简介：Inthe1960s,MansurovprovidedamodelofCentralAsiancinematographythatwasquicklyandeffectivelyrepeatedbyhiscontemporariestoestablishacanonofCentralAsiancinema,whichwouldbecomeknownasthe"goldenage’"oftheregion’scinematichistory.Localidentity,locallandscape,localactorsandlocalthemesconfrontedtheSoviettraditionofuniversalismandmodernitydirectedfromthe"commandingheights"ofMoscow.MansurovrenderedaCentralAsianviewofhumanitythattranscendedsocialistparadigmsandcreatedanimportantprecedentinCentralAsiancultureasitdriftedfromMoscow’scontrol. ... AccordingtoKhodjakuliNarliev,Mansurov’ssuccesslayinhisabilitytocombinephilosophywiththevisualrichnessofrealism: "1963,theyearoftheproductionofthefilmTheContest,isatthesametimetheyearofrenaissanceforTurkmencinema.ThisfilmwasourmessagetotherestoftheSovietUnionastotherestoftheworld." ButthetransformationwasnotlimitedtoTurkmenistan:"TheContestrepresentedsomethingtotallynewforthecinemainCentralAsiaasawhole,"Narlievcontinued.Afteritsinitialscreening,ChingizAitmatovwroteaboutMansurov’sfilm: "IdonotknowofasimilarworkinthecinemaofCentralAsia.Thisoneisonthelevelofthemasterpiecesofworldart.Aftersuchafilm,manywillhavetorevisetheirartisticpositionswiththecinema,andwiththissuccess,onecannotworkasbefore;thecriteriahavemovedtoahigherlevel." Morerecently,DavlatKhudonazarovstated:"BulatMansurov’sTheContestplayedforusthesamepartasthatofRome,OpenCityofRosselliniforEuropeancinema."…