Trotsky (2017) s01e01 Episode Script
Episode 1
1
span style="style.default1"It's everywhere - in a fire/span
span style="style.default1"and in the dark, so close and sudden,/span
span style="style.default1"on a Hungarian hussar's horse/span
or with a Tyrolean shooter's gun.
LARISA REISNER 1895-1926
REVOLUTIONARY, POET, JOURNALIS
By Nikolay. Gumilev.
-You know what it's about?
-No idea.
About death.
They say God gives
every man a life as long
as would be the thread
wrapped around his heart.
I heard there is no God.
I told you you're greedy.
Larisa, I'm not interested
in your poetry right now.
Kappel has taken Simbirsk
and will take Kazan soon.
He sweeps our troops like skittles.
Have you killed with it?
I've told you a hundred times,
my revolutionary struggle is different.
Yes, you are a manifesto yourself.
Your clothes, gestures
your manner of speaking.
And even your eyes, you do know
how great they look on your tanned face.
But this is not a rally.
-This is war.
-So what?
Under fire,
people don't think of manifestos.
You appeal to the mind,
but instincts are stronger.
What can be scarier and stronger
than the feeling of impending death?
span style="style.default1"Where darkness of unruly power/span
span style="style.default1"is gurgling, grumbling and screaming,/span
span style="style.default1"the darkness of an unrestrained power,/span
span style="style.default1"the Archangel's wing is hovering over./span
span style="style.default1"Innumerable roads/span
span style="style.default1"make way to Rome that lies in ruins./span
span style="style.default1"But if the February Rome falls,/span
span style="style.default1"and howls with a crowd's shout,/span
span style="style.default1"the Angel, show benevolence./span
span style="style.default1"The Demon, show them all no mercy./span
Leon!
Leon, we are here.
-Dear, did you forget to take your pills?
-I'm alright. Let's go.
MEXICO. MAY 1940
The heat is stifling!
I can't get used to it.
-Good afternoon, Sylvia!
-Hello, Leon.
Yes, a very peculiar tradition.
It is an ancient Mexican custom.
They believe that this way
they honor the dead.
Frank!
My fiancé Frank Jacson.
I told you about him.
Yes, yes. Quite a persistent young man.
-Ladies.
-Frank.
Mister Trotsky.
FRANK JACSON 1913-1978
CANADIAN JOURNALIS
Tell me, Jacson What didn't you grasp
from our talk on the phone?
I made it clear: no interviews.
Yes, the answer was decisive,
but I think I can change your mind!
Change my mind?
Even my wife doesn't always manage that.
I would like to thank you, Mr. Trotsky.
Your book saved my life in Spain.
As you see, this splinter
was supposed to be mine.
Why did you bring this book?
You are a Stalinist.
Did you imagine
I wouldn't do the research?
I do respect Comrade Stalin
being a remarkable statesman,
-but it doesn't mean
-Your Stalin is a mediocrity.
A remarkable nullity.
Yes, I don't just respect Comrade Stalin.
I think the world of him!
He is a great man,
a communist visionary,
and you in your pathetic article
sully his good name!
You call him bloodthirsty for fighting
enemies of the revolution,
while you sent millions to death,
not your ideological opponents,
but people who don't know politics at all.
I did condemn many to death,
both enemies and my soldiers.
But there is one detail
distinguishing me from Koba.
Yes? What detail?
He doesn't care for the idea.
He just nurtures his weaknesses,
hiding behind ideology.
Paranoia, ambition, greed.
With power, he stayed the same as before.
While I had to stop being myself.
To disappear. In-ten-ti-o-na-lly.
I did it.
For the sake of the great idea.
THE RUSSIAN SFSR, 1918
THE BOLSHEVIK-CONTROLLED TERRITORY
THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE'S
COMMISSARS CHAIRMAN V. LENIN.
Come in.
THE ORDER TO RETIRE
IS A BLATANT DISREGARD OF
-Is that all?
-The troops retired to Sviyazhsk,
and the reports say
they are in a bad state.
The state of the troops
is my concern. Not yours.
-You can go, Sermuks.
-Yes, sir.
span style="style.default1"I remember 1918 very well./span
span style="style.default1"We suffered defeat after defeat./span
span style="style.default1"The usual corrective actions did not help./span
span style="style.default1"The troops were not retiring but fleeing./span
Fellows! Come here!
Listen to me! Come closer!
Why should we, Russian people,
go under fire against other Russians?
They say the days
of these Soviets are numbered.
Yes, let the Bolsheviks
themselves fight Kappel!
-Not us!
-We'll look at it!
And if they don't give us a train,
we'll take it!
-We'll take it!
-Take that!
-Let's go home!
-Yes!
Soldiers!
Fighters of the Red Army!
Less than a year ago all of us,
hand in hand,
threw off the yoke of tyranny,
class inequality
and exploitation of the common man.
But there are still those who struggle
to make us slaves again.
They are over there.
On that side of the front.
Landlords, manufacturers.
The White Army.
They do not like the freedom
that the Bolsheviks
gave to workers and peasants.
To you!
To those, who just yesterday
worked three shifts for a pittance,
and today rise in arms
and tell them, "No!"
We will not give up our freedom!
No!
We will not turn into your slaves again!
I know each of you
is ready to serve
the cause of the revolution.
Ready to lay down his life
for the sake of it.
Your hand, brother.
Come on, go ahead.
Here!
Between him and me
there is no difference.
There is nothing that can belong to me
and cannot belong to him.
Nothing!
Take it. Take it. Take it.
-Take it.
-A great gift.
Since when did you
stop using a pocket watch?
