Why do you want to be free so badly?
Can’t you live without it?
Well...
I can help you with this.
You?
Am I such a brute, Katia?
I’ll try to persuade Father.
Tomorrow.
Grigoriy Petrovich.
I’m not going to ask for much for my service.
Rather the opposite.
I’ll protect you from troubles and dangers
a young girl has to face in the big wide world.
What do you want?
I’ll rent a room for you in Nezhin
and place you there.
I'll be visiting you twice a week.
You won't have to work.
Are you suggesting
that I become your concubine?
Katia, there is no need for such language.
Let’s say...
I offer you a life that is pleasant in all senses
in return for the freedom...
you crave so much.
How dare you making such offers?
I’ve never given you a reason to think so little of me,
neither in words, actions, glances, nor in thoughts.
What gives you the right to say such things?
The fact that I’m a bondwoman?
Bondmen have honor and pride, too.
I’d rather drown myself
than agree to this proposition.
Don’t you dare to talk to me about this ever again.
Freedom always has a high price, Katia.
And I don’t ask for much.
Think about it.
Tikhon, are you asleep?
Are you going to spend all day with these candles?
Where is the carpet?
I asked you to spread the carpet.
-Here it is, ma’am. -Be quick with it.
Why is everybody so slow today?
Where are the fresh flowers?
Why didn’t anybody cut the flowers?
Do you want me to die?
Are you trying to kill me?
Do you realize what day it is?
You wretched girl!
As lazy as the day is long.
I’m whisking it.
I can see that.
Whisking it like the dead man is breathing.
Are you going to find that recipe?
Katria. Go to the mistress, quick. She wants to see you.
Peekaboo!
Marko, put the flowers on the table.
-Do something useful. -Godmother, did you send for me?
Don’t worry about the food.
Pavlina will make it in time.
The refreshments and aperitifs are ready...
My dear, I didn’t send for you to ask for a report about the cooking.
That’s not what I wanted to talk about.
Shall we sit down?
Kitty,
I’m very sad...
because...
My goddaughter doesn’t love me.
Oh no, Godmother...
I don’t want you...
to think that...
I refused...
to put a word for you as a punishment.
This isn’t what it is.
Just tell me, why do you want freedom?
What would you do with it?
Did you think about your future?
Here, we take care of you.
You have food, clothes,
a roof over your head.
What would you do out there?
How will you live, where will you live?
What will happen to you?
You are upset with me...
because you think I wish you ill.
But I...
I only want you to be happy.
Kitty,
you are being cruel.
I’m sorry, Godmother.
You’re right.
May I go back to the kitchen?
Pavlina needs me there.
Of course. Go.
Here.
She’ll get her late mother’s jewelry.
Also, the silverware,
the sandalwood cabinet and other furniture.
This is very well, Aleksandr Vasilyevich,
but I’d prefer to hear about land and bondsmen.
-You have no patience, Piotr Ivanovich. -Yes, maybe.
Right.
I have a village near Chernigov,
which I intend to add to her dowry.
Sviridovka.
Yes.
Isn’t it the village you inherited from your aunt?
I don’t think you value your daughter enough.
Why do you say this?
It has 150 bondsmen, a pond, a forest,
and over 600 acres of land.
It’s too secluded. It will be hard to run the estate.
I sold linen from this estate at 2.5 rubles for arshin
at the Contract Fair in Kyiv recently.
Really, 2.5?
Yes.
-I have one condition, though. -Yes?
The newlyweds will get this village,
as well as a rent,
only after they have their first child.
This is wise, Aleksandr Vasilyevich.
Let them start a family as soon as possible.
They can stay with us after the wedding.
We have enough room in the house.
If they are smart,
soon they’ll get settled at their own estate
and make some money.
Aren’t they a perfect couple,
Piotr Ivanovich?
They are.
Galia,
give the eggs to Katia, quick!
Bring me a pumpkin from the cellar.
Why me?
I’m on my last legs with these eggs,
and now you want a pumpkin.
Galia, don’t make me angry.
Hurry up. In and out!
Are you asleep? Come on, whisk it!
What an idea!
