Eisenstein in Guanajuato (2015) Movie Script

﹝narrator﹞In 1931 , the Russian

film director Sergei Eisenstein

traveled to Mexico

to make a film.

It was tentatively to be called Que Viva Mexico.

Eisenstein had

a worldwide fame

based on the reputation

of only three films,

all made in Soviet Russia.

Strike,a violent tale

of civilian unrest

viciously crushed by authority,

The Battleship Potemkin,

a violent account

of a naval mutiny

over rotten meat.

and October,

a violent celebration

of the Russian Revolution.

﹝glass shattering﹞

In the West. the film Qctober.

was called

Ten Days That Shook The World.

This present film

might be called

Ten Days That Shook Eisenstein.

﹝fly buzzing﹞

﹝classical music﹞

♪ ♪

﹝fly buzzing﹞

- I arrive accompanied by flies.

They have been with me

ever since

I crossed the Mexican border.

I brought them with me

from Moscow.

﹝fly buzzing﹞

I recognize them.

They are Soviet flies,

spy flies--

Russian accents,

a growling, gruff,

ill-mannered buzz.

They have bloodshot eyes,

like me.

Do I have bloodshot eyes?

Of too much looking.

Too much--

too much looking.

Diego.

- Sergei, my friend!

You're welcome.

- Grazie.

- Frida.

- Sergei.

Bienvenido.

- Encantado.

- Jorge Palomino Cañedo.

Your Guanajuato guide.

- Sergei Eisenstein.

Sometimes

a Russian film director

or Russian film director

retired.

Ah. This is Aleksandrov.

Always an actor.

- Frida.

- Grisha.

- And this is Eduard Tisse.

cameraman.

The cameraman.

- Frida.

- Tisse.

- Please take the suitcases.

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen.

- Hey, look.

﹝ominous music﹞

♪ ♪

- ﹝whistling﹞

﹝orchestra playing﹞

♪ ♪

- ﹝exhales sharply﹞

Put all the red books

over there.

All the books with

the blue markers over there.

All English books by the bed.

All American books

under the bed.

﹝speaking Spanish﹞

﹝squeaking﹞

- Can I help?

- There is a trick, isn t there?

What am I doing wrong?

- I expect nothing.

- We don't have showers

in Moscow.

In fact,

we don t have showers in Russia.

Baths. Turkish baths.

.

And wash basins.

Sometimes we have running water.

Sometimes we have water.

Sometimes we have

just the empty taps.

Sometimes we have to

break the ice in the tank.

Often...

we don t wash.

- ﹝laughing﹞

- What are you laughing about?

- A Russian body.

Very white.

- We rarely see

the Sun in Moscow,

and we never undress

in public.

- Then I can't be public.

- Public enough.

- That s his.

- And a very well-fed body.

Pea-soup, pickled cabbage,

salty bacon,

sour milk, turnips?

- When we can get it.

- See you at breakfast?

Tortillas, tamales,

chicken burritos,

chimichangas, sopecitos,

huarachitos, pan de muerto...

- Hey! Warm water?

Being naked in public?

Or a response

to an amiable young man?

Signor Prick, behave!

He's handsome. it's true.

﹝chuckles﹞

And he's seen you, it's true.

But you are a foreigner

with a Russian passport,

a limited visitor's visa.

and very little

sexual experience.

You would be woefully

disadvantaged.

Besides, you are here

to make a film with me,

and I need your frustrations

to feed my imagination.

No dissipation.

It leads to

a dilution of energy.

﹝exhaling rapidly﹞

I am a boxer

for the freedom

of cinematic expression.

I have never had

my shoes shined for me.

We don't do

those sorts of things

anymore in Soviet Russia.

- You're in México.

Why don't you try it?

- ﹝speaking Spanish﹞

- Si

- ﹝exhales deeply﹞

﹝chuckles﹞

I'm behaving

like a colonial grandee.

Shining shoes is tantamount

to kissing feet.

Who kisses feet any more?

Do I tip him heavily

to cover up my bourgeois guilt?

- No.

If you tip him,

news of your generosity

will be around the town

in five minutes.

And your shoes

will never be yours again.

They will be a host

to fortune.

You have come here for something

other than shiny shoes.

What are you looking for?

- I came to Mexico

to make a movie.

I came to Mexico

because my very first

theatre production in Moscow

was called The Mexican.

I came to Mexico because

you had a successful revolution

five years before we did.

I came to Guanajuato

because you have here

a Museum of The Dead.

Maybe I have to make a film

called Museum of The Living.

Those are my excuses.

What are your excuses?

- I live here.

I have a family here.

I teach in Mexico City,

and I teach here.

- And what do you teach?

- I studied

as an anthropologist.

And now

I teach comparative religion.

- This is

a Roman Catholic country.

How come you are allowed

to talk about other religions?

- ﹝sighs﹞

Roman Catholicism of México

is generous and all-embracing.

Pantheistic.

A bit of everything.

old and new.

They just take

what they need.

So much so. we should call it.

Mexican Catholicism.

They customized it.

We have

pre-Columbian equivalents

for everything

the Roman Catholics dreamed up.

Certainly, we invented blood

sacrifices before you did.

Christianity adopted us.

We did not adopt Christianity.

﹝bell tolling﹞

It s Gideon.

His name is Gideon.

He was born blind.

And the bells

have made him deaf.

There is a problem.

They have been searching

through your books

and found pornography.

Are you a pornographer?

- I didn't think so

up till now.

- One of the hotel maids

arranging your books

has taken some photographs,

but she is underage.

Her mother found the photographs

and complained to the hotel.

I am sure

it can be sorted out.

Stay in sight

of your bodyguards.

﹝bells tolling﹞

﹝upbeat music﹞

♪ ♪

﹝children laughing﹞

﹝goats bleating﹞

- It's okay, boys.

﹝dog barking﹞

- ﹝echoing﹞

Sergei!

﹝echoing﹞

Sergei!

﹝echoing﹞

México!

﹝echoing﹞

México!

﹝echoing﹞

Guanajuato!

﹝retching﹞

﹝vomiting﹞

﹝retching﹞

Vomit and shit

pour out of you in floods.

I should not be here.

I should be back in Russia,

being constipated.

In Moscow, you can go for a week

without shitting once.

﹝coughing﹞

- Sergei? It s me.

It's me--Cañedo. It's me.

- Ugh.

- Come on.

Let's go, let's go.

It s just me--Cañedo.

Hey, it's okay. Shh.

Come on.

- Ugh.

﹝grunts﹞

- Stop it, stop it, stop it.

- ﹝coughing﹞

﹝humming﹞

♪ ♪

- Close your eyes,

close your eyes.

♪ ♪

- You know...

You know. I sat like the Tsar

.

on the throne

of the Winter Palace.

But the Tsar did not have

running water.

You Mexicans

don't have tsars,

but you do have

running water.

What is that noise?

- Someone banging on the pipes.

- Oh!

- Come on.

- ﹝grunting﹞

- Qkay.

Okay, hey.

Wake up.

- ﹝grunts﹞

- Come on, come on.

﹝both grunting﹞

- It's the 22nd of October.

