Original subtitles

This edition of THE HOUSE IS BLACK was made at the initiative of Cinema magazine,

with authorization from the film's producer, Ebrahim Golestan.

The copy used is from the Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, developed from the original negative.

Some elements were completed using a copy from the French Cinematheque.

THE HOUSE IS BLACK

There is no shortage of ugliness in the world.

If people closed their eyes to it, there would be even more.

But man knows how to solve any problem.

On this screen, you will witness a picture of ugliness,

a picture of suffering, which no sensitive soul should ignore.

To remove this ugliness, to relieve those who bear it,

and to comfort the afflicted...

this is what motivated the making of this film.

Translation and subtitles: kephasmnc

Lord, I praise You...

for having created me.

Lord, I praise You...

for having created my mother who cares for me

and my father full of kindness.

Lord, I praise You for the water that flows and for the trees that bear fruit.

Lord, I praise You for having given me hands to work,

eyes to see the wonders of the world

ears to hear beautiful melodies

and feet to go wherever I wish.

Who is this that from hell praises You, Lord?

Who is this from hell?

Thursday...

Friday...

Saturday...

Sunday...

Monday...

Tuesday...

- Wednesday... - October.

- Thursday... - November.

- Friday... - December.

- Saturday... - January.

- Sunday... - February.

- Monday... - March.

Tuesday...

Wednesday...

Thursday...

Friday...

Saturday...

- Sunday... - September.

- October. - Monday...

- November. - Tuesday...

- December. - Wednesday...

- January. - Thursday...

- February. - Friday...

- March. - Saturday...

April.

- Sunday... - May.

Monday...

Tuesday...

Wednesday...

Thursday...

Friday...

I will sing praises to Your name, O Eternal One!

I will sing praises to Your name with the ten-stringed harp

because You created me in a wonderful way.

My bones were not hidden from You when I was made,

I was formed in the depths of the earth.

In Your book, all my members were written.

And Your eyes, O Lord, saw me in the womb...

Your eyes saw my embryo...

I will see spring no more but my words will remain.

One day, the heavens departed from me and I awoke in this asylum.

I departed. With my heart in sorrow. I am sad tonight, my brothers.

Leprosy is a chronic and contagious disease.

Leprosy is not hereditary, but it is contagious.

Leprosy can be found anywhere and everywhere.

Leprosy is accompanied by poverty.

When attacking the body, it deepens and widens wrinkles,

devours tissues,

covers nerves with a withered shield,

dulls sensitivity to heat and touch,

blinds the eyes,

corrodes the nasal septum,

finds its way to the liver and bone marrow,

withers fingers,

and opens the way for other diseases.

Leprosy is not incurable.

Treating lepers prevents the disease from spreading.

Where lepers are cared for in an appropriate manner,

the disease disappears.

When leprosy is treated in its early stages, it can be completely cured.

Leprosy is not incurable.

O generous God, grant Your benevolence to our supplications.

You are the Supreme over men and spirits. In the name of God,

merciful and compassionate,

In the name of Allah, of Allah and by Allah.

To You I submit my being, Lord, and to You I turn my face.

To You I entrust my works and my destiny equally...

Your hands are for me my left and my right,

my north and my south,

my rock and my destiny.

Everything is subject to Your command and Your power,

for there is no righteousness nor power, except from Allah.

If I had the wings of a dove,

I would fly away and find rest.

I would go far away and find shelter in the desert.

I would hurry to escape the whirlwind and the storm.

For I have seen misery and disgrace on earth.

The universe, pregnant with inertia,

gave birth to injustice.

Where would I find refuge?

away from Your face and Your presence?

If I hid under the wings of the morning breeze,

and took refuge in the depths of the sea,

Your hand would reach me.

You made me numb with indecision.

How wondrous are Your works!

How wondrous are Your works!

I speak of the bitterness of my soul.

I speak of the bitterness of my soul.

While I kept silent, my bones rotted

amid my silent cries of each day.

Remember that my life is but a breath!

I have become the pelican of the desert, the owl of the ruins,

and like a sparrow, I remain alone on the roof.

I am like spilled water, like those who died long ago.

Upon my eyelids, the shadow of Death hides.

Upon my eyelids, the shadow of Death hides.

Leave me, leave me, for my days are nothing but a breath.

Leave me, before I depart to the land of no return.

To the land of eternal darkness...

O Lord, do not deliver the life of Your dove to the claws of beasts!

Do not forget that my life is wind,

that You gave me a time of languor,

and around me, the song of happiness,

the sound of windmills,

and the glimmer of dying light.

Blessed are those who are in the harvest now,

and their hands gather the wheat sheaves.

Hear the soul of her who sings in the distant desert!

The soul of her who sings and stretches her hands saying:

"Woe is me, for my wounds have numbed my spirit!"

O time, long forgotten,

when you dressed in red and put on your golden ornaments,

and carefully made up your eyes,

remember that in vain you made yourself beautiful

for a song in the distant desert,

and your friends who defamed you...

Alas, for the day gently fades, and the evening shadows spread.

And our being, like a cage full of birds,

is filled with the sighs of captivity.

And none of us knows how much longer captivity will last.

The time of harvest has passed,

summer has come to an end, and we have not found our salvation.

Like doves, we cry for justice... and there is none.

We long for light... but darkness prevails.

Venus. Sometimes, at dusk, we can see a bright star.

Its name is Venus (Morning Star).

Venus is very luminous.

The planet Venus is very close to us.

The planet Venus does not twinkle.

Why should we thank God for having father and mother?

You answer!

I don't know, I have no father or mother...

You! List some beautiful things!

The moon, the sun, flowers, playtime...

And you, list some ugly things!

The hand...

the foot, the head...

Write a sentence that contains the word "house"!

LEPER COLONY

THE HOUSE

IS

BLACK

THE HOUSE IS BLACK

O overflowing river moved by the force of love,

flow to us, flow to us...

Made in autumn 1962 for the Association for Assistance to Lepers

by Gulistan Film Co.

Translation and subtitles: kephasmnc

Cinematography: Soleiman Minassian

Sound: Mahmood Hangwall, Samad Poorkamali

Producer: Ebrahim Golestan

Editing and direction: Forough Farrokhzad