How Czar Peter the Great Married Off His Moor (1976) - full transcript
Mosfilm
Second Artistic Division
The Tale of
How Tsar Peter
Married Off A Moor
Screenplay: Yuliy Dunskiy,
Valeriy Frid, Aleksandr Mitta
Director-producer
Aleksandr Mitta
Cinematographer
Valeriy Shuvalov
Art directors: Igor Lemeshev,
Georgiy Koshelev
Composer
Alfred Schnittke
Director: M. Koldobskaya
Camera: B. Nesterchuk
Sound operator: L. Trakhtenberg
Conductor: M. Ermler, Lyrics: R. Sef
Costumes: N. Buzina
Makeup: P. Kuzmina, M. Podsukhskaya
Editors: N. Veselovskaya,
Z. Karpuhina
Director's assistants: N. Esadze,
Ye. Yershov, A. Pragina, N. Sysoyeva
Camera assistants: N. Fudim,
S. Studenikin, V. Stalnoy
Costume assistant: T. Proshina
Sound assistant: A. Tsygankov
Pyrotechnician: D. Kostikov
Lighting: V. Dmitriyev
Visual effects: I. Felitsin (camera),
A. Klimenko (artist)
Animation artist
V. Morozov
Script editor: Ye. Skidanenko
Musical editor: M. Blank
Ballet master: Yu. Sherling
Production director
Semyon Kutikov
Actors
Ibragim Gannibal: Vladimir Vysotskiy
Tsar Peter: Aleksey Petrenko
Rtishchev family
Gavrilo Afanasyevich: Ivan Ryzhov
Natasha: Irina Mazurkevich
Sergunka: Mihail Kokshenov
Vanechka: Zhenya Mitta
Govorov: Semyon Morozov
Filka: Valeriy Zolotuhin
Balakirev: Mihail Gluzskiy
Yaguzhinskiy: Oleg Tabakov
Episodic actors: A. Barushnoy,
V. Kashnur, V. Kornukov, Yu. Komarov,
V. Klyagina, V. Mahov, V. Menshov,
Yu. Martynov, T. Nepomnyashchaya
A. Obuhov, I. Pechernikova, A. Pyatkov,
K. Rumyanova, Ye. Rubtsova
N. Sergeyev, A. Fayt, S. Chekan,
L. Chursina, L. Chubarov
The trees and fields are set ablaze,
The air is filled with cries,
The black-skinned Tsar's son by his foes
Is captured as a prize.
And like some monkey, or some gift
From wondrous lands afar,
Ambassadors present the boy
Unto the Russian Tsar.
And so grew up the little Moor,
The little black-souled one,
To Tsar: a confidant, not slave,
To Rus: a native son.
He fought for faithfulness and love,
In battles risked his skull,
And his full name was
Ibragim Petrovich Gannibal!
Look here, we find the Moor in France!
His teachers in the ring...
are but his steady hand
and blade in battle for the king!
A hero's rich reward awaits,
But what is this, my thrall?
Is a sly lady's glance for you
The dearest gift of all?
Letter of the Countess de Cauvignac
to the Duchesse de Montpensier:
Dear Elize, congratulate me!
I have the most exotic
lover in Paris.
He's an officer (you can laugh!),
a scholar (you can frown!),
from wild Russia (you can wonder!),
and a full-blooded African
(you can envy me).
Letter from the regent of France
to the Russian tsar:
My brother Peter, three days ago
an event happened
that shook all of Paris.
The Count de Cauvignac was joyfully
expecting an addition to the family,
not knowing that a most ugly
surprise was being prepared for him.
The Countess gave birth to a black baby.
A terrible blow of fate befell the Count!
A diminished man, he surrendered
to an abyss of despair.
And in this unfortunate moment,
the Count saw his offender.
Anger transformed the Count,
and a cruel duel began.
Captain Gannibal is an exemplary officer,
he distinguished himself in the
campaign against the Spaniards,
We would have forgiven him this mischief...
From Countess de Cauvignac,
to Captain Ibragim Gannibal:
Dear friend... you have
taken my husband from me
and left me a black baby in return.
Do you expect my thanks? Here it is!
I have never loved you.
You were for me, as for all in Paris,
simply a fun and whimsical animal.
God, how I have been
punished for my frivolity!
Our son will be taken away to Haiti,
where he will grow up in wealth.
I will be given another newborn,
and he will become the Count de Cauvignac.
I beg you, do not interfere with this plan!
Goodbye, forever! Formerly yours, Louise.
To Philippe, Duke of Orleans,
from Tsar Peter:
Dear brother!
Your epistle upset me greatly.
I sent my godson to France
to learn the military arts.
I see however, that he's had
much more success
in certain other arts.
I therefore ask you, my dear Philippe,
comfort and console the widowed
countess as best you can,
and order the roguish Moor to head
back to Russia, without delay!
Your brother, Peter.
Good people, give me a piece of pie,
a change of dress, and your horses.
I don't mind
parting with clothes or horses,
but nobody has ever taken anything
from me by force.
(In Russian:) Drop your sabre, you louse!
Drop your sabre!
Holy smokes, you're Russian!
-You're Russian?
-Russian.
Sit here.
I'm named Filka (Filimon).
I was born near Novgorod.
I ended up in France because of my appetite
for learned study.
But I visited a pub, to my own ruin.
There were recruiters there.
They bought drinks for poor me,
then sent me off to be a soldier.
I bore it for three years,
For lunch - a fist in the mouth,
For dinner - a blow to the head,
Sparks would fly from my eyes,
"This won't do," I thought, "I need to
turn back Fortuna's wheel!"
"I need to flee to Russia."
And who're you?
A Moor by face,
but a Russian by soul.
An officer who likes the
book more than the sabre.
A lover who was not loved.
A father destined not to see his child.
How's one to make sense of your paradoxes?
Make sense of them how you wish.
There are no solutions to these riddles.
Anyway, let's rather think of
how to protect you from
the checks and guards.
We'll think of something.
Necessity's the mother of invention.
Filimon, my friend...
What are you hiding for?
We're home
in Russia... It's
home alright, but...
In truth, Ibragim Petrovich,
I'm a runaway servant... How?
I escaped from execution...
I was to be beaten to death.
For what sin?
The sin was quite thin.
I was a cook, and spilled a kettle of soup.
Executing a man for such a trifle?
Blood-sucking beasts!
Yeah, I've heard about the ferocity
of the boyars [Russian nobles],
but this!..
Well... you know how I dropped it...
onto the knees of the boyar's son,
and the soup was blazing hot.
-But that's bad!
-It's certainly not good...
He was so enraged!
He broke a stool against me!
So, I cried, and I ran away.
-To another country? Poor man...
-No, to the kitchen.
I grabbed the iron poker,
came back, and swung at his head!
I saw that it didn't look good,
and I ran!
First to Lithuania, then to the Germans,
then to the French...
I thought I'd get educated,
and study the stars...
But they made me a soldier...
C'est la vie, Ibragim Petrovich...
You're no villain,
but you're no victim either.
You're just a toy in the hands of fate,
as am I, really.
In the meantime, get into the Earth's womb.
Who's riding?
The Sovereign's godson!
And what's up ahead?
Saint Petersburg city!
Whose house is this?
Count General-Prosecutor Yaguzhinskiy's.
While I live, I won't forget you.
Au revoir, mon cher ami.
I'm like a blade of grass in a
haystack here. No-one will find me.
Thank you, for saving a Christian soul.
Good-bye.
Ibragim-dear, why're you so late?
The Sovereign awaits you.
Godson...
Did you forget me in that foreign land?
I did not, my Sovereign.
I am still devoted to
you, body and soul.
Really?
Prove it.
There's an enemy on the scaffold.
Hater of all my accomplishments.
Chop off his head.
My Sovereign, Peter Alekseyevich,
I love you and honour you like a father,
and in battle, I'm ready to chop
off even 10 heads for you,
but here, like this...
I cannot kill a living soul.
I am a soldier, not an executioner.
These are just excuses.
Take the axe.
I won't.
Yaguzhinskiy?
I'm here, Sovereign!
Do you love me?
Execute my order!
-Look how they jest...
-That's my jester, Vanka Balakirev!
You must love him! He's a dangerous man!
How can one not laugh at you?
You didn't want to kill a man.
Quiet, Vanka!
Let's go, godson.
I wish to talk with you.
Well? Did I embarrass you, godson?
There, that's for your amours and duels.
We no longer chop heads off here,
or put people on the rack.
I have another concern.
Securing Russia upon the
Baltic Sea, and the Black...
I erect forts, cities, build ships.
I want my Russia,
like a wondrous frigate,
to descend from the slipways
and set sail, to the envy of all states.
While my fate, Sovereign, is paltry
and unhappy...
Love turned out to be false,
I lost my son forever...
I have nothing left on
earth, except for you.
My dear Moor... How glad I am,
that you've come to me.
Though I'm not old in years,
I'm tired and sick, I'll die soon.
-No! -Oh, how I wish
that my Russia would be left
not to the greedy, or the spendthrift,
but to people reliable and true...
Look here, this is my house,
it is now your house, too.
Who're you?
Noble children, Sovereign!
We've returned from Amsterdam;
in that city we studied
the sea crafts, navigation and sailing.
Vivat to you, garde-marines.
Come on in!
In, in, come on!
But how do we pass, Sovereign?
There's no ladder...
What does a sailor need a ladder for?
Right! Let them walk along the beam.
Along the beam!!
Well done! A dashing sailor! Well done!
And you?
You've never walked the rigging?
Never ran across a yard?
Never climbed atop a mast?
Oh, you slackers!
Well, show us what they
taught you in Holland. Well?
No... he hasn't been taught
the sea craft...
Yes, but he has fighting spirit.
What's your name?
-Govorov... Mihailo Govorov.
"Mihailo Govorov"...
What will I do with you,
Mihailo Govorov?
Why not forgive him, Peter Alekseyevich
One must forgive. He will serve you,
if not with mind, then with a sabre.
I will serve, Sovereign!!!
Let it be as you wish...
Write in these three as midshipmen,
and those three twits as
simple sailors, to start.
Sire! Have pity upon that
one, with the lips,
He's my own son!
That can be seen...
-And who oversaw them in Amsterdam?
-Who oversaw???
Who's the one who in that... oversaw???
It was me... father Sovereign...
Come here.
Come, come, that's an order!
I'm scared, Sovereign.
Well, I'm not proud,
I'll come to you myself.
Are you a priest?
No, Foreign Affairs Ministry
Boyar Nikishka Maslakov.
And what's the beard for?
Didn't you read the decree?
All boyars must walk in German dress,
wear wigs, and shave
their beards clean off!
I'm guilty, Sovereign father!
You're not just guilty of that!
My money, my hopes you have spent!
And instead of worker bees...
Forgive me, Sovereign father!
...you bring me drones?!
Here take your mop head!
And go together to the
bath with it more often.
Bon soir, Ibragim Petrovich!
It's not "soir" now... it's night out.
-How did you get here?
-Through the window!
