A Soviet-era murder mystery where the real crime is the 73-minute runtime.
The corpse of old Bobo Nazir was found in a mountain village after a fire. Major Kasymov in the basement of a burned-out house discovers a chest with jewelry that belonged to the Basmach Rakhimbek. The absence of a priceless battle belt points to the cause of the crime. The detectives go to the jewelry dealers to capture the criminals.
Production
Mountain village locations feel authentically remote and tense.
Costume
Military uniforms and Basmach-era artifacts create visual intrigue.
Director
Mukadas Makhmudov
Baba Annanov
Muminov - polkovnik militsii
Vladimir Tikhonov
Said Kasymov - major militsii
Valeri Ryzhakov
Setgey Novikov
Vladimir Nikitin
Pyotr Muminov
Bimbulat Vatayev
Orator
Vladimir Plotnikov
Nikifor
Rustam Urazaev
Akbar
Svetlana Orlova
Irina
Zoya Tolbuzina
Muminova
Anatoli Latfi
Erbabaev
Aleksandr Khodzhaev
Khaydarov
Dzhahon Saidmuradov
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Directors Makhmudov and Plotnikov were rare co-directing pair in Soviet cinema, splitting duties between Uzbek and Russian units.
The Basmachi movement referenced was a real anti-Soviet resistance, making this film's 1982 treatment surprisingly direct for state-funded cinema.
SU
