The Colour of Pomegranates

This 1969 film was directed by Sergei Parajanov and tells the story of the 18th-century Armenian poet and troubadour Sayat-Nova. And with this fact,  I already have my first comment. The project was supposed to be a biography of the poet, but what we visually see doesn't follow the conventional representation. The film isn't realistic at all and without any background, you can only wonder what it is about. Parajanov gives us here an opposition, an alternative way of seeing the world. 

Even if the visual choices seem unusual, the director sticks to the common chronology. He tried to show the stages in people's lives, their evolution, but it wasn't really bound to the protagonist alone. He illustrated the general life experiences within the framework of the poet Sayat-Nova. So in the end even though the shots made us confused, we still could relate to the familiar phases of life. It feels as if Parajanov did this on purpose to ground his viewers and connect them with the film.

As an art history student, this film captivated me. It brought me back to the Iconography classes I had. Every single detail became a symbol to me, one that I had to connect to its hidden meaning. The whole film has the same staged effect as a painting. The composition, with its little details, was shaped like this for a particular reason. The transitions between each frame also have this feeling of walking around in a museum or gallery. Even more, the film has strong roots in history because Parajanov chooses these monuments as location. The preservation of these ancient 'relics' but also the incorporation of them in the contemporary world is one of the museums and art histories main goals. 

My last remark is this claim on tradition as if the 'periphery' wanted to reveal their own high culture. In the film, there were lots of references to the orthodox church with its icons, relics and rituals, but also their glorious past of the Persian Empire. It highlighted the Armenian aesthetics in the tapestry, clothes and jewels. Their culture was rich in its music, in its poetry, in its historical sites, in its tradition. This search for authenticity is a common characteristic of nationalism and can be beautiful in people's expedition of their own origins. But can also have a dangerous side to it as history has demonstrated.