Behind the veil of gently swaying thin white curtains shines the full moon smiling in the night sky.
The curtains are blown out of frame bringing into clear view the moon and the delicate clouds that sail across her face.
Match Dissolve To:
With a gust of wind, fallen autumn leaves blow across the rippling moon, revealing that the CAMERA is, in fact, directly above the reflection of the moon in a puddle of water.
A shaggy black MONGREL DOG walks through the puddle.
It begins to rain.
The CAMERA TILTS UP with the mongrel as he sits at the base of a fence, sadly looking up as if he were begging for scraps at the dinner table.
The CAMERA continues to TILT UP, revealing the Director's House, a three story aristocratic mansion.
Cut to: The CAMERA TRACKS with the mongrel as he takes shelter from the rain in a policeman's booth that stands in front of the fence.
A POLICEMAN, visible only from the waist down, enters the frame carrying a club.
The policeman pushes the mongrel out of the booth with his club.
Music Cue: "Zverkov House Theme" — a melancholy melody played by a distant solo trumpet.
The mongrel walks away from the Director's house dejected.
The WRITER'S hand enters the frame and writes the film's title upon the screen as if it were a piece of paper.
Add title: "A Diary of a Madman" by Nikolai Gogol.
(The opening cast and crew credits are all presented in this style, with the writer's hand descending onto the screen and writing out the credit.)
Cut To:
The MONGREL approaches Gostiny Dvor, a shopping mall located on Nevsky Prospect, St. Petersburg's grand promenade.
Add cast and crew credits.
From behind the CAMERA, a copy of the "Northern Bee", St. Petersburg's daily newspaper, blows across the street towards Gostiny Dvor.
The paper is printed in Russian.
The CAMERA TRACKS with the newspaper towards Gostiny Dvor.
The newspaper sticks to an arch along the outside of Gostiny Dvor. The CAMERA TRACKS IN to a CLOSE-UP of the newspaper.
Add English subtitle: "Scientists Still Baffled By Talking Fish".
The mongrel crosses the screen in front of the subtitle.
Cut To:
The MONGREL walks by the Aleksandrinskiy Theater. In the foreground is an advertising column with posters printed in Russian for the theatrical production of "Filatka and Miroshka" and "Richard III".
Add cast and crew credits.
Cut To:
The MONGREL crosses over the bridge in front of St. Nicholas Cathedral.
Add cast and crew credits.
Cut To:
The MONGREL walks past a Tailor's Shop. In the window is a display of wedding dresses and men's formal clothing.
Add cast and crew credits.
Cut To:
Walking through a back alley, the MONGREL searches for food amidst the garbage that litters the ground.
Add cast and crew credits.
Cut To:
The MONGREL walks past Zverkov House, a five story red apartment building, and crosses over Kokushkin Bridge, walking towards the archway of an apartment building that stands in the SCREEN RIGHT background.
Add cast and crew credits.
Cut To:
The MONGREL enters through the archway of the apartment building, throwing his long shadow against the entrance walls.
Add cast and crew credits.
Cut To:
The MONGREL climbs the stairs to the landing outside an apartment door.
The CAMERA TILTS DOWN with the mongrel as he sits and waits by the foot of the door.
SOUND: Footsteps coming up the stairs.
The mongrel wags his tail.
Add cast and crew credits.
A MAN enters the frame visible only from the waist down.
The mongrel runs around the man, jockeying for position to get into the apartment.
The man takes his keys from his pocket and opens the door.
The man maneuvers his way into the apartment, thwarting the mongrel's attempts to enter.
The CAMERA PANS with the mongrel as he walks back down the stairs defeated.
Add cast and crew credits.
Cut To: