A few words about not-celebrated actress

[toshishiro]

In 1941 alongside with evacuation of factories to the Urals another evacuation was held - not so tremendous, but nevertheless considerable: production facilities of Mosfilm (Moscow) and Lenfilm (Leningrad) studios (alongside with movies in production) moved to Tashkent and Alma-Ata. Here, in narrow stages of national minor cinema studios, the Soviet "dream factory" was established for the War period, and that has given really strong impulse for development of Uzbek and Kazakh cinema.

One of the first successful movies, filmed in Tashkent, was "Nasreddin in Buchara" by "much-feared" Yakov Protazanov. Sadly, it was the last movie of genius director. But his impulse was supported by Uzbek director Nabi Ganiyev, who assisted Protazanov in "Nasreddin". Nabi was a pioneer of Uzbek cinema, before the War he usually turned to themes of revolutionary struggle, civil war and other actual problems, which were in trend of 1930s. 1940s were time of return to national epics, legendary heroes of old times, so "Nasreddin" being based on novels by L.Solovyov about crafty hero of Uzbek tales - is also a kind of tribute to fashion of that time. Ganiyev cherished an idea of national epic screen adaptation for a long time. He thought about Uzbek "robin hood" Namaz-ugri, about batyr Alpomys. Those plans were not fulfilled, but in 1946 two epic movies by Ganiyev were screened: "Takhir and Zukhra" (such a Turkic foretype of Romeo and Juliet) and "The Adventures of Nasreddin" (continuing theme, started together with Protazanov).



What did "Takhir and Zukhra" tell Soviet spectator, tired of the War? It told about self devotion, nobility and overwhelming power of love, of course. Somewhere on background we see a cruel khan, oppressing neighboring peoples (but mostly own one), his elusive antagonist, getting an army of followers together for 18 years (?!) to make a last, determined strike at autocracy. All it looks more like permanent oriental flavour, than landmarks. Because only these young man and girl stay in heart, as they are so strikingly confident in each other, despising death and knowing no agonies of choosing.



But I had a special and absolutely different interest in this movie. I wanted to look in eyes of the actress, who played a small role of Khoresmian princess Makhim.

Ziba Ganiyeva - the girl with face of Nefertiti, as she was called by Valentina Galanina (ballet dancer, Ziba's coursemate in Tashkent Philharmonia) - has left choreography course in 1940 and gone to Moscow, where she has enrolled at State Institute of Theatrical Art, acting course. People said, that even Institute's artistic director Leonid Leonidov had payed attention to Ziba on one of the lessons and given generous praise, compaing with famous Mariya Yermolova. Ziba was swept away by tragic heroics, virile characters, she wanted to try herself in roles of Lady Macbeth or Lady Milford. But...

...The small role of Makhim, taking hardly 5 minutes of screen time, became the only role of Ziba Ganiyeva. Oh no, everything was alright with her after that. She has graduated from faculty of philology in Baku, married a diplomat, became a professor of oriental studies, and lived a long and, as I hope, happy life. And these scenes in movie by her namesake Nabi Ganiyev - is a unique possibility to look in eyes of real beauty and to try to distinguish just a hue of that another, thunderous life, that destiny has brought her through - from doors of State Institute of Theatrical Art in 1941 to Tashkent film studio in 1945.

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Is it possible to guess, that 4 years before these takes a fay with face of Nefertiti has marched one cold and not celebratory day of 7 November 1941 (Anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution) on Red Square in Moscow - among those, whoes life had only few days and hours to run? Can we imagine her as a radio operator, crossing front line within recon teams for 16 times? Or holding assault rifle and hugging trembling tank armor in counterstrikes near Leningrad? And since 1942 Ziba has realized a new talent. She became the best sniper of 130th rifle division on Soviet North-West front.




In three years before these takes this beauty has shot 20 German soldiers and officers (and the last one - point-blank with an assault rifle in combat for a town). That's only officially confirmed, her own after-war count was 129. There was also (as per jenre laws) a duel versus German sniper. There were wounds, and the last one was especially heavy - Ziba was bedridden for 11 months and, of course, couldn't return to front after that.

I peer into this guileless, confident smile, into shining young face of not-celebrated actress and think: how can one divine a real, burning heart among hundreds of people around us? Is total and cruel war really necessary for that?..