Shatranj-e baad

Beautiful images and lighting (with no electricity) of Teheran in the Twenties but the final crane shots reveal a modern day Teheran skyline with multistoried buildings and air-conditioning vents (a nod perhaps to Geza von Redvanyi's 1965 film "Uncle Tom's Cabin"). Two realities separated by time. The simplistic tale of greed for pelf and power is interspersed with chorus elements of Greek plays (here washerwomen discussing the lives of rich inhabitants of the mansion in the background.)