Save me, don't let me perish,
Ibragim Petrovich!
What? You got into trouble again?
I went this morning to the shipyard
to work as a translator.
And who do you think I met?
My boyar, Gavrila Afanasyevich.
He yells: "Thief, villain!"
I flee, and the whole company's after me,
with axes, with spears,
I barely escaped alive...
I know your boyar,
his son recently came to him.
Little Sergey? Oh, it's the death of me!
Wait, why are you inside that globe?
Well, I saw your carriage, and fled
into the house, then I became afraid,
what if even here... and so I... found
shelter in the Earth's womb, like before.
Well, so be it, stay with me.
There are no women in the house,
nor will there be;
I'm done with love forever.
So there will be no-one
to spill your secret.
The problem may come when I hire servants.
Why hire them?
I will be your valet, and your chef,
and wash your clothes...
I'll hide in the cracks like a flea,
no-one will even see me...
I don't need any food,
just a bit of water and I can live.
God be with you, live.
-Greetings, Ibragim Petrovich!
-Greetings, mister Gannibal!
Go, go, faster!
Ibragim, my soulmate,
where did you lead me?
To the assembly,
that is, to the ball,
to pleasant entertainment.
But why here?
The palaces are small,
the coffee house isn't built yet,
So the Tsar ordered it to be here,
in all this splendor.
How good-looking your ship is...
but how will it be on the water?
Well, we sure tried.
Well, well... and did you manage?
Don't worry, Sire,
it will float like a swan.
It's beautiful...
The frigate's overseer Gavrila Rtishchev,
with his family!
O Lord, save and protect us!
Soon they'll run around all naked...
Go!
Shameless toadstool...
Oh, someone's coming! How lovely!
What a marvel, Natasha dear!
How charmant!
You like it girls, yes?
It cost my Papa five souls to buy.
-It's Dutch? What flowers!
-Decollete, and on the back, too!
Her mistress, the Empress!
The ladies invite the gentlemen!
-Good day, Ibragim Petrovich!
-Greetings, mister Gannibal!
Natasha dear, be bold!
Invite the Moor!
Don't be scared! Go!
I'm scared!
Invite him! It'll be interesting!
Ibragim dear, how are you?
Smile! Start a conversation!
Smile, Natasha!
Look, look,
like a piglet in a bag, right?
Sergey, who's dancing
with the Moor over there?
Where?
There, with Ibragim,
she's incredibly fine!
Are you blind?
That's my sister, Natasha.
How time flies...
When I left, she was
running around in a shirt...
now she's a Greek goddess...
Aphrodite... my God!
Why are you so silent?
Don't you understand our language?
Why's that? Russian is my native tongue,
I'm just silent by nature,
and now especially,
I am.... ...speechless.
Grossvater!
The gentlemen engage the ladies!
Vivat, mister Gannibal!
I am pierced by Cupid's arrow!
Enough with you, Misha!
Believe me, my charming love!
Did you forget how you used to pull my
braids and sting me with nettles?
In Holland, the girls over there,
here and here they have nothing! Pardon!
All my feelings are in turmoil!
-Who planned it?
-I, Sovereign!
This project is nonsense and bull!
You're thinking about your self-interest,
not the good of the country.
Now scram.
Caulk faster!
He's eyeing us!
-How's the Sovereign? Is he getting angry?
-He's fine, old boy, fine!
Sovereign's order!
Dance to your heart's content!
Don't spit on the floor!
Dance! Smoke tobacco!
-Where's Rtishchev?
-Here I am!
What is this?
Lazy and wicked slave!
Is this a frigate
or a basket full of holes?
-Why is the tow not tarred?
-Sovereign, forgive me!
Who caulked it?
Why are there holes?
Where can a ship like this sail?
To the bottom? To a ferry?
Sovereign! Sire!
I'll put YOU into those holes
instead of oakum!
Peter dear, don't get upset!
Let's go dance.
Bunch of loafers!
Are you scratching your belly?
Calm yourself, Sire!
Everything be great!
These ships are my children!
Did you think to kill my children?
Peter dear, light of mine, calm down!
It won't end well!
Friend of my heart!
Do not interfere!
Everyone dance!
And what of you?
Everyone must dance, I said!
Everyone must dance!
Chop down the braces!
Drive out the wedges!
What are you doing!
Sire, don't wreck it!
I'll teach you which end
to eat a radish from!
I'll cut your head off!
Tear off your skin!
Everyone must dance!
You told me: "Faster! Faster!"
So I did it faster...
Ain't the Neva's water fine?
You can cool off in it!
No matter... he who is
righteous will not drown!
I wasn't frightened at all,
it was even fun!
What a horror! You
nearly sank, my little fish!
But fish wouldn't sink!
I was more afraid when I
went to dance with the Moor.
The Moor??
With the heathen?
But's he's baptized!
The Tsar himself baptized him!
You'd hold hands
with such a black fellow?
He's not black at all, he's chocolate.
And his fingers are so thin...
No, I assure you,
she chose me herself,
engaged willingly,
and danced with pleasure!
Afterwards, she even smiled twice.
And how fine she is...
Her eyes have both intelligence and fire.
And only yesterday you swore that
you were done with love forever.
Forever didn't last long.
Yep... would you get me dinner?
I've gotten a bit hungry.
I didn't go to the market...
I was afraid.
No matter, I'll go myself tomorrow.
Oh Filimon, my friend!
Here, get me some wine and biscuits,
I'm not fastidious,
I'm a soldier, after all.
Ibragim Petrovich,
you know what happened...
I began reading this book, by Plutarch,
about ancient men.
How wise and noble they were!
I was reading the book and
munching on biscuits,
reading and munching...
and I munched them all up.
What? And you drank the wine?
That too. My throat was dry.
Well, no matter... get me my pipe.
There, it's on the table.
Throw this rope over to the left bollard!
Not this one, that one!
That's good, yes!
-Fooling around, you wasp?
-I'm working!
Pull, again pull!
Now we've done it!
Our Sire likes to break things,
he didn't break everything yesterday,
today he's finishing the job.
I'm a worker, I can joke,
But you, wasp, you sting well,
but there's no honey from you.
You sleep long, godson.
Did you send for me, Sovereign?
I fired the lazy and scatterbrained
Gavrila Rtishchev from this job,
But I don't know whom to put in his place.
Tell me, godson,
where do you intend to serve Russia?
In warmth or in the raw wind?
Wherever you order, Peter!
I order you here!
Finish building this frigate.
Will you believe, Sovereign,
last night, I couldn't sleep
and was thinking about improvements
for this frigate,
I even made a blueprint.
And I thought your mind was filled
by dancing with beauties at balls.
Wait, wait.... You'll
come with me.
Far?
You'll know soon.
To look at him, the Moor
seems humble and sweet...
but a terrible tooth hides in his mouth...
the tooth aches,
it thirsts for blood...
he'll single out a girl,
and come to her with a bouquet...
I'm bashful, he'll say, come love me,
and smack her! The flowers are metal...
the girl's legs buckle,
He swipes her! And carries her off...
into the dark woods,
into a dark cavern.
In the Parisian lands,
women are used to anything,
and still they cried and wailed
because of him.
Already 40 young ladies sit in chains.
They howl and beg for mercy,
but he, the snake, laughs at their tears!
Nah, dad,
it's only bad if you've no brains,
but with a brain, one can live even now!
Look, the Tsar himself
ordered me to be a sailor,
But I put three rubles
in the lieutenant's teeth,
and now I'm not a sailor, but a batailleur!
I sit in the storeroom.
"In the storeroom"...
Why, with your nobility,
with your peerage,
you should sit not in the
storeroom, but in the Senate,
instead of its current occupants.
They're rabble! Rogues!
But they call themselves
"gentlemen of the Senate"!
-Father, not so loud!
-Why not?
Everyone knows it, already.
Pashka Yaguzhinskiy...
he was a swineherd in Livonia,
and now? The Prosecutor General!
The Tsar dragged them in from everywhere...
He has a Kalmyk, a Moor, a Lithuanian, a...
And me, a hereditary nobleman
he fired from the frigate!
-Father, the Tsar!
Women and girls to the table!
Dress like Germans!
Bring the fat meat lady!
Hang the fat meat lady on the wall!
Over here!
Fire up the German stove!
That damn fireplace!
Grandpa, go hide in the closet,
the Tsar has arrived!
If he sees a beard,
he'll lop it off at once!
Oh, he's quick at that!
You heel, you've put
the dress on backwards!
What a commotion,
like a polecat in the hen house!
Why're you so quiet?
Come on out.
What's your name?
Rtishchev, Vanyusha.
Right... can you read and write?
I can.
What's ten minus seven?
Three.
Right, good.
Now tell me, a goose was flying,
behind him a half-goose,
then a quarter-goose,
then two eighth-geese,
how many geese flew?
Half-geese don't fly,
half-geese lie on the plate.
Correct, but incorrect.
Oh, Gavrila,
I'm just dying to
get back at you for the frigate,
But all right,
I didn't come to you with retribution,
but with a boon.
The frigate, thank God, has
been returned to the slipway.
Why did you blunder before our Sovereign?
Don't think about how a goose can't fly,
just take the parts and add them up. Okay?
Maybe something will come of it.
Well, think, think!
I have a groom for your Natasha.
The girl's looking marriageable.
Two geese.
What?
Two geese were flying.
Yes, two geese.
The groom is smart, good-looking,
educated abroad,
-Mishka Govorov?
-Shush!
Is it really Govorov?
No, think higher!
Who is it, then?
-Pushchin? -No.
-Chernoguzov? -No.
-Obolenskiy? -No.
You can't guess?
I love him like my own son.
May you love him as well.
Here he is, the groom!
Well, godson?
Pretty smart of me, huh?
Well, go and kiss the bride!
Why've you gone all quiet?
Aren't you happy?
Oh, our child is succumbed!
Natasha-dear!
Why are you howling like wolves?
I say - the marriage shall be!
Ah, what an evil poisonous root is
the boyar stock...
No matter, dear Ibragim, don't worry!
This girl, Natashka, shall be yours,
I'll drag her to the altar by her braids.
Peter Alekseyevich,
allow me to speak freely,
I'll allow and even order it.
I don't want this wedding, Sovereign.
What do you mean you don't want it?
Don't you like her?
I do.
Then don't fool around.
That's why I don't want to
force her down the aisle.
I don't hear in your words
either mind or reason.
Peter Alekseyevich, she's a child,
and I'm not young.
This is not love, but coercion.
I'm not loved by her.
I disgust her.
Such is my fate.
And because of such a trifle,
you will go against my will?
I will, Sovereign.
Don't be stupid, Ibragim,
wisen up, you fool.
Who are you? Who needs you?
You're without birth, land or money.
If I die today or tomorrow,
What will happen to you?
I want to give you roots and strength,
to firmly tie you to ancient Russian stock
I work like a slave for Russia's benefit,
I want to surround myself
with men of power,
I need helpers; I'm overwhelmed with work,
and you've lost your mind
because of a girl!
Don't anger me, Moor!
