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Iranian Cinema Titan, Bahram Beyzai, Passes Away Aged 87
Widespread tributes are pouring in for Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Persian film and stage, who has died at the age of 87 while residing in the United States.
A Nation Mourns
The front pages of Iranian newspapers mourn his loss, with opposition voices and those who look back fondly on the pre-revolution period also paying homage to Beyzai.
"This loss is a great loss for the art and culture of our country," remarked the exiled prince, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran.
Even though Beyzai's later films were banned in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a number of prominent officials in the current government have also acknowledged his legacy to Persian arts.
A Mentor to Filmmakers
Many of the contemporary generation of Iranian filmmakers have expressed their gratitude to him. Jaafar Panahi said that Beyzai showed them "the way to resist oblivion."
Beyzai avoided direct political references in his work, both as a dramatist and a cinematic auteur, and always said he tried not to deal in overt messages.
But his oeuvre over countless years sets archetypal characters in opposition with authoritarian religious and political systems.
Roots in Tradition
Hailing from a lineage of celebrated poets, Beyzai was steeped in the deepest traditions of Persian culture from birth.
He first rose to prominence as a theater writer, inspired by ancient myths and ceremonies.
A devotee of cinema, he moved into making films in the 1970s.
He gained acclaim as one of the pivotal artists in the new wave of Iranian cinema.
An Enduring Voice
His most fruitful era straddled the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that overthrew him—with each regime constantly poised to sniff out hidden messages that could be seen as dissent.
"Beyzai did not choose the easy way. He withstood years of exclusion, enforced quiet, and distance, but he did not give up his artistic voice and his beliefs," stated Jaafar Panahi in his tribute.
A Masterpiece Amidst Conflict
A few years after the Iranian Revolution, he produced what many regard as his masterpiece, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a small boy who tries to find shelter from the Iran-Iraq war.
It was censored in Iran—as were other films he made in that time—but later voted by film critics as the best Iranian film of all time.
The film was shown in a restored version at this year's Venice Biennale, receiving an award for outstanding feature in the heritage category.
Final Years in Exile
Beyzai finally left Iran in 2010 and lived out his final days in the US, where he taught Iranian culture.
Even after he went into exile, his wife, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai, said just hearing the word "Iran" would still make him emotional—and he continued to hope for a renewed spirit and future for his homeland.
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