CLASS CONFLICT IN 'CHESS OF THE WIND'

Thanks to all 100 of you who came out to Genesis to watch ‘Chess of the Wind’ - I had a grin on my face for most of the film because it was such a special experience watching it in a cinema and I noticed even more layers to the film despite having seen it more times than I count. The below article does contain spoilers. The film is not available for streaming but is on Blu Ray (find it on eBay).

CLASS CONFLICT IN ‘CHESS [GAME] OF THE WIND’

A clearer translation of the Farsi 'Shantraj-e-bad' could have been 'Chess Game of the Wind'. The film’s chess references are plenty: the Police Officer makes a move on an ornate chess board while interrogating the Lady and the Maid; a keychain of chess pieces holds the key to a store of jewels and deed documents; the Lady is annoyed that she can’t finish her chess game with the old man she thought she killed. Viewing the film on a big cinema screen, I noticed how the positioning of the actors across the frame resembles a chess board mid-game.

The film depicts an ornate 19th century mansion where the top "game pieces" in the metaphorical chess game are the aristocrats. Lady Agha and Hadji Amoo's upper class does whatever it takes to maintain their wealth. The middle class - brothers Ramezan and Shaban - must remain restrained and subservient to the aristocrats, so they engage in opportunistic romances and scheming alliances. The servants and maids witness and overhear everything. Some, like the Nanny, remain loyal despite being taken for granted by the aristocrats they love, while others like the Maid harbor greater ambitions.

Coughing through incense smoke spread by her loyal Nanny, the Lady accuses the Hadji of having killed her mother by way of a spell. Given the film's otherworldly atmosphere and the Hadji's loathsome nature, who’s to say her allegation doesn’t have merit? The relentless pursuit of wealth drives the key players of the film - reflecting social classes in a capitalist society. Indeed, the film opens with a scene depicting the Hadji transferring wealth to himself, later revealed to the Lady as having been done through the use of a forged stamp. After the Hadji slaps the Lady - a horrific moment that foreshadows more intense shocks to come - and with the subtle nudging of middle class Ramezan and the servant class Maid, the Lady swings her flail in a wonderfully stylized attempted murder scene.

While Ramezan marries into the aristocracy by wedding the Lady, it’s revealed by the end that Shaban entered an opportunistic romance with the Maid, only to discard her after the elimination of the Lady and Hadji Amoo. Side note: Shaban’s terrible attempt at creating an alibi for himself, ‘I can pray for my lady at the Holy Shrine’, is jarring on first watch but hilarious upon rewatching. To the Maid's dismay, Shaban suggests he will marry another lady of higher status, while keeping the Maid around his mansion to serve as both mistress and household staff.

As the film concludes, the Maid departs and the camera sweeps from the mansion, and the 1915-1916 timeframe of the murder events, upwards to Tehran’s skyline and the 1970s. Only through repeated viewings did I realise Aslani's manipulation of space and time in the ending. And only from reading an interview did I appreciate that the Greek chorus style servants and maids handwashing scenes were set around ten years after the central murders (I blame the subtitles not doing the Farsi dialogue justice). The actors - sometimes in fleeting blink-and-you'll-miss-it shots - directly look at the audience. This playing with space, time, and the nature of seeing and being seen is Aslani speaking directly to the audience, inviting interpretations by being so against the grain of what we expect from a film.

This film remained lost for four decades until its chance rediscovery, as detailed in our previous newsletter. Its mere restoration and screening qualifies as an inherent miracle, made possible by Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation. Far from being an archival oddity, Aslani’s idiosyncratic style set in a culture framework of western and eastern influences means ‘Chess of the Wind’ stands the test of time, geography, and contemporary tastes. My bet is that this film will grow in appeal and appreciation.

Some related links for ya:

Brooklyn Rail Interview with Mohammed Reza Aslani and his son, Asim, and daughter, Gita, December 2021

Great Criterion Collection essay on the film, September 2022 

Hyde Park Cinema’s (Leeds) article on the film and other lost and found films - I personally find it amazing that rolls of film from as much as a hundred years ago can be found and restored but a hard drive could collapse and be rendered unusable but that’s for another newsletter perhaps.

Mubi Notebook’s article on the flick, November 2021

In a previous newsletter I wished the original soundtrack of the film was in a music album release and lo and behold, you can pre-order the OST album on BandCamp (I may believe in manifestation now)