Arte - Mysteries in the Archives Series 2 (2010) Part 7 1971 The Shah of Iran at Persepolis

Mysteries in the archives, ten investigations into ten events of the twentieth century that have marked our memory and our imagination. In the French series, we learn about the historical events of the 20th century by closely investigating archive films. Who is in the picture, who is missing? Why was the camera pointed right here? Who is sitting next to whom? The “Mysteries in the Archives” series takes us to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth and the Khmer Rouge camps, the occupation of Saigon and a Tour de France. We follow John F. Kennedy's visit to Berlin as well as the funeral a few months later, and we learn about the Shah's celebrations at ancient Persepolis and de Gaulle's scandalous speech in Quebec. By looking at the pictures again and more closely, the series reveals how history has been processed, told and manipulated in the pictures. Each image is carefully studied and analyzed until its secrets are revealed. The series explores the power of pictures to tell otherwise. It raises the question do we see what we know or can we know more with the help of the image? “Mysteries in the Archives” is a collection aiming to uncover and rediscover known or unpublished images that bear witness to our history. The audiovisual document becomes a piece of evidence that it is up to us to question, to make people talk. The image is scrutinized, dissected, and often, Mysteries in the Archives takes our gaze away from what the camera operator had seen or expected. Each episode is constructed as an investigation. Some are about cheerful and amusing topics, others are about more solemn, momentous events. Serge Viallet, a true detective of the image, reveals a multitude of new elements and significant anecdotes hidden behind the story as it was shown to us in cinemas and then on television. Meticulous investigations are undertaken - film is rummaged, sifted through and sorted, examined frame by frame and analyzed until it finally reveals its secrets. This collection includes all 10 episodes of season 2.

Part 7 1971 The Shah of Iran at Persepolis

Persepolis, October 1971. On the occasion of the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire, the Shah of Iran and his wife welcome some 60 crowned heads and heads of state to a luxury camp. On October 1971, the world witnessed a pompous staging. The lavish celebrations took place in a vast, star-shaped tent city in front of the ruins of Persepolis, the capital of ancient Persia. Against this grandiose backdrop, the Shah and Empress Farah Diba received around 60 crowned heads and heads of state or their representatives from five continents for three days. The immensely expensive festival stood in stark contrast to the poverty of the population. What was the Shah aiming at with all this pomp? What was the political impact of the celebrations? And why did so many foreign heads of state and government accept the invitation to this orgy of jubilation in the desert? What is the stake of these festivals for the Shah? And why did these prestigious guests agree to come and spend several days in the middle of the desert?

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