简介：TheLegendofRostamandSohrab:AmilestoneinTajikCinemaHistoryinfluencedbyPersianMythologyphotocomposition BorninSamarkand(Uzbekistan)toaJewishfamily,Bension(Boris)ArievichKimyagarovwastomovetoTajikistan'scapitalDuchanbehwherehegrewupanduponadulthoodchosetobecomeateacher.HoweverhisloveofPoetryandparticularlytheworksofPersia'sLiteraryIconHakimAbul-QasimFirdawsiTusi,betterknownasFerdowsi,weretohaveagreatinfluenceonhimanddrivehimtowardsanentirelydifferentcareerchoiceasafilmmaker.HewasacceptedattheprestigiousAllRussianGerasimovInstituteofCinematography(VGIK)inMoscowwherehelearnedFilmmakingwithRussianfilmmaestroSergeiEisenstein.ThestronginfluenceofEisenstein(whowithD.W.GriffithisconsideredasoneofthetwofoundingfathersofCinemaasanArtformininteractionwithfilmeditingasavisualtoolofexpression)onBorisKimyagarov'sfutureepicproductionswouldbeanunderstatement.LikeEisenstein,Kimyagarovsharesafascinationforhistoricalthemesthatwouldincludealargecastofextrastorecreatebattlescenesofepicproportions.Likeinmostepicshoweverhistoryisjustapretexttocreateacanvasforamoreintimatestorythatreflectsthemoviedirector'sownthematicconcernsorvisualobsessions.WhatclearlydefinesKimyagarov'sfilmographyistheawakeningoftheTajik'snationalself-consciousnessandthe"Epicgenre"wascertainlywhatallowedhimbesttotranslatehiscinematicvisionandsensitivities.Thiswasnotaneasytaskforthreemajorreasonswhichwillbedevelopedinthisarticle.OnebeingstatecensorshipduringtheSovietEra,whichdiscouragedanyformofhistoricalinterpretationorglorificationofanethnical,political,socialorculturalidentitythatdifferedfromtheideologicallinesofthecommunistpartyorthatoftheRussiandominatedpolitburoestablishedinMoscow.TheotherbeingthatEpicfilmshavealwaysbeencostly,sounlessitcouldservetheSovietpropagandamachine,aswasthecaseformostofSergeiEisenstein'sfilmslikeTheBattleShipPotemkin,IvanTheTerribleorAlexanderNevski,itwasvirtuallyimpossibletofinanceafilmwithoutgovernmentsubsidiesnorwasitpossibletomobilizemilitaryunitsasextrasforsequenceslikeBattleScenesrequiringlargemassesofpeople.LastlybythetimeKimyagarovwastoshoothismasterpiece,TheTimlessLegendofRostamandSohrab(AlsoknownunderthetitleTheLegendofRostam),intheearly1970's,theepicgenrewasconsideredasanobsoleteformofcinemaentertainmentbothinEuropeandHollywood.AsWesternCinemadealtwithcontemporaryissues,sodidtheSovietFilmindustry,althoughwithmoredifficultyduetogovernmentcensorshipandcertainlywithlesscontroversythanintheWest. NotsurprisinglyBorisKimyagarov'smoviecareerwasnaturallyinfluencedbytheSword&SandalsgenreaswellastheRussianaswellasotherAsian,EuropeanandHollywoodepicfilms(whennotcensoredbytheSovietfilmcensorshipdepartment)thatnourishedhisyouth. LikemostyoungaspiringfilmmakersKimyagarovstartedhisfilminitiationbymakingdocumentariesattheGerasimovInstituteofCinematography(VGIK).OneofhisfirstmajordocumentarywasnotsurprisinglyabouthisnativelandTajikistanwhichhedirectedin1946.HisfirstbreakthroughintofeaturefilmswithDokhoundain1956.In1965hedirectshissubversiveATimeForPeaceakaHasan-ArbakeshwhichwillbecensoredbySovietAuthoritiesinlateryears.ItwhichisauniquelycreativeattempttotellaboutthetraditionalcultureofTajiks,beingdestroyedbythenewSovietpower.Itwasshotinduringtheperiodoftheso-calledThawarelativelyfreeperiodduringwhichSovietCensorshipwaspartiallyreversed.Themaintopicofthefilmistheclashoftwocultures,twoworlds.Thenarrationinthefilmisbuiltaccordingtotraditionalmythologicalandepicschemes.Atfirstglance,youmightthinkthatthefilmisgoingtotellatrivialstoryaboutanarbakeshnamedHasan,whohasacartandahorseanddreamsonlyofearningenoughtobeabletomarryhisbeloved.AsinatraditionalfairytaleHasanisyoungandhandsome,stronganddeterminedandverymuchinlove.Thefairy-taleplot,however,issetagainsttheveryrealhistoricalbackground,whichsoonstartstointerferebrutallywiththeromanticthrustofthestory.Unlikemostofthe"revolutionary"filmsthatwereshotintheSovietAsianrepublicsandfocusedonthebloodyfightsbetweenthe"reactionary"forcesoftraditionalsocietiesandthe"righteous"Soviet"liberators,""Hasan-Arbakesh"showstheprocessofpeacefulSocialization,thatnevertheless,ruthlesslyreroutesthefatesofthecharacters.Hasan'scartisreplacedbyatruck,personalworkbecomescollectivized,theveilisjettisonedandaliberatedwoman,likeHasan'sbelovedSaodat,joinstheKomsomolandissenttoteachinaremotetown.Bytheendofthefilm,theever-joyous,singinganddancingHasanisonlyashadowofhisformerself,lostinatotallynewstrangeworld,fullof"kolkhozpeasants","proletarians",pioneerswithbuglesanddrums,andendlesscolumnsofcars,"busybuildingStalin'scommunism." UnlikeothermoviesofKimyagarov,thisone,becauseofthecommunistcensorship,wasleftunknowntothewideaudienceoutsideTajikistanuntilthecollapseoftheSovietUnioninthelate1980's. TheTimelessLegendofRostamandSohrabalsoknownasTheLegendofRostam(1971)Ofmajorinterestinthisarticle.TheTajikTitleisRustamiSukhrabwithascriptbyGrigoriKoldunov,photographedbycinematographerDovlatianKhudonazarovandamusicscorebyArif(Aref)Melikov.TheCastwasessentiallyTajikbutalsoincludedRussianandGeorgianactorsincludingSvetlanaNorbayeva,SairamIssayeva,BimbulatVatayev,OtarKoberidze,MahmudBakhidov.Whatpersonallyfascinatedmeaboutthismoviewhichisnowavailableonline(seebelowunderAuthorsNotes)inPersian/TajikaswellasRussian(seeBelow:AuthorsNotes)wasthestrikingresemblanceofthesets,costumesaswellassomeactionscenestoGermanHollywooddirectorWolfgangPetersen(DASBOOT)2003blockbusterTROYstarringBradPittinhisfirstepicroleasAchilles,PeterO'Toole(KingPriam),OrlandoBloom(Paris),EricBana(Hector),DianeKruger(Helen)andSaffronBurrows(Andromache)tonameafew.ThestoryofHelenofTroyandtheTrojanWarbeingsituatedinAnatoliapresentdayTurkeymayexplainsomeoftheseunexpectedyetstrikingsimilaritiesbetweentwofilmsproducedlessthan40yearsapart.ThesimilaritiesstopherehoweverforthetwostoriesareverydifferentevenifthethemesofLifevs.death(mortalityvsimmortality),fathervs.son,brothersinarmsorsacrificearecommondenominatorsbetweentheHomerictaleofTroyandtheEpicShahnamehofFerdowsi.EntirelyshotinCinemascopeandinTechnicolorthefilmisatranspositionofthelegendarypoemandthedialoguemaintainsthelyricismofthePersianPoet'sverse.IthasalltheingredientsthatmadethesuccessofthecontemporaryEpicandSwordandSandalsfilmsoftheItalianEraevenifattimesthedialoguemayseemslow(itishowevereasytounderstandwithaminimumofknowledgeofPersian)andthestuntsattimesobsoletetotoday'sstandardstheyareneverthelessexcitingandgrippingtowatchparticularlythebattlescenesbetweenGurdAAfaredthefemalewarriorandSohrab,whohasjustbecomecommanderoftheTuranianArmy.ThefinalhorsestuntsduringwhichGurdAAfaredridesawayfromherpursuingenemiesisalsobreathtaking.Thestorycanbesummarizedassuch:AssmokeonthehilltopssignalsthearrivalofforeigninvadersonthePersianSteppesofIran,welearnthattheyounganddashingSohrab,hasbeennamedasheadoftheArmyoftheShahofTuran(Iran'smostdangerousfoe)heisaskedtodefeatRostamthegreatestwarriorofIran.AsSohrabbidshismotherprincessTahminehgoodbyeheignoresthathisrealfatherisRostambecauseofhismotherpledgenevertoreleaseherhusbandsrealidentity.AsthetragedyisabouttounfoldSohrabwillbechallengedbydifferentwarriorsamongstwhichthebeautifulbutcunningGurdAAfared.TheepicbattlesonthePersianSteppeswillleadtotheTimelessLegendofRostamandSohrab'sfatalencounter.…