The Cow

Gaav

Filmmaker Dariush Mehrjui’s timeless classic, the progenitor of the Iranian New Wave, is a parable of human frailty.  When a rural farmer’s beloved cow dies, his neighbors dare not tell him the truth, fearing that the news will destroy him, but madness descends all the same.  Rich with philosophical suggestion, the film has haunted Iranian cinema ever since, setting a tonal and metaphoric standard to which many have returned.  

DCP, b/w, 104 min.  Director: Dariush Mehrjui.  Screenwriter: Gholam-Hossein Saeedi, Dariush Mehrjui.  Based on the play and novel by Gholam-Hossein Saeedi.  Cinematographer: Fereydon Ghovanlou.  Editor: Dariush Mehrjui.  Cast: Ezat-Ollah Entezami, Ali Nasirian, Jafar Vali, Jamshid Mashayekhi, Esmat Safavi.