Why Are Children Used as Protagonists in Iranian Cinema?

i SAE comprise London Written Assignment wherefore ARE CHILDREN USED AS PROTAGONISTS IN IRANIAN CINEMA A odor INTO MAJID MAJIDIS THE CHILDREN OF HEAVEN (1997)? Iman Yusufali 15346 FF1011 20 marvellous 2012 Word count 3300 approx. ii promulgation I hereby decl be that I wrote this written assignment on my admit and with turn stunned the uptake of any some other than the cited sources and tools and every(prenominal) explanations that I copied directly or in their guts be marked as such, as puff up as that the thesis has non yet been handed in neither in this nor in qualified form at any other attainicial commission. Date 20 marvelous 2012 Place London, U.K. Signature IMAN YUSUFALI iii elude of Content Title Page contract Page Table of content screen Reference List i ii iii 1 7 1 WHY ARE CHILDREN USED AS PROTAGONISTS IN IRANIAN CINEMA A LOOK INTO MAJID MAJIDIS THE CHILDREN OF HEAVEN (1997)? Persian cinema has numerous successful movies that eat up been viewed internationalistly, that consumption nipperren as wizs and pip-squeak title- bedevileres who energize to go through cursory t maven struggles. These involves include Children of enlightenment, Colour of deity by Majid Majidi, The White B altoget battleron, Mashq-e Shab ( crustal p deepwork) by Kiarostami and Ab large Khak (water, wind, dust) by emeer Naderi.The innocence of a minor and the extempore acting is sure to affect the dash the bill is told and witnessed by the mantraps. Therefore what we atomic number 18 going to look in this show is what children could possibly cook up and symbolise in take ins, wherefore Persian cinema in particular has subprogram this capriciousness of child- fighter and we entrust also be analy clack Majid Majidis admit The Children of heaven (1997) step by step, how he wonts children as protagonists and what they represent in charter.Ultimately, we go out empathise the belief of using the child-hero in films and how the earreachs interpret the film. More any over, we sh each be considering what children lay out and represent in films and what they convey through their naturalistic performances. Addition in ally, we examine how the Persian cinema changed brook revolution and in what ways the film submitrs were agonistic to conform to the censorship prohibitions laid scratch bump off by the strict government of Iran.Likewise, we go away be analysing Majid Majidis Oscar nominated film from 1997 The Children of Heaven and how it conforms to these censorship laws, as well as its success in cosmea able to attract a larger international auditory sense simultaneously, who could relate and translate with its child-hero, Ali. Using sources and references such as the World Wide Web, journals, books and reviews we arrive at our conclusion.It powerfulness non ap pane adept why these uncertaintys in particular affect to be answered, however my personal experiences animated in Iran, my interest in Persian cinema and my k straightwayledge of the Persian vocabulary would be the root reason as to why this topic was chosen. Secondly, I powerfully desire these are questions that peerless inevitably to consider and research whilst studying digital film do, since using a child hero instead of an crowingup hero could real(a)ise a major impact on the way a message of a film and the emotions within it, are communicated and perceived.This go away result in the realization that a tainted enceinte idler non communicate the self same(prenominal) messages and performances, as a pure child is able to. 2 Many films universal uptake children as lead roles in their stories as has been figuren in Hollywood, Bollywood, Persian and Italian cinema in films such as, Hugo (2011), trickster zameen par (2007), Children of Heaven (1997) and Bicycle Thieves (1948). why use children as protagonists? Is it non attainable for adults to go the hero instead?Children throw awa y a sense of realness well-nigh them, a world of their take not yet tainted by adult distrust, dishonesty and disbelief. Children symbolise an untouched cosmos not influenced by the world as yet. (Marco Grosoli, 2011) Children surrender an independent life off rate that gives them a feel of naive realism thus giveing audiences to trust their performances and actually believe and empathize with them. (Richard Tapper, 2002) This realness gives children a sense of institution real and part of the everyday mint thus portraying how pack are or what people should sincerely be exchangeable. Richard Tapper, 2002) Children are frequently apply to scrutinize the grown-up world in add-on to a world of their own. (David Morrison, n. d. ) Thus, it seems that children are not always valued for their child want ways more thanover sometimes for their potential great future in the vaned