Asrar ganj dareheye jenni (1974) - full transcript

A team of surveyors and

road-engineers

left the valley...

for the track-less heights

on the hills.

The man who was walking

ahead of the line...

had began with admiring

the beauty of the mountains,

and had soon drifted into

describing his love...

for this land... this vast,

open country...

that possessed a force

of magic...

in all its serene and vacant

hills and deserts,

its broken villages and

meagre fields.

His friend agreed with

him and said:

"Yes. This is a beautiful

region."

"Pity it is all so wild and

lonely."

The man who was now

thinking of the road...

that was to be built,

looked around...

to find a suitable spot...

to place the surveying gears.

It seemed to him that where

he was was good enough.

So he ordered the tripod

to be placed there.

THE GHOST VALLEY'S

TREASURE MYSTERIES

A view arranged by

Ebrahim Golestan

Where are you, beast?

Get along. It's finished.

Move! We finished.

Get along, bastard! It's over.

Get moving, damn you!

Ma Ali!

It's daddy. Hide yourself.

We'll tease him.

Ma Ali, you can't guess!

You don't know!

Wonderful. Wonderful.

You can't guess!

The Knife! Knife. Knife. Knife.

Where is the knife?

The beautiful knife?

Come on. Come along!

Help! Oh, God! Help!

He's gone mad!

My husband's gone nuts!

Help me, Rajab.

He's gone silly.

Where is my brother, Seyed?

Where is he?

What's the matter?

Ali's father's gone nuts.

Mr. Abbas, help me,

my husband's gone crazy.

None of my business.

Mr. Mayor, please help me.

My husband's gone nuts.

He was nuts.

Mr. Mayor, please,

he was about to kill our cow.

Nonsense.

I tell you, he drew the knife.

To hell with him!

I tell you, do something, please.

Where is he now?

Near our home. He was about to

cut the throat of the beast.

God damn this job. They don't even

let you eat your fruit in peace.

Where is the Reverend?

Oh, God! Please,

father, help me!

My husband's gone crazy.

He wanted to kill our animal.

Please stop this praying. Help me.

He wanted to kill me, too.

- Brother, brother!

- What is it, Sis?

Help me!

Come on, speak!

What is it?

He came home dancing,

then he jumped on me.

Then he went for the animal.

What for?

How could I know?

He's gone mad.

If the animal dies, if he is

injured,

then we will be finished.

Why did you kill it?

Why did you do this?

Why did you kill the animal?

Beat the devil out of him.

He's crazy.

Go get the donkey.

Pull, God help you!

Daddy? Come.

Where have you been?

- I won't.

- Come.

What's wrong?

Don't cry, my dear

Ahmad-Ali.

Why crying? A man

does not cry.

You think they beat me?

To hell with them, how could they?

Beat me?

Don't be a child.

Don't. I will buy you things.

- What do you want?

- Nothing.

- What do you like?

- Nothing.

You mean you want new clothes?

Beautiful clothes? Toys?

Nothing.

- A big knife?

- No.

- Slings?

- No.

- Fire-works?

- No.

A flute? All right.

It'll be a flute, then.

Do you smell?

They're roasting meat.

It's the smell of grilling,

coming from all over.

Don't cry. Listen to what

the animal is saying.

The animal is saying:

"You sacrificed me for them..."

"you killed me to thank God and to

give them a piece of my meat..."

"but uselessly, because they

snatched me from you..."

"And they cut me up themselves;

they stole me..."

"to fill their bowels - with your

silly intention."

What is your name?

What do you need my name for?

What was your name, you said?

I didn't say. I said what

do you need it for?

If you don't want it,

give it back.

This is stolen goods.

Stolen goods? Yes.

Do you buy stolen goods or not?

You're firm -

I said you're firm. Listen.

This is the fourth time you're

bringing such things to me.

Fact is, you scare me.

Yeah, I'm scared.

I see that you're firm,

wise, intelligent.

I'm afraid of you being

wiser than me.

I can't accept anything from you

before I could trust you.

Take them back, and take

them to those...

others you have been

dealing with.

I haven't done any business

with anybody.

If you want to sell them to anybody,

be careful, be cautious.

Why cautious?

I have not stolen them.

Be cautious.

What sort of price did

they offer you?

Who're They?

You're the first.

And those before me?

I tell you you're the first. I was

passing by, I saw you.

I thought you're

wise-looking...

trustworthy, and I told

myself go to him.

When you bought the first lot nicely,

I brought the others to you, straight.

Didn't I tell you you're wise. That's

why I am scared of you.

You're wise.

Thank God you're wise.

We can work together,

if you have some more.

I have!

Do I?

I wouldn't know. I don't

know how much you have, or...

who has given these

to you, or what.

Enjoy having them,

and thank your God.

Is there anybody who knows

that you have these?

Myself and my God.

He has washed them this time.

He has also started to ask

for higher prices.

Never mind, weigh them.

Don't buy by piece.

