THE HISTORY
OF Time.. FROM VITEBSK TO NOWADAYS

Orliyevsky {voice-over}:: I"'M NOT EDUCATED, I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU. I DON"T READ BOOKS.


Medium shot. Orliyevsky in the kitchen ;at. home.
Orliyevsky (in sync): I DON"T GO CHASING AFTER WOMEN, BUT IF A GOOD ONE COMES MY WAY, I WON'T LET HER GO. THAT"S THE WAY OF IT. I DON"T DRINK ROTGUT, BUT I LIKE A GOOD TIPPLE NOW AND AGAIN. WHAT ELSE CAN I TELL you I’M GETTING ON , BUT NOT ON MY WAY OUT YET. I"M NOT FIRST TEAM MATERIAL ANY MORE, BUT I CAN STILL MAKE THE SECOND TEAM. I STILL LIVE MY LIFE. IF THERE"S A GET-TOGETHER I CAN STILL GET UP AND DANCE, I CAN SING AND I CAN SIT UP LATE. WHEN IT COMES TO DANClNG, I’M AS GOOD AS YOU. I CAN DO THE BOSTON TWO-STEP AND ALL THAT. WELL (two Yiddish words)

Close-up Photograph of Orliyevsky’s wifeu Orliyevsky (voice-over): WE HAD FORTY YEARS OF MARRIED LIFE •

Orliyevsky,/ (voice-over): AND NOW IT"'S A YEAR TO THE DAY SINCE I HAD


Orliyevsky {voice-over>: HER GRAVESTONE PUT UP. I HAD THE BEST ONE I COULD MADE, OF COURSE. THE FACE ENGRAVED, ALL GOLD LETTERS. AT THAT TIME IT COST SEVEN THOUSAND ROUBLES.


Medium shot. Orliyevsky in the kitchen. at home.
Orliyevsky (in sync): I COULDN"'T GET OVER IT, AND .I’VE,BEEN ALONE EVER SINCE. I CQULDN"'.T GET OVER IT~ THEN LAST YEAR MY BROTHER-INLAW, HER BROTHER DIED, IT"'SAWHOLE . TRAGEDY • AND NOW I"'M LEFT. J"'M A· BIT OF A HERO TO STILL BE HERE ALL ALONE, ESPECIALLY AS IT WAS A SECOND BLOW FOR ME AND ANYWAY •••
Close up. Pigeons.

Or liyevsky (voice-over): ••• MY WHOLE LIFE'S BEEN LIKE THAT.

Orliyevsky (vojce over): WHEN A CLOCK STARTS
TICKING, THEN MY. HEART .BEATS PROPERLY. WHEN A CLOCK DOESN’T WORK. RIGHT, THEN IT GETS ME DOWN SOMEHOW. BUT. .WHEN IT STARTS.RUNNIN6 SMOOTHLY., THEN MY HEART WORKS BETTER. THAT MEANS IT GIVES ME SATISFACTION. IF I DO SOMETHING TO A CLOCK., IT GETS BETTER AND IF THE CLOCK. STOPS, THEN MY HEART STOPS.


Orliyevsky. (voice-over) recites a prayer in Hebrew •.

Or liyevsky .. (voice-::-Qver): . WHAT'S IT MEAN TO BE A JEW ••• A JEW’S BAD ••• FOR TEN YEARS •••.

Or liyevsky (voice-over): ••• HIS WHOLE LIFE A JEW’S NO·GOOD.WHY?·BECAUSE, THEY SAY, JEWS LEAVE, GO HERE, GO THERE. AND WHAT DO YOU WANT IF YOU DRINK, BEAT YOUR WIFE WHEN YOU GET HOME AND SPEND ALL YOUR MONEY ON. BOOZE. WHO.AREYOU.,.GOING TO ·BLAME?

Orliyevsky (voice-over): OUGHTN’T TO DRINK. BUT. IF HE’S. BEEN, DRINKING, .. JEWS. ARE. TO. BLAME. FOR EVERYTHING. STALIN - A JEW, . BREZHNEV _
A JEW, LENIN _A. JEW, WHAT’S GOING ON NOW, WHATEVER YOU CARE TO MENTION, IT'S .ALL THE JEWS •.
Orli yevsky speaks in Yiddish.

(voice-:-over):.I.WANTED, TO GO ,WITH MY SON. THEY SAY THAT. THE MEDICAL TREATMENT’S GOOD. THERE. IKNOW. TO GET SOME TREATMENT FOR MY SON. HE’S GOT THIS. ILLNESS,'CERTIFIED UNABLE TO WORK.,YQU SHOULD JUST SEE HIM, HPLL,BE HERE ANY MINUTE •••

Orliyel-'sky. (~n sync): SO YOU WANT TO GO TO ISRAEL?