Better embrace me, kiss me,
and tell me that you will do it my way.
I am sorry, Sovereign!
But I cannot do it your way.
Get out of my sight!
Ungrateful serf.
Where are we going to stay now?
I don't know. But I'm ordered
to move out immediately.
In any case, my friend Filimon,
I think it's better for
you not to go with me.
Pourquoi?
Because I hoped to be your shield,
and have become a threat.
I attract all lightning to myself,
like a lone tree in the steppe
and woe be to the traveler
who hides in its branches.
Why don't you just marry Natasha...
But I don't want to buy myself happiness
at the price of someone else's!
A person should not
chase after happiness
like a wolf after his quarry,
gnawing on his own brethren,
comme un monstre!
not looking at their blood and tears.
How sagely he speaks,
exceeding Plutarch himself,
and he still gets kicked out on his ass.
C'est la vie, mon maitre.
-The police! They've come for me!
-Calm down!
They've discovered where I am!
They'll nab me!
Hey, you rogue!
Glad to see you!
What are you here for?
I've come to call you to a duel.
Are you joking?
I'm not in a joking mood, brother.
I understand your vile nature now.
Couldn't rely on yourself, so you sent
the Tsar to arrange marriage?
I won't give you Natasha!
I demand satisfaction!
With swords or with pistols.
Hold on, hold on.
Natalya Gavrilovna
has a father and a brother.
Why did you come to me, and not them?
Because I am her groom!
If not for you, we would've
been married by Pokrov day!
And she loves you?
She loves me, more than life itself,
she breathes only my essence.
Enough dilly-dallying,
tell me your conditions!
Which weapons, where,
with swords or something else.
No... I won't fight with you.
What d'you mean you won't?
I won't.
You won't?
Afraid for your own skin?
I'll force you to fight!
I'll slap your chee-
Oh, Govorov, Govorov...
If I wanted it, Natalya would be mine
and you would open the door to our bedroom.
I greeted you as a friend,
yet you're poking me with a skewer.
Fighting?
With you - no.
Get out of here, Ensign.
I'll show you...!
Hey, Ibragim, even your dog
is braver than you!
Papa, a barrel's rolling at you!
What devilry!
Watch out, boyar!
Gavrila, plead my case!
I'm destitute, powerless...
I'm going to plead my own case...
Ah, Gavrila! All that feasting's
gone to your belly, eh?
Move along, boyar.
-Have you seen her?
-What? You've been crying again?
With a mug like that,
you should just sit at home
We haven't come here to dance.
-What? -We've come
to fall at the king's feet,
plead his mercy to
deliver us from the Moor.
Right! He's gotten a firm grip on her.
I've just come
from his place, from the Moor.
I called him to a one-on-one,
that is to say, to a duel!
A duel? What's this all about?
We haven't tasted that dish in Russia yet.
Tell us, youngster, enlighten us fools!
What's to tell?
Like I said, I shamed him, dishonoured him,
and he refused, chickened out.
No way, officer!
Ibragim is brave,
it's written all over his face.
What do you mean, written?
I mean, the scar from a Spanish sword.
War's one thing, a duel is another.
Ibragim didn't run away from a duel,
He pierced the Count de Cauvignac like...
Misha, how did the talk between
you and Ibragim Petrovich go?
Did you mention me?
Of course I mentioned you.
I said,
"she loves me more than life itself,
and you, Moor, don't come between us!"
Aren't you hasty!
When did I say that I loved you?
If we had a wedding, you'd start loving me,
what choice would you have?
The Sovereign rides! Stand!
What's going on, daddy?
The devil only knows...
What's this?
The plan for the fireworks, Sovereign!
What are they doing?
Sit, I say!
Good job! Better than the French ones!
You just watch yourself!
Oh, children! I don't know about this!
He walks foul-tempered, like a scorpion.
What are you standing around for?
Go and ask.
You must, daddy!
Don't you pity your child?
I pity everyone,
but I pity my own head, too.
What if he assails me?
Our Tsar, dear Father!
Have pity on the girl!
Free her from the Moor!
She's my only pretty berry,
don't ruin my little buttercup,
have pity on her!
Stand up! Don't wear your knees down.
The girl will stay with you,
Ibragim does not want her for a wife
and gives her a full release.
He doesn't want me?
-It's me who doesn't want him! Me!
-Enough with you! Go on!
As for you, boyar, it's about time you
stopped sitting around doing nothing,
I'll find a service for you,
but if you screw up again, watch out!
Our Tsar! Our benefactor!
My Father!
I will thank God for a long time!
-Where's Vanya?
-Here I am!
I'll lay an egg of a tale!
Look, Alekseyich!
Here's a nimble little rooster,
a rowdy bully, apparently a midshipman,
and here's a calm one, of Moorish stock
And what does this allegory mean?
It means that midshipman Govorov,
in his stupidity,
challenged Ibragim to a duel.
Find Govorov!
Why look for me?
Here I am!
Did you challenge Ibragim to a duel?
I did, Sovereign! Only, he refused.
Refused?
This dishonours me.
After all, I'm captain of first company
of the Preobrazhensky Regiment
and he's lieutenant in that company.
Looks like I will have to accept
the call in my subaltern's stead.
Where shall we fight? With which weapons?
God be with you, Sovereign!
I won't.
Did you forget the duel status?
Should any person
call another person to a duel,
and then themselves evade the duel,
such a person shall be
run out of the court,
beaten with canes like
the lowliest scoundrel!
A scoundrel is what you are!
And I've got a cane!
Is that what they taught you in Holland?
Not to work, but to hop like a rooster?
Look at him! Jumping like a flea!
And you gentlemen, why so quiet?
Did you see that?
Well, now I'm also the Tsar's godson.
He Christened me...
Hitting me on the back
with such a heavy cudgel...
No matter! Though we're bloodied,
our team's ahead.
Now you can send
the matchmakers to Natasha.
You don't know what's worse,
the Tsar's wrath,
or his kindness.
You just sit and tremble;
what if something's wrong again?
Oh, he does everything in the new ways,
in his own ways,
and he doesn't care one bit
for the old-stock boyars.
You just wait, Sire,
the cat will one day drown
in the tears of mice.
-Seven! -Eight!
"A boy must be courteous and polite."
"Better if others say of him:
'he's polite,'
than if they say 'he's an arrogant fool'.
Young boys must..."
My little artisan...
In Holland, painters are as common as dams,
but none can come close
to you, dear Natasha!
Hands off!
But I'm the fiance! I'm allowed.
You haven't even courted me!
So I'll start courting!
Marry Mishka, you muttonhead!
I won't.
"I won't"...
Then you'll be led by the horns!
Natasha-dear, wait a bit,
I composed some verses for you
Here, listen!
I had a wondrous dream just now:
In a grove, I died by Amor's bow,
And from that arrow of Amor,
Love burns in me forevermore,
My little foxy beauty!
I'll come visit you at night!
Are you mad?
I'll come as sure as God is holy, Natasha!
Enough, you charmer!
Come on, go to sleep!
Dear God! And you,
Mihail, go with Sergey.
What's this hole they've driven us into,
Ibragim Petrovich?
Mon Dieu! Holy Mother of God!
I'm not afraid of Mishka Govorov...
he's an insolent birdbrain.
I would have been done with him quicker
than you against a baby chick,
But she loves him more than life itself.
How could I make her unhappy?
Lord, save us and have mercy!
Don't be afraid of the thunderous rolls,
they're just empty sound.
Only lightning is dangerous, which is
a manifestation of electrical power.
-I must talk with her
-With whom?
With Natalya Gavrilovna.
-Pourquoi is this?
-I will explain to her.
Natalya Gavrilovna, I'll tell her...
I love you, with my
whole wounded soul,
but there's opposition to our marriage,
and you don't have to do it!
Have you been sent to tempt me?
Leave, Satan!
Who is it? Go away!
I'm crazy! I have a knife under my pillow!
And why, Natalya Gavrilovna,
do you need a knife under your pillow?
Oh no, who is it?
Forgive me. Forgive me for
coming to you like a robber,
but I wanted to explain...
Ibragim Petrovich? Ibragim Petrovich,
go away, you can't be here!
I know it...
but I can't leave until I explain to you
the reasons for my refusal.
What's to explain?
I'm very grateful to you,
only I don't understand,
why was I not good enough?
My angel, I did not find any flaws in you.
But you showed to me that
I was not dear to you.
How could I take you for a wife after that?
Living with me would be a torment for you.
We're not asked about that.
What are we, savages?
We live in the 18th century.
No, Natalya Gavrilovna, you must tell h-
Please, leave quickly!
What if he comes?
Natalya Gavrilovna,
you don't understand me.
But all right, I
will explain to you
with an allegory I've thought of:
Happiness...
is a little moth, you see?
It flutters, sits on your shoulder,
and you're scared to frighten it.
Protect it,
for if you grab it with your rough hands...
the little moth vanishes,
and only ash is left.
Who's there? Where'd he go?
There's an evil spirit in the house!
Go away, Ibragim Petrovich!
Mishka will come and kill you!
Mishka Govorov?
He comes to you at this hour?
I'm not afraid of anyone in this world,
Natalya Gavrilovna,
I simply don't want
to compromise you.
Natasha!?
You're alive! Thank God!
-Natasha, I'm afraid!
-Calm down, there was no one, don't cry!
Then who broke the window?
There was no one.
Calm down, brother.
But who broke the window?
There was no-one.
Let me in! Where is he? I demand of you!
Show him to me!
-Mihailo!
-Where did you hide, cowardly dog?!
-There was no one here!
-Where is he, I ask?
I'll kill you, scoundrel!
What is this?
There's no peace in your own home!
It's all because there's no discipline!
It was the Moor who came!
He wanted to carry us into a cave!
It was Satan who came!
It is said in the Scripture:
"black in face and beautiful."
We must set up a fortress, Sovereign,
and without delay,
we've already found an excellent
spot, you won't find better.
Well done. It's a solid plan.
And once we finish it, they won't
dare try and poke their nose in.
Right! It will be like
a wall across the bay.
Yes, and this fortress will be for them
like a bone in their throat.
It's dark.
I can't see a thing.
There's too little light.
Bring a flame here.
Oh no, my children...
It went dark behind my eyes,
and you...
candles in the daytime...
Well? To work!
What's going on? Where was I?
Who will build it?
I could. Only you have, Sovereign,
a builder more skilled than me.
Who's that?
Engineer-Lieutenant Ibragim Gannibal.
No!
I read about the Macedonian,
the great Alexander.
What a lofty fate,
what great feats he accomplished,
and me, I sit behind the stove
like a cockroach, cooking soup.
Cockroaches, mon cher, don't cook soup,
and you last cooked it a week ago.
Hello, Ibragim Petrovich!
Hello.
What brings you here?
Not much, just to see
how you're living here.
So, this is where you eat,
and drink, and
sleep... Who's this?
My orderly, Filka.
Bonjour, monsieur
An orderly, yet the floor's unswept.
He reads books...
Plutarch.
Such reading will come to no good.
Scram!