This is not for me.
Let me help.
The world we are building,
in this world,
all possessions will be everyone's.
-Hooray!
-Hooray!
But! For our victory,
we need our enemy to fear us!
To not even think of a comeback!
And how can he not think of it
when we give up one town after another?
If our soldiers of revolution
are seized by panic and fear?
Yesterday the soldiers of
the Second Petrograd Regiment
deserted from their positions
and fled away.
Where are its commander and commissar?
Regimental commander Gneushev.
Regimental commissar Panteleev.
Draw out every tenth soldier
from the rank!
Tenth.
Tenth.
Mister Trotsky.
Those are workers.
Mobilized from a print shop.
They only saw rifles a week ago.
Tenth.
Tenth.
span style="style.default1"Don't worry./span
span style="style.default1"Many contemporaries/span
span style="style.default1"will not understand you./span
span style="style.default1"They will judge you. Even call you Judas./span
But the future will vindicate you.
And raise you.
Decimation.
Tenth.
Tenth.
Now join the rank.
Comrade commissar,
you join the rank too.
For dishonorable treason
against Soviet Russia
the revolutionary tribunal
sentences the deserters
-of the second Petrograd Regiment
-Aim!
their commander Gneushev
and their commissar Panteleev
to the capital punishment.
By shooting!
Enforce the sentence.
You might consider my actions too cruel,
but I did not just seek discipline,
I sought the greatest expression of love.
Yes, yes! You heard right, love.
The enemy was a death-bringing power.
While I was a power that could punish,
but also could pardon.
So you wanted to be
a second God to your soldiers?
Second? No, Jacson, think larger!
I had to replace him.
God is a convention.
Nobody has seen him.
And I stood next to those people
on the same ground.
I was easier to believe in.
And they did.
And what if they turned
bayonets against you?
Well, yes, there was such a possibility.
However, the soldiers did otherwise.
They killed our enemy.
-I don't understand.
-I didn't either.
Until I met the man
who explained this to me.
ODESSA. MAY 1898.
Bastards.
We want Trotsky!
Trotsky! Trotsky! Trotsky!
Trotsky! Trotsky!
Silence!
Trotsky!
Silence, everyone!
Trotsky! Trotsky!
Demidov! Fetch Nikolai!
I said fetch Trotsky!
Silence! Silence, everyone!
Trotsky! Trotsky! Trotsky!
Like mad dogs on the loose.
And coordinated like clockwork!
Calm down, Demidov. Calm down.
-So who is the troublemaker?
-The kike from the 17th, Bronstein.
-Political?
-Yes, sir.
NIKOLAI TROTSKY - CHIEF GUARD
OF THE PRISON IN ODESSA IN 1898
Trotsky! Trotsky! Trotsky!
Open it.
What's with the noise?
We require the practice
of beating prisoners to stop.
We require the provision of urgent care
to our comrade Sivoronov.
We require you to punish the offenders.
-Besides, you
-A Jew?
In the context of our demands,
this is irrelevant.
You must play chess.
In the context of our demands
Do me a favor, have a game with me.
I am surrounded by mediocrity.
No one to practice logical thinking with.
You won't believe.
The right one.
Have a seat.
You, Bronstein, are a phenomenon.
Truly, my friend. A phenomenon.
After 27 years in Russian prisons
I don't remember once
that a Jewish snotnose
would set seasoned Russian thieves
to an uprising.
Do you know what atrocities
your Sivoronov committed?
I, Mr. Trotsky,
do not care what he got arrested for.
Whatever it is. He is a human being.
He has rights. And you oppress him.
And all the oppressed
strive for liberty and justice.
Indeed,
you Jews and revolutionaries
do not know the Russian people,
but you keep trying to save them
and free them from someone.
The Russian people cannot be freed.
Or its soul will unleash such darkness
that will devour the world,
but first - the liberators.
The Russians can only be controlled.
For their own good.
Even if it's true, why beat him?
Why beat a man who is already caught
and is waiting for the lawful punishment?
How else do you control people?
How? By personal example.
Leading them to the ideals of justice
Are you feeble-minded?
Well, if you, with your attitude,
happen to live five more years,
you will see
that controlling people is only possible
with fear.
Fear is the foundation of any order.
Beating one guiltless man
in front of others is better
than beating everyone
who loses fear and causes chaos.
Don't you think this is inhumane?
Of course!
I am girded with power.
You cannot decide people's fates
and still be a human to them.
You are young and naive to think
that the world is willing to follow you
out of sympathy with your Utopian dreams.
But two years later your naivety will fade
and the lust for power will stay.
That I can see in your eyes, Bronstein.
Your words are pretty, Mr. Trotsky,
but disproved by everything
that is going on.
And you, due to your chauvinistic bigotry,
cannot notice that.
So you beat Sivoronov
to scare the others, so what?
You achieved the opposite.
People have united
and they demand justice.
-Well, they don't anymore. Listen.
-They will. Rest assured.
Do not be surprised
when people's wrath sweeps you away
and dumps you to where you belong.
To the waste pit of history.
That's a given.
Render unto Caesar the things
that are Caesar's.
And we, the foul dogs,
can only howl and beg for a bone.
This is life.
In the 21st century,
in the roar of a jubilant crowd,
a hayseed, a mope
with a utility knife in his hand,
will go to the splendid face
of the Sistine Madonna
and shred this face
for the sake of equality and brotherhood.
-Do you see it like that?
-No.
It's you who sees
the 21st century like that.
This is your gendarme thinking
that can only contort the best,
put everyone in overalls.
Breathing on a signal,
living under orders,
that is how you see it.
