Original subtitles

SOVIET-ITALIAN PRODUCTION

MOSFILM, USSR VIDES CINEMATOGRAFICA, ITALY

CREATIVE ASSOCIATION 'TOVARISCH'

THE RED TENT

IN TWO PARTS

Script Robert BOLT, Ennio De CONCINI

Mikhail KALATOZOV In collaboration with Yury NAGIBIN

Directed by Mikhail KALATOZOV

Director of photography Leonid KALASHNIKOV

Assistant director Igor PETROV

Music A. ZATSEPIN

Sound V. BABUSHKIN, L. BULGAKOV

Executive producer L. KONOVALOV

Production managers Vladimir MARON, Vittorio Muzi GLORI

Peter FINCH as Nobile

Sean CONNERY as AMUNDSEN

Claudia CARDINALE as Valeria

Hardy KRUGER as Lundborg Eduard MARTSEVICH as Malmgren

Grigori GAJ as Samoilovich Nikita MIKHALKOV as Chukhnovsky

Luigi VANNUCCHI as Zappi Mario ADORF as Biagi

Donatas BANIONIS as Mariano Massimo GIROTTI as Romagna

Yuri Solomin as Troiani Otar KOBERIDZE as Cecioni

Boris KHMELNITSKY as Viglieri N. IVANOV as Kolka

Yuri VIZBOR as Behounek

T. ARCHVADZE as Alessandrini V. SIROVSKY as Lago

V. NAZAROV as Alexeev A. YANVAREV as Straube

V. SMIRNOV as Shelagin R. AREN as Aggie

O. MOKSHANTSEV as Ponomarev I. KHIZANISHVILI as Pomella

Rome, noon,

April 21, 1928.

Sensation!

Stay tuned for the last news.

The Italia airship

under the commandment of General Nobile

took off from its base in Milan

for Spitsbergen.

Its first landing is planned to take place

at Kings Bay.

From there Nobile and his crew

will set course to the North Pole.

The expedition is thus to reach the globe's highest point.

This will be a most risky endeavor

unprecedented in history.

Our agency joins the chorus

of wishes of good luck to the general,

these wishes arriving to him

from all over the world.

Mr. Nobile was especially glad to receive a note of greeting

from Amundsen, the famous explorer of the Polar regions,

a great knight of our times,

the first person to reach the South and North Poles.

We talked to Mr. Amundsen

and asked his opinion

about the Italy and its expedition.

"Dr. Amundsen, of what scientific value

"will General Nobile's expedition be, if it is successful?"

"Of the utmost value", was the answer.

"General Nobile took part in your first expedition

"to the North Pole. What was his role

"in that flight?"

"He was chief of the air crew

"and was in charge of all engineering aspects.

"He then brought the airship to America".

"Dr. Amundsen, why aren't you leading the expedition this time?"

"My expedition days are over.

"Also, I wasn't asked this time", Amundsen said.

"But general Nobile is not

"an expert Arctic explorer, is he?"

"He has experts with him.

"I know some of the men.

"They're excellent men.

"Nobile is a wonderful designer of airships.

"I knows this from our previous expeditions

"when we were flying on his Norge."

We asked: "But this time

"not only general Nobile designed an airship,

"but he will be the leader of the expedition."

"What are the chances of success?"

"Good chances."

"I know General Nobile."

"He is an excellent leader.

"Excellent!.."

An excellent leader.

What is the verdict of the jury?

Guilty.

Guilty.

Guilty.

Guilty.

Lundborg?

- Lundborg? - Yes, General!

Where are you?

Wherever you want me to be.

Another one of those sleepless nights, Nobile?

- Be civil. - I don't have to be civil.

I've been dead for 15 years already.

- So, we are at it again? - Yes.

This is crazy.

It's only 10 days since you had us here the last time.

"A new book about Nobile, Fresh Light on an Old Scandal."

- That today's? - It is.

Jesus Christ! It's 40 years ago,

and they still think it's interesting.

- Very interesting. - Another trial, then?

- Apparently. - Have you summoned Valeria?

Yes.

Valeria!

You look great.

General!

General, your imagination is working well tonight.

She looks great.

Will you excuse me.

He wants to change his clothes?

Another hearing?

- I guess so. - God, how boring.

Not altogether.

Well, well...

Who are you looking for?

You, old man!

She's looking for Malmgren.

