Born of Fire

After doing a review for my favorite "Towers of Silence", I knew that I would write one for "Born of Fire", and I might continue to write for his titles released before Jinnah (1998). In this, we are dealing with Djinns, Iblis and Cosmology rooted in Islamic mythology. All of these elements have their place in Jamil Dehlavi's atmospheric outing funded by Channel 4.

The film, dressed in the guise of horror and Islam - but I'm not satisfied with the classification, I could perhaps consider this as a surreal Islamic fantasy drama. From the very opening shot, which ranks as one of the best intros, the movie gives its viewers a taste of what's to come. The story focuses on a female astronomer (Susan Crowley) and a flautist Paul Bergson (Peter Firth) who have identical visions, they foresee a fiery apocalypse. Now, they must confront the Master Musician who killed flautist's father to ward off the disaster with the help of the local priest Bilal (Stefan Kalifa). As the location for the 2nd half of the film, Dehlavi chooses Turkey as the setting, and soon it develops into a multi-layered narrative network with the dominant themes and is a visual trip from the first to the last second especially in the musical duel sequences.

The biggest problem with the film is the screenplay and the dialogues, it seems too close to fit in to the genre and lacks some of the genius writing that was present in Dehlavi's early films.

Do not expect a classic spoon-feeding tale of evil vs good, it is surely an absorbing experience that mixes various feelings, it is ambitious and somewhat confusing, and some will find it a tedious chore watching the film. Regardless, it depends on the treatment of the symbolism since the images speak for themselves. I'd recommend this to the fans of Sara Driver, Rafael Corkidi, Sergei Parajanov, Fernando Arrabal, Mario Bava, David Lynch, Tadeusz Konwicki, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Jean-Pierre Mocky, Wojciech Has, Jean Rollin, Harry Kumel, Ken Russell, Miklos Jancso and Hans W. Geissendorfer.

First the good ... The landscapes and architecture in the film are absolutely beautiful which makes it all the sadder that nothing was made of them This folly ( of the uninteresting kind ) plays out like a flat episode of 1980s Doctor Who ... Peter Firth does his best with what he has to work with, but with a director that obviously hasn't got a clue he isn't able to salvage anything. The story and script may well have come from a really interesting source but the writing and assembly is completely incompetent Somebody mentioned that it could be played and appreciated silent ... I think they are right ... It would be more worthwhile silent as it would seem like there was a possibility of something good going one here Oh and the lead actress ... Well ... It seems like she may have just stepped out of "Acting for television - 1 " ... Abysmal The little man however was fabulous

This movie had the honor of being the world's first and only Islamic horror movie. Horror films I've seen from Pakistan and other Muslim countries were little more than rip-offs of Western horror. But this one delves into Islamic mysticism. We are taken into the world of the Djinn (spirits) and Shaytan (devils). Quotes from the Qur'an and Sufi poet / master Jallaludin Rumi and "dhikr" (rememberence / chants) by Bilal the Muezzin change the total feel of this movie to one that, unlike Western horror movies, owes nothing to the Christian tradition. There were some flaws. Some of the symbolism got a little strange and obscure, and baffling inserts made some of the editing a bit amateurish. But all in all its a good movie. Perhaps some other director will make a movie that shows the essence of Islamic spirituality.

The first half of the story was good almost perfect , the atmosphere the mystery I must admit it was scary and so interesting , but unfortunately it missed and flawed after the second half . I think the director lost and he didn't know what to do .

3/10

Unusual and violent activity is observed on the surface of the sun during an eclipse. A dormant volcano erupts in Turkey. A musician (Peter Firth) is haunted by a strange melody. These are the starting points of what turns out to be a surrealist journey into Arabic mythology.

After meeting an astronomer (Suzan Crowley) who observed the strange activity on the sun, Firth visits his mother on her deathbed. She tells him of the Master Musician, a mysterious being living in Turkey, where his father, also a musician, died a long time ago.

Firth takes off for Turkey, to face the demons of his father's past and find this mythical Master Musician. His trip takes us deep into the heart of arabic mythology, into a world inhabited by Djinns and Shaytans, respectively born of Air and Fire. He will learn many things about his father's life that will bring him to the brink of insanity.

Directed by Jamil Dehlavi and filmed on location in Turkey, the cinematography of this film is so gorgeous you could watch it with the sound off. The plot isn't so important as the powerful symbology of the imagery (for example, the eclipse is represented by a skull covering the sun). It must be said that the director does very little to explain the many references to the mythology. But this isn't a weakness as it sent me on my own quest to find out more about it.

Not for the impatient viewer looking for a cheap thrill, but definitely recommended for the serious viewer seeking a heightened adventure into the surreal.