Dersu Uzala

---

Looking for something?

Yes, a grave.

No one's had time to die here yet.

You can see there is no graveyard.

This was a long time ago.

Actually, not such a long time.

Nearly three years.

I buried a friend here.

A friend.

Huge trees stood here.

A cedar and a fir tree.

Remember them?

Probably chopped down

when the settlement was built.

Could it be those?

Dersu!

In the islands, the hunter

Roams all day long

But no luck for him

And he curses himself

What's he going to do

How is he to serve

He cannot be cheerful

So what

He'll try to aim better

So the hunter goes

To warmer waters

Where the fish were frolicking

In the beautiful weather

There on the shore

That year...

my assignment was

to go to the Shkotovo area...

in the Ussurii region...

to make a topographic survey.

Sometimes mountains and forests

look cheerful and attractive.

At other times,

they seem sullen and wild.

This isn't just my own feeling.

All the men in the unit

share this feeling.

With God's help,

we will spend the night here.

And tomorrow,

we'll find a more cheerful place.

Very well.

We'll halt here for the night.

Yes, we'll stay here for the night.

That valley reminded me...

of Walpurgis Night...

a place where witches

would gather for their Sabbath.

What's that?

A falling rock.

Is someone coming down?

It's a bear!

Please to not shoot!

Me are people!

Hello, Captain.

Look. A man.

You said it was a bear.

Won't you join us?

Thanks.

I am very hungry.

Nothing to eat today.

Who are you?

A Chinese?

A Korean?

No. Me is Goldi.

A hunter?

Me hunt all the time.

No other job.

Where do you live?

Not have home.

Build a shack and sleep,

and living like in a home.

No luck today?

Today shoot at stag.

Me not hurt him much.

Stag run away.

Me follow after it.

Me see people tracks.

Me go slow.

Me think:

''What kind of people

so far in the hills?''

Me look close.

See Captain, soldiers.

So me come here quick.

Why did you miss the stag

if you're such a good hunter?

You never miss?

We're soldiers.

We're not supposed to miss.

You great hunter, shoot all beasts...

we don't have anything to eat.

Hey, you!

Enough babble!

Well, well.

Here. Now you can babble.

My name is Arseniev.

What's yours?

Dersu Uzala.

How old are you?

I don't know well.

Me live a long, long time.

Do you have a family?

They all die long ago.

Before, I had a wife...

son and girl.

The smallpox finish all people.

Now me left alone.

Look, Dersu.

We are surveying this area-

the ranges, passes and rivers.

Will you be our guide?

Necessary me think.

Stop it.

Well, think it over.

Now, let's go to sleep.

The next day,

without saying a word...

Dersu took his place

at the head of our squad.

There is a road here.

- A road!

- Come here! There's a road!

What's there?

This road two, three days before,

one people come.

Then rain come.

These people Chinese.

Where did you get that?

How you not understand?

Look well!

He wear Chinese boots.

Water in his tracks.

You the same as children.

Eyes not see.

You live in the forest, die soon.

Chinese!

Let's go!

Let's go!

Soon we find shack.

How do you know?

Look!

Strip bark.

Make roof.

The rain-soaked ashes...

the bed of grass...

and a discarded piece

of Chinese fabric...

all confirmed Dersu's words.

Obviously, a Chinese spent the night

a couple of days ago.

Did you see that?

Yegor!

Captain.

Rice, salt, matches, give some.

What do you need it for?

Rice, salt, matches.

Wrap in birch bark, put in shack.

You plan to return?

Why return?

Other people come.

Find dry wood.

Find food. Not die.

Olentiev!

Bring matches, rice and salt.

At your command.

This Goldi filled me

with admiration.

He had amazing insight...

acquired during his long life

in the forest.

Besides, he had a beautiful soul.

He provided for the needs

of a person he didn't know...

and probably wouldn't ever see.

Dersu, let's wait

until the rain stops.

Time to get ready.

Listen good.

Birds are starting to sing.

Rain soon stop.

Sun is coming out.

Dersu, do you know what the sun is?

Everyone knows the sun.

Could be that

you've never seen the sun?

Look, there it is.

Captain.

Sun is the most important men.

This men die, all die.

And this is another important men.

This is bad men. Shout.

If one listens to you,

everything around are men.

Look. All is men.

Water alive.

Well, you said it.

Is fire alive too?

Yes, fire is still men.

Fire angry,

forest burn for many days.

Fire get angry, frightful.

Water get angry, frightful.

Wind get angry, frightful.

Fire, water, wind.

Three mighty men.

The first snow fell that day.

- Why shoot?

- Just for fun.

- Step back, Dersu.

- Waste bullets, bad.

What waste? We're soldiers.

We're practicing.

- Screw it!

- Seryoga drank too much.

Let me try. Taras!

What a shot!

Go!

What the hell?

It's harder than

bringing down a flying bird.

Good shooter not miss.

Go ahead, old man.

Try it yourself.

Why shoot and smash? Why break?

Where in forest you find bottle?

Are you trying to

worm your way out of it?

Just admit you won't hit it.

Me not shoot at bottle.

Me shoot at rope.

Bottle fall down,

you give me bottle.

Hit the rope?

Go ahead.

It's yours if you hit the rope,

and I will fill it with vodka.

Go, Marchenko!

Go!

What a man!

He certainly put one over

on you, Olentiev!

Get ready to set out, men.

Go, go!

Once again, once again!

You won!

- Where is Dersu?

- God knows.

He suddenly decided to take

his portion of vodka and went off.

- He's sitting by the river.

- What's he doing?

Sitting by the fire and singing.

Probably drunk.

Let me tie it.

May I sit with you

for a while, Dersu?

Captain.

Over there my wife and kids die.

Smallpox.

Everyone afraid of smallpox.

Wife, kids, house,

all together burn.

Last night bad dream had.

Yurt will be soon fall down.

Wife, kids in this yurt...

all get freezing.

No eat.

So me come here,

give them everything.

Yesterday, an old men walked along.

This men didn't sleep the night.

- How do you know?

- No sign at camp fire that he sleep.

How do you know he's old?

Young man always walk on his toes.

Old man always walk on his heels.

I met that old Chinese

a few days later.

His name is Li Tsung-ping.

He is 64.

He come from Tientsin.

How did he land here?

Was a woman.

His brother took her.

He went into the mountains.

For 40 years live alone.

Thank you.

It's cold already.

Maybe we should invite the old man

to come over to our fire.

Don't, Captain.

Don't disturb him.

Him now think very much.

He see house, he see garden...

all in blossom.

Captain! Captain!

Li Tsung-ping come say good-bye.

Him now go home.

The ultimate goal

of this expedition...

was to explore the area

around Lake Khanka.

We had to cross bigs swamps

and roadless tracts.

I sent most of the men

and horses to Chernigovka.

Dersu, Olentiev, Krushinovandl...

set out for the lake in a flatboat.

Olentiev, stay here and make camp.

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