Cinema in Iran

Cinema entry to Iran, unlike the West, was done by the ruling class. In the West, as Arthur Knight has described first the inventors by using their modern scientific advancements, began to devise a new device that could, in addition to show the image of the objects, show their moving, too. After the artists realized that they can have innovative applications by using this new means of amusement and then investors who predicted a good economic future for this set as well as the artists' method of using them, they entered the field and proved its profitability. Finally, the fortune or the audience's rejection regarding the different movies showed to the investors that the first priority in this art - new media- is the audience. In order to maximally attract the cinema audience, it gradually became a big industry that with mass production of films and responding to the diverse needs of the audience (and even making these needs by standardization of the audience's tendency), open its way to the more developing and expanding. It was after this stage that in different Western countries, the governments realized the social importance of cinema and tried to use it in their cultural policies as a tool. For Example the cinema of Hollywood was not an exception.
For example, as Semati Says (1385) after the Cold War, terrorism in the Middle East, the main theme communism, was replaced by terrorism and the center of the conflict changed from Soviet Union to the Middle East. These developments that reached to its climax in the out of charge period is representing a tool- based used by politicians from the cinema while the cinema in the beginning of their appearance in the west has not been so affiliated to the political system .
But .in the case of Iran, it was other side of the coin. Cinema, from the first, entered to society by the ruling powers , and was used like a ready food however; cinema in Iran was not a child who comes to evolution in the mother's womb and has been grown, but like an adopted child has been grown up somewhere else, developed and arrived in Iran . Therefore, because of these two reasons, cinema from the first was controlled by the superpowers and moved along with their policies and performed. Apart from Mozafar Al Din Shah Qajar who used camera for his pleasures inside the palace, the first people who worked with this device and depicted movies were from upper classes of the society or those people who were either connected to the court, or they were businessman and in their business trips were familiarized with this device. Hamid nafisi ( 1378 ) has divided the steps of movie- making in Iran based on historical milestones into five stage . In this section, to more accurately describe the history of Iranian cinema, this categorization is used.
The first period: the beginning (Mozafar al Din shah- aristocratic news)
Ghulam Haidari regarding the first beneficiary of cinema in Iran that’s why, Ibrahim Sahaf Bashi says: " Sahaf Bashi since 1376 was absolutely unknown solar system , and in a corner of the flowering street ran his new house and shop of antiquities and was busy trading the Chinese and Japanese ornamental objects . In this year, by the proposal of Minister of Foreign Affairs of that time and Mozafar Al Din Shah ,he set on a foreign business trip to the United States and Europe so, it was in this trip that he was familiarized with invention of new device , Cinematograph set, . He bought an Aparat device and some rings and brought to Iran and tried to screen films in a corner of the back of his shop so, the public, aristocrats and even atabek and Ala al Dulah rushed to see his films. Sahaf Bashi, in 1284 at the beginning of the Cheraq Gaz street, established a cinema that entry to the public was free unless women and in those movies funny films as well as 10 minute news were shown. As Haidari says, Ibrahim Sahaf Bashi was from the first who was familiarized with the western newly emerged invention however, three years after him Mozafar Al Din Shah and Mirza Ibrahim Akas Bashi, in Europe, familiarized with the device and brought it to Iran.
Ibrahim Sahaf Bashi due to the oppositions he had with the king of Qajar was deprived of continuing to work in the cinema. After his activity to generalize cinema halls, three person moved in this way who were Mehdi Russi Khan, of , Mehdi Russian Khan, Artashos, Patmagran or Ardeshir khan so, according to Haidari report Ra'oosi was a member of a family who interacted with Qajar dynasty . He , in 1286, bought the device of Cinematography along with fifteen ten minutes speechless funny reel movies and sometimes for the use of Muhammad Ali Shah Shrine were going to the court and provided their means of entertainment. Mahdi Ra'ussi Khan was not an Iranian and has been born from an English father and a Russian mother. His presence was the first signs of the presence of religious minorities in the Iranian cinema. Since the religious Muslim followers departed from Cinema, practically, the space for religious minorities turned into widespread activity something that according to Hamid Reza Sadr caused all - out the presence of Armenians in Iranian cinema . So , that two years later, on the year of thronging of twelve years old Ahmad Shah a Tabrizi trader who named Artashos Patmograyan , known as Ardshir khan Armani , opened a movie at the Alaa Dulah street

And the next years Georges Ismailov opened another cinema opposite to her room.

