ARGO, An open letter From A.Baharloo to Mr Ben Afflleck
Dear Ben,
I always liked you, as a person, writer, actor, and as a director. At least until I saw your latest work. Argo.
In an essay type narration or comic strip at the beginning of your much publicized movie, you have summarized the history of Iran, the place I came from, in the most distorted, lop sided, wrong, and border to fraudulent way which only in fictional world of Hollywood you could get away with it. I am talking about the so-called art work of Kyle cooper that takes away any journalistic credibility from your work.
As respectful that I am trying to be, it is a simplistic, linear account of what led to the Iran's revolution, and as close to the truth, as the Khomeini's words was about his love for freedom of Iranian people. It is indeed the same wrongful song that broadcast mercilessly in the ear of Iranians prior to their fall, to persuade them, and justify their historic mass suicidal move of 1978.
You show a photoshop altered picture of an upside down hanged from ceiling tortured or dead person to show the brutality of Shah's regime which was replaced by Khomeini's multi dirty dozens. I am sure you didn't do that knowingly, but You know well that using that altered picture, showing it to your audience as a document, not only ethnically is wrong, it simply takes away all the journalistic credential that you have tried so hard to earn in making of Argo.
In the same short part, the account of down fall of Mossadegh, the picture of poverty ridden iran in time of Mohamad Reza Shah is equally wrong, and at least remains unresolved amongst Iranians to this date. In a way the way they are presented in Argo, justifies a revolution which introduced the world to a phenomenon called, "state sponsored terrorism", a prelude to the September 11 disaster, which remains the biggest threat to the world security.
Iran is now a depressed nation, and in deep sense of guilt, for being manipulated in 1978 to go against the same person that Argo accuses of committing all the crimes, and wrong doings. Today in Iran, the older ones remember the days of Mohammadreza shah, as the days of lost glory, with remorse, and young ones blame their parents for joining the frenzy movement of 1978 which handed the destiny of many generations to come in the cruel hand of Khomeini and company. Your apparent consultants were wrong . My suggestion is, if you can't figure out how a person or an era was, look at what happened when that person and era are gone.
Argo's conclusion about two of the most controversial and hotly debated events among Iranians, has totally, and categorically ignored all the arguments and valid documents, and sided with the one's who have locked themselves in a mental cocoon of unearned intellectualism. They, dear Ben, are responsible for bringing the catastrophic revolution of Khomeini upon Iranians, and to the free world. Argo took the wrong side , and ignored the rest.
The politics, and history of Iran is so complicated, and confusing, even for many of the Iranians, even the educated ones. A haphazard look and judgement does not serve the justice.
Oh by the way, in that infamous comic strip at the beginning of Argo, a clip from the late Shah's last interview with David Frost in Panama a few month before his death, was used. Have you seen the rest of that interview? For instance, the part that he points at two American oil companies who financed this costly operation we know as Iran's devolution? Or the part he points at General Huyser's notorious mission in Iran, when he was dispatched, by President Carter to go to the Iranian Army generals and deliver his devastating secret message to them? Did you know? General Alexander Haig, commander of Nato forces, and general Huyser's boss then, resigned from his post in Nato in protest for what he considered an unjust interference of Carter administration in the Iranian internal affairs to undermine the Shah of Iran, in the deciding days when the movement in Iran was not labeled as "revolution" yet. I doubt if you have. Otherwise you would've given it a different treatment perhaps.
Your previous works always suggest that you are a talented film maker, but in your own world, in Hollywood mentality. Please go back to what you are good at it. Forget about our once "home", which was brought down because of an international plot 34 years ago. Forget it. We, and you will be much better off.
If by any chance you are interested in the truth, of what happened, and have a few hours time to spare, then watch a documentary called Devolution. I made that film dear Ben, not with mega budget of hundred millions such as yours, but with a personal few hundred thousand dollars budget. It is an independent true account of The disaster forced upon Iranians. us.
I wish you had seen Devolution before that historical blunder at the beginning of Argo.
I will be glad to send you a complimentary copy.
Ahmad Baharloo
Ahmad Baharloo is the former Chief of VOA Persian Service, currently working as an independent film maker.
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