Malmgren the Immaculate.

Will your imagination stretch to that?

- Don't call me old! - Boy,

- it would stretch to anything. - Take your feet off my table.

Dr. Malmgren is arriving now.

- I'm cold, Nurse. - That's funny, Mr. Rindborg,

- because I'm quite warm. - Very good.

- You wouldn't care to... - No, I wouldn't.

Are you sure that mine isn't a double bed?

Absolutely not, Mr. Swenson.

But it is positively big enough for two.

Well, then, take in Mr. Rindborg.

Bravo, Valeria!

You're all such tigers

- when you lie in beg. - Is it an invitation?

- Maybe. - Excuse me, Nurse.

- I've just arrived... - Wait in the dispensary, please.

All right.

Nurse, where are you going? Let me show you...

I've seen everything there was to see.

- Sorry... - Do sit down.

- I� - Name?

Finn Malmgren.

- Nationality. - Swedish.

Surface worker or below ground?

I'm not employed by the mining company, Nurse.

I'm a member of General Nobile's expedition.

Are you the famous explorer Malmgren?

I'm the only Malmgren on the expedition.

- Sorry. - There is no need to apologize.

- What do you want? - Someone dropped the iodine bottle.

I wondered if you could spare some.

Will that do?

Sure.

Thank you.

Goodbye.

Why did you decide to fly to the Pole with Nobile?

Because I was asked to.

Do you always do everything when being asked to?

General Nobile is an old friend of mine.

I would be happy to work with him.

It�s a pity we shall be without Amundsen.

What is this Amundsen?

He's a man.

That�s all?

He is a born leader.

And Nobile - is he a leader?

He's is a leader by profession.

- He is somewhat... - What?

Dreamy.

I like him a lot.

He has a terrible appetite for anything splendid.

He wants to go to the North Pole to see if he's as good as Amundsen.

Isn't that a bit silly?

To measure yourself against Amundsen?

Ambitious,

not silly.

Faster!

My God! St. Sebastian incarnate.

You, scoundrel!

Is that all you're going to do, hold hands?

You were a ghost when you were still alive.

- I've had it. I'm gone. - On the contrary.

- You are tonight's prosecutor. - Me?

Yes. I should have suggested this from the very beginning.

Look, Nobile, if I prosecute...

- I'll reach a conclusion. - Exactly.

Will Amundsen be coming?

I don't know.

You'll never reach a conclusion without Amundsen.

Oh, boy.

There's your prosecutor.

He's pure in heart, and he'd skin you alive

- to prove it. - No, you are my prosecutor.

Well, then...

Well, then in the absence of the great, good Amundsen...

I'll have

Biagi.

Biagi.

I'd almost forgotten Biagi.

I bet Biagi hasn't forgotten about you.

General!

Captain Zappi.

Anyone else?

Nope.

Ready for takeoff.

29.

- Take my place, captain. - Yes, sir!

41.

Airspeed?

About 40 knots.

We'll soon be picking wind gusts.

A slight deviation from the course.

Cecioni!

Watch the oil pressure in number three.

Viglieri.

- Stand by to measure altitude. - Yes, sir!

Mariano!

Now...

Yes!

Yes!

16.

- Troiani, 16 seconds! - Yes, General.

"The dirigible under the command of General Nobile

�left Kings Bay

�at 9:00 this morning.

�Now it is proceeding at an airspeed of 56 knots.

"Weather conditions satisfactory with some overcast.

"Expected time of arrival at the North Pole...

"15:00 hours, May 26, 1928."

- That's all, gentlemen. - Another report.

What's new, if it is not a big secret?

As of three minutes ago...

the Italia was

at 83 degrees North Latitude...

and 26 degrees East Longitude.

Only 12 miles left to the North Pole, General.

Troiani, go down to 400 meters.

- Captain Zappi. - Yes, sir?

- Get the anchor lines ready. - Yes, sir.

- Biagi! - Yes. sir!

- We're approaching the Pole. - That�s great!

Be prepared for landing.

- Check the outfit! - Be prepared for landing.

- Dr. Behounek! - Yes, sir!

Go.

General!

General, landing will be difficult. Strong wind.

19 meters per second.

The anchor lines are ready, General.

The men are standing by.

Hold at this altitude.

Dr. Malmgren,

- circle, minimum radius. - I got it.

- Biagi. - Sir?

