Persepolis Film (Based on Graphic Novel) Marjane Satrapi

I really enjoyed watching Persepolis yesterday. It is an animated film written for adults. I learned some interesting facts about the film from the special features on the dvd. It was entirely hand drawn using markers and felt tip pens. This makes it very different than much of todays animation. I think the artwork was quite beautiful. Marjane Satrapi says she was using some of the style in film of Fritz Lang and the style in graphic novels of Art Spiegelman. The background music used a mix of contemporary artists and classical music. There was quite a bit of Johann Strauss in the film as background music.

Only first four minutes of the film are in color and the rest of the film is in black and white. The whole graphic novel is in black and white. The film is a story of a life of a very free spirited Iranian woman. You get to see her grow up through two revolutions, the overthrow of the shah, and the institution of the islamic party. It is quite interesting seeing a different viewpoint on that world.

I was exposed to very different view of the world watching the film. Even watching the extras on the dvds was quite eye opening. I liked watching Iggy Pop talk about his role in the translation of the film from French into english. Chiaro Mastroianni the lady actress who spoke the voice of Marjane Satrapy was quite striking to look at. The film is very international in flavor. Marjane Satrapi swithces between French and English at different points in her interviews.

The current Islamic revolution in Iran does not approve of the film. There are some fairly strong political statements in the film about freedom and the concept of democracy. You wonder when the Iranians were electing an Islamic party whether they were thinking of the Islamic style parties in Turkey or the way the Ottoman empire ruled. You see the country move from one form of repression, the Shah, to another form of repression, a republic withut the rule of law. There is a touch on how the west sold weapons to both sides in the Iran Iraq war.

I really enjoyed the bohemian segments in Vienna and Satrapi's experience with the decadent side of French life. She eventually ends up almost dead because of her misunderstanding of western culture and concepts of love. The scenes with flowers are especially beautiful to watch. My favorite character in the film is Marjane's grandma. She is the character with the most integrity.

I also like the depiction of how to live and enjoy oneself in Iran, the characters often break the law. No lipstick, no music, no cards, and no alcohol. Things which we often take for granted in the west. She says during her interviews on camera, she wrote the graphic novel and the film to show freedom of expression and freedom of speech.

There are some interesting scenes in the film while Marjane is in art school in Iran. The scene of a life drawing class with a lady in a burka is kind of odd. I also like the scene of Marjane and her grandmother watching Godzilla. Marjane's grandmother comments that she doesn't understand why people don't just run away.

The film seems to reach a universal audience. It talks about what we all experience, love, death, sex, remorse, and hardship. There is a deep honesty in the film. The strong lines in the drawing bring out the often dark qualities of the films and graphic novels. This writing is definitely for adults.

The animated film was the winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. It has been nominated for numerous other awards as well.

All of our copies of the graphic novel Persepolis and Persepolis 2, the graphic novel are currently checked out. We have multiple copies of both. Marjane also wrote Chicken With Plums which I wrote a brief review of earlier. I am currently looking at Embroideries the only copy of her book which we have which is not in use. It is a bunch of ladies sitting around drinking tea and discussing men. This happens all over the world.

This is the DVD

This is the book.

Good Afternoon

Persepolis ceremonial capital of the Persian Empire during the Achaemanid Dynasty

Good Afternoon

Good afternoon. I finished reading Wikinomics on the train to work this morning. Basically the book is about collaboration between different groups using a computer. I am going to write a review for the book soon. It might take a little while to get all my thoughts together.

This morning, I faxed in the request for a free pass to the New York Anime Festival and put in my paperwork for work to go there.

One book came in for me this afternoon, Linnea Sinclair, Shades of Dark. I really enjoyed her other science fiction romance novel, The Down Home Zombie Blues. I hope this novel is just as good.

I did some more weeding of books this morning. I am starting on the oversize or quarto books focusing on business. There are a lot less of these than in the regular collection, so it should go fairly quickly.

I also wrote my monthly report for my supervisor. It was a little shorter than usual this time. I'll probably be making up for it this coming month. I think there will be a lot for me to do. More than ever.

One of my favorite graphic novel artists is Marjane Satrapi. She has written a number of graphic novels that I have really liked including Embroideries, Chicken With Plums, Persepolis, and Persepolis II. Her graphic novels are about everyday life of ordinary citizens in Iran. The stories are quite interesting and very sophisticated.

I just placed the movie she adapted from her graphic novel, Persepolis on hold. The animation won the Jury Prize for the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar. It has won numerous prizes. I am really looking forward to seeing this film. I am currently #29 in the holds queue for the item, so I may have to wait a couple of weeks to get it.

Chicken With Plums-- Marjane Satrapi -- Review

Chicken With Plums by Marjane Satrapi is a quite interesting graphic novel. The setting is Iran in 1958. This is very different from most graphic novels I have read. It is quite serious. The comic book is an allegorical tale about the death of Nasser Ali Khan, a famous tar player from Iran. The story is quite dark. People are drawn in a stark black and white with lines under the eyes showing grief or sadness most of the time. Quite a few people are smoking.

The story begins with Nahid, Nasser's wife breaking the tar, a musical instrument given to him by his teacher. This pushes Nasser into a suicidal depression. He can find no tar as good as the one his master gives him. After the tar is broken, his slow death is told in eight chapters, each a reflection on his life.

The title Chicken With Plums is Nasser's favorite dish which his wife tries to cheer him up with. It only drives him into deeper despair. He then reflects on his brother who was a communist, his children, his wife, and his lost love. During his reflections there are two allegories he experiences the first is the allegory of the elephant in the darkened room, the second is the angel of death in India. He also has some very strange dreams. He dreams that he is sleeping with the actress Sophia Loren.

I liked this story. However, it is a very dark story and a bit depressing. I would not recommend this book for teenagers. It is about artistic despair, ennui, and the hardness of life. Marjane Satrapi also wrote Persepolis a graphic novel about life in contemporary Iran. I like her writing and drawing. I am waiting for the film of Persepolis to come out on dvd.