The Trial

The Trial , 1990 (1:28:19)

Annotation: About the earthquake in Armenia and its aftermath.

History: In December 1988, in Armenia there was a severe earthquake that caused massive destruction and many casualties.

Film description: On the high morals and a sense of ownership people in connection with the earthquake in Spitak. The devastation in Armenia, wounded, dead, rescuers apart the rubble; help the peoples of different countries. Interview different figures: V. Manoukian, L. Ter-Petrosyan, C. Amiradzhibi, O. Oylanda, M. Thatcher and others among the ruins M. Gorbachev, Ryzhkov, Mother Teresa, Charles Aznauri; Catholicos Vazgen I served in the temple.

Source description 1: A panorama of mountains of Armenia, Ararat.
An ancient temple in the mountains.
Live coals.
Somebody’s hands are rolling out pastry.
Armenian women are preparing bakery dough, baking bread – pita.
A young woman is standing with ready pitas.
The sky, mountains.
Steps in a mountain.
A panorama of shattering in Armenia, ruins of the temple.
A bell ringer is ringing the bell.
A wall is being ruined.
Black and white photos of crying people.
Newsreel of 1988:
People are carrying wounded persons on litters, bringing them out of an aircraft, passing by.
A panorama of a man carrying an injured child.
Male nurses with litters are running to a helicopter.
A panorama of helicopters at an aviation field.
A panorama of wounded persons being lead and brought.
Colour:
A panorama of a crack in the ground.
Flying over destroyed cities.
Destroyed houses.
A boy is looking.
A panorama of Israel: a deserted landscape.
The coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
A panorama of a landscape, mountains may be seen in the distance.
A panorama over Jerusalem.
A panorama of “Mir” [“World”] ship in the sea.
Abi Natan, a former pilot-radio amateur from Israel, in the ship radio compartment.
A panorama over Abi Natan’s office in Tel-Aviv; Abi Natan, whose radio station named “Voice of the world”, called for aid to be rendered to Armenia, is telling about himself.

Source description 2: Somebody’s hands are mashing bakery dough; a panorama to an Italian baker’s face.
Italian bakers are working.
A woman is carrying a basket with bread.
Vito Lotanzio, Minister of Italy in disasters management, is speaking about aid to Armenia in a building.
A panorama of remains of the Coliseum in Rime.
A black and white map of Armenia on the wall.
A panorama of channels and houses in Venice from a boat.
Buildings of Armenian abbacy of mechitarists on Saint Lazarus island.
Father Nerses, a leader of the abbacy, is walking along the gallery, speaking about earthquake in Armenia.
Armenia: Marat Arakelyan (9-10 years old), a wounded school boy, is in hospital lying on a bed, telling about the earthquake.
A small girl is looking.
Newsreel of 1988:
A traffic jam on a high way, ambulances are stopped.
A flow of cars on a road in the mountains.
People at ruins, taking up rubbles, pulling out people, carrying corpses; dust, smoke.

Source description 3: Newsreel of 1988:
People are taking up rubbles, pulling out corpses.
A panorama of a crashed bus.
A panorama of a man crying at ruins.
A corpse is being carried on litters.
A wounded person is lying, people are crying.
People are taking up rubbles at night, they are getting a warm at the fire.
A panorama of switched on projectors, burned torches.
A boy is looking.

A panorama of a baker carrying rolls into an oven.
Somebody’s hands are weighting bakery dough on weigh-scales.
A panorama of a woman preparing bakery dough, putting a griddle into an oven.
A panorama of Frau Bach, an employee of Hessian radio (Federal Republic of Germany), is speaking about aid to Armenia in premises of a radio studio.
Photos and pictures on a table.
A room of the radio studio, a panorama to a commentator.
A panorama of children in a class: sitting on the floor, drawing (Frankfurt am Main).
A panorama of school children of a German school: Shurudzaki (from Tokio), Nicka Pray (Germany), Fabian Linder (Germany), speaking about aid to people suffered as a result of the earthquake.
A panorama of a Croatian church in Munich.
A panorama of office in the church, a panorama from the organ to believers.
A praying woman’s face.
Father Stephan, a priest, is speaking about aid to Armenia in the street.
Newsreel of 1988:
A panorama of a demonstration in Armenia, supporting restructuring.
A panorama of a stand with persons killed in Sumgait in the street.

