Nostalgia

Iranian Brad Pitt

BV looked so much like Brad Pitt when he was younger.

would be nice to get a copy

.

Thanks DK !

I wonder if BV climbs up and jumps off the Mennar Jomboon'e Esfahan as a special effect in the movie? :-)

Thanks again!

Iranian James Bond Movie?

Iranian James Bond Movie?

Thanks Darius jan

I didn't realise OSS117 dates back to 1956 which makes it even earleir than the first Bond movie. Great stuff :)

anglophile Jan interesting you mentioned OSS 117 ;0)

NO ROSES FOR OSS 117: Spy Novel Set in Isfahan Turned into French Movie Classic

Great Minds meet ;0) 

Zarindast has been unfairly dubbed the "Persian Ed Wood" ;0)

Tony Zarindast | Movie Director, Actor, Producer, Writer

He worked for many years in the US making small budget films but unlike Reza Badiyi he never truly made it in the industry so he went back to Iran where he continues to work and I think teaches cinema and is member of a few film festivals as an advisor. He greeted Sean Penn in Tehran a few years ago.

His films truly reflect a genuine cinematic culture and visual references but unfortunately he never had the financial backing to pull it through. So his film career has been chaotic and at times incoherent because he clearly wanted to touch and experience many different genre's ranging from historical epics to Pulp Fiction to Horror Flicks particularly in the 1980's when his career was reaching a dead end.

This film was his most ambitious project where he managed to hire two major TV Stars notably Cameron Mitchell and Peter Graves:

MON CINEMA: The Guns and the Fury (1981)

Although the film "Guns and the Fury" is not regarded as a masterpiece he nevertheless proved to have the technical knowhow to pull off a complex production involving action scenes and large crowds. Because his own country was in a brink of a Revolution I believe he finally had to shoot the film in Tunisia under very difficult financial circumstances given that some of his financial backers pulled out. I think the film never aired in Iran and am not sure it even got distributed and Zaridasht had to finally self distribute it in the Video market at his own financial risks.

Although not a cinematic genius as was the case of Reza Badiyi for instance but I think If the revolution had not taken place Zarindasht would have truly made it Big as a talented tv director.

But his genuine love of movies and thirst for cinematic culture clearly appears in every shot.

As such his films however unequal have gained a nearly Cult Status amongst B-Movie Aficionados ...

I believe he still works in IRan if not goes back and forth between Iran and Los Angeles where he has his office.

It would be great if The Iranian Diaspora Film Community be it Noor or the San Francisco Film Festival should truly try and organize a retrospective of his films and maybe pay tribute to his work.

//www.iranianfilmfestival.org/

NOOR Lights your way to Hollywood! by Darius KADIVAR

Good or Bad, Masterpieces or not these films and their pioneers truly contributed to paving the way for the modern Iranian film industry.

I would argue that the likes of Kiarostami or Makhmalbaf or Asghar Farhadi would not be where they are if these folks had not pioneered in this profession.

Related Blog:

PERSIAN JAMES BOND: Fardin in "The Man From Tehran" (1968)

Other Related Blogs:

THE LAST TYCOON: In Tribute to Reza S. Badiyi (1930-2011)

MON CINEMA: "Dokhtar-e Lor" aka "The Lor Girl" First Sound Film (1933

UNITED ARTISTS : Manoocher Vossough and Googoosh Re-United in London For The First Time in 30 Years

Bebin TV Interview of Manouchehr Vossough

I give you more stuff to laugh JJ

I would kill...

... to find a copy of this film and watch it for a good laugh! Love it :)))