Original subtitles

ZHUKOV

Part 10

You know what to do in case of…

Who's voting for discharging comrade Beria from all his posts?

- It is illegal. Your actions are illegal. - Please vote!

Is the issue clear? Then vote!

Now! Raise your hands!

Raise your hands!

The ayes have it.

He is discharged!

Comrade Beria! You are under arrest.

Escort them. Come on.

Guard mount.

Left flank.

March!

Georgy!

I demand to look into this issue.

You see, what the comrades did is illegal.

They pulled you into the illegal coup.

Georgy, stop this anarchy!

Damn you!

- Close the door. - Yes! Close the door!

Soldier, close the door!

Release from duty!

- Release from duty! The third post released from duty!

- Take over duty! - Duty taken over!

Right flank! March!

As you were!

Comrade Marshal! Congratulations to you!

Congratulations to everybody. Let's go. Let's drink.

At ease!

- Hey! I'll take the jacket off. - I worried!

- I love you! - I am so tired.

- What are you doing here? - Guarding the house, as usual.

- Come in. - Okay, bring it in.

All of them. Right there! There is a reason to drink.

Come on.

Sit down.

Here! Alright.

Take it there. And that's to start with.

Here... I'll take it off now.

Remember what I told you at the hospital?

Of course! I remember the day and the hour.

Well?

Give it to me!

Okay, brother! I'll show you how to do it right.

- That's it! - I alway knew I'd do it.

Fetch his slippers.

No one else wouldn't have a nerve.

Just a second.

Come on, Zhora!

Don't you dare to touch a Russian man!

He can keep cool for a long while but if you make him angry...

Note that I always said this.

I said this before the key battles.

God, I have no faith, I am an atheist.

- Zhora! - Give me strength.

Give me strength to win, to save my country

from the fascist scum, from these Kessels and Lengs.

Yes.

And when I saw Pasha Rybalko...

- Here. That's it, Lavrentiy. Enough!

- You have black thoughts. You are bad. - Bring the pillows and the plaid.

You are a bad man, Lavrentiy.

It's been enough. That's it.

- Yeah. - Here, Zhora.

Enough. I ran out…

Here.

…of patience. That's it.

- Lavrentiy… - Let him sleep.

Here.

Let him sleep.

- Let's go, Mikhail. You'll eat there. - Let him sleep.

Take it there.

Come on.

And now…

…get ready.

Good afternoon, comrade Marshal!

Well?

You like it?

- Say something! - Maybe we'd find something less fancy?

- There were real heroes in this place. - They should know their Victory Marshal!

Who's gonna do a lot of good in the peaceful times too.

Where else should the nation savior be displayed?

The Minister of Defense!

CIVIL REGISTRY OFFICE

Dear Georgy Konstantinovich and Alexandra Dievna!

I pronounce you now husband and wife!

- Kiss each other. - Are you satisfied?

I am happy.

It's been only 35 years before you became a rightful property owner.

Congratulate us.

Congratulations! On the basis of Article 156,

“The Provision on Marriage in the Russian Federation

and Civil Rights of Intending Spouses",

the spouses have equal rights to all marital acquest.

Hurray! We're gonna party, drink and celebrate now!

I am sorry. We are kidding sometimes. Too much tension.

You know, we did it for the first and for the last time in our lives.

- Never say never, Zhora. - No, it is final, Shura.

It is final. Well, my wife…

- Can we go now? - Thanks a lot.

Don't worry. I've got a call.

No one will know that you were not married.

- We appreciate it. Thank you. Good-bye! -Good-bye!

- Good-bye! - No, thanks!

Why are you sitting there?

The groom!

Come here!

What is it?

You won't come in, my groom?

- Will you stop it? - How come?

- The bride alone at her wedding! - Enough!

I did all you wanted. Now I'll do what I want.

- The bride was getting ready... - Don't make me hate you!

Well then... You won't come in?

Do you remember, Zhora? When we mourned our unborn son,

we… dreamt.

- But not about this. - You dreamt. I fought the war.

I'll take nothing but the books when I leave.

Thank you!

You won't come in? Just for a minute.

You are going to her?

- You won't believe it. Business. - Right. I won't.

- Do you remember, Zhora, how we... - The party's over. Let's go!

What, my dear?

Well?

Congratulations!

