The Mandrake

Iranian cinema in its specific history has had particular new wave; About twenty years (a period between 1958 and 1979; more precisely) some filmmakers with individualized vision were found in the situation in which cinemagoers somehow have overdosed with entertainment. Other aspects of a movie (like being artistic, having contents that come from director's vision) were considered by these new young filmmakers.

After first sound film (Lor girl,1934) in Iran, Most Iranian filmmakers went on to make pop films about twenty years later till new wave gradually began.

Several important new wave filmmakers: Ebrahim Golestan, Dariush Mehrjui, Masoud Kimiai, Ali Hatami, Amir Naderi, Kamran Shirdel, Nasser Taghvai, Bahram Beyzai, Sohrab Shahid-Saless, Abbas Kiarostami and Fereydoun Gole whose film (The Mandrake) is under this review; After islamic revolution, new wave reached its end. Some of them left the country and continued their activities and others that stayed were fell apart from new wave ideals.

The Mandrake (1975) was made at the time of another film by the same director; Fereydoun Gole. That film is named Beehive with different circumstances. In short we can express, The Mandrake is about to reach love easily and to lose it painfully; All actions we would see are in the context of society in the time which the film goes ahead and narrates. This is a significant difference compared to the films before new wave; Being in society.