Original subtitles

DOVZHENKO FILM STUDIOS. KYIV, 1959

OLEKSA DOVBUSH

SCREEN PLAY BY LYUBOMYR DMYTERKO, VIKTOR IVANOV

DIRECTED BY VIKTOR IVANOV

CAMERAMAN: V. ILLIENKO

THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS

ARE LIKE DEEP WRINKLES

ON THE ANCIENT FACE OF EARTH

UKRAININAN HIGHLANDERS THE HUTSULS

HAVE LIVED HERE SINCE IMMEMORIAL TIMES.

ALL THESE LANDS

WERE A PART OF A UNITARY MIGHTY STATE CALLED

KYIVAN RUS'

BUT AFTER CENTURIES

HUNGARIAN FEUDAL LORDS OCCUPIED TRANSKARPATIA

AND POLISH MAGNATES

MOST OF UKRAINIAN LANDS.

THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE DIDN'T OBEY.

CARPATHIAN FREEDOM-LOVING HUTSULS

GATHERED INTO REBEL GROUPS CALLED OPRYSHOKS.

LIKE LITTLE MOUNTAIN SPRINGS FLOWING FREE

THE PEOPLE UNLEASHED FURY FROM THEIR HEARTS

AND PUNISHED THE OPPRESSORS MERCILESSLY.

200 YEARS AGO

THIS FURY IN THE CARPATHIANS HAD A HUMAN NAME

IT WAS CALLED OLEKSA DOVBUSH.

For Mykola Bidarchuk's horse.

Bring Shtola's money back.

Take the cross. It's the same as mine.

Your cross is made of gold and mine of copper.

Opryshok, be afraid of God.

Were you afraid of Him?

Taking sheep from Skyba?

Pour it!

Pour it!

Down!

You may stand.

Put out the candle.

The lord's paying off his debt for the sheep.

Keep well!

Give it to me, uncle Oleksa!

Please.

Young lad?

Dovbush?

Yes.

So glad to come across you.

Who are you, old man?

Old opryshok.

Did you hear?

What?

Smaliaks chopped me up. (LORDS' FORCES)

We were beaten and dispersed.

Now I have met my end.

Bury me right here.

And you stop hanging around.

Do convene fellows.

You'll show this bartka to them (TYPE OF AXE)

and they'll follow you.

Will I manage?

You will.

I know you long enough.

But you must forget

about everything from now on.

Take it!

How?

Desert humans?

And once you've become an opryshok,

you'll have no family,

home or

peace of mind whilst we are in captivity.

Say something.

I have a girlfriend.

Forget her.

Goodbye Oleksa.

I'm dying.

Wait.

Take this blade of grass from my grave.

It'll protect you from the lord's bullet.

Give me your hand.

Give it.

Come on fellows!

But you bear in mind:

Our road's gonna be as dangerous as this bridge.

Only the courageous and nimble can go through it!

Who'd be the first?

I'll do it!

Be careful Vasylko.

No rush.

I pity him.

May he rest in peace.

He was courageous!

But not nimble!

Who are you?

He can't talk.

The lord cut his...

And we cut the lord's head off.

We're brothers.

Vartsab and Zhebia.

You're our brothers now.

You boy, go home.

Don't kick me out fulgeman.

It's Shumey. He's from my village.

He's got no father, nor mother.

The lord killed all my...

I'm all alone.

Okay.

Let the woods be your father.

And dark night be your mother.

Hello otaman.

Who are you?

Cossack Myhailo. From Zaporozhia.

— From Ukraine? — Yes.

My brother!

How is that possible?

The noblemen

imprisoned Porubanyi.

I took to my heels.

Heading for Sich. (COSSACKS' STATE)

And I happened to hear about you.

I can struggle against the lords everywhere.

In Kyiv or in Khrakiv,

they are all the same.

SINGING ABOUT HIS HOMELAND

— Hello Oleksa! — Hello Lasiychuk!

Singing as always?

I'm not singing while eating or sleeping.

What are you...?

Are you lost?

I'm Yuzyk. Lord Yablonskyi's servant.

He's tortured my sister to death.

I threw myself upon him with a knife.

Then I was seized.

But managed to escape.

— To join you. — He's not from our faith.

