pictory: American film depicts the building of the Karadj Dam (1957-1961)

Share/Save/Bookmark

pictory: American film depicts the building of the Karadj Dam (1957-1961)
by Darius Kadivar
29-Jul-2010
 

This American film depicts one of Iran's key modernization projects with the building of the Karadj Dam in the years 1957-1961. This Film is shared by an American youtube blogger ( thor2k) whose father helped build the dam.

Part I:

Part II:

Part III:

Description:

This film depicts one of Iran's key modernization projects with the building of the Karadj Dam in the years 1957-1961.

Our father, the only American visible in the film, had described its production to me during my youth, but he had never seen it. For his birthday in 1982, I had contacted the Morrison-Knudsen company in Boise, Idaho to see if it remained in their archives. A very kind and knowledgeable person there not only remembered the film, but offered to convert it from the original 16mm film stock to (then common) VHS format.

It reflects, with its dated images and focus on the "mechanics" of dam construction and the then popularity of hydro-electric power generation, a much different time. It seems odd, given our childhood memories of living in Iran, how our respective governments could have come so far from active cooperation to aggressive conflict.

In any event, I recall the Iranian people as being kind and respectful and generous and excited about their future. I suspect - and hope - that remains.

Share/Save/Bookmark

more from Darius Kadivar
 
Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime

>>>>>>Karaj Dam <<<<<<<<

by Everybody Loves Somebody ... on

Yadesh be khair, before the construction of this beauty and water distribution pipelines (courtesy of khoda beyamorz Shah), we used to fill up our abb-anbar via samll streams originating from the Karaj river.

Around midnight when the possibility of some yaahoo shashing upstream was as low as possible, khoda beyamorz Jon-Ali would block the stream with some tree trunks for the water level to rise to flow through the ingress. Yes running water in many parts of Iran was just established in the 60's.