Don't let him know what

he's got. Pay him by grams.

Suppose he makes them heavy

by putting dirt in them?

Shake it off, and don't

be over-greedy.

What does he look like?

How old is he?

A very tall man, heavy set.

About fifty years old.

From which part of the country?

South-east, I gather

from his accent.

He says from the central

parts, though.

Perhaps he's not the main

man, only a cover.

Wish we could know

the main man.

If we could, things

would become easier.

I fear somebody snatching

it from us.

I fear you bungling it up.

I have done my best so far.

This is the eighth lot.

I fear you bungling it up.

Bring him to me once...

or I may come to you when

he is coming.

He does not say when

he is coming.

It is better if I take

him to you.

- Let's hope.

- Why hope?

If he comes. He should

come to you only if he's wise!

You know well...

You should know well...

You should know...

that if he goes away from you,

it'll be you the loser.

I know that he wants

to scare me,

but he is not bluffing,

either, I think.

He looks like someone that

has high connections.

There is no big deal without

high connections.

It's useless to be scared.

- I fear failure.

- It hasn't been a failure.

So far I have done my best.

I have washed...

all objects he's given me.

I have said he's from

the South...

and I said he claims he's

from the central parts.

Actually he's from the North.

He didn't look believing the objects

being from the South,

but he did not show that he

thinks I'm lying either.

But if he finds out that

I was lying, it'll be over.

He is on the trail of the peasant

and he watches my moves, too.

And he has his connections

with the higher-ups.

Come on, have guts, screw your

courage up to the sticking-point.

Push on as far as you can...

if there'll be a difficulty,

we'll see it ahead of time.

Time is now.

If it was only once,

we could gamble...

and do it and do

away with it.

But now it's different.

A slightly wrong step

and you skid the whole way, right

down to the bottom.

This is the bottom. Pull yourself

together. Put on the pressure.

Sometimes you press on...

but nothing comes out.

Oh, how I am sick of

your soft nature!

It's too full of yoghourt.

You can't find the short-cuts.

You want to be somebody.

You have the ambition but not

the guts to get it.

You fear to do things, yet you want

the things to get done.

Fate has come to you, and you want

me to use it for you?

Fate was drunk, giddy when it

called on you, wrongly!

If it wakes up, it'll turn green and

pale by seeing what he's done.

Did that peasant come to you, or

to that antiques dealer?

You think it's practical to be

straight and simple minded...

in a business which

is all crookedness?

The antiques-dealer threatens you?

Fool him then.

See which way the wind blows and

set your course that way.

You are ahead of him, now.

Don't let him overtake you.

What he knows of this, we know.

But all that we know, he does not.

Don't let him know this peasant

and where he comes from.

Don't sell all to him.

Sell the smaller objects.

Bruise and break the objects,

deface them. Sell gold, not antiques.

The main thing is the peasant

himself. We must keep him.

We must guard him.

We must let nobody have him.

There he comes again!

Come on in.

Thanks.

Come on. You'll get tired

standing there.

- Good morning.

- Good morning to you.

Lovely day, have some tea.

Would like to sit inside?

No thanks, I must get a car.

Where is the tea?

Which way you're going?

Teheran.

- Here's the tea.

- Thanks.

Come on, it's good.

- Where do you come from?

- Hossein-Abad.

You work in town?

Hossein-Abad. We've been around

this area for so long...

and yet I don't know

where it is.

On the other side...

The second village.

You run a shop.

Oh, no. Shop!

I thought you're going

to town for supplies.

I'm on business, though.

I thought you're getting supplies,

because I've been seeing you

often, recently.

I thought you could perhaps get

some supplies for me, as well.

Why did you get up?

How much is the tea?

Why do you get up?

How much?

It's nothing. Besides no car has

come. Have more tea, then.

You have quarreled?

Why quarrel?

I want to help you.

Shucks! You're finishing

him off, if you're not lying.

Why lying? Am I crazy? He

wouldn't ever, never, go into the hills...

now he goes regularly, so many times.

It's either opium or heroin, surely.

You've seen it yourself?

At all?

Of course I haven't.

See what? It's obvious.

You're sure?

What do you mean?

If you want to chuck me off...

and claim you've discovered the case

yourself, well, that'll be another story.

I thought I am doing

you a service.

Service my foot! You're

grabbing the bastard's business.

Suppose I am. Will I be alone

in this, partner?

You're a civil servant.

I am not, I am a teacher.

I won't spy on people.

Come on, get off that. You're not in

favour of selling heroin, are you?

This is spying,

I won't do it.

Look here. An employee of the State

should help the State...

especially when It is

to the good of the Society.

What do you mean "spying"? His

assistant says he is doing it.

Are you O. Kaying him?

He's either doing it or not.

If he is, it's bad. Society is

harmed, people are in danger.

The duty of every honorable

citizen is to intervene.

I say you owe it to your God,

to your intelligence...

to your mother-land

to do what you must.

