Original subtitles

SUPPORTED BY THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

RUSSIA 1

Well, not bad..not bad!

And here is the next class, after Scheschkowski, what's it?

“Get to the Point”

Your Highness, I have a question. Who is in the carriage?

Your Highness, I have a question. Who is in the carriage?

The carriage was hired.

The carriage has no monogram, the visitor is hard up.

That's all?

- The system doesn't work. - Nikita Ivanovich,

- Let me think. - Well.

The carriage was let in, but even maids' carriages are not allowed in,

this visitor is special, he was invited by the empress.

- What would you say, Your Excellency? - I'd say the visitor is Prince Betskoy.

He hasn't been in Russia for years, lived in Paris.

Empress Elizaveta Petrovna sent him away for an affair

with Princess Joanna von Holstein-Gottorp,

our empress's mother, that is, your grandmother.

At court observation loses to awareness.

Remember this. And why Betskoy?

A strange question. His father then had same name.

His father was Prince Trubetskoy.

Right, and he was born out of wedlock.

Illegitimate children got cut names.

He could have been Trubetskoy, but became Betskoy.

And this is fair.

Nikita Ivanovich is not happy to see him.

He is wary of him, I don't know why, I'm not informed.

It's hard to live with a cut name,

as if you were a criminal, as if you had a mark on your forehead.

Pavel Petrovich, your brother has no name at all, so don't hurt him.

I'm not going to hurt him.

But I find it unpleasant to live and dine next to an idiot.

Remember, oh man, that life is short!

Why did she ask him back now?

What will remain, Ivan Ivanych, is Your Glory!

My rank doesn't allow me to discuss empress decisions or make guesses.

Why are you so sad?

Hypocrites all around me.

His noble deeds have become known far and wide!

How did it go today?

Are you panicking? He might take your office from you.

For some reason, the empress needs him... court!

I'll never write again!

Intriguing. A restless spider.

- Time to smash him. - For now, I can't.

Your Grace, I'm glad you've come.

I'm happy to be at the service to Your Majesty.

The empress invited him to deal with some cases in the Orlov family history.

Betskoy is a skilled heralds, he consulted King Louis XV.

We'll pay carrier men, they'll break his head and that's it.

He can break anyone's head himself.

His coachman, Vlas, is studded with corpses, like a hedgehog with needles.

Let's go, I'll show you the environs.

A sleazy toad she is.

A hag.

How did you live all these years, Ivan Ivanovich?

I had happy years.

Did you remember Joanna Elizabeth?

We spent ten years together in Paris.

I didn't know.

She wrote you.

I wasn't allowed to receive letters from her.

She knew, but continued writing.

When I came into my own, it was too late.

We were together until her death.

How did she die?

In her sleep.

We had a walk the night before, drank liqueur,

talked about our trip to the sea, to Brittany, in summer.

I've brought you a gift. A kiss from the past.

- The portrait of your mother. - Exactly how you looked.

The artist painted it from a locket. I advised him.

Pardon me, he is free-minded, proud.

His portraits are as good as those by foreigners, and he charges ten times less.

Painter Fyodor Rokotov.

I'll order the portrait of my son Alexey, my younger son.

It isn't easy, I'll pay a thousand.

I work for fifty rubles.

To me it makes no difference whose portrait - your, your son's,

or a fish vender's in a food market.

I'm a painter by God's will, angels mix my paints, fetch my brushes.

Fifty rubles, agreed.

Let's go.

Without Mr. Sheshkovsky we can do nothing.

If we proceed without him, we'll end up on the rack with our feet on fire.

I'd crack a spicy joke myself but now is the wrong time.

They won't cut our heads or tongues, but the fortress is near.

Don't bring out such issues, Nikita Ivanovich, again.

I won't respond.

And your opinion about this?

An offense to the taste! Abuse and Poison!

And you dine here!?

You advise to remove it?

Take it to the trashiest pub on the dirtiest of tracks.

Since old days poets,

artists and jesters have been allowed to talk to royalties on equal terms.

I'd agree.

The portrait is to hang here.

The face size shouldn't be larger or smaller than Pavel's.

This is important.

I have no knowledge of the Romanov lineage.

What's this place?

Heir to the throne. Heir to the throne.

Two identical heirs to the throne. OK, we'll do it.

We'll get married with Count Grigory Orlov

and my little son will become a legitimate heir to the throne.

- Is it your decision? - You're right.

My advice will not change it?

