Город Зеро / Zero Town / Ciudad Cero / Mesto Nula

Mosfilm Studio START Creative Association Leonid FILATOV in ZERO TOWN Starring Oleg BASILASHVILI Vladimir MENSHOV Armen JIGARKHANYAN Evgeny EVSTIGNEEV Alexei ZHARKOV Pyotr SCHERBAKOV E.Arzhanik, T.Khvostikova, Yu.Sherstnev Can you take me to the hotel? You should have a pass here for Mr. Varakin. No? I only just ordered it. There's no pass here for you. Dammit. I'm at the check-point but there's no pass for me. I told you half an hour ago. Varakin, from the Moscow engineering works. I've come to talk about the air conditioners you supply us with. OK. I'll wait. What kind of lousy place is this? Mr. Varakin, please go through. How do you do? Ninochka! Get the order out. I've settled it with the boss. What's your business? What's your business here? I'm from the Moscow engineering works. It's about the air conditioners. I'll tell him you're here. The man from the Moscow engineering works is here. - Let him in. - Go in. What can I do for you? Well, what do you want? I'm from the Moscow engineering works. Our director called you up about the air conditioners that you supply us with. We do? Yes, for 15 years now. Excellent. What else do you want? We want you to change the back panel. What for? We're financially self-supporting now. Our technology's changed and your panel doesn't fit. We called you and you asked us to send someone down to sort things out. We'll fix that in no time. Just let me find the chief engineer. Nina! Where's she gone to? Excuse me, your secretary-- She's sitting there stark naked. - What? - You know, undressed. - How d'you mean? - She's got no clothers on. She's sitting and typing like it was perfectly natural. Oh yeah? Pavel, they want you to ring the Party Executive Committee. I've got someone here! - So she's naked? - See for yourself. Well, so she is. So, the chief engineer... Put me through to the chief engineer. - We don't have one. - What happened to him? He died 8 months ago. You don't say! That's real bad luck! What did he die of?? He drowned in the river. This complicates your business a bit. Tell you what... Come back in two week. I'll get together with the chief engineer, and we'll sort things out in no time. ENGINEERING WORKS Yes, I did put a call through. I'm fixed up alright. Everything's OK. No, I'm not ill, why? There's nothing wrong with my voice. I'm leaving today. No, I haven't. Some stupid story. I'll tell you when I get there. It's very funny. I'm leaving today. See you. Dammit. I'll order without the menu. I'm in a hurry. Whatever you have for starters, and the soup. And I'll take some kind of meat, not too fatty. - Ground beef. - OK. Mineral water and tea. - And for dessert? - Nothing. - We've fresh cakes. - No, thanks. We're not taking orders, this is our break. Your tea and dessert. I didn't order dessert. Don't worry. It's a present from the chef. - What is it? - Cake. Bon appetit. Our chef baked it specially for you. He likes the look of you. There he is. Says he finds you sympathetic. - Give me the check. - At least taste it. Bring me the check. At least a little bit, or the chef will kill himself. Ah, don't talk nonsense! So you weren't acquainted with Nikolaev? Nope. You'd never met before? Never. I've never been in your town before. I just went in to eat, and it all started from that. The waiter did warn you that Nikolaev might kill himself if you didn't try his cake? Yes, but I thought nothing of it. It was all so crazy. That's absurd. His work-mates describe Nikolaev as a restrained, well-balanced personality an active member of the teetotalers' association. If I'd known it would turn out like this, I'd have eaten his lousy cake. Sign here and you can go. I have read the above and it is a true record of my words. We'll call you if we need you. One sleeper to Moscow. Tickets are all gone. - A seat then. - There's nothing at all. - Where's the station-master? - He won't help you. Where to? The nearest railway station. I can't go any further. No entry. - Shall I turn round? - Is it far to the station? A kilometre and a half. Then I'll walk. Thanks. - Hello. - Good evening. Can you tell me where the railway station is, please? There isn't one. The regional museum's what we have here. They told me there was one. Never was one. This is a nature reserve. Would you like to see round the museum? - How can I get back to town? - You can't. No buses at this time. Then how do you travel? I live beside the museum. Come to think of it, not far from here lives a lady who sometimes drives into town in the evening. I can find out if she's going in today. Yes, please. Anna, it's me. Are you going to the town today? I've got a nice young man here. Would you take him along? It's settled. She'll pick you up in an hour. Meantime, why not look round? 