The Man Without a Face (1993) - Aeneid

In this brief scene from the 1993 drama The Man Without a Face, McLeod (Mel Gibson) translates a Latin passage inscribed on his cuckoo clock while listening to music by the fire.
The passage is taken from the first verse of Virgil's epic poem Aeneid, which chronicles the travels of the Trojan hero Aeneas.
The song McLeod is listening to is "Ch'ella Mi Creda," an aria from Puccini's opera La fanciulla del West. The lyrics are as follows:
"Ch'ella mi creda libero e lontano
Sopra una nuova via di redenzione
Aspetterà ch'io torni
E passeranno i giorni
E passeranno i giorni
Ed io, ed io non tornerò
Ed io non tornerò
Minnie, della mia vita, mio solo fiore
Minnie, che m'hai voluto tanto bene
Tanto bene
Ah, tu della mia vita, mio solo fior"
This translates as:
"Let her believe I'm free and far away
On a new path of redemption
She will wait for my return
And the days will pass
And the days will pass
And I, and I will not return
And I will not return
Minnie, the only flower of my life
Minnie, who loved me so much
So much
Ah, you're the only flower of my life"
The allusions to these two different pieces of art somewhat parallel McLeod's story.
In the Aeneid, Aeneas is forced to flee from his former home and life after tragedy (the destruction of Troy) and spends a significant amount of time in a sort of exile before establishing new purpose (the founding of Rome). Similarly, after the tragic accident which left him disfigured, McLeod is ousted from his position as a teacher, loses his wife, and relocates to the remote summer village of Cranesport to live out the rest of his days as a recluse before gaining a new lease on life by taking on a student desperately in need of his tutelage and friendship.
In La fanciulla del West, a gang member named Johnson (who in the opera performs "Ch'ella Mi Creda") is eventually redeemed by his relationship with a woman named Minnie. Unlike the outlaw Johnson, McLeod is not guilty of the crime he is suspected of; however his friendship and his ensuing father/son-like bond with Charles Norstadt does ultimately allow him to recover his lost humanity and begin again.
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[@peachysparkles]

That's such a sad scene 🥺😭💔