Iranian Cinema And the Islamic Revolution [Paperback]

Shahla Mirbakhtyar (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786422858 | ISBN-13: 978-0786422852 | Publication Date: August 4, 2006

In spite of international award-winning productions, Iran’s cinema is underexposed. Because of the prevailing religious, political and social atmosphere in Iran, the country’s cinema remained stagnant for more than 50 years. Although the “new” Iranian cinema had begun to develop before the 1979 revolution, the political changes gave rise to a new wave of expression. This volume examines the two waves of modern Iranian cinema: before and after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The first began about 1969, and the second started in 1984 and carried its momentum through 1997. Topics discussed include the effect of cultural mores on cinematic growth, the development of Iranian cinema as a reaction against commercial cinema and the effect of politics on the film industry. Foreign influence (largely American and Indian) on Iranian films is also examined. Critical sources used are primarily Persian to give the reader a culturally inclusive view of each production. Specific films discussed include Fickle, The Cow, Mud-brick and Mirror, Captain Khorshid and Downpour. A chapter-by-chapter filmography is included.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Shahla Mirbakhtyar studied theatre and cinema at Tehran University and The Australian National University where she earned a Master of Philosophy in Film Studies. An actress in Iranian Cinema, she had leading roles in many feature films including, The Inner Beast, The Autumn of Sahra, The Silky Chains and The Redwind. Currently a Ph.D. candidate at ANU, she is working on her thesis: Feminism, Islam and Cinema in Iran.

Product Details

• Paperback: 210 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers (August 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786422858
• ISBN-13: 978-0786422852
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,634,913 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Iranian Cinema pre-2005, October 8, 2010

By 

William Garrison Jr. (Bellevue, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Iranian Cinema And the Islamic Revolution (Paperback)

"Iranian Cinema and the Islamic Revolution" by Shahla Mirbakhtyar, (2006), English, paperback, 200 pgs. A very expansive look at the development of cinema in Iran. The first half of this book is devoted to a study of the Iranian movie industry before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and the last half of the book details how that Revolution impacted the movie industry. Only 3-4 movie posters are depicted, while about 75 b/w photographs of famous Iranian film stars and directors are shown. The last 13 pages make a "Filmography": a listing of about 100 significant films that were produced in Iran (out of several thousand), with a brief paragraph describing each movie. The author noted that the first Iranian film showing a fully nude female in a film was released in 1964, titiled Lezat-eGonah (The Pleasure of the Sin), and the first full nude male appeared in 1976, titled Brehan-e ta Zohr ba Soraat. The author noted that the Iranian film industry never became very robust because while producing an Iranian film cost between $80,000 - $100,000, a non-Iranian film could be dubbed into Persian for only $1,000 (p. 100).