30 kopecks a ticket. Where are we going? The viewing starts 28 meters below ground level. Did they dig the shaft specially for the museum? No. They used to mine coal here last century. They came across old burial while they were digging. The merchant Butov, a great lover of archaeology, bought up all the land in the area to continue excavations. That's how the museum came to be founded. This way, please... The most ancient relics found in our town go back to the first fall of Troy. This sarcophagus contains the remains of the Trojan king Dardanus. How did the Trojans get here? Professor Rottenberg has proved that after Troy fell, some of the Trojans went north and founded the first settlement here. Here's an inscription. 'Dardanus, son of Hellen, grandson of Priam'. The same inscription's on the shield found by Butov beside the sarcophagus. Let's go on. The 2nd cohort of the 14th double legion of Mars. - Romans, are they? - Correct. Their disappearance without trace en route from Britain to the Caucasus was reported to Nero by the legion's commander. The cohort's re mains were discovered by Butov while they were digging the second shaft. Nonsense, the Romans were never on Soviet territory. The sculptural portraits have been restored using Professor Gerasimov's method. Let's see more. The throne of Atilla, on which the leader of the Huns violated the queen of the West Goth in view of his horde. Professor Rottenberg found traces of *** on it, from which he derived a genetic fingerprint. Computerized data gave him a positive I.D. of Attila. Our town's first rock'n roll dancers. Smorodinov, Secretary of the town's YCL, who had them expelled from the YCL. The pistol with which Urusov shot the False Dimitry II. And here's the impospor's head. How'd the head get here? When the pretender Dimitry was killed, Marina Mniszek had her husband's head embalmed. Marina Mniszek's lover, the Ataman Zarucki, lost the head at cards to the Uhlan Beletsky, who was killed during the siege of the Kremlin, and the head went to Fyudur Kuzmin, a soldier from our town. But he's not here. Let's go on. Here you see the Kievan Prince Vladimir at the moment of Russia's acceptance of Christianity. The famous revolutionary Petrov, from our town, a member of the 'Black Repartition' group who was betryed to the Tsarist secret police by the head of the combatant Socialist Revolutionaries, the stool-pigeon Azef. Azef's mistress, an actress at a 'Cafe Chantant'. The monk Julian, ambassador and spy in Russia for the Hungarian king Bela IV. Another representative of our town, Burtsev, superintendent of the hotel 'Florence' in Moscow. In 1918 the anarchists had a conference there. This is Burtsev. Here he is going in the door. The Ataman Makhno himself took part in the conference. This is commander of his army's Jewish battery. Abraham Schneider. Gavriusha, the commander of the Black Hundreds, who said he would hack down his own mother and father if Makhno ordered it. Our town's first Stakhanovite hero, Yegor Bykov. This apartament belonged to the railway worker Kuridze. Joseph Stalin spent a night here in November 1904 when he escaped from exile. Next morning he proposed a toast: 'Soon comes the dawn, soon the sun will rise, the sun that will shine for us'. Zinovi Peshkov, Gorky's adopted son, natural brother of Sverdlov, Ambassador to China, in the 30's. And who's this? president of our writers' organization, Chugunov. On March 10, 1938 his first poem was printed: 'Sentence of the People.' 'Bayonets of the guard, We're in the October Hall. 'The judge's bench, the prosecutor's steely phrase: 'So, how much did you take from the Germans, 'To betray your homeland yet again? 'The malice in their eyes flickered and faded, 'The accused did not look at the hall... 'Yes, we added glass into butter, 'Yes, I ordered Gorky's assassination... 'I took money for spying in the Reichswehr. 'Terror, sabotage, betrayal, venom... 'They sit there like captive beasts, reciting in turn: 'Chernov, Yagoda, Rosengoltz, Bukharin. 'The human features fade away 'And monstrous, devilish mugs 'You come to see before you.' In 1949 Chugunov was accused of cosmopolitanism for his novel 'Kuchelbecker's Fetters'. In 1956 he was rehabilitated. The first chairman of our Revolutionary Committee, Mikhail Zverev, who took part in the liquidation of the imperial family. Here he is at a meeting with construction workers from the White Sea-Baltic Canal and their supervisors. He's the one with the accordeon on the left of the camps' political police chief, Berman. At this meeting the deputy head of the OGPU Yagoda said: 'The OGPU labour camps are pioneers 'in the cultural assimilation of remote regions'. Another native of our town, Academician Fomin. In 1934 he discussed with Khrushchev and Kaganovich a project to erect a magnificent Commissariat of the Heavy-Metal Industry on Red Square. Mayor Sokolov was also born in our town. While providing air-cover to an Anglo-American convoy in 1942 he engaged ten German planes in combat. He shot down six of them, and though fatally wounded, he landed his own fighter safely. Antonina Petukhova, known as 'The monkey', the first citizen of our town, to be arrested in 1957 at the youth festival in Moscow for carrying on affairs with foreigners. 