If they throw such a feast for the engagement,
I can imagine the wedding.
Go!
What are you up to?
I can see it in your eyes that it’s nothing good.
I need to go to the mill, Pavlusia, to see Aleksey.
All right.
I won’t ask you to lie for me.
Just tell them you don’t know where I am.
This won’t end well.
Who is he?
A gentlemen. And you?
-I know that, Pavlusia. -See?
I know we won’t be together
and I won’t be free.
But I promised
to tell him everything today.
I can’t keep torturing him with lies or uncertainty.
I’ll just tell the truth.
God protect Your slave Katerina.
Save and protect.
Galia!
-Why are you shoving this to me? -Why?
Shove it to the guys who come to propose to you.
Whisk the eggs! Quick.
Daddy!
How did it go?
Did you make a deal?
-Did you have to sacrifice Sviridovka? -Not just that.
You should appreciate it, sister.
Father would go to any lengths for you.
So,
the wedding is happening.
Definitely.
Piotr Ivanovich and I have discussed the budget
and set on a date.
-Daddy! -So, now all we have to do
is organize the wedding.
Daddy! I love you so much.
Nikolay Aleksandrovich, an urgent letter from Kiev.
I think it’s important. Maybe from the governor himself.
I’ll be at the study.
Papa!
“Nikolay Aleksandrovich,
I pray to God you didn’t throw away this letter
without reading it.
I know I asked you never to write to me again.
But God didn’t give me enough strength
to make myself forget you,
forget the feelings
that are still alive in me.
I have been unhappy since you had left Kiev.
If you still care about me even a little,
please send me a couple of words.
How are you? Are you well?
Do you think about me sometimes?
Your desolate Yelena.”
Katrusia!
Wait.
Running away again?
I need to. I won’t be long.
Please don’t ask me anything.
And don’t tell anyone you saw me, okay?
I have something for you.
I’ve made it myself.
People say poppies aren’t just flowers.
They can protect you. Take it.
It’s beautiful, but I just can’t.
I’m sorry.
I know...
I can’t protect you from every misfortune.
Also, I’m no match for you.
Let my present...
be guarding you, at least.
Thank you, Nazar.
You are the kindest person in Chervinka.
It looks good.
Sir. Sir.
I can tether and water your horse.
It’ll cost you just a kopeck.
You’re lucky today, you bastard.
I’ll give you a dime.
I hope I will have the pleasure of seeing you again.
God willing, yes.
Thank you.
Sir! You promised me a dime.
Go away!
What a nice surprise, Piotr Ivanovich.
Nice to see you, Larisa Viktorovna.
To what do I owe the pleasure?
I was driven here by a mad desire to see you.
As far as I can see, I wasn’t alone in my craving.
People in our city respect the theater.
I suspect they respect your beautiful eyes
and other attractions.
You are forgetting yourself.
No, you are forgetting yourself.
I’m not a child you can wrap around your little finger.
What gives you the right to offend me with your questions and suspicions?
No man has ever--
I demand your explanations!
Leave this tone for your bondmen.
I’ll see you again when you’re prepared to talk like a decent man.
Why did you stop?
It’s an amazing song.
I heard it often when I was a child.
My wet nurse used to sing it.
How do you know it?
It’s a peasants’ song.
Because I am a peasant.
A bondmaid.
Hey, you beggar, come here.
Don’t worry, I won’t hit you. Come here.
You’ll go to that house, the second floor,
and give these flowers and note to Larisa Viktorovna. Got it?
Of course, sir.
I’m neither death nor stupid.
Second floor, Larisa Viktorovna.
I’ll pay you a ruble.
What are you waiting for?
No, sir. Money first.
You little miser!
You’ll get the rest when you bring the answer.
Come on, go.
I am an orphan.
I’ve never known my mother and father.
All I know is that they were both Chervinskys’ bondpeople.
Mom died giving birth to me.
Pavlina and Anna Lvovna never talk about my father.
I don’t know who he was or where he was buried.
I can’t believe what I’m hearing, Katia.
I’d never have thought that of you.
You’re so tender,
refined, educated.
