THE DAWN-BREAKERS Feature Film: The Story by James J. Keene, Ph.D. The Great Comet of 1843, biggest in history, marks the time. The American missionary Austin Wright, 35, returns to his post in Iran. World- wide economic depression, revolutions sweeping Europe, other strange astronomical events, and forecasts of the "return of a prophet" add to the agitated, almost surreal atmosphere at the birth of our modern era. Wright expects Christ to descend on a cloud at any moment. He stumbles on the remarkable coincidence that both the Christian and Moslem worlds are expecting a prophet at exactly the same time -- 1844. Then an unknown and uneducated youth from Shiraz declares that he is "the Bab," meaning "gateway" to a new era of history. Daring adherents of this young visionary, the Babis, proclaim the revolutionary news throughout the oppressive empire then known as Persia. The intense, stoic Husayn delivers the Bab's message to Muhammad Shah, through Prime Minister Aqasi, an old, ridiculous and rat-faced schemer. At the Tehran British Legation, Wright meets Maj. Justin Sheil and Lt.-Col. Francis Farrant. News of the invention of the telegraph and its first message arrives -- "What Hath God Wrought?" Through dispatches from Baghdad (now Iraq), Sheil and Farrant follow the case of a Babi ar- rested and punished for dissemination of "blas- phemy." In Shiraz, Quddus, a rebellious young poet, and Sadiq, a crusty old reformer, alter an Islamic tradition and suffer the consequences. For one thing, Sadiq's beard is burned off his face before our eyes. Amid a stunning "raining of comets" of his- toric proportions, Beila's comet appears and literally splits in two as excitement of the growing Babi presence stirs Tehran. Prince Dimi- tri Dolgorukov, the Russian envoy, begins to re- cord amazing events in his dispatches to Lenin- grad. Apprehensive, Muhammad Shah sends Vahid, a trusted advisor and erudite scholar, to inves- tigate the Bab. Vahid is confident that he can straighten out the "unbalanced youth." But eve- ryone from Prime Minister Aqasi to Vahid himself is caught off guard when a strange event leads Vahid to endorse the claim of the Bab. Aqasi orders the Bab's death. But as the constable's men invade the Bab's home at mid- night, an eery wailing of grieved and hysterical voices is heard. A deadly plague of cholera killing hundreds causes panic, just as the Bab's situation seems hopeless. The Bab is released after he cures the constable's son. The wealthy, powerful governor of Isfahan, Manuchihr Khan, a Georgian eunuch, provides tem- porary refuge for the Bab. Meanwhile near Bagh- dad, Tahirih, a mulla's wife turned Babi and a renowned poetess and beauty, is arrested for blasphemy. She had proclaimed the emancipation of women. To avoid her influence, Aqasi does not want Tahirih deported to Iran. As Muhammad Shah orders that the Bab be brought to Tehran, the Isfahan mullas sign the Bab's death warrant. Then the Bab "disappears." Aqasi's search parties turn up nothing, enhanc- ing the Bab's mystique. Dolgorukov investigates the disappearance. The Babis fear that Manuchihr Khan had the Bab killed on the high plains to avoid riots in the city. Now in winter, 1847, Wright struggles with the facts: 1844 had come and gone and Christ did not descend from the clouds. When Manuchihr Khan dies, it is revealed that he had hid the Bab. Deported back to Iran, Tahirih has an im- mense following. Aqasi banishes the Bab to strict isolation at the remote Mah-ku prison fortress, but the warden has a mystical experi- ence converting him into a Babi. Husayn walks 900 miles through cold and snow to Mah-ku. East meets West when Wright happens upon a roguish dervish, in the midst of a drugged fren- zy and blasphemous ritual in the wilderness. Wright becomes fascinated by the Babis, as the dervish feeds him information. Tahirih is accused as a conspirator in the murder of her uncle, who was also the father of her estranged mulla husband. She issues an ulti- matum, "Free me within nine days or execute me." With Babi help, she escapes certain execution. The Babi cause catches like wild-fire in Russia north of the border at Mah-ku. Fearing disorder, Dolgorukov requests Aqasi to remove the Bab from Mah-ku. The dervish happens upon Wright in the midst of an outdoor sermon on the career of Jesus. Having missed the beginning of Wright's talk, the dervish mistakenly assumes Wright is speak- ing of the Bab. He blurts out, "The missionary has become a Babi," embarrassing Wright. Three Babi leaders, Baha'u'llah, Quddus and Tahirih, organize a Babi conference at Badasht to "break with the past." Tahirih causes chaos by appearing unveiled before the mostly male as- sembly. One man slits his throat; others flee at this key turning point. Aqasi orders a public trial of the Bab in Tabriz, but the Bab asserts his claim and walks out. British physician Dr. Cormick treats the wounds inflicted in the Bab's punishment. The Bab tells him that "he has no doubt that all Europeans would eventually adopt his cause." Meanwhile, a Tabriz teenager has a vision of his coming martyrdom with the Bab. In a howling wind storm at a Babi encampment Husayn foretells the fall of Muhammad Shah, 40, who, in fact, promptly dies causing commotion. With assistance from the British and Russian diplomats, Nasiri'd-Din Shah, 17, is installed in power. But the "boy Shah" does little to help himself; he orders that the Babis be "erased from the pages of history." Husayn leads several hundred Babis through four days of rain in the green mountains of Ma- zindaran on "the way that leads to our martyr- dom." They are then attacked at the instigation of mullas ranting "holy war." With one sword blow, Husayn severs into six pieces a tree, a rifle and a man. They take refuge in the woods where they overcome rain, snow and starvation, building a fort to secure their position. Put under siege by 15,000 of the Shah's army, these 300 Babis prevail for over six months against all odds. Dolgorukov hosts a dinner for Wright and Farrant where the ex-Minister of War explains, "The basis of the Shah's government is the ab- sence of an heir of Muhammad who was martyred 1,000 years ago. But the people believe he will 'return' and claim all authority again. The Ba- bis say this 'return' has occurred." Thus, mil- itary force against them is inevitable. Clearly, Wright is not prepared for this. Later, a Dolgorukov dispatch records, "The Prime minister estimates over 100,000 Babis as news of their exploits reaches every province... In spite of their numerical inferiority, those fanatics continue to repulse their attackers." Finally, promised their liberty, the Babis leave the fort and are summarily massacred. Mystified by the fearless Babis, Wright tries to get their own story, but by now they are going underground. Sheil, the British envoy, returns from London to find Iran in turmoil. As the new Prime Minister, Mirza Taqi Khan, presides over the beheading of seven prominent Babis, Farrant and Sheil clash over who is re- sponsible. Taqi Khan unleashes a reign of terror against Babi communities throughout the land, killing thousands of families. The foreign dip- lomats attempt to restore some semblance of civ- ilization, but they are helpless spectators. Each Babi martyr provokes dozens more to embrace the Bab's teachings which dealt with the immi- nent coming of justice and peace. Provincial governors threaten to flee their posts. Finally, Taqi Khan transmits the order for the execution of the Bab, although his predeces- sor, Aqasi, had failed three times to achieve this. When the Bab is brought to Tabriz amid growing hysteria, the Russian Consul, Anitchkov, is pensive, "The governor has disassociated him- self from this act. He fears a miracle." Yet the Shi'ite authorities proceed with their plan. This chapter of the story concludes with the ultimate triumph of the Bab, in what historians have called the most stunning and extraordinary events surrounding the execution of any public personage in all recorded history. This motion picture shows the most astounding execution sequence ever filmed. Copyright (c) 1988-2009 James J Keene