About Dariush Mehrjoui and Masoud Jafarijozani on the occasion of their birthdays / Shirsangi Bar Faraz Cinema

Charso Press: Perhaps, in the midst of social storms, writing about important cultural people on their birthdays can be interpreted as being happy, but according to the author of the cultural masterpieces, they are always one of the most compassionate and reformed people in going through storms, and remembering and addressing them and their views can be like a beacon. A sea in turbulent waves prevents society from wandering and getting lost, especially the younger generations. The proximity of the birthdays of Dariush Mehrjoui and Masoud Jafarijozani (with a difference of one day), who are both considered to be the pride of culture and art of this land, I used as an excuse to address their effective cultural presence, and perhaps this is the least possible task for artists. whose works are both rooted in Iranian culture and have added to its credibility, and despite the highs and lows of cinematography, their careers have always been honorable and concerned, and they have never lost themselves in the vortex of routines and orders. Of course, they have always and still paid the price for their independence by wasting years of their lives and not making their valuable plans and scripts. Mehrjooi and Jozani, with an age difference of about 10 years (one on the threshold of eighty-three years and the other seventy-four years old), are both educated in America. Mehrjooi studied philosophy at the prestigious UCLA University and Jozani studied cinema at San Francisco State University, and it is interesting that both of them, while being familiar with world culture and art, their lives and works are full of local tendencies and Iranian ethnicity, and both of their unmade projects are more than their works. It is not made, it is not less.
In the late 1940s and 1950s, Mehrjoui is considered one of the important pioneers of modern cinema, known as Muj New Wave, with the production of works such as Cow (48), Mr. Hollow (49), Postchi (51) and Mina Circle (53). Also, by making 19 films, the most prominent of which are Tenants (65), Hamon (68), Banu (69), Sara (71), Perry (73), The Pear Tree (76), Mom’s Guest (82) and Centauri (86). He is considered one of the most important and culturally influential filmmakers who, for about four decades, was able to express important issues in a format that, in addition to persuading intellectuals and critics, is also attractive to the middle class of cinemagoers. Mehrjoui has one or more significant works in his prolific career in most categories. In the field of rural cow and shirk issues, in the field of Centauri and Laminor music, in the so-called satirical cinema of renters and to a certain extent, Mom’s guest, and in the field of dealing with women’s issues and its various dimensions, the films Banu, Sara, Pari and Leila, in the field of poetic cinema – Nostalgic movie Pear Tree and in the field of problems and social issues works such as Mina Circle, Tenants, Bemani and Naranjaposh (although most of his films have more or less social aspects) and in the field of Hamon’s philosophical concerns. This issue shows a close and tangential look at the film-making society and of course its aristocracy in the language of cinema. Mehrjooi has an interesting personality that the mood of his films is also derived from. On the one hand, his relationship and friendship with great people such as Dariush Shaygan, Gholamhossein Saedi, and Hajir Dariush shows his philosophical and social concerns, and on the other hand, his calm, humorous and easy-going personality, which in some cases verges on cheerfulness and not taking anything seriously, even If he is talking and analyzing about an important issue. This seemingly incongruous combination in the shaping of his works also makes him express important and fundamental issues with a simple and sometimes humorous tone, which is more pleasing to the audience and intentionally distances himself from the mostly gloomy tone of social and cultural films. The peak of this view can be clearly seen in Hamon and the tenants, one of the most important films in his career. Most of the memorable characters of his works are also like this. The most successful actors of his works, such as the survivors of Ezzatullah Tzamami and Khosrow Shakibaei, were those who could express these personality fluctuations in the moment. With direct or indirect benefit from the works of Saedi, Hedayat, Goli Targhee, Moradi Kermani, Buchner, Salinger, Ibsen, Bell, Gogol, etc., Mehrjooi is the most successful Iranian film maker that expresses literary works in the best way in the language of cinema. Mehrjoui used the forced and unwanted spare time between his films by writing books such as “For the sake of a damned feature film”, “That damned arrival”, “Journey to the Land of Angels”, “Travel” in a narrative format or translating works such as “Aesthetic dimension of the reality of the work/ Marcuse”, “Holographic World/Talbot” and “Jung, Gods and Modern Man” make the best use in the continuity of artistic production and creativity in his career. Unfortunately, Mehrjooi with this prolific career has been struggling to make films for a long time, and his last work “Laminoor” was made possible after several years of unemployment thanks to his former assistant Darmishian.

