Original subtitles

This film is dedicated

to the sacred memory of the innocent dead

Halyna Sulyma Georgi Moroziuk

in an Oles Yanchuk film

FAMlNE-33

Based on Vasyl Barka's 'The Yellow Prince''

Christ Himself is Divine Love.

His followers, those who belong to our Church,

even if we spend our days and nights here...

Look into your hearts! We live without fear of God.

All we know is

if our own sins are forgiven, because each has sinned.

Forget who is to blame. Clean your souls of malice.

Turn your eyes to Him,

our souls are in the hands of Christ.

We pray the Lord

will not abandon or condemn us.

We pray for salvation

through Christ, our Lord.

What kind of meeting is this, eh?

Save the icons!

Let's get started.

Stand aside!

Back! Let go!

Get the valuables and detain everybody!

Don't touch the people's property!

Where are you going?

Arrest the priest!

Hurry up to the bell tower!

Screenplay by Serhiy Diachenko Les Taniuk

Directed by Oles Yanchuk

Directors of Photogrephy V. Borodin, M. Kretov

Art Director Valerij Bozhenko

Music by

Mykola Kalandjonak Victor Pacukevich

Historical Consultant Dr. James Mace

Production Execultive Oleksij Chernishov

Grain! Grain!

Get back or l'll shoot!

Lying there forthree days, and no one takes it away.

Collective Farm 'The Dawn of Socialism''

Yesterday l saw a bird drop dead.

We're on a death march.

lt only seems that their flags are red. They're black.

You're talking strangely. We're doomed.

ls it possible to survive among devils?

Hush!

Don't mind me. But there's something evil in those flags.

This train comes in, surrounded by guards.

The local officials are in a burning hurry to the station.

The big chiefs are comming in from Moscow.

Two got off.

One is all puffed up, with a little moustache.

They say it's Molotov.

Next to him is Kaganovych.

Sharp, with a moustache like the jack of spades.

and shouts so the whole station can hear.

The puffed up one takes grain from his pocket.

He throws it in the mugs of the local party guys.

lt scatters everywhere.

'we'll shoot them all!''

'We'll execute anyone who delivers spoiled grain!''

- Keep your voice down. - All right.

People said

those two on the train had planty of everything.

Food, drink, sausage. Six kinds of sausage!

How did people know about all of this? So strange...

Fish, canned meat, fatback to go along with the vodka.

Anything you want!

Chicken. Butter. Oranges. Grapes.

Mama, l want some oranges.

Child, where would we get such things?

ln the cupboard they had wine, liqueur, vodka.

Any liqueur you could want. Even absinthe.

Why would they drink absinthe?

That's what people say. Why not? They drink on the road.

There's plenty in the Kremlin, too.

And Stalin? He's turned into a glutton.

Poor man.

They say he gulps down his food. He's sulking.

Sulking? The sullen are destroying everything.

Don't talk in front of the children it will get around.

Don't fear, daughter! lt won't get any worse.

We're already at the door

leading from this world to the next.

Let's break it in!

Open the door or else!

What are you looking at? Show us yourfood!

- lt's been taken away. - Taken away?

lnstead of giving your surplus to the State

you say it's been taken away?

We'll show you what taking away means!

Exploiters!

- We're just poorfarmers! - Plenty of everything!

Not you'll see it taken away!

Are you going to give us food or not?

Seems there's nothing forthe State.

Hryhorij, Petro, Jasko, search the farm. We'll go in here.

Good people! Help! What are you doing?

Does this belong to you?

Oh, dear God! What are you doing!

Don't touch that! give us ourfood!

Stop howling!

Give back ourfood! A curse on you!

- That's all. Let's go. - On to the Sirenkos next?

- Everything's gone! - lt's all right. Stand up.

You son of a bitch!

Watch your step!

Myron, l thought for a long time.

l must go to the Katrannyks for help.

Katrusia, help me.

We must hide this.

We grabbed it in the church and buried it behind the house.

But now it's ourturn to be searched.

Those unbelievers will find it and take it away.

lt must be saved.

lt shines like a heavenly star!

Don't tell anyone about the chalice.

They'll arrest everyone and destroy our home.

l won't talk.

All right, then. lt's been saved from their claws.

What are you looking at? Get away!

All of you hanging around here! Beggars!

Office of Collective Farm 'The Dawn of Socialism''

Help! Help!

He's been killed!

Shot himself!

Top Secret.

Confirmation of orders to deliver

90%% of the harvest to the State.

Also the seed grain stocks.

This directive is a death sentence forthe farmers.

l can't...

Well, what a testament!

Anotherwould have strangled the village.

Let's do this. You go to the next room.

Sit there as if you haven't seen any papers.

l'll call the authorities.

- Should l clean up or not? - Wait here.

You, stand by the door.

- You're sure nobody went in here? - No one.

Hello. Number 9.

There were two here. The clerk and Myron.

Katrannyk.

What? No one touched the paper.

Yes, all right.

Not a word to anyone!

lf this gets out, it will be yourfault!

Katrannyk, can you tell me where Katria and Fedora are?

Why don't you speak up? Lost your memory?

Well, sit up until morning. Maybe you'll remember.

Take him to the cellar.

You, get out! Go!

Mother!

Mother!

Our mother's gone.

Who will cook for you?

l don't know what will become of us.

Take care of Olenka Guard the house, or

they will come and tear it down. Where will we be then?

Say goodbye to yourfather.

lt's him.

- Who? - Katrannyk.

What's your name?

What do they call him?

Katrannyk, Myron. A criminal flunky.

He hid church valuables which belong to the State.

- Any witnesses? - Of course.

A Komsomol girl overheard Kateryna,

the one who ran away from the village, talk about Katrannyk.

