Cinema
Bakhtiar
Bəxtiyar
Latif Safarov · 1955
Synopsis
As a child, Bəxtiyar sings on a wall to distract Professor Rəcəbov while his classmates pick the apples in his garden; struck by his voice, the professor advises him to study music. The boy prefers to follow his father, who died at the front, and becomes a master driller in the oil fields, while his friend Saşa leaves to study in Moscow with Yusif. Years later, Ağabala, a businessman who runs a club and seeks only profit, sets about organising concerts for him.
Context
This was its author's first fiction feature film, whose title of fiction director had not yet been recognised. The screenplay is by Boris Laskin and Nikolai Rozhkov, the cinematography by Arif Narimanbeyov, the music by Tofig Guliyev, three of whose songs, Zibeydə, Qızıl üzük and Bakı, entered the common memory. The leading role went to the singer Rəşid Behbudov, and the film was shot in two languages, all the songs being recorded twice. It was released on 11 December 1955; it is also known under the title Sevimli mahnı.
Who it is for
A little over an hour and a half, in black and white, in the Azerbaijani or Russian version; the songs matter more than the plot.
Prizes and reception
The first film broadcast by Azerbaijani television, in 1956, it is regarded as the best example of the musical film in the country.