Sociological analysis of Daryush Mehrcui films in Iranian new wave cinema

This thesis by adopting the reflection approach as theoretical framework, illustrates how the social developments of Iran during the Iranian New Wave Cinema, are reflected in Dariuş Mehrcui's film. Mehrcui, during the period of the Iranian New Wave Cinema has directed four films of The Cow, Mr. Naive, The Postman and The Cycle which are examined sociologically in this study. Sociological concepts are explained using the definition of media researcher Arthur Asa Berger, and Saussure semiotics is used to extract these concepts form the films. The sociological concepts are extracted by watching the films and finally by comparing them with the existing documents on the mentioned developments in Iranian society at the time of making the films, final analysis is done. The findings of this study show that the changes that have affected Iranian society and are illustrated in the films studied are rural migration to cities, changing the social role of women and their social presence, confronting tradition and modernity, changing the economic system from feudal to capitalist, single product economy by extreme dependence on oil exports, corruption in government employees, human alienation in the process of replacing modern culture with traditional culture, westernization, criticism of intellectuals for inaction and incuriosity about the society problems and the spread of anomalies and immoral and inhumane behaviors.