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. Mearly 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!
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 serve
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 Ussurii region...
to make a topographic survey.
Sometimes mountains and forests look 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 Walpurgis Night...
a place where witches would gather for their Sabbath.
What's that?
A falling rock.
Is someone coming down?
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?
Thanks.
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 a long, long time.
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?
Mecessary me think.
Stop it.
Well, think it over.
Now, let's go to sleep.
The next 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...
all confirmed Dersu's words.
Obviously, a Chinese spent the night a couple of days ago.
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.
If one listens to you, everything around 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 kids die.
Smallpox.
Everyone afraid of smallpox.
Wife, kids, house, all together burn.
Last night bad dream had.
Yurt will be soon fall down.
Wife, kids 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 land 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 good-bye.
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 tracts.
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 okay is okay.
Silence lay over the frozen reaches of the lake.
Some menace to humans was lurking in this silence.
Captain!
Have to go back quick.
The wind cover our tracks.
Yes, yes, let's go.
Mever mind, Dersu.
Now we'll know where we came from.
From there!
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.
Soon night come. Might 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! Must hold grass!
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 den! Sun is up!
Only then did I realize what Dersu had done for me.
His wits had saved me.
Thank you, Dersu. Thank you.
What would I have done 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.
Udegheis are frying fish.
Thank you.
Captain.
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 Ulakhen...
then Fujin.
Me heard...
many, many sable there.
Deer too.
Me heard about it.
People around say. Now me understand.
Good-bye, military men.
Farewell.
Good-bye, Dersu. Maybe we'll meet again.
Good-bye, Captain.
Well...
Maybe we'll meet again.
Good-bye.
He's a fine man. I 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 serve
He cannot be cheerful
So what He'll try to aim better
So the hunter goes
To warmer waters
That spring...
once again I set out to travel across the Ussurii area.
Go! Go!
Where are you going?
To the left!
Careful! Look after the horses!
For three months, we have been walking in the forest.
Spring in the forest quickly gave way to summer.
We've explored a large area.
But if we had Dersu, we'd have accomplished more.
All this time, I was thinking with anticipation...
that maybe I would meet him again.
Where are you, Dersu?
Up the spring, go!
Faster, guys. Bring the water.
Andriucha! Throw up more branches!
What is taking so long?
Faster, faster! Don't smile!
And you said you would bring a boar!
Vladimir Pavlovich. I met a hunter two miles from here.
He was asking about our unit-- who we are, who's the captain.
Did you tell him?
How could I, sir? I know how to keep a military secret.
Eh, Turtygin, Turtygin. Did he remain there?
No, sir. He started to collect his backpack.
Vladimir Pavlovich! Your rifle!
- Hello, Captain! - Hello, Dersu!
You are my dear man.
You haven't changed at all, Dersu.
Haven't changed. Haven't grown older.
You, my eagle with blue-black wings
Where have you been flying for so long
How have you been these years?
Shot lots of sables?
Plenty.
- Get much money. - Oh! That's good!
Only all this money go.
How come?
Rich trader me invite. Much vodka.
Me give him money to keep for me.
After that, his men nowhere.
Why so?
Me don't understand.
You, my eagle with blue-black wings
Where have you been flying for so long
I was flying there over the mountains
Where it all was silence
Next morning, the forest was shrouded in thick fog.
We were leading the way.
I was confident because Dersu was now with me.
Dersu, what do you think?
Will the weather clear up?
Yes.
Earth and hill all sweating now.
Soon they'll get completely well.
Why are they lagging behind?
It's high time they catch up with us.
Let us wait.
Me lost pipe.
Me think pipe be near. Must go back.
How I lose pipe?
Either got old...
or my head got bad.
Look, Captain. This is track tiger.
Him behind us go.
When us come here, was not track on road.
Him close here.
When us stopped over there, he was right here!
Me go back, tiger run away.
That is nothing, Captain. Tiger never make big noise.
Excuse us, Captain, for lingering.
Two horses got stuck in the bog.
Is this your pipe, Dersu?
- What is it with you? - There's a tiger nearby.
Hey, guys, careful!
A tiger's nearby!
Calm down!
Calm down, I say!
Come on, come on!
Again tiger go our track!
Why go behind? What do you need, tiger?
What do you want?
Us go road, not bother you, and you go behind!
Is there not enough space in forest, tiger?
Let's go!
