Crimson Gold
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Movie Reviews of Crimson Gold
Movie Review: An History of Violence
Summary: 5 Stars
As always, I leaned towards "Crimson Gold" with caution. Dozens of reviews told me that this film is excellent and that I should not even worry about the possibility of an overrated mess. Even when I know that some pundits are generally right, I still feel the lack of that overprotective marketing machine that covers us with millions spent in advertising for a mindless summer blockbuster. But I said to myself, lets watch some minutes, and if your mood today is not up to the task, we'll let this film for a later date. And then "Crimson Gold" started.
The first scene is nothing short of masterful, gripping the viewer into a tense stare of an unstoppable downwards situation. Hussein, the low-class pizza delivery-man, is trying to assault the smug jewelry store manager. As Hussein bland his weapon from side to side, we fear for the jeweler as we strangely (because we don't know him yet) fear for him. The way in which he talks and the way in which the jeweler resists transports the viewer immediately to all those terrible assault denouements in crime-ridden cities around the world.
From there, we go back with Hussein to the lasts days of his journey, observing how the pizza man travels the roads between class divisions in Iran, controlled also by the morality police. Each episode brings him closer to the realization of his place in society. Is not that he did not know that he was poor, but by comparison with other people, he (and we) come to the conclusion that only a desperate act can extricate yourself from indignity. Hussein is far from being alone, and is loved by everyone around him. Everyone in his class, of course. It takes one slight act of disdain from the jeweler, a man that seems to think that he is above Hussein, to start the slow fire that will make his blood boil.
The last episode is frightening and coherent. Hussein is invited by a rich lad that came back from the US to eat with him in his apartment. But what apartment! From room to room, Hussein discovers all the luxuries he is denied, luxuries that are owned by people that are not even interested in enjoying them, and leave Hussein and his friends to deteriorate under a theocracy that could care less, except to forbid all kinds of life enjoyment (that yes, are related to activities shared with the opposite sex). And I still found myself frighten of Hussein, of a change in temper that would make him steal something to this guy or something worst (thus confirming the view of his class as a bunch of criminals). After all, Hussein received a masterclass in thievery earlier on.
But as his teacher in that conversation said: "If you want to arrest a thief, you'll have to arrest the world". Who is the thief in this story? As Hussein seems to have been robbed of his life, that question does not have an obvious answer.
Movie Review: Ruthless reality
Summary: 5 Stars
"Crimson Gold" can be interpreted in any number of ways fairly successfully:as political commentary on the nature of current living conditions in Iran, a work about "the proletariat" rising up for ill fated vengeance against his oppressors, or as I think the director intended it: a film about a deeply good man wounded so deeply by the harsh world around him that the ending is not shocking or violent, but simply inevitable.
Hussein, the protagonist, is a pizza deliveryman in Iran with a boundless capacity for goodwill and an even greater capacity to remain stone silent most of the time. The actor, Hossain Emadeddin, is actually a paranoid schizophrenic, and I think his blank, emotionless affect fits the movie perfectly. His performance borders on frightening, so convinced are we of his essential goodness and his lost plight in the world: if he talked about it,
complained about it even once, the film would have lost all power. But he doesn't.
If you watch the movie carefully you notice that Hussein is not quite being ordered around all the time, far from it;his quiet dignity and commitment to his job, cousin, and his wife (whom, in the tradition of Iran, he simply does not know that well) commands respect from his "superiors". He is always being bombarded with other people's serious problems. More than being humiliated by the local jeweler for not being upper class, it is this--his unfortunate proclivity to end up in the most bizarre situations with twisted people--that pushes him over the edge. And then there is the general indifference of the world to his acts of good will. There is an unforgettable scene in this film, perhaps more moving than the opening or the closing: Hussein, on his motorbike as always, shows up at an apartment complex to deliver pizzas. The Iranian police are not far behind, and interrogate partygoers in the tenement for reasons never explained to the viewer; Hussein is forced to sit and wait, the police neither allowing him to deliver the pizzas or go back to report to his boss about the delay. Hussein offers the soldiers and police slices of pizza, telling one young man he is far too good to be in the army. Eventually, they give in and accept Hussein's offer, cold and hungry as they are. Not once does anyone ask his name, who he is, or why he is being so nice.
