The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam (2005) User Reviews

Good movie - but be prepared for something Hollywood

[n_d_f_a · 5/10 · 28 August 2005]

"The Legend of Omar Khayyam", for many such a title carries a heavy weight. As a movie, this is a pretty entertaining film, however, as it tries to be more acceptable to an international audience - it feels too Hollywood! Omar K. comes off looking like a simple man who just happened to write some poems along the way as he goes through a series of almost disconnected events in his life -- as another review already mentioned NOT a single verse of poetry was recited in the original Persian language, whats far worse is that the ones that Omar does say are really weak translations, nothing near the original Fitzgerald which do appear later... and the movie sadly shows too much wine and women to let the viewer ever imagine the depth of what is said.

Anyway I think Mashayekh has done a great job in the making of a beautiful looking and sounding movie and deserves acknowledgment -- however since he has tried to get a more international and diverse audience; many fans of Omar K. fan will probably come off a bit disappointed!

Well-meaning and handsome, but too stolid

[zwirnm · 6/10 · 2 January 2006]

Omar Khayyam was a Persian astronomer, mathematician, and poet in the 11th Century, famous today for Edward Fitzgerald's 1859 translations of his works into English. The Keeper is a well-meaning and handsome (if a bit stolid, and poorly edited at times) attempt to render his life meaningful today, written by Iranian-American lawyer/filmmaker Kayvan Mashayekh.

To keep things relevant, Mashayekh presents through the eyes of a young Iranian-American boy in Houston (Adam Echahly) who is a descendant of the family who takes it upon himself to "keep" and transmit the story. The title character (Bruno Lastra) is presented in an admirable if a bit sycophantic light, as is his love story with Darya (Marie Espinosa), to whom he composed most of his most famous love poems. The scenes (set in Uzbekistan, with period jaunts elsewhere) are ably filmed and mostly elegant, although the level of the actors' engagement doesn't rise above a slow simmer most of the times. The principal conflict is between Khayyam and lifelong friend Hassan (Christopher Simpson), which Mashayekh hopes to make emblematic of a host of larger conflicts - between science and religion, between universalism and sectarianism, between worldliness and Islamic separatism. It succeeds only in pieces. The editing is also a bit spotty, and at certain points I felt that too much of the story had been cut.

The film is one of those that serves a valuable public function; informing the movie-going world about Khayyam's legacy and the larger history of Islamic science and mathematics is a meaningful one, and I saw a host of Iranian-American families at the screening taking part in their cultural heritage. It doesn't win on purely cinematic terms, but it's an engaging and wholly good-hearted exercise regardless.

Pleasantly Disappointed

[ez2manage · 7/10 · 22 August 2005]

Good film, but left me feeling unsatiated. One main criticism: NOT A SINGLE VERSE OF KHAYYAM'S POETRY READ OUT IN THE NATIVE PERSIAN LANGUAGE!!! It would not have cost a single penny and would have given so much more weight to the character of Khayyam. Other more minor criticisms: the dialogue was very elementary and the depth of the characters wasn't allowed to be fully developed (perhaps constrained due to 90 min. length of the film)... I didn't feel the depth of the characters, particularly, Khayyam's character. This man was a genius, but came across as a very simple man, at times babbling words in English (again, Fitzgerald's version of the more authentic and melodious Persian original) that wouldn't make much sense to the average viewer. The reason no Persian verse was spoken in this movie may have been because Khayyam was played by a non-Persian, Bruno (though he may be multilingual and talented), who probably hasn't ever read Khayyam in its original form (conjecture on my part). Why subtitle the characters living in U.S. (the Iranian-Americans) and not subtitle Khayyam who never spoke a word of English in his life?? I felt this really detracted from the character of Khayyam and his story. The best actor in the film, really, was Redgrave. I don't think the others carried the weight of those they were trying to emulate, particularly, Khayyam and Malek Shah. Overall, though, the movie is not bad. I think for this being his first film, Mashayekh deserves a good acknowledgment! He is obviously quite talented and I hope to see more films from him. In this film, though, in trying to cover too much and such an important subject (the Legend of Omar Khayyam), and trying to anglicize the project too much for a western audience (perhaps due to financial restrictions), that, in the end, Mashayekh perhaps lost what he was trying to "Keep" in the first place.

Excellent film, inspirational

[persianimmortal · 9 June 2006]

I only happened upon the website for this film (http://greatomar.com/) a couple of weeks ago (May 2006), purely by coincidence. Having not heard a thing about the film here in Australia, I was curious as to how good it could be. Checked the trailer and it looked authentic, ordered the DVD from the site, and having just watched it I can honestly say it is inspirational.

Without a doubt there is no better time for Persians and non-Persians alike from around the world to actually come to grips with just how rich and varied 2,500+ years of Persian history has been. And what better way than to watch a film which has so obviously been made out of the motive to educate, entertain and inspire.

