This essay will firstly discuss the main features of Iranian New Wave cinema that made it distinctive from any other around the world, whilst also providing information on the contextual conditions that allowed for this new genre of cinema to flourish amidst an atmosphere of state repression. The latter part of the essay will then be used to identify the similarities that can be drawn between the films of Iranian New Wave and those examined previously in the module, focusing primarily on the cinematic influences of Italian neorealism thereafter, Nouvelle Vague and the British New Wave that helped to inspire a generation of new directors to develop and thus transform contemporary Iranian cinema.
Before the rise of the “New Wave” genre, Iranian …show more content…
Ironically, the Shah viewed film as a medium of great influence, capable of conveying the ideals of his regime conveniently to mass audiences. However, The Cow is a film that perfectly exemplifies the failure of such a political strategy in that it seemingly backfired. Originally, the Iranian Government approved of Mehrjui’s proposed idea for his film, based primarily on the assumption that the film would simply depict one man’s obsession with his beloved cow. Though, when played out on screen, the film’s unsettling tendency to emphasize the poverty that persisted in Iranian culture was evident above all else. As one might expect, this realization provoked anger amongst the Shah and his Government, who were forced to concede to the idea of the film placing a disclaimer at the beginning, in order to insinuate to its audience that the events of the film took place long before the Shah’s rule, as the events on show were by no means compatible with the Shah’s fabricated …show more content…
This is epitomized in the establishing shot of The Wind Will Carry Us (1999) as it presents the spectacle of the Iranian countryside through the naturalistic mise- en- scene incorporated within the shot that can be seen for miles into the distance. Interestingly, the shot concerned features a moving car, which can perhaps be seen to pose as a symbol of modernity, yet amidst the extraordinary backdrop, this materialistic item seems insignificant and miniscule in the grand scheme of things, and thus, these two opposing elements both interact with one another to convey a metaphorical significance that helps to elevate the plot from the ambiguous to allegorical level. The inclusion of such an illuminating cinematic trope is similarly found in Dino Risi’s Il Sorpasso (1962). Like the opening sequence of The Wind Will Carry Us, Il Sorpasso also opens with an establishing shot that features a moving car in isolation amidst a deserted backdrop; though in contrast to The Wind Will Carry Us, Il Sorpasso’s shot features the urban streets and piazzas of Rome curiously devoid of its usual traffic. Kristin Ross refers to this as “the ubiquitous ‘only car on the road’ sequence,” a technique she insists serves “to underline the car’s singularity” . Moreover, in the case of Il Sorpasso, a film belonging to the Comedy Italian Style of the
Before the rise of the “New Wave” genre, Iranian …show more content…
Ironically, the Shah viewed film as a medium of great influence, capable of conveying the ideals of his regime conveniently to mass audiences. However, The Cow is a film that perfectly exemplifies the failure of such a political strategy in that it seemingly backfired. Originally, the Iranian Government approved of Mehrjui’s proposed idea for his film, based primarily on the assumption that the film would simply depict one man’s obsession with his beloved cow. Though, when played out on screen, the film’s unsettling tendency to emphasize the poverty that persisted in Iranian culture was evident above all else. As one might expect, this realization provoked anger amongst the Shah and his Government, who were forced to concede to the idea of the film placing a disclaimer at the beginning, in order to insinuate to its audience that the events of the film took place long before the Shah’s rule, as the events on show were by no means compatible with the Shah’s fabricated …show more content…
This is epitomized in the establishing shot of The Wind Will Carry Us (1999) as it presents the spectacle of the Iranian countryside through the naturalistic mise- en- scene incorporated within the shot that can be seen for miles into the distance. Interestingly, the shot concerned features a moving car, which can perhaps be seen to pose as a symbol of modernity, yet amidst the extraordinary backdrop, this materialistic item seems insignificant and miniscule in the grand scheme of things, and thus, these two opposing elements both interact with one another to convey a metaphorical significance that helps to elevate the plot from the ambiguous to allegorical level. The inclusion of such an illuminating cinematic trope is similarly found in Dino Risi’s Il Sorpasso (1962). Like the opening sequence of The Wind Will Carry Us, Il Sorpasso also opens with an establishing shot that features a moving car in isolation amidst a deserted backdrop; though in contrast to The Wind Will Carry Us, Il Sorpasso’s shot features the urban streets and piazzas of Rome curiously devoid of its usual traffic. Kristin Ross refers to this as “the ubiquitous ‘only car on the road’ sequence,” a technique she insists serves “to underline the car’s singularity” . Moreover, in the case of Il Sorpasso, a film belonging to the Comedy Italian Style of the