Someone is banging on the pipes

to commemorate the start

of the Russian Revolution.

- ﹝chuckles﹞

No. It s the hotel plumber

fixing the hot water.

Go to sleep.

- The hot water

of the Revolution.

- ﹝chuckles﹞

We shall all be cleansed

with the hot water

of the Revolution.

﹝banging﹞

- Watch him carefully.

or you'll have Stalin

on your backs.

Stalin s reach is very long.

If anything happens to him,

you'll be picking ice

out of your asses in Siberia

or have an ice-pick

lodged in your brain!

﹝classical music﹞

♪ ♪

- Here, your photographs.

Put them away somewhere safe.

Don t leave them lying around

for innocent chambermaids

to steal and show

to their mamȧs.hmm?

- But they are paintings.

- Mexican mothers protecting

their innocent daughters.

We countered by accusing the

maid of stealing from guests.

- Is thievery

worse than voyeurism?

She should not be sacked

for curiosity.

You must get her reinstated.

- ﹝scoffs﹞

She s in the bar

with her mother and father.

You could tell her yourself.

- No, you tell her.

And tell her mother

her daughter s forgiven

for stealing,

and from now on.

she's the only one

to bring me my breakfast in bed

in the morning.

- ﹝scoffs﹞

﹝scoffs﹞

﹝indistinct chatter﹞

The manager says it s a good job

she didn't take a look

in your red suitcase.

- Oh? What's

in the red suitcase?

- Enough to have you

thrown in jail.

- And how did the manager

know what was

in the red suitcase?

- After the complaint,

he searched everything.

- God, he has

no right to do that.

That's invasion of privacy!

- Shh.

Look, he s winking at you.

Curiously,

it s a mark in your favor.

But if you offend him,

he could use it against you.

Tread carefully.

﹝classical music﹞

♪ ♪

The Camorristas.

They are looking for

wealthy foreigners to prey on.

They wait outside

all the big hotels.

And you are giving them

good reason to prey on you.

That s why

you have bodyguards.

These are

the small-time guys.

We don t worry so much

about them.

They are posing as tough guys,

but they are lazy.

The big guys are much tougher.

And the real big guys,

you'll never see.

That's why you should try

and stop attracting attention.

Don t get yourself photographed

and in the newspapers.

If they smell

a ransom possibility,

they will be in

and kidnap you.

How much do you think

you are worth?

- Not much.

- What will your government pay

to keep you alive?

- Nothing.

- Just trust that we are looking

after you properly.

- But maybe

you are a Camorrista?

- If I am, then you are lost.

﹝laughing﹞

You ought to make a film

about them.

The corpse at the door

is wearing a red shirt,

as you can see.

Even among the dead,

the Camorristas have influence.

Ransoming a corpse

is not uncommon in México.

﹝classical music﹞

♪ ♪

- Aah!

- ﹝laughing﹞

Miralo.

﹝laughing﹞

Do you only have one suit?

- Well, I left Moscow

with only $25.

Russia has very little

foreign currency,

and that was all

they could afford to give us.

I get paid expenses

here in Mexico.

or I get paid expenses,

and I have to share

with Tisse and Grisha.

- That suit is taking

some punishment.

You should buy

yourself another.

- It's my first American suit.

I bought it to walk down

Sunset Boulevard

with Charlie Chaplin.

It s a sentimental matter.

I could not part with it.

- This is my wife,

Concepciön.

This is Rolando.

- Good evening, sir.

- Good evening.

- The eldest was born

when I was studying troubadours

and the second. Pascal.

when I reluctantly gave up God.

Now I don't believe in God.

but I miss him,

as did Pascal.

- I m sorry.

I have no Russian buttons.

But these are curious.

What are they made of?

- Ah.

Gunmetal.

They are stamped out

of discarded cartridge cases,

pierced with two holes

and glued to a piece

of army blanket,

which usually

very quickly becomes unglued.

﹝Palomino and Concepciön

chuckle﹞

- A Russian soldier is told

never to let his shoes

out of his sight,

if not out l

of his hand.

Better still.

always keep them on your feet.

Shoes are the most precious item

of clothing.

Won't help your modesty,

scarcely keep you warm,

but you will simply not be able

to function without shoes

in any way at all.

Don t worry. I m a foreigner.

I'm a child abroad.

Russia s so big

that nobody thinks about abroad.

It s always too far away

and well out of sight.

- ﹝chuckles﹞

- We believe most of the time

that "abroad"

does not really exist.

Does not really exist.

I was earning money

from American publishers,

and I bought

an old battered Ford car.

Mayakovsky had a Renault,

and we raced around Moscow

at 4o miles an hour

with our windows down.

shouting, singing,

and mooning.

- Oh!

- He had a nice ass.

My ass was way too fat.

He got his car impounded

for moral turpitude.

Mayakovsky, that is,

not his car.

His car was innocent.

Is this car.

with Death in the driver s seat.

completely innocent?

No fat on his backside.

In 1927, Mary Pickford

and Douglas Fairbanks

of Universal Pictures.

Charlie Chaplin's company,

saw Potemkinand invited me

to come to Hollywood

to make a film!

Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!

I met them all.

All those Hollywood guys.

They all came to Moscow.

Would you believe it?

Joseph Schenck lost in Russia,

but he looked like

a Russian smoothie.

All Jews look lost in Russia.

but there is never

a better home for them.

He fast-smoked big cigars.

He was a caricature.

It was to make sure

no one took him seriously

so he could take

everyone else seriously

when they weren't looking.

I am a caricature.

I don't smoke fast.

but I can talk fast.

don't you think?

Joseph Schenck came

with a Hollywood contract

in his pocket,

which was soon in my pocket.

And then my pockets were filled

with Hollywood happiness.

Felicidad Hollywoodus.

﹝classical music﹞

♪ ♪

To get to Hollywood, you must

first pass through Europe,

and then you have to pass

through America

because Hollywood is a separate

country all on its very own.

So like bug-eyed

cultural tourists,

we went through Europe,

looking, seeing, shaking hands.

Although it was more like

shaking hands and looking.

I had eyes in my hands,

and they never stopped shaking.

We met George Grosz and Man Ray

and Dos Passos.

Oh. Kaääthe Kollwitz.

She had at least half a way

for social conscience,

though her droopy face

and sagging breasts

were overplayed

as a sort of trademark.

And Le Corbusier, who said

I reminded him of Donatello.

All architects love cinema.

We met Léger and Cocteau

and Marinetti, who was a fool.

Terrible poetry,

worse painting.

Oh, we met James Joyce,

who sat through

Battleship Potemkin

in his dark blind glasses.

I imagine

he did not see a thing.

We met Abel Gance and Buñuel.

And Al Jolson, the blacked-up

singing son of a Russian rabbi.

This one.

﹝grunts﹞

We saw Dali's Le Chien Andalou

and Dreyers Joan of Arc.

I went to Holland.

where a crowd of reporters

met me at Rotterdam airport.

They were all very excited.

They had come expecting

to meet Einstein.

﹝both laughing﹞

We had von Sternberg

in Babelsberg.

He was shooting The Blue Angel

with Marlene Dietrich.