Transmit to Kings Bay that we're at the Pole.

May I tell the crew?

Boys!

Boys!

Boys, we�ve made it!

We've reached the Pole!

- Biagi! Come here. - I kept it for the occasion.

Home-made liqueur from Prague.

Thank you.

Look, general.

Your Titina at the Pole.

Viva I'Italia! Viva I'Italia!

It's a real sensation for the journalists.

Biagi!

Open the door. Be careful.

General!

We are ready...

Here.

Will you read it aloud?

"A cross and the Italian flag...

"were dropped at the North Pole at 11:07 this morning."

- Are they going to land? - What about landing?

What�s your opinion, Doctor?

It's better to go back to Kings Bay. It's a head wind, dense fog,

the air pressure is dropping.

Will it mean postponing the landing?

General, we may never get a second chance.

- At least we should try it. - It is risky.

Dr. Malmgren, the honor of Italy is at stake.

- Mine, too. - Excuse me, General...

but your honor lies in accomplishing your mission.

The course is back to Spitsbergen.

To Kings Bay.

- What a boring place... - Attention, gentlemen...

Here's the Captain.

Here's the Captain.

The dirigible is returning to Kings Bay.

General!

General, the metal frame of the keelson is icing now.

Pomella, follow me.

Mariano! Captain Mariano!

Take the wheel.

Keep all engines at full speed. We must maintain altitude.

- Yes, sir! - Dr. Behounek!

- Hurry up! - What happened?

General, the ice is building up in the keelson.

- It's fraught with a catastrophe. - Let's go.

Guide-rope is covered with ice.

We�re getting an extra weight.

Cecioni! We're losing stability.

We're losing altitude.

Our side is icing more and more.

Ciocca! Ciocca! Come here!

Break off the ice!

Alessandrini, Pomella, break off the ice!

Jettison all extra weight.

Jettison it all!

General, I've lost contact with Kings Bay!

Calm down, Biagi!

We're dropping fast.

There's an escape of gas in the prow.

Stop all engines.

Number three control is jammed.

- What do we do? - Stay at the wheel.

Go away, Titina!

My motor is still running. I can�t stop it.

- Do it! If we fall, we'll burn down. - I can't!

Lago, what�s wrong?

Out with the ballast!

General, we'll manage, get down.

- Carry him down. - All right.

Call for Doctor Pontremoli.

Hurry up!

Dump it.

General!

Doctor, hold on!

Hold on!

- I can't! - Give me your hand!

It was me who persuaded the general to lower down!

Look, Zappi got to his feet!

If he died, it will be my blame!

- Maybe they're still alive! - My blame...

I can't take it anymore...

It was me

who persuaded the general to lower down.

General!

I would give my right hand to know what befell them...

Only God knows, General...

Maybe He does...

All right, but we know what happened

to those who were left on the ice pack,

- right, General? - Yes.

General...

General...

There are two of us...

We are alive.

Biagi. Biagi!

My dear man!

Troiani!

How are you?

I'm all right.

All right...

Easy, easy!

Jesus! My leg!

My leg!

Mariano, are you alive?

See? Everything is all right.

What?

What's wrong, Mariano?

It's me, Zappi.

Zappi!

Stop it, Mariano. Stop it!

Stop it!

Enough! Stop it, Mariano.

Enough of it!

Stop it, Mariano.

Enough of it! Enough!

Don�t�

Captain Zappi. Captain Zappi, help me to stand up.

All right, and so you stood up...

- There were nine of us. - And you took the command.

- Yes, I did. - Yes, you did.

- What did you do then? - Organized the search of the debris.

- Some job. - It wasn't so easy.

- I was in pain. - To hell with your pain.

There was that man... Cecioni.

His leg was fractured in two places.

Come here! A tent!

- A tent! - Good! Thank God.

Thank God!

Come here! It's a tent!

Take the rope.

Look! The reserve radio!

The radio!

The radio!

My dear radio!

Zappi, you found it!

Zappi, good for you!

General, we are saved!

Zappi, atta boy!

Where did you find it? In the snow?

You had Nature's call and found it, eh?

Great!

If he didn't have Nature's call, it would be still lying there.

You can fix it, Biagi. I know you can get it going.

The General was like a father to us in those days.

- Like what? - Like a father.

We also found a sextant, a compass

and the food supplies.

On that day we found

something else...