This billiard table was made after my design.

Grigory loves billiard puzzles.

Here is a puzzle: with one blow to send both balls into different pockets.

I can make Grigory the emperor.

But should I?

No.

Thank you for advice.

20 years ago I drew up a project for the granite embankment

to protect the city from floods.

I think the drawings are in the summer palace.

You can take a carriage and go there.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Would you take Pavel with you? I'd be very thankful.

I'd deem it an honor.

Ivan Ivanovich,

I'm glad you're with me.

Petersburg will become the world's first city

where granite embankments will be built everywhere.

And Paris?

Paris will never granite embankments.

The Seine is narrow, the houses stand too close to it,

there is no wind, up the stream the ships and barges are towed by horses and haulers,

who walk along and tow.

And Petersburg has wide open spaces,

with the wind blowing from the Gulf of Finland, or Ladoga, super.

Hoist sail and you are free to go wherever you want, all you do is change course.

A fabulous, unfathomable city!

Did you miss it?

I'm old, and not in very good health.

But I'll last for another 30 years. And I'll do what I plan.

- Did you find Grigory Grigorievich? - No, Your Majesty.

Where shall I hang you, Joanna Elizabeth?

Next to the portrait of father, Your Majesty.

Next to father's portrait.

I should have guessed. I'm not quite well today.

So? Are you with me? It's a joke!

Sorry, brother, I can't help, but I can spoil it.

I don't need you for this, will spoil everything myself.

You could spoil my mood, mother.

Maybe, take it to the enfilade?

We last saw one another about 20 years ago?

She was spying on orders from King Friedrich, took money from him.

Could have ended up in a fortress and me together with her.

Stash her somewhere in a far room.

And cover her with a canary blanket. That's it.

I'm here, Your Majesty, I'm ready to go.

I've been worried, Grigory. Let's go.

Did it belong to Peter the Great?

Let me see.

Tsarevich Alexey's.

And this must be his jacket, he was 3 inches taller than father.

He grew, studied, tried to please his father,

and his father up and cut off his head.

Why didn't you tell me earlier?

Another taboo subject?

Tsarevich Alexey was a traitor,

he wanted to become an emperor while his father was still alive,

he fled Russia, formed a conspiracy with the pope, was provided with troops,

was to reduce Russia to the size of Muscovy, Peter asked him back,

promised to forgive him, but instead, executed him.

Pavel Petrovich, we study history in order to find in it instances of noble conduct,

to learn from the past.

Tsarevich Alexey's life had nothing noble about it.

Only pain, darkness and shame.

But what if he wasn't as guilty as they deem him?

First, they execute him, and then they say he was a rascal, a traitor,

They were right to execute him, otherwise, Russia would have perished.

What is Peter was not right?

What if, we tried to understand Alexey?

Peter the Great was a monster.

He ruined Russia.

He acted like a devil, drank like a fish, killed at will,

fell into debauchery - with women, with men.

He spat upon faith, he crowned a whore and sent his wife to rot in a cloister,

her ten kids died, and the last one was executed by Peter himself.

But we remember Peter as a reformer and a builder.

The great city was named after the great tsar.

But the truth is that Petersburg was built by Elizaveta Petrovna,

and nobody remembers her.

It's unfair. But who told you?

I tried to get at the core.

And it did my best.

I don't know, fair or unfair.

It was waiting for me.

Father.

Long live Your Imperial Majesty! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!

Our heroic tsar inspires us into victory in battle!

Semyon Andreevich, teach me to play.

I'll be like father. And I'll take the portrait with me.

OK, I'll teach you, if you please.

The portrait, I think you can take whatever you wish.

It was painted the year you were born.

Father was 25.

He keeps us waiting.

You said you'd be patient.

I hate standing in one place.

You are in church, pray.

I need to calm down first.

Here is he.

- Your Majesty. - Your Eminence.

Step down, Your Grace.

The Royal pew is only for emperor and empress, no one else.

Who set this rule and when?

Grigory Grigorievich.

We know about your wish to remarry.

I'm a widow, you cannot deny me.

Empress Ekaterina I took the throne a widow of Peter I.

Never remarried.

Empress Anna Ioannovna reigned a widow,

Empress Elizaveta Petrovna ruled for 20 years, unmarried, no kids.

Three women before you ruled unmarried,

with no children out of wedlock.

- And only the fourth. - Cut it short, your holiness.

They all had secret favorites and children!

And only the fourth one couldn't rein in the desires of the flesh!

