Vysota (1957) - full transcript

Mosfilm Studios

THE HEIGHT

Based upon a novel

by Evgeny Vorobyev

Script by M. Papava

Directed by Alexander Zarkhi

Director of Photography

V. Monakhov

Production Designer - A. Freidin

Assistant Director - M. Gomorov

Camera by Yu. Skhirtladze

Music by R. Schedrin

Sound by V. Kirshenbaum

Editor - G. Maryamov

Cutting by E. Ovsyannikova

Production Manager

A. Stefansky

Orchestra

of Film Production Department

Conducted by G. Gamburg

The Cast:

Nikolai Rybnikov as Pasechnik

Inna Makarova as Katya

G. Karnovich-Valua as Tokmakov

V. Makarov as Deryabin

M. Strizhenova as Masha

B. Sitko as Dymov

S. Romodanov as Berestov

E. Maximova as Berestova

L. Borisov as Boris

L. Chubarov as Khaenko

Kh. Abramyan, V. Pobol,

V. Pechnikov, E. Zinovyev,

M. Vorobyev as mounters

Taken part in filming - builders

and mounters of blast furnace 12

at Dnieper Steel Plant

in Dneprodzerzhinsk

Consultant - S. Rabinovich

Filmed in 1957 at Mosfilm Studios

Decorated with Lenin Order

A long-time work is over.

A new blast furnace rising

in front of us

as a beautiful trace

of what was part of our life.

Its new masters now will be

the metallurgists.

And maybe today

the generation of mounters

will leave to new construction sites.

- I'm leaving to Siberia.

- Good luck.

Gee, it's such a shame

to part with friends...

I'll spend a fortnight

in a sanatorium...

- Kolya!

- Valya!

- Hi.

- You leaving?

We're migrating birds,

never feeing bored.

Going to the South,

closer to the sun.

- Will you remember me?

- Of course.

Your tender feathers,

and your lovely nose,

and Valya dear's

so angelic voice.

You're so full of jokes.

- Will you write me letters?

- Sure I will.

People part and meet.

Goodbye, days so sweet.

Well, good bye.

Small coin...

Small coin of a foreign state...

- Five letters.

- Five?

- Pence...

- Koruna...

Cent...

- Chocolate, lemonade, kvass!

- Lemonade, kvass?

You hurt our feelings

with such a proposal.

- Beer and sandwiches.

- That sounds better.

'cause the working class

nearly got upset.

You think the working class

drinks only kvass?

- Strong drinks for strong men.

- Keep the change.

Thank you, merry company.

Vertically: a huge construction

site in the south of our

- country. 12 letters.

- Wait. Who'll be our foreman?

- Tokmakov.

- You mean Alex?

Alex is Rudakov, he is

now in Chelyabinsk.

No, I mean Kostya.

Konstantin Tokmakov.

We built a palace together

in Warsaw.

Old friendship doesn't get rusty.

- Sir, your move.

- You mean Tokmakov from Zaporozhye?

The one on whom

the wife walked out?

Relax. Wives come and go.

Everything will be just nice.

We aren't the stokers

or the carpenters

But our work is like a flight

We are the mounters,

we are the mounters,

Waving to you

from the highest height

Do not reject my invitation, please,

To walk together to and fro

I wonder how they'll receive

us at the new place?

Without you my love and

handsomeness

The sufferings will undergo!

You, stop tootling!

- Can't you wait another 5 mins?

- No, I can't!

- He'll leave to work soon.

- So let him.

His chief called for him.

Let him concentrate.

I don't care. It's my house,

but not Igor's.

Why do you dislike him so much?

He is an engineer, with a degree.

It beats me why Masha

fell for him at all?

- No one is asking you.

- She should have asked me.

Don't try to be so smart,

judging people.

Out! Into the garden!

You, tootler!

Go!

Pour another bucketful

for me here.

Good. Enough.

How are you planning

to leave?

- What do you mean, Father?

- What do I mean?

You finished the institute,

but you don't heal people.

I can see everything.

You pretend being merry,

but your eyes are sad.

Igor will finish the object,

and we shall leave.

At least they promised him so.

I see. My son-in-law is going

to become a big boss?

I don't know. He was promised

a job at the directorate.

Why aren't you glad then?

He'll be a big man and so on.

What do you want from me, Father?

You are not a stranger to me.

But I can't...

I can't understand you.

Masha, dear!

I'm being late already.

Don't be cross with me.

I'm not making a mistake.

You'll see I'm not.

Or, you and your trumpet.

Be off!

You guys have become

so nervous, you know.

I know I'm head

of the construction site.

But my calendar says: after July,

with no gaps, there begins August.

So I don't have these two days.

Period.

So, when are you going

to weld on all these stairs?

What are you sighing,

like at a resort committee?

- We'll weld them on today.

- Great.

Means tomorrow I'll be

able to get upstairs.

