SAYAT NOVA
To complement our documentary on the great Soviet director Sergei Paradjanov, we present his best-known film which focuses on the life of Armenian poet Sayat-Nova: his spiritual journey, artistic endeavours and inner conflicts within the cultural and historical context of Armenia.
This is a breathtaking fusion of poetry, ethnography and cinema, Paradjanov’s masterwork overflows with unforgettable images and sounds. In a series of tableaux that blend the tactile with the abstract, ‘The Colour of Pomegranates’ revives the splendours of Armenian culture through the story of the eighteenth-century troubadour Sayat-Nova. The film’s tapestry of folklore and metaphor departed from the realism that dominated the Soviet cinema of its era, leading authorities to block its distribution, with rare underground screenings presenting it in a restructured form. This edition features the cut closest to Paradjanov’s original vision, in a restoration that brings new life to one of cinema’s most enigmatic meditations on art and beauty.
USSR 1969 Sergei Paradjanov 79m
Fri 15 Aug 11:00 – Auditorium
