Review of Salaam Cinema (1995) by Cli O — 04 May 2008
Makhmalbaf's account of an audition for a film (5,000 people showed up!) is a powerful and sophisticated meditation on cinema and the nature of power. The director bullies the hapless would-be-stars into crying or laughing in "30 seconds" and barks out orders from behind his desk.
People cry, wheedle and literally fall at his feet, begging for a role in the film. Two girls who are at the receiving end of the director's "cruelty" do much the same thing and with remarkable ease when in the director's chair.
There is a long debate on the artist's struggle to maintain humanity. At the end we are reminded that cinema is, after all, a game that the director plays with his audience: he deliberately manipulates the emotions of his actors to simulate reality.
We may be willing to play along, but all the time, it is he who holds the cards.
This review of Salaam Cinema (1995) was written by Cli O on 04 May 2008.
Salaam Cinema has generally received very positive reviews.
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