Persian Cinema Titan, Beyzai, Passes Away Aged 87

Profound homages are pouring in for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Iranian cinema and theatre, who passed away at the age of 87 in the US.

Homeland in Mourning

The headlines of Iranian newspapers mourn his loss, with opposition voices and those who look back fondly on the pre-revolution period also offering their respects to Beyzai.

"His passing is a great loss for the cultural heritage of our country," said the exiled prince, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran.

Although Beyzai's later films were prohibited in the 1980s by the Islamic regime, a host of prominent officials in the current government have also acknowledged his legacy to Persian arts.

A Mentor to Filmmakers

Several of the contemporary generation of Iranian filmmakers have acknowledged their debt to him. Award-winning director Jaafar Panahi noted that Beyzai showed them "how to stand up to oblivion."

Beyzai avoided overtly political content in his work, both as a dramatist and a cinematic auteur, and always maintained he tried not to deal in overt messages.

But his oeuvre over many decades sets archetypal characters in opposition with authoritarian structures of power.

Roots in Tradition

Hailing from a lineage of celebrated poets, Beyzai was imbued in the richest heritage of Iranian artistry from birth.

He first rose to prominence as a theater writer, inspired by Persian legend and ritual.

A devotee of cinema, he moved into filmmaking in the 1970s.

He gained acclaim as one of the key figures in the new wave of Persian film.

An Enduring Voice

His most fruitful era straddled the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that overthrew him—with each regime ever ready to detect subtext that could be interpreted as criticism.

"Beyzai did not choose the easy way. He withstood years of marginalization, enforced quiet, and exile, but he did not give up his artistic voice and his convictions," said Jaafar Panahi in his tribute.

The Little Stranger

A few years after the 1979 Revolution, he produced what many regard as his magnum opus, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a young child who tries to take refuge from the Iran-Iraq war.

It was censored in Iran—as were other films he made in that time—but later chosen by film critics as the best Iranian film of all time.

The film was shown in a restored version at this year's Venice Biennale, winning an award for best film in the heritage category.

A Hopeful Exile

Beyzai ultimately departed Iran in 2010 and spent his later years in the US, where he lectured on Iranian culture.

Although he went into exile, his wife, the actress Shamsai, said just the sound of the word "Iran" would still bring tears to his eyes—and he continued to hope for a new culture and future for his native land.