Sergueï Paradjanov, le rebelle (2003) was shown in the U.S. with the translated title Sergei Parajanov, the Rebel. The movie was directed by Patrick Cazals. It's a short documentary--51 minutes.
Sergei Parajanov was a great 20th Century artist from the Trans-Caucusus region. The movie was filmed inside the Sergei Parajanov museum in Armenia. (Parajanov was born in Georgia, but he was of Armenia descent.)
As is made clear in the movie, Parajanov wasn't a rebel in the sense of being an outspoken human rights activist in the Soviet Union. His rebellion was artistic--he produced avant-garde art when when the Soviets demanded Soviet Realism. Believe it or not, insisting on his own style of filmmaking was a crime, and he spent four years in prison. (He served two other terms in prison. As he says, three different Soviet presidents sent him to jail.)
Director Cazals interviewed Sofiko Chiaureli, who was the star of Pajanov's masterpiece--The Color of Pomegranates (Sayat Nova) (1969). Her insights into Parajanov's techniques are interesting and valuable.
We saw this movie as a Criterion Collection extra with the film Color of Pomegranates. It won't stand by itself unless you're familiar with Parajanov's work. Once you've seen Sayat Nova, you'll understand and enjoy the movie. It has a modest IMDb rating of 6.8. I thought it was better than that and rated it 9.
Sergei Parajanov was a great 20th Century artist from the Trans-Caucusus region. The movie was filmed inside the Sergei Parajanov museum in Armenia. (Parajanov was born in Georgia, but he was of Armenia descent.)
As is made clear in the movie, Parajanov wasn't a rebel in the sense of being an outspoken human rights activist in the Soviet Union. His rebellion was artistic--he produced avant-garde art when when the Soviets demanded Soviet Realism. Believe it or not, insisting on his own style of filmmaking was a crime, and he spent four years in prison. (He served two other terms in prison. As he says, three different Soviet presidents sent him to jail.)
Director Cazals interviewed Sofiko Chiaureli, who was the star of Pajanov's masterpiece--The Color of Pomegranates (Sayat Nova) (1969). Her insights into Parajanov's techniques are interesting and valuable.
We saw this movie as a Criterion Collection extra with the film Color of Pomegranates. It won't stand by itself unless you're familiar with Parajanov's work. Once you've seen Sayat Nova, you'll understand and enjoy the movie. It has a modest IMDb rating of 6.8. I thought it was better than that and rated it 9.
