The Fires of Baku

The Fires of Baku is a historical drama from Soviet Azerbaijan. Set between the 1930s and the end of the 1940s, it follows workers in the oil fields as the industry takes on new equipment and tests offshore drilling. Their labour is shown as a contribution to the country's economic and military strength, and the story continues into the postwar years, when new wells come into operation in Baku.

The film was directed by Iosif Kheifits and Rza Takhmasib, with Aleksandr Zarkhi also credited. For Kheifits it followed The Rumyantsev Case in 1956 and came before Lady with the Dog in 1960 and In the Town of S. in 1966; for Takhmasib it followed Sabuhi in 1941. The screenplay is by Grigoriy Koltunov and Evgeniy Pomeshchikov, and the cast includes Mikheil Gelovani, Mirzaagha Aliyev, Marziyya Davudova, Nikolai Okhlopkov, Rza Takhmasib and Najiba Malikova, among 25 credited performers. Produced by Azerbaijanfilm and running 88 minutes, the film was released in February 1958. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6 out of 10 from 58 votes.