Films of Sergei Paradjanov (Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors / The Color of Pomegranates / The Legend of Suram Fortress / Ashik Kerib)

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SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS (1964) Shadows is a boldly conceived and astonishingly photographed blend of enchanting mythology, hypnotic religious iconography, and pagan magic. And although its unsentimental depiction of the harsh realities of Russian regional history forced visionary director Pararadjanov into direct conflict with bureaucrats then controlling the Soviet film industry, the film became an international sensation when it was released in 1964. THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES (1969) His baroque masterpiece was banned in the Soviet Union for its religious sentiment and nonconformity to 'Socialist realism'; its director, a tirelessly outspoken campaigner for human rights, was convicted on a number of trumped-up charges and sentenced to five years of hard labor in the gulag. A wave of protest from the international film community led to his release in 1978. Aesthetically the most extreme film ever made in the U.S.S.R., Pomegranates, his hallucinatory epic account of the life of the 18th Century Armenian national poet, Sayat Nova, conveys the glory of what a cinema of high art can be like. THE LEGEND OF SURAM FORTRESS (1984) Inspired by an ancient Russian folk tale and adapted from the novella by Daniel Chongadze, this is a dazzling film by visionary director Paradjanov. As the story opens, repeated efforts by the Georgian people to construct a defensive stronghold continually fail. The building they are laboring to complete collapses, but then a fortune teller remembers an old prophecy: In order for the fortress to stand, the son of her erstwhile lover must be bricked up inside the structure alive. The young man is faced with the prospect of sacrificing himself to save his homeland. Filled with vivid and unforgettable imagery, the film is a surreal ode to the Georgian warriors throughout the ages who died for their country. ASHIK KERIB (1988) A 19th century romantic tale evocatively brought to life. Lermontov s famous fable tells of Ashik Kerib, the wandering minstrel who is trying to earn enough money to marry the girl he loves. But when the father of his beloved spurns him, Ashik is forced to roam the land for 1,001 nights. In recounting the story, Paradjanov boldly dispenses with conventional storytelling devices. Ashik Kerib is a series of glorious tableaux, exquisitely composed, choreographed and photographed. In addition, Paradjanov combines intertitles with images of early Russian artwork, which are then overlaid with a haunting blend of traditional and contemporary musical forms. Ashik Kerib was Paradjanov s last completed feature film, and it was dedicated to Andrei Tarkovsky, the director s close personal friend, who had died just two years earlier. Stylistically stunning, it is a unique andunforgettable cinematic experience.