I'm a holop. (A MAN DEPRIVED OF FREEDOM)

— Where shall I go? — You may jump from this cliff!

Stop it!

— You're a bad man, Klyam! — You'd be the same!

If the lord took everything you had.

— And he's from their faith. — We've got one faith.

Revenge on the lords.

He'll betray us!

Right now!

Cut my hand off!

I trust you!

He won't be afraid of torture.

Why did you come here?

To see you.

And stay with you.

You're not allowed to be here.

Why?

Young lads.

I'll be your sister!

Wash clothes.

Cook.

I've crossed the bridge, haven't I?

I can do everything you can.

Do not turn me away.

Young lads.

Who has a darling?

If only my wife was here...

Did you hear?

Go.

I swear on this bartka,

that from this day

I've no family, no home,

no girlfriend. But I have this company.

I swear!

I swear!

Whilst I'm alive,

whilst my arms on my shoulder,

whilst my heart's beating,

I will stand up for our people!

Take from the rich and give to the poor.

I swear!

Bright lord.

It is Marichka who is

the most beautiful girl in the Hutsul land.

So why don't you marry her?

Bright lord.

She is not willing.

And you can not compel her,

my devoted servant?

Chairman.

Proprietor over proprietors.

Dovbush's already engaged to her.

Dovbush?

Why didn't you tell me?

Sir Matsyk, can you hear it?

Yes, sir.

I've been chasing after him for ages.

And no result.

Every bush is hiding him.

It's the wrong place.

Chornohora is the right one. (MOUNTAIN PEAK)

I need armed forces though.

Therefore, you need money for it, don't you?

Sure.

You want me to eat into my savings

— for this nasty rebel? — Take it from the Hutsuls.

Superintendent?

I imposed all the taxes on the village.

On poll tax, On capitation tax, On duty tax,

rise,

tithe, windowy,

— horny, military tithe. — Enough!

Shtefan?

— Get married as soon as possible. — Thank you, Bright Lord.

I'll sort it out.

And you can take all the livestock.

Let the village pay for the birth of its opryshok.

Oleksa!

Help us.

The village is dying.

Yablonskyi's robbing us.

He's taken all our livestock.

Put the fire out.

Everybody's gonna

call on the lord for a dinner.

And what we ended up with...

Hiding at our neigbour's house because

he's got a higher tower and a more attentive guard.

Why the hell did we build our estates near the mountains?

Only rembling there...

— Damn him! — Calm down.

You're in my house.

This toast is to our ladies.

Dovbush!

We've come to take our cattle back.

I've taken it from my village.

It's not your village.

I inherited it.

And we've grown up here like our woods and mountains have.

You are a newcomer.

You took our land and us from our homeland: Ukraine.

By the nobility's law this land belongs to me.

Shut up.

— Do you remember my sister? — You're a beast!

The brave thirty against one?

Why thirty?

I'll do it on my own.

I heard you fight well, don't you?

Get your sabre!

Myhailo, give it to me!

Damn it!

Shoot it again.

Son of a bitch.

You didn't know? You won't shoot Dovbush with a bullet!

Hang him up!

Cool down.

I'll say something.

Listen to me.

If you kill me, you won't get the prize — my land.

And I'll write an decree that I give it up by free will instead.

Land, cattle, everything I have.

Nobody can change my decision, not even the king!

I am my own king of my possessions!

— What are you thinking? — I am not as fool big as you think to trust you.

He said something nobody had said before.

Can we trust him?

The lord's is a word of honour.

Okay.

Let him go.

Listen to us...

We don't need anything that is yours. Leave us alone.

Do not plunder our villages and we'll leave you alone too!

Say to everybody

let them leave us alone!

I'll believe you.

But you take this into account...

— Yuzyk? — Yes?

Keep this string.

We'll use it for our initial purpose if you lie.

Sign papers.

SINGING ABOUT OLEKSA DOVBUSH

Petryk?

— God bless you! — Aunt Hanusia!

Here is your happiness!

Take it!

Take your livestock. The lord's returning it.

May the happiness come to your house too.

Proprietors you can take it.

You son of a bitch! It's not yours!

Take it good people! It's your power!

Feed the lords with the bullets.

It's all yours now.

Here is the charter he wrote!

