Mohsen Makhmalbaf: The Poetic Trilogy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Mohsen Makhmalbaf: The Poetic Trilogy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 20, 2018

Younger readers may not know the extremes some of us more “mature” film lovers used to have to go to enjoy international cinema. Typically in the days before home media (and frankly for a good long while after even things like laserdiscs and VHS tapes had been introduced), it used to be a requirement to scout newspaper ads for “coming attractions” at the local so-called Art House, where frequently any given film from overseas might only play for a night or two. One of the glories of the Blu-ray era, and of Arrow’s releases in particular, is the availability of rarer items from countries whose film industry has not been overly lionized, at least on this side of the pond. That’s the commendable case with The Poetic Trilogy, a really arresting set of three films from Iranian writer and director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Two of the films in this set, 1996’s Gabbeh and 1998’s The Silence, are dramatic narratives that have a kind of whimsical, folkloristic quality to them. While perhaps fictionalized to a degree, 2012’s The Gardener is more of a documentary, though it addresses some of the same religious aspects that are at least subliminally presented in the earlier two films.

For reviews of the three films included in this set, please click on the following links:

Gabbeh Blu-ray review

The Silence Blu-ray review

The Gardener Blu-ray review

Mohsen Makhmalbaf: The Poetic Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality of each release is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Mohsen Makhmalbaf: The Poetic Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality of each release is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Mohsen Makhmalbaf: The Poetic Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Arrow has packaged this release with the two "narrative" films on one disc, and the "documentary" on the other. Therefore, the discs may have supplementary material that is more generalist in nature or not specifically devoted to one particular film.

Disc One (Gabbeh and The Silence)

• Audio Commentary on Gabbeh by critic Godfrey Cheshire


• Original Trailers

  Gabbeh US Trailer (1080p; 1:19)

  Gabbeh French Trailer (1080p; 1:17)

  The Silence French Trailer (1080p; 1:02)

• Stills Gallery

  Gabbeh (1080p; 2:40)

  The Silence (1080p; 2:50)

Disc Two (The Gardener)

• Poetry in Motion: An Interview with Mohsen Makhmalbaf (1080p; 1:00:36) is a well done interview conducted by Jonathan Romney covering Makhmalbaf's career in general while also touching on these films.


• Mohsen with Closed Eyes (1080i; 16:34) is listed as "an imaginatively filmed archival interview with Makhmalbaf on The Silence", but while the content is definitely interesting, the "imaginatively filmed" part boils down to Makhmalbaf speaking with his eyes closed.


• Original Trailer (1080p; 4:21)


• Still Gallery (1080p; 3:50)

Mohsen Makhmalbaf: The Poetic Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I was really struck by all three of these films, even as I had occasional passing issues with some shortcomings in the stories. Makhmalbaf has one of the most distinctive visual styles in contemporary film, and all three of these films approach fairly weighty themes with a certain whimsical quality. Arrow is to be commended for giving "world cinema" enthusiasts another reason to celebrate. Recommended.