Elizaveta dreamed of husband and kids.

You deprived her of the joy of being a wife.

She took my son, my soul and my motherly happiness.

She committed this sin to please you.

Don't you want to take her sin and pray for forgiveness as if it was yours?

You are pelting me with flippant accusations.

I didn't and don't give permission single-handed.

The Russian Church is ruled by the Holy Synod of nine hierarchs.

I'm the head of the Russian church, the ultimate judge.

Peter I called himself so,

he abolished patriarchy with the words:

“I'll carry this burden!”

He couldn't foresee that women would carry it.

Man proposes, God disposes.

I'll cope with the burden.

Go ahead.

Why did you come to me?

You know why. Why ask?

Synod will gather for a session and will hear you.

Before then the church urges you to repent

and abstain from living in sin with this sinner, or anyone else.

Just a bad day, didn't expect it.

Ekaterina Alekseevna, dear, you're tearing my heart.

I never say you in tears.

You though I never cry? Sorry.

The old man will not last to the end of the summer.

Oh God, forgive me this.. But he was as old 10 years ago,

all who wished him death, died.

I'll meet with the bishops.

I'll find out what they want, all of them and everyone of them.

I blame you!

I blame you!

Take him!

I blame you!

Don't arrest him.

God's fool is here for a reason it's the bishop's tricks.

This crook is everywhere, he talked him into it, or forced him to.

Let go of him.

Impossible to count your treasures!

I blame you for devastation, debauchery and death.

Treat you as they would a pagan or a tax collector!

And you will get rage and fury!

For they say, don't look at your hater and tempter,

don't notice them, don't chase them.

Semyon Andreevich, tell me about your father.

Your father Peter the Third lived a short but exciting life.

He could do a lot for Russia but had no time.

Why he is not in the emperors' row?

Peter Fyodorovich was not crowned,

otherwise his portrait would be certainly in the row.

There is no other reason.

I will ask the empress for permission.

Pavel Petrovich,

put it in your study room, you will see it too often.

You are insincere.

I heard my father could be Count Saltykov.

- Who said that, Pavel Petrovich? - Whoever.

Do you think it's possible?

Remember your philosophy lessons, every phenomenon offers an opportunity

but every opportunity has a probable impossibility.

So he could.

We have too few information to know the truth.

I'm thinking of Peter Fyodorovich as of my father. I know almost nothing about him.

He died six years ago and no one seems to remember him.

They do not play Peter's march.

Why? They do.

Here are also some dried berries, herbs preventing fever.

Pour over the boiling water right away and drink it with a spoon of honey.

It is too early for you to leave.

- Rogerson said the crisis had passed. - The crisis had passed!

The wound can open again; the disease has not left you yet.

I will manage it. There is no time to stay in bed.

- Grigori Alexandrovich - Yes

Here is a message for you.

From who?

Fekla.

Good to meet you, Your Majesty.

Oh, that's beautiful.

The Seim demands that we join the Sultan.

They say the war is a great chance in history to revive great Poland,

and Turks will help them to take back Smolensk, Kiev, Poltava, and Voronezh.

Oh, you want Voronezh as well? Great.

- It's not me, it's my people. - Certainly.

I'm trying to keep the throne and the current borders at the very least.

Yes, Ekaterina also wants the Black Sea

and she is talking peace, preparing for war.

For Russia, the war with Turkey means a disaster, hunger, and riots.

Victory will cost us a fortune.

Do you believe in victory?

The sultan has the world's most powerful fleet and the largest army.

- Europe is his ally. - Yes.

Russia will overstrain itself to defeat the Ottomans Stanislav and whoever.

How long can we be at war?

Russian needs to work and thrive rather than spend money!

I want to talk about Count Orlov.

If he becomes the emperor, I will lose my all, no matter with or without the war.

He will not.

He will not, Your Majesty. If only you help me.

What kind of help do you want?

Money.

I can give you a quarter of the sum.

But there is an obstacle.

It is Kshishtof.

He knows about the million and holds the Mint's papers.

This is serious.

Kshishtof is not just a counsel he is a friend.

I see.

How can I help you? Your Majesty, it's all in a lifetime.

What if Kshishtof falls in love,

decides to stay in Russia, takes to drink, and disappears.

Three empresses had no kids, and the fourth has a baby.

Find another reason for reproach.

Oh, the metropolitan.

God seems to give hint, and I must listen to them.

Ekaterina Alekseevna, what else do you need?

