<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p><italic>The House is Black</italic> is a lyrical documentary by a modernist Iranian poet and filmmaker, Forough Farrokhzad. It is a kind of symbolic visual poem about leper patients of a leprosarium in Iran made in 1962, which transcends time and place. This paper describes the ways in which the emphasis on the human body, references to historical and religious sources, and the use of the Biblical verses replace conventional interviews to create a narrative in the film. Utilizing Gilles Deleuze’s concept of affect, the paper analyses the camera’s focus on hands and feet, in contrast to absent facial expressions, which engages the audience.</p>
</abstract>

The House is Black is a lyrical documentary by a modernist Iranian poet and filmmaker, Forough Farrokhzad. It is a kind of symbolic visual poem about leper patients of a leprosarium in Iran made in 1962, which transcends time and place. This paper describes the ways in which the emphasis on the human body, references to historical and religious sources, and the use of the Biblical verses replace conventional interviews to create a narrative in the film. Utilizing Gilles Deleuze’s concept of affect, the paper analyses the camera’s focus on hands and feet, in contrast to absent facial expressions, which engages the audience.

The Power of Close-ups and the Poetics of Silence: <italic>The House is Black</italic> by Forough Farrokhzad

Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Film and Media Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The Power of Close-ups and the Poetics of Silence:  by Forough Farrokhzad

The House is Black is a lyrical documentary by a modernist Iranian poet and filmmaker, Forough Farrokhzad. It is a kind of symbolic visual poem about leper...

The Power of Close-ups and the Poetics of Silence: The House is Black by Forough Farrokhzad

Published Online: May 23, 2023

Page range: 144 - 159

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ausfm-2023-0008

Keywords
Forough Farrokhzad, Gilles Deleuze, documentary, human body, Biblical poetry

© 2023 Mona Monsefi, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The Power of Close-ups and the Poetics of Silence: The House is Black by Forough Farrokhzad

Published Online: May 23, 2023

Page range: 144 - 159

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ausfm-2023-0008

KeywordsForough Farrokhzad, Gilles Deleuze, documentary, human body, Biblical poetry

© 2023 Mona Monsefi, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Forough Farrokhzad, Gilles Deleuze, documentary, human body, Biblical poetry