01x06 - Episode 6

[bunniefuu]

In the name of God the

compassionate the merciful.

Luscinia [HEZAR DASTAN]

by Ali Hatami

Jamshid Mashayekhi

Ezzatollah Entezami

Davood Rashidi

Ali Nasirian

Mohammad Ali Keshavarz

Jafar Vaali

Hossein Gil

Zahra Hatami

Shahla Mirbakhtiar

Jamshid Layegh

Esmail Mehrabi

Parviz Pourhosseini

Mohammad Moti

Ataollah Zahed

Hooshang Beheshti

Late Mohammad Taghi Kahnamoui

Late Kheirollah Tafreshi-azad

Late Esmail Mohammadi

Jahangir Forouhar

Roghieh Chehreh-azad

Minoo Abrishami

Mehdi Vadadian

Afsar Asadi

Mansour Valamagham

Manouchehr Azari

Reza Abdi

Farhang Mehrparvar

Soroush Khalili

Nematollah Gorji

Saeed Amir-soleimani

Mohammad Varshoee

Jahangir Almasi

Asghar Hemmat

Hossein Hatami

Esfandiar Mavandadi

Edited by: Abbas Ganjavi, Ali Hatami

Audio and video editor: Hassan Hassan-doust

Sound and mix: Roubik Mansouri

Music by: Morteza Hannaneh

Directors of photography: Mehrdad Fakhimi,
Maziar Parto

Production manager: Mohammad Mehdi Dadgou

Distributed by: Channel 1 of Islamic
Republic of Iran Broadcasting 1978-1987

Written and directed by: Ali Hatami

Previously on Luscinia...

A jewelry shop gets robbed on

Tehran's census day.

The stolen piece of jewelry is found

and delivered to Master Mozaffar...

by the six-fingered inspector.

Russian aircrafts appear.

The inspector goes on a new mission.

He disguises himself in the hectic

situation until the dust settles.

The inspector enters Khoshnevis's house.

Khoshnevis is taken to Tehran from Mashhad
and gets imprisoned.

Eshratabad Barrack is evacuated

for the Red Army to settle.

Warriors are down-and-out.

Seyed Ebrahim tries to find a

solution regarding this matter.

Humiliation, intimidation and

physical as*ault.

Seyed Ebrahim delivers a sermon

to the homeless soldiers.

He then takes an action to fill the empty
stomachs of the brokenhearted army.

Allied powers enter the capital city.

The soldiers are called back.

Unpaid work, t*rture.

Reliance!

Now I draw your attention to the rest

of the news from BBC, London.

The reason for us to support

Reza Shah was:

The policy of Great Britain is

nothing against Iran.

Meaning that it is to our interest

that Iran's independence and territorial
integrity...

should be safeguarded.

The reason is that Iran

is not only the gateway to India...

but the gateway to the whole Asia.

It's lack of independence
will surely do us harm.

However, the more the king was in

power, the farther he went astray.

Enemies were induced that Reza Shah

was manipulated by us and under our orders.

Soon we realized that our interests

were endangered by naughty Germans...

and the king's negligence.

For the same reason,

we had no alternative

but to dethrone him against our will.

We assure you that once the current issue

is taken care of, we will leave your...

territory and let you have

full authority regarding
your country issues.

The Soviet government that is allied

with us has the same intention.

What happened to my wife?

I sent her back to Mashhad

under surveillance.

She left you a message when

she was leaving.

She said to tell you that you have

the solution to this problem.

"I don't know who is going to

find my note."

"I haven't been feeling
so good for two days now.

I've been so restless."

"When a few guys felt sick after eating

my food, they ordered to take it back."

"God help me."

"Come to my rescue."

"I can't write anymore."

He's written this with a matchbox

and some hair dye.

Come here.

According to the will of the

prisoner 1221

his personal belongings were

delivered to Reza Khoshnevis.

Sign here.

Did you see anything special

carrier pigeon?

Shall I wipe off the blood with

water or the water with blood?

No! That's not fair!

No human would ever do such a thing.

You get more humiliated compared to me.

