Film

The film based on Persepolis was released under the same name in 2007. It followed the graphic novel’s artistic style, and all flashback artwork was done in black and white. Modern-day Marjane donned a vibrant red jacket, one of the few colors used in the film. Satrapi directed with Vincent Paronnaud.  Paronnaud is also well known for films like Chicken with Plums, Villemolle 81,  and Raging Blues.

Satrapi stressed the importance of the art direction choices. She didn’t want the characters to look like foreigners in a foreign country, but rather people in any country. Present day scenes were shown in color.

I wrote Persepolis in French because I have been living in France for many years. We recorded the voices prior to production for animators to be able to follow actors playing, they needed to perfectly understand the dialogue, which would not have been possible if the film had been in another language. But I’ve always trusted the universal vocation of this film and we immediately decided that I would direct myself the English version.

– Marjane Satrapi

Marjane is voiced by voiced by Chiara Mastroianni and later Gabrielle Lopes while her parents are played by French actors Catherine Deneuve and Simon Abkarian in the original French version. Catherine Deneuve also voiced Marjane’s mother in the English version.  US Actress Gena Rowland voiced Marjane’s grandmother in the English version. The film had a $7 million dollar budget. It grossed 33,687 Euros opening weekend and has grossed over $9 million to date. 

The film stays true to the general story line, but completely revamps the text in script. This highlights the film’s ability to be categorized as a dark comedy or tragicomedy. Check out our classmates’ Waiting for Godot site, which explains tragicomedies in further depth. Music has also been added, increasing the entertainment factor and assisting the art direction in staying true to the graphic novel. The soundtrack was composed by Olivier Bernet— Olivier Bernet’s experience tends to mirror Vincent Paronnaud. He also created scores for films like Villemole 81, Raging Blues and Chickens with Plums. He received the Best Music Award in 2007 at the Stockholm Film Awards.

Persepolis was dubbed over in English, adding to the comic appeal. Satrapi as a young girl had a heavy American accent, which began to disapear as she grew. Satrapi’s mother was the only character who posessed a heavy Iranian accent throughout the whole film. Satrapi’s father on the other hand maintains a heavy American accent throughout Persepolis’ duration, adding to his appeal as a hero and a positive father figure.

The film was the recipient of the Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.It was distributed shortly after in France and Belgium on June 27. Satrapi stressed the importance of the prize to Iranians even though she said, “This film is universal.” Persepolis just missed out on the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, to another French inspire film– Ratatouille.

Persepolis made its way over to the the United States on Christmas Day in 2007 and bounced back across the pond, in April 2008. It received success and acclaim in all markets. The often critical review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, gave a whopping 97% based on 145 views. Richard Corliss of Time magazine named Persepolis one of the best movies of 2007, and it recieved ranking #58 in Empire Magazine’s 100 Best Films of World Cinema.

The New York Times was also an avid supporter:

In this age of Pixar and “Shrek,” it is good to be reminded that animation is rooted not in any particular technique, but in the impulse to bring static images to life. And “Persepolis,” austere as it may look, is full of warmth and surprise, alive with humor and a fierce independence of spirit. Its flat, stylized depiction of the world — the streets and buildings of Tehran and Vienna in particular — turns geography into poetry.

Check out the review in its entirety here.

As with any successful film, Persepolis was not without controversey. It tackles contraband topics (gasp!) like problems faced by women and those involved in politics. More than 250 parents from Northshore School District in Washington were severely opposed to obscene content in the movie and wanted it removed from future curriculums. Luckily, the Curriculum Materials Adoption Committee decided that an eye-opening literary experience was exactly what the students needed and outweighed the parents’ decision.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Iran was heavily opposed to the release of the film Satrapi. Funding was completely contributed by European investors, those in Iran wanted nothing to do with the project. France , and specifically those working at Cannes, ignored all protest, stating that there were no political emotions behind the selection of Persepolis for the program. Those chosen were unaffiliated with the French government authority.Satrapi refused to give interviews to Iranian journalists. She felt letters sent to the French embassy in Iran had been “overblown and more violent than the (Iranian) reaction itself. It’s not an affair of state.” Satrapi has since refused to return to Iran, having caught wind that horrible things may happen to her if she does. Persepolis remains banned to this day.

While government officials were not Persepolis’ biggest fans, younger Iranian demographics appriceated Marjane’s character and the struggles that she had to endure. They saw Marjane as “…a young woman who struggles to maintain her mental stability, as Iranians live through tumultuous times” –NPR.

Check out the full length Persepolis trailer here:

Works Cited

1. Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. Pantheon: New York, 2007.
2. Persepolis. Dir. Marjane Satrapi. Perf. Chiara Mastroianni, Gabrielle Lopes, Gena Rowlands. 2.4.7 Films, 2007. DVD.
3. Scot, A. O. “In a Flat World, a Rebel with a Cause.” Rev. of Persepolis. New York Times 25 Dec. 2007. Print.
4. “Iran Slams Screening of Persepolis at Cannes.” Monsters & Critics. 23 May 2007. Web. 16 May 2011.
5. “Persepolis.” Sony Pictures Releases. Web. 18 May 2011.
6. “Variety of Actor/composer Profiles.” IMDb. Web. 16 May 2011.
7. “Cannes Film Festival.” Festival Cannes. Web. 28 May 2011.