Persepolis (2007) DVD

Starring	Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Danielle Darrieux, Simon Abkarian
Director	Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi
Genres	Animated, Drama, World Cinema

Persepolis

Poignant story of a young girl in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. It is through the eyes of the precocious and outspoken nine year old, Marjane, that we see a people's hopes dashed as fundementalists take power - forcing the veil on women and imprisoning thousands. Clever and fearless, she outsmarts the 'guardians' and discovers punk. Yet when her uncle is senselessly executed - and as bombs fall around Tehran - the daily fear that permeates life in Iran is palpable.

As she gets older, Marjane's boldness causes her parents to worry over her continued safety. And so - at age fourteen - they make the difficult decision to send her to school in Austria. Vulnerable and alone in a strange land she endures the typical ordeals of a teenager.

Starring	Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Danielle Darrieux, Simon Abkarian, Gabrielle Lopes Benites
Director	Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi
Run time	DVD: 1 hr 35 mins Blu-ray: 1 hr 36 mins
Certificate
Genres	Animated, Drama, World Cinema
Language	DVD: French, English, Persian, German Blu-ray: English
Subtitles	Blu-ray: English
Released	DVD: 18 Aug 2008 Blu-ray: 18 Aug 2008 Production year: 2007
Format	DVD

Critics' reviews of Persepolis
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The original French version of this adaptation of Marjane Satrapis sensitive and sharp autobiographical graphic... read more on Time Out
- Dave Calhoun,
- Time Out
- Posted 04 Nov 2008
Most helpful member's review of Persepolis
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75 out of 76 people found this review helpful

[Highly rated reviewer]

Powerfully moving animation.

Persepolis is an animated tale about the life of an Iranian girl, Marjane, throughout the past few decades. The film begins with her sat at a French airport, preparing to return to her home, and she begins to review her life to that point. As the film flashes back to her childhood to begin the tale, the animation switches from colour to black and white, and simplifies to represent the very simple view by which a child sees the world. As the film follows her life story, the animation style becomes more complex, reflecting how our own perceptions are more complex as we age. The tale itself shows how the country of Iran went from be a free-thinking society, to the oppressive state it has become in the past decade, all through the internal political conflicts, and outside oppression and aggression. All of this is told from a personal point of view, focussing on how it affected Marjane'e life. When the film began, I didn't know what to make of it. The simple animation was nice, but seemed too simple in this age of photo-realism in animated movies. However it didn't take long for the story to connect, and the animated style all seemed to make sense. A greater degree of relaism would have pulled away, bizarrely, from the focus of the story. by keeping the images simple it allows you to absorb the well crafted life account without being distracted by glossy images. Sequences which are portrayed in silouette are the most effective images on screen, and convey the horror and forboding of the account. The film really feels like you are reading a personal journal of events through the ages, and without being too politically heavy it conveys well all the struggle a young girl had growing up as an Iranian. The film craftily layers some great moments of amusement, breaking the heavier moments, which give some scenes a kind of 'Peanuts for adults' style - usually by following a serious lesson with a quick witty scene in which the lesson learned is taken to the extreme. This clever style keeps the film from dwelling too much on the heavier aspects, and really makes Marjane seem more human. By the closure of the film you deeply care for her and her life. Powerfully moving animation.
- - Meako from Sheffield
  - Posted 25 Apr 2008 13:24
Most recent members' review of Persepolis
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

[Highly rated reviewer]

GO ON, TAKE A LOOK AT THE WORLD WE LIVE IN!

If I'm honest, I'm rarely fussed about what goes on in the world. Too wrapped up in my own I guess. Over to you Dr. Freud! Anyway, this is a clever way of bringing the trials and tribulations of another culture to the attention of the likes of me. Educational and thought provoking.
- - Norman Barry from Surrey, England.
  - Posted 22 Sep 2009 09:58
News and features
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Persepolis
- 21 Apr 2008
In 1979 Marjane is a nine-year-old Bruce Lee nut in Tehran. The fall of the Shah is cause for celebration in the Satrapi household: Marjane's family of cosmopolitan Marxists has suffered imprisonment and intimidation. The revolution is a time of hope and opportunity. But it doesn't last. Religious fundamentalists seize control, Marjane and her friends are forced to wear the veil, and social freedoms are curtailed. Worse is to come when Iran goes to war with Iraq. This brilliant French-Iranian... Read more
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