Customer Reviews

Crimson Gold [VHS]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When truth reveals itself and the final act has to be carried out based on it, the final judgment automatically follows.

Was Cambodia an aberration? Or are all societies racked by war so sick of themselves that they are ready to obliterate themselves when righteous attempts of redemption fail?

Hossein is a hard working man who has served his society in war and now runs around feeding it, if not literally, at least figuratively. The well do can now order him into the night because they now have the new weapon needed to push the rest around, wealth.

The simplicity of this film belies its powerful commentary on the universal human condition. It could be Cambodia, Iran, Germany, Poland, or Algeria. Like the bureaucrats of Kurosawa's Ikiru, society forgets its pleasures and purpose when there is no tension, there of death by stomach cancer, and here by the suggested comraderrie of soldiers at the front. When the war is over, soldiers are separated by many flights of steps, and miles of uphill roads between a pizza oven and the mouth and stomach of a now well to do comrade. When the cancer ravaged patient is dead, the camaraderie stops too.

Hossein and his close friend and delivery colleague weave on his motorcycle through the thick field of "citizens" in Tehran swaying in the wild wind of traffic. This is a far cry from the serene motorcycle ride of the country doctor and the reporter in The Wind Will Carry Us. But the shots are the same. So is the background noise that covers conversation and turn it into a staccato of human emotions expressed in dissolving sounds.

Similarly, the answer to the anguished question of the main character of Taste of Cherry is given in an instant in the beginning scene. When you can't but make those around you suffer, then freedom to choose an exist is the most human of all decisions. By suicide in Taste of Cherry, motorcycle in the Wind Will Carry Us, and a clever combination of the two here, where just one person leaves on the motorcycle, and one commits the final act.

While his screen plays which Mr. Kiarostami chooses to also directs are generally set in natural and rural environments, Mr. Panahi's inherits the messy urban ones. He is a master for it. He knows of its light, motion, and sound. Or should I call it noise. The noise of unseen teeming urban life, even on the 32nd floor of a modern residential tower. The gurgling water stream of a mountain village is substituted by tight and long vistas of noisy streets and alleys. The thin, soft see-through curtain at the entry to the basement of a rural house where a young girl, who in her first love opens up to the meaning of a modern poem is substituted by an automatically locking woven metal security grille of a jewelry store where love is abstracted in rings and bracelets, not poetry, not poverty. The girl lives on, we assume to see her lover, but Hossein never makes back out from behind the curtain.

Are these deliberate parallels Mr. Kiarostami and Mr. Panahi are putting in front of us from movie to movie to movie, or simply the subconscious mastery of profoundly connected artists? Perhaps we can never know. But we thank them for letting us get a new view through the many curtains of human making.

Thus, you will enjoy this movie in an extended context if you also watch, at least, The Circle, The Wind Will Carry Us and Taste of Cherry. The universal theme is hard to miss, in each one like in a single poems, or all of them as a 24 FPS "divan" or oeuvre of two masters.

This 2003 Iranian film has a lot of depth. The main character is a man named Hussein. Bloated with extra weight because of a medical condition he developed while fighting in the Iraq war, he now works as a pizza deliveryman.

Through his eyes, we get a view of Iranian society. For example, we see him delivering pizzas to a place that is having a party where young people are dancing. However, he's detained by the police who are arresting the partygoers as they emerge from the party because such behavior is forbidden in Iran. He's just a bystander with pizzas which will not be eaten and so he offers pizza to police and arrestees alike. It's a very moving scene and we even get a glimpse of a 15-year old soldier who is trying to follow the rules and not eat on duty but really does want a piece of pizza.

Then there is a scene where he meets his former army commander who's embarrassed by the fact that Hussein, a war hero, is now delivering pizza and so he gives him a large tip.

Our hearts go out to this oversized man who is constantly reminded of the vast differences in Iranian society. In another scene a rich man invites him in to his very expensive apartment just because he needs to talk to someone. Hussein wanders around here with a sense of wonder at all the riches and it soon becomes clear that Hussein's desperation is growing.

Soon, we understand the act of violence with which the film opens and which confused me at first. But the rest of the film answers those questions.

This is a fine film although a bit confusing and somehow sad. But it's well done and meaningful. Not for everyone but film buffs will love it. Recommended.