'Dreams', a composition by our sculptor Troitsky. Where's Anna? She's usually very punctual. Maybe she's changed her mind? Well, you can sleep here. Where? Our electrician lives close by. He has a large house. Maybe I could leave right now? You won't get anywhere now, it's 15 miles to the road. Come on, I'll arrange a bed for the night. Please help yourself. How'd you end up in these parts? You a tourist? No. Help yourself. I asked the taxi driver for the nearest railway station. That's in Perebrodino and this is Perebrodovo, so the taxi-drivers get confused. Was the taxi driver young? - Yes. - I see. I think the potatoes must be burnt, lady of the house! - How about a glass of ***? - No, thanks, I don't drink. Homebrew! You'll never leave our town. What? You'll never leave. You'll die in 2015 and they'll bury you in the town cemetery. I can see the gravestone with the words: Alexei Varakin: 1945-2015. To our beloved father from his daughters Julia, Natasha, Tamara, Zinaida. Special brew. What are you doing here? Get off to bed! Ten o'clock, and he's still hanging about! - Good night. - Good night. Don't forget to brush your teeth. To our meeting here. Excuse me, but where can I sleep here? - You sleepy already? - I'm very tired. But you haven't eaten anything yet. Thanks, but I'm not hungry, just very tired. I'll show you the way. Here's a towel. Make yourself comfortable. - Who's that? - I don't know. When we bought the house, Victor found it in the attic and hung it up - Good night. - Good night. Excuse me. Someone's come for you. Hello, my name's Anna. I couldn't get to the museum, I had a flat tyre. I can take you to town now if you like. Could you take me to Perebrodino? - To the railway station? - I have to get to Moscow. There are two Moscow trains that stop at Perebrodino. Great. Are you upset about something? Upset? Not really. More surprised. Has anyone ever forecast your future? No. But I have read that in the 16th century Nostradamus foretold the rise of Hitler. Someone's following us. They want us to stop. Mr. Varakin? Please get into the car. We've got new information, we have to check something out. Do you recognize this person? - That's me. - That's correct. The photograph was found among the papers of the deceased chef Nikolaev. How did he get it? That's what we'd like to know. You said you didn't know him. I didn't. Then how do you explain this? 'To my dear father from Makhmud'. What? It appears you're Makhmud, the chef's son. This is crazy. What son? What Makhmud? Expert examination indicates that your signature and the one on the photo are identical. There's some misunderstanding. I never laid eyes on that chef before. My father's Mikhail Varakin. He's never been a chef, he's an engineer. How do we explain that a photo with an inscription in your writing was in the possession of Nikolaev? I don't know. Perhaps you met the chef some time or other? I swear I never met him before. I have to ask you not to leave the area. What? But it's all a mistake! Don't worry, we'll sort it all out. I have to get to Moscow. You must sign an undertaking not to leave this town. You can appeal to the public prosecutor if you wish. - Alexei Varakin? - Yes. This is the town prosecutor here. Come down, please, we've a car waiting for you. Hello, Alexei. I know what it is you wanted to see me about. A strange business. It's a misunderstanding. I've nothing at all to do with that business. I have to get to Moscow. urgently. Alexei! Were you never tempted to commit a crime? - What for? - Just for... ...the sake of doing something criminal. You know, steal a stereo, attack a policeman. Why should I attack a policeman? The policeman'sjust an example, that's all. Imagine, I, the public prosecutor here, dream of committing a crime. I spend all my life punishing criminals, but in my heart I really envy them. A paradox worthy of the novelist's pen. I'd love to do something absolutely crazy, that no one would ever expect of me. But let's get back to the business in hand. You want me to allow you to go back to Moscow? Yes. Don't you think you might have been a witness, not of a suicide, but of a ***? - What? - Yes, a ***. But I saw him shoot himself. That'sjust it, you didn't see that. Remember how it happened. You tea and dessert. I didn't order any dessert. Don't worry. It's a present from the chef. - What is it? - Cake. Stop. Why the jazz? I didn't know. Rehearsal? There's never been any jazz in that restaurant. But they did play. Maybe they were only pretending to play, miming to a record? But why? So you wouldn't hear the shot, from the kitchen. The first shot. I don't understand. Even if someone killed Nikolaev, what's