WEDDING SONGS PLAYING

Did you do it by your will?

She married him because of her father's debt.

... with help from the lord.

You did know I had been engaged to her.

She's my spouse now!

God's united them,

and you do not make Him angry.

Let me go with you, my dear.

No women stepped in Sich.

Get down.

Shtefan.

Marichka must stay as

she used to be before you married her.

Did you hear that?

And if not...

You will not leave me behind,

like this raven.

Marichka!

Forgive me.

I'm not as cruel as it seems. I must be like that.

Listen to your friends.

— Follow what they say. — It's not my blood brothers' fault.

I can not take you. It's forbidden.

But I can't live without you too.

Lesyk, I'm scared.

They made me get married in a church.

But we're not guilty before the Lord.

We'll ask the Lord,

to annul Shtefan's marriage.

And unite us together.

I'll swear to you, and you'll swear to me.

Dear Lord.

We're standing here before you.

Unite us forever.

On my behalf, you can destroy this village.

I let you do whatever you want.

And if you're lucky to meet Dovbush...

500 for the dead, and 1000 zlotys for the living.

Nobody should know where I am.

May God help you.

— Dovbush! — Don't move!

On the ground smaliak souls!

Oleksa,

Mystor?

Semen?

Grandfather Petriv?

Why are you here?

Yablonskyi's cheated us.

The smaliaks are demolishing our homes,

Petro, Mykola Bidarchuk, Tanasiy are dead.

Trusted to the lord.

Trusted to the lord.

Where were you? Where were your bartkas?

Where were your arns? You thought someone'd show up and defend you?

We were a few. We sent for you but couldn't find you.

Take these smaliaks' guns.

And follow me.

— Where's the Yablonkyi? — He's gone. And nobody knows where.

FUNERAL SONGS PLAYING

Petryk,

Donasiy,

Forgive me my brothers.

Good people.

I fell for their word.

Punish me.

Oleksa, it's not your fault.

It's the lord's fury.

I swear to all dead men, that we'll find the lord wherever he is.

And we'll take our revenge.

Sufferings for sufferings.

Death for death.

DRINGKING SONGS PLAYING

Gentlemen.

If I may.

I wonder...

Drink.

— It's your turn sir Yablonskyi. — This plate's nothing!

This is the target for him.

Catch it!

Musical...

Okay. I didn't score.

Pour it over the collar.

God be praised.

God be praised forever.

Highly respected Father.

I address to your mercy.

— Who are you? What do you want? — I'm Dovbush.

My fellows are in the woods.

Smaliaks's driven us away from the mountains.

We've been asking God for daily bread for two days.

May your hand feed hungry people?

How is that?

How is that?

Be so generous.

Prepare a dinner for me and my 20 fellows.

We'll be grateful for all.

If only it was enough for everybody.

God bless you!

— Nobody should know about it. — Ye-

Your Highness.

— Dovbush is here. — What?

Talk.

He's come from the mountains. He is hiding in the woods.

He asked for a dinner tonight

for twenty people. In my house.

Grushevych, Kamaratskyi.

Hurry up. Go home and prepare a dinner.

Treat them well and do not cut down on horilka. (ALCOHOL DRINK)

Get everyone ready.

Dismiss the guard.

We'll go after Dovbush!

— And don't worry. — Yes, noble lord.

This dinner...

You'll get one thousand zlotys,

once we catch him. Get ready.

We'll finish with Dovbush today.

Who's there?

It's housemaid Olena. Lord's killed my son...

What do you want?

I was talking with the priest about my son's funeral. Let me in.

We've got him!

He'll be right here in a minute.

Jesus and Mary!

So...

I've kept my word. It's hutsulian.

It's back.

Bitch.

You can't get in!

Madam Edwiga's going to have a baby.

Another satan like her husband?

No. It's a girl.

Girl?

How do you know that? Will you vouch for it?

I vouch for it with our mutual faith.

— I've been delivering them for many years. — Be generous.

Who are you going to bear?

The girl.

Christen her Marichka.

This name has saved your life.

Be careful fugleman. The mercy may cause the troubles.

Take madam away. We're gonna burn this den now.

SONGS ABOUT DOVBUSH AND THE CARPATHIANS PLAYING

People.