Why have you halted?
Looks like fallen trees there.
- Dersu, what's that? - Ludiovo.
Ludiovo? And what's that?
Animals go to river, drink water.
Want to go round trunks and branches and fall into pit.
They catch animals, sell the skins.
Detail several men to follow me.
Belonozhkin, Zagourskii, Zakharov, Bochkariov, follow me.
Careful.
Look here.
Look in the other pits.
Go.
Sir! A doe and two reindeer there. Already dead.
Pasha, what do you have there?
I found two pits.
Only carrion in there.
What about you, Andriucha?
I fell in myself!
Vasia! Vasia!
- What's there? - I found a whole flaying house!
- Who did it? - Bad Chinese did this.
Why leave ludiovo, but not fill holes?
Bad to kill animals for nothing.
Bring axes and hoes here!
What happened, Dersu?
Hounhous! Chinese bandits!
They make holes in my shirt, and I make holes in theirs!
- How many are there? - Eight.
Turtygin, two remain here. The rest of you follow me.
They got away, the vipers.
Hounhous bad Chinese. Bad.
Steal money, fur.
Steal wife, kill men.
Sir, here.
Hounhous steal three women.
Me not understand what they do with men.
Turtygin!
Hey, guys, come here quick!
Much mosquito, horsefly there.
By night your face like this.
Then much pain.
Then die.
Good us found at daytime.
Very, very good.
All alive.
I'll kill those Hounhous!
Hounhous!
That Chang Pao, not Hounhous!
My name's Chang Pao. We fight Hounhous.
I'm Arseniev. We're exploring this area.
- Hello. - Hello.
They took the women with them, as always.
Hounhous go there. Move, hurry!
Dersu, calm down. They won't get far away.
Will you take care of these men?
Detachment, fall in.
In those places where they robbed and killed...
people told us that the bandits are not more than ten.
We'll handle them ourselves.
Well, good luck then.
- Good-bye. - Good-bye.
Danger no. Hounhous end.
At first sight, this river seemed quiet and peaceful.
I sent some men with horses to look for a place to ford it.
I myself with the others tried to cross the river on a raft.
Stand here.
Let me.
Pull it!
Give me the weapons.
The pole! Where's the pole?
The pole! Throw it!
Come on! Do it!
Go along the bank, men!
Along the bank! Run along the bank!
Get ahead of us! Ahead!
Run ahead!
Jump, Captain, jump!
Come on, come on!
- If we only had a rope! - We used all the rope for the raft!
Cut down tree! Cut down!
- This one? - No!
- This one? - Uh-huh!
Get the axes!
Tie the tree! Quick!
Tie the tree!
Take off your belts!
These will do too.
- We'll need levers. - Cut them!
Hold on! Hold on!
Come on, guys, faster, faster!
How are you there?
Hold it!
Let it go little by little!
Go, go, go!
Hold it! Let go!
Dersu, give me your hand!
Grab me!
You were like a bear!
Summer end, Captain.
Autumn come.
That's good. A bit to the left.
Good.
Okay, get ready.
Attention.
Hold it.
Good.
Turtygin, come here. Now you take a picture of us.
Press here, okay?
My fondest memories of Dersu...
are connected with the beginning of that autumn.
- What's wrong with that horse? - Tiger.
Listen, tiger!
Soldiers fire rifle!
You go away. Go away!
What me do?
Kill tiger.
The tiger ran away. He's unharmed.
No, tiger always run until die.
Now me much frightened.
Don't be afraid, Dersu.
A dead tiger can't harm you.
Kanga will!
He send another tiger!
Kanga is a forest spirit whom the Goldi worship.
From that day Dersu changed.
He became morose and irritable.
What you do?
That sign say no ginseng here.
You break.
People search for ginseng, all for nothing.
Bad man are you.
So he just jumped in the river in all his clothes. He was drunk.
In all his clothes!
And I had an adventure--
Why throw meat into fire?
Meat throw into fire, lose.
Tomorrow we go, other people here come...
see meat, eat.
Who would come here?
How's that? Who come?
Badger come, marten come.
Crow come, mouse come.
All kinds of men in forest.
Good evening, Dersu.
I say, salute!
The Ussurii autumn is brief.
Winter colds come fast.
I started getting ready for winter...
and sent some of the men with all our horses to Olga Bay.
Smells! Men here!
- What men? - Boars!
