The Visual Voice
The Visual Voice
The Lovers’ Wind Le vent des amoureux Albert Lamorisse
The wind that blows across Iran’s deserts, mountains, old settlements and new cities has a name: Baadeh Sabah. Sometimes he blows alone, sometimes with other winds, and other times he quarrels with his brother, the mischievous Baadeh Div. Baadeh Sabah is the poetic narrator in this extraordinary ode to Iran, which is mostly made up of aerial footage. Unlike his bad-mannered brother, Baadeh Sabah likes to help people. He travels with the nomads, sees the shepherds and fishermen, enjoys the beauty of Isfahan and is amazed by the new industry and neon lights of modern Tehran, the treasures of the Shah and the glistening rice fields. The Iranian Ministry of Culture and Art, which commissioned the film, wanted to see more emphasis on the modernization of the country. Director Albert Lamorisse (Le ballon rouge) died in a helicopter accident while filming additional footage. Lamorisse’s wife and son completed the film, which received an Oscar nomination shortly before the Iranian Revolution.
France, Iran, 1978 DCP, color, 71 min Director: Albert Lamorisse Cinematography: Guy Tabary Editing: Denise de Casabianca,
Albert Lamorisse Production: Albert Lamorisse Screening Copy: Bahman Maghsoudlou
Albert Lamorisse:
Bim (fiction, 1951) Crin blanc: Le cheval sauvage (fiction, 1953) Le ballon rouge (fiction, 1956) Le voyage en ballon (fiction, 1960) Le songe de chevaux sauvages (fiction, 1962) Fifi la plume (fiction, 1965) Versailles (1967) Paris jamais vu (1967)
The Mind of Clay Mati Manas Mani Kaul
In 1985, filmmaker Mani Kaul received an assignment from the Festival of India to make a film about the pottery tradition in India. The result was anything but a conventional, informative commissioned documentary—instead, it’s a poetic road movie. Kaul and his crew traveled in a bus through the north of the country, filming potters in the local villages, as well as at exhibitions and excavations. His beautiful footage is characterized by a great eye for detail. He focuses on glistening hands as they conjure pots and other objects from clay, taking long shots that give us an intense, almost physical experience of the items that emerge. He also records the many myths and legends surrounding this centuries-old tradition, which has been passed down from generation to generation. The Mind of Clay isn’t only a visual ode to the craft and beauty of ceramics, but also a poetic essay on the earth as the mother and source of both life and art.
India, 1985 35mm, color, 92 min Director: Mani Kaul Cinematography: Venu Goopaalan Editing: Reena Mohan Sound: A.M. Padmanabhan Music: T.R. Mohalingam Production: Infrakino Film Production Screening Copy: Directorate of Film
Festivals, Min. of I&B Govt. of India
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Mani Kaul:
Uski roti (fiction) (1970) Duvidha (1973) Siddeshwari (1990) Idiot (1991) Naukar ki kameez (1999) a.o.