Original subtitles

FOUR TANK MEN AND A DOG

THE CROSSROADS

Based on a novel by:

Photography:

Directed by:

Katia.

Tamara. Tamara, I love you.

You crazy Hot-Shot...

Watch out for the trucks and forget about the women.

Who`s going to leave first?

You, me, you, me...

Stop!

- Give us a lift to Kotobrzeg? - Where to?

- Kotobrzeg. - No, we`re going due West.

That`s great. Flame!

It`s a letter from me.

I sent it from the hospital and it followed you there.

- I wanted you to read it... - After I got better.

No. You know...

This is for you.

Go ahead, don`t be shy. Kiss the girl.

It`s the spoils of war.

The hero got cold feet.

Go ahead and kiss her!

Some hero!

We`re off!

Say hello to Olgierd and Russet.

If it wasn`t wartime and if it was a custom in Poland,

I`d dance in front of you.

And if you wanted to kiss me I wouldn`t say no.

I`d never say this...

But letters are always bolder.

Besides, we`ll probably never meet again.

May your tank and my thoughts protect you.

Marusia - Flame.

Janek!

This one could be useful.

- Military Political Dept. - Let`s see your IDs.

- We will fit there. - I can`t force them to take you.

Work something out yourselves.

What`s going on? Help! Get that bandit!

- Dogs aren`t allowed inside. - We`re going to Kotobrzeg.

I`ll shoot him! He`ll kill my little Groszka!

Get in.

Good bye!

Don`t forget us, Tamara!

- Ivan! - Get out!

Groszka, you don`t even know him.

Szarik!

Groszka, get over here. Don`t be afraid.

Do you always storm into other people`s houses?

Sergeant Jelen reports three soldiers.

Get out!

I`ll have you court-martialled!

Did you hear what I said?

Fine, we can get off.

But not without my cap. It belongs to the state now.

Forget it, Ivan. Let them stay.

You`re too soft-hearted.

If we start picking up passengers at every crossroads...

- Where to? - Kotobrzeg.

So are we.

Invite our guests into the living room, Natasza.

Quite a menagerie you`ve got. Any elephants?

No. We`re a circus working the front line circuit.

We`re going to do a show for the armoured division.

Here`s the living-room, there`s the bedroom.

We fixed it up in a captured truck.

Please, come in.

It`s beautiful. Just like home.

Grigorij Saakaszwili.

- Sit down at the table, Grigorij... - Grigorij Grigoriewicz.

Have a seat, we were just having some tea.

Drinking tea means a long life.

You`ve got yourselves a new clown.

Sic the old man, Szarik!

- He won`t hurt Groszka, will he? - Szarik? Never.

- What the hell! - You call that driving?

Excuse us.

Marusia!

Come here.

Are you all right? Now we`ll go together.

Good bye!

Best wishes!

Where to? Aren`t you going to Berlin?

No. Gdansk still has to be liberated.

-Too bad it`s not Kotobrzeg. - Why?

- What difference does it make? - It makes a lot of difference.

It`s not ours. Olgierd is in action.

- What company, I wonder. - It`s definitely not ours.

Junk!

- Shall we give it a try? - Why not?

All together.

Don`t hurt yourself.

A little bit more.

More!

Hold it!

- Higher. - Alright.

Someone`s there.

Look!

- It`s just Szarik. - Look!

Well, I`ll be damned! Germans!

Take cover in the ditch.

Get the rifles, Natasza!

Hurry up, will you!

Groszka!

Leave it!

Wait.

First platoon spread out on the right side of the road!

First platoon is in place!

- Second platoon! - Second platoon ready!

To the left, double time!

- Machine guns! - Machine guns are ready!

Forward!

Down!

Mortars, sight-in at 200!

Sights set at 200!

Attack from the forest!

Fire!

Move out.

Go!

Fire!

Just you wait.

Olgierd is just a few kilometres away while we...

- Was it rough? - Where?

In Kotobrzeg?

- We had to take it house by house. - Were tanks involved?

Natasza, a folk artist of the armoured division.

- Were there T-34`s? - Are you nuts?

