1211 The Runner

[domino harvey]

Childhood takes on mythic dimensions in one of the defining works of postrevolutionary Iranian cinema. Inspired by director Amir Naderi’s own boyhood, The Runner is lit from within by Madjid Niroumand’s electrifying performance as a young orphan fending for himself on the streets of a port city, determined to rise above his circumstances—working odd jobs, passing time with friends, learning to read—and running, always running, toward the future. Water, fire, the human body in motion: in hypnotic images of lyrical power, Naderi finds unexpected glory in the world of a boy suspended between modernity and elemental natural forces as he chases his own path forward.

New 2K digital restoration, supervised by director Amir Naderi, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
New conversation between Naderi and filmmaker Ramin Bahrani
Audio interview from 2022 with Naderi and actor Madjid Niroumand, moderated by programmer and Rialto Pictures founder Bruce Goldstein
Waiting, a 1974 film by Naderi, featuring an afterword by the director
Trailer
New English subtitle translation
PLUS: An essay by critic Ehsan Khoshbakht

New design by Jillian Adel

[What A Disgrace]

This is the one I'm most excited for from the month's slate. Pre-90s Iranian cinema used to be a blind spot for me, but every ounce of clarity I get has been immensely rewarding, and this film (and Naderi in general) have long been on my wish list.

[Timec]

Always happy to see more classic Iranian cinema get a quality release.

I attended a screening of the new restoration in DC earlier this year - it's an excellent film, and the restoration looked very good to my eyes.

Also glad to see the main child actor, Madjid Niroumand, in the extras. He did a Q&A after the screening, and he had a lot of interesting stories about his time working on the film and his life afterward.

[hearthesilence]

That was my favorite Q&A at MoMA this year - apparently Niroumand and Bruce Goldstein have built up a friendship over the course of his trips out to NYC over the years to do Q&A's for this, primarily at Film Forum as Goldstein loved the film when he first saw it and did everything he could to get it shown. Goldstein moderated the Q&A at MoMA too, even projecting some personal photos of Niroumand including the sports publication that got him discovered by Naderi, and I recall one that may have been his first visit to Film Forum when it screened the movie (he's standing outside under the marquee, and it may have been the '90s or the '00s). It's quite a trip to watch this film and then to see him all grown-up and walking down the aisle on his way to the stage.

[NeoNical]

I wasn't able to catch a screening of this film but I remember seeing the trailer for this in theaters and being really interested in it.

With that said, I believe this was a Rialto Pictures release. They have a lot of the StudioCanal titles that Lionsgate and Kino has as well. Hopefully we can see some of those titles come back in print (Diary of a Chambermaid, Diary of a County Priest, or maybe the 4K of Discreet Charm). They also have screened a few commedia all'italiana movies that I think would be well worth a Criterion release (Il Boom, Una Vita Difficile).

With some of the Kino Lorber/StudioCanal titles going OOP, I wonder if Criterion will be the next up to re-release them. Having an Emmanuelle 4K from Criterion would be a very interesting announcement to say the least!

[Grosbern]

I bought the film on Criterion and noticed a really odd cut.
I was wondering if someone else noticed it. It’s missing the end of a scene. I was able to find another version and confirmed that the Criterion version is missing a bit. It’s not huge but it is so odd. I asked Criterion and they were unable to explain why… anyone noticed it ? Around 1h20min43sec

[Murdoch]

I bought the film on Criterion and noticed a really odd cut.
I was wondering if someone else noticed it. It’s missing the end of a scene. I was able to find another version and confirmed that the Criterion version is missing a bit. It’s not huge but it is so odd. I asked Criterion and they were unable to explain why… anyone noticed it ? Around 1h20min43sec

Sorry to reply to such an old post but I'm watching it now and just noticed the cut - the film shows Amiro and his friends playing soccer, then cuts to a shot of Amiro crouching to stop a ball which only lasts for half a second, then cuts to him and his friends walking along train tracks.

What's the longer version of the scene?

Excellent film though. I'd never heard of it before the Criterion release and it's up there with Bicycle Thieves as great cinema showing its characters trying to eek out a living while living in poverty. The film wouldn't have been anywhere near as successful without Madjid Niroumand as the lead. His smile and charm make this far better than if his part had been played more heavy-handed. The gorgeous photography also helps.