White spots of fate (1988)

Local residents tell the authors of the film about the circumstances of the mysterious death of the polar explorer N.A. Begichev (synchronously).

Writer Arkady Vaksberg talks about the problem of investigating Begichev's death, introduces the investigator and prosecutor A.T. Babenko (synchronously).

A passenger plane takes off.

Passengers in the cabin.

Members of the expedition to investigate the circumstances of Begichev's death on the deck of the ship, in the back of a truck.

Members of the expedition board a helicopter.

Members of the expedition board a transport plane heading to Norilsk.

The plane during the takeoff run.

Industrial landscape in the vicinity of Norilsk (panorama).

Photo portraits of N.A. Begichev.

A memorial plaque in honor of Begichev on the wall of a house in Norilsk, located on the street named after him, a view of Begichev Street, a bus pulling up to the bus stop.

Telegrams addressed to Begichev with a request to take part in the search for the Amundsen and Knudsen expedition in the early 1920s.

A wooden cross and a monument at the site of the death of the members of the Tessem and Knudsen expedition, discovered by Begichev in 1920 on Taimyr Island.

View of the monument.

Vaksberg talks about Begichev being awarded the title of Honorary Member of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences, talks about Begichev’s discoveries, and shows on the map the geographical features discovered by Begichev and named after him (synchronously).

View of part of the city of Dudinka.

Photograph of Begichev with his wife and children.

Panorama of part of the cargo port in Dudinka and the place where the Begichevs’ house stood; Begichev’s neighbor shows the location of the house.

Photograph of a friend of the Begichev family, V.M. Natalchenko.

Photographs of members of the “White Bear” hunting cooperative.

A local resident, projectionist Spiridon Laptukov, talks about the circumstances of Begichev's death at the hands of Natalchenko, which was seen with his own eyes by a member of the hunting gang named Manchi (synchronously).

Vaksberg talks about the origin of the version of Begichev's death, based on Manchi's testimony about the reason for Begichev's murder, about the initiation of a murder case in 1928 (synchronously), a photograph of the hunters of the gang.

A map made by Begichev's hand, indicating the place of his death at Cape Vhodnoy.

Panorama of the tundra at Cape Vhodnoy.

Remains of a wooden log cabin at the site of the hunters' camp.

A photograph of the log cabin in the late 1920s.

A photograph of Natalchenko, Begichev's alleged killer.

A photo portrait of Begichev's wife.

Begichev's daughter, Elena Nikiforovna, talks about her father, about the daily life of the Begichev family, about Natalchenko's kind attitude towards Begichev's children (synchronously).

View of the Yenisei River, water surface.

Views of the city of Yeniseisk (above).

The house where Begichev and Natalchenko's family settled, a memorial plaque in honor of Begichev on the wall of the house.

Begichev's daughter Serafima and Natalchenko's children Igor and Margarita talk about life in Yeniseisk, about Natalchenko's accusations of Begichev's murder (synchronously).

The face of Igor Natalchenko.

Panorama of the prison grounds in Yeniseisk, I. Natalchenko's story about his father's arrest in 1943 is heard in the background.

The doors of the prison corridor and cell are closed.

Prisoners on a walk in a room closed from above with bars.

Photograph of Natalchenko.

Margarita Natalchenko talks about her father's letter to the prosecutor's office in 1958 complaining about the unfair accusation of Begichev's murder, reads excerpts from the letter (synchronously), the text of the letter.

Ships at the pier of the village of Dikson.

Local bank employee Lyubov Petrovna talks about the circumstances of the removal of Begichev's remains in 1960, and names the participants in the removal - I.D. Tyrin and B. Fadeyev (synchronously).

Tyrin talks about the removal of the coffin with Begichev's remains, and the supposed burial site of the remains (synchronously).

Lyubov Petrovna shows the authors of the film the place where, in her opinion, Begichev is buried.

An inscription on a stone about Begichev's burial.

Lyubov Petrovna expresses her opinion about the causes of Begichev's death to the authors of the film (synchronously).

Begichev's daughter Elena Nikiforovna refutes the version of Natalchenko's guilt in the murder of her father (synchronously).

Vaksberg talks about surgeon P.V. Chuburkin, who knew Natalchenko closely (synchronously), Chuburkin's face.

