''Matteo Falcone'' ( az, Matteo Falkone) is an

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

i short

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

based on

Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée (; 28 September 1803 – 23 September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, and one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, and a ...

's like-named story from 1829.

Plot

Matteo Falcone is a successful Corsican, who lives with his wife Giuseppa and 10-year-old son Fortunato. One day he leaves home with Giuseppa, leaving Fortunato alone. Suddenly, a wounded bandit chased by soldiers arrives and introduces himself as Gianetto Sanpiero. He expects asylum in Matteo Falcone's house. Fortunato at first declines to hide Gianetto, but when the

bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...

offers a piece of

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

, the boy conceals him beneath the hay. Soldiers led by sergeant Gamba, arrive and wants to know whether Fortunato has seen a man on the trail. Fortunato evades Gamba's questions, and the sergeant suspects that the boy is in complicity with Gianetto. He threatens to beat Fortunato, but the boy only replies that he is Matteo Falcone's son, and the sergeant understands that he dare not harm Fortunato for fear of angering the father. The soldiers search the property but find nothing. Finally, Gamba attempts to bribe Fortunato with a shiny new

watch A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached b ...

. As Gamba speaks he brings the watch closer and closer until it is almost touching Fortunato's pale cheek. The child's face clearly shows the struggle between cupidity and the claims of hospitality that is raging within him. The temptation is too great. Fortunato accepts the bribe and silently nods in the direction of the haystack. The soldiers discover Gianetto, who curses the boy. Fortunato throws the silver back at Gianetto. On their way back Matteo and Giuseppa encounter Gamba, who tells him everything. Realizing what has happened, Matteo hears the captured Gianetto Sanpiero's words "Betrayer's father". At home, Matteo sees Fortunato play with the new watch and says there has never been a betrayer in his family. After these words he takes his boy into the high country. As Matteo and Fortunato climb into the mountains, Giuseppa prays inside the house to an icon of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

. In a ravine, Matteo commands Fortunato to kneel and say his prayers. When he finishes praying, Fortunato begs for mercy, but Matteo gives none. He raises his rifle and shoots.

Cast

* Nodar Şaşıqoğlu as Matteo Falcone * Tamilla Ağamirova as Giuseppa *

Jeyhun Mirzayev Jeyhun Jamil oglu Mirzayev ( az, Ceyhun Mirzəyev; 9 April 1946 – March 5, 1993) was an Azerbaijanis, Azerbaijani actor and film director. Career Mirzayev was born in the Gulabli village, in Agdam District, Aghdam, Azerbaijan, to Jamil Mirzayev ...

as Fortunato * Anatoli Falkoviç as Gamba * Tofiq Tağızadə as Gianetto Sanpiero

External links

1960 films Soviet drama films Soviet short films Soviet-era Azerbaijanian films Azerbaijani-language films Azerbaijanfilm films Azerbaijani short films 1960 drama films 1960 short films Azerbaijani drama films Films based on short fiction Films based on works by Prosper Mérimée 1960s Soviet films {{1960s-USSR-film-stub