all the performance for? I'm not saying someone did kill him, but it's possible. The whole business looks absurd enough to make you suspect a premeditated ***. But maybe that's what they were counting on. They had to convince you, a bystander, that you had witness a suicide. And they did. I have to get to Moscow. You evidently fail to appreciate the seriousness of the Nikolaev case. It affects the interests of the state. Since the times of the Mongol invasion the main idea uniting us, which inspired generations of our forebears, is the idea of statehood. A great and mighty state is the ideal for which the Russian is willing to suffer, to bear any deprivation. Ready, if need be, to give his life. This is an irrational idea, not the pragmatic European striving to extract the maximum of personal profit. It's the idea of the great Russian spirit, of which your own individuality, and mine, is only a small subordinate part, but which repays us both a hundred times over. This feeling of belonging to a great organism inspires our spirits with a feeling of strength and immortality. The West has always striven to discredit our idea of statehood. But the greatest danger lies in our own selves. We grasp at fashionable Western ideas, seduced by their obvious rationality and practicality, not realizing that just these qualities give them a fatal power over us. But never mind, in the end our own idea always comes out on top. Our revolutions have all finally led not to the destruction, but to the strenghtening, the reiforcement of the state. They always will. But not many peole realize that the present moment is one of the most critical in our entire history. And the case of chef Nikolaev, which appears so trivial at first glance, has a profound significance. So there's no way you can leave town. What do I have to do? Nothing. Just one request: if anyone should ask, don't deny that you are the chef's son, Makhmud. Varakin? How'd you like a bit of fun? What? My friend and I are just dying of boredom, I thought you might like a bit of fun. Who are you? We'll cook the dumplings, you bring the wine. Leave me alone! Please yourself. Who is it? I've something to tell you. The writer Chugunov wants to see you. What for? It's very important for you, let's go. I'm not going anywhere. Please come. It's to do with your father Nikolaev. - Alexei? - Yes. Pleased to meet you. Chugunov. Please come in. You witnessed the suicide of the chef Nikolaev. The point is that Nikolaev was our town's first rock'n roller. It all happened in the Zhdanov House of Culture on 18 May 1957. Look. It was a normal youth party. You know, young people dancing and enjoying themselves. We still don't know how Nikolaev came to be there. He was already 27, a senior lieutenant in the police. So he was there. Look, there's Nikolaev in the hall. See what happens now. The waltz breaks off and rock'n'roll starts up. They are confused. You can't tell who's changed the music. Now watch Nikolaev. This was a great scandal. The biggest since the revolt of the Left SRs. Now look at this young man. YCL Secretary Nikolai Smorodinov. The next day he expelled the dancers from the YCL. Nikolaev was sacked from the police, and the girl Shulakova was thrown out of the medical school. She took acetic acid. They saved her life, but her vocal chords were burnt. She could never speak again. Nikolaev got a job in the restaurant. He was resigned and calm. But I knew that sooner or later he's try something. Only he could turn his own death into a circus show. The prosecutor thinks that Nikolaev was murdered. The prosecutor is that same Smorodinov who expelled Shulakova and Nikolaev from the YCL. This is all very interesting but... What's it got to do with me? Well, today the Nikolaev rock'n roll club is opening in town. I'd like you to speak on the occasion. Me? Why me? You're Nikolaev's son. Okay, let's get up on stage, it's time to begin. Thank you for coming. Hello, Nikolai. Well, are you going to speak? What can I do? This is all so crazy. What can I say about a man I've never met. Say what they usually say in such cases: He was a good man, and all that stuff. But I'm supposed to talk as if he was my father. Alexei, we're waiting for you! Dear friends! Today our town sees the opening of a rock'n roll club! Yet another great victory for democracy! Through the periods of Stalinism, voluntarism, subjectivism and stagnation, we have preserved the passionate desire to dance like we want to. The first to dance rock'n roll in our town was the chef Nikolaev. The first always has it rough. But then comes the second, in the unstoppable process of historical logic! Allow me to intriduce Nikolaev's son. Ladies and gentlemen! I must be honest and say that I didn't know the famous man very well. Life decreed. that we should only see each other once. He was a good man, a good chef. I had some good beef... Can you dance rock'n'roll? Well... I used to in college. Dance some then! Yes, do! Rock! Let's all dance. Silence, please. He could never have shot himself. He hadn't got the guts. Now watch how it's done. We want to see Varakin. - I'm Varakin. - Can we come in? Yes, please. Sit down. 