Biyograficim
Babek

Babek (Babək)

Movie · 1979 · 10 people

Made in the Soviet Union in 1979, Babek (in Azerbaijani, Babək) is a historical film. Eldar Kuliev directed it, and it came out of a collaboration between the Azerbaijanfilm and Mosfilm studios. It cost more than any other film made in the Azerbaijan SSR, runs about 128 minutes and uses both Azerbaijani and Russian. It is regarded as a landmark of Azerbaijani cinema, and its cultural mark is still felt in the country.

The film centers on the revolutionary leader Babak Khorramdin, who rose against the Abbasid Caliphate. The Khurramite movement he headed was active across Iran and Azerbaijan for over twenty years and sought to end oppressive foreign rule. Rasim Balayev plays Babak, and Hasanagha Turabov plays the Abbasid commander Afshin. The cast also includes Amaliya Panahova, Tamara Yandiyeva, Shahmar Alakbarov, Mammad Verdiyev, Hamid Azayev and Anvar Hasanov. The movement is in the end crushed by military force, a suppression associated with Afshin.

The screenplay is by the novelist Anvar Mammadkhanli. In German-speaking countries the film is known as Kühner Recke Babek. It is also reported that, for Babak's own lines, the filmmakers borrowed from Northern Talysh rather than Azerbaijani Turkic.

DirectorEldar Kuliev
Production companyAzerbaycanfilm

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Cast

Only cast members with a profile on this site are listed.

Rasim Balayev Rasim Balayev Actor · died at 77 Hasanağa Turabov Hasanağa Turabov Actor · died at 64 Amelya Penahova Tamara Yandiyeva Shahmar Alakbarov Məmməd Verdiyev Hamid Azayev Ənvər Həsənov Samandar Rzayev Ramiz Melikov

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Through different eyes

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

In telling the story of Babak Khorramdin, who rose against the Abbasid Caliphate, the film also reflects how Soviet-era Azerbaijan looked at its own history. The theme of more than twenty years of resistance to oppressive foreign rule can be read with added meaning in the context of when the film was made. Being the most expensive film ever made in the Azerbaijan SSR, and still being regarded as a landmark today, shows the place it holds in national memory. The report that Babak's own lines drew on Northern Talysh rather than Azerbaijani Turkic is striking too, bringing to mind the region's linguistic diversity and the question of who historical figures belong to.

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

A rebellion against the Caliphate lasting more than twenty years, and a movement finally crushed by military force: strong material for a historical war film. The clash between Babak and the Abbasid commander Afshin forms the backbone of the tension. Still, this is a Soviet historical epic, and the pace may feel heavy to viewers used to today's fast cutting. A big-scale production that asks for patience.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Born of a partnership between Azerbaijanfilm and Mosfilm, the film carries the scale and ambition of the Soviet historical epics of its day. The record budget gives director Eldar Kuliev room to build a large-scale narrative. Having the novelist Anvar Mammadkhanli write the screenplay holds the promise of literary weight. On the other hand, the familiar problem of such national epics can surface here as well: the hero tends to become a symbol rather than a person, and the historical figure risks losing his complexity. Its historical importance as a landmark of Azerbaijani cinema is beyond question; its cinematic worth depends on how far it moves beyond the heroic mould.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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