Original subtitles

Aleksandr Dovzhenko Film Studio

The First Creative Association

A Stone Cross

Based on the short stories by Vasyl Stefanyk

Boy, you're so damn heavy.

am I gonna slam you down.

You'll fall apart thread by thread.

You should scrape this foot with a hoe

instead of washing it with your spittle

Don't worry, you'll rot and then you'll fall out by yourself

and I have no time to play around with you

Oh, don't you bark above my head!

Fly away, back to the sky

and tell your God

not to send here some stupid singing bird!

If he is so powerful,

tell him not to send me to Canada!

I don't want your God to fool me with these songs!

Go away!

Oh, at least you could stop wrenching!

Because the life has wrenched me good!

I hardly stand on my feet.

Every dawn I feed you oat

before I eat myself.

I pour my tears of the old man over you

and you bite me! Here!

You have torn a clump of my hair

and let it fall under your feet, in manure

You, God, don't frown upon an old man

that he lunches so early,

because an old man has no good legs to walk.

You better scatter some cold dew on my grey hair,

because it burns me badly,

each hair like a white-hot wire

My head is burning from this fire,

Grey hair...

Scorch the earth!

Because I cannot drag you anymore!

Don't let it cross your mind, man, that I'll let go of you

Stop your bleeding, man,

or all your blood will run out

Give me some water, gazda [a peasant-landowner]

I'll give you some water

get your strength back, for you don't know what awaits you

I see, you're a strong one, gazda.

I'm strong all right, you poor wretch

You weren't lucky to have come upon me

And are you soft-natured?

I'm soft,

but I never let a thief

get out of my hands alive.

Then I'm supposed to die here?

How do I know whether you're soft or hard

If you're hard then maybe you'll survive ...

Stop your bleeding

What for? So that it hurts more when you begin to beat me?

Blood is nothing but pure pain

When I beat you then it's got to hurt,

unless you give up your spirit

Aren't you going to fear God?

Were you afraid of God when you were getting into my stores?

All my possessions are in there

and, if you had taken away from me, you would have damaged me forever

I have been saving to pay for Canada. And him...

- Glory to Christ! - Forever Glory!

Something happened at your place?

Yes, a guest came and he has to be entertained

There's no question about it

Sit down and forgive me for ruining your night for you

- Is that him on the floor there? - That's him

Did you have a hard time getting him into the house?

He's big, all right, but he came on a bigger one

Sit down

Sit down at the table

and ask the guest to join you

So you already had an argument with him in the house?

Well, he wanted to knock me out

when he got me with his fist right between the eyes

I thought I would keel right over

But I felt a log under my hands

and I got him.

Don't be surprised at him

everybody wants to protect himself

I'm not saying anything

Ivan! What do you want to do with him?

Good people, bring him to his senses, he wants to kill a man!

Wife! I see that you are frightened,

go to the neighbors and sleep this night over there!

You'll come back tomorrow. And take little Andriy with you.

- I will not leave the house! - Then you'll drink with us

But stop that lament or I will whip you!

Climb over there and go to sleep

Or look at this, or do whatever you want

Well, a woman is just a woman, Ivan. Don't be surprised

She's afraid of a fight

Here's to your health, man

I want to drink to you

I don't know who's going to have a sin for whom:

me for you or you for me?

But there's going to be sin

It came about so that we can't avoid it

- Well, drink - I don't want to

You must drink when I'm asking you

The liquor will pick you up a bit

for you're way down

I don't want to drink with you

OK, I'll drink, but five shots at once

Tell us, man, where did you wander into our village from

are you from far away or nearby?

I'm from the world

And what are you,

a peasant,

from city or from gentry?

For we'll approach you differently in each case

One beats a peasant like so:

you take the heavy end of a wagon-wheel axle

and you hit him over the head about three times

then several times you smack him across the face

so that he falls.

For a peasant is hard and one has to use hard methods with him

but once he's on the ground

then it's easy ...

And if it's one of the gentry,

then you go about it quite differently.

Don't even show him the wheel axle for he'll die right away of fright

just scare him with a whip handle

And when he is trembling all over his body,

then give it to him twice in the kisser,

but not too hard,

and he's already at your feet

Walk over him for a while,

a minute or two,

and he is ready

And if it's a Jew you're dealing with,

then first of all you grab him by his sideburns

he will jump, spit,

and contract like a spring

But don't pay any heed to that,

just take your thumb and place it between your two fingers

and with this hit him a few times in the ribs

This is a light beating,

but it's very painful

So ...

to which faith do you belong?