The words about the 21st century
are not mine.
That was Dostoevsky.
Do you put him in a waste pit too?
Well, Mr. Bronstein.
I was wrong about you.
I thought there was
something real to you, but no.
You're all rhetoric and peacockery.
Checkmate.
Put him into the chamber.
I am no one,
and when I melted
in the sky-colored square of light,
I died without any sentence
and rose a prisoner again.
And day like night, and night forever.
But faith in humanness is here,
the only thing that keeps me sane.
span style="style.default1"Controlling people is only possible/span
with fear.
span style="style.default1"Trotsky! Trotsky! Trotsky!/span
and rose a prisoner again.
And day like night, and night forever.
But faith in humanness is here,
the only thing that keeps me sane.
Dad!
span style="style.default1"Dad!/span
span style="style.default1"Don't leave me!/span
-span style="style.default1"Leiba./span
-span style="style.default1"Don't leave!/span
-span style="style.default1"Leiba./span
-Dad!
Leiba.
Father. Is that you?
It's me, who else.
So, Bronstein?
Have you learned the lesson?
I have.
I swear, I will get out of here
and destroy your filthy world.
That's not going to happen.
This filthy world is inside you.
Remember that, Leiba.
You are hearing that from me,
Nikolai Trotsky,
who can crush you right now.
THE IRKUTSK GOVERNORATE, 1902
A PLACE OF EXILE
FOR THE POLITICALLY OPPRESSED
Come to the stove, warm yourself.
-Thanks.
-It's freezing.
Do you need better clothes?
Not to kick the bucket on the way.
No need, I'm used to it.
Will I get the documents?
We'll make them nice and pretty.
They'll be airtight.
Just say what surname to write.
Petrov or Stepanov?
span style="style.default1"You cannot decide people's fates/span
span style="style.default1"-and still be a human to them./span
-Trotsky.
span style="style.default1"You are hearing that from me,/span
span style="style.default1"Nikolai Trotsky./span
Trotsky is my surname.
So you took the surname of your warden?
I did not just take it.
No, I immortalized it.
I skinned him and put his pelt on.
Like some hunters do.
Who is a hunter, basically?
It is a monster
that defeats another monster.
Not more.
In 1918 I had to become
the most fearsome of monsters.
And I did.
This justifies the actions
Stalin has to take now.
The monsters are divided
into two categories.
Some become ones for the greater goal,
others because they like it.
You know what I've just heard?
An allegation by a wounded lion
who has it in for a stronger opponent.
While it was Stalin, not you, who built
the world everyone dreamed about.
He succeeded, and you failed.
Honey, it's time for the medicine.
Natalia, I don't want it. I feel great.
Leon, don't argue,
you know it's no use.
See, Jacson, it's not just you
who doesn't recognize my authority.
I think your wife sees you
as a common man
who has to sleep, eat and take pills.
You are wrong.
I am sure that I am for her much more
than just a common man.
PARIS, 1902
While Europe is talking,
Russia is craving for action.
I went 5,300 miles in freight cars
to get here,
to Europe, the forge of revolution,
and what do I see?
The revolutionary thought
reeks of apple strudel.
"Iskra" has been writing
the same things for a year!
Dreams with a feckless theory
of revolution in the fat Europe.
You are like schoolgirls
who raise the ghost of revolution
and believe it will come!
This is unheard of.
-Good call!
-He speaks the truth.
Not Europe, but Russia
is seeing a stark contrast
of wealth of the wealthy
and poverty of the poor.
The country has millions
of raging, unsatisfied people,
and it is now
that Russia needs a revolution,
or the authority will rush
into another war with Europe
and blame everything on it.
What is he talking about? A revolution
is only possible in an industrial country!
-In Europe!
-Nonsense!
Europe, with its satiated, quiet peoples
cannot lead the way.
Therefore it will always be led by others.
Russia is a backward country!
Yes! It is backward,
encrusted, drinking,
burning in its own anger,
but it is a power!
It is energy,
like the oceanic energy of tides!
I'm saying, take this energy,
tame it, arm it,
and it will sweep everything in its path!
Bravo. That is utterly amusing.
Your naivety is only outweighed
by your foolishness.
Goodbye, a child in a Russian shirt.
Stay well, Comrade Plekhanov!
Clearly, you were sitting
too long in this café.
Comrade Trotsky.
Let me introduce myself
I absolutely agree.
The proletariat, left unattended,
will be restricted to economic demands.
Between freedom and bread
people always choose bread.
Please
-Lenin.
-I know who you are.
If you agree,
why didn't you support me?
He carries weight in the party.
Our fight will harm the movement.
And you, with flashes like this,
will burn out fast.
Is it better to smolder? Like you?
I'm afraid, they won't forgive me.
-Who?
-The people.
-Caring for the people?
-And you?
I want to change the world,
what people got to do with it?
People are a tool.
-In your hands?
-And yours.
And our task is to make them
want a revolution,
not bread.
How, if you keep agreeing with Plekhanov?
Georgy is just a man, too.
You mean, a tool.
You are a fast learner! Come round.
The simple way. Informally, as a friend.
-We are not friends.
-Well.
We did break the bread.
Yes.
Good afternoon. Let me introduce myself.
Alexander Parvus.
I know who you are.
-Then what do you know about me?
-You make money from everything.
Even the revolution.
In other words, a slick opportunist.
I came to congratulate you
for a brilliant speech
which, sadly, changes nothing.
You are an excellent speaker,
a great publicist
You undoubtedly have
the makings of a leader.
-That's why I came to offer my help.