Is this spying or treason?

And if he is not involved in

such activities...

then you'll find that out and

the innocent is saved.

Which again is good

and honorable.

Which part of this is spying?

Spying is a crime when it

is for a foreign power.

I am the State, not

a foreign power.

You're a gendarme and I am a

teacher.

Have I ever asked you

to teach these boys?

I won't do a thing against

the public.

What contraband, dear fellow? The

man is not even from the village.

You're right. The poor man was only

asking about my sister's husband.

His only concern

seems to be that jerk,

as he's asked everybody

only about him.

I think the jerk owes

him money.

I haven't seen him myself.

He may be an undercover agent.

It's all tricks.

Certainly it's a trick.

They make you spy on me

and me spy on you.

Drug traffic is just

a sham pretext.

Surely you're right.

You're educated.

Hey, boy! You, there!

Good day, Mr. Mayor.

What was he telling you,

that gendarme?

What gendarme?

The one who comes here

often recently.

Haven't seen him.

He investigates your brother-in-law's

complaint that you beat him up.

I beat him up because

he'd gone crazy.

You were there, yourself.

What complaint?

You beat him up and you took

all his belongings away.

What belongings? He had

nothing. My poor sister...

she neither dares to return, nor if

she goes, there is anything to live on.

And the jerk, he's never there.

He is roaming...

the neighboring villages

for work.

We must send him to

a mad-house.

I am sure he will do us some harm

if we let him free.

Please do something, sir.

You mean the gendarme did not

call on you at all?

Not at all.

What does he want then?

You're the Mayor.

How should I know?

Perhaps he comes here

to spy on us?

You mean our charcoal-making?

Honestly this Government

is anti-public.

Throughout the centuries

our ancestors...

used the woods to

make charcoal.

Now they say it's illegal,

you must have permits!

Perhaps the gendarme comes

here on this account.

Bright boy! Of course.

Can't you see?

And I am called the Mayor!

A Mayor who cannot

cut the trees!

What is the use of being a Mayor

if you cannot cut the trees?

Really!

Fed-up! Just fed-up with all

this old rotten junk.

One does not live forever!

I need money...

I need good life,

I need happiness.

Hurry up and finish with him!

What can I do?

It is useless if you let

him to be on his own.

Suppose something happens

to him.

Suppose he changes his mind.

Suppose he is arrested or grabbed

by somebody else...

or falls from a window, or simply

explodes, or something.

What could I do?

Fool him, scare him, cheat him, put

him on dope, I just don't know...

Do something!

Where is my blasted

cup of tea!

Invite him over.

Ask him to come over.

In our village we use charcoal.

Oh! That's old fashioned.

In our village it's very cold.

What is the weather when you have

money? Buy kerosene stoves.

People there would be jealous

and may cast evil eyes on me.

Who are the people when

you have money?

With money you can shut their eyes,

you can turn them into your slaves.

One should live right. Good life, nice

home, good food,

and above all a good wife.

She should be faithful, full-bodied,

satisfying - not of course a wrestler.

Wife I have. I have a wife.

You do? How many?

Is not one already too many?

One? Just one?

One is God, only.

How many eyes do you have?

One? Two!

How many fingers?

One?

Ten!

Hour many teeth?

Thirty two!

How many hairs?

God knows!

God himself - how many prophets

did he have?

One hundred and twenty

four thousand.

They were all His tools.

Woman is the tool for a man.

The more, the better.

Come on in.

Come in and sit.

They'll be here soon.

Shit! Do you swap your chastity

with one skewer of grilled liver?

Do not overfeed your body.

You should keep this moveable.

Charge as much as you want,

but 50% is my commission.

Let's go, it's raining.

Let us praise the God

and the Prophet.

Believers praise the God.

Bad Omen!

Look at these, Mr. Majid.

Don't get involved!

Don't you see it's stuck.

Much better! They be damned!

Nonsense. Help!

Me helping this?

To hell with its owner.

What do you mean the owner?

Help the animal.

Help the driver.

He hasn't done anything wrong.

So you're here. Good!

Come on rain! Pour!

I'll buy some more.

Where are you? Come

and see, Mr. Mayor!

Reverend! Ma Ali!

Come and see!

Come my dear Ali.

I've brought you the flute!

- Be careful!

- Boy, bring my chair.

Bring also that flute.

Wonderful, wonderful.

God be praised.

Oh, Mr. Mayor. How are you?

Oh, papa!

Come, come to me.

Look, I've brought

you your flute.

It's big, isn't it?

It shines like gold.

You happy now?

Didn't I promise a flute?

Why did you come?

I've come.

Where have you been

all this while?

You were away,

you stay only a day whenever

you come.

I am always here.

I am here.

We were told that you're in town,

that you've gone nuts.

Nuts yourselves. Could a person

who owns these be nuts?

Stupids! Whoever is

richer is wiser.

We never knew you had money.

Know now, bastards!

Am I nuts?