Homan (in SYDC): I DON’T REALLY WANT TO, MY HOME IS HERE •.

Or liyevsky. (in sync): YES, I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN.

Homan (in. sync): I~LL SEE WHEN I GET THERE. OrliyevskY_ .. (in sync),: YES. AND.WHAT’S LIFE LIKE FOR YOU HERE IN. VITEBSK?

HOlllan (in .. sync):.WHAT’S IT LIKE? I GET MY PENSION, BUT IT’S NOT _ENOUGH, FOR.EVERYTHING. Or liyevsky. (in sync) : NOT ENOUGH. FOR
. EVERYTHING.

Homan. (in, sync): .. FIREWOOD, REPAIRS, GAS, IF IT’S NOT ONE THING, IT’S ANOTHER. AND, YOU
'. KNOW, IF YOU PAY. OUT FOR ALL THAT, THEN YOU GO SHORT ON FOOD.

Close up. A boy watching.
(voice-over);: I'D LIKE YOU TO COME WHEN MY SON’S HOME.

Homan.(in sync):: WHEN YOU COME TO VITEBSK, CALL IN ON . US, YOU KNOW WHERE WE LIVE.

Or liyellsk'l (voice-over):: I"'LL BE SURE TO DO THAT. THANK YOU.

Homan (in sync): YOU KNOW WHERE WE LIVE. YOU"'RE ALL' WELCOME

Orliyell.s.ky ,(voice-over): . SATURDAY'S NOT SATURDAY. IN .. ISRAEL SATURDAY'SNOT SATURDAY. WAR'SWARJI AFTER ALL. ,BUT, THERE ARE SOME,
OF COURSEJI. THE ORTHODOXJI WHOWONT'T FIGHT. I DON'T MEAN TO SAY.

UP. I. WAS ,DEFENDING MY COUNTRY. AND, ANYWAY THERE WERE NO IFS OR BUTS OR NOT TODAYS UNLESS YOU WANTED A BULLET IN THE HEAD?

General shot-Me.dium .shot. Orliyevsky. in the synagogue. He goes out.

OrliyevskY (voice-over): AFTER THE FIGHTING I. CAME OUT AND I, WAS A CANDIDATE FOR PARTY MEMBERSHIP. I HADN"'T A CLUE WHAT THE PARTY WAS OR WASN'T. YOU'RE A ,CANDIDATE FOR THE PARTY, SIGN HERE. YOU"'RE A FREE MAN, AND SO ON, AND SO FORTH. REALLY.

Close up. Clock in the synagogue.

Orliyellsky (voice-over):: SIGN HERE, YOU'LL BE A CANDIDATE. AND I SIGNED TO BE A CANDIDATE.

Medium shot. Orliyevsky.by the synagogue with a Hasidic Jew.

Orliyevsky, (voice-over):: , CANDIDATE. FOR PARTY MEMBERSHIP.

Orliyevsky recites in Hebr.ew (in sync).

Hasidic Jew recites a prayer, in Hebrew (in sync}
Or-liyevsky"s voice; also in Hebrew is heard (voice-over}

Orliyevsky (voice;;"over)' recites a prayer, then breaks into the song "Come back to Sorrento" in Yiddish.

(voice-,over): BEFORE THE WAR I EARNED MONEY FOR MY FIRST SUIT.

Orliyellsky(insynd: I ORDEREDIT FROM A TAILOR"S SHOP. I"D NEVER WORN A SUIT IN MY LIFE. AND IN 1940, I THINK IT WAS, I ORDERED MY FIRST SUIT FROM THE TAILOR"S, AND THEY WERE DUE TO PRODUCE IT IN 1941, BY THE TIME THE MATERIAL WAS BOUGHT AND RUN UP. I WAS SUPPOSED TO CALL IN, ON. THE 24t.h ,.OF .JUNE", BUT. ON THE 22nd WAR BROKE OUT. 1 WAS SUPPOSED TO, GO AND, GET .... THE . SUIT WITH THE
.. RECEIPT.,AND.THEN, THE WAR STARTED.AND., I THOUGHT: ~'OH LORD, 'WAR AND IHAVEN"T' COLLECTED MY SUIT.AND, YOU KNOW, I WA5, SO UPSET I, EVEN CRIED. I DIDN’T KNOW, I CRIED OVER THAT •. I: WAS THINKING ABOUT .. HOW I HAD, WORKED SO HARD. FOR THAT SUIT, MAKING, A FEW KOPECKS .••• HERE, COLD WATER, WATER : AND THE REST ••• FOR THAT SUIT •••. AND NOw THERE WAS A WAR ON. PEOPLE SHOUTING AND SCREAMING THAT THE WAR HAD STARTED. LOOTING, .THE ,SHOPS" THERE. ,WAS . ALL SORTS .. GOING", ON .,IN :THE ... CITY •


Orliyellsky (voice-over): I DON"T REMEMBER ••• THE SUIT. I DON"T, REMEMBER, ANYTHING. ALL THERE WAs.. GOT LEFT AT HOME AND ., OUR HOUSE WAS LEFT. IT BURNT DOWN. ALL MY RELATIVES, I FOUND. OUT. LATER, WERE BURIED ALIVE BY THE GERMANS.

Medium shot. Orliyevsky in the kitchen.

Or liyellsky,(in sync): MANY OF OUR RELATIVES REMAINED THERE., THAT MEANS THE GERMANS SHOT THEM ALL.

(voice-over): n. AND ,SO, IF, I"D STAYED. THERE, THEY"D ,HAVE SHOT ME TOO.

Or liyevsky (voice-over>,: I BEGGED GOD TO KEEP ME ALIVE •. I HADN"T .. DONE ANYTHING BAD. ,. I.,. PRAYED AND EVERYTHINGS .JUST. TO .STAY ALIVE, TO GO TO SEE MY MOTHER, TO SEE MY TWO BROTHERS, BECAUSE I DIDN"T HAVE, ANYONE. AND I THOUGHT, I’M NOTA BAD MAN AND.!. KEPT PRAYING, PRAYING ALL THE TIME TO GOD, SAYING

Orliyevsky (voice-over): CHAGALL DID ALL RIGHT. THERE HE WAS IN PARIS~.· •.

General shot. A monument •.

Or liyevsky (voice~over): ••• PAINTING THE OPERA-HOUSE, AND I WAS IN LENINGRAD •••

Or liyevskyo (yoice77over): .• ~. MENDING CLOCKS •. NOT ALARM:-CLOCKS~ THE ONE .ON THE ADMIRALTY AND I CHECK ALL MY 'CLOCKS.

Orliyevsky (voice-over): I'M NOT EDUCATED. I CAN'T . SAY -. THAT'S VERY BAD.


Or liyevsky (voice-over): OR THAT BEING RUSSIAN’S BAD. I.DOWT REALLY UNDERSTAND,. SOME OF THE JEWS, NOW" •••

Orliyevsky (voice~over); AND. JUST. LOOK, NOW RUSSIANS WANT TO BE .JEWS .. TOO •. RUSSIANS, LOTS OF THEM, ARE PUTTING THEIR NAMES DOWN" JUST SO AS TO GET OUT OF THE COUNTRY. THE CHILDREN ARE RIGHT TO RUN; JEWS WHO LEAVE ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING.

Orliyevsky(voice-over): I .. ASK YOU TO ASK GOD TO LOOK AFTER US., ALL OF .US. AND WE WILL NEVER FORGET YOU.

(Singing)
FRIENDS, I AM COMPLETELY BLIND" I DON"T HURT YOU, YOU BE KIND.
COME PITY AN ORPHAN,. GIVE ME HEAT" FOR I HAVE NO SHOES FOR MY FEET.

FRIENDS, COME ON5 BUY MY. WARES SOLDIERS,SAILORS HAVE A CARE"
COME PITY AN ORPHAN, KEEP ME WARM THE WORLD HAS DONE ME· SO MUCH HA

General shot. Orliyevsky"on .the .platform.
PA= ... THE ST PETERSBURG . ..-VITEBSK TRAIN LEAVES IN THREE MINUTES. ALL THOSE NOT. TRAVELLING PLEASE LEAVE THE TRAIN.

Orliyevsky. {voice-:-over): I"VE ALREADY TOLD YOU!, I’M A LITTLE MAN, NOT EDUCATED . I DON"T HEAR ANYONE, DON"T SEE ANYONE . WHEN I SEE!, I DON"T SEE; WHEN I HEAR I DON"T HEAR. WHEN I SEE, I .. DON"T SEE AS WELL
WHEN THEY CALL ME IN AND ASK: "HEY" HAVE YOU SEEN HIM?", I SAY I HAVEN"T SEEN HIM FOR TEN YEARS."
THEY ASK .ME WHAT I THINK I SAY 'WHATEVER. YOU THINK."
AS CHAIM SAID WHEN ASKED "HOW ARE THINGS.?" - •• THINGS.! YOU MIGHT HAVE .. THINGS, I’VE· GOT THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR!".
YOU CALL, ON SOMEONE AND THEY ASK, Ii SAY" CHAIM!, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN, EATING?" " I’VE BEEN EATING? THERE"S NO.,SMELL" "BUT YOU HAVE .BEEN EATING.' GOD GIVE YOU GOOD.
HEALTH.

"OOPLA, OOPLA, COME ON, COME ON"