-Thanks, I don't need it.
You think it is better to sit here?
Let's be honest,
Plekhanov and Lenin are great men,
long-time leaders,
but, unfortunately, nothing happens.
-What of it?
-We need a new leader.
And we have one!
A man who can inflame the hearts,
a man to follow not only to cafés,
but against bayonets, if needed.
You are that leader, Leon!
-Nobody knows me.
-That's a trifling matter.
Making people famous is my job.
I made Maxim Gorky.
He is famous all over Europe.
He is a writer.
I don't need that kind of fame.
Yes, you do.
Let's do a different angle.
Take an actress.
If she is unknown, nobody wants her,
nobody is interested in her,
but as soon as she becomes a prima donna,
the world is at her feet!
Money, jewelry,
and if needed, kingdoms.
Yes, yes, there have been precedents!
A leader of a revolution is like a prima.
He has to go and take the audience.
Control them.
It's a lot like
sex.
No! It is sex!
Let's say I agree. What's in it for you?
Money.
I will make you the most powerful
revolutionary of your time.
I'll make money on your name.
See, I don't conceal it.
And I do not play a priest.
I am a man of business.
I agree. Where do we start?
Please.
Go ahead, my friend.
This house is mine.
I lodge your socialist colleagues here.
Please.
It's not the Metropol hotel,
and, of course, not the Hilton,
but still, it is a house, a place to live.
Alexander.
I'm glad I've met you.
I'd like to pay for the next month.
Natalia, I told you many times,
I will not take money from you! No, no!
And I told you many times that you
can lodge those socialists for free.
And I am not going to be a sponger.
Take it or I move out.
As you please.
Meet your new neighbor, Leon Trotsky.
Hello.
I attended one of your speeches.
How did you like it?
I didn't. Nice to meet you.
I'd love to give hope to you,
but she is a hard nut. Doesn't crack.
Please, come in.
The door can always be locked.
The ceiling does not leak.
Well? Does it work for you?
Quite so.
Anyway, this is not a basement.
That's right. It's not.
What was this girl's name?
Well, you are not the first
and not the last. Natalia Sedova.
She is from an entirely different circle.
Bohemians!
Theatre, exhibitions Another life.
Different ideals.
I got it.
Good luck.
span style="style.default1"Plekhanov is important, but he is old./span
It is at least unreasonable to bet on him!
I would bet on Lenin.
He is more reliable in choosing means.
Lenin is too stubborn
and obsessed with personal revenge.
It can hinder the main goal.
-There is another option.
-Really?
As far as I know,
Russian revolutionary movement has no more
figures but Plekhanov and Lenin.
It has!
This new fellow is rapidly gaining power
in the revolutionary circles.
-And if we invest in his upbringing
-We don't have time.
I don't know when a new war begins,
but it will.
This is the 20th century.
You cannot win with cannons alone.
We need a real leverage
to destabilize Russia.
Here!
On the other hand,
if we make this Trotsky
into our pocket revolutionary
Quite an interesting idea.
How much money do you think we need
to disintegrate Russia with a revolution?
This question is always hard to answer.
I believe
a billion marks would be enough.
I wanted to ask you, Gelfand.
Why did you choose
the name Alexander Parvus?
Are you ashamed
of your Jewish background?
-Have a nice day.
-Goodbye.
The more flawless a person looks,
the more demons there are inside.
And people, seeing the beauty
Hold on.
They want to see the hidden, the malign
It is attractive.
Not bad, not bad.
I think we may lose the point
behind these decorations.
Nothing in politics is random.
Everything matters.
What you say, how you say it,
how you look.
It has to be a seamless whole.
A manifesto.
Do you remember Natalia?
The emancipated girl who hated my speech?
No, no. It's not about you
speaking poorly, it's about
How can I put this?
All social democrats look ugly.
They are ill-dressed.
I understand, it is the inside that
matters. It is the most valuable thing.
But inner ethics without a nice appearance
appeal only to outcasts.
I have good news for you.
A letter from some
Miss Sokolovskaya.
Apparently, you are married
and have two children.
Do you regret it?
I never regret anything.
span style="style.default1"Hello, dear Leon./span
span style="style.default1"It's been six months/span
span style="style.default1"that we are in exile without you./span
span style="style.default1"I'm glad that you have reached Europe./span
span style="style.default1"I always believed you could./span
span style="style.default1"Our girls got taller./span
span style="style.default1"Zinaida remembers you,/span
span style="style.default1"asks when Daddy comes back./span
ALEKSANDRA SOKOLOVSKAYA
1872-1938
span style="style.default1"Nina is finally healthy./span
span style="style.default1"I don't know what to add./span
span style="style.default1"I keep remembering our last day./span
Hello. This is for you, the documents.
THE IRKUTSK GOVERNORATE, 1902
EXILE FOR POLITICAL PRISONERS
Hide them. Trotsky.
-How is Nina?
-Asleep.
When?
Today. While the taiga is passable.
Not muddy yet.
This is not forever, is it?
You will go, but then
we will be together?
Yes. Yes, sure!
Get up!
No lying around!
Get up, now!
It's late.
I hope I answered all of your questions?
Thank you.
Listen, Jacson.
If you decide to continue
come round.
From this day on you are
welcome in this house.
span style="style.default1"You will go, but then/span
span style="style.default1"we will be together?/span
span style="style.default1"Yes, of course./span
span style="style.default1"Are you tired, Leon?/span
I am, Aleksandra, dear.
span style="style.default1"Daddy, I'm here!/span
span style="style.default1"Daddy, don't leave me!/span
span style="style.default1"Dad! Dad!/span
Leon, are you alive?
span style="style.default1"It's everywhere - in a fire/span
span style="style.default1"and in the dark, so close and sudden,/span
span style="style.default1"on a Hungarian hussar's horse/span
or with a Tyrolean shooter's gun.
