By
Darius KADIVAR
Tajik director Boris Kimyagarov's 1971 Epic tribute
to Persian Poet's Patriotic Ode (*)
photocomposition©DK
The recent territorial conflict between Georgia
and Russia over a divided Ossetia is a sad reminder of the frontier and ethnic
tensions that continue to exist between the various populations of what used to
be the Soviet Empire. Yet Russian interventionism beyond its traditional
frontiers is nothing new and has reappeared regularly throughout its long
history be it under Tsarist rule or during the Communist era. Few however may
know or remember that much of the new current nations that have emerged since
the fall of the Iron curtain in the late 1980's once belonged (hardly less than
a 150 years ago) to a far more ancient and equally sophisticated multinational
entity that of: The Persian Empire. It should be noted, that despite the
successive Tsarist and Soviet Policies of cultural and linguistic assimilation,
that neither regimes, were able to completely eradicate the deep cultural and
historical identification of these conquered people to their Persian roots. This
has been particularly true for the People of Tajikistan who have maintained
strong linguistic and cultural ties with their Iranian siblings so proudly
symbolized by their national flag colored similarly in red, white and green and
crested with a golden star studded royal Crown (Although Tajikistan is a
Republic)
in replacement of the Sun & Lion emblem of former Persian Dynasties. Another
remarkable testimony of Tajikistan's Persian Heritage can be found in the works
of one of its leading cinema pioneers director
Boris
Kimyagarov
(1920-1979)
whose films were greatly influenced by the
Shahnameh
( Book
of Kings) an Epic Patriotic Ode by one of Iran's greatest Poets:
Hakīm Abū l-Qāsim
Firdawsī Tūsī, better known as Ferdowsi.
The Legend of Rostam
and Sohrab: A milestone in Tajik Cinema History influenced by Persian Mythology
photocomposition©DK
Born in
Samarkand (Uzbekistan) to a Jewish family, Bension (Boris) Arievich Kimyagarov
was to move to Tajikistan's capital Duchanbeh where he grew up and upon
adulthood chose to become a teacher. However his love of Poetry and particularly
the works of Persia's Literary Icon Hakīm Abū l-Qāsim Firdawsī Tūsī,
better known as Ferdowsi, were to have a great influence on him and drive
him towards an entirely different career choice as a filmmaker. He was accepted
at the prestigious All Russian Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK)
in Moscow where he learned Filmmaking with Russian film maestro
Sergei Eisenstein.
The strong influence of
Eisenstein
(who
with
D.W.Griffith
is considered as
one of
the two founding fathers of Cinema as an Art form in interaction with film
editing as a visual tool of expression) on Boris
Kimyagarov's
future epic productions would be an understatement.
Like Eisenstein,
Kimyagarov
shares a fascination for historical themes that would include a large cast of
extras to recreate battle scenes of epic proportions. Like in most epics however
history is just a pretext to create a canvas for a more intimate story that
reflects the movie director's own
thematic concerns
or visual
obsessions. What clearly defines Kimyagarov's filmography is the awakening of
the Tajik's national self-consciousness and the "Epic genre" was
certainly what allowed him best to translate his cinematic vision and
sensitivities. This was not an easy task for three major reasons which will be
developed in this article. One being state censorship during the Soviet Era,
which discouraged any form of historical interpretation or glorification of an
ethnical, political, social or cultural identity that differed from the
ideological lines of the communist party or that of the Russian dominated
politburo established in Moscow. The other being that Epic films have
always been costly, so unless it could serve the Soviet propaganda machine, as
was the case for most of Sergei Eisenstein's films like
The Battle Ship Potemkin,
Ivan The Terrible
or
Alexander Nevski,
it was virtually impossible to finance a film without government subsidies nor
was it possible to mobilize military units as extras for sequences like Battle
Scenes requiring large masses of people. Lastly by the time Kimyagarov was to
shoot his masterpiece, The Timless Legend of Rostam and Sohrab (Also
known under the title The Legend of Rostam), in the early 1970's,
the epic genre was considered as an obsolete form of cinema entertainment
both in Europe and Hollywood. As Western Cinema dealt with contemporary issues,
so did the Soviet Film industry, although with more difficulty due to government
censorship and certainly with less controversy than in the West. (***)
Common frontiers but
different geo-strategic interests & alliances have
shaped the diplomatic
relationships between Persia/Iran & Russia/USSR
in different Era's in History
photocomposition©DK
Since the advent of motion
pictures, filmmakers immediately saw the potential of historical epics as a
money making franchise that would draw enormous crowds to the movie theaters.
