Coup 53

“Old secrets cast long shadows”

8.0

2019

2h 1m

DocumentaryHistory

Director: Taghi Amirani

Overview

Tehran, Iran, August 19, 1953. A group of Iranian conspirators who, with the approval of the deposed tyrant Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, have conspired with agents of the British MI6 and the US CIA, manage to put an end to the democratic government led by Mohammad Mosaddegh, a dramatic event that will begin the tragic era of coups d'état that, orchestrated by the CIA, will take place, over the following decades, in dozens of countries around the world.

Trailer

2021 Official Trailer

Cast

Self - Actor / Norman Darbyshire

Ralph Fiennes

Self - Actor / Norman Darbyshire

Self - Filmmaker

Taghi Amirani

Self - Filmmaker

Self - Mossadegh's Nephew

Farhad Diba

Self - Mossadegh's Nephew

Self - Researcher

Malcolm Byrne

Self - Researcher

Self - Writer

Stephen Kinzer

Self - Writer

Self - Film Editor

Walter Murch

Self - Film Editor

Self - Writer

Ervand Abrahamian

Self - Writer

Self - End of Empire (1985) Researcher

Alison Rooper

Self - End of Empire (1985) Researcher

Self - Politician

David Owen

Self - Politician

Self - End of Empire (1985) Producer (voice)

Mark Anderson

Self - End of Empire (1985) Producer (voice)

Self - End of Empire (1985) Cameraman

Humphry Trevelyan

Self - End of Empire (1985) Cameraman

Self - Cameraman

Chris Morphet

Self - Cameraman

Reviews

CitygalSF

This important movie, over 4 years in the making, is even more pertinent today, with renewed tensions with Iran. Prodigious research underlies the revelation of British leadership in the coup that re-installed the Shah of Iran. The film provides evidence and context for subsequent events, without losing focus on the overthrow of a democratically elected leader to preserve British oil interests at Abadan. Currently making the rounds of the festival circuit, the producers are trying for a wide release as soon as possible. The persistence of the director and editing by Murch combine for a film that successfully tells a complex story without unnecessary simplification. It’s a sophisticated and vital film.

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