Don't hide away anymore!

Your lord is gone.

Go out and watch him burning!

Go out! We're only twenty but they're afraid of us.

Listen!

Turn them out of our land!

It's Dovbush! He's set everything on fire. Hurry up!

Quicker.

Mount the horses!

— Come in. — God be praised.

Take your seats. It was a long way. You must be tired. Have your meal.

Father.

Are you waiting for someone else?

What a shame.

The senior. The priest.

You've betrayed people from the same faith.

For thirty pieces of silver like Judas.

Look into our eyes.

It's gonna be the punishment for you.

The opryshok's taken all my possession.

— In broad daylight. — He's burnt everything up.

— It was a narrow escape... — I was beaten up.

It's even worse than a death.

— It is believed he can't be shot with a bullet. — Don't be so superstitious.

It's what Lord Yablonskyi says.

Gentlemen, did you hear that? Dovbush's said,

— he's gonna kill me this Sunday. — So why are you shouting?

— Today's only Wednesday. — What? Did you hear that?

Dovbush said he's gonna kill me

— this Sunday? — He'll destroy all of us.

What?

Dear colonel.

We are noble people who gathered here.

We had to flee for safety

leaving our possessions behind.

Broken into, set afire, injured.

— What should we do now? — We want to ask you about it?

And you'd better ask his Highness the hetman.

It's him who's been chasing the army to Ukraine.

He's got his estates and castles. He must protect it.

That's why he doesn't want to give us an army,

to lay siege to this thief.

I can't just provide everybody

with the hundred of smaliaks.

And Dovbush realized it.

He's not just a bandit. He's even more dangerous.

— My brother? — Edwiga?

What happened?

Lord Yablonskyi's dead.

Dovbush.

Holy Mary.

Revenge.

The seymyk. I'll hold the seymyk. (MEETING OF FEUDAL LORDS)

We'll complain

to the hetman, to the king.

Where can we get the army?

The army.

Stop!

Lesyk!

Let me go with you.

Lesyk?

Let me go.

Marichka.

Haidamaka.

We'll chop you into pieces.

And my son... Did you hear that?

I had the boy.

destroy all your spawn.

The lords have caught Dovbush.

Dovbush's trapped!

The hutsuls!

We must set him free!

By the will of the bright voivode and general of the Kyivan lands,

the chairman of Lezaysk, Snyatyn, Nemyriv,

Halych, Kolomyia — lord Yosyp...

Too young to die.

Thank you.

For the company.

Thank you too.

Goodbye my fugleman.

Goodbye.

You are screaming lords...

That means I've got you.

That means you are afraid of hutsuls.

Shut up!

Good people.

Tell all the poor people, to light

a thousand candles. From lords' estates!

— Goodbye Marichka! Goodbye my dear! — Goodbye Oleksa!

Move!

— Marichka! — Lesyk!

Hop in the carriage!

Move!

And you come along to the mountains!

Damned...

Madam Yablonska?

We've come into fortune! Petro, head for the mountains!

Kill me.

Come on, madam.

You're so beautiful. Your eyes are... and hands...

Your fingers are so thin. And the skin is like silk.

You're gonna wash our clothes with these hands, bitch!

You're the hostage for Marichka.

Money. I need money.

Guys? Does anybody have any?

I need everything.

Not enough.

Couldn't catch up.

Couldn't get them.

Worthless. I'll kill you!

Search all over the Carpathians.

— Surround them! — Where can we get the army?

Armed forces...

Get out of here.

Do you want to live?

— Yes. — You're going to live if I can see

the hetman's estate's on fire on Sunday.

What's the catch?

You see...

It is Dovbush who should appear to be responsible for it.

That was your best estate.

I'm sick of you idling away!

Whole Pokuttia. The Carpathians with Dovbush.

Our holops as well.

Do you want a new branch off?

Hmelnychchyna?

Bright hetman.

I did everything I managed to.

I've got no forces. Give me the forces. Where is it?

And you don't know...

Russia, Turkish...

And our own cattle.

I'll give you two... three thousand dragoons.

And any prize for his head.

Colonel. Dovbush's trapped in the canyon.

There's no way out.

Hello, lord Matsyk!

Fire!

Fall back!

— Ready? — Ready.

