简介：DuringWWII,thebaseofSovietmoviemakingoperationsshiftedtotheeastandthereweremanyfilmsshotinUzbekistan,includingthisgloriousperiodpiecebasedontheUzbekRomeoandJuliet.TakhirandZukhraarechildhoodsweetheartsbroughtuptogetherattheroyalcourt,onlytobetornapartasteenagerswhenTakhirisbanishedfromthekingdom.Shotinshimmeringblack-and-whitebythegreatcinematographerDaniilDemutsky(Dovzhenko'sArsenalandEarth)witheye-fillingsetsandcostumes,TakhirandZukhraisafeastfortheeyesandearsthatincludesBollywood-stylemusicalinterludes. ThecontradictionsofthisperiodareprobablybestexemplifiedbyUzbekipioneerNabiGaniyev'sTakhirIZukhra(45),afascinatingamalgamofhighproductionvalues,lessthanbrilliantdirection,andastrangelyobsessive,RomeoandJuliet-ishnarrativesetagainstthebackdropoftheMongolianinvasionofthe13thcentury.WhilethefilmobviouslyworksasaparableaboutGermany'sinvasionoftheSovietMotherland,ittakesgreatpainstoachieveasenseofculturalautonomywhichconflictswithbothGaniyev'ssenseofloyaltytothePartyanditsdoctrinesontheonehand,andhisapparentfeelingofculturalinferiorityontheother.…