The city of Stories | Shahr-e Ghesseh (Persian Musical Play | 31 Songs) (1966)

Synopsis

Shahr-e ghesse is perhaps the most popular of all Persian plays, was written in traditional rhythmic style that resulted in a kind of musical drama.

Although it seems at first glance to have been written for children, its main audience, it is in fact a parable about contemporary socio political issues.





Radio Tehran

For the first time, Shahr-e Ghesseh was recorded and performed as a 4-hour version in 1966 with Bijan Mofid, Homan Mofid, Bahman Mofid, Maryam Madani and Jamila Nedai in the show group of Tehran Radio's second program. Of course, the later versions of the show were shorter.


Shahr-e Ghesseh performed  in Evin Prison

In the winter of 2013, the play was performed in Evin Prison by Yashar Dar al-Shafa with a group of prisoners in Ward 350 of prison. Dar al-Shafa later published an explanatory text, explaining how the play was performed from its initial idea to the final performance.

The voice-actors of the show

Narrator: Jamila Nadai

Fox - Mullah - Teacher: Bijan Mofid

Bear - Ramal - Civil Registrar: Bahman Mofid

Donkey - Lathe - Worker: Mahmoud Ostad Mohammad

Monkey - lyricist - intellectual: Arash Ostadmohamed

Elephant - Stranger: Hossein Valamanesh

Dog - Attar: Farhad Sufi

Goat - Bazaz: Bijan Mofid

Mouse - young lover: Hooman Mofid

Aunt Suske - young girl: Tahmineh Madani

Camel - carrier - felt goods: Bijan Mofid

Horse: Sohail Soozani

Parrot - Poet: Sohail Soozani

Mule - Naalband: Bahman Mofid


Theater and TV actors

Narrator: Jamila Nadai

Bear: Farrokh Sufi

Dog: Farhad Sufi

Fox: Abbas Javidan

Donkey, Mahmoud Ostad Mohammad

Monkey: Arash Ostad Mohammad

Elephant: Hossein Valamanesh

Goat: Rashid Kanani

Mule: Mehdi Ilbigi

Camel: useful army. Behzad Nadai

Horse: Sohail Soozani

Mouse and parrot: Hooman Mofid

Aunt Susake: Tehmineh Madani


The author's point of view

Bijan Mofid wrote a story in his playbill for Shahr-e Ghesseh:

"The city of stories is the story of people created by the mind of a storyteller; Humans who wear animal masks and are used to their world full of hypocrisy and little lies. One day, a new person enters the city and becomes like them and loses his identity."

In an interview with Basir Nasibi in Negin Magazine, No. 43, December 1968, Bijan Mofid says in response to a question about Shahr-e Ghesseh:

Question: “Your characters exploit and profit from each other throughout the show. What force has maintained these relations?"

Answer: "It is a bitter tale. In fact, it is the story of wolves. It is said that on cold winter nights, two hungry wolves meet. They sit facing each other out of fear and watch out for each other so that one does not tear the other from hunger. Little by little, other wolves arrive and they all sit together and watch out for each other without blinking an eye. Every time one gets tired and blinks, the others fall on him and tear him to pieces, and they don't realize that when they are following each other, maybe some prey has passed and they didn't see. Shahr-e Ghesseh is the story of the circle of wolves and the  tragedy of mankind. Maybe if each of them had made a move, their situation would not have been so painful."

And a few lines later he says: "The point is that this work helps a lot to fill the intellectual gap between intellectuals and ordinary people. In our age, these two categories are getting further apart. This gap must disappear one day. My work is an effort to fill this mental gap between intellectuals and people."

Read about this film

Country: Iran
Language: Farsi
Runtime: 120 min.