
The First Teacher
Dyuishen is assigned to the mountainous Kirghiz region of Central Asia by the Young Communist League after he is discharged from the Red Army. It is 1923 and the Civil war has ended. The former soldier becomes a teacher, bringing the Leninist doctrine to the remote Moslem area where elders did not allow children to go to school. He falls in love with one of his students, but the young woman is sold by her father to a wealthy chieftain. When the school is burned down, the majestic poplar trees that are a source of local pride are cut down to rebuild the new structure.
Top Billed Cast

Bolot Beyshenaliev
Dyuyshen, the school teacher

Natalya Arinbasarova
Altynai

Idris Nogajbayev
Narmagambet (as Idris Nogoybayev)
Darkul Kuyukova
Koltynay
Kirey Zharkimbayev
Kartynbay (as K. Zharkimbayev)
Featured Crew

Andrei Konchalovsky
Director

Chinghiz Aitmatov
Screenplay

Andrei Konchalovsky
Screenplay

Boris Dobrodeev
Screenplay
Yeva Ladyzhenskaya
Editor

Georgi Rerberg
Director of Photography
Mikhail Romadin
Production Design
Mikhail Romadin
Costume Design
Yevgeni Kashkevich
Sound

Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov
Music
Maxim Volovik
Production Manager

Andrei Tarkovsky
Writers' Assistant