Dersu Uzala (Дерсу Узала)

That happened on one stormy night, in the spring of 1908.

I was informed that a murdered gentile was found in the taiga.

The dead man had my business card in his pocket.

Dersu!

I gave him my business card, when we parted.

Dersu.

We were together through so many places.

He saved my life many times.

He revealed to me so many new things about life!

I was overwhelmed by pictures from the past.

My dear friend was with me again.

DERSU UZALA

Based on the novel by V. K. Arsenyev

Directed by: Agasi Babayan

It was the fourth day of our journey through taiga.

The rain started as soon as we left the Shmakovka station.

It has been raining ever since.

Do you know this territory?

Not so good, but I've been here twice.

Our local guide didn't know the trail very well.

He was nervous...

and every hour instilled in us less and less confidence.

It soon became clear that we were lost.

It's not here. - What?

The sign on the tree. We missed it.

We made our night camp in a gorge.

In unfriendly place which made us sad.

Sort of melancholic atmosphere was all around us.

Taiga warned us that our journey to the sea would not be easy.

Here it lies before us - the wast and wild, Ussuri region.

A large white spot on the map, unexplored country!

We have to explore it and make a chart of it,

all the way to the Japanese Sea.

In late December, we will wait there for the ship.

We have just started and have already lost our trail.

Yes, we were all sad in our bivouac.

What's going on over there?

Must be a bear!

Hey, don't shoot!

Me are people!

Howdy, Captain.

Howdy.

Sit by the fire. You'll be our guest.

Thank you.

Turtygin, give a meal to our guest.

Thank you, Captain.

I am very hungry. Nothing to eat today.

Here you are.

Who are you?

A Chinese? Or Korean?

Me is Gold.

A hunter? - M-hm.

Me hunt all the time.

No other job here.

Where do you live?

Not have home.

My family died a long ago.

I am alone. I live in taiga.

Night come, I make a fire, and sleep under a tent.

What is your name?

Dersu Uzala.

That was the first time I met Dersu.

Hours passed quickly by the fire. We talked until dawn.

I became very curious about our night visitor.

What's that noise?

Some people are there.

We go and look.

We must go quietly. Try not to break twigs. -All right.

And try not to talk.

Wild boars!

No need to shoot, Captain. This is just a bunch of old people.

Not good to eat. - What people are you talking about?

These are all people, just in a different shirt.

If you would know them as I do,

you would know that they are people.

It became clear to me:

Dersu humanized everything he saw around him.

Water, fire, earth and these wild boars...

They were all "the people" to him.

Honorable Sir, would you let me go home, please?

And who would lead us from here? - You see... I'm aware...

If I go with you any further, I would never find my way back home.

And I have a wife and 5 children.

Well, you can go. - Thank you.

Farewell.

Wait a second!

Take it. -What's that for? - Half of your salary. -But...

Take it.

That's not for you, but for your kids.

You can go now!

Take this. - All right, Captain.

Dersu, have you been here before? - No.

But, do not worry, Captain. There are many hunters in taiga.

They cannot fly. They walk on the ground.

And they make a trail.

We have eyes, we look, we find a trail.

You are shooting in that tree? - M-hm. The tree.

Captain! Captain!

Did you aim here?

Yes.

There is no bullet in it.

Such a big tree and you missed it!

Captain, I think... You should be shooting like this.

Excellent shot, Dersu!

Captain, once before, me was a great shot, bullet never missed!

Now I miss sometimes.

My eyes not so good. I'm getting older. -Not true!

Try to hit, this time, Captain!

This weapon doesn't shoot bullets. - I don't understand.

Other weapons shoot either bullets or arrows.

What kind of a weapon is that anyway?

This is not a weapon, Dersu. This is an instrument called compass.

You see, I'm looking into it and I draw our trail on the map.

Why? -Other people will come here, look into the map and find the trail.

And they would not wonder around, like we do. Understand?

I understand.

Captain...

I say a word. A word flies and dies soon.

If I yell... Hey, hey hey!

Taiga listen to me! And you, too, Amba!

It is me - Dersu Uzala!

And my words die again.

But those words, which you write down on the paper,

...will never die.

Dersu!

Maybe we should stop here? - No need, Captain.

We will find a hut soon. There is a sign on that tree.

Get lost, you devils!

What are you doing, Dersu?

Me think, there is a bee hive near.

Bees will show us a way.

I had a feeling that Dersu is not an ordinary man.

For him, taiga was like an opened book.

Flight of the bees, songs of birds, animals tracks, smells, sounds...

...all these were signs which he reads like a book of life.

Look carefully where the bee is flying.

There!

Clever people, this bear. We must chase him away.

He's going to eat all the honey!

Hay, hay! Shame on you! That's not your honey!

Get lost!

What are you looking for!? Get lost!

So, you are laughing, too, ha? Dersu, give me the carbine.

I'm gonna hit the damn bitch.

Why shoot? She doesn't bother you.

She just wants to eat.

She came to see if we are hunters or not.

We go away, she jumps on the ground and eat what we left behind.

Then she flies away.

Other people will come, as well.

Raccoon comes, badger or mouse comes. If no mouse - the ants will come...

There are many different people in taiga.

A good man, but a heathen, Asian.

He does not believe in God.

But he still lives on this earth as we do.

Strange, right!?

And what will happen with him on this world?

The same thing as with you and me.

God forbid!

I'm a true Christian, and who is he? A heathen.

He doesn't have a soul.

Captain.

Me need some matches, salt and rice.

Why? You want to leave us? - Why would I, Captain?

I will go with you all the way. I don't have anything better to do.

Thank you, Captain.

You plan to return here? - No, Captain.

Other people come.

Find this hut, dry wood, matches, food...

So they will not die here.

Dersu cared of a traveler, whom he would never see.

This "savage" was much more humane than many of us.

Dersu!

We shall wait for the squad. - I agree.

Oh, no...

I've lost my pipe.

I have to go back.

The squad will find it. - Me think it is near.

Captain!

This is Amba... a tiger.

He has been following us.

When we were over there, Amba was here.

When I came here, he went away.

We must go quietly and be very careful.

Let's join the squad, Dersu.

Dersu, have you lost your pipe?

Look! A tiger!

No, don't shoot, Captain!

This tiger is my friend.

Why are you following us? What do you want?

We're just passing through. We don't bother you.

Why are you following us?

There is enough space in taiga for all of us.

Go!

Do not bother us and go. Go away, Amba!

Go! Just follow your own way.

Just go.

Please do not be angry with me, Captain.

Once before, I shot Amba hastily, and I'm very afraid since then.

I'm afraid that his spirit would hurt me.