'My name is Lydia Shulakova 'and this is my son.' That's me. What can I do for you? 'I am the Lydia Shulakova 'who danced rock'n roll with Nikolaev, 'for which I was expelled from medical school, 'and then drank acetic acid and lost my voice.' I remember Chugunov talking about you. 'I have a few things which belonged to Nikolaev. 'They mean a great deal to me, 'but I want you to have them.' Thank you. But if they mean so much to you, perhaps you will keep them? 'Thank you for being so much like him. 'You have kept our ideals alive. 'I want to dance with you.' Good evening. Ah, there's Alexei Varakin. Stepan Ivanov. Our town's mayor. And this is Lydia Shulakova herself. Pleased to meet you. I've been looking forward to meet you. Thank you for coming. Thank you for helping. Things are not over by a long way. A lot has to be done, but we've made some progress. True, but the rehabilitation of rock'n'roll is of great political significance. We can't be satisfied with that. We're not satisfied. The hero of the day. Why did you come here? I came to see Alexei on business. If it's business, come in. Why'd you make such a fool of yourself, Nikolai? Turn it up, Victor. - You'll destroy Russia. - You're destroying her! That's enough, no more! Will you be with us long, Alexei? I have to get to Moscow. - Can you help me get out of here? - You can't leave now. Can I have a word with you in private? By all means. Could we talk right now? I'm ready. Maybe we could go out into the corridor? - Hello. - Hi. I was walking along and I saw the girl outside your door, so I invited them in. We called you, remember? Here's meat dumplings and beer. - Meat dumplings? Great. - How could you be so stupid? Leave me alone. Okay, let's have a beer. To progress. I won't drink to that. If you won't drink for progress, drink for mother. I'll do that. What'll we do with the dumplings? We've no plates. Here's a spoon. Eat them from the pan. Alexei, would you help Tamara exchange her room for one in Tbilisi? Only if it's a three-way exchange. We can't let Tamara go off to Tbilisi. We need our beautiful girls here. No, seriously, I see you're a Soviet Deputy. At the moment I'm merely a man in love. That didn't take long. By the way, Stepan, we don't have any chief engineer. We wanted to sing for you. I'll sing a song. - You stay there. - But his voice isn't bad. 'The Sokolov choir at the Gypsy caf?? 'Was famous in its time. 'And the Sokolov guitar 'Still rings in my ears 'Always money, money, money 'Always money, gentlemen. 'Without it life is rotten, 'And just a waste of time.' Mind if we join you? - Who are you? - We're in the next room, down from Kiev. We heard you singing and we thought we might drop in. - We've got beer. - Where are you from? We're from here. I'm the mayor. Our public prosecutor, the director of the factory. And this is Chugunov, the chaiman of the local writers' association. All local townfolk. Varakin isn't. Ah, yes, Varakin, the son of chef Nikolaev. A fine gathering. Are you going to listen or not? - Stop talking! - You're singing nonsense. Sing yourself then. - Okay, Nikolai, go on. - You're not listening. What song would you like, Alexei? Me? 'The night is bright, above the river 'Brightly shines the moon, 'And the blue waves 'Are edged in silver. 'The woods are dark and silent and 'Among the emerald branches, 'The nightingale hides, 'But sings no thrilling song. 'In the light of the moon 'Brihgt-blue flowers have blossomed, 'Stirring in my heart 'Restless dreams. 'On this moonlit night, 'Beloved, darling friend, 'Think of me again 'And love me as before.' Let's go to the oak tree. Alexei, we have an oak tree that Prince Dmitry Donskoi once sat under. That's right, let's go. This oak is 1200 years old. In pagan times it was sacred. Anyone who pulled off a branch became the leader. But to hold on to his power he had to protect the tree. So of course sooner or later someone killed him, tore off a branch, and became the leader himself. In civilized society this custom outlived itself. Prince Dmitry Donskoi, and later Ivan the Terrible both pulled branches off our tree. Since the 1917 Revolution it's protected by the state. - Can we have a little branch for a souvenir? - No way. A tiny little one. Let her take one. Well, if the town Soviet says it's okay... Dammit. It's rotten. It needs watering. Now that one's off, everybody take one. - This one's too small. - That's a good branch. Can I take one for my brother? Run for it! Run! What? Run! Which way? Written by Alexander Borodyansky Karen Shakhnazarov Directed by Karen Shakhnazarov Camera: Nikolai Nemolyaev Sets: Lyudmila Kusakova Music: Eduard Artemiev