Fred Zinnemann the first 25 American films chosen in 1989 for the National Film Registry. With its psychological and moral examinations of its lawman hero Marshall Will Kane, played by Gary Cooper and its innovative chronology whereby screen time approximated the 80-minute countdown to the confrontational hour, the film broke the mold of the formulaic western. Working closely with cinematographer and longtime friend Floyd Crosby, he shot without filters, giving the landscape a harsh "newsreel" quality that clashed with the more painterly cinematography of John Ford's westerns. During production he established a strong rapport with Gary Cooper, photographing the aging actor in
Memoirs of the Actor in a Supporting Role in one of the leading roles. The play was translated into English by Mohammad Reza Ghanoonparvar and published in 2010 in the United States: Memoirs of the Actor in a Supporting Role Memoirs of the Actor in a Supporting Role () is a 1982 play by Bahram Beyzai. The play recounts the urban adventures of two male villagers (named Mowhebat and Zolfaqar) in Tehran during the earlier stages of street demonstrations in the 1979 revolution. Driven by drought and indigence, the two arrive in the large city in the latter months of the shah's rule in order to seek employment.