Gabbeh (1996)
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90% of critics liked it
(20 reviews) -
72% of users liked it
(1,082 ratings)
Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Gabbeh is just the second Iranian film ever widely distributed in the U.S. (Jafar Panahi's The White Balloon was the first). A gabbeh is an Iranian carpet produced by the nomadic Ghashghai tribe of southern Iran, comparable to the folk art of American quilts; in the film's… More Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Gabbeh is just the second Iranian film ever widely distributed in the U.S. (Jafar Panahi's The White Balloon was the first). A gabbeh is an Iranian carpet produced by the nomadic Ghashghai tribe of southern Iran, comparable to the folk art of American quilts; in the film's opening scenes, an elderly husband and wife travel to a nearby stream to wash their gabbeh, discussing the meaning behind the figures sewn upon it. The rug depicts a woman in blue and a man in red, together on a white horse; suddenly, the woman on the tapestry seems to come to life -- her name too is Gabbeh, and the blue dress she wears is identical to the one worn by the old wife. She proceeds to tell her tragic story: it seems that despite her love for a mysterious stranger on horseback who follows her nomadic family wherever they travel, Gabbeh's father refuses to allow her to marry until a series of stipulations have first been met. Makhmalbaf frames his episodic tale with interludes on the colors of nature. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- Unrated, 1 hr. 16 min.
- Directed By
- Mohsen Makhmalbaf
- Genres
- Art House & International, Drama
- In Theaters
- Sep 13, 1996 Wide
- On DVD
- Sep 20, 2005
Critic Reviews
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Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
A work of shimmering beauty.
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Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle
Visually enchanting.
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Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
Has visual eloquence to spare, a rhythm that pulls you along and a sense of yearning not too often encountered in movies.
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Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic
There is hardly a composition in the film that couldn't be extracted and framed.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Movies such as this work like meditation or music, to nudge us toward the important.
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