In conjunction to last week’s reading of Persepolis, this week we get a moving image of the pictures in the book to see a further idea of the way in which the story was supposed to be read. After watching this film, you might notice some of the differences between the book and the movie. The book seems to be depicting the story of Marji’s life, while the film seems to be giving the audience a better idea of what life was like in Iran during war. The film seeks being informational to the history, while the book holds a more dramatic approach to telling the story of Marji’s life.
Throughout the film, people would did not read the book, would still be able to understand the same story, as the film did a good job of bringing the photos in the book to life, with moving images. The film starts in an airport, where unlike the book, it was in color. You see this girl, though we are not quite sure who it is just yet. There is a transition to seeing a little girl in black and white who is running in excitement to see a female figure that was clearly important to her. From a scene like this, viewers can see the juxtaposing attitudes between young Marji, to grown Marji, even if they do not realize it from the start.
(Why Persepolis remains one of the century’s greatest animated films)
The narration begins, and we can hear the voice of Marjane Satrapi, talking about herself, and telling the story of her as a young girl. Unlike the book, the movie can give insight on the way this story would make her feel because we can hear the tone of her voice. She provides details that were excluded out of the book because they seemed to be a good way of starting the movie. She talked about the normal things that she did, and the film shows that she was just like any other girl at this age. However, as the film progresses, she begins to deal with things most children do not at her age. This includes protests, war, hiding, and being told what to do by strangers while she’s out.
The reason that Marji had to experience protests, war, hiding, etc., is because during this time the Islamic Revolution and Iran-Iraq war was taking place. Her parents, and other Iranians would fight to end Shah’s rules, but it resulted it more violence, a bigger war, and policies that still stand today. This war lasted several years as it affected cities inside and out of Islam, including the hometown of Marji.
Two of the experiences that she dealt with were expressed in the book, but not the film. One important element of the story was when Marji’s father explains that the maid and the neighbor could not be together because, “In this country you must stay within your own social class” (page 37). By taking this out of the film, people do not get to see that the father does not want to deal with social conflict. Secondly, in the film, we see the mother get in between the two women fighting at the grocery store, but we do not see her interaction with Mali later that night. From this, viewers miss the discussion they had, and only see the two Iranian women fighting in the grocery store. In the book, Mali says, “To have the Iraqis attack and lose everything… that’s one thing, but to be spat upon by your own kind, it is intolerable” (page 93). Without this element, we don’t really get to see that there can be discomfort between the Iranians regardless of the fact that they all share a common enemy. By taking out two elements of the story that contribute to factors of Marji being the way she is, one can see that the book is telling a story about history through Marji, while the film is telling a story about an event in history and how it affected people like Marji. Instead of Marji telling the story like the book does, the film tells the story of Marji throughout her life. There are no chapters that can break up time in the film, so instead, we see Marji grow throughout the film, and it is one continuous flow of time.
(Learn the other truth about Persepolis)
As some of these things continued to happen, a reminder of the things going on in today’s world, seemed apparent. The mother and grandmother are conversing when the mother states, “The one that got shot next to us was just a kid. What is this country?” The grandmother responds by telling her, “Right now honey, this country is a shit hole…” (Satrapi).
Not that our nation is suffering a harsh war, but there have been protests, violence, and a judgmental atmosphere for most everyone in our country. The debate about political views has been causing controversy throughout America, driving people to protest and participate in other activities such as judging people for their political views.
(Orange County Register)
Although Marji’s situation was much worse than current times, the film was able to give audience members the chance to see all of the different steps that Marji took throughout her life to adapt to the world moving around her, if things were not so clear for the reader reading the book. There were a few details that were either removed or added, nonetheless the story still stood with a strong message being portrayed.
Works Cited
“Learn the Other Truth about Persepolis.” Exploring Your Mind, 12 Sept. 2020, exploringyourmind.com/persepolis-other-truth/.
Orange County Register. “’Persepolis’ Is a High Quality, Low-Tech Animated Feature.” Orange County Register, Orange County Register, 24 Dec. 2007, www.ocregister.com/2007/12/24/persepolis-is-a-high-quality-low-tech-animated-feature/.
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. 2003.
“Why Persepolis Remains One of the Century’s Greatest Animated Films.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 26 June 2020, www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/culture/indy-film-club-persepolis-marjane-satrapi-director-cast-graphic-novel-iran-a9574931.html.