﹝speaking German﹞

We were all the time

being watched and followed

by two Russian agents.

one looked like Fatty Arbuckle

and the other one

looked like Buster Keaton.

one was rosy and laughing and

always fingering his backside,

the other solemn and sad.

as though he had wet

his trousers.

Dorothy Gish and her sister

wanted me to make a film.

but sentimental melodrama

is not my hat.

Too much gushing and gishing,

no irony.

I sent them to Pudovkin.

He is good at tears and whey.

He said, "If I was no good at

treating American ladies well,

I was nothing.

What are you? " he said.

I replied,

" I am a scientific dilettante

with encyclopedic interests."

﹝speaking Spanish﹞

﹝Mexican folk music﹞

♪ ♪

We left Moscow just as

the celling was falling in.

Pasternak and Mayakovsky

were forbidden to leave.

Passports forbidden.

Trotsky was deported

to Turkey.

Poets, painters,

and publishers

were sacked, spitted,

sat upon, and spat upon.

We felt the flames up our bums,

red-hot pokers up our asses

as we fled to America.

It scorched us out of Russia.

And I had Joey Schenck s invite

in my back trouser pocket,

resting against

my right buttock.

An invite to Hollywood.

♪ ♪

- Excuse me, sir,

I see you are being protected

by grandmothers.

♪ ♪

﹝camera shutter clicks﹞

- And then came the bad news.

Keep out the Red Peril!

These Russians will rape

and abuse our American children!

The biggest shark

in the shark tank

was an American Senator,

Hamilton Fish--

Redneck Extraordinaire.

And behind sharkman Senator Fish

was the riot-master

Major Frank Pease.

The bad meat-man

in Battleship Potemkin.

I could well have been accused

of sacrilege, insulting God.

I was the " Roosian " Eisenstein,

the Messenger from Hell.

And they won.

Paramount Pictures could

not afford the bad publicity.

Paramount Pictures pictured me

with everyone American

American they could find

to bolster me up,

to keep my image squeaky clean.

I shook hands

with Walt Disney,

the greatest

and only true filmmaker

who starts

from an absolutely clean slate.

Qh. and I met his

apprentice-assistant

and protégé, Mickey Mouse

and I rubbed wet noses

with Rin Tin Tin.

But in the end...

they could not afford

to hold out.

They gave in.

They caved in.

They were getting

jumpy and jittery.

Said it was the Depression.

Said they had to weather

the storm.

Said it was the rains.

And when the rains had passed,

they would call me back.

So exit Eisenstein.

Jew. Red. Troublemaker.

Communist.

And then I met Upton Sinclair

and came here to Mexico

to meet you, Palomino,

and Palomino's wife

and Palomino's

two small children.

- Who should be in bed.

- So where do

I sleep tonight?

I cannot sleep naked.

- Why not?

- Because I have never

slept naked,

except last night

when you stole my clothes.

My mother didn't like it.

I didn t like it.

Someone could have stolen

my virginity

when I lay there

sleeping naked.

- Virginity?

- I was joking.

Do you have a nightshirt?

- No.

My wife has a nightgown.

- Let me borrow your nightgown.

- ﹝chuckles﹞

- Why not?

﹝children﹞ ♪♪ Twinkle, twinkle, little star ♪♪

♪♪ How I wonder where you are ♪♪

♪♪ Up above the world so high ♪♪

♪♪ Like a diamond in the sky ♪♪

﹝children continue singing

in Spanish﹞

♪ ♪

- Good, Pascal.

﹝classical music﹞

♪ ♪

﹝fly buzzing﹞

- There are no flies on me.

Those flies again.

Are they still Russian flies?

They are preparing themselves,

getting ready,

assembling to devour

my putrefying flesh.

Flies and maggots.

I'm familliar with maggots,

Battleship Potemkin maggots.

Knock, knock, who's there?

- only Death.

- ﹝sighs﹞

Death is so close here

in the hot sun.

He's tapping me

on the shoulder.

In Russia,

we hide Death away.

Make him a distant villain.

- Here, Death

is very close...

and a friendly hero.

She greets us

at the cemetery gate

and walks with us politely.

We walk with Death

in the cemetery

under the same parasol.

We benefit

from the same shadow.

Better that Death is a friend.

.

not a stranger.

- Lenin is dead.

So is Karl Marx.

Both died in their beds.

- Jesus Christ is dead.

He was crucified.

And Saint Peter--

he was crucified upside down.

- And Cortés and Pizarro

and Torquemada is dead.

- Moctezuma is dead.

- And George Washington

is dead.

And Abraham Lincoln is dead.

He was shot.

﹝gunshot﹞

- Pancho Villa is dead.

He was shot.

﹝gunshot﹞

And Zapata is dead.

He was shot.

﹝gunshot﹞

And Benito Pablo Juȧrez

is dead.

Miguel Hidalgo--he is dead.

He was shot.

﹝gunshot﹞

- I once played

Leonardo da Vinci

dying in the arms

of Francois I at Amboise.

Eisenstein will die...

like Leonardo.

I'm not so sure

that filmmakers

will be remembered.

- We have made a procession

of the mighty dead.

Aren't you surprised

that we spend

so much time

making people die in films?

- All actors, sooner or later,

and sooner rather than later.

.

in theaters and cinemas

around the world

are asked to fuck or die.

Hamlet. Othello. Macbeth.

Juliet, Madame Butterfly,Joan of Arc, Yevgeniy

Onegin,

Cleopatra, Jullius Caesar,Savonarola, Helen of Troy,

Ivan the Terrible...

- We give you license to show us

people fucking and dying,

and we know they are not.

And you know they are not.

And we know that you know

that we know they are not.

- It s all to prove

we are alive twice over.

First as an affirmation

and then as a challenge

to Death itself.

The willing and very necessary

suspension of disbelief.

In modern-day Russia,

Death comes drunk in a crumpled

dark-gray suit with no underwear

because no one has money for

vests and underpants in Russia.

He wears a secondhand

grubby white shirt

with no collar

and dirty cuffs.

Death in Russia is

a shabby meeting at life's end.

Here in Mexico,

Death comes bright-eyed

and laughing, totally sober,

beginning

his greatest adventure,

kissing the air.

His head, his heart,

and his cock held high.

Sex and death.

the two nonnegotiables.

Eros and Thanatos.

We are never aware

of our own conception.

Can we really be a witness

to our own death?

- You have introduced yourself

to Death in México.

Indeed, you seem to me

to have introduced yourself

to Death in México.

Perhaps now you need

to introduce yourself

to sex in México?

- ﹝laughs﹞

Well, perhaps now

I need to introduce myself

to sex in the world.

- ﹝chuckles﹞

- Perhaps, Cañedo,

you could introduce me

to sex in Mexico

and the world?

- Another subject matter

could be money.

- Money?

I am not so sure at all

about money.

It has not been around

for so very long.

And now so many fools have it

and so many wise men do not.

It cannot be very important.

And money can be

so easily subsumed

into death and sex.

if only to delay one

and pay for the other.

- ﹝chuckles﹞

Another subject matter

could be power.

You will have to go back

to Russia sooner or later.

And in Russia, you will witness

power unlimited.