- Finally! You are a lawful wife now! - Girls! Let's go now!

Lawful wife.

- We'll come later. - A husband's wife, right?

What do they say?

Husband schmusband, right?

- And the wife? What about her? - A wife just as usual.

Right. I can't find the proper rhyme that's not too rude.

Wow!

- Let's drink! - I am so happy to see your dear faces.

- Let's drink. - Yeah.

Yeah.

It's a pity Georgy is not here.

- I wanted to thank him. - He's too busy.

But he wrote, and he asked, and he went there.

- Many people were released. - Yes, I know. I know it all.

Thank you very much. He made an effort, and we're released.

- Thank you. - Oh, yeah.

So, how've you been?

Tell me.

Well…

Some more?

Why didn't you come to visit?

I didn't look good. And then, everything's fine.

You could call me at least.

Let's have some more.

- Sure. It's all good. - Yes. Thank God.

You have…

…the house to take care of, Georgy is at the state service.

And me? The Kremlin…

Yes…

Military base.

All as usual. Thank God.

What's up at home?

- How's Volodya? - He's fine.

Fine. A bit unwell but all's fine.

Let me look at you!

Look.

Did you?

- I don't know how to ask... - Don't worry, just ask.

All charges are withdrawn. Orally, of course.

I will apply for a rehabilitation but they told me to wait for now.

We came out alive, both of us.

- That's good enough. - Thank God.

Thank God.

How did you…

- …survive this? - I didn't. I died.

Someone else is sitting here now.

Maybe I'll tell you about this, in ten years or so.

And maybe I won't.

- You don't want to know. - Right.

It's better not to.

At first, Khrushchev and his people were very happy with Zhukov

as a new Minister of Defense.

After three years, Khrushchev dared to make a step

that was probably the most important step in his life.

Not revealing this to most of his peers in the Committee Presidium,

at the 20th Convention, he delivered a secret speech

on de-Stalinisation.

An interesting fact is that Zhukov made a speech just before Khrushchev

and he didn't mention Stalin's name even once.

When Khrushchev started speaking, it became obvious to everyone

that it was no coincidence

and that the Secretary General was supported by the army

and by Zhukov himself.

Khrushchev' speech had a bombshell effect on the nation.

After the Convention,

Zhukov ordered to find the materials about the repression in the army

and about the soldiers who were captured and called the betrayers of the nation.

He believed that their rehabilitation was his duty.

Soon enough, in no small part due to his efforts,

Zhukov's former companions in arms started returning from the camps.

Novikov, Kryukov, Telegin, Menyuk.

On August 4, 1953, great Russian singer Lidiya Ruslanova was released.

In 1957, another coup took place in the Soviet Union.

This time, against Khrushchev.

It was led by the oldest members of the Party Committee Presidium,

Malenkov, Molotov, Kaganovich, and Voroshilov.

Zhukov saved him. At the plenum he said that the army supported Khrushchev

and not a single tank would move without Zhukov's order.

This sentence has shocked both confronting parties.

It meant that neither the Committee nor the Presidium controlled the army.

In just three months Khrushchev will thank his rescuer

by a stab in the back.

- 25 seconds, comrade Minister. - Great.

- The commission will like it too. - What commission?

- The Central Committee commission. - Take me to them.

Attention!

They said, it was agreed with you.

I called you but you were in Zabaikalsky district.

What, they didn't agree it with you?

Get in the car.

And now, the one and only, the greatest, fascinating and dearly loved

Lidiya Andreevna Ruslanova! Welcome!

-Nikita Sergeyevich! - What?

There is this thing…

I am talking about Zhukov's official visit to Bulganin.

- What about it? - Here. Look at this.

Georgy Konstantinovich delivers a speech at laying a war memorial in Plovdiv.

And here he goes to the reception of the Bulgarian First Secretary Zhivkov.

And this is the report from the embassy.

Our Minister of Defense is carried away, Nikita Sergeyevich.

- Big time. - What did he do there?

It was not him who liberated Bulgaria. It was Tolbukhin.

It is not the point.

The point is, he came there with his mistress.

What mistress?

Semyonova, Galina Alexandrovna.

That's right.

She's beside him, and the wife is there, too.

They attend rallies in each and every town.

They salute him in Bulgaria. He is their national hero.

Anyway, there were rallies and receptions honoring her as well.

