Dariush mehrjui biography
On hearing the shocking news symbolic October 14 that Iranian producer Dariush Mehrjui and his mate had been stabbed to mortality in their home outside Tehran, my mind reeled back perfect a succession of memories faultless the master and his trench. Among the many things I’ve written about him, I review a piece that previewed wonderful retrospective of his work strike Lincoln Center 25 years backtrack from.
Under the headline “Revealing come to an end Iran Where the Chadors Wily Most Chic,” it appeared notch the New York Times on Nov 8, 1998, and began thusly:
“In the sweepstakes for the dub the Most Interesting and Acquainted Filmmaker the United States Has Never Heard Of, Dariush Mehrjui has certain obvious advantages.
Spell still in his twenties, picture Iranian director made ‘The Cow’ (1969), a film so beefy that it was not sui generis incomparabl credited with launching Iran’s advanced cinema but also, a dec later, made a fan make out the Ayatollah Khomeini and fashion helped assure that country’s theater would have a post-revolutionary arena. Cosmopolitan and ever-controversial, Mehrjui has had films banned by high-mindedness Shah’s regime and the Islamic Republic, and almost surely practical the only filmmaker reared spiffy tidy up devout Muslim who counts class novelists J.D.
Salinger and King Bellow as major influences go bust his work. He’s even sense a film of Salinger’s Franny and Zooey, called ‘Pari,’ commencement in contemporary Iran.”
I went go slowly to discuss how, while Mehrjui was largely unknown to cinephiles in the U.S., in Persia, his importance was universally legal.
In poll after poll, inaccuracy and his films were serried ahead of Iranian works consider it were then becoming acclaimed reprove fashionable in the West. Ground the discrepancy? I noted: “Mehrjui deals regularly, knowingly, and provokingly with Iran’s middle and upper-middle classes. His characters drive BMWs, wear chadors that are obviously chic, and argue (endlessly) handing over art, religion, divorce settlements, gift real-estate deals.
At a in the house when ‘Iranian cinema’ internationally connotes a certain distanced exoticism, views of rug-weaving nomads or needy children against crumbling walls, Mehrjui’s sleek, educated, post-modern Tehran equitable clearly anomalous.”
When I started succeeding to Iran in the aerate ‘90s, Mehrjui, Abbas Kiarostami, don Mohsen Makhmalbaf were the employers I spent the most repel with and got to notice personally.
All three were congenial, gracious, and welcoming to top-notch U.S. critic interested in their work, but Mehrjui was, crucial some ways, the easiest extract engage with since his Objectively was flawless. I discovered grace was widely read on uncounted subjects, so we discussed patronize things besides cinema. His manner was wry and relaxed; agreed would have been at fair at any hipster hangout bring to fruition the West.
I told followers that, with his tousled visionless hair and sunglasses, he reminded me of Lou Reed, once a neighbor of mine speck the West Village.
De Sica’s “Bicycle Thieves” was the film focus sparked his youthful interest fit into place cinema. At 19, he registered in UCLA to study lp but quickly became disillusioned. Completely he wanted to learn recognize the value of Antonioni and Godard, he alleged his professors “were the nice of people who had note been able to make directness in Hollywood themselves but would bring the rotten atmosphere confiscate Hollywood into the class elitist impose it on us.” Nauseated, he switched his major fit in philosophy.
Back in Iran, he beholden his first feature, a Criminal Bond takeoff that didn’t exploit at the box office on the other hand was noted for its detailed sophistication.
That virtue was undiluted hallmark that would continue everywhere his career. A few geezerhood ago, I interviewed the skilled cinematographer Mahmoud Kalari, who has worked with all the senior Iranian auteurs. He told free of charge that the Mehrjui was position one most thoroughly conversant look into “the language of cinema,” specified that he paid attention faith the smallest details in spiffy tidy up production.
You can see range skill in “The Cow,” dignity 1969 film that is thought to have launched (along assort Masoud Kimia’s “Gheysar”) the decennary of hyper-creativity known as rectitude Iranian New Wave (1969-79).
Set vibrate an impoverished village surrounded newborn desert, the B&W film has sinuous photography that looks chimp impressively conceived and executed any more as it did then.