I really loved this film. I thought it was intense, sad, and humbling. Hussein is a large, quiet man who always appears preoccupied, and is unable to discuss his feelings to those close to him. He wants to make his fiance happy, but feels he needs to be able to provide for her nice things. When they were in the jewelry shop he kept looking over at the rich couple, and how easy it was for her husband to purchase such a nice piece of jewelry. The real turning point in the film was when Hussein and his fiance entered the high-end jewelry store, & you could see how much more miserable he became afterward. This film is good for men to watch because it really explores some of the feelings of inadequacy that men experience-and the pressure to be providers. I think it is even more intense for men in Iran-because of the strict gender roles between men and women. As a whole, this film really is about class differences in a very oppressed country.

Hussein Emadeddin works as a pizza deliveryman in the bustling metropolis of Tehran, Iran. He is a large somber guy that refuses to crack a smile, let alone laugh, throughout his performance in this film. It is apparent that Hussein has a matter preoccupying his mind, and as the narrative unfolds it is revealed that he is greatly disturbed by the gap between the rich and poor in Tehran. Occupying the lower rungs of the economic class ladder Hussein can't help but look up into the panorama of the wealthy. His attention is particularly focused on an affluent jewelry shop and its snobby owner in order to better understand this previously mysterious social stratum.

There are several noteworthy scenes such as when Hussein unknowingly interrupted the government surveillance of a party that violates the fundamental religious laws of Iran (i.e., dancing). I have read about the moral police, but have never before seen a depiction of them on film before. There was also a quick reference to what I believe was Hussein's participation in the Iraq-Iran War. I wished that more were revealed about these two aspects.

Directed by Jafar Panahi, an acknowledged socialist, it is obvious that this film highlights anti-capitalist sentiments as he aims to expose a corrupt dictatorship and the gulf between the haves and the have-nots. To me it's remarkable that the focal point is Iran, a non-Westernized nation that is seldom the focus of such attention before.

Give it time; CRIMSON GOLD is a film that builds upon itself slowly. It is solemn and bleak at times, but nevertheless held my attention throughout. Recommended.

I never receive your film, despite to have seen it in Lisbon.
For any reasons that neither you can explain, the goods have desapear. Some one, who has the some interests than me got my stuff, which mean I payed for the plesure of a german guy or a service man from the Portuguese douane.
Anyway the film is super!

"Crimson Gold" can be interpreted in any number of ways fairly successfully:as political commentary on the nature of current living conditions in Iran, a work about "the proletariat" rising up for ill fated vengeance against his oppressors, or as I think the director intended it: a film about a deeply good man wounded so deeply by the harsh world around him that the ending is not shocking or violent, but simply inevitable.

Hussein, the protagonist, is a pizza deliveryman in Iran with a boundless capacity for goodwill and an even greater capacity to remain stone silent most of the time. The actor, Hossain Emadeddin, is actually a paranoid schizophrenic, and I think his blank, emotionless affect fits the movie perfectly. His performance borders on frightening, so convinced are we of his essential goodness and his lost plight in the world: if he talked about it,
complained about it even once, the film would have lost all power. But he doesn't.

If you watch the movie carefully you notice that Hussein is not quite being ordered around all the time, far from it;his quiet dignity and commitment to his job, cousin, and his wife (whom, in the tradition of Iran, he simply does not know that well) commands respect from his "superiors". He is always being bombarded with other people's serious problems. More than being humiliated by the local jeweler for not being upper class, it is this--his unfortunate proclivity to end up in the most bizarre situations with twisted people--that pushes him over the edge. And then there is the general indifference of the world to his acts of good will. There is an unforgettable scene in this film, perhaps more moving than the opening or the closing: Hussein, on his motorbike as always, shows up at an apartment complex to deliver pizzas. The Iranian police are not far behind, and interrogate partygoers in the tenement for reasons never explained to the viewer; Hussein is forced to sit and wait, the police neither allowing him to deliver the pizzas or go back to report to his boss about the delay. Hussein offers the soldiers and police slices of pizza, telling one young man he is far too good to be in the army. Eventually, they give in and accept Hussein's offer, cold and hungry as they are. Not once does anyone ask his name, who he is, or why he is being so nice.

This film is really self defining and has to be viewed to be understood. The only problem I had with it is that it is far too short and the ending (which is basically appropriate) happens far too quickly. Otherwise, this is a great film;cold blooded, but out of necessity rather than malice.

This is a very zealous exploration of the human soul through the times and lives of two misfits, who work out as pizza's delivers, one of them is at the eve to be married with the sister of his partner.

At the moment he intends to buy for his fiancée a reckless and a wedding's ring in a very expensive jewelry, he will experience in own flesh the bitter meaning to belong to a social class that has nothing to do with these caprices.