This has been a constant factor throughout the different ages in Cinema History,
be it during the Silent Era, the Talkies, the advent of Technicolor, its
competing years with Television or to this day's digital age. The genre has
known its up and downs but after each disappearance it has resurfaced even more
brilliantly by reinventing itself to the delight of audiences thirsty for
action, sex, sweat, blood and tears in the sand, while cheering pomp and glory
in the arenas or battlefields of the silver screen as an illustrated cinematic
reminder of mankind's struggle through time and space.
History,
Entertainment or Propaganda ?
Probably a little of all three motivated the first Epic film
directors, but to their credit, they also defined the key's and rules of the
craft of filmmaking, which continue to be applied to this day particularly in
the field of film editing. photocomposition©DK
Not surprisingly one of the
very first Epic super productions was made in Italy as early as 1914 directed by
Giovanni Pastrone entitled
Cabiria
which was a love story set at
the Time of the Punic Wars and the fall of Carthage to Roman troops. This film
was to have a great influence German Expressionist director Fritz Lang who
produced the avant garde film
Metropolis
years later and on American director D.W. Griffith who had just finished
directing the controversial civil war era film
Birth of a Nation
and
who was therefore encouraged to make
another milestone picture
Intolerance
in 1916. The latter was to be
Hollywood's response in its pioneering years to the growing competition of
European Cinema yet the first part of the movie set during the conquest of
Babylon by the Persian King Cyrus ( the Great) is visually strongly influenced
by Giovanni Pastrone's
Cabiria.
As far as Epic films were
concerned the competition between Italian and Hollywood filmmakers continued
throughout the 1920's and 1930's through various productions set indifferently
during ancient Biblical times or during the different era's of the Roman Empire.
However the rise of Mussolini's fascist movement to power led to a series of
productions aimed towards propaganda than pure entertainment or historical
accuracy the most famous of which was Carmine Gallone
Scipio Africanus
(1937).
The Lavish scale of the production remains incredible even to today's standards,
including over 6000 extras in the battle scenes and enormous sets recreating
ancient Rome. Like for
Cabiria
the story set during of the
Second Punic Wars, begins with Scipio's futile pleas to the Roman Senate to
build an army to battle Hannibal, that climaxes with the battle of Zama. The
films message however was aimed at justifying Italy's colonial ambitions shortly
after the conquest of Ethiopia by Mussolini's troops a year earlier. During the
same time other Hollywood directors and producers were to earn a reputation as
"Epic directors" such as Fred Niblo who directed the silent version of
Ben Hur:A Tale of the Christ
( 1923) shot partly in Italy while
Cecile B. DeMille became known as the King of Epics with a series of
historical films including the silent version of
The Ten Commandments
(1923) (later in 1956 DeMille was to
do a remake in
Technicolor of the Ten
Commandments )
as well as the story of
Cleopatra
starring Clodette Colbert. With
World War II, epics were to partially disappear from the screens only to
reappear again after the war with Gabriel Pascal's British production of
Caesar and Cleopatra
(1945)
(starring Vivien Leigh and Claude
Rains) and reach its pinnacle in the 1950's with a series of Hollywood
blockbuster films including Mervyn LeRoy's
Quo Vadis ?
(1951)
Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Peter Ustinov,
The Robe
(1953) starring Richard Burton and Jean Simmons (which was the very first film
to be shot entirely in Cinemascope), De Mille's Remake in VistaVision and
Technicolor of the
Ten Commandments
which propelled Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner into international stardom, King
Vidor's
Solomon and Sheba
(1959)
a biblical Lust between
Yul Brynner and Gina Lollobrigida and
culminating with William Wyler's
Ben Hur
that earned 11 Oscars ( a record
only broken by James Cameron's
Titanic
in 1997).
The Sword and
Sandal's dominated the Box Office throughout the 1960's.
