The Color of Pomegranates (1969)

 Sergei Parajanov's "The Color of Pomegranates"


Although I am not familiar with the 18th century Armenian poet Sayat-Nova, I still feel enjoyment and emotional enrichment from Sergei Parajanov's 1969 film about his life, "The Color of Pomegranates." Not exactly a biographical narrative, the film is entirely abstract images that are derived from Sayat-Nova's life and poems. Despite being unaware of his life and poems, the film is still a singular experience.

After watching such an abstract piece of art, it's difficult to try and put it into words. Its images cannot be explained merely be literalizing them. Rather, the act of watching the film is the purest form of participating in the film, which cannot simply be hacked away by over-analysis. 

The film was a cause for concern with Soviet censorship, who believed the lack of explanation regarding the images didn't properly educate the public on Sayat-Nova. On top of this, the film's religious imagery, as well as Parajanov's suspected homosexuality, caused concern for the Russian state, who felt the religious imagery could be misinterpreted and not aligned with state-sanctioned ideas.

Of course, the film, although its subject matter is specifically designated towards its famed poet, could be interpreted in any subjective way from its viewer due to the ambiguity and abstraction of the images. This is what makes the film so beloved and celebrated in the film community. Filmmakers at that time, like Michelangelo Antonioni and Jean-Luc Godard have praised the film, along with its director. The lack of literal interpretation and the ability to draw a variance of ideas from the film's endless mystery is the reason many consider it one of the greatest works of art ever made.



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