Nasseredin Shah and his 84 wives
Director Beate Petersen
Countries Norway, Iran, Islamic Republic of
Duration 58 min
Synopsis
In 1842 the 11 year-old heir to the fa throne, Nasseredin Mirza, received a photographic camera from Queen Victoria of England. The young heir fell in love with the magical contraption. In the following decades he documented his life: his many wives, his jesters and clowns, his glorious palaces, and his jeels and treasures. As such he revealed to the public eye, what the public eye never was supposed to see. Through a mix of animated sequences and photos taken by Nasseredin Shah and his court, the film depicts the rivalry and intrigues within the harem, the corruption, the secret murders, the political power struggle, the Shah's obsession with a beautiful calico cat, as well as Persia's troubled relation to Europe.
In 1842 the 11 year-old heir to the fa throne, Nasseredin Mirza, received a photographic camera from Queen Victoria of England. The young heir fell in love with the magical contraption. In the following decades he documented his life: his many wives, his jesters and clowns, his glorious palaces, and his jeels and treasures. As such he revealed to the public eye, what the public eye never was supposed to see. Through a mix of animated sequences and photos taken by Nasseredin Shah and his court, the film depicts the rivalry and intrigues within the harem, the corruption, the secret murders, the political power struggle, the Shah's obsession with a beautiful calico cat, as well as Persia's troubled relation to Europe.