Overview
A poignant tale of a king's last stand against the tide of history.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- austere
- tense
- intellectual
- focused film study
- historical cinema viewing
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The death of the final Sasanian king unfolds during the collapse of pre-Islamic Iranian rule and the early Muslim conquests.
The miller, his wife, and his daughter each recount Yazdgerd's death differently.
The king's death and the witnesses' shifting stories turn a regicide into an interrogation of power, class, and legitimacy.
Yazdgerd's hiding place in a mill provides the principal enclosed arena for the competing narratives.
Films like Death of Yazdgerd, and why
Rashomon
historical political drama using contested testimony, theatrical staging, and moral ambiguity
The Chess Game of the Wind
Iranian historical drama centered on power, social upheaval, and layered allegory
The Favourite
formally theatrical historical drama that interrogates authority through competing perspectives
Movie Details
- Director
- Bahram Beyzai
- Release Date
- 1982-04-01
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 8.0 / 10 (13)
Cast
- Mehdi Hashemi
- Susan Taslimi
- Yasaman Arami
- Mahmoud Behrouzian
- Karim Akbari Mobarakeh
- Amin Tarokh
- Alireza Khamseh
Common questions
- What is Death of Yazdgerd about?
- In a mill at the edge of a collapsing empire, three witnesses transform a king’s death into a fiercely theatrical struggle over truth and power.
- What is Death of Yazdgerd like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Death of Yazdgerd as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Death of Yazdgerd violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Death of Yazdgerd as moderate.
- Which films are like Death of Yazdgerd?
- Films with a similar feel include Rashomon, The Chess Game of the Wind, and The Favourite.
- How long is Death of Yazdgerd?
- Death of Yazdgerd runs 113 minutes.