American actor/athlete Steve
Reeves (a Former Mr. Universe and Mr. America) was to reach stardom with many of
these Italian co-productions later dubbed in english for the American Market.
photocomposition©DK
After Ben Hur's
unprecedented success that saved MGM from a financial bankruptcy, equaling the
same critical and financial success seemed far more risky for other studios and
by the 1960's Hollywood was
to shoot its very last major Ancient
World Epic movies. One being the critically acclaimed
Spartacus(1960)
with Kirk Douglas in the title role
and directed by Stanley Kubrick while in parallel Joseph L. Mankiewicz's
struggled to finish 20th Century Fox's last over budget extravaganza
Cleopatra
(1963)
more famous
for generating the
tumultuous Love Story between Welsh Star Richard Burton and Hollywood Sweetheart
Elizabeth Taylor than for the tragic tale of Rome's Mark Anthony and Egypt's
Cleopatra.
The success of Epic films in the
past decade however gave birth to a specific category of new films known as
The Swords and Sandals that was set in ancient times ( usually in
Greece, Rome or Egypt ) but where historical inaccuracies and a thin dialogue
would be compensated by spectacular action scenes and stunts by larger than life
characters often displaying more muscles than brains for the love of Freedom and
the arms and lips of a sexy near-naked female co-star. The Swords and Sandals
was to the Epic, if you will, what Western Spaghettis were to Westerns.
A movie Arena on which Mario Bava (
The Battle of Marathon)
could compete with William Wyler (Ben
Hur) or Cecile B. DeMille
(Ten
Commandments) while
equally Sergio Leone (
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly)
could get even with John Ford (Stage
Coach).
Most of these co-productions
appeared in Italy and were shot on location or other European landscapes like in
Greece or Spain where the Mediterranean climate and cheap labor offered the
adequate conditions for European producers to compete with Hollywood Studios and
often for Hollywood Studios to come and work in Europe. Often an International
cast was used in these Italian productions latter dubbed into english for an
American audience. A European cast was often gathered while Top billing would be
given to one or two American actors whose star status was fading in Hollywood (
like Stewart Granger in his late 40's in
Sodom and Gomorrah
(1962)) in order to give the Italian produced film some extra "Hollywood-Like"
prestige.
The quintessential Movie Star in
the Sword and Sandals category was without doubt the athletic hunk
Steve Reeves
who
moved from
being a former Mr. Universe and Mr.
America to becoming one of the highest paid movie Stars in Italy. He was to
indifferently play a series of historical or mythological heroes of ancient
Greece, Rome or Troy. Some of his memorable roles were Phillipides In the
Giant of Marathon
fighting off the Persian Invasion single handedly, Romulus in Pre-Roman Italy in
Romulus and Remus
aka Duel of Titans, Trojan
warrior Aeneas in
The Trojan Horse
or the invincible
Hercules in
Labors of Hercules
and once again in
Hercules Unchained
and finally Randus in the
Son of Spartacus.
Not all these films were
considered as masterpieces during their times but many have since reached some
kind of "cult-status" amongst aficionados like Rudolph Maté's
300 Spartans aka Lion of Sparta
or Robert Wise's
Helen of Troy,
both
being rare
examples of small budget but well
directed Hollywood Sword and Sandals movies co-produced with European
studios and with an international cast. These co-productions certainly did
contribute to the development of some of the great European film studios like
Rome's
Cinecittà,
Bebelsberg Studio
in Berlin or Paris' Studios de
Billancourt (which have since
disappeared) or Great Britain's
Pinewood Studios.
These co-productions between
European and Hollywood Studio's must have greatly contributed to triggering
Hollywood's curiosity for Epic films beyond the United States creating a new
generation of movie buffs and filmmakers who were to shift their interests
towards non American cultural influences.
One Asian film director in
particular deserves notice for being one of the Maestro's of the post WWII
Japanese Cinema renaissance and for exporting his style across the Pacific Ocean
and into the heart of Hollywood's new Golden Boys of the late 1960's and
1970's. Greatly admired by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, Akira Kurosawa
made his breakthrough film
Rashômon
in 1950. It won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, and first revealed
the richness of Japanese cinema to the West equally in Europe and the US. But
Kurosawa will certainly be best remembered for the epic
Shichinin no samurai
(1954) (Seven Samurai) that showcasing the magnetic personality of
Toshirô Mifune.