Here is God's elect. You have a son.

You will deliver him one more son or daughter.

Whatever comes after, good or bad as written in the Book of Fate.

We are together. This is the main thing.

We are together forever.

Are you sleeping, Grigory?

You are asleep and don't hear me.

Do you like it, lieutenant?

It's much better, master Groot. Try dark green.

It will be more expensive, takes more paint.

But it shows less dirt.

It depends on dirt.

Dark color shows more dust and peel.

Light color shows powder, horse hair, and blood.

Let's not dispute this. We will send a sample and make tests.

Your Majesty.

Grigory Alexandrovich. Lieutenant Potemkin, inspector of new uniform.

Ivan Ivanovich Betskoy, my trustee and your direct superior.

- Grigory Alexandrovich. - Your Excellency.

How do you feel?

Through your prayers, Your Majesty, I have forgotten my wounds.

Any I have not.

Here it is, You Majesty.

Oh, I like this.

Everything becomes you the best. Bravo!

Me?

I put it on as a joke.

You look marvelous, whatever you wear because you are so beautiful.

Do you really like it?

I adore you.

Try a dark-green one.

Thank you for your hint, Your Majesty.

Keep working. I'm glad you're back with us.

I hope we'll see more of each other.

I will be honored, Your Majesty.

Do you know that the heart of Anna Petrovna is occupied.

Stop wasting your energy, you've had fun, come off it!

Who is he? Do I know him?

Nikita Ivanovich! We are leaving.

Your majesty.

- Well? - Too bad.

Another miss?

- Speak up, you are not on tragedy scene. - I swept it.

After?

Before! Damned stuff!

- It seems we took the same. - He told us it was one-time only.

Let's go to Lavinya.

We need a doctor.

The one that is always on alert, day and night in any weather.

If there were such doctor, we would have long put a monument to him.

What do you mean? Grigory Orlov has lost?

Let's go.

Look, Alyosha.

This is a torture by boots.

This is a torture by hot oil.

Death, it's terrible.

This is an English print, they show death more looking like a man,

but with no male organs and doesn't always has a scythe sometimes a spear.

Here is hanging by the ribs punishment and digging alive.

Crazy!

Do you have other pictures than death ones?

Stop frightening the boy, let me work.

These are the only ones he likes.

- How are you doing? - Keep off, I'm not finished yet.

You're annoyed, Mr. Rokotov. The pictures are hardly the reason.

I don't like what I've painted.

The kid looks silly.

He has good and kind eyes.

Alyosha is a good boy but somewhat special.

He doesn't want to talk, although he can. I know his tricks.

You can go no, I'll manage. Go.

Please stay, Aleksey Grigorievich.

Talk to me please

If you don't talk to me, you will look like people in these pictures, see?

This is a dead body, touched by corruption.

I also grew up lonely, I was brought up by a peasant serf.

How old are you? Six or seven?

Six and a half. May I have a look?

Please do.

I'm a fool.

Forgive me.

We cannot give it to the empress.

She will become furious and orders to send me to dragon Gorynych to eat,

both you and me.

All right, I'll change it. Sit down.

Do you promise to keep my secret?

That you can speak?

Cross my heart.

Your guardian loves you and wants you to be happy, see?

He is not my father. And they will take me from here soon.

Who is your father?

He's a rascal.

Great you know him at least.

I don't know my father Do you know your mother?

The empress does not like me. And I will not like her.

So. You need to take something in your hand.

A rattle?

You are not a baby.

I use it to alarm lackeys.

This means I'm furious.

Oh, Speak Of The Devil.

Nikita Ivanovich don't even try to approach Countess Sheremeteva, I forbid.

How did you know? Who told you?

Don't dare to ask me questions.

Please tone down.

I'm going to propose to Countess Sheremeteva. I want to marry her quickly.

Stay away with your bare ass.

I'm not wealth, but I'm building my own life with my own efforts and knowledge.

I have no debts.

I have none too. Yesterday I settled everything, I made my creditors happy.

Countess Sheremeteva will bring a million fortune.

As they say, money draws money. And the poor will stay in a gutter.

God unites a husband and wife in a wedding.

Did you see yourself in a mirror?

It's impossible that God brings together you and Anna Petrovna.

Still, Countess Sheremeteva will be my wife.

No pig-face will get in my way.

Do you understand what you've just said? Its' not me that you offended.

Oh, really, who was that?

I would like to promote lieutenant Potemkin.

