Persian Cinema Giant, Bahram Beyzai, Dies At the Age of 87
Widespread tributes have been shared for Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Iranian cinema and theatre, who passed away aged 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 reflect nostalgically on the Shah era also paying homage to Beyzai.
"This loss is an immense tragedy for the art and culture of our country," remarked Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran.
Even though Beyzai's subsequent works were prohibited in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a host of senior figures in the present administration have also paid tribute his legacy to Iranian culture.
The Teacher of a Generation
Several of the current crop of Persian directors have acknowledged their debt to him. Award-winning director Jaafar Panahi said that Beyzai taught them "how to stand up to oblivion."
Beyzai avoided direct political references in his work, both as a playwright and a cinematic auteur, and always maintained he tried not to trade in overt messages.
But his work over many decades places historical, even mythic figures in conflict with authoritarian structures of power.
A Cultural Foundation
From a family of renowned poets, Beyzai was steeped in the deepest traditions of Persian culture from birth.
He first rose to prominence as a theater writer, inspired by Persian legend and ritual.
A devotee of cinema, he transitioned to filmmaking in the 1970s.
He won renown as one of the key figures in the new wave of Iranian cinema.
An Enduring Voice
His most fruitful era spanned the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that deposed him—with each regime constantly poised to detect subtext that could be interpreted as dissent.
"Beyzai did not choose the easy way. He withstood years of exclusion, imposed silence, and distance, but he never abandoned his artistic voice and his beliefs," said Jaafar Panahi in his tribute.
The Little Stranger
A few years after the 1979 Revolution, he produced what many consider his magnum opus, 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 subsequent works he made in that time—but later chosen by critics as the greatest Iranian film of all time.
The film was shown in a newly remastered print at this year's Venice Film Festival, receiving an award for outstanding feature in the classics section.
Final Years in Exile
Beyzai ultimately departed Iran in 2010 and spent his later years 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 remained ever hopeful for a renewed spirit and tomorrow for his homeland.
