Beautifully shot in black and white, and scripted by Tarkovsky's collaborator Andrei Konchalovsky, this powerful melodrama tells the story of a young boy who undertakes the perilous journey to Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent, to earn some money for his hungry family. Filming in the periphery of the Soviet Union, in a time of relative political relaxation, director Shukhrat Abbasov actually dared to depict the poverty and famine that resulted from the Bolshevik Revolution.
Cast
Vladimir Vorobey
Mizha
Vova Kudenko
Seryozha
Bakhtiyar Nabiyev
Rakhim
Natalya Arinbasarova
Saule
Nikolai Timofeyev
Dunajev
Valentina Talyzina
Dodonova, Misha's Mother
Aleksandr Susnin
Stepan Dranov
Raisa Kurkina
Nurse
Viktor Kolpakov
Crippled Soldier
Yevgeny Gurov
Old Man
Vakhob Abdullayev
Policeman
Gani Agzamov
Unknown
Yura Buchiyev
Misha's Brother
Stanislav Chekan
Trader
Aleksandra Denisova
Granny
Nurkhon Ishmukhamedov
Worker
Lyubov Kalyuzhnaya
Trader
Dzhavlon Khamrayev
Worker
Ivan Kosykh
Orderly
Viktor Kosykh
Crook
Khikmat Latypov
Bey
Vladimir Lippart
Semyon
Anatoliy Nikitin
Red Army Soldier
Misha Paramono
Misha's Brother
Valentin Pechnikov
Train Conductor
Zoya Rupasova
Young Woman
M. Shayusupov
Unknown
Vasiliy Shchelokov
Trader
Georgi Svetlani
Trader
Vyacheslav Tsaryov
Crook
Mikhail Vorobyov
Head of Mail Car
Nikolai Yudin
Crazy Old Man
Crew
Shukhrat Abbasov
Director
K. Geldyeva
Script Editor
Andrei Konchalovsky
Screenplay
Aleksandr Neverov
Novel
M. Makarova
Editor
Khatam Faiziyev
Director of Photography
Eson Karimov
First Assistant Director
K. Starostin
First Assistant Director
Yu. Ganiev
Producer
Emonuel Kalantarov
Production Design
Nikolai Khmara
Camera Operator
U. Abdullayev
Assistant Camera
M. Karimov
Assistant Camera
G. Zairov
Makeup & Hair
D. Akhmedov
Sound Director
V. Potekhin
VFX Director of Photography
Albert Malakhov
Original Music Composer
R. Shermatov
Assistant Director Trainee
Valentina Zhirnova
Assistant Director Trainee
A. Ternyan
Assistant Director Trainee