''The First Teacher'' () is a 1965

Ostern The Ostern ("Eastern"; ; or ) is a film genre created in the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc as a variation of the Western films. The word ''Ostern'' is a portmanteau derived from the German word ''Ost'', meaning "East", and the English word ''wes ...

film directed by

Andrei Konchalovsky Andrei Sergeyevich Konchalovsky (; né Mikhalkov; born 20 August 1937) is a Russian film and theatre director, screenwriter, and producer. His filmmaking career spans over 60 years in Cinema of the Soviet Union, Soviet, Cinema of the United St ...

. It is his first full-length work, based on the book by

Chinghiz Aitmatov Chinghiz Torekulovich Aitmatov (12 December 1928 – 10 June 2008) was a Kyrgyz author who wrote mainly in Russian, but also in Kyrgyz. He is one of the best known figures in Kyrgyzstan's literature. Life He was born to a Kyrgyz father and Ta ...

Synopsis

The action takes place in the years following the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

and

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

in the

Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic The Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic (Kirghiz SSR), also known as the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic (Kyrgyz SSR), KySSR or Kirgiz Soviet Socialist Republic (Kirgiz SSR), was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1 ...

, which is now

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

. Young

Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, usually known as Komsomol, was a political youth organization in the Soviet Union. It is sometimes described as the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), although it w ...

member and a former

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

soldier, Dyuyshen, travels to a remote village where he takes up his post as the new teacher for the children of the village. His enthusiasm immediately faces opposition from the village’s parents who look unfavorably on the idea, and difficulty with engaging the children in their learning, admonishing a young student for asking if

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

will one day die. Dyuyshen meets Altynai, an illiterate girl who is keen to study, but whose aunt is reluctant to allow her. After her uncle gives his blessing, Altynai starts attending school and forms a close friendship with Dyuyshen. Altynai is later wedded to a powerful and wealthy

chieftain A tribal chief, chieftain, or headman is a leader of a tribe, tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies There is no definition for "tribe". The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of weste ...

against her will. Dyuyshen is beaten by her new husband and Altynai is kidnapped and taken away from the village. With the help of Soviet authorities, Dyuyshen locates Altynai and brings her back to the village, where both are hounded by the locals for bringing dishonor to the community. An elder villager called Kartybay admonishes Dyuyshen for his lack of sensitivity to, and education of, local customs. For her safety, Dyuyshen arranges for Altynai to be taken to

Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

to be schooled. Returning to the village once more, Dyuyshen finds the school has burned down. The villagers force him to leave, but before doing so, he begins felling an ancient poplar tree and vows to build a new school.

Cast

Bolot Beyshenaliyev Bolot Beishenaliev (; June 25, 1937 — November 18, 2002) was a Soviet cinematographer, film and theater actor. People's Artist of Kyrgyzstan. Father of actor Aziz Beyshenaliyev. Beyshenaliyev studied at the studio of the Kyrgyz State Theater ...

as The school teacher Dyuyshen * Natalya Arinbasarova as Altynay * Idris Nogajbayev as Narmagambet * Darkul Kuyukova as Koltynay * Kirey Zharkimbayev as Kartynbay * Baken Kydykeeva as Chernukha * Sovetbek Dzhumadylov as Kaimbay

Prizes and awards

* Silver medal and

Volpi Cup for Best Actress The Volpi Cup for Best Actress is an award presented by the Venice Film Festival. It is given by the festival jury in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance from the films in the competition slate. It is named in honor o ...

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

(1966) - Natalia Arinbasarova *

Jussi Award The Jussi Awards are Finland's premier film industry prizes, awarded annually to recognize the achievements of directors, actors, and writers. History The first Jussi Awards ceremony was held on 16 November 1944 at the Restaurant Adlon in Hel ...

for Best Foreign Director,

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, 1973

References

External links

* * 1965 films Mosfilm films Soviet black-and-white films Films directed by Andrei Konchalovsky Soviet drama films Russian-language drama films 1965 directorial debut films 1965 drama films 1960s Soviet films 1960s Russian-language films Films scored by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov {{1960s-USSR-film-stub