EndGorky Film Studio,
SECOND ARTISTIC
ASSOCIATION
Under the direction of L. LUKOV
Nikolai Vassilyevich
GOGOL.
EVENINGS ON A FARM
NEAR DIKANKA
A NIGHT BEFORE
CHRISTMAS
Written and Directed by
Alexander ROW
Director of Photography
D. SURENSKY
Production Designer A. DIKHTYAR
Director V. LOSEV
Music by
A. FILIPPENKO
Animators
G. KOZLOV, I. DAVYDOV
STARRING
Cossack Chub was rich and pompous,
yet he was lazy
and slow to move.
A. KHVYLYA
Oksana, Chub's daughter.
The villagers said she was,
like any beauty, full of caprices.
L. MYZNIKOVA
Yu. TAVROV
The blacksmith Vakula, a very strong
and fine young fellow.
Solokha, Vakula's mother.
Ah, there's a real woman! - Even
the steadiest Cossacks said about her.
L. KHITYAYEVA
The sacristan Osip Nikiforovich.
Though not a steady Cossack,
he nevertheless was also
allured by the incomparable Solokha.
S. MARTINSON
Panas, to whom
it makes no difference whatsoever
whether he sits at home
or turns out.
A. KUBATSKY
Panas's wife
was a treasure of the kind
that is not uncommon
in this world.
V. ALTAISKAYA
D. KAPKA
Where are you going,
weaver Shapuvalenko?
Oh, just
following my nose.
Paunchy Patsyuk.
Hardly a week had passed
since his coming to the village,
before everyone knew
he was a sorcerer...
N. YAKOVCHENKO
Odarka, Oksana's friend.
M. SIDORCHUK
The Head!
A very important man
in the village.
A. RADUNSKY
Just a regular
devil!
G. MILLYAR
The last day before
Christmas had passed.
A clear winter
night had fallen...
The devil hated the blacksmith Vakula
more than Father
Kondrat's sermons.
In his spare time the blacksmith
gave himself up to painting,
and he was reckoned the finest
artist in the neighbourhood.
But his masterpiece
was a picture
painted on
the church wall.
Since then...
...the devil swore he would
revenge himself on the blacksmith.
So you haven't been yet to
the sacristars new cottage, Panas?
There will be a fine drinking
bout there tonight!
I hope
we are not late!
There will gather a nice
company at the sacristars...
The Head,
the clerk,
the Cossack Sverbyguz,
the bass choir-singer
who came from Poltava,
and other
notewon'thy persons.
Looking for some means of
venting his wrath on the blacksmith,
the devil made up his mind
to steal the moon,
reckoning
that old Chub
would not drag himself out
in such darkness.
And the blacksmith, who had long been
on bad terms with Chub,
would not have ventured to visit his
daughter Oksana in his presence.
Damn!
What the devil!
Look!
- Look, Panas!
- What is it?
What, indeed!
There is no moon!
What a nuisance!
There really is no moon.
That's just it - there isn't!
You don't care, I'll be bound.
Well, what can I do about it?
- So there is no moon, mate?
- No.
It's strange, really!
Let me have a pinch of snuff.
You have splendid snuff, mate.
Where do you get it?
Splendid, is it? Why, it wouldn't
make an old hen sneeze!
I remember, the late tavern-keeper
Zozulya...
once brought me some snuff
from Nezhin.
Ah, that was snuff!
It was good snuff!
So how is it to be, mate?
It's dark, you know.
Well, I think
we'd better stay home.
No, mate, let us go!
It won't do -
we must go!
- Mate!
- Come on, let us go!
Some devil
must needs go and meddle -
may he never have
a glass of vodka
to drink in the morning,
the dog!
Must needs go and meddle!
Upon my word,
it's as though to mock us...
...as I sat indoors
I looked out of the window.
- The night was so lovely!
- Just lovely!
It was light!
The snow was sparkling
in the moonlight!
You could see everything
as though it were day.
And before I'm out of the door, you
can't see your hand before your face!
Meow! Meow!
Mate?
Where are you?!
Mate?
Mate?
What put it into folks' heads to
spread it abroad that I am pretty?
They lie,
I'm not pretty at all!
Well...
Can my black eyebrows
and my eyes
be so beautiful that there're none
like them in the world?
What