Soyuzmultfilm
The Castle of Liars Based on the tale by V. Zhilinskayte
Screenwriters: A. Petrov, G. Sokolskiy
Director: G. Sokolskiy Art Director: T. Sokolskaya
Camera Operator: M. Druyan Sound Operator: V. Kutuzov
Editor: Ye. Belyavskaya Assistant Director: I. Litovskaya
Artists: T. Makarova, T. Zvorykina, Ye. Karavayeva, O. Novosyolova, Ye. Semyonova
Animators: E. Maslova, V. Kolesnikova, A. Dorogov, V. Zakharov, D. Kulikov, T. Sooster
Narration by Ye. Steblov
The film features music by Vocal/Instrumental Ensembles "Apelsin" and "Kukerpillid"
Script Supervisor: T. Paporova Production Manager: N. Lipnitskaya Soyuzmultfilm, 1983
This story happened to me when I was a boy.
One morning I, as usual, didn't want to get up
and I said that I'm sleeping.
Sleeping, honestly!
But mom didn't believe it for some reason.
So I had to get up.
Mom asked, "Why did you break it?"
I said, "It broke on its own! Honestly!"
She didn't believe it again. I was a little hurt.
Of course I lied.
Yeah, sometimes I lied.
But I didn't see anything wrong with it then.
Every morning I had to make the bed
and wash my face and brush my teeth and all that!
But there was mom again,
"Did you brush your teeth?"
And I'm like, "I'm brushing!"
"Did you wash your ears?" "I'm washing!"
"What's taking so long?"
Don't you know? Brushing teeth takes so much time!
And then washing your hands,
and your face, and your neck,
and I also want to wash my feet!
I just wanted to wash my feet, honestly!
My mom often cooked porridge for breakfast.
Boy, I miss that porridge.
But back then, I hated it,
so I lied again:
said that I'd already eaten and ran outside.
And of course, promised not to step a foot outside the yard.
That's when it all started.
Suddenly, an oddly dressed stranger stopped me
and called me by name.
I'm like, "How do you know my name?"
"Oh, I know everything about you."
"Everything except where you ripped your pants."
And I started to talk nonsense.
Said that a certain boy ripped my pants,
and that I'm going to the store for sugar, and that my mom asked me to do it,
and, as usual, added "honestly!"
Then he offered to drive me to the store.
Lucky me, I thought. Riding like a prince!
Pity that the neighborhood boys don't see me. They'd be green with envy.
I look — we're out of town.
"Where are we going, mister?" I ask.
"Don't you know?" he answers, "to get sugar."
"How much further?" I ask again.
And he's like, "We'll be there soon. Honestly."
"Before you can count to three."
"One, two, three..." I counted,
but we didn't arrive anywhere.
I guess he's lying to me, I thought.
"Where are we?" I ask.
"At the store, to buy sugar," he answers.
"I don't need sugar," I say, "I lied to you!"
And he's like, "I lied to you, too."
"Welcome to the royal castle."
"Wait here," he said, and disappeared.
King the First
King the Second
King the Third
King the Fourth
King the Last
Cuckoo!
What a weird castle, I thought.
The stranger appeared again.
"No, no, no," he says.
"You can't appear before the king looking like this."
"Torn pants, dirty sleeve."
"Now that's better!"
"Aha!" the king chuckled.
"There's another honest man!"
"Of course I'm honest." I was a little hurt. "Why? I never lie."
And they're like, "Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee."
"We tell only the truth, too! Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee!"
"Not a single word of lie! Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee!"
"How do you like our crystal chandelier?"
"You lie!" I say. "That's just balloons!"
"Know why ya think we're lying?"
"Cause you have but one ear."
What?! — No, both are in place.
They're like, "Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee! Fooled you!"
I'm thinking: "Why take offense at jokes?" So I didn't get offended.
The king says: "Rest from your journey on the soft armchair."
I took a running leap and — Whack!
And that annoying "Hee-hee-hee", "Ha-ha-ha" again.
"That's it," I thought. "Enough. One more thing like that and —"
And suddenly —
"His Majesty King the Last
grants you ice cream for your honesty."
Ah... ice cream...
Ah... sure, I'd forgive anything for it.
They're like, "Ha-ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha!"
And that guy pretends he knows nothing.
I got fed up and asked him:
"When will you drive me home?"
"Do a cartwheel," he says,
"and you'll be home at once. Honestly."
"It's a magical castle, you know."
And then His Majesty King the Last announced:
"We'll have visitors from faraway lands today."
"We should welcome them solemnly and show them our splendid castle."
Cuckoo!
King the Last
Don't they see anything wrong?
"Simpletons," I thought.
And the king's like, "Yes, yes!"
"There's no castle as splendacious as ours,
and no king as humble, sincere and honest as I am!"
"Dear guests, would you like to relax on the sofa from your journey?"
I couldn't take this lying anymore.
"Don't sit on this sofa!"
"If you do, it'll burst and you'll fall!"
"Everything is fake here! Even the ice cream is fake!"
"It's a castle of liars, frauds and deceivers!"
"Please, I beg you, take me home!"
"I don't want to stay here any longer."
They told me: "Here's your home!"
I greeted the driver and asked him to drive me home.
He looked at me from heel to head.
"This is... this is the school uniform!" I lied.
The driver said nothing and left. It got me thinking...
Suddenly, I understood everything.
And you know, since then I never lie.
Honestly!
The End (subs by Solivagant, ed. Niffiwan)