Peasants (Крестьяне)

To comrade Kirov

The Peasants

Script - M. Bolshintsov, V. Portnov, F. Ermler

Director - F. Ermler

Cinematography - A. Gintsburg Sound - I. Dmitriev

Production design - N. Suvorov assistant designer - V. Semenov

Music Composer - V. Pushkov Conductor - N. Rabinovitch

Assistant directors - V. Portnov, N. K. Erstens, S. Hershtenzang, M. Chernova

Characters cast:

Volod'ka - V. Sladkopevtzev Pet'ka - P. Aleynikov

Lenfilm, Leningrad film factory

How are they, wife?

Fine, comrade cattle breeder,

farrowing.

Gerasim Platonovich...

- If you don't come at once ... - What is it?

- They want to sell a half of the herd. - Sell?

- Yes. And you are keeping a man from his work. - What? Sell?

There's not enough fodder, so they want to sell them.

So they've decided at last.

What vermin!

I'll give them a good dressing-down.

Vermin... vermin...

Your sister is so hot-tempered.

Hot, hot.

Give us some advise, Gerasim Platonovich.

- It's such a pity about the pigs. - I pity you more.

- Why? - Why...

You've staked everything on the pigs: bread, money...

...your soul!

I thought that by autumn...

...everybody would have such an animal in his stable.

And now...

...such goods - falling into strange hands.

What would you be getting in autumn, in labour-days?

What are we to do?

- You must hold on to your fortune. - How...?

Mashka!

Masha, huh, Masha.

They want to sell you.

Here is your hrrr-hrrr.

Come on!

Oh, damn, what a muzzle.

Want to come to my place?

My izba is new.

My wife, Nyushka, she's ...

It's even hard to breath for you here.

Such goods - falling into strange hands.

By what right?

We haven't slept at nights breeding them, raising them.

And you are going to sell?

No fodder, you understand? Nothing!

Where could I get fodder for such a big herd?

All the fields are under new seed.

The girl talks sense.

Why didn't you think of that before?

Why is there not enough fodder?

always calculating, planning wearing your asses off...

...and now no fodder for cattle.

You vermin ought to go to jail, not sit in the council.

Damned kulaks!

Sell the pigs! Sell them to hell!

Sell yourself to hell, you grizzled devil.

Party members like you ought to be displayed in a freak show

I...

Sell them all, to the last one.

- If we don't sell, they'll all die. - Go aside, you goat! - goat yourself, I'm not talking to you anymore

Why did it turned out like that?

Who's fault was it?

The devil himself wouldn't inquire into it.

So it turns out that I am the only one guilty in everything?

- But I know two more guilty ones. - Speak up, speak...

The party, and Soviet power.

It was them who ordered us to breed the pigs for our happiness.

right... right...

Right?

Then why did we pig farmers become shockworkers?

never getting enough sleep, looking into the pigs' eyes like men condemned.

And the village council wasn't able to organize a better plan?

So it turns out that we have bred the pigs.

But we haven't been able to store enough fodder, because we don't have enough land.

And now these pedigree pigs that were fed with our own bread...

...tended by the sweat of our brows, must be given away to strangers?

And everybody is right.

I am the only one guilty.

Thank you.

Thank you, comrade Matveev.

Thank you ...

...citizens.

Don't take offense, kind man.

It is not about you.

We need to go to the political department, to Nikolay Mironovich.

Right.

Matveev! Matveev!

Let me pass, move away.

It's better to give the pigs to our own people, distribute them among the household steads

than to give them away to strangers...

in exchange for labourdays.

- Even the sow? - Yes.

Are you stupid?

What's so special?

To give out collective property?

I'm no more stupid than you.

There's nobody more stupid than you.

And you are ....

What? Today it's the sow - to be distributed among steads

tomorrow - the tractor among households?

You can't trump a tractor with a boar!

Can't trump it? Do you hear what he's saying?

Volod'ka, for the last time I tell you ...

Spit in his beard! Spit!

Look at yourself! Who are you?

And you are no better!

... and after long debates...

the village council decided to spread half of the collective herd between steads.

It seems they are slaughtering piebald Dun'ka.

This way they could slaughter them all.

And we'll be guilty.

I wish Nikolay Mironovich would come back sooner.

That's exactly it, they plan to slaughter them before his coming.

They know, when he comes back he'll make them return the pigs.

Stop it.

A muzhik...

...will always be a muzhik.

When Nikolay Mironovich comes...

...he will go to the pigsty and see the empty stalls.

Bad things will happen then.

Innocents will suffer.

You and me could lose our happiness because of the foolishness of others.

What are we to do?

Buy a pig on the market, and put it in a stall.

You are so very intelligent, but you're a fool.

Go on playing.

I've thought it out!

I've been thinking, thinking and I've thought it out.

I've been thinking, I've been thinking.

Stop it, Varya! Little Varya.

You stupid woman.

Don't be afraid of it.

If you leave Mashka at your place, then you've reason to be afraid.

You got it?

Drive her out.

Drive, drive.

Come on, you cursed one. Come on.

Come on, I told you.

Shoo!

You don't understand.

Nikolay Mironovich is on the way.

Those who will not return the pigs he will...

Stupid.

You'd better bow low to me for saving you from troubles.

So if everything is so simple as you said it is...

Return the pigs and...

Kostya! What are you doing!

Kostya!

Varya, don't poke your nose into other people's affairs.

Wait, you grey devil, what are you doing?

- Are you stupid? - Get off, I'll kill you!

What is going on here with Kostya!

You've eaten too much henbane?

Breathe through your nose.

Breathe through your nose.

Deeper, deeper.

You son of a bitch.

I'll get a reproof because of you.

Get up.

An eagle. What a strength.

He could do the work of a tractor...Hello. -Hello.

...But he is behaving unlawfully. Hi. - Hi.

Law? How about this: the council decided to spread the pigs...

... but Varya is returning them without permission.

If the council has made a decision, noboby can violate it.

You, comrade Nechaeva, will answer for this.

Have you heard?

For your unruly behaviour I will now...

...expel you from the kolkhoz to the devil's grandmother.

Damned kulaks!

I can't stand it any more. Nikolay Mironovich...

With such people, any chairman will have his head screwed on backward.

Appoint another chairman.

Try it, try it!

If necessary - I will.

But for now - you try it.

- Have the activists assemble straight away. - Right.

Well my eagles, will we have a session?

- There's so much talking... - We will, we will.

Matveev and I were talking and we've decided...

unless you feed us really well, we'll not discuss any business.

I could (feed you).

My woman is famous for making pelmeni (dumplings). I could (feed you).

Call the boys, the activists.

Naturally. If there will be pelmeni, the activists will show up.

Alright.

You see, Matveev, the crux is not Egor.

The situation is much more delicate, brother.

The application of Varvara Egorovna Nechaeva.

As a small peasant, I joined the kolkhoz in its first days.

I can't tolerate the kulak politics of the village chiefs.

Sharik! Sharik, shut up! Go to your place.

What a dog you have.