The story of Seven mighty
warriors who became the Seven National Heroes of a Small Japanese village. The
film was not only nominated for two Oscars for Best Art Direction and Best
Costume Design but also won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival of 1954
confirming once again the genuine originality of the great Japanese film maestro
to be. The scenario of Kurusawa's Seven Samurai's was so subtle and efficient
that it was no surprise that it became the subject of a Hollywood Remake set in
the American Far West. Directed by John Sturges in 1960 under the title
The Magnificent Seven
it introduced as a supporting cast
around already charismatic Yul Brynner ( Ten Commandments)
to the silver Screen a brochette of
Hollywood's fresh new talents who were to gain international Stardom in the
decade to come:
Steve McQueen,
Charles Bronson,
James Coburn,
Robert Vaughn,
Horst Buchholz,
and
Eli Wallach.
From Asia to
Hollywood : Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurais was to inspire John Sturges'
Magnificent Seven. Kurosawa was to produce his last epic films ( RAN,
Kagemusha) with Hollywood financial backing from its Golden Boys: Steven
Spielberg, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola. ©imdb &photocomposition ©DK
Kurosawa truly bridged Japan's
young Cinematography into the Hollywood Dream Machine proving if needed that a
good script can have a universal appeal regardless of which language or
nationality it originates from. It also proved that a Japanese Sword and
Sandals movie set in 12th Century Japan could easily be
transposed into the Wild Wild West of 19th century America with the
same efficiency and visual inventiveness.
After a period of personal and artistic crisis in Japan, Kurosawa made a
comeback strangely with the help of Russian Producers with the epic
Dersu Uzala
(1975) about a Russian army explorer who is rescued in Siberia by a rugged
Asiatic hunter renews his friendship with the woodsman years later when he
returns at the head of a larger expedition. The hunter finds that all his nature
lore is of no help when he accompanies the explorer back to civilization….
Who said Hollywood and America
are Ungrateful ? ;0)
Kurosawa's
Dersu Uzala
was awarded the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
In later years the Epic Maestro
of Japanese Cinema with the help of admirers
Francis Ford Coppola
and
George Lucas,
was able to produce the samurai epic
Kagemusha
(1980), which was in many ways a
dry run for
Ran
(1985), his second Shakespeare adaptation after the barbaric, riveting
Kumonosu jô
(1957) (Throne of Blood based on the Tragedy of Macbeth). ( read interview of
Lucas below (*****))
Iranian New Wave Cinema
Maestro Abbas Kirostami (****)
who greatly
admired the Japanese Maestro also received the
Akira Kurusawa
Award in 2000
. He also
generously awarded it to one of Iran's Pre-Revolution Iconic Film Stars Behrouz
Vossoughi
during the ceremony
in San Francisco.
Insert Photo Vossoughi congratulated by Hollywood Star Clint Eastwood at the
same Ceremony( Also
See Video)
(****)
©imdb & SFIFF & photocomposition© DK
However Kurosawa's
successful attempt in drawing interest in the Sword and Sandals genre was
an exception to the rule for by the early late 60's and early 70's the publics
interest for glossy muscles and shining armor was ebbing in favor of realism on
screen. The
Woodstock generation
revolted by the Vietnam War was gradually turning its back on the old Hollywood
values and notions of heroism. Sex, Drugs and Rock'n Roll had become the new
motto of the counterculture movement of the 1970's. Even John Wayne's iconic
image of the American West was deeply shook after the Duke's staunch support for
the American Led War on Vietnam that led him to producing, directing and acting
in his controversial propaganda film
The Green Berets
(for which he was greatly criticized including by some of his own fellow
colleagues and friends like Epic Star
Kirk Douglas)
and thus announcing the beginning of the end of old Hollywood and the beginning
of a new era of political and cultural consciousness in the United States ( Also
read My article
Hollywood and Oil).
It should be noted that long
before the advent of VHS tapes and the DVD technology as we know of today, not
strangely enough the Swords and Sandals genre's was still considered as a
spectacular form of popular entertainment and benefited regular airing on the
small TV screens across the United States and Europe. Outside America and Europe
it even continued to inspire filmmakers. Turkish Cinema for instance with great
box office success had launched its own version of the Swords and Sandals
hero with
TARKAN
(1969) ( Not to be confused with
TARZAN) and its successive sequels
Tarkan and the Silver Saddle
(1970),
Tarkan:The Gold Medallion
(1972), even one
with an improbable title
Tarkan versus the Vikings
(1971).