Only if technical specifications

allow your bulk,

then maybe you will.

- How is your schedule, Deryabin?

- Everything's by the schedule.

Getting around to the height?

Don't you dream about office work?

Oh, no, Innokenty. As mounters

say: up there

the air is clear,

and no superiors.

Is it possible to enlarge the lifting

capacity of the cranes?

I'll need to think about it.

What would you say, Tokmakov?

I think it's possible. The crane

allows that.

Listen to Tokmakov, Deryabin.

He's an experienced foreman.

Recklessness is out of place, when

it comes to engineering.

After all, I'll be

the one responsible.

No one exonerates you

from responsibility.

But I...

Dymov speaking.

Comrade Dymov? How do you do?

It's Pasechnik.

Oh, yeah. We look lively

while sinking...

What? At the railway station?

I see.

Why didn't you meet

the workers, Deryabin?

- I passed the wire to maintenance dpt.

- People came to work with you!

- Do you know Nikolai Pasechnik?

- Sure thing.

Take my car and make

it quick to the station.

- So, it's your son?

- Uh-huh.

Looks good.

It beats me how she could

ever abandon such a cute boy.

Well, you know,

it didn't work between

me and her.

Here.

Cheers. Here's to your arrival.

I'm so glad we've met again.

But you've become kinda sad.

Where is she now?

I don't know. They say,

she left abroad.

I see. I've no more questions.

- And your son is with your mother?

- Yes. I miss him.

- And you - did you get married?

- Me?

Oh, no, I'm on the go

all the time.

So, no.

There are so many girls,

but there is no

the one and only.

People part and meet,

- Good bye, days so sweet.

- People part and meet,

Good bye, days so sweet...

Cheers!

Stop! Enough!

Khaenko!

- Khaenko!

- Come on!

Is he a weaknik or what?

John Long the carrier,

that's what he is.

- You at last!

- Hey, hey,

it's not a fire or something!

Tell your guys to hold their tongues.

Some heroes, eh.

Are you a turtle on errands or what?

How are you going to live

and work during communism?

I'm in no hurry. Socialism

is all right with me.

- I'll have you know.

- Well, well...

It's fun as it is.

Hey, lad, have you received

your wages?

- Sure thing.

- Don't forget:

working class status begins

with your first wages spent.

You must buy us drinks today.

Or maybe it's a no-no

- from your mom and dad?

- I'm a self-dependent person!

All right then. Good.

Take a break!

Hey, lad, turn off your primus.

Do you hear me?

Wow, the queen!

The fair of heights!

Let me introduce myself.

Pasechnik.

Katya.

- I read it. You did it by yourself?

- Why asking?

Just asking.

Stay calm.

'tis for you men,

not to forget.

In the evening you kiss, and

in the morning you forget the name.

Katya, wait!

Have you made up

your mind, comrade Petrashen'?

- Leave me alone with your Komsomol.

- Pah!

- Small membership percents, eh?

- Why small per cents?

Komsomol is the union of

responsible youth who are...

And if I'm irresponsible?

Don't you paw me!

I have no mom, hey-hey,

I have no dad, hey-hey...

I grew up in the streets...

What are you doing? It's not

a dancing pool here!

God forbid, God forbid!

Girls, remember this:

A mounter's lips covered with soot,

but still he wants to kiss!

Hey, hero!

- Getting around to the height?

- 'tis no problem!

- Your knees not atremble?

- Of course not! Oh, come on.

A fear of heights

is like sea sickness.

There is no remedy against it.

Oh, my darling saw me home,

on the porch we stood alone

And he kissed me so many times

As there are stars in the skies

Hi!

Konstantin!...

- You want to kill yourself or what?

- Konstantin... I hate jumping,

but 'twas the shortest distance

between two points.

Here you go.

I'll dismiss you from your

foremanship for such jumps.

- Kostya, wait.

- What do you want?

I'd punch you one, if it

were not for people looking.

Get lost!

Well, well...

- Bring some crawfish.

- Very well, sir.

- No.

- But why?

Cheer up, Boris.

Katya, let's have a dance.

Sit down here.

The place isn't reserved.

- Hi.

- Hi.

No need to talk to me,

especially that I'm going

to leave.

- How is life?

- Life's a scolding witch.

It's your own blame. I have

to watch your every step.

Here is another hero. Only

fit to eat ice-cream, but no.

Take care.

- Enough. Let's go home, Boris.

- Konstantin!

Let's go home.

He's taking away our

money-keeper!

And who will pay the bill?

That's not my problem, you know.

And who is going

to pay for all this?

Everyone has left.

Who is going to pay up?

Surely not me.

Here - 92 rubles 40 kopecks.

Here, be my guest.

- Keep the change.

- Thank you.

What would you order,

young man?

We have crawfish.

You live in luxury.

Squandered 100 ducats.

Shall I call for a carriage?

A carriage for the princess!