I received some references from his regiment.

What does the society say?

He is from Moscow. I didn't meet him at the balls.

Does he have a fiancee?

What are his love affairs?

How does this influence his promotion?

I'm only curious.

It's very much like you, Your Majesty.

It's too windy. Let's go back.

Drink this, Your Highness.

You will wake up in the morning, and here I am to let your blood.

- Thank you. - Sleep tight, Your Highness.

Luka, ask Semyon Andreevich to come

and read me some Natural History by Count de Brusson.

- Your Highness, the doctor said that. - Who do you serve?

The doctor?

Forgive me, Your Highness, just one minute.

I will ask him to come.

Your Highness.

Good evening, Semyon Andreevich.

I took all information

and made a table “bad, good, errors, and death”.

He was a very tricky man. Are you ready to listen?

Here are some extracts and here are the tables.

“Bad”: Peter Fyodorovich disliked Russia.

“They took me to this damned land, were I stay as a prisoner,” this is what he said.

He also disliked the empress and offended her in public

and wished to get rid of her and marry his fiancee Elizaveta Vorontsova.

What do you mean get rid?

Send her to a northern monastery.

- To prison? - Yes.

To Povenets, it is a monastery prison.

They have guards and strict order there.

They say Povenets is the end of everything.

Get on.

It gets from bad to worse.

Russia won the Seven-Year War with Prussia.

We lost 138 thousand soldiers and 100 thousand civilians.

Peter Fyodorovich returned the conquered land to Prussia

because he adored Frederick II.

Now he is known as Frederick the Great.

Peter Fyodorovich was right, it's better ally the great people than fight with them.

What's good?

“Good”: the man was open, had no guards.

He was no afraid of anything or anyone. He was candid, and direct.

That's about all.

No, it's not.

He was kind.

I remember.

What are the mistakes?

His main mistake was to decline to crown

because he believed that he had enough time left.

Like, he is born emperor, a grandson of Peter the Great.

Death?

Ekaterina Alekseevna had to become the autocratic empress to save Russia.

Peter III abdicated, he died in Ropsha Palace.

- Please, have a look. - Did he suffer death?

He was killed. It was a coup d'etat.

The empress was in St. Petersburg and he was killed in Ropsha.

How did she know?

She received a letter, I have it here.

“Your Majesty” the Empress, bad luck occurred here.

Our freak began disputing at the table, we had no time to interfere, and he died.

We do not remember what we did and so forth.

Who wrote this?

Alexey Orlov.

So, he's the killer.

What a slum area. Where did you bring me, brother?

Dr. Pincus is a magician.

Antonov treats a fire.

Chichuy, Kostoet and others are even worse.

Open your mouth.

I have no problems with my mouth.

I don't argue with patients.

Open your mouth.

Close.

I wish you knew how many people are like you.

They come, beg, and wait for a miracle.

Have a lick at this.

Did someone lick it before?

I give a new one to each patient.

Please don't spit on the floor. Do you spit on the floor at home?

So? What's there?

Please lean forward.

- You were hit on your head. - I know.

Will you help me?

- Do you have money? - How much do you need?

Twenty kopecks for a visit.

I don't have it. I have ten.

I will help you.

I need to have it quick.

I will do it quickly.

But no promises!

No dinner right now. I'll wait for Grigory Grigorievich. You can go.

I know he is tired after the battle and the expedition, and I want passion from him.

Tell me, what do I do wrong?

Men are often passionate after their battles.

If a woman asks and a man fails,

he must turn himself inside out, but do what he is asked.

And he runs away from me.

I'm trying to understand Joseph.

Why did he refused Potifar's wife?

He must have been tired, too.

I like your hints.

This is the simplest explanation.

Fekla, bring us tea and some snacks.

Out of sight with a tray out of mind - does that mean that if a man is in your heart

and you send him away out of sight and he becomes unfaithful?

- Not quite, Your Majesty. - Please explain.

When your man is next to you, there is love.

When you don't see him for a long time,

suddenly you find out that there are other men as well.

If you don't see every day, you will cease to love him and he will cease to love you.

It's a wrong saying.

It depends, Your Majesty.

Almost all people find it right.

Sometimes you just have to enjoy solitude.

Look around you, notice those who you failed to notice before,

those who will make your heart and body happy.

The more sudden is your feeling, the stronger it is.

I want no solitude.

I love Grigory and stay faithful to him. But he runs away from me.

I don't want to wait for him. Give us our meals.