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“…the greatest documentary on filmmaking I have ever seen.”–Werner Herzog #42 on Sight and Sound’s poll of the greatest films ever made  Close-Up (Nema Ye Nazdik) 1990 Directed by Abbas Kiarostami Starring Hossain Sabzian as Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Mohsen Makhmalbaf as himself, and Hossain Sabzian as himself Most of us probably think we have a pretty good idea for a movie. But the tremendous barriers to entry, the manpower, talent, and above all money required to actually make even the smallest film prevent most of us from ever realizing these dreams. Kiarostami’s docudrama tells the story of Hossain Sabzian, an impoverished man who impersonates a famous director, not as an act of fraud, but out of a desire to immerse himself in cinema.  "I don’t have time for movies, I’m too busy with life." The story is complicated: Sabzian, a desperately poor employee of a print shop, is an enormous cinephile & particularly a fan of Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. One day he makes the impulsive (and never wholly explained) decision to claim to a fellow passenger on the bus that he wrote the screenplay he is reading. He accepts an invitation to visit her family, and begins planning a film based on his own life experiences. Of course, Sabzian’s ruse is discovered and he's put on trial for fraud, which is where the film begins. "That one will film the courtroom. This one will stay on you." Most of the writing about Close-Up emphasizes Kiarostami's unique and complex method of storytelling. Like Citizen Kane, the film opens with a reporter giving us the basic facts of the case, then employs a circular flashback structure to fill out details until we have a more complete picture of the personalities involved. Large portions of the film are reenactments of the actual events scripted by Kiarostami and performed by the people involved. It’s a bold decision that adds yet another layer to a story already full of twists and deceptions (at one point a scene is interrupted when Sabzian is accused of “acting for the camera” and making himself appear more sympathetic). Further complicating matters is a late appearance by the real Mohsen Makhmalbaf, who visits his double in a scene that mirrors one from the false Makhmalbaf’s nonexistent film which mirrors his own aaagggghhh my head  Makhmalbaf? Makhmalbaf Makhmalbaf Makhmalbaf. Makhmalbaf! I’m not acting. I’m speaking from the heart. If all this makes Close-Up sound like a chore or a pure intellectual exercise, it’s worth pointing out how effectively it works just on an emotional level. It’s entirely possible to watch it and become completely invested in the drama of the story, without getting hung up on all the metafictional/postmodern stuff that repeat viewings can clarify. It’s Kiarostami’s achievement, but it’s also Sabzian’s.  Someone on imdb got in on the fun Close-Up is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Criterion. The Complete Movie of the Month Listing: 1776 | 2001: A Space Odyssey | 24 Hour Party People | 8 1/2 | The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension | Aguirre: The Wrath of God | All That Jazz | American Movie | Baraka | The Battle of Algiers | Being There | Beyond the Valley of the Dolls | Bicycle Thief | Black Hawk Down | Blade | Branded to Kill | The Brave Little Toaster | Breaking Away | The Bridge on the River Kwai | Bullet in the Head | Charade | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang | Close-Up | The Conversation | The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover | Day For Night | The Court Jester | Death Race 2000 | Dead Man | Darkman | Detour | Devils on the Doorstep | Double Indemnity | Downfall | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | El Topo | Falling Down | A Face In The Crowd | Fanny and Alexander | Fat City | Funny Bones | Galaxy Quest | Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai | Glengarry Glen Ross | Gremlins 2: The New Batch | Horor of Dracula | La Haine | The Ice Storm | The Intruder | It's a Wonderful Life | Judgement at Nuremberg | Jumanji | The King of Comedy | Last Train From Gun Hill | The Leopard | The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp | Little Shop of Horrors | Living in Oblivion | The Long Goodbye | Love & Death | M | Masculin Féminin | Man on Fire | The Man Who Would Be King | Modern Times | Mousehunt | Mulholland Drive | My Best Friend's Wedding | My Darling Clementine | My Own Private Idaho | Naked | Outland | The Panic in Needle Park | Peeping Tom | Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Play Time | The Proposition | Punishment Park | The Pusher Trilogy | Rififi/Rashômon | The Ref | Rock 'n' Roll High School | Ronin | The Rules of the Game | Safe | Schizopolis | Son of Frankenstein | The Squid and the Whale | The Super Inframan | Sunset Boulevard | Surviving The Game | The Sweet Hereafter | The Third Man | Titicut Follies | Vampyr | The Vanishing | Videodrome | The Wild Bunch | Wit | Withnail & I | The Young Girls of Rochefort | Zardoz Dr. Puppykicker fucked around with this message at 06:58 on Aug 1, 2014 |
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Aug 1, 2014 05:36
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| # ? May 30, 2024 03:41 |
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This movie owns owns owns. There's a scene involving a can rolling down a hill, and while nothing really happens, something about it is so perfect, I still find myself thinking about it. I've always wondered about the significance of the sound clipping out at the end.
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Aug 2, 2014 10:04
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This is what I get for trying to watch the Movie of the Month, a scratched-up library DVD that can't play the last third of the movie. A real shame, because what I saw was fantastic. Some really good thoughts on art, how we see art, how it can be used to erect or break through social/class barriers, and more. The visual design is very simply but very effective, and the film manages to get some wonderful shot out of it. I'm going to see if I can somehow watch the rest of this movie by the end of the month, because goddamn.
