Original subtitles

KORFOVSKAYA

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.

Dersu Uzala.

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 do his duty?

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 Ussuri region

to make a topographic survey.

Sometimes mountains and forests took 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 Wapurgis Night.

A place where witches would gather for their Sabbath.

What's that?

A falling rock.

Is someone coming dawn?

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?

Thank you.

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 along, longtime.

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 nan 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...

a“ confirmed Dersu's words.

Obviously a Chinese spent the night a couple of days earlier.

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.

According to you, all the things around us 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 children die.

Smallpox.

Everyone afraid of smallpox.

Wife, children, house, all together burn.

Last night bad dream had.

Yuri will be soon fall down.

Wife, children 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 campfire 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 end up 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 goodbye.

Him now go home.

The ultimate goal of this expedition

was to explore the area around Lake Khanka.

We had to cross big swamps and roadless tracks.

I sent most of the men and horses to Chernigovka.

Dersu, Olentiev, Krushinov and I

set out for the lake in a flatboat.

Olentiev, stay here and make camp.

Dersu and I will go on.

Unload.

Captain!

Us go back soon? Me little scared.

Lake Khanka is not far. We won't stay there long.

All right, Captain, you see for yourself.

What is OK is OK.

Silence lay over the frozen reaches of the lake.

There was a sense of menace lurking in this silence.

Captain!

Have to go back quick.

The wind cover our tracks.

Yes, yes, let's go.

Don't worry, Dersu.

We'll figure out where we came from.

That way!

Captain! Us weren't here. Bad!

Captain! Us lose road!

Road there. But how do we get there?

There is water all around.

Captain! Sun is low.

Captain! Sun is low.

Soon night come. Night come, we die.

If the camp is close by, they'll hear us.

We'll have to spend the night here, Dersu.

It's dangerous to go on. What shall we do?

Captain! Listen. Listen good.

Have to work fast. Us not work good, us die.

- What work? - Cut grass.

Captain! Work fast!

Captain! Work fast!

Captain! Got to hold grass in place!

Take rope!

Captain! Get up! Get up!

As the wind howled, I sank into darkness.

I don't know how long I slept.

Hey, bear!

Climb out of the den! Sun is up!

Only then did I realise what Dersu had done for me.

His wits had saved me.

Thank you, Dersu. Thank you.

What would I have clone without you?

Go together, work together. No need thanks.

That's Olentiev!

From that point on, our expedition became more difficult.

Let's go! Go!

Severe frost.

Exhaustion.

Hunger.

Man is very small before the face of nature.

Forward! Forward! Don't stop!

Forward!

Captain! Me find smell of smoke.

Udeghes are frying fish.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Where go tomorrow?

We'll reach Chernigovka, join our men there,

and then take the train to Vladivostok.

Come with me. It's nice and comfortable in town.

No, thank you.

Me cannot.

What me work in town?

Hunting, no.

Sable chase, no.

At least come to the station with me.

I'll get food and some money for you there.

Me food, money not need.

Me now search sables.

Sables same money.

What's the matter, Dersu?

Me bad man.

Me want some cartridge.

Olentiev, give him everything that's left.

Thank you, Captain.

Me tomorrow go straight ahead.

Four suns go.

Find Daubikhe...

then go Ulakhe...

then Fujin.

Me heard...

many, many sable there.

Deer too.

Me heard about it.

People around say. Now me understand.

Goodbye, military men.

Farewell.

Goodbye, Dersu. Maybe we'll meet again.

Goodbye, Captain.

Well...

I wish you all the best, Dersu.

Maybe we'll meet again.

Goodbye.

He's a fine man. I've never met anyone like him.

He's a rare man.

May God give him good health.

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 do his duty?

He cannot be cheerful.

So what? He'll try to aim better.

So the hunter goes.

To warmer waters...

End of part one