This film is really self defining and has to be viewed to be understood. The only problem I had with it is that it is far too short and the ending (which is basically appropriate) happens far too quickly. Otherwise, this is a great film;cold blooded, but out of necessity rather than malice.
Movie Review: Iran through through the eyes of a pizza deliveryman
Summary: 5 Stars
This 2003 Iranian film has a lot of depth. The main character is a man named Hussein. Bloated with extra weight because of a medical condition he developed while fighting in the Iraq war, he now works as a pizza deliveryman.
Through his eyes, we get a view of Iranian society. For example, we see him delivering pizzas to a place that is having a party where young people are dancing. However, he's detained by the police who are arresting the partygoers as they emerge from the party because such behavior is forbidden in Iran. He's just a bystander with pizzas which will not be eaten and so he offers pizza to police and arrestees alike. It's a very moving scene and we even get a glimpse of a 15-year old soldier who is trying to follow the rules and not eat on duty but really does want a piece of pizza.
Then there is a scene where he meets his former army commander who's embarrassed by the fact that Hussein, a war hero, is now delivering pizza and so he gives him a large tip.
Our hearts go out to this oversized man who is constantly reminded of the vast differences in Iranian society. In another scene a rich man invites him in to his very expensive apartment just because he needs to talk to someone. Hussein wanders around here with a sense of wonder at all the riches and it soon becomes clear that Hussein's desperation is growing.
Soon, we understand the act of violence with which the film opens and which confused me at first. But the rest of the film answers those questions.
This is a fine film although a bit confusing and somehow sad. But it's well done and meaningful. Not for everyone but film buffs will love it. Recommended.
Movie Review: The silent crumbling !
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a very zealous exploration of the human soul through the times and lives of two misfits, who work out as pizza's delivers, one of them is at the eve to be married with the sister of his partner.
At the moment he intends to buy for his fiancée a reckless and a wedding's ring in a very expensive jewelry, he will experience in own flesh the bitter meaning to belong to a social class that has nothing to do with these caprices.
Slow and progressively, he will develop a scrupulous gaze around his environment, the tense silence and the expression of his face forecast bad times to come.
If Taxi driver ignited the screen thirty one years ago about a surreptitious underworld behind the well known landscapes for tourists, this movie is very close in spirit respect Taxi.
A movie that deserves and demands from you top pay whole attention because of the fact the theatrical stages (there is a lot of fixed images) and elusive dialogues so require it. But at the end the effort is rewarding.
Movie Review: Captivating glimpse into class warfare of Iranian society.
Summary: 4 Stars
Hussein Emadeddin works as a pizza deliveryman in the bustling metropolis of Tehran, Iran. He is a large somber guy that refuses to crack a smile, let alone laugh, throughout his performance in this film. It is apparent that Hussein has a matter preoccupying his mind, and as the narrative unfolds it is revealed that he is greatly disturbed by the gap between the rich and poor in Tehran. Occupying the lower rungs of the economic class ladder Hussein can't help but look up into the panorama of the wealthy. His attention is particularly focused on an affluent jewelry shop and its snobby owner in order to better understand this previously mysterious social stratum.
There are several noteworthy scenes such as when Hussein unknowingly interrupted the government surveillance of a party that violates the fundamental religious laws of Iran (i.e., dancing). I have read about the moral police, but have never before seen a depiction of them on film before. There was also a quick reference to what I believe was Hussein's participation in the Iraq-Iran War. I wished that more were revealed about these two aspects.
Directed by Jafar Panahi, an acknowledged socialist, it is obvious that this film highlights anti-capitalist sentiments as he aims to expose a corrupt dictatorship and the gulf between the haves and the have-nots. To me it's remarkable that the focal point is Iran, a non-Westernized nation that is seldom the focus of such attention before.
Give it time; CRIMSON GOLD is a film that builds upon itself slowly. It is solemn and bleak at times, but nevertheless held my attention throughout. Recommended.