The Turkish Sword &
Sandals Hero : TARKAN, Hüdaverdi, Bizimkiler, Çobançantası Copyright © Sezgin
Burak
In a sense the
Sword and Sandals
In Asia had become the Western Spaghetti of the so-called Third World
countries and prefigured what was to soon become a trademark for much of
what
John Woo
or
Bruce Lee
were to achieve in Asian Cinema and subsequently copied by the likes of
Quentin Tarantino
with
Kill Bill
or
Andy Wachowski
with
The Matrix
.
Not surprisingly Boris
Kimyagarov's movie career was naturally influenced by the Sword & Sandals
genre as well as the Russian as well as other Asian, European and Hollywood epic
films (when not censored by the Soviet film censorship department) that
nourished his youth.
Like most young aspiring filmmakers Kimyagarov
started his film initiation by making documentaries at the
Gerasimov
Institute of Cinematography (VGIK).
One of his first major documentary was not
surprisingly about his native land Tajikistan which he directed in 1946. His
first breakthrough into feature films with Dokhounda in 1956. In
1965 he directs his subversive A Time For Peace aka
Hasan-Arbakesh
which will be censored by Soviet
Authorities in later years. It which is a uniquely creative attempt to tell
about the traditional culture of Tajiks, being destroyed by the new Soviet
power. It was shot in during the period of the so-called
Thaw
a relatively free period during which Soviet Censorship was
partially
reversed. The main
topic of the film is the clash of two cultures, two worlds. The narration in the
film is built according to traditional mythological and epic schemes. At first
glance, you might think that the film is going to tell a trivial story about an
arbakesh named Hasan, who has a cart and a horse and dreams only of earning
enough to be able to marry his beloved. As in a traditional fairy tale Hasan is
young and handsome, strong and determined and very much in love. The fairy-tale
plot, however, is set against the very real historical background, which soon
starts to interfere brutally with the romantic thrust of the story. Unlike most
of the "revolutionary" films that were shot in the Soviet Asian republics and
focused on the bloody fights between the "reactionary" forces of traditional
societies and the "righteous" Soviet "liberators," "Hasan-Arbakesh" shows the
process of peaceful Socialization, that nevertheless, ruthlessly reroutes the
fates of the characters. Hasan's cart is replaced by a truck, personal work
becomes collectivized, the veil is jettisoned and a liberated woman, like
Hasan's beloved Saodat, joins the Komsomol and is sent to teach in a remote
town. By the end of the film, the ever-joyous, singing and dancing Hasan is only
a shadow of his former self, lost in a totally new strange world, full of
"kolkhoz peasants", "proletarians" , pioneers with bugles and drums, and endless
columns of cars, "busy building Stalin's communism."
Unlike other movies of
Kimyagarov, this one, because of the communist censorship, was left unknown to
the wide audience outside Tajikistan until the collapse of the Soviet Union in
the late 1980's.
Although born in
Iran's Tehran to Azeri Parents, Pop Diva
Faegheh
Atashin, better known as
Googoosh,
is also considered
a National Icon
in Tajikistan
where her Birthday was declared a national holiday by its current Tajik
President. ( Also
Watch Video
of Googoosh Concert with Mehrdad in NY Madison Square Garden sing "Shenasnameye
man "
a Patriotic Ode to her
©googoosh.com &
photocomposition©DK
From 1958 to 1975, Kimyagarov's work alters between
screenwriting as well as film direction while heading the Tajik Union of
filmmakers as first secretary. In all he will direct 18 films.
During this time he will
then direct:
The Fate of the Poet
(1958) dedicated to the 1150th birthday of Persian Poet
Rudaki
: Abuabdullo Rudaki is remembered as the founder of the Tajik-Persian classic
literature, the father of poetry in Persian (aka Farsi) that many Turkmen poets
used in their times. Little is known on this film (or rather my research did not
allow me to find much) except that it is based on the script of Satim Ulugzade
and a People's Artist ( Soviet Term) of Tajikistan
Marat Aripov
plays the role of Rudaki in the film.
