHS) - (SIGHS) - (GRUNTS, LAUGHS) A feather bed. It looks great. Do you want some wine? - No. - So, what's he like, Il Valentino? - He is possessed of great ambition. - I reckon he's hardly old enough to wipe his own bum, and yet, he's conquered half of Italy. - He does have a quality that is rare. (SIGHS) (METAL SCAPES) He's a visionary. - And an army at his back. That can't hurt. (METAL SCRAPES) - What is that sound? (KNOCK ON DOOR) - Forgive the intrusion, Maestro Leonardo. I'm the emissary from Florence, Niccolo Machiavelli. - Oh, yes. Thank you for coming. It's my honour, Monsieur Machiavelli. - You have everything you need here? - Yes. The Duke has been most gracious. - Please look at me as a friend. Anything you need during your stay, be sure to come and ask me first. - Of course. - I'm at your command. (PENSIVE MUSIC) - Something's changed. You're different since you came here. You even smiled this morning. - Water... has its own personality. It can be angry, restless... and unpredictable. - Seems like you're talking about a person. - Water has its own emotions, like people. And we mustn't fight it. We must use its energy to divert it. We build a second channel from the banks, straight through to the city wall. It's difficult, but it's not impossible, Your Excellency. We would need 40 days, 40 men. What we would do is we would make a trench using the walls of the Red Fort, right under the sluice gate. And then the water would be diverted along the canal using a dam here, and then reconnect with the river on the western side. It would rage like an animal when you try to trap it. It will bolt to find its freedom, right into the bowels of the Red Fortress. You would have all the water you need. What do you think? - (CHUCKLES) You've not disappointed me, Leonardo. - It's an honour to have served you, Your Excellency. - Diverting the river is just the start. Come, sit beside me. (UNNERVING MUSIC) The walls of the Red Fort are old. They would never withstand a siege. - No. - We must redesign them. Strengthen our defences. Can you do it? - Yes, of course, but... (CHUCKLES) It's a huge undertaking. It would take months, years. - What do you have in Florence to go back to? Draw up the plans. Start by mapping the city. The soldiers are prepared for tomorrow? - Yes. The soldiers are ready for tomorrow. The drill is prepared. - (PEOPLE CHATTER, GOAT BLEATS, DOG BARKS) (KNOCK ON DOOR) (CURIOUS MUSIC) - Can I help you? - Yes, I was` I was looking for Leonardo da Vinci. - He's not here. - WOMAN: Excuse me. - I'm here to see the Maestro. - I'm afraid, Madonna, he's not here. He's gone to Imola. A commission for Cesare Borgia. - Thank you. Will you tell him that I called? - This is you. - It's meant to be. (CHUCKLES) He was having some trouble capturing my image. - (CHUCKLES) He had the same problem with me. I was his model once. He has a peculiar sense. He can see suffering in people's faces. There must be a truth about you ` the suffering you've gone through ` that he can't understand. (SNIFFS) Truth gets in his way. - I assume you're a friend of his. - Yeah, I... I used to be. Good luck. (CONTEMPLATIVE PIANO MUSIC) - Stay away from them. - (SIGHS) - I recognise that sound. - It's just not a true depiction of the city. Look. - Looks all right to me. Some of the buildings are missing! What are you talking about? They're obscured! A map can't keep secrets. - Why are you getting so angry? Calm down. - No, no, I won't calm down. If I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it right. (WINGS FLUTTER) (DOVES COO, ECHO) I need to draw the city from the air. - Oh, sure. Easy (!) Hitch a ride with the birds, no problem (!) You get crazier by the minute. (CHUCKLES) Where are you going? Leonardo? (CURIOUS MUSIC) - (GRUNTS, SIGHS) If you're connected to the earth, it's impossible to see with God's eyes. Yeah. So, eight sectors. Each one we measure step by step. Every tiny detail. See? - All right. How, exactly? It took you long enough, but congratulations. You've made a new kind of barrow. Il Valentino will be thrilled (!) (CHUCKLES) - You can see what's happening here, right? As we walk, the wheel revolves. The balls drop down, so we can measure perfect distances. - All right. - How many do we have? - Don't talk to me or I'll lose count. 43, 44... - 67, 68, 69. 23 + 41. - 13, 14. (MACHINE WHIRRS) One, two, three. - 20, 21... - Seven, eight, nine. (METAL SCRAPES) - 54 + 76, and then... 45... - You said a map can take or hold secrets. - So? - Look at all these people. The faces ` they are frightened. There's something going on here we don't know about. How does it feel to live in this city? That's what's missing from your parchment here. (METAL SCRAPES) - That's it. That's the sound you heard before. - Yes. - (HORSE WHINNIES) (THUD!) - Oh. - That's fascinating. The Duke was very smart to pick you. - (CHUCKLES) - May I speak with you a moment? - Of course. - Somewhere quiet. - Certainly. Yes. It's beautiful. - How long do you plan to stay here, Leonardo? - I'm sorry. I'm not quite sure I follow. - Imola. Is this your home now? I understand. It's intoxicating being with Il Valentino. And he's undoubtedly impressed by you. That must be irresistible. - I'm sorry, what's this about? (CHUCKLES) Why did you need to speak to me? - Florence has sent me here so that I may study him. I need to know what threat he poses. I need to know if he harbours plans to invade our city, and you are getting in my way. You were sent here merely to appease him, not to make him into an even bigger threat. - I... No, no. It was never my intention. - I understand you've been flattered, but once you give him one success, he will expect another, and then another, and then another. - I understand. Of course, um... I'll leave as soon as my work is finished. - No. You don't understand. He values you too highly. He won't let you go. - What are you talking about? - (SIGHS) Think of a child with a favourite toy. He won't share you. Ever. That's the price of becoming indispensable to a man like Cesare Borgia. - Your Excellency. - Ah, Leonardo. Show me, show me. Is this Imola from above? - It is. - I can see the entire city at a glance. (CHUCKLES) I've never seen anything like it before. How have you done this? - Build these defences, and the fort will be unassailable. - There is real power in these drawings. Look. What? What is it? (DOOR OPENS) - Your Excellency. Duke Guidobaldo da Montefeltro requests an audience. - Two toads trying to balance on the same log. Come and watch. I don't see my 30,000 florins. - I bring you nothing. But I demand nothing. - Then this meeting is a waste of time for both of us. - I have a son and I want him to have a future. I don't want him growing up in a war-torn land. - Surrender your arms and he will live in peace. - A man raises a sword against me, I must respond in kind. - Well, what do you suggest? - I've come to propose a truce. Our sons and daughters may grow up without a sword at their throats. We both lay down our arms. (TENSE MUSIC) - Does anyone smell something? Something... foul and pungent? Something I can never abide. Weakness. You reek of it. The aroma sickens me. (TENSE MUSIC BUILDS) (CHUCKLES) Go back to your valley and wait for me, Guidobaldo, for I'm surely coming ` for you, for your son, for your whole family. - But the defences are not yet built. Would it not be better to have waited before you threaten him? - Boldness is a shield, Niccolo. They see that I am not frightened. Courage is stronger than any wall. - Yes, but, Your Excellency` - 'But'? You surprise me with that word, Niccolo. You are not as fearless as I thought. See Leonardo there. He builds strong battlements. You will make little cracks appear in them with your cowardly 'but.' A man like that will try to outrun his own shadow. - (CHUCKLES) Your Excellency, I... I was thinking... You no longer have need of me here. You have enough men to do this work. - You plan to quit my court and step straight into the patronage of another? - No. (CHUCKLES) No, no, of course not. - Guidobaldo would pay handsomely for you to build him battlements. - I` I plan to return to Florence, to my studio. - I'll build you a studio here. Write and tell the Florentines this is your home now. Is that horse ready? - (HORSE WHINNIES) - CATERINA: 'Dearest Leonardo, I'm so sorry we parted the way we did. I'm sorry I pushed you away. 