The Color of Paradise (1999)
"Rang-e khoda" (original title)

Mohammad, a boy at Tehran's institute for the blind, waits for his dad to pick him up for summer vacation. While waiting, he realizes a baby bird has fallen from its nest: he chases away a ... See full summary »

Director:

Majid Majidi

Writer:

Majid Majidi

Stars:

Hossein Mahjoub, Mohsen Ramezani, Salameh Feyzi

13 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Hossein Mahjoub	...	Father
Mohsen Ramezani	...	Mohammad
Salameh Feyzi	...	Grandma
Farahnaz Safari	...	Big Sister
Elham Sharifi	...	Little Sister
Behzad Rafi	...	Village Teacher
Mohamad Rahmani	...	Schoolteacher
Morteza Fatemi	...	Carpenter
Kamal Mirkarimi	...	Schoolmaster
Masoome Zinati	...	Young woman
Zahra Mizani	...	Schoolteacher
Ahmed Aminian	...	Young Wife's Father
Moghadam Behboodi	...	Village Headmaster
GanAli Khorami	...	Villager

Storyline

Mohammad, a boy at Tehran's institute for the blind, waits for his dad to pick him up for summer vacation. While waiting, he realizes a baby bird has fallen from its nest: he chases away a cat, finds the bird, climbs a tree, and puts it back. His father finally comes and takes him to their village where his sisters and granny await. The lad is a loving student of nature and longs for village life with his family, but his father is ashamed of him, wanting to farm the boy out to clear the way for marriage to a woman who knows nothing of this son. Over granny's objections, dad apprentices Mohammad far from home to a blind carpenter. Can anything bring father and son together?

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Plot Keywords:

village | boy | school | apprentice | carpenter | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

Majid Majidi films Sony

Country:

Iran

Language:

Persian Azerbaijani

Release Date:

7 September 2000 (Australia)

Also Known As:

The Color of God

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$28,144 (USA) (31 March 2000)

Gross:

$1,810,145 (USA) (6 October 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Varahonar Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mohsen Ramezani (Mohammad) really is blind.

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Quotes

Mohammad: [crying] Our teacher says that God loves the blind more because they can't see. But I told him if it was so, He would not make us blind so that we can't see Him. He answered "God is not visible. He is everywhere. You can feel Him. You see Him through your fingertips." / Now I reach out everywhere for God till the day my hands touch Him and tell Him everything, even all the secrets in my heart.

User Reviews

Make every effort to see this movie

I urge you to try to see this movie. The acting is brilliant but totally natural. I don't recall ever seeing a child who is as fine an actor as the boy who played Mohammed, and not for a moment did his "acting" ever get in the way of the story. The cinematography is breath-taking. I'm sure no one who has not been to Iran has any idea at all that it is this beautiful. There is plenty of symbolism for any particular point of view, which makes it fun to talk about after you see it, and although it is probably intended to be religious from the Islam point of view, you could probably find in this movie your own brand of spirituality, or lack of it, if you cared to try. I, a typically cynical and jaded New Yorker, and my completely enthusiastic and non-jaded adolescent daughter, both loved it and hope to see it again. So go see it and make it a success so we can get more movies like it over here!!