And
A Shahnameh Trilogy:
Three films in the form of a
Trilogy based or inspired by the Epic Poem of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh (Book of
Kings): Kaveh Ahanghar aka The Banner of the Black Smith (1961),
The Timeless Legend of Rostam and Sohrab also known as The Legend of
Rostam (1971)
-
The Timeless Legend of
Rostam and Sohrab
also known as The Legend of Rostam (1971) Of major interest in this
article. The Tajik Title is Rustam i Sukhrab with a script by Grigori
Koldunov, photographed by cinematographer Dovlatian Khudonazarov and a music
score by Arif (Aref) Melikov. The Cast was essentially Tajik but also
included Russian and Georgian actors including Svetlana Norbayeva, Sairam
Issayeva, Bimbulat Vatayev , Otar Koberidze, Mahmud Bakhidov. What
personally fascinated me about this movie which is now available online (see
below under Authors Notes) in Persian/Tajik as well as Russian (see Below:
Authors Notes) was the striking resemblance of the sets, costumes as well as
some action scenes to German Hollywood
director Wolfgang Petersen
(
DAS BOOT)
2003 blockbuster
TROY
starring
Brad
Pitt in his first epic role as Achilles, Peter O'Toole (King Priam), Orlando
Bloom ( Paris), Eric Bana (Hector), Diane Kruger (Helen) and Saffron Burrows
(Andromache) to name a few. The story of Helen of Troy and the Trojan War
being situated in Anatolia present day Turkey may explain some of these
unexpected yet striking similarities between two films produced less than 40
years apart. The similarities stop here however for the two stories are very
different even if the themes of Life vs. death (mortality vs immortality),
father vs. son, brothers in arms or sacrifice are common denominators
between the Homeric tale of Troy and the Epic Shahnameh of Ferdowsi.
Entirely shot in Cinemascope and in Technicolor the film is a transposition
of the legendary poem and the dialogue maintains the lyricism of the Persian
Poet's verse. It has all the ingredients that made the success of the
contemporary Epic and Sword and Sandals films of the Italian
Era even if at times the dialogue may seem slow ( it is however easy to
understand with a minimum of knowledge of Persian) and the stunts at times
obsolete to today's standards they are nevertheless exciting and gripping to
watch particularly the battle scenes between Gurdāfarīd the female warrior
and Sohrab, who has just become commander of the Turanian Army. The final
horse stunts during which Gurdāfarīd rides away from her pursuing enemies is
also breathtaking. The story can be summarized as such: As smoke on the hill
tops signals the arrival of foreign invaders on the Persian Steppes of Iran,
we learn that the young and dashing Sohrab, has been named as head of the
Army of the Shah of Turan ( Iran's most dangerous foe) he is asked to defeat
Rostam the greatest warrior of Iran. As Sohrab bids his mother princess
Tahmineh goodbye he ignores that his real father is Rostam because of his
mother pledge never to release her husbands real identity. As the tragedy is
about to unfold Sohrab will be challenged by different warriors amongst
which the beautiful but cunning Gurdāfarīd. The epic battles on the Persian
Steppes will lead to the Timeless Legend of Rostam and Sohrab's fatal
encounter.
-
The Legend of Siavash
(1977): in his final testimonial film directed shortly before his death in
1979 Kimyagarov, completes his trilogy with
the story of
the legendary Persian prince who lived in the earliest days of the Persian
Empire. He was a son of Kai Kavoos, then Shah of Iran, and due to the
treason of his stepmother, Sudabeh (with whom he refused to have sex and
betray his father), self-exiled himself to Turan where he was killed
innocently by order of The Turanian king Afrasiab. He was later avenged by
his son Kai Khosrow. He is a symbol of innocence in Persian Literature. His
name literally means "the one with the black horse". Ferdowsi in Shahnameh
dubs his horse as Shabrang Behzād literally meaning "night-colored
purebred".