LARISA REISNER 1895-1926
REVOLUTIONARY, POET, JOURNALIS
By Nikolay. Gumilev.
-You know what it's about?
-No idea.
About death.
They say God gives
every man a life as long
as would be the thread
wrapped around his heart.
I heard there is no God.
I told you you're greedy.
Larisa, I'm not interested
in your poetry right now.
Kappel has taken Simbirsk
and will take Kazan soon.
He sweeps our troops like skittles.
Have you killed with it?
I've told you a hundred times,
my revolutionary struggle is different.
Yes, you are a manifesto yourself.
Your clothes, gestures
your manner of speaking.
And even your eyes, you do know
how great they look on your tanned face.
But this is not a rally.
-This is war.
-So what?
Under fire,
people don't think of manifestos.
You appeal to the mind,
but instincts are stronger.
What can be scarier and stronger
than the feeling of impending death?
span style="style.default1"Where darkness of unruly power/span
span style="style.default1"is gurgling, grumbling and screaming,/span
span style="style.default1"the darkness of an unrestrained power,/span
span style="style.default1"the Archangel's wing is hovering over./span
span style="style.default1"Innumerable roads/span
span style="style.default1"make way to Rome that lies in ruins./span
span style="style.default1"But if the February Rome falls,/span
span style="style.default1"and howls with a crowd's shout,/span
span style="style.default1"the Angel, show benevolence./span
span style="style.default1"The Demon, show them all no mercy./span
Leon!
Leon, we are here.
-Dear, did you forget to take your pills?
-I'm alright. Let's go.
MEXICO. MAY 1940
The heat is stifling!
I can't get used to it.
-Good afternoon, Sylvia!
-Hello, Leon.
Yes, a very peculiar tradition.
It is an ancient Mexican custom.
They believe that this way
they honor the dead.
Frank!
My fiancé Frank Jacson.
I told you about him.
Yes, yes. Quite a persistent young man.
-Ladies.
-Frank.
Mister Trotsky.
FRANK JACSON 1913-1978
CANADIAN JOURNALIS
Tell me, Jacson What didn't you grasp
from our talk on the phone?
I made it clear: no interviews.
Yes, the answer was decisive,
but I think I can change your mind!
Change my mind?
Even my wife doesn't always manage that.
I would like to thank you, Mr. Trotsky.
Your book saved my life in Spain.
As you see, this splinter
was supposed to be mine.
Why did you bring this book?
You are a Stalinist.
Did you imagine
I wouldn't do the research?
I do respect Comrade Stalin
being a remarkable statesman,
-but it doesn't mean
-Your Stalin is a mediocrity.
A remarkable nullity.
Yes, I don't just respect Comrade Stalin.
I think the world of him!
He is a great man,
a communist visionary,
and you in your pathetic article
sully his good name!
You call him bloodthirsty for fighting
enemies of the revolution,
while you sent millions to death,
not your ideological opponents,
but people who don't know politics at all.
I did condemn many to death,
both enemies and my soldiers.
But there is one detail
distinguishing me from Koba.
Yes? What detail?
He doesn't care for the idea.
He just nurtures his weaknesses,
hiding behind ideology.
Paranoia, ambition, greed.
With power, he stayed the same as before.
While I had to stop being myself.
To disappear. In-ten-ti-o-na-lly.
I did it.
For the sake of the great idea.
THE RUSSIAN SFSR, 1918
THE BOLSHEVIK-CONTROLLED TERRITORY
THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE'S
COMMISSARS CHAIRMAN V. LENIN.
Come in.
THE ORDER TO RETIRE
IS A BLATANT DISREGARD OF
-Is that all?
-The troops retired to Sviyazhsk,
and the reports say
they are in a bad state.
The state of the troops
is my concern. Not yours.
-You can go, Sermuks.
-Yes, sir.
span style="style.default1"I remember 1918 very well./span
span style="style.default1"We suffered defeat after defeat./span
span style="style.default1"The usual corrective actions did not help./span
span style="style.default1"The troops were not retiring but fleeing./span
Fellows! Come here!
Listen to me! Come closer!
Why should we, Russian people,
go under fire against other Russians?
They say the days
of these Soviets are numbered.
Yes, let the Bolsheviks
themselves fight Kappel!
-Not us!
-We'll look at it!
And if they don't give us a train,
we'll take it!
-We'll take it!
-Take that!
-Let's go home!
-Yes!
Soldiers!
Fighters of the Red Army!
Less than a year ago all of us,
hand in hand,
threw off the yoke of tyranny,
class inequality
and exploitation of the common man.
But there are still those who struggle
to make us slaves again.
They are over there.
On that side of the front.
Landlords, manufacturers.
The White Army.
They do not like the freedom
that the Bolsheviks
gave to workers and peasants.
To you!
To those, who just yesterday
worked three shifts for a pittance,
and today rise in arms
and tell them, "No!"
We will not give up our freedom!
No!
We will not turn into your slaves again!
I know each of you
is ready to serve
the cause of the revolution.
Ready to lay down his life
for the sake of it.
Your hand, brother.
Come on, go ahead.
Here!
Between him and me
there is no difference.
There is nothing that can belong to me
and cannot belong to him.
Nothing!
Take it. Take it. Take it.
-Take it.
-A great gift.
Since when did you
stop using a pocket watch?
This is not for me.