Here! Here!

Everyone come here!

Look!

That was the first life claimed on the ice pack...

Pomella was buried not far from our tent.

We put up a propeller over his grave.

Nothing, captain.

Signal Admiralty, Rome.

�Still no contact with the Italia airship.

�Request instructions�.

Instructions? You signaled for instructions?

That's right. Where was I to look for you?

We had no means of knowing at what time you crashed...

You were last heard from here.

Flying with the gale behind you,

towards Kings Bay you could be here...

Flying against the wind, towards Greenland,

you could be here.

You could have been anywhere within that area.

Two million square kilometers, if you were still alive.

So you assumed that we were dead?

I made no assumption.

I was waiting for orders.

For five days we were waiting for you here,

less than 100 miles from Kings Bay.

And you were waiting for instructions?

Dinner!

Dinner.

Come on.

Biagi.

Biagi.

Bon appetit!

It�s for you.

What�s the matter with him?

- Biagi. - Why painting the tent at all?

No one will find us here all the same.

Well, well...

- The resistor is broken. - Devil!

A resistor?

Too bad.

Any hope?

- It�s growling. - Keep quiet!

He's going towards Pomella's grave.

Silence!

- Biagi, give me some. - And for me, too.

We'll make a nice steak!

And sausages!

Thank you, beast!

Now we'll have a feast!

Biagi, don�t!

Zappi, stop it!

Troiani, Viglieri!

If you gulp it, you'll fall ill

and die!

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Spitsbergen Island

on the 80th parallel of North Latitude.

Never before have tourists been to these parts

from where the great polar explorers

Peary, Amundsen, Nansen, Ellsworth�

Buy one? Souvenirs.

Buy original souvenirs!

...a tragedy which drew attention of the whole world,

a tragedy of Nobile's dirigible. Ladies and gentlemen...

A Kings Bay's souvenir!

I sell only by twos...

Bone carving!

Take aim!

My dear lady!

- Aim at her very heart. - Don't try to be so smart!

And there is the prettiest girl, blue-eyed and so slim...

- Any news? - No signals from the North.

I intended to fly, but the weather is awful.

We'll have to wait for long.

Yesterday Lieutenant Lundborg arrived.

Put more, don't be so greedy.

But there is another problem.

The ice is moving. They are probably drifting.

They could be anywhere within that area.

Two million square kilometers.

The aircraft promised by the Royal Swedish Air Force.

How many aircraft in all now, Captain?

Ten.

Three Italian, three Norwegian...

one German, and three Swedish.

American and Canadian coastguard airplanes are

on their own near Greenland.

How many of them, Captain?

They are on their own.

Don't you have contact with them?

- They aren't within my command. - Captain Romagna,

do you believe there are any survivors?

Amundsen doesn't think so. I flew down to Oslo

and got a short interview with Dr. Amundsen.

- And so? - He says

the chances are that anybody who survived the crash...

won't have survived now.

Do you agree with this point of view, Captain?

Who am I to argue with Mr. Amundsen's opinion?

Biagi.

- Biagi. - What?

What does a resistor do?

It resists.

- It goes between the coil and the� - I know where it goes.

- What does it do? - O, no more talk

about the bloody resistor.

- What is it made of? - Diamond?

Has anyone got a diamond ring?

What material?

I think, carbon.

Solid carbon.

Graphite?

Has anyone got a lead pencil?

Yes.

Here it is.

You see�

Graphite

is the same carbon.

Biagi�

I think that's a resistor.

Well, Biagi?

Shh...

Music!

It�s working! Do you hear?

It�s working!

Listen!

Take it!

Let me listen, too...

Let me listen, too!

Speaking-trumpet, good. So that everyone could hear!

Dixieland!

Enough!

Start transmitting.

Yes, sir.

Anything new?

What about you?

Routine signals.

Idiotic telegrams.

Get out! Fast!

- The ice is cracking! - What?

Come here!

The ice is breaking up!

The ice is breaking up!

- Get out! - Get out of the tent!

- Get out of the tent! - My God...

- Quicker! - Biagi! Cecioni!

A crack.

- A big one. - Yes.

The water temperature is close to freezing.

But the air temperature is rising...

It�s just the beginning.

A drastic difference of temperatures

will cause the pack tear apart.

- How soon can it happen? - What do you mean, 'how soon'?

- It's already happening! - Calm down, Biagi.

