Persepolis Paints New Stripes on '80s Classic, ‘Eye of the Tiger’

Listen up!

The American power rock group Survivor certainly lived up to its name with the 1982 hit, “Eye of the Tiger,” from the soundtrack to the film, Rocky III. The Academy Award-winning fight anthem, commissioned by none other than Sylvester Stallone himself, endures as a signature sound of the Me/Money/Madonna decade.

But are replays of Rocky III with its images of sweaty, muscular men hellbent on ring combat really the best way to get a fix of this classic song?

Don’t answer that. But do try a change of tune with this delicate "Eye of the Tiger" cover, from the new film, Persepolis.

Find out what Sean Penn’s got to do with this after the jump!

For those whose pop culture visas have expired, Persepolis is the outstanding animated film adapted from the graphic novels of Marjane Satrapi. Her film version, created with the help of Vincent Paronnaud, already won the 2007 Cannes Festival Jury Prize, and became the official French contender for Best Foreign Film at the 2008 Academy Awards ― as if the Oscars were set to offer a real show this year.

Veiled threat.

Persepolis tells the story of Satrapi in Iran as a child, when her family lived through the 1979 Islamic Revolution and its aftermath. Watch the trailer on the official film Web site.

This slow version of “Eye of the Tiger” is performed by Chiara Mastroianni, a voice talent in Persepolis, who happens to be the daughter of Catherine Deneueve, that eternally lovely Buñuel de Jour. Listen for the song on the Persepolis soundtrack, due January 15, and set to include everything from elements of Iranian disco to the influence of French crooner, Serge Gainsbourg.

Oh, and about Madonna’s ex. Catch Sean Penn as one of the voices of the two male leads in the North American version of Persepolis, the one without those cumbersome subtitles that actually require reading. Iggy Pop will contribute the other voice.

Well, that’s like hypnotizing chickens!