Let me help.
The world we are building,
in this world,
all possessions will be everyone's.
-Hooray!
-Hooray!
But! For our victory,
we need our enemy to fear us!
To not even think of a comeback!
And how can he not think of it
when we give up one town after another?
If our soldiers of revolution
are seized by panic and fear?
Yesterday the soldiers of
the Second Petrograd Regiment
deserted from their positions
and fled away.
Where are its commander and commissar?
Regimental commander Gneushev.
Regimental commissar Panteleev.
Draw out every tenth soldier
from the rank!
Tenth.
Tenth.
Mister Trotsky.
Those are workers.
Mobilized from a print shop.
They only saw rifles a week ago.
Tenth.
Tenth.
span style="style.default1"Don't worry./span
span style="style.default1"Many contemporaries/span
span style="style.default1"will not understand you./span
span style="style.default1"They will judge you. Even call you Judas./span
But the future will vindicate you.
And raise you.
Decimation.
Tenth.
Tenth.
Now join the rank.
Comrade commissar,
you join the rank too.
For dishonorable treason
against Soviet Russia
the revolutionary tribunal
sentences the deserters
-of the second Petrograd Regiment
-Aim!
their commander Gneushev
and their commissar Panteleev
to the capital punishment.
By shooting!
Enforce the sentence.
You might consider my actions too cruel,
but I did not just seek discipline,
I sought the greatest expression of love.
Yes, yes! You heard right, love.
The enemy was a death-bringing power.
While I was a power that could punish,
but also could pardon.
So you wanted to be
a second God to your soldiers?
Second? No, Jacson, think larger!
I had to replace him.
God is a convention.
Nobody has seen him.
And I stood next to those people
on the same ground.
I was easier to believe in.
And they did.
And what if they turned
bayonets against you?
Well, yes, there was such a possibility.
However, the soldiers did otherwise.
They killed our enemy.
-I don't understand.
-I didn't either.
Until I met the man
who explained this to me.
ODESSA. MAY 1898.
Bastards.
We want Trotsky!
Trotsky! Trotsky! Trotsky!
Trotsky! Trotsky!
Silence!
Trotsky!
Silence, everyone!
Trotsky! Trotsky!
Demidov! Fetch Nikolai!
I said fetch Trotsky!
Silence! Silence, everyone!
Trotsky! Trotsky! Trotsky!
Like mad dogs on the loose.
And coordinated like clockwork!
Calm down, Demidov. Calm down.
-So who is the troublemaker?
-The kike from the 17th, Bronstein.
-Political?
-Yes, sir.
NIKOLAI TROTSKY - CHIEF GUARD
OF THE PRISON IN ODESSA IN 1898
Trotsky! Trotsky! Trotsky!
Open it.
What's with the noise?
We require the practice
of beating prisoners to stop.
We require the provision of urgent care
to our comrade Sivoronov.
We require you to punish the offenders.
-Besides, you
-A Jew?
In the context of our demands,
this is irrelevant.
You must play chess.
In the context of our demands
Do me a favor, have a game with me.
I am surrounded by mediocrity.
No one to practice logical thinking with.
You won't believe.
The right one.
Have a seat.
You, Bronstein, are a phenomenon.
Truly, my friend. A phenomenon.
After 27 years in Russian prisons
I don't remember once
that a Jewish snotnose
would set seasoned Russian thieves
to an uprising.
Do you know what atrocities
your Sivoronov committed?
I, Mr. Trotsky,
do not care what he got arrested for.
Whatever it is. He is a human being.
He has rights. And you oppress him.
And all the oppressed
strive for liberty and justice.
Indeed,
you Jews and revolutionaries
do not know the Russian people,
but you keep trying to save them
and free them from someone.
The Russian people cannot be freed.
Or its soul will unleash such darkness
that will devour the world,
but first - the liberators.
The Russians can only be controlled.
For their own good.
Even if it's true, why beat him?
Why beat a man who is already caught
and is waiting for the lawful punishment?
How else do you control people?
How? By personal example.
Leading them to the ideals of justice
Are you feeble-minded?
Well, if you, with your attitude,
happen to live five more years,
you will see
that controlling people is only possible
with fear.
Fear is the foundation of any order.
Beating one guiltless man
in front of others is better
than beating everyone
who loses fear and causes chaos.
Don't you think this is inhumane?
Of course!
I am girded with power.
You cannot decide people's fates
and still be a human to them.
You are young and naive to think
that the world is willing to follow you
out of sympathy with your Utopian dreams.
But two years later your naivety will fade
and the lust for power will stay.
That I can see in your eyes, Bronstein.
Your words are pretty, Mr. Trotsky,
but disproved by everything
that is going on.
And you, due to your chauvinistic bigotry,
cannot notice that.
So you beat Sivoronov
to scare the others, so what?
You achieved the opposite.
People have united
and they demand justice.
-Well, they don't anymore. Listen.
-They will. Rest assured.
Do not be surprised
when people's wrath sweeps you away
and dumps you to where you belong.
To the waste pit of history.
That's a given.
Render unto Caesar the things
that are Caesar's.
And we, the foul dogs,
can only howl and beg for a bone.
This is life.
In the 21st century,
in the roar of a jubilant crowd,
a hayseed, a mope
with a utility knife in his hand,
will go to the splendid face
of the Sistine Madonna
and shred this face
for the sake of equality and brotherhood.
-Do you see it like that?
-No.
It's you who sees
the 21st century like that.
This is your gendarme thinking
that can only contort the best,
put everyone in overalls.
Breathing on a signal,
living under orders,
that is how you see it.