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Aug 7, 2014 02:20
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Does anyone know what happened to Sabzian after the events of the film?
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Aug 9, 2014 13:32
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There's a special feature on the Criterion disc called "Close-Up: Long Shot" that deals with Sabzian's life after the movie. The short version is that not too much changed. This interview with Kiarostami in the British newspaper The Guardian also has some interesting thoughts on Close-Up and its aftermath: quote:The last time I was in contact with him was three days ago. I hadn't heard from him for six or seven months. We were meant to attend a festival in Korea together, but they didn't invite him to attend. He accused me, and he was right to, because I had asked them not to invite him. Because it's very difficult for people like him if they leave the country. I told him that I would be back, and that we would shoot a short film together. He was very happy, so I'm now wondering what I'm going to shoot with him. Nothing has changed in his life; he's still living as you've seen. Sometimes he trades in foreign DVDs in the black market. I thought I would see my films at his stall. In fact, he is more recognised than me in Tehran these days. At a festival where a [Sergei] Parajanov film was being screened, there was no room for me, and he saw me from within the crowd and he came out so that I could go into the auditorium.
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Aug 10, 2014 20:37
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Ugh dammit I started getting tired near the end and it wasn't even that late. And my mind started to wander. None of this was the fault of the film. I'm just not so certain I have much to bring to the discussion as a result. I did more or less get invested in the drama without really considering all the meta stuff, as you said. The actual stakes are fairly small, though eminently tangible, and everything's so quietly effective and emotionally magnified. The scene where Sabzian's about to be arrested and it dawns on him is wonderfully tense despite knowing the outcome, and sad because of it.
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Aug 13, 2014 03:32
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I found this one to be interesting and thought-provoking for many different reasons (never seen how the Iranian judicial system works for one). If only all documentaries had this kind of access to the story and could examine the subject so directly and then have the actual people replay their roles. A lot of people want undue fame and recognition, compulsive liars thoroughly enjoy lying, some have dissociative disorders and some like to go on power trips. It's hard to know where Hossain Sabzian fits exactly in his primary motivation (maybe he simply wanted some cash for food as he'd had trouble finding work) but I couldn't dislike him even when it felt like he was taking advantage of innocent people for a short time. Then it got awkward when we realize his mother is in courtroom detailing the shortcomings of his private life. At times it felt like the director was usurping the judge in the trial. Lies usually start out small and grow into something larger. I remember speaking with someone who was constantly mistaken for a semi-famous person in another country and finally after years of denials he got sick of the questions and said "Yes, I am that person  " and people started fawning over him. So if you get the question a lot there is that temptation and curiosity.Two films I was reminded of a little at times were F for Fake and Being There To end with the imposter riding along on a bike with the actual director was funny. I'm sure it's covered somewhere but were those audio cuts legitimate or was that some kind of artistic spin? All in all it's one of the more engrossing ones I've seen recently. I'd only seen Taste of Cherry prior so I'll need to check more. X-Ray Pecs posted:This is what I get for trying to watch the Movie of the Month, a scratched-up library DVD that can't play the last third of the movie. I still remember watching Safe as a MOTM years ago and the DVD wouldn't play the last 8 minutes or so.  PS it's on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrnUvCsnOtw Friedpundit posted:This movie owns owns owns. There's a scene involving a can rolling down a hill, and while nothing really happens, something about it is so perfect, I still find myself thinking about it. My initial reaction was some kind of technical issue but I read other things to the contrary.
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Aug 16, 2014 00:17
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Kiarostami on the decision to do the ending largely without sound:quote:Sabzian had no idea what was going to happen on that day and who he was going to meet. That moment is very real, when Sabzian meets his idol [and Sabzian bursts into tears]. They got on the motorcycle and we followed them in the car without Sabzian's knowledge that we were filming. I was listening to their conversation. What was very difficult was that one of the characters did not know that he was in front of a camera whereas the other one did. And the one who did was ready with his "script". Makhmalbaf discussed many issues that he had intended to bring to the film, so he was very much an actor. We shot this sequence, and obviously we couldn't repeat it. Sabzian embraced Makhmalbaf very affectionately and expressed what he really felt; Makhmalbaf in essence was repeating slogans or whatever he wanted to say, so I removed my headphones and stopped listening. So after a sleepless night, I came to the conclusion that what I should do is say that there was a problem with the sound. Zogo, if you're interested in other films that depict the Iranian judicial system I recommend A Separation. It's a drama not a documentary, but the opening scene in particular is very relevant. Also, it's just a great movie.
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Aug 16, 2014 06:22
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I've actually seen that one. I guess I should've said I'd never seen actual courtroom footage from the area before.
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Aug 17, 2014 00:10
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One question: What language where the Ahankhah's speaking when the interviewer asked them to speak Persian so he could understand them?
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Sep 10, 2014 02:44
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FreudianSlippers posted:One question: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijani_language
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Sep 10, 2014 03:10
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