The House Is Black
The House Is Black (Persian: خانه سیاه است) is an acclaimed Iranian documentary short film directed by Forough Farrokhzad.
| The House Is Black (Khaneh siah ast) | |
|---|---|
 The House Is Black (خانه سیاه است) | |
| Directed by | Forough Farrokhzad |
| Produced by | Ebrahim Golestan |
| Written by | Forough Farrokhzad |
Release date |
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Running time | 22 minutes |
| Country | Iran |
| Language | Persian |
The film is a look at life and suffering in a leper colony and focuses on the human condition and the beauty of creation.[1] It is spliced with Farrokhzad's narration of quotes from the Old Testament, the Koran and her own poetry. The film features footage from the Bababaghi Hospice leper colony.[2] It was the only film she directed before her death in 1967. During shooting, she became attached to a child of two lepers, whom she later adopted.
Although the film attracted little attention outside Iran when released, it has since been recognised as a landmark in Iranian film. Reviewer Eric Henderson described the film as "[o]ne of the prototypal essay films, The House Is Black paved the way for the Iranian New Wave."[3]
References
- Sun, February 13, 2005; by Doug Cummings http://filmjourney.weblogger.com/2005/02/13
- Azizi, Mohammad Hossein; Bahadori, Moslem (November 2011). "A History of Leprosy in Iran during the 19th" (PDF). Archives of Iranian Medicine. Iranian Academy of Medical Sciences. 14 (6): 427. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- Eric Henderson (February 22, 2005). "The House Is Black". Slant. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
Notes
- Hamid Dabashi, Masters & Masterpieces of Iranian Cinema, 451 p. (Mage Publishers, Washington, DC, 2007); Chapter II, pp. 39–70: Forough Farrokhzad; The House Is Black. ISBN 0-934211-85-X