Masoud Jafari Jozani started his film career after the revolution with the successful film Cold Roads (63) and in his second film Shirsangi (65) he presented such an effective and well-made film that is both in terms of meaning and theme as well as in terms of form and structure. It was impressive. Jozani also discussed important topics in his later works; He took from the narration of moments of Iran’s history in the movie Darm Tandbad (67), which years later portrayed this kind of history narration in a more complete and specific way (from the struggle of Mirza Kochuk Khan to the Iran-Iraq war) in the TV series Stargesh Dar Cheshm Bad. Contemporary films such as a man and a bear (71), coming of age (77) and behind the wall of silence (95), each of which refers to a social problem. In the field of satirical cinema, he showed that he can express important words in this genre by making Iran Burger (93). Just like in Del and Dashneh (73), with the right atmosphere, he gave an exciting and commercial story a local and Iranian flavor. Jozani is an artist and author who, in addition to writing the screenplays of his works, has also written several screenplays for other directors. He also wrote screenplays such as Baskerville, Khajeh Nasir Toosi, Poriya Vali, Korosh Kabir, Yaqoob Leith and Behesht Tabehkaran at different times, which, although they often reached the pre-production stage, were not made due to various reasons. Jozani has played an important and effective role in the production and launch of various projects. Films such as Sayeh Khayal (Dalir, 1969), Naseruddin Shah Actors Cinema (Makhmalbaf/1970), Cheshmaishah (Karibyan/1979), Gorob Shod Biya (Shah Hosseini/1983), Special Line (Kiyaei/1992), Hakait Ashagi (Ramzanzadeh/1993) And… Jozani has a pious, calm and sensitive personality and is deeply interested in the history and culture of Iran and nobility. In the last few years, I have witnessed from far and wide how far he has been in the process of launching his new project, Paradise of Criminals (which is an interesting narrative based on the historical facts of the 1930s of Iran and deals with the important events of the country’s contemporary history in its text and background). Permits, coordination and providing the necessary capital (which is very noticeable for such historical projects with increasing inflation) in such a way that he can maintain his independence and not fall into the trap of colorful investors’ orders, has worn out his mind and body. This project will definitely become an attractive and lasting work by turning into a series and Jozani’s special look.

I always wished that managers and officials were present in the cultural fields who, by securing and approving the necessary budgets and with full confidence in their work methods, would not let filmmakers like Mehrjoui and Jozani lose a moment of creativity and their minds and opportunities in the vicious cycles of capital and bureaucracies. Administrative depreciation from production to release. Maybe the recent films of these filmmakers cannot satisfy the opinion of experts in comparison with their flagship works, but it is very important to pay attention to a few points in this regard; First, the works produced by these filmmakers are not a reflection of all their abilities and were the only work that was possible to make under those conditions, and not necessarily a work that reflects all the concerns of the filmmaker’s day; Another thing is that in the age conditions of these elders, you definitely cannot expect to conquer the peak of success like in their 40s and 50s, and the last thing is that in this blunder that governs capital, production, wages, screening, management, etc. Independent filmmakers are a bit far from reality. In correct cultural systems, there is a mechanism that filmmakers such as David Lane and Clint Eastwood find the possibility of making their favorite films and conveying their experiences even at the age of 90, but our different filmmakers such as Mehrjoui, Kimiaei, Taqvai, Bayzai and Zindyadan Hatami, Sinaii and … they feel so bad in the midst of the frustrating gears of administrative bureaucracy, funding, auditing, screening, etc. that they either become depressed and isolated, or diseases and youth come to them, or they prefer another place for their activities, or their works are not seen. It becomes less than what it could be. While many of their prominent designs and scripts have not been produced. In the end, I wish these two cultured filmmakers good health, peace, production and creativity, and hope that their shadow will be fruitful and lasting.

///.