- Every morning there is a flood

of yellow telegrams

pushed under my door.

They want me back in Russia.

Russian power reaches its huge hand

here to me in Mexico.

Can anyone escape it?

- Now we sleep for one hour.

Enjoy your siesta.

A siesta

splits the day in two.

Makes two days out of one.

But really,

you must do it properly.

Undress.

and the most important thing

of all.

sleep between cool sheets.

No snoozing

in your day clothes.

You must be

naturally drowsy.

Give in.

The best sleep of the day.

Drift away.

Then you go to bed.

And pretend you are dead.

Silent.

Still.

The best sleep you will know

when you are not dead.

And you are cheating death.

﹝chuckles﹞

Go on,

take your clothes off.

- I have a clumsy,

unattractive body.

- It's not unattractive.

I have seen it.

You make it unattractive.

Your belief in your ugliness

is a sort of exhibitionism.

You are vain

about your ugliness.

- I have a coward s bravery.

Short arms, big head...

big feet.

I have the correct physiognomy

for a clown.

No woman could ever take

a delight in my body.

- Why not?

Clowns are loved by women.

Their helpless foolishness

is appeaoing.

Is that really the problem,

do you think?

That you have believed

that no woman

could approve of your body?

Or your prick?

So you have denied them.

- I have a prick only fit

for peeing.

- ﹝laughing﹞

That could be

very usefully true.

But it cannot be all.

Make it rise.

﹝chuckles﹞

You see?

It takes on a brand-new life.

Respect it.

﹝breathes deeply, groans﹞

I am not going to deny myself

sleep any more.

We will discuss your prick later

when we wake up.

Now take a shower

and lay down.

Mmm.

I am already falling

over the cliff

into the abyss of sleep.

This is really the way

to fall into this.

Delightful.

Guiltless.

Unfatigued.

This way,

you will not dream.

I never dream

during a siesta.

﹝line trilling﹞

- Pera? Pera?

Is that you?

- What s that noise?

- I m in the shower.

Water. Warm rain.

I am in Guanajuato,

and there is a man in my bed.

- What is he doing there?

- Sleeping.

It s early afternoon.

Siesta time.

We should learn to take siestas

in Moscow.

What are you doing?

- What should I be doing here

in Moscow?

Nothing much--

writing invoices,

typing scripts

for the publisher,

being your secretary,

looking after your interests

whilst you re away,

refusing chocolates and visits to the cinema from

Boris.

- Pera, why don't you drop

everything

and come to Mexico

and rescue me from men

falling asleep in my bed?

- I could never get a visa.

And there is no money

for foreign visits.

- We have shot over 7o miles

of film. 2o hours.

I have a lot of ideas,

though they keep changing.

Usual stuff.

It s gonna be a great film.

- People here are saying

you won't come back.

- Of course I'm coming back.

- Sergei, be careful.

Don't get mad at me,

but your American experience

could act against you.

They ve stopped paying

your mother.

Don't worry, I'm getting

something through to her,

though she continues to be very rude and

condescending to me,

the bitch.

Sorry.

You know there is no love lost between us.

- His name is Cañedo.

- Whose name?

- The man in my bed.

He s my guide.

- And what else is he to you?

- He's an instructor

of comparative religion.

- Since when have you needed

instruction in religion?

- We talk

about Mexico and death.

He's my guide

to the Underworld.

﹝indistinct chatter﹞

Pera? Pera?

Are you still there?

The line is very bad.

- I hear all sorts of noises.

Iike someone banging

a hammer on metal.

A spanner on a radiator.

- No. that s here--

upstairs or somewhere.

- Sergei, think of yourself.

Think of coming back soon.

They are starting to ask even

little me

all sorts of questions, like,

"What do the Americans

think of Sergei?"

Using your first name,

suggesting we are intimate.

- I'm not

with Americans anymore.

I'm with Mexicans, an entirely

different race of people.

Pera? Pera?

Pera, are you there?

- You are a long way off.

- ﹝chuckles﹞

You're right.

I'm in Mexico.

﹝distant banging﹞

﹝banging pipes﹞

- It is 9:45,

a quarter to 10:00

on the 25th October.

The official time we stormed

the Winter Palace.

1 4 years to the minute

when the Revolution began.

Ten days that shook the world.

- Except we have now

changed calendars,

and it's all happening

in November.

And anyway, if it's 9:45

here in Mexico.

it can t be 9:45 in Moscow.

The anniversary was over

ten hours ago.

We missed it.

- Then Eisenstein did it

all over again.

He recreated

the Russian Revolution

all over again on film.

Though much bigger

and much better

than the first time round.

And twice as expensive.

- With Eisenstein s version,

the street cleaners complained.

They took three days

cleaning up the broken glass.

"The first time around."

they said,

" People were more considerate.

They made far less mess."

- They thought

the first revolution

was--was better choreographed.

They thought Eisenstein's

version wasn t worth filming.

It was a waste of film.

they said.

- With Eisenstein, there were

much more windows broken.

more statues chipped

by ricocheting bullets,

and much more noise.

The original revolution

had apparently been

a fairly quiet affair,

with no swearing

and no bad language.

﹝orchestra playing﹞

♪ ♪

Eisenstein is very equivocal

about women.

And he really is

a vulgar, fat little chap.

Any opportunity

to pass on obscenity,

he will fart it through.

Sublimated sexual frustratioon.

He can be very crude

about women.

He can't do the sex.

so he'll talk it.

- Come on.

let's take the young woman home.

- ﹝chanting﹞

♪ ♪

﹝all chanting﹞

♪ ♪

- A present...

so you can celebrate

your Russian Revolution

far from home.

Congratulations,

Mr. Russian Film Director.

- ﹝chuckles﹞

Thank you.

I will wave it and remember.

﹝chanting continues﹞

♪ ♪

﹝thunder booms﹞

﹝distant bell tolling﹞

﹝distant thunder rumbles﹞

- Turn around.

﹝distant thunder rumblles﹞

lnitiation ceremony.

Formal initiation into life

was essential for the Aztecs--

a full ritual.

You have left it

a little late, Sergei.

But doesn't matter.

Better late than never.

- Better never late.

- You are far from home

and off

your home initiation ground.

- I cannot.

- Cannot what?

Why not?

- Because I have argued

with myself repeatedly

that this cannot be the way.

I have reached

my accustomed point,

and this is where I stop.

- It used to be where

you may have stopped.

It isn't any longer.

- This is where

I get off the train.

- Sorry, no station.

- Well. then

I will have to jump.

- ﹝chuckles﹞

Jumping off a moving train

could be dangerous.

And your prick tells you

you have a first-class ticket

to continue the journey.

- My prick is a stowaway,

an even sadder clown than me.

He wears

a sad clown's helmet.

- He's a wiser clown

than you.

Follow where he leads.

And if you won't lead...

let me.

I am the guard.

I will be at the back

of the train.

I will be at the back

of the train.

﹝distant thunder rumbles﹞

- ﹝whimpering﹞

﹝grunts﹞

It hurts, it stings!

I'm going to vomit!

- Shh, shh, shh.

- ﹝groans﹞

- That s what every virgin

must say.