Wow great post. I am looking forward to watching the movie and trying to spot the differences you mentioned. I think Marjane Satrapi’s approach to this film was well thought out and refined. I like that she focused more on the history aspect of things than her personal life. I think this helped viewers better understand the Iranian Revolution and just how chaotic it was. I researched a little bit about this conflict on my own but did not get much out of it. The timeline can be somewhat difficult to follow and the motivation behind the whole thing seems frivolous without any context. However, reading Persepolis gave me an entirely new perspective and was much easier to comprehend. Relating with the characters in various ways made the Iranian struggles feel closer to home. If the comic is as good as the movie, I am sure I will like it. Thanks for the detailed and informative post.
I enjoyed your post as it provided guidance as to what I should be looking out for while watching the film. I’m interested in seeing how the book compares to the film for myself and seeing the story told from a more informational point of view. I think that watching the film as well as reading the book will provide a well rounded depiction of what it was like for people living through the Islamic Revolution. I also liked the connection you drew to modern day America. Although it is not as intense as the Islamic Revolution we are going trough a revolution and experiencing some parallels.
Great post! The insight you provided regarding scenes in the book and movie really allowed me to pinpoint some of the key differences between the two. Specifically, when you pointed out the coloration of the airport to begin the movie in opposition to the beginning of the novel, I began to think more about Satrapi’s intentions in adding colors to certain scenes. I think that Satrapi intentionally utilized the contrast between normal colors and black and white to indicate past memories, possibly symbolizing some of the dark feelings she associates with her childhood experiences.
Thanks for all of the great information- I really enjoyed reading this post! The differences between the book and film that you pointed out gave me a different perspective when watching the film. It was interesting to see the switch from color to black and white. While the book did a great job in showcasing Marjane’s personality, the film helped bring it more to life.
The information was presented in a very informative way. It was easy to follow and clearly written. I really enjoyed how you delved into the personality of Marji. And the parallels of how she was portrayed in the movie vs the book. Also, the way you broke down the lack of two scenes from the movie was really informative. Ill have to pay closer attention during those parts to see how it affects the overall interpretation of the film.
Great post. I’m glad you fell connected to Marji and her family’s story. I agree with the differences you said between book and film. Very thorough analysis.
I find it super interesting that you connected the Iranian Revolution/war to, at a lesser level, the controversies in America. At first, I was shocked to think about our country in a way that is so divided, but after thinking about it, I realize that this story is not made up. This is really happening in our world right now. I think it is so easy to forget that while we have our struggles in America, women are fighting for basic human rights in Iran. While I am so grateful to live in a free country, I do think about what I would have done if I were in Marjane’s position because before 1979, Iran was in a “normal” state just like America is. She was extremely brave to tell her story and I have nothing but respect for her.
Your post is very informative and detailed. It is exciting to find people share the similar statement. I strongly agree that the book version of Persepolis centers around Marji’s life while the film version focuses on the impacts of the turbulent Iran society on people like Marji. I found the great amount of depiction of Marji’s experience in Vienna like her relationship with her friends are simplified. The film presents more about the dark side of the Iran. The black and white style of the animation always gave rise to my sorrow and depressed feelings.
Thank you so much for detailed information introduced in a useful manner. The presentation you provided with respect to scenes in the book and film truly permitted me to pinpoint a portion of the key contrasts between the two. It was anything but difficult to follow and plainly composed. I truly delighted by they way you dug into the character of Marji. What’s more, the equals of how she was depicted in the film versus the book. Additionally, the manner in which you separated the absence of two scenes from the film was truly enlightening. I’ll need to give nearer consideration during those parts to perceive how it influences the general understanding of the film.
Very detailed post! I liked how you pointed out that the film feels more continuous than the book since its not broken up by chapters. This is something i hadn’t thought about but it makes sense. The focus on the historical events that took place was an interesting choice for the film.
I agree entirely with your analogy and comparison that a lot of books are broken up by chapters and watching a film makes the whole thing flow a little smoother. I enjoyed this presentation because it brought insight to me that the book was not a large focus on Iran, but more so on Marjis experiences and her life. I thought that was an interesting thing to note. Furthermore, I think that both the novel and the film portray a great sense of identity and different perspectives of all characters.
Thank you for your insight. I have to admit, I didn’t grasp while watching that the film focused more on the struggle in Iran as a whole, while the book focused more on Marji’s life and perspective. This does make sense though and I think the addition of the second part of the film added to this as we see life in Vienna compared to Iran. I noticed immediately the absence of the maid in the film, which I thought was an important detail in the book and created somewhat of a double standard. I thought nothing of Marji’s mother and the interaction between Mali not being displayed in the film. After hearing your thoughts though, I definitely agree that it displays discomfort among themselves despite the common enemy. This is what the enemy wants and is almost a tactic. I think both the book and the film bring unique perspectives and both enable key points and moments from the other in different ways.