I'm your chained up prisoner.

You cannot do this.

Stop this!

Your sentence has been pronounced.

No.

It's not execution by sh**ting.

You are not getting hanged either

It's a medical death.

Typhus, the prison fever,

spread by lice.

The book says: Typhus is an

acute infectious disease with...

severe headache and prolonged

fever throughout the body.

After two weeks, the fever breaks

rapidly. The sick person usually dies.

Si! At the table.

We're celebrating.

This water was finally the

oil for that old lamp.

The old lamp on that dusty shelf.

Now it is the dim light of same

old lamp which enables me to see.

Reza was born in Tehran in a
neighborhood full of life.

The only child of an old sincere couple...

who had a child later in life

and departed this life after
a year of separation.

And still concerned about their

old restless son, they are.

At the other side of the bazaar, Albolfath,

a bookbinder from Tabriz had a shop.

Right in the heart of the bazaar.

Abolfath was one of the founders

of the punishment council.

Without Reza knowing, he kept

an eye on him from distance.

Based on his own criteria
including imposture,

he wondered if he could...

make a professional sh**ter serving

the council out of a famous hunter.

My father was a servant in

Moayer al-Doleh's house...

and my mother, the lady of

her own place.

Her husband was a servant in another house,

however she always...

thought highly of him. Grew up with

the honest money my father brought us...

I learned the art of
serving unintentionally.

Together with my father I started

sewing in the prince's house.

Incited by naughtiness or an evil

nature, I grabbed the prince's g*n...

instead of my father's broom.

Powerful hands, sharp eyes and

a flair for riding, led me to hunting.

I became a rifleman.

Here is your monthly salary. Accept it

as a gift and not your wage of course.

I appreciate your benevolence.

It will take courage to run business

when the business is slack.

I take my stand in favor of hunting

before him though he is corpulent...

and I am all skin and bones.

It is the story of reed and kettledrum.

The sound of reed softens the

thunderous sound of kettledrum.

I am actually talking about Ahmad Shah.

It is indeed an honor
to have His Majesty...

among his devoted hunters

out there in the plains.

However, it is to be regretted that

Ahmad Shah prefers music to hunting.

And to think his favorite instrument

is a foreign one, piano.

Undoubtedly it is always the opera

house he chooses over the hunting ground.

Specially when the singer is

the Austrian princess.

Having a desire for women is

indeed the heritage of kings.

But loving sweethearts and having

meals only, make a child out of a man.

Good old days.

Powerful kings on horses

riding after preys.

How fast they chased quick deer!

Beautiful prey, beautiful hunter.

Beloved was the prey, lover the hunter.

And love chamber was the hunting ground

that witnessed them in each other's arms.

- With your permission Master.

- Sit down.

Please. Thank you.

- Let me introduce Dr. Musa Feyz.

- A back-from-abroad doctor.

He still looks fresh.

Thanks to the nice city of Paris.

The scents of French soap and

the lemon of Shiraz...

have made a fragrant creature

out of our doctor.

Master, let me introduce somebody

else who desperately needs your help.

- Who is it?

- Esmail, the chief of granary.

Wheat always reminds me of "mouse"

and cereals reminds me of "mice"!

These days, it is actually the place

Esmail Khan has settled down in.

- I see.

- I need your support Master.

My territory is indeed nothing compared

to your empire Esmail Khan.

- Dr. Feyz is a man of letters.

- I see.

I am actually busy translating

something.

Practicing medicine against your will!

- He has a flair for music as well.

- Bravo!

Doctor plays piano.

From the moment we arrived at

this strange caravanserai in Tehran...

I thought of an idea for a new concert.

Rising Ground.

Performance location:

Caravanserai platform.

The main melody will be

played by the piano.

It will be accompanied by
the sound of camel bells,

birds, donkeys and mules...

chickens, goats, sheep and even

the guests of the caravanserai.

- People cheering.

- People cheering in the city!

- The city of One Thousand and One Nights.

- The city of the blind!

Doctor, do you know
anything about trachoma,

blisters and piedra as well?

