Old secrets cast long shadows
2019-09-01
N/A
121 min
Tehran, Iran, August 19, 1953. A group of Iranian conspirators who, with the approval of the deposed tyrant Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, have conspired with agents of the British MI6 and the US CIA, manage to put an end to the democratic government led by Mohammad Mosaddegh, a dramatic event that will begin the tragic era of coups d'état that, orchestrated by the CIA, will take place, over the following decades, in dozens of countries around the world.
This important movie, over 4 years in the making, is even more pertinent today, with renewed tensions with Iran. Prodigious research underlies the revelation of British leadership in the coup that re-installed the Shah of Iran. The film provides evidence and context for subsequent events, without losing focus on the overthrow of a democratically elected leader to preserve British oil interests at Abadan. Currently making the rounds of the festival circuit, the producers are trying for a wide release as soon as possible. The persistence of the director and editing by Murch combine for a film that successfully tells a complex story without unnecessary simplification. It’s a sophisticated and vital film.