The Epic Revival owes greatly to two
European Hollywood directors: British director Ridley Scott ( Read
my Article
about
the
recent BODY OF LIES
Controversy
regarding Iran's talented
actress
Golshifteh Farahani)
brought back with Brio the Epic Sword & Sandals genre with the excellent
Gladiator
in 2000 along with German director Wolfgang Petersen
(
DAS BOOT)
three years later and his blockbuster
TROY
©imdb
With the return of the Epic Genre and
particularly of Swords and Sandal films in recent years one can wonder if Boris
Kimyagarov's epic masterpiece that also showcased in various Iranian film
festivals during the 1970's and particularly after the
Persepolis Celebrations of October
1971 held
by the Last Persian Monarch Mohamed Reza Shah Pahlavi will ever inspire a
Hollywood remake or one by the talents Iranian film directors of today? The film
industry today has made amazing technological advances unimaginable less than 20
years ago. The digital revolution allows to create virtually anything that a
creative mind could imagine. Many Hollywood studios like George Lucas' ILM (
Industrial Light and Magic)
or Peter Jackson's SFX company (Weta
Digital)
have gained a strong reputation in every technical aspect of postproduction
(I.e.: Special Effects, Lighting, sound effects, miniature and life scale sets,
etc… ). A great deal of blockbuster films have been made recently but not all
have had critical acclaim due to an excessive use of Special Effects and Stunts
that have at times compensated for a thin and uninteresting plot and dialogues.
What truly matters is a GOOD SCRIPT and from that point of view good Ol'
Ferdowsi has done the hardest job for us. What is certain is that the stories of
the Shahnameh have all the necessary ingredients that have made both the
critical and box office success of such classics like the
The Lord of the Rings
Trilogy or the
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince
Caspian
and
other sequals that also happen to be based on classic literary masterpieces. As
far as a pool of talents is concerned we are lucky enough to have a great number
if Iranians takents both inside and outside Iran( Read:
Persian Golden Boys in Hollywood,
Iranian pioneers in French Cinema,
In the Shadows of Cinematography
) in nearly
all fields
So will we live long enough
to see a Remake of Boris Kimyagarov's Epic Masterpiece one day ? Lets Hope So !
VIVE LE CINEMA !
Boris Kimyagarov's
1971 Epic Masterpiece ©imdb
VIVE LE CINEMA !
Authors Notes:
(*) Watch Boris Kimyagarov's
Movie Rostam and Sohrab Online in Ten Parts (In Tadjik/Persian):
And RUSSIAN Version of same movie shown
in continuity: Watch
Here
(**)
The Shahnameh:The Persian Book of
Kings of
Ferdowsi translated by Dick Davis
(***)
Hollywood censorship was established in 1930 through
the
Hayes Code
that
defined the
censorship guidelines
in American films. It was particularly followed throughout the 1930's, 40's and
50's to satisfy an audience and political establishment that viewed films as a
threat to the moral and religious status quo in American society. The law
as abandoned by 1968 in favor of the subsequent
MPAA film rating
system
that simply rates a film's thematic and content
suitability for certain audiences but cannot impose any restriction on the
film's theatrical release. It is one of various
motion picture
rating systems
used to help patrons decide what movies are appropriate for children, for
adolescents, and for adults particularly in regard to violent or sexual
content. As far as the Final Cut in editing a film is concerned that is
subject to the power struggle that naturally exists between the director and the
films producers. European Cinema is known for promoting the Cinema d'Auteur
aka Author Cinema which tends to films as an Art form and directors
as artists as opposed to Hollywood's concept of Cinema as an Entertainment
Industry. If the philisophical debate between L'ART Pour L'ART aka Art
for Art's Sake vs L'ART Pour L'ETAT aka Art for the State prevails
today in the international film community which struggles for more freedom of
expression, it should be noted however that the collective and financial nature
of filmmaking distinguishes it from other existing Artforms (apart from Theater
or the Opera/Ballet). As a result the notion of Cinema d'Auteur seems to
become a more marginal however necessary phenomena today than was the case for
the early cinema pioneers or during the French New Wave generation spearheaded
by Truffaut and Godard. This assessment is debateable and one can obviously
suggest counter examples by naming such greats as Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford or
Steven Spielberg whose creative talent combined their unique vision and
individuality with huge financial investments and remarkeable technical
breakthroughs. That would require another debate which is not the purpose of the
article here.
Recommended Watching :
Zartosht's Fire : Tadjik Classic Concert
performed in Dari Persian (youtube)
(****) Another New Wave director
Mohsen Makhmalbaf
shot a beautiful film
Sokout aka Silence
in Tajikistan (youtube)
. He also pays tribute to Hollywood film Icons Kirk Douglas and John Wayne in a
humorous nostalgic scene between a Tailor and a Policeman turned part time actor
which is shot like a private joke between the director and movie buffs in
Nun Va Goldun aka A
moment of Innocence.
Recommended Readings:
(*****)
George Lucas Explains his
admiration for Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai
(Telegraph)
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