That's what the virginal

New World said.

- I'm bleeding.

- So you are.

Every virgin

is supposed to bleed,

so you were perhaps

telling me the truth.

Don't worry.

- ﹝grunts﹞

- Small, broken,

injured capilaries

in the sensitive

anal interior sphincter.

Recovery almost immediate.

- Bleeding makes me vulnerable.

- It does.

But you have no reason

to feel concerned.

Unless you are a hemophiliac.

﹝chuckles﹞

You are not a member

of the Russian royal family,

are you?

Are you a Romanov?

Europe gave México

many things.

And perhaps México

gave only one thing back--

syphilis.

It was known for a time

as the " Mexican disease."

Then as the " Spanish disease."

The Spanish gave it to ltalians

in southern ltaly.

The French army of Francis I

caught it from the ltalians.

Then it was

the "French Disease. "

The French soldiers

took it back to France.

And then it was everybody's.

﹝chuckles﹞

- The Mexicans had

a natural immunity?

Is that really true?

- The old World,

the New World.

You are the old World.

I am the New World.

- But we have it all

the wrong way round.

México.

Pre-Columbian

Middle America...

is the old World.

Where you come from

is the New World.

- And you tell me

all these things

while your prick

is in my ass?

- Could be the reason.

Could be an excuse.

Could be a justification

to remind you

about subjugation.

But it could be

none of those things at all.

And it isn't.

And you are not

entirely unwilling.

﹝chuckles﹞

Curiously,

neither were the Aztecs.

The European invasion

had been prophesied.

They were God-fearing,

superstitious people.

They did not resist.

The new New World

should learn from the old.

They say all Americans,

north and south.

originally came across

the Bering Straits to Alaska

and then all the way down

to Tierra del Fuego.

If the original Americans

came that way,

they must have traveled

originally from Siberia,

which means all Americans,

and that also means

all Mexicans,

were once upon a time Russians.

- ﹝breathing heavily﹞

- And now, Sergei,

I want to enjoy

your virginal Russian ass.

- ﹝grunting﹞

﹝breathing heavily﹞

﹝grunting﹞

At 2:00...

on the 26th

of Qctober. 1917...

.

the Russian Revolution

was over.

The Winter Palace

had been taken.

I was 19.

- Congratulations, Eisenstein,

on a revolution.

- 14 years ago,

Russia lost its virginity.

I was 14 years too late.

﹝orchestra playing

bombastic music﹞

♪ ♪

﹝thunder booms﹞

﹝moaning﹞

﹝chuckles﹞

﹝thunder booms﹞

﹝both screaming﹞

﹝projector rattlling﹞

- Sergei,

there has been a mudslide

to the south of the city--

the heavy rains last night.

There are many dead,

many injured.

We should go there

and film

a natural Mexican disaster.

- Is there such a thing?

Aren't all disasters natural?

- Hey, come on,

get your clothes on.

It s not time

for idle philosophy.

Hey, come and help.

Come and tell us

how we should film it.

- No, you do it.

You know what to do.

I'm not so good with reality.

I'm going back to bed.

- We have the car outside.

We can be there in 20 minutes

if the roads

are not washed away.

- The local people will not like

you seeing them distressed.

You are vultures.

You will not be popular.

- Sergei, we can record it,

show what happened.

- You go, I'll come later.

﹝indistinct chatter﹞

- ﹝speaking Spanish﹞

﹝indistinct chatter﹞

- Having children of my own

has just not occurred to me

as a possibility.

Is that strange?

- No.

- It seems to be

so very, very far

from what I have ever thought.

You really do have to have

the thought in your head,

and I never have.

You need to find the desire.

And the desire needs to be

consummated.

We stake a claim to be human

by continuing

the inexorable chain

On and on and on.

generation after generation--

gather, son, and grandson--

which means we simply are

in a hopeless relay race,

permitted to hold the baton

for a few yards

of hectic running,

with me thinking and feeling

all the time

that I will default.

that I will drop the baton

and disgrace myself

and the team

of an extended family

and, not least, betray the woman

who is bearing the child

at my request

and who is far more exhausted

than me.

So better not

to enter the race.

humiliate myself,

and embarrass all around me.

﹝thunder booms﹞

-No, no fotos.

- Cañedo? Cañedo, help me!

This baby is bleeding.

I thought she was peeing down

my leg, but it's blood.

Look! Help me.

I could not face a child

bleeding to death in my lap.

I only--I only construct death

in the cinema.

I don t make it, cause it.

Get the mother.

Where is the mother

of this child?

I came to Mexico...

a virgin.

And I leave it debauched.

My body was a stranger.

And now it becomes familiar

in its...

sheer vulnerability.

Come with me to Moscow.

- Impossible.

- I brush away my tears.

Am I weeping

for that child?

For you?

For myself?

﹝thunder rumbles﹞

- Are you a hero?

- Mercedes.

Are you not disturbed

by the Russian film-director s

nakedness?

- Not at all.

He is not interested in women.

- Not at all.

He is not interested in women.

Besides, his photograph

is in the papers.

He does not have long

to live now.

Unless he has

a great deal of money.

And unless he is very lucky.

﹝thunder rumbles﹞

- Some papers say

you are a hero.

This paper says

you are responsible

for a child's death.

This one says

you and your wife

have just had a row

about her mother.

your mother-in-law.

And this paper

offers you condolences

on the death of your daughter.

It s amazing how you have suddenly acquired

a Mexican family,

and the Camorristas

don't normally like

and the Camorristas

don't normally like

to get their hair wet.

- But they can get nothing

out of me.

﹝thunder rumbles﹞

- There are two people

downstairs

waiting to talk to you.

Shall I ask them to come up?

- Mrs. Upton Sinclair

and her brother.

Upton Sinclair is famous

in Russia.

Upton Sinclair is famous

in Russia.

All his books

have been translated.

100,000 available

Upton Sinclair books in Moscow.

﹝chuckles﹞

Read largely

by literature snobs.

Well, when they chopped

my Hollywood contract,

I couldn't go back to Moscow

empty-handed.

And I d met

the film-director Flaherty,

who made Nanook of The North,

and he got me interested

in going to Mexico,

which I must admit

wasn't difficult.

Well, Flaherty makes films

with people

who are not actors, like me.

with people

who are not actors, like me.

And he convinced me

I could make a film

independently in Mexico

without actors.

And when I was in Hollywood...

and I was lonely...

and miserable...

and homesick...

I spent a great deal of time

in the Hollywood bookstore

and practically bought up

their entire stock of books

on Mexico.

The owner of the bookstore.

who had fought

in the Mexican Civil War,

who had fought

in the Mexican Civil War,

said I could make a film

in Mexico for $25.000.

And I talked to Chaplin,

and he agreed

it was a good idea.

Mexico is fashionable amongst

all Chaplin's left-wing friends

in California.

They all have

second homes here.

They all have

second homes here.

And Upton Sinclair

was one of these left-wing,

fashionable friends.

He and his horse-riding,

name-dropping,

faded Southern belle wife

were very excited

faded Southern belle wife

were very excited

that they could assist

a Russian filmmaker

with all the right credentials.