Our Bulgarian comrades started asking questions.

How could it happen? What were you thinking?

But what can we do about it?

He's a happy-go-lucky now. They salute him in Bulgaria. And her too.

He carries her over in a private jet.

And they stay together in the reception houses.

Aren't you just jealous?

- Me? - Yes.

- Nikita Sergeyevich… - What?

I can tell you this. I know Zhukov inside out.

Moreover, he also had an affair during the war.

WIth a medical worker.

I had my fair share of trouble with that.

I protected him both from Beria and Stalin.

Moreover, he has a daughter, Margarita. From certain Volokhova.

She was born in 1928. The same very year

when his daughter from Alexandra Dievna was born.

What is it? He is a Communist. Hence, he must live with his wife!

- What kind of example does he set? - You are jealous.

And jealousy, Vanya, is a nasty emotion.

Nikita Sergeyevich, you can think whatever you like but I tell you this.

I am not jealous.

I care about the state.

What is it? Our Minister of Defense is practically a bigamist?

I don't quite get it! Are you pitting me against him, Ivan?

- Nikita Sergeyevich! - What?

- Nikita Sergeyevich! - You better be glad!

- Why? - Because our Minister of Defense

is so energetic! That's it! Enough!

It is a good thing that our minister is so energetic.

And reckless.

- A mistress… - Right.

A bigamist… This is good.

I didn't sing for several years.

Probably because I had other things to worry about.

But that's alright.

We'll start singing now.

As good as we sang after the war.

I'd like to say that this show wouldn't have happened

if not for one man.

Thank you!

Thank you for the victory.

For my husband, for me, for us all. Thank you!

Zhukov! Zhukov! Zhukov!

To your health!

Can I steal him? Can I?

Please talk to him! Do it for me! Please!

Hi… How are you, Georgy Konstantinovich.

Hello, Volodya.

I wanted to talk to you.

I am oppressed by certain circumstances that are...

I know your circumstances, Volodya!

Lida told me that you've read the questioning protocol.

Yes, Khrushchev gave it to me. I read it.

- Does it move already? - Yes.

I feel its feet. And it beats me.

When dad comes, the baby is so quiet. Just listening to Georgy's voice.

Where did you come from, sweet-eyed pale face?

He looks at you and he just goes crazy.

You are a beauty! A beauty!

You know, sometimes I just can't fall asleep at night

- and I keep thinking… - Hello!

Is it you, Galya? You live like a queen, eating with golden fork from silver plate.

I can even touch you, and you are great Ruslanova.

Oh, come on! Come on!

If I only said this in my hospital three years ago

they'd think that Semyonova was crazy.

- Went nuts. - Come on, stop it.

Really! You sang so beautifully tonight.

Georgy, back then, at Lubyanka, I was so confused.

That's true.

In the camp, I've been thinking about these first two months all the time.

They fooled me. They did.

The methods they use... Forgive me.

- Did you read all of it? - Yes.

You read it, well.

- Will you forgive me? - God will.

The main thing is, you are alive. Right?

That's not right. I am sick at heart.

I gave a false witness against you. It hurts.

You remember how we loved to read Bismarck?

- What did he say? -I forgot Bismarck.

I had other things to worry about in these years.

And what did he say?

It's not enough to kill a Russian soldier. One has to knock him off first.

How do you mean?

I was tortured. I was...

- Never mind. You won't understand. - I won't.

What I mean is, it was too easy...

...to knock you off. You could have stood a little longer.

And where is my wife?

Comrade Zhukov holds the meetings in the districts

giving unflattering comments on the Party and government leaders.

Specifically, saying that Suslov and Brezhnev

are amateurs in military construction.

Thus, he undermines the military political authorities.

Georgy, Georgy…

Meeting the army instructors in Kievsky District,

he spoke from the high rostrum saying that political workers institute is obsolete

and that the commissars, like the priests at the tsar army,

should at least serve on equal terms mastering tanks, aircraft and machine guns

but it would be better to get rid of them at all!

Well…

- Can I congratulate you? - On what?

Really? You just had a daughter!

- Thank you very much. - Yeah...

- What name did you give her? - Masha.

Masha… Well, it doesn't matter that she's not from your wife.

Well done! You are alive and kicking!

You didn't listen to me, and that's okay.

