Persepolis

[Manifesto]

This is one of my favorite movies. It is an animated autobiography of a girl's life during the Islamic Revolution in Iran. She lives with a Communist family that opposes the shah but when well don't want to spoil the movie. :P Link is below.

http://www.putlocker.com/file/7Y7D9TOVFVCW8C4#

[Philosopher Jay]

I just saw it today. It is absolutely terrific.
First, the animation is quite striking. It reminded me of the stark and expressionist Max Fleischer Superman cartoons of the 1940's.
Secondly, the story is a perfect blend of the personal and political. It shows how the political situation directly influences one's personal outlook on the world. One sees this in biographical movies of political leaders like "John Reed," "Malcolm X," or "Rosa Luxemburg." However, it is must more striking when it shows just an ordinary person being deeply affected by politics. The film has honesty and integrity, and takes a strong and courageous stand for woman's right against religious/political repression.

By the way, the woman who does the French voice for the grandmother is Danielle Darrieux. She played in "The Rage of Paris," with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in 1938 and Richard Burton and Frederic March in "Alexander the Great" (Rossen, 1956).

She has played Catherine Deneuve's mother in five films including this one.

She starred in two movies in 1931 at the age of 14 and she starred in two movies last year in 2010. She will be 94 in a couple of weeks. She has made 140 films in her 79 year career in movies. I believe only Mickey Rooney has had a longer career in movies.

Sean Penn and Gena Rowlands were among the voices used for the English version.

[brigadista]

i really liked it mainly because it is just as much about the experience of being an immigrant as it is about iran

[Comrade J]

Incredible movie, and I'm not usually one for animation. I saw it on Channel 4 (UK) a few months ago, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

There is also a film that people keep comparing to Persepolis called Waltz With Bashir, about a soldier in the IDF during their invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and the massacre by Christian Phalangists, has anyone seen this; is it good or does it have a pro-Israeli sentiment?

[praxis1966]

There is also a film that people keep comparing to Persepolis called Waltz With Bashir, about a soldier in the IDF during their invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and the massacre by Christian Phalangists, has anyone seen this; is it good or does it have a pro-Israeli sentiment?

I've seen it. It's actually really quite interesting. It's a documentary which the director then went back and replicated shot for shot in animation. It's really realistic animation as well, so much so that the filmmaker actually got accused of using rotoscoping.

Anyway, Folman, the director, is actually the central focus of it. And, despite his first hand participation in the Sabra and Shatila massacre, it's actually not sympathetic to Israeli conduct in that incident at all. Further, and without giving too much away, the final scene made me feel like I had been kicked in the chest by a mule. It's absolutely fantastic, but I wouldn't really compare it to Persepolis (which I thought was great as well). Apples and oranges.

[Tim Finnegan]

This a great movie, definitely one of my favourite animations. It's hits on so many different topics, from socialism to immigrant experiences to women's liberation- beyond any aesthetic value, it's a very effective argument for the personal relevance of political struggle. The comic's well worth a look, too- a slightly different texture to it, plus it has the liberty of fleshing out the details a bit more.

[caramelpence]

Anyway, Folman, the director, is actually the central focus of it. And, despite his first hand participation in the Sabra and Shatila massacre, it's actually not sympathetic to Israeli conduct in that incident at all

I'd disagree; the fact that the entire movie is about the alleged trauma of an Israel soldier is enough to make it pro-Israeli in itself, as if we should be more concerned about the subjective feelings of a war criminal than about the material effects of an occupation and war on a population who are not even able to speak at any point during the film - and I mean that literally, in that the Palestinians are only ever permitted to scream and are only portrayed in groups as opposed to being able to give their voice to their experiences as concrete individuals. It blurs the lines between victim and oppressor in a way that is detrimental to Palestinian liberation. Whether that makes it more or less good as a movie is open to question, but it is pro-Israeli.

I also enjoyed Persepolis a great deal.

[praxis1966]

I'd disagree; the fact that the entire movie is about the alleged trauma of an Israel soldier is enough to make it pro-Israeli in itself, as if we should be more concerned about the subjective feelings of a war criminal than about the material effects of an occupation and war on a population who are not even able to speak at any point during the film - and I mean that literally, in that the Palestinians are only ever permitted to scream and are only portrayed in groups as opposed to being able to give their voice to their experiences as concrete individuals. It blurs the lines between victim and oppressor in a way that is detrimental to Palestinian liberation. Whether that makes it more or less good as a movie is open to question, but it is pro-Israeli.

I also enjoyed Persepolis a great deal.

Except that if it were pro-Israel it wouldn't have bothered examining Israel's role at all. In fact, the Israeli government line concerning the events seems to be that they were only indirectly responsible for the incident whereas the documentary seems to indicate that they were directly responsible. IMO, it really doesn't have as much to do with Folman's particular trauma, a la Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq (Alpert and Kent, 2007), as it does using the investigation of a repressed memory as a vehicle for the condemnation of the Israeli military's actions.

By your logic, films like Standard Operating Procedure (Morris, 2008) could be seen as approving of incidents like Abu Ghraib. Basically, I think you might be missing the forest for the trees. IMO, and if it means anything to you, the pro-Israel types don't seem to care much for it if this thread (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1185616/board/nest/128569065?p=1) is any indication. Further, for me, the film seemed to make the point that Israel was just as culpable for the atrocities as the Phalangists in the same way I would be just as culpable for a bank robbery as the guy holding the gun if I were the getaway driver.

[Ballyfornia]

My brother downloaded the film, I thought it was amazing so i bought the book in easons

[Johnny Kerosene]

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I read the comics and quite liked them. Now I feel like I need to see the movie.

[Comrade J]

I've seen it. It's actually really quite interesting. It's a documentary which the director then went back and replicated shot for shot in animation. It's really realistic animation as well, so much so that the filmmaker actually got accused of using rotoscoping.

Anyway, Folman, the director, is actually the central focus of it. And, despite his first hand participation in the Sabra and Shatila massacre, it's actually not sympathetic to Israeli conduct in that incident at all. Further, and without giving too much away, the final scene made me feel like I had been kicked in the chest by a mule. It's absolutely fantastic, but I wouldn't really compare it to Persepolis (which I thought was great as well). Apples and oranges.

Thanks Praxis, I'm gonna check it out. I hadn't heard an awful lot about it other than from BBC film critic Mark Kermode, and I remember that he too really loved it.

[Red_Devotchka]

love tht movie :O have you seen also the graphic novel? have you seen other satrapi's graphic novels? are pretty cool as well

[blake 3:17]

The one where all the women compare sex stories is pretty good.

[Manifesto]

love tht movie :O have you seen also the graphic novel? have you seen other satrapi's graphic novels? are pretty cool as well
Really? I've been seeing mixed reviews about her graphic novels.

[MarxSchmarx]

Apart from the politics/characters which are a real joy to follow of the story, it's actually a very innovative and novel film in that it seeks to adopt the tone and I guess for lack of a better term spirit of the graphic novel for the screen. I think this movie pulled it off spectacularly and arguably set the proverbial bar for several years. The director, writer and of course the editors deserve tremendous credit for making a graphic novel come alive so vividly in film while maintaining faithful to the format.