Tell me about our new preys

Moayer al-Doleh.

Actually we have been preparing

a full collection for the exposition in...

Golestan Palace.

Hopefully it will be inaugurated
on Ahmad Shah's birthday...

in the presence of the diplomats

residing in Tehran.

One group of wild animal watches another.

Matin al-Saltaneh,

is it true that you are the sponsor,

the writer and the only reader of...

the daily newspaper Modern Times?

It is truly sad that people do not even

buy your newspaper to throw it away.

I could recite the whole content word

by word if you would like to hear it.

I shall start with the editorial.

The punch line actually confirms

the act of Esmail Khan.

When he was an agent in department

of finance in Sistan and Baluchestan...

he signed a contract with Englishmen

for selling wheat which was later known...

as embezzlement, treachery and

the cause of starvation, by people.

As an independent journalist I

declare in Modern Times that:

What was Esmail Khan's fault?

He only joined hands with one of

the most powerful governments.

Iran exported wheat to England and

that became the press headline...

all around the world. The name of

our country Iran has been mentioned...

together with England, as an exporter.

Matin al-Saltaneh, at the moment

I would like to have cold
vermicelli noodles only.

Of course it is good to be proud.

But empty stomachs do not

desire for self-glorification.

My father Mirza Bagher Khan was

the acting minister of
the criminal department.

When I ruled Kerman, your

father was a servant of mine.

Without Master's help I would never

be able to continue my education.

The reason I didn't pay my respects

when my Master entered was that...

I did not tend to invade his privacy.

I neither meant to act as a spy

nor eavesdrop in such a gathering.

I just couldn't help hearing stuff.

And I would like to give these

gentlemen an answer regarding that matter.

According to the available reports

we shall have a tough future ahead.

The case of Esmail Khan will not

be closed after his imminent death.

The government's plans will be

all ruined once people
take control of them.

Gentlemen, these problems defy solution.

When statesmen side neither

the king nor the people...

old men of today sarcastically

call a rooster, the crowned king.

In such a demoted monarchy,

peasants believe the
constitutional monarch...

crowed by intellectual
liberals of Middle East,

is nothing but a chess king.

Now the powerless king will

either get fat out of sloth...

or be all skin and bones out of grief.

This was the story of the

king and his peasants.

And that was how our

experienced governors ruled their lands...

and gave orders which lead

to the current chaos.

People take the king's tenderness

as incompetence...

and spur insecurity unintentionally.

That is when they ask for a

tyrannical ruler inadvertently.

Of course after a temporary insecurity

there will be security and stability.

A forced security that will be

fully appreciated by all of us.

This is how things will turn out for

those who do not value
a democratic monarchy.

Why would a servant like me be concerned

about others' security while my monthly...

salary is the only thing I can

delude myself with.

When gendarmes preach, we shall stop

the bandits or the town gets robbed.

For now, cool yourselves down

with those cold noodles.

Not a bad plaster for your sore!

Doctor, the idea of Rising

Ground performance was not that bad.

But we have the real concert coming off.

Symphony of silence!

At your service Master.

You have to excuse me.

[Reciting epic poems of Shahnameh]

Peace be upon Muhammad

and his descendants.

Hello everyone.

How are you?

You wicked fellow! You ruined the plain

to fill Moayer al-Doleh's kitchen?

That is not fair.

I was in the mountains.

That area is the hunting ground.

Hunting an animal there is like

taking a grain of sand from a desert.

I'm not a pessimistic man Reza.

But I have never seen a hunter

who has not come to grief.

The blame will be put

on the one who shoots.

The prince enjoys my company

when he goes hunting.

He wants me to go along with him.

I just load the g*ns.

These are all excuses.

Reza only loads his g*n!

The g*n fires the b*ll*ts!

And Moayer al-Doleh only

aims at the targets.

And the trigger is pulled by that

disabled finger of his.

So nobody is faulty.

Guess it is the deer's fault for

they hit the prince's b*ll*ts.

Deer are out there to get hunted.

No doubt about it.

