Pilot Moscow animation studio
PRESENTS
a film by Olga Florenskaya
A STORY ABOUT THE MIRACLE OF MIRACLES
script, direction and design Olga Florenskaya
music Boris Grebenshchikov
voice Oleg Basilashvili
Russia is an obscure land. It is given to us for the joy it brings... Oleg Ohapkin
Hurrah!
Cesme Izmail
Shipka Ochakov
Hurrah!
A story about the miracle of miracles -
the mechanical artificial leg of Life-Guards Cuirassier Regiment
Major Gavrila Propoitsyn,
who lost his natural leg in the battle of Ochakov...
RUSSIAN INVALID
CIRCUS/VARIETY SHOW FOR FALLEN WARRIOR-ARTISTS
SACRIFICE WARM CLOTHES, ETC. TO THE WOUNDED
GREAT STRENGTH for any man who's lost his physical energy
NEWS!
Ivan Petrovich Kulibin
Upon reading in the "Russian Invalid"
about the extraordinary inventions of the Russian genius Ivan Kulibin,
who happened to come into favor at the time,
this restless major expressed a desire to continue
serving his Sovereign and Motherland in the domain of Mars,
for which reason he sent to that Russian Newton a tearful letter
and three cartfuls of frozen bream.
Having partaken of the fish, Kulibin postponed for awhile
the construction of a steam-driven bicycle at the Tsarskoselsky Pond,
and at his leisure complied with the request of the wounded veteran.
In three months he manufactured a never-before-seen-even-in-London
mechanical artificial leg having six joints,
which in appearance looked incredibly similar to a human one.
This leg, among a great concourse of people
and in the presence of the Empress herself,
was awarded to the inconsolable warrior.
Hurrah!
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hur-r-r-ah!
Enrolled in the cavalry again,
Propoitsyn got many a proof of the unprecedented power of Russian talent,
for the artificial limb became more dear to him than his own.
More than once did it protect its patron from enemy shells,
while in the dark of night
it ran bravely ahead of the horse, showing the way.
This leg, on one occasion when it was turned loose,
secretly penetrated the enemy's camp and took the Pasha Hasan prisoner.
Hurrah!
For this selfless zeal,
it earned the Order of St. George with swords and a bow.
Later,
it would often go scouting
in the costume of a Crimean Tatar.
Banzai.
BORODINO
At Borodino,
the brave major was introduced
to the famous Cavalry Maiden Nadezhda Andreyevna Durova.
Oh, juniper, juniper, my juniper in the street.
Oh, I fell in love, fell in love in the heat.
Oh, juniper, juniper, juniper of mine.
Wedding her immediately after the battle,
Propoitsyn, covered in glory, gave up military service
for the sake of a sweet family life.
The leg, out of a job, left its benefactor,
and never returned to him again.
It sold sour German cough syrup at the Yelets fair,
for which it was not infrequently whipped at the police station.
As for the children the militant mechanism begot by chance
with a merchant's orphan, Marfa Yeroshnikova,
the community appointed them into a state orphanage.
STATE ORPHANAGE
THE YELETS FAIR
Later it visited
many a corner of our vast Motherland,
sowing sedition and discord with its unusual appearance.
YERMOLAYEV HIGHROAD
It is known
that this felonious leg,
armed with a six-cartridge musket of the English type,
would run out, in twilight, from the bushes on the Yermolayev highroad,
frightening the passers-by going about their business,
for which, on the local governor's order, it was caught
and locked in prison.
News from the Paris Exhibition...
It was later noticed at the Paris Exhibition
that this historic Russian phenomenon,
in full military regalia,
performed in tableaux vivants on national themes,
winning the affection and respect of the demanding French audience.
After that, the trail of that great invention is lost to history.
animation Vera Taranova
as well as Olga Florenskaya and Mariya Yakushina
camera Irina Yershova Inna Tiktinskaya
sound Nadezhda Shknevskaya
montage Eleonora Dunayevskaya
creative assistance Anna Florenskaya
and Alexander Florenskiy
music performed by the home orchestra "AQUARIUM"
orchestra "ZONOFON"
Life-guards Volynsky Regiment Orchestra, 1908-1912
and the USSR defense ministry orchestra
color setting Tamara Shabolovskaya
trusteeship Larissa Gritsenko
kind participation: Igor Dmitriyev, Vladimir Kozlov, Sergey Kuryohin,
Dmitriy Pryatkin, Aleksandr Romantsov, Konstantin Tublin, Semyon Mihaylovskiy
shelter and assistance LENNAUCHFILM studio, LENFILM studio
St. Petersburg 1994
THE END
Studio PILOT (studio subs edited by Niffiwan)