Dash Akol (1971)

Taking a cue from the Japanese masters, Masoud Kimiai's Dash Akol is almost like a samurai film set in turn-of-the-century Shiraz. This is one of those films that takes place in a world with the quality of myth, a world that may not, and probably did not exist to begin with. Dash Akol is a local "hero" who spends his time drinking, partying, and standing up to thugs. But then his life is upended when his benefactor dies and names him executor of his will. Dash Akol soon falls in love with the beautiful daughter of his late friend, Marjan, but cannot work up the courage to declare his love, and instead finds himself in the awkward position of having to marry her off. From this point, tragedy is inevitable. It cannot be overstated just how much Kimiai seems to have been influenced by Kurosawa here. He uses the same deep-focus black and white photography, the frantic editing, and there's a real sense of energy and urgency. But Kimiai also has a style that is completely his own. The final duel between Dash Akol and his arch-nemisis Kaka Rostam, a sword-fight that takes place in a thunderstorm, might even outdo some of the best samurai duels. And there is a sense of gravity, too. Tragedy and oppression hang heavy in the air. The soundtrack is classical and melodramatic. In one scene Dash Akol makes love to a  beautiful dancer who loves him in the way Marjan does not, but he cannot bring himself to even look at her face; the cuts become more frantic, the music more depressive, a kind of aborted-orgasm that never comes. The only available print of this film, with the distributor's logo prominent in the corner, and the hardcoded subtitles leaves much to be desired. One has to wonder if Kimiai's early films will ever receive the restorations they deserve. Certainly this is as essential as anything released by Criterion.