If the movie does have a flaw, it's that the main characters seems to grow too quickly into their legendary statuses. However this is clearly due to time/financial constraints, perhaps also with a clear eye to the restlessness of modern audiences. The location scenery is both beautiful and authentic, the costumes and acting are more than passable - Omar (Bruno Lastra) in particular does a tremendous job, and most critical of all, the essence of the story is encapsulated perfectly.

My deepest thanks to Mr. Mashayekh for making this wonderful film, and again I encourage you all to see it for yourselves. I promise you, you won't be disappointed.

Cheers, Koroush Ghazi

A very skewed version of truth

[as11-3 · 2/10 · 13 December 2008]

The movie in itself is not that bad. But the objection that I have is the way Omar was portrayed. The type of poetry written by Omar and many other Persian poets which use the terminology of wine, cup, intoxication, love, beloved and so forth are metaphors. Unfortunately, this movie looks at it from a literal point of view and assumes getting drunk results from drinking intoxicants and not from getting drunk when the love of God is poured into one's heart (a concept that rarely anyone can relate to). Omar like many other Persian mystics may not have believed in God the way Muslims at their time did. For them the concept of creator was not something imaginary (blind faith) but something that needed to be researched with love, devotion, and sincerity to be grasped. Unfortunately many Iranians who have come to hate the religion of Islam due to what has happened in Iran since the revolution are now trying to appreciate their heritage by analyzing them without the element of religion.

Worst movie ever....

[AshStoneFarzaneh · 1/10 · 18 May 2010]

When I first heard of this movie it was because of my iranian dad. I was fairly excited about it because of interest in history and the sciences but also because of my iranian heritage. When I saw the movie I was baffled with how on earth the director could get away with making such a crappy film. I mean.... the dialouge is worthless... the actors cannot act... (except the English lady whom we see in 2 minutes). I bet the only people who have given this movie a good vote are iranian nationalist or whatever... I am proud to see this movie for what it is rather than coming in my pants out of some nationalistic sensation that an iranian made this movie about an iranian. Don't watch it. Seriously... you WILL regret it (unless you're a homesick iranian who doesn't have any sense of aesthetics at all).

to support a great talent

[darya-taheri · 10/10 · 10 September 2005]

At the beginning I just followed my friends to support the independent film industry. After I watched it for the first time, I felt in love with the movie. I am a detail oriented person and love to watch movies, which keeps you busy to catch very small details and Kayvan packed it with so many details. After the show he added much more details to it by explaining about the cast and all the background thoughts, actions, struggles. This made me to go back twice to see the movie. For a film without Hollywood support, it was amazing to see such a perfection. To me Kayvan is a very talented young director and soon he will be very successful in his profession. I have a great respect for the people who are fighting for their passion! Thanks Kayvan & Co. You will have always my support!

third school friend was missing in the story

[golnar_p · 5/10 · 12 August 2006]

The Idea of the movie is great and in this short time Mashayekh has done a fine job, but the actors used very shallow dialogs and up to the point conversations which made them act not very naturally. the half Persian half English dialogs of the family was not done properly, why did Nader narrated the story in Persian and the old Grandfather in English? The most important thing that kind of bothered me throughout the whole story was that the third friend Nizam-ol-Mulk was not mentioned and we all know the famous friendship of the three students of emam mowafigh, Omar, Hassan and Nizam-ol mulk, and always read in books and heard that the person who gave power and wealth to hassan and supported Omar's research was Nizam who he was malekshah's Vizier.

Make the most of what we may yet spend

[bobbiecowan · 10/10 · 6 August 2005]

I went to see this film only to support the independent industry, but ended up truly enjoying the movie. The characters are memorable, the story itself is wonderful, the acting is superb, and the music is just the icing on the cake. This movie makes me want to connect with others, and apparently the other viewers felt the same as we were all discussing the message afterwords.

For a film of this magnitude to be someone's first film is truly astonishing. Kayvan has amazing talent and yet is humble.

...the most important thing your elders can give you is their words, their stories, pieces of their hearts.

Are you going to be a Keeper?

Don't even bother!

[tirdad_555 · 1/10 · 3 February 2007]

Before watching the movie I heard so many view points and finally I got the chance to watch it but it was awful trust me it was really a disaster.No part of this film is according to the historical facts specially about the life of the king and relationship between hassan sabbah and omar as far as it is written hasan omar and khajeh nizamolmolk were three old friends khajeh became the minister of the royal court and in one case he ruined the name of hassan sabah in the court that king intended to kill him in this caused the opposition of hassan with kingdom and it wasn't at all religious matter.Also there is no name from the famous Iranian people of that time in the film and the whole movie has concentrated on the love of omar to Darya. The biggest problem is about the Persian actors number of American born Iranians who even can't speak correct Persian.The scene which shows Iran creates a horrible image in the mind of the audience(it is more similar to a totally uncivilized place) meanwhile this has nothing even a little close to the truth. After all I can say the director has been completely unsuccessful in creating a good movie and has wasted the budget he could do such a better job....