The way you look and talk...
Believe me, Aliosha, it’s not my achievement.
It’s all because of Anna Lvovna.
She was immensely kind to me and raised me as if I were her own daughter.
I always had fancy clothes,
teachers who taught me foreign languages,
dancing,
painting.
Aleksey Fiodorovich.
I’m sorry.
I did a wrong thing.
I should have told you sooner.
I hope to God you will forgive me some day.
I didn’t know what it meant to love someone before.
Now I do.
I’m grateful to God for letting me feel what it is.
I’ll always remember you.
Katia, wait.
I have something to tell you, too.
When I first saw you, I realized it was destiny.
I don’t care whether you are a peasant or a noblewoman.
You are my intended.
I want you to be my wife.
What took you so long, you bastard?
She was asking me questions.
What did she say?
Who?
The lady I sent you to, idiot.
You owe me 50 more kopecks.
Here.
What did she say?
Nothing.
She asked who the gentlemen was and where he was.
Go.
Why don’t you say something, Katia?
Am I too arrogant?
Maybe your heart belongs to another.
How can you say that, Aliosha?
I never even dreamed about anyone else.
I can’t imagine a bigger happiness than being your wife.
But how?
The law forbids you to marry me.
I belong to Mr. Chervinsky.
I am his property, with no rights and no choice.
My darling!
My miracle!
Enough. Please don’t cry.
How can it be an obstacle for those who truly love each other?
I will ask for your hand in marriage today.
I’m sure they won’t say no.
As you said,
Anna Lvovna raised you like her own daughter.
How can she oppose your happiness?
Today isn’t the best time for such a visit.
We are having a dinner reception
to celebrate Grigoriy Petrovich and Natalya Aleksandrovna’s engagement.
Natalie is marrying Chervinsky Jr.?
Who would have thought?
Your masters will be in good spirits and won’t give me the basket.
But first you have to answer my question.
Do you agree to be my wife?
Yes.
Yes, Aliosha.
I can sign a contract with the French or Germans
in Berdichev, at the Anufriyev Fair.
What else would I do in that German town?
Today is the most significant day in my life.
Natalya Aleksandrovna,
I am grateful to you for making it this way.
To you!
-To the young couple. -To the young couple.
To the young couple.
Aleksandr Vasilyevich.
You can see...
he never takes me abroad...
and barely goes himself.
But is it really such a dull and bleak place?
Where will the children go on the honeymoon, then?
Piotr Ivanovich is a businessman.
I’m sure Natalie and Grisha
will like Frankfurt, Paris, and Vienna.
-Papa. -Yes.
Nikolay Aleksandrovich,
I know how much you care about your sister.
I promise you...
Natalya Aleksandrovna will want for nothing.
All the lands your father gave us will bring even more profit.
Thank you for your consideration.
I hope your father has taught you all the subtleties of running an estate.
I learned the most subtle part when I was a boy.
Take the longest whip...
and don’t spare it on your lazy serves.
Well, that is up to you, I guess.
Ladies and gentlemen,
let me...
show you something before coffee.
I assure you, Aleksandr Vasilyevich,
you’ve never seen greyhounds like mine.
I am not that keen on greyhounds.
I’ll wait in the smoking room.
Whatever you prefer.
It’s a bit easier now,
but we’ll still need to be thrift.
The youngest master is so pale.
He really needs meat.
At least we’ll be able to afford chicken thrice a week.
Don’t worry, ma’am.
I can cook fish from our pond on the rest of the days.
We will survive.
Mother, dear!
I am immensely, perfectly happy.
What happened, Aliosha? What is it?
Love! Love is what happened to me.
Son, please calm down.
I’m defeated, blinded, won over!
I’m getting married.
What?
Aleksey,
explain yourself.
-Mama. -Aleksey.
I’m the happiest man in the world.
What happened, Aleksey?
Now I know that love on the first sight really exists.
Mutual love!
But such love doesn’t live long, my boy.
What, Mama? Don’t say this.
I will love Katia till the day I die.
I know she loves me, too.
I want you to meet her as soon as possible.
So this Katia...
Is she the mysterious stranger?