All I know, gazda, is that if you're drinking booze,

you're not going to let me out of here alive,

no matter what I am

You're telling the truth, the honest truth

I like you for that

But before you kill me

give me some more alcohol

so that I can drink enough

not to know when and how

For that, go ahead and drink all you want

but why did you have to come upon me, may you be damned

For I'm hard, I'm like stone

and no one will tear you out of my hands alive

To your health, gazdynya [wife of a peasant-landowner]

And to your health too, little sparrow

I will not drink to you

Beat me as much as you want; I'm ready now

I'm ready now

Wait a minute, brother,

I'm glad you're ready, but we're not quite up to you yet

for every five you drank

we had only one

When we catch up to you,

then we'll talk

I can see, people, that there's going to be trouble

I'd get out of it,

but something pulls me to him

as if by chains

Well, let's drink and eat

... a young lad ...

has gone ...

to the far away land

As he went, he left

a blue flower

to a girl ...

He went...

and disappeared...

Gazda,

let me kiss your hand

Oh, man,

you're really scared

That's not nice at all

Honest to God, I'm not afraid of you

a hundred times I'll swear that

that I'm not scared of you

I feel a lightness in my soul

and now

I have to

kiss this gazda's hand

Leave me alone, man

for I've got a soft conscience

I don't want to. Just leave me be

But give me your hand, gazda!

Trying to confuse us or what?

You think you're clever, but, brother, we know all about that

Give me your hand, gazda!

But give it with a sincere heart

I'll kiss it and it will be easier for me

I can see that I'm not going to be in this world for long

so I'd like to ask your forgiveness

Don't kiss it, for I'll soften completely

I'll forgive you anyway

But I'm begging you,

I'm really begging you,

for I'll have a hard death

I've never kissed anybody's hand before

at least not so sincerely

I'm not drunk,

honest to God

but I want to do it!

Quiet, stop your wailing, don't try to come around from the side

for I'll let you have one so that you won't even move

You keep thinking that I'm trying to cheat you

but I'm really telling the truth

You see, when I drank some booze

my head opened up and it became quite clear

that I have to die

and kiss this gazda's hand

so that God will lessen my sin

Give me your hand, gazda

- I wanted to go with him... - To go where?

What are you blabbering?

Honest to God! I'm telling the truth! I wanted to go to Canada!

This thief wants to trick us

Ivan, get away from him

Get away

Let's drink, Heorhiy,

let's drink three at a time

so that we can build up some venom

Don't go, uncle,

for I'll die soon

I'm not afraid, honest I'm not

but such anxiety is bothering me

Don't be afraid; it's nothing to fear

I'll let you kiss my hand. I'll let you now

Let them kill me if they want

here, kiss it, if you want

That's enough, enough

Let go of me, don't embrace

for I'm so ashamed that I don't know where to hide

But I also want

to kiss the holy picture - Let go!

I want... I want...

to kiss a threshold!

I want all, everybody in the whole world

Enough! Let go!

I want... I want ...

to Canada!

That's enough! Let go, do you hear! Let go!

Ivan, you get out of here fast,

so that I don't see you here, even though it's your house.

or I'll kill you like a sparrow

I'll go. I'll go. I'm not telling you anything

but don't be mad at me, I'm going to Canada

to have this sin before going...

I'm a soft man

- I think that you are gonna have a sin - Go away, you're a woman, not a gazda

- Are you going to get away from the table - I'm not going to

I know I'm supposed to sit here under the icons

Oh, yes, you will

Honest to God, you will! We're going to entreat you

I thank you nicely, gazdas and gazdynyas

that you had me for a gazda

and my woman for a gazdynya

And I thank you nicely

and may God give you what you wish

May God give you health, gazda Mykhaylo

May God give you health!

I forgive you, I forgive you everything And you forgive me too

I forgive you

Uncle Ivan!

may God give you few more years on this world

and may merciful God lead you successfully

to your place

and may He with His goodness help you

again to become His gazda

- Thank you - I forgive you

- And you please forgive me, uncle Ivan - I forgive you too

And you please forgive me

May God will it

Gazdas, please, drink up ...

I thought that I'd sit you around the table

when you came for my younger son's wedding

but it turned out different

The situation is so

that our granddads and our fathers knew nothing about

but we now have to know

It's God's will

But content yourselves, Gazdas, please do

and forgive the rest, please forgive

Be forgiving!

