This film is Pt. 3 of the Trilogy "Maxim's Youth" Music by Shostakovitch. A fictional account of Lenin's rise to power, the Bolshevik Revolution and the dawn of Communist/ Socialist Soviet Union. Therefore, all significant names (Lenin, Trotsky, etc) are portrayed by endeared actors and actresses. Dialogue in Russian, subtitles in English. A LENSFILM PRODUCTION... SCRIPT AND DIRECTION BY LEONID TAUBERG... MUSIC BY DIMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH... PHOTOGRAPHY BY A. MOSKVIN AND G. FILATOV...
Opening Credits. MS of heavy-coated and big moustached Russian men standing and cheering in a large room, eventually tossing their furry hats into the air. Cut to MS of Lenin (actor) speaking to the men after the 1917 Revolution. They applaud his very breath, hanging eagerly upon his fiery rhetoric.
FO/FI on a long and high hallway as the men congregate outside it. Cut to MS of Leon Trotsky talking to a man newly appointed minister. He sends him away, sees a fellow named Maxim Not sure if this is supposed to be the writer Maxim Gorky or not) and calls him over. They move to window to watch singing troops (holy patriotism) and stroke one another's egos. Maxim is appointed Bank Commissar, much to his chagrin.
Maxim talks with soldier friend in bustling hallway about his predicament. They retreat to a room to take a nap. Lenin enters, notices Maxim's Do Not Disturb sign.
MS of bank sign. Tight LS's and MS's of stodgy and all-too silent bank employees at work in the vast monetary halls. Tight LS's and MS's of bank executives meeting in a private room, sitting mightily at an oval table. Maxim is refused his position and told to leave.
FI as Maxim speaks before a room full of wealthy businessmen (bank executives) about the plight of the Soviet people, about his political cause. MS's of the wealthy-- dressed well and well-fed-- dismissing Maxim as a lark and a mark. The meeting breaks down after extended humiliation. The men leaves the room and go to the bank's body where in great MS's they ruin their own work by tearing apart their ledgers, spilling ink on financial books, overturning chairs and such, basically creating a stiff riot (an upper crust hootenanny). MS of Maxim talking on a princess phone (lapses into a bad connection).
FI on tight LS's of a line of silent Soviet women waiting by a pre-dawn harbor, industrial smokestacks in BG (nice shot of oppressed peoples). MS's of Anarchists marching in a crude, semi-drunken parade. MS's of an older, boorish anarchist harrassing a woman huddled in line. MS of the boor kicking the office of door at the head of the line; an old man exunts slowly, says there's no money to be had because the State Bank was seized. MS of the boor instructing the women to revolt, which they do in tight LS, the ladies screaming and racing along a street.
INT of the destroyed bank. Great MS of an older man lurching over a typewriter he has no idea how to use (hunting and pecking style, eventually spitting on the infernal contraption). MS's of a man and then a woman yelling into a princess phone. Great MS of the angry mob of Russian women barging through the bank's doors, pushing aside an unwary soldier. MS's of the women-- in heavy coats and shawls-- yelling angrily.
The angry women settle down, take seats to listen to Natasha, followed by the Commissar. The women and even the old anarchist speaking their grievances. The women grow angry, yell, begin to riot until Natasha speaks.
A young man & woman enter the meeting, announce that a local priest refuses to christen their newborn child. They ask Natasha to christen him. Maxim enters. Mild celebration. A man makes a phone call & then everyone must leave. A soldier brings in a suspect; Natasha grill him; MS of man stabbing Natasha with a knife, then MS of the murderer being shot to death. MS of Maxim carrying the Natasha's limp body away.
FO/FI on 3 people sitting somberly at a table: two men and a woman, one man staring blankly into the distance while smoking a cigarette, the other man desperately trying to cheer the others with his voice and guitar. CU's of the woman taking a shot of vodka. MS of the woman tending to her child crying beneath many blankets in a bed.
Continuation of cellar scene. MSs men smoking, drinking booze, talking against the revolution. The woman joins them. MSs woman drinking vodka. She slumps over table while boorish man take sup guitar & sings again.
FO/FI room in which Maxim tends to the wounded Natasha. Soldiers forceably bring in a doctor, an older bearded man; he examines Natasha; they pay the doctor who refuses it b/c the Bolsheviks are ruining Russia.
