The Cloth Peddler (1945)
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The Cloth Peddler Movie Review
The Cloth Peddler is a 1945 Azerbaijani musical romantic comedy film directed by Rza Tahmasib and starring Rashid Behbudov. It’s clearly a dated and quaint, but undeniably charming flick.
Set in Baku at the start of the 20th century, this is the tale of a wealthy young merchant who has identified the woman he wants to marry, and disguises himself as a cloth peddler to get close to her. The girl’s father at first objects, but he later recognizes the marriage between the two. There are clear shades of ‘Aladdin’ in this picture, but it’s still its own thing as the characters themselves are unique.
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Having a look at the Azerbaijani culture and just how difficult it was for the two people in love to get married was revelatory and the movie making basically a joke out of this serious matter was the right choice as it led to a more digestible viewing experience. The plot is obviously predictable and the main conflict easily could have been resolved earlier, but still getting to that clichéd ending was a lot of fun.
Rashid Behbudov delivered an exceedingly likable turn in the role of Asgar. This character is so fantastic that the rest paled in comparison significantly. The girl is forgettable and the father is archetypal. Asgar is fun, charismatic and Behbudov is just endearing playing him. The actor and the character are by far the highlight of the picture.
The Cloth Peddler is one of the oldest Azerbaijani movies that still has the status of a classic and it’s easy to see why. The technical aspects are only passable with the black-and-white cinematography being somewhat archaic, but the score is lovely and the movie mostly flies by due to its lightweight nature.
This is an operetta first and foremost, so obviously it holds no appeal for most modern viewers who hate musicals and especially operas. However, I personally don’t mind both and to me the songs, while all similar to each other, were very charming in that old-fashioned, now long gone tradition of 30s and 40s movie musicals done in the style of operas.
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