Thank you

Tymofikha, dear, I want to drink to you

I want to drink to you!

I look at you and,

as someone said, I recall my youth

Where, where, oh whe-e-re?

Oh, you were a strong girl,

I lost many a night because of you

And how you danced, straight like a spindle!

So straight!

Where, my dear, are those years of ours

Well, live through and forgive that in the old age I recalled our dancing

If I'd only land in the middle of such a desert

where there's only God and I

So I don't see neither lords,

nor priests, nor profiteers.

Then one could say that I'm a real master

Oh, if only I could have it my way ...

Here

- God grant it! - God grant it!

There's never been yet such a tax collector

who could get anything out of him.

No, there's never been!

The Czech tried, the German,

the Pole

and all took shit, excuse the expression

But when the Mazur [Hungarian] came

then he found even the stuff

that was buried under the cherry tree

When I polished him,

boy, wasn't he polished!

May God give you health!

The black one,

it was like if someone had sprinkled silver,

silver on black

Hey, my dear!

And the white one,

he was like snow covered with butter

- May God give you health! - May God give you health!

My horses were always in order

the Kaiser himself could ride them. May God give you health!

And did I have money

Oh, boy, I did

May God give you health!

May God give you health!

I didn't get to know any luxury

And my years

are passing by.

Put the grey bullocks

into the cart,

put the black horses

into the cart.

Please catch up

with the years

years of my youth

Please catch up

with the years

years of my youth

Here, my old one,

here's a kerchief for you; dry yourself nicely

so that I don't see any weeping here

you'll have plenty of time still for weeping

you'll weep so much that your eyes will flow out

Ivan, my friend, leave your wife be

You know she means you no harm

Here, take an axe and drive it here into my liver

and maybe this bile will burst out

for I can't take it anymore.

People!

My People! Such sorrow,

such sorrow that I don't know what's going on around me

I'd say something

but I'd better keep quiet

in respect of the holy icons in the house

and you, sinners

See how she mourns?

And over whom? Over me!

Over me, gazdynya!

Was it me who uprooted you in your old age from your own home?

Keep quiet, don't sob

for I'll pluck your grey braids right out and you won't see Hamerica!

Don't be surprised at old me for rubbing my wife

but it's not for nothing

not for nothing

This would never have happened

if it were not for her and the sons

It's too late now, Ivan,

and there's no point in paining your head

And perhaps if you show us the way

we will all follow you

It's not worth filling one's heart with pain over this land

This earth can't support so many people

and endure so much misfortune

The peasant can't and it can't

both of them no longer can endure

There's no locust, but there's also no wheat

And the taxes keep growing,

when you ate salted pork, now you eat potatoes

They sure got to us

no one can rip us out of their clutches anymore

except if one runs away

Let God help them eat that bread

and I'll perish anyway

But, gazdas, how am I

a broken man, to go wandering about?

I'm a worn out

my whole body is one callous

my bones are so moldy to the point

where it takes several groans each morning to put them together

But someday a reckoning will come to these lands

for the people will slaughter one another

You have nothing to miss when you leave

Thank you for these words

but I don't accept them

Sure, the people will slaughter one another

For doesn't God get angry with people who speculate with their land?

No one needs land anymore

all they want is promissory notes and banks

Now young gazdas have become very wise

such firemen, yet they don't burn on account of land

And look at that old fiddle

should one try to trade her?

She's no more than a hollow willow

just flick your finger and she'll fall to dust

Do you think she'll make it?

She'll probably fall over into some ditch

and the dogs will pull her apart

and we'll be pressed on

so that we won't even have a chance to look at her

Well, Kateryna, what is going on in that head of yours?

Where will I find a grave for you?

Or should the fish make a meal of you?