The second period , the initial narrative films (Beginning of Pahlavi - blue and Robbie, frivolous , the daughter of Lor )
the first director of the Iranian long movies was as an Armenian who named Evans Oginas in 1309 directed the movie of blue and Robbie which was comedy as well. From the initial works of the history of the Iranian cinema , he also directed the movie of Haji Agha as the actor of Iranian cinema in 1311 and ultimately, he, by his mono style , had a detailed look at the socio - political situation of Reza Shah . As Hamid Reza Sadr says the main character of the film was Haji Agha who as a traditional religious man was against cinema and considered it as paganism. He was known as a young man who represented the movie. Therefore, the issue of the movie, was the issue of the strife between these two views a conflict in which Haji Agha is submitted to the thoughts of the young man so, the Traditional man belonged to the past and the young man spoke of the future . For Haji Agha, the cinema actor, his dialogue maker was these two poles. Ugians established the first training center as the Artistic Cinema School and in its advertisement addressed the women as well because, since that time the movie activities were considered as masculine matters.
The first Iranian cinema, Lorian girl, was built by Abdel - Hussein sepanta. Sepenta who was the son of Gholamreza Rashti, the especial translator of Mozafar Al Din Shah's physician, followed his education in Sen. Louyee school of Zoroastrians and for two year fired Reza Shah out from Iran for ever. Therefore, Iranian cinema after the war could not make up for a long time, and according to Hamid Reza Sadr (1381) fell a deep asleep.

The third period: the era of indolence

During the World War II and the stop of making Iranian movie up to 1327
another important event occurred that consisted of a wide arrival of foreign dubbed films to Iran some of Iranian who lived in Egypt and Turkey , for the first time tried to dub foreign movies so that by the end of the decade of 20 , twenty four hundred foreign movies depicted on the screen during a year . But, at the end of this period, the quasi historical movies made by Iran find their positions on the screens that the first of which directed by Ismael Koushan titled Amir Prisoner (1331). These movies were not necessarily required to be loyal to real history and used it just for story telling in a cinema according to Sadr was emptied clear propose of social difficulties , the viewer was left with some unchanging groups so, got back to future and selected the one day ruler of the fate . The movies of” golden sleeps” (1331) and “one day ruler” were directed in this period and also made under the influences one day governing of Mossadeq.
Also most movies in this period have advertised revolutionary trends and patriot in fact, making quasi- historical movies was coincided with new era of Shah’s kingdom after the coup of Mordad 28. The policy of the open doors in the second half of the 30 decade caused economical development of Tehran and changing its appearance thus, along with more presence of the cars and changes in the socio-economic texture of the big cities, the movie screens also changed and the aforementioned cases paved the way for many events of the movies. The emergence of the class of upstarts , entered new implications to the cinema such as becoming rich over a night and the arrival of new occupations such as Biomedical Engineering and access to higher education , bestowed new figures to the actors and decade of forty in the Iranian cinema has a double role however, at the outset of this decade we are still facing with advertising movies attached to the government and at the end of it we are facing with a wave of different movies and independent ones . at the beginning of forty decade , the government practiced the administration of the plans regarding to land reforms and exactly later on , the category of crop ownership and the land arrived into most of these movies . The first half of the forty decade was the time of violent owners who eyed at properties and the women of the farmers and followed advertising motifs on behalf of the land reforms. On the other hand, under the influences of the western movies, at the beginning of the forty decade, the wave of criminal and police oriented movies covered Iran that in fact, it was a kind of caricature making base on western movies that by advertising face in which, the diligent state forces played the main role and the category of drug smuggling was repeatedly happened in these movies.
The fourth era: the development of movie industry (the increase of censorship – movie as entertainment – new wave.
At the late years of forty decade by making movies of bull and Gaisar an important event happened in the advertising cinema of Iran on that time and 1384 became a key year for Iranian cinema. Bull and Gaisar were inverse picture of calmness and apparent power of Iran. These two movies, according to Hamid Reza Sadr, not only as its prior movies did not carry any trace of the government power and peoples liberty but also, they drew a life full of misery with spiteful interactions that we had not seen a sample of that in Iranian cinema. All of a sudden, since 1348 we found all the people on the seen weak and vulnerable and ultimately, the fifty decade by multitude of the governments’ advertisement for showing tranquility and Iran’s security has began but, the cinema of Iran’s new wave which had found its viewers , neutralized these advertisements. The other movies were “ kind-seeking” “ tranquility under the presence of others” “ good By friend ( Naderi) that in them living environment was a metaphor for social , economical and political principals that collapsed along with the summit of military court of law and the most popular movie of “ Gavazn” was the most known movie in decade of fifty. This type of cinema was in fact, a kind of protesting cinema that were common in a key point and is that human must find a shelter in the community and all the social strains and pressures is not only stemming from his weaknesses but his power.