For your tender feet not

to get wet from evening dew.

I'm used to walk barefoot

since childhood,

- All the kings get mighty surprised.

- Oh, yeah.

The rumor is noised abroad:

a princess walking barefoot.

Accepting no gifts

except port wine.

Take it easy.

And if it becomes raining?

You could present me with

an umbrella. I've never had one.

Umbrella is nothing compared

with what I prepared for you.

For example?

Say, I could present to you

today's evening.

With this rapid river...

And a special kind of net...

For catching stars, you know.

And when the sun rises,

it will be yours, too.

Aren't you funny!

I'm not funny, but

possessing magic powers.

If you want, I can work

a rainstorm for you.

A rainstorm!

There'll be a lightening

in your honor right now.

Hey!

And now - a thunder!

Indeed, the rainstorm

is gathering.

And I need to get to the dorm

across the river.

And I thought you live

with your dad and mom.

No dad and mom. They were

killed during the war.

I'm a complete orphan.

No one to scold me at all.

Good bye.

Good bye.

Katya!

Gave him the brush-off?

You did right!

Wish me to show you

a hocus-pocus?

Would be a shame to let it go.

Since everything

was paid for, eh.

Here you go.

What are you staring? Am I

covered with embroidery or what?

Katya!

Konstantin!

We live in the epoch

of wars and revolutions...

Supposing we do.

It's not funny, Konstantin.

During war you were a platoon

commander. You have medals.

And I didn't take part not

in a single war or revolution!

Ouch, my head is buzzing...

It's not your head,

it's the pole buzzing.

Cheer up, Boris.

You're a mounter, after all.

You must agree, Konstantin,

that mounters,

like scouts during the war,

are clearing the way

for masons, steelfixers,

refractory men.

Please come on in, Konstantin.

Gee, where did you

get loaded?

I'm sorry, but I brought

the hero home.

My first wages.

Working class partying.

Meet our foreman

Konstantin Tokmakov.

- He is a great person.

- Thank you very much.

Masha, take him upstairs. God

forbid your father will hear.

I ain't going with Masha.

I'll go only with Konstantin.

Stop finicking with him.

Let me help you.

Get lost! It's men's

business,

and all peoples of Asia are

looking at us, right, Konstantin?

Of course, they are looking,

looking very attentively,

and you're in such a state.

So, go to bed.

I bet you have kids?

And a good wife?

What a fool...

- I'm sorry. Maybe I said something...

- Maybe.

- I'll be off. Good bye.

- Good bye.

Isn't Masha beautiful, Konstantin?

Yes, she is.

Thank you very much.

A cup of tea maybe?

No, thanks.

- Good bye.

- Boris tells the world about you.

When I think about those

heights, my feet get numb.

- Good bye.

- Good bye.

- Good bye, Konstantin.

- Good bye.

I would like to visit

that height of yours.

For this you should turn to Igor.

I asked him to, but he is busy

all the time.

- But I'll come to the site.

- You're welcome to.

- Is Masha home?

- Yes.

- And Boris? Call him for supper.

- He came from a meeting

and was feeling unwell.

He is asleep.

- What's this?

- Dad!

Salute from the working class!

We were partying on my first wages!

- Some proletariat!

- There is no proletariat,

because there is no

surplus value!

Remember what Karl Marx

and Engels said?

- Come with me.

- Where?

Dad, what the...

But Dad...

Take that from Karl Marx

and from Engels,

and from me,

though I'm not a communist!

Vestige of the past!

- You don't value your life?

- Thank you very much.

Don't gape here, or a bolt

will drop into your mouth.

Where is the steel construction

office here?

Let me show you the way.

Why are you looking at the sky?

My brother works here.

Maybe you know him?

Boris Berestov.

- Yeah, I know him.

- Really?

He is trying to entice me

into the Komsomol.

Gee, you're so beautiful!

Like an actress.

Let's go.

And the dress is cute, too.

Wait. I forgot.

Boris is in the canteen.

My husband works there.

Deryabin.

- Deryabin?

- Are you surprised?

You'll find the way by yourself.

Take care of your dress.

- Katya!

- Coming!

Come on in, please.

Good afternoon.

- Sorry for interrupting.

- No, you're welcome.

What are you gaping?

- And where is Igor?

- At the meeting.

Here you go.

Do you remember, Konstantin:

you promised to take me

to the very top?

I didn't promise exactly...

Very well then.

Since it's a dinner break...

Let's go.

Let me climb in front of you.

Girls work in trousers here,

by the way.

Don't fear.

Can we get higher?

No. Only mounters

get that high.

- Are you scared?

- No.

- It's very beautiful.

- I think it's beautiful, too.

You know, beauty can be

quiet and serene:

a glade... white birch trees.

But this beauty is of a special kind:

it was created by Man.

Give me your hand.

Fear not.

Just imagine: coal will arrive

from Kuzbass, ore - from Krivoi Rog.