I'm the one chosen by heavens.

When you killed the bull,

everybody said you're nuts.

I killed the bull to have

my luck rise!

No one knew one's luck would

rise if a bull is killed.

The bull's luck would rise,

you thought?

Go again to those who

thought I'm nuts.

I want to stay here with you.

Stay with me? Where have you

been when the plough broke...

when I was sweating

in the hills?

When the beast was moaning and

the knife was too dull to cut?

When the bull was kicking, trying

to push his horns into me?

"Stay with me", huh!

What are you doing here?

Let's go.

- I won't.

- Come, I say!

I won't, this is my home.

Don't be fooled by this rubbish.

Rubbish yourself, silly!

I'm telling you, these will bring

you bad luck.

Shut up, stupid!

- I say come!

- I won't, I won't, I won't.

My dear sister, my sweet

sister, these are all tinsels.

Sir, if you allow me

I'll kick them out.

These are all sham;

dirt, sister, dirt!

That's you, dirt. Get out!

I won't. Let go.

Get the hell out of here.

Come, let me tell you something.

It's not even worth

spitting on.

You don't fit with my new life.

Stay, if you want to,

but don't expect much.

I was not told it

needed water.

Of course a bath needs water,

and the heater needs oil.

The fridge runs either on

kerosene or electricity.

And a gas-cooker needs gas.

I never thought of that. I thought

they're all...

automatic.

But of course there are no

problems...

once the money's there.

Oh, money!

But such equipment don't

match such houses.

New instruments change

the situations,

they change the forms

and the essence.

And it's good, too.

Take the bath for example.

The mud walls do not withstand

the spilling of the showers.

We'll need plumbing,

we'll need drainage, we'll

need water, and also tiles.

We need tiles?

Yes.

From floor to the ceiling?

The telly was saying this when

I was in Teheran.

By the way the T.V.

set is not working, either.

Allow for the time, and

be willing to spend money.

We'll do.

It's the end, by God.

I can't take it anymore.

Why do you nag?

Nothing has happened.

What else do you expect,

worse than this?

Nothing's wrong. Your sister

returned to her husband.

And her husband

has become rich.

- To hell with him.

- You're jealous.

What jealousy? Everything

is falling apart.

And the jerk, with his golden chair

and his chandelier...

with his colorful contraptions

is fooling you all.

All of you, from that silly girl to the

mayor to the reverend, all.

And that teacher, Majid,

who used to shout a lot...

He has now become the

jerk's docile servant...

building for him silly shaped

buildings. Look at that!

You're blind to bigger things.

And look at him, he is coming.

God damn times like this!

And you're happy with digging

holes to plant saplings...

when on the other side roots are

being cut up and trunks sawn off.

I tell you the end is here.

This is not a place

to live in.

I'm leaving this place.

To go where, silly man?

I'm going.

I'm going to the other side of the

hill where a road is being built.

Don't be silly, don't.

Why should you?

What's happened?

He's piqued because his sister's

husband has made it rich.

He mentioned my name.

He thinks it's bad you're leveling off

the hill and are building the house.

But he was saying he was going to

join the road builders, himself.

Well, that's the human

nature for you.

He has a passionate nature,

otherwise he is a good boy.

He's loud-mouthed. He doesn't

know how to behave.

One should not get piqued

and quit one's own place.

We are the grass of this land, we

grew here. Why going from here?

He won't go anywhere.

Go to where?

To get to where?

All our ancestors stayed here,

patiently, quietly.

People who are passionate and

shouting don't get anywhere.

They only shout.

First we'll flatten

out all this.

The house that we are building must

match the spirit of our time.

Must match what?

The spirit of our age.

As for the national tradition,

the heritage of our

glorious past...

must always be our

guiding light...

the basis of our endeavors,

our inspiration...

In fact a superior

infra-structure -

How many times you say these?

Talk about the house!

We'll cut up all this.

We'll flatten the hill-top here.

Nonsense! I say the house,

you keep saying the hill!

We must change its interior, to make

room... for the kitchen, the shower.

However, we'll keep the exterior,

the façade as traditional as it is.

The important is the exterior and

you only talk of the interior.

It is the exterior that attracts people,

that people will see.

But people have seen

the exterior.

Hell! Let them not

see it anymore!

Well, we can always retouch the

exterior. It's easier, you're right.

One gets used to interior. But it is

the exterior that counts.

It should look pretty.

Marble or tiles?

- You require a prompt performance?

- What?

- You want it quickly?

- Yeah, double quick.

Plastofoam. This synthetic material

resembles stone from a distance.

- Where does it come from?

- Beg your pardon?

- Comes from Europe?

- Comes from the oil.

Why have you covered this?

Excellent, now! Well done!

You understand me now!

You're a learned man, but you also

know how to use your knowledge.

You're useful.

By the way, I've heard that you're

been winking at my wife.

Don't deny. Also don't fear.

It's all right.

I am about to marry again.

Marriage?