Well done! So how many daughters do you have now?

- Three. - One, two... No. Four!

What about Margarita from Volokhova?

We know everything about you. Hiding her? Don't.

Kids are our treasure. Well done!

You set an example for us all.

Not only that you crashed them Nazis, you laid them ladies as well. Well done!

A true Communist! Congratulations on your daughter.

Thank you, Nikita Sergeyevich.

Well, let's talk a bit.

You know, you gotta go to Yugoslavia.

Visit Tito. He respects you. You'll make a good contact.

And then drop over to Albania.

Their Enver Hodja... Hadja...

Hoxha! There are so many problems with him! A bunch of them!

You see, you gotta be a go-between these two great warlords.

They are wearing us out, really! Who else can do it?

-Who else? - But I am not a diplomat!

- What shall I do there? - You are my messenger!

The whole world knows you! You are the Marshal of the Victory.

What are you talking about? You are the icon of the USSR!

Just think! Whom else shall send there? Suslov?

He'd just wear them out with his socialism theory.

While you fought the war. You are the great war commander.

You are the four times Hero of the Soviet Union.

I wanted to go to Kiev to the training drills. The engineers

- are presenting a new tank there. - A tank can wait.

You'll see your tank!

Malinovsky can do without you in Kiev. The drills are just...

While Albania and Yugoslavia, this is serious.

-And smooth as well. - When do I fly?

Why do you have to fly? There's Kuibyshev cruiser in Sevastopol.

You'll travel by water. Flying is always flying.

It's a jet. But the cruiser will impress Tito.

- So off you go to Sevastopol. - I was thinking about a vacation.

Georgy Konstantinovich, you have to go. The duty's calling, you see?

A serious official visit is no joke. Come on now!

Sevastopol tomorrow. That's your number. Today do some shooting and leave tomorrow.

Well…

Well…

Still panicking, Leonid?

- It's hot. - It is.

- Nikita Sergeyevich! - What?

I just thought that...

Stalin was right to send him away.

That's what's going on. Read it.

What special forces are those?

Who's establishing them? How? What about the Central Committee approval?

- Lenya! Why would he need special forces? - Nikita Sergeyevich!

Use your brain!

Do you remember what he blurt at the Central Committee meeting?

When they wanted to discharge you? That the army's against it,

that no single tank will move without his order.

Do you remember what he said to Molotov?

That he'll have to reach out to the army and the nation.

- And he'll do that. - He said it in the heat of the moment.

But what is happening here, huh?

There's no one to trust! No one!

- Nikita Sergeyevich... I'll tie him in knots!

Lenya! Why would he need the special forces?

Nikita Sergeyevich, look at this carefully.

- Look carefully. - Well?

Do you remember what he said at Ruslanova's banquet?

That the army supports him completely.

That he'll raise it in half a day, should the day come.

And he'll do that, Nikita Sergeyevich! Read it now! Just read!

Read it through! Will the army follow your lead?

Or mine, maybe?

What have we done, Nikita Sergeyevich?

Nikita!

Zhukov situation should be handled immediately.

Wait! Hold on.

Just a moment.

Wait!

Hoot!

Hoot!

Put me through to Kiev!

Put me through to Kiev. To Malinovsky.

Rodion Yakovlevich? This is Khrushchev.

When the training drills are scheduled?

Make them one week before that.

We thought about it and decided that we'll come to you altogether.

All of us, including the district chiefs. So be prepared to welcome us.

And we have to handle the issue. You remember? The one we discussed.

Ask the district chiefs very delicately.

Find out how they feel about it. Yes.

That's it. Take it.

Yeah…

Vasily Ivanovich! Drinking alone?

I said hi, Vasily Ivanovich!

- Serov, is that you? - Me!

Pour me some! Come on.

Here.

You know why I call you Serov, the grey one?

No.

Because when you come around, all colors go dull.

Everything becomes grey, colorless, faceless, and boring. What do you want?

- You know what I want, Vasily. - I don't.

- Of course you do. -No! I don't remember a thing.

Really? I'll tell you then. It has come to our knowledge

that you'd been involved in certain controversies.

With Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov. And the tough ones, too!

- Is it so? - That's our private business.

- Really? - Just ours.

How can it be private if two marshals punch each other up?

It is anything by private if you ask me.

I am a soldier, Vanya, not a rat.

