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Perhaps one reason for this is the Iranian people’s love for Moustapha al-Akkad’s classic “The Prophet,” which in the past two decades has been aired on Iranian TV at least once a year - either on Mab'ath, the day the Prophet Muhammad was appointed to the prophetic mission, or on the occasion of his birthday. Of around 10 movie-goers in Mashhad who spoke to Al-Monitor after watching the film, not a single one described it as a masterpiece or a production that would be remembered.
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What’s the point of spending three hours on the prophet’s childhood when nothing dramatic happened in those years?” Alaleh lamented. I wanted to leave the cinema several times, but thought it would be rude. She told Al-Monitor that she was bored by the film. Prominent Iranian film critic Masoud Farasati has also slammed the film, calling it “bad, defaced and very vague.” The opinions expressed by Farasati and Shargh align with those of movie-goers such as Alaleh, who lives in Mashhad - Iran’s second-most populated city and home to the country’s most important shrine. Shargh wrote that before "Muhammad: The Messenger of God" was released, there was hope that it would turn into something lasting in Iranian cinema, but that “this hope has been lost.” On the other hand, Reformist daily Shargh published an editorial titled “Why did Majidi’s film not turn out to be what it should have?” - describing the film as very weak in terms of character, story development and casting. The hard-line Kayhan newspaper, Fars News Agency and Mashregh News have in numerous reports tried to show strong support for Majidi’s film. Of note, this convergence of views has not been seen among conservative state-sponsored and Reformist media outlets. 23 in which he described the film as a “worthwhile and lasting” production in the field of cinema, and thanked Majidi for his work. Meanwhile, among those in opposition, Khatami - the most prominent Reformist leader who is not currently imprisoned - issued a short note Sept. In Safar Harandi’s telling, “After watching the film - which seems long and exhausting - the supreme leader said I am ready to watch it again from beginning to end with the same initial enthusiasm.” Separately, Khate Hezbollah, a publication distributed by the official website Khamenei.ir, featured a special report on the film in its ninth issue. Though Khamenei has not personally made any official comments about the film, Hossein Safar Harandi, an adviser to the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who is part of Khamenei’s inner circle, has relayed the supreme leader’s deep interest in the film. Khamenei as well as Mohammad Khatami, Iran’s former Reformist president - who has been pressured by conservatives since the unrest in connection with the disputed 2009 presidential election - have equally expressed positive views of the film.
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Majidi’s film has found unique supporters both within Iran’s ruling clique and those in the opposition. After an eight-year journey, he eventually brought the most expensive film in the history of Iran’s cinema to the screens - spending more than $40 million on its production. Majidi proposed the idea of a film about the Prophet Muhammad back in 2007. After all, how often does one get the chance to come and see a film about his mawla ?” Seeing a film about Islam’s prophet is truly a blessing." He added, "Since we know the film features special effects, we decided to come all the way from southern Tehran to Mellat Cinema as it has very good audio-visual facilities. In line were young women and men who were sporting the latest fashions - wearing loosely draped scarves while smoking cigarettes - and young clerical students were holding rosary beads while serenely chatting among themselves.Īlireza Nazari, one of the clerical students there, told Al-Monitor, "I’m very excited. A diverse crowd was anxiously waiting to see the film about the prophet of Islam at 9 p.m. On a recent Thursday evening - the equivalent of Friday night in Western capitals, as Iran follows the Islamic calendar - a crowd had gathered at Tehran’s glitzy Mellat Cinema Complex, located alongside Niayesh Highway. Despite high sales, the film is being viewed as a box-office failure considering its huge budget. Yet despite the support of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Principlist media, it appears that film critics and movie-goers alike aren’t too happy with Majidi’s latest production. TEHRAN, Iran - It has now been just over a month since renowned Iranian film director Majid Majidi’s “ Muhammad: The Messenger of God” first showed in cinemas across Iran.