THE FIRST HALF OF THE SEVENTY (1970 - 1975). Sharaf Rashidov and the culture of Uzbekistan in the seventies
Sharaf Rashidov entered the office of the first Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan in 1959 – then he expected to work in this position for five years. But he stayed there for the rest of his life.
HIS STAY IN THE OFFICE IS A TIME OF ACCELERATED DEVELOPMENT AND PROSPERITY IN UZBEKISTAN. MANY UZBEKS, FROM ORDINARY PEASANTS TO PARTY LEADERS, WOULD SAY THIS BOTH DURING HIS LIFETIME AND AFTER HIS DEATH.
An artistic, intelligent and educated person, he paid special attention to the cultural and historical heritage of the country. In 1970, in honour of the 2,500th anniversary of Samarkand, this city, the country's richest in historical artefacts, hosted a number of major events, which included the opening of the Museum of the History of Samarkand, Opera and Ballet Theatre and Institute of Archaeology. From 1967 to 1970, the 4-volume History of Uzbekistan was written and published in Russian and Uzbek. 1973 saw a large-scale celebration of the 1,000th anniversary of the famous scholar Abu Rayhan al-Beruni, in whose honour the feature film Abu Rayhan Beruni was produced. The film was awarded the Hamza State Prize of the Uzbek SSR in 1974. In the 1970s, Sharaf Rashidov also initiated the establishment of the Literary Museum of Alisher Navoi, the House Museum of Sadriddin Aini, the Museum of Abu Ali ibn Sina in Afshana and the Lenin Museum in Tashkent. For 10 years, from 1970 to 1980, three historical TV series were made: The Treasure of Ulugbek, based on a work by Adyl Yakubov, Alisher Navoi, based on a novel by Aybek and Fiery Roads, based on a novel by Kamil Yashen.
HEYDAY OF UZBEK CINEMA
The 1970s were the heyday of Uzbek cinema. At that time, Uzbekfilm created a first-class development laboratory, a dubbing workshop and modern pavilions. Uzbekfilm was among the most prolific film studios in Central Asian and the Trans-Caucasia: with 10-12 films released annually, the production rate was at least twice as high as in other republics.
In 1971 alone, it created a series of real hits: 19.7 million people viewed the Death of the Black Consul. He Was not Alone, 19.4 million viewers. The Extraordinary Commissar, 15.4 million viewers. In 1973, the Eastern Seventh Bullet gathered 22.5 million viewers.
TELEVISION ALSO DEVELOPED: IN 1971, THE VOSTOK PROGRAMME WAS LAUNCHED. THIS ALLOWED UZBEKISTAN, TAJIKISTAN, TURKMENISTAN, KYRGYZSTAN, KAZAKHSTAN, URAL REGION AND SIBERIA WATCH PROGRAMMES AT A CONVENIENT TIME AND NOT ACCORDING TO MOSCOW TIME ZONE.
