Afghanistan 1956

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Description: A film on the visit to Afghanistan, part of the world tour by Nikolai Bulganin, Chairman of the USSR, Council of Ministers, Nikita Khrushchev, Member of the USSR, Supreme Soviet Presidium and Andrei Gromyko, First Deputy Foreign Minister. NB: End of film is missing.
Duration: 19 mins 04 secs
Director: M.Oshurkov
Credits: Montage by M.Slavinskaya. Cameramen: I. Sokolnikov and N. Solovyov. Music: Sergo Balasanyan. Conductor: Grigori Gamburg. Sound by V. Kotov
Year: 1956
Subjects: Cultural conditions, Political leadership, Military education, Cultural exchange, Industrial development, Afghanistan, Cultural history, USSR, Everyday life
Segment 1: Shot of Afghan mountain landscape, taken from plane in sky. Aerial shots of and panning shots of Kabul. Road junctions joining Afghanistan to Soviet Union, India, Pakistan and Iran. Narrator describes history of Kabul: Eastern architecture found in old quarters of Kabul. Caravan of camels, used as beasts of burden. Women in burkha. Fruit stalls in the market and business in Kabul's bazaar's. Men enjoying leisure time. Donkeys carrying goods. Street scenes. New boulevard development. Kabul's population is about 200,00. Widening of streets. Development of new buildings. Buses, road traffic controller and street scenes. 15 December 1955: Afghan people flock to Kabul Airport to welcome Soviet visitors Nikolai Bulganin, Chairman of the USSR, Council of Ministers and Nikita Khrushchev, Member of the USSR, Supreme Soviet Presidium. Members of the diplomatic core, member of public and soviet citizens resident in Kabul prepare to meet delegates. Children waiting with bunches of flowers. Prime Minister Mohammed Daoud and other leaders of state, arrive at the airport. Plane arrives at airport. Bulganin and Khrushchev disembark plane. Daoud and his deputies meet them. Street scene with road traffic controller in Kabul. Dinner reception held for the guests, including the USSR ambassador to Afghanistan and members of the Afghan government. Narrator describes the developments in the growing friendship between the two countries. Visit to the tomb of Mughal Emperor Babur. Kabul Museum of History, they are joined by the Minister for Culture and a leading Afghan historian. Shots inside the museum. Wooden Statues found in 1923 in Bamiyan. Statues of the Buddha. Examples of ancient Greek influence brought to the area during the Indian campaign of Alexandra the Great. Bulganin and Khrushchev take special interest in an ancient tomb, discovered during excavations in the northern part of the country. Kabul University. The university has departments for medicine, literature, law, physics and mathematics. A hospital is also kept in the grounds. The medical course is five years long, following a one-year probation period in practice. The medical faculty has a student body of 260. Bulganin and Khrushchev tour the medical school and its laboratories. Narrator describes a Soviet/ Afghan cultural exchange programme. Shots outside of the medical school.
Segment 2: Kabul Military School, on the outskirts of the capital. The school was founded by Mohammed Nazir Shah. Bulganin and Khrushchev tour the Military School. Construction of bakery on the outskirts of Kabul. It is an example of Soviet/ Afghan co-operation. A flour mill and elevator have been built with soviet technical expertise. Bulganin and Khrushchev tour the construction site. Statistics on the potential production given by leading Afghan and Soviet partners in construction plan. National (Ghazi) stadium: Rally held in honour of the Soviet guests. Members of public, politicians and representatives of the state welcome soviet guests. Dance and music performed by Pashtun men. A game of Buzkashi between the towns of Mazar-E-Sharif and another town. Commentary on game by narrator. The opposition team wins game. Bulganin awards the winning team with a silver cup. Preparations for the Soviet leaders departure. Bulganin and Khrushchev prepare to leave, pausing before cameras before they board plane.
Persistent URL: http://edina.ac.uk/purl/isan/0002-0000-1204-0000-0-0000-0000-0
Written and compiled by the British Universities Film & Video Council © BUFVC 2005
Subject classification by University of Edinburgh Library © 2006