For millions of years deposits

were hidden in the earth,

and now they'll all meet

in the furnace to give birth to metal!

I saw the process of melting

as a child. My dad showed it to me.

- Your dad is a blast furnaceman?

- Yes.

Want to see your house?

To the left of the dam.

Can you see it?

Yes. See that green roof

behind the pump-house?

- It's the town hospital.

- You work there?

Not yet. But I'm going to.

You have a beautiful garden.

No matter how high I was,

I could never see my house.

You'll stop this nomadic life

and will return home one day.

Even if they send me to the Moon,

I won't see my house from there.

My home

doesn't exist on this planet.

Home is not four walls

with a ceiling...

You are right.

So, the night, the fog, and

a crocodile, see?

- Deryabin is here.

- Hi.

- Hi.

- Hi. And where is Tokmakov?

He is on the top. With a damsel.

- What?

- I feel dizzy, my feet trembling...

Don't look down.

Hold onto me, hold onto me.

Read some poetry...

And lo! - walking uphill so slowly

A horsie - it's driving

a cartful of brush...

How did you get here? Why

letting strangers on the top?

It's time to begin the lifting.

Water forecast is bad.

It's rather windy on the top.

What do you suggest?

Let the grass grow under our feet?

It can't be helped.

We should wait.

Sorry.

We'll need to take care

of the ropes.

At Dymov's meetings you were

such a hero, eh.

Today, by the way, is the 29th.

Unfortunately, weather

cares not for calendars.

- Hi.

- Hi.

You want to leave everybody

without a bonus, Tokmakov?

A bonus sounds fine.

But the weather is bad.

The wind can cause

ricochets, you know.

I can make allowances

for them. But you, Tokmakov,

should show more braveness.

And braveness is not jumping

around the ladders like a squirrel.

- Begin the lifting immediately.

- Right.

- I suggest we wait out.

- What's our word against the boss's.

- Is that his wife?

- Good damsel, eh?

Stop this.

To your places, everybody.

Lift it! Nice and easy!

Nice and easy, guys. Good.

- Okay...

- Come on, come...

The wife of chief

of the building department

walking around the site,

hand in hand with the taskmaster...

Hello? He is not here.

Could have chosen some

other place for promenades.

I longed to visit the site,

so that's why I came.

A blast furnace is no

attraction park, you know.

Didn't it occur to you it might

be interesting for me to see.

Damn, what are they doing there?

Masha, go home!

Comrade Tokmakov,

- lift it down, stop it!

- No - don't interrupt!

- Easy!

- Careful. Hold it.

- Hold it fast!

- I'm holding it!

Igor, what will happen now?

- Masha, you should better leave.

- What?

- Go, go, Masha dear.

- But, Igor...

Can't you see?..

Lift it down! Stop raising it!

- No - the ropes will break.

- Stop lifting it!

Vasya, give me the belt,

I left mine on the ground.

You think they reserved

a place in heaven for me?

- Take mine.

- Watch out, lest the wind sweep you down.

That was cool!

- Thanks for the belt, pal.

- You are welcome.

- My heart was nearly torn.

- Got scared, princess?

Her heart nearly got torn, eh.

A chain as strong

as its weakest link.

Yearning for an apple someone

else took a bite from?

You can have it -

I don't need it any longer.

You're lying!

Kolya, he is lying!

What? I'm lying?

Don't listen to her.

She'll tell you heaps of lies.

Hold it.

Apologize before the lady,

you pig!

What?

- Apologize.

- Get lost.

You, bastard, apologize!

What are you doing?

It was a joke!

Kolya!

It's not a wind -

it's a hurricane!

So, and Tokmakov

was at a loss what to do.

I can't leave the site

even for a minute!

Hardly have I stepped away,

and there you are!

Hey, Tokmakov!

What the hell happened here?

We managed without an accident.

One foreman saved the situation.

I'm sure it was Nikola Pasechnik.

How dared you to put his life at risk?

Didn't you know about

the weather forecast?

I knew it all right.

So who the hell ordered

to do the lifting in such a weather?

I'm asking you - who

issued an order to do the lifting?

- It seems it was me.

- You think victors are not judged?

As a mounter, you should know

that it's a touch-and-go up there.

To be brave at someone else's

expense is cowardice.

- Your cap, Konstantin.

- Thank you.

May I come in?

Who is there?

And I thought

you wouldn't come. Hi.

Hi.

You look so worldly tonight.

- Here you go.

- What's this?

It's on account of my

forthcoming bonus.

- Oh, thank you.

- By the way,

audience is not admitted

in the circus after the third bell.

- What?

- The animals will grumble,

and the driver, too.

- A taxi?

- Can you hear this ticking?

- Just a mo. Turn away!

- Okay.

Observe traffic rules! Don't jump

from the moving transport!

- Is it your gimcrackery?

- Why asking?

What a pleasant-looking

young man.