With all the right credentials.

- Sergei!

How are you?

- Sergei!

How are you?

We have been waiting

to see you.

Hunter is worried.

- Palomino.

this is Mary Craig Sincllair,

- Palomino.

this is Mary Craig Sinclair,

the wife of Upton Sinclair,

famous American author.

.

much published in Russia.

Mary, this is Palomino Cañedo.

- My, you're handsome,

Mr. Palomino.

- My, you're handsome,

Mr. Palomino.

﹝giggles﹞

Palomino!

Sounds like a horse.

I used to have a beautiful

palomino mare two years ago.

Tennessee Walking Horse

out of an Appaloosa.

Are you a stud, Mr. Palomino?

Are you registered

at the Jockey Club

like my palomino,

Mr. Palomino?

Hunter, shake hands

with a beautiful man

who could have been a horse.

Oh. we could have

some coffee, too.

Oh, are you the maid?

Or are you doing

for Mr. Palomino

what my Appaloosa did for

the Tennessee Walking Horse?

Bring us some coffee,

will you, dear?

Sergei, Hunter and I wanted

to know how you are doing,

how you are getting along.

﹝gasps﹞

Oh!

We have put

your latest film rushes

through the laboratory

in California,

through the laboratory

in California,

and I must say--

we all say...

﹝chuckles﹞

They are truly splendid.

Albert says so,

and George says so, too.

﹝chuckles﹞

I'm sorry.

Albert Einstein

and George Bernard Shaw.

Albert Einstein

and George Bernard Shaw.

- You have shown my rushes

to all these people

when I have not yet

seen them myself?

- Well, you couldn't,

could you?

There are no

Mexican laboratories

worth knowing, are there?

And we didn t want to disturb

you in your good works

and your long hours.

﹝giggles﹞

Though, Sergei,

it is 10:00 in the morning,

and you are still

in your pajamas.

and you are still

in ylur pajamas.

Yellow pajamas, no less.

﹝giggles﹞

And in bed having breakfast?

- Mm-hmm.

With your friend.

- Cañedo is my official

Guanajuato guide.

He intends to take me

to Diego's favorite restaurant,

He intends to take me

to Diego's favorite restaurant,

and I am to meet Frida.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo.

- Ah.

- And then...

since I have been introduced

to the siesta by Cañedo,

I intend to spend a large part

of the afternoon in bed.

practicing it.

- Well, it is good to know

that you are in such safe hands.

- Well, it is good to know

that you are in such safe hands.

But Hunter here has to speak

to you about budgets

and finances and money.

You know, you have been

in Mexico for eight months now,

and we only budgeted,

as you know, for 12.

Oh, shall I get the invoices

to check?

- Oh, good Lord.

- Oh, well...

I see it is still quite early

for you.

- Oh, yes. I am acclimatizing

myself to local practices--

many of them imported

from across the border.

You know?

The border with America?

You know?

The border with America?

Russians don't wear pajamas.

Even Stalin

doesn't wear a pajama,

but I m sure that before long,

he might very well do--red ones.

I am used to wearing

a Russian nightshirt

which can be

a cast-off daytime shirt.

It is usually genderless,

and usually,

It is usually genderless,

and usually,

if you tug it well,

can reach down to your knees

and even, with some sewing

and some adjustments,

can be made.

when it's really cold,

to reach down to your ankles.

- ﹝scoffs﹞

- Well, we will be going now.

Hunter can make an appointment

with you

Hunter can make an appointment

with you

to talk finances

and--and rushes.

Is--is that the right word?

And maybe you could do it

over dinner, Hunter?

Is that all right?

- Infantile behavior.

- ﹝exhales deeply﹞

- ﹝speaking Spanish﹞

- Something else?

- No, thank you, Mercedes.

-Gracias,Mercedes.

- However, Mercedes,

you could put your naked elbow

under the shower

to test the water temperature.

And, oh...

perhaps you could warm up

the lavatory seat for me again.

Take your knickers down,

sit on the seat

the wrong way around,

take a pee,

and wriggle around a bit.

take a pee,

and wriggle around a bit.

- Do you really want me

to translate that?

﹝thunder rumbles﹞

Was that wise?

- Wise? Wisdom?

What is that?

Learning how to live

with a modicum of happiness

and no harm to others?

Freud says that

there are five things

essential

to a man's happiness

essential

to a man's happiness

and if you can get them

all perfectly aligned,

you are extremely fortunate

indeed--

health, work, money,

sex, and love.

I have my health.

I have unbounded amounts

of work.

Money? As you just heard,

I have a banker.

and he has money.

It's not mine. but it's

.

in their bank under my name.

Sex? Well...

I'm more than agreeably

accounted for there.

I'm more than agreeably

accounted for there.

And love.

I have the love of a centaur.

Obviously a half a man,

half a horse.

A palomino.

"ATennessee Walking Horse.

A stud out of an Appaloosa. "

- ﹝laughing﹞

- Can you whinny and neigh

and snort

and trample the earth

with your hooves?

- ﹝laughing﹞

- I can

- ﹝imitating horse whinnying﹞

- ﹝laughing﹞

- ﹝imitating horse whinnying﹞

- ﹝laughing﹞

﹝continues imitating horse﹞

- Stop!

Stop.

﹝laughing﹞

Oh! Oh.

- Oh.

- ﹝continues imitating horse﹞

- Oh.

- ﹝continues imitating horse﹞

- Oh.

﹝Mexican folk music﹞

♪ ♪

- I am 33...

the age of Christ

and Alexander at death...

the age St. Augustine said

we all go to Heaven.

It is obvious.

I had to come to Mexico

to go to Heaven.

﹝chuckles﹞

- You could have found this...

ordinary heaven

Iike most other people at 17.

ordinary heaven

Iike most other people at 17.

- I doubt it.

I doubt it very much.

I doubt that there are many 17-year-olds

that found Heaven that very first time.

I am certain that I would not have.

I was callow in all ways,

and it would have been a wasted experience.

33 is the ideal age--

old enough to be wise enough

to know that 33...

is the probable limit

of promise.

is the probable limit

of promise.

After 33.

you can no longer claim

to be a young person

of promise anymore.

And at 33.

.

you are still young enough

to have your...

physical attributes,

but old enough

to no longer have them

with vanity or triumphalism.

And...

33 is still young enough

not to be hopelessly cynical

and resigned to your fate.

I am discovering everything all at once.

And the catalyst...

the catalyst is sex.

I am just stupidly living...

now in the present.

I could be fodder for

the Camorrista and not care.

I could be fodder for

the Camorrista and not care.

﹝both laughing﹞

Someone...

has opened a door to a...

wet...

and weeping...

dirty...

hurricane.

- Look after little Sergei.

He is a Russian innocent,

and Russian innocents

are the most innocent

of innocents in the world.

﹝all chuckling﹞

- You should be

in that car, Sergei.

Keep them under control.

Stop them from spending

needless finances.

- Qh, don't worry.

I'm following later.

-Señor.

- And they could be better off

without me.

Tisse is a Capuchin monk

with money, doesn t eat.

Tisse is a Capuchin monk

with money, doesn t eat.