Avec plaisir
Well, Ibragim Petrovich,
good news have I for you...
the Tsar has forgiven you.
Dare I believe it?
And the frigate is mine again?
No...
He doesn't want to see you near him,
you will go to an embassy,
to Italy
to Naples,
to those...
Hurry,
while he hasn't changed his mind.
Aren't you happy?
I've lived long enough in foreign lands!
Here is my Fatherland,
and here I want to stay.
Don't you dare! You'll rip it!
You ripped it! Idiot!
Rotten devil, wicked fiend!
Thank God, the Tsar's signature is whole
What will you get for disobedience?
You just watch yourself, Ibragim!
Turn! Turn!
You clumsy oaf...
Grab her!
Look at me, sister!
Surround her!
Vanya, I see you have nothing to do,
why don't you go read a book?
You wish! Have pity on the lad.
Keep skating, Vanya!
Sure, keep skating. And grow
up ignorant like them.
What, you need a scholar?
Marry the Moor then,
he's got a whole train-load of books.
But he's not taking you, he spurned you!
Shows what you know! "Spurned me"!
He took pity on me,
because he has a noble soul!
He's kind! He teaches children!
And you're oafs, thick as bricks!
We'll also teach him a lesson soon!
The southwest blows. Who's southwest?
I'm southwest!
And now north-northeast blows.
-I'm northeast!
-No, I'm northeast!
There we go!
See, I myself move them all...
Stronger, stronger!
A ferocious wind, the northeast.
The bane of sailors.
I'll punish mischief-makers!
And now: "Whene'er the ocean rages forth,"
Whene'er the ocean rages forth,
Enveloped in a seething wroth,
And looking all around your nest,
You cannot tell where's north,
where's west,
Trust in the map that cannot miss:
The stars above the black abyss.
Please go to the execution, sir,
I warned you.
He who is deaf to learning
is worse than a thief,
for he steals from himself.
One...two...three
four...five... Well,
enough! Enough.
Shush!
It's pleasing to see
a soul tamed by learning,
yet a wild soul unbowed by blows
also deserves respect.
Sit, if you are able.
But my sister said,
that kids shouldn't be caned.
They should!
When you grow up, you will
become skippers and officers,
and you will take up the cane yourselves
so remember how it feels on your own back,
and never punish anyone
without reason or due to malice.
Lads, Christmastide is here!
Listen, make a turn,
the Moor lives here.
Let's not! We'll visit others!
Why others? Let's go here!
I won't go!
Why? You wanted to come,
and now you "won't go"!
I won't go to him!
Shut your trap, no-one
will recognize you, go on!
-That's right!
-Onward! -No, don't!
Hear that, Petrovich?
Mummers are asking to be let in.
Who?
Oh, carnavale russe, they
dress up who knows how
and visit people to eat and drink.
I'll refuse them.
Why? I have visitors,
and you'd refuse them?
Call them in!
And light the candles,
bring everything we have.
I don't know, Ibragim Petrovich...
Come in, dear guests, sit down.
Oh, look at you!
Thank you, kind people,
in this happy hour,
for remembering me,
forgotten and alone.
In the south of France
I saw many carnivals,
But yours seems to me
more fun and merry than all of them.
Hey, the wine is sour! Sour wine!
Sour wine?
And the cucumbers are rotten!
Of course...
And the cucumbers are rotten!
Rotten, rotten!
Rotten cucumbers?
The cabbage is rotten!
All the food is rotten!
Listen, gentlemen!
Dear guests...gentlemen...
your outlandishness has gone too far.
Am I to understand, it's not
friends who came into my house?
Guess who we are!
You're people,
you think, that you've put on disguises?
No, you've taken them off.
You came to me in your true forms.
And now, do what you want;
you won't hear another word from me.
You're in for it now!
The Tsar won't help you!
God, what is happening...
Oh my God...
He's sitting like a sultan!
That's because he is a sultan's son
Let's anoint him to the Tsardom?
Let's!
Scram!
Gentlemen, I beseech you,
leave my house.
Let good sense conquer dumb malice.
Piss off!
I knew... I knew that not violence,
but quiet, reasonable words...
Adieu, dear guests!
How we frightened that Ibragim!
Let me go!
I will go to him, admit
everything, and repent!
-Where?
-Let me go!
I will go to Ibragim Petrovich
We were just joking!
People are celebrating! They bring each
other joy and entertainment, but you...
We're also joking!
Your jokes are beastly!
I will ask for forgiveness!
-Sit here! -Let me go!
We were just joking! Spur the horses!
You kicked him when he was down!
What, we can't do a joke?
They've delivered the cannons!
Sovereign, they've delivered the cannons!
Sovereign Father,
we produced it all in
the best possible manner.
No need to dirty your lily-white hands.
It's my own casting,
there is not a more reliable
one in the whole world.
And is this cannon a dud?!
God be with you, Sire!
How can one even say such words?!
There are cavities in it!
It's not cast iron, but priceless diamond!
It's good! Gut, sehr gut!
In the contract, it's written
in black and white,
that each cannon must withstand,
if necessary,
a four-fold load of powder.
Tell me honestly,
will this cannon withstand
a four-fold load?
It will, Pyotr Alekseyevich!
By this holy cross, it will!
Sehr gut!
Put in a four-fold load!
Well, get it ready!
Faster, faster!
Have mercy, protect me, don't make me...
Sire, save me and have mercy!
Here, hold it and don't let go!
Save yourselves! Get down!
Ah, you're alive!?
Alive, God save us!
Pour water on him,
or he'll burn me down all of Petersburg!
And where's the one who accepted
cannons from this swindler?
-Where's Rtishchev? -Here I am.
Ah, boyar, you son of a dog!
My patience is at an end!
Dad, look, It's our
runaway servant, Filka.
I saw him at the Moor's house.
He's running away!
I'll catch him, and he'll
be sent to a penal colony.
We'll be sent there ourselves soon...
Ibragim Petrovich, sorry for bothering you,
We won't keep you long.
Take Natashka for your wife.
Did I hear that right?
What is your errand here?
We plead with you,
take Natalya, and
live in peace and love.
Sit down, my lords, sit down,
That stool is no good, its leg is broken.
And Natalya Gavrilovna
also agrees to have me?
Whether she does or doesn't...
if ordered, she'll do it!
She does, she does.
Don't listen to my
lad, he's keenly stupid.
On the contrary, he's very smart.
He even knows which stool
has a broken leg,
even though he's never been in my house.
Right?
Don't wear us out, master,
we await your word.
As I remember, you wanted
to marry your daughter to Govorov.
And now I don't.
Well, Ibragim Petrovich?
Will you take the girl?
No, I can't, I'm
not loved by her.
"Loved, not loved"... we'll
get exiled 'cause of him.
Quiet, you!
Don't be stubborn, master,
it'll be better for you and for us.
Since he let it slip,
I'll give it to you straight,
The Tsar is fiercely angry with me,
he's exiling me and all my family.
What? And Natalya Gavrilovna too?
Yes, her as well, my dearest,
Please marry, by Christ I beseech you,
it'll be better for you and for us
You'll become kin to us.
If you don't marry,
you won't escape exile either,
for a second disobedience.
All right, I agree.
-Ibragim Petrovich!
-Only one condition:
Make it ten, my good man!
Our wedding shall be private.
The lector, Natalya Gavrilovna and myself,
We don't need any of you.
Natasha, dear soul! Once you start
to love him, it won't be so bad!
Natasha! My dearest! What's happening...
You've given our little white
sheep to the grey wolf!
Quiet you, foolish women!
This is above your heads.
This Moor, does he have
royal or servant blood?
Royal, dad, royal...
or maybe servant...
Don't be afraid of him,
he only looks scary.
Sister, don't be afraid of him.
I'm not afraid, dear Vanya.
The groom shall wait in the church,
and wishes to meet Natalya Gavrilovna
there, and no-one else.
Go to St. Mary's Church,
find my brother-in-law, the Moor,
and beat his spine with cudgels.
I'm scared...
"Scared"...I'll give you a half-ruble!
We'll do it, he won't forget us!
There you go!
Mademoiselle?
Ibragim Petrovich
asked me to deliver this.
My dearest
Natalya Gavrilovna,
you shall not be forced to marry me.
But the one whom you love
shall wait for you in the church:
Mihailo Govorov
exchange vows with him, and be happy.
"Don't waste a minute, ride
to St. Mary's Church,"
"Dress so that no-one will recognize you."
"In the church, you will be met by
the object of your desire."
Fireworks! What for?
Look at that... the Tsar's
celebrating Christmastide.
There, the groom rides!
Black as soot.
You wait on the right,
I'll wait on the left.
Well?
Did you do it?
No person has an enemy more evil,
than himself.
Yes, you can hide from a foe,
but where can you hide
from your own stupidity?
Dreamer...
Don Quixote...
Oh, enough, Ibragim Petrovich!
Let's go for a ride, instead.
I haven't unharnessed the horses.
All right...
Go wherever your eyes wander...
It's stuffy in here...
How could you?
Who gave you that idea?
Why are you deciding my fate
without asking me?
I don't need Govorov!
I don't need anyone,
if you're going to be like this!
Tell them to take me home, immediately,
I don't want to see you...
My light, my joy, Natasha!
I won't give you away to anyone
until death takes me.
Filimon! What happened?
Did the fireworks set it on fire?
No... I set it on fire myself.
I've decided to go into the woods,
to join the freemen and robbers.
Ibragim Petrovich, while you were
a renegade, and I was a renegade...
we were in the same boat,
but now you don't need me.
As I came to you, so shall I leave,
forgive you me.
You have a new life now,
and I have a new life.
But why set my place on fire?
What else could I do?
There was nothing for it.
It had to be done.
But the books are undamaged,
and the globe - the Earth's womb.
Well... if it gets difficult, come back.
Farewell.
Farewell, Ibragim Petrovich.
Mademoiselle, farewell to you too.
Farewell to you as well.
Sergey, tell me quick, where's the Moor!
What happened to you?
I'll kill that devil!
Though I'll be sent to a penal colony,
I won't leave him alive!
-Where's the Moor?
-What's he to you?
He lured me into St.
Mary's Church, Well?
where two brutes with
cudgels were waiting.
Well, I'll be!
It was I who sent them...
-How'd they get mixed up?
-You???
Me....
Not bad...
They walk like
two doves Kinfolk...
Who let you in? It was ordered to not
let you appear before my sight!
Donnerwetter! Godson...
Forgive me, Sovereign.
What's this? You're with bride?
And forgive me, too...
Forgive me for not recognizing
my happiness at first.
Decided to respect your father, eh?
But don't think, Sovereign,
that I betrayed myself.
I will never betray either myself or you,
but I remained true to my
thoughts about life,
and I wanted to let you know
that just like before...
-Quiet, quiet, or we'll quarrel again!
I bless you, only be silent!
With this, we'll leave our Moor...
He faces times of joy and sorrow,
and glorious labours
for the good of Russia,
But he does not yet know his fate.
He is happy... and Natasha is smiling.