Great post! It was very informative and gave good explanations where they were needed. I agree with your point that the reading depicted Marji’s life when the movie showed what Iran was like. Personally having the movie helped my better understand the reading. Given that the movie depicts life in Iran I found it interesting that the scene with the maid was left out. I think that it would have shown how class played a role in everyday life.
Hi, the film did give us a better understanding and it brought it more to life. The film made me understand the book better even though there were a lot of things that were in the book and not the movie. Also the color change brought it more to life.
Thanks for your informative post! The film definitely made me get into a deeper thought of the book. A better idea of what life was like in Iran during war is depicted in the film and I’m sure that I can further understand the reading with the help of the movie.
Great post! I think you did a really good job explaining some of the differences between Perspolis the book and Persepolis the movie. I think you gave a lot of good information and insights, and it was very well written.
I learned a lot from your post! I learned about Marji’s life and the context of this article, Iran which can greatly help me understand the characters and their representations. The depictions of Marji’s Vienna and other life experiences were also enlightening and showed the dark side of the country at that time. The scenes you introduced in the movie were also informative and made me better understand the theme of the work.
I appreciated the comparisons to our current situations in the US. It is interesting to ponder what kind of graphic memoir someone growing up in our time might write a few decades from now. I was going to say that we have more freedoms than Marji had growing up to determine who we want to be and what we want our lives to be like, but I think that this year has revealed a couple of things to me. One of these things is that unfortunately, not all of this country are equally free in self expression and opportunities. Another thing is that so much of life is out of our control, just as Marji herself, strong-willed as she was, learned. This doesn’t mean we should simply sit back and give up, but work to adapt to what is happening and develop ourselves and the world around us.
This was a great post! I found the comparisons that you made to be very helpful and enlightening. I thought that the use of colors throughout the movie was very significant as well. One thing that I had not considered that you pointed out was the difference between the way that the story was told and the objective of it. I had not considered that some of the scenes that were left out made the story clearer and more centered around the general suffering that many Iranians faced during those difficult times. That was a very interesting perspective.
This was an excellent post! I really liked this piece of literature, it’s probably my favorite so far from this course. I definitely think that the book protrays Marji’s lifestory better compared to the moive. However, I thought the movie did a very excellent job and I was able to connect with different scenes better because the movie added in sound and motion figures that helped me piece the story better together and the effect it had on Marji’s life. I really liked this blog post though. It was definitely well thought out and I enjoyed reading it!
Thank you very much for the post! You did an amazing job providing key background information about Marji that helped me better understand the film. Additionally, I particularly appreciated the background information that you provided about how Marji had to go through wars, protests and hiding because, at the time, the Islamic Revolution and Iran-Iraq war were occurring. Thank you for providing relevant examples from the book as well because that helped me considerably with connecting key moments throughout the film to the book. Great job!
Very good post! I am agree with your points of the voice in the film. For example, we can hear Marji’s voice and other people’s voices in the movie, which allows us to better feel the emotions and moods of the characters. And the soundtrack in the movie also makes people more focused on the story. When the event turns, the soundtrack will change. These are the functions of sound. The description of Marji in the book can be expressed on the screen in the movie, so the movie has the opportunity to include more content.
I think this is a well written context presentation. I started the film and i was not sure who is Marji. I saw a little girl running and the lady smoking. Reading this gave me a more understanding before i went back to continue the film.
You are very right that there are more details and character relation in the film more as compared to the book.
Than you for your sharing! I really enjoyed reading this post and I found impressed when you connected with the things happened in real life recently. Although we are in a hard time now, Marji had a much worse time than us. She had experiences that we couldn’t imagine. But her toughness and her strong willingness of freedom made herself who she was.
Thank you for the post! I think you provided good background information that helped me better understand the film. This post also helped me determine the differences between the book and the movie. I learned from the examples related to the book that you connected to the movie, that really helped me follow along and make more sense of the situation.
Thank you for such a detailed and excellent presentation. I agree that the book focuses on telling the story of Marji’s life, and the film would work better when telling how the life is in war. Image can always give us special message that cannot be told by text. I can’t wait to watch the film.
I love your post. Your post is very detailed. The contrast between the color of the scene in the book and the movie you discussed is very interesting. It makes me think that the contrast between color and black and white is a reminder of the past. And black and white sets off the darkness of childhood memory.
Great post! It’s a very detailed post and describe the differences between film and book. Also the thoughts on these differences and overall society. I strongly agree with you on the film are less in thoughts than books. This film and film it self usually are tend to be more amused than book which are tend to be more literal. The film is making Marji’s family as a more preferable characters even though it kept marji herself a controvisial character with changes happens due to environment.