''Once Upon a Time, Cinema'' () is a 1992 Iranian comedy fantasy film written and directed by

Mohsen Makhmalbaf Mohsen Makhmalbaf (, ) (born May 29, 1957) is an Iranian film director, writer, film editor, and producer. He has made more than 20 feature films, won 50 awards, and served as a juror in more than 15 major film festivals. His award-winning films ...

. The film includes clips from old Iranian films from the silent age onwards. Made in black-and-white (with a brief colour sequence), it parodies many of the conventions of silent slapstick comedy and early fantasy films.

Plot

The film follows a character known as The Cinematographer (

Mehdi Hashemi Mehdi Hashemi (1944 – 28 September 1987) was an Iranian Shia cleric who after the 1979 Iranian Revolution became a senior official in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards. He was defrocked by the Special Clerical Court and executed by the Islami ...

), who is looking for someone called Atieh (Future). As he calls out to her, he is magically transported back in time from the early twentieth century to the reign of

Naser al-Din Shah Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (; ; 17 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. During his rule there was internal pressure from the people of Iran, as well as external ...

in 19th century Iran. Captured by the Shah's guards, he shows films from the (future) history of Iranian cinema to the Shah ( Ezzatolah Entezami). The Shah is entranced and eagerly shows his family the apparently magical medium. While watching the film '' Lor Girl'' (1932), a melodrama about feisty girl attacked by bandits, the Shah becomes enamoured of the heroine, Golnar. Golnar ( Fatemeh Motamed-Aria) then drops out of the film into the "real" world of the Shah's court. The Shah has his soldiers take her to his harem to become one of his many wives. Transported to the Shah by being sent down his harem slide, Golnar rejects him and attempts to escape, leading to a slapstick chase-scene. Meanwhile, the cinematographer is showing films to the Shah's wives. The Shah himself wants everyone to see ''Lor Girl''. There is a big open-air showing. Other films are also shown, notably the vigilante revenge drama '' Qeysar'' (1969). The vigilante hero comes out of the film. The Shah talks to him about using him against his enemies and confesses that his one true love in the harem was killed by his other jealous wives. Now he only dreams of Golnar. Meanwhile, disturbed by the disruptive power of cinema, the Shah's advisors meet to discuss how to censor this dangerous medium. The Shah asks the cinematographer to turn him into Jafar, the hero of ''Lor Girl'', to win Golnar's love. The cinematographer uses his cinema magic on him but instead turns the Shah into the protagonist of '' The Cow'' (1969), a film about a man believes he is a cow. He then instructs him to pull a plough to help a poor family. The cinematographer is arrested and condemned for insulting the Shah. As he is about to be executed, the full power of cinema is unleashed, blowing the court away. The film moves into colour, ending in a series of clips of people embracing.

Cast

* Ezzatolah Entezami as

Naser al-Din Shah Qajar Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (; ; 17 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. During his rule there was internal pressure from the people of Iran, as well as external ...

Akbar Abdi Akbar Abdi (, born 26 August 1960) is an Iranian actor. He has received various accolades, including two Crystal Simorgh, a Hafez Award and an Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Award. Career He began his career in 1981 with the child ...

Mohammad-Ali Keshavarz Mohamad-Ali Keshavarz (; April 15, 1930 – June 14, 2020) was an Iranian actor. Keshavarz, Ali Nasirian, Ezatollah Entezami, Jamshid Mashayekhi, and Davoud Rashidi are known as "the five most important actors in the history of Iranian cinema ...

Fatemeh Motamed-Arya Fatemeh Motamed-Arya (; born October 29, 1961 in Tehran) is a multi-award-winning Iranian actress. She first got involved in theater during her teen years, and received her degree in theater from Tehran Art Institute. She is one of the most signi ...

Accolades and interpretations

''Naser-ed-din Shah'' won two Special Jury Prizes from the

Istanbul International Film Festival The Istanbul Film Festival () is the first and oldest international film festival in Turkey, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. It is held every year in April in movie theaters in Istanbul, Turkey. As mentioned in its reg ...

and the

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (, KVIFF) is an annual film festival held in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern Eur ...

. Makhmalbaf later said that the film formed the first part of a trilogy about cinema and society. ''Once Upon a Time, Cinema'' dealt with cinema and political power. Of later films in the trilogy, '' Hello Cinema'' and '' The Actor'', the first dealt with cinema and the people, the second with cinema and the artist.Gönül Dönmez-Colin, ''Cinema of the Other: A Personal Journey With Film-makers from the Middle East And Central Asia'', Intellect Books, 2006, pp.67-68.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Once Upon A Time, Cinema 1992 films 1990s fantasy comedy films 1990s Persian-language films Films directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf Iranian comedy films 1992 comedy films