The End
(subtitles by Niffiwan)
Second Artistic Division
The Tale of
How Tsar Peter
Married Off A Moor
Screenplay: Yuliy Dunskiy,
Valeriy Frid, Aleksandr Mitta
Director-producer
Aleksandr Mitta
Cinematographer
Valeriy Shuvalov
Art directors: Igor Lemeshev,
Georgiy Koshelev
Composer
Alfred Schnittke
Director: M. Koldobskaya
Camera: B. Nesterchuk
Sound operator: L. Trakhtenberg
Conductor: M. Ermler, Lyrics: R. Sef
Costumes: N. Buzina
Makeup: P. Kuzmina, M. Podsukhskaya
Editors: N. Veselovskaya,
Z. Karpuhina
Director's assistants: N. Esadze,
Ye. Yershov, A. Pragina, N. Sysoyeva
Camera assistants: N. Fudim,
S. Studenikin, V. Stalnoy
Costume assistant: T. Proshina
Sound assistant: A. Tsygankov
Pyrotechnician: D. Kostikov
Lighting: V. Dmitriyev
Visual effects: I. Felitsin (camera),
A. Klimenko (artist)
Animation artist
V. Morozov
Script editor: Ye. Skidanenko
Musical editor: M. Blank
Ballet master: Yu. Sherling
Production director
Semyon Kutikov
Actors
Ibragim Gannibal: Vladimir Vysotskiy
Tsar Peter: Aleksey Petrenko
Rtishchev family
Gavrilo Afanasyevich: Ivan Ryzhov
Natasha: Irina Mazurkevich
Sergunka: Mihail Kokshenov
Vanechka: Zhenya Mitta
Govorov: Semyon Morozov
Filka: Valeriy Zolotuhin
Balakirev: Mihail Gluzskiy
Yaguzhinskiy: Oleg Tabakov
Episodic actors: A. Barushnoy,
V. Kashnur, V. Kornukov, Yu. Komarov,
V. Klyagina, V. Mahov, V. Menshov,
Yu. Martynov, T. Nepomnyashchaya
A. Obuhov, I. Pechernikova, A. Pyatkov,
K. Rumyanova, Ye. Rubtsova
N. Sergeyev, A. Fayt, S. Chekan,
L. Chursina, L. Chubarov
The trees and fields are set ablaze,
The air is filled with cries,
The black-skinned Tsar's son by his foes
Is captured as a prize.
And like some monkey, or some gift
From wondrous lands afar,
Ambassadors present the boy
Unto the Russian Tsar.
And so grew up the little Moor,
The little black-souled one,
To Tsar: a confidant, not slave,
To Rus: a native son.
He fought for faithfulness and love,
In battles risked his skull,
And his full name was
Ibragim Petrovich Gannibal!
Look here, we find the Moor in France!
His teachers in the ring...
are but his steady hand
and blade in battle for the king!
A hero's rich reward awaits,
But what is this, my thrall?
Is a sly lady's glance for you
The dearest gift of all?
Letter of the Countess de Cauvignac
to the Duchesse de Montpensier:
Dear Elize, congratulate me!
I have the most exotic
lover in Paris.
He's an officer (you can laugh!),
a scholar (you can frown!),
from wild Russia (you can wonder!),
and a full-blooded African
(you can envy me).
Letter from the regent of France
to the Russian tsar:
My brother Peter, three days ago
an event happened
that shook all of Paris.
The Count de Cauvignac was joyfully
expecting an addition to the family,
not knowing that a most ugly
surprise was being prepared for him.
The Countess gave birth to a black baby.
A terrible blow of fate befell the Count!
A diminished man, he surrendered
to an abyss of despair.
And in this unfortunate moment,
the Count saw his offender.
Anger transformed the Count,
and a cruel duel began.
Captain Gannibal is an exemplary officer,
he distinguished himself in the
campaign against the Spaniards,
We would have forgiven him this mischief...
From Countess de Cauvignac,
to Captain Ibragim Gannibal:
Dear friend... you have
taken my husband from me
and left me a black baby in return.
Do you expect my thanks? Here it is!
I have never loved you.
You were for me, as for all in Paris,
simply a fun and whimsical animal.
God, how I have been
punished for my frivolity!
Our son will be taken away to Haiti,
where he will grow up in wealth.
I will be given another newborn,
and he will become the Count de Cauvignac.
I beg you, do not interfere with this plan!
Goodbye, forever! Formerly yours, Louise.
To Philippe, Duke of Orleans,
from Tsar Peter:
Dear brother!
Your epistle upset me greatly.
I sent my godson to France
to learn the military arts.
I see however, that he's had
much more success
in certain other arts.
I therefore ask you, my dear Philippe,
comfort and console the widowed
countess as best you can,
and order the roguish Moor to head
back to Russia, without delay!
Your brother, Peter.
Good people, give me a piece of pie,
a change of dress, and your horses.
I don't mind
parting with clothes or horses,
but nobody has ever taken anything
from me by force.
(In Russian:) Drop your sabre, you louse!
Drop your sabre!
Holy smokes, you're Russian!
-You're Russian?
-Russian.
Sit here.
I'm named Filka (Filimon).
I was born near Novgorod.
I ended up in France because of my appetite
for learned study.
But I visited a pub, to my own ruin.
There were recruiters there.
They bought drinks for poor me,
then sent me off to be a soldier.
I bore it for three years,
For lunch - a fist in the mouth,
For dinner - a blow to the head,
Sparks would fly from my eyes,
"This won't do," I thought, "I need to
turn back Fortuna's wheel!"
"I need to flee to Russia."
And who're you?
A Moor by face,
but a Russian by soul.
An officer who likes the
book more than the sabre.
A lover who was not loved.
A father destined not to see his child.
How's one to make sense of your paradoxes?
Make sense of them how you wish.
There are no solutions to these riddles.
Anyway, let's rather think of
how to protect you from
the checks and guards.
We'll think of something.
Necessity's the mother of invention.
Filimon, my friend...
What are you hiding for?
We're home
in Russia... It's
home alright, but...
In truth, Ibragim Petrovich,
I'm a runaway servant... How?
I escaped from execution...
I was to be beaten to death.
For what sin?
The sin was quite thin.
I was a cook, and spilled a kettle of soup.
Executing a man for such a trifle?
Blood-sucking beasts!
Yeah, I've heard about the ferocity
of the boyars [Russian nobles],
but this!..
Well... you know how I dropped it...
onto the knees of the boyar's son,
and the soup was blazing hot.
-But that's bad!
-It's certainly not good...
He was so enraged!
He broke a stool against me!
So, I cried, and I ran away.
-To another country? Poor man...
-No, to the kitchen.
I grabbed the iron poker,
came back, and swung at his head!
I saw that it didn't look good,
and I ran!
First to Lithuania, then to the Germans,
then to the French...
I thought I'd get educated,
and study the stars...
But they made me a soldier...
C'est la vie, Ibragim Petrovich...
You're no villain,
but you're no victim either.
You're just a toy in the hands of fate,
as am I, really.
In the meantime, get into the Earth's womb.
Who's riding?
The Sovereign's godson!
And what's up ahead?
Saint Petersburg city!
Whose house is this?
Count General-Prosecutor Yaguzhinskiy's.
While I live, I won't forget you.
Au revoir, mon cher ami.
I'm like a blade of grass in a
haystack here. No-one will find me.
Thank you, for saving a Christian soul.
Good-bye.
Ibragim-dear, why're you so late?
The Sovereign awaits you.
Godson...
Did you forget me in that foreign land?
I did not, my Sovereign.
I am still devoted to
you, body and soul.
Really?
Prove it.
There's an enemy on the scaffold.
Hater of all my accomplishments.
Chop off his head.
My Sovereign, Peter Alekseyevich,
I love you and honour you like a father,
and in battle, I'm ready to chop
off even 10 heads for you,
but here, like this...
I cannot kill a living soul.
I am a soldier, not an executioner.
These are just excuses.
Take the axe.
I won't.
Yaguzhinskiy?
I'm here, Sovereign!
Do you love me?
Execute my order!
-Look how they jest...
-That's my jester, Vanka Balakirev!
You must love him! He's a dangerous man!
How can one not laugh at you?
You didn't want to kill a man.
Quiet, Vanka!
Let's go, godson.
I wish to talk with you.
Well? Did I embarrass you, godson?
There, that's for your amours and duels.
We no longer chop heads off here,
or put people on the rack.
I have another concern.
Securing Russia upon the
Baltic Sea, and the Black...
I erect forts, cities, build ships.
I want my Russia,
like a wondrous frigate,
to descend from the slipways
and set sail, to the envy of all states.
While my fate, Sovereign, is paltry
and unhappy...
Love turned out to be false,
I lost my son forever...
I have nothing left on
earth, except for you.
My dear Moor... How glad I am,
that you've come to me.
Though I'm not old in years,
I'm tired and sick, I'll die soon.
-No! -Oh, how I wish
that my Russia would be left
not to the greedy, or the spendthrift,
but to people reliable and true...
Look here, this is my house,
it is now your house, too.
Who're you?
Noble children, Sovereign!
We've returned from Amsterdam;
in that city we studied
the sea crafts, navigation and sailing.
Vivat to you, garde-marines.
Come on in!
In, in, come on!
But how do we pass, Sovereign?
There's no ladder...
What does a sailor need a ladder for?
Right! Let them walk along the beam.
Along the beam!!
Well done! A dashing sailor! Well done!
And you?
You've never walked the rigging?
Never ran across a yard?
Never climbed atop a mast?
Oh, you slackers!
Well, show us what they
taught you in Holland. Well?
No... he hasn't been taught
the sea craft...
Yes, but he has fighting spirit.
What's your name?
-Govorov... Mihailo Govorov.
"Mihailo Govorov"...
What will I do with you,
Mihailo Govorov?
Why not forgive him, Peter Alekseyevich
One must forgive. He will serve you,
if not with mind, then with a sabre.
I will serve, Sovereign!!!
Let it be as you wish...
Write in these three as midshipmen,
and those three twits as
simple sailors, to start.
Sire! Have pity upon that
one, with the lips,
He's my own son!
That can be seen...
-And who oversaw them in Amsterdam?
-Who oversaw???
Who's the one who in that... oversaw???
It was me... father Sovereign...
Come here.
Come, come, that's an order!
I'm scared, Sovereign.
Well, I'm not proud,
I'll come to you myself.
Are you a priest?
No, Foreign Affairs Ministry
Boyar Nikishka Maslakov.
And what's the beard for?
Didn't you read the decree?
All boyars must walk in German dress,
wear wigs, and shave
their beards clean off!
I'm guilty, Sovereign father!
You're not just guilty of that!
My money, my hopes you have spent!
And instead of worker bees...
Forgive me, Sovereign father!
...you bring me drones?!
Here take your mop head!
And go together to the
bath with it more often.
Bon soir, Ibragim Petrovich!
It's not "soir" now... it's night out.
-How did you get here?
-Through the window!
Save me, don't let me perish,
Ibragim Petrovich!