'I met Lisa del Giocondo at your studio today. We had both come to see you 'but learned that you had left for Imola. Please, let's not leave things as we have. '...take on a commission for Cesare Borgia... I didn't think I wanted you back in my life... 'I shouldn't have said the things I did. But I was wrong. We're all misguided sometimes. 'I am worried about you, Leonardo. I know you're not a bad person. 'Why have you chosen to leave your work here? What are you running away from this time? Please come back. 'I miss you. Yours, Caterina.' (PENSIVE MUSIC) - (SIGHS) - ECHOING: 'You didn't come because you care about me. You came because you need me ` very different.' (KNOCK ON DOOR) (KNOCKING CONTINUES) - Hello? Hello? Hello? (GRUNTS) - Go to the audience chamber. Demand to see him. - (EXCLAIMS) - Quiet. (KNOCK ON DOOR) - I need to see the Duke. - (GRUNTS, GROANS) - (GRUNTS, PANTS) - Call to him. - (BREATHES HEAVILY) - Go on. - (EXCLAIMS) - Your Excellency? - Again. - Your Excellency! (DARK MUSIC) - Leonardo? What's wrong? Guards! - (GRUNTS) - (BOTH GRUNT) - (YELLS) - (GRUNTS) - (PANTS) - One of Guidobaldo's men in my own fort. There must be a traitor. - If there is, My Lord, we'll find him. You have my word. I'll tear the city apart. - Do you see what danger we face? Hiding behind walls will not win campaigns. We must attack. I need weapons; engines of death. You are my engineer. Create me weapons that will destroy my enemies. - This is not why I came here. - You've rerouted rivers from their course. You've designed cities, all in my name. What man was ever given this chance? I've made you into a god, Leonardo. You cannot forsake me. - I wish to go home. - You and I, we are the same. We don't need the things that others need. We don't need to be loved, not when we can inspire awe and fear. A hundred miles along the Roman road. Give me a hundred corpses. - What? - You truly wish to go home? Design a weapon that will slaughter a hundred souls. That is the only way that you will buy your own soul back. (SINISTER MUSIC) - What are you doing? - (SIGHS) He wants weapons; engines of war. - Niccolo was right. He seduced you with his flattery. This cannot be your legacy. - Oh, I have to, Giacomo. It's the only way I can buy passage to our freedom. (SIGHS DEEPLY) (DARK MUSIC) (SIGHS) (GEARS CLANK, ECHO) - CESARE, ECHOING: 'Design a weapon that will slaughter a hundred souls. 'That is the only way that you will buy your own soul back.' (METAL SCRAPES) - (SCREAMS) - (BIRD SCREECHES) (KNOCKING ON TABLE) - Get up! The Duke wants you. - (BREATHES SHAKILY) WHISPERS: Yes. (FOREBODING MUSIC) I... I don't understand it. He's your finest soldier. Your most loyal. - Everyone will see that I was willing to sacrifice him. Everyone will know that I am willing to do the unthinkable. They will all tremble at my name. (TENSE MUSIC BUILDS) Cruelty has its value. - You are wrong. We are not the same. Niccolo. (PANTS) He's killed him; he's killed Ramiro. - Yes. Everyone knows, and everyone is terrified, just as he intended. - You have to get me away from here. Please. (BREATHES SHAKILY) - I warned you, didn't I? I told you ` do not make yourself too valuable to him. - He wants me to make weapons. I can't do it. I will not be responsible for the death of his enemies. I can't. - You stand too close to the light and you risk being burned. - You admire him. You admire what he's done. - I admire his purity of spirit. - What does that mean? - He's unclouded by thought of conventional morality. He believes in his unassailable right to remake the world. - Listen to me. If you get me far away from here, I will never get in your way again. 