March 30 - Persepolis

Today’s movie is a drama with a scene that happens on March 30. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

PERSEPOLIS          

Marjane is a normal little girl in 1978 Iran who loves Adidas sneakers and Bruce Lee. As protests rise against the Shah, Marjane’s father explains that the Shah’s father had overthrown the Kajar dynasty, but instead of establishing a republic made himself absolute ruler. Marjane’s grandfather who was a Kajar prince (and a communist) was jailed.  After the Shah is overthrown, a friend of theirs Sermack is released from jail and says CIA trained agents tortured him. Marjane’s uncle Anoush is released from jail after nine years. He had been involved in the breakaway Communist Azerbaijan republic and then went into exile in the USSR. When he tried to return to Iran, he was arrested. The Islamist parties win the National Referendum of March 30, 1979[18:56 to 19:13]. Anoush is soon arrested and executed. Then Iraq attacks. Political repression is stepped up. At school Marjane and her classmates are made to wear the hajib. There are food shortages and missile attacks.  Marjane almost gets caught buying extremely illegal ‘Iron Maiden’ cassettes. Marjane and her family attend illegal underground alcohol parties. When her Uncle Tahir has his third heart attack and needs an operation abroad, but can’t get a passport, Marjane’s father tries to get a forged one, but fails and Tahir dies. After Marjane contradicts her teacher’s political propaganda her family sends her to school in Vienna. She becomes part of a group in Vienna’s nihilistic underground scene. After many emotional tribulations she meets Marcus. They begin a brief love affair.  He turns out to be a jerk. Marjane becomes a homeless person, wandering the streets of Vienna. She returns to Iran. When Marjane says an innocent man made lewd remarks to her so she won’t be arrested for wearing makeup, she offends her grandmother. Marjane redeems herself by pointing out the hypocrisy of the revolutionary guards. Marjane gets married, but her husband is soon revealed as an idiot. She goes to a party and when the Revolutionary Guards show up the boys have to escape across the rooftops and one is killed.  Marjane gets a divorce and moves to France. 

A refreshingly different movie. Has a very interesting black and white animation style. Maintains the right balance between political lecture and comedy. 

Iran: From Religious Dispute to Revolution by Michael M.J. Fisher (Harvard University

Press, Cambridge, MA, 1980) at page 220 gives the date of this referendum.

Producers - Xavier Rigault, Marc-Antoine Robert and Kathleen Kennedy

Directors - Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud

Awards – Nominated for Best Animated Film at the 80^th Academy Awards.

Screenplay - Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud

Runtime – 1 hour 35 minutes

Released –May 23, 2007

Voice Actors –

Chiara Mastroianni as teenage and adult Marjane

Amethyste Frezignac as child Marjane

Catherine Deneuve as Mother

Gena Rowlands as Grandmother

Sean Penn as Father

Iggy Pop as Uncle Anouche

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014