The words about the 21st century
are not mine.
That was Dostoevsky.
Do you put him in a waste pit too?
Well, Mr. Bronstein.
I was wrong about you.
I thought there was
something real to you, but no.
You're all rhetoric and peacockery.
Checkmate.
Put him into the chamber.
I am no one,
and when I melted
in the sky-colored square of light,
I died without any sentence
and rose a prisoner again.
And day like night, and night forever.
But faith in humanness is here,
the only thing that keeps me sane.
span style="style.default1"Controlling people is only possible/span
with fear.
span style="style.default1"Trotsky! Trotsky! Trotsky!/span
and rose a prisoner again.
And day like night, and night forever.
But faith in humanness is here,
the only thing that keeps me sane.
Dad!
span style="style.default1"Dad!/span
span style="style.default1"Don't leave me!/span
-span style="style.default1"Leiba./span
-span style="style.default1"Don't leave!/span
-span style="style.default1"Leiba./span
-Dad!
Leiba.
Father. Is that you?
It's me, who else.
So, Bronstein?
Have you learned the lesson?
I have.
I swear, I will get out of here
and destroy your filthy world.
That's not going to happen.
This filthy world is inside you.
Remember that, Leiba.
You are hearing that from me,
Nikolai Trotsky,
who can crush you right now.
THE IRKUTSK GOVERNORATE, 1902
A PLACE OF EXILE
FOR THE POLITICALLY OPPRESSED
Come to the stove, warm yourself.
-Thanks.
-It's freezing.
Do you need better clothes?
Not to kick the bucket on the way.
No need, I'm used to it.
Will I get the documents?
We'll make them nice and pretty.
They'll be airtight.
Just say what surname to write.
Petrov or Stepanov?
span style="style.default1"You cannot decide people's fates/span
span style="style.default1"-and still be a human to them./span
-Trotsky.
span style="style.default1"You are hearing that from me,/span
span style="style.default1"Nikolai Trotsky./span
Trotsky is my surname.
So you took the surname of your warden?
I did not just take it.
No, I immortalized it.
I skinned him and put his pelt on.
Like some hunters do.
Who is a hunter, basically?
It is a monster
that defeats another monster.
Not more.
In 1918 I had to become
the most fearsome of monsters.
And I did.
This justifies the actions
Stalin has to take now.
The monsters are divided
into two categories.
Some become ones for the greater goal,
others because they like it.
You know what I've just heard?
An allegation by a wounded lion
who has it in for a stronger opponent.
While it was Stalin, not you, who built
the world everyone dreamed about.
He succeeded, and you failed.
Honey, it's time for the medicine.
Natalia, I don't want it. I feel great.
Leon, don't argue,
you know it's no use.
See, Jacson, it's not just you
who doesn't recognize my authority.
I think your wife sees you
as a common man
who has to sleep, eat and take pills.
You are wrong.
I am sure that I am for her much more
than just a common man.
PARIS, 1902
While Europe is talking,
Russia is craving for action.
I went 5,300 miles in freight cars
to get here,
to Europe, the forge of revolution,
and what do I see?
The revolutionary thought
reeks of apple strudel.
"Iskra" has been writing
the same things for a year!
Dreams with a feckless theory
of revolution in the fat Europe.
You are like schoolgirls
who raise the ghost of revolution
and believe it will come!
This is unheard of.
-Good call!
-He speaks the truth.
Not Europe, but Russia
is seeing a stark contrast
of wealth of the wealthy
and poverty of the poor.
The country has millions
of raging, unsatisfied people,
and it is now
that Russia needs a revolution,
or the authority will rush
into another war with Europe
and blame everything on it.
What is he talking about? A revolution
is only possible in an industrial country!
-In Europe!
-Nonsense!
Europe, with its satiated, quiet peoples
cannot lead the way.
Therefore it will always be led by others.
Russia is a backward country!
Yes! It is backward,
encrusted, drinking,
burning in its own anger,
but it is a power!
It is energy,
like the oceanic energy of tides!
I'm saying, take this energy,
tame it, arm it,
and it will sweep everything in its path!
Bravo. That is utterly amusing.
Your naivety is only outweighed
by your foolishness.
Goodbye, a child in a Russian shirt.
Stay well, Comrade Plekhanov!
Clearly, you were sitting
too long in this café.
Comrade Trotsky.
Let me introduce myself
I absolutely agree.
The proletariat, left unattended,
will be restricted to economic demands.
Between freedom and bread
people always choose bread.
Please
-Lenin.
-I know who you are.
If you agree,
why didn't you support me?
He carries weight in the party.
Our fight will harm the movement.
And you, with flashes like this,
will burn out fast.
Is it better to smolder? Like you?
I'm afraid, they won't forgive me.
-Who?
-The people.
-Caring for the people?
-And you?
I want to change the world,
what people got to do with it?
People are a tool.
-In your hands?
-And yours.
And our task is to make them
want a revolution,
not bread.
How, if you keep agreeing with Plekhanov?
Georgy is just a man, too.
You mean, a tool.
You are a fast learner! Come round.
The simple way. Informally, as a friend.
-We are not friends.
-Well.
We did break the bread.
Yes.
Good afternoon. Let me introduce myself.
Alexander Parvus.
I know who you are.
-Then what do you know about me?
-You make money from everything.
Even the revolution.
In other words, a slick opportunist.
I came to congratulate you
for a brilliant speech
which, sadly, changes nothing.
You are an excellent speaker,
a great publicist
You undoubtedly have
the makings of a leader.
-That's why I came to offer my help.
-Thanks, I don't need it.
You think it is better to sit here?
