''The Darvish Detonates Paris'' is a 1976 Azerbaijani

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Shamil Mahmudbeyov and Kamil Rustambeyov. It stars

Adil Isgandarov Adil Rza bey oglu Isgandarov ( az, Adil İsgəndərov; 5 May 1910 – 18 September 1978) was a Soviet and Azerbaijani director, stage and film actor and pedagogue. He was awarded the People's Artists of the Azerbaijan SSR (1959). Biography Isgan ...

as Hatamkhan agha,

Sergei Yursky Sergei Yurievich Yursky (russian: Серге́й Ю́рьевич Ю́рский, 16 March 1935 – 8 February 2019) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor, theatre director and screenwriter. His best known film role is Ostap Bender in '' T ...

as Monsieur Jordan, and

Mirza Babayev Mirza Abduljabbar oglu Babayev ( az, Mirzə Əbdülcabbar oğlu Babayev; 16 July 1913 – 14 January 2003) was an Azerbaijani movie actor and singer. He was awarded the title Honored Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR (1956), and People's Artist of Azerb ...

as Darvish Mastali Shah. The film was based on the

satirical comedy Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...

''A Story about the Botanist-doctor Monsieur Jordan and the Famous Sorcerer Dervish Mastali Shah'', inspired from true events, by Azerbaijani playwright and poet

Mirza Fatali Akhundov Mirza Fatali Akhundov ( az, Mirzə Fətəli Axundov; fa, میرزا فتحعلی آخوندزاده), also known as Mirza Fatali Akhundzade, or Mirza Fath-Ali Akhundzadeh (12 July 1812 – 9 March 1878), was a celebrated Azerbaijani author, pla ...

. The film criticizes the ignorance and backwardness in 19th century Azerbaijan. The character Monsieur Jordan is based on the accomplished French botanist

Alexis Jordan Alexis Jordan (born April 7, 1992) is an American singer and actress from Columbia, South Carolina. Jordan rose to fame as a contestant on the first season of ''America's Got Talent'' in 2006 at the age of 14. After being eliminated from the sho ...

. ''The Darvish Detonates Paris'' is often viewed as one of the most memorable films of Azerbaijani cinema. It holds an important place in the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan.

Plot

The events take place in the mid-19th century

Karabakh Karabakh ( az, Qarabağ ; hy, Ղարաբաղ, Ġarabaġ ) is a geographic region in present-day southwestern Azerbaijan and eastern Armenia, extending from the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus down to the lowlands between the rivers Kura (Caspia ...

. Famous French

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

Monsieur Jordan visits Karabakh to investigate a number of plant species. After his arrival, he is suggested to visit and stay at the mansion of the wealthy landlord Hatamkhan agha. Although the nephew of Hatamkhan, Shahbaz, was planned to marry the daughter of Hatamkhan, Sharafnisa, after multiple conversations with the family and locals, Monsieur Jordan wants to take Shahbaz with him to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

for a few years and educate him there. Seeing this, Sharafnisa and her mother Shahrabanu hire a sorcerer called Darvish Mastali shah. Darvhish puts on a show for the women, creating with wood a simple miniature town which he claims to be Paris and burning it down, while his assistant Gulamali delivers Jordan a fake letter from the authorities saying that Paris has burned down. Afterwards, Monsieur Jordan heads back to Paris but does not take Shahbaz with him because of the urgency of his return.

Cast

as Monsieur Jordan *

as Hatamkhan agha *

as Darvish Mastali shah *

Leyla Badirbeyli Leyla Aghalar gizi Badirbeyli and Leyla Badirbeyova – (after marriage – Javanshirova; az, Leyla Ağalar qızı Bədirbəyli (Cavanşirova)); (1920–1999), Soviet and Azerbaijani actress of theatre and cinema, People's Artist of the Azerbai ...

as Shahrabanu * Anvar Hasanov as Shahbaz * Momunat Gurbanova as Sharafnisa *

Hasanagha Turabov Hasanagha Turabov ( az, Həsənağa Turabov, russian: Гасанага Турабов; 24 March 1938, Baku – 23 February 2003, Baku) was an Azerbaijani and Soviet actor, who starred in leading roles in numerous Azerbaijani films, including '' ...

as Rashid * Fazil Salayev as Gulamali * Kamil Maharramov as Gambar * Safura Ibrahimova as Sanam

References

External links

The Darvish Detonates Paris
on Youtube
A Story about the Botanist-doctor Monsieur Jordan and the Famous Sorcerer Dervish Mastali Shah
in Azerbaijani at Wikisource {{DEFAULTSORT:Darvish Detonates Paris, The 1976 films Azerbaijani comedy films Azerbaijani-language films

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links