But a good fish won't even have enough for one bite

God alone knows how it will be with us

and I want to do my parting with you

in front of all these good people

We were wed before their eyes,

so now let's part for death before them

Maybe they'll throw you into the sea,

so as I won't even see you

or maybe they'll throw me, so that you won't see it,

so forgive me, my old one

for probably I hurt you sometime

- Forgive me the first time - May God forgive you

- And the second time - May God forgive you

- And the third time - May God forgive you

And you, gazdas, I still have two favors to ask of you

Perhaps someday our sons will leave word

through the village post

that we have gone

Then I'd ask you

that you have a mass said in our favor

and that you get together like today, for dinner,

and say an Our Father for us

Maybe the Lord God will write down fewer sins for us

I will leave the money for the mass with Yakiv

for he is a young and proper man

and won't steal an old man's money

We'll have the mass, we'll have it

and we'll say an Our Father for you

Don't wonder at an old man

and don't laugh

I myself am ashamed to tell you this

but it seems to me that I'd have a sin

if I didn't tell you

You know that I put up a little stone cross

for myself on my hill

Bitterly I carted it,

and bitterly hoisted it to the top,

but I placed it there

I wanted to leave at least so much in memory of myself

I spent my life on that hill

and am crippled because of it

If I could I'd take it and hide it

in my pocket and take it with me

into the world

I long for the smallest speck in the village

for every child

but I will never stop missing that hill

So I entreat you, gazdas

when on a holy Sunday you

will be going to bless your land

that you never omit my hill

Let some young one run up

and sprinkle the cross with holy water

I'll run up, I'll sprinkle your cross!

I beg you very nicely

that you never leave out my cross

I will pray to God for you in the next world

but only fulfill an old man's wish

Ivan, friend, leave off grieving

throw it aside

People will remember you once and for all

and they will not omit your cross

on the holy Sunday

Oh, the mowers were mowing a green meadow

They brought some nuts to my girl

Oh girl, you shouldn't have eaten those nuts

If you didn't love, you should have told me so

I haven't eaten those nuts, I only tried them

I didn't love my sweetheart, I was simply playing around

All right. My old one, let's go! March, einz, zwei, drei

Let's go

We'll dress like the nobles

and we'll go and rule

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit

If you're a gazda

then throw those rags off

or I'll slap you like a whore

Let go. Do you hear me?

Let go

Play a polka for me, just like for the lords

For I have money

Again we pray for the repose of the souls

of the servants of God

Ioann, Kateryna, Dmytriy,

Nikolai, Antonina, Andrei [Ivan's family]

who have departed this life

and that they may be pardoned all their sins

both voluntary and involuntary

Lord have mercy.

Lord have mercy

Lord have mercy

That the Lord God will establish their souls

where the Just repose.

Lord have mercy

Lord have mercy

Lord have mercy

The mercies of God, the Kingdom of Heaven

and the pardon of all their sins

let us ask of Christ, our immortal king and God.

Grant this O Lord

Let us pray to the Lord

Lord have mercy

Wisdom!

More honourable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare

and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim

inviolately you gave birth to God the word

truly Mother of God we magnify you

Glory to you O Christ our God,

Glory to you

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit.

Now, and forever,

and to the Ages of Ages, Amen.

Lord have mercy Lord have mercy

Lord have mercy

Father, give the blessing

May God who has the power over both the living and the dead

who himself rose again from the dead, Christ our true God

through the prayers of his all-pure mother

of the holy, glorious and all-laudable apostles

of our holy and god-bearing fathers and mothers

and of all the saints

the souls of his servants who have been taken from us

Ioann, Kateryna, Dmytriy

Nikolai, Antonina, Andrei

we pray for today

may he give them rest

in the bosom of Abraham

and number them among the Just

and may he have mercy on all of us

for he is good and loves mankind

Amen

Give eternal rest, O Lord

in blessed repose, to the souls of

Ioann, Kateryna, Dmytriy,

Nikolai, Antonina, Andrei

who have departed this life, and make their memory eternal

Eternal their memory

Eternal their memory

Eternal their memory

Screenplay by Ivan Drach

Directed by Leonid Osyka

Cinemaography by Valeriy Kvas

Production Designer Mykolai Reznyk

Music V. Huba Sound S. Serhienko

Stage manager A. Koz' Cameraman O. Martynov

Director's Assistant M. Sharts Cameraman's Assistant V. Sachenko

Cameraman's Assistant A. Kutsan Designer's Assistant A. Kharchenko

Make up N. Blazhevych Montage M. Ponomarenko

Film Editor L. Chumakova

Consultants: K. Stefanyk, H. Iakutovych

Intstrumentalists of the State Symphonic Orchestra of the Ukrainian SSR

Conductor V. Kozhukhar'

Producer N. Iurieva

Starring Danylo Il'chenko

also starring: B. Brondukov, K. Stpankov, V. Simich, A. Leftiy

I. Mykolaichuk, B. Savchenko, K. Mateik, O. Atamaniuk

Also appearing: villagers from Pokuttia region in Ukraine