Yes, marriage.

Sir, the poles are all cut and

ready for the ornaments.

Ornaments?

Could I forget what they did to me?

They beat me, threw me out.

If they ever come close,

close will be...

these barbed wires.

Paint! Paint 'em white!

Everything white!

All kinds of white!

I won't come.

I won't come with you.

Shut up! You do what

you're told!

I won't, I won't, I won't!

Leave her alone!

Such a sweet girl.

And you're standing there,

silly man? Do something!

Well, she does not feel like it.

She has a right.

I won't. I cannot say yes to his

marrying a second wife.

Oh, don't be rash,

have a little patience.

I won't.

Come, Majid.

Don't go back on your word.

People are waiting.

To hell with people!

You must not force her.

Nobody has explained to her

the reason. Have you?

Come on, hurry up! Enough!

What are you waiting for?

Make her go!

What are you waiting for?

Make her go!

The wedding, my dear child,

is just a pretext.

We want to show to other people

what a lovely place we have...

and what a lovely building; and so

obtain new prestige for our village.

It'll be excellent for our village.

You must help your native land.

It is to your own good.

Accept! One must be committed,

engaged, responsible.

You must submit to the

Will of God.

People have come from all over.

Don't keep them waiting.

Let go of your individual concerns

for the sake of the community.

It's a sin not to comply. Lots of

expenses are involved.

I'll arrange for divorcing her the way

I arranged for her wedding.

- She spoiled her dress.

- And she hasn't got another one.

Bring her her original dress.

Fine! Everybody's here.

Allo, allo. One, two,

three, four.

Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is my utmost honor

to submit humbly and happily

to your eminences...

the greetings and feelings of

the noble masses of our village...

on the occasion of this

august feast.

But where are the villagers?

Nobody's behind the barbed wire.

Today we celebrate not only...

the joyous wedding of

our eminent couple...

but also the eye-boggling

achievements lavished on us...

coming from the blessed fount of

our beloved bridegroom.

If our tongue is short for praise,

long is the expression...

of this proudly erect structure that

tells with its golden brilliance...

of the power and glory,

the wealth and the might,

the will and the mind of its

dearly beloved founder.

A structure coming out from the

fertile womb...

of our ancestral traditions to fuse

with the latest techniques...

and aesthetics of the great

American masters...

such as Buckminster Fuller.

Do you understand a word?

If our proudest achievements

in the past...

consisted of one dome

and two minarets,

the exigencies of the modern

times require...

one minaret and two domes.

Domes that are not hemi -

but full spheres.

Their roofs not prone to rains,

since water...

does not collect on curves.

Their windows small and few,

to prevent infiltration...

of light and seasonal changes.

Such qualities are not only in tune

with climatic conditions...

but also with our

historical chastity

and ancestral wisdom of closing

one's eyes...

on extraneous elements!

This is our clear

cry for today

and our legacy for the future!

He talks much.

He always talks much.

Let him talk so.

People get impressed.

Furthermore, the duality of these

domes indicates...

the duality in the cosmic order.

It stands for the day

and the night...

the Good and the Evil, the New and

the Old,

the Right and the Left.

The East and the West,

the Thesis and the Antithesis.

The God and the Devil,

and etc & etc.

He knows a lot, but he's

an ass, still. I know.

This soaring, scintillating

tower is the symbol of...

a man standing between

two worlds...

like a rocket penetrating

the celestial heights...

a light-house on the shores

of the turbulent seas

and, in a word, a MAN between

two beautiful maids!

Here comes our

poet-laureate, Sahba.

He is a top man in

the PEN club.

On behalf of the literary world

I would like to offer...

congratulations to the beautiful

bride and the happy groom.

If poetry has any function, it is to

extol occasions like this...

the marriage of Beauty

and Benevolence.

I am in deep ecstasy

and inspired.

Therefore I must recite. However...

usually I read my poems.

This time, to embellish and to

accentuate the word...

I am procuring you with

this charming muse...

who will read the Ode.

Why the villagers are not there?

The barbed wires were for them!

They are not here, anyway.

They are behind their own wires.

Hell! I wanted them behind

my barbed wire.

Well, theirs is more safe, with less

trouble for you.

It's cold, start up the fires!

Why are these artists

Only the blind ones would come

Oh, you all! Do not dance

about so much!

Why are you here?

Go home.

Enough with your silly acts;

you fools!

Yes, laugh! Make them dance...

be happy as long as you

can buy them.

But watch the shaky legs

of your chair.

Well, he was shouting

all the time.

He was "protesting",

"demonstrating"!

What was that?

It's the road-builders, dynamiting

the rocks.

Well, yes, he was nagging really.

You always need a strong man

to get things moving.

When we were building the house,

the village boys would

sneak in at nights...

to piss on the cement powders.

They never asked themselves about

the capacity of their bladders.

Which is the more productive - their

bladders or the cement factories?

Well, take it as their way of

expressing themselves.

