MovieChat Forums > Dersu Uzala (1977) Discussion > stolen rifle?

stolen rifle?

posted 16 years ago by Edward_de_Vere
9 replies | jump to latest

When Captain Arseniev came in to identify Dersu Uzala's body, he asked the policeman where Dersu's rifle was. The policeman said that it wasn't found and suggested that Dersu was murdered and the rifle was stolen.

Since we're not given any details as to the circumstances of Dersu's death, an equally likely explanation is that the policeman found (and stole) the rifle upon discovering Dersu's body.

The film is based on a true story, so I wonder if there was any evidence that Dersu was actually murdered.

[–] matrix5904 16 years ago

yes according to the book dersu was murdered, but i didn't quite like the way that kurosawa alluded to the policmans mystique - of whether or not he actually stoll the gun. (the way in which the policeman huries him to give his signiature, he seems restless; almost quilty)

in general though, i thought that the ending was quite poor and lacked catharsis. part 1 builds up Dersu to a humanitarian and a hero; rightfully so, yet when he dies and we see arsenyev at the scene, i felt nothing and surely i should have giving the fact that i really enjoyed the film....

i don't know, i just felt a little robbed of the great ending this film deserved.

[–] nycterr 15 years ago

I thought the ending reflected pretty well how you can die as nothing, even if you were a hero all your life. We come from dust, we go back to dust. We're nothing in death.

The humble 'end' of the movie is perfect.

[–] hickey2 15 years ago

I was kind of conflicted over the end, too. I cry pretty easily at movies and the ending was a little underwhelming and it was a bit hard to muster up tears, but at the same time it felt brutally real during the long take where the men are hurrying through their work, burying the body right in front of the Captain, giving it a few pats with the shovel and then walking away. It really hit me in the gut with a sort of heavy depression, but somehow it wasn't a real tearjerker.
I wouldn't say Dersu was "nothing" in the end, but he was certainly snatched from the world in the blink of an eye, and aside from the Captain and his family and those who knew Dersu it seemed like no one gave a damn, but those few who did know him will surely remember him forever.

[–] tvashtar2919 14 years ago

I appreciate how well the ending was done, but was appalled at the people portrayed in it. The policeman getting all in a hurry and showing no respect for the circumstances. At least the grave diggers had enough forethought to step into the grave, instead of just tossing him in, which I thought they were going to do. We are left with the impression that one of them took the rifle, or he couldn't be bothered to care about it. How about telling the Captain who actually found the body, so he could go talk to them? Why even send a telegram for notification, if they planned the burying soon as possible anyway? Shame he wasn't able to get there sooner, or set up other services, but it wouldn't change the reality of death.

[–] j-jameson 15 years ago

I had pretty same interpretation as the guy who said that when we die we are nothing.

I think the policeman was demonstrated as being careless as a symbol for people who don't understand the nature way Dersu (and then Capitan) did. For policeman, Dersu was just some poor begger, an old useless man of forests.. ..but for us (who know who Dersu is) he was really caring and intellectual man - and thats what heros are made of :)

[–] soozin2 14 years ago

For some reason, the fact that the captain told Dersu the rifle was "the latest model" etc. made me wonder if that was meant to imply that, had the captain let Dersu just take his old rifle he wouldn't have been robbed for it & killed...just a thought. Not sure just why this would be the case but it popped into my head as soon as the missing rifle was mentioned. What an awesome & intriguing movie!

[–] kuangfxiao 14 years ago

I thought too Dersu was murdered because of the lastest rifle.The captain gave it to him beacuze it's more advanced and easy to shoot condsidering Dersu can't see well now,but in the end became a symbol that dersu can't escape his fate and can't adpt to the world outside.

[–] ShannonTriumphant 14 years ago

Yes, I think that the rifle was just one of the ways the Captain tried to help Dersu, but couldn't. His friend was doomed, as in a Greek tragedy. The way his death was treated was, to me, the way most indigenous people, who don't "fit" into the modern world, are treated by industrialized people: stepped over, pushed aside, killed if they get in the way, buried and forgotten. It was realistic that this would happen to Dersu, though very sad.

She deserves her revenge, and we deserve to die.

[–] dudleydemon 11 years ago

The only impression I got from the policeman was that he was bored, damned cold, and probably had other things to do. From his point of view Dersu was just some old bum found in a ditch somewhere and he, the policeman, was stuck with the chore of standing around in the freezing cold waiting for Arseniev to arrive so he could complete the paperwork. I see nothing particularly sinister in this.

In the book there was no new rifle. Dersu left the city before Arseniev could get him some money, ammunition and supplies. Dersu's old rifle probably had some value but he was otherwise flat broke.

The book does indeed confirm that Dersu was murdered but offers no details.