Observe traffic rules...

Is he your relative or what?

- Hard recollections.

- Don't outreach yourself.

Okay, okay.

Sharp eyes, oh my sharp eyes,

you shine nevermore

I cried out my eyes

during nights without sleep

I cried out my eyes

during nights without sleep

- From what movie is this?

- It's a romance. Lyrics by Denis Davydov.

From 'Meeting on the Elbe'?

With Davydov a film star?

A film star? Davydov was a historical

personality. Pushkin's friend.

A hussar.

He fought with Napoleon in 1812.

I'm ready.

- A traffic light!

- What?

I say, would do somewhere

in South America.

What?

I mean, nature is

multi-colored there -

palms, zebras, kangaroos...

Get out of here!

- Get out of here!

- I was kidding!

Skedaddle out of here,

you darned academician.

- But I...

- Get a wife and laugh at her,

- telling her about zebras!

- Okay, I'll leave.

Good bye.

Leave this very moment!

I'll leave, not to cause

the fury of the masses.

Observe traffic rules!

Don't jump

from the moving transport!

I don't care.

24 days left before

the launch of the blast furnace

I have never lived in

a climate like this, you know.

Now it's raining, and then

it's hot weather.

What do you have against

hot weather?

Hot weather is a real bliss.

To hell with work like this.

Why are we stuck inside

this pipe at all?

Taking shifts, sitting here

like wet mice!

The rain will stop, beams will

dry out, and then we can weld.

Who is there?

- Wipe your feet.

- How is the weather forecast?

Low clouds,

intermittent rains.

I've learned this darned

forecast by heart already.

What do we do, Konstantin?

- Our schedule has got wet.

- Now we can only

do welding under canopy,

enlarging the construction.

But how to lift all this? The crane

may fall upside down.

And what if we fix it

with ropes, from four sides?

- With ropes?

- Yes.

From four sides?

Just a slight misalignment,

and everything will crash to hell.

But it's an interesting idea.

We'll save 4-5 days.

And we'll catch up

with the schedule, too.

The schedule...

Even if we launch the furnace

a week later, what's the problem?

Because theory says: all

roads lead to communism.

It will be cool life - to everyone

according to his needs.

That would be great!

You have no end of needs,

but absolutely no talent.

Why so?

And why should I hang around

inside this pipe?

I don't feel such a need at all.

Be it socialism or communism,

it all boils down for me to:

pay up the dough. Bye.

When the rain is over, let them

pick me up in a car,

- in accordance with the deal.

- Good riddance.

Leave the belt. And don't

you show up here again.

And you are what -

the staff department?

We are not the department,

but we are that very staff.

Pick up the flag.

- Pick it up, I said.

- Piss off.

Very well.

Did you see that?

What on earth is going on,

comrade Tokmakov?

- What?

- The foreman punched me in the face,

me - a working class!

Did you see that?

Sorry. I didn't see anything.

I wonder...

It looks like the lifting project

was designed by a real professional.

- In fact, it was not my idea.

- I know. But it's very practical.

It will save about six days for us.

Which means 9 thousand tons

of metal produced!

Nine million kilograms!

Good, very good.

This darned weather.

In case of an accident we shall

bury the entire schedule.

- Who will answer for this?

- I will,

Pasechnik, Besfamilny

and Mikhail Karpukhin.

Only chiefs

will be held responsible.

And the working class

should sit and wait

for their leaders to create?

Wait, Mayakovsky has nothing

to do with all this.

I think I know what we should do.

I have no right to permit

you this lifting operation.

But nor will I forbid you

to do this.

- Tea? Great.

- Hi.

- Hi.

- Masha, go. We'll manage.

So, I won't be in your way.

I don't know anything.

I am being summoned

to the directorate.

On the sixth,

the seventh and the eighth

I will be away.

So - go ahead and do this.

Forecast bureau?

It's site number one.

Okay. No rains during the night

of the 8th...

Small wind or none at all.

In the morning there

may be a rain...

- Thank you.

- We'll make it by the morning.

- Let's begin at the dawn.

- Okay.

- Deryabin is coming back today.

- So what?

He'll cook your goose for this.

The construction is ready.

We can't give it up.

It's heads.

I'm so glad you came

to meet me.

Shucks. By the way, how is

everything at the site?

Boris took the night shift. There

will be some special lifting operation.

Today?

Why today? They had to do

everything yesterday!

I don't know, Igor.

- Let's go home.

- Home?

But they must be waiting

for you there.

Oh, really?

Yes, you're right.

Let's go to the site.

- Look, what a sockdolager!

- I'm glad I've come.

You show too much interest

in my affairs.

- But I have none of my own.

- You just feel bored in this hole.

- You think so?

- I'm sure of this, Masha.

Never mind.

We'll leave this place soon.

Hi there!

- How is everything?

- Seems all right.

Looks great! 'tis a shame we didn't

mount the flag.