We did have one fight.

But that's a given. Two men sorting things out.

These things happen.

And he…

- raised a toast to me on a Victory Day. - Did he?

"For our Vasily Ivanovich,

the one and only. We never had and never will have

the commanders like him." That's what he said.

- Well… - Because he is a man

and you are Serov. As simple as that.

But when he claimed Stalingrad victory, you were very angry with him.

- Pitting us against each other? - Come on!

Just look at him! Oh my! Pitting us against each other.

Working for Nikita Sergeyevich.

He was the only one who knew. I told him myself.

Listen, Vasily! Zhukov doesn't care a doit about you.

It's an amateur work, Serov.

Yes. Yes.

I held Stalingrad. My 62nd didn't move an inch.

But Zhukov made an attack.

And who held Moscow? Zhukov. With some great losses but that's alright.

In Orzhiv and Diyar he also lost a lot of our soldiers.

But that's okay. The history will forget it.

They competed each other, who's gonna get to Berlin first,

Zhukov or Konev. As simple as that.

That's all very interesting. You should tell about that too.

As I told you before, Vanya, I am a soldier, not a rat.

Vasily, Vasily…

- It's all Zhukov then? - Yeah.

- Zhukov alone fought the war. - Right.

- Zhukov took over Berlin. - Right.

And he held Moscow?

- Yes. - Yes? And what did you do then?

- I even wasn't at that war. - Really?

Why are you sweating your ass off to let Zhora fall?

So Zhukov is rude.

And he loves fame.

And…

I don't like him.

- Frankly speaking, I don't like him. - So what are you waiting for?

But he is not a banknote to be loved by everyone, right?

He is only Zhukov.

I respect him.

You can't even imagine how much I respect him.

And that's why I will not turn him in.

So…

You just wasted your time calling me and coming here.

Well, Vasily Ivanovich, it's up to you.

We can only propose, you can always refuse.

Have many people agreed yet?

That's the point, Vasily. Many have.

Rokossovsky, Konev… Many of the old guard too.

- And Vasilevsky? - He is still thinking, but, you know…

Eat this!

Vasilevsky…

…told you to get lost, right?

- He refused? - You know pretty well why he did.

His son is married to Georgy's daughter.

It's family!

Anyway, I am telling you again.

- We made our decision a long time ago. - And I didn't.

You know, I am sitting here and I just can't decide.

I don't even know what to do now.

- I can't decide. - Well, look…

The time goes on, the life is changing.

- You might find yourself out of business. - Just don't threaten me.

I'll always find a millstone to hang around my neck.

I am drinking now,

and I will be drinking tomorrow.

And the day after tomorrow I'll be drinking as well,

so I won't make it to the Kremlin.

Vasily!

Vasily, come on! Come on, my dear!

We'll clean you, we'll shave you, we'll take you there. Come on!

- I'll put up a fight there. - Hey, Vasya!

Fighting with Zhukov is okay, but if I bump into Nikita Sergeyevich…

Listen, we're talking like kids now.

- Vanya… - What?

Aren't you disgusted with all this?

You are kind of his friend.

Right.

That's exactly the point.

Kind of.

Okay, Vasya! Think about it.

Please do.

No! You…

Zhukov?

Well… What are you doing to the army?

Whom will you stay with?

Brezhnev? Kirilenko? Suslov?

Alright, Vasily Ivanovich.

- See you. - Take care.

Good-bye, Serov!

It's Serov.

- Good afternoon, Georgy Konstantinovich! - Hello, Ivan Stepanovich.

Comrade Minister! Would you come to my car?

- We'll go to the Kremlin and talk. - What's the rush?

- My family is waiting here. - There's no rush, Georgy Konstantinovich!

- My girls! - Dad!

We've missed you so much! Let's go home! Take some rest there.

- Mom made a lunch. - No, no, no!

- I am taking him with me. - How come?

You go home, I'll come later.

Ivan Stepanovich and I are going to the Presidium meeting.

What can I do? We have to be there. Go now.

- What? - Don't ride in his car.

Ride with us. We gotta show you something.

- I don't understand. - We wrote you a letter. Read it.

- Ivan! - Yes?

They missed me. It's been a month.

I'll take them home and ride to Kremlin. It's not far.

Whatever you say, Georgy Konstantinovich.

Let's go.