Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud’s animated adaptation of Satrapi’s much-heralded Persepolis was, in many ways, better than the original two-volume (in America) graphic novels. The story de-emphasized the somewhat self-indulgent second volume — and, to be blunt, it was much better drawn. (For all her storytelling skills, I don’t much care for her drawing.)
The co-directors have teamed up again for an adaptation of Satrapi’s Chicken with Plums, the story her of great-uncle, a renowned musician in 1950’s Iran.
Here’s the synopsis of the graphic novel:
We are in Tehran in 1958, and Nasser Ali Khan, one of Iran’s most revered tar players, discovers that his beloved instrument is irreparably damaged. Though he tries, he cannot find one to replace it, one whose sound speaks to him with the same power and passion with which his music speaks to others. In despair, he takes to his bed, renouncing the world and all its pleasures, closing the door on the demands and love of his wife and his four children. Over the course of the week that follows, his family and close friends attempt to change his mind, but Nasser Ali slips further and further into his own reveries: flashbacks and flash-forwards (with unexpected appearances by the likes of the Angel of Death and Sophia Loren) from his own childhood through his children’s futures. And as the pieces of his story slowly fall into place, we begin to understand the profundity of his decision to give up life.
Nasser Ali Khan is played by Mathieu Almaric (Quantum of Solace, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) and seems to have been turned into a violinist for the film for some reason, but otherwise, several of these “reveries” make appearances in the trailer. While this film is live action, there’s an artificiality to the whole production that is really beautifully done, heightening the story to almost the level of myth. It looks beautiful.
Alongside Almaric are Edouard Baer, Maria de Medeiros, Golshifteh Farahani, Eric Caravaca, and Chiara Mastroianni. The film came out last year in France, but finally makes it to the States on August 17th.
(via Comics Beat)