Remove ads

Information

A.k.a.
The crown jewels of Iran
Year
1965
Runtime
15 min.
Director
Ebrahim Golestan
Genres
Documentary, Short
Rating *
5.7
Votes *
0
Checks
111
Favs
4
Dislikes
4
Favs/checks
3.6% (1:28)
Favs/dislikes
1:1
* View IMDb information

Top comments

  1. traistboar's avatar

    traistboar

    https://ok.ru/video/3450934790682 1 year 9 months ago
  2. Dimitris Psachos Springer's avatar

    Dimitris Psachos Springer

    https://notesoncinematograph.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-crown-jewels-of-iran-ebrahim.html

    Quote from the (valuable) article above:

    "Ebrahim Golestan's 1965 short documentary, Ganjineha-ye Gohar [in English: The Crown Jewels of Iran], will be screened at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2021. This will mark the world premiere of the restored version and a new beginning for a film very difficult or even impossible to screen in a cinema for almost 55 years. Like its title, The Crown Jewels of Iran is a true jewel of Iranian cinema, though so far a buried one.

    Made for the Central Bank of Iran to celebrate the collection of precious jewels kept in the treasury, this film remains filmmaker Ebrahim Golestan's most visually dazzling work, embellished with terrific camera movements.

    Some of the most iconic landscape photography in the history of Iranian cinema can be found within a minute after the opening credits, in which peasants of various ethnicities and tribes are quickly reviewed, all posed in a graceful manner, like kings without being kings. Like a work of musical composition, a simple act of ploughing is spread across shots of various size and angle, creating an intimate visual symphony. And then appears one of Golestan's allegorical match-cuts: a farmer seen on the horizon before a cut to a diamond on a dark background – the farmer is the jewel.

    As in his previous "commissioned" films, Golestan manages to subvert the subject by a brave rejection, here, in the form of being openly critical of the Persian kings. The theme of the commentary is in clear contrast with what is shown: colourful images of jewels in rotation while Golstan's voice is heard, describing the decadence and treachery of past kings.

    The Crown Jewels of Iran may well be one of the most beautiful colour documentaries ever made."
    2 years 2 months ago
See all comments

Friends

Login to see which of your friends have seen this movie!

Activity

  1. We didn't record any activity between now and 1 week ago.
See more activity

In 1 official list

  1. This movie ranks #1032 in Jonathan Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema
    Jonathan Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema's icon

    Jonathan Rosenbaum's Ess…

    1032
View all lists this movie is in