Perestroika Page #8

that not long ago was banned

from any screening at all.

So why didn't all these changes

in Russia thrill me?

This is just raw footage.

I understand you're gathering footage

like that from all over the world.

I'll comment as we go along.

Every year Soviet factories release

over sixty million tons of pollutants.

In sixty-eight different

industrial centers,

the air pollution level exceeds

the norm by 100 times.

Twenty percent of Soviet citizens

live in ecologically critical areas

and another thirty five to forty

percent in areas "ecologically unsafe".

This is about 175 million people

- approximately eight times the

population of Canada.

The Black sea is overloaded with

pollutants.

Every year they dump 30 tons of

mercury in there,

not to mention about dozens of

other poisons. The sea is dying.

Two and a half million dolphins

that used to live here not long ago,

are now survived by only eighty

thousand.

The great Russian Volga river, it

contains approximately 700 times

the allowed con-centration of

oil-industry wastes.

Most of Soviet rivers are in

much worse condition.

A farmer passing by threw his

cigarette butt in this river.

Is anyone tired? Should I stop?

These things aren't only

happening in Russia.

I'd like to show you some of my

footage.

"The time is out of joint" -

Shakespeare said it half a

millennium ago

and we are happily repeating it

century after century

and keep switching it out of

joint endlessly.

How long can it go on?

The planet life was healthier in

the time of Shakespeare.

And family life is definitely

deteriorated since then.

I hate you. I hate your face, I hate

your voice, I hate the air you breathe.

At least if I judge by mine.

Sasha, marry me!

You know... I love Helen.

It's crazy! You told me you've

never had sex like this before!

With anybody!

And I'll say it again.

You said you couldn't live with

Helen.

I did.

And she left you?

She did.

Then marry me... I'll stop

making films if you want.

I can be a really good wife.

I'll make breakfast for you

every morning. Want me to?

No.

Why?

Because this is like a deja-vu!

Because I've been through this

with Helen!

And the recurrence of this

pattern scares the hell out of me.

Helen and I have been through

enough insanity.

I don't want that for you.

But I won't be like that.

If you marry me you will.

I know.

Why?

Because the world's gone crazy!

Because the traditional family

has crumbled and there's nothing

left to replace it!

Everyone - women, nations,

Soviet physicists - everyone

wants freedom

but, sometimes, the price of

freedom is collapse.

Before I deliver my paper, I

would like to say a few words.

The world is changing at an

incredible pace.

When I was younger, scientists were

the undisputed heroes of my time.

The 19th century philosophy still

prevailed, war, famine, and disease

would all magically disappear if we

could only educate people properly.

The Biblical parable of Adam and

Eve's banishment from the garden

of Eden after

eating forbidden fruit from the

tree of knowledge was reduced to

a silly fairy tale.

The very thought that knowledge

could bring anything except

absolute bliss was laughable.

The curiosity that is the essential

characteristic of every scientist

was regarded as a moral virtue.

It was referred to as "sacred

curiosity".

My own professor, Doctor

Heinrich Gross,

would do everything in his power to

instill this quality into his students.

I do the same thing now, with my

new students!

It is the only moral basis of

humanity,

the only thing that separates us from

the animals, this sacred curiosity!

This is correct. Animals do not

have this quality.

Perhaps that is why animals haven't

tried to annihilate the human race,

and humans, are even now,

successfully ridding the planet

of all animal life.

My friends, tell me honestly,

have you ever thought that man

is the plague of the Universe?

God's punishment, an implement

of death and destruction,

something akin to a virus or a

cancerous growth that exists

only to destroy all life?

Demagogy!

Do not fear, Master, I am not

calling for the banishment of science.

I felt I had to say these words.

Thank you for indulging me.

Ah, let's now get down to

business.

How close is your model to a final

understanding of the Universe?

I feel it's very close.

Excuse me, I think I missed

something:

does your theory offer an

immediate solution for any of

today's problems?

I need a drink.

You need some sleep.

Do you really think I could

sleep? I need a drink first.

You should try. Call room

service.

But you probably won't get it

until tomorrow.

Was I really that bad?

Everyone seemed to like it.

I feel horrible.

Get some sleep, Sasha.

If I don't have a drink I'm

going to throw up.

I heard your parents are giving

a party for Sasha this evening.

Um um. Yes, they are.

Are you expecting a lot of

people?

A dozen or so...

We're going to have a trial run

of our Moscow tours on troikas

with gypsies right now,

and I would like to invite your

group.

Sasha and Jill are coming.

Thank you.

I'd also like to ask if you

would invite us to your little

gathering this evening.

Eh.

Thanks. Yeah.

It was awful. Just awful.

Sasha, you're a hero here and

you want to be one.

I guess you had to think of

something to impress the little girl!

Now, why did you say that?

Supposedly, you brought me up

here with good intentions.

Weren't you trying to help, not

make it worse?

Cut it out! I am not your

mother! I'm not even your wife.

Leave, then.

Fine!

Come in!

What happened to you? The

gypsies are waiting!

Stop here for one second. I see

they just got a vodka delivery.

What, are all these grandmothers

alcoholics or something?

They get forty rubles a month

pension.

If you remember, we paid thirty

for a bottle of vodka the other day.

Tonight, each of them will sell

a bottle and raise their

standard of living almost twice.

It's called survival.

Forty rubles! That's enough for

one dinner at a restaurant!

With no drinks. But why would

grandmothers go to restaurants anyway?

Aye, brave beautiful new world!

We are worrying about having too

much freedom

and the old ladies are fighting

to survive on the monthly pension

that can't buy one diner in a

restaurant!

Where are we headed?

More sanctions they are imposing

on us!

A month ago, they permitted

selling at the Rizhsky Market,

and now they're forbidding it

again!

What are people supposed to do

with all the goods they

manufactured to sell there?

How's anyone going to make any

money this way?

That's a weak government for

you.

Those helpless liberals don't know

whether they're coming or going.

If it were up to me, I'd shut that

Rizhsky Market down once and for all.

It's a joke! A fur hat costs

three times my pension!

Who's going to buy it? Only

another speculator, like themselves!

So! In a government store you'd

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