- Give me the banner.

- What?

Give me the flag.

Enough.

Hey, can you feel this smell?

- No. Why?

- It's the smell of bonus payment.

- And here is the promised rain.

- We did our job. Let's go.

My heartfelt congratulations.

Keep sitting. A brave project,

performed excellently.

Kolya, let's go!

You go, I'll catch up.

- Where are you climbing?

- I'll be back in a mo.

- The beams are slippery!

- It's nothing!

Guys! Help!

The foreman killed himself!

Masha!

Masha!

Hi.

Hello? Dispatcher!

It's Deryabin speaking.

Notwithstanding my prohibition,

Tokmakov began the lifting

operation fraught with a tragedy.

Yes, report...

Report about this to Dymov.

Do no reject my invitation, please

To walk together to and fro

Without you my love

and prettiness

The sufferings will undergo!

Our curls were ruffled

by the winds of high...

The floating clouds

kissed us and said hi...

What's up?

- Hi.

- Hi.

- What happened?

- Some mounter killed himself.

He fell from the very top.

Kolya?

Kolya!

Kolya!

- Hi.

- Hi. Can we ask you about something?

Tell us, Doctor. Will he be able

to return to his profession?

Return to his profession?

I can't say...

One can't be sure.

- And what is his profession?

- He is a mounter. A rigger.

A mounter?.. It's like...?

Yes.

You should bring his family.

He has no family.

He's an orphan.

His condition is critical.

Let's go, Katya.

I'm not going anywhere.

I'll stay here.

Strangers are not allowed here.

All right, I'll spend the night

in the courtyard.

And who are you?

I mean... to this...

I'm...

I'm nobody to him.

But I love him.

What?

Aha...

Katya...

What are you doing here?

Why did you come?

I just...

I came to visit you.

Observe traffic rules...

Don't jump from

the moving transport...

Kolya dear...

Oh, come, come.

Simulation leads to health...

My biography is over.

Don't talk like this.

The nurse will give me

a permanent pass.

I will visit you every evening,

after work.

Don't come.

You'll pity me?

- Don't.

- I'll come all the same.

And I promised to myself

to quit smoking.

I can't understand this absurd

friendship between you and that girl.

And why is she staying

in our house?

Be quiet. She lives through

a tragedy because of Pasechnik.

She was by his bedside

all night.

- She is not his wife or something.

- His wife?

She is more than his wife.

She loves him.

She won't grieve for long.

She'll find other men to console her.

How dare you say things

like this!

Don't be so romantic, Masha.

Katya is not a Juliet.

- You live in an imagined world.

- I lived, to be more exact.

I don't like that you're mingling

with all these people.

And I don't like your mode of life.

- Where are you going?

- Back to the dorm.

- I don't want to disturb you.

- You are not going anywhere.

Lie down.

- Eat.

- No, thank you, I...

Do it.

How did they let you

into his ward?

I told them I'm his wife.

Though, he is sending me away.

He says: "Why should you

need me the way I'm now."

But I know he's saying this

out of pride.

But I will have it my way

all the same.

Because he needs me now

very much.

Well...

If later he will turn away from me,

all my tears will be my tears.

Lie down.

You're such a happy girl.

I've never loved so much...

Masha, maybe I should join

the Komsomol?

Because Kolya is a communist.

Talk to Boris, because

I'm ashamed to approach him.

You have such a lovely dress.

And all my dresses are

only good for South America.

Will you give me some

books to read?

Say, about Denis Davydov.

He was a partisan, only not

during the recent Patriotic War.

He was a hussar,

Pushkin's friend.

Sharp eyes, or my sharp eyes,

you shine nevermore

I cried out my eyes

during nights without sleep

- Wow.

- I took it from a photographer.

And I colored the flag.

Looks beautiful.

The construction is almost over,

and I'm still here,

critically healthy...

Wearing hospital pajamas.

And then the guys will leave.

I say, Kolya,

I submitted an application

to join the Komsomol.

So, they'll summon you asking:

'What good did you commit

in your life?"

What good? I didn't

commit any good.

Also I have such

a short biography.

My dad was a forester,

and then he was killed

at the war.

I and my mom lived

with our relatives,

on the outskirts of the town.

Then the Germans entered the town,

but my uncle refused

to leave his house.

So my mom argued with him.

Then we ran to the railway station.

Everything was in havoc there...

A real havoc...

The frost, a snowstorm...

German cannonade...

It was so frightening...

Explosions growing higher

and higher like huge black trees...

We rushed towards the train.

But it was on fire.

Everything was on fire...

Then I lost my mom.

I was calling for her:

Mommy!..

Mommy!..

You didn't listen to me.

You aren't interested.

Oh, come on.

Your story aroused my own

recollections...

My family died at the railway

station, too.

The plant was being

evacuated...

It seems, you and I...

Don't you imagine

I'm hanging on you.

