A "Soyuzmultfilm" production 1955
FOUR COINS
screenwriters Mihail Kalinin, Yakov Ziskind
director Grigoriy Lomidze art director O. Novozonov camera Iosif Golomb
composer Aleksandr Doluhanyan sound Georgiy Martynyuk
assistant directors A. Vasilyeva V. Shevelyova, V. Yegorova
puppets and decor made under the direction of chief artist Roman Gurov
puppeteers V. Kusov, V. Zakrevskiy, N. Merkulova, V. Sosnovskaya,
N. Gzhelskiy, N. Chikul, A. Zorin, F. Kuleshova, L. Leping
Orchestra of the Main Directorate for Film Production conducted by Grigoriy Gamburg
production director V. Burlakov
Dear children!
A long time ago, or more recently (who can say?)
there lived an old man named Ahmed.
That's me.
And I had a little grandson.
He was also named Ahmed.
That's me.
We owned a donkey named...
A true ass. Doesn't even know his own name.
Ai-ai-ai-ai-ai!
We also had a dog.
Yeah, his name was Woof-woof.
We lived harmoniously, but were very poor.
In the country where our formidable
and very wise lord ruled,
the poor numbered too many.
But even a poor man sometimes needed to go to the bazaar.
So one day we all went to the city.
Don't push me, dear. I have more to tell.
When we set off for the bazaar,
we only had four coins.
Here they are. We wanted to buy an armful of hay for the donkey,
a piece of meat for Woof-Woof,
and to use the remaining coins for rice for me and my grandson
and some kishmish raisins for pilaf.
But suddenly... - Halt, old man!
Where are you going?
To the bazaar, your grace.
Will you go across the bridge?
Yes.
Then pay!
For what?
For passage over the bridge.
Then, your grace, I will wade across.
It's so shallow here, even a hen could cross.
No longer!
Didn't you know that our formidable lord
has forbidden crossing the river ford?
For people, donkeys and dogs.
Got it?
- Got it... - Then pay!
Well, then...
take it.
I gave a coin to the guard
and said to my grandson:
You see, how well our wise Lord looks out for our health?
Now we no longer need to concern ourselves
with kishmish raisins for our pilaf.
Hey, hey! What are you doing, stupid animal?!
Old man, is that your donkey?
- I suppose so. - Then pay a coin.
- For what? - For what?
For the destruction of my garden by the teeth of your donkey.
- A whole coin for a leaf?! - Have you no fear of Allah?
If you don't pay, I'll call the guards. Come on!
Alright then, take it!
I was sorry to give away my second coin, but what could I do?
If he'd called the guards, one coin would not have been enough to pay them off.
Oh, donkey. What an ass you are!
Because of one leaf you lost a whole armful of hay.
Understand, donkey: for the poor,
This travel law's been laid:
For every leaf, for every step,
The rich man must be paid.
At the city gates
we lost a third coin.
And what could be bought for the one remaining coin?
Nothing.
We entered the city during the hour of prayer.
All the faithful were asking for divine mercy.
My grandson and I also knelt and...
...bitterly thought about our lunch
that had been taken from us with the three coins.
But Woof-woof did not think.
He found some pilaf, from which came such a wonderful smell
that even those who'd had lunch twice could not pass by indifferently.
Granddad, look: God sends us pilaf.
Indeed, it is pilaf.
At his age, I also believed in miracles.
You're foolish, Ahmed.
Miracles do not exist.
I see, my dear grandson, that you are very hungry.
And truly: why should we waste such tasty pilaf
that was found for you by Woof-woof?
Hey, where's my pilaf?
Oh, you naive person:
dogs do not respond to such questions.
Woof-woof made the master very angry.
- Granddad... do we run? - We run.
The prayer ended,
and the faithful went back again to their own matters.
But me and my grandson went looking for a place in the shade
to eat more hot pilaf.
Hey, you two! What do you want here?
- Salam alaikum. - Salam alaikum.
It is too far to walk to our palace...
- ...so we want to have lunch here. - To have lunch here.
- Then pay some money! - Money?
- For what? - For what?
For using the shade of my tent.
- Does shade cost money? - Right...
Everything in the world costs money.
And only one who has no money is worth nothing.
- So you want me to pay you for the shade? - Yes.
Pay up. - Oh, no! The goods should fit the price.
You're selling the shadow of your tent,
so receive the shadow of my coins.
After failing to come to terms with the owner of the tent,
we decided to take refuge in the shadow of a tall cart.
But the disadvantage of a cart is that it has...
wheels.
Granddad, we could get trampled here!
You're right, Ahmed. Let us find shade elsewhere.
Let's go. - Let's go.
Granddad! Granddad! Let's sit down here.
No, Ahmed. This shade is not for us.
Oh, noble ass!
Pearl of our happiness.
His shadow is better than others.
It is not so easy to make a donkey move from his spot.
Not far away from us,
a watermelon seller was finishing his breakfast.
Something about us did not please him.
Oh, faithful believers, what ingratitude!
I gifted these beggars
a fine lamb's bone!
But they, oh, those ungrateful souls...
it seems one bone is not enough for them.
Perhaps they want the whole ram?
Merchants, let's feed them!
It is easy to aggrieve a poor man.
So I decided to teach them a lesson.
Let them remember old Ahmed, who also knows how to joke.
O just heaven!
See how they treat us to bones,
watermelon crusts, and such generous support
that the devil himself would cry with envy!
What? I'm sorry, what?
Ah... I shouldn't pay attention to them.
Eat the pilaf, which you send us?
Right! I see!
I see. But where is it?
What? Already in my bag! I'll check.
People, you all know that I am poor.
So what could a poor man have in his bag?
Need and grief. The same as us.
But today there will be a miracle.
Look!
- A miracle! Pilaf! - And what do you think?
Many believed that this pilaf
was sent to us by the heavens.
Why do you call this "miracle pilaf"?
Pilaf does not fall from the sky.
This pilaf is of ordinary rice.
Take it, just taste! Try it!
But who is this? Look, people!
This rich person is drawn to someone else's pilaf, like a donkey to his hay.
Would you like me to turn him into a real donkey?
Would you? He will grow donkey ears,
and a tail, too.
Come on, give me a bridle.
I want to ride him!
Stop! I'll give you 10 coins. Only spare me!
10? No, for such a fat donkey I can get more.
- 20! - You do not value yourself very much.
I'll give you 100 coins!
Sure, I doubt you're worth more than that, anyway.
Well, then - you may stay human a while longer.
I knew the greed of the rich
and I decided to pay them back.
This one for the hard kick.
And this one, who, for protection
against the hot sun, wanted to sell us shade
that was as black as his conscience.
And I will pay these ones back for the watermelon!
I do not need other people's money.
Take it!
But the 3 coins
that unjustly were taken away from me
I will keep for myself.
Divide the money between yourselves, as best as you can!
Oh dear, oh dear! Then all hell broke loose!
These wealthy, respectable people
began to fight over every coin
just like dogs over a bone.
Thank you, fair Ahmed Ata!
The poor people thanked us.
They were glad
that we had taught the greedy rich men a lesson.
Returning home, we did not feel disappointed.
Although the greedy rich had aggrieved us,
we had gotten our coins back,
and used them to buy a piece of meat for Woof-woof,
an armful of hay for the donkey,
and for ourselves, some rice and sweet kishmish raisins
for our pilaf.
The End Subs by Lemicnor & Eus (2017.02) revised by Niffiwan (2026.03)