Slow and progressively, he will develop a scrupulous gaze around his environment, the tense silence and the expression of his face forecast bad times to come.

If Taxi driver ignited the screen thirty one years ago about a surreptitious underworld behind the well known landscapes for tourists, this movie is very close in spirit respect Taxi.

A movie that deserves and demands from you top pay whole attention because of the fact the theatrical stages (there is a lot of fixed images) and elusive dialogues so require it. But at the end the effort is rewarding.

Slow in unfolding, Crimson Gold is nevertheless compelling, the very stuff classic film is made of.

I first saw this film at a Middle Eastern film festival, despite the fact that Iran isn't actually a Middle Eastern country (though it is predominantly Islamic in faith).

At any rate, the tale involves two crooks who basically have good hearts, and their struggle against the class system, and, more specifically, their low status.

The film is effective in presenting the religious and political climate, but also the despair that could drive a person into doing something desperate. I'm trying to NOT spoil the film for you, just in case you couldn't tell.

I took one star away from this film because only the best-best-BEST films on earth should get a five. Nonetheless, I'm sure you'll like this film inshallah! :)

It's a trip through Iran on a motorcycle. Albeit the pollution on the lower class area, this is a breath of fresh air from any Hollywood flick. No rich main character here, brimming with one inch thick makeup. Just a pizza delivery man, who is obese, literally and emotionally from society's unfairness.

He found it traumatizing to be snubbed by an uptown jeweler, the wheels of his brain is spinning faster than his third world motorcycle wheels. Yes, the jeweler is a meanie, and I hope he chokes on his diamonds, but of course he didnt deserve to be kicked and beaten by Hussein. I dont think the writers of this movie is justifying Hussein's acts on the jeweler, but just offers us one after another reasons why and how someone like Hussein would do something like that.

The highest form of psychological art in here is when he is invited and made welcome by a rich Persian-American. At this point, I was wondering what Hussein would do to him. The makers of this movie, combined with Hussein's lack of Hollywood histrionics, brings out intense anxiety. Hussein is one unpredictable gentleman.

I strongly suggest this movie to those out there who wants a break from Hollywood. The characters can be dissected in so many ways. Through Hussein's living elements in contrast with the pompous third world richies, watchers are left to THINK. Yes, its a thinking and feeling movie.

I first saw this film a couple of years ago on a whim. I have not seen very many films from the Middle East, however, the ones I have seen have been very good. This film captured me, and pulled me right in. It may not appeal to many viewers whose idea of films are lots of action and gore. But for those viewers who like films about life and drama: and life in particular, this is one great film not to be missed. The story unfolds about the life of one individual named Hussein (Hossain Emadeddin). He is a veteran of the Iran/Irag war. A bloody war which many historians have called the 'trench warfare' of the late 20th century. Not since WWI was there such a slaughter between two armies in the trenches. Hussein is a survivor of this war. And he is now a disillusioned veteran who delivers pizza's for a living: And for Hussein, as a pizza deliveryman handing out pizzas in neighborhoods he will never live in, due to his social status, life for him will take a very sad detour.

Moreover, Hussein, a heavy set man, is also undergoing cortisone shots for his war injuries. His best friend is named Ali (Kamyar Sheissi), and it is Ali's sister that Hussein is engaged to be married to. However, Ali is a petty thief. During one of Ali's purse snatchings however, he comes across a receipt for an expensive necklace. They both decide to visit the store, however, the both feel resentment when the store owner refuses to allow them in due to their attire. Seeing the way the store owner caters to the other rich clients, and his wariness of these two poorer men, they both seethe with inner resentment. A resentment which will only deepen as the film progresses: Eventually leading to Hussein attempting to rob the store.

But what really pushes Hussein over the edge in robbing the store, is when he is treated indifferent by the police while delivering pizzas. Moreover, the final nail is when he delivers pizzas to a rich customer at a penthouse. The occupant of the penthouse is visiting Iran, whose parents happen to be in the USA. Hussein sees the wealth of this upper social class, and feels even greater resentment. The tenant of the building (Pourang Nakaheal) gives a good performance as one who is used to good things. When Hussein walks about the penthouse he is amazed at what he sees. A life he will never know, yet longs for. While sitting on the roof, he sees a beautiful swimming pool, and jumping in, clothes and all, he gazes at the city below. Hussein has been a walking time bomb for quite some time. And it is in part because of the events that unfolded the previous day. This is a great film, and I could not help feeling empathy for Hussein, and the life he lived. A highly recommended film. [Stars: 5+]