Abstract
The production of historical films and television series about a particular historical period does not just indicate the importance of that period to the film- and cultural policymakers of a society, but is generally a representation of the current or ideal state of that society. In fact, a historical period is used as an excuse for depicting what wants to be said about current circumstances. This paper tries to analyze the cinematic productions made about the Safavid era (three films produced before the Revolution and two television series made after) from the perspective of visual anthropology. This has been done through Levi Strauss and Barthes’ theories on mythology. The Safavid era is depicted as having been glorious and splendid, functioning as a “golden age” myth. This myth is used to resolve the incongruity between our current identity and the pride we feel in regard to our past.
Keywords
)