obsequious seaman
can sink the ship with servility.
Freezing to death in the water,
everybody will understand
it would have been better
to serve than to be servile.
Uskov! You took over
the night watch.
Yes, sir.
Did you read the rules?
The watch, especially privates,
must sleep fully-dressed.
- The pants get wrinkled.
- No one cares about that.
- You are going against regulations.
- But we've always slept undressed.
- What?
- We've always slept undressed.
l repeat.
Well l've been in service
since '86, sweety-pie.
Come out here. Let's talk.
l've been in the service since '86.
- Have you ever seen me undressed?
- No.
- On duty?
- No.
- How do l sleep?
- Dressed.
Dressed, and do you know why?
lf there's an alarm... up and off!
Only the watch officer
can get special permission
to undress.
- Got it?
- Yes.
The watch service
must always be what?
- Ready.
- No. On its guard.
And it must take itself
completely in hand.
l've noticed that lately
all of you
have been sleeping
undressed.
We have to get rid
of this obscene habit.
- Read the regulations carefully.
- Yes, l read them today.
Even the mechanic,
Alexander Petrovich Botaev,
when he knew he might
have to respond quickly,
never allowed himself
to sleep undressed.
Even he
always slept with his clothes on.
lt is the watch's duty.
Serguei Bakai
The Commander
Camera
Alexei Fiodorov
Editor
Leda Semionova
Sound
Sergei Moshkov
Alexander Sokurov
CONFESSlON
from the diary
of a ship Commander
End of Part One
© Nadezhda 1998
Subtitles: Alexei Jankowsky
Subtitling by TVS - TlTRA FlLMThe State Film Committee
of Russia
Nadezhda Productions
St.Petersburg
Producer
Svetlana Voloshina
with the participation of
Lenfilm Studios
Alexander Sokurov
CONFESSlON
from the diary
of a ship Commander
A cinematographic narrative
in five parts
Part Two
The plot and the characters
of this film
are creations of
the author's imagination.
The ship had been at sea
for many days.
The grey light of Arctic day
which lasted only ten minutes
was already fading.
The rough sea
was at last growing calmer.
During a storm
the man at the wheel doesn't have
the right to leave the controls.
Seasick, the sailors
had to throw up
the contents of their stomachs
into this basin.
lt embarrassed them.
Meanwhile
the tea was getting cold.
The Commander was calm.
He believed
the most difficult part was over.
Several hours ago,
looking at the menacing waves
the Commander sadly thought
of his native town,
its long old boulevard
along which clever
and beautiful people
were safely walking.
But now it all seemed forgotten
as if his whole life
was only what surrounded him
at this moment,
and nothing else
was needed.
Everything was there.
- 284 to the shore...
- lt's OK.
There were two men
at the wheel:
one of them young,
and the other
more experienced.
Starboard !
Has the 30th transmitted?
lf the signal gets stronger,
add it on.
There are rat droppings
in the tea.
We should buy a sieve,
captain,
to do without spices.
l'm picking out
what l can.
You could at least pick out
the droppings.
You could at least be grateful!
ln any case, thanks for
picking out the cockroaches.
lf not all.
You look like you were about
to go into combat.
Please, take a pie.
He was looking
at the icy water,
raging alongside the ship,
thinking
how terrible it would be
to be left behind
in this world of ice,
alone without help,
to watch the ship
disappearing into darkness.
''My God'', the Commander thought,
peering into the black chaos,
''Where am l?
Who am l?''
The Commander waited
for the beam of the beacon to appear,
unable to work out
why the whole day
before their departure
he had been dogged
by anxiety.
He had a feeling
that something terrible
was going to happen on
the ship.
He couldn't identify the source
of his anxiety.
He decided to recall
all he had seen
on the ship that day,