Fifth period:

In this period that later on after Islamic Revolution not only no movie was directed but, most of the movies which has been built after that and during this era were ready to be screened due to dissimilarity with Islamic and revolutionary values gained by Islamic system did not receive allowance to screen. Since 1357 up to the end of the wonderful decade of 60th when the study and classification of Hamid Nafisi from Iranian cinema includes up to the fifth period and before Iranian Revolution we use Hamid Reza patter which has been shaped based on historical decades. According to Sadr, Souzan cinema was one of the determined seasons of cinema before shaping new cinema therefore, in this period; more than 125 cinemas went on fire and were closed. The repetition of hearing patterns of cinema was impossible before the revolution but, no one knew that what does Iranian movie want and where on moves. At the heart of the expressed views regarding the goods and the worst of cinema all people were talking about Militant cinema and messaging one. Sadr says it was in this condition that directing available cinemas was changed into one of the matters of the day. First ,the governments by deleting private section initiated the arrival of the foreign movies and then, regarding the flow of available movie depict in the country, some sorts of contrary decisions were made. Ultimately, in 1359 in a conference as investigation of the issues and the cinema problems that was held by the poor committee and Representatives of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, the Construction Movement and Hazrat Imam Officer who had also participated a resolution based on the need of the breakup of cinema owners forum, importers and producers of the films was issued. So, in this way the new movie reviewer Council began to work and the representatives from the political ideology of the military, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Jihad, Organization of the Oppressed, community of the clergies and the supervising organization and exhibition had also participated. The first group who was familiar with western art and had university degree went on TV for a while and then, in the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance established the movie foundation of Farabi on the other side, the second group who were persons with traditional tendencies established Islamic advertisements. As Sadr says the different method of these two cultural movements during the next years in the cinema was changed into the most cultural conflicts. In terms of content, we can say the first half of 60 decade with the movies about the struggle of political groups and individuals with the Shah regime The problem of drug trafficking and addiction, referring to the past government corruption and the struggle of the oppressed and the oppressors in the villages passed but, cinema of war is another story. The eight year of war gifted a new genre in Iranian cinema and according to some people like Hamid Reza Sadr can be regarded as the unique real genre of Iranian cinema. He says, regarding the movies of this period, that most of them were among the event of Iranian cinema thanks to the re- defined action and in the fields such as sound effects made significant progress. The most important political consequence of the war in the early years of the battle was inviting people to attend the front. But gradually, in line with familiar hero of the adventurous movies, a different kind of the hero formed in the war. Someone who was naturally a common member of the mobilization group or Iranian Revolutionary Guards was on the contrary to the heroes of the action movies by doing reasonable actions did not attract the audience but also, to be similar to others and not dreamy and by silence and played his determined role in the best way. Iran’s war which was a defense of the Islamic Revolution and community found a religious and sacred history therefore, to this reason; Iranian action cinema was distinct from other country’s action cinemas that in those countries patriotic themes were more common. Attendance in the Fronts not only defended the country but, first and foremost was mentioned as a religious obligation. In this decade, in addition to genre of war movies which won priority , a few movies were made by emphasis on the women. As before the presence of women in films, because of the audit has been too limited it can be said that decade of 60 is the beginning of the re-entry of women to the Iranian films that of course, appears with different shapes. Films such as “to be small stranger” and perhaps other time” two works of Baizaee are two successful examples of this return. In addition to these two stories, we see the emergence of comedy and humor movies that above all contain social themes. Movies such as “the tenants “is gained the blockbuster movies records in the history of Iranian cinema up to that date (1356). And tree movies of Bani- Etemad namely “bright yellow canary” “ out of range “and foreign currency along with some other comic movies could turn Some of the bitterness of war and economic problems arising from it into sweetness.

