The University’s Cogut Institute for the Humanities screened the late Dariush Mehrjui’s critically acclaimed 1969 film “The Cow” on Monday.
The event, which followed a panel discussion at the List Arts Center, was the first installment of the Cogut’s Film-Thinking series for fall 2024, which discusses the politics and intellectuality of cinema.
The screening of “The Cow” was chosen by Michelle Quay, a lecturer in language studies. Postdoctoral Research Associate in Iranian Studies Mehrdad Babadi, Rhode Island School of Design Associate Professor of Art of the Islamic World Foad Torshizi, Professor of Modern Culture and Media Joan Copjec and Professor of English and Humanities Timothy Bewes joined Quay on the panel.
“The Cow” follows the relationship between Iranian villager Masht Hassan (Ezzatolah Entezami) and his treasured cow — a relationship which preoccupies the impoverished, superstitious and tight-knit village.
When Hassan briefly leaves the village, his wife (Mahin Shahabi) finds the cow dead in the barn. The villagers, fearful of his reaction, try to cover up evidence of the cow’s death and devise a plan to convince Hassan that the cow simply ran away.
But, upon his return, Hassan refuses to believe that his cow would ever abandon him and struggles to cope with the loss of his beloved animal. Hassan gradually goes insane, as he begins to act like his cow — eating hay, living in the barn, adopting cow-like mannerisms and speaking from the cow’s perspective.
The villagers and Hassan’s wife desperately try to restore Hassan’s sanity, but ultimately realize that he has descended into madness. When everything else fails, the group beats Hassan like an animal, ties him up and drags him to the nearest hospital against his will. Hassan eventually breaks free in a rainstorm, but ends up falling to his death.
Quay explained that in choosing the film, she thought back to the murder of director Mehrjui and his wife in their home. It inspired her to “to think of Mehrjui as a theme, as a retrospective, to sort of start appreciating his work,” she said.
According to Bewes, “The Cow” can be read as a political allegory, considering that the Shah of Iran had banned it at the time of its initial release. The film is especially relevant “one week before a highly consequential U.S. presidential election,” Bewes said.
“I don't think the Shah appreciated this image of Iran being broadcast, especially abroad — this very impoverished, almost backwards, superstitious village or culture,” Quay said. According to her, the film discusses class conflict and investigates mysticism in Iranian culture.
Babadi offered insight into the Persian and Islamic influences on the narrative of “The Cow,” specifically through the symbolic depiction of “the fusion of the lover with the beloved” through Hassan’s embodiment of his cow.
“Mehrjui is a very central figure in Iranian cinema because, contrary to some of the other members of this movement, he was very good at combining some energy of the commercial popular cinema with the artistic elements,” Babadi said.
As founder of the Film-Thinking series, Bewes hoped that “The Cow” screening would encourage readers to consider the “political and philosophical implications” of the film beyond their initial impressions.
“Cinema is still one of the most important tools that a culture has for thinking about our world, especially thinking collectively,” he said.