View of the river pier and the adjacent part of the bank of the village of Kureika (panorama, from above).

Chuburkin talks about life in Kureika, where he was sent as a camp doctor, about meetings with Natalchenko, about the article under which Natalchenko was convicted, about rumors about Begichev's murder by Natalchenko, Lisovsky's conversation with Natalchenko in 1952, about Natalchenko's story about Begichev's death (synchronously).

Photographs of the destroyed building of the I.V. Stalin Museum in Kureika.

Chuburkin continues his story about the versions of Begichev's death and Natalchenko's guilt that arose in Kureika in 1952 (synchronously), and demonstrates Lisovsky's book about Begichev's death.

Vaksberg talks about the degree of reliability of Lisovsky's versions of Natalchenko's guilt (synchronously).

Essayist and polar explorer G.I. Kublitsky, in a conversation with Vaksberg, rules out the version of Begichev's violent death, presents his evidence, talks about Nansen's meeting with Begichev, talks about writing an article about the versions of Begichev's death, and about sending an investigative team to the site of Begichev's death (synchronously).

A helicopter flying over the tundra.

A pilot in the helicopter cockpit.

Prosecutor A.T. Babenko and members of the expedition look out the windows.

Babenko talks about his participation in 1955 in the investigative expedition to investigate the circumstances of Begichev's death (synchronously).

A photograph of the environs of Cape Vhodnoy.

Photograph of Babenko and forensic scientist Naumenko.

Photograph of expedition members, view of Cape Vkhodnoy area (top).

Helicopter landing.

Flat landscape.

Babenko walking to Begichev’s death site.

Babenko and members of the film crew at the site of investigative work in 1955. Babenko talks about the progress of the forensic medical examination in 1955 at Begichev’s death site, establishing the cause of Begichev’s death from scurvy, and speaks of Natalchenko’s innocence (synchronously and off-screen).

Photographs of the investigative team at work in 1955. Faces of the film crew members.

The investigative team’s work site in 1955 with the remains of a wooden fence.

Photograph of Babenko and members of the investigative team at Begichev’s grave in 1955. Photographs of journalist Kazimir Lisovsky, who wrote a book about Begichev’s murder.

Photograph of witness Portnyagin, found by Lisovsky.

A tent during a snowstorm.

Babenko talks about the search for witness Portnyagin and his false testimony (synchronous), a photograph of Portnyagin.

Hydrographer V.A. Troitsky gives an interview to the authors of the film on Vasilievsky Island in Leningrad.

Troitsky expresses his opinion on the versions of Begichev's death, speaks of Natalchenko's guilt in Begichev's death (synchronous).

View of the upper part of the Kunstkamera building.

The text of an archival document narrating the circumstances of Begichev's death and Natalchenko's innocence.

Babenko tells Troitsky about the results of the 1955 investigation and the establishment of the cause of Begichev's death (synchronous), Troitsky's face.

Troitsky speaks about his understanding of Babenko's position, defends his version of Begichev's murder and Natalchenko's guilt in it (synchronous).

View of the bow deck of the ship, Bayenko gives an interview.

Babenko speaks about the numerous rumors about Begichev's murder by Natalchenko (synchronously).

View of the coastal part of Yeniseisk (top).

Igor Natalchenko speaks about his father's rehabilitation in 1963, about a meeting with K. Lisovsky (synchronously and off-screen).

Certificate of Begichev's death from scurvy.

Margarita Natalchenko claims that her father was slandered (synchronously).

Text of the official letter to Lisovsky about Natalchenko's suicide.

The gun with which Natalchenko shot himself, hanging on the wall next to Begichev's portrait.

View of the Yenisei bank.

Babenko walks along the deck of the steamer.

The steamer is sailing along the Yenisei.

Babenko is making notes in a notebook in the cabin.

Babenko is walking along the deck.

Babenko is standing, leaning on the railing, river landscapes.

Lyubov Petrovna talks about the reasons for the different versions of Begichev's death that are emerging in our time (synchronously).

The Begichev monument in the village of Dikson.

View of the upper part of the monument.

Photograph by Natalchenko.

Vaksberg in the viewing room discusses the slander against Natalchenko, the prospects for restoring the truth (synchronously), Babenko sits nearby.