Just the fourth regiment and the brigade went to Gdansk.

- Where? -To Gdansk.

Natasza Skopcewa will sing in Polish ``The Radiotelegraphist`s Song``.

It`s me,

Can you hear me calling you, My code name is the birch tree.

The wind has torn my leaves,

and behind me a firestorm is raging.

Days and nights of distress I await your caress...

Come to me, let it be.

Days and nights of distress I await your caress...

come to me, comfort me.

It`s me,

can you hear me, the flame is my code name.

Spark of storm and crumb of stars,

Never fear and hold me closer.

Flickering, comfortless I await your caress...

come to me, let it be.

Flickering, comfortless I await your caress...

come to me, comfort me.

It`s me,

Can you hear me, the meadow is my code name.

A world of green grass parks,

clouds above and the songs of skylarks.

Trembling grass in distress I await your caress...

come to me, let it be.

Trembling grass in distress I await your caress...

come to me, comfort me.

Great!

The Soviet army and our brigade left already.

That`s all folks, we`re leaving!

- We`re going to Gdansk! - Are you crazy?

That`s where your army and our brigade are right now.

- We have to finish the show. - You call yourself a soldier?

That`s an order!

What are you doing? Groszka will catch a cold.

- It won`t be that bad. - Faster!

Help me, hurry up.

- Natasza, take the parrot. - Faster.

Drive!

We`ll take turns driving. We should be there in 2 days.

Olgierd will be surprised. He`s our lieutenant.

Your wish came true.

I`m from Gdansk.

I lived here before the war.

My father disappeared at Westerplatte.

Now I understand everything.

Afraid there won`t be any war left for you?

Crew, to the tank!

Go back to sleep.

Come on, Gustlik!

Don`t fold it.

- Pretty, isn`t it? - Yes!

You`ve got to come visit us after the war.

It`s warm and beautiful. The whole crew, of course.

Is your commander also this nice?

Commander... Well, to tell you the truth...

- Isn`t that right, Janek? - He`s the best of all of us.

Guys!

-The Russet`s there. - Where?

- Excuse me, but that`s our Russet. -That`s our tank - Ginger!

Boys, what did you see? Natasza, who`s this Ginger?

Where are you going?

What the hell?

- Guys! - What is it?

That`s Kos, Jelen and that Georgian of theirs.

Russet.

Cold. Hasn`t seen action lately.

Guys!

Forget that. You`ll get a new tank.

Now we`ve got new machines with 85 mm cannons.

Awesome! Fresh from the factory.

-Tanks like you`ve never seen. - Why is Russet standing here?

Haven`t you seen it?

It`s got a hole the size of your fist on the other side.

They hit the engine and it can`t be fixed.

- Damn it. - Has Olgierd gone to get a new one?

Forget it.

Forget it boys, it`s just junk now. I can give you a lift.

We`ll wait.

When Olgierd comes, we`ll install the new engine.

They`ve sent us here to remove the radio,

sights, ammunition, tools and the rest.

Our boys reached Gdynia a couple of days ago.

Germans are only at Oksywie.

The end is near.

Olgierd has gone for a new engine?

I thought you knew.

We took Wejherowo easily, with hardly any losses.

It was here that we drove into an ambush of anti-tank fire.

Yes, and...

Your tank took a hit. The engine burst into flames.

Lt. Jarosz jumped out with a fire extinguisher.

He put out the fire but was cut down by a machine gun fire.

- He was their commander. - I know.

Say goodbye to the boys for us.

We have to go.

Colonel, sergeant Kos reporting for duty.

- Are all of you here? - Just three of us and the dog.

Yes, I know.

As is customary...

The lieutenant`s things are turned over to the crew.

He left no family address.

I didn`t even have time to award him this medal.

For the attack and capture of Mirostawiec.

The orders came the day before he was killed.

Just a moment.

We`re going to attack Oksywie.

There isn`t much left of the brigade after the recent fighting.

You`ll get a new tank.

Colonel, we`d prefer to use Russet.

-The tank`s dismantled. - No, it`s not.

The radio is fine, all it needs is a new engine and...

