Rang-e khoda (1999)

reviewed by
Shannon Patrick Sullivan


THE COLOR OF PARADISE (1999) / ** 1/2 aka RANG-E KHODA [Farsi; English subtitles]

Directed by Majid Majidi, from his screenplay. Starring Mohsen Ramezani, Hossein Mahjoub, Salime Feizi. Running time: 90 minutes. Rated PG for frightening scenes by the MFCB. Reviewed on November 7th, 2000.

By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN

To the best of my knowledge, "The Color Of Paradise" is the first Iranian film to be screened in a Newfoundland cinema. I confess that I had little idea what to expect heading into the showing. My general impression of Iran, as a country, is less than favorable. I was raised during the Iran-Iraq war and the reign of the Ayatollah Khomeini; when I reflect on Iran, my first thought is of the infamous death threat made by the former Ayatollah against author Salman Rushdie because of the content of his book "The Satanic Verses".

But it would be a mistake for me to tar all Iranians with the same brush. And indeed, "The Color Of Paradise" is a film totally divorced from such international scandal. It is a very small, quiet, spiritual movie, as far removed from world politics as it is possible to be. This is a story not of political war or religious fanaticism, but of one sightless boy and the way his blindness helps him to see God better than anyone else in his life.

As the film opens, we are introduced to young Mohammad (Mohsen Ramezani), who attends a school for the blind in Tehran. Classes have ended for the year (city schools are better than rural schools, Mohammad later tells his sisters, because they close earlier) and his father, Hashem, is supposed to come and bring him home. But for a long time, Mohammad's father does not come. When he finally does, it is a joyless reunion -- Hashem (Hossein Mahjoub) asks the school officials to keep Mohammad for the summer. It transpires that Mohammad's father, a widower, fears that having a blind son around will impair his chances of finding a new wife, something he wants very desperately.

Ultimately, Hashem is compelled to bring his son home. There, Mohammad enjoys a happier existence around his two young sisters and his beloved Granny (Salime Feizi). But Hashem eventually manages to pawn Mohammad off on a blind carpenter (Morteza Fatemi), who agrees to take the boy in as an apprentice. This decision precipitates an upheaval in the lives of all Mohammad's family, and poses the question of who is truly blind -- the boy or his father?

What is most striking about "The Color Of Paradise" is the way writer/director Majid Majidi and cinematographer Mohammad Davudi have managed to capture the simple beauty of northern Iran. Be it the humble splendour of children playing in an alfalfa field, or the furious vista of a summer rainstorm, the countryside is brought to vivid life, and is as much a character as any of the people inhabiting the film.

This is accentuated by Mohammad Reza Delpak's excellent work on the soundtrack. To reflect the enhancement of young Mohammad's other senses in compensation for his blindness, the noises of the Iranian environment is made as vital as its appearance. The movie is filled with the sounds of nature, from the easily identifiable -- such as a woodpecker hammering at a tree -- to the more mysterious and exotic. It brings a new dimension to the movie, and demonstrates just how important and effective sound can be, if handled skillfully.

Ramezani does terrific work here for such a young actor, delivering a very natural performance as Mohammad. When the boy cries during an emotional conversation with the carpenter, his grief is heartfelt and sincere. Ramezani is not overly cloying or cute; even a rather sentimental scene in which he rescues a baby bird which has fallen from its nest is not overplayed. Ramezani makes Mohammad believable.

Less successful is Mahjoub, whose demeanour borders at times on the preposterous. Majidi is wise not to portray Hashem as an entirely villainous figure -- his motives in seeking a new wife are sincere, even if his methods leave a lot to be desired. But Mahjoub cannot hope to compare to his young co-star's visceral portrayal, and this leaves Hashem seeming weak and underdeveloped. Whereas Ramezani embodies his character, Mahjoub feels very much like nothing more than an actor playing a role.

But although Majidi does an excellent job with the general presentation of "The Color Of Paradise", he is less successful in its actual development. These sorts of movies need a steady progression to maintain viewer interest, but Majidi's story just stops for long stretches of time. As a result, "The Color Of Paradise" makes for far less compelling watching than it ought to, and indeed the pacing is so somnabulent in places that I found myself almost disinterested. There just does not appear to be enough substance in the movie to support its feature-length running time; I think Majidi would have been far better served by transforming it into a short film.

Also unfortunate is the movie's ending, which is so contrived as to strain belief. It does, at least, deliver with an appropriate and moving pay-off which perfectly reflects the film's themes. But this is one of those cases when you can see the puppeteer's strings; the events of "The Color Of Paradise"'s climax appear to happen not because they are a natural development, but simply because they were required to end the movie.

As such, "The Color Of Paradise" ends up being a well-intentioned movie bogged down by clumsy filmmaking. Young people, who are presumably its target audience, will likely be particularly bored by its slow movement and lack of interesting characters (beyond Mohammad, of course). Ramezani's performance and the beautiful imagery are commendable, though, and ensure that a viewing of "The Color Of Paradise" is a memorable experience.

Copyright © 2000 Shannon Patrick Sullivan. Archived at The Popcorn Gallery, http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies/TheColorOfParadise.html

_______________________________________________________________________ / Shannon Patrick Sullivan | "We are all in the gutter, but some of us \ | shannon@mun.ca | are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde | \___________________________|__________________________________________/ | Popcorn Gallery Movie Reviews www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies.html | | Doctor Who: A Brief History of Time (Travel) /drwho.html |


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