Yes.
Where does your intended come from?
She has been around all her life.
Isn’t it strange? She is the Chervinskys’ bondmaid!
What?
-A bondmaid? -Yes.
Mama! Mother!
Lenchik.
You’re tired, my old man.
Katia. Katia!
Where the hell have you been?
I was worried about you, and this Yasha is running around in circles.
Pavlusia.
-What? -I was so stupid!
Stupid and mean.
How could I not believe him?
The best person in the whole world!
He loves me, Pavlusia!
You won’t believe what happened today.
You didn’t tell him?
I did, Pavlusia. The matter is, I’ve told him the whole truth.
He doesn’t care if I’m free or not.
He loves me.
Loves me more than his life and wants me to become his wife.
Holy Mother of God!
What is this?
I can feel this will end in a disaster.
Pavlusia, don’t be so pessimistic.
Now everything will change.
Anna Lvovna will let me marry Aliosha, I know.
Nikolay Aleksandrovich, you aren’t the only one tired of this family party.
I can imagine how hard it is,
coming back from the glamor of the capital
to our backwater ways and manners.
Doesn’t it bore you to death?
Why?
I like the local ways.
And I like the people even more.
They are so honest, sincere, real.
If they say they are happy to see you, they mean it.
This is more precious than any small talk in the salons of Kiev or St. Petersburg.
I see you are into opium.
Doctors’ prescriptions.
The only thing that relieves the pain in my wounded leg.
Can I tempt you?
No, thank you.
Go.
I believe...
that decent educated people should stick together.
I’m glad that soon we will be brothers.
I would appreciate it
if you remembered me in case any vacancies emerge
at the governor’s service.
At dinner you said you were planning to dedicate your time to the estate.
With an apt manager
and a certain share of talent,
it doesn’t prevent one from proving oneself in public service.
Why bother yourself?
You have made a very lucrative move.
My sister will bring you a significant dowry.
I think you should be content with it...
and leave all hopes for more.
Please excuse me.
Find something to do...
instead of hanging around gaping at men.
I’ve brought you
something yummy
from the masters’ table.
I don’t need anything.
Don’t blame for taking a minute off.
I work like a horse,
unlike Katia the princess.
And you will miss your true love
while running after her with gifts.
Do you mean yourself,
by any chance?
Why not?
I fell in love with you as soon as I saw you,
and you don’t even notice.
That’s funny.
You love one man
and make love to another.
Listen, Galia,
really, you should go.
You just don’t know me.
When you do you’ll...
forget your Katia.
Galia!
Leave me alone, you bastard!
I’ll kill you!
Come here!
Drag him to the yard.
Here you go.
Pick him up!
Come on.
-Don’t beat him. -Don’t!
Stop it.
Stop it, please!
Please don’t!
Get out of here
before I whipped you, too.
Don’t do it!
Don’t beat him!
Grigoriy Petrovich!
You have to stop Yakov!
He’ll beat Nazar to death.
I don’t interfere with such matters.
It’s Yakov’s responsibility.
Nazar must have deserved it.
He didn’t do anything wrong.
Yakov hated him from day one.
Please have mercy!
In exchange for your kiss.
I’m kidding. All right, show me where they are.
I told you to stay away from this girl.
Yakov, enough.
The punishment is over.
Are you deaf? I said that’s enough!
Are you trying to kill him?
Cool down.
Do you want to explain to my father why you ruined his property?
Cool down.
Untie him.
Make yourself useful.
Order to saddle the horses.
Yes, sir.
What are you waiting for?
Get out of here.
You won’t live long, you bitch.
I don’t know what to do. It’s a tragedy.
-What happened? -This is madness.
Aleksey is going to marry a bondmaid.
Your bondmaid?
-Worse! -A house servant?
Worse still, my friend.
A Chervinskys’ bondmaid.
Where did he meet her?
How do I know? In the field!
Please talk some sense into him!
Tell him what a mistake he is going to make.
He might listen to you.
Hello, my friend.
Nikolay.
I heard you’re getting married.
How do you know?
I need to tell you so much!
Not now, though.