A Film Rich in Visual Splendor and in Message

[gradyharp · 8/10 · 25 September 2006]

Writer/Director Kayvan Mashayekh has created a fine film biography of the 11th century poet/philosopher/mathematician Omar Khayyam and in doing so has presented his viewers with much food for thought. An Iranian immigrant to the US, Mashayekh set out to not only share the rich cultural heritage of his homeland, but he also found a way to make the story even more meaningful: 'The Keeper' refers to the member of Iranian families (or all families for that matter) whose role it is to preserve and share and perpetuate the history of the family, saving ties to the past to assure they never are forgotten. Oral histories these, but in Mashayekh's hands (with writing assists from Belle Avery) this story draws the viewer into an Iranian family's life of diaspora and the deep tug to remain connected its dazzling past. The film is timely to say the least, and the message is one that will benefit the audiences fortunate to see it in understanding a controversial country and its people.

Young Kamran (Adam Echahly) sits beside the bedside of his dying older brother Nader (Puya Behinaein) attentive to the stories about the family's tie to the Persian poet Omar Khayyam. The oral history is parceled out as the older brother dies and when death prevents the conclusion of the history young Kamran sneaks away to England where he encounters an elderly heiress (Vanessa Redgrave) who shares with him the handmade book of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and directs him to its source. Kamran then travels to Iran to his elderly grandfather (Dariush Iran Nezhad) who rejoices in the fact that Kamran is so committed to the family history and proceeds to share the mysteries of the hallowed ancestor.

This contemporary story serves as a reference point to depict the actual times of Omar Khayyam (Bruno Lastra), revealing the man's childhood with his commitment to learning and to his two close friends Darya (Marie Espinosa) and Hassan (Christopher Simpson). Omar pursues learning and Hassan follows soldiering: they both love Darya but she is sold into slavery. The chain of events is unraveled slowly as we see every step of Omar's education into astronomy, mathematics, philosophy and poetry. He is a Muslim who is a lover of reason and tolerance, a man who keeps his pledges of trust and honor and translates his emotions into poetry that will live far beyond his time. Persia is invaded by the Turks with Sultan Malikshah (Moritz Bleibtreu) and the sultan is wise enough to employ the gifts of Omar for his court. The ruthlessness of the times destroys much of the empire: the Christian Crusaders and the Saracens destroy the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the seeds of struggle that persist to this day are sewn. But above it all is Omar's commitment to reason and to tolerance and his power is felt both at the time of the devastation and even to this day.

The film was shot almost entirely in Uzbekistan and other exotic locations not usually seen by US audiences. The added features on the DVD include a very fine commentary by the director and by an authority on Omar Khayyam who manages to give us a terrific history lesson! There are also production comments that share some of the coincidental beauties and difficulties in shooting this film. The actors are all fine: one wishes for more depth to their characters, which should have been the province of the writers. But the overall effect of this visually stunning film is one of reverence for Iran's past and for the legacy of Omar Khayyam. It is a fine story and an equally fine history lesson.

Every family needs a Keeper

[kdapp · 9/10 · 17 September 2005]

I saw this movie last night in San Diego and was truly enthralled by it. As I am not an Omar Khayyam scholar, the details of whether the story is accurate, has enough Persian language in it, etc. are not important. Those people went to the movie expecting to learn all about Omar Khayyam. They missed the point of the movie, which is that we need to pass on the best parts of our cultures to our children. Why is a story important in a culture? There is a quote in the movie about how we remember the things that touch us in the heart. This movie is about Omar K., but it is more about how we should cherish our literature, stories, cultures. It gave me the same feelings that I had when seeing Roots for the first time. As for the acting Vanessa Redgrave is amazing, and so is the little boy who plays Kamran. As for the scenery, music, editing - I haven't seen anything better this year.

Great film that provides a brief epiphany

[D-Sligar · 8/10 · 9 November 2006]

Wow, this turned out to be quite an interesting film! Through the first part of the movie, while the characters were being developed, I found myself wondering just where the film was taking me... and how long it would take to get there. By the second half though, the script proceeds quite well and leaves you with a feeling of just the slightest bit of understanding as to how things have developed not just within the Persian region, but all over the region. Initially I was kind of hoping more for the unveiling of the Assassins and all the action that would bring (this didn't really happen, though was touched upon briefly), but what I received was a tale told in two times of how people develop and affect those around themselves, as well as, within themselves. Don't get me wrong, the film isn't all philosophy, but it does weave a tale worth telling... if you pay attention.

