Agnes Varda, someone I really adore, she's so stylistic and esthetically correct. this is about architecture. alright, maybe this sounds like boring, but she explains a lot about architecture that's very interesting. it made me reflect on Tarkovsky's Andreij Roubljov. the film makes us think about architecture, sex and the couple on the soundtrack, talking about things as love and other nice experiences like poetry. and all this in less than six minutes! it's really inspiring for beginning or elder movie freaks like me. the things we learn about architecture, were unknown to me: everything is about love. that's strange, but it is. at least, that's what I intended to be the message of this experimental short film.
3 Reviews
Isfahan tiles and intercultural romance
som19506 July 2019
"The Pleasure of Love in Iran" is an out-take from Agnès Varda's "One SIngs, the Other Doesn't." It mostly shows tiles and architectural detail from Isfahan, Iran. Native to Isfahan Darius is showing his visiting French girlfriend, "Apple" (the one who sings) around. She sees the cupolas as being breast-like and the minarets phallic, he translates some poetry for her, and she writes one (on toilet paper). Only the title and a glimpse of "Pleasure" made it into "One Sings," which clocks in at just over two hours. Darius is a character, the major male character I'd say, in "One Sings."
The short is available as a supplement to the Criterion edition of "One Sings."
The short is available as a supplement to the Criterion edition of "One Sings."
More try-hard than sensual, but the setting is still intriguing to watch at times
Horst_In_Translation9 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
"Plaisir d'amour en Iran" or "The Pleasure of Love in Iran" is a French live action short film from 1976 that only runs for slightly over 5.5 minutes, so a long title for a short movie. You can categorize it as a documentary too I suppose, but I am struggling a bit with defining this film as such. I suppose if these two are indeed a couple, it is accurate. Mairesse has been a really prolific actress since then and is in her 60s now. Rafie has written and directed his own movies and also acted, but not frequently at all, at least according to imdb. Liotard, the one who recites poetry here, is also still alive and acting. So this one here from almost 45 years ago is about a couple going on a trip in Iran and seeing some monuments. They clearly have affections for each other and there is also great erotic attraction that you hear more about than see. They talk about their buttocks and breasts and on one occasion early on the female refers to the man's penis as a minaret. Well.. you can decide for yourself if you consider this artistic. The quotes by the narrator at the end probably are and the film is otherwise also a pretty good look. At least at times, even if they make a connection between 2 old buildings and breasts because the former's roofs have the right shape. A very sexually inspired film. I was not too impressed admittedly, but it's not a failure either. One moment I found truly contradictory was when she says something like he is a bit of a prude and still if this is a documentary he is talking very graphically about sexual features. This did not make any sense at all and was probably the most fake moment of the film. This is one of many works by recently deceased (and eventually Oscar-nominated) filmmaker Agnès Vardy, a very prolific short filmmaker too and this one we have here is among her shortest. I give it a thumbs-down. Not recommended.
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