Crimson Gold

Starring:Hossain Emadeddin, Kamyar Sheisi, Azita Rayeji, Shahram Vaziri, Ehsan Amani, Pourang Nakhael, Kaveh Najmabadi, Saber Safael, Mehran Rajabi, Ramin Rastad, Yadollah Samadian, Behnaz Houri
Director: Jafar Panahi
Studio: Wellspring
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Two master filmmakers, Abba Kiarostami (A Taste of Cherry) and Jafar Panahi (The Circle), team up as writer and director, respectively (as they did on 1996's The White Balloon), on Crimson Gold, a subtle tragedy about class conflict in Iran. Hussein (Hossain Emadeddin) is a lumbering veteran swollen by cortisone (for war-induced pain) and reduced to delivering pizzas at night. (He is frequently lost in a mental semi-fog during the days.) Witness to the rewards and vanities of the wealthy, insulted when a jewelry shop owner won't allow him in his store, and under pressure to get married, Hussein awkwardly aspires for higher ground but is more familiar with a life of marginal importance. When an eccentric socialite gives him a taste of luxury, something desperate is unleashed. Panahi brings his feel for and vision of the expansive ordinary, for the near-invisible forces churning within characters in seemingly throwaway circumstances. A haunting film. --Tom Keogh

Description

Award-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi's (The White Balloon, The Circle) latest triumph is an intimate and absorbing drama about the ways in which the hypocrisies and slights of daily life can push otherwise reasonable people over the edge. Based on true events and written by acclaimed director Abbas Kiarostami (A Taste of Cherry), CRIMSON GOLD is the story of Hussein, a humble pizza deliveryman who feels continually humiliated by the injustices he sees all around him. When his friend Ali finds a receipt for a stranger's necklace purchase, Hussein is stunned by its exceptionally high cost. He knows that his pitiful salary will never be enough to afford such a luxury. Soon after, he and Ali are refused entry to an uptown jewelry store because of their scruffy appearances; his rage over this slight sets off a series of events. But Hussein will taste the luxurious life for one night before his deep feelings of humiliation push him over the edge. DVD extras include: 5.1, trailer, subtitle control, weblinks, Interview with director Jafar Panahi

Customer Reviews:

The silent crumbling !.......2007-02-10

This is a very zealous exploration of the human soul through the times and lives of two misfits, who work out as pizza's delivers, one of them is at the eve to be married with the sister of his partner.

At the moment he intends to buy for his fiancée a reckless and a wedding's ring in a very expensive jewelry, he will experience in own flesh the bitter meaning to belong to a social class that has nothing to do with these caprices.

Slow and progressively, he will develop a scrupulous gaze around his environment, the tense silence and the expression of his face forecast bad times to come.

If Taxi driver ignited the screen thirty one years ago about a surreptitious underworld behind the well known landscapes for tourists, this movie is very close in spirit respect Taxi.

A movie that deserves and demands from you top pay whole attention because of the fact the theatrical stages (there is a lot of fixed images) and elusive dialogues so require it. But at the end the effort is rewarding.

A Fantastic Masterpiece Of Cinema!.......2007-01-13

I first saw this film a couple of years ago on a whim. I have not seen very many films from the Middle East, however, the ones I have seen have been very good. This film captured me, and pulled me right in. It may not appeal to many viewers whose idea of films are lots of action and gore. But for those viewers who like films about life and drama: and life in particular, this is one great film not to be missed. The story unfolds about the life of one individual named Hussein (Hossain Emadeddin). He is a veteran of the Iran/Irag war. A bloody war which many historians have called the 'trench warfare' of the late 20th century. Not since WWI was there such a slaughter between two armies in the trenches. Hussein is a survivor of this war. And he is now a disillusioned veteran who delivers pizza's for a living: And for Hussein, as a pizza deliveryman handing out pizzas in neighborhoods he will never live in, due to his social status, life for him will take a very sad detour.

Moreover, Hussein, a heavy set man, is also undergoing cortisone shots for his war injuries. His best friend is named Ali (Kamyar Sheissi), and it is Ali's sister that Hussein is engaged to be married to. However, Ali is a petty thief. During one of Ali's purse snatchings however, he comes across a receipt for an expensive necklace. They both decide to visit the store, however, the both feel resentment when the store owner refuses to allow them in due to their attire. Seeing the way the store owner caters to the other rich clients, and his wariness of these two poorer men, they both seethe with inner resentment. A resentment which will only deepen as the film progresses: Eventually leading to Hussein attempting to rob the store.

But what really pushes Hussein over the edge in robbing the store, is when he is treated indifferent by the police while delivering pizzas. Moreover, the final nail is when he delivers pizzas to a rich customer at a penthouse. The occupant of the penthouse is visiting Iran, whose parents happen to be in the USA. Hussein sees the wealth of this upper social class, and feels even greater resentment. The tenant of the building (Pourang Nakaheal) gives a good performance as one who is used to good things. When Hussein walks about the penthouse he is amazed at what he sees. A life he will never know, yet longs for. While sitting on the roof, he sees a beautiful swimming pool, and jumping in, clothes and all, he gazes at the city below. Hussein has been a walking time bomb for quite some time. And it is in part because of the events that unfolded the previous day. This is a great film, and I could not help feeling empathy for Hussein, and the life he lived. A highly recommended film. [Stars: 5+]

The betrayeds of the Revolution.......2006-12-22

I never receive your film, despite to have seen it in Lisbon.
For any reasons that neither you can explain, the goods have desapear. Some one, who has the some interests than me got my stuff, which mean I payed for the plesure of a german guy or a service man from the Portuguese douane.
Anyway the film is super!

MASTERpiece.......2006-06-04

If neorealism was Europe's answer to the theme of alienation after WWII then Panahi's style, whatever you may call it, is Iranian cinema's answer to the theme of alienation that has set in almost 3 decades after the revolution and 2 decades after the end of the war.

Be amazed by the fact that if this script (written by Kiarostami) been handed to any other director, it would have been mangled into a giant bore of a film with a centerless plot, but here the skills of an amazing director and a very believable actor create what is perhaps the best movie that has come out of Iran after the revolution. The BEST iranian movie, period.

Probably the worst movie of all time........2006-03-30

If you enjoy movies with obese men riding motor scooters, delivering pizza, having discussions about nothing, and eventually killing themselves, then this is the movie for you. If you are able to watch it in its entirety, more than likely, you'll find yourself viciously depressed and thankful that something has finally replaced Battlefield Earth as the worst movie to grace the silver screen.

Average customer rating:

The silent crumbling !
A Fantastic Masterpiece Of Cinema!
The betrayeds of the Revolution
MASTERpiece
Probably the worst movie of all time.

Crimson Gold (Alternate Cover)
Starring: Hossain Emadeddin , Kamyar Sheisi , Azita Rayeji , Shahram Vaziri , and Ehsan Amani
Director: Jafar Panahi
Manufacturer: Fox Lorber
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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