Arshin Mal Alan
Cast & Crew
Setrag Vartian
Setrag Vartian
Louise Barsamian
Vart Ankin
Setrag Sourabian
Roupen Stepanian
Film Details
Synopsis
Askiar, son of a wealthy Persian merchant, returns home from Europe ready to marry. Askiar intends to marry for love, and go against his country's tradition of arranged marriages. He refuses a marriage arranged by his father, with a bride chosen, according to custom, by his mother. Askiar's friend Suleyman advises him to disguise himself as a peddler, as in his travels, he is bound to meet a woman and fall in love. Suleyman then proposes to ask for the woman's hand in marriage on Askiar's behalf. Askiar follows Suleyman's advice and soon falls in love with Hallam, the daughter of a Bey, who is also opposed to arranged marriages. Despite initial parental objections, Hallam and Askiar are married.
Director
Setrag Vartian
Film Details
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
According to contemporary sources, this film was the first Armenian-language sound film to be produced in the United States. Contemporary reviews translate the title into English as The Vagabond Lover and The Peddler Lover. Although Variety's listed running time of 37 min. is probably an error, no indication of the film's length has been found. According to modern sources, the songs from Azerbaijani composer Uzeir Hajibeyov's operetta Arshin Mal Alan were adopted as folk music by the Azerbaijan nation. A program for the film contained in the Special Collections in the Mayer Library at AFI lists the following song titles: "I'll Seek a Wife for You," "Come My Beloved," "Hearken My Voice" and "Power in Gold." It is assumed that these songs are performed in the film. According to Film Daily, Setrag Vartian was a former Fox contract player and produced and directed Armenian stage plays. A 1945 Soviet film also based on his operetta, directed by Rza Takhmasib and Nikolai Leshchenko, and starring Rashid Beibutov and Leila Djavanshirova, was awarded the 1946 Stalin Prize for fictional films.