Professor Dowell's testament

LENFILM

Second Artistic Association

PROFESSOR DOWELL'S TESTAMENT

Based on the novel by A. Belyaev "Professor Dowell's Head"

Screenplay by L. MENAKER, I. VINOGRADSKY

Directed by Leonid MENAKER

Director of Photography Vladimir KOVZEL

Production Designer Yuri PUGACH

Music by Sergei BONEVICH Sound by Oksana STRUGINA

Starring:

Olgert KRODERS as Dowell Igor Vassiliev as Korn

Valentina TITOVA as Laurent

Natalya Saiko as Angelica, Monica, Eve

With:

A. BOBROV as Arthur N. LAVROV as Baxter

A. POROKHOVSCHIKOV as Gould E. ROMANOV as Richardson

B. TSIMBA as Willie

Concentrate!

This new solution is producing structural transformations.

I repeat. Structural transformations.

We need to find the exact formula for the solution.

The exact formula.

The cause of the problem!

I continue to work with the brain.

The moment of death is persistently coming back.

My stumbling block is being able to control the psyche.

- Good morning, Marie. - Good morning.

- The monkey's blood pressure's up. - It's the weather.

- Have you seen him today? - Not yet.

Laurent...

You know, there's no money left. We'll have to do it.

It's stifling in here.

Must be unbearable at noon.

- Any news? - The instructions are clear, Gould.

Dowell's work interests the people at the top.

Did you find out anything about that doctor?

He was a surgeon in a provincial clinic.

Dowell had broken a bone or something, and he fixed it.

Dowell said that Korn is an incredibly gifted surgeon.

They worked together for three years.

"Professor Dowell's Memorial Day". How pretentious!

I'm a friend.

- Your invitation? - What? I said I was a friend.

Wait a second.

Arthur! Yes, it is Arthur!

You made it at last.

- I am so glad to see you! - I've been waiting for you.

Such a tragedy. It's awful...

They've gotten pretty strict here.

- Hasn't changed that much. - It's as if he were still here.

I never knew you were capable of crying.

Yes, Laurent has no tears.

You resemble your father a lot, Arthur.

How did it happen?

Your father had been working day and night for quite a while.

His brain was working well, as he said.

One day, he drove away at dawn.

He used to relax while driving.

The car skidded during a rainstorm.

Where did it happen?

On the North Road, close to Big Canyon.

I didn't know where to find you.

I was hoping you'd read about it and come.

Where I was, civilization exists, but only in the form of napalm.

I guess you never got married?

No, I devoted my life to him, and I don't regret it.

He ruined my mother's life, too.

Sorry, but she never understood him.

No, of course not, Professor Dowell! The great Dowell!

The pure fundamental science for the happiness of humanity.

But one day those noble ideas are appropriated by people in uniform.

Then it's strontium in the bones, children born with two heads.

I have seen all that.

How is your film going?

It's ready, but they're not too willing to show it.

Your father never got over your leaving. He was a very honest man.

Sure. Another honest professor

never thought his work would lead to an atomic bomb.

This way, please.

Just before his death the professor thought

his work had reached an impasse.

I have succeeded in overcoming it and continued the work he started.

This way, please.

Lilly is the most precious member of our collection.

For 32 days her head has been living on another monkey's body.

How do you deal with organ rejection?

We have developed a serum

which is given to the recipient and to the donor.

That is one of the aspects of our research.

The uniting of electronic and biological elements

opens up enormous horizons for us.

Tell me, could one perform the same experiment

on the human brain?

Oh... in principle, yes.

And what do you think of the moral aspects of such experiments?

Moral problems that arise when any breakthrough is made

have no direct relation to science.

That was your father's thesis.

Welcome home, Arthur.

- Who is that? - Dowell's son.

We are here today to pay tribute to the late Professor Dowell.

May these few remaining images of him remind us all

of the greatness of the man.

This is the one and only interview with the professor.

God was our first surgeon.

Yes, of course.

He took one of Adam's ribs and created Eve.

If we succeed in overcoming the barrier of rejection of tissues,

we will be able to create any biological constructions

and thus do what only God could afford to.

"Both my life and my death belong to science".

The professor said that

just a few days before his tragic death.

We're having a hard time, as you can imagine.

I feel however that those who admired the late professor

will help us to complete his work.

The man's not as provincial as I thought.

Thank you.

Yes, yes...

What was your impression?

Professor Richardson, Doctor Gould.

We're impressed by what we saw. What about exchanging information?

Thank you, but I'm more interested in financial problems.

We represent the chemical concern "Mercury".

We're at your service any time.

- How long do you plan to stay? - Not long. Leaving tomorrow.

That's a shame.

I hope you realize, Arthur, that all of this belongs to you.

I only inherited his work and debts.

I've got no designs, Doctor.

- Arthur. - Willie.

- Come over here. - Let's say goodbye.

I've got to tell you this.

The night the professor was killed, he was with the doctor.

No, you must be wrong.

I was on duty. At about three o'clock the doctor called

about a cage I hadn't shut. I ran to check, everything was closed.

When I came back I saw the professor's car drive off.

- The doctor was driving. - Wait, what about my father?

Your father was next to him, but he was sitting kinda weird.

His hat way down. Like that.

This is a fine instrument.

- What's wrong with the car? - It's nothing. The plugs.

Shall we go on?

- No. It's so nice here. - Cool.

The professor was a marvelous shot. He gave me some lessons.

Like a drink? Cognac, whisky? What do they drink overseas?

Which sea do you mean? We're active in all five continents.

Six.

They've found traces of our chemicals in Antarctic penguins.

There's still outer space.

We've covered it too. Mercury's cosmic fuel.

Doctor, the research sector of our company is making you an offer.

An unlimited credit, the state-of-the-art equipment.

You're letting us into your kitchen, and we cook the soup together.

Imagine the possibilities of your serum when it's mass produced.

I'd never thought of that.

"Mercury" markets immortality! The scale! The scope!

You're wasting your time playing around the chimps.

Your serum can create humans.

Those who obey orders without asking questions.

Damn you. We're not on the shooting range.

Thank you, I appreciate it, but I can't accept your offer.

I think I'll go on working with my monkeys.

What about your debts, the unpaid bills?

We'll demand payment, and everything here will be ours.

We'd better come to an agreement. You're being valued.

- May I think it over? - Two days, Doctor.

Two days.

Hey, what are you looking for?

Arthur?

Arthur, it's me, Baxter!

The car was thrown off the highway like from a catapult.

Wet highway and high speed.

Fifty miles an hour was the most that my father ever drove.

And he didn't smoke.

- R.K. - Robert Korn.

Remember when we were kids and played detective.

I ended up one.

I'm afraid we'll have to play that game again.

- How are you, old man? - Hi. When did you come back?

Yesterday. Waiting for a scoop?

I'm like an astronomer, I follow the stars.

We're after Her Highness Angelica Guy.

Angelica's here?

Just passing through. She was filming in some jungles.

No interviews.

Angelica, please, a short statement for our magazine.

I said, no interviews.

Please, no interviews.

A few words about your latest picture, please.

- It's good to see you. - Same here.

- How are you? - Fine.

I've read about your father's death. It's terrible.

Excuse me. Please.

I'm late as usual.

Just one question. It won't take a minute.

Please.

What's imperative is the freshness of the material. The time factor.

I get the picture, Doctor. You're a body snatcher.