In the Name of God

Synopsis

Religiously themed early Soviet propaganda film in Azerbaijan against Islam. Unlike earlier propaganda films in the region, this was actually made by an (nearly) all Azeri cast and crew and directed by an Azeri filmmaker that would go on to be famous amongst his own people, despite his early collusion with the new ruling government. At the center of the film is a greed Molla (holy man in Azeri Islam) who has been cheating one of the local peasants for years out of all types of goods and services, and then delighting over his success in an very un-religious, specifically un-Islamic, way. Once the Revolution takes place and the Bolsheviks arrive, the peasant is empowered and realizes the deception on the part of the Molla and takes him to the newly set up "People's Court," where is finds justice and the Molla is punished.

Cast

Mirzaagha Aliyev

Molla Mirza Abdurrahim

Mustafa Mardanov

Muzdur Gulu

—

Ibrahim Azeri

Jafar

—

Mirseyfaddin Kirmanshahli

Bey

Kazim Ziya

Molla Rovzakhan

Mohsun Sanani

gochu

—

Tatiana Vishnevskaia

Crew

Art

• Konstantin Yevseyev Production Design

Camera

• Arkadi Yalovoy Director of Photography

Directing

• Abbas Mirza Sharifzadeh Director

Writing

• Pavel Blyakhin Screenplay