FO/FI MS of a man egging his comrades into storming and looting a wine cellar (actually, its the Smirnov vodka plant). Tight LS/MSs Russian people (anarchists?) smashing bottles and spilling champagne into the air (in between sips). The exhiliaration of stealing, looting. MSs Maxim & pals charging towards the site, their guns drawn. MSs Bolshevik commandeering vehicle. MS man taking bottles from woman & smashing them on ground. MSs Bolsheviks smashing bottles with the butts of their rifles. A near riot.
MS Maxim speaking with man in office. MSs men (all bearded, some wearing bowler hats) sitting at desks in the bank and balancing accounting books. MS Maxim boiling a kettle of water; he pours a little into a cup, sips, then pours the kettle over his greasy head.
MS Maxim stepping over to a desk full of books, a candle and a phone. MSs Maxim reading or talking on the phone.
A public hearing for those accused of leading the looting. MSs accused yelling their innocence. MSs animated defense attorney, wearing bowler hat & fur coat, pleading their case before the mostly Bolshevik chamber; the attorney leaves in a huff.
MSs Maxim making his way through the crowd to demand the men be put on trial; Maxim accuses the defense attorney of being a stooge of the wealthy, then accosts the agitators.
MS of the crowd raising their hands (all). MSs of the audience listening and watching in rapture as the sentence is being read. MS of the male agitators being led away in silence. The tribunal questions a woman involved in the insurrection at the Smirnov plant. People testify to her condition.
More of tribunal questioning the woman. She declares she hates them all and sits & sulks. A man with a bushy moustache brings her water. Natasha reads trhe verdict.
More of tribunal. MSs of people cheering energetically, tossing their hats and hands into the air, giving the woman on trial their bread (literally). MS of the crowd-- suddenly silent-- and raising their hands into the air in a silent salute. Even the defense attorney raises his hand; he claims its judicially absurd but is emotionally moved, blowing his nose in a handkerchief. CU of a man shooting a pistol at the woman as she reveals a plot to kill Lenin; MS of the woman slumping; MS of the man trying to make an escape: with pistol drawn he kicks a window but is quickly subdued by the crowd.
MS of the traitor seated at a table, banging and yelling angrily. He tries to make an escape but is subdued.
FO/FI on a large meeting house as the Constituent Assembly congregates: MSs bureaucrats being questioned by sympathetic reporters; tLSs politicians making their way into the forum, taking seats and cheering the Whip; MSs of the Whip taking the podium, ringing a bell and speaking to the group; MS politicians standing & clapping, one checking a pocketwatch; tight LS of the balcony as Bolsheviks yell; MS Leon Trotsky assuming the podium from the Whip, taking the bell and ringing for order; MSs of the politicians yelling angrily at his presence; TLSs Bolsheviks clapping; CU of Lenin as he sits near the well; MSs Trotsky speaking; MSs politicians standing & yelling at him.
FO/FI MS of a drunken army officer sitting drearily before a piano; suddenly he throws the lid open and bangs noisily on the instrument. CU of a drunken officer seated at a table nearby, commiserating with his fellow men about the Bolsheviks. MS Maxim and his men storming through the door, guns drawn. MS of the officers relinquishing their weapons. MS woman accusing of the men of conspiracy to murder Lenin.
FO/FI to the Constituent Assembly: MSs politicians making speeches until heavily armed soldiers brandishing badoliers across their chests close the meeting. TLS politcian leaving chambers, taking one last long look. MS soldier calling for the place to be aired out.
FO/FI. MSs of the bank accountants speaking with Commissar Maxim in the bank.
Maxim accuses the bank employees of being swindlers, clerically pointing out their egregious expenses and misdeeds. At conclusion, Maxim resumes business & confers with trusted associates.
Maxim confers with associates who have completed the state budget. MS of an excited Maxim leading his bank staff in song after completeing the state budget.
Natasha and fellow Bolsheviks enter; Maxim shares the good news. Funny MS of Maxim being hammy after Natasha and representatives of the Vyborg District request 5 million rubles (gasps for air, fakes a heart attack, begs for water, picks up the phone and requests another job). Natasha & Maxim argue over finances, which devolves into everyone fighting over finances.
FO/FI. MS of Maxim and Natasha, both wearing heavy black leather jackets, saying goodbye via passionate kiss. MS Natasha racing to a door, throwing it wide and yelling goodbye to Maxim. MS of Maxim, surrounded by soldiers marching to fight the Germans, waving his hat in the air. FO/FI. THE END card (in Russian).