Against what? The man

is rich, so they're against him.

Where does his wealth

come from?

That isn't the question.

The question is what to do

with his wealth.

What does he do?

He does not. I am trying to.

Difficult, though.

He's surrounded with crooks.

Have you seen the Lady?

His wife's mother?

Mother? My foot!

It's all tricks.

She's got plans for everybody,

from old folks to babies.

She's sent the man's child

to a boarding school

and now wants to send him

off to Switzerland!

She's opened a fashion boutique for

that sissy relative of hers.

As for her husband, her

book-keeper really.

She is preparing a night

club in the capital...

with red velvet wall-covers,

cushions on the floor,

and mirror-covered ceilings.

With this man's money!

And she is playing with the

man's first wife,

and manoeuvres to have me, too.

And you brought me here

to paint a portrait!

This is the least if one

has greater plans.

This is not a simple pleasant.

He is an opportunity.

He must be grabbed.

To do what?

Something worth doing.

Before all else...

to eradicate the parasites.

Then to build, to develop,

to use the occasion.

This is the secret of success,

to exploit the opportunity.

How long does the

opportunity last?

As long as you can spend

money, and could work.

When everything depends on one

single man's money...

how could you be sure he'll keep

you, and let you work?

I'll satisfy him. I'll pretend

that I don't want to be here.

You mean you will bluff?

But you haven't got cards.

I'll play with theirs. The whole

thing is my pack of cards.

You don't believe?

You're against?

I'm a painter.

You're a pessimist.

You have no faith.

I have my beliefs,

I have my thoughts.

You are half-hearted.

I have my doubts. I question.

To question is to waste time.

To use time is the thing to do.

By the way, what happened to the

inn-keeper who guided you here?

He also goes about with a lot

of questions.

My boss does not like him,

does not trust him.

Dirty old man!

At his age!

Finally the bird went back

to his mother...

telling to himself "I was a fool to

go beyond my limits."

And he began to cry...

After a while the bird

began to worry...

fearing the big black bird

swooping on him.

There's the spade.

I'm dying under this load.

What are you doing?

I'll give you half.

Only half, you?

Be generous!

- Who're you?

- Who do you think I am?

Are you a ghost?

I'm the gendarme.

I'm scared.

You should be. And me thinking you

were in narcotics!

Who's with you?

Speak! Come out,

all of you!

You scared me.

Why did you come here?

Is it forbidden? Why did you?

I'm the gendarme.

How should I believe you?

Are you blind? I'm a

commissioned officer.

I am too.

You are?

Where from?

Don't you see?

I'm a plainclothes man.

You're bluffing.

Where is your gun?

Detectives don't have guns.

They've got brains!

Where are your papers?

Beat it!

I'll throw one at you if

you're not careful.

A grenade?

All gold. Let's have it together.

Shut up you dirty thief!

These are all archeological

relics.

You should have informed

the Ministry...

of Arts and Culture, and not...

steal them yourself. Let's go!

- Don't come close!

- Put it down!

Beat it!

I said put it down.

If you had any degree of

honor...

you would have known that these

objects should be safeguarded.

Because they are the fatherland;

they are the history

and Fatherland means the

history of the Past!

O.K. Go on, but don't

come close!

Not close? Are you

threatening me?

Was this safeguarding?

Don't, don't throw.

I say, don't.

You shoot, if you can.

I won't shoot at my fellow-country

men.

Oh, come on.

No, I won't. I don't fire on

my compatriots.

You have no fire.

What is this then?

- It's empty.

- It's very much loaded.

Then fire if you can.

I don't fire at you.

I don't shoot thieves.

Then shove it up your ass.

It was really loaded, I say.

Then shoot some more.

Don't make me shoot.

Shoot as much as you can.

Why should you really shoot

at all? Let's talk.

I don't have anything to

talk about with you.

A duty-abiding man of law has

nothing to say but the law.

How many bullets are there

in your gun?

Our supplies are unending,

you stupid ass!

Perhaps you are a duty-abiding

man. However, you're not polite.

Gendarmes should not

be foul-mouthed,

especially in a place like this.

On the ground, it is different.

But underground, it hardly

befits your status.

You mean that being a crook is

permissible if it is under the ground?

I mean to say that we all

must be bonded together...

helping each other, and

co-existing in peace.

There is gold under this land,

lots of gold.

There is gold instead of pebbles.

Lots of jewels.

Instead of jumping at each other,

we'll divide them between us.

God has given it to us. Let us

thank and praise Him.

We're the bond of brothers, the

fewer we are, the happier we are.

And nobody will know what

has happened in here...

or will happen.

Then be done with it!

Why so much mixing?

- You were against asking questions?

- No, really, why do you do that?

Because shades of colours come

from mixing with other colours.

- He was a nuisance.

- Finish him off.

You pretended you wanted to open

a shop in the village.

You knocked me out.

If he gets up again, he will

be a nuisance again.

You were partners in this.

