Sergey Parajanov - Movies

Directing is fundamentally the truth as it's transformed into images: sorrow, hope, love, beauty. Sometimes I tell others the stories in my screenplays, and I ask: "Did I make it up, or is it the truth?" Everyone says: "It's made up." No, it's simply the truth as I perceive it S.Parajanov

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Russian title: "Teni zabytykh predkov"), 1964

This is Parajanov's first long movie produced at the Dovzhenko studio in Ukraine. The whole movie is shot in black and white with almost no dialogs going on. All the action, emotions of heroes are communicated mostly through the background folklore music. "Shadows of forgotten ancestors" has often been compared to "Romeo and Juliet". For what reason, I can never understand... Perhaps, for the same reason A.Tarkovsky's "Solaris" has been rubbishly compared to Cubrick's "Space Odyssey". The tragic story takes place in the Carpathian mountains as the land "forgotten by men and God". The first scene: children looking through the glass windows in the morning sunlight rays. Among them, two main heroes: Ivan and Marichka. However, the whole surrounding and rhythm suggests something tragic about to take place.

Through the daily routine life of this forgotten place, Parajanov shows us Ivan and Marichka already as young adults in love with each other. But here comes the separation as an image of an old woman. Ivan is the only child left in the family after his father's death. To support his mother and the future life with Marichka, Ivan leaves the village to work as a hired laborer in the pastures. His plan is simple: earn some money, then come back and marry Marichka, the love of his life. Not too soon... Cut. Scene: a lamb runs from the farm, and Marichka in an attempt to rescue it, falls to her death. Again: image of an old woman comes to the picture for a few seconds. This time it symbolizes not separation, but death.

Parajanov follows the sequence of human emotions deeper into Ivan's mourning of his beloved and his desperate marriage to another woman and an inevitable betrayal. The images that Parajanov draws throughout the movie are eerie. Just like in his subsequent works, every single shot of the camera is a work of art itself. The scene with the wind blowing through the fields, the scene of Marichka's self-crusifixion combined with the image of the lamb she is chasing, the pale ghost that appears to Ivan after the death of his beloved... And of course the final scene of the movie: same children looking through the glass windows as if showing that the destiny will incessantly repeat itself.

The Color of a Pomegranate (Armenian title: "Nran guyne"), 1969

Everyone I asked about this movie gave me the same answer: "I've watched this long ago, and I only remember that there were a lot of bright images". Arguably the best movie with images in cinematography, "The Color of a Pomegranate" depicts inner life and spiritual quest of Haroutyun Sayadian known as Sayat Nova, Armenian ashough (troubadour). Parajanov takes us through the set of images from Armenian everyday life: wedding at the church, lamb sacrifice, bath house, where a child begins his discovery of the female body... Like enriched colors on a canvas, Sayat Nova's life is presented in images from his childhood work as an apprentice to departing his home and becoming an ashough.

A very picturesquely portrayed dialogue (probably, the only dialogue throughout the whole movie) takes place between an old woman and her husband who tell about their recent trip to Tiflis and about a troubadour they heard singing. Parajanov draws each scene of the movie like a painter with a colorful palette. "Krak es doo, sev e qo hagine"- the lines that repeat time and time again from Sayat Nova's poetry. It's a song about love and about death. And here comes the last scene of the movie: a laborer points his hand and slowly says to Sayat Nova "Ergi! Meri" (Sing! Die!)

What is this? Life of a famous troubadour as Parajanov sees it... or simply his own memories... Yes, it can be and it is widely accepted as one of the most colorful masterpieces in cinematography. But I believe this movie can be felt only by those who have been exposed to the Armenian life and to those who know how symbolic to our nation the colors of pomegranates are...

The Legend of Souram Fortress, 1985

Produced by: Sergey Parajanov, David Abashidze
Featuring Veriko Anjaparidze, David Adabashidze, Sophiko Chiaureli, et al

The first two movies were shot in Ukraine and Armenia respectively. After spending years in the Gulag zone and amnesty, Parajanov returns to the cinematography and works this time with "GruziaFilm" studio in Georgia. "Legend of Souram Fortress" was finished in late 80's and widely accepted as another masterpiece of cinematography. Here the action takes place in medieval Georgia. The last wall around the Souram fortress constantly collapses no matter what the builders try to... A spurned woman denied be the man she loves makes a prophecy and advises the prince who abandoned her to bury his son in the walls of Suram Fortress to protect it during a siege.According to the prophecy the only way to complete the wall around the fortress is to immure the hero into the wall.

Here's a paragraph I found at the website of Rotterdam Film Festival: "The absolute peak at the last Bals' festival was the arrival of Sergei Parajanov. For the first time after many years in prison, the great Russian director was allowed to leave his country. He had won a large cash prize with his movie THE FORTRESS OF SOURAM and was to receive it from Bals. Huub Bals had refused to give the money to Sovexport, the Russian distribution company. He wanted to give the prize to Parajanov himself. Nobody expected this to happen, until Parajanov emotionally expressed his thanks for the chance to leave his country for a while. He died that same year, shortly after Bals"

Ashik Kerib, 1988
Produced by: Sergey Parajanov, David Abashidze
Featuring Slava Stepanyan, Nodar Dugladze, Yuri Mgoyan, Sophiko Chiaureli, et al
Awards: Nika 1989, Felix 1988

I finally had a chance to watch this movie... long after Sayat Nova and Souram Fortress. "Ashik Kerib" is a very colorful movie based on a literary masterpiece of Lermontov, one of the most prominent Russian poets two centuries ago. The movie is about a young man named Ashik Kerib and his love to a girl named Magul. After being rejected by her father because of poverty, Ashik Kerib decides to become a wandering artist... a minstrel and get some money to come back to his love. His path however crosses with a competitor for Mogul's hand who tries hard to dispose of Ashik Kerib.

After years of journey as a minstrel, the hero of the movie finally returns back home and marries the love of his life. Parajanov uses his familiar style time and again, portraying feelings with images and symbols. My personal opinion is that "Ashik Kerib" is another masterpiece of Parajanov, however not as spectacular as "Colors of pomegranate". Shot as a co-production of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, this movie saw very limited release. Here's what Parajanov said about "Ashik Kerib": "I have something important to say about my film. I like this film very much. Every artist must know when he will die. I would like to die after this film because I am very proud of it. This film is dedicated to the memory of my friend Andrei Tarkovsky. God Is One."

Image: A few moments of Joconda's Life, the Last Supper, 1988
Scenes from the movies: "The Colors of a pomegranate" and "The Legend of Souram fortress"
While directing the final movie "Requiem" ("Confessions"), 1989