I just want you to recover.

Lean closer, princess.

- What?

- Lean closer, I said.

When the Soviet Army

liberated the town,

I was sent to an orphanage.

Then I finished vocational school

and then I came to this

construction site.

So, now I work here.

And I have no more biography

except that.

Do you have any questions

to comrade Petrashen'?

- What about smoking?

- I quit smoking.

At last. Because, you know...

Not even all men mounters smoke.

- I want to add something.

- Go ahead.

When I worked

at vocational school,

I sold my lingerie

to buy peep-toes

and a bed sheet...

And on the rest of the money

we went to cinema

- and bought some ice-cream.

- It's not so important.

That ice-cream has melted

a long time ago.

No, it is important.

Maybe it is the biggest

spot in my biography.

I have a question about her

moral image

in connection with Kolya Pasechnik.

- She is his bride.

- What?

She is his bride?

I beg your darned pardon.

Don't make me laugh.

- Don't interrupt our meeting.

- Oh, come on.

What do you know about

the fight of colonized people?

I know about India

and other countries as well.

They were being exploited,

but now they want to live normally!

Beware, world capitalism!

Katya herself is attacking!

Yes I am!

We can't rely on you, can you?

- Come in.

- May I?

Come on in.

- I'm busy, comrades.

- The chief is busy.

- What do you want?

- I came about piecework payment.

Comrade Tokmakov is

oppressing the working class.

I work in the sweat of my brow,

but he puts it under suspicion.

- Give me your work sheet.

- I work like a horse,

- and no lying tricks.

- Okay, okay.

Did you take part

in the lifting operation?

I surely was.

How can you explain

that accident?

- The accident?

- Yes.

Well, that Pasechnik, he...

I'm interested in the role

of Tokmakov.

Ah, Tokmakov...

Well, you know...

It's obvious that...

So, in your opinion, Pasechnik

fell down because

safety rules were broken

on the site?

- Sure thing.

- And many professional workers

like you, for example, were

against the lifting operation?

But Tokmakov

wouldn't even listen to us.

- Sit down.

- Even you he holds cheap.

- Sign this.

- You mean, my evidence?

Oh, come on...

I see.

You know, with good attitude

towards me,

we can come to an understanding.

Thank you.

Hi, guys. Came to see

your foreman?

- Yes.

- Good for you. I'll be quick.

Masha, wait for me here.

I'll be back in a minute.

- Igor!

- Ah, of course.

- How do you do.

- Hi.

Love and concord!

Hi. Good for you.

Treat yourself.

I'm glad you're recovering.

Just came to see

how you're doing.

Also we need to talk.

I have no secrets from

this young lady.

Oh, really?

Very well then.

I'll be straightforward.

People are the most

precious capital, you know.

And the one putting people's

life at risk

for self-promotion,

should answer for this.

You nearly died, but Tokmakov

was granted a citation.

- We can't hush up this matter.

- Oh, yeah.

This is what I think.

Many guys from your team

gave evidence - like, say, Khaenko.

Khaenko? A righteous person.

Just put your signature here.

Just in case, you are an experienced

and talented professional...

Oh, yeah.

Katya, step out.

I said, leave the room.

We need to have

a man-to-man talk.

So, you want me to put

my signature...

Get out of here,

or else I'll plaster you up.

Gathering compromising material?

You want to tell on my friends

using my own blood?

Why aren't you waiting

for me in the car?

- Hi, guys.

- Hi.

Give me my coat.

- Katya, what happened?

- Give it to your hubby,

and may he choke

on these chocolates.

Let's put the bed here,

because he can't walk yet,

so let him admire the world

from the height.

How kind of you to have

ceded this room.

I don't know, really. What

if Kolya will be mad at me?

I'll ventilate it with Kolya.

- And I'll take his place in the dorm.

- Thank you, Konstantin.

- Thank you very much.

- Okay, do up the room.

It's all full of bachelor dust.

- Come in.

- May I?..

Masha? You?

- Hi.

- Hi.

I need to talk to you.

Please, be seated.

- Are you leaving?

- No. Moving to the dorm.

Your son?

He looks like you.

Tell me, Konstantin,

what happened between you

and my husband?

I prefer it to remain

- only between me and him.

- No. I should know.

Try to understand:

I feel ashamed for him

and for myself.

Did Igor do something wrong?

Go and ask him.

Try to understand, too,

that it's difficult for me

to discuss this with you.

With me in particular?

Yes, with you.

It seems to be all.

Time to say goodbye to each other.

You're being promoted

to a big post.

But, honestly speaking,

comrade Deryabin,

I have no words of congratulation

for you, see?

- It repels me.

- Well, Innokenty,

sympathy can't be forced.

It's up to you, you know.

I don't feel like congratulating you,

and that's all.

Why did you send that panicky

wire to Dymov?

- Startling the whole directorate.

- Tokmakov's self-will...