What? You got into trouble again?
I went this morning to the shipyard
to work as a translator.
And who do you think I met?
My boyar, Gavrila Afanasyevich.
He yells: "Thief, villain!"
I flee, and the whole company's after me,
with axes, with spears,
I barely escaped alive...
I know your boyar,
his son recently came to him.
Little Sergey? Oh, it's the death of me!
Wait, why are you inside that globe?
Well, I saw your carriage, and fled
into the house, then I became afraid,
what if even here... and so I... found
shelter in the Earth's womb, like before.
Well, so be it, stay with me.
There are no women in the house,
nor will there be;
I'm done with love forever.
So there will be no-one
to spill your secret.
The problem may come when I hire servants.
Why hire them?
I will be your valet, and your chef,
and wash your clothes...
I'll hide in the cracks like a flea,
no-one will even see me...
I don't need any food,
just a bit of water and I can live.
God be with you, live.
-Greetings, Ibragim Petrovich!
-Greetings, mister Gannibal!
Go, go, faster!
Ibragim, my soulmate,
where did you lead me?
To the assembly,
that is, to the ball,
to pleasant entertainment.
But why here?
The palaces are small,
the coffee house isn't built yet,
So the Tsar ordered it to be here,
in all this splendor.
How good-looking your ship is...
but how will it be on the water?
Well, we sure tried.
Well, well... and did you manage?
Don't worry, Sire,
it will float like a swan.
It's beautiful...
The frigate's overseer Gavrila Rtishchev,
with his family!
O Lord, save and protect us!
Soon they'll run around all naked...
Go!
Shameless toadstool...
Oh, someone's coming! How lovely!
What a marvel, Natasha dear!
How charmant!
You like it girls, yes?
It cost my Papa five souls to buy.
-It's Dutch? What flowers!
-Decollete, and on the back, too!
Her mistress, the Empress!
The ladies invite the gentlemen!
-Good day, Ibragim Petrovich!
-Greetings, mister Gannibal!
Natasha dear, be bold!
Invite the Moor!
Don't be scared! Go!
I'm scared!
Invite him! It'll be interesting!
Ibragim dear, how are you?
Smile! Start a conversation!
Smile, Natasha!
Look, look,
like a piglet in a bag, right?
Sergey, who's dancing
with the Moor over there?
Where?
There, with Ibragim,
she's incredibly fine!
Are you blind?
That's my sister, Natasha.
How time flies...
When I left, she was
running around in a shirt...
now she's a Greek goddess...
Aphrodite... my God!
Why are you so silent?
Don't you understand our language?
Why's that? Russian is my native tongue,
I'm just silent by nature,
and now especially,
I am.... ...speechless.
Grossvater!
The gentlemen engage the ladies!
Vivat, mister Gannibal!
I am pierced by Cupid's arrow!
Enough with you, Misha!
Believe me, my charming love!
Did you forget how you used to pull my
braids and sting me with nettles?
In Holland, the girls over there,
here and here they have nothing! Pardon!
All my feelings are in turmoil!
-Who planned it?
-I, Sovereign!
This project is nonsense and bull!
You're thinking about your self-interest,
not the good of the country.
Now scram.
Caulk faster!
He's eyeing us!
-How's the Sovereign? Is he getting angry?
-He's fine, old boy, fine!
Sovereign's order!
Dance to your heart's content!
Don't spit on the floor!
Dance! Smoke tobacco!
-Where's Rtishchev?
-Here I am!
What is this?
Lazy and wicked slave!
Is this a frigate
or a basket full of holes?
-Why is the tow not tarred?
-Sovereign, forgive me!
Who caulked it?
Why are there holes?
Where can a ship like this sail?
To the bottom? To a ferry?
Sovereign! Sire!
I'll put YOU into those holes
instead of oakum!
Peter dear, don't get upset!
Let's go dance.
Bunch of loafers!
Are you scratching your belly?
Calm yourself, Sire!
Everything be great!
These ships are my children!
Did you think to kill my children?
Peter dear, light of mine, calm down!
It won't end well!
Friend of my heart!
Do not interfere!
Everyone dance!
And what of you?
Everyone must dance, I said!
Everyone must dance!
Chop down the braces!
Drive out the wedges!
What are you doing!
Sire, don't wreck it!
I'll teach you which end
to eat a radish from!
I'll cut your head off!
Tear off your skin!
Everyone must dance!
You told me: "Faster! Faster!"
So I did it faster...
Ain't the Neva's water fine?
You can cool off in it!
No matter... he who is
righteous will not drown!
I wasn't frightened at all,
it was even fun!
What a horror! You
nearly sank, my little fish!
But fish wouldn't sink!
I was more afraid when I
went to dance with the Moor.
The Moor??
With the heathen?
But's he's baptized!
The Tsar himself baptized him!
You'd hold hands
with such a black fellow?
He's not black at all, he's chocolate.
And his fingers are so thin...
No, I assure you,
she chose me herself,
engaged willingly,
and danced with pleasure!
Afterwards, she even smiled twice.
And how fine she is...
Her eyes have both intelligence and fire.
And only yesterday you swore that
you were done with love forever.
Forever didn't last long.
Yep... would you get me dinner?
I've gotten a bit hungry.
I didn't go to the market...
I was afraid.
No matter, I'll go myself tomorrow.
Oh Filimon, my friend!
Here, get me some wine and biscuits,
I'm not fastidious,
I'm a soldier, after all.
Ibragim Petrovich,
you know what happened...
I began reading this book, by Plutarch,
about ancient men.
How wise and noble they were!
I was reading the book and
munching on biscuits,
reading and munching...
and I munched them all up.
What? And you drank the wine?
That too. My throat was dry.
Well, no matter... get me my pipe.
There, it's on the table.
Throw this rope over to the left bollard!
Not this one, that one!
That's good, yes!
-Fooling around, you wasp?
-I'm working!
Pull, again pull!
Now we've done it!
Our Sire likes to break things,
he didn't break everything yesterday,
today he's finishing the job.
I'm a worker, I can joke,
But you, wasp, you sting well,
but there's no honey from you.
You sleep long, godson.
Did you send for me, Sovereign?
I fired the lazy and scatterbrained
Gavrila Rtishchev from this job,
But I don't know whom to put in his place.
Tell me, godson,
where do you intend to serve Russia?
In warmth or in the raw wind?
Wherever you order, Peter!
I order you here!
Finish building this frigate.
Will you believe, Sovereign,
last night, I couldn't sleep
and was thinking about improvements
for this frigate,
I even made a blueprint.
And I thought your mind was filled
by dancing with beauties at balls.
Wait, wait.... You'll
come with me.
Far?
You'll know soon.
To look at him, the Moor
seems humble and sweet...
but a terrible tooth hides in his mouth...
the tooth aches,
it thirsts for blood...
he'll single out a girl,
and come to her with a bouquet...
I'm bashful, he'll say, come love me,
and smack her! The flowers are metal...
the girl's legs buckle,
He swipes her! And carries her off...
into the dark woods,
into a dark cavern.
In the Parisian lands,
women are used to anything,
and still they cried and wailed
because of him.
Already 40 young ladies sit in chains.
They howl and beg for mercy,
but he, the snake, laughs at their tears!
Nah, dad,
it's only bad if you've no brains,
but with a brain, one can live even now!
Look, the Tsar himself
ordered me to be a sailor,
But I put three rubles
in the lieutenant's teeth,
and now I'm not a sailor, but a batailleur!
I sit in the storeroom.
"In the storeroom"...
Why, with your nobility,
with your peerage,
you should sit not in the
storeroom, but in the Senate,
instead of its current occupants.
They're rabble! Rogues!
But they call themselves
"gentlemen of the Senate"!
-Father, not so loud!
-Why not?
Everyone knows it, already.
Pashka Yaguzhinskiy...
he was a swineherd in Livonia,
and now? The Prosecutor General!
The Tsar dragged them in from everywhere...
He has a Kalmyk, a Moor, a Lithuanian, a...
And me, a hereditary nobleman
he fired from the frigate!
-Father, the Tsar!
Women and girls to the table!
Dress like Germans!
Bring the fat meat lady!
Hang the fat meat lady on the wall!
Over here!
Fire up the German stove!
That damn fireplace!
Grandpa, go hide in the closet,
the Tsar has arrived!
If he sees a beard,
he'll lop it off at once!
Oh, he's quick at that!
You heel, you've put
the dress on backwards!
What a commotion,
like a polecat in the hen house!
Why're you so quiet?
Come on out.
What's your name?
Rtishchev, Vanyusha.
Right... can you read and write?
I can.
What's ten minus seven?
Three.
Right, good.
Now tell me, a goose was flying,
behind him a half-goose,
then a quarter-goose,
then two eighth-geese,
how many geese flew?
Half-geese don't fly,
half-geese lie on the plate.
Correct, but incorrect.
Oh, Gavrila,
I'm just dying to
get back at you for the frigate,
But all right,
I didn't come to you with retribution,
but with a boon.
The frigate, thank God, has
been returned to the slipway.
Why did you blunder before our Sovereign?
Don't think about how a goose can't fly,
just take the parts and add them up. Okay?
Maybe something will come of it.
Well, think, think!
I have a groom for your Natasha.
The girl's looking marriageable.
Two geese.
What?
Two geese were flying.
Yes, two geese.
The groom is smart, good-looking,
educated abroad,
-Mishka Govorov?
-Shush!
Is it really Govorov?
No, think higher!
Who is it, then?
-Pushchin? -No.
-Chernoguzov? -No.
-Obolenskiy? -No.
You can't guess?
I love him like my own son.
May you love him as well.
Here he is, the groom!
Well, godson?
Pretty smart of me, huh?
Well, go and kiss the bride!
Why've you gone all quiet?
Aren't you happy?
Oh, our child is succumbed!
Natasha-dear!
Why are you howling like wolves?
I say - the marriage shall be!
Ah, what an evil poisonous root is
the boyar stock...
No matter, dear Ibragim, don't worry!
This girl, Natashka, shall be yours,
I'll drag her to the altar by her braids.
Peter Alekseyevich,
allow me to speak freely,
I'll allow and even order it.
I don't want this wedding, Sovereign.
What do you mean you don't want it?
Don't you like her?
I do.
Then don't fool around.
That's why I don't want to
force her down the aisle.
I don't hear in your words
either mind or reason.
Peter Alekseyevich, she's a child,
and I'm not young.
This is not love, but coercion.
I'm not loved by her.
I disgust her.
Such is my fate.
And because of such a trifle,
you will go against my will?
I will, Sovereign.
Don't be stupid, Ibragim,
wisen up, you fool.
Who are you? Who needs you?
You're without birth, land or money.
If I die today or tomorrow,
What will happen to you?
I want to give you roots and strength,
to firmly tie you to ancient Russian stock
I work like a slave for Russia's benefit,
I want to surround myself
with men of power,
I need helpers; I'm overwhelmed with work,
and you've lost your mind
because of a girl!
Don't anger me, Moor!
Better embrace me, kiss me,
and tell me that you will do it my way.