And Aleksandrov

is so charismatic

that everyone else pays

for his bed and board.

He could scarcely be a drain

on anyone s resources.

- ﹝sighs﹞

We need to talk.

﹝engine turning over﹞

- ﹝chuckles﹞

Salud!

- ﹝chuckles﹞

Salud!

- Sergei,

with over 100 miles of film,

you're going to make a film

twenty hours long

which is stupid

and intolerable.

- Griffith shot 200 miles

on ntolerance.

Von Stroheim shot 100 miles

on Greed.

It is normal

to shoot that much,

and we have a project here

covering the whole of Mexico.

We are not at all doing badly,

considering

all the language difficulties,

the extras that don't turn up

or turn up too late,

the Mexican authorities

who, out of the blue,

when we are all prepared,

deny us permission,

the exceptional heat

that is making everyone sick,

then--then the heavy rains,

not known for 20 years,

and then I fall sick

with some mystery disease

that no one can find a name for,

even in Aztec.

And what about this letter

that Upton sent

to the Russians in America.

saying that the hacienda story's

the only one that makes a film

that anyone could understand

in Hollywood

and that the rest is just

aimless pretty pictures?

Upton does not simply understand

that the film needs to be edited

the right way.

- Well, he says the rushes

are the same thing

over and over again.

- Jesus!

That's the way you make

a film, god damn it!

Where have you been?

We keep shooting

till we get it right.

Not every single retake

is in the goddamn film!

He said, anyway,

at the end of his letter

that he was convinced

that it would be

a beautiful and magnificent

work of art.

- And--and look what he wrote

to Stalin. " Dear Stalin... "

.

- You don t address the Premier

of the USSR like that.

- Upton did,

and he s a writer.

" You may have heard

"that I have taken the job

of financing a moving picture,

"which the Soviet director

Sergei Eisenstein

" is making in Mexico.

"It is going to be

extraordinary work

" and I think will be

a revelation

" of the moving-picture art.

" Someday you will see

the picture

"which Eisenstein is making

" and realize

that Soviet technique

" has advanced another step

and been crowned

with fresh laurels. "

- Well, I'm not sure what else

he wrote in that letter,

but he must have provoked

Stalin somehow,

because this is what

he telegrammed

back to your husband.

" Eisenstein lose his comrade

confidence in Soviet Union.

" Stop.

He is thought to be a deserter

"who broke off

with his own country. Stop.

"I'm afraid

the people here

"would have no interest

in him. Stop.

" I m very sorry, but all assert

it is the fact. Stop.

My regards, Stalin."

- How did you get hold

of a private telegram

from Stalin to my husband?

- Well, from those very people

who apparently

have no interest in me.

So who's lying?

- And my husband wrote back

at once.

saying he had never,

ever thought you were a deserter

and had never been disloyal

and that you were

ferociously attacked

by the American rednecks

in California

and that you stood firm

in your principles

and had every intention

of returning

when the film was completed.

- There are so many

contradictions flying around

to your advantage,

it is hard to believe

that you want us to succeed.

- And I wonder what you

have not contributed

to all these contradictions.

You have been nothing

but trouble

from the moment we started.

Even on the train leaving

Los Angeles,

you get into a fight

with the brother

of the Mexican Chief of Police.

- Well, we weren't to know

who he was!

He was ravishing some woman

on my couchette!

- Ha!

With nights under hotel arrest

until Sinclair phoned Chaplin

to persuade them

to release you.

- Well, see how popular we are.

In the end.

we had 12 American senators.

Douglas Fairbanks,

and Albert Einstein

rooting for us.

And the Mexican President

apologized.

- What about that business

with the young man

stealing your gun

and shooting his sister?

- That was an unhappy accident,

which you well know.

And it wasn't my gun.

This troublemaker,

your brother,

is being very far from helpful.

His poor, not to say,

bad management,

and his not knowing anything

about film production

has wasted hundreds of dollars

that we could do well with.

He has presented me

to your husband

as a liar and a blackmailer

and God knows what else.

It is impossible to work

under such an ignorant tyrant.

What the hell does he know

about film production?

He's just a stockbroker salesman

from the provincial South.

You have to get him

off my back.

I wouldn't be

at all surprised...

-Señor!

- If he was spending

the film money

on women, drink, and gambling.

We all know he was jailed

in Mérida

for public indecency

at a brothel,

throwing whores into a...

swimming pool.

- You are a liar

and a slanderer.

I am a respectable

businessman.

.

and you and your company

are just a bunch of homos.

- Ah, what have we provoked?

I think Mary,

Mrs. Upton Sinclair,

we have all said more than

we intended, eh, Kimbrough?

- I think not.

Mr. Sergei Eisenstein.

I think not.

- Well. how am I to arrive.

in this skeleton state for real?

- You have four options.

One. The Stalin option,

an assassin from Moscow.

- Ah! Poisoned coffee.

﹝chuckles﹞

- Machete in the desert.

- Pig falling down from balcony.

﹝both laughing﹞

- Car without brakes.

Eight out of ten.

- Oh, or two, wasting away

in a Mexican jail

for moral turpitude,

either for the seduction

of the young and underaged or...

- or--or for sodomy,

in which case expect perhaps

a red-hot poker up your ass

like Edward II.

- Six out of ten.

or three, Sinclairs revenge.

He sets light to my film.

- And throws you on the pyre.

Two out of ten.

- or four,

the Camorrista kidnap me

and cut me up

into little pieces,

mailing me off on the slow boat

to Saint Petersburg.

500.000 rubles

for every pound of flesh.

Zero out of ten.

- Which is it going to be?

- Well, I think the Camorrista

are the most deserving.

We don't want

to disappoint them.

We just have to take

Hunter Kimbrough s photograph

and give it to the newspapers.

That will do nicely.

﹝both laughing﹞

- Camorrista!

﹝both grunting﹞

No! No! No!

Aah!

﹝classical music﹞

♪ ♪

﹝both grunting﹞

﹝both laughing﹞

♪ ♪

﹝humming along

to Mexican music﹞

♪ ♪

Come on, try it.

♪ ♪

Right. Come on.

Right, left.

♪ ♪

- Oh. Qh!

- Hey.

﹝breathing heavily﹞

Well. I have to teach from 11:00

for three hours.

See you later.

♪ ♪

﹝line trilling﹞

﹝line clicks﹞

- Pera? Is that you?

- Sergei, it's the middle

of the night.

- Oh, I'm sorry,

were you asleep?

Did I wake you?

Do you have anyone with you?

- Sergei, is that likely?

- I was wondering if you had

finally given in to Boris.

- Things are heating up here

about your long absence.

They are threatening

to take away your apartment.

- What?

They can t do that.

- Sergei, I'm afraid they can.

Do you want me to start

packing up your books?

My God,

it will take me months.

- Listen, Pera, listen,

I have something extraordinary

to tell you.

This country--

this country is astonishing.

All the large things in life

constantly hit you on your head,

in the pit of your stomach,

and in your heart.

Nothing can be superficial.

You know how I work--

timid with affairs

of the heart and body.

My prick always safely tucked up

in my trousers.

- Sergei!

- You know

I'm a work automaton.

