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Color of Paradise, The
EMAILPRINTSony Pictures Classics

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 25 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 6 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama
Written by: Majid Majidi
Directed by: Majid Majidi
Release Date:
Theatrical: March 24, 2000
DVD: September 19, 2000
Running Time: 90 minutes, Color
Origin: Iran
Language(s): Farsi (with English subtitles)
Summary
RATING: PG for thematic elements
Starring Mohsen Ramezani, Hossein Mahjoub, and Salime Feizi
The story of an active 8 year-old blind boy who shows how he senses the world without sight. The film also follows the progress of the father-son relationship after the death of the mother.
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Baran The Song of Sparrows The Willow Tree
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
While never slow, the film feels quiet and spacious, like a prayer.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
The film's climax involves a father and son reunion that is tense, tragic and, finally, as transcendent as Mohammad himself.
Boston Globe Jay Carr
The story is spun forth ravishingly, tenderly, and urgently, with a captivating mix of beauty, spare sophistication, and profound humanity.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham
This is a transcendent film, deeply committed and beautifully wrought. It will make anyone who sees it look at the world with new eyes.
Read Full Review >Mr. Showbiz F. X. Feeney
It's an exhilarating display of filmic artistry.
Time Richard Corliss
This miniature epic is a film that, like its young hero, will enrich those who peer into its poignant heart.
Newsweek Ann-Rebecca Laschever
A beautifully told story of a child's innocence and faith, filmed with exquisite detail and stunning cinematography
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
A family film that shames the facile commercialism of a product like "Pokemon" and its value system based on power and greed.It is made with delicacy and beauty.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jami Bernard
Another perfect little gem from Iran in which the simplest story unleashes a torrent of emotion.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
The simplicity and idealism of The Color of Paradise are part of what makes it so attractive to near-jaded palates here. There are no evil characters in the film.
Read Full Review >Dallas Observer Jean Oppenheimer
A beautiful film from Iran explores beauty both physical and spiritual.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum
Reputed to be sentimental crowd pleaser, for better and for worse.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Michael Atkinson
Like a Hollywood dolt, Majidi strives to overwhelm us with emphasis, but it's the reality he was savvy to load his movie with that's touching.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
It's so beautiful and moving and simple that I'm willing to forgive Majidi his contrivances.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian Diana Abu-Jaber
Offers a charming reinterpretation of what it means to look for happiness and all the unexpected places that it may be found.
Read Full Review >New York Post Jonathan Foreman
Doesn't have the emotional heft of his "Children of Paradise," but it's still moving.
USA Today Staff [Not Credited]
Seductively pastoral but also a bit slight, the movie saves its best scene for the very end.
Film.com Henry Cabot Beck
Westerners may find the religious aspects wearying and a little fantastic. The Color of Paradise is both parable and fable, a retelling of Isaac and Abraham.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas
As worthy and moving as The Color of Paradise is, it is not entirely free of the manipulative, the arbitrary and the downright punitive.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Dana Stevens
Leans a bit too much toward the lachrymose and has a wrong-note final image.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Ken Fox
The surprisingly tragic climax may make it rough going for kids too young to grasp the film's comforting message.
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
Although it has a good heart and a warm spirit, this prettily filmed drama is more sentimental and manipulative than earlier Iranian films on youth-related subjects.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 10.0 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Juna D. gave it a10:
Its one of the best movies i ever saw..... In the first scene, When he touches his father's hand...there is a load of emotion unleashed...it was so good...and the scene where he saves a baby bird..the thought wouldn't have flashed even in a perfect human's eye...totally....AWESOME BLOSSOM!!
Naveen A. gave it a10:
This is a wonderful movie. It is sheer poetry on cellulide. The last scene brings tears in viewer's eyes.
Suzanne S. gave it a10:
Fascinating!
Clair G. gave it a 10:
Fabulous.
