Description: "Dazzling! The bold, almost psychedelically vivid images are woven together with a dreamlike density as pure as that of The Blood of a Poet or Natural Born Killers." —Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
One of the most critically acclaimed films of the year, Gabbeh is an epic tale of the forbidden passion that shapes the legend of a magical carpet.
A folkloric carpet (Gabbeh), picturing a man and a woman riding away on horseback, is the prized possession of a nomadic elderly couple. When they sit to wash it on the bank of a creek, a beautiful young woman suddenly emerges from the carpet to join them. Once held hostage by the endless restraints of the family that fashioned the carpet, she reveals the secret of the carpet lies within the mysterious black-clad rider on the white horse. Month after month, season after season, he had followed her family from afar, always present, always waiting, howling to her songs of love – longing for her to run away with him.
Director Mohsen Makhmalbaf's masterpiece is a brilliantly colorful, profoundly romantic ode to beauty, nature, love and art.
The Importance of Color In Weaving The Tapestry Of Life Note: Farsi with English subtitles.
Synopsis: While an old couple sit by the side of a stream washing a carpet (gabbeh), an attractive woman named Gabbeh (Shaghayeh Djodat) appears and begins to tell the story of her life. Before the tale comes to a conclusion you've learned not only about the young girl, but the meaning of life itself.
Released in '97, 'Gabbeh' is one of the most non-linear, intoxicating films I've ever seen. The colors are so intense, the landscape so exotic and the customs so vibrate one fills as though they've moved beyond the mundane world and entered into a another world of mythic proportions. There is so much to digest from this film; insights into the life and culture of a nomadic society, the magnificent cinematography and the manner in which filmmaker Mohsen Makhamalbaf blends the mundane with the sacred, accepting the cycles of life and the beauty of creation itself.
Be forewarned, this is one of those films that demands your full attention from beginning to end. Look away for a moment and you'll be completely lost. So make sure you're prepared to invest the time and effort before pushing the play button. This is probably not a film that you'll watch over and over again. But when your in the mood to be absorbed in color and texture this is what you'll reach for.
Iranian Magic Realism One of the most beautiful films I have seen from a heap of four or five thousand, this is a visually gorgeous film that unveils in front of viewer's eyes like a fairy tale of such beauty and innocence that is virtually unfathomable to the jaded mind and missing soul of the decadent western post-modern world. "Gabbeh" is of those films in which one recognizes one's true yearning, the sense of being at home, even if in such "distant" and "fantastic" realm. The great Makmalbaf is one of the five or six most brilliant living film-makers.
Beautiful movie I just watched this movie, and I loved it. The scenery and filming were beautiful. The subtitles were well written, and I could sense the poetry of the original Farsi, even knowing nothing of the language. This is a movie full of subtlety and metaphors--although it can be enjoyed just for the surface beauty, the story does lead one to contemplate, and I agree with the first reviewer that a second viewing is in store. I bought this movie used, and was amused that there is a "youth restricted viewing--must be 17 or older" sticker on it. I guess that's due to the "forbidden passion" mentioned on the back of the box. However, the passion of this story is of the fairy-tale or old-fashioned kind; there is absolutely no sex, nudity, or anything offensive of any sort! I would recommend this movie for anyone who loves a magical story. Don't be put off by the subtitles--they're simple and sparse, and well-written.
A beautifully woven tale of love and compassion!!! Iranian films are known for their simplicity and poetic beauty and Gabbeh is no different. Gabbeh is another gem by the renowned Iranian film maker Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Gabbeh is a persian rug hand woven by women of Iranian tribes. The film tells the story of one such gabbeh(rug) and the story depicted in its colorful weaves about a woman, also named Gabbeh. The film tries to show her sufferings and how she fails to unite with her lover who has been following her for years and seasons.
Gabbeh is a beautifully simple yet deceptively complex film and i would rather recommend more than one viewings to get in depth of the story and the characters. First viewing is bound to confuse the audience. Whether this girl "Gabbeh" really exists?? Or is it just a fantasy of the old man and woman washing the rug?? These are few of the questions that will be answered once you delve deeper in the breathtakingly beautiful world of Gabbeh!!
Gabbeh is a must see for any film buff looking for meaningful and great cinema. Also recommended Abbas Kiarostami's "Taste of cherry", "The wind will carry us", Majid Majidi's "Color of paradise", "Children of heaven" and Makhmalbaf's "The cyclist".
Gorgeous! 'Gabbeh' is subtitled 'Life is Color.' The story is simple, naive even. But don't get the idea that it's boring or lifeless. Passion runs strong in this story which interweaves the Gabbeh, a seemingly coarse and childlike colorful carpet, the love story of the elderly couple who are washing it in a stream and the nomadic life. All this is set against a breathtakingly beautiful landscape. The use of color throughout is amazing!
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