Source description 4: Crowds of people at a meeting in Yerevan.
People are carrying a banner with the following signature: “Stop mocking at all people”.
A panorama of a blower playing, people are standing with their fists up.
The meeting.
A panorama of stairs in a house, children on railings.
A door of a room, where members of “Karabakh” committee are sitting, is being opened, people are turning.
“The Lord’s Supper” picture on the wall.
Vazgen Manukyan, a member of “Karabakh” committee, is speaking about support of people suffered as a result of the earthquake on the balcony.
A panorama of “Karabakh” committee members at the table.
Levon Ter-Petrossian, a member of the committee, is speaking on the balcony.
Saak, a first grade pupil from Leninakan, is speaking about the earthquake, sitting in a wheelchair.
The bell ringer is ringing the bell.
A pass along ruins of Spitak.
A panorama of ruins.
Newsreel of 1988:
A passenger vehicle under ruins of houses.
People near destroyed houses.
A boy is driving cows.
A panorama of shattering in a country side.
Dogs at destroyed houses.
A panorama of a man crying near a destroyed house.
A panorama of people at ruins, a fire is burning.
A face of an old man in a helmet, a face of an old woman.
A woman, wrapped into a blanket, is sitting.
A girl is looking.
A destroyed school; children’s coats on a hanger, a panorama over desks.
A panorama over brief cases.
A panorama of books in ruins.
People are gathering books; they are taking up ruins; carrying pictures.
A panorama of ruins, a panorama to “The last day of Pompeii” reproduction.
A boy is looking.
A panorama of Georgia: a mountainous landscape.
Women are preparing bakery dough, baking a pita.
A ready pita.

Source description 5: Chabua Amiredjibi, the Georgian writer, is speaking.
A panorama of an ancient monastery.
Chabua Amiredjibi is walking along a street at a monastery wall, is standing with a Georgian priest.
A panorama of the monastery tower.
England: a panorama over bookshelves in a study.
Steven Berghoff, English producer and actor, is speaking sitting on a balcony, a woman is standing nearby.
A summer landscape with a river.
Andrey Terent’ev, an amateur speleologist from Moscow, who has helped injured people in Armenia, is walking through a forest, looking for mushrooms; legs in boots.
Terent’ev’s wife near a tree with a dog.
A.Terent’ev is making fire, playing with the dog in the forest.
A workshop of English painter – John Oiland; a panorama over paints.
John Oiland is speaking in the workshop; a panorama to Oiland’s picture.
The honor guard dressed in ancient clothes at the palace in London.
A panorama to a horseman in ancient clothes.
A panorama to the palace, a bus is passing by.
Churches of Pskovo-Pechorsky Monastery.
A stack of wood in a monastery yard.
Monks are sweeping the floor; baking bread.
Men and monk’s faces.
Somebody’s hands are cutting bread.
General views of the monastery.

Source description 6: A panorama of an iconostasis in Pskovo-Pechorsky monastery.
The Archbishop of Pskov and Pokrovsk – Vladimir is speaking about the earthquake in Armenia.
A panorama from the bell to a dome of the church.
Father Vladimir is passing by, bread and salt is given to him.
Believers in the temple.
Office in the monastery.
Candles are burning.
A chandelier.
The iconostasis, a zoom to “The Trinity” icon.
Foodstuffs – altarage of church members.
City of Jerusalem (Israel).
People at the Wailing Wall.
Abrahams Shapiro, the main rabbin of Israel, is speaking in a building.
A panorama to bookshelves in the study.
A panorama over old part of Jerusalem.
A panorama of a monk walking along a wall of an ancient Armenian temple.
Priests in the temple are turning leaves of an ancient book.
An interior of the Armenian temple.
A monk with a vestry book.
Office in the temple.
The Patriarch of Jerusalem, archbishop Egishe, is speaking in a building.
A panorama of interior of Archbishop’s private quarters.
A picture with Christ.
Armenia: a school girl aged 13-14 years, who has suffered as a result of the earthquake, is speaking in a hospital.
The bell ringer is ringing the bell.
Newsreel of 1988:
People near covered corpses; corpses on the ground.
Corpses; a dead woman’s hands.
Coffins in a passenger vehicle, in a lorry.
A panorama of people carrying coffins.
Shattering.
A woman is crying near a coffin.
An old woman is crying, a panorama to shaky hands.
Empty coffins outside.
Men are putting a corpse into a coffin.
Coffins outside.
A boy is crying.
A cemetery: people are crying, coffins are put into a grave.
A panorama of corpses wrapped into a cloth, in a grave.
A panorama of funerals.
A man is putting a tablet on a grave with a text in Armenian.
A boy is looking.