I don't smell anything.
- Dersu, why didn't you shoot? - I not see.
Why not me see boar?
My nose see better than eyes.
I did not know then...
that this small incident was a forerunner of tragic events.
A stag!
Where, Captain?
Where?
There, under the half-fallen tree.
- Did I hit it? - No.
Didn't you see it?
Everyone misses sometimes, Dersu.
Why me not hit it?
Captain! Before, I always first see an animal!
Shoot, always hit target.
Now not hit. Bad are my eyes.
How I live in forest now?
Come to Khabarovsk with me.
My home is your home.
New Year's Eve came.
It was a strange night.
The tiger come to kill me.
Thank you, Captain! Thank you!
What happened, Dersu?
Captain, you say your home my home. Thank you, Captain!
Will you come with me to my place?
My eyes get bad.
Kanga not want me to live in forest.
He send the tiger.
Probably what Dersu called the tiger...
was the specter of his fear of the forest...
conjured by the imagination...
of a man grown old.
Listen here. Vova recorded Dersu.
Well, well.
The Captain go hills, work.
Go back to city...
sit at a table, write, work.
Me no work in the city.
Stare into fire.
Look at hills far away.
And that's it.
It's true.
He doesn't like the city.
Mever mind. He'll get used to it.
Vova, did Dersu hear it?
Yes.
- What did he say? - He said, ""Right, not word miss.""
Does he often talk to you about the forest?
Yes. Dersu is not afraid of anything.
Meither of wolves, nor of boars, or of bears.
Snowstorms and floods are nothing for him.
You know, Dersu is Vova's hero.
He is crazy about him.
And I owed him my life on several occasions.
He never mentioned it.
Well, he thinks it is quite a regular thing to do.
Most people like to boast about such things and exaggerate.
This men always with me roam the forest...
many, many years.
This is a bear tooth...
and claws.
And these are claws of lynx.
For you. Take.
You give it to me?
Yes, Little Captain.
Really?
I am so happy. It will be my talisman.
Don't you have tiger claws? Didn't you hunt a tiger?
I shoot at tiger but--
It bad to kill tiger.
Why?
Very...
very bad.
Take this. Thank you.
Why give money for water?
Much water is in river.
- Why you take money for water? - What?
You don't understand anything.
You are bad man!
- Where are you going? - Shoot.
Don't even think of it! It's not allowed to shoot guns in a city.
In barrel much dirt.
Me shoot a bullet, clean barrel.
Then wipe with cloth, shoot well.
There are many people here. It's dangerous.
Me fire not people. Me fire at air.
All the same, you cannot. The city isn't the same as the hills.
Do you understand?
Do you?
Well, how are you, Dersu?
Sit I here, just like duck.
How can men sit in box?
You are right.
It isn't a very nice room.
We'll have to change the wallpaper...
make everything more cozy.
Meanwhile, what if you live in my study.
Don't bother, Captain.
I pitch tent outdoors.
Sleep.
I don't disturb anyone.
See, Dersu...
it's not allowed in a city.
Why not?
Bad!
How should I explain?
That's a rule.
A rule.
Shoot a gun I can't.
Sleep outdoors I can't.
I not get enough air at all.
Pa, what happened? Dersu's been arrested!
The police just called.
What is it again?
You know, he saw me buying firewood yesterday and grew very angry...
and went to the city park to chop down a tree.
Please...
let me go back to hills.
Live in city I cannot.
Where will you go?
To the hills.
Captain.
Missus.
Little Captain.
All fine people.
Me go-- bad!
But I cannot live in a city.
Here, take this rifle as a gift.
Mew model.
It's easy to aim.
Even with bad eyesight you won't miss.
Here.
Thank you, Captain.
to Mr. Arseniev.
Your visiting card found on dead Goldi.
Request your presence to identify body.
Mr. Arseniev?
Did you know him?
We were friends.
And his name was...
Dersu Uzala.
His occupation?
A hunter.
How strange.
He didn't have a rifle.
There must have been.
A rifle of the latest model.
No, nothing was found...
except your visiting card.
It's clear now.
The criminal wanted to get the rifle, so he killed the man.
Ready, sir.
The ground's frozen. It was hard digging the grave.
Bury him.
So...
now I'll ask you to sign.
Here.
Beg your pardon. I'm a busy man.
Thank you.
So...
may I leave?
Dersu.