The Crossroad of Events | Chahar Rah-e Havades (1955)

Synopsis

"Farid" - after his beloved daughter marries a wealthy young man - decides to obtain more money by entering into the gang of Salim and his colleagues and gets more involved into criminal deals ...

Based on a play by Khachikian and developed together with influential producer Sanasar Khachaturian, the story of the 'good guy' (played by future Iranian cinema superstar Malek Motiee) who joins a gang of criminals to fulfill wishes of his dream girl is far from original.

But Khachikian peppers the film with details and innovations aiming for a totally visual mode of storytelling. Although partially penalized by mediocre dialogues, melodramatic scenes and obsolete technical solutions, the film was a success and established Khachikian as a master of the thriller. (Ehsan Khoshbakht)

Cast: Nasser Malek Motiee, Arman, Mansour Sepehrnia, Vida Ghahremani, Maureen, Ali Zandi, Vigen


In 2016, The Crossroad of Events was restored in collaboration with Iran's national film house at the film restoration center in Bologna, along with three other films by Khachikian, Delhoreh (Anxiety), Storm in our Town, and The Strike.

Khachikian made The Crossroad of Events for "Diana Film" and with the cinematography of Vahak Vartanian, influenced by the detective stories of the 1940s and early 1950s (starring Arman and Naser Malek Motiee), and some critics called it "A promising leap in the history of Iranian cinema." 

In stead of using the rules of "who is the killer?" the director "raised a social and class issue with criminal elements." The film was well received at the public screening on March 20, 1955, and was awarded the best director and best actor (Arman) awards at the "First Iranian Film Festival (Golrizan)" in June 1955. The film's negative is preserved in the Iranian National House of Cinema.

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