'My dearest Caterina, everything you said about me was true. 'You were right not to trust me. I ran to Imola in the foolish hope that I could run away from myself. 'I hated the man I became in Milan, but, no matter how far I run, 'he is still here, inside me. 'I have made a terrible error. War is on the horizon. 'And I've yoked myself to yet another tyrant with bloody ambitions 'who has no intention of ever letting me leave.' (THUNDER RUMBLES) (KNOCKS ON DOOR) (THUNDER RUMBLES) - Signore da Vinci, I'm a friend of Leonardo. I need to talk to you. Please, it's important. - Why have you come here? - Leonardo is in trouble. He rode to Imola to Cesare Borgia's court there. - Yes, we heard. So? - So there is to be war, and Leonardo is Cesare's prisoner. We need to get him back home. - 'We?' - He is your son. He needs you now more than ever. - But I have no power. No political allies. - You know people of influence. He's your firstborn. You can't forsake him like this. I beg you. Don't fail him. Not again. - Who are you to come in here and lecture my husband? Please leave. (THUNDER RUMBLES, RAIN PATTERS) - Gonfaloniere, Gonfaloniere, I need to talk to you. Don't touch me. Please, I have to` - Go away. - Please` Just` Leonardo da Vinci needs your help! I need to talk to you! - Guards! Remove her! - Please, Gonfaloniere, listen to me. - Guards! - Please. Listen to me for a second! Please! Get off me! - Go away, you beggar! Don't want to see you around here again. - Your Excellency. A bargain is a bargain. It's a ballista ` 25m long, on six wheels. It can fire rocks and bombs. Not only will it cause great damage, but it will also invoke fear and panic in your enemies. - This is... genius, Leonardo. A weapon such as the world has never seen. - (BREATHES SHAKILY) - You don't seem pleased by it. - No, Your Excellency. I'm not proud of this. - What do you think, Niccolo? Do you think I can afford to let him go? - Perhaps. - This is only a design. What if it doesn't actually work, this... little toy? - I assure you. - It doesn't matter if it works. It's not the machine you need. It's the threat that you may use it. Send Leonardo back to Florence. Let him tell them about his deadly creation. No one will ever dare breach your walls. Leonardo's reputation is much stronger than any defences. - You may leave. (POIGNANT MUSIC) (DOOR CLOSES) You're surprised I let him go. - I hoped you would. - But dared not expect it. 30,000 florins. Just arrived from Florence. (CHUCKLES) - WHISPERS: 'Earth and ocean, and all-covering heaven grew into separate form.' (KNOCK ON DOOR) Who is it? - May I come in? - Yes, come in. (SOFT MUSIC) - (SIGHS) - You've been away, then? - You'd noticed. - Crossed my mind once or twice. (SIGHS) (BREATHES HEAVILY) I've been so worried. I was afraid they would never release you. - Come with me. I have to have you by my side. - Oh, Leonardo. There are so many things you don't know about me. - Above everything, I know I need you with me. - (SIGHS) - Ambition can destroy a man's soul. - Are you talking about me? - I heard the guards talking. They said your promotion depends on getting my confession. - I'm not going to put you on the rack, if that's what you're worried about. - Why not? - Torture gets people to tell us what we want to hear. I want the truth. - Even at the cost of your own self-interest? (SIGHS DEEPLY) Give me pen and paper. - What for? - I wish to write my confession. You said all the evidence and witnesses point to my guilt. I'm going to hang, no matter what I say. - I don't want a confession, not like this. - You don't have a choice. Now, will you give me pen and paper, or should I ask your captain for it? (DOOR OPENS) - (BREATHES SHAKILY) (SIGHS DEEPLY, SNIFFLES) (OBJECT CLATTERS) (INHALES) - Mama, are you all right? - Never mind. Come here. (CLEARS THROAT) Francesco, listen. You need to go back. I'm sorry. (SNIFFLES) (POIGNANT MUSIC SWELLS) Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air.