We'll have to keep watch, day and night.

If it cracks near us, we'll have to move the camp.

If it cracks again, we move the camp again.

We have to be prepared to move all the time.

You're playing roulette with us.

General...

General, we have the food now.

While there is still time, we can walk out.

We'll walk when Cecioni will be able to.

Look, a small party of the strongest men moving fast...

can get back and bring help.

Do you think you can walk 90 miles across the ice?

Without ropes, without proper boots, without equipment?

No. We stay together...

around the radio.

That damn radio.

Why the hell did I ever find it?

He is right.

This radio is just a burden.

This radio is our hope,

- our only hope. - Hope?

We do hear them, but they don't.

They've done it! Victory!

Italy beat Spain seven to one. Seven to one!

Levratto scored two goals. Two!

What are you shouting, you idiot? You crazy fan!

Mariano!

- Stop... - No fighting here!

Mariano, stop!

General...

We are leaving.

- Who is leaving? - We've made plans.

Who has made plans?

We have to leave today.

It's the only way.

Who else is leaving?

I am.

I am going too.

Is it true?

They know nothing about the Arctic.

They�ll be lost.

You, Mariano?

Yes.

What about you, Doctor?

Viglieri?

Trojani?

And you, Biagi?

I'll follow the others.

You are all insane.

You know nothing about the Arctic. You'll never get anywhere.

There's a grave in the ice for all of you. It's a sure death.

What about Cecioni? You can't just abandon him here...

Now, think, before you go out there and destroy yourselves.

Think.

The famous polar explorer Roald Amundsen said that

Nobile and his men won't be able

to cover a long distance along the ice.

The weather conditions, he added,

and the ice cracking will render impossible

to search for the expedition party.

Higher, higher!

Where you going?

Shoo!

Commissar of foreign affairs attended the meeting

between the Italian consul in Leningrad

and the Soviet polar explorer professor Samoilovich

considering the rescue measures...

Run the aerial

towards the One-Eye's barn!

Come on! Be quick!

Misha, Misha, over there!

Right!

Right to the One-Eye's barn!

Stop! Stop!

Can you hear now, Kolya?

The Soviet brig Persej has set out to sea...

Misha, run it towards the water!

To the water!

Persej is looking for the dirigible Italy...

Silence! Stop babbling!

Misha, stop! Freeze!

Stop!

I�ve got it!

Misha, ring the bells!

He has picked it up!

Hurray to Nobile!

Write down a telegram.

Silence!

What is it?

Urgent message to Moscow.

Telegraph it:

Moscow. Kremlin. Expedition Nobile Rescue Committee.

Have picked up radio signal from Nobile.

His approximate position - Foyn Island.

81 degrees, 14 minutes, North Latitude.

and 25 degrees, 06 minutes, East Longitude.

Here's some money.

Would you please give it to my wife?

But tell her not to spend it.

Always the joker, Biagi.

- Send it to my sis in Prague. - All right.

Bye, Biagi!

See you, Cecione!

We'll move fast.

The rescue party will be here soon.

Everything will be all right.

Bye.

General, please.

Give it to the nurse at the hospital

at Kings Bay.

Valeria.

Why do you give it to me?

You intend to be back before us,

don't you?

I don�t know.

Why did you let them leave?

Because everyone has the right to choose his own way

- to salvation. - But you were their leader.

Sometimes

the leader's power consists in not issuing commands.

Did you hear that?

The uncommanding commander.

An officer who lets everyone act at his own discretion.

I packed your woolen socks!

- When will you be back? - Chukhnovsky,

have a good luck!

Peter, come back soon!

Wire to us when you rescue them!

Let me through, comrades.

- Keep order. - I'm being late to the Krassin.

- I have a permit. - What are you talking about?

I was the one who heard Nobile's SOS signals!

- Back off. - They are waiting for me.

Where are you going?

You, oaf, where you going? They're raising the bridge!

Get back! Stop!

Stop, you oaf!

Hey there, on the Krassin!

Stop!

My train was behind the schedule!

Take me on!

I'm Kolka from Nizhni Vokhma!

- Stop, you silly! - Where are you climbing to?

- Stop! - You'll fall down!

Hold on!

Hey there!

Professor Samoilovich!

Chukhnovsky!

Stop! I gonna jump now!

Stop!

Take me on!

END OF PART ONE