Color of Pomegranates(1968) Review by: Donnie Cock Director: Sergei Paradjanov

I haven¹t really been able to make my way to the theater as of late. Young Donnie Cock has fallen ill with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I have to say that being bedridden has it's advantages. I¹m giving myself the opportunity to review the films of winters past which have made some kind of impression on me.

In-between sponge baths and naps, I found a cheap copy of The Color of Pomegranates by director Sergie Paradjanov. I remember seeing it for the first time in the late eighties while attending a performance art class at the University of Texas at Austin. I walked into the classroom about a half hour late and was somewhat stunned at the pictures moving on the television screen. There was some guy dressed in an elaborate costume and mask playing a drum. Making the scene surreal was the fact that the sound of the drum was intentionally out of synch from the moving images. The masked figure disappeared and other characters appeared in some kind of ritualistic and precise performance. My words can¹t describe how beautiful the image really was. I was mesmerized. The scene cut into another tableaux of individuals performing strange acts in what seemed to be a desert. It's hard to go into detail but it almost seemed like some kind of wedding. We only watched about 15 more minutes of the film before my professor turned it off. He stated that he only liked the beginning.

After some research I found out that the director, Sergei Paradjanov, based the film on the poet Sayat Nova. The film isn¹t exactly based on Nova's life. Instead a great deal of emphasis is placed on the symbolism and allegory of his poetry. It was released in 1968 and quickly banned by the Soviet Union for it¹s religious sentiment and nonconformity to "Socialist Realism." In 1972 the film was rereleased in the soviet union but heavily censored. Luckily an original print was found, so today we have access to the unedited version. In 1973 Paradjnov was imprisoned by the Soviet government on alleged 'trumped up' charges. He spent five years in prison. After his release he made more movies, none of which I have seen.

So I found a copy on the dvd online. After watching it again I have to say that it is a visually stunning film. It's truly a moving painting, a very surreal moving painting. If you are interested in dialogue and plot then I don't really see this as being a movie for you. My Professor may of been right in his assessment that the beginning is better than the end but I am not sure I completely agree. There are memorable moments throughout, it may just be hard to watch through the whole thing in one sitting. I am glad I purchased the dvd and I recommend it to everyone. Also, if you are interested there is a documentary on Paradjanov and an early short film of his on the DVD. Its a nice introduction to a culture that I have never been exposed to. This review may be the medicine talking so if you see it and don't like it all I can do is apologize.