I am sorry, Sovereign!
But I cannot do it your way.
Get out of my sight!
Ungrateful serf.
Where are we going to stay now?
I don't know. But I'm ordered
to move out immediately.
In any case, my friend Filimon,
I think it's better for
you not to go with me.
Pourquoi?
Because I hoped to be your shield,
and have become a threat.
I attract all lightning to myself,
like a lone tree in the steppe
and woe be to the traveler
who hides in its branches.
Why don't you just marry Natasha...
But I don't want to buy myself happiness
at the price of someone else's!
A person should not
chase after happiness
like a wolf after his quarry,
gnawing on his own brethren,
comme un monstre!
not looking at their blood and tears.
How sagely he speaks,
exceeding Plutarch himself,
and he still gets kicked out on his ass.
C'est la vie, mon maitre.
-The police! They've come for me!
-Calm down!
They've discovered where I am!
They'll nab me!
Hey, you rogue!
Glad to see you!
What are you here for?
I've come to call you to a duel.
Are you joking?
I'm not in a joking mood, brother.
I understand your vile nature now.
Couldn't rely on yourself, so you sent
the Tsar to arrange marriage?
I won't give you Natasha!
I demand satisfaction!
With swords or with pistols.
Hold on, hold on.
Natalya Gavrilovna
has a father and a brother.
Why did you come to me, and not them?
Because I am her groom!
If not for you, we would've
been married by Pokrov day!
And she loves you?
She loves me, more than life itself,
she breathes only my essence.
Enough dilly-dallying,
tell me your conditions!
Which weapons, where,
with swords or something else.
No... I won't fight with you.
What d'you mean you won't?
I won't.
You won't?
Afraid for your own skin?
I'll force you to fight!
I'll slap your chee-
Oh, Govorov, Govorov...
If I wanted it, Natalya would be mine
and you would open the door to our bedroom.
I greeted you as a friend,
yet you're poking me with a skewer.
Fighting?
With you - no.
Get out of here, Ensign.
I'll show you...!
Hey, Ibragim, even your dog
is braver than you!
Papa, a barrel's rolling at you!
What devilry!
Watch out, boyar!
Gavrila, plead my case!
I'm destitute, powerless...
I'm going to plead my own case...
Ah, Gavrila! All that feasting's
gone to your belly, eh?
Move along, boyar.
-Have you seen her?
-What? You've been crying again?
With a mug like that,
you should just sit at home
We haven't come here to dance.
-What? -We've come
to fall at the king's feet,
plead his mercy to
deliver us from the Moor.
Right! He's gotten a firm grip on her.
I've just come
from his place, from the Moor.
I called him to a one-on-one,
that is to say, to a duel!
A duel? What's this all about?
We haven't tasted that dish in Russia yet.
Tell us, youngster, enlighten us fools!
What's to tell?
Like I said, I shamed him, dishonoured him,
and he refused, chickened out.
No way, officer!
Ibragim is brave,
it's written all over his face.
What do you mean, written?
I mean, the scar from a Spanish sword.
War's one thing, a duel is another.
Ibragim didn't run away from a duel,
He pierced the Count de Cauvignac like...
Misha, how did the talk between
you and Ibragim Petrovich go?
Did you mention me?
Of course I mentioned you.
I said,
"she loves me more than life itself,
and you, Moor, don't come between us!"
Aren't you hasty!
When did I say that I loved you?
If we had a wedding, you'd start loving me,
what choice would you have?
The Sovereign rides! Stand!
What's going on, daddy?
The devil only knows...
What's this?
The plan for the fireworks, Sovereign!
What are they doing?
Sit, I say!
Good job! Better than the French ones!
You just watch yourself!
Oh, children! I don't know about this!
He walks foul-tempered, like a scorpion.
What are you standing around for?
Go and ask.
You must, daddy!
Don't you pity your child?
I pity everyone,
but I pity my own head, too.
What if he assails me?
Our Tsar, dear Father!
Have pity on the girl!
Free her from the Moor!
She's my only pretty berry,
don't ruin my little buttercup,
have pity on her!
Stand up! Don't wear your knees down.
The girl will stay with you,
Ibragim does not want her for a wife
and gives her a full release.
He doesn't want me?
-It's me who doesn't want him! Me!
-Enough with you! Go on!
As for you, boyar, it's about time you
stopped sitting around doing nothing,
I'll find a service for you,
but if you screw up again, watch out!
Our Tsar! Our benefactor!
My Father!
I will thank God for a long time!
-Where's Vanya?
-Here I am!
I'll lay an egg of a tale!
Look, Alekseyich!
Here's a nimble little rooster,
a rowdy bully, apparently a midshipman,
and here's a calm one, of Moorish stock
And what does this allegory mean?
It means that midshipman Govorov,
in his stupidity,
challenged Ibragim to a duel.
Find Govorov!
Why look for me?
Here I am!
Did you challenge Ibragim to a duel?
I did, Sovereign! Only, he refused.
Refused?
This dishonours me.
After all, I'm captain of first company
of the Preobrazhensky Regiment
and he's lieutenant in that company.
Looks like I will have to accept
the call in my subaltern's stead.
Where shall we fight? With which weapons?
God be with you, Sovereign!
I won't.
Did you forget the duel status?
Should any person
call another person to a duel,
and then themselves evade the duel,
such a person shall be
run out of the court,
beaten with canes like
the lowliest scoundrel!
A scoundrel is what you are!
And I've got a cane!
Is that what they taught you in Holland?
Not to work, but to hop like a rooster?
Look at him! Jumping like a flea!
And you gentlemen, why so quiet?
Did you see that?
Well, now I'm also the Tsar's godson.
He Christened me...
Hitting me on the back
with such a heavy cudgel...
No matter! Though we're bloodied,
our team's ahead.
Now you can send
the matchmakers to Natasha.
You don't know what's worse,
the Tsar's wrath,
or his kindness.
You just sit and tremble;
what if something's wrong again?
Oh, he does everything in the new ways,
in his own ways,
and he doesn't care one bit
for the old-stock boyars.
You just wait, Sire,
the cat will one day drown
in the tears of mice.
-Seven! -Eight!
"A boy must be courteous and polite."
"Better if others say of him:
'he's polite,'
than if they say 'he's an arrogant fool'.
Young boys must..."
My little artisan...
In Holland, painters are as common as dams,
but none can come close
to you, dear Natasha!
Hands off!
But I'm the fiance! I'm allowed.
You haven't even courted me!
So I'll start courting!
Marry Mishka, you muttonhead!
I won't.
"I won't"...
Then you'll be led by the horns!
Natasha-dear, wait a bit,
I composed some verses for you
Here, listen!
I had a wondrous dream just now:
In a grove, I died by Amor's bow,
And from that arrow of Amor,
Love burns in me forevermore,
My little foxy beauty!
I'll come visit you at night!
Are you mad?
I'll come as sure as God is holy, Natasha!
Enough, you charmer!
Come on, go to sleep!
Dear God! And you,
Mihail, go with Sergey.
What's this hole they've driven us into,
Ibragim Petrovich?
Mon Dieu! Holy Mother of God!
I'm not afraid of Mishka Govorov...
he's an insolent birdbrain.
I would have been done with him quicker
than you against a baby chick,
But she loves him more than life itself.
How could I make her unhappy?
Lord, save us and have mercy!
Don't be afraid of the thunderous rolls,
they're just empty sound.
Only lightning is dangerous, which is
a manifestation of electrical power.
-I must talk with her
-With whom?
With Natalya Gavrilovna.
-Pourquoi is this?
-I will explain to her.
Natalya Gavrilovna, I'll tell her...
I love you, with my
whole wounded soul,
but there's opposition to our marriage,
and you don't have to do it!
Have you been sent to tempt me?
Leave, Satan!
Who is it? Go away!
I'm crazy! I have a knife under my pillow!
And why, Natalya Gavrilovna,
do you need a knife under your pillow?
Oh no, who is it?
Forgive me. Forgive me for
coming to you like a robber,
but I wanted to explain...
Ibragim Petrovich? Ibragim Petrovich,
go away, you can't be here!
I know it...
but I can't leave until I explain to you
the reasons for my refusal.
What's to explain?
I'm very grateful to you,
only I don't understand,
why was I not good enough?
My angel, I did not find any flaws in you.
But you showed to me that
I was not dear to you.
How could I take you for a wife after that?
Living with me would be a torment for you.
We're not asked about that.
What are we, savages?
We live in the 18th century.
No, Natalya Gavrilovna, you must tell h-
Please, leave quickly!
What if he comes?
Natalya Gavrilovna,
you don't understand me.
But all right, I
will explain to you
with an allegory I've thought of:
Happiness...
is a little moth, you see?
It flutters, sits on your shoulder,
and you're scared to frighten it.
Protect it,
for if you grab it with your rough hands...
the little moth vanishes,
and only ash is left.
Who's there? Where'd he go?
There's an evil spirit in the house!
Go away, Ibragim Petrovich!
Mishka will come and kill you!
Mishka Govorov?
He comes to you at this hour?
I'm not afraid of anyone in this world,
Natalya Gavrilovna,
I simply don't want
to compromise you.
Natasha!?
You're alive! Thank God!
-Natasha, I'm afraid!
-Calm down, there was no one, don't cry!
Then who broke the window?
There was no one.
Calm down, brother.
But who broke the window?
There was no-one.
Let me in! Where is he? I demand of you!
Show him to me!
-Mihailo!
-Where did you hide, cowardly dog?!
-There was no one here!
-Where is he, I ask?
I'll kill you, scoundrel!
What is this?
There's no peace in your own home!
It's all because there's no discipline!
It was the Moor who came!
He wanted to carry us into a cave!
It was Satan who came!
It is said in the Scripture:
"black in face and beautiful."
We must set up a fortress, Sovereign,
and without delay,
we've already found an excellent
spot, you won't find better.
Well done. It's a solid plan.
And once we finish it, they won't
dare try and poke their nose in.
Right! It will be like
a wall across the bay.
Yes, and this fortress will be for them
like a bone in their throat.
It's dark.
I can't see a thing.
There's too little light.
Bring a flame here.
Oh no, my children...
It went dark behind my eyes,
and you...
candles in the daytime...
Well? To work!
What's going on? Where was I?
Who will build it?
I could. Only you have, Sovereign,
a builder more skilled than me.
Who's that?
Engineer-Lieutenant Ibragim Gannibal.
No!
I read about the Macedonian,
the great Alexander.
What a lofty fate,
what great feats he accomplished,
and me, I sit behind the stove
like a cockroach, cooking soup.
Cockroaches, mon cher, don't cook soup,
and you last cooked it a week ago.
Hello, Ibragim Petrovich!
Hello.
What brings you here?
Not much, just to see
how you're living here.
So, this is where you eat,
and drink, and
sleep... Who's this?
My orderly, Filka.
Bonjour, monsieur
An orderly, yet the floor's unswept.
He reads books...
Plutarch.
Such reading will come to no good.
Scram!