Let's be honest,
Plekhanov and Lenin are great men,
long-time leaders,
but, unfortunately, nothing happens.
-What of it?
-We need a new leader.
And we have one!
A man who can inflame the hearts,
a man to follow not only to cafés,
but against bayonets, if needed.
You are that leader, Leon!
-Nobody knows me.
-That's a trifling matter.
Making people famous is my job.
I made Maxim Gorky.
He is famous all over Europe.
He is a writer.
I don't need that kind of fame.
Yes, you do.
Let's do a different angle.
Take an actress.
If she is unknown, nobody wants her,
nobody is interested in her,
but as soon as she becomes a prima donna,
the world is at her feet!
Money, jewelry,
and if needed, kingdoms.
Yes, yes, there have been precedents!
A leader of a revolution is like a prima.
He has to go and take the audience.
Control them.
It's a lot like
sex.
No! It is sex!
Let's say I agree. What's in it for you?
Money.
I will make you the most powerful
revolutionary of your time.
I'll make money on your name.
See, I don't conceal it.
And I do not play a priest.
I am a man of business.
I agree. Where do we start?
Please.
Go ahead, my friend.
This house is mine.
I lodge your socialist colleagues here.
Please.
It's not the Metropol hotel,
and, of course, not the Hilton,
but still, it is a house, a place to live.
Alexander.
I'm glad I've met you.
I'd like to pay for the next month.
Natalia, I told you many times,
I will not take money from you! No, no!
And I told you many times that you
can lodge those socialists for free.
And I am not going to be a sponger.
Take it or I move out.
As you please.
Meet your new neighbor, Leon Trotsky.
Hello.
I attended one of your speeches.
How did you like it?
I didn't. Nice to meet you.
I'd love to give hope to you,
but she is a hard nut. Doesn't crack.
Please, come in.
The door can always be locked.
The ceiling does not leak.
Well? Does it work for you?
Quite so.
Anyway, this is not a basement.
That's right. It's not.
What was this girl's name?
Well, you are not the first
and not the last. Natalia Sedova.
She is from an entirely different circle.
Bohemians!
Theatre, exhibitions Another life.
Different ideals.
I got it.
Good luck.
span style="style.default1"Plekhanov is important, but he is old./span
It is at least unreasonable to bet on him!
I would bet on Lenin.
He is more reliable in choosing means.
Lenin is too stubborn
and obsessed with personal revenge.
It can hinder the main goal.
-There is another option.
-Really?
As far as I know,
Russian revolutionary movement has no more
figures but Plekhanov and Lenin.
It has!
This new fellow is rapidly gaining power
in the revolutionary circles.
-And if we invest in his upbringing
-We don't have time.
I don't know when a new war begins,
but it will.
This is the 20th century.
You cannot win with cannons alone.
We need a real leverage
to destabilize Russia.
Here!
On the other hand,
if we make this Trotsky
into our pocket revolutionary
Quite an interesting idea.
How much money do you think we need
to disintegrate Russia with a revolution?
This question is always hard to answer.
I believe
a billion marks would be enough.
I wanted to ask you, Gelfand.
Why did you choose
the name Alexander Parvus?
Are you ashamed
of your Jewish background?
-Have a nice day.
-Goodbye.
The more flawless a person looks,
the more demons there are inside.
And people, seeing the beauty
Hold on.
They want to see the hidden, the malign
It is attractive.
Not bad, not bad.
I think we may lose the point
behind these decorations.
Nothing in politics is random.
Everything matters.
What you say, how you say it,
how you look.
It has to be a seamless whole.
A manifesto.
Do you remember Natalia?
The emancipated girl who hated my speech?
No, no. It's not about you
speaking poorly, it's about
How can I put this?
All social democrats look ugly.
They are ill-dressed.
I understand, it is the inside that
matters. It is the most valuable thing.
But inner ethics without a nice appearance
appeal only to outcasts.
I have good news for you.
A letter from some
Miss Sokolovskaya.
Apparently, you are married
and have two children.
Do you regret it?
I never regret anything.
span style="style.default1"Hello, dear Leon./span
span style="style.default1"It's been six months/span
span style="style.default1"that we are in exile without you./span
span style="style.default1"I'm glad that you have reached Europe./span
span style="style.default1"I always believed you could./span
span style="style.default1"Our girls got taller./span
span style="style.default1"Zinaida remembers you,/span
span style="style.default1"asks when Daddy comes back./span
ALEKSANDRA SOKOLOVSKAYA
1872-1938
span style="style.default1"Nina is finally healthy./span
span style="style.default1"I don't know what to add./span
span style="style.default1"I keep remembering our last day./span
Hello. This is for you, the documents.
THE IRKUTSK GOVERNORATE, 1902
EXILE FOR POLITICAL PRISONERS
Hide them. Trotsky.
-How is Nina?
-Asleep.
When?
Today. While the taiga is passable.
Not muddy yet.
This is not forever, is it?
You will go, but then
we will be together?
Yes. Yes, sure!
Get up!
No lying around!
Get up, now!
It's late.
I hope I answered all of your questions?
Thank you.
Listen, Jacson.
If you decide to continue
come round.
From this day on you are
welcome in this house.
span style="style.default1"You will go, but then/span
span style="style.default1"we will be together?/span
span style="style.default1"Yes, of course./span
span style="style.default1"Are you tired, Leon?/span
I am, Aleksandra, dear.
span style="style.default1"Daddy, I'm here!/span
span style="style.default1"Daddy, don't leave me!/span
span style="style.default1"Dad! Dad!/span
Leon, are you alive?