Crimson Gold
| Crimson Gold | |
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DVD cover
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| Directed by | Jafar Panahi |
| Produced by | Jafar Panahi |
| Written by | Abbas Kiarostami |
| Starring |
Hossain Emadeddin Kamyar Sheisi Azita Rayeji Shahram Vaziri Ehsan Amani Pourang Nakhael Koveh Najmabadi Saber Safael |
| Music by | Peyman Yazdanian |
| Cinematography | Hossein Jafarian |
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Release date
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Running time
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95 minutes |
| Country | Iran |
| Language | Persian |
Crimson Gold (Persian: طلای سرخ Tala-ye Sorkh) is a 2003 Iranian film directed by Jafar Panahi, and written by Abbas Kiarostami. The film was never distributed in Iranian theatres, because it was considered too "dark". Therefore, it was not possible that Crimson Gold be considered as the Iranian entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2003 Oscars as it was not released in Iran.
The movie opens with a scene inside a jeweler’s shop, which the main character, Hossein, appears to be attempting to rob. Hossein tries to force The Jeweler, to give him the key to the safe at gunpoint. The Jeweler refuses, and manages to trigger the alarm. Hossein then shoots The Jeweler, and, after some deliberation, takes his own life as well. The rest of the movie proceeds to tell Hossein’s story.
The action flashes back to a scene two days before Hossein’s attempted robbery, in which Ali comes to tell Hossein that everything has been cleared for Hossein’s marriage to Ali’s sister, The Bride. A con artist, The Man in the Tea House, then joins them and expounds on the profession of pickpocketing. Hossein, naturally sensitive to his social status, is somewhat offended by the con artist’s automatic classification of him and Ali as mere pickpockets. However, the con artist makes one point which can be taken as something of a universal truth: “If you want to arrest a thief, you’ll have to arrest the world.” Later on, Hossein and Ali attempt to enter the jeweler’s shop and are viciously snubbed by The Jeweler, who literally shuts the doors in their faces.
That night, Hossein reports for pizza delivery duty. It appears that Hossein is also dealing with some mental stability issues relating to either his war experience, his medication, or both. His habit of not wearing a helmet while riding his motorbike is one manifestation of this. Hossein first delivers to a man on the 4th floor of a building. Since the elevators are broken, this necessitates him climbing 4 flights of stairs. The man pays Hossein 19000 Tomans for the three pizzas (which costs 18500 Tomans) and tells him to keep the change. When he learns Hossein is a war buddy he gives him a lot more money, feeling sorry for him.
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Wikipedia