Tokmakov's self-will

saved us fived days.

But, Innokenty, you have my

report and Khaenko's evidence.

As for Pasechnik,

he is too weak to be involved,

but I will prove...

You remember the physical law

of unstable balance?

It's when the gravity centre

is above the point of bearing?

Exactly. You are intending

to live your life in such a position.

When someone takes a post

he has not deserved,

he is always balancing

on the edge and lying.

But no one can annul the rule

of unstable balance,

- not even Dymov.

- I couldn't even imagine

you'll react to my promotion

with such chagrin.

I even wish I didn't come

to say good bye to you.

So many questions in our resumes,

necessary ones,

but mostly - unnecessary.

While there should be quite

a plain margin to be filled in:

'an earnest person',

or 'not earnest'.

'Delete as appropriate'.

Luckily, our fates are decided

not by Pasechnik or Tokmakov,

and not even by Dymov,

but by someone a lot higher.

Your chiefs can't decide my fate,

either.

What do you mean?

I'll stay here. I begin my work

starting from Tuesday.

Again?

Masha, you are a clever woman.

Can't you understand? -

You'll feel terribly bored

in this hole.

Damn...

Why do you keep silent?

You want me to refuse

from this post

and stay in this back

of beyond for ever?

I know what's on your mind.

The construction will be over,

and everyone will go away.

You will be lonely, Masha.

Very well then.

I'm leaving.

All this is just a figment

of your imagination.

It will pass.

Wait for my telegram.

And remember, Masha dear:

I love you so much...

So, you are leaving?

Yes, as you can see.

Masha!

What is this flag for?

Is it some holiday or what?

For us it's a holiday.

Tomorrow we'll launch the furnace.

I will receive the first

portion of cast iron.

And that's why you climbed

on this ladder?

For the sake of the red flag,

people climb even higher.

If someone is taking

his leave - we won't keep them.

- Time to say good bye.

- Bye-bye.

- As simple as that.

- Yes, as simple as that.

Are you asleep, princess?

Do you hear me?

Yes.

So, you evicted Kostya?

No. Believe me, 'twas him

who offered the room to us.

It's funny. Someone else's

happiness living in his room.

Maybe he'll be happy, too.

You know, I really love you.

I used to say all kind of words

to other girls,

but of this very word

I was afraid.

You're the first one

to whom I'm saying it.

Why are you crying, you silly?

I'm not crying.

The tears just running

by themselves.

You know, Kolya,

I feel so strange...

Usually I am a rough girl,

doing everything out of spite.

But you - I will obey...

Oh, you're kissing my hands...

Don't.

Time for you to get up.

No. I'm not going anywhere.

You can't go, so I'll stay with you.

Oh, come on. It's your

first project finished.

Such a big day. I'll listen to it

on the radio. Go.

Baby, all your cosmetics

put aside

Just look

how boys and girls so beautiful

Today are conquering the height...

Kolya!

Salute to the 'holy family'!

- Join us.

- Kolya, where is your better half?

By the way, I love this scarf.

Do wear it.

Don't walk around the room

too much. I'll be back soon.

Okay?

Great, Kolya. Goodbye

to your free life...

Don't walk around the room!

Stay in bed!

Katya!

Let's dance, for old days' sake.

'cause your husband is

a poor dancer now, eh.

Borya, let’s go.

Hey, guys, what's going on?

Comrades! I proclaim the meeting

dedicated to the launching

of the blast furnace, open!

We are building,

and we will go on building,

because we are communist

builders

from the very day of our birth!

Because creative spirit

is in our blood, comrades!

Another blast furnace

is rising in front of us

as a beautiful trace of what

was a part of our life.

Its new masters today will

be not us, the builders,

but metallurgists...

- Stop!

- What do you want?

- Give me a lift to the furnace site.

- Hold on.

...now general foreman

Berestov will give a signal

to produce the first metal...

- Bye, Zhenya.

- Take care.

- Bye, Mikhail!

- Do come soon.

Volodya!

- Good bye.

- Good luck to you.

- Bye, Valya.

- See you soon.

Take care.

Good bye, Bagrat.

We'll be waiting for you, Kolya.

So, it's time to say good bye.

- Good bye.

- Good luck to you.

Keep an eye on Boris,

Konstantin.

I was waiting for you, Masha,

waiting eagerly. I wanted to tell

you so much. But it's too late.

We are practically strangers

to each other,

but it's as if I'm seeing

off someone so close to me.

Masha...

Do write me how everything

will work out.

It's very important for me.

I will be waiting.

I will write to you very, very often.

Good bye, Konstantin.

- Bye, Kolya. Take care.

- Good bye.

Kostya, I'll be waiting

when you call for me.

I'm nothing without the height,

you know this, don't you.

Do you hear me, Kostya?

We will build such great objects -

they will look down at us

from the Mars, marveling!

Translated by Svetlana Chulkova