world. (Iris Shepard, 2010) Kathy Jackson author of Representations of the Child in Ameri tole rate dissipate also suggests that a child generally represents a bright future while an fiendish or demonic child would represent the evils of a society at large. Iris Shepard, 2010) The white of a child is a simple reflection of a tainted grown up person. (Marco Grosoli, 2011) Perhaps it is the fact that they are so impulsive in their ways and are a great deal adaptable and slight self-a state of ware in front of the tv camera that children are a means in films to show reality. To put things into perspective, children are naturals at being natural. (Jonathon Jones, 2000) hence these real people enlighten audiences with real messages. Their own ultimo life experiences affect their performances in being dismantleing more credible.From what we have give tongue to so far, one can match that children can represent practised and evil unless all in a convincing and realistic manner. Children can symbolize society and even peoples alter egos. (Richard Tapper, 2002) We now ha ve a brief idea as to why filmmakers would use children as protagonists, how their performance effect the audience and in what way they down the stairsstand the story, this would then leads us to our a merelyting question why did Persian cinema use this method?The evidence to suggest that Persian cinema had a tendency to use child protagonists fall downs with the sheer volume of films do with this opinion. Amir Naderis Davandeh (the runner)(1986) and Ab Bad Khak (water, wind, dust)(1987), Abbas Kiarostamis Khaneh Doust Kojast? (Where is my friends ingleside? )(1986) carve upifys the story of a child who is caught up in a inconsiderate adult world and in his Mashq-e Shab( piazzawork)(1987), a nonsubjective slightly the schoolinging structure, Kiarostami sat in conversation with the children.In Gal(Scabies)(1987), Abolfazl Jalili tells us intimately the trials of a young delinquent in prison mark and, Raqs-e khak(dance of dust)(1991), explores into the realm of child lab ourers, these films are mediocre the films that got international acclaim excluding the many more films made with the concept of a childhero. (Rosa Issa and Sheila Whitaker, 1999) As to the reason behind this type of story telling, we will have to discuss and explore further into the Iranian society.Iranian filmmakers, in particular state of affairs revolution throughout the 1980s, have had a hard time with governmental regulations to be able to make films according to their own visions and directorial style. This is when children became an elemental part of the Iranian film industry. (Rosa Issa and Sheila Whitaker, 1999) 3 One might oddment why a sudden hammock came about during and after the revolution, it seems the revolution itself, the business organization of US embassy and the 8 year war between Iraq and Iran had serious implications on the Iranian cinema and what was directed and produced in the clownish.Resulting in the Iranian cinema being influenced by Islamic ruli ngs, an anti-western outlook and propaganda. The afore-mentioned incidents created a campaign in the worlds science of the Iranian people. The outside world now saw the Iranian people as cruel and barbaric, all this whole from the pretermit of communication with the outside communities. Accordingly, cinema was the only method in which Iran could paint a completely dissimilar, more humane, vision of the Iranian people to the rest of the planet. Hamid Reza Sadr, 2006) Limitations employed on certain topics such as the parable of love actions between opposite genders and violence, added to the cut off of substituting adults with children as heroes (usually playing the roles of crony and siss). The children are sometimes were even allowed to sing songs in child hero films, which is take over forbidden in Iranian films coin bank today. (Rosa Issa and Sheila Whitaker, 1999) The child-hero movies are to a certain extent, a channel through which filmmakers sidestep restrictions that they would have had with adult-hero movies. Jonathon Jones, 2000) Some films like The Apple (1998), are seen by Times magazine as a masked confrontation on the mullahs, with the children signifying the in the raw young Irans refusal to allow further religious control. (Jonathon Jones, 2000) Thus, children were also utilise to symbolize the youth of the whole country at large in their semi governmental positions. Furthermore, fashioning viewers and audiences relate to the conquest of a child makes them in eddy able to engage with the nature of the Iranian society and what it means and feels like, to be as subjected and as help slight as the child in the film. Jonathon Jones, 2000) Hence, children were not only utilise to symbolize the young Irans political and complaisant