Iranian Cinema

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses that, although cinema has not always been a part of Iranian culture, its growth was slow yet steady in a country ruled by Islamic rules and regulations. The author points out that the Islamic Revolution of 1979 brought an end to the already slowing cinema industry of Iran; theatres were destroyed believing they were symbolic of moral decay that had plagued the society. The paper relates that, after the revolution, the situation of the Iranian cinema gradually improved especially as women began to experience more freedom and interaction rules were relaxed; women became directors resulting in some famous movies including "Rakhshan Bani'etemad's Kharej AZ mahdudeh" ('Off Limits', 1987) and Nargess' "Tahmineh Milani's Tazeh cheh khabar" ('What's New?' 1992).

Table of Contents
An Introduction to Iran
Brief Overview of Cinema in Iran
Iranian Cinema after the Revolution

From the Paper:

"The first film ever made in Iran was a silent movie produced in 1921 and talkies came later in 1933 when first sound movie Dokhtar-e-Lur came out. This marked the beginning of Iranian industry which was technically inferior to many advanced film industries of the world. While the industry was suffering because of lack of technical expertise, audience's appetite for foreign films didn't help the situation either. Most theaters therefore screened foreign films only and Iran rarely produced any movies for first fifty years. By 1947, Iran had produced only 2 films, in 1952 the number reached 20, by 1962 it increased to 30 and in 1971, Iran had produced 88 films. In 1977, the number of domestic films came down to 50 while foreign films during that period totaled 504."

More papers on Iranian Cinema:

• Essay # 16180 : "Iranian-Israeli Ethnicity"
• Term Paper # 140011 : "The Iranian Revolution: Transformation into a Theocracy"
• Analytical Essay # 139514 : "The Iranian Revolution: Implications for the Middle East"

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