The 70th decade: the doors are open

Decade of Seventy is when the war ended and new concepts are entered into Iranian cinema while in the time of war most of the films depict warriors’ well-preserved achievements and urged the people to war so, after that movies came out that from one side pointed out to the people’s problems and from other side, pointed to the people’s problems in the era of post war, urban life and the homesickness of the men of the men of the front. In the 1370 the film of “What else the news? and Bride “in 1371 have gained the highest sales and has shown that the taste of the audiences has changed , and they favor patterns of behavior , personality and different appearance. Iranian cinema needed to change and videos reflect current developments after much debates about the new movie features that also included the limitations when in the 1375 the book of the policies and procedures of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance on criteria published it contained the mentioned prohibition in eleven of all social and political factors . Iranian cinema with such limitations entered into to 1376 and in this year with the election of Mohammad Khatami to the presidency and changing the policies of Ministry of guidance for various reasons were caught and the abyss of censorship came out to the public display and also concepts and policies that maybe were not prone to change up to that time became a concept for making a movie. Movies with Critical explicit aspects, movies with an emphasis on women and youth were directed. Showing this set of movies again satisfied the flooded flow the audience tired of the late cinemas to the cinema halls and as long as the audience was saturated it bestowed other development to the Iranian cinema.

The trace of social factors in Iranian cinema:

