IMDb > Gaav (1969)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   436 votes
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Director:

Dariush Mehrjui

Writers:

Dariush Mehrjui (writer)
Gholam-Hossein Saedi (play)

Release Date:

December 1974 (USA) more

Genre:

Drama more

Plot:

Masht Hassan owns the only cow in a remote and desolate village. He treats the cow as his own child... more | add synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Awards:

1 win more

User Comments:

The Cow more (10 total)


Cast

  (Credited cast)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:

The Cow
more

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

Iran

Language:

Persian

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | UK:PG


Fun Stuff

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Nassereddin Shah, Actor-e Cinema (1992) more


FAQ

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful.
The Cow, 21 July 2007
7/10
Author: clevelandrachel from United States

The Cow, Gaav (1969) is the second feature film by director Dariush Mehrjui. It was the second film to be financed by the Shah of Iran but promptly banned after completion when the Shah felt its portrayal of simple village life in Iran gave the wrong impression to outsiders. The film was smuggled out of Iran in 1970, and subsequently won "critics choice" at the Venice Film Festival.

The Cow (originating from a novel by Iranian author Gholam-Hossein Saedi) portrays the obsession, loss of faith and demise of a poor rural village that loose their single salable commodity - a cow. Hassan, played by Ezatollah Entezami (who received best actor at the Chicago Film Festival), has a face that vividly captures his physical and emotional change after a breakdown when he becomes the cow. Mehrjui uses theater actors with "compelling faces" as key elements in the cinematography (Feridun Ghovanlu), as did the Italian Neo-realist.

The film explores the looming fear of a foreign invader as the villagers come to believe Hassan, in his cow-like state, will be captured in cross-border raids from rival tribes. Politically this is reminiscent of the Shah's constant allusions to the neighboring "Arab threat" over oil.

While set in traditional, rural Iran, Mehrjui shows an alternative view of Iran where collective fear and poverty can cycle in hopeless desperation. Viewers of The Cow are left to question the very root of human dignity.

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What struck you about 'The Cow' or 'Gaav'? rudradev64
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Related Links

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