The Color of Pomegranates (1969)

A super-stylized, surreal biography of Armenian troubadour Sayat Nova, whose life is depicted through non-narrative amalgamations of poetic images.

Director:

Sergei Parajanov

Writers:

Sayat Nova (poems), Sergei Parajanov

Stars:

Sofiko Chiaureli, Melkon Alekyan, Vilen Galstyan

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Sofiko Chiaureli	...	Poet as a Youth / Poet's Love / Poet's Muse / Mime / Angel of Resurrection
Melkon Alekyan	...	Poet as a child (as M. Alekyan)
Vilen Galstyan	...	Poet in the cloister
Gogi Gegechkori	...	Poet as an old man (as Giorgi Gegechkori)
Spartak Bagashvili	...	Poet's father
Medea Japaridze	...	Poet's mother
Hovhannes Minasyan	...	Prince
Onik Minasyan	...	Prince
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yuri Amiryan
I. Babayan
Medea Bibileishvili
T. Dvali
Aleksandr Dzhanshiyev	...	Monk
Guranda Gabunia
Zh. Gharibyan

Storyline

One of the greatest masterpieces of the 20th century, Sergei Parajanov's "Color of the Pomegranate," a biography of the Armenian troubadour Sayat Nova (King of Song) reveals the poet's life more through his poetry than a conventional narration of important events in Sayat Nova's life. We see the poet grow up, fall in love, enter a monastery and die, but these incidents are depicted in the context of what are images from Sergei Parajanov's imagination and Sayat Nova's poems, poems that are seen and rarely heard. Sofiko Chiaureli plays 6 roles, both male and female, and Sergei Parajanov writes, directs, edits, choreographs, works on costumes, design and decor and virtually every aspect of this revolutionary work.

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Plot Keywords:

poet | 18th century | armenian culture | surrealism | russia | 

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Taglines:

Besides the film language of Griffith & Eisenstein cinema hasn't discovered anything revolutionary new until The Color of Pomegranates - Mikhail Vartanov

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sergei Parajanov's 1968 masterpiece "Sayat Nova" was censored, re-cut, renamed (The Color of Pomegranates) and banned; its 1969 behind-the-scenes documentary (Paradjanov: The Color of Armenian Land (1969)) was banned and the footage reappeared 20 years later in Mikhail Vartanov's influential documentary Parajanov: The Last Spring (1992), which demistifies the unique film language of "Sayat Nova." Parajanov's "Sayat Nova" appeared on the Top 10 and Top 100 lists in Cahiers du Cinema, Sight and Sound, Movieline and Time Out. Mikhail Vartanov famously wrote: "Probably, besides the film language suggested by Griffith and Eisenstein, the world cinema has not discovered anything revolutionary new until 'The Color of Pomegranates' not counting the generally unaccepted language of the 'Andalusian Dog' by Bunuel." Michelangelo Antonioni later added that the film "strikes with its perfection of beauty."

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Quotes

Poet in the cloister: My brain is all delusional; oh, may my enemy, too, be like in misery
[as]
Poet in the cloister: I am.
[English subtitles to Armenian voiceover]

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Connections

Featured in Fejezetek a film történetéböl: A szovjet film 1953-1970 (1990)

User Reviews

No, This is definitely not Hollywood

For those who need an American equivalent to compare to, it is similar to the work of Brakhage or Anger, the American experimental filmmakers.

It is not Hollywood in that the movie does not rely on a plot, although there is a semblance of one present in this particular movie. The life and poetry of Sayat Nova, the great Medieval Armenian Troubadour, albeit abstractly, is the basis for all the images presented. It is also not Hollywood in that there is no dialog. The interest rests in the unforgettable and arresting images, lovingly created and edited together in the manner of Eisenstein. So in this regard it has more in common with silent film.

Yes, this is an abstract film. Yes, it is pretentious. But what is wrong with that? Prtensious is, after all, what most call something that they have a hard time understanding. Make no mistake, this is an art film to the extreme. A film whose primary concern is not to entertain, but rather to express Parajanov's personal view of Sayat Nova,and more importantly, to preserve to film the medieval Armenian culture which was almost completely eradicated in the Armenian Massacre of 1915 at the hands of the Turkish Empire. This film is historically important for this reason alone. The fact that Parajanov was imprisoned by the Russian Government for not conforming to the strict Social Realist code of film underscores this point. This film was a slap in the face to Communist Russia which wanted to erase the old traditions.

There is nothing much you have to get to enjoy this film, except to marvel at images inspired by an ancient little known culture. There is a lot of beauty in these images which probably seem so foreign and alien to Westerners. That is the point. That is the effect that I believe Parajanov is after. Those that don't get it either lack patience and subtlety, or are under the mistaken assumption that good films must follow the American Hollywood script model. The latter would be making the same mistake as the Russians who put Parajanov in the Gulag. No one who as seen even a bit of this film, could deny that it is unforgettable. And that is what to me makes a good film.

Details

Official Sites:

Parajanov-Vartanov Institute [United States]

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Armenian Azerbaijani Georgian

Release Date:

27 January 1982 (France)

Also Known As:

The Color of Pomegranates

Filming Locations:

Haghpat monastery, Alaverdi, Armenia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Armenfilm, Yerevan Film Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min 72 min (Commercial Cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1