The Cow (film)

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The Cow
Directed by	Dariush Mehrjui
Produced by	Dariush Mehrjui
Written by	Dariush Mehrjui Gholam Hossein Saedi
Starring	Ezzatolah Entezami Firouz Behjat-Mohamadi Mahmoud Dowlatabadi Parviz Fannizadeh Jamshid Mashayekhi Ali Nassirian Ezatallah Ramezanifar Esmat Safavi
Release date(s)	1969
Running time	100 min.
Language	Persian
IMDb profile

The Cow (Persian: گاو, Gāv) is a 1969 Iranian movie directed by Dariush Mehrjui, written by Gholam-Hossein Saedi based on his own play and novel, and staring Ezatolah Entezami as Masht Hasan. Some believe that "New Wave" of Persian cinema emerged after this film.^[1]

1 Plot
2 Development
3 Reception
4 Notes
5 External links

[edit] Plot

The story begins by showcasing the close relationship between a middle-aged Iranian villager Masht Hasan and his beloved cow. Hassan is married but has no child. His only valuable property is a cow that he cherishes - the only cow in the village.

When Hasan must leave the village for a short time, the pregnant cow is found dead in the barn. Hasan's fellow villagers fear his reaction & cover up the evidence of the death and tell him upon his return that his cow has run away. Finding great difficulty confronting the loss of his beloved cow, as well the loss of livestock that affects his social stature at the village, Hasan gradually goes insane following a nervous breakdown and believes he is the cow, adopting such mannerisms as eating hay. His wife & the villagers try their best to bring him back to the normal life but all in vain. The tragedy ends with Hasan's death.

[edit] Development

The Samanid prince Nooh ibn Mansur was reported to have thought of himself as a cow. He was subsequently cured of his delusion by the medieval Iranian physician Avicenna. It is possible that elements of the plot of The Cow were inspired by this.¹

[edit] Reception

Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini was reported to have admired this film. This in turn was reported to have been the saving grace that allowed Iranian cinema to continue without becoming completely banned after the Iranian Revolution.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Notes

^ A different lens

[edit] External links

The Cow at the Internet Movie Database

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