Well, suddenly

my timidity collapsed.

My defenses fell down.

I shocked myself.

I behaved without reserve.

You would have been

both shocked and amazed.

And I would have wanted you

to be.

Everything we ever talked about

has been bowled over.

I have been moaning

and complaining to you

that I could not go

the distance.

Well. now I have...

﹝chuckles﹞

And beyond.

I have got everything

that I desired.

And not just

the satisfaction of lechery.

- Sergei, your secrets

are safe with me.

And you can tell me everything

later in every detail,

but you must be careful.

Now, hold your excitement

and tell me things

our listener

might want to hear.

- Pera. I am sure there is.

no secret listener.

It is you, Pera,

you are the secret listener.

You are two people.

- Sergei, you might be right.

I have probably always been

two people--

your secretary, nurse,

and bum-wiper.

- ﹝laughs﹞

Pera, you have never wiped

my backside,

but Cañedo...

- But Cañedo has?

Sergei, shut up!

- Pera, you are the only person

in the world

that I can tell

without holding anything back.

- That is both the best

and the worst thing

you can tell me,

especially

on a cold October morning

at five degrees below zero.

Now that I know you are well

and happy and working hard,

I wait for your next call.

I'm now going to cry myself

to sleep.

Good night, Sergei.

Take very good care

of yourself.

﹝line clicks﹞

- ﹝sniffs﹞

﹝bell in phone dings﹞

﹝classical music﹞

♪ ♪

- Death...

should always be ready...

to take a call.

- Found you, Eisenstein.

Is this filmmaking?

- Of a kind.

Looking after your feet

is important.

Did you know that ignoring

your feet in old age

statistically brings on death?

Corns, chilblains, blisters.

In-growing toenails

cause walking problems.

Problems of balance

create falls.

which mean damaged hips,

broken bones,

which don't mend so good

after 60.

How old are you,

Mr. Kimbrough?

- Eisenstein.

I have a chiropodist

to tell me all that.

- Oh. another mark.

of American affluence.

Your average Russian wouldn't

know what a chiropodist was.

So look after your feet,

Kimbrough.

If not, collapse of mobility,

a downhill slide to permanent

horizontality without sex.

Pneumonia, bedsores,

depression, death.

Stay vertical as long

as you can, Kimbrough.

Look after your shoes

and look after your feet.

- Upton has sent me

with an ultimatum.

- You have 20 days left

on your visa, Mr. Eisenstein.

- God, Kimbrough!

Have you brought along

the Mexican Passport Office?

- I'm afraid you'll have

to leave Mexico, sir.

- In that time, you have enough

raw stock to finish the film

and a budget of $8,000.

That's 20 minutes a day

for 20 days.

Enough is enough.

We have to bring this thing

to an end.

- " This thing "?

What to you, Mr. Kimbrough,

is " this thing" ?

- A long, protracted,

irresponsible adventure

leading to nowhere.

Mary says Upton

has to tame

your disobedience

and extravagance.

Upton has collapsed and is sick

in hospital in Pasadena.

The doctors say

too much unnecessary stress.

He's been running around

on your behalf,

forever raising money to satisfy

your exorbitant demands.

I now take over.

Upton has 1ost his faith in you

and your integrity.

You have maneuvered him,

used him.

He has empowered me

to close it down,

wrap it up,

the end, full stop.

You're like a Negro.

Kind words and consideration

are not enough.

- ﹝chuckles﹞

I thought I was a Red.

Now I m also a Black?

And you also forgot, a Jew.

Being Russian is

the mildest of concerns.

You wear your prejudices

proudly on your sleeve,

Mr. Kimbrough,

a true Southern gentleman.

- Upton is exhausted

by your hesitations

and delays and changes of plan

and the dubious company

you keep.

You have deliberately

packed filth in our luggage

sent through United States

Customs Authorities.

The police said it was the

vilest thing they'd ever seen--

obscene and blasphemous drawings

of the Crucifixion.

I leave for Hollywood

on Wednesday.

The last of the rushes have

to be in by the 21st of December

when the contract terminates.

Amkino and Moscow

have said you must return

to New York.

- You sail from New York

on the 17th of January.

You'll be arriving in Europe

by the 23rd.

Perhaps you can be back

in Moscow

by the 2nd of February.

- You miss the connection,

you are on your own.

- Mr. Cañedo is no longer

your guide here in Guanajuato.

He has been dismissed.

- Mr. Cañedo,

in Mexico City, they talked

about ending your contract

at the end of this period.

- It's best for his sake.

Eisenstein.

you should leave Guanajuato

immediately.

He has a wife and children.

I suggest

tomorrow morning! Oh!

-Alli, cabrön.

-Quieto. cabrön.

hijo de la chingada.

﹝upbeat music﹞

♪ ♪

﹝bell tolling﹞

﹝tolling continues﹞

♪ ♪

﹝bell tolls﹞

﹝banging on pipes﹞

﹝bell tolls﹞

﹝bombastic music﹞

♪ ♪

- All right, Sergei.

Now you have

to give them back.

﹝solemn Mexican music﹞

♪ ♪

What were you thinking

of doing--

opening a restaurant

in Red Square?

﹝chuckles﹞

Don t you have forks

in Moscow?

- It was

my insurance policy...

an excuse to be arrested.

﹝sighs﹞

♪ ♪

There.

Now I cannot leave

Guanajuato.

I cannot go home.

You must never separate

a Russian from his shoes.

- ﹝chuckles﹞

- I cannot leave you.

I cannot.

- ﹝sighs﹞

- ﹝groans﹞

﹝coughing﹞

﹝vomiting﹞

﹝coughing﹞

Palomino loves well.

- You were lonely.

You needed comforting.

You were like a lost child.

I love him.

- I love him. too.

﹝dramatic music﹞

♪ ♪

﹝upbeat music﹞

♪ ♪

﹝children singing in Spanish﹞

♪ ♪

- We will come to say good-bye.

We want peace...

all of us.

And I am the one

to seal that peace.

You have to go now, Sergei.

Your time is up.

We want Palomino back.

He is not gonna spend

his time dreaming of Moscow.

- Drive away.

This is the Day of the Dead,

and I am a dead man.

Drive slowly

to the edge of town.

This is a funeral cortege.

And when you reach

the edge of town,

drive like the Devil.

I need to leave Heaven

in a hurry.

﹝somber music﹞

♪ ♪

﹝narrator﹞Eisenstein left

Mexico two months later.

He had shot

some 250 miles of film,

which he was never allowed

to edit.

Soviet laws made homosexuality

a punishable offense in 1 936.

Homosexuals were sent

to Siberia--

ten years hard labor

for sodomy.

Eisenstein dies

of heart attack

aged 50 in 1 948,

banging on the radiator pipes

for over three hours

to arouse his neighbors,

a prearranged signal,

but they never heard him.

- Day ten of my stay

in Guanajuato

is the 31 st of Qctober

and the eve

of the Day of the Dead.

In the West,

my film October is called

The Ten Days That Shook

The World.

I...

shall consider these ten days

as the ten days

that shook...

Eisenstein.

Eisenstein in Guanajuato (2015) - full transcript