I’m going to make the proposal.
So I made it in time, after all.
You must have talked to my mother.
Your mother cares about you.
My friend,
I know you are overwhelmed with you feelings.
Love is a wonderful thing.
But we are talking about someone else’s property here.
"We don’t choose love; love chooses us."
I don’t want to run away from my love like you did.
I can’t live without Katia.
If you can’t understand it, be a friend
and stay out of it.
You can’t stop me.
Liddy, my dear.
Natalie, this is plain rude.
Why do I, your friend,
have to learn about your engagement from newspapers?
Why the mystery?
Darling! There is no mystery.
It just happened so fast I didn’t have time to send you a note.
But I was going to send someone to you today.
As you see, I came here first.
I hope you will task me with some preparations for the wedding.
After all, what are friends for?
Of course!
You are my savior.
I don’t know how we’ll get everything ready in time.
Come with me.
Galia, let me help. Let me tend to your wound.
You?
Helping me?
Who the hell are you?
Who do you think you are?
You are the reason of all trouble.
Yakov has almost killed Nazar because of you.
Galia, why do you blame me?
Why?
Who yelled at Yakov so that he went crazy?
It was your fault that Nazar got whipped.
Let the devils take you!
Are you crazy?
Are you out of your mind?
Drop it at once!
If I ever see you around Nazar again,
I swear to God you won’t live.
Aliosha!
It must be him.
Katia.
Who is out of their mind?
Kitty, tell Pavlina to set the table in 20 minutes.
Grigoriy Petrovich will have his breakfast at the Doroshenkos.
Excuse me, Godmother, you have a visitor.
Aleksey Fiodorovich.
Please forgive me.
I’m so glad to see you!
Will you stay for breakfast?
Tell Marko to add one more setting.
Katerina, please stay.
Hello, Anna Lvovna.
I’m sorry...
I came uninvited.
But I’m here on an important and urgent business.
You want to see Piotr Ivanovich?
-He’ll be here any minute. -Anna Lvovna,
relying on your kind heart,
I ask for your goddaughter Katerina’s hand in marriage.
Excuse me?
Call Piotr Ivanovich, now.
God,
when did you get together?
Katerina, why didn’t you tell me?
Not a single word!
I’m so sorry, Godmother.
I didn’t dare.
-Liddy, darling. -Natalie.
Grigoriy Petrovich.
Here you are.
Grigoriy Petrovich,
you’re so romantic.
How very commendable for such a manly man...
to be so sensitive.
You’re the only one who makes my heart melt.
Cheer up!
The wedding is around the corner.
Then you will be able to enjoy each other’s company forever.
Liddy.
I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.
Not at all.
Of course not.
Tea, Grigoriy Petrovich?
No, thank you.
Lidiya Ivanovna!
I’ve been looking for you everywhere.
What happened?
Why are you making this noise, idiot?
You told me...
you wanted to know if I found out something
about Aleksey Fiodorovich.
Well? Tell me.
Everything is upside down at the Kosachs’ house.
Aleksey Fiodorovich fell in love with the Chervinskys’ bondmaid Katerina.
He went to them this morning to make a proposal.
What?
-Kitty? -The bondmaid?
This is nonsense.
I can’t believe he could be so low
as to start an affair with a bondmaid.
Are you crazy or drunk?
No, no. It’s true.
He even told Sofya Stanislavovna.
Kitty!
I can’t believe it.
Piotr Ivanovich,
you can’t imagine what happened. I...
Wait at the servants’ quarters.
We’ll send for you.
Piotr Ivanovich,
I came to ask
for Katerina’s hand.
It’s impossible.
Katerina is a bondmaid, in case you didn’t know.
My bondmaid.
But you can set her free.
Why would I?
I have invested a lot of money in her.
Piotr Ivanovich, it’s not about money.
Stay out of this, Anna Lvovna.
I’ll deal with my property myself.
She is young and healthy.
She is educated. You can’t tell her from a noble girl.
She is an expensive toy.
As expensive as a breeding horse.
You want to marry her?
Why not?
But you’ll have to buy her from me.
Buy her?
Exactly.