Source description 7: The Bundestag building in Bonn (Federal Republic of Germany).
A clock on an ancient tower.
Rita Süßmut, Chairman of Bundestag, is speaking about support of Armenia in a building.
A panorama of Syria: Damascus.
Muhammad Zukher Al Masharka, Vice President of Syria, is speaking about support of Armenia in his cabinet.
A panorama of Ter Zor desert.
Newsreel of 1915:
Turkish men are leading Armenians for shooting, people are kneeling.
Corpses are lying.
Cut off heads.
A photo: people on gallows; Armenian priests.

The Seine embankment in Paris (France).
Henri Verneuil (Ashot Malakyan), French film director, is speaking about Armenia at home.

Israel: Shimon Peres, Minister of Finance of Israel, is speaking about Armenia in his cabinet.
A panorama of Jerusalem and the desert in its suburbs.
Fortressed building with Israel flags.
A Building in Jerusalem.
A panorama of young people standing at walls of an ancient fortress.

Source description 8: A panorama of England, London: Downing Street.
A panorama of the square with Big Ben tower.
Margaret Tatcher, the UK Prime Minister, is speaking about support of Armenia.
Armenia: a crowd of people.
An aircraft is taxing out.
Cargoes are being taken out of the aircraft.
Humanitarian supplies for Armenia are being unloaded.
Foreign rescuers with a dog.
Containers and boxes with parcels for Armenia.
A panorama of working rescuers with a radio set; faces.
A wounded person is being carried on litters.
A panorama of a board of a foreign aircraft.
Things for Armenia are being uploaded.
A panorama of boxes with clothes with signature “For Armenia”.
A panorama of rescuers at a tent.
Rescuers’ dog on ruins.
Lorries at ruins.
“Sevastopol – to Armenia” signature on a lorry glass.
A foreign flag over a tent.
A foreign aircraft in the airport.
A panorama of foreign rescuers on an aerodrome, stepping down the ramp; on ruins; near a tent camp.
A panorama of a dog running over ruins.
A panorama of children (one of them is a suckling) suffered as a result of the earthquake in the hospital.
A doctor’s face.
A woman is crying.
Aid is being rendered to a wounded girl.
A gypsum bandage is being put.
A doctor is watering a boy in the hospital.
A child’s hands with a dropping tube.
A female doctor’s face.
A dropping tube.
A panorama of bales and boxes in the airport.
Mikhail Gorbachev and Nikolai Ryzkkov among residents of Armenia and rescuers.
Mikhail Gorbachev and Raisa Gorbachyova are speaking to injured persons, with a crying woman.
Nikolai Ryzhkov is walking through ruins.
An old Armenian woman is kissing Nikolai Ryzhkov.
Rescuers on ruins, with a chisel hammer, with a radio device.
A panorama of Mother Theresa and persons accompanying her walking past the Armenian temple.
Albert Likhanov, a writer, among Armenian children.
A panorama of a Negro woman holding an Armenian child in her hands.
A son and grandson of Ronald Reagan, the US President, are crying.
A wounded Armenian boy is looking.
Charles Aznavour, the French crooner, in Armenia on ruins of a city.
A panorama of people in a crowd.
A wounded person is being taken out and brought.
People are provided with blankets.
A panorama of men pouring water into buckets; a row of canisters.
A man is eating from a plate, standing in the street.
Women are sitting in the street.
A cook is giving foodstuffs to homeless people.
A panorama of a girl carrying a source pan.
A foreign ambulance.
Men of Central Asia are installing a nomads tent.
Foreigners are installing a ready-made house.
Clothes are being handed out from a vehicle.
A boy is carrying a luster.
A TV set in the street.
People outside near a tent and self-made oven.
A woman is dancing a child in a baby carriage in the street.
A panorama of women with children in the street.
People at a stand with photos of children who have disappeared after the earthquake; children’s photos; a panorama over the stand.
People are crying.
Italy: interior of a palace.
An old woman is looking; hands.
Armenian children, who live in Italy after the earthquake, are choiring, a man is conducting.

Source description 9: Armenia: priests are walking towards the temple.
A nun in spectacles is praying.
The Supreme Patriach and Catholicos of all Armenians, Vazgen I, is ministering.
A panorama of burning candles, children are looking.
People are putting candles.
Office in the temple.
People in the temple, women are praying.
An Armenian girl is looking.
A color:
A passing along ruins after the earthquake.
Flying over the destroyed city.
A woman on ruins of a house; women and men are crying, a girl, a panorama to a man and a boy.
Vazgen I is speaking.
A tree.
Israel, Jerusalem: a stone road, leading to the Holy Sepulchre, stone slabs.
Entrance to the Tomb of Lord.
Interior of the temple.
Flags of different countries.

Directors: Gevarkyants R.

Operators: Golovnya V.

Script writers: Matevosyan E.