Look at me who never thought a

mayor could associate with thieves!

I tell you, finish him off!

You were together in this

for a year now,

and now that you have fallen

apart you abuse me.

Finish him off!

And you want me to eliminate

him for you?

The main thing is for us

to get together.

I never meant any harm to you.

I was trailing him.

Shoot, man! Had he not come here

we could've used him. But now...

What are these?

It's only half an hour

that I am here.

Half an hour? It's a year

now that you're prowling.

So you were not trailing me?

No, upon my military honor.

He's lying. He trails everybody -

including himself.

What is he doing here,

if he isn't trailing people?

Don't worry, I'll bury you!

- Where do you go?

- Watch him.

Come back, I say.

I'm thirsty.

I'll do it if you're afraid of guns.

You smoke a cigarette.

Don't give him the gun.

Give me a cigarette.

You don't have a cigarette,

but you do have a...

spade, and a radio. And it's only

half an hour, yeah?

Don't go near him,

he may use Karate.

- What is Karate?

- A Japanese trick.

Transistorized?

It's a form of wrestling!

This is no time for

wrestling.

- I beg your pardon.

- Thank you very much.

- You're welcome.

- Bastard!

Sit down. Tell me what

is this place?

I don't know.

- You don't and you're here?

- You don't either, and you're here.

- Do you?

- I came here trailing him.

I was trailing you, you were

trailing him;

who were you trailing?

Suppose there's hashish

in the cigarette.

Don't confuse me, bastards!

Bury him.

Shut up, you. Don't keep

asking me to bury him...

as though I am the Angel of Death,

or the executioner,

or grave-digger, or funeral man.

I'm the Mayor!

What's the difference?

Eventually we have to

get rid of him.

The essential is to bury. The body

should not be left on the ground.

Are we here on the ground?

Well, under. Still we must

bury him.

Don't! Do you know where

is he leading you?

Don't! Do you know where

is he leading you?

Do you think the mayor is a child?

You're belittling him.

You mean he does not know

what is here...

just because it's below the surface?

He is the mayor...

and he knows whatever there is -

either above, or below.

May God take your tongue

away!

You, Mr. Mayor, do not be fooled.

These are all your ancestral heritage.

He has come from the other

side to snatch these away.

Don't let him. Don't

become his stooge.

You must keep these. You must

cherish and honor these.

Your sole duty is

only and only...

to maintain the traditions

of your ancestors

and to hand them over to the

next generation.

Stuff and nonsense! Is Mr. Mayor

just a store-keeper?

He is fooling us with his words

to snatch all this from us.

If you let him have his way he'll

gang up with some big shots,

and he'll hand over the lot to them

in return for kick-backs.

Then we'll have to sit aside and

sigh for what we lost.

Our ancestors! Your ancestors!

All right, I'll make you join them.

Tell me how you found

this place?

Don't waste time, please.

We may have yet another visitor.

You watch each other while

I go for a look.

What about the boys?

Oh well, they're all satisfied,

but Abol had his leg broken.

- Really?

- Yes, skiing.

- Should break his neck.

- Next time,

I went to visit him at the hospital.

Who do you think I met there?

- The heavenly host?

- No, Dr. Kosh-Kat.

Which Kosh-Kat?

The one who studied

surgery in Paris.

Is he back? He wanted to be a

political exile, saying one must fight.

Well... now he was saying that a

pregnant woman was brought to him,

who had her pelvis cracked

in a fall.

He said he didn't know what to

do, since an operation...

was impossible with her

pregnancy.

What did he do?

A new technique?

Not so new. He sends the woman over

to another surgeon in another hospital.

Oh, come on.

How people change!

No, he hasn't. He still reads the

European leftist weeklies.

How do you think you could

get out, out of here?

How many bullets did you have in

your gun when you came?

You're hurting me.

You're heavy.

I have counted the number

of your shots.

You only tell me how many

bullets you had.

- Why do you unbuckle my belt?

- Speak low!

I'm bleeding. Don't.

Are there any more shots

in the gun?

When I was telling him to shoot

it was because...

I wanted him to run

out of bullets.

If the gun is empty, then we can

finish with him.

He's a parasite. He never knew what

was there under his own village.

You must not let your gun be in the

hands of the villagers.

You're big. You hurt me.

It is my turn to take over here.

Your side is with me.

You are soiling my honor!

You mean it is really me? Where are

my eyes, then? Don't I have a mouth?

Sir, you're all mouth.

Where is it, then?

It'll come. Later...

gradually.

You're kidding. Oh, I see!

You mean firstly the mountains,

then the building...

and then the rest.

She's still asleep, snoring.

Her Grace is having a nice time.

Are you sure that

you're dying?

To die in the course of fulfilling

one's duty is to live on.

It's an honor to die defending

the glories of the past.

I'm murdered, yes,

but with the gold-crusted dagger

of the ancient heroes.

Fratricide with paternal dagger?

Give it to me.