positions tho to actually make the audience encounter and identify with the feelings that go up by living in such a society. The recurrent hire of kids as actors is double in its implication as Pers ian filmmakers use the theatrical and histrionic abilities of kids by showing them as exuberant by destitution and un conscionable policies. Nevertheless, the use of youngsters is likewise a method that permits directors to dip those strict censorship laws that relate explicitly to the depiction of men and women in films.In movies like Majid Majidis Bache-ha-ye Asman (Children of Heaven, 1997) and Rang-e Khoda (The Colour of Paradise, 1999), the relationships featured are often jibes of young familiars and childs who to shake upher mustiness overcome the rigid dictates of their parents. Therefore, the designing of children in Iranian cinema is inconsistent they are, in one way used to elude the strict censorship laws and prohibitions that come with making films in Iran but simultaneously these children are shown to be restricted by the same system. Rosa Holman, 2006) Many films are staged once morest a vivid natural mountain to add gravity to the storyline (Linda Aronson, 2001), which in turn exaggerates the inner and worked up occurrences of the hero in a film. Likewise children can be used as symbols whose outside battles and experiences relate to the broader problems in society. (Rosa Holman, 2006) Another likely reason for the canment of children as protagonists in Iranian cinema, would be that children are less likely to be judged because their performance embodies man-to-man incidents and intimate sentiment.This frantic performance brings the audience to believe what they are seeing is the real world. This in turn leads the audience to empathize with the struggles of the child not as the childs but as their own. Consequently, taking out all sorts of social illnesses within the audience and giving them a sense of communal understanding. (Richard Tapper, 2002) 4 The use of children to manipulate the mature audiences feelings is a method that has been long used by Iranian filmmakers. Rosa Issa and Sheila Whitaker, 1999) as well as this appro ach, of a child being a hero, portrays them as greater symbols of men and women and even sometimes as everyone alter egos. (Richard Tapper, 2002) except it appears that the filmmakers in Iran did not employ the notion of child hero in their stories, moreover to evade censorship prohibitions or to get the childrens natural performances on camera. Having children especially in Iranian films let the international viewers delve deep into a childs world, whose lives and lifestyles may be very different from the viewers, but whose concerns is one in the same universally. Hamid Reza Sadr, 2006) Perhaps, in a childs universe time is unlike that of time in an adults world i. e. the concept of time is not that of the real world it is more adaptable and more changeable, it can be still entirely or can be fast-forwarded only when like a film. It is the quintessence of childs play where even a son blowing a bubble can hold the time in suspense just to enjoy that very moment and not let it pas s by. Jonathan Jones, 2000) The comprehension of why the child-hero was used so widely in Iranian cinema leads us to our refinement point of discussion An exploration of the use of child protagonists in Majid Majidis film, The Children of Heaven (1997). After having watched the film, it is apparent that Ali, the child protagonist in The Children of Heaven has represented all that a child should represent in film, from his au-natural acting to his innocent weeping we see so very often throughout the film.In the adult world, we separate children from ourselves as not being able to feel or go through the same emotional and spiritual experiences as we do. Also as grown ups one feels that children have it painless in life and are not as affected by daily problems and trim downs. However, Majid Majidi in this film illustrates to Iran and the world that children in fact are more undefended to emotions and have a heightened sense of tutelage and distress than we as adults, realise. (M aria Garcia, n. d. The young hero of Majid Majidis Children of Heaven is played by Mir Farrokh Hashemian, a desolate-looking boy with huge brown look and a way of sending tear suddenly rolling down his cheeks. Those tears well up with some regularity during this film about 9-year-old Ali, his younger baby Zahra (Bahareh Seddiqui) and their scheme for overlap a pair of his tattered sneakers. (Janet Maslin, 1999) We see such depictions of eminent emotions every time Ali cries or feels wrong or strives to recompense for his siss lost garb.The first time this is shown in the movie is in the beginning when Ali loses his sisters billet and goes looking for it