I really enjoyed the film once I came to the realization that it was not going to be action-packed, the tale itself was well worth it!

Best movie I have seen this year

[john_oneal · 10/10 · 11 December 2007]

If someone needs to believe in a deep untarnished love between a man and a woman this is the movie you see. The movie explores the deep love and traditions found in the Persian culture. The music and cinematography was fabulous. If you buy this DVD, you must gift yourself by buying the soundtrack too. My wife and I ordered both after renting this sleeper movie from Blockbusters because we were so deeply moved. I am buying this as a Xmas gift for those who still believe in love. As a therapist, I am always looking for inspirational multi-media that will helps others move their lives to higher levels and vibrations. In the Keeper, you will see people who live from their higher selves despite the lower machinations of the society or the surrounding people. Do yourself a favor and check it out!

Not worth the time. Read a book instead.

[hqahtani · 5 December 2010]

The movie begins with this long haired, dorky kid whose an Iranian-American in search of his ancestry -- or something. His older brother gets hospitalized and begins relaying the story of Omar Khayyam to the kid. Surprise though! He dies about half way through and so the kid makes a trek to London to hook up with some old lady who has a copy of the book -- because no one else on earth could possibly possess such a thing.

Lady tucks in the kid in front of the fireplace. Kid somehow ends up in Iran talking to his grandfather with a horrible, indistinguishable accent (by the way, everyone has a horrible accent in this movie) who completes the story for him.

Meanwhile, the actual tale and life of the man gets lost between all this garbage. Is it there to fill time? I have no idea. I was tempted to stop the film after about 15 minutes but decided to see it through to the end. Glad I didn't pay for it.

The only thing amusing about this is that the Sultan looks sort of like Steve O, but probably doesn't do anything demented involving staplers. This pic is bad even by after school special standards.

Pick up a translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and read it instead. Nice movie for 5 year olds -- I guess. Creators were no doubt well intentioned, but when you're dealing with a man of this stature there's no room for error, otherwise it's just flat out disrespect. If you are a lover of Islamic culture and history just avoid this.

Hmm -- and some of these overly positive reviews seem mighty suspect, especially when a couple are structured identically.

naive

[Vincentiu · 21 June 2015]

but seductive. for landscapes more than performances. for the noble idea and for the homage to Omar Khayam. for the presence of few good actors. for a different image about Orient , useful in period of crisis and confusion. more than a film, it is a sketch. not impressive, fake in many scenes, unrealistic and very simple. but interesting as sign for discover more about culture, civilization,poetry and Persian circles of knowledge . and each meeting with Vanessa Redgrave is a happy moment. this film is not an exception. short, a naive film. about a lost world, piece of contemporary way to discover and understand the essence of European civilization.naive. seductive. and useful. not exactly as entertainment. but for remember.

what was good about this move?? *don't read it before seeing the movie*

[Dasco1632-1 · 10 March 2007]

besides the fact that it was not historically not accurate it was pretty entertaining movie. educational material on how NOT to do a movie on a certain topic that you do not posses enough in depth knowledge on. bad sound track!! googoosh in neyshabur? probably Mr.Elton (Faroukh) Ahi wanted to show that he is a googoosh fan (and probably ending up working with diva) and the party music? it was straight up ethno-house ( something that you might hear somewhere in a café or disco in a village in Romania) i would find traditional Persian music more appropriate. but well maybe lack of skills or resources was the reason. anyways.... Messed up storyline, the characters were not even built up in the movie. lots of questions about who those people were. one example : we still don't know who the dying old man is Mansouher's father? in that case why Mansour was skipped over? by the was what I noticed was that the market in modern Persia was basically identical to the market in Khayyam's time ( except the number of people and the way they dressed themselves) but nevertheless i salute Mr. Mashayekeh for having the courage and will to do something. next time please leave icons alone or make sure you know what you are doing if you're Persians you are gonna like the movie for nostalgic values ( but go easy on the historical facts and those in depth Persian issues) and for non Persians ? consider it a Perisan king Arthur ( historically not accurate but nobody seemed to care) I won't watch it twice and i won't recommend it to any of my friends ( Persians or non Persians)

fairy tale in fairy tale

[Kirpianuscus · 8 July 2015]

it is not difficult to criticize it. it is not a surprise to love it. far to be a real good film, it has the gift to be beautiful. for images, for story, for drops from Arabian Nights, for the presence of Redgrave and for remind the great Khayyam. in fact, more than a film, it is a fairy tale. tradition, from old recipes, with same charm but not the same science of detail like in the Modern squares from Orient. its subject it is generous - the survive of tradition. the stories - like the colors in a Persian carpet not always inspired used. but the result is decent and the beauty is more powerful against the not artistic high virtues. a film who could be useful. for remind old stories. for rediscover the Orient in a better light.