Although the film depict from the beginning in Iran like West was done rental locations which has not been built for the movie depiction, gradually establishing screen halls started. But, in this regard, the audiences of cinema in Iran were workers from working class who were ready to for a resting hour in those renting shops which lacks any amenities spend their time watching short movies produced by west. But since the movie media is dependent on the number of viewers, efforts to build a special cinema hall and attracting an audience of different social segments was done. Cinema for a while became the most important entertainment for many people and Iranian filmmakers due to poor social conditions that prohibited a serious political and social issue, resorted to a kind of film making that later became known as person movies. After the formation of the new wave of Iranian cinema that was known as thoughtful cinema, the film critics with honoring this cinema, developed a critical and contempt outlook regarding Persian movies that its themes was often superficial melodrama, full of love between a rich girl and poor boy or vice versa, threats and aggression and was the sportsmanship at last and considered it as something which lack a true connection with society. But Ejlali, (1383 ) offer a a sociological and analytical view of the relationship between Persian movie with Iranian culture that confirms the relationship of Persian movies with Iranian culture as well as these movies and the specificity of Iranian society. He first indicates that one of the events in the Persian films made during 1309 to 1357 and is the frequently seen is the event of rape or stimulating women and girls as long as out of all the movies of this era in 101 movie raping and deceiving the girls and women or doing this , has been a key event in planning the story of this movie therefore, in these movies “ being deceived” and “ searching aimlessly “ the girls are Irreversible disaster who causes confusion , rejection or suicide commitment of the poor girl. On the other side, in these movies, there is usually villain young man who seduces these girls. This guy is either urban boy belonging to the high class or middle and good –looking or a professional criminal who lives in the city suburbs and have an appearance of hooligans as well as an accent like them. The event of seducing in the movie has come with different implication that one of them is young man and an orphan girl. That’s why, this theme , is formed on the centrality of eyebrow and honor of a girl therefore, the enormous phase of the theme is in this way that an honorable girl are seduced by a young man who has shown himself her lovesick and by promising marriage to her makes her impure. This seduced girl in a flow of an event with the young man which is one of fixed elements of this theme is interacting. Ejlali emphasizes that the young man theme and orphan girl has a close connection with the culture of our society and under any condition we can not consider the long dominance of this theme on Iranian cinema under the influences of foreign samples. He, by searching in American movies as well as the Europeans, shows that the importance of this theme in these sets of movies is trivial. As long as the number of movies having this theme do not go further than hand fingers and the subject of deceiving and related subjects has not ever been changed into a popular theme. By showing this theme that this theme is specific to Iranian popular movies, Ejlali, tries by jumping into social history of Iran seeks its cultural reasons. So, Ejlali by investigating Iran’s social history, gains two subjects. The first issue is the position of women and girls in Iranian society as a symbol of honor and dignity of the families which has always been existed in different social conditions and brought about limitations for them. The second issue is also tracking two sets of male reveler and scholar that on the one hand were located in the class of fairness and the braves and on the other hand, by destroying this group in the eras those local leaders by exploited them to their favor placed in the class of hooligans and the mobs. The first historical evidences suggest that the traditional society of pre-Islamic Iran until then, containment of women was very common in the cities , and that moral corruption , debauchery , female mistreats and female slavery existed in long eras in Iranian history has existed and sever insecurity of market and streets for women and teenagers intensified this restriction. This insecurity was more severe in the history of Iran and the invasion to people's women, especially by state agents, and sometimes by gangsters, and the mob, was actually high so, the more rape and kidnapping and buying and selling of girls and women in the urban area increased and city environment for honorable citizens became more insecure, the pressure, restraining and women overwhelming by men increased. On the other hand, the position of women as individuals, families have had a close association with society and on the other side , the family has been regarded as the holiest and original organ of society and also women are regarded as symbol of dignity and honor of society. Therefore, the women’s treatment directly is related to the dignity and honor of women and people ruling on family so, a kind of prohibition or easygoing has not been tolerated in his behavior and was considered offensive to the honor of the family and caused rage and sever hatred for taking revenge and or rejection of exposing woman. And since the honor was considered as a sign of pride and dignity one of the ways of hostility with individuals and crushing their personality was invasion or attacking to their women however, now, we can recognize the personality of orphan girl in our in the context of our history and perceive it why she is so poor. In the second case, Ejlali shows that in our culture, history, cultural relics grade words, Fata, chivalrous, reveler, Dash Mashti or Gangster has been used as replaceable and close to each other and older than all is the same word of Ayar. He says, in historical resources we are facing a double figure of Ayaran so, some of the resources and evidences are talking about individuals who had special features and appeared along with social movements of people and were the enemy of the oppressors but, there are many evidences that ,along with them in traditional society of Iran , those who were regarded as Dash , looti and gangster were not member of hooligan but, a group of disbeliefs in moral principles were feeding through coercion and bullying and sometime they developed, too. In addition, some evidences suggest that this class were depended on leaders and upper classes cities and by relying on their own supporters they tried their interests and by referring to invasion to the people and harassing them and take their properties. Revelers who at the beginning had fairness purposes with interference in policy in favor of one of the penetrating groups in community served these groups. As a result, we can say with reviewing history and culture of the people of Iran, we understand that this young wave of chivalrous character of Iranian films has not just been the product of the imagination of filmmakers but, has originated from national history and culture. In this way, all the story elements of popular culture were identified in the context of the film, so that a young girl is seduced by a young villain and due to violating and destroying family dignity is fired from home and before being immersed in corruption and misery she is being saved by a chivalrous. As it can be seen, the issue of family honor in Iranian culture has always been linked with the position of women and that is why they suffer from limitations that have had irreparable consequences for them, on the other hand, There have always been men in ambush to invade women so, they do this by using deceptive appearance and wealth (the handsome young urban) or the threat of force for revenge from the girl's family. Finally, there have been the brave young men in society that have tried to take revenge for the oppressed from the oppressors and have protected helpless women as a manifestation of their oppressiveness, of course, the traces of social factors in cinema can be searched in different methods, in fact, the methods that leads to a better understanding of the static and dynamic mode as well as the micro and macro one . The Above sample is just an example, but, we can by referring to historical resources of Iranian cinema and using other examples, complete the discussion.