And a brigade leader saw Kateryna take the chalice.

He stashed it away. Two girls gave it to him.

Where's the chalice?

Listen, you hero. Where's the chalice?

Why has he shut up, eh?

Maybe he wants to go below?

Do you want that?

Maybe we should take him downstairs,

warm him up and loosen his tongue.

Let's try it.

Attention!

You respect Soviet law?

Can you take him yourself?

Shapka, give me a hand.

Well, what? Katrannyk!

Where's the chalice?

Where is it?

Don't know where it is, eh? Do you want us to kill you?

What a bitch! He won't talk. Hero!

Where's the chalice?

l'm asking you, where's the chalice?

Shapka, let him down.

ls he dead?

No, he's alive.

Take it all, just tell me where the chalice is.

Look, Katrannyk!

Tell me where the chalice is.

- Flour!-

Mama, What's a TORGSlN?

TORGSlN, that's where you trade with foreigners.

Foreigners? What kind?

Different kinds. Frenchmen, Americans...

Where are they?

This is the best we have. From Japan.

How much is it?

$ 450 USA.

Not at all expensive. lt will look lovely around the lady's neck.

ls it silver?

lt's pearl, and here it's silver. See the small clasp.

- Do you like it? - Yes.

- And you? - Yes!

- Shall we take it? - Yes!

Thank you.

- What shall we buy? - Bread!

We'll buy flour and bake some bread.

Do you know this woman, Andrijko?

- l don't know her, father. - l don't either.

We could return her basket.

But we don't know her...

Someone else will come by and take this grain.

This granny won't get up again. Hertroubles are over.

But the living are waiting forthis handful ofkernels.

lt could save them.

Father, can sparrows be eaten?

Why not? They eat grain, like gophers or horses.

Nothing bad in them.

And how can they be caught?

Well, with a screen, a net or a trap made ofhorsehair.

- l can catch some. - We'll give it a try.

But l don't see many birds around ourfarm any more.

Run home and take this to your mother. l'll go to the Kovals.

Maybe they can give us some millet meal, a least.

There isn't any flour.

When you drink it with some broth, you don't feel sick.

Well then, see?

- And how are you, Andrijko? - l feel warmer.

Well, that's good.

And Mykolka? We forgot about Mykolka. Run and wake him.

No need to. He's lying there, like Grandmother.

The broth will do you good. lt's a tasty broth.

Will l die soon?

l want to drink some hot water.

- Don't turn on the light! - Who's there?

Don't be afaid. Semeniuta, Old hontar's son-in-law.

The Hontars? But they're in Siberia.

Please, help me.

l'm afraid to tell you what happened.

We have to dig a grave. Quick. So no one will see.

Shut the door.

Old Hontar is laid out. The women are weeping.

Everyone knew that his sons were shipped off.

Now he's all alone. None ofhis sons are left.

His son-in-law says: ''Don't tell anyone,

because they'll take you and us away.''

The old one came back one night, wounded and frostbitten.

He had walked more than 130 miles,

hiding in the night like a hunted beast,

for a whole week. He was a strong man.

When he came at last, there was nothing left ofhim

except bones. He stepped overthe threshold and fell.

Later, when they put the wretch to bed,

they noticed a wound on his chest.

Then he came to, he told them all.

He and his sons were in the city prison.

Many people were being shot there.

The old one looked up at his executioners

as they raised their rifles. There was a sudden flash.

He leaped with shock.

Everything went dark.

He woke up in a cold hole.

Then he remembered his sons.

He bent down to the ground and listened.

Anyone moaning? Anyone breathing?

Kill me! Please kill me!

He slaughtered the child!

Wherever you look - death all around you.

The grain's melting into the snow, and they won't give it.

They'll kick you in the teeth. Will the neighbors help us?

They'll help, they'll help.

Maybe we should go to Moscow, stand in line with the kids?

They'll give you some, you just wait. As they say, first

sharpen your axe, then go and ask for something.

- But maybe they... - They know all right.

Get the machine gun.

Put some flour in here. Forthe kiddies.

lt's a dirty job, comrades.

We have too many dead here.

Never mind, we have many more people.

Save yourselves, the goons are coming!

The man's hung himself. Something should be done.

Listen, what do you want?

This happens every day.

And every night, someone steals children.

Do you know why?

There's this slaughterhouse.

Where? No one knows.

Don't know myself whether l'll ''meet the train''tomorrow.

Don't move a step away from me, you hear?

- Mama!-

- Mama!-

Eugenia, have you seen my Olenka?

l haven't seen her. l don't know...

Well, have you brought the chalice?

Why don't you talk? Can't you hear me? Are you deaf?

Get up here.

Give me back Olenka.

Listen, let's talk.

l'll return Olenka and Myron, and you'll bring the chalice.

The chalince they took from the church.

You know where it is.

Tell me, then l'll release Myron and Olenka.

Are you hungry?

Shapka! Bring me some bread.

Here, take it. Feed the little ones.

You'll bring me the chalice?

l'll bring it.

Well. we've agreed then.

That's it. Everything will be fine. Go.

Follow her.

FULFlLL THE PARTY'S PLANS!

- Mama!-

lt's me, Andrijko!

Mykola! Where is my mother?

She's gone, son. You don't have a mother any more.

Here, son, have some bread.

- Mama!-

- Who are you? - l'm lost.

Run! Orthey'll catch and cook you!

- And you? - Me too, if they find me.

lt will be a thin broth, just these dry old bones.

Old man, did a plague take everyone away?

No, son, not a plague, but the State.

Get away from here.

There was a bumper crop in 1933.

But no one was left to harvest it...

Children, this is the final hour.

Have you heard that the Antichrist is coming?

Now many Antichrists have appeared.

They came out of us, but they didn't belong with us!