Actually, Parajanov was born in Georgia to Armenian parents, and this is why you see the influences that you do. Start with Shadows of Ancient Forgotten Ancestors.
yes, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, definitely, but Ashik Kerib can also be a good place to start.
His body of work seems a bit strange to me as well. He’s one of those filmmakers that I’ve not been giving any attention to such as Aleksander Sokorov. But I’ve actually seen some of his films but have yet to get back to him. Parajanov seems like one of those filmmakers that will impact me so much that I will start obsessing over his work. I’d really like to see either Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors or The Color of Pomegranates first but I’m not sure when I’ll get around to him.
COLOR OF POMEGRANATES. Still my favorite, as well as the one featuring the purest examples of what I’d consider Paradjanovian…however, no good home video releases exist. Nor have I seen a decent print, either. SHADOWS had a great re-released print about 3 years ago as well as a fine region 1 DVD release and is otherwise a fine place to start.
Yeah, start with Shadows of Ancient Forgotten Ancestors.
yeah his real last name was probably Parajan ( aka para-YAN) that was changed by parents to sound more russian.
Shoot… I started with Suram Fortress and then watched Ashik Kherib… There’s just something about the visual that Paradjanov captures that gets me. I’m also definitely a fan of Sofiko Chiaureli.
i just saw “color of pomegranates”. it is ambitious filmmaking at its best. though he uses a hyperrealistic setting, the pictures become quite surreal and enigmatic. almost every picture has a quality in it. the scene seen from above with the boy laying among wet books drying in the wind is amazing.
the following documentary on parajanov was informative. it has lots of monologues where he gives unique thoughts on everything from russian politics, tarkovsky, his essential themes and how to wear a hat. i am looking forward to see more from this director. maybe some of the documentaries could be interesting. when parajanov is most eccentric, i somehow link him to jodorowsky. i am not sure whether parajanov would like this parallel. he is more dedicated to pasolini i guess.
brady qw
What did you think of this movie? Parajanov is an odd figure to me; from my understanding, he’s Russian, but his works seem to have Indian or Middle Eastern influences. Why is this? And which of his work should I see first? Thanks.