The thing is that Reza is not taking

the blame as he is responsible.

A prince does not have what it

takes to sh**t a ram or a stag.

He may be able to sh**t
a quail but it takes

a real hunter to ride
after deer under the sun.

That is not the prince we know.

Moayer al-Doleh has built himself

quite a reputation over this.

However, the great work is

always done by Reza.

In hunting, Reza is not a patch

on the prince.

You should believe that.

The kebab is eaten by Moayer al-Doleh

while the neighbors are
bothered by the smoke.

And here we are nattering

about it with no joy.

We too still have enough teeth for

Chewing kebab, Reza!

All I have is yours. But kebab is

not really served in teahouses.

The meat just does not agree

with tea and hookah.

It actually tastes better with

drinks in a cozy place.

Delicious kebab!

Thank you.

Eat it hot.

This place is always ready to serve

Moayer al-Doleh when
he's back from hunting.

Moayer al-Doleh cannot even

hunt a c*ck.

So you finally admitted it.

Even if antelopes could be hunted by

mouse traps and partridges with fly-nets...

Moayer al-Doleh could hardly

make a hunter.

He just enjoys talking about hunting.

These things have all been hunted

by Reza, pal.

- Kavoos?

- At your service.

Serve them some garlic before

the meat gets cold.

No worries Reza.

They can even eat the skewers.

Help yourselves.

It is all on Reza.

Help yourselves.

Why don't you just say Moayer al-Doleh

is good for nothing in hunting?

That's what makes his home

different from the hunting ground.

When it comes to hunting, the king

enjoys and his servants hunt.

Reza! Ls this the meat of

antelopes or deer?

You just enjoy the free kebab!

Here you go.

Did you hide?



Hello friends.

Join us

- Take Reza some broth.

- Thank you.

- Some hot bread too.

- Absolutely. Anything for Reza.

Thank you.

Old bread is better be soaked

in broth.

- Some sheep brain too.

- Sure.

Thank you.

By the grace of God, there is always

enough meat and bread for people to eat.

However, they still complain

about destitution and starvation.

The first time he took off his mask,

he was out to buy kebab and basils.

Despite being quite well-off,

Abolfath was always considerate.

He had covered the copper tray

in a piece of cloth.

I could not tell if he was ashamed

of buying kebab as a married man or...

he was just considerate to

the hungry passer-bys.

His eyes were kind and modest,

like the eyes of pregnant deer.

His look was the look of my mother taking

the g*n from me at the time of hunting.

When he started talking he

mentioned he was not from Tehran.

He spoke Farsi with a sweet Azari accent.

He had the voice of my father

when he advised his naughty kid.

He was a burning fire in disguise.

A shelling almond which does not...

allow you to know if the taste is

sweet or bitter unless
the seed if revealed.

- Have a bite.

- Bon appétit.

I had a craving for the kebab

in the bazaar.

You should have it in the bazaar then.

I'll take it to my shop.

There is nobody there.

My family is on a pilgrim's journey.

I am alone.

Eating cold kebab with no company!

Come to the teahouse near here if

you ever had a craving for tea as well!

I shall see about it.

I was having fun drinking tea and

smoking hookah when arrived.

I can remember his silent footsteps.

It was as if his feet had no toes or bones.

He walked on the ground

like a clawless cat.

I was busy with friends when he appeared.

And on a wooden stool, he sat down.

Except for the teahouse keeper,

he was noticed by no one.

They brought him tea which

he didn't drink but paid for.

Back then, I had no idea about the pain

in his chest and his
consideration for others.

Like a turtle with a snake in its stomach,

I lied down on the teahouse bed to sleep.

Abolfath whose moves seem to be

in harmony with the dancing leaves...

the singing fountain of the teahouse

and the jumping fish,
gently sat on the bed.

Instead of deer and stags,

Abolfath persuaded Reza to point his g*n...

at Esmail Khan, the traitorous

chief of granary...

who was the cause of
the future starvation.

It is a long story how he convinced me

to willingly commit this assassination.

Now let me tell you how the traitor

got k*lled.

sh**t!