Stylistically a clear descendant of Color of Pomegranates (a fruit I will always hesitate in the midst of spelling), this film apparently took quite some time to come about. The legendary source material is deeply rooted in historical religious conflicts, but Parajanov uses his signature style to turn poetic and folkloric stories into surreal imagery. It's a strange story that seems to condemn conversion by force while allowing that conversion by other means might not be so bad. In the end, self-sacrifice is the almost literal cornerstone.

The imagery in this film derives largely from Parajanov's talent for framing and mise en scene, composition and color. Images of great landscapes (much love) or odd synchronous movements turn scenes into something…

The Legend of Suram Fortress marks the long awaited and extremely struggled comeback of the Soviet genius Sergei Parajanov. After 15-16 years of forced absence from cinema and withstanding all of the oppressive troubles that one could take (including two lengthy prison sentences) it still was not enough to hold Parajanov down even if the effects began to slowly break him. I think the massive amount of ill fated instances that he had to suffer with during his suppressed and censored life by the higher authorities of a totalitarian government did impact his style of cinema drastically. Parajanov was only able to make four films that were completely his own, two in the 60's and two in the 80's with…

This Georgian folk tale was told in a typical Parajanov fashion with tableau like scenes, which are of course mesmerising and effective. Despite that Parajanov was disallowed to make films since The Colour of Pomegranates, I was surprised that his style was very much in tact. The beginning in particular was very captivating, and it drew me in first time watching it.

In comparison to The Colour of Pomegranates, this film has a more linear "story" structure. The story all told through images, all well prepared and beautiful.

This is probably, however, his most hopeless and bleakest movie. Tonally it's much more darker, the music is menacing throughout (barring the beautiful dance sequence), and the characters speak about dread and…

As is often the case, artists are punished for making their greatest masterpieces. That was the fate of Sergei Parajanov when he made The Color of Pomegranates. He was not allowed to make another film and put in prison (on charge of homosexuality) to silence him. He would be imprisoned 3 times in his life, one of the main reasons why he died of ill health. Color of Pomegranates was published in 1968 and it was not until 1986 (18 years later) that the world got to see a new film from the master. And what does he film? A story about immurement. Was there a hidden message in this topic? I think so.

Immurement is a motive found in…

The Legend of Suram Fortress 1985 / أسطورة حصن سورام

تجربة أخري مع السينما السوڤييتية والرائع "سيرجي براجانوف"

في قالب أسطوري يحمل روح الفلكلور والتراث الشعبي لچورچيا يقص علينا حكاء الفن السابع الاروع "باراجانوف" ملحمة من زمن غابر بطلها لحمه من الحجارة وروحه تكون من عبق التضحيات والبطولات التي قدمها هذا الشعب العظيم فداء لوطنه ... تبدأ حكايتنا بعبد يعتقه سيده وأمرأة فقدت حريتها كي ترقص .. هكذا بدأت، لكن كيف ستنهي؟!

اليوم قد أضفت فيلماً جديداً لقائمة مفضلاتي .. رائعة ليس لهل مثيل في الجمال والرقة والعذوبة

كما هو معروف فباراجنوف أحد شعراء السينما الكبار وحكاءيها العظماء .. الرجل بيجمع ما بين مزيج من الصفات والأشياء التي جعلت منه عبقري لا يضايه أحد في عبقريته .. أولاً عنده أصالة…

The legend of the Suram Fortress is another chef-d'œuvre from Parajanov drawing on stylistically after Colour of Pomegranates in the tableaux-vivants style. As the second-film of his Caucus trilogy, the film metaphorically tackles the complicated ethnic and religious conflicts in Georgia through imagery, costumes and folklore. Osman Agha's dream of his death after his conversion to Christianity (later Piper Simon), the shots of how Zurab perceives an invasion through the lamb, the empty cradle are all examples of Parajanov's symbolic brilliance.

The most interesting conflict in the story is that of Vardo--who becomes a fortune teller, after the freed Durmishkhan does not return to marry her. Exchanging of shawls, the shot of the younger and older Varda in the same…

Segundo Parajanov que vejo. Que pedrada. Já sei que vou precisar rever tudo. Os dois filmes que vi (esse e "A Cor da Romã") são dois dos filmes com mais personalidade que eu me lembro. É muito um cinema focado em uma experiência audiovisual direta, sem ligar para uma estrutura narrativa convencional. De certa forma, é, assim como "Romã", uma obra que busca a transcendência pelas imagens.

A estruturação em capítulos faz parecer que estamos lendo um livro, mas não um qualquer, e sim um livro de espiritualidade e mitificação (uma bíblia ou um alcorão). É uma obra que trabalha essa construção iconográfica acima de qualquer outra coisa. A câmera quase sempre estática e sempre com os mesmos ângulos fortalece…

رمز درک و به دل نشینی اثر هنری به کیفیت ارتباطی بر می گردد که بین دنیای مخاطب و مفاهیم و معانی کلی برقرار می شود .اغلب آثار سینما داستانگویی به شیوه ی نشان دادن مفهوم جزئی در کنار دیگر مفاهیم جزئی را برای رسیدن به محتوایی مشخص و کلی انتخاب می کنند.در این شیوه داستانگویی سرراست تر و کم عمق تر و در عین حال محدودتر و بیشتر در بند تفکرات و ایدئولوژی های سازنده/سازندگان است.
می توان گفت پاراجانوف داستان گوست و سوای داستان های خاصی که انتخاب می کند و مضامین مورد علاقه اش ،شیوه ی داستان گویی او مبتنی بر احضار مفاهیم کلی در تک تک صحنه هاست.هر جزئی از میزانسن شدیدا پرداخته شده ی او…

Film Kedua dari Caucus Trilogy oleh Sergei Parajanov

Sebuah film dari Paradjanov yang mengejutkan sebagai bagian dari pertarungan yang mengerikan melawan sistem politik. Sebuah dongeng yang menjaga cahaya, rasa sakit, daya tarik, misteri, kekuatan, dan keinginan untuk memberikan kesaksian tentang penderitaan. Fakta itu mengubah "The Legend of Suram Fortress" lebih dari sekadar film indah atau sulaman simbol. Sebab, menggunakan motif yang merupakan bagian dari rantai rakyat dari Balkan ke Kaukasus, memberikan konotasi baru pada pengorbanan. Film ini dibagi menjadi hampir selusin segmen yang tidak selalu mengikuti urutan kronologis. Kilas balik berlimpah, dan semuanya tampak eksotis di mata. Musik yang indah menambah kualitas eksotis.
Sekuel dari "The Color Of Pomegranates" ini, lebih mudah diakses daripada "The Color Of Pomegranates", lebih didorong…

Passaram-se quinze anos entre a obra mais influente do lendário cineasta armênio Sergei Parajanov, A Cor da Romã (1969), e a realização de A Lenda da Fortaleza Suram.
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Apurando a linguagem idiossincrática que criou para si, seu retorno ao cinema se deu na Geórgia e teve como base uma lenda do folclore local: um garoto que tem que prender a si mesmo nos muros de uma fortaleza para salvá-la da destruição. Nos caminhos para esse ato de auto-sacrifício, são evocadas imagens medievais da religiosidade e cultura do Cáucaso.
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O cinema de Parajanov não é narrativo, mas sim constrói um universo sensorial e associativo. Movimentos sincronizados, padrões repetitivos, sons hipnotizantes, uma mise-en-scéne que dispõe os atores em evocativos tableaux…