[.ca] Color Of Pomegranates/Paradjan

A truly extraordinary film.:
This really is an absolutely extraordinary film, all the more so when one considers the conditions under which Sergei Paradjanov made it. While it is true to say that the pace of the film is slow and its plot inscrutable there is no denying the absolute genius and vision of its director. It is hard to compare this film to any other but for me I would quote what Stanley Kubrick once said when asked to explain the meaning of 2001: A Space Odyssey to a film critic - "Sometimes the truth of a thing is not so much in the think of it, but in the feel of it". This is how I would approach a film like The Color of Pomegranates for the first time, do not attempt to understand or extract meaning from it straight away but let the film's amazing visual dynamism sink into your sub-consciousness and marvel at the sheer audacity of the director's non-conventional approach to film making. It is such a terrible shame that this amazing artist (for Sergei Paradjanov was not just a film-maker) was harassed and imprisoned on false charges by the Soviet authorities for much of his adult life and denied the ability bring more of his unique visions to life but perhaps such hardships made him utilise his artistic gifts all the more when confronted by such oppression. Anybody who enjoys this film should also seek out his other films that are widely available for viewing, namely Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors (1964), The Legend of Suram Fortress (1984) and Ashik Kerib (1988) for we are lucky to have these few masterpieces of his. I have only viewed this film on Kino's DVD version so I cannot compare it with any other versions. However, this is the version of the film Paradjanov intended for us to see and in my opinion is preferable even if the print might not be as good a print as the version that was cut/censored and which Paradjanov disowned. It is fortunate that an original print was recovered at all and is now available for us to see. Hopefully a version will be issued someday that will restore the quality of the original print. As for the argument to the literal translation of the title in the previous reviews I had thought that the original title of the film was "Sayat Nova" and that the title was changed to "The Color of Pomegranate(s)" when the film was cut/censored and that somehow this is the title that has stuck. Either way I have no problems calling the film by either title. This film is a work of art and should be on permanent viewing in an art gallery. It might not be for everybody but you won't know unless you give it a chance.

1 of the Greatest Films Ever Made:
1 of the Greatest Films Ever Made, COLOR OF POMEGRANATE - SAYAT NOVA, appears on endless lists of Top 100 most important films of all time -- and is considered a masterpiece by filmmakers, film professors, film critics, film students, film historians and film legends such as Fellini, Godard and Antonioni. Therefore, the reviews by incompetent users, like the preceding one, matter not! Issue of animal cruelty is nonsense and only demonstrates the reviewer's illiteracy. Comprehensive review of Parajanov's COLOR OF POMEGRANATE (not "pomegranates"), including the quality of DVD, VHS, various prints, alternative versions and the importance of this cinematic jewel, will be published at www.parajanov.com in 2004. http://www.parajanov.com

Brilliant Film----typically awful Kino DVD.:
One really has to dig VERY deep into the metaphorical bag to be able to convincingly say that there are homoerotic undertones to this film. And yes, there is a decapitated ram in one scene, but for all one knows, it could have been a nice piece of taxidermy work. But I suppose anyone touchy enough to be offended at that would find taxidermy itself offensive. Anyway, that's not to say that Color of Pomegranates is for everyone. It's slow, so you need a good attention span, and its compositions are eclectic and mysterious, so you also need a good sense for the mysterious and the beautiful. It doesn't follow a typical narrative structure, so those looking for something to hold on to will be left lost. Mostly, Color is a love letter to Armenia; its culture, religion, language, literature, etc. However, it is also a glimpse into the wonderful mind-world of Paradjanov. Those familiar with Armenia and its culture are likely to be at a loss to categorise this film as well, and will have to sit back with the rest of us and let Paradjanov's dazzling imagery sink in like a fine wine. I wish Kino would do a better job with their DVD transfers. It's better than the VHS tape, but really, they could have cleaned the film up considerably, as well as offered some special features. The Paradjanov documentary is nice, though it's really presented more as two films on one DVD, rather than as a special feature. Removable subtitles and a new translation would have been nice, too. Kino really needs to give these to Criterion to see what they can dig up. I'm sure it would be spectacular, as usual. Parajanov.com is such a negative reviewer, and is very picky. Color of POMEGRANATE does not translate well in english. It's obvious this is not your first language, so don't make translation suggestions if you aren't experienced. In English, when a color's name is directly ascribed to a common item, rather than given a direct name, that item's plural is used. This is different in other languages, where that item's singular is often used. Thus the title "Color of Pomegranate," while more true to the original language, is awkward compared to the correct English rendition of "Color of Pomegranates." Chill out and take some translation courses!

Beautiful film, good dvd, strange review from Texas:
In my opinion the dvd is quite good, it is a miracle that Paradjanov's troubled masterpiece even survived. I agree that the video transfer could have been better but one must remember the bad conditions and problems the film went through. I disagree with the reviewer from Texas who is very negative himself/herself but claims that comments of paradjanov website are negative and I believe the website's point is most appropriate. As far as translation, I find nothing awkward with singular translation of "pomegranate" plus if Paradjanov intended it that way then why modify his title. This is one of my favorite films and I hope more people will see it.

A Ridiculous Spectacle of Nonsense:
I really wanted to enjoy this movie, as I found Paranjanov's Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors to be fascinatingly otherworldly. I also wanted to expand the internationality of my film collection by adding an Armenian film. I was also interested in learning something about Armenia and the Armenian people. If you have similar interests, do yourself a favor and look elsewhere. I knew this was an "art" film, and I tried desperately to keep an open mind, however I could not stomach watching this without the aid of the FF button. To me this film was quite simply utter trash. I am not easy to offend; for example I really enjoyed Harvey Keitel in the Bad Lieutenant. I think I was most sickened by the scenes (implied or actual) of animal abuse. To be fair, I do think some people can enjoy it, however I think at least three of the following four conditions would have to be met: 1) be a fan of poetry with an interest in Armenia 2) enjoy homo-erotic human mosaic 3) enjoy cruelty to animals 4) enjoy art films with little formal plot structure Tragically, Parajanov was sent to the gulag for making this film, apparently on trumped up charges of homosexuality. Watching this film, its not hard to see where the Soviets got the idea. I wanted to give this film two star in respect for Parajanov, but really one star is sufficiently generous in this case. Perhaps the lesson of this film is that some feelings are better left surpressed. I cannot understand why this Parajanov film is available on DVD but not his far superior Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors.