Film by
Based on the novel by
Starring
THE BRAVE ADVENTURES OF A LITTLE SHOEMAKER
Somebody once said:
Our whole life's a journey.
For those with solid shoes, strong hands and brains
the journey is easy.
When I started my journey I was a little shoemaker's apprentice
fatherless and motherless.
They called me only by my surname, Lapitch.
Circus Barcone!
I lived with my Master named Scowler.
Master Scowler was cold-hearted and unjust,
and his wife was good and kind.
Circus Barcone! Circus is in town!
Circus Barcone: A spectacle you've never seen before!
What are you looking at?
Let the children look.
You can't see circus every day.
So nice! The circus is in town!
You'll see circus when you get home!
My life is a circus every day.
Close the windows! Get to work!
Circus Barcone: A spectacle you've never seen before!
Lapitch!
Yes, Master?
Bring me some leather.
Don't you drop it!
Let's go, Bundash.
Where should I put it, Master?
On the table.
You can't put in on the floor.
It's the most expensive leather in town.
Brats!
His bum is hanging out! Barebum!
Enough!
Carry that!
What's up with your trousers?
Ripped, Master.
You don't say!
I'd never have guessed.
Get lost!
Thank you.
Lapitch gets the old bread.
Again?
Again.
You heard me.
Asking bread, and getting stone!
Thank you.
Enjoy.
These are unwearable.
They're only good to wipe the floor with.
Make him new trousers.
How?
I have no fabric.
You can use this.
Let me see.
Look at those green trousers.
A cow will get you.
Or a stork, mistaking you for a frog.
Frog!
Good morning. I'd like to order something special,
something unusual.
Boots for my little son.
I want no ordinary boots. I want special boots.
Red ones.
But make them by tomorrow.
Dad, look at his trousers!
Here's a little down payment.
We'll make the boots in one night.
Move!
Here you go.
What boots...
those will be.
To take you to the end of the world.
Polish them well.
Use wax.
Make them shine like a mirror.
Got that?
Got it, Master.
What a mess!
Apprentices only make a mess
because their heads are a mess.
But I'll knock those heads in yet.
I'll knock them in good.
Hey! Watch where you're going!
You run around like a headless chicken.
Not a headless chicken,
but a headful of flies.
Wine flies, no less.
Shame on you. It's morning and you're already drunk!
Sir, I'm not already drunk. I'm still drunk.
Let me tell you!
Give me your foot, young Sir.
There.
Here you go.
Go on, son. Push your foot in!
Push harder, come on!
Push it in, son!
Push it in harder!
Dad, my foot won't go in.
I can see that. They're too tight.
Go on, push in. Come on!
It has to go in! Come on, son!
Maybe his feet grew overnight?
Children grow so fast nowadays.
I'm not done with you!
I'm sorry.
This has never happened before.
Never.
Let's go.
It's all your fault! You took the measure wrong!
But Master, you did the measuring!
You're accusing me of lying? You're accusing me of lying?
You'll kill the boy!
Throw'em to the fire! I never want to see them again.
The boots will burn! And you will pay for them, lazy boy!
Why are you always yelling?
You never used to be like this.
That makes two of us.
We both have changed.
It's not his fault.
Are you saying it's mine?
Say it's my fault!
That goddamn fair!
That's not what I meant.
Master,
you wanted to throw the boots into the fire.
It'd be a great shame, so I'll set off into the world and break them in.
Treat your apprentices better.
I'll bring the boots back.
Lapitch.
Dear Mistress,
thank you for your kindness.
I'm heading off into the world.
I'll think of you...
And help people...
Just like you helped me.
Yours, Lapitch.
I won't be gone forever.
I'll be back.
Who are you?
I am... The Emperor's shoemaker.
The Emperor sent me.
Who sent you? - The Emperor.
He sent me to break in boots for his son.
And to help those in need.
The Emperor sent you, huh?
So how is His Majesty?
Probably not that great since he lost the war.
Uncle, I'll carry your milk. - Up to the third floor.
What kind of a colorful monster are you?
Are you a rooster? Or a woodpecker? Who are you?
Miss, I'm no monster, rooster, woodpecker, parrot or a frog.
I'm Lapitch, a little shoemaker and I bring you milk.
The old man is weak
and can't climb the stairs.
Wait, I'll walk you.
Why don't you get milk yourself?
Me?
What do you mean?
Well, if you can escort me now, you can get the milk yourself.
Tell the old man I'll be picking up milk myself from now on.
Okay.
And I will...
When I get back, I'll bring you some flowers.
If that's fine with you...
I'd like to help you with the milk delivery.
That way I'll break the boots in quicker.
If it's for the Emperor, I can't decline your offer.
Go on, donkey!
Bundash!
My dear Bundash!
Master Scrowler will now be mad at you, too.
Okay... But don't tell me I haven't warned you.
We'll share breakfast.
One piece for me.
One for you.
Breakfast is finished!
I'm so hot!
How about you?
You're right!
Terribly hot!
I'm not taking my hat off.
My brains will melt.
I don't have a hat for you.
Sorry to barge in like this
but I heard you cry and I wanted to help.
I lost two geese at the lake.
Is that all?
What do I tell my mother when she returns?
Now we'll be even poorer because of me.
Don't worry! I have the best goose hunter in the world!
Go, Bundash!
Find them!
Bundash! Stop!
You'll drown in there!
What did I tell you!
Let's go!
Bundash gets it first, he earned it the most.
Who painted the blue star on your house?
I did! When mom painted the room I took some paint and did the star.
Where are you from?
I don't know, Ma'am.
And your mother?
She must be worried sick as you're not home.
I don't know that either.
I never met her.
Maybe I'll find her now
as I'm travelling the world.
There's no room in the house, but the stable is warm enough.
Your dog has such a big head, he can barely carry it.
That's why he's so smart.
If you had such a big head, you'd find the geese without his help.
Good night.
Good night, cow.
Here are some boiled eggs. They'll come in handy on your journey.
What kind of a hen laid such a white egg?
It's a goose egg!
There! Here you go!
Thank you.
Good luck! - Thank you.
Who says I'm afraid of lightning?
Come on, it's nothing!
Come on, now we have to hide!
Good evening!
Good indeed!
Couldn't be better!
At least it's not raining cats and dogs.
Aren't you a smart one?
Where do you come from, smarty-pants?
We hid from the rain.
And I didn't want to ruin my new boots.
Can we stay here?
But it's not so nice here.
And what's that over there?
Mind your own business!
Have a good night!
It's not going to be good.
They're gone!
The Black Man stole them!
Good morning!
My name is Gita and I work at the circus. And you?
Gita?
That's a strange name.
But the circus is full of strange things.
I'm Lapitch, the Apprentice.
Apprentice? And you say my name is strange!
What kind of a name is Apprentice? How silly!
That's not a name. That's a profession.
I'm a shoemaker's apprentice.
But everybody has a name.
Not everybody!
Take me, for example. I don't.
I only have a last name.
What's your last name?
I don't know. I guess I don't have one.
Gita! Gita!
I'm very sad.
This morning somebody stole my box as I drank water from the well.
I had a lot of stuff in it.
My golden earrings were in it.
And somebody stole my boots.
Don't be sad! We'll find the earrings and the boots!
Deal!
What kind of jobs can you do?
Many!
I can ride, stand on a horse's back...
Jump through hoops, juggle twelve apples at once...
I can bite off a piece of the thickest glass and eat it, too!
Your talents won't help us much.
Juggling apples and eating glass
won't get you a job with any farmer.
I got sick and my master left me in a village.
He then left with the circus and said I should join them later.
I'm travelling by foot. The trip is very long and boring. And you?
I'm travelling, too.
Let's travel together!
Let's!
Boss! Do you need hard workers?
Yes. Do you know any?
I do. - Then bring them to me!
Here they are.
What makes you hard workers?
We don't know anything, but want to learn everything.
See that hay over there?
Girl!
You rake and you turn the hay!
Let's go!
Faster! Over there! What is it?
Lapitch! I'm hot.
Faster, faster! What is it now?
Lapitch!
I'm tired!
Lapitch!
I'm hungry!
I don't need such workers!
No work, no food!
Goodbye! I don't ever want to see you again!
You won't!
Cheers, Boss! -Cheers, Boss!
Gita!
My God! I never thought I'd see this!
I brought you dinner.
Go on, you eat! I'll earn my own dinner!
Good Lord! What's this?
What's this?
Come over here!
You sit at the head of the table.
What a great job I have.
Call that a job?
That's a good job only if there's no other.
Let's dance! I'll show you how it's done!
Put the girl to bed.
What is it, kid?
Why aren't you sleeping?
I didn't find my boots today.
What boots?
Somebody stole my boots this morning.
Somebody stole my blue coat, too!
Somebody stole my ham from the attic!
And my axe!
Fire?
Fire! Everybody, fire!
Fire!
Come on, everybody! Help!
The stable's on fire!
Come on, everybody! Come on, come on!
Grga's stable is on fire!
Hurry up, let's go!
When there's fire it doesn't matter who's good and who's bad.
We must put it out!
Good evening.
Give me the bucket!
Who started the fire?
Everybody! Help!
The stable's on fire! Is there anybody? Help!
My God, how will they make it without the firemen?
Good Lord!
Grga's house will catch fire!
What's going on?
My house will burn down!
Somebody should climb on the roof and put out the fire from there.
I'm not climbing up on that old roof. I don't want to fall off it!
It's Lapitch!
I must help him!
You can't go into the fire! You too will get hurt!
Good job, kid!
Well done, kid!
I made it!
Dear! He's alive! - Good!
Good.
Folks!
Lapitch!
I found my boots!
He's alive!
The chest has a false bottom!
When I fell down
I broke the chest open and under the flour I found
all the things that have been missing.
Good Lord, look at this!
My box with the golden earrings!
That's my ham!
Grga is a thief.
Who's this kid?
What a disgrace!
Good Lord!
If Grga was here, he'd get a good beating. - I'd kick his head in!
I'd throw him into the fire!
Don't cry!
I saw Grga last night.
If I see him, I'll tell him not to go into the village.
I'll tell him to go out into the world and be honest.
If you see that Grga of mine
give him this.
What if I don't see him?
Then keep it. You saved my house.
I'm glad now that the Black Man stole my boots.
Why are you glad?
Well...
If I'd run into the fire wearing my boots
now they'd have a wounded heel too.
And that would be a shame.
The wound will heal soon.
See, I was wounded here, too.
When did that happen?
Did it hurt much?
I don't remember.
I was but a baby then.
It was before I came to work at the circus for my master.
When did you start working for him?
I don't know.
Who brought you?
I don't know that either!
Master says I have no mother or father.
And I wish I didn't have him either.
He's an evil man.
Most of all I'd like to have a mother.
What's it like to have a mother?
I don't know. I don't have one.
There was Master's wife.
She used to defend me from him
and gave me fresh bread.
Thank you.
How nice the corn snaps.
Can we stay a little longer?
My only concern now is to find Grga
to give him the scarf and the money his mother sent him.
Where will you find him?
I don't know, but I want to give him this.
I keep thinking, maybe Grga will fall right in front of me.
I'm sure that won't happen.
Let's stop that cart.
Lapitch, don't!
Jump out, fool!
Halt!
The reins broke!
Halt.
Good day.
It's really good.
Because we turned over?
The day is good because you didn't get killed.
Stop rolling around.
Your arms and legs are fine. What are you waiting for?
Climb up, fool! Let's go!
The reins are broken! We can't go on! - We have to!
I'll fix them.
How do you plan to fix the reins, puss in boots?
I have my boots now, after two days of walking barefoot.
But I'm no puss.
You're brave, kid!
Fix them! Do it fast!
Then we'll erase from mind the incident with the boots.
I prefer to have my boots on my feet than in my mind.
Smarty pants.
Grga?
Your mother sent you something.
Promise you'll leave the Black Man.
Go out into the world,
stay there and be honest.
Your sick mother asked this of you.
She cried when she gave me this for you.
Fix those reins well.
And thank you, Lapitch!
It's finished.
God knows if I'll ever see you again, horsey.
You grasshopper sure won't, for where that horse goes you'll never go.
Let's go! Fool!
Come on!
They ride them so hard. As if they're running from something.
Let them ride them. I don't want to see the Black Man again.
Good evening! Good evening!
Where are we going?
You could repair shepherds' shoes in exchange for lodging.
We'll give you a place to sleep!
Grandma...
Are you sleeping?
No, I'm not.
I'm not sleeping either.
That green owl has a green nose, like a witch.
It could tear our hearts out in the night.
Yes it could.
Mishko, help me!
Now we're safe.
Bedtime!
There.
Grandma! Grandma!
Slippers! Shoes! Sandals! Come on!
No sleeping!
Shunen gago...
Would you repair a poor old woman's shoe?
Of course.
I wish there were more like you!
They searched for more of them
but no one was willing
except for me, the little shoemaker.
Here.
I'm leaving today. Going to the next town.
Listen!
Travel only by day! Last night a terrible thing happened in the forest!
They robbed a man of his cart and goods on the way to the fair.
No one knows if he's alive or dead!
The robbers escaped with the cart.
Be careful!
When we get to town we must look for your master.
I've changed my mind! I'm not going back to him!
Alright.
Merry-go-round two dinars only! Three dinars for lovebirds!
Merry-go-round, climb on board!
How nice and merry it all is!
Let's stay here for a while!
It's not a good idea.
Why not?
Master Scowler could be around here!
He stopped going to the fairs.
But before I left he said he'd start going again.
Although the fair brought him a great misfortune.
Why would the fair bring him misfortune?
I don't know.
But he always used to say
that the fair for him was the most evil thing.
The wall of death! Come on, folks!
Two dinars if you want to see it!
Come on, folks!
Riders from hell!
Who wants to see?
The wall of death! Come on, folks! Admission two dinars!
It's not smart to stay here. - Why?
The Black Man could be here, as well as your master from the circus.
Why would they be here?
Because there's a lot of people here.
When I grow up, I'll buy a motorcycle!
Here, here! Baskets, baskets!
Weaved with gold! Woven with silk!
Baskets! Baskets!
Thank you. A small present for you.
Baskets. Little baskets.
Baskets! Over here. Thank you.
Baskets! Bas...
Leave that! Don't buy stuff off the ground.
The neighbours will say you found it in the trash.
I've got gold here.
Over here! Here!
I wish his tent were struck by lightning, and this big basket fell on him.
This will be funny.
Baskets! Baskets! Weaved with gold! Woven with silk!
Baskets like golden apples.
Baskets! Baskets!
My baskets are golden apples.
Ouch!
I'd like to help you sell your goods. - Alright.
Baskets!
Baskets! Little baskets!
Baskets!
This is a good one. Better than his. - Buy it.
Girl, you're heaven-sent!
You shouldn't have.
Children, you must be my guests.
We need to see the whole fair.
So let's go!
Thank you.
Thanks. -Thanks.
There's nothing. Scram!
ASSISTANT WANTED
That's good. We'll apply for the job and it'll get us food and lodging.
Let's go!
We'd like to be your assistants.
Thank you, God!
Go on! Faster!
Come on, kids! Faster!
Come on! Two dinars! - Two dinars a ride!
Carousel! Two dinars only!
Two dinars a ride! - Carousel!
Two dinars only!
Two dinars a ride!
Thank you.
Let's go, kids! It's over.
It's 11 pm.
Tomorrow we continue.
Good evening, Ma'am. Thank you.
Good night. Good night.
So...
Let's go!
Give these assistants of mine a sausage each.
No, give them a pair each! And four for me!
Thank you.
Are they good? - Yes. They're great.
Let me cover you...
There. I'm off.
You're still here? Good night.
We thought you'd give us a place to sleep.
Where? There's no room here.
Oh, no! You're not sleeping under the horses.
That's out of the question. Have a good night.
If only we'd gone with the basket maker to his home.
Then we wouldn't have ridden on the carousel.
There, see?
You'll sleep like a princess on the pea.
What kind of a princess was that?
Well...
She was just like you.
She had the same dress as you.
And the same shoes.
She also had the same hair.
Did she have a parrot like I do?
Don't interrupt me.
Sorry.
You're forgiven.
This princess got lost
and arrived to a castle made of gold.
Pure gold?
Purely golden castle.
In this castle lived a very old queen.
She didn't believe the girl was a princess.
This queen, she was very cunning.
She placed a pea in the bed where the girl was to sleep.
She then covered it with 7 mattresses.
This is what she thought:
If she feels the pea underneath the 7 mattresses and 7 featherbeds
I'll know she's a real princess.
The following day the queen asked the princess
how she'd slept.
The girl bursted into tears and said
I couldn't sleep at all, something hard kept me awake.
I must be bruised all over, all my bones are aching.
And that's how the queen knew this was a real princess.
Maybe I'm a lost princess, too?
The end.
Good night, princess. - Good night, Lapitch.
Listen. Do you know whose horse that is?
That's my Hawk! Come with me!
Listen to him neigh.
I'm going in to see my Hawk!
If your master catches you we'll have to part.
Everyone's asleep at the circus now. Nobody hears anything.
Please, let's go in.
Let's go!
Don't be afraid.
When he's asleep nothing can wake him up.
I know how one sleeps after the show.
They're so beautiful!
Hawk!
My dearest!
The black one is the most beautiful.
We don't have a black horse.
Look, he's here.
It's a miracle!
That's the horse Grga and the Back Man rode!
Really?
Only his mane is shorter.
But it's the same horse.
That's my master!
Let's hide!
We are leaving the town tomorrow, but look what I did to the black horse!
When we make him over no one will recognize him!
Trust me. Don't worry!
I'm not worried!
I know that you're more cunning than a fox.
Now will you please hand out the gold pieces for the horse.
He wasn't easy to get!
Alright. You'll get your gold!
Where's the owner of the horse now?
You don't have to be afraid of him.
He's tied up in the forest!
He sure won't get away, the way I tied him up.
Nor will he be going to the fair that soon.
Farewell now!
Wait! Why such a hurry?
I must go while it's still night.
Tonight we're picking up a cow before the dawn!
I sent Grga over there last night, but...
I don't trust Grga much.
Where's this cow?
I haven't been there yet.
But the house is isolated with only a child and a woman in it.
It'll be an easy job for sure.
How will you find the house if you've never been there?
Easy!
There's a big blue star painted on it.
The Black Man and Grga robbed the man on the way to the fair.
They stole his goods and the horse and tied him up in the woods.
Tonight they're taking Marko's cow.
Bye, Gita. I must hurry.
Stay with your master.
Where are you going? I told you I wasn't staying!
I must get to Marko's house before the Black Man.
I'm going with you.
What are you doing here, kids?
We need a quick ride.
Get in!
I'm off to get some willow for the baskets.
You, too. Come!
Come, Bundash! Come!
We need to be at the house with the blue star before dawn.
I know where this house is. Not far from where I get willow.
You'll be there before dawn.
Come on!
We're going over the hill and then through that forest.
Don't go there!
It's the forest where they robbed a man!
That's the quickest way to the willow forest.
Don't be afraid, children! Don't be afraid!
Come on!
Here, children.
This path will lead you to the house with the blue star.
You'll get there before the cloud covers the moon.
Thank you for helping us.
Thank you.
Good luck, children!
Children!
Hey!
Be careful! When you get to the road, there's a loose rock there!
I know!
Watch your step in the dark!
I was there!
Let's go!
Hurry up.
Alright.
We can't go further.
We can't see the path anymore. We'll get lost.
We can wait for a while.
No.
We need to get to Marko's house in time.
I hope the Black Man doesn't come this way.
He said he'd take the roundabout way.
What is it?
Rabbit, I guess.
What is that?
Maybe it's a fox.
That's not a fox.
Master!
My little shoemaker!
Faster!
Stop!
Halt!
Move!
Halt!
He's dead.
He's lucky to be dead.
The other day as I was driving to the fair
I was robbed in the forest by two viillans.
The Black Man and Grga.
How do you know about them?
One lies down there, dead.
The other one came up to me last night.
I was tied up to a tree, and as I thought it was all over
he cut the rope
and put this in my hand.
Grga's mother didn't cry in vain over this silver coin.
She didn't cry in vain.
Now it's a magic silver coin.
Who's this?
Gita.
She's an orphan, fatherless and motherless.
Just like me.
We're travelling together.
Then we'll take her with us. Home.
Let them sleep.
Mistress! - Lapitch!
Dear Scowler! I thought I'd never see you again!
Neither you nor Lapitch!
Who are you now?
Gita!
Come on, Bundash!
Our Marica would now be the same age as Gita.
I promised I'd tell you...
About the misfortune that befell us at that fair.
Eight years ago...
We had a beautiful daughter.
Her name was Marica, she was 3 and she was our pride and joy.
I was selling goods at the fair. And she got lost.
We looked for her, but we couldn't find her.
Bad men stole her from us.
That's why my heart hardened.
But now it's all changed.
Couldn't you find or recognize Marica now?
We could recognize her any time.
How could you, if she was so little?
When Marica was just a baby she cut her finger in the shape of a cross.
Marica!
Mother!
I'll still call you Gita.
When I say Gita I see all the adventures we'd been through together.
Lapitch, enough with adventures!
Had it not been for you...
Marica-Gita would never have returned to us.
Princess! Lost and found!
Good day. Here are the flowers I promised.
What an honest boy!
Hey, I have a letter for you!
That's for bringing me the flowers.
A boy brought this letter
saying that the old milkman died of old age.
He wrote this before he died.
My dear Emperor's shoemaker,
I'm writing this to you, feeling I'll die soon.
When I die I want you to have my donkey and my cart.
I know you'll treat him well.
I hope you broke in those boots for the Emperor's son.
Your old milkman.
And that's how it was...
Then Gita and I grew up.
I became a shoemaker and we got married.
I took over Master Scowler's business.
We had four children and three apprentices.
On Sunday afternoons, after lunch...
We'd tell them about the brave adventures of a little shoemaker.
And the boots... Were displayed in the glass cabinet.
For each and everyone to see...