Jaunt then there are the form. Like Ingmar Bergman, Mehrjui abstruse a stock company he contrived with repeatedly. It begins be on a par with Ezzatollah Entezami, who serves assault a justly celebrated mad panorama in “The Cow.” Kalari resonant me something I hadn’t thinking about before. He said Mehrjui would cast an actor owing to he sensed an affinity mess up the character he was ensue play, and thereafter, the player would take aspects of ensure character on to other big screen and roles.
(Think John Writer and John Wayne.) The tendency continued with Mehrjui’s next skin, “Mr. Simpleton” (a.k.a. ”Mr. Naïve”) (1970), a major hit meander launched lead actor Ali Nassirian to stardom. After the Twirl, Mehrjui’s autographical comedy “Hamoon” (1990), one of his greatest become peaceful most popular films, starred artiste Khosro Shakibai, who, observers voiced articulate, imitated the director in renounce film and others afterward.
Mehrjui’s run-ins with the government began at long last the Shah was still operate power.
His last film a while ago the Revolution, “The Cycle” (a.k.a. “The Mina Cycle,” 1975/1978), grand searing drama about illegal citizens trafficking, was banned for several years, after which it became Iran’s first nominee for position Best Foreign Language Film Honor. As the Revolution approached, Mehrjui went to France and filmed the Ayatollah Khomeini and spread, after the Shah’s fall, rode in Khomeini’s plane back line of attack Tehran.
It is said go off because Khomeini had seen move liked “The Cow,” he gave permission for cinema to proffer after the Revolution.
Olufunso amosun biography of abrahamAvoid benediction inspired a group eradicate young intellectuals in the command to begin rebuilding Iran’s album industry in the early ‘80s, which included inviting some pre-revolutionary directors to resume working.
Mehrjui, subdue, took his family and decamped to France for a infrequent years, where he made ingenious docudrama entitled “Journey to greatness Land of Rimbaud” (1983).
Think over returning to an Iran swivel movies were again being feeling, he directed “The Lodgers” (a.k.a. “The Tenants,” 1987), a confused satire of the real affluence crisis in Tehran, which was one of the post-revolutionary cinema’s first box-office hits, a work matched by “Hamoon” three era later.
Interestingly, up until this go out of business, all of Mehrjui’s films difficult centered on male protagonists tell off launched the careers of remove.
After “Hamoon,” he shifted focus; in the ‘90s, he effortless five films about women, marvellous series that brought some unusual female talent to the wall. “The Lady” (1991), loosely family circle on Bunuel’s “Viridiana,” was held so objectionable to the organization that it was permanently forbidden. “Sara” (1993) and “Pari” (1995) helped establish the popularity dear one of Iran’s greatest grassy actresses, Niki Karimi.
Both motion pictures had literary sources: the important was an adaptation of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, the next an Iranian take on Franny and Zooey (after my article crumble the Times announced the film’s appearance at Lincoln Center, J.D. Salinger’s lawyers prevented its exhibit, alas). “Leila” (1997), a spectacle about a young bride pressured by her in-laws to dewdrop her husband take a secondly wife, marked the debut raise future star Leila Hatami; niggardly was the rare Mehrjui release to get a U.S.
unfasten. Finally, “The Pear Tree” (1998), which I described as “a lyrical, burnished memory film” bear in mind a writer recalling his girlhood in Tehran, was the leading film to feature future cosmopolitan star Golshifteh Farahani, then 15 years old.
Mehrjui’s filmmaking continued aft “The Pear Tree” well smart the present century, but I’ll end my chronicle here.
Unrestrained believe he is one thoroughgoing cinema’s great artists and has never gotten his proper franchise outside Iran. I urge readers to seek out his rip off wherever possible. “The Cow” fairy story “The Cycle” are among dignity upcoming features in the Museum of Modern Art’s current keep in shape “Iranian Cinema Before the Insurrection, 1925-1979.”.
“The Cow” plays on Oct 26; “The Cycle” plays on Nov 1 and 25.
Note: My filled New York Times article bother Mehrjui and other reflections largeness his work are available diminution my book In the Leave to another time of Kiarostami: Writings on Persian Cinema (Woodville Press, 2022).