THE SPELL
A film review by Thomas E. Billings
Copyright 1990 Thomas E. Billings
Synopsis: A young couple accept an arranged marriage to stop the fighting between their respective clans. On the way home from their wedding, they get lost in a dark forest on a stormy night. They take refuge in an eerie mansion, inhabited by an old man obsessed with the past, and his creepy servant. As the night progresses, they learn the terrible secrets hidden in the house. Similar to many other films in this genre, with a few interesting plot turns.
Iran (English subtitles), color, 1987, 90 minutes. Director/Writer: Dariush Farhang
The film is set in Iran, during the Quajar dynasty. I don't know precisely when that was, but given the level of technology that appears in the film: horse drawn wagons, single-shot pistols, and a crude phonograph, it appears to be late 1800's or early 1900's (historical inaccuracies/criticisms, if any, should be blamed on the Director).
The story is centered on an attractive young couple. The film begins with their wedding, an arranged marriage designed to end the fighting between the clans of the bride and groom. After the wedding, the bride and groom return to the groom's home by wagon. Their wagon runs off the road late that night, in a storm in a dark forest. They go into the forest, and are chased by "wolves" (that look more like dogs than wolves). They come to a forbidding mansion in the woods, and seek refuge from the wolves.
In the mansion they meet the only residents: a wealthy, older gentleman, and his (rather creepy) servant. The owner believes that the house is "spellbound" (haunted), because his lovely bride vanished without a trace, on his wedding night five years ago. He is very morose and somber, and is obsessed with her memory.
The young man falls ill (or was he drugged?); the servant gives him a sleeping potion. His bride goes down to the "hall of mirrors" room in the mansion, where she vanishes without a trace, just like the bride of the owner five years ago. The story continues as the young man accuses the mansion owner of foul play, and searches for his missing bride...
Evaluating this film is difficult, for it has strong positive and negative points. The positive points include a dose of witty, sarcastic, "battle of the sexes" humor. The marriage was arranged, and the couple don't like each other at first. The woman tells her husband: "I shall hate the children I bear you." The custom that the bride cannot speak to anyone but her husband for 1 year after marriage is emphasized (and heavily criticized) in the film. For example, the bride is told that, until she bears a child, she is not even a person! Other points include a convoluted plot, with interesting twists and turns.
The negative points include pacing (the film really drags in two parts), "wolves" that look like reddish dogs, and the fact that the film doesn't break any new ground in the "haunted house" genre of films. Some viewers may find the mansion itself to be too clean, i.e., not creepy enough for a film of this type.
Overall, I liked the movie for its witty humor and interesting plot. However, many viewers will likely be turned off by its very slow pace and technical flaws.
Distribution. Part of a film series, "Iranian Film Now," coordinated by The Film Center, Chicago on behalf of the Farabi Cinema Foundation. Screened at the Pacific Film Archive, University of California, Berkeley. This film may be available on video, if you can find a source for Iranian videos.
Reviewer contact: teb@stat.Berkeley.EDU
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