Don't worry. I promise you to clean

up the place, make everything shine.

We'll install electricity.

We'll put in a lift for the

comfort of the tourists.

That louse-ridden, long-haired

lot of pot-smokers?

We'll put a sign. No hashish

smoking allowed.

You bumped me out with

that basin.

It was a misunderstanding. Don't

we have some tea?

That was a golden,

antique basin, too.

The head of our great legendary hero,

Slavush, too, rolled in a golden basin...

Although his blood

is still boiling.

For centuries, we, the heroes,

have been sacrificed...

but our line has lingered on,

and will last.

Only it's a pity that the line

of crooks...

such as you also lasts

and lingers.

They are dynamiting the mountains

and soon we'll have roads.

You must hurry up with the

projects that you have.

We've finished removing the

top of the hill.

Except for that part which is to

indicate the original height.

What did you do with the cut

trees of the orchard?

We burned them at

your wedding.

It was lovely, wish you

were there.

- You burned the trees?

- We cut the apple-trees.

You cut and burned

the fruit-trees?

Oh, we'll eat compote. On the site

we are building a casino.

Casino, yes? People must have

entertainment. We're developing.

Have you got a bright mind

like your friend?

Not quite.

Oh, he is bright.

He has plans.

Have you described them to your

friend, the master?

No, he hasn't. But he was talking

about a certain cabaret.

The cabaret?

But the casino must be more

beautiful.

The cabaret is here,

the casino is mine.

How about that?

That was the only thing to do.

I was sure the gun

was empty.

I was trying to get some cartridges

but he wouldn't let me.

Better win them over than to

knock them off.

Yes, provided what they say is not

coming from what they believe.

But he believed in what he was

saying. He was old-fashioned.

So he was of no use.

Now, throw away that useless gun

and come help bury the two dead.

This with that - makes two.

With you makes three.

You silly ass! You think you're

superior just because...

you're from the other

side of the hills!

For generations we have seen and

suffered things here silently...

to be able to endure. We know how

to be patient, how to be silent.

We have been silent and

patient always.

Now the problem is to get rid of that

bloody bragging bastard...

who got hold of everything,

pillaged everything.

Why this?

I'll kill you!

What has remained for me?

What sort of a building

was this?

Well, this left unfinished,

that fallen apart -

Pity. Work of a long time

coming to such ends...

with a few shakes, just because

roads are being built!

Well, it was sham,

it was flimsy,

No, the earth shook.

It didn't shake by itself.

It was shaken.

Shake is shake.

Comes to same thing.

No, if it shakes by itself it's fate.

This was shaken by men.

Oh come on, it comes to the same

thing - destruction.

Oh no.

The first destruction is tragedy,

the second is, sometimes,

even a farce.

Small people, when they're

caught up in farce...

call it tragedy, to fool themselves,

to brag.

Oh, what's small, what's big?

What a cheek! They're

laughing?

Why don't we go?

On foot?

What if they can't get enough

jackasses?

Don't worry. There are

enough of them.

Well, it's easy to joke and

ridicule at the end.

But in the beginning my

intention was to be helpful.

What do you want to do now?

What could I do?

I'm going with her.

Why not? What else is there?

Why not, of course. It suits with

what you've been doing.

You're not much different from me.

You also came to work.

Well, yes. You asked me to

come and I did.

But then I came to paint what

I saw the way I saw.

But you couldn't. The roof fell

and the canvas collapsed.

Anything better than that? It

finished better than I thought.

The brush swept over the figures.

The tripod crashed against the floor...

the paints flowed over the canvas,

the roof tumbled down

and whatever there was went under

the debris. Anything more complete?

More vivid and more spontaneous?

It was a "happening".

But if the building had not collapsed,

your work couldn't have been

completed.

Its kind of glitter ensured its

collapse...

and I showed it.

But you don't have much share

of credit in this.

Oh, what is my share?

Credit!

The essential thing is doing the work,

not working for the credit.

Where are you going?

I won't let you,

you're my wife.

Oh, fuck off.

We were wed. A hundred thousand

people were there. They all saw.

And they ate, and they went away...

and they are not there any more.

The people of the village?

Behind those barbed wires?

Oh come on, finish it off.

I married you.

I divorce you.

Come on, Majid. Finish it off.

You think this is a noble reluctance?

Or a respect for the boss?

Well, I know the Majids of the world.

They are puffed up puppets, all.

You did me in.

Where are you going?

I say where?

I'll kill you!

What should I do?

Actors: P. Sayyad, M. Apik

Loretta Shahpaz

B. Zarrinpur, S. Bahrami,

M. Bahrami, Goudarzi

Sahrarudi, Bakhshi

Production Team:

R. Assadi, A. Karari...

K. Golestan, M. Hanawal

Music: F. Mechkat

Statues: K. Golestan

Paintings: B. Dadkhah

Sets: Ostad Kazem

Written, Produced, Directed,

Photographed & Cut by: E. Golestan