under all the wooden vegetable cartons and even though he is shouted at cries and tells the grocer that his sisters billet were in that location and now they are not in that location any more. (Majid Majidi, 450, 519) The endorse time we see Ali troubled with the force of losing his sisters enclothe is when he comes tail end bag, stops and looks at his sisters smiling face. At first he does not have the fondness to tell her but she goes to look at them and he is forced to tell her the truth.Both children first crying here. Zahra, Alis sister, cries because she does not exist what she will wear to school the next day and Ali cries because hes looked everyplace and feels guilty and knows his aim cannot afford to obtain a new pair of billet and pleads with Zahra not to tell their mother and to make up runs back out of the house and goes back to the grocers bravely to look for the shoes even refusing to play with his friends at their request. (Majid Majidi, 648, 650, 710, 715, 721, 726, 745, 750, 800, 820, 840, 915) 5Yet again we see Ali crying because his yield tells him off for running out of the house and not waiting to help his mother. Alis commence tells him he is now 9 historic period old and grown up that he needs to be more answerable. any Ali can do is cry out of guilt and fe ar even though he is doing his vanquish. (1042, 1050) Even when Zahra threatens to tell their father, Ali tries to explain to her that this will cause more damage then her having no shoes as he has no capital to buy her new shoes. So he being a loving brother suggests they share shoes and in tries to compensate by giving her a discolouration new pencil. Majid Majidi, 1430, 1508, 1530, 1549) Alis emotions get the best of him when he becomes agitated with his sister for climax late and in turn making him late for school. This happens because Ali is afraid of being caught by the principal of the school who always seems to be lurking around to catch late children. (Majid Majidi, 1924, 1936, 2038) When Ali comes back headquarters Zahra expresses her distaste of the dirty shoes and introduces she just cannot where dirty shoes. Ali who simply says, Well wash it, solves this issue making his sister smile.He knows how to make his sister happy without getting caught by his parents. (Maji d Majidi, 2115, 2131) On the television at that place is a program informing the viewers dangers of not wearing the comely type of shoes and this makes Ali worry about his sister. (Majid Majidi, 2325, 2338) Zahra cannot sleep at night because she is worried the rain might wet their shoes and she wakes Ali up. Ali gets up and gets the shoes right in time. No bailiwick what happens Ali makes sure nothing happens to these shoes a lesson learnt well. Majid Majidi, 2357, 2405, 2425) When one of the shoes slips off her foot into the till full of water, she gets fed up of this sharing and tells Ali that shes going to tell their father. Ali tells her hes not afraid of the thrashing that he might get but he thought she would understand that their father is the one who will get retrousse for not being able to buy a pair of shoes and that hell have to take a contribute and if he gets in debt, so on and so forth. (Majid Majidi, 2945, 2958, 3021) Ali tries to make his little sister underst and the concept of self-sacrifice.Another scene where Alis emotional side comes to play is when he says no to his friends request to come to play in the finals for the football league. He maintains his principals and recognizes his responsibilities when he answers negatively, stating that his mother is ill. (Majid Majidi, 3220, 3244) If you want a heart-melting scene of benevolence to ones sibling look no further. Ali gets one of the highest marks in his Mathematics class and thus receives a pen as a gift. He runs home to see Zahra still not talking to him, to authorship he gives her this pen without thinking twice. Majid Majidi, 3400, 3421, 3440) This is a true example of giving. Respecting his old neighbours, and giving them a bowl of hot soup, Ali is rewarded with a smattering of nuts, raisins and sugar balls for which his very thankful. (Majid Majidi, 3540, 3620, 3625, 3630) Another crisis that takes place is when the principal catches Ali coming in late for the third time. This time he tells Ali to go back home and come back with his father. Ali tries to explain that his father works all the time and his mother is sick but the principal just thinks the boy is making excuses because he is afraid.He goes out crying but gets allowed back into the school with the intercession of his instructor. (Majid Majidi, 4305 4355) 6 Ali like his father helps at the local mosque. Ali does the humbling barter of putting all the shoes of the worshippers in order with his friends and then later on is called to serve the tea to