Avec plaisir
Well, Ibragim Petrovich,
good news have I for you...
the Tsar has forgiven you.
Dare I believe it?
And the frigate is mine again?
No...
He doesn't want to see you near him,
you will go to an embassy,
to Italy
to Naples,
to those...
Hurry,
while he hasn't changed his mind.
Aren't you happy?
I've lived long enough in foreign lands!
Here is my Fatherland,
and here I want to stay.
Don't you dare! You'll rip it!
You ripped it! Idiot!
Rotten devil, wicked fiend!
Thank God, the Tsar's signature is whole
What will you get for disobedience?
You just watch yourself, Ibragim!
Turn! Turn!
You clumsy oaf...
Grab her!
Look at me, sister!
Surround her!
Vanya, I see you have nothing to do,
why don't you go read a book?
You wish! Have pity on the lad.
Keep skating, Vanya!
Sure, keep skating. And grow
up ignorant like them.
What, you need a scholar?
Marry the Moor then,
he's got a whole train-load of books.
But he's not taking you, he spurned you!
Shows what you know! "Spurned me"!
He took pity on me,
because he has a noble soul!
He's kind! He teaches children!
And you're oafs, thick as bricks!
We'll also teach him a lesson soon!
The southwest blows. Who's southwest?
I'm southwest!
And now north-northeast blows.
-I'm northeast!
-No, I'm northeast!
There we go!
See, I myself move them all...
Stronger, stronger!
A ferocious wind, the northeast.
The bane of sailors.
I'll punish mischief-makers!
And now: "Whene'er the ocean rages forth,"
Whene'er the ocean rages forth,
Enveloped in a seething wroth,
And looking all around your nest,
You cannot tell where's north,
where's west,
Trust in the map that cannot miss:
The stars above the black abyss.
Please go to the execution, sir,
I warned you.
He who is deaf to learning
is worse than a thief,
for he steals from himself.
One...two...three
four...five... Well,
enough! Enough.
Shush!
It's pleasing to see
a soul tamed by learning,
yet a wild soul unbowed by blows
also deserves respect.
Sit, if you are able.
But my sister said,
that kids shouldn't be caned.
They should!
When you grow up, you will
become skippers and officers,
and you will take up the cane yourselves
so remember how it feels on your own back,
and never punish anyone
without reason or due to malice.
Lads, Christmastide is here!
Listen, make a turn,
the Moor lives here.
Let's not! We'll visit others!
Why others? Let's go here!
I won't go!
Why? You wanted to come,
and now you "won't go"!
I won't go to him!
Shut your trap, no-one
will recognize you, go on!
-That's right!
-Onward! -No, don't!
Hear that, Petrovich?
Mummers are asking to be let in.
Who?
Oh, carnavale russe, they
dress up who knows how
and visit people to eat and drink.
I'll refuse them.
Why? I have visitors,
and you'd refuse them?
Call them in!
And light the candles,
bring everything we have.
I don't know, Ibragim Petrovich...
Come in, dear guests, sit down.
Oh, look at you!
Thank you, kind people,
in this happy hour,
for remembering me,
forgotten and alone.
In the south of France
I saw many carnivals,
But yours seems to me
more fun and merry than all of them.
Hey, the wine is sour! Sour wine!
Sour wine?
And the cucumbers are rotten!
Of course...
And the cucumbers are rotten!
Rotten, rotten!
Rotten cucumbers?
The cabbage is rotten!
All the food is rotten!
Listen, gentlemen!
Dear guests...gentlemen...
your outlandishness has gone too far.
Am I to understand, it's not
friends who came into my house?
Guess who we are!
You're people,
you think, that you've put on disguises?
No, you've taken them off.
You came to me in your true forms.
And now, do what you want;
you won't hear another word from me.
You're in for it now!
The Tsar won't help you!
God, what is happening...
Oh my God...
He's sitting like a sultan!
That's because he is a sultan's son
Let's anoint him to the Tsardom?
Let's!
Scram!
Gentlemen, I beseech you,
leave my house.
Let good sense conquer dumb malice.
Piss off!
I knew... I knew that not violence,
but quiet, reasonable words...
Adieu, dear guests!
How we frightened that Ibragim!
Let me go!
I will go to him, admit
everything, and repent!
-Where?
-Let me go!
I will go to Ibragim Petrovich
We were just joking!
People are celebrating! They bring each
other joy and entertainment, but you...
We're also joking!
Your jokes are beastly!
I will ask for forgiveness!
-Sit here! -Let me go!
We were just joking! Spur the horses!
You kicked him when he was down!
What, we can't do a joke?
They've delivered the cannons!
Sovereign, they've delivered the cannons!
Sovereign Father,
we produced it all in
the best possible manner.
No need to dirty your lily-white hands.
It's my own casting,
there is not a more reliable
one in the whole world.
And is this cannon a dud?!
God be with you, Sire!
How can one even say such words?!
There are cavities in it!
It's not cast iron, but priceless diamond!
It's good! Gut, sehr gut!
In the contract, it's written
in black and white,
that each cannon must withstand,
if necessary,
a four-fold load of powder.
Tell me honestly,
will this cannon withstand
a four-fold load?
It will, Pyotr Alekseyevich!
By this holy cross, it will!
Sehr gut!
Put in a four-fold load!
Well, get it ready!
Faster, faster!
Have mercy, protect me, don't make me...
Sire, save me and have mercy!
Here, hold it and don't let go!
Save yourselves! Get down!
Ah, you're alive!?
Alive, God save us!
Pour water on him,
or he'll burn me down all of Petersburg!
And where's the one who accepted
cannons from this swindler?
-Where's Rtishchev? -Here I am.
Ah, boyar, you son of a dog!
My patience is at an end!
Dad, look, It's our
runaway servant, Filka.
I saw him at the Moor's house.
He's running away!
I'll catch him, and he'll
be sent to a penal colony.
We'll be sent there ourselves soon...
Ibragim Petrovich, sorry for bothering you,
We won't keep you long.
Take Natashka for your wife.
Did I hear that right?
What is your errand here?
We plead with you,
take Natalya, and
live in peace and love.
Sit down, my lords, sit down,
That stool is no good, its leg is broken.
And Natalya Gavrilovna
also agrees to have me?
Whether she does or doesn't...
if ordered, she'll do it!
She does, she does.
Don't listen to my
lad, he's keenly stupid.
On the contrary, he's very smart.
He even knows which stool
has a broken leg,
even though he's never been in my house.
Right?
Don't wear us out, master,
we await your word.
As I remember, you wanted
to marry your daughter to Govorov.
And now I don't.
Well, Ibragim Petrovich?
Will you take the girl?
No, I can't, I'm
not loved by her.
"Loved, not loved"... we'll
get exiled 'cause of him.
Quiet, you!
Don't be stubborn, master,
it'll be better for you and for us.
Since he let it slip,
I'll give it to you straight,
The Tsar is fiercely angry with me,
he's exiling me and all my family.
What? And Natalya Gavrilovna too?
Yes, her as well, my dearest,
Please marry, by Christ I beseech you,
it'll be better for you and for us
You'll become kin to us.
If you don't marry,
you won't escape exile either,
for a second disobedience.
All right, I agree.
-Ibragim Petrovich!
-Only one condition:
Make it ten, my good man!
Our wedding shall be private.
The lector, Natalya Gavrilovna and myself,
We don't need any of you.
Natasha, dear soul! Once you start
to love him, it won't be so bad!
Natasha! My dearest! What's happening...
You've given our little white
sheep to the grey wolf!
Quiet you, foolish women!
This is above your heads.
This Moor, does he have
royal or servant blood?
Royal, dad, royal...
or maybe servant...
Don't be afraid of him,
he only looks scary.
Sister, don't be afraid of him.
I'm not afraid, dear Vanya.
The groom shall wait in the church,
and wishes to meet Natalya Gavrilovna
there, and no-one else.
Go to St. Mary's Church,
find my brother-in-law, the Moor,
and beat his spine with cudgels.
I'm scared...
"Scared"...I'll give you a half-ruble!
We'll do it, he won't forget us!
There you go!
Mademoiselle?
Ibragim Petrovich
asked me to deliver this.
My dearest
Natalya Gavrilovna,
you shall not be forced to marry me.
But the one whom you love
shall wait for you in the church:
Mihailo Govorov
exchange vows with him, and be happy.
"Don't waste a minute, ride
to St. Mary's Church,"
"Dress so that no-one will recognize you."
"In the church, you will be met by
the object of your desire."
Fireworks! What for?
Look at that... the Tsar's
celebrating Christmastide.
There, the groom rides!
Black as soot.
You wait on the right,
I'll wait on the left.
Well?
Did you do it?
No person has an enemy more evil,
than himself.
Yes, you can hide from a foe,
but where can you hide
from your own stupidity?
Dreamer...
Don Quixote...
Oh, enough, Ibragim Petrovich!
Let's go for a ride, instead.
I haven't unharnessed the horses.
All right...
Go wherever your eyes wander...
It's stuffy in here...
How could you?
Who gave you that idea?
Why are you deciding my fate
without asking me?
I don't need Govorov!
I don't need anyone,
if you're going to be like this!
Tell them to take me home, immediately,
I don't want to see you...
My light, my joy, Natasha!
I won't give you away to anyone
until death takes me.
Filimon! What happened?
Did the fireworks set it on fire?
No... I set it on fire myself.
I've decided to go into the woods,
to join the freemen and robbers.
Ibragim Petrovich, while you were
a renegade, and I was a renegade...
we were in the same boat,
but now you don't need me.
As I came to you, so shall I leave,
forgive you me.
You have a new life now,
and I have a new life.
But why set my place on fire?
What else could I do?
There was nothing for it.
It had to be done.
But the books are undamaged,
and the globe - the Earth's womb.
Well... if it gets difficult, come back.
Farewell.
Farewell, Ibragim Petrovich.
Mademoiselle, farewell to you too.
Farewell to you as well.
Sergey, tell me quick, where's the Moor!
What happened to you?
I'll kill that devil!
Though I'll be sent to a penal colony,
I won't leave him alive!
-Where's the Moor?
-What's he to you?
He lured me into St.
Mary's Church, Well?
where two brutes with
cudgels were waiting.
Well, I'll be!
It was I who sent them...
-How'd they get mixed up?
-You???
Me....
Not bad...
They walk like
two doves Kinfolk...
Who let you in? It was ordered to not
let you appear before my sight!
Donnerwetter! Godson...
Forgive me, Sovereign.
What's this? You're with bride?
And forgive me, too...
Forgive me for not recognizing
my happiness at first.
Decided to respect your father, eh?
But don't think, Sovereign,
that I betrayed myself.
I will never betray either myself or you,
but I remained true to my
thoughts about life,
and I wanted to let you know
that just like before...
-Quiet, quiet, or we'll quarrel again!
I bless you, only be silent!
With this, we'll leave our Moor...
He faces times of joy and sorrow,
and glorious labours
for the good of Russia,
But he does not yet know his fate.
He is happy... and Natasha is smiling.
The End
(subtitles by Niffiwan)