Masters & Masterpieces of Iranian Cinema [Hardcover]

Hamid Dabashi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2007

The rise of Iranian cinema to world prominence over the last few decades is one of the most fascinating cultural stories of our time. There is scarcely an international film festival anywhere that does not honour the aesthetic and political explorations of Iranian artists. "Masters & Masterpieces of Iranian Cinema" celebrates this remarkable emergence. It focuses on twelve of the most important Iranian filmmakers of the past half-century - among them, such pioneers as Forugh Farrokhzad, Dariush Mehrjui, Abbas Kiarostami, and Jafar Panahi. In his examination of their lives and their greatest works, Hamid Dabashi explains how, despite the censorship of both the Pahlavi monarchy and the Islamic Republic, the creativity of these filmmakers has transcended national and cultural borders. His account traces the ascendancy of Iranian cinema in modern Iranian intellectual history and also probes its links to Persian poetry, fiction, art, and philosophy.In Europe and in North America, in Asia and in Latin America, in Australia and Africa, the thematic and narrative richness of Iranian cinema has met with tremendous acclaim. Indeed, its particular modes of realism - building on such cinematic antecedents as Italian, French and German neorealism - have become truly transnational, contributing a new visual vocabulary to filmmaking everywhere. "Masters & Masterpieces of Iranian Cinema" studies the role that prominent film festivals have played in fostering the global success of Iranian cinema, and investigates the reception of these films within Iran, an intriguing story in its own right. This is a book that will reward not only the scholar and the film aficionado but also anyone interested in the cultural history of modern Iran.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Iran's cinematic evolution, before and after the revolution of 1979, is as rich as any country's; however, despite boasting numerous film awards and international critical acclaim, the country's output remains relatively unknown even to cineastes. "What is Iranian cinema?" is as logical a question as "Why is it underexposed?" This book by Dabashi (Iranian studies & comparative literature, Columbia Univ.) takes the form of a letter to a young filmmaker but eschews the colloquial for a scholarly approach. He chronologically highlights directors, discussing a key work in each person's oeuvre and its place in Iranian and world cinema. Dabashi also explores the development of Iranian cinema objectively and subjectively via the people who created it, without the need for restrictive answers. He considers Iranian cinema representative of a living world cinema and will let "the bored historians of the future worry about its dead certainties." Given its academic approach, Dabashi's book is highly recommended for universities, large public libraries, and those with extensive focuses in film or cultural history." Benjamin D. Malczewski, Ypsilanti Dist. Lib., MI --Library Journal, 1 April 2007

A highly readable narrative ... Dabashi s analysis...make for a complex and witty account. Masters & Masterpieces; should make us review our assumptions next time we view an Iranian film and whet our curiosity as to how contemporary film-makers might take this visual heritage forward. --Sight & Sound Magazine

From the Publisher

"Masters & Masterpieces of Iranian Cinema offers a remarkable overview of Iranian cinema and the directors who have transformed the shape of Iranian culture in modern history. With his superb authority on the social and political history of the region, Dabashi provides a tour de force of the artistic developments in Iran over the past half a century and thus beautifully lays out the alluring dynamic between Iranian art and politics. Perhaps the most significant accomplishment of this marvelous book is Dabashi's refusal to limit the importance of Iranian cinema to its regional domain, as he consistently cultivates its global prominence."
--Shirin Neshat, film & video artist, director of Women without Men

"For over a decade Hamid Dabashi's revelations have been as instrumental in the fashioning of my own cinema as Naderi, Kiarostami, Bresson, or Rossellini. Dabashi brilliantly weaves together Iranian cinema, literature, history, philosophy, and politics in a national and global setting, and lovingly and masterfully guides his readers to cultural and aesthetic insights. If Iranian cinema brought the world a "poetic" vision of modern Iran, Dabashi has done no less in this piercing analysis."
--Ramin Bahrani, filmmaker, director of Man Push Cart

Praise for Hamid Dabashi's previous books

"Learned...sparkles with verve and a sometimes punishing wit.... Encyclopedic in its scope, informal in tone, shrewd in its interpretation, indispensable...Dabashi is the perfect guide."--Edward W. Said

"The grand clash of civilizations and ideologies will increasingly take place within the west, with such writers and intellectuals as Dabashi".--Pankaj Mishra, The Guardian

"Lively and well written.... Objective and empathetic...unlike many others on contemporary Iran".--Ervand Abrahamian, International Journal of Middle East Studies

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 456 pages
• Publisher: Mage Publishers (May 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 093421185X
• ISBN-13: 978-0934211857
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #795,542 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book On Iranian Cinema and Culture, February 4, 2011

By 

farshad aminian - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Masters & Masterpieces of Iranian Cinema (Hardcover)

Hamid Dabashi's "Masters and Masterpieces of Iranian Cinema" captures the cultural and political essence of New Wave Iranian Cinema through a careful critical analysis of twelve acclaimed Iranian filmmakers. This is a book to use in academic courses (preferably graduate level) on the subject of Iranian Cinema/Culture or Third World Cinema. An excellent book written by a leading cultural studies scholar.