all of those attending. (Majid Majidi, 4640, 4643, 4740) Ali always listens to his parents never once disrespecting them even though as a child he is loaded down(p) with many chores.Alis ability to play with a child hes just met who is from a completely different background to him shows Alis ability to interact without judgment just enjoying the present. (Majid Majidi, 5625) When Ali finds out that the third price of the national unravel is s ports shoes he goes straight to the P. E. teachers office to out his hollo down for the belt along. He insists on this to the point of tears and promises to come first, the teacher cannot say no to Alis tear varnished face. This illustrates that Ali is focused on compensating for a shift he committed and making his sister happy.As soon as he reaches home he does not wait a minute in telling her the good news. (Majid Majidi, 10750, 10812, 10905, 11008) All through the race Ali has flashbacks of his sister running back home to give him his shoes back for school and he hears her voice asking about the shoes. This motivates him to the point where he even is pushed over but stands right back up and continues to run. (Majid Majidi, 11510, 11826) In the end Ali wins first cherish accidentally, which is good for everyone except him whose soul purpose was to win the shoes for his sister.He goes back home disappointed and ashamed not penetrative in the end that the father bought two the m a new pair of shoes each. (Majid Majidi, 12110, 12203, 12300, 12330) In the end we see Ali academic session with his blistered feet in the fountain with all the well-off fish surrounding his feet (Majid Majidi, 12450) as if the good actions and intentions, attracted them to him likewise attracting all those who watched this film. In conclusion, we see that Majid Majidis child hero character, Ali, makes the audience empathise with him for his innocence, realness, inbred goodness and his naturalness.He really gets the message across problems in society, how one should act responsible when they make a mistake, respecting ones family, self sacrifice and so much more. This movie is completely with in the regulations Iran has set yet it identifies not only with the Iranian people rather by all of the world. What follows is a beautiful telling of a childhood adventure, a touching personation of sibling-hood, and among other things, an immersive portrayal of life in poverty. The film is surprisingly poignant, and quietly gives us different perspectives on the lives of others by literally putting us in their shoes. (Nadir Siddiqui, 2012) 7 Reference List Aronson, L. (2001) Screenwriting Updated. Los Angeles Silman-James Press, p. 88. Bachehaye Aseman (The Children of Heaven) (1997) dvd Iran Majid Majidi. Filmjournal. com (n. d. ) CHILDREN OF HEAVEN, THE. online open at http//www. filmjournal. com/filmjournal/esearch/article_display. jsp? vnu_content_id=100 0698253 Accessed 20 Aug 2012. Grosoli, M. (2012) The Privileged beast The Myth of Childhood and the Myth of pragmatism According to Andre Bazin. Red Feather journal (online), Volume Two, Fall 2011 (Issue Two), p. 59, 60. Holman, R. 2006) Caught Between poetry and censoring The Influence of State regulation and Sufi Poeticism on Contemporary Iranian cinema. Senses of Cinema (online), Film & History meeting Papers (41). Issa, R. and Whitaker, S. (1999) Life and Art The new Iranian cinema. London National Film Theatre, p. 36, 37. Jones, J. (2000) Children of the revolution. The Guardian, online Friday 14 July. Available at http//www. guardian. co. uk/film/2000/jul/14/culture. features1 Accessed 18 Aug 2012. Maslin, J. (1999) The Children of Heaven (1997) characterization REVIEW For a Pair of Sneakers, Longing, Lies and a Plan.The tender York Times, online 22 January. Available at http//movies. nytimes. com/movie/review? res=9F03E3DB1130F931A15752C0A96F958 260 Accessed 20 August 2012. Sadr, H. (2006) Iranian Cinema A political history. London, New York I. B. Tauris. Screenonline. org. uk (n. d. ) BFI Screenonline Children on Film. online Available at http//www. screenonline. org. uk/film/id/446281/index. html Accessed 18 Aug 2012. Senses of Cinema (2006) Caught Between Poetry and Censorship The Influence of State Regulation and Sufi Poeticism on Contemporary Iranian Cinema Senses of Cinema. online Available at http//sensesofcinema. com/2006/41/poetry-censorshipiran/ Accessed 19 Aug 2012. Shepard, I. (2010) Representations of Children in the Pixar Films 1995-2009. Red Feather diary (online), Volume One Spring 2010 (Issue One), p. 7, 9. Siddiqui, N. (2012) every week Classics Children of Heaven. Dawn, online 1 June. Available at http//dawn. com/2012/06/01/weekly-classics-children-of-heaven/ Accessed 20 August 2012. Tapper, R. (2002) The New Iranian Cinema. London, New York I. B. Tauris.