Once you're back in Ukraine, tell everybody about us,

our destiny.

You can count on me. I'll carry it out. I'll bring some reinforcements as well.

Goodbye, fellows.

Goodbye, Myhailo.

So...

The winter's coming.

The roads are gonna be snowy.

Even a fool would track our footprints...

We have to disperse now.

Go home to your families and do settle down for a while.

And come back with young lads at spring.

And we'll head for Chornohora now.

We'll pass the winter there.

Why did I let Yuzyk go to Psheremskyi?

Why did I listen to my fellows?

I know it inside out now.

No trust to the lords.

Do not curse me old opryshok...

I didn't keep my word.

Couldn't forget Marichka.

I can feel it in my bones.

Why did I let my blood brother Yuzyk go?

Sir fugleman Dovbush

says madam is safe.

But she won't be back unless your brightness

orders to set Marichka free.

And all those hutsuls in your tower.

My God. But you're Polish.

— Collaborating with the hutsuls... — I'm a holop.

Listen to me.

Cattle, you'll get three,

five thousand zlotys and your freedom!

Where's Dovbush?

I'll tell you nothing.

My sister!

Shtefan?

Here's your wife. Take her.

Marichka.

But you have to notify Dovbush,

to release Madam Yablonska.

Got it?

Okay.

Marichka's free.

Mother of God you've heard my prayers.

But Yuzyk isn't back yet.

Another dirty trick from your brother?

Let me go.

He'll be back. I promise.

I once did fall for your husband's story. That was the last straw.

I've no faith in the lords anymore.

We have to bring Marichka back, otherwise madam might kidnap her again.

I'll go after her tonight.

Watch over her. Pray for Yuzyk!

You won't leave unless he's back.

Hey?

You want five thousand zlotys?

Take it.

Let me go.

We're gonna change the camp tomorrow. Tell everybody to get ready.

You'd better not go alone... I'll send for her.

I need to find out where Yuzyk is.

And I need to go alone.

— I'll help you! — Ivan!

I said no.

Madam?

Mother of God.

Where's your wife, Shtefan?

Watch over her.

Madam Yablonska said Dovbush

is going after her today.

— Can you hear? He'll be here. — I beg you! Kill him!

We're only five.

We've no clue how many of them will show up.

We must carry madam back.

And he might arrive at any time.

But you'll get him.

— Me? — You!

Just in case I'm not back by that time.

But nobody can shoot him...

Don't worry.

We'll stand by you: the state, the army,

five thousand zlotys.

The wife.

Don't be afraid.

Just be ready to pull the trigger.

And I'll be back with the storm-troops.

Come on, Shtefan!

Come on.

UTTERING THE PRAYER

Quickly!

— Sir, somebody who's asking for you. — What does he want?

He's mentioned something about Dovbush.

— Who's that? — A man.

— What do you want? — Pour it.

— What? — Five thousand zlotys.

— What for? — For Dovbush's head.

And where is it?

Here, right on my neck!

Where's madam?

I don't know.

You let her go?

Hop on the horses!

Where's Yuzyk?

He's dead.

Dead?

Listen to me!

Listen!

Take him alive!

Are you okay? I told you...

Guys.

Give me the horse.

I'll go to Marichka.

I must get her back.

UTTERING THE PRAYER

Marichka.

Forgive me.

You've suffered enough.

Lesyk.

God.

I'm here to get you back.

Forever.

We're gonna stay together now.

Damned!

Oleksa?

I think I'm dying.

Take it.

Pour it over the wound.

Who?

Where's he?

Lesyk.

You can not die...

The angel gave you the blade of grass...

My dear.

Darling.

It's not more than a fairytale.

I let old opryshok do it,

— so that he could rest in peace. — No!

It was the angel.

I've got one angel.

It's you.

There he is...

Leave him alone.

Let him perish like an old dog...

Fellows.

Brothers.

Carry me up on Chornohora.

I just want to take a look

at our Carpathians.

Our far Ukraine.

Myhailo's gonna come

from there with the Cossacks.

Put me on the bartkas.

Hold on.

Get me down.

Okay.

Let me do it by myself.

If I reach Chornohora now,

than I live.

PLAYING SONG ABOUT CARPATHIANS

THE END