Haji_Agha,_the_Cinema_Actor
Haji Agha, the Cinema Actor
1933 film
Haji Agha, the Cinema Actor (in Persian: حاجی آقا آکتور سینما; transliterated as Haji Agha Aktor-e Cinema) is a 1933[2] Iranian comedy[3] film directed by Iranian-Armenian director, Ovannes Oganian and one of a few remaining Iranian silent films.[4] This was Ohaninan's second film in Iran after the success of Abi and Rabi, his first silent film. The film reflects the clash between tradition and modernity in Iranian society in the early 1930s.[5] While Abi and Rabi did well commercially, Haji Agha Aktor-e Cinema did not succeed at the box office due to its technical shortcomings and the fact that its release coincided with the first Persian talkie, Dokhtar-e Lor.[6]
The film tells the story of a director (played by Ohanian) is searching for a subject for his film, when he receives a suggestion to film Haji Agha, a wealthy conservative man. Haji's daughter, son-in-law, and servant help the director orchestrate a series of events that enable the director to film Haji in action. When the film is finished and Haji views it, he sees his own image on the screen and, enthralled by it, begins to appreciate the merits of cinema.[7]