فایل صوتی سخنرانی بهرام بیضایی با عنوان " اسطوره در کارهای بهرام بیضایی"دوم دسامبر 2012 - دانشگاه UCLA

من فکر می کنم محیطِ تأتری رکیک ، بد و بی معنی شده است یا به هر حال آن کاری را که من می خواستم انجام نمی داد . فکر کردم شاید آن کار را بتوان در سینما انجام داد . چون در واقع ما در محیطِ تأتری اصلا کار نمی کنیم . دو سومِ نمایشنامه هایی که من نوشتم اصلا روی صحنه نیامده است . وضع تأتر روز به روز بدتر می شود . دلیلش این است که می گویند بازی ، میزانسن ولی شعور و دانش هیچ کدام مهم نیستند ... اما یک چیزی

دارد جای تأتر را می گیرد و آن کم و بیش عبارت از عربده کشیدن روی صحنه است و ادای مسئول بودن را درآوردن است ... من فکر می کنم در این مملکت هیچ کس مسئول نیست و همه ی آنها که ادعای مسئولیت می کنند به نظرِ من دروغ می گویند و دکان باز کرده اند . به هر حال ادای مسئولیت درآوردن و ادای همه چیز از جمله ادای تأتر ، جای تأتر را گرفته . بنابراین من فکر می کنم به این چیز تعلق ندارم و اصولا به این نوع ادا درآوردن نیازی ندارم . در سینما هم خیلی به زحمت تا آنجا که می شد به این کار ادامه دادم . چون سینما هم عینا چنین میدانی ست . در سینما کم کم متوجه شدم که همه ی فرهنگِ مملکت تبدیل شده به ادای فرهنگ را درآوردن . به هر حال ، حالا درست در نقطه ای ایستاده ام که فکر می کنم که در سینما هم نمی شود . نمی دانم که بعدا چه خواهد شد .... 

Myths in Bahram Beyzaie's Works

A lecture in Persian by Bahram Beyzaie, film/theater Director, screen/play writer, researcher

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Duration: 41:27

Born in Tehran in Dec. 1938, Bahram Beyzaie is a well-known Iranian critic, researcher, teacher, playwright, stage director (and producer), screenwriter and filmmaker (director, producer and editor). He was first introduced to western audiences at the age of 25, when his play was staged at the Festival du Theater des Nations in Paris, 1963. After years of uncompromising creative work, he became Professor and Chair of the Dramatic Arts Department at Tehran University until the Islamic revolution. Presently he is a visiting professor at Stanford University, Iranian Studies Program, lecturing on topics such as Iranian Cinema, Iranian Theater and Cinema and Mythology.

Beyzaie's literary heritage, from his parents, is reflected not only in his prose writings, his plays and films but also in his own personal style and critical outlook. Besides his monograms in volumes on Iranian, Japanese and Chinese theaters and also a book on Hitchcock films, he has done extensive research on the roots of One Thousand and One Nights resulting in two monograms, Seeking the Roots of the Old Tree followed by another about the missing ancient book of Hezar Afsan[One Thousand and One Night as it is called in its Arabic translation].

In the past five decades, Beyzaie has published more than 35 plays, some of them translated and published in English, French, German and Portuguese and also more than 50 screenplays. Despite many obstacles imposed on his life and career he has directed eight of his plays on the stage himself and in his own personal style in Tehran and Bay area. Amongst these the film version of Death of Yazdgerd is available as an example of his artistic expression and historical and cultural view. Furthermore he has made ten feature and four short films, listed below:

Short films: Mustachioed Uncle; The Journey; Talking with the Wind; The Speaking Carpet.

Feature films: Downpour; The Stranger and the Fog; The Crow; The Ballad of Tara; Death of Yazdgerd; Bashu, The Little Stranger; Maybe Some Other Time; The Travelers; Killing Rabids; While We Are All Asleep.

Mr. Beyzaie has been a very prolific playwright and, amazingly, the large body of his work shows a consistent artistic vision with recurrent themes, one of his more prominent themes is his treatment of Iranian cultural myths and the reinterpretations of them for a modern era.

Published: Monday, December 03, 2012