We have to have Russet.

Why?

Read it.

I hope you are healthy and that you can come as quickly as possible.

I want Russet to reach the sea.

We`re heading towards your home Janek...

The place where it all started.

I can`t wait to see you again and to command the tank.

The order I most want to give is ``Out of the tank``...

knowing it`ll be the last order I give during this war.

It`ll be sunny tomorrow.

The temperature should be 8 degrees with increasing cloudiness.

We could take an engine out of another damaged tank.

A tractor won`t make it through that mud.

We`ll do it.

-The radio? - All set.

Once you`re ready to move, report in on the frequency of 7 4 metres.

-Yes, sir! - Soldier, come here.

Where`s that machine of yours?

Here.

You`re not driving through any mud. You wouldn`t get there by tomorrow.

Now go and wait where you`re supposed to be.

Be ready before the dawn.

Yes, sir!

I understand everything.

- Shall I call in the partisan? -Yes, get him in here.

Let West in.

Lieutenant West.

Good morning.

What do you know about ``Bunker B``?

Bunker B?

It was built two years ago as a defence against airborne forces.

Right here. On the coast, located on a hill.

It`s the main defensive position of the German line.

The only access is from the sea.

Of course.

I have a specialist at getting behind enemy lines in my division.

If we don`t take the bunker at night, we`ll have to destroy it

- with heavy artillery fire. - Before the assault.

General, sir, I could...

That`s not your job.

You don`t know the way through the minefields.

You don`t trust me.

If you want to, you can help. There`s a stranded tank here.

The sooner they get a new engine, the better.

You can show them the way. It`s hard to tell who`s where.

Every tank is of great value. Almost as gold.

My men will take care of that bunker.

Wait, Szarik!

Where do you think you`re going?

This way.

Sic him, Szarik!

Want to swap?

Come on, let`s swap.

All right, swap.

It`s in working order.

Want to swap?

I`ll swap.

It`s in working order.

Let`s swap.

- No. - Come on, let`s swap.

All right, I`ll swap.

Have you gone nuts from boredom?

Not boredom, but hunger.

And everything`s backwards.

The front`s to the East and there`s a peaceful town to the West.

How did it go?

Will we get it?

Yes.

- Have you brought any food? - They didn`t offer me any dumplings.

Don`t get upset.

Where`s Szarik?

I don`t know.

I was captured by the SS.

Szarik saved me but then disappeared.

I had to run, there were five of them.

Maybe he ran into a mine.

I doubt that. Szarik`s smart.

Someone`s coming our way.

I`ll ask him where we can buy some food.

Hello! I see you`re here in my field.

That`s war. We won`t trample much.

I don`t care about the grain. I know it`s war.

What`s left will grow anew.

I see you`ve been here all day without food, so I brought some.

We were ready to go to town...

To buy something to eat.

We`re waiting here for a new engine.

Money won`t buy you anything in town.

And waiting gets lonely.

We waited for you for five and a half years.

How we longed to see you. In the winter of 1 941 West joined us

and our Kashubian ``Griffin`` was formed.

Then strange things started happening around here.

A policeman would disappear.

A sentry`s post would burn down or a bridge would blow up.

How was it when our boys got here? We just got out of the hospital.

How was it? It was great. Your tanks took the city quickly.

This poor guy stayed here.

Lieutenant Olgierd Jarosz.

Our commander.

We`ll remember that name and some day repaint it on the cross,

and tell the children about him.

- Where was he from? - Russia.

The last name sounds Polish.

Because he was a Pole.

His grandfather was a political prisoner exiled by the tsar.

Olgierd was returning to Poland.

Is West a Pole?

He`s a Pole, but the partisans called him West.

What`s his real name?

I don`t know and there`s no need to ask.

I wouldn`t tell you even if I knew. It`s a partisan thing.

It`s his business. He`ll tell us if he wants to.

What is it, don`t you like my pea soup?

What is it, don`t you like my pea soup?

- There`s one more. - He`s also a soldier.

He`s late for dinner today.

He`ll be hungry, when he gets here.

Subtitles: Master Film Text: Jacek Mikina